The Gypsy Queen (38 page)

  “Enjoy your prison,
Yana
!” he shouted, as he was hauled away.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Nico and the three men with him pulled him away from the parade as the wagon finished its circuit and delivered its passengers to the palace. They forced Draiman away through several streets, into an alley between buildings. Once they had privacy, Nico punched him hard in the stomach. Draiman fell to his knees, where his men landed several more blows.

  “Leave
Jedikai
and never return,” Nico said, as Draiman gasped for breath on his hands and knees.

  “The black cowards,” Draiman said with contempt. “We finally meet.”

  “If we meet again, you won’t even know it,” Nico said.

  “You can’t kill me,” Draiman said. “Your master won’t let you. You do what you’re told.” Nico kicked him in the midsection.

  “This is your last day in
Jedikai
,” Nico said. Draiman dragged himself to his feet, dusting himself off and catching his breath.

  “Do you know who I am?” Draiman said, indignant. Nico smiled and nodded.

  “We k
now who you are,” he said
. “A dead man.” Draiman was suddenly scared. The looks on their faces said that each of them wanted very much to murder him right that instant. He was surrounded by four assassins with blades in their hands, and no defense. He wanted to scoff at them, but decided it unwise. They would get theirs soon enough, he thought.

  “I will leave peacefully, of course.” Draiman said, putting on an affable smile. “Enjoy your new King.” Draiman turned to head for the city gates, only to get shoved, stumbling forward. Draiman was enraged, but he knew that he had pushed them far enough. He did not retaliate.

  Two of Nico’s men accompanied Draiman to the city gates, which was not far from where they had confronted him. Pook and Gumi had come down from their lookout, as they had seen the King’s guards approaching with the gypsy man.

  “This man is never to enter these gates again,” one of Nico’s men told the gatekeepers. “If you should see him enter, alert the watchmen at once.”

  “Yes sir,” they both said, taking a good look at him to make sure. The two men ejected Draiman from the city, watching him veer off to his right, towards the west meadows.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

   Nico entered the King’s stables in a hurry. The parade was finished and he had been seeing to the conclusion, making sure the crowds dispersed properly. Tension was the feel of the streets, and he had his men on high alert. He passed by the horses, and all the feed and tack, and opened a heavy door. It was always locked, except when there were men on the other side. The rest of the black riders greeted him silently, as they usually did. Silence and stealth wasn’t just a strategy, it was a habit for them. A lifestyle. The new riders were coming along well, and had earned a short break in their training.

  Otta came in the door shortly after Nico, and it was shut and locked. Armor and weapons dominated the chamber. It was the war room of the black riders, and no one else outside their group could enter- not even the stable hands.

  “Report,” Otta said.

  “We ejected a gypsy today from the city,” Nico said.

  “Yes, I saw it.”

  “He did not act like a normal gypsy. Apparently, he knows
Yana
.”

  “Yes. I know he does,” Otta said.

  “Do you know him?” Nico asked.

  “I do. He is one of my spies,” Otta said.

  “That’s why he was not afraid to run his mouth,” Nico said. “But he apparently upset the King, and
Yana
, too.”

  “I will deal with him,” Otta said.

  “I have never seen such disrespect for the King, and he did not fear to insult the black riders, even in our midst,” Nico said. “I request permission to end him tonight.”

   “No,” Otta said. “I need him right now. He is not a threat to the
kingdom
, and his information is vital.”

  “Captain,” one of the new riders said, “I think I have seen that gypsy when I was scouting.” Otta interrupted him.

  “We are in a delicate time,” he told them all. “You are all sworn to secrets. It is the heart of what we do. It is why we succeed. It is what saves lives. You must all say nothing to anyone outside this group, and this room. Anything you know, or suspect, I want you to report to Nico, but do not act. Our strategy will be based on information. We will move, when the time comes. Be ready.”

  “Sir,” one of the riders said. “What if that gypsy comes into the city again?”

  “His name is Draiman,” Otta said. “If he comes into the city, kill him. Otherwise he must be left alone. Understood?” All the men in the room uttered their agreement.

  “What reports do we have from the scouts?” Nico asked.

  “The west meadows have been trouble free,” Nathaniel said
. “Nothing much down Sardica road
.”

  “The north
mountains through to Jofranka are
clear. We have not seen anything remarkable except the swollen rivers,” one of the group leaders said.

  “There is activity in the Lower Reach,” the next one spoke up.

  “Where?” Otta said, already guessing the answer.

  “
Tatu
Castle
. There are large numbers of foreign men there, though we don’t know their purpose.”

  “That’s where I saw him,” the man whom Otta interrupted said. “I am not sure, but I think this ‘Draiman’ was in the Lower Reach around that Castle.”

  “Nico, I want you to head up the group that goes to the Lower Reach and report to me directly what you find out.” Nico nodded, and then turned to the rest of the men. He was still angry.

  “If any of you see Draiman inside t
he city walls, cut him open,” Nico
said. “A week’s wages for the man who succeeds. Outside the city, scout him as much as you can, if you see him.”

  The meeting ended, and the men left the armory locked down tight. They scattered as they were trained to do, as they went into the streets of the city.

  Otta headed back to the palace, fuming about Draiman. He had
been instructed
not to cause
trouble, yet
nearly got killed for harassing
Yana
and the King. Otta still needed him, but he did not tolerate deviation.

  He would have to meet with Draiman quickly. He would have to warn him to stay out of the city, to protect him...

  and he wanted very much to know what the hell was going on at Tatu.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “Welcome!” Obadiah said, greeting Bastion and
Yana
warmly. They entered in to his large home, where the citizens present all applauded them warmly before Obadiah could even announce them. Obadiah had a grand house, given that he was the master builder of
Jedikai
. He was not the most wealthy, given some of the traders, but the wealthy folks were certainly in attendance. Obadiah had been a long time friend of the royal family, and he loved to have them over for more informal events.

  Bastion had black riders with them for security, but they were dressed as normal party-goers. Bastion wore his red and gold mantle, and
Yana
wore her matching shawl.

  “Come in, have a drink!” Obadiah exhorted them.

  “Thank you,” Bastion said, and led
Yana
with him to the kitchen.
Yana
noticed they were getting a lot of stares, just like when she had first attended an event in the Great Hall. It would just be something she would have to get used to in the city, she figured. The looks were mostly accompanied by smiles, and after all- when the King and queen attend a party,
Yana
wa
s savvy enough to play the game
.

  “I have saved my best wine for your visit, Sire,” Obadiah said, pouring them glasses himself. Bastion would have encouraged him to just call him Bastion, like when he was a boy... but in the mixed crowd, it would be inappropriate.

  “You are too kind, my friend,” Bastion said, taking the two glasses from him and handing one to
Yana
.

  “Thank you Obadiah,”
Yana
said. “Your home is wonderful. It is a pleasure to be able to come see it.”
Yana
could not stop looking around. It was no palace, but the architecture and décor were extraordinary.

  “Well, I built the walls, but it’s this young lady here that gets the credit for making them not so ugly!” He pulled an older woman snugly to his side. “This is my wife, Gayle.”
Yana
came around the counter between them to greet her happily.

  “It is such a pleasure to meet you,”
Yana
said. “I hear that you have both known Bastion a long time.” Gayle embraced
Yana
as a daughter.

  “We have known him since he was a cute little baby,” she teased, winking at Bastion. “That means we have all the dirt on him,” she added with a hint of mischief.
Yana
could tell she was going to like Gayle.

  “Dirt?” Bastion said, incredulous. “There’s no dirt on me! I have been a perfect saint all this time!” Bastion said it fully indignant, as they all burst into laughter.

  “Ohhh no,”
Yana
said. “I’m sure there’s plenty of dirt on you.”

  “Has he told you about the time he stole rum from the King’s galley and set the livery on fire?” Gayle asked.
Yana
gasped in mock disapproval, looking at him.

  “Speculation!” Bastion said in defense. “No one saw anything!” They all laughed again.
Yana
took a good sip of wine. Obadiah was right, it was quite excellent. She was enjoying seeing Bastion in his element, with his friends.

  “We have known of you since you saved Bastion as a small boy,” Obadiah said. “We never got to meet you, but he spoke of you many times after that.”

  “He did?”
Yana
said, surprised.

  “For the longest time, he wouldn’t shut up about you!” Gayle agreed. “He was just a boy, but you made an impression on him, no doubt.”

  “I’ll tell you a secret,”
Yana
said. “If you talked to old Lyubov, in my caravan, she’d probably tell you I was just as bad, talking about Bastion.”

  “We’d love to meet her sometime,” Gayle said.

  “Then she’d spill the dirt on me too! I can’t be having that!”
Yana
laughed.

  “Tell me,” Gayle said, “why didn’t you ever come to visit the Prince after that? I know he would have loved to see you again.”
Yana
hung her head just a little, at the tough question.

  “Fact is,” she said, “I was in love with that darling boy,” She looked at Bastion. “I couldn’t bear it. It broke my heart, saying goodbye.” Bastion looked at her with loving eyes. He pulled her in and kissed her sweetly.

  “I’ve been in love with this little gypsy as well, since then,” the King said, heightening his volume. “If finding love is the dream of Kings, then it is my dream come true, to have this amazing girl next to me.”
Yana
looked at him with gratitude. She could feel her boldness so well next to him. She had always been a sort of leader among her caravan, and an entertainer occasionally, but she had felt so out of place in the city. She was starting to get a better feel for it.

  “Come,” Gayle said, “I’ll introduce you to everyone. We have all been so eager to meet you!”

  “Wait!” Obadi
ah said. “More wine,” pouring
Yana
a fresh glass.

  “Thank you, kind sir,”
Yana
said, heading off with Gayle.

  “How are you doing, Bastion?” Obadiah asked, motioning for him to come outside. They walked out onto his patio, taking in the cool night air.

  “I am doing well,” Bastion said. “I have managed to aggravate a lot of citizens, and inspire many more.”

  “Sounds like a great start!” Obadiah said. “Just remember, for whatever people say about gypsies, good or bad, your support will come from the well-being of the
kingdom
. If people have a few chickens in the yard, and a few coins in their purse, and can sleep well at night, their complaints will only amount to whining. And it doesn’t befit a King to worry about whiners.”

  “Agreed,” Bastion said. “My father dealt with the same issues, his whole life. I hope I can handle it as well as he did.”

  “If you can weather the stormy first days of your Kingship, you’ll find it gets easier. You are the topic of the day... but eventually they will find other things to talk about, and you can just do your job,” Obadiah replied. “How is
Yana
handling everything so far?”