The Falcon and the Flower Part 21

"Isabel a said he and Chester have ridden out," she said helplessly.

"Then I wil see Isabel a," Estel e said firmly.

Jasmine shook her head, "No, Estel e, it is pointless to try to reason with that evil little b.i.t.c.h. She took too much enjoyment in tel ing me. She was in an ecstasy from the torment she inflicted. It is an amus.e.m.e.nt for her. I am a gift ... a divine sacrifice to her G.o.ds of pa.s.sion," said Jasmine bitterly. "I wil speak to Chester, explain how the thought of marriage repels me. Perhaps he wil listen to reason," she said with faint hope.

Estel e took her hands. "I've had a vision. I have reason to believe John and Ranulf belong to a secret group of Devil wors.h.i.+ppers. The vision was fil ed with chant and counterchant, sacrifice, robes, masks, drugs, s.e.x, phal ic symbols. They marched in patterns, holding ban- ners, they carried crosses upside down. Once they step through the secret door everything in life is reversed. Wrong becomes right, evil becomes good, hate becomes love."

Cold fingers of dread gripped Jasmine's heart. "What am I to do?" she whispered.

"Gervase must ride out to bring de Burgh hot spurred."

"But we don't know where he is. Estel e, do you have the power to locate him, do you real y have the power?" she beseeched.

They held their breath as a low knock came upon the door.

Both women were relieved to see Gervase slip inside quietly, although they could see concern written in every line of his face. "Lady Jasmine, Dame Winwood, I am charged with keeping my eyes and ears open regarding Chester. I do not wish to alarm you unduly, de Burgh would not be pleased, but if I failed to warn you of real danger he would never forgive me, nor would I forgive myself."

"Tel us what you have learned, there is not a moment to spare," ordered Estel e.

"Chester tried to kil de Burgh. I took the arrow that was meant for him. Now I know why. I overheard his men speak of his plan to wed tomorrow and I fear you are to be the bride," he said.

"The queen has just informed me that I am to be given to Chester tomorrow. It won't happen, of course. I'l be long gone.

I'l seek my father at Chepstow," Jasmine cried. "Try to get me some boy's clothes, Gervase, and give me your hat to cover these tel tale tresses."

Estel e spoke quickly. "Don't waste time looking for clothing, I'l see to that. You must find de Burgh."

"He could be anywhere in England. I wil try my d.a.m.ndest but it could take weeks," Gervase said practical y.

"Att.i.tude is everything. Do not give the idea of failure headroom. Be positive! You wil find him because you must find him," Estel e commanded. "I wil consult the crystal.

Jasmine, your powers are stronger than you think. Our powers combined may be enough. If you have a psychic bond with Falcon de Burgh, he wil receive your message that you are in danger. Concentrate, Jasmine! Your soul must cal to his."

Gervase eyed the two women doubtful y. He had been trained by de Burgh to be practical and straight thinking. Did these women real y think they could perform a magic trick and pul de Burgh from a hat as if he were a rabbit?

Jasmine's eyes were closed, her lips moved silently as if she were in a trance. His eyes turned toward the older woman and he saw she was in a different sort of trance. Concentration upon the crystal orb brought sweat to her brow, and she chanted strange cryptic words.

"There! I see a castle," cried Estel e. "By the color of the stone it would be near Norfolk," she said with conviction. Her brows drew together as she sorted out the vision. "The castle is in the air, I don't understand. It moves slowly upward from its foundation and sits in thin air. There, it is rising again."

"Castle Rising!" Gervase almost shouted, suddenly catching Estel e's determined enthusiasm. "Hubert de Burgh owns Castle Rising in Norfolk."

"That is where Falcon de Burgh is. Jasmine, your thoughts must compel him to leave now and come this way. Gervase, you must leave immediately. It is al the way across England, but you must believe strongly enough that you wil find him and he wil come in time. You must visualize it to its conclusion, no matter how impossible it seems!"

He was dimly aware that they had seduced him into their way of thinking. They were white witches, con- vincetl of their own power. A lifetime of scorn for such hocus- pocus could not be altered in the s.p.a.ce of a minute and he knew how wildly improbable it was that he would find Falcon de Burgh, and yet he must try. He had no alternative.

At Castle Rising that morning uncle and nephew had almost come to blows. "Christ Almighty, Falcon, take a damper.

Unlike you, I'm a mere mortal. I can't sit up half the night and be in the saddle before daylight. That Spanish rubbish we were drinking produces the worst hangover in the world."

"It's not the quality of the stuff you drank, it's the b.l.o.o.d.y quant.i.ty! Why did you have to get paralyzed when you knew we were leaving today?"

"Have ye no vices at al , ye intolerant young swine? Just because your p.r.i.c.k's itching for that fancy piece of yours, we al have to burn leather."

"I'm off," Falcon said with finality. "You're nothing but an old woman. No wonder John picked you to nursemaid al his hostages."

Hubert, eyeing Falcon and twelve men, booted, spurred, saddled, and waiting, speeded up his preparations to leave.

"Falcon, lad, let's not come to blows over this. Give me a minute. I don't know what's your infernal hurry, but you're acting like a bear with a sore a.r.s.e,"

Falcon sighed. "I'm sorry, Hugh. It's just that I have this feeling I can't put a name to. The back of my neck is p.r.i.c.kling, like hackles on a dog that senses danger. I feel if I don't hurry I'l be too late." He shook his head, "I must go, I'm compel ed."

Hugh almost taunted him for his sil y fancies, but Falcon flashed him a dark forbidding look as he wheeled his destrier and set his spurs to its side.

Estel e soon put her hands on a smal ish pair of riding breeks and a padded doublet. She told one of the stable-boys to ready Lady Jasmine's palfrey and went in search of one of de Burgh's men-at-arms. She had no authority to recruit one of his men, but of course a thing like that never entered Estel e's head. "The future Lady de Burgh must get to her father Wil iam of Salisbury. She needs a man she can count upon to escort her safely to Chepstow. Are you that man?" she chal enged.

"I am, madame. Whenever my lady is ready." The soldier grinned to himself. The dung would fly if de Burgh turned up and found she had run back to her father, but he had more brains than to refuse help to the lady who would wed his lord. If he knew aught of brides, she would have supreme influence over his life and every other man belonging to de Burgh, especial y those with Plantagenet blood.

Jasmine's heart was racing as she pul ed on the leather breeks and fastened them securely with a black sash. She pul ed on her riding boots, al the while issuing orders to Estel e and at the same time bidding good-bye to Feather.

Excitement was building inside her. She scooped up her beautiful hair and tied it severely with a leather thong, then crammed the brimmed hat over it and pul ed it low across her brow. Her nerves were so highstrung, she felt like laughing hysterical y when she thought of the faces of the ones she was tricking. The look of neat spite would be wiped from Isabel a's face. But underneath, Jasmine was driven by fear. She knew that thwarting the monarchs' evil plans was a dangerous, almost insane thing to do, and if her escape didn't succeed the consequences would be terrifying and swift, not only to herself but to her beloved grandmother. Tears sprang to her eyes, blurring her vision, and the lump in her throat threatened to choke her. How could she leave Estel e?

Estel e saw her tears. "Jasmine, stop thinking of me and think of yourself!"

"Promise me you'l slip away from here somehow. I'l send Father's men back to help you. My G.o.d, it seems you've sacrificed al your life for me."

"And that is precisely why you must get away now, before it's too late!"

Jasmine bit her lips to stop a sob from escaping. With shaking hands she drew on her gloves and picked up her smal riding whip. She opened the door and stopped dead.

There on the threshold were two very large guards. "Let me pa.s.s," she commanded.

"We have orders. You cannot leave, my lady."

"Whose orders?" she demanded hotly. They remained silent.

She took a chance and darted between the pair, but immediately they grabbed her and shoved her back inside the chamber, none too gently.

"Unhand my granddaughter, you vile lout, before I curse your soul to Hel fire!"

"Dame Winwood, we have orders to escort you to your chamber, where you must remain."

"Have you no fear of my dark power?" Estel e demanded with al the force she could muster.

"Aye, Dame, but we fear the king more than the Devil himself,"

said one while the other pleaded, "Don't curse us, Dame Winwood, we are only carrying out our orders."

"I shal curse you and your offspring unless you take me to the king."

One looked at the other and he nodded imperceptibly.

"Go back inside, Jasmine, and lock the door until I return," she said.

The minutes crawled past so slowly, Jasmine thought she would scream. She took off her gloves, flung the hat across the room, and began to pace. The minutes stretched into hours. The pacing had worn off her ner- vous energy. Slowly her anger and frustration were replaced by fear. She sat down upon the bed and for the first time her imagination began to skirt about the odious idea of them actual y wedding her to Chester. The thought was unendurable, and she tried to push it from her. Black shadows stretched from the four corners of the room to unnerve her further. What if Estel e had tried to coerce the king and she had been arrested? What if Ger-vase was not able to find de Burgh? If by a miracle he did, would there be enough time?

Would de Burgh care enough to come to her rescue? What chance did he stand against such invincible power as Chester and King John?

She could throw herself on the king's mercy if she begged him he might not give her to Chester but she knew John's price.

She knew he would take her himself for bed games, and she shrank more from him than she did from Chester.

Perhaps her only hope was to throw herself on Chester's mercy. Though she shrank from the idea, she was becoming desperate. In the smal hours of the morning she lay down wearily upon the bed and slept.

She awoke with a violent start. She realized it was late even though the morning was dark with a sky heavy with rain. Her stomach rol ed like an empty drum and she felt sick with dread as her thoughts flooded in on her. This was the day her life would be ruined. This was the day her future ended. This was the day that would end in a nightmare.

She flung open the chamber door. "Where is Dame Winwood? I demand you take me to her."

"She's in her own chamber where she belongs. You need have no concern for her safety, her door is wel guarded."

The two guards were different men. If they had changed the guard there was little hope of their fal ing asleep, she reasoned. Then she saw that they wore the badge of Chester. "Take me to the Ear] of Chester, his apartment is just down this hal way."

They looked at each other. She pressed. "If you do not I shal scream my head off and claim that you a.s.saulted me." She opened her mouth to scream. A big hand was clamped across her mouth, "Al right, my lady, don't force us to hurt you.

We wish you no harm, especial y on your wedding day." They escorted her down the long hal way. As one reached out to knock, she threw open the door and sped inside, slamming it behind her.

Ranulf de Blundevil e sat at breakfast in a velvet bedrobe.

Jasmine leaned back against the door jamb panting. He rose immediately and came toward her. Chester in a bedrobe was more threatening than Chest ful y clothed, and her knees turned to water. "My lord earl," she breathed, "please help me, you are the only one I can turn to."

"What in the name of G.o.d are you wearing and what have you done to your hair?" he demanded.

"What do my clothes matter," she flared "when my life is about to be destroyed?"

At the insult, his jaw clenched and the pockmarks on his face stood out in patches of white. He reached up a hand to undo the leather thong. As he removed it her pale silken tresses tumbled down and he let out a hiss of relief through his teeth.

"When I purchase an objet d'art I do so for its esthetic beauty."

"My G.o.d, you are not listening to me," she cried. "I do not wish to marry any man, least of al you!" She had not meant to tel him in such an insulting fas.h.i.+on.

High on his cheekbones, twin spots of red began to spread like bloodstains. "You offend me, mistress, as does this male attire. Remove it!"

"I wil not," she said flatly.

The vein in Chester's forehead began to pulsate. His hands grabbed the neck of her doublet and jerked it vi- ciously apart. She wore only a thin s.h.i.+ft beneath it. She felt the color drain from her face as her heart stopped. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rose and fel before his hooded eyes and in that moment he reminded her of a snake. One that was ready to strike.

"Why must I marry you?" she pleaded, whispering the words piteously.

"Because I have paid for you," he said bluntly. He took a soft breast in each hand and squeezed cruel y. "I have paid for these . . . and this!" He grabbed her be- tween the legs, a feat made easier by the breeches she wore.

Her breath came out on a sob and he took his hands from her.

"I wil send women to bathe and dress you as befits the ride of the greatest earl in the realm. The wedding wil at six o'clock in the chapel of Gloucester Cathedral." Is eyes narrowed. "Make very sure you are beautiful for e." He opened the door and thrust her at the two ards. "Return her to her chamber until it is time to cort her to the chapel."

She stumbled back to her room, devastated by men's rapacious duplicity.

Chapter 24.

Gervase cursed the heavens that were responsible for the continual downpour that began before his horse had covered ten leagues. After three hours he was forced to slow his breakneck speed for fear of breaking his stal ion's legs in the slippery, oozing mud its hooves churned up. There was no point in changing to dry clothes for he was already soaked to the skin, and would be again in a matter of minutes. He did not careful y reason out the route to take, he more or less went by instinct and left it to Fate, always keeping in a northeasterly direction. He knew Northampton was just short of the halfway mark and he need not pick his route too careful y until he was past that point. Then he would have a difficult decision to make, but for now he put it off as long as he could.

The de Burghs decided to ride as far as King's Lynn then head southwest to Peterborough. The weather was foul enough to make any G.o.d-fearing man stay home by his hearth, but Falcon de Burgh pressed on, oblivious to the elements. At King's Lynn the bridge across the River Ouse had been washed away. The great river was swol en and angry from the torrential downpours of the last few days and it had flooded its banks.

Falcon made a swift decision. They would ride south along the river to see if they could cross at Ely, if not they would go on to Cambridge, where the river joined itself to the Cam and there was more than one bridge across.

When Gervase reached Northampton it was past midnight and his horse was floundering. He knew it needed food and rest or it would be unable to carry him the rest of the way. He stopped at an inn cal ed The Hole in the Wal and paid the hostler for a stal in the stable and a feed of oats. He rubbed down his animal with dry straw and took himself off to the common room to fil his own growling bel y. He could not spare more than a few hours and knew he must be on the road again by four o'clock.

A traveler who had come from the east told him with graphic descriptions how the River Ouse was impa.s.sable. It was swel ing wider by the hour and taking out the bridges as if they were made from matchsticks. At four in the morning Gervase stirred and stretched. His bones ached from the damp and from sleeping in wet clothes. He wondered briefly if he would be plagued by rheumatics now he was getting older. Then he laughed at himself, for he was only twenty-one. He swung into the saddle, encouraging his mount to take heart as they once more headed out into the rain. It was a deluge no longer, but had settled down to a steady drizzle that he knew would last al day.

He pondered which route to take. The fastest was straight east to Cambridge, but that would mean he would have to cross the River Ouse twice because it twisted back on itself. If he rode as far north as Huntingdon he would only have to he rode as far north as Huntingdon he would only have to cross the river once. Should he toss a coin? No, he thought, I wil choose Huntingdon because Robin Hood was Lord Robert of Huntingdon and perhaps that was an omen.

He circled around Huntingdon before he saw the river, then he thought perhaps he had made a mistake. The river was angry and swol en and dangerous. He fol owed its east banks, which had overflowed, and wondered where the closest bridge was.

His mind seemed numbed with the cold and the wet. It seemed to have penetrated to his very brain. Was there a bridge at Ely? He couldn't remember. He knew there was a town and a cathedral, therefore he reasoned there must be a bridge. He pressed on but he was fil ed with doubts. By the feel of his hungry gut, the hour must be midday. Even if he met up with de Burgh now there would not be enough time for Falcon to reach Gloucester and stop the wedding.

He stopped his horse to look across the raging river. Surely he must be at Ely or very close. He thought he had begun to hal ucinate, for there across the angry torrent, fifty feet away across the river, was a group of riders. The men and mounts were familiar and their leader sat his horse like no other man in England. He shouted, "De Burgh!" He did not know if they would hear him above the roar of the raging River Ouse but his voice carried clearly across the water, as sound always does, and the men waved to him. He shouted the bad news across to de Burgh. "Chester weds your lady!"

Falcon looked at Hubert. "I'm swimming."

"You're mad! Keep yourself safe, lad."

"Keep myself safe? You're making noises like an old woman again." He dismounted and removed his doublet, boots, and chain-mail vest and shoved them into his saddlebags.

Hubert s.h.i.+vered as he watched his nephew bare his flesh to the freezing elements. Falcon half turned to his men and shouted, "Mountain As.h.!.+" They understood. Then he wrapped the leather reins of his war-horse about his forearm and went into the river.

Hubert looked at Falcon's men and shook his head. "The young stal ion is hotheaded and impatient, but his steady nerve has no equal in England!"

De Burgh was a very strong swimmer, but even so the current took man and horse and swept them into a swirling maelstrom neither could control. Both man and beast thrashed with powerful legs and with a supreme effort managed to keep their heads above the muddy, debris-strewn waters. They pitted their ful strength against the current and slowly began to gain on the far bank.

Fil ed with dread, Gervase watched in agony as de Burgh went under and surfaced at least half a dozen times. Then he held his breath as unbelievably Falcon regained control. The horse was the first to strike the shal ow bottom, and it scrabbled up the bank with a surge of power, spurred on by fear.

De Burgh had the presence of mind to unwind the leather reins from his arm before he was dragged beneath the flailing hooves. Then he grabbed onto a tree root and slowly hauled himself from the torrent.