Glancing up I saw the others were silently watching me. “I’ll be right back,” I informed them and then with a word I vanished, reappearing in Lancaster. I had made arrangements with James on my previous trip and true to his word the Duke was waiting for me when I appeared.
“I had begun to doubt you would come,” he told me as I stepped away from the circle.
Clasping his arm at the elbow I clapped his shoulder with my other hand. “You should have known better than that,” I replied. Looking around I could see he had twenty men and as many mounts armed and ready to ride. Several men in the rear held the reins for their ten spare mounts.
“Are you sure this will be enough?” James asked me as the men began assembling on the circle for transport to Albamarl.
“If it isn’t then an army wouldn’t have been sufficient,” I said grimly. “If things go as planned even this is probably more than we need.” Reaching into my pouch I drew out the small wooden boxes I had enchanted and handed him one of them.
I spent the next several minutes demonstrating and explaining their function to him. Thankfully the Duke was quick witted and had little trouble adapting to new ideas. “Once we’ve secured the hostages I’ll send word immediately,” he reassured me.
“Just be sure to take care of yourself James, the future of Lothion will rest on your shoulders,” I replied seriously.
A pained look crossed his face. “I don’t like this plan of yours Mordecai. You do not have the power to force this and you cannot be sure of enough support. Without that it will mean war, and war of the worst sort, with brother fighting brother. I am tempted to refuse.”
I’d had enough of self-doubt and striving to appease those who had done nothing but attempt to manipulate me and my anger showed as I answered, “You have no choice James Lancaster. I have been pushed and prodded till my back is to the wall. They will accept this or I will make them regret ever choosing to cross me.”
James stared into my eyes as if seeking assurance but whether he found it I couldn’t tell. He nodded and looked away while I returned to transporting his men and horses back to Albamarl.
Rose and I watched them ride from the carriage house and into the dark night. The road they followed went westward but soon they would be leaving it and taking what amounted to little more than a goat trail into the wilderness to the northwest. Riding in semi-darkness, even with an experienced guide and a wizard to light their way, I worried that they might easily lose the path and wander aimlessly. Anything that delayed their arrival might doom my plan, or at the very least drive me to unfortunate decisions, decisions with irrevocable consequences.
“It’s just you and me now,” Rose said as we stood in the darkened building. “When will you act?”
“As soon as I receive word that they have our friends safe,” I responded, tapping the box I held in my hands.
“What do we do tonight?”
“The theory is that we get a good night’s rest, but somehow I doubt it will be easy,” I replied. “Do you mind sleeping at Castle Cameron tonight?”
“Why there?” she asked.
“Without Walter it won’t be easy to get back into your house or mine unobserved. We can take this circle back to Lancaster and then from there we can go to Castle Cameron easily enough. Tomorrow we can teleport from there back to my house when we receive word,” I explained. “Tonight we can enjoy good food and be among friends at least.”
Chapter 43
That night proved every bit as difficult to get through as I had expected. I tossed and turned for most of it, and slept fitfully for the rest. During the night I woke constantly and found myself staring at the small wooden box sitting on my bedside table. Each time I thought I had seen a flicker of light coming from the ruby embedded in its lid and each time I discovered it was just a figment fabricated by my sleeping mind.
Morning found me sitting on the divan, dressed and awake, watching the box from across the room. Given the time they had ridden out of Albamarl I was expecting a note from James at any moment, yet the ruby on the lid stubbornly refused to light up.
“Come in,” I said loudly in the direction of the bedroom door. Rose was standing on the other side about to knock but I had already sensed her approach. She opened the door and glanced inside.
“Any word yet?” she asked anxiously. Despite the early hour she was already dressed in an elegant gown and her hair was a delicate mixture of braids arranged to restrain the rest of her free flowing hair. I couldn’t imagine how she had contrived that miracle. Penny was altogether more practical when it came to morning hair… as long as it was tied up and out of her way she was happy.
“No,” I said abruptly. “Why are you dressed like that?” My mood was sour or I wouldn’t ordinarily have been so rude.
If I offended her she showed no sign. “I’m nervous, and when that happens my first instinct is to do this,” she gestured at her gown and hair. “I blame it on my upbringing.”
I was tempted to ask her about the weaponry she had strapped to her thigh and hidden in her bodice, not to mention the steel spike nestled amid her braids but I kept my silence. If I gave away my knowledge of those things it might lead to an unfortunate conversation regarding what else I was capable of glimpsing.
“Have you eaten?” I asked.
She shrugged, “My stomach is full of butterflies. I haven’t tried to put anything in it yet.” She examined me carefully for a moment before speaking again, “Are you planning to meet the King dressed like that?”
The question nearly made me laugh, “Why does it matter? I’m going to kill him when I see him… one way or another.”
She bit her lip, showing a hint of delicate white teeth. “Because I’m going with you and I won’t be seen being escorted by a lout in a stained linen tunic and patched leather boots.”
That got my attention and my eyes lit upon her. “You aren’t going with me.”
Rose’s eyes sparkled as she sensed a challenge. “How well did that work when you told Penny that?”
She had me there. Most of those occasions had ended with her coming with me anyway. “Doesn’t matter,” I replied crossly, “you aren’t my wife.” I stood up to keep her from looking down on me.
She didn’t back away from the challenge; instead she stepped into my personal space and stood just inches from my face. “Your wife isn’t here and until you get her back I’m in charge of taking care of you.” A strange urge to strangle her swept over me but I restrained myself. I could see her nostrils flaring as she breathed and I felt my face flush. The tension I was feeling wasn’t just anger and if I’d laid hands upon her it wouldn’t have ended in a fight. It would have been far worse.
“Fine,” I said stepping away from her, seeking cooler air to calm my emotions. “I won’t be held responsible if something happens to you there. I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I didn’t ask you to,” she replied calmly. “Why don’t you see about a bath while I look through your clothes,” she added with a serenity that belied the anger she had shown only a moment before.
I left and went looking for Joe McDaniels. By the time I had found him I had made up my mind to follow her advice and take a bath. It had been days already and I was starting to smell.
Rather than have the copper tub taken to my room, as Penny and I had normally done I used the communal baths in the barracks. Given my state of mind and the hormones that had been flying through the air already this morning it seemed the safest option. Thankfully Joe didn’t ask why I suddenly wanted to bathe there; he simply showed me where the towels and other things were located.