He stood up straight, looking her in the eye. “Just the last two nights while you’ve been here or longer than that?”
“The whole time I was home. Nearly every night. One morning I woke up and found my little brother curled up beside me. He said I’d been talking in my sleep, that I had sounded scared.”
“What did you say?”
“He didn’t know. I guess I stopped talking once he opened my bedroom door and came in.”
William threw another stone, this time making it skip an impressive five times. Quinn whistled, before she scooped up another rock. She tried to imitate his technique, and got three bounces.
“It has to be hard on you … not even being able to tell your brother about any of this. I’ve always had Thomas.”
Crouching down, she picked up another smooth stone, rubbing it between her fingers for a long moment, not standing back up. “Sometimes I think Owen knows me better than anyone else. He’s mildly autistic, you know, but that doesn’t stop him from anything. He’s known that something is up with me ever since the first time I came back, sometimes he says things that make me feel like he must know my secret. He doesn’t ask me about it, though, just comes to sit beside me or curls up under the covers with me.”
“Sounds like a kid I would like to know.”
Finally standing back up, she skipped the stone. “I’ll introduce you.”
They stood there for several more minutes, skipping rocks across the water, enjoying the slight breeze that blew across, giving them a reprieve from the oppressive heat of the evening. Afterwards, they sat down on the bank and ate their sandwiches, watching as the sun sank lower behind the trees.
“Do you think Thomas is all right?” she asked after a while, although the question stuck in her throat.
“I’m sure he’s fine. We’ll probably reach Lily and Graeme’s and they’ll tell us he’s left, gone back home on the main road, that we’ve gone to all this trouble for nothing.” His voice was steady and calm, but Quinn could see a different feeling hiding in his eyes.
“Probably,” she said. “We should get back and see if they need help setting up for the night.”
The night didn’t cool much at all. Quinn might not have slept at all if she hadn’t been so exhausted from riding. She had been surprised when she and William had returned to the clearing, and Ben had already finished erecting dome tents, that looked like they’d been purchased at a sporting goods store in her world. William had shrugged when she raised her eyebrows, and she remembered another time, when he’d told her that he and Nathaniel took whatever small advantages from her world that they could – whatever items they could manage to carry with them through the gate.
Crawling into the smallest tent that evening felt weird. It was set a short distance from the two identical larger tents. She shone her flashlight around, intending to feel around on the floor to locate the softest spot on the ground to lay her sleeping bag over; the forest floor here was covered in rocks, fallen branches, and protruding roots. She’d spent enough nights in tents to know how quickly a night could be ruined by a stray rock under her sleeping spot. She was startled when she realized that her sleeping bag was already spread out, laid neatly on top of two saddle blankets for extra padding.
For several minutes, she ran her hand over the nylon floor without finding a single bump.
Climbing into her sleeping bag, she realized that she had never slept all by herself in a tent before, let alone in the middle of an unfamiliar forest in a strange world. Between the creepy feeling of being alone, wondering who had set up her bed so perfectly, and the general mood of stress in the group, she shouldn’t have been surprised at the vivid, frightening dreams she had that night.
Well before dawn, she was startled awake by the sound of a zipper. She sat bolt upright, dripping sweat, her heart racing.
“Quinn! Are you okay?” Nathaniel’s head appeared at the opening of the tent, suddenly reminding her where she was. The moon was round and bright behind him; the light spilled into the tent and across her sleeping bag. She could make out William’s silhouette next to Nathaniel.
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine. What’s going on?” She crawled over to the door. It had been too hot to cover up, so she had been sleeping, still dressed, on top of the bag.
“You were yelling. It worried us. Are you sure everything is all right?” Nathaniel’s eyes were full of concern.
“Were you dreaming again?” William asked, crouching down so they were all facing each other.
“Um,” she shook her head, trying to think. “I must have been.” She stood to climb out, needing to get out into the fresh air.
Nathaniel gently took hold of her elbow, helping her. His expression was worried. “You’ve been having bad dreams?”
“Sometimes they’re bad, I guess. I usually can’t remember the details once I wake up, just the feeling.”
“She’s been dreaming about Eirentheos,” William told him.
Nathaniel raised his eyebrows. “For how long?”
She shrugged. “I think I’ve been having them for a long time.”
“Since your first visit?” William asked, confused. “Or just since this last time?”
She swallowed, suddenly realizing a truth that had been hanging around in the back of her mind for a while now, a truth that startled and frightened her. “Longer than that. Since before I ever followed you through the gate.”
William looked as shocked as she felt.
“What were you dreaming about tonight that made you yell?” Nathaniel asked. He didn’t look as shocked as William, and she didn’t know what to make of that.
“I think … I think it was about this trip. We were here. Well, not exactly here, but in a forest similar to this one.” She paused, searching inside her mind, trying to grasp on to the memory that kept slipping away, just out of reach. It refused to come, but the feeling returned suddenly, slamming into her chest like a ton of bricks. “Something is wrong. We have to find Thomas. We have to find him now.”
“We’re going to, Quinn. We’re going to do everything we can.” Nathaniel put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.
* * *
By the time the first rays of sunlight reached them through the trees, they were already back on the trail. Nathaniel seemed to be taking her dreams more seriously than she had been, which made her feel odd.
Around mid-morning, they stopped in another clearing by the river. The water was higher here and flowed faster. All day they had been steadily climbing into territory that was hillier and rockier than Quinn was used to seeing in Eirentheos. Although these foothills were much smaller, and the forests still comprised of leafy, green, deciduous trees, the scenery vaguely reminded her of home.
“We’re getting close to the Philothean border,” Nathaniel told them as they walked the horses to the water. “We’ll stop here for now. Quinn, William, and Ben, I want the three of you to rest the horses and yourselves. There is a town near here, Anwin. Marcus and I are going to go and talk to some people we know, try and get some information about what’s going on.”
“Is it safe?” Quinn asked.
Nathaniel and Marcus exchanged a look.
“It’s safer than trying to continue without knowing what we’re heading into.” Marcus answered.
“We have friends in this village who will be able to help us. We’ll be fine, but we don’t want to risk going in a large group and drawing attention to ourselves.” Nathaniel clarified.
The two men hiked into Anwin on foot, leaving William, Quinn, and Ben with the horses. The boys worked to unload weight from the horses so they could rest, while Quinn dug through one of the food bags, pulling out a wrapped loaf of bread and the container of spread that was similar to peanut butter. They had eaten the same food since lunch yesterday, and when Ben saw it, he grimaced.
“We’ve got time,” he said. “We should try catching a few fish.”
William’s eyes lit up, and he nodded, glanci
ng disdainfully at the bread. “Definitely.” He headed straight for one of the saddle bags on the ground and dug out three small metal cases. “Do you know how to fish, Quinn?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He looked at her skeptically. “Fly-fish?”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Yeah, I do.” The quick change in his expression amused her, and then caused a little flood of warmth to flow in her chest when she realized he looked … impressed.
“We’ll clean them for you,” Ben offered.
William chuckled at the dark look she shot him. “He’s only trying to be chivalrous.”
The tight muscles in her forehead relaxed. “In that case, you guys can cook them, too.”
They both laughed.
“Agreed,” William nodded.
Quinn and William followed Ben a short distance downriver from where the horses were drinking and cooling themselves in the water. Although it was slightly cooler here than it had been at the lower elevations, the heat of the day was still uncomfortable. This part of the river was ideal for fly-fishing. As soon as he found a good boulder to climb up on, William opened one of the cases and began assembling a complicated-looking pole.
She glanced over at Ben, who was already wading through the water, seeking out a fishing spot. He hadn’t talked a lot so far on their journey, although she had a feeling he listened to everything, taking it in. She didn’t know much about him, other than he and his father were both guards at the castle. Stephen and Nathaniel clearly trusted both of them implicitly. Still, she wondered what someone like Ben must think of all the fancy equipment Nathaniel and William carried – the tents and the fishing poles bought at a sporting goods store in her world. Were they in on the secret? She would have to remember to ask William later.
“Can I help you with those?” she asked, shimmying up the tall rock to sit beside William.
She saw his eyebrow begin to creep up for a fraction of a second before he thought better of it, shrugged, and handed her a case. “Sure, thanks.”
As she carefully twisted the sections of the pole together, she watched Ben wade through the water, and listened to William working beside her. A hot lump rose in her throat. It should have been Thomas here with them, his booming laugh and teasing gestures lightening the mood. Tears stinging the corners of her eyes, she stole a glance over at William. She jumped, startled, when her eyes met his. He was staring at her intently, and she could see her own grief echoed in his expression.
They sat there on that rock, at the edge of the river, for a moment that was fleeting and eternal at the same time, each one’s eyes locked on the other’s, a snarl of inexplicable feelings hanging heavy in the summer air. He nodded, and she knew he understood, even before he squeezed her hand.
“It will be good to eat a hot meal,” he said. “We’re going to need the strength.”
* * *
After less than an hour of fishing, they had caught eight fat ruskas. Quinn had snagged three of them.
Although he knew it was likely that she would be perfectly capable of helping him and Ben clean and cook the fish – the girl was full of surprises -- William thought she could do with a break. It couldn’t be easy for a teenage girl to travel for this long in the wilderness with four men. The only privacy she had was inside the small, one-person tent they’d set up for her last night, and it wasn’t even tall enough inside for her to stand upright.
As soon as they had enough fish to fill them, William told Quinn to take advantage of the calm break and the smaller group to bathe herself in the river and change. It also gave him a chance to spend some time with Ben.
Ben had been around for as long as William could remember, although he had never known him very well. Ben had always lived in the castle; his father, Marcus, had worked as a guard there before he’d ever married and had Ben. He was several cycles older than William, though – closer to Simon’s age than his own, and so while they had always been friendly, they’d never been friends.
The two worked together amiably, Ben slicing and cleaning the fish with quick, sure strokes, finishing with six in the time it took for William to do two.
“Nice,” William said.
Ben shrugged. “We should find something to season them with. There’s miloseed growing everywhere around here.”
“Sure.” William jumped up and followed Ben into the forest, noticing that the older boy seemed sure about where he was going.
“You know this area?”
Ben raised his eyebrows slightly, giving William an impression that the question surprised him, as if he thought William knew the answer already. “Yes, good friends of both my father and Nathaniel live in Anwin. We’ve traveled here together many times.”
Now it was William’s turn to be surprised. He spent nearly all of his time when he was home traveling all over Eirentheos and Philotheum with Nathaniel, but they had never been to this area before, William was certain. He didn’t know anything about the village of Anwin – he’d seen the name only on maps, and these hills were unfamiliar to him. He didn’t know what to say, whether he should disclose this to Ben.
“Here we are.” Ben saved him from responding, as he walked around a tree and into a patch of small miloseed plants. He bent down and began searching through them – the fully-grown plants with the largest leaves made the best seasoning for food. The seasoning would give the fish a savory, smoky flavor, with a hint of spice.
Before Quinn returned from the river, William and Ben had taken several of the small plants and crushed the red and green leaves into tiny flakes and then they sprinkled them generously on top of the meat in a little, square pan that could withstand the heat of the fire. William felt a sense of satisfaction over the impressed glance she threw at the simmering meal.
Nathaniel and Marcus returned just as William removed the pan from the fire. Quinn had retrieved the dishes from one of the bags, and Ben was filling a large water container from the stream.
Everyone was starving by the time they all sat down to eat, finding a spot in the shade as far as they could manage from the heat of the dying fire. The fish looked and smelled amazing, and the meal was doubly impressive when they added a few fresh vegetables that Nathaniel and Marcus had brought with them from Anwin.
“Thank you all. This will be a welcome change,” Marcus said, surveying his small, metal plate.
Nathaniel’s expression was somber. Quinn and William exchanged a wary look.
“What’s the news?” William asked.
Nathaniel sighed. “Things appear to be getting very tense between Tolliver, his troops, and many of the people in Philotheum.” He took a bite of his food and swallowed before continuing. “Of course, being Tolliver, not much of what he is doing is straightforward. Technically, the border is still open, and relations between our two kingdoms are friendly. There are many rumors floating around, however, and the people are becoming unsure of whom to trust.”
“There have been disappearances,” Marcus added. “In the village of Estora, just across the border, eight people are gone, including one family of five. Nobody knows where they are.”
“Taken?” Ben asked, shock in his voice.
Nathaniel shrugged. “Perhaps some have been secretly arrested by Tolliver’s troops. Others may be working as spies, or they have just decided to leave.”
“Many believe that Eirentheos is behind their troubles, that Stephen is responsible for some of the disappearances.”
William watched Quinn’s eyes pop open as wide as his own. “That’s impossible! Why would they think that?”
Nathaniel’s eyes stayed on his plate as he spoke. “Tolliver and his father, the Prince Regent, have long undertaken a campaign to undermine the influence Eirentheos exerts over its people and political structure. They’re trying to force Stephen’s hand, or perhaps to start a war.”
William tried to spear a piece of fish with his fork, but his hand was trembling so hard he missed twice. Quinn edged closer to him, and he managed
on the third try.
“So, while the border is open, and people are permitted to cross either way, many are afraid to, and we can assume that all border crossings are being carefully monitored and reported to Tolliver and his troops.” Marcus set his empty plate on the ground in front of him.
“We’re not going to just be able to ride across,” Quinn said. William’s heart sank. What did all of this mean for Thomas?
“No, we aren’t.” Nathaniel’s expression was grave.
“Then what do we do?” Again, Quinn was jumping right into the fray. William didn’t understand why she was so deeply involved with this, so willing to put herself in danger. He wondered if the kiss between her and Thomas had been more than his brother just trying to distract her, to get her through the gate before she could rat him out.
He had decided not to think about that, though, not to worry about it until after Thomas was safe. He had already hurt Quinn enough trying to push her away and keep her out of this. She had made her choice to come here for Thomas, and it couldn’t be changed now. Continuing to alienate her wouldn’t accomplish anything.
Besides, he had to admit that it was nice having her here. She often thought differently than anyone else, quickly seeing a solution that nobody else had come up with. And it was clear that she cared about Thomas, that she wanted him back as badly as he did. William was fairly certain that if it came down to it, if the group was forced to choose between the safety of all of them and a chance at finding Thomas, that Nathaniel, Marcus, and Ben would be practical. Quinn, though, would be with him.
“Well,” Nathaniel answered, “despite Tolliver’s attempts to convince his people that Eirentheos is evil, his actions among his own people are stirring up resistance.”
Marcus raised his eyebrows. “That’s nothing new. There’s been resistance to the regent and his son ever since...” He stopped suddenly when Nathaniel directed a look of warning toward him. “Ever since Prince Samuel died,” he finished.
Roots of Insight (Dusk Gate Chronicles -- Book Two) Page 16
