The Caravan Road (40 page)

“Let’s go see the others,” Alec said, slipping out of bed.  “We can find out what the situation has been since we passed out.”

“Wouldn’t you rather stay here a little while longer?” Andi asked, stretching her body across the mattress with a smile.

“What I want to do and what I should do are two different matters,” Alec smiled back.  “We shall discuss such things later.  But right now our friends are downstairs waiting for us, and we may have work to do.”

“Such a party spoiler!” Andi answered, sitting up.  “I told Marva I would bed you before this trip is over, and I’ve almost got you there!”

Alec looked at her in astonishment.  “You’ve planned this for that long?  Good Lord girl, you’re a beauty; couldn’t you have your pick of any boy you meet?   You can do better than an old man like me,” he shook his head as he strolled to the door.  He’d had no idea she had considered him in such a manner; if it was true, the girl was more subtle and devious that he realized.  Even during their shared pairing within his body he’d not sensed any such intentions.

He was flustered and flattered.  Andi had spent much time around him during the trip, he realized.  She’d been the trained guard, the one with the most military experience and bearing, so he had expected to be with her a great deal.  But he’d never thought to consider her action in any light but that of comrades, even af
ter Hope’s single warning of
Andi’s interest in him.

“We’ve not really met that many suitable folks along the way, I hope you’ve noticed,” Andi replied,” but even if we had, you were the one I wanted.  You’re a legend,” she added enthusiastically.

Alec held the door open.  “Let’s go,” he commanded her, put off by her comment.  He did not want to be pursued as a trophy, regardless of the attractiveness of the pursuer.

Andi joined him and they walked down stairs together, where Bauer and Hope and Jasel were waiting for them.  “Is Salem here?”  Alec asked, wondering at her absence.

“She just left; she didn’t feel well, she said, and she didn’t look well,” Bauer explained.

“What day is it?”  Alec asked.  “Do we need to go back to the jewelers and try to complete the sale of the gems?”

“You fought in the street yesterday morning, and have been resting ever since,” Bauer answered.  “After we brought the two of you back here and put you to bed, we took the liberty of taking the stones you had, and went back to the various jewelers to complete the sales.

“We were treated with considerable respect, I must say, once the bodies had been removed from the street,” Bauer continued.  “All the prices were honored, and we have a considerable amount of cash in hand now.  We just need to go purchase the building, as we planned.”

“What is the news in the city? Alec questioned.  “Do we know if the marquis has done anything new?”

“The gossip among the jewelers was that the palace is locked up, with no one going in or coming out,” Hope answered.

“The city knows something is going on in there,” Jasel added.  “People are nervous.”

Alec sat back and contemplated what to do next.

“And how are you?” Hope asked Andi.  She turned to Alec.  “You truly brought her back from the dead!”

“She was at the very limit of my ability,” Alec answered.  “Another minute and I think her spirit would have been beyond my reach.  Your call to me in the palace saved her life.”

“Your voice was powerful, my lord,” Andi responded.  “I think I remember you calling me back, and I knew I had to obey.”

Alec sat in silence for a moment, suddenly remembering and wondering what it was about Andi that had brought John Mark’s face to his attention at the end of the rescue.  The prophet would explain such an appearance in his own time, Alec realized, and decided to let the topic go for the time being, so that he could focus on more immediate issues.  He needed to finish up this mission in Woven to fulfill his promise to Salem and the others, and then he needed to hastily begin his further pursuit of Kriste’s captors.

Everyone was looking at him, he realized, waiting for him to say something.

“I will go to the palace and find out what the situation is, and what it calls for.  I think I should take Salem with me this time, and if the time is right, we can begin the restoration of her family back to the ruling seat,” he said.  “Jasel, will you accompany us, and watch over our horses?” he asked.

“What about me?” Andi interjected.  “Shouldn’t you take me with you?”

“I want you to stay here and rest,” Alec told her.  “Jasel will be fine for us.  Hope,” he turned, “will you go find Lady Salem and ask if she is prepared to return to the palace with me?”

With a slightly raised eyebrow, Bauer nudged Hope to leave the room.

“I’ll go get the horses ready,” Jasel said, rising and hurrying after Hope.

“Alfred has the funds.  I’ll go tell him we need to make arrangements,” Bauer spoke quickly, and left the room as well.

Alec analyzed the hasty departures. 
Bauer, did you leave on purpose?
He asked.

I think you and your patient need a moment or two more to talk
, Bauer commented.

Alec turned to look at Andi, who was looking at him with a petulant expression
, her eyes stormy
.

“Is there something we need to talk about?” he asked.

“Bauer thinks so, doesn’t he?” she asked.

“That’s right,” she continued, seeing the surprised look on his face.  “I’ve known you could speak to him and Hope with your mind for a long time.  Now, I’m starting to hear you.  You asked him if he left on purpose.”

Alec sat back, surprised.  “When I’ve done extraordinary things to save a life, it has often given a part of my powers to the person I healed,” he began.

“Like with Bethany, when the lion killed her?” Andi asked.

Alec felt another shock as he began to realize the unforeseen ramifications of their extraordinary experience.  The Black Crag guard had exceeded his expectations for an exchange of psyches; he had never in his efforts with Imelda or Cassie or Bethany, or later with Caitlen, known someone to manifest energies so quickly after an intimate encounter of shared blood and psyches, or to so readily recall his own memories to him.

“Bethany was one case,” he agreed, and paused.  “Andi, may I examine you?”

“In what way?” the girl asked, her defenses rising as she sensed Alec’s shifting consideration.  “You’re not going to try to take anything away from me, are you?”

“No,” Alec took a deep breath and bit off a stinging retort.  “I want to try to understand how you can hear my messages with Bauer.  I’m not surprised that you can, I’m just surprised that you can so quickly.

“Look, it doesn’t matter right now,” he was exasperated by the reluctance he sensed she felt, the reluctance to let him control the situation as it applied to her.

“Why aren’t you going to take me with you into the city right now?  You want to take a blade along to help provide protection; you know I’m a better blade than Jasel, and you obviously know I’ll fight to the death!  So why aren’t you taking me?” Andi demanded, sensing Alec’s frustration.

“Because we need time apart from one another!” Alec replied loudly.  “Listen to this conversation,” he waved his arms.  “This isn’t the way we would have talked to each other a day ago.”

“That’s because a day ago I didn’t know what it was like to be you!” she screamed.  “I thought you were some higher being, carved out of stone, born as an adult the first day of your life.  I didn’t know you were just a man who has all the feelings and emotions and desires that the rest of us have.  I can treat you like anyone else now.”

In response, feeling betrayed that all the effort he had put into reviving the girl had only led to such an unnecessary confrontation, Alec turned his back to Andi and headed towards the door.  “I’m not going to take you because I need to spend time with Salem.  She’s a woman I respect,” he said, making the most cutting comment he could fabricate on the spot.

Andi gave a howl and leapt at him, tackling him with a hard tackle.  “That was just mean-spirited!” she said, sitting atop him and looking down.

Alec looked up at the girl and grinned.  She was a pretty girl, he saw again, with the flash of emotion bringing her eyes to life.  He wasn’t sure how they had come to such a confrontational pass so suddenly, but he needed to put it to an end.  A sudden gust of air lifted Andi off of him and raised her from the floor, then kept lifting her higher, until her back was pressed against the ceiling of the room.  He stood up casually, waved to her, then headed towards the door.

“You’re just going to walk away?  You cheat when I’m winning the fight, and then you walk away?” her shrill words were in his ears as he left the room and he continued to feel her anger as he walked from the house to the stables.  Salem and Jasel were waiting at the stables when he arrived there.

“Would you like to go into town this morning to check on the state of the palace?” Alec asked Salem.  “I thought that you would be best able to recognize and question people there so that we can understand what’s happening and decide what to do next.”

“If you think that would be best, my lord,” she acceded.

“And you just need to keep an eye on our horses while we’re inside the palace,” he told Jasel, who looked crestfallen at such a minor role.

As they rode into town, there was little conversation.  Once inside the city confines, they returned to the alley where Alec had gone previously to enter the palace, and Alec decided to use the same route to carry Salem up to the roof of the adjoining building.

Alec told Salem that she needed to return to her former appearance so that the people they approached in the palace would know and trust her.  She sat silently in her saddle as he placed his hand upon her and carried out the restoration, taking liberties with her appearance to smooth her skin so that she appeared younger and without stress compared to her looks that Alec had known before.  It would help the members of the palace staff to see someone who appeared relaxed and refreshed in the midst of the trauma he suspected they were suffering during Trayma’s breakdown.

She was stiff in his arms when he carried her to the roof, and Alec knew that seeing he and Andi during their momentary kiss had upset her.  He felt sadness at the distance that now separated them because of that moment; he had admired the woman’s strength of character, as well as her grace and beauty, yet he knew that he was going to leave the city as quickly as possible and should not provoke any relationship to blossom between them.

“We will become invisible, and we will fly to the palace and enter its upper floors,” he told her.  “I would think that we should seek out the officers of the guard, to find if we can count on them as allies to aid your restoration.”

“Shouldn’t we simply fly to their armory at the palace and seek them out there?” Salem asked.  “I can think of two officers who were always prudent leaders my husband approved of.  If they are still in the service, they would be best for us to approach.”

“Tell me where the armory is,” Alec replied.  “I like the idea.”

Moments later they embraced again, as Alec created the cushion of air that lifted them and carried them into the rear of the palace grounds, where a long, large stone building ran the length of one wall of the palace’s inner enclosure.  The invisible couple walked up to an open door and found themselves observing the large, open practice space the guard members used to hone their swordsmanship skills, as a few pairs of men clashed wooden practice blades with one another.

“Let us be visible to them when we walk in,” Salem told Alec.  “We should show these men that we have no fear.”

“As you command. My lady,” Alec responded, concluding that the suggestion was bold, but prudent.  He dropped his Light powers, and adopted his Warrior energies, then fell a step behind Salem as she led the way into the armory.

Salem walked into the armory, then turned left, and began to walk towards an office door.  As they progressed, the room grew quieter, the wooden blades ceasing to clack and whack against each other, the practicing guards turning their attention to the surprising presence in the building.

“My lady,” a voice spoke, stopping her.  She and Alec turned to see the men around them walking slowly towards them.  The small nagging feeling of discomfort that Alec had remotely sensed for some time nagged at him with increasing force, adding to the apprehension he felt about the approaching semi-circle of a dozen men, only one of which appeared to be an officer.

“It gives me joy to see you alive and looking so well, my lady,” the man who Alec thought might be an officer said.  He dropped to a knee, and the other men around him dropped as well, their heads bowed.

It was Andi!  Alec realized that the discomfort he felt was Andi’s discomfort; in some fashion the strange bond between them delivered sympathetic feelings from her to him even at this distance.  He had left her pressed against the ceiling of the room when he had left the country estate, and she remained there even now – with a full bladder, he realized with a grin.

“You think our acknowledgement of the lady is funny?” the officer was rising to his feet, looking at Alec and misunderstanding the cause of his smile.

“No sir,” Alec said quickly.  He closed his eyes and focused on carefully reducing the air current he had left in place, lowering Andi back to the ground.