Princess Wars Page 3

  Bedonna clenched her teeth. "I will find her."

  I saw something in Bedonna's eyes right then that I had never noticed before, namely fear. She didn't fear me, no chance of that, but she did fear not being able to find me, not being able to kill me. She feared that if her campaign against Sorea went bad, and I was still alive, her supporters would turn against her, remove her from power, and place me on the throne.

  Salisha saw it too, because she smiled. "Mouse has always been a step ahead of you. Personally, I think she has powers that you don't know about. Perhaps she is a reader and knows your mind. Or perhaps she is a seer and sees what you are going to do before you do it. If either is true, then you will never catch her."

  An angry Bedonna grabbed her sword with both hands and went on the offensive, once again forcing Salisha to retreat. Beads of sweat appeared on Salisha's forehead. She was growing tired, and with each blow, it became harder for her to wield the heavy broadsword.

  Bedonna made a two handed swing that knocked Salisha's sword out of her hands. The blade flew across the room and clattered to the floor at the feet of Salisha's suitors. The three men looked at the blade, but with three swords already pointed at them, made no move to pick it up.

  Bedonna backed a defenseless Salisha against the wall, then did something I can only describe as cruel. She used the tip of her sword to make a deep gash across each of Salisha's cheeks. To her credit, Salisha didn't cry or scream.

  "So much for your great beauty."

  Before Salisha could respond, or even wipe off the blood running down her cheeks, Bedonna stepped back.

  I realized that she was preparing to plunge her sword into Salisha's heart and shouted, "No!"

  Even as she drove her sword into Salisha, Bedonna looked in my direction, almost as if she had heard me. Bedonna withdrew her sword and Salisha's body crumpled to the floor. Bedonna ran her index finger across her blade, collecting some of Salisha's blood.

  "Looks like everybody else's blood." She paused to sniff the blood on her finger. "Smells like everybody else's blood."

  Bedonna turned back to Salisha, bent over her, and used her sword to cut off Salisha's hair. She sheathed her sword and hung the blond braid from her scabbard belt like a trophy.

  "Now, you're no better looking than me." She turned to her guards. "Dump that carcass in the Cemetery of Would Be Queens."

  Bedonna then did something unexpected, she looked right at me. "I know you're watching, Mouse. I want you to know that I'm going to find you and do to you what I just did to her."

  The vision faded and I found myself kneeling on the bank of Cross Creek. I could feel tears running down my cheeks and a hand on my shoulder.

  "Are you all right, Your Highness?" Vomeir crouched beside me, so he could look me in the eyes.

  "Salisha is dead," I said, unable to stop the tears. "Bedonna found her hiding in the home of one of her suitors. They fought and Bedonna won. I'm sorry, Captain. I know how much you cared for her."

  Vomeir yanked his hand off my shoulder and stepped back, stumbling into the middle of the creek like I had just slapped him. "How can you possibly know that Salisha is dead?"

  How did I explain what I knew other than to come right out and say it?

  "I'm a seer, Captain, and I just saw Salisha die. If you'd like, I can describe the room in which she died. It was a second story sitting room with heavy oak furniture covered with blue silk cushions. The same color blue as the dress Salisha was wearing. The same color blue as her eyes. Or I can give you a blow by blow account of her battle with Bedonna. I can tell you how Salisha had to borrow a guard's sword, and how it was too big for her to wield, and how after ten minutes of fighting, it became too heavy for her to lift. Or I can tell you that just before Bedonna killed her, she scarred Salisha's face, cutting both of her cheeks. Or I can tell you that after Bedonna killed her, she cut off Salisha's braid and hung it on her belt like a trophy."

  I don't know if it was the tears on my cheeks, or the fact that I warned him about the guards on the bridge. Whatever the reason, Vomeir chose to believe me.

  "It seems you've been keeping secrets, Your Highness." Vomeir tried to hide the sadness in his eyes, but I recognized it anyway. He never stopped loving Salisha, even after she accused him of being one of Bedonna's spies.

  "Queen's prerogative," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. I pulled myself to my feet. "The good news is Bedonna thinks I've taken refuge in the city."

  "Sounds like this would be a good time to press on," Sardis said. "I'd rather not engage in a battle with that sister of yours until there are a few more of us."

  "Agreed," Vomeir said. He pulled some apples out of a sack tied to his saddle and tossed a couple to each of us. "This will have to serve as breakfast."

  We finished watering the horses, gave each of them an apple, then headed west on foot. Again, Sardis took the lead, with Miletus and Derbe bringing up the rear. Zore remained behind me. Vomeir walked beside me.

  "How long have you been a seer, Your Highness?"

  "About ten years."

  "Your mother and sisters never mentioned this gift."

  "That's because I never told them about it. The last thing I needed was to give Bedonna another reason to kill me."

  "Do you have any control over these visions?"

  I shook my head. "They come when they come. Until today, my visions were never about others."

  "What were they about?"

  "They were always about me, warning me of dangers that lay ahead."

  "Like the guards Bedonna stationed on the bridge?"

  "Exactly."

  "It seems I chose wisely."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "Visions come from the gods." Vomeir forced a smile, but I could still see the grief in his eyes. "I would not want to go up against someone with such powerful allies."

  "I know it's small comfort," I said. "But Salisha died valiantly. She fought hard and she did not beg for her life."

  "If I had been there. . . ."

  "You would have died with her."

  "Perhaps. But I could have taken some of them with me."

  "You may still get that chance, Captain. Once Bedonna finds Iderra, she'll begin her hunt for us. Sooner or later, she'll figure out where we're going."

  "Then we must keep moving. Sleep on horseback. Walk when the horses need rest. Think you can handle it, Princess?"

  "It's better than engaging in a sword fight with Bedonna."

  "Did you see anything in your vision that we can use to our advantage?"

  "Salisha told the guards in the room about Bedonna's plan to invade Sorea. They seemed surprised."

  "Once this news spreads, Bedonna's support among the palace guard may weaken."

  "It's certain to weaken her support among the army," I said.

  Vomeir nodded in agreement. "Let us hope the rumor spreads far and fast."

  Vomeir drifted ahead to talk to Sardis, although I suspect that he was thinking about Salisha. Her dream of becoming queen would never come true. His dream of becoming the queen's consort would never come true. Perhaps I should amend that. His dream of becoming Salisha's consort would never come true. There was still a chance--albeit a small one--that I might become queen. If that came to pass, I would have to take a consort. I could do a lot worse than Vomeir. He was tall, dark, muscular, and handsome. He had a square jaw, a closely trimmed beard, and intelligent brown eyes. Whether he would want to be my consort was a different matter.

  "You seem lost in thought," Vomeir said. He had sent Sardis ahead, then dropped back alongside of me. "Thinking about your sister?"

  I could feel my cheeks flush. I started out thinking about my sister, but had let my juvenile mind take a decidedly different turn. Dreaming about men and consorts had always been a weakness of mine, one I inherited from my randy mother. "Actually, I was thinking about you."

  "I'm fine, Your Highness." Vomeir smiled, although it still seemed a bit forced to me. "After all, m
y queen is still alive."

  "Yes, but your dream of becoming Salisha's consort is dead."

  "That dream died a few weeks ago. I'm over her. Really."

  I didn't believe him, but I didn't say anything, didn't have a chance to say anything because Sardis came galloping up to us.

  "Small problem up ahead," he said. "A woodsman is heading this way with a cart full of firewood."

  "Probably headed into the city to sell the wood," Vomeir said.

  Sardis nodded. "Bedonna's men will question him when he reaches the bridge at Cross Creek. When they do, he'll tell them that he saw us."

  Vomeir drew his sword. "So we kill him."

  "No," I said. "I don't want any unnecessary killing."

  "What would you have us do with him?"

  "We'll take him with us. He knows these woods and mountains better than any of us."

  "Makes sense," Miletus said. He, Derbe, and Zore had joined us, wondering what all the commotion was about.

  "Looks like we're about to get ourselves a royal woodsman." Vomeir sheathed his sword. "Let's mount up and tell him about his new job."

  We mounted our horses and headed off to confront the woodsman. I thought about my mother's final words to me. "Save your sisters."

  She hadn't even been dead a day and I had already failed her.

  Chapter 3

  We surrounded the woodsman and demanded that he take an oath to serve me. The woodsman took the oath, but when we informed him that he would have to come with us, he balked. Turned out he had a wife and a sixteen year old daughter living in a cabin just off the road.

  Like the woodsman, the wife was short and stocky, with gray hair and a weathered face. Their daughter was slim with long blond hair. She wasn't as beautiful as Salisha, having fewer curves and a wider nose, but she was pleasant enough to attract the attention of Zore.

  Vomeir made the woodsman's wife and daughter take an oath to serve me, then had them unload the firewood from the cart and reload it with food, blankets, and anything else we might need. He appointed the woodsman to be our guide, his wife to be our cook, and his daughter to be my handmaiden. With that done, we continued our journey west.

  "Is it wise to bring these people with us?" Sardis asked Vomeir. "The more our party grows, the slower it will move."

  "Wiser than leaving them behind," Vomeir said. "Besides, the princess wouldn't let me kill the woodsman."

  "Few would support a queen that kills the innocent," I said. "Fear her, yes. Support her, no."

  We rode in silence for the rest of the morning, following the narrow road through the forest. Around midday, we left the forest and found ourselves overlooking a small mountain valley. The valley separated the forest covered hills that lay behind us from the rugged snowcapped peaks that lay ahead of us.

  In the middle of the valley lay a village of maybe five hundred people. Like all of the cities and villages in Adah it was walled. The wall surrounding the village was made out of logs. Four soldiers manned the top of the wall, two watching the road that headed east, two watching the road that headed west.

  "This isn't good," Vomeir said.

  "You didn't know there was a village here?"

  "I've never been this far west. I've hunted in the forest a few times, but never much beyond Cross Creek."

  "Until today, I hadn't even gone into the forest." I looked at Vomeir. "How big do you think the garrison is?"

  "For a village this size, a dozen men, maybe less."

  “We could just circle around the village.”

  “We could, but they'd see us. When Bedonna's men pass this way, the men stationed here might tell them about us. They could even send someone to tell her you passed by. Like it or not, you're going to have to talk to them, convince them to support you for queen.” Vomeir untied a bundle from the back of his saddle and tossed it to me. "You need to change, Your Highness."

  I looked at what he tossed me, wrapped inside a wool blanket was a red velvet dress. "A dress? Vomeir, you can't be serious?"

  "You have to make an impression on these people. Bedonna's already got the warrior look nailed down, so we must try for something else."

  "Like stupid? Because that's what they'll think when they see me riding through the mountains in an expensive gown like this."

  "If we can make them like you enough, they'll be more inclined to support you and less inclined to help Bedonna's men when they come this way. And they will come this way." Vomeir could tell I thought this was a dumb idea, so he continued. "If you want to defeat Bedonna, you must make the people love you, you must make them want you to be queen. Unless of course, you don't want to be the queen. If that's the case, there's no reason for any of us to be following you."

  In truth, I didn't care whether I became the queen or not. I just wanted to survive. But I knew from history that princesses that just wanted to survive never did. They were always hunted down and killed. Like it or not, the only way for me to survive was to claim my mother's throne. "You think my wearing a dress will make these soldiers believe that I'm the best choice for queen?"

  "No, but looking like a queen will make it easier for them to believe that you're the best choice. Plus, it will give you a chance to practice what you want to say to General Dacus and the Army of the West. If we reach the Western Palace, you'll need to convince them to support you.”

  I collected Prentice, my recently acquired handmaiden, and doubled back into the forest to change. Once in the trees, I looked at what Vomeir gave me. In addition to a red velvet gown, there was a pair red silk stockings and a pair of red silk briefs.

  I grabbed the stockings and briefs and marched out of the trees, holding the garments in front of me. "Vomeir, there is no way I'm putting this stuff on. Not out here."

  Sardis, Miletus, and Derbe looked at me and grinned. I realized what I was holding up and quickly lowered the garments. At the same time, Vomeir dismounted and strode over to me.

  "If you dress like a queen," he said. "You'll feel like one."

  "This stuff is impractical." I preferred my cotton chemise and drawers, not to mention my warm wool socks.

  Vomeir grinned and remounted his horse. "Nobody said being queen was easy."

  I didn't expect the dress to fit me, figuring Vomeir had snatched it from Salisha's closet, but it fit perfectly. I knew the dress didn't come from my closet, which could only mean one thing. He had the dress made specifically for me. That meant he had been thinking about this, planning this, for some time.

  The red velvet dress had an ankle length flared skirt, long sleeves, a scoop neckline, and a built-in corset that laced up the back. Gold lace circled the hem of the skirt as well as the neckline and the sleeve cuffs. The neckline was cut too low to wear my cotton chemise underneath, so I slipped into the undergarments that went with the dress. I felt naked in them, wearing only the skimpy silk briefs and a pair of stockings held up by frilly gold garters. By the time Prentice finished lacing the dress up, I was showing as much cleavage as Salisha usually did.

  "Hard to breath in this thing," I muttered. I wasn't used to corsets. I didn't like them, I didn't need them, so I didn't wear them.

  "It fits perfectly, Your Highness."

  Prentice seemed delighted with her new job, but what sixteen year old wouldn't be excited, going from woodsman's daughter to princess's handmaiden. I wondered if she would be that excited if she knew about Bedonna. Probably not.

  Not that I thought she was in danger. Bedonna would kill me and anyone that stood in her way, like Vomeir, Sardis, Miletus, and Derbe. Zore, Prentice and her parents were safe as long as they didn't get caught in the crossfire.

  In addition to the dress and undergarments, there was a pair of red silk slippers, and a red velvet cloak. The cloak had gold lace around the hem and the hood.

  I didn't have a mirror, but the red probably provided a nice contrast to my black hair and green eyes. I had a small turned up nose, high cheekbones, small ears, and a sharp chin. I wasn't beautiful
like Salisha, but I wasn't homely like Bedonna. I had Prentice undo my braid, which reached just past my shoulders. For most of my life, I wore my hair short, not as short as Bedonna's stubble, but almost as short.

  About a year ago, mother called my sisters and I into the throne room. There was no one there other than the five of us and her personal guards. One by one, she told each of us what we needed to do to become queen.

  She started with Bedonna, lecturing her for a full hour on the need to temper strength with compassion. Salisha's and Iderra's lectures lasted nearly as long. She lectured Salisha on how inner beauty was just as important as one's outward appearance. She told Iderra that intelligence is wasted if a queen can't touch the hearts of her people.

  When it was my turn, all she said was, "Lila, it's time to stop cutting your hair like a boy." I was mad at her for giving me so little of her time, for thinking I was so insignificant that nothing else needed to be said. Even so, I did as she said and let my hair grow.

  Once I had the entire getup on, I looked at Prentice. "So?"

  "You look lovely, Your Highness."

  She had a big goofy grin on her face, but what did that mean? She was used to coarse wool skirts dyed in blueberry juice. I needed more objective opinions. Like the looks on the faces of the men when they saw me.

  I strapped my sword back on--having to tighten the belt another notch because the corset had made my waist ridiculously small--then marched out of the trees. Vomeir and Sardis smiled when they saw me. Miletus's eyes widened. Derbe's and Zore's jaws dropped.

  Okay, so maybe Prentice wasn't lying when she said I looked lovely. I wished I had brought some makeup with me, a little charcoal for the eyes, some rouge for the lips and cheeks. I just never thought I'd need makeup when I was running for my life. Salisha probably brought makeup with her and look where it got her.

  "Much better," Vomeir said. "You almost look like a queen."

  "Almost?" I was still angry over having to wear this getup, although the looks on the men's faces did mollify me somewhat.