Princess Ces'alena (85 page)

End Of Book One

Lena lay disoriented on a pile of musty, mildewed fabric and rolls of material, dank odors filling her nostrils. She moaned and turned her head slowly, her hand going up to rub at her eyes rid them of the heavy drowsiness. In her groggy state, she had no sense of time, nor the passage of it. Yet, as her faculties slowly returned, with them came vague traces in her memory of extensive traveling. She remembered waking up, no longer tied, in a huge coach where the seats had been taken out and replaced with a tick mattress bed in the bottom for her to lay on as she rode. She remembered, banging and screaming to be let out. The jostling and movement had made her sick as she was forced to puke in the corner away from where she lay. She remembered having to go so badly, and suffering the humiliation of being watched as she relieved herself when they finally did stop.

Because of the racket she kept up, they pulled over and held her down forcing a horrible bitter tasting liquid down her throat, making her drowsy and lethargic. Unable to fight what was happening to her, she was taken from one mode of travel to another. She recalled hearing the lapping of water, and feeling herself sway. They tried feeding her, she ate as if in a zombie like state, often dozing back off before completing a meal. Whoever, her captures were, they meant her no physical harm. And when they could, they handled her with care. Everything seemed to be happening as if in a dream, so many times she tried to roll from bed to see about Hope, because she could hear her crying.

But she was just too tired to check. Her mind kept telling her that Manny would see about her, she needed to sleep, mumbling to him, “Manny, Manny – Hope … go to Hope.” Those ghost like images floated in and out of her mind. Sending her back and forth between actual events and imaginary ones. Now, she lay in an abandoned warehouse, the odors of which were bringing her out of her induced stupor.
‘Where am I?’
she thought as she tried to sit up, then held herself still as the room swayed. It was then that she heard a squeaking and something scurried across her hand. Lena screamed and jumped to her feet. Immediately upon standing she was dizzy and went forward headlong, falling against some stacked bundles of cotton, hanging onto them, she dropped to her knees.

With her heart pounding she knelt there, holding on as her legs trembled beneath her, threatening to give way entirely and send her back to the floor. For long moments she knelt there with her face pressed against the stacks, her limbs trembling from their lack of use for so long. Weakness, she feared would send her back to where she knew, small creatures scurried. After a long while she opened her eyes and tried to see around her. The room was dimly lit from broken rays of light coming in through dirty and painted windows, where paint pealing from the glass offered the light a way in. After letting her gaze travel the expanse of the room, she realized she was alone in it.

“Alright, wake up Lena. You have to get out of here.” She coached herself, afraid of moving from the bundle where she knelt, not trusting her legs to hold her. Her stomach growled deep and long, as hunger made itself known. She touched her midriff as if the gesture would ease it. Panic engulfed her, as her mind went to Hope. “I have to get out of here. Hope? I’m coming baby…I’m coming. Oh God? Where am I?”

She slowly pushed herself up testing the strength in her legs. Her first step was careful, but she remained standing; then the next and the next, until she was confident enough to walk. She began looking for a way out, and realized she was in a maze of merchandise as she walked. As the diminishing light showed, it was growing darker outside, she knew it was close to dusk. The longer she walked, the more her functions returned, and the more active her brain became. Besides hunger, she was overwhelmed to know what was happening and why she’d been taken. The thought stopped her, making her cover her mouth from the fear. She wanted to cry, “No! I won’t! I’m going to get out of here! I have to figure out where I am? I have to get back to Hope!”

“Oh Manny, have you returned yet? Are you with our Hope?” She talked to herself to calm herself down and not let her mind send her towards the unthinkable. “Alright Lena, think, you’ve got to pull yourself together.”

In her searching she reached a lane or aisle that she turned down and started walking to a door at the end of it. She quickly grabbed at the knob, but it was locked. She shook the door and pounded on it.

“Help!! Somebodeee!”

She stopped as it occurred to her, she was calling for help from those who’d kidnapped her. The door suddenly opened and a tall wiry ginger haired man stood looking at her.

“Ye’re awake are ye’? Well and good - they be returnin’ ‘fore long with food. Na be a good lass, an’ sit yerself down quiet like. All be done in good time.”

“Please let me out! I beg you please!”

“I can’no lass, go’on now - rest.”

“
At least give me light where I can see, its growing dark! There are rats!”

He hesitated about to close the door on her. “’Ere then, take this lantern.” He offered her one of the two outside the door. Lena took it, he closed the door locking it right after. She stood about to cry, then went back to banging on it. “Please – please let me out!!” But her guard ignored her after that. Lena turned from the door looking around her holding the lantern high. She had to get out. She walked and looked, then stared up at the windows on the far wall. Devising a plan as she walked further along looking up at them, then back at the door… an idea was forming in her mind.

Seamus Murphy sat waiting, wishing to be relieved from his guard of the woman. This whole thing did not sit well with him, but he needed the coin. As long as he wasn’t required to do anything but guard the door, he was fine with it. Such an unusual looking lass,
‘A beauty t’ be certain.’
He thought.

Suddenly he heard a loud crash of glass, startling him up from his seat.

He stood for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then quickly unlocked the door and ran in cautiously. Looking for the woman, down the aisle, and over to the spot where they’d kept her for days now. No where. He looked up to the window. “Holy mother of Christ!” She’d pushed bales beneath the window and climbed up on them. He walked closer, and saw some of her gown torn flapping from the breeze on one of the jagged edges of broken glass. “Oh lass, what’d ya’go an’ do that fore? I hopes ye’ can swim, to be sure.” Seamus spun and ran down the aisle and out the door. His heart pumping with fear; the windows let out to a straight drop off the docks and onto the water front. “She’ll drown fer’sure — fer’sure!” He gasped running.

Lena didn’t waste a moment as she ran out of hiding from behind a tall bale, darting out she rocked the bale and the lantern dropped to the floor shattering the flue, immediate flames ignited with a loud whoosh!

Gathering her torn skirt, Lena ran for the door as the flames were growing behind her, illuminating the dark room in a golden fire glow. At the door, she stopped and looked out quickly to make sure the coast was clear, then darted for her escape. Behind her, the flames were scaling the walls as it ignited one bale of cotton and fabric after another.

She came to some stairs and rushed down them, hoping and praying as she ran that she was not discovered. She came to a door that opened up to an alley. One end was a dead end, the other led to a street. Lena in her haste ran out, and was almost trampled underneath a horse and carriage. She screamed as the horse, whinnied rearing back to avoid her. She spun in alarm around it and out into the street, as others as well had to reign back their horse and carriage for her blind flight to freedom. Riders and drivers yelling and cursing at her for her careless crossing. As she ran through the bustling city, an alarm was shouted.

“Fire! Fire! Fire at the docks! Fire!”

Now more afraid than ever, Lena did not stop running, dodging and ducking people and doors along the crowded boardwalk. Running and looking back behind her afraid of being followed, she began to notice something else.

This town was very different from home, very different from Mississippi. Since being at Webster Fields, she’d only been to a few other places when Manny had taken her to the fair along with other slaves. Nowhere she had been, looked like this. Everything seemed so big. Buildings were so tall, and the streets so crowded with lavishly dressed people. Many of them turning to look at her as she sped past them on the street.

Trying to ignore the growing stitch in her side, and the burning in her chest, Lena knew she had to put distance between her and the burning warehouse. She turned one corner after another…moving ever onward and away. After she felt herself at a comfortable distance, she was forced to stop…she couldn’t breathe.

With one hand she leaned against a building trying to catch her breath. As she sucked in several gulps of air, she looked back around the building, and in the far distance, the night sky glowed gold and orange from the fire she’d started. Bells were sounding, activity was frantic at the docks to put the fire out, afraid that it would spread to other buildings until the whole city was alight.

“Oh my God…what have I done.” She fretted over the raging fire.

Taking a few more lungs full of air, she knew she had to keep moving. Somewhere, she would ask someone to help her. There had to be a quick way back to Jackson, but again… the time factor haunted her.

Pushing away from the wall with her hand to her stomach she started off, this time walking at a fast pace. She tried to figure in her mind how long she’d been away from Jackson, away from her Hope.
‘I couldn’t be that far away, maybe a few days?’
She whimpered so afraid. “Oh Manny…Manny, find me…please find me.” She cried as tears rolled. “I can’t be that far away, I just can’t. He’s probably back now, and has Hope, and is looking for me. I know he is.” She convinced herself.

Not far from the docks, four men sat at the table of Craco’s Restaurant, smiling and toasting with the raise of their glasses.

“I call a toast, to Princess Ceś alena!” Urged Pearson.

“Cheers!” Casey added grinning. “Here here, I second that - but to King LuMaden!” Derek Greyson chuckled, tossing back his head, swallowing down his drink in joyful celebration.

“So…” Nigel Franks, captain of the ship they would sail carrying Lena to her father, opened. “When do we leave for Makia Island?”

“First thing tomorrow morning! All business is finally in order. We sail back to Makia, deliver the kings daughter, and collect our reward. It’s been a long journey men, and one through patience and determination has proven a success! Make sure she is well tended to, fed and unmarked. The last thing we want to do is make the king think we’ve abused her in any way.”

“Here here…” Pearson agreed. Derek Greyson shook his head, he was still trying to get over the fact that they’d actually found her, and to his surprise, of all places, where they’d found her, belonging to whom! To hear that the very man who owned her, was his shipping competitor, Ramsey Shipping and Passage’s - Maynard Ramsey Webster, was too much to imagine. To think the man held a treasure right in the palm of his hand and didn’t even know it. He smiled swirling his drink about in his glass,
‘And I’ve taken it right from under your nose.’
He thought slyly.

“Anyway men, hurry and get back to her with food and drink.”

“No problem, Seamus is watc-…”

“Fire… fire … fire!!!" A young man shouted. "Fire at Greyson warehouse!! Fire!!” A young boy ran into the restaurant shouting, then darted back into the street to call out to all, hoping many would respond in helping put it out. Greyson shot the men at his table an angry glare. Who at the same time were turning pale as the blood drained from their faces.

Suddenly all four men sprung to their feet knocking their chairs back, some to the floor as they ran for the door along with the other patrons in the restaurant, pouring into the street for the same reason…the fire. The moment they stepped outside, the acrid smell of burning filled their noses.

Black billowing smoke filled the air and area as the heat and flames swelled and licked at new surfaces to ignite. Around the corner they ran as a water wagon pulled by a team of Clydesdales came whipping around with its bell ringing. The crowd stood back and watched as many men pitched in to help put out the growing flames. Greyson stood and watched as his merchandise went up in smoke. They could hear murmurs among the crowd floating their way. Upon reaching them, the word was that a Negro woman was seen running from the alley of the warehouse in a panic, almost getting herself run over right before the building started burning. Greyson turned to the men beside him and through his tightly clenched jaw, stiff with anger, bit out.

“Find her, or…
find a place to hide!!”

Lena was now wandering about a residential area in the city. It was fully dark and she was far from the fire she had accidentally started. Every joint of her body ached, as she wrapped her arms about herself looking at the different homes she passed. Never had she seen such dwellings as these, and with every step she took, her fears began to mount and take over, despite her determination to keep them at bay. She was lost with no idea as to where she was. Where she was going. Or how she might get there. Was it Monday night? Tuesday? Saturday or Sunday?