“She has everything to do with him!” Thaddeus respond
ed emphatically.
“Then we do this for him. We will accept no payment for finding her.”
The dark clad men filtered out of the room, as quietly as they had come in. Thaddeus wasn’t done yet though. He stood up from the desk and headed for his hot house.
He had picked up a passion for exotic tropical flowers during his trips to the Attorgron forests and for many years he had nurtured many of his favorite flowers in a special greenhouse that he had had built just for them. He stormed into the hu
mid interior of the hot house, his cane rapping sharply on the tiled floor.
“Carlan!
Carlan! Where are you man?”
His head gardener appeared from around a large Sataka flower bush. Carlan bore a puzzled expression and was clearly star
tled by his master’s urgency.
“Yes Sir?”
“Oh there you are. You are going to need a large pot. I don’t care what you do with the weeds around it, but you are going to
pot up this one right here, with all possible care!” Thaddeus said indicating a small tropical bush that was cov
ered in huge blue flowers that were pepper streaked with a crimson red radiating out from their centers, with hints of peach along the ruffles of the pedals.
It was commonly referred to as a fire flower and it matched the descrip
tion of Krista’s shoulder tattoo and the scented perfume that she liked to wear.
“If it dies Carlan I will personally feed you to the canni
bals myself on my next expedition to the forests to replace it! Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes Sir!” Carlan said looking clearly shaken by the threat.
“You will personally oversee the flowers transport to my grandson’s room!”
“Yes Sir!”
Thaddeus left the petrified gardener and headed back to
wards his grandson’s room.
The next several days passed uneventfully. Thaddeus prattled on and on about anything he could think to say about what little he knew of Krista. He carried on entire conversations with himself, as he sat by Roric’s bedside that stretched into hours. He even had Zarsha come in and talk about Kris
ta.
During the entire time the exotic flower bush commanded a corner of the room where it could get its share of warm sunlight. It released the heady aroma produced from its spec
tacular flowers into the room’s atmosphere as a reward for the diligent care given to it around the clock by Carlan.
Thaddeus thought he might have seen Roric’s finger move a couple of times and his breathing seemed to be deeper and less thready than it had been, but that was as far as any improvement in
his grandson’s condition went.
Thaddeus fought hard to not grow disheartened as time slid by with the absence of any meaningful response from his grand
son.
The morning of the fifth day since he had sent his agents out, a servant burst through the door of Roric’s room and startled Thaddeus awake in his chair by the bed.
“What is the meaning of bursting in here like this?” Thaddeus blus
tered out tiredly.
“I’m sorry Sir, but I thought you would want to read this immediately!”
The servant held up a tiny piece of paper and Thaddeus recognized it as that of a message sent by the use of a carrier pigeon. He leaped up forgetting his bad leg and grimaced as he snatched the paper away from the servant. He squinted as he read the message scrolled in tiny print on the little paper hurriedly.
“They’ve found her Roric!” Thaddeus said excitedly.
He glanced over and saw twitches of movement occur
ring all over his grandson’s face.
Thaddeus crafted his next words carefully, “They’ve found where Krista is living Roric. She’s set up a small shop in a little town. Here I’ll leave the note on this table beside your bed. You’ll want to read all the details for yourself of course.”
Thaddeus laid the small page on the edge of the table near the bed. “It’s right here on the table beside you Roric. It will tell you where she is so you can go bring her home here to Thunder Ridge.”
The morning unfolded softly and filled the room with the strengthening day’s light. The room grew warm from the sun and the fire flower responded by releasing its heady per
fume into the air.
The hand lying on top of the covers twitched and then moved slightly and after a moment of stillness it lifted and reached out toward the table. The little piece of paper disap
peared in the grasp of the large hand that brought it back to the bed and with help from the other hand pulled it apart in order to read it. One hand rolled the little paper up then and closed over it tightly.
Outside the room Thaddeus couldn’t restrain himself any further and pushed the door open and stepped in.
His gaze met mine and he exhaled in a sigh of relief, “Praise the Lord, in heaven above, your back with us boy! You gave me an awful scare! Please don’t do that again!”
I felt very weird to say the least, “How long has it been since the battle?” I asked, my voice sounding rusty.
“Three weeks.”
Just then the doctor brushed past Thaddeus. I recognized him as the one who had stitched me up once before.
“Well this is certainly better! Well done Thaddeus for whatever you’ve been up to, but now it’s time for you to rest.” The doctor said turning to Thaddeus.
Thaddeus protested strongly, but the doctor held his ground.
“It’s alright grandfather. I’ll be here when you get up. I promise.” I said, as I cut through Thaddeus’s protests.
His eyes met mine and he gave up the fight and left the room grumbling, as he went towards his quarters. I smiled slightly as I listened to his colorful grumbling, as he retreat
ed down the hall outside my room.
The old doctor got my attention once more, “How about some food Roric?”
The word food hit me like a war hammer. My stomach constricted sharply in pain, as my body screamed out its need for nourishment at me loud and clear.
I sat up in the bed stiffly feeling like what it must be like to be an old man.
The old doctor laughed, “Nurse would you bring us some broth please?”
Seeing my expression he laughed again, “I know you could probably eat a whole cow, but it’s best to start out slow.”
I progressed rapidly over the next two days and I felt that I could handle more so I walked to the stables. I entered into the stable barn and walked down the hallway until I came to Flin’s stable.
It was empty!
Panicking my mind jumped to the conclusion that Flin was dead and they hadn’t told me for fear of upsetting me. A snort sounded from the far end of the stable barn and I turned to see a man let go of Flin.
Flin bolted across the barn and barely stopped in time to keep from knocking me over backwards into the stable door. He threw his head over my shoulder and I hugged his neck for a mo
ment.
“I missed you boy. The dream world I’ve been riding in would have been a lot better with you under me.”
I stepped back patting his shoulder. The man who had been walking him had come up to us. It was Rolf.
He looked a little gray and thin in the face just as I probably did. I noticed the empty sleeve pinned to his side. My eyes rose to his and his gaze shifted a little away as if somehow embarrassed. I stepped forward and put my arms around him pulling him close not saying anything. He re
sisted me for a moment and then his remaining arm closed tightly around me and we stayed like that for a while.
I stepped back slightly, “It was pretty crazy wasn’t it?”
He smiled slightly, “Yeah it was and you were a little crazy yourself too.”
“Speak for yourself Rolf. It was
shear insanity you com
ing back through that press to get me.”
He shrugged his shoulder with a wry grin, “Somebody’s got to look out for you.”
“I know and you do a good job of it. I want you to stay here at Thunder Ridge Rolf.”
He nodded and said, “I like the place. It’s a good spot to settle down I think.” Somewhat more reluctantly he divulged, “I’ve been seeing a widow woman. She doesn’t mind about the arm. She lost her husband in the fighting and she’s got a couple of young kids that need a provider. It should work out for us I think. The Creator’s been good to me Roric, ever since that day when you waited for me and helped me to escape from the arena. You see, I was raised up as a kid not very far from here, but I re
belled against my parents. I killed a man over a foolish squabble when I was fifteen and I fled the Valley Lands. I broke my parent’s hearts by what I had done. I heard later that they died shortly after I ran away. They were both older when they had me, but I blame myself for them dying. I thought the Creator had forsaken me until I met you. Thank you for bringing me home Roric.”
I’d always suspected that Rolf’s ancestry was rooted in the Valley Lands. “The Creator is good my friend, even when we don’t deserve it, He blesses us and uses us to accomplish more than we’re capa
ble of, if we just let Him.”
We walked out of the barn to a spot we could see over the valley below and for miles beyond. “Are any of my other friends alive?” I asked not real
ly wanting to hear the answer.
“No.” Rolf said softly and I nodded my head, as I felt the loss of my friends keenly in my heart.
Rolf looked over at me, “Are you content in this place Roric?”
“Not yet, but I hope to be soon.”
“When are you going for her?”
Not much slipped by Rolf, “The end of the week.”
He nodded looking back out at the valley, “I’ll have Flin saddled and ready for you.”
I smiled slightly, “What! You’re not going along to baby sit me?”
“I think you can handle yourself. The question is will you be able to handle her?” Rolf said knowingly and I had to admit that he might have a point.
Krista might take some serious convincing to leave her new life, but I was determined to have her by my side.
I wasn’t exactly my old self yet, but the desire to go and find Krista was too great for me to put off any longer. I’d lost a lot of weight that I hadn’t all gained back yet, but I was well enough to travel.
The castle was still wreathed in early morning fog, as I made my way through it toward the stables where I knew Rolf would have Flin saddled and waiting for me. I saw Rolf standing outside the stable with Flin. Thaddeus was also there.
I noticed that Thaddeus looked concerned and his question reflected it. “Is there nothing I can do to get you to stay and rest a little longer?”
I shook my head no.
He nodded resignedly, “Just like a Ta’lont. Don’t know when to stay down. About this girl, your intentions toward her are honorable are they not?”
“Yes Sir.”
He reached out and took my hand, “Then take this.”
He dropped a ring into the palm of my hand. The ring was a beautiful interweave of gold sinuously wrapped around an array of finely cut diamonds.
“It was your grandmothers. I think she would have liked to have her grandson’s woman wear it in marriage. It will be good seeing it on a hand and being appreciated once again. I only hope and pray that you experience with your lady love what I got to with mine. Live every day with her Roric, as if it’s your last. You never know when it can end!” Thaddeus fin
ished emotionally, as he wiped a tear away gruffly with one hand.
Speechless I stared at the ring in my hand as I searched for what to say.
“Oh and before I forget.”
Thaddeus said, as he started tugging away at one of his fi
n
gers. The protesting ring that he tugged on came off his finger grudgingly, “There we go! This is now yours too.”
He dropped the heavy gold ring with the Ta’lont crest on it into the palm of my hand with the other ring already there. “Thunder Ridge is yours now Roric and when you return you will take over the duties of running it. I wore the ring, as my wedding ring as well. I’ve stayed true to both my marriage and the just ways of my ancestor’s stewardship
over this place. I expect you to do the same, which I know you will.”
“I can’t take your ring grandfath….”
“Yes you can! You’ve more than earned it!” He said, as he closed my fingers over the rings and then squeezed my closed hand tightly with both of his. “Now it’s time for you to get out of here and bring back your girl. I want to see those sad reserved eyes of your light up with joy and contentment boy and while you’re at it you can make me some great grandchil
dren to bounce on my knee before I’m too old to.”
I heard Rolf snicker in the background, and I flushed slightly.
I hugged Thaddeus and he me in return, “Your father would have been proud of you just as I am.” He whis
pered into my ear.
He leaned back from me and slapped me hard on the back, “Onward to love’s destiny my boy! Time is wasting!”
I mounted Flin and rode down the cobbled streets of my heritage. The destiny that the Creator had so generously restored to me.
Chapter Twenty Three
Queen’s Ransom
Krista brushed back the wild ringlets of hair that had fallen across her face as she straightened up. It was not yet mid morning and she already had all the herbs she needed to fill her orders for the week ahead. She headed off towards the small village of Lornas. Maybe she would be able to have a little time this afternoon for herself. She hadn’t had a mo
ment of ease since setting up shop in the little village of Lornas.