Through the Looking Glass (20 page)

While they ate, several men came up to speak with Jakar. Most of it was to deal with the castle and its workings but the last to stand before them was a man she had never seen before.

“My lord.” The man bowed before them quickly. “I have come to offer you the assistance of my men. I have thirty with
me and there is another twenty in a camp not far from here.”

Isobel sat quiet
ly watching the interaction. This definitely wasn’t one of Jakar’s people she guessed. She looked to her husband to see his response.

“Where have you come from?” Jakar asked as he chewed a mouthful of meat.

The man shifted from foot to foot as if he were nervous to reveal where he came from. He must have been choosing his words carefully before he took the chance and told of his origins.

“We are from south Aslog,” he stated bluntly.

Isobel felt and saw Jakar tense beside her. He was on his feet in a second calling out to the guards and soldiers who were eating in the hall.

“Guards!”

Within seconds anyone in the hall with a weapon moved to surround the man standing before Jakar with weapons drawn and at the ready. Jakar moved slowly around the table to confront the man offering his troops.

“How did you get pass
ed the guards at the gate?” Jakar asked.

“I informed them
I had men who wished to join your cause,” the man replied simply.

“What is your name?”

“I am Horas. My village is about fifty miles south of your border.”

Jakar studied the man as Isobel studied Jakar. The air was thick with tension as everyone waited to see what the ruler of their land would do about this man who was supposed to be an enemy. 

“Do you expect me to just take your word that you are here to join with my army and not sent here by Tuloch to infiltrate my land? That would be mighty brave if you think so.” Jakar folded his arms across his muscled chest.

The man was obviously afraid that Jakar was going to do something drastic. His eyes moved around the room as if he were seeing the odds he was up against. The room was dead silent
as everyone waited on pins and needles. Jakar took a step closer to the man, putting them not more than a few inches apart.

“Where are your men now?”

“Waiting at the gate for me to return,” Horas replied quickly.

“Until I find out if what you say is true, I want you and all but one of your men to remain here under guard. Send one man back to your camp and have your people make their way here.”

Horas heaved a sigh. Isobel knew Jakar wasn’t a trusting man and was surprised by his actions. Hell, it had taken an act of congress for the man to believe her story. Why was he more skeptical of her than of a group of men who could attack his castle? From the inside nevertheless!

“Done.”

“My men will escort you to the gate and bring you all back here,” Jakar said.

“Yes, my lord. Thank you.” Horas gave another gracious bow then left with the group of soldiers that surrounded him.

Isobel let out the breath she must have been holding. It was strange to see Jakar in defense mode and willing to meet with the foreigners. She got up from the table and went around to stand by him. She wasn’t sure if she should say anything but she felt like she had to.

She came up beside his left arm then whispered so that only
he could hear her. “Do you think it’s safe?” Her eyes watched the man being escorted out of the dining hall.

“I’
m not sure, little one. I didn’t get any ill feelings about the man. I should have called Nyla in to see if he was telling the truth.” The words had no sooner left his mouth when the fairy came zooming into the hall at a high rate of speed. “Ah, there she is!” He smiled up at the fairy who had been a part of his life for a long time now.

“Aye, my lord. The man is telling the truth. As soon as I got word of the mysterious people and their camp, I went in search of it. They are camp
ed not far from here over the hill near the forest where the lake begins.” Nyla hovered in front of them as she spoke.

“How many would you say there are?” Jakar asked.

“It looks to be about a hundred or so. His count of his soldiers was correct and the rest are women and children. A few elderly people but not many.”

“Perfect! Thank you Nyla.” Jakar turned and walked away.

Isobel was speechless as she watched Jakar walk away. She shouldn’t take offense because she knew he had a lot on his mind and now with this unexpected problem, he would only become more stressed.

“How is the garden coming?” Nyla drew her attention away from her departing husband.

Isobel turned and looked at her tiny friend. “You would know if you showed up and helped me!” She struggled to suppress a smile but failed miserably. “It’s coming along nicely. When are you coming back?” She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her fingers on the sleeve of her dress.

Nyla cackled as she fanned her wings frantically in Isobel’s face, playing with her. “Oh I might come tomorrow.”

“You might? This whole thing was your idea! It’s bad enough that Betsy caught me in there!”

Nyla stopped short and looked at her seriously. “Someone else knows?”

She nodded her head in response. “Betsy came across me this afternoon. I don’t know how she found me but she was definitely there chewing me a new ass. I don’t like her. She’s changed and I don’t understand why. As far as I know, I haven’t done the girl anything. But, I get this awkward feeling now whenever I am near her.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms as if to ward off a sudden chill.

“Umm…well, I will just have to make a visit to Miss Betsy and see what she is up too.”

Chapter 19

Daniel
and his goons arrived on the outskirts of Jakar’s castle around mid-day on the fourth day after leaving Tuloch. In the days preceding his arrival, he had shaved his head and had refused to shave. This was his only hope of Isobel not recognizing him until he had her safely away from Jakar’s grasp. The weather hadn’t been of any help either on the way there.

Numerous times they had to find alternate ways across the overflow
ing streams and rivers swollen with all the recent rainfall. The ground was miserable to sleep on because the water would seep through their woolen bedrolls, chilling them to the bone. At times he wished he was back in Isobel’s world with all its modern conveniences and inventions. He was even tempted to ask the witch to send him back once he delivered his package to Tuloch.

“Hold up!” Daniel called and held up a hand. The men with him sidled up alongside of him and waited for his directions.
“Does everyone have the story straight?”

“Yes, sir,” came the replies from all.

“Good. You all know what Isobel looks like, so once you have seen her, send a man to come find me. Do not whatsoever lose sight of her,” Daniel warned. He had gone over their plan numerous times to make sure no one would become confused in his own role. They needed to get in there and get back out quickly.

“We’ll leave the horses behind and walk into the village. I saw a secluded spot a ways back.”

Wasting no more time, the group made their way to hide the horses then travelled on foot in the direction of the village and castle. The road wasn’t busy until they neared the entrance of the castle gates where most of the market was located. If asked, they were on a supply run for their tiny village farther north. Daniel knew of such a village because it was where he was originally from.

They walked to the main gate and were immediately stopped by the castle guards. Daniel was prepared for this to happen, so it was he who took charge of the situation.

“State your business, sir,” the guard asked as he stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

“Come to buy supplies,” Daniel replied nonchalantly.

“Where are you from? I have not seen you before.” The guard eyed him and his suspiciously.

“Oh, we are from the village Knotturn. Had to come a long way to find what we need.” Daniel smiled at the guards.

“I would say so. What is it you are looking for that you were not able to find nearer your home?”

“We are in desperate need of medicine. The smaller villages around us didn’t have any to spare and directed us to here. I am just praying that we didn’t come all this for nothing.”

“How long do you plan to stay?” The guard was starting to ask too many questions now.

“Few days. Our horses need to rest before we start the journey back. Do you think we could buy feed from the stables?” Daniel threw this in for good measure.

The guard asking the questions eased his stance as he became more comfortable with Daniel. Inward, he was smiling and talking to himself about how much of a fool this guard really was.

“Oh, I am sure they could spare some. The healer’s hut is farther into the market near the Keep. If you get lost or turned around just ask anoth
er villager. Have a good day.” The guard waved a hand in the direction of the open gate.

Daniel and his men moved into the castle walls
then stopped to look around. The area was busy with activity and would be easy for them to mix with the crowd of people who were out doing daily shopping or selling goods.

“You two go that way and we’ll go this way. I want every booth and stall checked. Meet back here within two hours to give me a report.” Daniel instructed his men then headed off in his own direction with one man. It was going to be a
long, tedious task to find Isobel, but he had a backup plan just in case she was a no show in the market.

They searched every nock and cranny that they were able to get into. No sign of Isobel was ever found, but he knew she was here. He was about to turn around and
go back to the indicated meeting place when he caught sight of Jakar out the corner of his eye.

Jakar was heading to the stables when an idea crossed his mind. Daniel followed behind Jakar as he went to the stables. Once Jakar had reached the fence that surrounded the stables, he stopped to speak with a man who was putting out fresh hay for the horses in the fenced yard.
Jakar leaned on the railings of the weathered fence and put one foot up on the bottom rail. He stood there watching the horses as they meandered past him or stopped for a pet on the nose. Jakar’s back was to him when he decided to make his move.

He approached the stable as if he were in no hurry. “Excuse
me, sir?” Daniel called out to the back facing him.

Jakar pushed away from the fence and turned to see who had spoken to him. “Aye?”

“Do you thing I might be able to speak with man who takes care of the stables? I wish to ask him something.” Daniel stopped within feet of Jakar who had looked at him suspiciously.

“You can state your business to me. These are my stables.”

Daniel did the best he could to act surprised. He needed Jakar to believe he was being genuine in his request and not some shady passerby who intended to do harm.

“Lord Jakar?” Daniel spoke as he made his eyes open wide.

“Aye, that’s me. I have not seen you before. Where are you from?”

“We come from Knotturn,” Daniel replied.

Jakar looked him up and down before he spoke again. “Long way from home aren’t you? What takes you so far from home?”

Daniel kept his calm as he thought about what he needed to say to this man. “Unfortunately, yes. We have been on the road for some time now and are hoping this is our last stop before we return home.” Daniel paused for a moment. “We have come in search of medicine. Our small village has run out of
most of what we need and the nearer villages didn’t have anything to spare. We were directed here and were told this would be our best chance of securing the medicines.”

Jakar seemed to visibly relax or, at least, that’s what Daniel thought. That was good, very good.

“I’m sure you will be able to find what you need here. We have several healers who keep their supplies up in order to sell to those in need.”

Daniel let a smile cross his face. “Wonderful!
I will go see one of these directly!” He acted as if he was about to leave then turned back to Jakar to ask the question he was wanting to know the answer to. “My lord?”

“Yes?” Jakar faced the man again.

“Along our journey, we came across a small group of travelers who told us that you have married. I wish to express my congratulations.” He tried to sound sincere. When Jakar smiled then spoke, he knew the answer even before the lord said it.

“I have. Thank you. I will tell Isobel as soon as I see her.”

Daniel was barely able to contain his excitement at the sound of his ex-girlfriend’s name. He was so close to her that he could smell victory in the air.

“Good day, my lord,” Daniel said then left. He would have to watch the comings and goings of the castle’s main entrance to the market. At one point or another, he wa
s positive that Isobel would make an appearance in the market and that would be his one and only chance of kidnapping her and bringing her to Tuloch. To finally be rid of the blasted woman, who had been nothing but a thorn in his side since he was assigned the task of finding her, would be a welcome relief.

******

Isobel was busy pulling weeds in an area she had not yet touched. She was determined to finish this side of the garden before she had to leave things be for day and go get cleaned up before Jakar returned.

It was a nice day for a change with the sun straining to show itself from behind the ever present clouds. A ray of sunshine would slip through every now and then, landing of her back. The warmth of the ray warmed her considerably to the point where she had to push up the long
sleeves of her dress. She was dirtier today than normal because she had finally succeeded in removing the dead stump from its clutches on the damp soil. It had taken several hours for her to dig out enough mud from around the base of the small stump in order to wiggle the thing enough to get it to pop free of the earth.

She
swiped a dirty hand across her brow to wipe away the beads of sweat that were threatening to run into her eyes. A cool breeze swept past her as she stopped for a moment to survey her work. Happy with the results she pushed forward with her work. She hummed quietly to herself as she worked and was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the thundering footsteps approaching her.

“What in the hell do you think you are doing?” Jakar
’s loud, booming voice yelled from behind her.

She froze in mid-pull of a rather thick weed when she heard her husband’s voice. That bitch, Betsy must have ratted her
out. How was she going to handle this? He didn’t sound happy one bit. Slowly she turned her body until she was sitting in the newly turned soil looking up at Jakar. She put on her best smile and prayed he didn’t snap her head off.

“I asked you a question, Isobel.” His eyes were narrowed at her with fury. He stood there in front of her with his arms folded across his chest and his legs spread wide. It almost appeared as if he was struggling to contain his anger.

“Hi! Umm…I thought I would do a little bit of gardening,” she said as she slowly got to her feet, brushing some of the dirt off her clothes.

“Who said you could come in here? I know I certainly didn’t!”

She was in a lot more trouble then she realized. She knew she was going to regret agreeing with Nyla to clean up the garden. Her instincts had told her to leave it alone but she didn’t listen.

“I umm…I wanted to surprise you,” she mumbled out. “I was hoping to have it finished before you found out. I guess I didn’t work fast enough.” She tried to giggle to try and lighten the mood but it only seemed to make Jakar madder.

“Surprise! If I had wanted you to do this I would have asked. Since I did not ask, you have no business being in here!” His anger was climbing as he spoke.

“I…” she tried to say something but he cut her off.

“Silence! Betsy said you were warned not to come in here! So, you take it upon yourself to come here anyway! This place is forbidden to everyone, what makes you think I would be happy about you changing my mother’s garden?” He stepped closer to her until he was peering down his nose at her, glaring with squinted eyes as cold as ice.

Her earlier mood now vanished as Jakar yelled at her. How dare he silence her! “I am not changing
anything. I am just cleaning it, for crying out loud!” She put her hands on her hips and stared up at him. She wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. “And, for your information, Betsy did not warn me of anything! She is a mean, nasty person.” If she could have shot fire out of her eyes she would have.

They stared at each other as the minutes ticked away. Neither was willing to give in or apologize to each other. She was beyon
d angry at this point and she knew Jakar was too. But, his reason for being so mad at her seemed so stupid. It was just a garden for goodness sake.

“Isobel,” Jakar said, “Are you going to stand there and tell me that someone in my house hold is lying to me?”