Magic Hair, Chapters 27-36 | TripleFunBooks

CHAPTER 27 / Locked Away

Carlton stood over Nici with his hands on his hips. He glared down at her and curled his lip. “What’s your name?” he demanded.

“Nici.”

“Nici what?”

She was afraid to say her last name.

“Is your father Gino Gencarelli?” the knight spit out.

She kept silent.

“It won’t do you any good to lie,” he told her. “With hair like yours, it will be easy to find out who you really are.”

Tears fell from the child’s eyes and dripped onto her still-wet clothing.

“Are you Gino Gencarelli’s daughter?” Carlton repeated.

Nici nodded.

Renetta gave a little clap of her hands. “I told you,” she said.

Nici looked over at the agricultural worker. “I trusted you,” she glowered.

Renetta grew quiet and looked at the ground.

“Well that was a mistake,” Carlton laughed. “So Miss Gencarelli, what are you doing so far from home?”

“I fell into a river and got swept away. When I made it to shore, I was way far away. Parmalee brought me into a town hoping someone could help me get home.”

“Who’s Parmalee?” Elliot wanted to know.

“Some woman who’s hated in Cronald,” Tem volunteered. “The townspeople were throwing stuff at her the last we saw.”

“Parmalee’s a good woman,” Nici protested. “Those people are just stupid. And mean.”

“Ah, a feisty one,” Carlton observed. “Just like her father.”

“What should we do with her, Carlton?” Elliot asked.

“Why we’re going to help her find her way home,” his brother smiled. “We’ll give her some lovely accommodations here and then after Sevvy’s wedding, we’ll return to take her home.”

Elliot was worried. “But she knows about our plan to…”

Carlton shot a look that immediately silenced his brother. “What she knows right now is of little consequence. She’ll have no one to tell.”

He took a few steps toward the kitchen. “Pia,” he called. “Pia, get out here.”

Several minutes later, the diminutive child shuffled into the great room.

“Pia, go get some dry clothes for Miss Gencarelli and meet us downstairs,” Carlton instructed her. “Oh, and get Alton to bring down some food and water.”

When she left, the younger knight reached down and grabbed Nici’s arm, pulling her to her feet. “Follow us, young lady.”

He and Elliot escorted her toward the back of the house. Renetta and Tem started to follow.

“Stay here,” Elliot told them. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

The knights got on either side of the child and walked her down a stairwell of wide, stone steps. The air was much cooler in this part of the house, especially since there was no fire to warm the air.

Although it was daylight outside, the cellar area was very dark. It was completely underground and there were no openings that let in any light. Nici had trouble seeing where she was going, but the knights had no problem. About fifty feet down the hallway, they suddenly stopped walking.

Carlton reached out for a door. It wouldn’t budge, so he pushed harder. Nici heard the sound of metal clanking against metal.

“It’s locked,” he said. “Where are the keys?”

“Haven’t seen them,” Elliot answered.

Carlton felt around on the nearby walls. “We need a light down here.”

Elliot took a few steps back toward the stairwell. “Pia,” he called. “Pia, bring a light.”

“She won’t be able to hear you from down here,” his brother told him. “Besides, it will take forever for her to get here. Go get the light yourself.”

“Why don’t you go get it?”

“Because I’m holding onto the child,” Carlton answered. “Hurry up. I don’t want to be down here so long that our visitors start snooping around.”

Elliot started to leave, then walked back in the opposite direction for a few steps. He reached over toward the metal door that Carlton had tried earlier. “Just making sure the key wasn’t in the lock,” he explained.

He was unaware that while walking back and forth, he had become tangled in some of Nici’s hair. As he started to walk upstairs, the tresses pulled him backward. He fell flat on his face on the stone floor.

“Ahhh,” he screamed. “You hateful monster! How did you do that?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Nici cried. “I’m just standing here.”

“I cut my chin,” Elliot announced. He picked himself up off the floor and unraveled the strands of hair from around his ankle. “You’ll pay for that,” he said as he stormed off upstairs.

“But I didn’t do anything,” Nici protested.

She and the other knight stood without talking while they waited. The sound of dripping water was the only thing that cut through the silence. A smell of mold and mildew hung in the air.

A golden circle of light signaled Elliot’s return. He held a lit torch in one hand and a ring of keys in the other. Alton followed him with a plate of food.

The torch revealed a narrow hallway cut into dank stone walls. Drops of water slipped down from above in some places and dripped into puddles on the floor. The sights, sounds and smells gave Nici the shivers.

Elliot pushed past her and walked over to the iron door. He tried to open it with the first key, but failed. A second key still did not unfasten the lock. The third key, however, clicked in the cylinder and the door opened inward.

With the torchlight illuminating it, Nici could see around the small room. It measured about eight feet long and four feet wide. Three sides were built of solid rock, with the fourth side the heavy metal door. Toward the top of the door was a small opening about eight inches wide and four inches tall. Iron bars spanned this cutout from top to bottom. Halfway down the door was another narrow slit about two inches high. There was no covering on this opening. These two tiny windows provided the only view of the world outside the cell.

A heap of dirty straw was piled into one corner of the room. The space also had a narrow wooden table and three-legged stool. A bucket with a lid was in the far corner.

Carlton smiled when he saw the horror on Nici’s face. “Welcome to your home away from home,” he chuckled. “I trust you’ll find everything you need here.” He stepped inside the cell. “You have a comfortable bed,” he said pointing to the straw, “a convenient bathroom,” he pointed to the bucket, “and this deluxe table and chair where you can enjoy your meals.”

He walked back out of the tiny room and pushed the boy with the food inside. The knight pointed to the table, indicating that the child should put the plate on it. When Alton complied, Carlton pulled him back into the hallway by his shirt and pushed him toward the stairwell. The child walked back up the steps.

The knight stepped aside and held out his hand. “Enter please, Miss Gencarelli.”

Nici took one last look around before going into her cell. She wanted to know as much about this part of the house as she possibly could. From what she could tell, the long hallway was lined with iron doors like hers all the way down on both sides. There must be other cells down here, though she wasn’t sure whether they were for the child servants or for other prisoners like herself.

Once she was inside, Elliot slammed the door shut. He rattled it a few times to make sure it was locked.

“Leave the keys on that peg over there,” Carlton instructed. “I don’t want to have to search for them every time we come down here.”

“You sure she can’t reach them right here?” Elliot asked. “We don’t want her escaping.”

Carlton smiled. “And where would she go? She won’t even know how to leave our estate.”

Nici heard footsteps shuffling down the hallway. She guessed that it was the child Pia. She pulled the stool over to the small opening in the door and looked out. Sure enough, the tiny girl was heading toward her cell, carrying fresh clothes.

“Oh Pia,” Carlton said. “I completely forgot about you.”

“Clothes,” Pia stated in her strange voice.

“Yes, yes,” Elliot said. “Give the girl the clothes.”

Nici angled her head so that she could watch as he took the key ring off the peg. It was just a short distance down the hall on the opposite side from where her cell stood. There was no way she could reach the peg with her hand, but her hair could probably do the trick.

Right then, Nici came up with an escape plan. She would wait until dark when everything quieted down, then let herself out of the cell. She wasn’t sure where she would go, but once she was upstairs again, she would figure out a plan. Anything had to be better than being locked in this gloomy, stinking cell.

She stepped down off the stool and pulled it away from the door as Elliot inserted the key. He pushed open the metal door, which squeaked from lack of oil.

Pia stepped inside and handed Nici the neatly folded stack of material. “Clothes,” she stated. “Dry.”

“Thank you,” Nici said. She gave the child a smile.

Pia looked at her with no expression.

“Enough chit-chat,” Elliot said. “Let’s go Pia unless you want to get locked in there too.”

The little girl exited the cell. Elliot pulled the door shut and walked away. Nici quickly moved the stool back to the door to watch them leave. She was dismayed to see the knight forget to replace the keys on the peg. He carried them upstairs with him, along with the torch.

Now Nici was left in total darkness. She couldn’t see down the hall or even within her room. She put her hands out in front and felt her way around. The first thing she did was to remove her damp clothing and put on the dry outfit that Pia had provided.

Now she needed to create a more comfortable resting place for herself. She reached in the pocket of the wet jacket she had just removed. Luckily, no one had discovered her father’s chisel and taken it away. She would have to remember to hide it somewhere in the cell. In short order, she had her hair to weave a mattress, pillow and blanket, just as she had done at Parmalee’s house.

The smell of food reminded Nici that she was hungry. It seemed like ages since she had last eaten. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, it was easier to find the table and stool. She hesitated for a moment, debating whether the food was safe to eat. With all the talk of poison, she couldn’t be sure.

At last her hunger got the best of her. She devoured the chicken and rice dish. If that’s my last meal, she thought to herself, at least it was a good one.

There was nothing to do now but take a nap. Her head still hurt from all the banging around of the last few days. It felt good to lie down, especially on the comfortable bed she had created for herself.

*

Days passed where Nici’s had only the scantist contact with other people. Various children brought food to her in the morning and evening. There interaction consisted of sliding plates of food or empty dishes through the narrow door opening.

That’s what made it so unusual to one hear footsteps and see torchlight in the hallway. It was after dinner had been delivered and well before the morning meal was due. So something was up.

Nici climbed atop the stool and looked out of the opening in her cell door.

The knights were dragging a man down the hall. Nici watched the drama unfold, taking in every detail she could.

The brother’s victim had black hair flecked with grey that stuck out in all directions. It looked like he hadn’t shaved in days. Stubble covered his jaw and went well down his neck. He wore thick spectacles with a crack in the left lens. His clothes were dirty with odd colored stains all over them. His fingernails were long, dirty and ragged. A peculiar smell wafted through the air as he passed the child’s cell.

“Put him beside the girl so it’s easier to get to them at the same time,” Elliot suggested.

“Fine with me,” Carlton agreed.

Nici could no longer see them, but she could hear a key clicking and a heavy cell door opening.

“In you go, old man,” Elliot said.

Nici wasn’t sure, but it sounded like the man stumbled into his cell. She thought it likely that he had been pushed in by the nasty knights.

“You don’t have to do this,” the man cried out as his cell door clanged shut. “I won’t tell anyone what you’re up to. I won’t try to escape. I promise. Just let me stay upstairs. Please.”

“You shouldn’t have messed with us, Lindor,” Elliot told him. “You know we don’t like that.”

Nici watched as Elliot finally remembered to return the key ring to the peg outside her cell. Now at least she would have a chance to escape.

Lindor continued to plead with the knights as the light from their torch traveled with them down the hall. “Please,” he screamed. “I’m afraid of the dark. Please, at least a candle down here.”

The brothers laughed and continued on their way back upstairs.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,” Lindor repeated over and over. It sounded as if he were trying to climb the stone walls. He banged and pulled on his door, desperate to escape any way he could.

“Sir,” Nici called out to him. “Sir, if you’ll wait a few minutes, your eyes will adjust. You’ll be able to see a little bit. Enough to get around your cell.”

“Who are you?” he questioned.

“Nici Gencarelli.”

“What are you doing down here?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I think the knights want to kill my father. They’ll go looking for him after the King’s wedding is over.”

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,” the man muttered again.

“Who are you?” Nici inquired.

“Lindor Ussall,” he replied.

“What did you do to make the knights mad?”

“I was trying to get rid of all the rat poison. They want to kill the King with it.”

“I heard,” Nici told him. “But how did you get here? Were you kidnapped, too?”

Her question was answered with silence. “Did you hear me?” she asked. “Were you kidnapped, too?”

Lindor drew in a slow breath. “No,” he admitted. “I came here voluntarily.”

“Why?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We have plenty of time,” the child told him.

“I guess that’s true,” he conceded. “But it’s not a nice story.”

“I don’t mind. “

“It will help you understand some things about our lives here.” He paused for an awkward length of time.

“I’m listening,” Nici tried to prod him.

“Okay. About nine years ago, no maybe ten. Or was it eleven? Well, at any rate, it was years ago. Our town, it was overrun with rats. I despise rats. Despise them! They haunt me in my dreams. So I was working on a way to get rid of all the rats in Cronald.”

“Wait a minute,” Nici interrupted. “You’re from Cronald.”

“I am,” Lindor said. “Do you know it?”

“I’ve been there,” she stated.

“So the rat problem in Cronald was horrendous. Rats invaded people’s homes. Ate their food stores. Bit babies’ toes. Their nasty little droppings were everywhere. So I decided, well actually the mayor suggested to me, or was it my neighbor? At any rate, somebody came up with the idea that I should invent some way to get rid of the rats. I consulted all my books, but none of them had the information I needed.

“Now about this same time, my dog suddenly died. So I cut him open to see what killed him.”

“Ewww,” Nici remarked.

“Well I am a scientist,” Lindor shot back. “Anyhow, when I dissected his stomach, I found some berries in there. I deduced that he had eaten these berries and been poisoned. So I found the plant they grew on and started working on a formula that could serve as a rat poison.”

The word poison set off alarms in Nici’s mind. “Mr. Lindor,” she asked, “did you say this was ten years ago?”

“Ten, eleven years, something like that.”

“Did you put this poison in the water supply?” Nici inquired.

“Of course not!” the man protested. “I was trying to kill rats not people.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that Parmalee thought maybe there was something in the water that made all those babies sick around then.”

“Parmalee, ah yes.”

“You know her?”

“Everybody in Cronald does,” he said quietly.

“I wonder how she is.” Nici grew sad remembering her friend. “Okay, sorry to interrupt. Go on with your story.”

“Well I needed to test out my formula on real rats. So I put saucers of it all around town. And before you ask, I made sure to put them in places that children and dogs and others couldn’t get to. Only rats.” There was a long pause from the other cell.

“So did the rats die?” Nici finally broke the silence.

“Well, you see, I’m not really sure. It rained that night and washed away the formula. I did see some dead rats in some places around town. So it might have worked. But my whole experiement was ruined when it was diluted with rainwater.”

Nici thought back to the town of Cronald. Though she was only there briefly, she remembered the massive town square ringed with buildings that stood side by side. On the ground floor were shops while the upper stories appeared to be homes. The town hall, places of worship and other large, imposing buildings were tucked in at various places between these rows of multi-purpose buildings.

But the thing she was thinking of now was the huge stone cistern in the very center of the square. There were iron pumps all around it so the townspeople could fill up buckets and take water to their homes. What was odd about it though, was that the ground west of the cistern was nearly two feet higher than the ground underneath the basin and to the east. The granite paving stones stopped abruptly when the grade changed. The layer of stones started again at the top of the little bluff of bare ground.

“Lindor,” Nici inquired. “Why is one side of the town square in Cronald higher than the other?”

“Earthquake,” he told her. “Happened many years ago. The whole square used to be higher. But during the shaking, the cistern side dropped down a few feet. It still holds water, so they just leave things the way they are.”

“So when it rains in Cronald, the water can drain down from the high side into the big basin, can’t it?”

“I suppose,” he answered cautiously.

“The night you were testing your formula, you said it was raining. Don’t you think it’s possible that some of the poison could have gotten into the water supply?”

The scientist said nothing.

“Parmalee was right,” Nici concluded.

No sound came from the neighboring cell.

“Lindor, you’ve known this all along, haven’t you? You let Parmalee take the blame.”

“I didn’t mean to harm anyone,” he admitted. “I didn’t even realize anything was wrong until months later. I mean people got sick, but they all recovered. Well not old man Doaks, he died, but he was old and frail anyhow. So you can’t really blame his death on me. But the women who were pregnant at the time, they all got better of course. But maybe, it’s possible, it could have been…I guess you could deduce that the poison did something to the unborn children.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“They had already blamed Parmalee. Already chased her out of town. I couldn’t admit that maybe it was me that hurt the children. They would have killed me.”

Footsteps on the stone stairs quieted the two prisoners. Elliot came past them carrying a torch and weaving from side to side using the walls to keep himself upright. “Ninety-nine bottles of wine in the cell, ninety-nine bottles of wine,” he sang as he went along. “If one of those bottles has a bad smell, ninety-eight bottles of wine in the cell.”

He staggered down to where the key ring rested on the peg. “Don’t mind me, folks,” he called out to Nici and Lindor. “I’m just down getting us another bottle of wine.”

He took the keys and headed farther down the hallway. Nici could hear that he was far away when he opened up a door.

A few minutes later, Elliot walked back toward them with a bottle of wine under each arm and one in each hand. “Ninety-six bottles of wine in the cell, ninety six bottles of wine,” his song continued.

“Night-night you two,” Elliot said as he passed their cells, then started his song again. “If one of those bottles should happen to smell, ninety-five bottles of wine in the cell.”

The light and song disappeared with Elliot. Nici noticed that he neglected to replace the keys on the peg across from her. But she didn’t remember that he had them with him, either. Perhaps he left the keys down by the wine cellar. She wondered if it was possible to get her hair all the way to end of the hall to retrieve it.

“You hate me now,” Lindor said when all was quiet again.

“No, I don’t hate you,” Nici told him. “But I wish you hadn’t let Parmalee take the blame for something she didn’t do. She didn’t deserve that.”

“I know,” the man admitted. “I truly am sorry. I just wasn’t brave enough. I’ve felt bad about it ever since.”

He went on. “Those children, they’re all here. The kids bringing you food and water.”

“Those are the Cronald kids? How did they get here?” Nici asked.

Lindor let out a disgusted huff. “Mayor Glump. What a terrible man. He offered them to the knights in exchange for some money. But the really sad part is that the kids’ parents were only too happy to give them up. They thought their children were a curse. Well, not the twins’ parents. They wanted to keep the girls. But Mayor Glump threw them in jail. It was all very sad.” He let out a long sigh and grew silent again.

Nici thought about how terrible the situation was for everyone involved.

A few minutes later, the scientist continued his tale. “I’m here for the children,” he told Nici. “To watch over them. Since it was maybe my fault they were born the way they were.”

“You told the knights you would look after the children?” Nici asked.

“Not exactly,” the man admitted. “I told them I was a scientist and they figured I could help them make their wine.”

A loud yawn escaped from Nici.

“You’re tired,” Lindor said. “I should let you get some rest.”

“I am a little bit sleepy,” Nici admitted.

“We’ll talk again in the morning,” the man assured her.

She got onto her bed and stretched out. “Lindor,” she called out. “If I could get us the keys to unlock these cells, could you lead us out of here?”

“Probably,” he said.

“Good.” She was asleep almost as soon as her head reached the pillow.

*

The next day, Pia brought them both a meal. She slid a plate through the narrow slot in the Nici’s door. Then she peered through the opening. “Empty dishes,” she said.

Nici pushed her dinner plate from the previous night through the slot and into the child’s waiting hands.

“Pia,” Lindor called to her. “Pia, over here. It’s me Lindor. Will you bring us some candles and and a tinderbox?”

“I ask,” she replied.

“No, don’t ask anyone,” he told her. “Just bring them to us. It will be our little secret. It’s a game we’re playing on the knights.”

“Okay.”

A little while later, she returned. She dropped a few stubs of beeswax candles and a flint and steel into Lindor’s cell.

The little girl shuffled down the hall and returned upstairs.

Over the morning meal, Nici and Lindor finalized their plan. They would wait for nighttime, which they guessed would be several hours after someone brought them dinner. Nici would use her hair to retrieve the keys and open their cells. Then Lindor would lead the two of them away from the knight’s estate and back to the safety of the outside world.

With nothing better to do, they talked more about their lives. Nici found out that Lindor had made more than wine for the knights. He first perfected the wine making, then taught the children how to do all of the tasks. After that, he had a lot of free time on his hands. Rats were also a problem at the mountain hideaway. So he decided to create the poison again and try to eliminate the dreadful rodents.

It wasn’t until Marietta was poisoned that Lindor realized what the knights were up to. Trying to foil them, he began sneaking batches of the toxic liquid out of the house at night. When Carlton caught him late one night, he took the scientist back to the lab and forced him to make new batches. Then the brothers brought him down to the cellar and locked him up next to Nici.

The prisoners anxiously waited for the appointed hour to begin working on their escape. Lindor held a lit candle outside of his cell to signal the start. The candlelight illuminated part of the hallway.

“Okay, hair,” Nici said while twirling a few strands. “Please go down to the end of the hall and retrieve the key ring.” Her long locks slipped out between the bars in the top opening of her door and traveled down the narrow passage. They stopped just short of the last door.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,” Lindor fretted. “We’re so close.”

“Not to worry,” the child told him. She already knew how to get a longer rope from her experience crossing the gorge with Parmalee.

Soon she had a forty-foot length that was able to reach all the way down the hall. Now that it was long enough, the braid wrapped around the key ring. The hair jerked the key free from the lock, and the ring hit the floor with a jingle. Nici pulled on the golden rope until the keys were in her cell.

She tried reaching through the opening in her door, but it wasn’t wide enough for her hand to fit through. Undaunted, Nici instructed her hair to slip through the slot with the key and insert it into the lock. Once free, she unlocked Lindor’s cell.

“Let’s get out of here,” Lindor whispered.

“Wait a minute,” Nici told him. “I need to get something.” She walked back into her cell to pick up her father’s chisel. She had tied it to the underside of her table, hoping the knights wouldn’t find it if they ever searched her cell.

She also untied the extra braid attached to the end of her hair to make it longer. She certainly didn’t need it to be any extra length as they were escaping.

As quietly as possible, the two of them started up the steps.

With that, the door opened from above. “And where do you two think you’re going?” Carlton asked them.

CHAPTER 28 / Evil Errands

Renetta and Tem loaded a case of unpoisoned wine onto the back of their cart with the remaining barrels of crops. They split the hefty bribe the brothers had given them for handing over Nici. They were also paid for delivering the wine to the King, the first part of the knights’ vile plot. There was more money for them to make when they carried out the rest of the plan.

While she was securing the cargo, Renetta noticed the crowbar she had stolen from Gencarelli. She set it up front on the cart seat to remind herself to throw it away along the road. The last thing she wanted at this moment was to be caught with a tool that could link her to the nasty business she had been carrying out.

The agricultural workers were eager to be on their way so that they could meet the deadlines that Carlton had listed the previous evening. One miss of any of the steps and the whole scheme could be ruined.

After handshakes all the way around, Renetta and Tem hopped aboard the wagon. Tem steered the horses toward the hollow mountain’s side. They carried a torch to illuminate the cave that led to the exit. Tem hoped the horses would walk through the back of the waterfall without getting spooked this time.

Even without one of the knights guiding them, the two were able to wind their way through the twists and turns of the cave fairly easily. The path was obvious along the clearing through the triangular formations along the floor. This was a much more reliable guide than the sound of the waterfall. Noise bounced around the cavern, seeming to come from everywhere at once. It would have been disorienting trying to follow that.

Approaching the hideout’s opening from the inside of the mountain provided a whole different view. Light beamed through the falling water. It created a rainbow of brilliant color.

Tem stopped the horses right before they reached the crashing torrent. He and Renetta covered themselves with a canvas tarp that the knights had given them. At least this time they wouldn’t be soaked when they passed through the cascade.

With a slap of the reins, Tem urged on the beasts pulling the cart. They seemed to sense that fresh air awaited them on the other side. With little hesitation, they splashed through the falls and emerged into the open.

Once they were through the pool and back on solid ground, the workers stopped to remove the tarp. Renetta got down off the seat and tied the covering over the top of the wagon bed to protect the wine and crops if they encountered rain. When she was seated again, they took off in the direction of Castle Road.

The workers traveled alongside the small stream that flowed from the waterfall. They reasoned that this would bisect the Roon River, at which point they’d encounter the road that led directly to the King’s castle.

The stream grew wider as they followed along its meandering path. By the time it reached the mighty Roon, it was nearly a river itself. A wooden bridge spanned the tributary just up from the delta where the two waterways met. On the other side was Castle Road. As they passed over the bridge, Renetta dropped Gino’s crowbar into the water below.

*

For five days, they traveled nearly non-stop to reach the castle. Both workers were exhausted and filthy from road dirt mixed with sweat. But they had arrived right on Carlton’s schedule. When they pulled around to the castle’s stables, the workers looked at them in surprise.

“What are you two doing here?” Olin asked. He was the stable foreman “Where’s the rest of your caravan?”

“It’s a long story,” Renetta brushed him off. “I’ll fill you in later.”

Olin and another man started to remove the tarp from the back of the wagon. “This isn’t one of ours,” the foreman observed. “Where’d you get this cover?”

“We lost ours in the town of Cronald,” Renetta explained. “The mayor gave us this one.”

With the tarp removed, the barrels of crops were evident. Olin questioned why they hadn’t delivered the food to the towns.

“We’re on a special mission,” Renetta told him. She was getting fed up with the man’s nosiness. “The King needs his delivery first. We’ll distribute the crops after that. Now please get us a fresh team of horses while we go see the King.”

At Renetta’s urging, Tem hoisted the case of wine off the back of the wagon. The two of them walked into the castle through the workers’ entrance in the back. They marched through the hallway leading to the throne room, where they were stopped by one of the King’s personal guards.

Tem, who was worn out from the relentless traveling nearly dropped the case of wine on the black marble floor. Renetta glared at him, but he was too tired to care.

“State your business,” the guard ordered.

“We’re here to deliver a present from the King and Queen of Napoma,” Renetta told him.

The man frowned. “This is highly unusual,” he said. “Why didn’t they send one of their representatives?”

Renetta was prepared for this question with an answer Carlton had provided. “The representative from Napoma was hurt in an accident along the way. We encountered the man on the road and he requested that we deliver the present ourselves since we are in the employ of the King.”

“I see,” the guard replied. “One moment please.” He clapped his hands and two of the other sentries opened the mammoth wooden doors that led to the throne room. The guard disappeared inside.

A few moments later, he returned. “King Sevvy is extremely busy right now. However, he will spare a few precious moments to see you.” He turned on his heels without looking at them and led them into the room.

Neither Renetta nor Tem had ever been inside this part of the castle. This was where the business of the kingdom took place. The room was enormous, yet sparsely furnished. Heavy maroon curtains hung from floor to ceiling along every wall except the back one. Here, the wall was covered by an enormous tapestry of the King riding in a procession through a crowd of cheering people.

A greatly oversized chair sat in front of the artwork. It was ornately carved with miniature crowns and sceptors. The throne’s legs looked like lion’s paws and the arms like folded eagle’s wings. Along the top was a carving of an arched Sword of Peace. The sword with handles at either end instead of a pointed blade was a sacred symbol of Pahdu.

Two long, narrow tables ran down the side walls of the room. High-backed chairs on the far side of the tables allowed everyone to face the interior of the room.

King Sevvy was standing at one of the tables, surrounded by a few of his advisors. When the agricultural workers approached, he went and sat on his throne.

He was wearing the standard white shirt, jacket and britches that were worn all over the kingdom of Pahdu. The only thing that set him apart was the bright blue color of his coat and pants. And of course, the gem-studded crown that he wore on his head.

“Sire, the two agricultural workers with your gift,” the guard said, then bowed and left the room.

Sevvy clapped his hands like a little child. “What is it?” he asked, delight shining in his deep green eyes.

Renetta took a step forward as Tem struggled to carry the wooden case with twelve full bottles of wine.

Renetta bowed to the King. “Your Majesty, my name is Renetta Picksley and this is Tem Waffa. We’re members of your third caravan under the leadership of Williams Bitt…”

“Yes, yes, yes,” the King interrupted. “That’s all well and good, but what’s in the box?”

“A gift from the King and Queen of Napoma,” Renetta began.

Tem elbowed her to the side and pushed the crate forward. He gave a quick bow to the King, then answered, “It’s a case of wine, sir.”

“Wine!” Sevvy’s eyes lit up. “I love wine.”

Renetta tried to continue the explanation Carlton had told her to say. “Sir, the Royals of Napoma are honored to be invited to your upcoming wedding and would like to provide the wine for the festivities. If this vintage meets with your approval, they will be happy to bring cases of their best wine to celebrate your nuptials.”

“Well let’s pop the cork on one of those bottles and test it out!” Sevvy laughed.

The Minister of Health, who had been standing around the table, approached the King. “Your Highness, I understand that you’re anxious to try the wine. But may I suggest a bit of caution. Although we have no reason to doubt these two, they may have been fooled by some enemy wishing to cause you harm. We need to test the wine first.”

“Fine,” the King said dismissively. “But get on with it.”

The Minister of Health asked Tem to place the crate on the table. The official opened the case and brushed away the straw packed around the bottles. He inspected the wine, one bottle at a time. “There doesn’t appear to be any tampering,” he observed.

By the time he was done, a butler had placed a tray of silver chalices on the table. A different butler carried out an intricately carved, egg-shaped gold container. He gently placed it beside the tray, settling it on a ring of gold held up by the three delicate legs.

The Minister randomly selected a bottle and opened it. He poured a taste into one of the goblets and handed it to the King.

Sevvy pulled the top off the gold vessel. Inside was a large, brown stone. The King picked up the strange orb and dropped it into the wine.

“How long do I have to wait?” he sighed.

“When the sun moves from that window to that one, we should know if the wine has been poisoned.”

“Is this really necessary?” Sevvy fumed.

“I guess we could employ a taster,” the Minister of Health answered. He poured some wine into another chalice. “Which one of you would like to volunteer?” he asked, holding out the goblet to the two agricultural workers.

“My pleasure,” Renetta smiled as she accepted the wine. She drained it in one gulp. “Exquisite,” she declared, just as she had done when the knights served her. “I’d be pleased to drink the whole bottle if you’d like,” she offered.

“Oh no you don’t,” Sevvy said, giving her a playful slap on the back. He turned to his health officer. “Now can I have some?”

“I would caution waiting a bit longer,” the Minister replied. “Some poisons take a while to act within the system.”

Sevvy rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He looked around them room for a few seconds.

Tem tried to stifle a yawn.

“You two look tired,” the King said, finally looking at Renetta and Tem. “Why don’t you sit for a spell while we wait.”

Tem headed right for one of the chairs, but his co-worker pulled him back. “We’re awfully filthy, your Majesty,” Renetta told him. “I’d hate to ruin the upholstery on these beautiful chairs with our road dirt.”

“Suit yourself,” Sevvy shrugged. “But I’m going to sit down.” He returned to his throne. “So the man from Napoma got hurt and asked you to bring me the wine?”

“Exactly, sir.”

“But Napoma is far to the East. Doesn’t the third caravan handle the northern portion of the country?”

“It does, Sire,” Renetta agreed, “but we had to split off from the caravan. The weather has been quite dreadful and we were worried that crops wouldn’t get to the people soon enough. Our marshal, Williams Bitterman, sent Mr. Waffa and I ahead of everyone else with some provisions. We were to provide partial shipments to the towns along the way.”

“Good man, Bitterman,” the King remarked. “Got a good head on his shoulders. Still, it sounds like you were a bit out of your territory.”

“That may be, your Majesty,” Renetta conceded. “The roads are nearly impassable in some areas. We were forced to take detours in several places. The Napoma representative may have encountered the same problems. Perhaps we were both a bit off course. That may explain how we met up.”

“Could be,” the King agreed. He tapped his fingers on his knee. “Has it been long enough?”

“The sun is almost there, Sire,” the Minister of Health answered, pointing up to the light coming through the windows.

“So I guess you’ll get a few extra days of rest since you’re ahead of your caravan.”

Renetta shook her head. “Actually, your Highness, we still have some crops to deliver. And I know the people of Napoma will be anxious to learn if their wine meets with your approval.”

“I’m anxious to know that myself!” the King bellowed. The waiting was eroding his good mood. He looked at his advisor, who tried to ignore him.

“Well?” the King wanted to know.

“I suppose enough time has elapsed,” the Minister of Health said. “Ms. Picksley, you’re feeling no ill effects from the wine?”

“None whatsoever.”

“Then Sire, I think it’s prudent for…”

He didn’t need to finish his sentence. The King had already grabbed the chalice with the brown stone and taken a sip. He rolled the wine around in his mouth.

“Delightful,” he declared. He took another, bigger sip. “Please inform the King and Queen of Napoma that I will be most pleased to serve their wine to my wedding guests.”

“Thank you, Sire,” Renetta said, as she bowed and started backing away. She exited the room, never turning her back on the King.

“Yes, thank you,” Tem repeated and followed Renetta’s lead.

When they were safely out of the throne room, Renetta let out a little laugh. “Everything is going according to plan so far,” she chuckled.

They returned to the stables, where Olin and his assistants had harnessed two fresh horses to the wagon.

“Are these your fastest horses?” Renetta asked.

“You don’t need fast. You need strong,” Olin told her.

“I need fast,” Renetta corrected. “We’re on a mission for the King. If we don’t make it in time, it will be on your head.”

Olin spit on the ground and stared menacingly at the woman. Renetta glared right back. Olin finally backed down. “Go get Flash and Streak,” he told one of the helpers.

“We’ll also need saddles,” Renetta told him.

“For what?”

“Thank-you presents from the King.”

“Can’t he come up with anything better than a saddle?” Olin mumbled as he went to get the leather apparatus.

With the speedy horses hitched up and the saddles secure in the wagon bed, Renetta and Tem took off again.

“Are we ever going to rest?” Tem complained when they were away from the castle grounds.

“In a few days,” Renetta assured him. “If you need a burst of energy, just keep counting all the money you’re going to make.”

When it became dark, they stopped and unhitched the horses. Each of hefted a saddle from the back of the cart and placed it on a horse. They removed their few personal belongings and placed these on the horses’ backs as well.

Then they pushed the wagon down a steep embankment. It bounced and bumped down the hill, shattering into pieces. The workers cut branches from surrounding trees and threw them on top to cover the debris.

“Let’s hope no one finds that,” Renetta said. “Ready to ride?” she asked once they had both mounted their horses.

“I guess,” Tem sighed.

They galloped off in a due-East direction at full speed. The wide road and moonlit night made traveling easy enough.

Carlton had figured that they would need about ten days to reach the kingdom of Napoma. Renetta was hoping to do it in less. But by the second day, it became evident that they could not continue to push themselves or the horses this hard. They began sleeping throughout the night hours and traveling only in the daylight. Tem’s mood brightened considerably as he got more rest.

By the time they reached the border of Pahdu and Napoma, they were refreshed and still on schedule.

As soon as two guards emerged from their hut at the border crossing, Renetta understood why Carlton has selected Napoma for his ruse. The sentries wore emerald green tunics and black pants with a matching green stripe running down the legs.

But the headwear was the real giveaway. It consisted of a black hood with an extra flap that covered their lower faces. Only the guards’ eyes and a portion of their foreheads were visible.

Renetta openly flirted with the two Napoma guards as she told them the reason for the visit. Tem would have been jealous if he hadn’t known the real story. But Renetta played her part to the hilt, convincing the guards to join her and a “friend” when their shift was over. They agreed to meet at a tavern just across the Pahduan border.

The guards gave Renetta and Tem directions to the King and Queen’s winter estate where they were staying. The Napoma leaders had traveled to this location to be closer to Sevvy’s castle where the wedding would be held in a few weeks.

When Renetta and Tem arrived at the enormous castle, they first asked for a place to wash off the road dust. Once they looked more presentable, they asked for an audience with the monarchs.

After dinner that evening, they were led into a great room where the King and Queen were resting. The room was filled with musical instruments. There were tables and chairs for playing card games. Overstuffed chairs and sofas offered a place to relax. Everything was surrounded by shelves and shelves of leather-bound books.

The King lounged in a chair by the fire sipping brandy. He was wearing a deep green velvet jacket that tied around his waist and black velvet knickers. His stockings and shoes were black, as well. He had dark brown skin and curly brown hair that was cut close to his head.

His wife sat opposite him and was reading a book in the firelight. Her dress was of the same deep green velvet as his jacket. It had finely embroidered lace around the high neck and the cuffs of the long sleeves. The gown fanned out over her legs, covering them like a blanket. Her skin was a slightly lighter shade than her husband’s, and her brown hair was piled high on top of her head.

Neither moved from their seats as Renetta and Tem entered. The Napoma guard announced them as representatives of King Sevvy and the kingdom of Pahdu.

The Queen closed her book and looked at the two people standing just inside the doorway. “Come closer,” she said, “or you’ll have to shout across the room.”

“I hesitate to advance any farther,” Renetta said. “I don’t believe we’ve been infected. But I think it best to stay here just to be on the safe side.”

They suddenly had the King’s attention. “Infected?” he asked. “With what?”

“I’m afraid there’s a terrible illness circulating in the royal household of Pahdu,” Renetta explained. “In fact, that’s why we’re here.”

“To get us ill?” the King asked.

“No, sir. Not at all. We’ve been sent as messengers to tell you that it may be best not to attend King Sevvy’s wedding. Our doctors cannot determine the cause of the illness and have found no cure for it just yet. King Sevvy believes it would be irresponsible to infect other heads of state with this unknown malady.”

“Oh my,” the Queen sighed. “I was so looking forward to that wedding. Has Sevvy postponed it then?”

“No ma’am,” Renetta told her. “He feels it best to go ahead and have the marriage take place. When the illness has passed, which we hope will be soon, the King will reschedule a grand reception for the royal families of our neighboring countries. Our King wishes to express his deepest regrets for this terrible inconvenience.”

The Queen waived off the apology. “We’re not worried about the inconvenience. We’re just worried about Sevvy. Has he taken ill along with everyone else?”

“Thankfully, he has so far been spared the dreadful sickness. At present, it is mostly the serving staff, guards and several of our top advisors who have been stricken.”

“Well that’s a blessing that Sevvy isn’t ill,” the Queen remarked.

“Yes ma’am,” Renetta agreed.

“And you two aren’t ill either?” the King wanted to clarify.

“No sir. That’s why we were selected to come inform you. We’ve been on the road recently and have not been around the castle much. We’ve shown absolutely no symptoms whatsoever.”

“What are the symptoms?” the King wanted to know.

Renetta wasn’t prepared for this question. Carlton had told her everything else to say, but they hadn’t come up with what this fake illness was supposed to do to people. She would just have to think on her feet. “Your Majesty, I beg your forgiveness for speaking bluntly. But I don’t believe detailing the ravages of this illness is polite conversation to speak before her Highness.”

The King took another sip of brandy. “That bad, is it?”

“It appears to be rather disfiguring,” Renetta answered.

“Well then, thank you both for bringing us this information.”

“Yes sir. I’m sorry it was not better news.”

“Tell Sevvy to stay well and we’ll see him when everything has cleared up,” the Queen added.

“I will convey your regards,” Renetta said and bowed to her hosts. She motioned for Tem to do the same. “We’ll leave you to your evening,” she added and the two of them backed out of the room.

Tem smiled at his friend when they were safely out of earshot of everyone in the household. “You sure can talk fancy when you need to,” he chuckled.

“It does come in handy,” Renetta agreed. “Now, we have one thing left to do, then we go collect the rest of our money.”

“That’s the part I’m looking forward to,” Tem said.

They mounted their steeds and rode back to the crossing point. The guards came out of their hut to get another look at Renetta as they waved the two of them across the border.

“Is your friend as pretty as you?” one of the guards asked as Renetta passed him.

“Prettier,” she laughed. “Bring lots of money when you come. My friend likes to drink. See you soon.”

The agricultural workers galloped off down the road until they were well out of sight and earshot of the guards. They tied up the horses deep into the woods, then hiked back to the road. Renetta dropped her maroon suede gloves a few feet away from the side where they would hide out.

“I’ll grab the first guy who reaches down for a glove and you get the other one,” she told Tem. They settled down to wait for the appointed time.

Around twilight, they head the Napoma guards approaching. There was just enough light for the fallen gloves to be visible.

From her hiding spot, Renetta could see the two men coming toward her. They were passing a wineskin between them and seemed to already be a little bit tipsy. The woman smiled at her co-conspirator and raised her heavy sack of coins. Tem followed suit and hoisted his weight change purse as well.

“What’s that?” the nearest guard asked.

“What’s what?” the other replied.

“That. That thing in the road.”

“Is that lover girl’s glove?”

And before he got an answer, Renetta bashed him on the head. The helpless man dropped to the ground.

Tem needed two strikes before his guard was also out cold on the ground.

Renetta and Tem dragged the unconscious men into the woods and stripped them of their official uniforms. They also removed the coin purses from around their waists. This would make the whole thing look like a robbery.

After hiding the uniforms in the bedrolls tied to their horses, Renetta and Tem rode off toward the tavern where they had arranged to meet the two guards. If the Napoma sentries did stumble in, they wanted it to look like they had been waiting for them all along.

Tem bought them beers using their victims’ money. They each had two before deciding the Napoma men had gone back to their own country.

They rode a little farther away before stopping for the night. At this point, they were a day ahead of schedule. And they now had everything needed to carry out the knights’ plan.

Tem pulled a bottle of wine from his bedroll.

“Where did you get that?” Renetta asked.

“I stole it from the knights,” Tem answered.

“It’s not one of the poison bottles, is it?”

“No. Elliot brought it up from the cellar one night, but he fell asleep before he opened it. I figured with all he’d had to drink, he’d never remember what happened. I was saving it for a special occasion.”

“Well good going, my friend,” Renetta congratulated him.

Tem popped the cork. He started to take a swig, then handed the bottle to his partner.

“Here’s to being filthy rich,” Renetta toasted.

“To filthy riches,” Tem repeated.

“And to the success of the knights’ plan,” she cheered and took another sip. She handed the bottle to Tem, but failed to notice that he didn’t drink to her second toast.

CHAPTER 29 / The Long Journey

Selma listened to the rain beating down on top of their shelter. She looked over at Thena, who couldn’t even breathe deeply without wincing in pain. Her husband was determined that they wouldn’t go without his injured friend. But Selma knew that the three of them had to leave their hiding place immediately before the people of Cronald discovered it.

The rain tapped out a steady rhythm on the canvas stretched over the roof. Selma looked up to make sure it wasn’t leaking in any place. She tapped her fingernail on her front teeth, lost in thought.

A brilliant idea came to her in a flash. “Chino,” she whispered. “The roof thing. And poles. For the holding of Thena.”

“I’m not following you,” Gino told her.

“We are making a, how you say, lie down for the carrying?” his wife replied.

“Sorry, Sel, I’m still not sure what you’re trying to say.”

Selma thought about how else to explain her plan. “Thena is being this way laying on the cloth. Pole here. Pole here.” She indicated both sides of the length of Thena’s body. “The cloth is being tie to the poles. We are carrying the poles.”

“A stretcher!” Gino exclaimed. “That’s brilliant, honey.” He leaned over and gave his wife a kiss. “Let me think about this for a minute,” he went on. “We could ride the horses side by side and Thena could rest on the stretcher in between.”

Gino leaned over and tapped the shivering Thena on her shoulder. “Thena,” he asked, “do you think you could handle riding like that?”

“I’ll be fine here,” she told him. “You two just ride off and save yourselves.”

“There’s no way we’re leaving you here,” he stated. “If you don’t think you can handle the stretcher, we’ll wait.”

Thena looked into his eyes and knew that he was going to stand his ground on this issue. She gave him a thin smile. “The stretcher will be fine.”

He gave her hand a squeeze, then got to his feet. “Let’s get to building it then.”

The Gencarellis went out into the rain and untied the braids of Nici’s hair that held the canvas to the anchor trees. The cloth was much larger than they needed. Gino had the idea to fold it so a section formed the bed portion and the rest created a roof that would protect Thena from the rain. The husband and wife removed some branches from the side of their shelter to use as the framework for the portable bed.

Gino pulled out his tools and got to work. He stretched a third of the canvas over two six-foot poles and tied the material in place with Nici’s hair. This would form the stretcher bed and carrying poles.

Next, he used the auger to drill holes into either end of the two poles. In to the four holes, he inserted branches about three-feet tall. These stood straight up like posters on a bed. With the frame in place, Gino pulled the remaining canvas up the side and over the top. Now the stretcher resembled the letter C.

While her husband was working on the stretcher, Selma went outside to saddle the horses and pack up the few belongings they had. She took a portion of Nici’s hair and divided it into four sections. On one end of each rope, she tied a loop.

Patting Vanya all the while, she placed a loop around the horn of his saddle and one at the back. Then she quickly placed the other two ropes on Mahogany’s saddle as she spoke to him soothingly in Bayonnaise.

Now they were ready to slip the carrying poles of the stretcher into the loops.

Gino was just finishing up when Selma walked back into the shelter.

“Is nice,” she told him, surveying what he had created. “The horses are being settled for the leaving.”

“Great,” he replied. “Are you ready Thena?”

“Absolutely.”

Gino grabbed the two pole ends that were by Thena’s head while Selma took the ends by her feet. They lifted her up and carried her out of the cabin and over to the waiting horses. Selma placed her pole ends in the front loops and Gino lowered his ends into the loops at the back. This allowed Thena to face forward as they traveled.

The weight of the woman on the stretcher now rested on the horses’ backs. They turned their heads to see what was going on. The animals looked at Thena, then each other before facing forward again.

The Gencarellis mounted the patient steeds and set off on the path. The horses walked in perfect unison, as if they understood what was required to keep the makeshift bed steady. Sideburn ran in front of the whole procession, wagging his tail as he ran.

“We no can be riding the road,” Selma observed.

“There’s a path to the west that skirts the main portion of Cronald,” Thena told them. “It’s not well marked though.”

“We’ll find it,” Gino assured her.

The Gencarellis stayed on the lookout for anything resembling another road.

“The town, she is being nearing to us,” Selma said when they had traveled for a good distance. “Is being the same looking as when I am riding here early.”

Thena asked them to stop for a moment. With much effort, she lifted her head from the stretcher and looked through the space between the two horses. “The cutoff should be very close to here,” she told them. “It will be off to your right.”

“Sideburn,” Gino called to the dog. “Find the path. Find the path, Sideburn.”

The dog ran off ahead, but returned to them, unsure of his mission.

“Over there,” Gino tried again, pointing to the right. “Find the path over there, Sideburn.”

The dog charged off in the direction his master pointed. The animal disappeared into the forest and returned a few minutes later, barking.

“The path is being where he barks, maybe,” Selma said. She dismounted Vanya and handed the reins to Gino so he could hold the two horses steady enough to keep the stretcher comfortable.

Selma followed the dog through a narrow opening in some bushes between the trees. They ventured down a muddy path that looked as if no one had traveled it in some time. Tree branches, vines and plants crowded the sides. Small shrubs and other plants grew in the middle. Though not ideal, it did provide an alternative to Castle Road.

Selma returned and reported her findings. She took Gino’s saw and trimmed a few of the bigger branches blocking the entrance. The couple guided their horses side by side onto the overgrown path.

Overhanging branches and other obstacles caused the trio to move even more slowly. The riders seemed to always be ducking or leaning to one side or the other to avoid being scraped. The horses, too, had to sidestep a number of obstacles as they traveled. Sideburn was the only one who was able to negotiate the trail without much trouble.

Darkness forced them to stop. If Gino and Selma couldn’t see what was ahead, they could be easily knocked from the horses and injured. Thankfully, the rain had ceased and they could camp without getting completely soaked.

The next morning, they were awakened by a symphony of birdsong as light was just starting to break through. They were happy to see a cloudless sky, which would eliminate at least one of the irritations from the previous day.

Thena told them about a small stream just a short way off the path. With Sideburn’s help, Gino quickly found the creek. He filled up an animal-skin pouch and brought water back to their campsite.

Selma built a small fire to boil water for tea. She was about to fill an iron pot with the water Gino had just retrieved when Thena’s exclamation startled her.

“Arnica!” the injured woman said excitedly. She pointed to a flowering plant growing near their campsite. It resembled a bright yellow daisy.

Selma turned to look in that direction. “Is being arnica, yes,” she agreed.

“Gino, would you pick some of those flowers for me?” Thena asked.

He smiled. “Thena, I don’t remember you being a romantic.”

“No is being for the looking, Chino,” his wife corrected him. “Is being for the salve.”

“Exactly,” Thena said.

The two women looked at each other. They both smiled.

“I see the Romani taught you about healing too,” the older woman stated. “Do you remember how to make an arnica balm?”

Selma nodded. “I am chust needing the oil and candles.”

She rounded up these supplies while Gino gathered the flowers. With quick motions, Selma tore the yellow heads off the arnica plants and put them into the pot she had intended for tea. She added a little olive oil.

From her stretcher, Thena apologized “Sorry, this will slow us down a bit for right now. But in the long run, it will speed things along. I’ll heal much faster with this salve on my cuts and bruises.”

“I’m just worried about whether we’re safe here,” Gino interjected.

“Should be,” Thena replied. “You saw how overgrown the path is. It hasn’t been used in ages. There used to be a homestead back here. But that was abandoned years before I moved out of Cronald. I only know about it because I used to wander way out here looking for herbs and flowers for my medicines.”

Once the mixture was warm, Selma used a long stick to hook the handle of pot and remove it from the fire. It would need to sit for a few hours to let the healing properties of the flower seep into the oil.

When the mixture was finally cool, Selma used the stick to fish the limp flower pieces out of the mixture and toss them aside. Pulling a penknife from her pocket, she attacked a candle with quick little thrusts to carve shavings into the pot. Picking up the stick again, she stirred the strips of beeswax into the liquid. She placed the pot back on the fire for a few minutes until the shavings melted. The salve was now the consistency of oozing mud.

“Perfect,” Thena declared when Selma showed her the pot’s contents. “Now it just needs to cool. Gino, if you could place the pan in that stream for a few minutes, the salve will lose its heat faster. Just don’t let water go over the sides, please.”

He placed the hot pot in the water on a rock that kept it from being submerged. After several minutes, he tested the mixture. It was now cool enough to touch.

Selma took mixture from him when he returned to the campsite.

“Chino, you are needing to be leaving for the small time,” she told him.

Gino nodded and walked over to check on the horses.

Selma helped Thena undress and was shocked to see the bright purple, blue, green and yellow bruises that covered her from head to toe. Many of the bruises were an O shape. It was clear that the poor thing had been beaten with her own cane. No wonder she winced and grimaced every time she moved. Selma rubbed the arnica salve all over the damaged skin.

“Is being okay?” she inquired.

“It burns a little now,” Thena replied. “But in a few minutes it will feel cool. I’ll get you to put some on again tonight and tomorrow.”

When she was again clothed, they called to Gino.

“My need is being for a carry thing for the salve,” his wife told him.

Gino looked around for a suitable vessel. “Would a piece of waxed canvas do?” he asked.

“Is being a possible,” Selma shrugged.

He cut off a square of the stretcher down toward Thena’s feet. Selma spooned the ointment out of the pan and into the center of the cloth. Then she drew the four corners together and used some of Nici’s hair to tie it shut.

Over the next few days, the trio continued very slowly. Thena’s extreme pain caused them to stop frequently. During these breaks, Gino used his nervous energy to whittle on a long piece of wood.

It took the little group another two days to complete the detour around Cronald. They finally felt safe enough to return to the Castle Road. This allowed them to travel much faster.

Thena’s improvement over the next few days was remarkable. The arnica salve took much of the pain out of her bruises, though the awful discoloration remained. Selma tied a section of Nici’s hair around the woman’s midsection so that her broken ribs didn’t hurt as much.

With Thena’s health making a dramatic recovery, the awkward caravan made fewer stops. They could also ride at a faster pace since the bouncing and jarring didn’t hurt her as much. Each day, they were able to go a longer distance.

A week into their travels, Gino asked Thena if she was well enough to ride upright on a horse.

“I don’t know how,” she confessed. After her accident, she had always been afraid of riding.

“You know how,” Gino assured her. “I’ve seen you. It will all come back to you. But only if you think you can sit up without pain.”

“I can try,” she answered.

Early one morning, Gino helped her get up onto Vanya, the smaller of the two horses. He led the agreeable animal around in a circle while Thena got used to being in the saddle again. Then he handed her the reins.

It was obvious from the start that she was uncomfortable handling the horse on her own. Gino had to remind her to give the horse a bump with her legs to urge him to go forward. She bobbed up and down completely out of rhythm with his movements. When he got going too fast for her, Thena pulled back sharply on both reins, digging the bit into Vanya’s mouth. In her panic, she forgot to gently pull on one side, then the other to slow him down.

Her fear transferred to the animal and he began to act out. He would stop unexpectedly or shake his head from side to side in an attempt to throw her. Gino could sense that the horse was about to bolt.

“It’s okay, Vanya,” he said softly, walking up to the animal’s left side. “You’re okay, boy.” He reached up and took the reins from Thena who was only too happy to relinquish them. “Maybe this is a little much for you right now,” he told her.

With Gino’s help, Thena dismounted and was greatly relieved to be back on the ground. “I guess I’m more than a little rusty,” she confessed.

“How this is being?” Selma inquired, indicating Thena’s ribs.

“It hurts a little,” Thena answered. “But no worse than when I’m in the stretcher.”

“Thena can ride behind me on Mahogany,” Gino offered. “He’s strong enough to handle both of us.”

“We can be giving it a trying,” Selma suggested.

They weren’t ready to abandon the stretcher since they weren’t sure if Thena could handle the physical rigors of riding for a long time. But the did diassemble the pieces, rolling everything up into the canvas and sliding it through the loops hanging from Vanya’s saddle.

Thena was able to ride for half a day the first day, before needing to return to the stretcher. Each day thereafter, she was able to go a bit longer sitting upright on the horse. Eventually, she was able to travel the entire time without taking stretcher breaks. Now they could get rid of the pole-and-canvas apparatus and lighten the horse’s load.

The night they realized that they could abandon the stretcher, Selma came up with an idea for the canvas. On their journey, they had passed by many roads that led into towns. Selma knew that the agricultural workers who were taking care of Nici would probably have stopped in these towns on official business. If they had made a lot of stops along the way, her daughter could actually be traveling behind them instead of already waiting at the castle.

On the off chance that Nici hadn’t yet passed this way, Selma proposed using the canvas as a sign to tell their daughter where they were.

She took a stick and poked one end of it into the fire. After burning for a few minutes, this created a blackened tip. When the end cooled off, it was ready to be used on the cloth. She handed Gino the writing instrument and he wrote: Nici, meet us at the King’s castle. Love, Mom and Dad.

The next day, they tied the canvas sign to two trees that stood along the roadway. If their daughter traveled past this spot, she would surely see this message and be comforted that her parents were waiting for her at the end of the journey.

*

Selma grew more anxious each day to reach the castle. She was filled with hope that she would either be reunited with Nici or possibly hear word of her whereabouts. They could not travel long enough or fast enough to suit her.

The Roon River grew wider each day they moved forward. Gino knew this meant that they were getting close to the castle. It sat on a huge bluff overlooking the ocean. The Roon flowed right past the royal grounds and spilled into the ocean in a dramatic waterfall that could be seen from the main dining room.

It was dusk when they finally spied the majestic home far off in the distance. Selma wanted to travel throughout the night to reach it, but Gino convinced her that waiting until daylight was smarter. Strangers riding onto the King’s property in the dead of night were asking for trouble from the many guards stationed around the perimeter.

That night, Gino completed the project he had been working on in secret. He handed Thena a new cane, carved just like the one that had been left broken by her side when the Gencarellis first found her.

She was speechless at the gift. All she could do was hug her new friends as the tears flowed from her eyes.

*

The sun had yet to inch over the horizon when the sound of fire awakened Gino. He sat up with a start. Seconds later, he relaxed. It was only a small cooking fire creating the sound.

Selma and Thena were already up and had their tea made. Neither woman had slept well the night before. They were both nervous about what they would find when they finally reached the castle.

The closer they got to the castle, the more anxious everyone became. Sideburn ran and yelped and wagged his tail, happy that they were getting close to the ocean.

It was past midday when they finally rode up to the main entrance of the castle grounds. Four guards stepped out of enclosures on either side of a great iron gate. Their maroon clothing signified that they were in the King’s employment.

“State your name and your business,” one of the officials said.

Gino dismounted his horse and took off his hat. “Gruffy, is that you?” he asked the man. “It’s me Gino. Gino Gencarelli.”

The man stared at him with a stern expression. Then suddenly his face softened into a smile. “Gino,” he cried out. “Gino, you old dog! It’s great to see you. How many years has it been? Are you here for the King’s wedding?”

“King Sevvy is getting married?” Gino said. “I hadn’t heard.”

His friend laughed. “Oh right. I believe that,” he chuckled. “It’s only the biggest news in the kingdom.”

Gino didn’t want to admit that he was so out of touch, he honestly didn’t know about the wedding, so he just played along.

“And this is your lovely wife if I remember correctly,” the guard said.

“You do have a good memory,” Gino told him. “Selma, you remember McGruff. And this…” He realized that it might be too much to actually introduce Thena as the King’s sister right now. “This is a dear friend of ours.”

“Well let’s get you up to see the King right away. I know he’ll be thrilled that you’re here.” McGruff had the other guards open the twenty-foot gate. He walked around behind the guard house and mounted one of the horses tied up there. Then he guided the group up the beautifully landscaped path that led to the front of the castle.

More guards met them at the front steps. McGruff hopped off his horse and handed the reins to one of them. “Hold my horse here,” he instructed, “and take the King’s guests’ horses to the stable.”

All three of the weary travelers were happy to dismount. Selma started to untie their belongings from Vanya.

“Ma’am, we’ll take care of that,” one of the assistants told her. “We’ll bring everything to your room later.”

“Thank you.” She had forgotten how excellent the service was at the castle.

McGruff led the visitors into the massive entrance hallway. Gino was immediately flooded with memories of this place where he had spent so many years. He looked around at the granite walls created of perfectly laid blocks each measuring three feet by two feet. The black marble floor beneath them shone until they could almost see their reflection. Massive paintings, mirrors and tapestries adorned the walls. A huge chandelier that held over a hundred candles was high above their heads.

He was so busy taking in the scenery that he didn’t realize McGruff had gone and returned. “This way,” the man said, leading them to a side room.

King Sevvy was practically running toward them from the far end of the room. “Gino,” he called out. “My dear friend, how good to see you.” The two men embraced for a long time in a heartfelt hug.

They stood back and took a look at each other.

“You look exactly the same, my friend,” Sevvy said.

“So do you,” Gino lied. He didn’t want to mention that the Royal, who was always fairly short of stature, had put on quite a few pounds around his waist. He now had a little potbelly that drooped over the top of his bright blue pants.

“Oh, forgive my manners,” the King apologized. “Selma, you’re as beautiful as ever,” he said and kissed her hand. “And who might this be?” He reached for Thena’s right hand and started to bring it to his lips. The hourglass birthmark stopped him mid-kiss.

“Thena?” he asked. He looked into her eyes. “My precious Thena? Why I’d know you anywhere. You look just like Mom.”

She smiled and nodded, though nothing about him or this place looked familiar to her.

Tears immediately formed in Sevvy’s eyes. “My dear, dear sister.” He wrapped his arms around her and enveloped her in a bear hug.

Thena stood it for as long as she could, then gently pushed him away. “I’m sorry, your Majesty,” she apologized. “But I have some broken ribs.”

“What’s with ‘Your Majesty’?” Sevvy laughed. “It’s me your brother. Oh my dearest, I’ve missed you terribly. Where have you been all these years? And what’s with the cane and the limp? Are you hurt?”

“It’s a long story,” she told him.

“I want to hear all about it. And you,” he said turning to Gino, “where have you been? Oh I’m just full of questions. This is truly the happiest day of my life!”

The King wrapped his arms around his sister and his friend. “Come, come,” he said. “Let’s get some wine and cheese while you fill two me in on what you’ve been doing.”

Selma mouthed the word “Nici” to her husband.

“King Sevvy,” Gino interrupted the man’s merriment. “Before we go anywhere, we’re here looking for our daughter. Has a girl of eleven with really long blond hair been brought to the castle by any of your people? They would be agricultural workers, I believe.”

The Royal thought for a moment. “Two workers from the third caravan did arrive a few weeks ago. But they didn’t have a little girl with them.”

Selma was crushed. She had tried not to get her hopes too high. Deep down, though, she was really expecting that this day would end in a reunion with her daughter.

“What did they look like?” Thena asked.

“The one fellow was rather ordinary looking,” her brother answered. “Dark hair, goatee, not too tall. The woman was quite attractive, though. Had red hair about down to here.”

“That sounds like them,” Thena told Selma. “I’m sorry.” She patted the mother’s hand.

“Where they are being now?” Selma asked.

“I believe they’re back out on the road,” Sevvy answered. “I’m sorry, I’m not quite following what’s going on here.”

“It’s another long story,” Gino told him.

The King could see how upset Selma was, even if he didn’t know why. “Perhaps you’d like to go to a room and rest for bit,” he suggested to her.

All she could do was give a small nod.

A maid was called in to lead Selma to a bedroom in the castle. Thena volunteered to go with her, leaving the two men to talk.

“Is everything okay?” Sevvy asked when he was alone with Gino.

“No,” Gino answered. “I fear things are very bad.”

CHAPTER 30 / A Misunderstanding

Carlton and Elliot marched Nici and Lindor back downstairs to the dank cells. Elliot’s grip on Nici’s arm was so tight, it left a bruise.

“Get in there you disgusting oddity,” he said, shoving her into her cell. As he was about to shut the heavy iron door, the hair rope on the floor caught his eye. “What’s this?” he asked.

Nici stood silent, trying to contain her panic. She feared the knights would discover her hair’s powers. Who knows what they would do with her then.

“Brother, look at this,” Elliot called.

Carlton entered the cell and picked up the golden braid. Then he glanced over at the mattress and blanket also created from the girl’s locks. “Where did you get all of this?” he demanded.

“It’s my hair,” Nici stated.

“I can see that. But how did you do this?”

The child knew she had to think quickly to create a believable story. “Why I, I…” she stammered, stalling for time.

“Did you pull all of these strands out of your head?” Elliot chimed in.

“Yes, yes,” Nici replied, eager for an excuse. “When I get nervous, I pull out my hair. I’ve been really scared down here in the dark, so I’ve been pulling out a lot of it. The floor is pretty cold, so I made this bed. And I didn’t have anything else to do, so I started braiding this part.”

Carlton looked back and forth from the mattress to her to the rope in his hand. “This is an awful lot of hair,” he commented. “I’m surprised you have any left on your head.”

“Well my hair is pretty thick.”

“I can see that.” Carlton tested the strength of the rope by pulling it hard between his clenched hands. “No matter,” he said. “But I’ll remove this if you don’t mind. A nice rope like this will come in handy.”

The brothers exited her cell and slammed the door. She could hear their footsteps as they walked down the hall. Then one of them backtracked toward her.

“Miss Gencarelli?” Carlton was at her door, peering through the small opening toward the top.

“Yes?”

“I’ll have one of the children come down and light a torch out here in the hallway. It won’t be so dark then and you won’t have to be afraid.”

“Thank you,” Nici said. She wasn’t sure why he was being nice to her all of the sudden. But she would definitely appreciate the extra light in this dingy atmosphere.

Carlton cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to have to do this, but I can no longer have you and Mr. Ussall in rooms next to each other. We’ll be moving him to other accommodations down the hall. I’m sure you understand.”

“Yes sir.” Nici was disappointed that she would no longer have anyone to talk to.

“And of course, I’ll be carrying the keys with me at all times,” Carlton continued. “I’m not sure which foolish child left them where you could reach them, but I can assure you that won’t be happening again. Good day, then.”

She heard him move back down the hallway. A few minutes later, she could hear Lindor pleading with the men.

“No, please, not here,” he begged. “Not this room. Anywhere but here. I promise there won’t be any more escape attempts. Please. Put me anywhere but here. I beg you. If you’ll just…”

Lindor’s pleas were cut off by the slamming of a metal door. There was no sound now except the Knights coming back down the hall. They walked up the stone steps and shut the door on the world below.

Nici waited a few minutes to make sure no one else was around. When all she heard was silence, she called out to her friend. “Lindor. Lindor, are you okay?”

Her question was met with silence. She tried again. Still no answer.

What could possibly be in the room that frightened the scientist so badly?

Her mind was still mulling this over when she heard the basement door open again. The light from a torch cast a shadow of one of the children headed down the hall toward her. Shortly thereafter came a horrible banging and clanging. Nici had to cover her ears to protect herself from the thunderous noise. It ended after a few minutes. She lowered her hands and opened her eyes.

The top of a flickering flame was now visible outside her door opening. Nici feared at first that there was a blaze out in the hallway. But when the fire grew no bigger she deduced that it was from the torch that Carlton had promised her.

She stood up and pulled the stool over to the door. With this extra height, she could now look out of the spaces in between the short iron bars. One of the children, a boy she hadn’t seen before, was seated across from her cell, staring at the door. She followed his gaze and saw a metal torch hanging from a holder on the iron door to her cell. The banging must have been from the boy attaching the bracket that held the torch.

“Thank you for the light,” Nici called over to the child.

He didn’t respond in any way, but kept his steady gaze on the door.

Nici thought at first that he had been instructed to not speak with her. Then she remembered that Lindor had told her that all of the children here were deaf except for Pia. She reached through the bars and waved her hand to get his attention.

The boy looked up at her, startled by the motion.

She put her face to the opening so he could see her smile. He adjusted his head slightly to get a better view, but didn’t react otherwise. Nici waved again in a greeting gesture. He didn’t respond. She motioned for him to come closer. He stayed where he was. She made a writing motion. He looked off down the hall. Finally, she concluded that he either didn’t want to interact with her or wasn’t capable of it.

Nici got down from her perch and went back to the bed. It seemed strange that the boy attached the torch to her door. It would have made more sense to hang the light someplace else in the hallway. And why was he sitting across from her cell like a guard?

With that thought, it occurred to her that he was indeed watching to make sure she didn’t escape. If he couldn’t hear the heavy iron door opening, he could see the light of the torch moving. That must be why Carlton had been willing to finally provide her with some light.

The extra precautions were useless without access to the keys though. There was no way that she could escape now.

*

In the days that followed, Nici’s life consisted of sleeping and trying to amuse herself by remembering the stories her parents had told her. Two meals a day were pushed through the smaller slot of her door. Every other day, Carlton and one of the children unlocked her cell for a few moments so her toilet bucket could be replaced with a fresh one. She never got outside to see the sun or walk around or experience anything other than her miserable little hovel.

The child sitting guard outside of her room changed three times a day. The spot was never unoccupied. None of her minders would have anything to do with her. All they did was make sure the torch stayed lit and stare at her closed door. Nici wasn’t sure how much more of this boredom and confinement she could take.

Then things took an interesting turn.

One morning, someone put a black cloth over the openings in her door. She could see nothing now, but could still hear. There were a lot of footsteps and grunting as people walked up and down the hallway. At times, she thought she heard the sounds of bottles clanking against one another. This went on for several hours. Then the cloth was removed. Everything in the hallway appeared to be normal.

The next day, Carlton came down to unlock her door. He brought news and five toilet buckets with him. “Elliot and I will be leaving tomorrow to attend the King’s wedding,” he told her. “Pia will take good care of you while we’re gone. You’ll have your food and water, just like usual. Of course, I can’t trust any of these children with the keys, so I’m afraid we won’t be able to change your bucket. That’s why we’ve brought you some extras. You may want to use them sparingly,” he smiled.

Nici grimaced at the thought of how bad the smell in her cell would be by the time the knights returned.

“Anyhow,” Carlton went on, “when we come back, we’ll be only to happy to let you out of here.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Nici remarked.

“Yes, we’ll be taking you back to your father’s place. My brother and I are most anxious to catch up with him after all these years.”

She was immediately filled with dread as she knew what the brothers planned to do to her father. As badly as she wanted out of this dungeon, she didn’t want any harm to come to her family.

All that day, Nici fretted over what she should do. If she could get out of her cell, she might be able to run away and find her parents in time to warn them. But how could she free herself? The keys were leaving with Carlton. And the child guard across the hall would stop her if she tried to escape.

During her sleep that night, she had a terrible dream. In it, she was tangled within her own hair and unable to move in any way. She woke up sweating and scared.

Pia banged on her door with a piece of metal. “Food,” she called out in her highly distinctive croak of a voice.

Nici got off the hair bed to accept the incoming plate.

“Dishes,” Pia requested.

As they did twice a day, Nici slid her previous meal’s dishes out through the slot.

Usually, Nici didn’t bother trying to make conversation. Today was different, though. “Pia,” she asked. “Have the knights left yet?”

“Yes.”

“Is there anyone here but you and the other children?”

“Lindor,” the little girl replied.

“Right. Lindor’s still here. Anyone else?”

“No.”

“Great. Thank you.”

The child hesitated out in the hallway for a few minutes. Then she shuffled her way back up the stairs.

Nici thought about her dream as she ate her oatmeal. She could use her hair to tie up the young boy who was presently guarding her. But how would she unlock the door? She needed the key.

She dropped her spoon into the tin plate and gave herself a playful slap on the head. Of course! Her hair could form a key.

There was no sense waiting for a better time. It seemed best to put her plan into action right away.

“Hair,” she requested, “please go out into the hall and tie up that boy so that he can’t move.” She gave a few strands a twist and then stood back to watch what happened.

Her tresses moved through the air and over to the two openings in the door. They spilled out of the top window and in between the bars like liquid. The strands that poured through the slot snaked across the floor and wrapped around the boy’s ankles. The rest of the locks shimmied their way to the other side of the hall and bound his hands first, then tied his body to the chair. He was completely immobilized.

Nici pulled out her father’s chisel, which she had managed to keep hidden, and cut off these strands. Once the inevitable regrowth happened, she was ready to go on.

“Excellent job,” she commended her hair. “Now, if you would please be so kind as to unlock this door.” Another twist of her golden curls and a section was on its way out through the slot. Nici stood on her stool so she could watch her magic hair in action. The ends traveled to the keyhole and burrowed deep inside. A few seconds later, she heard a click.

She yanked on one of the bars in the top opening to pull the door inward. It swung open, nearly knocking her off the stool.

“Thank goodness!” she rejoiced. “Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”

When she was outside her cell, Nici walked over to the young guard who was bound to his post. “Sorry about this,” she apologized. “I’ll let you go if you’ll let me go.”

He looked at her with a painful expression, not understanding her message.

“First, I have to go rescue Lindor.” She grabbed the torch on her door and ran down the hall, banging on all of the cell doors as she went. There was no answer from any of them. Since she wasn’t sure where the knights had locked him up, she decided to unlock all of the doors, beginning at the farthest end.

With her hair’s help, she created a key for the first door. She stepped inside and illuminated the cell with the torch. The room was empty now, but a few pieces of broken glass and red puddles on the floor told her that wine had been kept in here. She also remembered that this was where she had seen Elliot go to retrieve some bottles one night.

She then turned her attention to the room across the hall. Once again, her curls formed a key and quickly unlocked the door. The smell when she swung open the iron wall was unbearable. A horrifying number of rats scurried out of the opening and ran down the hallway. Nici held the torch just inside the opening, afraid to step over the threshold. What she saw nearly made her sick.

Lindor was hanging from a beam in the ceiling. The rope around his neck was the hair braid Carlton had taken from her cell the day she and the scientist tried to escape.

Nici dropped the torch on the floor and covered her eyes. She sunk down to her knees and began to sob.

Her crying must have drowned out the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned to find eight children behind her looking into the room. They stared at Lindor, then at her. One of them grabbed at her hair and pulled it hard. The guttural wails that came forth from their throats were both heartbreaking and frightening.

Nici tried to back up, but the pack of little ones wouldn’t let her. They grabbed her arms and legs, and continued holding onto her hair.

“Lindor dead,” Pia said. She pointed an accusing finger in Nici’s face. “You killed.”

“No,” Nici told her. “No I didn’t. I wouldn’t kill Lindor. He was my friend, too. He killed himself. Or maybe the knights did it.”

“You,” Pia repeated and jabbed her finger into Nici’s chest. “You killed. Now we kill you.”

CHAPTER 31 / A Suspicious Story

After Gino told Sevvy about what had happened to Nici, the King immediately began to help his friend. He sent out twelve of his most reliable guards in pairs to look for Renetta and Tem and bring them back to explain what happened to young Gencarelli. The groups set out in six different directions to cover as much territory as quickly as possible.

Gino wanted to ride out as well, but Sevvy insisted that he stay behind to be with Selma while they waited for news of their daughter. The King also had two selfish reasons for keeping his former woodworker around the castle. He wanted his pal to be present for his wedding. And he was hoping that Gino would stay around long enough to build a throne for the new Queen Mabelline.

When Gino told his wife what the King had done, Selma’s spirits rose considerably. At least now there were plenty of people on the lookout for her child and under royal orders to protect her at all costs. Selma didn’t have to worry about ugly encounters with prejudiced people or physical harm befalling Nici because of her abnormal hair.

Feeling a little more hopeful, the weary mother was finally able to relax a bit and enjoy some of the festivities taking place in anticipation of the King’s wedding.

The castle was a whirlwind of activity and excitement. Dignitaries and heads of state from surrounding countries arrived every day. There were sumptuous banquets each night, followed by dances, musical performances or theatrical presentations. To amuse the guests during the day, there were athletic contests, boat rides and tours of the castle and the impressive gardens that surrounded it. More amusements could be found in nearby Royal City.

The Gencarellis enjoyed the interesting happenings that were taking place in the vibrant city and around the castle. It all felt much like their younger days. Their life on the farm had been so quiet by comparison.

While the Gencarellis took pleasure in the hustle and commotion, Thena was completely overwhelmed by it. She had been living a quiet existence without any kind of human contact for the past decade. Now she was caught up in a press of people and a constant frenzy of activity. She would have preferred to stay safely within her room at the castle, but Sevvy insisted that she be at his side. He was so happy to have his sister back in his life and he wanted to introduce her to all of his friends and guests.

Thena was also saddened that her memory had not returned. During the time she was traveling to the castle, she was sure that something of her former life would come back to her once she returned. Gino had told her stories along the way of things she had done and what she was like when he knew her before. Now her brother and many of the people visiting who had known her prior to her accident added their memories.

Sevvy also showed her a portrait of their mother painted when she was about the same age as Thena was now. The resemblance was impossible to ignore. But it did nothing to restore the woman’s damaged memory.

The truth was, Thena felt no hint of recognition from any story or face or place that she experienced here. How could she not remember her childhood home?

Sevvy put her in the room where she had grown up, thinking this might spark some recollection. He showed her old clothes, childhood toys, furniture and other items that were hers when she lived at the castle. Maids and attendants who had worked for her visited her room and talked of old times. But no matter how much she tried to remember her past, she still only knew her life as Parmalee, not Thena.

The only thing that was vaguely familiar was the smell of the ocean. It was nothing she could point to directly, but Thena knew she had experienced that scent before. The windows in her room faced west and had an expansive view of the sea below the bluff where the castle was situated. She kept at least one panel open, even at night, so she could breathe in the salt air and hear the waves crashing on the shore. It was her one source of comfort amid all the turmoil and confusion she was experiencing.

While everyone was trying to help her remember her past, Thena was thinking about her future. She certainly couldn’t return to her cozy place around Cronald. But she also didn’t think that she could live here at the castle. She might be born of royal blood, but the pageantry and ceremony that were a constant part of a ruler’s life held no appeal to her. Part of her thought that maybe it was a blessing that something had happened before she could marry and become Queen of Pahdu. At least she had been able to experience the freedom of an ordinary life—up until she was chased out of Cronald and forced into isolation.

All things happen for a reason Ashanna, the old Romani woman, used to tell her. So perhaps her accident had taken place so Sevvy could rule over Pahdu. She could tell that her brother loved being king and everything that went with it. She was happy for him and for his upcoming wedding, even if he seemed more a recent acquaintance than a beloved brother.

A maid knocked on Thena’s door, breaking into her thoughts. “Your Majesty,” the woman said, “I’m here to get you ready for the new Queen’s arrival.”

“Of course,” Thena replied. “Come in please.”

A messenger had reported that Queen Mabelline’s caravan was on its way and would arrive later that afternoon. While the people of Pahdu wore simple, practical clothes, the fashion of the bride’s country of Zephron was quite different. In Pahdu, the pants, shirts, vests, jackets and hats were the same basic design for both men and women. Both royalty and commoners wore the same outfit. The only difference was that the King’s garments were a bright blue color and the men and women who worked for him wore deep maroon. Everyone else wore shades of brown or black.

In Zephron, however, the two sexes wore very dissimilar outfits. There was also a great difference between how the common people and the aristocrats dressed. The ladies of means donned flowing gowns in a rainbow of colors made of velvet or silk and trimmed with lace. They sported shoes made of the same materials as their outfits, and with two-inch heels. The women of the general public wore flat leather shoes and basic linen dresses that were rarely as colorful as the society ladies’ outfits.

The gentlemen dressed in silk shirts and knickers that ended at their knees, silk stockings and buckled shoes. Depending on the season, they wore either short silk jackets or longer ones made of velvet. The men of lesser riches wore a similar design, but made of less refined materials like linen.

King Sevvy, wanting to make his new Queen feel welcome, decreed that the women of Pahdu who would be attending the wedding should dress like the women of Zephron. He had arranged for several tailors from his bride-to-be’s country to come to his castle and fit the ladies with beautiful gowns. Now that Mabelline was on her way, it was time for Thena and the others to put on their new dresses.

Thena’s gown was the same shade of bright blue as her brother’s clothes. She would be the only one in attendance wearing a dress of this color. Sevvy wanted to make sure she stood out in the crowd, as was befitting her royal stature.

The maid helped Thena into her outfit, then led her over to a mirror.

“This feels odd,” Thena said as she walked around. “I’m not used to having something swirl around my legs.”

“You look beautiful,” the maid told her.

“Thank you. But I feel kind of silly.”

The young attendant giggled. She pulled up a padded stool for Thena to sit on while she helped her put on the heeled shoes.

The King’s sister, who was already hobbled by her hip injury, took two steps in the awkward footwear and turned her ankle.

The maid rushed to her side. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” Thena laughed. “But these shoes are ridiculous. If Sevvy likes them so much, let him wear them.”

The maid giggled at that thought, then helped the royal sister put on her leather Pahdu boots.

“Much better,” Thena smiled.

Several loud trumpet blasts sounded from the great hall down below. Thena rushed downstairs as fast as her limp would allow, nearly tripping on her dress. She was anxious to meet her new sister-in-law.

Sevvy and a crowd of guests had already gathered on the front steps of the castle. The crowd parted to let Thena join her brother. She watched as his face turned from joy to disappointment.

“That’s not her caravan,” he said as the group rode closer. It was two of his guards accompanied by Renetta and Tem and two men in green and black uniforms from the Kingdom of Napoma. The latter pair were atop a wagon piled high with crates.

One of the Pahdu guards rode ahead and stopped in front of the King. “Sire, we have found the workers you requested we return with,” she said. “They were in the company of the gentlemen from Napoma who have arrived with the wine.”

“Thank you,” Sevvy told her. He turned to the guests behind him. “False alarm. Mabelline isn’t here yet.”

The crowd shuffled back inside except for the Gencarellis who moved up beside Sevvy and Thena.

Renetta and Tem dismounted and bowed before the King. When they looked up, they were shocked to see the woman who had been assaulted by pies in Cronald, as well as the Gencarellis.

“That’s them,” Thena assured her brother.

“Why you’re the workers who came to my house,” Gino stated. “And you were in the bar in Pella.”

“I believe we have met before,” Renetta conceded.

Sevvy cleared his throat before speaking. “I understand that you removed a little girl with long hair from a rather angry mob in Cronald. These are the girl’s parents over here. They wish to know where their daughter is.”

Tem looked at Renetta, who for once was at a loss for words. She shuffled her feet and looked at the ground. Her mind raced, trying to come up with a believable lie.

“We’re waiting,” the King said. “Tell us what happened to the little girl.”

“Sire, I uh, it’s very difficult to, you see…”

The King’s glaring made Renetta even more nervous.

With that, one of uniformed men from Napoma stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, if I may,” the man said, bowing in respect. “Your workers here are having trouble talking about the unfortunate incident in front of the parents. They know how upsetting this will be.”

Gino and Selma looked at each other. He put his arm around her and Thena held the worried mother’s hand.

The Napoma guard’s face was covered, except for his eyes. He looked directly into Gino’s eyes. “Sir, you have no idea how much it pains me to have to tell you that your daughter is no longer with us.”

“We can see she’s not with you,” Sevvy broke in. “Where is she?”

“These good people in your service relayed to me the accident that occurred shortly after they took the child trying to protect her,” the Napoma guard continued. “Apparently the little girl’s hair became entangled in the wheels of the wagon and she was thrown to the ground where she hit her head on a rock. They did their best to treat her, but the head wound was too severe. I’m sorry to say that she died of her injuries.”

Selma gasped and stumbled backwards. Gino fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands.

The King turned to Renetta. “Why didn’t you tell me this when you arrived here the first time?”

The lie had given Renetta time to recover her wits. “I apologize your Grace. I had no idea you were acquainted with the little girl’s family. Mr. Waffa and I were going to ride to the parent’s home ourselves after our mission was complete and explain what happened.”

“This is terrible, just terrible,” Sevvy said.

“Where did you bury her?” Gino asked. He was shocked to see the Napoma guard still staring at him. And he couldn’t be sure because of the face piece, but it seemed that than man was smiling.

“Along the road where she died,” Renetta answered.

“Take me there,” the distraught father insisted.

“It’s several days’ ride away,” Renetta told him.

“I don’t care.”

“Gino,” the King said, putting his arm around his friend. “You’re in no shape to travel right now. There’s nothing more you can do for your daughter. Wait a few days for your emotions to calm and then I’ll send you out with a group of my guards to bring her back so you can bury her here.”

Before anything was decided, more trumpet blasts sounded. This time it was the new Queen’s caravan.

“Oh dear,” Sevvy said. “What horrible timing.”

“You stay and greet your bride,” Thena told him. “I’ll take Gino and Selma inside.”

They pushed through the throng of guests coming out of the castle to meet the new Queen. Several people gave them strange looks, not understanding their tears.

When the trio got up to the Gencarelli’s room, they sat down on the sofa and chairs in the sitting area. For some time none of them could talk.

Finally, Gino spoke up. “There’s something not right about all of this,” he said. “Those Napoma guards. There was something strange about them. Something familiar. Plus, why was it that a Napoma told us what happened to Nici? Why didn’t the two workers who were there?”

“Is being too manys sads for them maybe,” Selma answered.

“No,” he disagreed. “There was a sinister air about that group. I don’t trust those guards.”

“Chino, please. This happening, she is being enough bad. Your talking is being more pain.”

“Sel, I’m telling you, there’s something odd about all of this.”

“Actually,” Thena interjected. “I have to agree. The pieces don’t add up. Why wouldn’t they have taken Nici into the nearest town instead of burying her along the road? And why didn’t they tell Sevvy what happened when they first arrived?”

Gino nodded. “And did you notice the one Napoma guard, the one that didn’t talk? He kept scratching at his neck.”

“And he had on the worst-fitting uniform I’ve ever seen,” Thena added. “It just doesn’t make sense that Napoma would send out someone so shabbily dressed. There’s something wrong with all of this. I can feel it, too, Gino.”

Selma leaned back on the sofa. “Please, you both. Be stopping this.”

“No, really honey, there’s something wrong,” Gino continued. “It’s just…” He stopped and stared out the window.

“Oh no!” In a flash of insight, Gino suddenly realized why the Napoma guards looked so familiar.

CHAPTER 32 / A Tumultuous Drop

Nici looked from child to child, pleading with them to let her go. “I’m telling you,” she said. “I didn’t kill Lindor.”

The children’s anger continued to rise as they looked at the scientist hanging from a rope made of Nici’s hair. Alton punched her in the ribs while Tessa kicked her in the shin. Nici couldn’t think of a way to convince them that she was innocent.

A banging sound came from down the hall. Nici and Pia were the only ones who could hear it.

“What’s that sound?” Nici asked, trying to distract her captors.

Pia stepped out of the cell to investigate. “Feeney,” she answered. She tapped Carmello and Reese on the shoulder and pointed down the hall. Feeney, who had been guarding outside Nici’s cell, was still tied up with her hair. He had been jumping up and down, banging the chair against the floor to make noise. The children apparently hadn’t noticed his plight as they charged down the hallway to Lindor’s cell.

The two boys ran down the hall to rescue their captive friend. As soon as they untied the locks, Feeney sprinted down to where all the commotion was taking place. He waded through the crowd and batted the children’s hands away from Nici. He looked at the others and shook his head back and forth in an exaggerated motion.

Nici rubbed her wrists and arms where they had been held. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was happy to be free.

Feeney took a pad of paper and pencil from his pocket, scribbled a note and showed it to the others. The children all took a step back from Nici after reading the message.

Nici looked over his shoulder and read the words. Girl didn’t kill. Lindor dead before her escape.

“Thank goodness,” Nici thought to herself. At least someone the children trusted knew the truth. Then something else dawned on her. “You all can read?” she asked.

Pia nodded. “Lindor taught.”

“And you can write?”

Pia bobbed her head up and down again. “Lindor taught,” she repeated.

“Good,” Nici said. “That will make things much easier.” She took the paper and pencil from the boy and wrote, Cut down Lindor. She untied the chisel from her waist and made a cutting motion.

There were nods all around. Tessa stepped forward and picked up the overturned chair that was on the floor behind the dead man. She placed it atop the table underneath his dangling feet.

From the scene in the cell, Nici figured that the scientist had placed the chair on the table to reach high enough to throw the rope over the beam. Once his head was through the noose, he kicked the chair away. With his deep fear of the rats that filled this cell, he must not have been able to take being around them any longer. She just wished he hadn’t used her hair as the instrument of his death.

Braxton and Carmello also got up on top of the table. They held onto Lindor’s body while Tessa climbed atop the chair and used Nici’s chisel to cut through the rope. The body dropped down, caught by a child on either side. They kicked the chair aside and gently laid their friend down on the table.

Nici turned her head away from the sadness. She stared instead at the upturned chair. There was something odd on the underside. She moved over to inspect it. “Look over here,” she said, forgetting that most of children couldn’t hear her. “It says, If poisoned, drink…drink what? He didn’t finish.”

She turned to face the room where the children were all gathered around Lindor’s body. She tapped one of the twins on the shoulder and pointed to the words carved into the reverse side of the chair seat. The little girl looked at the message, then shrugged. One by one, the others came over to read it. None of them knew what it meant.

Nici remembered that Lindor said that he was working on an antidote to the poison. This must be what his cryptic message was referring to. He may have carved it on the underside of the chair so the knights wouldn’t find it. But why didn’t he finish it?

Nici took up the pad again and wrote, Who guarded my room last night?

Carmello raised his hand.

Did the knights visit Lindor last night? Nici jotted.

The chubby child indicated they had.

Did anyone bring Lindor breakfast? Nici wrote.

Pia spoke up in her frightening croak. “Not hungry. Carlton said.”

“Carlton told you not to bring breakfast to Lindor because he wasn’t hungry?” Nici asked.

“Yes.”

“Of course,” Nici mused. “They already knew he was dead. Lindor didn’t kill himself,” she declared. “The knights killed him last night. But they made it look like he did it himself. That’s why he didn’t finish carving the antidote.”

Pia turned to the others and gestured animatedly for a few minutes. The children nodded and several made hand motions in reply.

Pia translated for Nici. “We kill knights now.”

“We have to find them first,” Nici replied. She wrote another note to the crowd. Knights left castle to kill King. We need to warn him.

Enthusiastic nods greeted her suggestion.

Using a mixture of notes, hand signals and Pia’s translations, they quickly broke into teams. One group set off to bury Lindor, another to pack food, blankets and other essentials they would need along the way.

Less than an hour later, they were all assembled in front of the mansion ready to leave. Nici requested that her hair create the backpack formation that made moving around much easier.

The children jumped back in fright. They had never witnessed her extraordinary curls rearrange themselves, seemingly on their own.

Pia’s wide eyes grew even wider. “Devil,” she squeaked out.

“Magic,” Nici corrected her.

Pia relayed this to the group. They remained in place, stunned and unsure of what to do next.

Reese stepped forward and took Nici’s hand. They walked down the front steps together. A few minutes thereafter, the rest of children followed.

Nici removed her hand from Reese’s a short distance later so she could write a note. Do you know the way? it read.

The boy nodded. He pointed to a cave along the mountain wall.

While they traveled to that spot, Nici asked the other children their names. Feeney was the blond boy who had saved her from the children’s anger. His ears were much smaller than normal and set close to his skull. He now wore Lindor’s vest, which hung down almost to his knees.

Alton was the tallest of the boys with red hair and freckles all over his skin. Tessa had blonde hair about the same shade as Nici’s. Reese always seemed to have trouble getting enough air to breathe. Donatella and Mirabella were the twins and hard to tell apart. Braxton had a slight limp because one leg was shorter than the other. Carmello was short and stocky, but very strong.

Nici jotted notes to herself so she could remember each child’s name and what they looked like. It would be much nicer for everyone if she could call them, at least in writing, by their names.

When the group arrived at the cave, Carmello and Tessa entered first. The girl came back out a few minutes later, her big eyes blinking uncontrollably in the light. She signed something to Pia.

“Dark,” Pia translated.

Carmello emerged from the cave with an unlit torch. It consisted of an oil lamp attached to a wooden handle. He thrust it toward the group and did something Nici hadn’t seen any of the other children do yet. He smiled. He was obviously pleased with himself.

The children all snapped their fingers rapidly.

“Happy,” Pia explained to Nici.

One of the twins dumped out the contents of the sack she was carrying and pulled out a flint and steel from the assortment of items. She struck one against the other until sparks jumped forth and ignited the oil lamp’s wick. Nici smiled and joined in as the group snapped their fingers again.

Carmello held the torch proudly and led the way into the cave. As they walked through the damp environment, the children’s heads moved from side to side and up and down as they took in the strange sights. The unusual triangular growths on both the ground and ceiling were something they hadn’t experienced before. Nici, too, was awed by the colorful and bizarre spectacle presented by the cave.

One by one, the group stopped abruptly. Nici was toward the back and strained to see what the holdup was. The cave appeared to dead-end in a wall of water.

She thought back to a few days ago when she arrived with the agricultural workers. The man Bantu had led them to the foot of a mountain with a waterfall cascading down its side. When she awoke in the knight’s home, she was soaking wet. She put these two facts together and deduced that she was now standing on the other side of that waterfall. They would have to walk through it to exit the hollow mountain hideaway.

Nici wrote this last thought on a piece of paper and held it up for the children to read. The others gestured among themselves, having a conversation that she couldn’t understand.

Pia then turned to her to relay the consensus. “Not safe,” she said.

“But it’s the only way out,” Nici countered.

Pia shrugged. “Not safe,” she repeated.

Nici paced back and forth for a few minutes, wondering what to do. She was sure she was right. In fact, she was willing to be the first to walk through the plunging torrent to prove she was right. But how could she communicate with the rest of the group that it was safe to follow? They wouldn’t be able to see her on the other side. And even though Pia wasn’t deaf, she wouldn’t be able hear anything over the roar of the water. Nici would just have to come back in and show them that everything was all right.

But what if she was wrong? What if she got knocked down by the waterfall and couldn’t get up? Or possibly the pool beneath the cascade was so deep that she would drown. Maybe she wasn’t ready to venture into the unknown after all.

“A safety line!” Nici cried out when the thought came to mind. She could make a rope of her hair and tie it around her waist. This would let her communicate with the children. If she encountered any trouble going through the waterfall, she could tug on the rope and they could pull her back into the cave.

Nici moved her hands, directing the children to clear a path. “Hair, please release from the backpack,” she requested and twisted a few strands in her fingers. Her tresses complied. “Now please form one of those braided ropes you do so well.” Another twirl of her curls and the rope appeared.

The children looked on, transfixed by what was happening. Nici used her father’s chisel to cut off the rope. When her hair grew back to its twenty-foot length, their mouths dropped open.

“Magic,” Pia remarked, while signing to the others.

Nici got her newly generated hair to create the backpack again, then tied one end of the rope around her waist. She handed the other end to Alton, Feeney, Mirabella and Donatella.

On her pad, she wrote: Hold this end. One tug, pull me back. Four tugs, follow me.

The children read the note and nodded.

Nici took a few deep breaths, then marched straight into the wall of water. The force of it pounding down on her head was agonizing. She ran the rest of the way and emerged into the daylight on the other side. The pool below the falls only came to her knees.

“I did it!” she rejoiced. “I was right.” In her excitement, she nearly walked out of the water. Just in the nick of time, she remembered the braided rope tied around her waist. She gave it four sharp yanks.

Nothing happened. Perhaps the children hadn’t felt the pull on the line. Or maybe they were just too scared to follow her.

She was just about to give four more tugs when Donatella and Mirabella came charging out of the cave. They were holding hands and grimacing from the pain of the falling water. As soon as they reached the daylight and realized they were on the other side unharmed, they broke into wide smiles.

Braxton hobbled out next. He was followed by Reese, who started immediately wheezing when he was clear of the falls. Feeney carried Pia to freedom. Then Tessa came out, followed by Alton.

Carmello was the last to emerge. He still carried the torch, which had been extinguished by the falling water. They didn’t need the light now that they were out of the cave, but Nici was glad he brought it anyhow. It would come in handy when night fell.

Nici freed herself from the safety line. The elation she felt after coming through the falls was beginning to fade as reality started to set in. She had nine children in her care, and no way to transport them other than to walk. They had no horses and no wagons.

And that was only part of the problem. She didn’t know how to get to the King’s castle and doubted that any one else did either. These children had spent nearly their whole lives inside the mountain. They probably couldn’t even make it back to their hometown.

Nici sighed. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had been struck by lightning. She had come so far and experienced so much since then. It all seemed a bit overwhelming right now. Before she could stop herself, she began to cry.

Tessa came over to her and brushed away the tears. She turned her hands upward to ask Nici what was wrong.

With her pencil, Nici wrote, I don’t know where to go.

Tessa nodded, then pointed to Reese. Her hands danced in a flurry of movement. Nici shrugged and shook her head, apologizing for not being able to understand.

Pia dragged her crippled leg over to the two girls. “Castle south,” she croaked. “Reese guide.”

“Reese knows where the castle is?” Nici asked.

Pia nodded. “Lindor taught.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Nici dried her tears.

She stood up and dusted off the seat of her pants. “We should get going,” she told Pia. “We have a long way to walk to catch up with the knights.” And they have horses, she thought to herself.

The children assembled their gear and prepared to leave. Reese walked to the head of the group and nodded to Nici. She extended her arm forward, indicating that he should lead.

Reese looked skyward and turned his head from side to side. Then he took off in the direction of the small stream that trickled forth from the waterfall pool. The rest of the children fell in line and followed.

They walked for hours along the meandering route of the narrow waterway. Nici worried that they were going much too slowly. She feared they would never make it in time to stop the horror that would befall the King and his wedding guests.

She tapped on Reese’s shoulder to halt him, then pulled out a pad and pencil. Head for Castle Road? it read. The children crowded around to see what she was writing. Catch a ride on horses or wagon?

Reese smiled at her and nodded. Then he continued in the same direction as before with the rest of the group close at his heels.

Nici stood still for a moment wondering if he had understood her. The children seemed oblivious that she was not following them. She raced to catch up and went straight to Pia. “I thought we were heading for the Castle Road,” she said.

“Yes,” came the squeaky answer.

“But this is the same way we were going before.”

“Yes,” Pia repeated.

“Is the Castle Road this way?”

“Yes,” the diminutive child said for a third time. “Stream and road meet later.”

“Okay,” Nici said. She wondered if she’d ever be able to fully understand her fellow travelers.

When darkness began to descend, there was some signing about whether to stop for the night. Carmello thrust forward the torch he was carrying, and there were nods all around.

“Keep going,” Pia relayed the group’s decision to Nici. “Follow torch.”

Nici bobbed her head in agreement. If they were willing to press on, she was happy to keep walking through the night.

Carmello lit the beacon and joined Reese in the front. The light from the burning torch seemed to grow stronger as the sky became darker. The group walked closer together now to stay within the area of illumination. Whenever they came to a particularly difficult place to negotiate, Carmello stood in one place. He waited for each child to pass by, giving them maximum visibility.

Nici was touched by how close this group was. They truly looked out for one another. Her friends at home were never that nice to each other. Perhaps there was something about hardship that bonded people together and made them more appreciative of each other.

Nici also thought about how easily these children who couldn’t talk communicated with each other. It reminded her of her mother’s stories about first moving to Pahdu and not speaking the language. Selma was dependent on sign language to express her wishes. She told her daughter how this had made her more aware of how much could be communicated with hand gestures and facial expressions. Nici would do better as well, if she could learn this skill to converse with her new friends.

As the night wore on, the group’s pace slowed and their breaks became more frequent. It was obvious that everyone was tiring from the long hours of walking.

During one of their rest periods, the twins walked over to the stream to refill the small barrel of water that the group was carrying. They returned with a metal object they found in the waterway. It was a crowbar that had started to rust slightly. Nici couldn’t see the King’s seal in the metal, so she had no idea that this tool belonged to her father. Carmello added the crowbar to his backpack of provisions.

The stream they had been following grew steadily wider. It was still nothing compared with the mighty Roon River, but it was now nearly six feet across and growing more expansive the farther they traveled.

By midday, they reached the Castle Road. Nici’s spirit brightened considerably when she saw it. Now they had a clear path that would take them to the King’s castle. Furthermore, there was a chance that someone would come along and let her hitch a ride. She ran a little ahead of the group and looked up and down the road, hoping to spot a traveler.

The children had not gone that far when something stopped them in their tracks. It was a giant piece of canvas with writing on it. It read, Nici, meet us at the King’s castle. Love, Mom and Dad.

Nici was thrilled. Not only had her parents passed this way, but they were also looking for her. For the first time in days, she felt that things were finally working in her favor.

But then an ominous thought set in. If her parents had gone to the castle, there was a chance that they would be poisoned along with all of the other guests. It was more imperative than ever to get to the castle in time to stop the wedding from happening.

Nici was ready to charge on, but her companions needed to rest. After some discussion, they decided to nap where they were for a few hours. While everyone else slept, four children at a time stood guard, looking for anyone who might ride past. Nici volunteered to take the first shift along with Pia and the twins.

The Gencarelli child tried to will a rider to come down the road, but none appeared. She had no way of knowing that the usually busy road was empty because most everyone was already in Royal City for the wedding.

When her watch was over, Nici reluctantly curled up in a blanket and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for her exhaustion to win out. She was able to get some much-needed sleep.

During her nap, Nici started dreaming. It began with the nightmarish image of Lindor hanging from a rope of her hair. Nici had trouble dispelling the horrible image from her mind since she had first seen it.

In her dream, though, the braid dropped down and surrounded the scientist. It cradled him like a hammock. The hammock was on the shore of a slow-moving river.

Parmalee was at his side. “I forgive you,” she told him. Then she gently pushed the hammock into the water.

Downriver, Pia and the other children stood in the shallows and waved. “Goodbye Lindor,” they all called out as he drifted past in the hair boat. “Thank you for everything you taught us. Good luck.”

Nici woke up with a feeling of relief. Seeing Lindor in a safe place made her feel better about his death. Especially since the people he had harmed most in life bore him no grudge.

While still in a half-awake, half-dream state, a thought occurred to her. She reached for the pad and wrote, A boat would get us to the castle faster.

The children who were awake read her note. Reese nodded, then signed something to Pia.

“No wood,” Pia translated.

“We could make it out of my hair,” Nici told her.

Pia relayed this to the others. Everyone looked at Braxton. He stared off into space for a few moments, then nodded his head.

“Braxton says will work,” Pia told Nici.

“Then let’s get started!”

They woke up the few sleeping members and gathered their belongings. Braxton indicated that they should bring the canvas sign with them. Nici was surprised to see that it was tied to the tree with some of her hair. Her parents must have picked up some strands along the way, perhaps from the rope she and Parmalee used to cross the gorge.

Thinking of her parents filled Nici with a renewed sense of urgency. She was practically running as the group headed back to the shore of the stream.

Once there, they began a flurry of activity. Braxton sketched a design in the sand. Carmello, Feeney and the twins gathered fallen logs to use as the boat’s framework. Tessa, Pia, Reese and Nici used sharp sticks to pry pitch nodules from the pine trees. These fragrant blobs formed where sap seeped out of the tree and hardened in the air. Alton spent his time building a fire so they could melt the pitch into a sticky tar.

When the boat’s log framework was in place, Nici put her hair in motion. She requested it to weave all around the wooden framework, creating the vessel’s hull.

Brushes made of pine needles allowed the children to apply a coat of the gluey liquid that Alton had brewed. They painted the pitch all over the outside of the boat to make it more waterproof.

With great effort, the group pushed the blond boat down to the water’s edge. They pointed it heading downriver. Nici provided two strong ropes that helped them anchor the boat in place. The children used one of the ropes to secure the aft of the boat to the massive root ball of a tree that had fallen. With the other rope, they tied the fore of the boat to a rocky outcropping on shore.

Feeney and Carmello manned these anchor ropes while the other children loaded onto the boat with their gear. Once they were settled, the two boys on shore released the ropes and scrambled aboard.

The twins used long poles to push the vessel out toward the middle of the waterway. Braxton raised the sail he had crafted from the canvas sign. A breeze caught the sail and the boat took off, cruising into the current.

As they moved downstream, the river widened and picked up pace. The group began encountering rapids that rocked the craft and splashed water over its sides.

Without warning, the waterway turned more violent. The hair boat bounced up and down repeatedly. The wild tributary tossed around the vessel like a leaf. The children were spun one way, then the other. The bumpy ride thoroughly soaked everyone.

A particularly large rapid bounced Pia so high up into the air, she nearly fell out of the boat. Reese grabbed her just in time to keep her from tumbling into the water. Nici feared that they would all be tossed overboard at any minute.

The source of the turbulence soon became clear. The stream they had been traveling down rushed into the powerful and swiftly moving Roon River. Their boat was in the midst of the violent roiling caused by the meeting of these two bodies of water.

Braxton worked desperately to manipulate the sail. He labored in vain to position the boat in a way that would let it handle the fury of these torrents. But a powerful swell hit the boat broadside.

Nici watched in horror as everyone began tumbling into the raging river.

CHAPTER 33 / A Misguided Confrontation

Gino was sick to think of who had just told him about his daughter’s death. The Napoma representative was no citizen of that country. The imposter was Gino’s sworn enemy, Carlton Etto. No wonder those eyes had seemed so familiar.

Selma and Thena looked at him oddly as he silently put the pieces of the puzzle together. He tried to focus on the discussion that was taking place in the room so they wouldn’t notice, but it was too late.

“Chino, why you are making your face strange?” his wife wanted to know.

Gino couldn’t bring himself to tell her. After all these years of keeping his feud with the brother knights a secret, this was not the time to blurt it out. Not when they had just learned that their only child was dead.

“I have something I need to take care of,” he said, dismissing her question. “I’ll be back later.”

“Chino, no be making the leaving, please,” Selma pleaded. “No be making the leaving now. Chino, please…”

He dashed out of the room and down the main stairwell. It was difficult to make his way through the throng of people milling about. The crowd was still waiting for their look at the new Queen. Gino stood on his toes to peer above them. He headed toward the first guard he saw.

“Where’s McGruff?” he asked the woman.

“Don’t know,” she told him. “Can I help you?”

“We need to get word to him that the men claiming to be from Napoma are dangerous imposters. They’re actually the Etto brothers.”

The female guard became more attentive. “The Ettos are here?”

Gino nodded.

“Sir, are you by any chance a member of the Order of Rightful Succession?” she inquired.

“What are you talking about?” Gino responded. “I’m telling you about traitors in our midst and you want to know what clubs I belong to?”

The woman recovered quickly. “Sorry sir. You’re right. We should see to this immediately. If you can show me where these men are, I’ll take care of them.”

“You won’t be able to take them by yourself,” he told her. “Go round up some more help and meet me out by the supply carts.”

She nodded her agreement and walked off.

The angry father walked out of the castle through the kitchen and into the midday sun. He squinted to minimize the glare, surveying everyone who was there. Hundreds of workers were unloading wagons filled with fresh produce and meats and sacks of flour and sugar. Gino worked his way over to the cart loaded with wine.

“Is this the wine from Napoma?” he asked one of the young men who was holding a crate.

“I believe so,” the man answered. “Ask those guys over there. They’re the ones who brought it in.” He pointed to four people standing off to the side, deep in discussion.

Gino kept his eye on the group, and waited for the guard and reinforcements to join him. Moments later, the female sentry walked over to him accompanied by two other guards.

“Where’s McGruff?” Gino wanted to know.

“Couldn’t find him,” the woman he had spoken with earlier said. “Where are the knights?”

“Over here,” he answered and led the way.

“Mr. Gencarelli,” Renetta blurted out when she saw him walking toward the group.

Gino marched past her and over to the two men in Napoma uniforms. He pulled down the black cloths covering their faces. “As I suspected,” he said through clenched teeth. “Carlton, Elliot, you two may have altered your looks, but I’d know your evil presence anywhere.”

Carlton stroked his blond goatee, which had just been exposed. He had also dyed his hair. “I’m afraid you’ve mistaken us for someone else, sir,” he said.

Gino pointed to Elliot’s scar. The raised red skin down his neck was still visible because his beard could not grow through it. “Do you think I could forget how you got that?” he asked. “I wish my chisel had cut deeper and killed you that day.”

“Why I’ll break your neck this time, you worm,” Elliot raged, exposing Carlton’s lie. The bigger knight lunged for Gino’s throat.

“Guards, seize these traitors!” Gino said as he ducked out of the way.

Carlton smiled. “Telena, Rummi, Dayton, how nice of you to join us.”

“Nice to see you, too, Carlton,” the female guard spoke up. “Can we be of any assistance?”

Gino looked at her and her companions in horror. “You’re on their side?” he said weakly.

Carlton smiled. “I think we can handle it from here. Just see that we’re not disturbed.”

He looked around to make sure no one was watching the group. “Let’s take our dear friend around back for a little talk.” He pulled out a knife and stuck it into Gino’s side in such a way that no one else could see. Then he put his other arm around Gino’s shoulders and gave him a few playful slaps like they were good buddies. “Now everyone smile and act like we’re all happy to be in each other’s company. And you guards can get back to your business.”

Elliot, Renetta and Tem let out hearty laughs and put on a good show. They made their way to the rear of the stables, where no one else was.

When they were beyond anyone’s view, Elliot reached out with one hand and wrapped it around Gino’s neck. He slammed him up against the barn wall. “Didn’t we tell you if we ever saw you again, we’d kill you?” he asked.

“You won’t get away with this,” Gino managed to croak out.

“Sure we will,” Elliot sneered. “In two days your big protector Sevvy and all his friends will be dead.”

Carlton kicked his brother in the shin. “Quiet,” he hissed. “The less anyone knows, the better.”

“But this pond scum will be dead,” Elliot protested.

“We’re not killing him until after Sevvy is gone. I don’t want someone stumbling upon his body and asking questions before the wedding.”

“Then what are you going to do with him?” Renetta inquired.

Carlton paced around for a few minutes thinking. “We’ll need some place to hide him for a few days. A place where he can’t escape and where no one will visit. Any suggestions?”

Renetta gave it some thought. There were probably some unoccupied cells in the castle’s dungeon, but one of the jailers might notice a new prisoner. There were guests staying all over the castle and in Royal City, so no place within either would be totally safe. Out here by the stables, there was too much activity as guests arrived and their horses were brought in.

“I know,” Renetta spoke up. “Let’s take him to your castle and lock him up with his daughter.”

Gino, who was still pinned against the wall by Elliot’s strong grip, struggled to free himself. “Nici is still alive?” he asked.

“Can no one keep a secret?” Carlton ranted.

He handed the knife to his brother, who held it at Gino’s throat. “Want a scar like mine?” Elliot asked.

Gino ceased his thrashing so that he wouldn’t be cut.

“So what do you think? Lock him up at your place?” Renetta asked.

“Too far away,” Carlton rejected the idea.

Gino was terrified about his current situation. Yet he also felt a strange elation knowing that Nici was still alive. If only he could get word to Selma.

“I have a thought,” Tem whispered to his co-worker.

Renetta cocked an eyebrow. “You do?”

Tem nodded.

“Why don’t you tell all of us?” Carlton, who had overheard their whispering, asked.

“There’s an old abandoned well in the floodplain between the castle and the Roon River,” Tem said. “It’s big enough for a man to fit into.”

“Show us,” Carlton demanded.

“Okay, but we’ll have to ride through the main gate,” Tem stated.

“Isn’t there any other way out of here?”

Renetta shook her head. “All other gates have been closed so no intruders can get in during the wedding. The walls are heavily guarded everywhere to protect all the heads of state who are here.”

“Then we’ll just have to come up with some excuse to be leaving,” Carlton said. He paced for a few moments while he thought. “Of course,” he smiled. “We’ll use the daughter angle. We’ll say Mr. Gencarelli is so upset that he can’t bear to attend the wedding. He has demanded that you two take him to his daughter’s grave.”

The knights stayed with Gino while Renetta and Tem went to get a team of horses and a wagon.

“I still don’t see why we can’t kill him now,” Elliot grumbled. “We could dump his body in the river and no one would know.”

“Tempting,” Carlton agreed. “But don’t you want to have a little fun with him first? A little torture, perhaps? If you wait, you can take all the time you want to make his death as slow and painful as possible.”

Elliot smiled a twisted grin. “Okay.”

Tem came around the corner to let them know that the wagon was ready. The knights threatened that if Gino didn’t cooperate, they would kill Selma and later kill Nici. Now that the harried father realized the brothers had spies within the castle, he knew this was entirely possible.

When no one was watching, the knights got into the back of the wagon and hid under a tarp. Gino sat in between them, though on top of the waxed canvas cover. Through it, he could feel the point of the knife, a reminder that he better cooperate. Renetta and Tem hopped up on the wagon seat and directed the horses toward the main castle gate.

At the guardhouse, McGruff held up his hand for them to stop. “State your business” he said in his most official tone. Then he noticed Gino in the back. “Gino, where are you going? You’re not leaving before the King’s wedding?”

Gino at first said nothing until Elliot gave him a poke with the knife. “We’re going to get my daughter,” he said, never looking his friend in the eye.

“Oh yes,” McGruff sympathized. “I heard about her accident. I’m so sorry for your loss.” When Gino made no reply, he continued. “If you’ll wait until after the wedding, I could accompany you and help you bring her body back here.”

Another poke prompted Gino to speak. “Thank you, but I need to take care of this now.”

“Of course,” McGruff said and motioned them through the gate.

Tem directed the horses out onto the main road. They traveled east for a short time, just long enough to be out of sight of the guards surrounding the castle. A safe distance away, they stopped to hide the horses and wagon in the woods. Traveling on foot now, the group walked back to the west, but well south of Castle Road.

A wide field stood between the castle and the river. Every forty years or so, the Roon River jumped its banks and flooded this area. So the castle was built a far distance from the river. In nearly five hundred years, there had never been water in the castle, no matter how bad the flood.

A plant with a neon yellow flower was in bloom all over the field. The blooms were almost blinding, they were so bright. The contingent tromped through the knee-high vegetation, which caused Gino to sneeze over and over uncontrollably.

Tem directed them to the well in the middle of the field. The circle of stones surrounding the deep hole was about three feet high and four feet in diameter. Two Y-shape metal poles were embedded into the stone across from each other. Another pole lay across the two Ys, with a handle on one side. An old rope was wrapped around this pole. A large tin bucket was attached to the end of the rope.

Tem turned the handle to lower the bucket into the hole. It went down, down, down to over forty feet below. They listened for a splash, which never came.

“See,” Tem told them. “The well has dried up.”

“Well won’t this make a cozy little cell for a few days?” Carlton smiled.

Gino sneezed several times in reply.

Elliot pulled a rag and several pieces of rope out of a bag he had been carrying. The brothers tied Gino’s hands together, then lashed his ankles to one another. They stuffed the rag in the bound man’s mouth and tied it behind his head.

While that was going on, Renetta cranked the bucket back to the top of the well.

Once Gino was immobilized, Elliot and Tem lifted him up and put his feet in the bucket. Gino fought back with everything he had. He moved his body every which way trying to loosen their hold on him. At one point he hit his head on the stonework so hard that it started bleeding. Red drops sprayed in all directions as he flailed about.

Renetta and Carlton both held onto the handle so the pail and its heavy load wouldn’t hurtle straight to the bottom. They quickly let out some slack so that Gino was fully inside the well instead of suspended above it. He finally stopped his thrashing knowing that it would only serve to injure him further along the unyielding rock walls.

Elliot smiled and waved as the others slowly turned the handle and lowered Gino into the hole a little at a time. The last thing Gino did before disappearing out of sight was to sneeze.

“Lovely,” Carlton said when the bucket hit the bottom. “After the wedding, we’ll return and crank him back up to the top. Then you can have your fun with him, Elliot.”

“I can hardly wait.”

“As for you two,” Carlton said, turning his attention to Renetta and Tem, “you’ll have to disappear for the next two days.”

“Aw, but I wanted to go to the wedding,” Tem complained.

Renetta shot him a withering look. “No problem,” she replied. “We’ll hide out a little farther away and return when the banquet is over.”

They walked back to the wagon, which the knights now took control of. The brothers had hidden two cases of wine in the back under the tarp. These were to provide them with an excuse when they got back to the gate house. A new shift of guards was due to take over in about an hour. The brothers, still in their Napoma guard uniforms, could then ride up and say that two crates had slipped off their cart when they made their original delivery. None of the new sentries would realize that this was the cart and the horses that had gone out with Renetta and Tem driving just a few hours prior.

Before parting ways, the four conspirators shook hands and confirmed their plans to meet up in two days.

Meanwhile, down in the well, Gino shivered. He would have to stand like this until they came to rescue him. Blood dripped down from his forehead and stung his eye.

Although physically uncomfortable, that was nothing compared to the torture of not being able to escape his own thoughts. Gino began imagining the horrible things that awaited him when the knights returned. After he was gone, what would they do with his dear Nici? And poor Selma would probably never know what happened to either one of them.

CHAPTER 34 / An Unhappy Reunion

A wave of water washed over Nici and yanked her grip from the boat’s side. The impact loosened her hair from its backpack arrangement. Long, blonde locks hurtled downstream with the current, pulling Nici with it. She barely had time to grab the hair rope attached to the front of the boat.

The vessel, which had been rolling toward her, now lurched back in the opposite direction. Nici shot up out of the water and slammed against the side of the boat. She was thankful it was made of hair and therefore cushioned the blow. She grabbed the high side before it crashed back down into the river.

Looking over her shoulder, Nici could see several of the children floundering in the wild torrent. She had to act quickly.

“Grab my hair,” she shouted over the thunderous fury of the two rivers’ confluence. “Grab my hair,” she bellowed again, forgetting that her companions were deaf.

A wave rolled the boat toward Nici. It forced her below the water as she continued to cling to the rope. Just as quickly, the boat bobbed back up to the surface. Nici inhaled a much-needed breath of air before the boat rolled her back underwater. This back and forth continued for several minutes before the boat righted itself.

Without warning, the hair rope she was hanging on to began moving up the side of the vessel. Nici looked up to see Carmello, Braxton and Pia pulling her toward them. When she was back on the deck with them, Carmello gave her a shy hug.

“We have to save the others,” Nici said when she caught her breath.

Pia pointed to a spot downstream from them. “Safe,” she croaked out.

Nici looked to where the little girl pointed. The missing children were hanging onto a log that was drifting in the river. One by one, they pulled themselves out of the water and sat on top of the floating tree trunk, straddling it with their legs.

Braxton maneuvered the boat alongside this makeshift raft. Nici tossed the hair rope over the side. Down below, Reese reached up and caught it in mid-air. As he held on, the children in the boat pulled on the rope until the log was alongside them.

The children on the log held onto the boat to steady their raft. Reese tied two loops at the end of the rope. He made some gestures to Donatella, who was directly in the middle of the group.

She carefully shifted her weight on the log so as not to tip the others. She slipped the loops over her feet and stood up, holding onto the rope. The children on the boat pulled her aboard, just as they had done for Nici.

They tossed the rope back over the side and Mirabella stood up on the rope loops exactly as her sister had.

Just then, the wind shifted. The boat lurched away from the drift log. The sudden movement caused Mirabella to lose her grip on the rope. She slipped back into the river. Donatella reached out for her sister. She had to be restrained to keep her from jumping in after her twin.

The boat sailed far away from the drift log before Braxton could regain control. He hung his head in defeat.

The children on the log struggled to keep their balance as the river roiled around them. They reached down to hug the thick trunk with their arms, as well as their legs.

Nici put her hands to her head as she watched the frightening scene unfold. Immediately, the thought came to her. “I have their lifeline right here,” she said, mostly to herself.

With a polite request and twist of a few strands, Nici’s hair set about its rescue mission. It took a few times of braiding and cutting, braiding and cutting to get a rope long enough to reach the runaway raft.

On command, the golden weave raced just above the water’s surface and over to the drifting tree. It encircled each child around the waist. Nici then had her magical locks hoist the entire group into the air and deposit them safely on the boat’s deck.

“Find Mirabella, please” Nici asked her hair while twisting some of her damp locks.

The braid shot out across the bow of the boat and dove into the water. Nici was horrified to think what this meant. How long had the poor child been underwater? She held her breath, fearing what would be at the end of the rope when it resurfaced.

The wait felt like an eternity. Something finally popped up out of the water. The braid was wrapped around Mirabella’s midsection. The twin’s eyes were closed and it wasn’t clear if she was alive. Donatella fell to her knees and wailed.

The magic hair held the child suspended over the water for a moment. It squeezed her a bit where it was coiled around her stomach.

“Why holding?” Pia asked of Nici, who just shrugged.

With that, Mirabella opened her mouth and expelled a great deal of water. She coughed and opened her eyes.

The Cronald children snapped their fingers in rapid succession to express their joy.

The blond braid then snapped back over to the boat and carefully laid the twin down on the deck. Donatella immediately gave her sister a hug. A few tears escaped from the corners of her eyes.

*

A steady breeze blew throughout the day. Braxton maneuvered the boat so that the canvas sail filled with wind. He handled the boat like a seasoned sailor. When night fell, they were forced to anchor close to shore and await the dawn.

At first light, Nici hauled up one of the anchors. It was the crowbar that the twins had found days ago. Nici examined it closely and saw the King’s seal on it. Was this also one of her father’s tools? Just the thought of him renewed her anxiety about reaching the castle in time.

They soon set off for another day of swift sailing that kept everyone on their toes. The crew had to keep a lookout for obstacles in the turbulent river. More than once, they had to use a long pole to push the boat away from huge boulders or drifting debris.

The sun was close to setting when they finally spotted a massive stone building in the distance.

Nici’s heart began pounding. Would they be in time to save the wedding party? Would she be able to keep her parents from being poisoned? Or would they find a horrible massacre within the royal palace?

The waterway grew rougher the closer they came to the castle. The group had no idea that this was because the river ended in a great waterfall that dropped into the ocean.

Nici feared that the turbulence would knock them all from the boat again. She asked Pia to tell the others that she was going to tie them all together. If they fell overboard, at least they could quickly regroup.

Braxton began steering the boat toward the shore. They approached at an angle, limiting the pull of the current. The young captain skillfully guided them into the shallows and ran the front half of the vessel up onto the shore. Nici got her hair to untie the safety line around the children. Then she had it form the backpack shape, which she concealed with a blanket. Everyone quickly disembarked.

The group ran across a huge field of bright yellow flowers. They were stopped at the main gate by two guards.

Nici was out of breath, but spoke in between gasps for air. “The wedding. Has it happened?” she asked.

“It’s going on right now,” a tall, female sentry said.

“Thank goodness,” Nici replied. Now they had a chance to save the King and his guests.

Pia signed to the others that they had arrived in time. They snapped their fingers in jubilation.

“We need to get inside,” Nici told the woman. “Someone’s trying to poison the King.”

“Young lady, you needn’t worry. All precautions have been taken by professionals like me. There’s no need to worry about the King’s safety.”

“But you don’t know where the poison is,” Nici protested. “And my parents are in there.”

The guard shook her head. “No one is getting inside right now. The castle is and has been secure for days. We’re under strict orders not to let anyone in until after the wedding.”

“But by then it will be too late!” Nici shrieked. “We have to get inside.”

“Young lady, I told you, no one enters now that the wedding has started. Either leave now, or we’ll have you arrested.”

Pia had been translating the gist of the conversation to the deaf children. When they were threatened with arrest, the group began backing up.

Nici turned to Pia. “What should we do?” she asked the little girl.

“Go,” Pia said, giving her the consensus of the group.

They walked away dejectedly, heading back to the boat.

When they were past where the guards could see them, Nici halted. She gathered the children around her and smiled. The group looked at her strangely. She pantomimed writing. Her pencil and paper had been swept away when she fell off the boat. Carmello handed her his utensils.

Secret entrance on side Nici wrote. Years ago, her father had described a hidden tunnel that ran from the interior of the castle to an escape hatch on the southern side of the royal grounds. It was built so the royal family could escape if enemies ever attacked the castle.

Nici led the way as the group sprinted back to the expanse of bright yellow flowers. They crawled along on their bellies, using the plants to shield them from the watch guards on the walls above. They spread out along the field to search for the opening.

Tessa was the one who found the hatch, about two thirds of the way across. She alerted the others who gathered around. A thick iron plate covered the entrance. Carmello, Reese, and Alton tried to lift it off, but couldn’t get a grip on the heavy covering.

Did anyone bring the crowbar? Nici wrote.

Feeney pulled the tool from his pack. He inserted one end in the narrow space between the plate and the iron ring that surrounded it. Carmello and Reese helped him push on the implement until the cover finally popped off. They shoved it to the side and looked down at a metal ladder that led into a dark unknown.

“Let’s hope we’re still in time,” Nici said as she started down the steps.

As they continued down the shaft, the tunnel became completely dark. They had lost their oil lamp to the river, so didn’t have any illumination. The children reached out to feel their way along the path. They hurried down its length as quickly as possible, occasionally bumping into each other.

Nici smacked into a wall in front of her. She felt around and discovered metal rungs leading upward. Using hand signals that had to be felt because they couldn’t be seen, she indicated that they needed to climb up. She hoped her father was right and that this ladder led into the castle itself.

Carmello went up the ladder first because he was the strongest of the group. He climbed up hand-over-hand for about thirty feet before coming to the top.

The boy pushed with all his might against the hatch door that sealed off the tunnel. It didn’t budge an inch. Perhaps it was latched on the other side, he thought.

He used the crowbar to bang on the door. The sound reverberated in the narrow channel. Nici and Pia covered their ears. The rest of the children could only feel the vibrations of the sound throughout their bodies.

After several minutes of banging, Carmello’s arm grew tired. He came back down the ladder and handed the metal tool to Feeney. Feeney went up to the top and pounded on the hatch until he too grew tired. Then the next child in line took a turn.

Tessa was in mid-swing when the hatch finally opened from above. Light bathed the dark tunnel. The children squinted in the brightness. A trio of guards looked down at them.

“What in the world?” one of them commented. He pulled Tessa up into the room.

Right behind her was Braxton, followed shortly by Nici.

“Where did you all come from?” another sentry demanded as the Cronald children continued to emerge.

Nici ignored his question and instead stated, “We need to see the King.”

“Impossible.” the man replied. “He’s right in the middle of his wedding banquet.”

“Then we have no time to lose,” Nici countered and headed for the room’s exit.

“Hold on a minute,” the guard told her. “You can’t go out there. You shouldn’t even be in here. This is the King’s bedroom.”

“But someone is trying to poison the King. And my parents,” the distraught daughter added.

The three officials discussed something among themselves. One left the opulent room while the others corralled the children against the wall away from the door. Nici continued her protests as three more guards joined them. Each adult grabbed two of the children.

“Are you taking us to the King?” Nici asked.

Laughter erupted from the guards.

“You have to believe me,” she started to protest again.

The guard restraining her let go just long enough to clap his huge hand over her mouth and push her hard against the stone wall.

Nici wasn’t sure what was going on. But she did know that she had to get past these captors.

With one quick motion, she shrugged off her protective blanket. She twirled a few curls around her forefinger. “Hair, please tie up this man.”

Before the guard knew what was happening, he was bound head to toe with golden strands. His colleagues looked on in shock.

Nici quickly cut her locks and requested them to secure another guard. She repeated this a third time until the remaining three sentries began to fight back.

While the unbound officials reached for Nici, the children they had unwittingly set free grabbed their legs and arms.

A click of the door latch brought the struggle to a sudden halt.

A group of Pahdu sentries rushed into the room. They quickly subdued all the combative children.

At first, Nici didn’t recognize the man leading them. He had on a uniform she had never seen. Once he spoke, however, there was no mistaking who he was.

“How unfortunate to see you here,” Carlton bellowed. “I thought we had you safely locked away. But now I see all of my little charges are here.”

“That man!” Nici shrieked and pointed to the horrid knight. “He’s the one trying to poison the King!”

“Me?” Carlton asked in mock innocence. “Why I’m merely the wine bearer from the kingdom of Napoma.”

Most of the guards in the room laughed.

“Untie our friends over there.” The knight pointed to two of the guards. “Except for that one. She’s not a member of the Order. And would someone take care of these two-legged annoyances once and for all? I have more important things to attend to.” He turned to leave the room.

“But this one will just tie us up again with her hair,” protested a guard who had witnessed Nici’s tresses in action. “She twirls it in her finger and then it does strange things.”

Carlton looked from the woman to the little girl.

“Is this true?” he inquired.

“When she cuts it off, it grows right back,” the talkative guard went on.

“So that’s what you’ve been up to,” Carlton mused. “Now this is making more sense.” He paced around for a moment. “It seems we’ll need to take some stronger measures. First bind her hands together,” he told one of his followers, who stooped down to pick up a hair rope.

“No, no,” Carlton told him. “We need iron shackles.”

One of the guards produced the restraints and Nici was quickly handcuffed in thick metal.

“Now take her hair far away from her hands so she can’t reach it,” the knight continued. “And tie a sash around her head so no stray wisps peak out.” His underlings did as instructed.

“That should keep the little monstrosity in check,” Carlton remarked.

“What about the rest of them?” someone asked.

“Surely you big, strong guards can handle a few children,” the knight told them. “And don’t let any of them leave this room under any circumstance.” With that, he strode out of the bedchamber.

A few guards tied up Nici’s friends using the cut strands of her hair as ropes. Then they took up a position holding some of the hair still attached to her head.

The Gencarelli child watched the scene with growing sadness. They had been so close to saving the King and her parents. But now, her cursed hair had trapped all of the would-be rescuers.

Goosebumps popped up all over her arms as Nici imagined the terrible scene about to take place at the wedding banquet.

CHAPTER 35 / Uninvited Guests

Selma was angry with Gino for leaving so abruptly and without any explanation. She knew from experience that people reacted strangely to extreme grief. After losing her entire family, she had completely left her country to start over elsewhere. Still, she and Gino were partners. She expected him to come to her with his problems.

The distraught mother dreaded attending the rest of King Sevvy’s wedding festivities. It was an honor just to be invited. But it would be hard to witness someone else’s joy right now. Selma resigned herself to going through the motions, if only to distract her mind from the crushing sadness of losing her daughter.

*

The wedding was full of rituals that had started over five hundred years ago when the country was founded. Nearly two hours passed by the time all of the ceremonial incantations had been said and the Sword of Peace waived over the royal couple. One by one, the entire crowd sipped from the Cup of Love while the Blessing of Good Health was bestowed.

Then the six hundred guests filed out of the cavernous chapel and moved into the enormous banquet hall for the wedding feast. This was to be the highlight of the entire month of celebration. The food, wine and entertainment promised to provide the best, most elaborate spectacle most anyone had ever experienced.

While moving to the banquet, Selma spotted Gino’s friend McGruff. She walked over to his sentry post and got his attention. “Chino is being around here, yes?”

“No, he left yesterday,” the man answered.

“Where he is being going to?”

McGruff looked at her strangely. “Didn’t he tell you? He went to recover your daughter’s body. I offered to help him after the wedding was over, but I couldn’t leave before then.”

“He is being all to himself?” Selma wanted to know.

“You mean did he go alone?” McGruff asked, slightly puzzled. “No, he went with the two agricultural workers.”

Selma nodded. “Thank you,” she said. She had an uneasy feeling. If Gino felt so strongly that the workers’ story was suspicious, why had he gone off with them? It didn’t make sense.

The confused wife was pushed along with the throng of guests toward the banquet hall. The serving staff escorted each guest to a chair at the countless tables set up in a giant U shape. The seats faced into the center so people could see the entertainment in the middle. Jugglers, acrobats and fire-breathers performed for the arriving guests. The tables were already laden with plates of cheeses, apples, grapes, and figs for people to snack on while they watched the performers and waited for the King and his new queen.

Selma was startled to see that the people seated beside her were her neighbors, Brylie and Sa’ahndra Dinsmore. There was also an older gentleman that Brylie introduced as her father Albert.

“This is being the surprising you are being here,” Selma exclaimed.

“It’s a long story,” Brylie answered. “I don’t even know where to begin, there’s so much to tell. You probably haven’t heard this but I left…” she stopped mid-sentence and looked around the hall. “Where are Gino and Nici?”

Selma lowered her head. “Nici no is…” she paused, unable to choke out the words. Tears poured down her cheeks.

Brylie took her friend’s hand. “Has something happened to her?” she asked quietly. When Selma nodded, her friend continued her gentle questioning. “Something bad?” Another nod. “Is she…” Brylie tried to find a delicate way to phrase her question. “Is she gone?”

Selma gave a last nod and dissolved into sobs.

“Gone?” Sa’ahndra said in her usual harsh tone. “You mean dead?”

“Quiet child,” Albert admonished her.

But the girl wouldn’t be silenced. “Did her hair strangle her?”

Albert clamped his hand over his granddaughter’s mouth before she could say anything else.

“You poor dear,” Brylie sympathized “I just feel awful for you. I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to, well I don’t even want to think about it. It’s just too awful. Where did you say Gino was?”

“I no know. His friend is being telling me he is going to Nici’s body.”

“Well, of course.” Albert said. “Any father would want to.”

“But he didn’t take Mahogany with him?” Brylie broke in.

“What?” Selma questioned.

“Gino. He didn’t ride Mahogany when he left?”

“Why you are saying this?”

Brylie looked at her father, then back at Selma. “It’s just that we were in the stables admiring the horses. Dad’s a great lover of horses, you know. He trains them for the King’s guard. That’s how we got invited to the wedding. Well actually, Dad was invited and then when we showed up a few days ago, Dad asked if Sa’ahndra and I could attend the wedding also and the King said, doesn’t he look handsome? And his bride is just beautiful isn’t she? Well anyhow we were checking out the horses when Dad saw Vanya and then I spotted Mahogany right next to him.”

“When this is being?” Selma interrupted.

“Right before the wedding. We were just…”

“This no is being right,” Selma mumbled. “Why Chino no is being with his horse?”

Brylie was quiet for a moment, leaving her former neighbor to her thoughts. “I’ve left Dorn, you know,” she said a few moments later.

“About time,” Albert interjected. “The man was a dolt. You never should have married him.”

“Grandpa!” Sa’ahndra said.

“I’m sorry, dear,” he told her. “I know he’s your dad, but he was never good enough for your mom. Or you. Rotten husband. Rotten farmer.”

“Rotten?” Selma asked returning from her thoughts to the conversation. “But you are being with so manys moneys.”

“My father’s money,” Brylie explained. “Dad used to send us money every month.”

“I sent it to you and Sa’ahndra,” Albert corrected. “I never wanted Dorn to get his hands on it.”

“Now how could I keep him from knowing about the money you sent? Anyhow, it doesn’t matter now. I’ve left him for good.” She looked at Selma, who was staring at the entertainment without really absorbing what she was watching. “Don’t you want to know why?

“What why?” Selma asked, only half interested.

“Why I left Dorn. I found out something awful, something terrible about him. You may not believe this, but he was a part of the group that burned down your house.”

Selma’s mouth dropped open. “Dorn?”

“I’m sorry to have to say, but yes. He told me at first that he had tried to stop them. But then one night when he was drunk, he admitted that he was the one who suggested it. He didn’t want your family living near us because he feared that Nici, may her soul rest in peace, was possessed.”

Selma just shook her head back and forth. Could things get any more miserable?

*

Carlton returned to the kitchen where his brother was opening the bottles of wine.

“Everything under control?” Elliot asked quietly.

The smaller knight nodded and took his place beside his brother. They had insisted on uncorking the wine themselves, fearing that if someone took a sip, their evil plan would unravel.

“Our people have the long-haired one secured and all the other little deformities tied up,” Carlton whispered. “Let’s hope there aren’t any more surprises.”

The head chef tapped the kitchen bell, alerting the serving staff that it was time for action. A line of food servers hoisted enormous platters of braised duck, barbecued pig, grilled fish and roasted chicken. Others carried massive bowls of roasted vegetables and cheese soufflés.

The pastry chefs put the final touches on the custards, tarts and pies that would be served after dinner.

The wine stewards lined up by the knights. The Ettos handed two bottles to each server. The brothers told them to remind guests that no one was allowed to partake of the red wine until the King had finished his toast and taken the first sip. They stressed this over and over until everyone in the kitchen area grew sick of hearing it.

*

The noise of the wedding banquet filtered up to the King’s bedroom. Disaster was about to strike and Nici felt helpless to stop it.

Freeing her hands was out of the question since she was no match for her iron shackles. And the dozen or so guards in the room were holding all of her long hair far away from her grasp. Saving everyone would be impossible without these locks.

Nici looked to see if any of the other children could help. Sadly, none of them had been able to release their hands or ankles from the hair bindings.

She did notice something odd, though, as she turned around to see her friends’ predicament. Instead of standing in place, the guards shifted with her. She turned the other way to face the door and was pleased when the guards followed her movements. Perhaps they were trying to keep her hair from tangling, fearing what that could lead to.

The idea came to Nici in a flash.

She began to walk around in small circles. Convinced the sentries were taking her lead, she picked up the pace. In a few minutes, she was spinning around like a top. The faster she twirled, the faster her captors had to run to keep up.

Cries of “What are you doing” and “Stop this minute” came from the guards. But none of them were willing to let go of her hair, for fear she would use it against them.

The whirling soon gathered enough speed to lift the captors into the air. Astounded by the sudden shift in gravity, a few of the guards let go of the hair. They slammed against the ornately decorated walls and furniture of the King’s bedroom.

Nici stopped abruptly. Anyone still holding onto her golden tresses fell to the ground.

The bedchamber was now mass confusion. There were guards holding their heads and stomachs, nauseous from all of the spinning. Others were stumbling around like drunkards.

Nici was feeling queasy herself. Still, there was no time to waste. She was enveloped in a tangle of curls. A few blond strands fell across her bound hands. She wrapped these around her forefinger and asked, “Hair, please free me from these shackles, then tie up all the guards.”

By now Nici was familiar with how quickly her hair worked. She darted behind as it danced and fluttered among the guards. When a braid neared her scalp, she skillfully lopped it off with one swift motion. Then she positioned herself where the next braid was needed.

Nici’s hair picked up each guard and bound him or her to a massive piece of furniture. This included the four posters of the King’s bed. Nici was pretty sure that her father had built and carved most of the wooden furninshings in this room.

Suddenly, her heart started racing. She needed to get down to the banquet immediately. Especially since a few of the guards were already trying to wriggle free of their bindings.

Nici was almost out the door when an odd noise stopped her. She looked back to see the Cronald children jumping up and down to make noise.

“Sorry!” Nici apologized and raced over to cut their bindings with her father’s chisel.

“Banquet. Now,” she mouthed to the children, not wanting to take the time to write it down.

Pia tugged at her arm. She pointed to the female guard that Carlton had said was not one of his cadre. “Friend,” she croaked out.

Nici nodded and cut the ties binding the woman. Tessa removed the gag from her mouth.

“Where is the banquet being held?” Nici asked the guard.

“Down four flights. To the left of the grand entrance.”

“Show me,” Nici said.

They left the bedroom and headed for the stairs. The massive stone steps curved around in a giant spiral. It was dizzying just to look down to where they ended far below.

Sentries were posted all over the stairs. Nici had no idea whether these were Carlton’s people or true to the King. Either way, she would never be able to make it to the ground floor without being stopped by them. And it would take too long to tie up each one.

“Is there any other way to get down there?” Nici asked.

The woman shook her head from side to side. “Not unless you jump. But I don’t think you’d survive.”

Nici heard shouts from the sentries in the King’s bedroom. It probably wouldn’t take them much longer to remove their hair bindings. Any moment now, one or two of them could be upon her and have her back in their grasp.

The determined daughter knew she had to act quickly. She just wasn’t sure what that act should be.

*

The wedding guests had been seated in the banquet hall for forty minutes. Finally, the trumpets blared signaling the King and Queen’s arrival. Everyone stood quietly as the bride and groom entered. Once the royals were seated, the King motioned for his guests to also sit down. Great cheers erupted from the crowd.

Moments later, the servers appeared with the wine and platters of food. The King and Queen were served first, then the rest of the guests.

Sevvy stood up with his full chalice of wine and motioned for quiet. The hundreds of guests immediately grew silent.

“Before we enjoy this marvelous feast,” the King began, “I would like to say a few words on this, the most magnificent day of my life. This is an especially happy occasion as I have not only a new bride, but also my beloved sister here by my side.”

Applause interrupted his speech for several minutes.

“As most of you know,” he continued, “my dear Thena has been missing for many, many years. When she came back into my life a few days ago, I couldn’t believe my good fortune.”

The knights had been spying on the proceedings from a partially opened kitchen door. They looked at each other.

“Thena is alive?” Carlton said.

“Thena,” Elliot repeated. Without realizing it, he had placed his hand over his heart. “Where is she? Let me see her.” He leaned farther out into the hall, trying to glimpse the main table where the royal family was sitting.

“Get back,” Carlton admonished. “We can’t have anyone recognizing us now.”

“And now I’d like to introduce my most venerated and revered guests,” Sevvy went on with his speech. “You have my eternal gratitude for so graciously taking the time away from your important duties to join us today. I would ask that each of you stand as I call your name so that my guests can properly honor you and your nation. First, from the country of Hallis…”

Carlton rolled his eyes. “This is going to take forever,” he muttered. “Just get on with it and drink the wine already, you bloated gasbag.”

*

Reese stepped forward next to where Nici was standing. He pointed up to an enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

The elaborate fixture was made of gold and encrusted with jewels of every color. It held ring after ring of lit candles. The largest band of lights was at the bottom and the smallest loop at the top. The whole thing was suspended from a long rope attached to the ceiling a floor above them. It hung directly over the open area in the middle of the spiral staircase.

Reese pointed to Nici’s hair, then the chandelier, then down to the first floor.

“Good idea,” Nici said, following his line of thinking. “I’ll just have to make my hair a bit longer.” It only took seconds to create a braid long enough to reach the ground.

When it was complete, she twirled of a few strands and asked that her hair attach itself to the chandelier. With a lifeline securely in place, she jumped over the side and started her descent.

Just then, one of Carlton’s guards burst out of the bedroom. He quickly took in the situation and lunged for the hair braid. The Cronald children foiled his reach by locking arms and blocking him from grabbing it.

Undeterred, the man raced up the steps. Safely away from the children, he removed his sword from the scabbard. With one swift cut, he severed the line that attached the chandelier to the ceiling.

Nici looked up in horror to see the fixture hurtling toward her as she plummeted downward.

CHAPTER 36 / A Shock From Below

Selma’s eyes glazed over as the King’s speech went on and on. She looked around for a graceful way to exit. But all of the doors were closed and guarded by two or more of the King’s people.

“And last, but certainly not least,” the royal groom continued, “I want to thank my beautiful wife. You have made me the happiest man in the world. My fondest wish is that we will spend the rest of our lives in each other’s company. Thank you for agreeing to share your life with me.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

“And now if you will all raise your goblets,” the sovereign requested.

“Here we go,” Carlton smiled from his hidden vantage point in the kitchen.

“Please drink with me to my marriage. Queen Mabelline, may we have many happy, healthy years together. May our family always have the pleasure of the company of dear friends. And may we always live in a peaceful world where…”

An enormous crash interrupted his speech. A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

The guards standing at the main banquet hall doors opened them to see what was going on.

On the floor of the great entrance was a burning heap of blond hair. A jewel-laden gold chandelier lay in the midst of the pile.

Selma’s hand went to her mouth. The hair was just like Nici’s.

Before that thought could fully register with her, her daughter emerged from within the mass.

“Is being the ghost, maybe?” Selma questioned.

The rest of the wedding party watched as the little girl cut herself free of the flaming bundle. She walked directly toward them. As she did, her hair grew and grew and grew. The guests were too startled to even speak.

“Guards, seize that…whatever it is,” King Sevvy shouted.

The two closest sentries grabbed Nici’s arms and tried to pull her away from the hall. They hadn’t taken two steps when a crowd of children leapt upon them. The young ones pulled at the adult’s arms until they were forced to release Nici.

Nici was shocked to see her friends. “How did you get here?” she asked, wondering how they could have gotten past so many guards.

“Secret passage. Reese found,” Pia answered.

Some of the banquet guests were fanning themselves from all of the excitement. Many held the wine vessels to their lips, needing a bit of wine to calm their nerves.

Nici looked on in panic, not knowing which ones to save first.

“Hair,” she called out, “take the wine from everyone’s grasp.” When nothing happened, she quickly realized her error. “Please, take their wine,” she said as she twisted a few strands.

Her locks shot out in hundreds of directions. Yellow strands wrapped around everyone’s goblet and yanked them away. Red wine flew everywhere. It spilled on people’s clothes, the tablecloths and all over the food.

Frightened shrieks rang throughout the hall. People cried out “What in the world,” and “What’s going on?”

“Guards, arrest these children,” the furious King yelled.

“Your Highness, please,” Nici shouted over the din. “The wine is poisoned.”

The guests gasped in unison. People backed away from the table. They blotted at the red stains on their clothing. A few people fainted.

Thena reached out for her brother. “Sevvy, that’s Gino and Selma’s daughter,” she explained.

Selma ran from her seat to Nici. She gave her daughter a huge hug. “NiNi, you no are being dead!” She lifted her daughter into the air and spun her around.

Nici’s hair was still gripping the goblets. The remaining contents of wine sprayed around the room. Many guests ducked away from the dangerous liquid.

“Mom, wait,” Nici said. She took out the chisel and sliced off her tresses.

The silver goblets clattered to the ground. Guests shrank back in fear as the child’s golden locks grew back once more to their full twenty-foot length.

“Selma, what’s going on here?” King Sevvy demanded.

“Gant ank fif peerst Nici et slo harin,” she answered, unaware that she was speaking Bayonnaise.

“King Sevvy, there are traitors in your midst,” Nici started to explain.

“Chino was being right!” Selma laughed, unable to do anything but hug her child.

“Where is Gino?” the King asked at the same time Nici was inquiring, “Where is Dad?”

Selma paused in her reverie. “He is being bringing to home your body.” She paused. “But you no are being dead. Why those workers are saying…”

Thena stood up. “I knew something was wrong with their story,” she interjected.

“Parmalee!” Nici exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“Wait a minute!” Sevvy thundered. “Stop everything right now. Somebody explain to me what is happening here. Let’s start with the wine. Who said it was poisoned?”

“I’ll tell you, your Majesty,” Nici replied.

She proceeded to tell the tale of the knights and the children and Lindor’s poison. The guests sat back down as she talked, absorbed in the story.

By the time she finished, you could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, a loud scream tore through the hall.

“Sa’ahndra,” Brylie Dinsmore cried out. “Sa’ahndra, what’s wrong?”

The girl had fallen off her chair and was acting strangely. She couldn’t speak and the pupils of her eyes were greatly enlarged. Her fingers and hands waved around in erratic motions. And she kept bending forward at the waist over and over.

“Please, somebody help my child,” Brylie begged. “What’s wrong with her?”

Thena used her cane to clear a path through the crowd that had gathered around Sa’ahndra. She observed the girl’s antics for a few minutes. Then she picked up an empty wine goblet. “Did you drink any of this?” she asked.

Sa’ahndra tried to speak, but nothing came out. After a few attempts, she was able to nod her head.

“Oh dear no,” Brylie exclaimed and collapsed into her father’s arms.

“Nici,” Thena called out, “do you know what kind of poison was in the wine?”

“I don’t,” Nici told her. “I know there’s an antidote, but Lindor didn’t have time to tell me what it was.”

Thena tried to think of what would cause this kind of reaction. She had never witnessed these symptoms before. If she could determine the type of poison, she might be able to come up with a cure.

Feeney worked his way through the curious onlookers and walked over to Thena. He was still wearing Lindor’s vest, which was much too large for him. He unbuttoned a small pocket and pulled out something. In the palm of his hand he displayed a few dull, darkish green leaves. There were also several berries that were smaller than a cherry and almost black in color.

“Devil’s cherries,” Thena observed when she saw what he was holding. “Of course.”

“Is there anything that can be done for my granddaughter?” Albert asked.

“Possibly,” the King’s sister answered. “But we must act quickly. Let me see, what’s in season right now? Mustard. Sevvy, do you have any mustard plants growing around here?”

“I have no idea, love,” he told her. “I wouldn’t know a mustard plant if I tripped over one.”

“Does anyone recall seeing mustard plants on their way to the castle?” Thena asked the guests.

There was much murmuring, but no one spoke up. It seemed that no one knew what the plant looked like.

Pia translated what was going on to her friends. Alton stepped forward and wrote a note, which he showed to Thena. It read, Mustard growing outside castle. River side.

Thena took the child’s pencil and paper and wrote back, Show me. Then she turned to Albert. “Bring your granddaughter out with us. We can get her treated faster that way.”

Thena picked up a pitcher, an empty tumbler and a plate. She nodded to Alton to lead the way. With her cane, it was difficult to juggle the many items. Tessa stepped forward and relieved her of everything she was holding but the cane.

The wedding guests, who had already had more excitement than they bargained for, were eager to see what would happen next. They streamed out of the banquet hall and past the still smoldering pile of hair.

One of the guards grabbed Nici as she filed past. He dragged her over to the King, with Selma following close behind and protesting the whole way.

“I’ve got her your Highness,” the angry sentry told the King. “She’s the girl that ruined your wedding feast. She jumped from up there.” He indicated the upper levels of the castle. “And right before she crashed onto the floor, all of this hair made some sort of mattress. It softened her landing. Then the chandelier came crashing down and…”

“Yes, yes,” Sevvy said. “No time for that. Just release the child,” he commanded.

“Sire, are you sure?”

“Well of course I’m sure. I’m the King. I’m always sure of what I say. And this little girl just saved my life and everyone else’s.”

The guard immediately released Nici.

“Now go arrest those two imposters dressed as Napoma representatives. You should find them in the kitchen.”

The man nodded and bowed to the King. He wasn’t sure what had taken place. But the wedding party was obviously unharmed. And he had been given a direct order by King Sevvy himself.

On their way out to the field, Selma whistled for Sideburn to come see Nici. The dog was staying in the stables with the horses while the Gencarellis were lodging at the castle. He bounded out of one of the stalls and knocked Nici to the ground with his exuberant greeting. He licked her face and wagged his tail wildly. Nici laughed at his antics.

Then she and her mother remembered the serious situation going on and ran to catch up with the rest off the group. Sideburn ran along beside them, happy to have another member of his family back in the fold.

Thena’s crippled hip kept her from moving as quickly as the child who was leading the way. McGruff ordered two of his stronger guards to pick her up and carry her out to the mustard field.

Once the procession arrived, Thena knelt down and pulled up some of the neon yellow plants. She placed them on the plate and crushed the delicate mustard flowers and seeds with the water goblet.

Albert sat the ailing Sa’ahndra close to where the older woman was working. Brylie, who was on the verge of fainting, was helped out to the area by some of the other guests.

Most of the wedding party was now outside, curious to know what would happen. It was very loud as the guests talked excitedly about what was going on. They were especially eager to see if this mysterious cure for the poison would work, since they had almost required it themselves.

Thena held up the pitcher. “Will someone wash this out and fill it with water?” She had to shout above the din of the crowd.

After Pia translated to her group, Tessa grabbed the container and ran to the middle of the field. She remembered seeing a well there when they were looking for the tunnel. The other children accompanied her.

A rope dangled down in the well. Tessa and Reese tried to reel it up, hoping that a pail of water would be at the other end.

Tessa gave the crank a few turns, but nothing happened. Reese tried, then Carmello. Soon, all nine of the Cronald children were pulling on the rope itself, hoping to raise whatever was at the end.

Nici saw them struggling, and came over to help. Sideburn ran by her side, not wanting to lose sight of her again.

The old rope, which was already frayed, couldn’t take the pressure. After so much exertion, it finally snapped in two.

Nici leaned over the side and tried to grab the sheared end before it disappeared. But the rope dropped all the way to the bottom. She lifted her hand off the stone wall that surrounded the well. A sticky, reddish-brown residue coated her hands.

While she was looking at her palm, the children raced to the river. Once Nici realized they were gone, she rushed after them.

By the time she arrived, the group had formed a human chain that stretched from the shore into the river. Carmello, Mirabella and Donatella were all the way out into the water and being pushed around by the current. Donatella scooped the pitcher into the rushing torrent right as a particularly strong wave washed over. She and her sister were pulled from Carmello’s grasp. They waved their arms in panic as they were carried downstream toward the waterfall.

Nici ran down to the shore, talking to her locks the whole time. “Hair, please find something to anchor me to this shore, then reach out and save the twins,” she asked while curling a few strands on her finger.

Half of her tresses raced out toward three trees on the bank and wrapped around their trunks. There was no way Nici was going to be pulled into the rushing water herself.

The crowd looked on in horror as the two little girls hurtled over the edge of the waterfall. The guests had all seen how far down it was to the ocean below during their tour of the castle grounds. The children would never survive a drop that far.

In a flash, the other half of Nici’s locks sailed out halfway across the river. It dove over the edge.

The crowd held its collective breath.

Seconds later two long braids returned to the top of the falls. Each braid held one of the twins safely within its embrace. The locks were curled around the twins’ waists.

A cheer went up from the wedding guests as the braids gently deposited the girls on the safety of the shore.

Everyone was in awe. They couldn’t believe the power of Nici’s amazing hair. But rather than fear it like so many others had before, these people voiced their admiration for her astounding tresses.

Nici stood on the shore, beaming with pride. Then she remembered why they were even at the water’s edge. “Sa’ahndra,” she said out loud. “We have to get some water for Sa’ahndra.” She was relieved to see that Donatella had been able to fill the pitcher with water, despite nearly drowning.

The children raced back up to where Thena now had a plate full of bright yellow powder. She poured this into the tumbler, which she had been using as her grinding tool. The wise woman filled the glass half full over the inch of ground mustard. A few quick swirls of the tumbler mixed its contents.

Thena handed the tumbler to Sa’ahndra. “Drink the whole thing as quickly as you can,” she ordered.

In between her herky-jerky movements, Sa’ahndra managed to take a small sip. She made an awful face at the nasty taste of it.

“Child, if you want to live, drink this down as quickly as you can,” Thena told her.

Sa’ahndra glanced at her mother and looked like she was going to cry.

Brylie was beside herself. “Sa’ahndra, for once just do what you’re told,” Brylie said angrily.

Sa’ahndra cowered at the unfamiliar tone in her mother’s voice. She immediately drank down the entire contents. After it was empty, she stuck out her tongue and made a gagging motion.

Thena patted her on the back. “I know that tasted terrible, but you’ll thank me for it later.” She turned to the crowd who had been watching her every move. “You all might want to give the girl a wide berth,” she told them as she hobbled off herself. “What’s about to happen isn’t going to be so pretty.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth, then Sa’ahndra’s face went completely white. Her eyes grew wide with panic. She bent forward at the waist three times, and closed her eyes. A violent stream of vibrantly colored liquid spewed from her mouth. She rolled back and forth on the ground, vomiting over and over again. She was helpless to do anything but retch and roll on the ground in agony.

As soon as Sa’ahndra started to get sick, Nici backed away. She found her mother waiting toward the rear of the crowd.

Selma leaned down and whispered in her daughter’s ear. “I no am being too manys sad watching Sa’ahndra being all sick,” she said.

They both had a good laugh.

“She no is being sneaking the wine again, maybe,” Selma went on. She was clearly enjoying the girl’s discomfort. After the terrible way Sa’ahndra had treated Nici, Selma was pleased to see the neighbor child have to endure a little public humiliation herself.

Nici went to cover her mouth with her hand so no one would think she was laughing at the girl getting sick. When she lifted her palm, her mother saw the sticky red stain.

“Where you are getting this bleeding?” Selma asked.

“I’m not bleeding,” Nici told her. “It’s from over on top of the well.” She looked over in that direction and saw that Sideburn was up on his hind legs. He sniffed all around the top of the stones that surrounded the deep hole.

The two of them walked toward the dog.

The wedding guests were no longer interested in watching Sa’ahndra get sick. They were much more fascinated with what Nici would do next. They followed her to the well, chattering excitedly. Their loud conversations drowned out every other sound.

Selma examined the blood stains on the top of the well wall that Sideburn was so interested in. A dark brown hair was stuck in one of the drops. Nici picked it up and examined it. Mother and daughter looked into each other’s eyes. Recognition passed between them.

“You no are thinking…” Selma started.

Sideburn barked over and over.

Nici wrapped a few of her curls around her right index finger. “Hair, please go down in this well and get Dad if he’s down there.”

Her locks stretched out to their full twenty-foot length, but came up empty.

“No is being enough manys long,” Selma observed.

The crowd of guests surged forward. “What’s going on?” they wanted to know. “What are you doing now?”

“Dad, are you down there?” Nici called.

If he answered, it was impossible to hear over the crowd.

“Quiet everyone, please,” Nici requested.

The guests grew silent. The people closest to the well leaned in to hear better.

A woman who had gathered up a bunch of mustard flowers got bumped from behind. She dropped her bouquet into the well where it quickly fell from sight.

Moments later, a faint sound came from below.

“What that is being?” Selma asked.

Another noise came from deep down in the well. Then another. And another.

“Sounds like someone’s sneezing,” one of the onlookers remarked.

“There’s definitely someone down there,” another added.

“Can you save them?” a third person asked.

Nici pulled the chisel from her pocket. “Okay hair,” she said. “You know the routine. First, please braid a rope.”

The locks split into three sections and instantly wove in and out of each other in a magical dance that ended in a braid. Nici sliced off the rope and waited a few seconds while her hair grew back to its full length. The crowd clapped at her feat.

Knowing that the well was deeper than her hair was long, she requested that it form a longer line. At her touch, the strands on her head intertwined with the end of the completed braid so that she now had a forty-foot rope. Again the crowd clapped when she snipped this section and her golden mane regrew.

“Now please use this rope to rescue whoever is stuck down in the well,” Nici asked, while twisting a few stray strands. The braid dropped down into the deep, dark hole.

The crowd held its breath in anticipation, wondering what would emerge from below. The people in the front who had a good view gave the people in back a moment-by-moment account of the action.

“The hair is dangling down in the well,” they said. This got relayed over and over until it made it to the very back of the group.

“Okay, it seems to have stopped going down.” There was a short delay.

“Now the hair is coming back up,” the onlookers continued. “It seems to be pulling something. It keeps pulling and pulling. It definitely has hold of something. Wait a minute, we’re getting to the end here. Here comes the top of something. It’s a man. There was a man down in the well. The little girl has just saved a man from the well!”

A great cheer went up from the throng. “Hooray for the girl with the magic hair!” they shouted.

Nici and Selma didn’t even hear what the crowd was saying. They were too busy removing the gag from Gino’s mouth and cutting him free from the ropes that bound his hands and feet.

Gino untied the hair rope from around his waist while Nici cut herself free from the other end. The people around them pushed forward, eager to grab a golden strand from the magic braid.

As the crowd fought over these souvenirs, the Gencarellis slipped away. They said nothing, but hugged each other tightly. Tears of joy spilled down their cheeks. Sideburn wove his way among the three of them, banging his wagging tail against their legs.

In the coming weeks and months, there would be plenty of time to reflect on what had happened to them. There was the loss of their house that they would all have to mourn. Selma would have to overcome her anger at Gino for not telling her about the threat from the knights. Gino would need to earn his wife’s trust again and begin to forgive himself for everything he had put his loved ones through.

And Nici would have to learn to come to terms with both the blessings and curses that her extraordinary hair created.

But right now, for this one moment, all they wanted to do was enjoy being together again as a family.

THE END

The Christmas Tree Mouse

The Queen's Mosquitoes

The Magic Hair

The Christmas Tree Mouse

The Queen's Mosquitoes

The Magic Hair

TripleFunBooks

The Magic Hair

The Christmas Tree Mouse

​

The Queen's Mosquitoes

​

The Magic Hair

The Christmas Tree Mouse

​

The Queen's Mosquitoes

​

The Magic Hair

TripleFunBooks

The Magic Hair