Serafina adjusted her gown carefully and smiled at Prince Blackwell. "I see I have come at an opportune time. Please proceed."
"My officers, of course, encourage the gathering of intelligence among the crews of the various ships. They provide certain incentives for information that might otherwise be kept confidential--a coin here, a reduced tax there."
"Are we going to get to a rumor here anytime soon?" his father asked.
"There are certain stories out of Barburee that may bear investigation, not so much for the stories themselves which may be only flights of fancy, but more for the fear and trepidation that accompany their telling."
"Still waiting," his father said.
Prince Blackwell stared irritably at his father, then turned his attention to Serafina. "It is well that you are here my shining star," he said, "since some of these stories seem rooted in auras of witchcraft, and who better to confirm or deny their authenticity."
His father threw his hands up in exasperation. "Perhaps you could have me paged when you are ready to reveal a rumor."
Prince Blackwell continued, beginning to relish his father's irritation. "It may be that we are faced with a new weapon out of Barburee."
"And what would this new weapon be, Milord?" Serafina asked.
"Exploding arrows," Prince Blackwell said. He looked satisfied with his audience's reaction as the two leaned forward.
"Exploding arrows?" his father asked. "What does that mean? If the arrows fall apart along the way, they're not much of a threat." He laughed derisively.
"They say the arrows have little packages attached, and when they hit their target, they burst into flame and explode, obliterating the thing they hit," Prince Blackwell explained.
"Ridiculous," his father said. "Or maybe witchcraft." He glanced at Serafina for an opinion.
Serafina appeared to be deep in thought. A whisper that sounded like 'yes' escaped from her lips.
"Milord," she said, "there are certain salts found far to the East, in the desert area bounding Barburee, that have explosive properties when mixed with certain other materials. We in the black arts use them in small quantities. They would prove dangerous if used in large quantities, but bundled together with arrows...yes, I think it would be possible."
"So they are the result of witchcraft?" Blackwell's father asked.
"No, they could be made by anyone," Serafina said. One only needs access to large quantities of the salts and knowledge of the proper mixtures.
"And could you make such a mixture?" Prince Blackwell asked.
"Certainly," Serafina said.
The steward arrived with their tea. He placed it on the desk in front of Prince Blackwell.
"Excellent!" Prince Blackwell said, smiling at the overflowing tray. "I see the bounty of our newly arrived ships has reached us."
"I've been longing for strawberries," Serafina said.
"You might want to go a little easy there," Blackwell's father said. "Looks like you're putting on a bit of weight."
"Father, really!" Prince Blackwell said.
"Just a suggestion," his father said, raising his hands in the air in a placating gesture.
"Why not tell him?" Serafina said, looking at Prince Blackwell.
"Very well." Prince Blackwell stood up and moved to Serafina's side. "My shining star is with child," he said.
"What?" his father said, laughing and clapping his son on the arm. "And just when I thought that ship had sailed. I mean not that you're not a beautiful woman and a needed addition to our family, but I thought you might have gotten a little too long in the tooth, if you catch my meaning. This is wonderful news. Just wonderful. A grandson. And I'll bet he'll be a proper warrior this time."
Prince Blackwell had listened to his father's speech, alternately outraged and joyous. His joy quickly won out over his outrage. "Son or daughter--it will be wonderful to have a new little life in the castle," Prince Blackwell said, beaming at his wife.
"It will," Serafina agreed, with her hand on her abdomen. She did not add that she had felt two heartbeats this morning, not one.
Chapter 4
Between Helsop and Fernland
Electra awoke suddenly. Darkness surrounded her. The royal carriage had stopped moving. She could hear the men speaking softly as they unhitched the horses. The carriage shifted to absorb the weight of men climbing up the back. She heard the men's footsteps overhead and a rustling sound as they laid out blankets on the top of the carriage. They would sleep for a few hours in shifts while the horses rested and grazed.
Electra and Delphinia had slept on and off in the carriage, sitting or curled up on the cramped benches. They had driven on through the first night and day. Electra guessed it was now close to midnight. She thought about getting out of the carriage to stretch her cramped muscles, but didn't want to waken the exhausted men. Delphinia moved a little on the bench across from her.
Electra put her hand on her mother's arm to keep her from falling to the floor of the carriage. Delphinia's eyes flew open.
"Electra, my Dear," she said as she sat up and stretched her neck from side to side. "Where are we? Do you know?"
"I don't know. Still in the forest," Electra whispered. "They are resting the horses. Some of the men are asleep on the carriage roof,".
"Yes, this is hard on us all. But it is imperative that we reach Fernland before the Barburee ambassadors arrive," Delphinia said. "They must have a reception fit for a king."
"I don't understand why you are planning such an elaborate welcome for a group from Barburee. They are villains at best."
"Oh, Child, you have much to learn in the area of diplomacy." Delphinia patted her daughter's knee. "Your friends you treat well, but your enemies, better."
"I am an eager pupil."
"There now. That attitude will serve you well." Delphinia smiled. "You will be such a help to me. Had I known what a jewel you were all these many years you were lost to me, I would have been all the more desolate."
Electra blushed and waved the compliment aside. "I assure you, I will be of little help when it comes to entertaining."
Delphinia leaned closer to Electra, as if someone might be listening to their conversation. There seemed little chance of that as the snores of the men overhead carried loudly through the curtained windows of the carriage. "The people of Barburee are a fierce tribe. Their leader, the Great Khan, will often send a party of supposed ambassadors to a kingdom he plans to invade. The ambassadors will offer an alliance that is really an ultimatum in disguise. If the alliance is not accepted, they come back in hordes to burn and pillage. If the alliance is accepted, it amounts to the same. They ride in on their terrible war horses, unopposed and simply take over."
Electra drew in a sharp breath. "But this is unthinkable—a nightmare." Electra reached for her mother's hand and held it tightly. "Are they truly powerful enough to take Fernland?"
"We don't know," Delphinia said. "We know they have taken some new territories of late, but these lie far to the east. Your father has never felt the threat close enough to send spies to assess their strength. Certainly they have never shown an interest in Fernland until now.
Electra was quiet for a few moments, considering what this would mean for both Fernland and Helsop. "Helsop would certainly join Fernland in repelling any invasion" she said finally.
"Of course they would do what they could," Delphinia said, but it was obvious she did not put much hope in Helsop's fighting ability.
"But tell me what you hope to achieve with the elaborate welcome you are planning."
"Ah, yes. I plan to treat them as visiting royalty. We will flatter them, amuse them, ply them with drink and feasting. Many of their secrets will tumble out."
"Yes, I can see how that might work. But I imagine others have tried the same. They may well be immune to such ploys," Electra said.
"Others may have tried, but they have not yet experience
d a Fernland welcome," Delphinia said. "We must invite your friends, the actors, to help us. They have become quite polished in their efforts since your engagement celebration."
"Are you speaking of Take the Thief and his Harem Dancers?" Electra asked, the surprise evident in her voice.
"Yes. They are quite in demand of late. Now they have perfected a magic show that is popular."
Electra could not help smiling as she thought of Take the Thief. Although she should despise him as the person who kidnapped her from her cradle, she chose to remember him as the author of the daring scheme that had saved her from Prince Blackwell's soldiers. By pretending to be one of the Great Sheik's harem dancers performing in a play, she had gained entrance to Fernland's castle where she had finally met her true parents, King Geoffrey and Queen Delphinia. She had not imagined that Take and his friends would continue to mine their theatrical vein.
"I look forward to seeing that rascal Take again, but somehow I don't see any entertainment capable of dissuading the Barburians."
"Hopefully you will be surprised," Delphinia said.
It was too dark to make out Delphinia's expression, but Electra sensed some doubt in her mother's voice as well. She leaned against the side of the carriage and closed her eyes, hoping she would not dream of Barburee.
Chapter 5
Kingdom of Fernland
Take the Thief twisted to and fro, panicked, trying to rid himself of the chains binding him. He had the hidden key that would unlock the chains but dropped it in his haste to free himself. He couldn't move. He tried to call out. He heard a weak and distant voice. It sounded very like his own voice.
Take's eyes popped open. Awake now, he noticed his blanket entangled around him, pinning him to his cot. He lay there for a few minutes, banishing his nightmare, while his breathing returned to normal. "That trick is definitely out," he murmured to himself, wondering why he had even considered adding the difficult escape from chains to the magic act. He freed himself from his blanket and dressed quickly. He wanted to turn his mind away from any lingering bad dreams. To accomplish that he needed to get out of the dark, lonely shack which had lately become his home.
Take walked along the empty stalls that lined the castle walls, hoping to find an early morning vendor selling something to eat. He caught the smell of baking bread and picked up his pace. At the end of the row he saw a stall with pastries lined up on the counter. His mouth began to water as he looked around for the stall's proprietor. It appeared no one was manning the stall. He seemed to be the only one in the whole market place. That meant no one was watching him.
"Hello? Anyone here?" he asked in a voice too soft to travel very far, as he reached for one of the pastries.
"A course there's a one 'ere," came a raspy voice from inside the stall. "An ya'd best lift that hand if ya mean ta' keep it."
Take jerked his hand away as if it were on fire and peered over the counter. He saw a thatch of red hair atop a very short man.
"I just wanted to see if they were still warm," Take said.
The little man looked up at him with angry dark eyes.
"Ha!" he said.
"My but you're a little one, aren't you?" Take asked in a friendly tone.
"Little, am I?" the man shouted. He jumped up on a stool and vaulted over the counter. He dove at Take, grabbed his shirt and began kicking him in the shins.
"Whoa, there, friend," Take said. He bent over to put his hand on the little man's head and stepped out of range.
"Say, what's goin' on here?" called a deep voice from the square.
Take turned to see a huge man with a equally huge bag of flour riding on his shoulder. The man made a rumbling sound that may have been laughter. The big man looked down at the little man.
"Bear, I can't leave ya alone a minute without ya's findin' trouble." He put down his bag of flour and looked at Take. "What happened here?"
"I just said he was little," Take said.
"Bear ya be little. Tain't no insult ta' say so."
"Ya think I don't know I'm little?" Bear renewed his attack on Take's shins and the big man scooped him up and sat him on the counter.
"This 'ere thief tried ta' steal a pastry. Thought there weren't nobody 'ere ta see 'im take it," Bear said.
"Is that true?" the big man asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Of course not. I asked 'is anybody here'? I only touched one to see if it was maybe still warm just out of the oven. They're best that way," Take said.
The big man smiled as if he agreed about the warmth of pastries. He turned to Bear. "There, ya see? This 'ere's a payin' customer. We got to be nice to 'im. What's yer name, friend?"
"I'm ah...called Take."
"Ha!" said Bear. "Take! What's that tell ya?"
"Look here, I've got money," Take said, pulling some coins from his pocket. "I'm part of an acting troop. An upright citizen. We put on magic shows."
"Yeah, the disappearing pastry show," Bear said, smiling a little at his joke.
The big man looked relieved to see his friend smiling. He turned to Take.
"Take, this here's Bear that ya already met an' my name's Smiles." He put out his hand and shook Take's hand with a strength which almost pulled Take off his feet. "Me an' Bear 'ere, we done a bit a actin' ourselves, ain't we Bear?"
"Really?" Take asked, intrigued at the possibilities that presented. "Have you ever done any magic shows?"
"No, never no magic," Smiles said. "I played a strong man, liftin' heavy weights an' pullin' wagons an' such like. An Bear here, he dressed up some in animal suits an' did tricks an' such. We had us a good group, goin' from town ta town."
"And then you decided to become bakers?" Take asked. He thought there was probably more to this story.
"We 'ad a spot a trouble, anyways, Bear did, an' he had ta leave, an' the two a us all the time stick together," Smiles said.
Bear looked away and mumbled something.
"What's that you said, Bear?" Take asked.
"Ain't nobody's business what 'appened," Bear said. "Ya gonna buy a pastry or not?"
"I surely am," Take said. He put a coin down on the counter. "What will this buy me?"
"Take yer pick," Smiles said.
Take slipped a hand under one covered in sugar and cinnamon and took a big bite.
"Delicious," he said. "Bear, you are a prince among bakers."
Bear seemed to thaw a little at the compliment and swung around to drop down to the stool behind the counter.
Smiles picked up a pastry and ate the whole thing in two big bites.
After a few seconds of appreciative eating, Take leaned against the counter and struck a casual pose.
"So what would you both think of doing a little work with my acting troupe in your spare time?" he asked.
Both men perked up and looked at Take with eager faces.
Bear picked up a pastry and handed it to Take.
"Have one on the house," Bear said.
"Have two," Smiles said.
" I believe we have an agreement," Take said, saluting his two new partners with a pastry.
Chapter 6
Kingdom of Fernland
Electra and Delphinia arrived at Fernland's castle on the morning of the day the Barburee contingent was due to arrive. A welcoming canopy, banners and flags were already in place. Servants awaiting orders stood anxiously on the castle steps.
Electra looked up at the castle in awe. It was even bigger than she remembered. It would dwarf Helsop's new castle, which even in its unfinished state seemed too grand for her taste. Delphinia was already reaching for the carriage door, too impatient to wait for the footman who was racing down the castle steps. He reached the carriage just in time and stood, breathing hard, as Delphinia stepped down.
"Are we in time? Have they arrived?" she asked.
"They have not arrived, Your Highness. As yet we have had no sighting from the tower."
&n
bsp; Fernland's castle sat atop a hill that commanded a view of the whole river valley below. Any visitors on horseback from the east would be visible as a dust cloud hours before arriving.
Delphinia breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Electra and said, "I will leave the banquet menu to you. There is Cristo." She pointed to the wagon behind the carriage where Cristo stood, dusting off his clothes with his hands.
Electra nodded. She had accepted this task reluctantly, at her mother's insistence. Better this than the entertainment, she thought.
As Delphinia rushed to the steps to begin giving orders, Electra waved to Cristo.
"Your Highness," he said as he walked toward her.
"Queen Delphinia has asked me to see to the banquet menu," Electra said. "I hope to rely on your suggestions."
Cristo perked up at this news. "Of course, I am at your service," he said, the excitement showing in his eyes.
"Perhaps you could remind me where the kitchen is located," Electra said.
Cristo smiled. "This way Milady," he said with a grandiose flourish of his hand.
They climbed the wide stairs to the palace entry. The ornate wooden doors stood open as servants rushed in and out. To the left stood the carved staircase which led to the royal family's bed chambers. Her own room was up the stairs and down the left hallway. Though she had only stayed there two nights in her entire life, she had no doubt it would be as she had left it the autumn before when she first met her parents. She vaguely recollected the location of the throne room where she had overheard King Geoffrey's conversation with Muller the Spy. Her musings were interrupted by Cristo's voice.
"This way, Your Highness," he said, veering off to the right. As they entered the hallway to the kitchen and the servant's quarters, the decor turned rustic. The kitchen itself was a bustling place of steam and heat, clanking pots and pans, shouting cooks, butchers, serving girls, dish washers, bakers and various others. The shouting subsided as Cristo walked in and went mute as Electra followed.
"We will go to my office," Cristo said, leading Electra through the silent staff to a tiny room just off the kitchen. Two chairs and a small writing desk took up the whole space.