Chapter 42: Through the Woods

Rucar slipped into the castle under the cover of darkness and made his way to the alcove where he usually met with Celestine.

“Anything new to report?” he asked.

“I believe I was wrong,” the maid admitted.

He had never known his young spy to be incorrect in her assessment so he tilted his head questioningly.

“I believe ... I believe the king was happy,” Celestine admitted. “It is not something I am accustomed to seeing. Certainly, there are times when he appears jovial but I’m not certain I’ve seen him happy until that morning. He was simply in excellent spirits and wished to ... pinch my nose.”

“Truly?” Rucar asked.

“Truly,” Celestine said. “Today ... today he took me to the stables to see the horses. He told me that I would need to be comfortable with the animals if I was to be a soldier. He walked me down to meet Blaze. He was ... extremely good-natured as he explained how he viewed using females in combat. He plans to make us a mounted unit to offset our size deficiency. It made sense when he explained it. We stood and talked for a great deal of time. It wasn’t until our talk concluded that I realized that I had been seated on that huge beast the entire time.”

Rucar found himself smiling. If his son were still alive, he would be 20 years old in the spring. Celestine is exactly the sort of woman he always hoped his son would one day find.

“You enjoyed the experience?” he asked softly.

“Oh, yes,” Celestine admitted. “It was ... it gave me a feeling of power. As Joseph spoke, I could see myself riding into battle with his army – vanquishing Azkoval’s foes. I ... I am more comfortable with women than I am around men but ... I found I did not mind his company.”

“I did not realize men made you uncomfortable,” Rucar said. “I would never have asked you to interact with me directly if had known.”

“You do not make me uncomfortable,” Celestine said. “I ... I overheard you a few days after you arrived. I will confess that I was terrified of you when I first saw you. Then I saw you with Lord Burbridge and Lady Elena. I knew then that ... the image you show the world is not the man beneath. Later, I heard you tell Jonathan that ... you wished your son was still alive so you could introduce him to me. That ... I...”

She stopped and looked at the ground.

“My father is long dead,” she admitted. “I lived in an orphanage that some women kept hidden from Wilhelm. I have long been part of the resistance even if I didn’t know of it. My father passed before The Fall. I was put into another home with people I didn’t know and that didn’t like me. When Wilhelm rose, I heard them discussing how much they could get from selling me to him. I would have been one of the poor souls from up the stairs if I had not fled. I lived in the wild – much as you did but with far less success – for a time. Finally, a woman found me. I had been stealing from her larder and was found. I expect her to beat me or even kill me. Instead, she took me farther into the woods where I found a group of children that had been sent there to keep them safe.

“King Joseph was a godsend to us. We were short on food but there were too many of us to move. We would have been found if we had attempted it. Several of us had undertaken treks to see if there was someplace nearby where we could care for the others. By this time, the woman that had cared for us for many years had grown ill. She died and we were at a loss as to how to continue. The skills we’d honed were not ... womanly. We hunted and we practiced ... assassinations. If soldiers found us, we would do our best to kill as many as we could before we killed ourselves. The youngest of the children was in her teens. We had decided that we were going to try to make it to the coast and seek passage. We had no funds or anything to barter – except ourselves – but we had few options.

“Then we heard Wilhelm had fallen and that Prince Joseph had returned from the dead. We waited as long as we could hold out but then a few of us snuck back into Tyrell. What we found amazed us. The king had been here perhaps two months but already life had begun to change. He departed on his southward campaign while we were getting the others. We made our way as best as we could here. Some found jobs in taverns or market stalls. It wasn’t until you returned with Joseph that I could truly attend to those I’d lived with for years.”

“The girls you brought in to the network,” Rucar said.

“Yes,” Celestine admitted. “Those are my sisters. I stayed behind because many of our group had left Tyrell to seek their fortunes elsewhere. I am here to await their return. The others have been brought into the network you put together.”

“You could have told me,” Rucar pointed out.

“We have a vow of secrecy,” Celestine said. “We all made a blood vow never to speak of the others to anyone. It was how we remained hidden for so long. There were girls that strayed too far and were caught but none ever spoke a word of us. I am certain that some of the bones in the tower came from girls I knew. I ... I saw a ribbon in the belongings that I’m certain came from one of our sisterhood. Her name is on the crosses on the hill. All the names I could recall as missing are there somewhere.”

“Good,” Rucar said.

“So, I spent much of my life surrounded by women,” Celestine said. “I do not think I’d spoken to a male from the time I escaped slavery until the day I arrived in Tyrell. That is why I am uncomfortable around them. But, once I learned more about you, I was never uneasy about being around you. I would have been proud to be a daughter to you.”

“You are,” Rucar said as he felt a tear slide down his cheek. “You and your sisters are all my children and I will keep you and protect so long as I live. You have my word.”

“I have always known that,” Celestine said.

“My protection – nor my love – will end when you move to the military,” Rucar continued. “It is not predicated upon you working for me. That goes for your sisters. If they wish a different path, I will see they get it. If I cannot, King Joseph will. You should ... you should tell him of your group. I am certain, if he were to learn of it, he would likely build a monument on the site of the home that kept you safe. The woman that saved you, she is to be revered. She is the very best Azkoval has produced in my lifetime and, were she alive, I would ensure she lived her life in comfort. What was her name?”

“I don’t know,” Celestine said. “I don’t ... I barely recall my own name. Many of the girls still had family that would have suffered at Wilhelm’s hands if we were found. We were all given new names when we arrived. We simply called her Missus.”

“Celestine is not your name?” Rucar asked.

The young maid shook her head.

“It is the name I prefer,” she said. “My father and mother named me after the queen. I was called Melina until my family died.”

Bianca found riding a horse behind the lean duchess to be an interesting experience. The troopers kept the pace sedate until the young woman got used to the motion but began to press once they knew they were nearing the crossroads again.

“There!” Bianca said, pointing to where Merritt had found her backpack. “That is where I hid during the battle. Once my grandfather and his men pushed the attacks back, I fled down through the woods. We are close to the battle site.”

“Yes,” Liala agreed. “We will be there shortly.”

“Were the men-at-arms captured, too?” Bianca asked.

“They are dead,” Liala admitted.

“Oh,” Bianca said. She lifted her arm from around Liala’s waist to cover her mouth in shock – and almost tumbled from the horse. Liala quickly reached behind her to catch the young woman. Bianca grabbed onto Liala again.

“I’m sorry,” the duchess told her. “I thought you knew.”

“No,” Bianca said. “Grandfather told me to wait for an opportunity to run and, for once, I listened to him.”

“They fought bravely,” Liala told the girl. “There was another group waiting in ambush. Your men were attacked from behind. You have my word, Bianca, my men will track the cowards and kill them.”

The group reached the crossroads and stopped.

“Bianca and I will remain behind to tend to the horses,” Morane offered.

“I want to find the men who did this,” Bianca declared.

Liala considered the situation. She feared if they did not proceed with stealth, Lord Halversham would be slain when the bandits heard them coming.

“I think it is best if you remain behind,” she said.

“It’s my fault!” Bianca insisted. “I was tired and we had to slow. We suspected someone was trailing us and trying to head us off but I whined until my grandfather gave in. I’m the reason that our men died. I want to be with you when you save my grandfather and kill them people that did this!”

Liala glanced at Merritt and he nodded. In their culture, it was only fitting for someone to seek retribution in situations such as this.

“Then you will be with us,” Liala declared. “But, first, this isn’t your doing. The people would have found you when they did or a day later. I would imagine they tracked your party from a town or an inn. Did your grandfather carry anything with him that was valuable?”

“Some coins for the treasury and a few items that King Welton had given him years before,” Bianca answered. She reached for the dagger at her waist but Liala’s firm grip stilled her hand.

Bianca looked downward and then back to the duchess.

“The dagger I carry,” she said, “it once belonged to King Welton’s mother. He gave it to my grandmother. We wished to offer back to the king since he has so little of his family’s heirlooms remaining.”

“I apologize,” Liala said. “We are a bit on edge. Be warned, it might take days of walking to find the bandits.”

“I understand,” Bianca declared.

“Young miss, I fear your grandfather might no longer be alive when we find them,” Merritt said in a soft voice.

Bianca gulped and nodded.

“I have watched my father and mother killed before my eyes,” she said. “I spent two days listening to Martis and Renati describe in detail what fate I would suffer when they brought me to the capital – and what fate awaited me when it came time for me to pass into their hands. My grandfather is strong. If he is dead, I will know he died valiantly.”

“Then let us be on our way,” Merritt declared. “I will task a group of five to remain behind with the priest. They will see to the horses and keep him out of mischief.”

The group set off at a brisk walk, following the signs their comrades have left earlier. Day passed into night and they still hadn’t reached them.

“It is getting too dark to proceed without torches,” Liala said. “Let us rest for the night and we will begin again at first light. I will take first watch. Merritt, get the troops spread out in defensible positions.”

“Yes, Duchess,” the soldier replied instantly.

“I will join you on watch,” Bianca said. Liala smiled at the young woman. Bianca was not a soldier but she had kept up and never uttered a word of complaint. One day, perhaps, Joseph could mold her into a fighter like he had with Octavia. Bianca certainly had the spirit of a warrior.

“You are near to exhaustion,” she said. “I wish for you to eat heartily and sleep until morning. If we haven’t found them by nightfall tomorrow, you may join me. For now, I want you to be fresh tomorrow. I believe we are close. I can smell the salt air of the sea. They are not far ahead of us and we will see battle on the morrow.”

The soldiers broke camp before the sun had started to brighten the sky. Bianca was right with them but moving a bit stiffly when they started forth as soon as it was light enough to put one foot in front of the other.

The sun was high in the sky when they caught site of the sentry for the advance group.

“We tracked them to holes in the rocks above the sea,” the man whispered. “There are many holes and we haven’t gotten close enough to determine which one they chose.”

“Is my grandfather alive?” Bianca asked urgently.

The man glanced toward Liala but she nodded for him to deliver the unvarnished truth.

“I cannot say for certain but I believe him to be,” he said.

“But you don’t know which cave they’ve hidden in?” Bianca asked.

“Cave?” Liala asked, unfamiliar with the word.

“The holes in the rocks,” Bianca explained. “They are called caves. We have them in Halversham. I used to play in them when I was a girl. This near to the sea, there are probably openings that lead to the shore. Have you seen boats?”

“We haven’t looked,” the soldier answered.

“We should find a path to the shore,” Bianca pressed.

“Why?” Liala asked.

“We have rocks like this where I live,” Bianca told them. “The caves often connect. There are caverns that will lead you from one to the next. It is almost like a house of rock with different rooms.”

Liala nodded as she realized that she was outside her element. She knew nothing of caves or caverns. She had never heard of such things in her dry, arid country.

“Can you help us find a path?” she asked the girl.

Bianca nodded.

“We will leave the advance force up here,” the duchess determined. “I want no action until we see Lord Halversham’s condition. Bianca, how many men did you see?”

“Six,” she answered.

“Six and then four more for the ambush,” Liala replied. “That is 10. Do not attack until all are accounted for. If you see all 10, take them and kill them. Show no quarter and recall that they are not averse to striking you in the back. Do not hesitate to preempt them. These men have no honor. They are scoundrels and cut-throats so we will show them no honor on the field. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Duchess,” the soldier said gravely. “We have already accounted for six of the attackers, we think.”

He gestured with his eyes toward a path worn through the brush.

“The bodies we’ve found were all dressed similarly and all had distinctive markings on their arms and wrists,” he said. “We found two near the ambush and four more when we got near to this spot. They all had wounds on their torsos but they died because somebody had run them through from the back.”

Liala nodded. Her group had followed the blood trail to where they now stood.

It took most of the day for Bianca to find a path that could be safely crossed. It was near to dark by the time they reached the bottom.

“Once our eyes adjust, we should enter,” Bianca advised.

“Why?” Liala asked.

“The caves are dark and we can see better if we enter at night,” Bianca replied. “There was no moon last night so it will be black as pitch. I think we find an opening, wait until darkness falls. We will be able to see torches on the shore or a ship’s lights on the water. If we see neither, we enter and make our way back upward.”

“Clever,” Merritt said. “I see only one problem. None of the openings I’ve seen thus far will permit a grown man to enter.”

In dim light, all on the beach could see the rock fissures at the base of nearby cliffs. Some were tall enough for man but too narrow. There would be no way for the armed troops to make their way inside such tiny passages. Even the six women in the group would have to leave their swords or crossbows outside to slip into the crevasse.

“I can get through,” Bianca replied. “I will go myself if necessary.”

Liala took the young woman’s arm gently and led her away from the group.

“There is not the place to prove your mettle,” she said softly. “What would you do if you went in there by yourself? Would you battle four men, armed only with your dagger? You listened to your grandfather when he told you to flee for safety because you respected that he knew what was best to do in a situation where you did not know. You are in the same place here. We are trained warriors; each of us tested by blood and by steel and yet none of us would enter the unknown alone and, essentially, unarmed.”