Dwarven Ruby (22 page)

“He is my best friend,” smiled Tedi. “Arik and I grew up together in Lorgo. He is not the king yet though. He still has not taken the throne of Alcea.”

“Is this what Adan was telling us that night of the feast?” asked Natia as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“It is,” Rax nodded seriously. “It is what Ora predicted. This lad is on a serious mission, Natia. We cannot hold him from it.”

“It sounds like a mission serious enough for the gypsies to allow their princess to leave for,” grinned Natia. “We must tell Adan.”

“Was Ora married to Beka?” asked Tedi.

Rax looked quizzically at Tedi and nodded slowly, “How do you know of Ora and Beka? You are not a gypsy.”

“I know their daughter, Tanya,” replied Tedi. “Do you know where they are?”

“Ora had no daughters,” frowned the healer. “Only two sons.”

The sound of a loud bell split the air and Natia and Rax stiffened. They both jumped to their feet.

“Grab your weapons, basta,” ordered Rax. “The bell only rings for danger. Come to the central fire when you are ready for battle.”

“Do not call him basta,” complained Natia as she hurried off with Rax.

Tedi crawled under the wagon and found the wrapped bundle. He retrieved the bundle and slid out between the forest and the wagon. He swiftly removed the clothes that the gypsies had given him and put on his black suit. Next he strapped on his sword and quiver and attached his bow to its strap. He grabbed a dozen stars out of the bag and slid them into the pockets designed for them. Finally, he picked up his staff and headed for the campfire ring. He found Rax at the rear of the large circle of people, but there was no sign of Natia. Caroom stood in the center of the circle.

“We must pack up and leave immediately,” Caroom said loudly. “Lanoirian soldiers will be coming here to annihilate us.”

“How do you know this?” someone asked.

“Where is Adan?” asked a female voice.

“Adan was captured by the Lanoirians,” Caroom reported loudly. “He will not be coming back.”

“Where have they taken him?” questioned Natia.

“To the garrison in Lori,” answered Caroom. “They are sure to learn of our location from him. We cannot risk staying here any longer.”

“Adan would die before he ever told our location to the Lanoirians,” argued Natia. “We need to rescue him before they harm him.”

“Adan is just a man,” spat Caroom. “He will tell the Lanoirians what they want to know. Rescuing him is a fool’s mission. It cannot be done. We would not get within a thousand paces of Lori before we died.”

“We are not leaving our king in the hands of the enemy,” declared Natia. “Who is with me?”

“Nobody is with you,” snarled Caroom. “I am taking over as King of the Gypsies, and I will not sacrifice all of our people to save one man. Get these wagons loaded up and prepare to break camp.”

Tedi started to push his way through the crowd and Rax grabbed his arm.

“Do not be foolish, lover boy,” warned the healer. “Caroom will snap you like a twig. The best thing you can do for Natia is to get her away from here quickly. Caroom will kill her to secure himself on the throne. It rightfully belongs to Natia now.”

“I will protect her,” vowed Tedi. “He will have to kill me to get to her.”

“He would be most glad to do so,” cautioned Rax. “He will try to get you to be her champion and fight you for the crown. Do not let him goad you into it. Take her and flee to your friends.”

Tedi shook off the healer’s hand and pushed his way through the crowd to Natia’s side.

“Your princess asked who among you will help rescue your king,” Tedi shouted. “I thought the gypsies were warriors, but I did not see any volunteers.”

“Are you volunteering?” laughed Caroom.

“I am,” Tedi said defiantly. “Who will join with us?”

“There is some wisdom in what Caroom says,” answered Terrik. “Adan would not want to spill the amount of gypsy blood required to free him. I know that is what his advice would be.”

“That may be old man,” spat Natia, “but Adan would also be the first one to volunteer for the mission if one of your lives was at stake.”

“Do not be harsh with my father,” retorted Mandal, who was a gypsy around Adan’s age. “You know his allegiance will always be with Adan, but he also knows the risks involved in entering a Lanoirian city. It is almost certain death for all of us. My brother, Hortice and I will volunteer. It is what we must do for Adan.”

“I do apologize, Terrik,” nodded Natia. “I know your loyalty well. I am upset over my brother’s predicament.”

“As you should be,” smiled the elder. “I do wish that you would reconsider. Caroom’s plan to move the camp makes sense in light of the danger.”

“Caroom does not lead the gypsies,” declared Natia as a throwing knife filled her hand. “Not while Adan lives, and not while I live.”

“Then perhaps it is time for a vote,” snarled Caroom as he picked up a large piece of wood from alongside the fire.

Tedi slid in front of Natia and held his staff with both hands. Caroom looked at him and laughed.

“It seems we have a champion for the princess,” smirked Caroom. “A basta at that. You don’t know how much I have looked forward to this moment. You should not have been allowed to live for one night in our presence.”

“No, Tedi,” pleaded Natia as the circle of gypsies moved backwards to make room for the fight.

Someone pulled Natia backwards, leaving Tedi standing alone in the circle with Caroom. Caroom laughed evilly as he hefted the large club and advanced towards Tedi. The giant’s biceps bulged as he passed the club from hand to hand. Tedi spread his feet apart and prepared for Caroom’s first blow.

Caroom swung the massive log at Tedi’s head, and Tedi blocked it viciously with his staff. The club disintegrated in a shower of splinters. Tedi swung in a complete circle and brought his staff low to the ground. He forced his mind to lessen the force of the staff as it connected with the giant’s ankles. Caroom tumbled to the ground throwing up a cloud of dust. The giant snarled as he grabbed another log from alongside the fire ring and started to rise. Tedi swung his staff into Caroom’s buttocks and the giant was propelled over the fire ring and crashed to the ground on the other side. Tedi raced around the ring and held the end of the staff to Caroom’s throat.

“Submit to the rule of the princess or die,” demanded Tedi.

Caroom’s huge hands wrapped around the staff as he attempted to rip it aside. Tedi concentrated on applying just the right amount of pressure as the tip of the staff dug into Caroom’s throat. Finally, Caroom’s hands fell away from the staff.

“Stop,” croaked the giant. “I give up.”

“If you cause any more trouble for Natia,” growled Tedi, “I will come back and kill you. Mandal, Hortice, mount up. We are going to Lori to rescue Adan.”

“I am going too,” declared Natia. “The campsite remains here until we get back.”

Tedi flattened himself at the edge of the cliff and gazed down upon the Lanoirian city of Lori. Natia immediately joined him, and a few minutes later Mandal and Hortice also gathered at the edge of the cliff.

“How are we going to do this?” Natia asked softly.

“I do not have any ideas at this moment,” admitted Tedi. “First we have to locate where they are holding him.”

“Probably in that large stone building near the city wall on the left,” pointed Mandal. “That is the central army building in Lori.”

“You have been to Lori before?” asked Tedi.

“Once,” nodded Mandal. “Adan sent me in to find out why the garrison was building up with so many new men. That was before the Lanoirians were so intent on driving us out of the country. I guess that is when it all started. The army maintains a large presence in Lori now. It is not just the gypsies that that they seek to annihilate. These hills are filled with rebels who do no wish to follow the new emperor. The army seeks to crush all of us.”

“We should have brought more men,” frowned Natia.

“Those who volunteered are here,” declared Tedi. “I would have thought that Adan had more followers.”

“You never gave them the chance,” countered Natia. “Gypsies are not quick to violence, but Adan is revered by our people. If you had waited, many would have joined with us.”

“I was afraid of my own temper,” admitted Tedi. “I thought it best to get away from Caroom before I killed him. I do not like that man.”

“He seeks to rule the gypsies,” interjected Hortice. “Even though he is much larger than any other gypsy, he has always stood in the shadow of Adan. In some tribes, the strongest is always the leader. Caroom feels it should be that way in our tribe.”

“Your beating of him was humiliating,” added Mandal. “You have made a very powerful enemy.”

“It was also awesome,” grinned Natia. “How did you learn to fight like that? Rax said you were a fisherman.”

“Rax is correct as usual,” responded Tedi. “She is a very wise woman. Arik and I grew up fishing in Sordoa. We did not know at the time that Arik was destined to become the King of Alcea. Much has happened in our lives since we found out. Learning to fight has been one of those things.”

“Your skill is impressive,” nodded Hortice, “but you must never leave your back open to Caroom. He will kill you if he gets the chance. Mark my words well, friend. They are not exaggerations.”

“Why didn’t Caroom try to save Adan himself?” questioned Tedi. “He must have been there with him.”

“No,” replied Natia. “That is not how they work. They leave together and come back together, but that is all. Caroom stations himself along the trail that Adan will take to return to the camp. That way he can detect anyone following Adan. That is how you were captured. By chance, you were taking the same trail that Adan had just used. Caroom thought you were following him.”

“So the soldiers must have already been close to the camp,” mused Tedi. “Maybe we should have let Caroom lead them to a different location.”

“No,” interrupted Mandal. “That is not how it happened. When Caroom first came into camp, he said that Adan was captured in the Great Meadow. That is quite some distance from the camp. I do not think the soldiers know where the camp is.”

“How did he know that Adan was captured then?” queried Natia. “And even know that he was taken to Lori?”

“I do not care for the thoughts that are entering my head,” scowled Tedi. “Would Caroom have betrayed Adan? Is he that hungry for power that he would give up his own king?”

“I do not like Caroom,” frowned Natia, “but I cannot imagine him betraying the gypsies.”

“I can,” countered Hortice. “It is no secret that he covets the leadership of our tribe. I have heard him talk when his belly is full of too much ale. He would try to convince us that Adan is too soft to lead the gypsies, but nobody would listen to him.”

“Look,” interrupted Mandal as he pointed towards the trail alongside the Chi River. “Is that Caroom now?”

“There are few men that are that large,” frowned Natia. “What is he doing going to Lori?”

“It is him,” nodded Mandal. “I am sure of it. Perhaps he is trying to rescue Adan by himself so he can remove the humiliation of the beating that Tedi gave him.”

“Maybe he is going to warn the soldiers that we will be trying to rescue Adan,” spat Tedi. “Then he could get rid of us as well as Adan.”

“Nobody would stand between him and the crown then,” nodded Natia. “Nobody else in the camp would dare to stand up to him.”

“It could be worse than you imagine,” frowned Hortice. “If Caroom is sure that he will not lead the gypsies, he might seek revenge by telling the Lanoirians where the camp is.”

“No,” gasped Natia. “He wouldn’t.”

“We can’t be sure what he will do from up here,” sighed Tedi. “I should go down and see what I can find out.”

“We will all go,” countered Natia.

“No,” Tedi shook his head. “After seeing the number of soldiers in Lori, I do not think this small band of ours can rescue Adan. You three should return to camp and move the gypsies to safety. At least if Caroom is betraying the whole tribe, the people will be safe.”

“Moving the tribe makes a lot of sense,” nodded Natia. “Mandal, you return and get them to move. Leave a rock map of where you are taking them, but change the first and last stones. Also place the sign of danger at the old camp.”

“If I reverse the stones,” argued Mandal, “then nobody will be able to tell where we have gone.”

“I will be able to,” asserted Natia, “but Caroom won’t. Also the danger sign will alert the other tribes, which are supposed to be arriving. This is something that Adan has already spoken to them about. They will find the new camp. Trust me.”

“You mean Adan did not trust our own people?” questioned Hortice. “He arranged for this reversing of stones before he left?”

“Yes,” admitted Natia. “It is not that he does not trust our own people, but he feared that some gypsies might be caught and interrogated. The Lanoirians may have already learned how to read our rock maps.”

“I had not thought about that,” conceded Hortice. “Adan is indeed wise.”

“Look,” pointed Mandal. “Caroom went straight to the large stone building.”

“And he is being greeted as a friend,” growled Hortice. “We should all return to camp immediately.”

“Hortice,” ordered the gypsy princess, “You go with your brother. I am going into town with Tedi. He will need someone to watch his back while he snoops around.”

“But…,” protested Tedi.

“No arguments,” declared Natia. “I speak for the gypsy people in my brother’s absence.”

“We shall go,” nodded Mandal. “Keep her safe, basta.”

“Before you leave, Mandal,” asked Tedi. “Do you know where the prison cells are in that building?”

“I do,” grinned Mandal. “The whole back wall of the building is nothing but cells. It will be up to you to determine which one holds our king. I wish you luck, bast…Tedi. May we meet in the forest and celebrate your triumph with the largest feast ever.”

Tedi grinned as Mandal and Hortice wriggled away from the edge of the cliff. He heard the pounding hooves as their horses bounded away towards the gypsy camp.