Juanita and Esmeralda awoke in the early morning and sat around the camp's fire eating hard biscuits and drinking tea. They argued about whether or not to go to their jobs at the castle as they had every morning since Take left.
"We could go to the bazaar and buy some new clothes" Juanita said.
Esmeralda stuck out her lower lip. "If we miss a day, we'll be fired."
Juanita stretched languidly. "So, what do we care? We've got Take's silver coins."
"Cook's making chicken stew today," Esmeralda offered.
Juanita laughed. "You just want to hear all the castle gossip."
Esmeralda's face puckered into a frown. "What? And you don't? You know you're still dying to find out what old King Blackwell wanted with Take.
Juanita shrugged. "Let's go, then, or we'll be fired anyway for being late."
The girls were assigned the job of cutting vegetables when they arrived at the castle kitchen. Cook came into the alcove where the girls were working at mid-morning.
"We've lost young Sadie fer a time. She's left ta care fer 'er sick mom. So I'll be needin' one a youse ta take a bite down ta our guests in yon dungeon an' tother ta' take tea up ta Princess Serafina."
"I'll go to the dungeon," Juanita called out quickly.
Esmeralda glared at her friend. "That's the job I wanted."
Cook laughed good-naturedly. "Too late. Yer friend beat ya to it. You'll be pleased ta know we ain't lost a one yet ter the big cat. Course you could be the first."
"You're just so funny." Esmeralda's voice was stiff with sarcasm.
Cook continued in her hearty manner. "It wouldn't do ta get them two trays mixed up—given' bread and water ta our Serafina an' fancy fruits ta the prisoners."
Juanita grabbed the tray for the prisoners before Esmeralda could object. "How do I get to the dungeon?"
Cook led her to a door at the end of a long hall. "Mind how ya go. It's a bit dark down there. The guard'll likely show ya the way if ya ask 'im nice like."
Esmeralda studied her tray full of tiny crackers, cheeses, grapes, cakes and tea. "This looks really tasty."
Cook smiled. "Don't ya be snatchin nothin. If the cat don't get ya I'll have some extra grapes fer ya when ya come back."
Esmeralda brightened. "Thanks."
"Off ya go then, an' good luck ta you."
Juanita held the tray with one hand while she felt her way down the dripping stone staircase with her other hand. Each step was slick with a slimy dampness. She took a deep breath when she reached the bottom of the stairs and stood still until her eyes adjusted to the torch light.
The dungeon had a dank, musty odor mixed with the acrid smell of burning torches. She could make out the iron bars of the dungeon cells, but not their occupants. A shadow moved toward her from an alcove in the furthest corner of the dungeon.
"Sadie? That you?" came a gruff voice.
"No. Sadie's out today. I'm Juanita."
The shadow picked a torch from the wall and Juanita saw the face of an elderly guard.
"Is she sick?" the man asked.
"No, but her mom's sick."
"Oh. Too bad, that."
The man seemed disappointed that he would not see Sadie. Perhaps her visits were the highpoint of the day down here in the dungeon.
"I've some bread and jerky for the prisoners."
"Come along then, I'll show you the way." The man moved slowly along the cells and stopped in front of one. A very old man slowly ambled forward to the door of his cell.
"What's this one's name?" Juanita asked.
The old guard seemed surprised by the question.
"Don't know. He was here before I came along. He don't talk much."
Juanita passed him water, bread and venison jerky. The man took it without looking at her and retreated to the back shadows.
The guard stopped at the next cell. "This here's our new one. He never stops talkin'. Been imaginin' things comin' after 'im. Likely was a drinker."
The man came to the door of his cell and stared at Juanita with haunted eyes.
"Shandor?" Juanita gasped.
Shandor blinked and stared at Juanita in confusion. "Is she letting me go finally?"
"Who?" Juanita asked.
"The witch."
Juanita decided she had better say nothing more with the guard watching her suspiciously. She handed Shandor some bread, water and jerky.
"Don't know anything about any witch—I just bring the tray down as I'm told." She turned her face away from the guard and gave Shandor a wink.
A bit of light came into Shandor's face and he looked from Juanita to the guard and back.
Shandor pointed to an object just out of reach from the bars of his cell.
Juanita looked at the guard. "Shall I give him his fiddle then?"
The guard shrugged. "They took it away when he started smashin' things around in his cell. Seems to have calmed down a bit now. It's up ta you." The guard narrowed his eyes. "Do you know this poor sod?"
"He looked like someone I used to know, but I guess not." Juanita handed Shandor his fiddle and winked again.
Shandor clasped his fiddle lovingly and went to the far corner of his cell where he crouched with his arms held protectively around his instrument.
When Juanita had finished handing out bread and jerky to the prisoners she stopped to chat a bit with the guard.
"It's a lonely job you've got here."
The guard shrugged but seemed glad of her attention. "It's all right."
"I appreciate you showing me what to do here. I've not worked here long. What's your name?"
"I'm called Keys." He jingled his keys and the ghost of a smile crossed his lips.
"I'll likely be seeing you again tomorrow if Sadie's not back. Nice meeting you."
"My pleasure." This time Keys did smile.
Juanita rushed up the stairs with her empty tray, burning to tell Esmeralda that Shandor was here in Henge's dungeon.
Esmeralda knocked lightly on the nursery door. She stepped back when she heard a deep throaty growl. A few seconds later she heard Serafina's voice.
"What is it?"
"Tea, ah..., Your Highness."
Serafina opened the door a crack and a black nose poked through the opening.
"Down, Ebony," Serafina commanded.
The black snout disappeared. The door swung open and Esmeralda's eyes followed the black panther as it flopped down in front of two identical twin babies lying on a blanket on the floor.
Serafina studied Esmeralda's face.
"Esmeralda?" she asked.
"The very same." Esmeralda smiled.
"You work here?"
"In the kitchen, usually. Sadie's out today with a sick mother."
Serafina stepped aside. "You may set the tray on the table."
Esmeralda kept her eyes on the big cat as she walked to the table.
"Beautiful babies." Esmeralda paused to smile at the baby girls and a little cake with pink icing flew off the tray into Esme's hands.
Esmeralda jerked the tray up and almost upset the tea pot as she tried to steady it.
"I don't know what happened," Esmeralda said, shaking.
Serafina took the tray from her and placed it on the table.
"These things happen," Serafina said with a cool tone of voice. As Esmeralda continued to stare at the twins, Serafina tried to pull the girl's attention away from the babies. "Is Take still with you at the Traveler's Camp?"
"What?" Esmeralda watched Esme dig her fingers into the pink cake, then stick the same fingers into her mouth with a curious expression.
Serafina leaned down to remove the cake from the baby's grasp. Esme let out an angry howl.
"Take the Thief?" Serafina repeated, touching the girl on her arm. "Is he still at your camp?"
"Take." Esmeralda was still looking fr
om the tray to Esme with a puzzled expression. "Oh, Take? No. He went back to Fernland after he saw the old king."
"Take saw Prince Blackwell's father before he left?"
"Yes." Esmeralda began to back out of the room, keeping one eye on the panther and the other on Esme.
"Curious," Serafina mused.
Esmeralda wondered if she was supposed to wait to be dismissed. She decided she didn't really care.
"Enjoy your tea, Your Highness," she muttered as she made her escape.
When Esmeralda and Juanita met up in the kitchen they both began talking so fast it was several minutes before they were able to hear what the other was saying.