Empress Aurora Trilogy Quest For the Kingdom Parts I, II, and III Revised With Index (Quest For the Kingdom Set) (38 page)

“Esperanza is
a land that is old in dignity. Our kings have a long line that go back farther
than the memory of their names. Long have we ruled the mountains and desert
places of our realm, our horses taking us wherever we wish to travel. If we
fancy snow from the mountains to make ices to cool us, we take it. If we want
to cross the hot desert to pass through to the cool sea coast, we brave it.
There is nothing we fear, no enemy we dread.

“I lived in
one of the great casamas with my father and mother, my sister and brother. For
many years my family possessed a rancheno, and we produced many fine horses
from our stables that we sold far and wide, even to kings of far away kingdoms.
For our horses were coveted all over the world, and many came to our land seeking
them; they were valued above all other possessions, granting freedom to any who
owned them.

“All was well
with my family: my father was rich, his wealth provided for our every
requirement and comfort. My mother was one of the fairest ladies in the land,
and it was said that my sister and I inherited her beauty. It would not be
difficult for husbands to be found for either of us, for there were many young
men who sought our favor.

“It was my
brother who brought us to ruin.”

Elena
pronounced this statement in a brittle tone of voice, a heavy emphasis on every
word. She paused as she shook her head slowly, as if reluctant to revisit her
memories. Then with a shudder she continued.

“Emilio was a
dashing young man with a quick tongue and a hot temper. An idle word was all
that was needed to rouse his ire. Yet it was not that which brought about his
downfall: it was his love of money.

“Some of the
young men enjoyed a game with dice which they played to pass the time. Then one
day it was proposed that they play for a prize. So they began to place bets on
the roll of the dice. If a man won, he collected money from his fellow players.
If he lost, he must pay the others.

“In the
beginning they were content to play for small amounts. But as time passed, it
seemed that a passion took them, and they played for greater and greater sums.
On no one, it seemed, was the fever higher and hotter than my brother Emilio.
He played recklessly for higher stakes, as one possessed and out of control.

“On occasion
he won and amassed large sums of money from his friends. These successes only spurred
him on to greater daring, and he wagered with increasing abandon, always hoping
to add to his winnings.

“Then one evil
day he met his nemesis. The son of a foreign ruler visited from a distant land.
He also liked to play the dice, but with a cool head and an icy heart. He
decided to make sport of our young men and challenged them to a game.

“The bets were
modest at first, and many won sums from one another. The Prince, however, was
hungry for larger prizes and suddenly announced that he would wager his
father’s estate. There was a gasp from all assembled at the daring of such a
wager. For if one bet a stake, all who played must do so as well. One by one
the young men declined to play rather sheepishly. When the Prince came to
Emilio, however, my brother looked him steadily in the eye and agreed to meet
his wager.

“There was
great excitement as the young men formed a circle around the two players. The Prince
permitted Emilio to make the first roll. He confidently shook the pair of dice and
rolled them. He drew a four and a six, to the relief of his friends. Their
attention riveted on the Prince. Would he have to hand his father’s estate over
to Emilio? For surely he could not hope to better Emilio’s throw!

“The Prince
took the dice in a languid manner, as though the outcome was of little concern
to him. He smiled as casually as a lazy cat at Emilio then rolled the dice. He
was rewarded with a five and a six.

“All gasped
and Emilio paled as he comprehended what he had done. He blinked his eyes, and
staggered to his feet. The Prince rose with him.

“‘I have won,’
he announced. ‘You may give me the key to your father’s estate for my immediate
possession.’ ”

“Emilio attempted
to pass off the wager lightly.

“‘My lord,’ he
laughed weakly, ‘I thought you made the wager in jest. I would not bet my
father’s estate in earnest. Come, we have had our joke; let us shake hands and
be done with it.’ ”

“The Prince
did not move nor did his face change expression.

“‘The key to
your father’s estate, please,’ he repeated. ‘I did
not
jest, and you
will
pay the wager.’ ”

“Emilio stood
as if frozen on the spot. He attempted to speak, then suddenly ran from the
presence of the prince.

“‘After him!’
the Prince shouted. ‘I will not be defrauded! Who is this blackguard who breaks
his word?’ ”

“Emilio’s name
was given to the Prince. But the pursuit was in vain. Emilio fled and was never
seen by any of his friends again. Nor did he risk a return to his home.

“The first
inkling of trouble came when an armed contingent arrived at our estate. The Prince
rode at the head of it, and he announced that the estate was now in his
possession and we must vacate the premises at once.

“My father
demanded to know the meaning of such an outrage. The Prince related that he had
won the estate from his own son Emilio, and we were to surrender it to him. My
mother and sister had joined us by now and added their cries of disbelief.

“My father
refused to surrender the estate and ordered the Prince off his land. The Prince
was at last angered by the defiance and gave one last warning to my father.

“‘
My
land!’ he insisted. ‘For it was your own son who lost the wager and gave it to
me. I command you to leave at once!’ ”

“‘And I order
you
to get off my land,’ my father stated calmly in his most dignified manner.

“The Prince
looked from my father to the head of his Guard.

“‘Kill him,’ ”
he uttered in a voice that dripped with ice.

“And before
anyone could utter a word of protest, a solder ran my father through with a
sword. My mother screamed and threw herself over his body. Then she lunged at
the soldier who killed my father, and he slew her as well.

“My sister and
I clung together and sobbed in dismay, but to our horror they came for us. But
they did not kill us. Oh no, they had a worse fate in store for us.

“The Prince
sauntered over to where we stood and leered at us. He drew us out from the
shelter of our porch, and then in front of his entire Guard he raped us, having
one of us held while he violated the other. My sister begged for mercy, but I
did not beg. I despised the Prince for the dog he was, a man without honor,
without decency.

“My sister was
of a sensitive nature, and the evil of the day was too much for her to bear.
After the Prince had his way with her, she snatched a dagger from his weapons
belt and plunged it into her heart. Even as I looked on in shock, I told myself
that she had taken the life of the wrong person. I would have plunged the
dagger into the Prince’s heart and thereby avenged my parents.

“When it was
over, I alone of my family was left. The Prince left men to occupy our home
while he prepared to go abroad. He took me with him, and forced me to endure
more of his brutality, and my hatred of him grew with the passing of every day.
How I longed for the chance to rid myself of him, and to avenge my family!

“We journeyed
for six months and traveled in lands that I had never dreamed of. I saw
magicians and other strangers who practiced the dark arts. They were employed
by the rulers in whose palaces we stayed. They were honored and considered
prized entertainers, performing nightly at banquets and feasts. In these lands
I also saw women treated like horses whose only value was to breed offspring.
They had no merit that was recognized.

“At last the
day came when the Prince said he must return home. He said his wife was of a
jealous nature so I could not accompany him. My heart sang at the thought of
freedom, but alas, I was not to be granted it.

“We passed through
the land where the Prince lived and ruled. He put me up for auction on the
slave market. I was glad in the knowledge I would soon be free of him, yet
terrified that a worse fate might befall me.

“The day of
the auction came: there were many men looking for slaves, some of them leered
at me and patted my flesh before the bidding began. But there was one man with
a kind face who asked my history. When I related my background, he decided I
would be a valuable household servant. The man was Pascal.

“During the
auction many men bid for me, many of them those who had ogled me. But Pascal
kept bidding higher until at last no one matched his price. I was released from
the Prince and sold to Pascal. That was more than two years ago.

“And that,”
Elena stated in a voice dripping with irony as she tossed her black hair, “is
how I came to be a slave in the house of Pascal.” 

The port lay
before them. The sea had narrowed into the river channel that flowed through
the heart of the city of Potentus, the magnificent capital of the Valeriun
Empire. Stone bridges with carved arches spanned the waters. Sailors from
passing boats called greetings to one another. The larger ships satisfied
themselves with ringing bells as they entered the harbor. Passersby leaned from
the bridges overhead to salute the sailors on their safe returns from their
journeys; for every voyage was fraught with danger from storms or pirates, and
Valerium honored those who fearlessly risked their lives to bring back goods
and merchandise to its citizens.

No glad welcome
awaited the little band of pilgrims, for their mission had been secret. Only
the parents of Felix and Marcus knew of their setting out; none knew of their
return.

For Marcus it
was a strange homecoming. So much had befallen him on his journey that he knew
he was changed. The joy of those greeting returning travelers only served to
deepen the sense of loneliness he carried within him. For those he loved best
in all the world were not here to greet him; his parents imprisoned, and his
own love spurned by Tullia. How did they fare now, he wondered? Were his
parents in good health after their long imprisonment? And Tullia, did she
regret her answer to Marcus? Or had she already pledged herself to Decimus?

They had
entered the harbor, and having docked their small boat at the pier, proceeded
to make their way to the house of Felix. What an odd procession they must have
seemed, thought Marcus, as they walked through the streets of the city: Felix
and himself two tall, patrician Valerians clad in the fashion of the city,
followed by the graceful Kyrene in the modest attire of a tradesman’s daughter,
the exotic former slave girl Elena with her bowed head, one small boy bouncing
in his excitement, and the mighty Dag in his rough homespun clothing towering
over the others as he brought up the rear.

Through the
city they strolled, but took no time to satisfy the curiosity of their foreign
friends by exploring the great city. For Marcus wanted to arrive safely at the
home of Felix before the Empress learned of their return through a chance
encounter with an acquaintance. He must prepare himself to tell her that he had
failed in the task she had set him, the task on which his own life and the
imprisonment of his parents hung in the balance.

They were
warmly greeted by Justus and Silvia, Felix’s father and mother. Justus calmly
greeted his son with the typical detachment of a man of Valerium, as if he had
seen him just the other day. He contented himself with giving his son a warm
handclasp and slapping Felix on the shoulder. Felix returned the handclasp and
the slap as one man to another.

But Silvia, a
petite and pretty matron from whom Felix inherited his auburn curls and rich
brown eyes, forsook the usual Valerian reserve and clasped her son to her bosom
as though he had just returned from the dead. For several minutes she clung to
him and cried over him, until at last Felix, in an agony of embarrassment,
begged her to please let him go. She laughed apologetically and composed
herself.

They then
turned to Marcus, who was quickly caught up in a tender embrace by Silvia, who
patted his cheeks as she took his face in her hands. The gesture reminded
Marcus of his own mother and tears sprang to his eyes, only to be just as quickly
repressed.

Justus noted
his embarrassment and gave him the same handclasp he had given his own son, and
said how good it was to see them both again.

Marcus turned
to their companions and introduced them one by one. The eyes of Justus and
Silvia widened as they took in the young people and their unusual garb, but
Justus bade them welcome and offered them the hospitality of his home.

Kyrene
demurred politely and said they would lodge at an inn, but Justus dismissed the
notion.

“Come, you
shall stay here, as long as you like. For my house is large enough to
accommodate many, and you are friends of my son and strangers in a strange
land.”

The
hospitality was gladly received, for truth to tell, the Trekur Lenders were a
little overwhelmed by the sight of the Imperial capital. True, they had
explored the cultivated Lycenium and the fabulously wealthy Koohyaram, but
there was an impersonal coldness to Potentus that intimidated them.

Silvia bade
them to go to their rooms and rest, which found no cry of protest from the
weary band. Each was given a room of their own in a quiet wing of the palatial
villa.

After Marcus
stowed his bundle containing his belongings in a cupboard, he divested himself
of his travel-stained clothes and dropped into a bed under a roof for the first
time since their departure from Gaudereaux nearly two months before.

How heavenly,
he sighed as he sank into the bedclothes. It was his last conscious thought
before sleep took him.