Read Princess Electra Book 4 School of Medicine Page 9

  Chapter 9

  Henge

  Take the Thief and his acting troupe sat in the officers' dining room in the army barracks outside the castle of Henge. It had taken them four days pulling a wagon full of costumes and props to travel from Fernland to Henge. They stopped at the border of Henge where Take told the border guards that they were here at the request of old King Blackwell. The guards had treated the actors courteously but once inside the army barracks a sergeant told them Princess Serafina wanted to speak to them before they went to old King Blackwell's reception.

  Take the Thief paced back and forth nervously. The last time he had been in this room Serafina had put his traveling companion, Shandor the Fiddler, into the dungeon with no explanation. Although Take had received numerous invitations from old King Phinneas Blackwell to visit Henge, he had always found excuses not to come. So far he had not even told his friends in the acting troupe that old King Blackwell was actually his father.

  "I should not have brought you here. I may have put us all in danger," Take murmured to his friends.

  His best friend, Tom, rushed to his defense. "Don't be thinkin' that way. We was likely in bigger trouble if we'd a stayed in Fernland, what with that cut-throat Bataar of Barburee hangin' round."

  Bear raised his head to look at Take. Bear, who was very short, and his friend Smiles, who was very tall, had once been commanded along with Take to travel to Barburee—a journey that had terrified them all and made them give Bataar a wide berth on his latest visit to Fernland. "I fer one was happy ta' leave Fernland afore Bataar thought a some new reason ta' send us off ta' Barburee again. I'll take me chances 'ere." He paused to screw up his face in an irritated expression. "What's with this 'ere witch, Serafina, wantin' ta' put folks in her dungeon?"

  At this moment Serafina appeared in the doorway, dressed in her sorceress cloak, looking at Bear through narrowed eyes.

  Bear shrank back a little and put his arm around his wife, Peaches.

  Serafina gave Take a frosty smile. "What brings you back to Henge, my old friend?" she asked.

  Take was hardly a friend of Serafina's. Though they had a long history of misadventures together, Take had always been her pawn. They had certainly never been on an equal footing. Take cleared his throat.

  "We have been invited here by old King Blackwell to have a look at the new theatre he is building and put on a short performance by way of an audition. He has paid our expenses to come here and paid in advance for the audition."

  Take stuck out his chin a little as though daring her to find any lie in what he had said.

  Serafina took a chair at the dining table and studied Take for a moment, her green eyes taking on a blue-grey cast.

  "And why do you suppose he would do that?"

  Take gave a little cough which turned into a coughing fit. When he had control of his voice he continued.

  "I suppose now he is building a theatre, he needs actors to perform in it."

  Serafina nodded. "Have you any idea why he is building a theatre?"

  "I would guess he enjoys theatre performances." Take avoided Serafina's eyes.

  "Where will you stay while you are in Henge?"

  Take was ready for this question. "King Blackwell may have made arrangements for us, but if not, we will ask for lodging at the Traveler camp."

  "Yes, I remember you said your mother was a gypsy girl when you were last here. You had come to find out more about your family." Serafina paused and her eyes bore into his. "Were you successful?"

  Take felt like an insect under an enlarging glass. How much did she know? Had the old king told her that Take was his son, born out of wedlock to a gypsy servant girl? "Nothing worth mentioning," Take offered.

  Serafina stood up. "Welcome to Henge," she said with unexpected grace. "I will notify my father-in-law that you have arrived.

  Take slumped, exhausted, into his chair as soon as Serafina left the room. He had time for one deep breath before his friends barraged him with excited questions.

  As soon as Serafina reached the castle she sent two servants running—one to notify old King Blackwell that his acting troupe had arrived and another to the kitchen to tell Juanita and Esmeralda she wished to speak to them in the nursery.

  Juanita and Esmeralda sat peeling turnips for Cook when the servant found them. They told Cook about the summons and walked up the stone stairs to the nursery, dreading what was to come. Since secretly helping Shandor to escape several months ago, they had been waiting for the axe to fall. Did Serafina know they had helped Shandor the Fiddler to escape? Did she only suspect they had? Would she put them in the dungeon? Would she banish them from Henge? They should have left sooner, they realized. Now it might be too late.

  Ebony, Serafina's black panther, snarled a warning as Juanita and Esmeralda entered the nursery. Little Esme lay curled asleep next to the huge cat and Shalin looked up from her place by the panther's paw. Her green eyes mirrored her mother's as she studied the two frightened young women.

  Serafina sat down at her tea table but left the Traveler girls standing. "I know you helped your friend escape," she began. Serafina held up her hand in a 'stop' gesture when both girls began to protest.

  "I wish to ask you both about another matter and if you answer truthfully you will be relieved of your jobs and will leave Henge immediately. If you lie you will take Shandor's empty cell in the dungeon."

  Juanita tightened her fists to keep her hands from shaking. Esmeralda was terrified and her eyes welled with unshed tears.

  Serafina leaned forward slightly. "Esmeralda. You mentioned that Take the Thief visited old King Blackwell shortly before he left Henge to return to Fernland. Tell me everything you know about that meeting."

  Esmeralda glanced at her friend. Juanita gave Esmeralda a slight nod of encouragement.

  "Take said his mama worked at the castle years ago and maybe his father did too. He asked us to find out if somebody named Finn had worked here a long time ago as his mama said she named him Finn after his daddy. Then old King Blackwell asked us why we were asking around the castle about somebody named Finn and we told him it was for Take and then he said, 'send Take to see me', so we did. That's all we know. You can ask the old King and he'll tell you that's what happened."

  Serafina considered Esmeralda's story. She could see that the girl was very frightened and judged that she was telling the truth.

  "Take the Thief's name was Finn?"

  "Yes, that's what his mama called him."

  "And what job did his mother have here at the castle?"

  "He said she was a nursemaid to the old queen that never recovered after giving birth to Prince Blackwell."

  Serafina's eyes brightened with sudden understanding.

  "I see." She stood up to pronounce judgment on the girls.

  "I believe you have told me the truth. You will both leave Henge immediately and you should consider yourselves fortunate. The usual penalty for assisting in a prisoner's escape from the dungeon is death."

  Juanita and Esmeralda exited the castle without even saying goodbye to Cook. They did not detour to pick up their belongings at the gypsy camp. They headed for Henge's border still wearing their servants' uniforms.