Treasure So Rare (Women of Strength Time Travel Trilogy) (22 page)

"Rowenna, you will care for William until I complete my
tasks?" she asked the young girl as she re-pinned William's small brooch
to his tunic.

"Yes, my lady. We will be in the garden with the other
children."

Iliana kissed William's forehead before Rowenna took him
outside. "Try to keep his dirty fists from his mouth," she called
out, and Rowenna nodded. Poor William had a tooth just breaking through in his
mouth and it appeared to be causing him much distress.

After completing her clean up chores, Iliana changed her
linen tunic for a fresh one, this one in a deep blue the color of the sky over
the hills.

As she left her bedchamber, out of the corner of her eye, a
shadow seemed to move. She turned her head quickly, but all she saw was her
life tapestry. She had not studied it for many days. The scenes quickly took
shape, creating the story, and she smiled, seeing herself and Erik, then she
noted the forest to the south where an attack was occurring, men clashing,
falling off their horses. Distressed, she put a hand to her mouth. Erik.
Quickly, she moved her hand up and then gently to the side of the tapestry, and
the scene changed. William. A man carried William from the garden and traveled
to where the red soil began.

With a scream, Iliana ran from the room. Frantically she ran
down the stairs, almost falling on the stone steps. "Rowenna!"

The servants came running, and she cried, "Where is
Rowenna? Where is William? Someone has taken him."

She ran outside into the garden. The children were gone. She
ran toward the stone wall and climbed over it to get more quickly to the center
of the garden. She found Edward lying on the ground, and Rowenna lying beside
him, a deep purpling bruise on her forehead.

Iliana knelt down, felt others around her. "Rowenna,
Rowenna."

The girl opened her eyes and looked around.
"William?" she asked weakly. "He took William."

"Who?" She touched the girl's cheek, trying to
contain the terror in her chest.

"The storyteller."

"Where?"

"Out the gate. Edward tried to stop him, but he was too
strong."

Quickly, Iliana rose, turned to the women who had now
gathered. "Please see to Edward and Rowenna." Iliana bit her fist.
She ran out the postern door and outside the keep, her chest hurting, the sobs
welling up inside. It had been mere moments in time. How far could one get in
that time? "William! William!"

All the fields lay empty before her. Even the dry grass
appeared undisturbed.

She ran back inside the keep, seeing the people gathered
around, the worry on their faces, but they just stood there. "I need your
help. You must help me find William!"

"Rowenna said he's been taken, my lady," whispered
a young girl behind her. "The storyteller is bewitched."

"Mandrak." She heard that whisper too.

She looked around at the men and women. They were as
helpless in their fear of what the sorcerer might do, as she now felt helpless
with her child taken away.

Iliana turned in a circle. She felt dizzy. She had to get
her child back.

"My lady Iliana, you should have listened to our
counsel."

She whipped around and stared at the old witches who stood
to her right in their tattered black robes.

"Mandrak wants the green gem. In return, your
child."

Behind her stood another witch. Iliana advanced on them,
spun in a circle. "You! All of you --" she spat. "Mandrak's
scourge. Get out!" She ran and grabbed an iron poker with a large knobbed
handle from the blacksmith's forge. She advanced on them, waving it at them
threateningly. "Get out, I say. All of you, Mandrak's evil spawn. Get out
of my sight and forever from this keep. I shall kill you all if you
return." They backed away as if she'd gone mad and indeed Iliana felt as
if she had.

As they scurried away, Iliana looked at the people who stood
so helplessly, those she had tried to protect. "I have devoted myself
these three years for your lives and you in return have been sheep in a field,
hiding from a man who threatens you from a distance. I will no longer sacrifice
William's life or my own for yours."

Iliana swayed, feeling as if she would fall down. She
clenched her fists, but she wanted to curl into a ball. She had to find her
son.

"A horse." She ran into the stables, led the
spirited mare she favored from her stall. Using the mounting block, she climbed
on the mare's back and swiftly they flew from the stable, into the courtyard
and out the gates. There was no time to be lost.

Iliana pushed the hair from a face wet with tears. She
blinked hard, then wiped her eyes for she could not see. She had to use her
wits.

As she rode across the meadow, Iliana tried not to think
about Erik who might now be wounded or dead. She knew the path she must take --
the muddy rut that ran to where the red soil began. She must go to the fighter
dragon territory.

¤¤

It was quite simple in his disguise to walk away with the child.
After all this time as a beloved storyteller to the children, who would suspect
such a harmless one as him? He laughed as he looked down into the sleeping boy's
face. Aye, who would suspect him as a child snatcher? With a wave of his hand,
they disappeared into the air.

Erik saw the rider coming fast and he could see the long
skirt billowing across the horse's hindquarters. His heart caught in his throat
when the rider drew nearer and he realized it was Iliana.

"Iliana." She drew her mount to a halt. Iliana's
eyes were wild, her dark hair around her in a tangle. She had been crying and
he felt a deep fear in the pit of his stomach.

"Iliana. What has happened?"

She tried to speak, her chest heaving.

"Tell me," he said urgently, dropping to the
ground and moving to her horse. She fell into his arms.

"William is gone."

"The child? Who?"

"John the storyteller. He came today as he has done
times in the past. After, the children were out playing in the gardens. He
knocked Edward out and then Rowenna and took William. He is in league with
Mandrak. The witches -- they demanded the green gem in exchange for William. My
tapestry --" she could not stem the choking tears, "-- he has taken
William into the red soil with the fighter dragons."

Erik looked back at the men at arms who remained in his
troupe. "Ride to the keep. Gather every available man and begin a search.
In the forest, along the village and beyond. Do not neglect to search each
dwelling for the child."

He lifted Iliana back onto her horse. "Go back with
these men and help in the search."

She shook her head, gathered the reins. "No. I must go
to where the red soil begins." She nudged her horse away and urged the
animal into a run.

Erik bit off a curse, knowing time was of the essence. There
was no time for argument.

"Men, do as instructed. I will go to the red soil
hills."

"My Lord Camdork, with Ulrich gone, who do we appoint
as commander?" asked one of the men.

Erik looked at the oldest young man, steady of hand and not
a hot head. "Albert, you shall be next in command."

"Aye, my lord." Albert bowed his head.
"Godspeed."

Erik rode after Iliana. She rode her horse hard, but as he
reached her she let the mare slow to a trot. He rode up beside her.
"Iliana, your horse cannot take a full day run. She is already blowing
quite badly."

"I know." She took a deep breath. "I know. I
have had time to think."

He knew this was better than the blind flight she had been
focused upon. "Tell me," he said gently.

"There is something I saw only briefly when I realized
William had been taken. The life tapestry showed the storyteller taking
William, and there was a dark cloud around him. The first time I saw such a
dark cloud is when the sorcerer and his witches appear on my life tapestry. I
believe John the storyteller to be Mandrak."

"Describe him for me."

"Strangely piercing eyes if you chance to see them.
Normally, he appears shy and looks at the ground. His eyes are a strange mix of
color. One brown, one having almost no color. And today I noticed his ears were
all bloodied, as if he had been in a fight."

Erik felt an immense pressure drop on his chest. It could
not be. It could not be so!

"His name?" he asked grimly.

"He goes only by John. He appeared one day many months
ago. He called himself a traveling storyteller. He asked for food in return for
spinning tales. The children were entertained by his stories of far off lands,
as were the adults. Early this morn he sent word he would come to tell the
children stories. He had not been about for some months, but he used to come
each time when the moon was full in the sky." She frowned. "But I did
find him hunting early one morning as I returned from the sacred circle."
She put a hand to her chest. "What if Mandrak has found a way to invade
the circle? He may have powers beyond our understanding or reach."

"And Ulrich has ridden off," Erik muttered. "Supposedly
to check a wider perimeter. We came upon signs of bloodshed, slaughtered
horses, but no bodies otherwise. Perhaps Ulrich knows more than he speaks."

Iliana looked at him with wide eyes. "Ulrich is
involved?"

"It may be so."

"Where is Ulrich?"

"I had the uneasy notion we were on a fool's errand and
elected to return, so we split the troops. Ulrich went on at his insistence,
taking three men with him. Maybe he planned to meet Camdork out there, I have
no idea."

"My tapestry showed bloodshed at the forest."

"Ulrich may well be gone, too." Erik shook his
head. "Or he may be under Mandrak's order." Erik looked at Iliana,
reached his hand out and she gripped it. "I swear we will find William,
Iliana." He looked ahead toward the red hills just visible in the
distance. "The horses have had a bit of a breather, let us pick up our
pace."

Erik cantered beside Iliana, heaviness in his heart. Had all
this somehow been his doing? By coming here, had he brought John Moses
Devanesque with him? He had thought him dead, but her description of the
storyteller's strange eyes was too uncannily familiar.

Damnation! They had to find the child with all speed. He
would not trust Devanesque with his horse, much less a human life. And if, as
Iliana thought, there a chance Devanesque had accessed the power within the
sacred circle, he feared for all life in this place.

¤¤

They reached the red soil by late afternoon. Luckily, Iliana
had recalled the streams from her previous travel to this place and Erik had
filled the leather water vessel he carried. Iliana had left in such a hurry she
had taken nothing for water. The air began to grow chill as the sun went down,
and she had little to protect herself from the coming bitter night.

"There," she pointed toward the hills, "the
caverns lie in those hills." They had seen an occasional wer-dragon in the
sky, but none seemed to pay attention to them.

On the edge of the red soil began a forest to their west.
Erik dismounted and helped Iliana down also. "Your slippers are not meant
for walking on such rough ground," he observed. "I would prefer you
wait in the forest. As it is, I fear for your safety. I will scout around and
see what I can discover."

"Nay, Erik, I must keep searching for my son."

"You told me what occurred the last time you went into
the red soil. I cannot lose you, Iliana."

Iliana summoned a smile, weary from riding all day in worry
of her son. "I understand your concern, Erik, but there is something
different about this place now. I see no fighter dragons about nor do I hear
the buzz of their wings. It feels as if this place is empty, whereas before it
was alive with malevolent sorcery."

Closing her eyes in weariness, Iliana suddenly heard the
sound of distant hoof beats. She looked up at him. "I hear a horse
approaching."

Erik shaded his eyes, staring up into the red hills as a
rider appeared between two hills and galloped toward them.

"Damnation! It is Ulrich."

"Ulrich here? How can that be?"

The horse and rider approached and finally reached them.
Dressed in black leggings and tunic, Ulrich stopped his mount, the animal
prancing as if still fresh, white sweat against his leather breastplate.

"Pretender -- my lady Iliana." Ulrich nodded, but
did not dismount. "I fear the sorcerer's evil knows no bounds. He has the
child."

Iliana covered her mouth to still the cry that wanted to be
released. It was as she feared.

"Where has he taken him?" Erik asked.

Ulrich nodded from the direction he had come. "Deep
into the red hills, up past the caverns. The fighter dragons are disarmed,
which is puzzling to me, but they sleep in their caverns as if spell
cast."

"Ulrich, how do we know we can trust you?"

The dark giant grimaced. "You might ask, but my
allegiance to that one is not of my choosing. I follow as he instructs or I die
a miserable death. I knew you would search here, and I tell you, you can only
go into the little red hills. If you go beyond that place, you will be caught
in a timeless space. Mandrak is in the hills beyond, but he is hidden by
magic."

"Can he already be all that powerful?" Iliana
asked.

"My lady Iliana, do not be misled," Ulrich said,
"Mandrak arrived at this place without horse or wagon. He is powerful,
more so since he crept into the sacred circle."

"He has invaded the circle? How do you know?"

"I watch everything, my lady, and Mandrak was not
adverse to showing me how much more powerful he is since he found his way in.
He changes his face at will. One moment John the storyteller, the next moment a
horrific, rotting beast."

"And what of my son?"