Wanderlove (32 page)

As the guard led me to the great hall, I asked him if he knew which queen I was being summoned to.

“Bonjara,” was his short answer.

I wrinkled my nose in distaste. The Bonjaras were my least favorite of the Royal families. However, that particular family happened to be the most powerful of the Royals. Their lineage traced back to ancient India. The family had formed a band of travelers during those times, long before the first gypsies were ever heard of. But I never liked the Bonjaras-not any of them. I felt like they were a pack of power-hungry wolves. They were known for being very wise, but they were also far too serious most of the time. Rarely would you ever catch a Bonjara smiling.

So it was unfortunate for me that the only queen in residence happened to be from this particular family. And she was just as I expected: a serious, no-nonsense sort of woman who never smiled and basically lacked all enthusiasm for life. Her hair was long and as black as a raven’s feathers, with an almost bluish quality to it. Her eyes were like little black coals, with a heavy liner of kohl drawn on her lids. The only thing that saved her from looking exactly like Morticia from the Adam’s Family was her olive complexion.

“My name is Esmeralda,” she informed me as soon as I took a seat on the overstuffed pillow across from her.

“I am well aware of who you are, your highness.”

The queen nodded. I am sure she expected her name to be well-known throughout the gypsy tribes.

“I heard about your recent encounter with the rogue gypsies. Your face looks quite devastating. I am sorry you endured this.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Have you found your room accommodating?” she asked politely.

“It’s nice.”

“That’s good to hear. Especially since you’ll be living with us now.”

I flinched. “So um…yeah. I kinda wanted to talk to you about that. Exactly how long do you need me to stay? I was never given a specific timeframe.”

Startled by my question, she answered matter-of-factly, “Why indefinitely, of course.”

My lips parted as the confusion settled in. “Excuse me?” I asked. I was taken aback by her absolute answer, which she had imparted without even a speck of hesitation.

“You will live here from now on. Or at least until you remember where the oracle is. Unless we are assured the oracle is in safe hands, you will be considered a threat to not only gypsies, but mankind, itself. You haven’t yet remembered where it is, correct?”

“No, I haven’t remembered,” I answered tightly.

“Then you will stay here with us until you do.”

I was suddenly very, very annoyed by this woman. I was bothered not only by the fact that she was telling me that my entire life would be spent in this castle under lock and key, but I was even more irritated by the fact that she told me without an ounce of emotion. I felt like I was in the middle of a business transaction.

“Okay, I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” I told her as nicely as I could. “I only agreed to come here. Not to stay here forever.”

“I apologize for any misunderstanding, Lola Moori. However, I provided you with substantial clarification. You will live amongst the Royals permanently. Many would consider that a very good life. You have been blessed.”

Okay, now I was angry. And I was done with holding it back.

“You really think so?” I asked sarcastically. “Because most gypsies I know would rather rot in hell than stay in one place for the rest of their lives. Did you think I would be as happy as a clam about this? Are you even a true
Rom
?”

That last part I knew was hitting below the belt for any gypsy, and especially a Royal. She didn’t give as much of a reaction as I would have liked, but I noticed that she sucked in her breath. It was something, anyway.

“There may be opportunities for you to venture out of Redwood Forest, Lola. I can certainly look into that for you. We would have to ensure your safety comes first, of course. And most likely, extra security would be needed. It will undoubtedly take tremendous planning in order for any travel to be possible for you.”

“Thanks for the offer,” I told her. “But I have a life. And as much as I love Redwood Forest, it’s not here.”

I stood up, prepared to make my grand, theatrical exit. But the queen cut me off by saying, “This matter is not being left up for your decision, Lola Moori. Unfortunately, the memories hidden in your mind hold a higher importance than your well-being. You affect the lives of many just by what you remember.”

“And what gives you the right to claim my memories, your highness? Just because you’re a damned Royal doesn’t mean you can play God.”

“That is true,” the queen allowed, narrowing her eyes. “But I am privileged with an engrained right to protect my people. And I will protect them from any threat…including you.”

Her chin raised a little, almost haughtily. I decided I hated her right then and there.

I stomped away, furious at the queen for winning this battle. Furious that she didn’t get upset when I’d blatantly disrespected her. And furious at myself for having no control over the entire situation.

When I heard the click of footsteps behind me, I turned to view two guards following me in my wake. I let out a frustrated groan when I saw them. This was karma. I couldn’t help but think so. This had to be my punishment for putting my father in prison. Because now I was in prison, too.

After one full day and one full night of living in the palace, I was okay. I went for a walk. I gathered a few flowers and herbs from the nearby field. I watched a snake charmer perform his act within the camp. And all of this was done with two guards at my heels.

The next day wasn’t so bad, either. I asked the servants to fetch me a television in the morning. Later that afternoon, it was delivered and set up in my room. I spent the day practicing my Romanian by flipping through the channels. Thankfully, the receiver picked up MTV and a few British channels, so I watched those for a while.

On the third day, I asked for a DVD player and a collection of American movies. Someone came by not too long after with my DVD player, but the only American movies they could find were
Titanic
and
The Dark Knight.
I watched them both.

On the fourth day, I asked for a laptop with Internet connection so that I could order more movies. However, I was told it would take at least a week for this to be acquired.

The next day, I went into the camp again. I watched a few more performances and bought a wooden box from a wood carver. He had carved a boat onto the surface. It reminded me of Gabe’s crappy boat and of my former freedom. I used it to hold my bracelets.

The next few days passed in the same lazy manner.

By the end of the week, I was ready to bang my head against the wall.

It didn’t help that the Royals would have nothing to do with me. They didn’t associate themselves on an intimate basis with other gypsies. A few of the younger princes winked at me in passing, but I knew what they wanted and it certainly wasn’t the kind of friendship I was interested in giving them. However, if I admitted it to myself, I probably would mess around with a few of them if I weren’t still so hung up on Gabe. I’d gladly give my virginity over just from sheer boredom. The thought appalled me a little.

Since the Royals didn’t want anything to do with me, I tried to befriend the guards and servants. That didn’t work out so well, either. Most were here on a temporary basis, the crews shifting in and out frequently. They were only here to make a few bucks and leave as quickly as possible. It was the same for the rest of the camp, too; however, most of the tribes that came to Redwood Forest treated it as a family gathering of sorts. They visited for a while and after about a week, they packed up and split.

The entire forest was a very fleeting type of place. Almost like an airport. Excitement came with the new arrivals. And it was exciting while it lasted, but nothing lasted long enough for true reflection.

By the second week with the Royals, I was ready to slit my wrists and call it a life.

Thankfully, someone came knocking at my door to rescue me from my boredom. I was in the middle of reading a novel, lazily sprawled across my bedroll. I jumped up as soon as I heard the knock and rushed to throw my door open. The guard who stood in the entryway announced, “You have a visitor.”

I raised my brows, surprised by the news. “Really? A visitor?”

The guard simply nodded and said, “Follow me to the parlor.”

As we walked along the corridor, I wondered who the visitor would be. I hadn’t really had the chance to say goodbye to Miriam-not that I was given all that much of a chance. As soon as I had agreed to go with Tiberius, he’d readied his plane within the hour. But I knew she knew I was okay. I’d called her a hundred times since then. I even lied and told her how happy I was to be living in Redwood Forest. I didn’t want her to worry. She seemed to buy it, so I highly doubted she would come all this way just to check on me.

And then there was Gabe…he was always lingering in the back of my mind. But it was really hard to believe Gabe would ever come for me. I’d made it perfectly clear I wanted nothing more to do with him when we’d last parted…I often wondered if he believed me. Of course, I
wanted
him to believe me, I reminded myself. But there was a small part of me (a very selfish part of me) hoping he didn’t fall for my charade. I knew it was wrong, but I so desperately wished I could see him again. I just wanted to stare into his beautiful gray eyes and tell him I didn’t mean any of it. I wanted to tell him that my heart was his to keep until the end of time.

But I didn’t foresee that happening any time soon. It was probably for the best, anyway.

So at this point I had no idea who my visitor would be. I walked into one of the castle’s many parlors, extremely curious.

My jaw nearly dropped when I laid my eyes on him.

He stood there by the sofa; his back was to me because he was staring out the window in contemplation. I easily recognized his dark brown hair. It still didn’t possess even the slightest hint of gray. Then again, he was only thirty-six. He and my mother had both been very young when they had me.

“Daddy,” I whispered.

He turned as soon as he heard me speak. “Lola Belle,” he greeted me.

I was too stunned to say anything. I couldn’t believe Christo was actually here, out of prison and looking as healthy as a horse.

“Wow, Lo,” he said. He seemed nearly as surprised as I was. “You look amazing. You went and grew up on me these past few months.”

My eyes watered. I wanted to say something-anything, but my throat was too constricted. I couldn’t get the words out.

“Well, are you going to just stand there? Or are you going to come over here and give me a hug?”

Stammering, I said, “I--I didn’t think we were on a hugging level.”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “Why? Because you gave your old man what he deserved?” He made a waving gesture. “Water under the bridge. Now get over here.”

I nearly ran to him, hugging him tightly. “I’m so sorry,” I apologized.

He whispered into my ear. “It’s okay, Lo. I promise you everything is okay between you and me. You’re my flesh and blood, for crying out loud. How could I possibly stay mad at you?”

I pulled away from him and we both sat down on the nearby pillows. “But you had to be upset in the beginning,” I pointed out, and waited for him to confirm if it was true.

He tilted his head to the side. “Okay. I’ll admit I was mad as hell-- at first. But being locked up gives a man. . .perspective.”

I smiled, feeling a little warmer inside. He reached for a large package behind him, and handed it to me. It was a brown box, tied up with strings.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“It’s a Christmas present. I bought it for you back in the states.”

I let out a small breath, amazed because I hadn’t even realized what day it was.

“Open it later,” he told me. “When you’re back in your room.” He gestured towards the guard by the door and I nodded back in a quiet understanding. There was something inside the box he didn’t want anyone seeing but me.

“I still feel awful,” I stated, quickly trying to change the subject. “Was it terrible being locked up?”

He merely shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly the Ritz-Carlton, but I guess I had it coming to me.”

“Well, you
did
try to turn me into a whore,” I pointed out.

His expression contorted with a look of protest. “I didn’t try to turn you into a whore! Madam Wilda’s offer included a dating scenario-with a potential for earning loads of money.”

“Dad, you just defined the meaning of prostitution.”

He scratched his head thoughtfully. “I don’t know why, but I really thought it was a great idea at the time.”

I raised a brow. “You don’t know why?”

He shrugged. “What? I was convinced I was giving you a good life. Honest to God, Lo, I really believed I was.”

“Oh, I know why you thought it was a good idea. You were only thinking about fattening up your wallet.”

“That’s not true!” he exclaimed. “That’s not the
only
thing I was thinking about.”

I almost laughed. If I hadn’t been so annoyed by the situation, I might have. Instead, I rolled my eyes out of frustration. “Well, I’m glad you held everyone’s interest at heart,” I told him, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

He sighed. His large, brown eyes showed the genuine remorse he felt. “I guess I’m not very good at apologizing.”

“No, you’re definitely not.”

“I’m sorry. I really am.” I could see he meant it. After a moment, he added, “And I guess I should have run it by you first before selling you to Madam Wilda.”

I shook my head, shaking with laughter. No matter how annoyed I was, I couldn’t hold it in this time. “Dad?”

“Yes, Lo?”

“I would have never agreed to that.”

“Well, I know that
now
,” he said, almost indignantly. But he could see by my expression that I wasn’t upset with him anymore. He grinned back at me.