Princess in Trouble (complete)

5 - The Search Widens

Although it was three nights ago, Gigi and her uncle were open to telling all they knew to the man with the money, his tracker and small support team of five warriors.

Gigi's eagerness was animated, not just by the hope of rewards but by the way the bloodhound sat upright, staring at her, his open mouth flapping its tongue out between teeth that dripped saliva, not to speak of five armed men surrounding them, seemingly filling up every space in the inn chamber.

Most guests cowered away, some moving to sit at tables further from the group with the bloodhound.

Gigi decided to tell all, while her uncle agreed with her and even told of the young woman who had booked a room but had not returned. "I don't know how or why but it be a gut feeling. She left a good amount of coin with me and were going't' be here for a week. She could be part of it or she might not. Very strange, traveling alone like it appeared."

"Did she give a name to you, Bert?" The prince asked.

"No, Sir, she be real polite and unsure of some things and I believe she were tryin' to talk diff'rent to how she really were..."

"Explain that further, Bert," the prince queried, adding, "I'm puzzled. Tell me everything you know and feel about her."

"Well, Sir, she, well, her clothing was fine but travel worn, it were her talk, how would you put it, Gigi?"

"Oh, I didn't, I hadn't seen her, remember?— I was gone with the babe, doing what I was told, getting rid of the cursed. I just passed her when I left with the babe."

The prince clenched and unclenched his fists. How it galled him to even consider that this young woman might be like Gigi, a child murderer; 'getting rid of the cursed' she called it. Perhaps his father had sent her... but Bert was talking...

"No, that be right; you didn't talk with her, but, well, she were like she were acting some; I think she were a lady, not used to being in a place like this. She said she has a cousin who's having a baby at a farmlet near here and wanted to kind of check in there afore she returned. That's a puzzle, she'd walk out there to announce herself she said, but plain folks don't announce them-selfs. Well, she hasn't returned and it be two days now."

"Tell us more, Bert; it might help us to have a good idea of what or who we're dealing with," Daggurt urged.

"Well, again, she were... diff'rent; not like the girls from around here... like a fish out of her usual pond so to speak, seemed young and not a bit at all, like, worldly. She didn't seem to know the coins she gave or what they was worth. Well, she might be the one that would want to save a babe and not put it down like they do to get rid of the cursed, she puzzles me, she does..."

Of all that Bert said, the idea that a young woman would want to save a baby, gave the prince great hope. Any woman with any morals and care for human life would seek to save and not destroy. He knew there were people in the surrounding kingdoms who would rescue slave children, orphans and unwanted babies.

"Are you sure she was alone?" Daggurt asked.

"Like I said; she came in alone, booked a room for one and left alone, that's all I can tell you."

They discussed this puzzling young woman over and over until they realized that there were only two hours left until sunset.

"If we want to find any lead, Sir, I'd best be going out of here with my canine pals," Daggurt said. At the prince's nod, he stood to leave. Together, they walked with Bert to the door followed by the five warriors.

At this same moment in time, the henchman, Mogon— who had carried the baby in a sling while riding his horse, the very man who paid Gigi to feed the bairn before 'doing away' with her— arrived at the inn, tethering his horse; wanting to discover just what had happened to his close friend and cohort in crime.

When Jake had not arrived at the agreed place, Mogon decided to ride all the way back to the inn within that neighboring kingdom to find his comrade. Perhaps Jake had coupled up with Gigi and not 'done her in' as had been decided. He, Jake, had behaved this way before, with a habit for drinking too much, socializing, talking too much and becoming more a liability than a help.

Reaching for the inn's front door, Mogon found it opened and he was face to face with the prince. Nodding at each other, Mogon, realizing this was a man of the nobility, stood aside to allow passage.

Daggurt, leading One, found his arm wrenched as the dog pulled forward, raising his front legs to land on Mogon's chest, barking loudly with saliva splattering into the face of his fearful victim. Very soon, Mogon found himself surrounded by five armed men with no way of escape. As if the bloodhound wasn't enough, upon sighting the other two great dogs, Mogon believed he would be dead if he put one foot out of place.

Very little persuasion is needed for a man who has nothing but his life to lose. Without any bribery of payment to join the prince's hunt for the baby, Mogon found himself herded to follow Gigi and the prince to the hillside.

Prince Sharzor walked with Gigi who took the same path she had when carrying the child to its place of death. 

At last, he believed, he was with someone who had actually held his one and only child, the only living memory he would have of his lost love.

When they reached the obvious tracks in the snow, the prince took the lead, speaking to the leader of the five, "Bring Gigi, Captain; and Daggurt will bring One. Charge Two and Three to guard this man, Mogon, here, and wait for us." Looking to the other men at arms, he said, "You know what to do to keep us unimpeded while we are here. We want no surprises, so stay on guard."

Tears drizzled down the prince's face to arrive at the end of the footprints and see no baby. He dropped to his knees and Captain Kogan put a hand on his shoulder, saying, "It is a good sign, Sir; no blood, no body, the baby might have been carried off alive. I say we hope and pray the young woman has taken her somewhere safe. God will have a purpose in all this, I believe, Sir."

One pulled on the lead and Daggurt released him. With his nose to the frozen snow, his nostrils blowing in and out, the bloodhound snuffled around the area where the babe had lain before expanding his circle of smell. With his nose to the snow, One headed back down the tracks with fast bounds, moving from the bottom of the hill and across to the opposite side from the path they had come, following the steps Vondra had trod.

Before the men arrived, One had found Jake, right where he had died, untouched, frozen from the frost. Sitting back on his haunches, One let out a mournful howl, followed by two long, lamenting wails, sending chills down the spines of all who heard. 

Daggurt said, "Sorry Sir, but someone, or something has died."

"Perhaps One has found your babe, Sir," the captain said.

Shaking his head, the prince could only hope that it was not his child for she surely would be dead, but his captain was speaking again, saying, "Maybe it's that young woman. I can see that man Jake doing her in for going up and snatching the child and taking off..."

When they arrived where Jake's body lay, Mogon dropped to his knees at the sight of the frozen body, while the prince with his escort discussed a vast list of possibilities.

It could have been anyone who killed him, but not one of them voiced that the young woman they would now search for might have been the one. That was not even a viable possibility to these men.

"She might have some warriors working for her," was a plausible suggestion.

"They'll have Jake's horse," Mogon announced.

"My One will find the horse and whoever rides it," Daggurt said.

"We should leave now and have One find the lead for the horse, the girl and your babe," Captain Kogan said, pleased when the prince nodded his approval.