The Watcher

by Heather Kindt

  “Thank you.” William took the gift and had the fire going in ten minutes. He sat down next to Laney and removed her shoes and socks. “You have to let these dry out, or you’ll develop frostbite.” He took off his own footwear, letting the fire’s flames rejuvenate him.

  “What happened to the Gate Keeper?” Nick removed a couple of protein bars and handed them to the others.

  “I wrestled him to the ground before his rifle went off.” William held his hands in front of the fire. “The gun backfired, killing him instantly. I retrieved what I was after.” He reached into his shirt and held out his Watcher pendant.

  “But how will we get back if the Gate Keeper’s dead?” Nick’s brows furrowed as he directed the question at William. “It’s not like I want to stay here. I want her to get home safe.”

  Laney looked at William, but he remained silent. Did he trust Nick?

  “Once our shoes and socks are dry. We need to head toward Lexington. I want to go a little further this afternoon. When Jonas wakes up, he’s going to have a nasty headache, and he’ll be seething.” William glanced at Nick, a small smirk pulling on his lips. “I’m afraid you’ve made yourself an enemy.”

  Jonas woke to a rustling sound next to him. A gray squirrel grabbed a nut then ran to a nearby tree. Pain shot through the back of his head. It must have been Lover Boy who hit him from behind. Coward.

  He eased himself up to a sitting position to scan the landscape, but Laney and William were gone. Once again, they’d be playing a game of cat and mouse, and he was ready to pounce, now more than ever.

  “What happened to Silas?”

  Jonas twisted around to face the voice coming from the porch of the cabin. The woman was much older than him, but she was striking. He recognized her as his savior from the dark night in Rockport. She grinned as he gawked.

  “What do you want, Wanderer?” It was clear to him that this woman kept company with the wrong sort of people. People like Silas Green.

  “I think you ask the wrong questions, Ender. The question is, what can we achieve together? You want the Weaver, and I want the Weaver. Isn’t that convenient?”

  “What do you want with Delaney?” He lifted himself off the ground. “Because I’m not planning to hurt her—just a couple of choice people around her.” He hated that his heart began to hold a soft spot for the woman who crafted him.

  The Wanderer laughed an evil kind of laugh. “Do you understand what Weavers are doing to us, Jonas Webb? It’s in her power to destroy everything you see around you. I know because it’s been done to me. Then, it won’t just be your brother who’s dead.”

  “But, she wouldn’t…” Of course, she would. She didn’t hesitate to kill his brother, make him an alcoholic, and destroy his personal life. If it would save William, her family, or even her friends, nothing would stop her from using her pen. Laney’s grandfather killed his own Ender last year—maybe it ran in the family.

  “Having second thoughts about your Weaver and her motivations?” The Wanderer descended the stairs and walked toward Jonas. “Now, are you ready to work together?”

  He shoved his fists in the pockets of his coat. He didn’t like working with others, and he didn’t trust this woman. But she did make sense. The Ender held out his hand to shake hands with the she-devil.

  Laney stared at the fire blazing in front of her, unable to sleep. William found shelter beneath a rock ledge. The shallow cave protected the three of them from the wind and the snowfall. Nick lay next to her fast asleep, but William snuck off, carrying only his coat. She wanted to follow him—to explain. He was so different in this world. The confidence that he exuded drew her even closer, and she ached for him. This was his home, and he was more of a man here than she’d ever seen him.

  She lifted herself up, careful not to wake Nick, and followed her Watcher’s footprints. He sat alone in a grove of trees, his back against one of the trunks. William held a few pieces of paper in his hands.

  “I know.” He said without looking up at her as she approached.

  Her insides twisted with the lies. She longed to hold him, to kiss him. But he didn’t understand the reality behind the staged photographs. “They’re not real,” she hesitated, not sure what she should do. She stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans and pushed at the snow with the toe of her sneaker.

  “They look pretty real to me.” He held the pictures up and tore them in half. He didn’t look at her. “And he’s here with you.”

  “He’s here to find you.” She took a step closer to him; her hands still deep in her pockets. “He wants to help.”

  “Then why did you kiss him?” His hand ran through his long hair, his temper spilling over. “Here, when we commit to someone, it means something.” He put his head in his hands. “I thought we had that, Laney. You told me you loved me.”

  “We did, and we do now.” She stooped down to pick up the torn pictures. “This is Jonas’s way of hurting us. His way of getting back at you. He threatened to kill Missy if Nick and I didn’t… kiss.” It was torture to admit it actually happened. “He knew the Wanderer’s spies were watching. I never want to hurt you.” She reached over and put her hand on his knee.

  He didn’t move away but exhaled. Was it frustration or relief?

  “I love you.” She rubbed his knee, hoping he’d respond to her touch. It had been so long, and she hated that their first time together again was tainted.

  He lifted his green eyes to hers. The tears in them melted her heart because he was in pain. He placed his hand on her hand and drew her into his arms. His whole body shook as he pulled her closer. Relief swept through her, knowing that her words meant so much more than the Ender’s to him.

  “I love you.” He buried his face in her hair before he lowered her to the ground, cushioning her head with one of his hands. His eyes glowed in the moonlight as the moment she longed for came in like a hurricane. His lips found hers, gentle at first, but soon he had her whole body buzzing as he moved from kissing her lips, to her neck, to her hair, and back to her lips again. The electricity they’d felt a year ago returned with intensity. He lifted his head slightly, surveying her face. “I’ve longed to touch you ever since you sent me back.”

  She shivered.

  “Are you cold?” He began to remove his coat, but Laney stopped him.

  “I’m not cold; it’s just…” She felt heat in her face and her extremities. “I don’t think I can ever be apart from you again. This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

  “When I saw you with him, in those pictures, then here in the flesh…” He glanced away. “I was jealous. I’m ashamed of that.” He looked at her again, running his fingers through a single strand of her hair. “If you want me, then I know you’ll be with me.”

  “It’s what I’ve always wanted.” She thought about creating her world with the antiques in her parents’ store—Anne’s journal and William’s military badge. The fantasies began at a young age.

  “Then, I can go back with you to the fire, to him, and have confidence in us?” He twirled the strand of hair around his finger, running his other hand down her arm.

  She drew him closer in, her head against his chest. His heart beat erratically in rhythm with her own. Would he be able to trust her?

  “I’m not going to lie about my friendship with Nick and his feelings for me. He’s told me many times that he cares about me.” She reached her hand up and ran her fingers along his jaw. Light stubble grew on his normally clean-shaven jawline. “He wants me to choose him.”

  He lowered his head, but she kept her hand on his face.

  “But I’ve made my choice, and he knows. It never really was a choice. It’s always been you. That’s why he’s here. He knows how much I’ve suffered this past year being apart from you.” She lowered her hand to his heart. “And I know the two of you could care about each other, too.”

  The corners of William’s mouth lifted. His eyes smiled, producing the tiny creases that she love
d. “He can’t be that bad. After all, he’s got good taste in women.”

  He lowered his face to kiss her again, his lips soft on hers. She didn’t want to leave this spot, but he took her hands and lifted her up.

  “So, where are we in the war right now? I haven’t focused on it too much in my writing. I’ve tried to keep you alive.” She held his hand on the way back to the campsite.

  “General Washington assumed the Commander in Chief position of the army back in July, so I believe things are moving in the right direction. We have the upper hand. It’s only a matter of months, not years, until we gain our independence.”

  “About seven months, to be precise.” She kept walking, but William stopped.

  “Are you sure?” Astonishment crossed his face.

  Could she mess things up by telling him his future? It always seemed like stuff like that happened in movies she watched.

  “Of course, I’m sure. It’s a historical fiction novel, William. It’s based out of real history. Right now, it’s December of 1775. The colonists will declare independence in July.”

  “Then, the fighting will be over?” He bounced on the balls of his feet. A wide grin crossed his face.

  “Not until 1783. That’s when the Treaty of Paris will be signed.” She rubbed his arm to comfort him. “And you need to watch out for a guy named Benedict Arnold.”

  William had his arm around Laney, climbing the path back to the campsite. She made out the glow of their fire as they rounded the corner. One backpack lay emptied out in front of a large boulder. Most of the contents appeared to be gone. The embers of the fire still glowed, but in the low light, it was clear that Nick was also missing.

  Chapter 18

  The half-moon lit the way as Jonas trudged through the forest a few miles outside of Lexington. He’d be home soon. It had been over a year, and he missed his family. There was a slight tug on the rope he gripped in his hand. He rolled his eyes and snapped his head back to glare at Nick.

  “For the hundredth time, you’re not going to get away, Lover Boy.” Jonas stopped and pointed at himself, then at Nick. “Look at me and look at you. I’ve got fifty pounds on you.”

  Nick attempted to talk through the rag he had stuffed in his mouth.

  “I kind of like you this way. Maybe Delaney will, too.” Jonas almost dragged Nick with the rope up a small hill. “You know, the strong, silent type. But I can’t have you fighting me all the time. We’ve got to get to Lexington before daybreak. Someone’s expecting you for our next game.”

  “He’s found us.” William pointed to a single set of footprints approaching the campsite from the east.

  He searched the area, investigating the footprints that exited in a different direction, picking up the empty bag before crouching down to push around the snow where Nick had been sleeping. He leaned against the boulder, his finger on his lips.

  “Did Jonas take him?” Coldness crept into her heart—Nick—Jason. Death followed her like a never-ending plague. She tried to warn him to stay away from her.

  “The prints leaving the site are deeper than the ones coming in, which leads me to believe that Jonas carried Nick, at least when they first left. There’s also no blood or signs of struggle, so right now, that’s good news for your friend.” William stooped down to lift up her backpack. “And as far as the direction of the footprints, they’re on their way to Lexington.”

  Darkness held onto the sky when Jonas and Nick arrived on the outskirts of Lexington. The village remained asleep in the early morning hour. The Ender dragged his prey to a barn located on his family’s property. It was abandoned.

  The door creaked when he pushed it back then drove Nick into the enclosure. A pole held up the center truss that Jonas had helped his father repair a few years back. It should do. He pushed Nick to the ground in front of the pole and crouched to untie the rope from his hands. His prisoner grunted and kicked, but Jonas was too strong. Within ten minutes, Nick was tied to the pole—rag still in his mouth.

  “Sorry. I can’t take this out of your mouth.” Jonas touched the rag. “Can’t have my family alerted to my other life, and I’m not sure what kind of profanities will come out of there. I have sensitive ears.”

  He found an old horse blanket in one of the stalls and threw it over Nick’s legs. “I’ve got to go catch up with my family, but she’ll be here soon to take care of you.” He released the latch to the door. “Don’t worry. She won’t kill you—yet.”

  The sun rose behind the tiny cabin in the field close to the outskirts of the main street in Lexington. A covered porch with three chairs decorated the front of the modest home. A shed stood to the right where a dog barked at them from in front of the woodpile. It was even more beautiful than she had imagined when she wrote it.

  “Come here, Jenny!” The beagle bounded across the yard and threw herself into William’s arms. The dog licked him on the face while he sat on the ground and petted her all over.

  She crouched down next to him and scratched Jenny behind the ears. The beagle snuggled her head into Laney’s leg.

  “It looks like I get the approval of one of your family members.” Her stomach lit up with butterflies, anticipating meeting William’s father and sister.

  “Father and Sarah will love you. They already do. Remember, Anne?” Looking into her eyes, it was the first time he’d called her that name. He took her hand and led her through the field decorated with a light dusting of snow.

  An older man read the paper in a chair by the window. A pipe stuck out of his mouth, sending short puffs of smoke into the air. He glanced up when they entered and put down his paper. “William! I was not sure when you would be back. And you found Anne.”

  She felt very warm in the cold cabin. Writing herself as Anne was one thing, but trying to act like her—she felt like an imposter.

  “More like she found me.” William reached down and took her hand again.

  “Sarah feared the worst when we found your bed empty one morning, Anne.” Mr. Clarke placed his hand on her shoulder. “A young woman traipsing around during a war is a dangerous situation.”

  “She’s safe now, Father.” William kissed the top of her head.

  “William!” A girl slightly older than Laney ran across the room and threw her arms around his neck. “You have been gone for three months. Where were the letters? I thought you might be dead—searching for this mysterious man.”

  “I’m fine.” He kissed his sister on the cheek and lifted her up in his arms.

  When he set her down, Sarah approached Laney, her eyes set with disapproval. “Anne, I am happy to see you, but a true lady should never leave the home on some kind of misguided adventure. Father and I thought you might never come back.” She stared at Laney from head to foot. “What are these clothes you are wearing? Men’s trousers?”

  “They were all I could find to change into, and I am here now, Sarah. And I’m so happy to see you.” She attempted to give Sarah an awkward hug. “I’ve brought your brother home to you.”

  “How are things here?” William directed the question to Mr. Clarke.

  “It has been a slow process since the battle, I am afraid. My job has taken me down the path of rehabilitation for many young men in the town.” He settled into a chair at the table in the kitchen. “I work six days a week and sneak a couple in on the Sabbath. They need me.”

  “You are a hero.” William placed his hand on his father’s shoulder.

  Sarah lifted a pan from the stove and rushed over to the table. “I finished cooking a round of eggs.” She placed them on a trivet and took down two more plates from the cupboard.

  “I have missed your cooking.” William pulled out a chair for Laney then sat down next to her. He passed a plate of biscuits to her before taking two for himself.

  After breakfast, Mr. Clarke asked William to join him on one of his visits to a soldier. He reached down and picked up his medical bag to hide the anguish that crossed his face as he left Laney behind to es
cort his father into town.

  Sarah saw it, too, and pushed him out the door. “She will be here when you get back. You have my word.”

  Laney washed the dishes in the large sink. Sarah swept the floor, pushing all the dirt out the backdoor. They worked in silence for a good half hour, giving Laney time to think about how to find Nick. She’d have to discuss it with William, but she had a feeling they should search around the Webb’s property.

  “When will you be wed?” Sarah kept her eyes on the broom and off of Laney.

  Lifting a plate out of the suds, Laney rinsed it in the clean tub of water. A wedding was the furthest thing from her mind, but she understood Sarah’s thought process. William and Anne’s courtship had lasted for close to two years. She was nineteen, and he was twenty-one. They were well overdue in the eighteenth century.

  “He has yet to ask me.” She wiped the plate with a dry rag and set it in the cupboard.

  “You do not speak the truth.” Sarah leaned against the counter. “That brother of mine. All he has on his mind is the war. Wait until I have a word with him. He does not understand the needs of a woman.”

  “Please do not speak to him on this matter.” She didn’t want him to think she had anything to do with this conversation. “Both of us are overwhelmed right now.”

  “Because there is a war going, it does not mean we cannot have a little happiness and joy in our lives.” Sarah pushed her long, blonde hair over her shoulder, standing up straight with the broom in hand. “Nothing makes me prouder than calling you my sister.”

  Although she only met Sarah hours before, she felt obligated to respond. “And the same is true for me. I have never had a sister before.”

  “Maybe you need to push him a bit.” Sarah’s eyes narrowed, seemingly thinking she was part of a grand scheme. “He is in love with you. You can keep his mind off the war and maybe on the possibility of a family.”