It didn't make sense, and Jamie still could not fathom exactly where they were. There was no phone, no radio or TV, no computer, not even electricity. Nothing remotely resembling modern conveniences, and no means of reliable communications. If Astrid was indeed nearby, why haven't the authorities been contacted. Surely by now, the police would be swarming all over looking for a woman wanted for murder.
"Look," she said angrily, growing weary of the many lost hours waiting, "I want Astrid to pay for what she did to my father. If you know where she is, then why don't you just bring her to me?"
Fergus tried to keep his anger in check, not once giving in to his baser passions. He wanted very badly to thrash this evil bitch within an inch of her life, but no way would he jeopardize the reunion he so longingly sought. Paul Morrow stood by, silent and sullen, obviously scared to death of his sister. Fergus had already witnessed Jamie's horrible treatment of her brother.
But he is not her brother...
"Miss Morrow," said Fergus, his abundant red hair nearly standing on end, the bright blue eyes flashing, "as I said, Astrid has her reasons not to travel here. It is risky for her to do so – now. So, if you and your brother would accompany Fabian and myself–"
Paul had to interrupt. "What will we expect once we arrive? There is a chance Astrid could get spooked and escape. I say we contact the authorities, get them to surround the place, that way she won't get away so easily."
A self-satisfied smirk spread over Jamie's face. "Well, that's probably the first intelligent suggestion you've made in your whole miserable life."
At that remark, Fergus wanted to smack Jamie but resisted. Instead, he turned to her, saying, "Miss Morrow, why I feel it may be safer to have soldiers accompany us–"
"What Fergus is saying, madame," said Fabian, "is that Miss Håmasko has made it clear that she wants to see both you and Paul, without the presence of 'police', posthaste. It is to, as she put it, to clear the air of any misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?," said Jamie incredulously. Her eyes shot fire. "Astrid Håmasko is a cold-blooded killer! She seduced then murdered my father in the most cruel ways. Women like her need no 'understanding'; they need to be punished for seducing innocent men!"
Innocent? She calls her father, a man known for cruelty, a man who drove another woman to take her own life...A man whose very forebears made it their mission to torment and torture the lessers amongst us, and all in the name of power and control...
Fergus secretly seethed in light of Jamie's flippant, cruel remarks. The sooner they depart for "Astrid's hideout", the sooner this despicable woman would find herself on the receiving end of revenge. Only then could he reunite with his son, that is if Paul takes the news well...
******
Geoffrey, the Ninegates magistrate pushed the note away. What more calamities can one town endure in a day? Now, with the fakers – Ostric, Herman, and Archel – locked away in separate dungeon cells, His Honor had one more fact to face: What to do with Theodoric of Fairfax.
In the past, the magistrate usually turned a blind eye to Lord Fairfax's shady dealings, and more than once reluctantly accepted payment for his silence. But now, especially since his lordship's deceptions made public, the townspeople called for Theodoric's head. His lordship had committed – either by his own hand or through others – many heinous crimes ranging from bribery and usury to forcible rape and outright murder. The most damning of all acts was his hiring of the celebrated Blue Knight, and Theodoric knew for a fact the man who claimed to be "Edgard" wasn't at all. That man, at the tournament, who bested the sham Edgard, proved his true identity by revealing the birthmark...A well known fact about the Blue Knight, but Theodoric obviously thought that people would be too stupid to notice the difference.
One question: Where was Theodoric now? Geoffrey had his men comb Fairfax Manor – the house, the grounds, the many cottages – but found no trace of the man. Lady Fairfax was there saying that her husband hadn't returned home after the tournament. Perhaps Theodoric fled to another village, another region, perhaps left the country altogether. The man had to found with all deliberate speed as Viscount Haveron of Wellbrooke was en route to Ninegates this very afternoon. Lord Haveron's note didn't elaborate much, other than Theodoric had concocted a scheme to grant valuable lands in Wellbrooke to "Edgard as a wedding gift," and that there were other facts that couldn't be revealed in a letter. Lord Haveron would tell Geoffrey those facts in a face to face meeting.
O what to do? What to do? It was certain that Ostric and his henchmen would be executed tomorrow morning for their crimes, but what of Theodoric? Obviously if and when he is caught, he would have to pay for his crimes, noble status notwithstanding.
Oh well, thought Geoffrey, perhaps things will settle down...But what if they don't? Theodoric had no heirs, none that we know of. He and Lady Fairfax have no children, but didn't he have me draw up a will not long ago?
Rummaging through his stacks of papers, Geoffrey at last found the document in question. Scanning it, he paused on one paragraph, the one explicitly stating who was to inherit Fairfax Manor and all it entails...
So, Lord Fairfax bequeaths the entire estate to "Edgard", but that man is not who he claims and is currently incarcerated awaiting execution. I wonder...If Theodoric ever fathomed the ramifications of his actions...If, as it now stands, the true Edgard, the Blue Knight, inherits it all?
******
In the darkness of her bedchamber, Lady Pavia wept. This was to be her wedding day, that is if things hadn't gotten so out of hand at the tournament. Indeed she was rightfully shocked when the man she thought was her betrothed was nothing more than a charlatan, a thief, a common thug.
"Edgard..."
"His name is really Ostric, and he nearly killed the real Blue Knight. Then he wormed his way into my cousin's good graces..."
But Theodoric deceived her, as he did nearly everyone in Ninegates and beyond. Secretly she seethed, allowing herself to revile her own kinsman, a man who professed to love and protect her. What galled Pavia was that Theodoric practically forced her to marry the sham Edgard, and that he purposefully pushed for the match for political reasons. Theodoric, as Griselda explained to a distraught Pavia, was to deed lands in neighboring Wellbrooke as a wedding gift. Edgard would have overseen those lands on Theodoric's behalf, thus extending Lord Fairfax's authority and power. But those lands were not his to give; he stole the papers, or had them stolen, for his own selfish purposes.
And now, in the wake of the sham Edgards' exposure, of Theodoric's duplicity and active role in so many despicable crimes, Lady Pavia had no where else to turn. What was to be a happy day had been turned upside down, no thanks to her cousin. But how did the secrets become exposed so quickly, all at once? Surely, if the sham Edgard was to be exposed, why wait until the games? Why didn't those involved simply air their grievances and findings before the games, before the wedding plans?
As it stood now, Theodoric had slipped away somewhere. After the true Edgard made himself, and Lord Fairfax's crimes, known in public, Griselda remained behind to comfort Pavia in her hour of abject grief and frustration. Theodoric simply evaded capture even after the crowd cried for his head. The Ninegates magistrate, Geoffrey, now had his men comb every inch of the estate, the village, and lands beyond Ninegates' perimeter. If Theodoric did indeed escape, then he could not have gone too far, not on short notice. Perhaps he is planning his next move, but without his hired henchmen, in hiding he would have to remain lest be at the mercy of angry villagers.
Lady Pavia sighed, arose from her chair, and went to the bellpull. She had every intention of finding the woman called Medra. After all, Theodoric had her parents killed; he ordered his henchmen to rape and torture the girls, so perhaps Medra may have been behind this latest intrigue. It had been rumored Medra was a witch who also befriended the dragons Samira and Morib. Didn't Edgard – or Ostric as he's really known by – vow to kill the dragons if and when he ever found their lair? He did repeat that promise yesterday during the pre-wedding festivities, and he had hoped to make good on that vow after the nuptials. Well, he is now imprisoned; the dragons for now are safe. But what if Pavia finds the lair and faces those who to her mind ruined...
No, they did not ruin my life...They saved it. They saved me from a life of horrors unimaginable, and perhaps...
Perhaps I can at last reunite with my real love, but he is long gone. Theodoric saw to that. He sent that young man away...somewhere.
Growing restless, Pavia decided not to wait for Griselda to come up as promised. It had been quite some hours and Pavia wondered if Griselda would come at all. Isn't it obvious?, she asked herself. Griselda must be aiding her husband's necessary and hasty escape from certain punishment. Lady Fairfax, while not particularly close to Pavia, did take some interest in the young woman's plight. During one private meeting between the two, Griselda did mention that the match was wrong, born out of an insane lust for power and control. That is the real reason for pairing Pavia with Edgard. Well, Edgard was proven a sham, and Griselda, following the now-infamous games and spilt secrets, simply disappeared the same time as Theodoric.
Lady Pavia, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, never bothered to make herself presentable for an outdoor excursion, nonchalantely threw a heavy black shawl around her shoulders then steeled downstairs. No one saw her leave, not even a servant. Where would she go? Pavia had no idea, but she had to get out.
******
She had no idea where she was, or to where she was going. Perhaps Pavia was so perturbed by recent events that she paid absolutely no attention to her surroundings. Looking back over her shoulder and seeing the faint outline of the house, Pavia assumed she had walked to the far side of the estate. She had just passed the avenue gate which led to the main road. Now, just off to the side, she could see a foot trail leading into the deep forest. This was totally off-limits, at least that was what Theodoric said oh-so often. What was so terrifying and forbidding about the forest? Pavia knew her cousin and noble friends hunted in these woods many times, and she espied Griselda venturing in there just days before.
Not caring what may befall her, Lady Pavia ignored the warnings and set off alone down the trail. Deeper and deeper into the forest she went, paying no heed to how she would find her way back. The deeper she went, the darker it became. The forest itself was so dense that the very trees blotted out what little daylight remained. Pavia grew a bit frightened what with the eerie silence – silence save for the occasional crackling of leaves and twigs under her feet.
Where was the twittering of birds? The plaintive calls of owls? The howl of the lone wolf? Nothing but dead silence. Listening to the echo of her own footsteps, Pavia pressed onwards, not really wanting to return to the house. She had no particular destination – she just wanted to get out, to walk and walk...
Something gave her pause...Something that sounded like footsteps other than her own. She looked back over her shoulder but saw nothing or no one. When she turned to face the trail again, she was taken completely by surprise when she came face to face with Alice, the girl who worked in the Nine Raven.
Instantly recognizing the girl, Lady Pavia said, "You are Simon Inskeep's girl, Alice."
Alice made an obligatory curtsey, replying, "That I am, m'lady."
"What are you doing in the wood this time of day?"
"I was about to ask the same of you, m'lady."
Alice was not carrying a basket or bag, thus cancelling the excuse "picking berries." Pavia noticed that the girl appeared a bit nervous, guarded even, so she said, "Alice, this is hardly the place for a young girl...all alone."
To which Alice replied, "M'lady, I am here for good reason, for what I cannot say, but..."
She hedged a bit, looking about her as if expecting someone. Lady Pavia picked up on this, wondering if the girl was meeting a lover in secret. No, that can't be it, but Alice is hesitate to answer my questions. Pavia was about to bid the girl goodbye then retrace her steps back to the estate, but another sound nearly made her jump. Alice bolted to attention as the rustling grew stronger. She knew what to do.
Pavia peered into the distance thicket; her hands became sweaty and heart pounded with frightful anticipation. Was Alice indeed waiting on a secret lover? So this is why the girl took so many excursions into the forest, and without her father's knowledge. She had covered her clandestine meetings well as no one had yet to discover...
The rustling now became resounding footsteps and not remotely human. Whatever is this creature approaching them, Pavia wondered, and why isn't Alice bolting for cover?
Her heart leapt to her throat the moment the creature came into view. This was no fierce bear or wolf, but a dragon of immense size, brilliant with its midnight blue scales and massive head.
It approaced the women saying, "Alice, they are waiting for you at the cave. The others are on their way." The dragon looked curiously at Lady Pavia, then a thin smile (or at least to Pavia it looked like such), spread across its face, saying, "Your ladyship is welcome to our little circle. For there is something of interest for you as well."
To be continued...Go to Chapter 14
Copyright©2003, 2004 by Pepper Shriver*. All Rights Reserved.
*My pen name :-)