Andrew’s expression was grim. “As far as we can tell, he never made it there. Or if he did, it wasn’t for long”
For a moment, she wondered if her heart had actually stopped. “What do you mean, as far as you can tell? You must know Lily and Graeme. Did they ever see him?”
Andrew looked directly at her; his brown eyes intense and serious. “Lily and Graeme disappeared some time ago. Nobody knows where they are.”
“How? How is that even possible? What is going on here?” She felt herself on the verge of a panic attack, and nobody here was familiar or comfortable at all. The edges of the room were getting blurry. This was not good. “We have to find him!”
“Yes, Quinn, we do.” Ben’s voice was steady; he was trying to calm her. “Everyone here wants to find Thomas now. Panicking is not going to help.”
She nodded, trying to control her breathing. She’d never be able to think when she was like this.
“Marcus, Nathaniel, and William will be here in a few hours,” Henry said. “We can discuss what we are going to do then. We have Friends in several towns in the same mountains as Harber Village who are trying to gather information about what may have happened to Lily and Graeme – and to Thomas. For right now, we need to regroup and wait for more information.”
Quinn took deep breaths, but it wasn’t helping. She felt like they’d been doing nothing but regrouping for two days, always stopping, waiting for someone else, for information.
“Are you all right Quinn?” Ellen had returned and was standing in front of her. She carried a tray, which held two large white bowls and several thick slices of bread.
“Yes, I just…” She couldn’t, she wasn’t. “Would it be okay if I went outside for a few minutes? I think I need some fresh air or something.”
Ellen looked over at her husband, who nodded, and then back at Quinn. “Of course. Just … it would be best if you stayed within the grounds.”
“Would you like me to come with you, Quinn?” Ben asked.
“No thanks. I could use a few minutes to myself.” Or at least a few minutes not surrounded by complete strangers.
Ellen led her to the door and handed her the bowl of stew and a slice of bread. Quinn walked quickly away from the house, across the vast yard until she came to what looked like an orchard. She wished now that she had insisted on going with William and Nathaniel, it felt all wrong being separated from them.
Nothing had happened when she had crossed the border with Ben. They’d barely seen anyone. After that, she did not understand why they couldn’t have all just come here together. She wondered if she was going crazy. It didn’t feel like she was sleeping, but right now she was wondering if this was just another one of her crazy dreams.
Quinn spent the better part of the afternoon alone outside, trying to calm herself. She walked around the grounds several times, trying to clear her head and put all of the pieces together. Clearly, the political situation in Philotheum was much more complicated and dangerous than she had thought it was – much more so than Thomas had thought, too. She knew from her own experience what a miserable excuse for a human being Tolliver was; the thought of him ruling a kingdom made her shudder.
Once she had calmed down enough to actually be able to eat her soup – even cold, it was delicious – she was able to think a little more clearly. Of course, Nathaniel and Marcus had probably been right about separating. They had seen a number of soldiers along the road coming here. The fact that they hadn’t stopped what would have appeared to be a young couple didn’t mean they wouldn’t have stopped a larger group.
Thomas was already missing – she couldn’t assume that any of them were safe. Thinking that, though, made the panic rise up inside her chest again. None of them were safe, and William and Nathaniel were out there on the road somewhere, with the soldiers patrolling everywhere. What if something happened to them? What if William disappeared, too? She closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to push that thought out of her mind – she couldn’t start thinking it. She decided, though, that this was the last time she would allow herself to be separated from him on this trip, regardless of what other circumstances they ran in to. She couldn’t do this again.
After eating, she paced the perimeter of the orchard a few more times before her thoughts were finally a little more controlled. Waiting was going to be a part of this – she was just going to have to get used to that fact. She yawned – not sleeping much last night, and the long ride this morning were finally getting to her. Good. Taking a nap would make the wait for William and Nathaniel pass more quickly.
When Quinn woke up, it took her several minutes to remember where she was. The room was both unfamiliar and pitch black, which was disconcerting. It had taken her a while to fall asleep in Henry and Ellen's guest room because it had been so bright in the late afternoon when she'd asked to go and lay down. She stumbled over to where she remembered the window being, and pulled back the thin curtain. It was completely dark; she could barely see the dark outlines of the trees on the other side of the yard. If there was any moon left tonight, she couldn’t see it.
She fumbled along the walls, looking for a light switch, and then realized that she was never going to find one. Before she had gone to sleep, she'd noticed a small oil lamp sitting next to the bed, and a candlestick on a high shelf near the door. She reached up now toward the shelf, and felt around until she hit the hard, metal shape. Pulling it down, she reached up onto the shelf again, feeling for something to light it with. After several seconds, she touched a long, wooden match. She struck it against the heavy doorjamb. It snapped in half.
She swore under her breath and felt for the doorknob. She would find her way out to everyone else in the dark if she had to. She needed to see William and Nathaniel. The door opened quietly, and she was relieved to find that the hallway was dimly lit with candles every few feet, sitting on the same kind of high shelves as the one beside her door. Walking quickly, she tried to reverse the way Ellen had brought her here earlier from the sitting room.
She found it easily, impressed with her improving navigation in strange places. Through the open doorway, she could see Ellen and Henry on the couch. Henry was sitting up, leaning against a cushion, his head propped on his hand. Ellen's head was in his lap, her body curled up beside him. They were alone in the room.
Henry looked up at the sound of her footsteps. "You did wake up. We thought you might sleep all night; you must have been exhausted."
Ellen pulled herself up beside him. "We worried about you when you missed dinner. Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I was just tired, I think. Where is everyone else?" Had she slept long enough to have missed their arrival and they'd all gone to bed?
Ellen cast a wary glance at her husband. "Ben, Andrew, and Natalie have gone to bed. They were all tired after dinner as well."
Quinn's heart gave a jolt. "Where are Nathaniel, William, and Marcus?"
"They haven't arrived yet," Henry answered.
"What do you mean? What time is it? It was only supposed to take them a few hours."
Henry nodded solemnly. "They should have been here about four hours ago."
She started to hyperventilate. "Where are they? Has anyone gone to look for them?"
"Calm down, Quinn," Henry said, though the worry in his own voice made him unconvincing. "We cannot panic about it yet. There are many possible reasons for them being a few hours late."
"Four is more than a few."
"If they haven't arrived by morning, then we will begin to worry. At any rate, we cannot put anyone else at risk by going out to look for them in the dark. We will wait until first light. We know the route they were taking, and we can search it tomorrow if we need to."
"You should eat, Quinn," Ellen said. "You need to keep up your strength; this is a trying time. I saved you a plate from dinner, let's go to the kitchen."
Her heart was racing so quickly she was afraid it might burst. She was well past the ability to make any decisions on her own, so she
nodded woodenly and allowed Ellen to lead her toward the kitchen.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Ellen rushed to open it.
“Nathaniel!” she cried, throwing her arms around him. “Are you all right? Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, we're fine,” he said, turning her to the side to allow Marcus and William in.
Great, heaving sobs broke from Quinn's chest when she saw them. William nearly ran to her in alarm. “Quinn! What is it? What’s wrong?”
The sobs caught in her throat. She couldn’t answer; she could barely breathe. They just kept coming, tears streaming down her face, dripping off her chin, soaking the front of her shirt. William pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder.
“She was getting quite worried,” Henry said in a quiet voice behind them.
William nodded and pulled her tighter; she clutched the back of his shirt as her sobs grew louder, shaking both of them. “Hey, shh... shh... it’s okay, Quinn. We’re here now, we’re here. We’re all right. We’re here.” He held her like that for a long time, rubbing her back and swaying back and forth as he whispered reassurances into her ear. The wracking sobs subsided slowly, and though her tears still flowed, she felt him breathe a sigh of relief.
He reached into his pocket and retrieved his handkerchief. “Here, honey, shh…” he gently wiped the drips from her cheeks and chin before handing it to her.
She felt another comforting hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Nathaniel standing there, his eyes gentle and apologetic. “I’m so sorry we scared you. We never meant for that to happen. We’re all here, and we’re all okay.”
She nodded, and Nathaniel hugged her tightly before giving her back to William.
He kept his arm around her shoulders as he gently led her over to one of the couches. She sat down, pulling her knees up to her chin, one hand still clutching the damp handkerchief.
“What happened? Why are you so late?” she demanded, when she finally trusted herself to speak. She saw a glance pass between William and his uncle. “Everything. Tell me everything. I’m tired of guessing about everything and never knowing as much as anyone else. How am I supposed to be helpful if I don’t even know what’s going on?”
“First,” said William, his voice careful, “we had a little trouble at the river.”
“The water level was higher than we had anticipated,” Nathaniel said. “And crossing was very difficult. All of the supplies we were carrying were soaked, and some were ruined. We’re fortunate that we left most of our necessities in Anwin, and we’ll be able to retrieve them. We lost a considerable amount of time drying everything out enough that we wouldn’t be noticed as we traveled.”
“And then?” she demanded.
“We were stopped on the road by some patrolling guards,” Marcus answered.
“What?” her heart raced again.
“Relax, Quinn,” William said beside her. “We’re here and we’re okay, obviously nothing bad happened.”
“So what did happen?”
“It was frightening for a few minutes,” Nathaniel answered. “There were two guards, and one of them recognized us. They detained us, telling us we would have to be questioned.”
Bile rose in her throat.
“They took us back to one of their homes,” Nathaniel continued.
“I’ve never been so freaked out in my life,” William added. “But, obviously, we’re okay,” he told her again, this time squeezing her hand.
“When we got inside the house, both of them flashed us their tattoos.” Nathaniel’s voice was serious, but tinged with the relief he was obviously still feeling.
“We have Friends among the guard now?” Henry asked, amazed.
“We always have,” Marcus answered, casting a look at Henry that held reproof and something else she couldn’t decipher. “But it seems their numbers are growing. Clearly, Tolliver hasn’t been able to offer enough incentive to all of his soldiers to keep them toeing his line.”
“Not that any amount of incentive would ever have been enough for many,” Nathaniel said, and after her conversation with Ben today, she understood the appreciative glance he directed at Marcus.
“We spent a few hours talking with them. They fed us dinner, and then accompanied us for a good part of our journey, though they didn’t wish to come far enough to know exactly where we were coming.” Relief was still evident on Marcus’ face, though now that she was thinking more clearly again, she could also see a dark shadow underneath his eyes.
She looked over at Nathaniel, and then up at William, who was sitting so close to her on the couch that they were nearly touching. “What else happened?” she demanded.
Nathaniel sighed, his shadow growing darker, and a deep line appearing between his eyebrows. “The two guards – their names were Tobin and Derek – did share with us some news.”
Quinn’s stomach tightened ominously, and William placed his hand on her shoulder again.
“Lily, Graeme, and Thomas were all taken into the custody of Tolliver’s personal guards some time ago.”
The floor started to look uneven again; she felt William tremble next to her, though his expression was steady. “What? How? What…?” She didn’t know what question to ask … or what she even wanted to know.
Nathaniel seemed to feel the same way. He stood and paced the floor, directly behind the couch where William and Quinn were sitting, as Marcus spoke.
“From what little information we have, it appears as though Thomas did make it to Harber Village, but he was followed there. Some guard recognized him at the border, and he was watched for the rest of his trip – he never knew. For two days, Philothean guards tracked his every move, reporting back directly to Tolliver.”
William clutched her hand again – this was clearly no easier for him to hear a second time. Behind them, Nathaniel rested one hand on each of their shoulders. Quinn tried to concentrate on what Marcus was saying.
“Lily and Graeme have been targets for some time. Graeme is one of the leading members of the ruling council of Harber Village, and he has been outspoken against Tolliver’s policies from the beginning. And then Lily – with her ties to Eirentheos, and her practice as a healer using the new methods … Their prominence has caused no end of frustration to Tolliver, and those to whom he has promised positions of power in his ‘new government.’”
“So where are they? Where has Tolliver taken them? To his castle?”
“Oh, definitely not. Many of Tolliver’s current actions are in direct contradiction to what his father has ordered him to do. Hector is more patient than his son. He knows that directly provoking Eirentheos would not be a good plan. Our sources indicate that he doesn’t know much about many of the soldiers’ activities within the villages, either. The people are growing upset, and I don’t think Tolliver begins to realize the consequences of that. Hector would.”
“So where, then?”
“Derek and Tobin both seem to think that they would likely be held at one of the estates of one of Tolliver’s head soldiers.”
“But why? What would Tolliver do with Thomas? What good does it do him to hold him captive?”
William moved beside her. “Tolliver hates Thomas, for one thing. He’s never much liked any of us … but he now has a personal grudge against both Thomas and I for that incident at the naming ceremony. He’s made no secret of that.”
“So he’s what? Holding Thomas as some kind of revenge for that?”
“No,” Nathaniel answered. “I’m sure it’s more than that. First of all, there’s no way he could allow Thomas to reach Harber Village and interact with the people there. Right now, he and his supporters are spreading rumors there that Stephen has withdrawn his support of them, and that Lily and Graeme fled from them, effectively abandoning the village to Tolliver and his army. His soldiers have been terrorizing the village for over a cycle now.”
“Terrorizing them how?”
“Tolliver has basicall
y given them free rein to do as they please within the village. Essentially, they have occupied Harber Village – Tolliver’s own people are under control of his army there. They’ve raided the shops, stolen things from people’s homes …” Marcus sighed. “Almost nobody in the entire village has any jewelry or silverware left. The soldiers just take what they like, and sell it wherever they can. Harber Village is very isolated – most of the population of Philotheum has no idea about what’s going on there.”
“So Lily’s pendant…”
“I’m sure was stolen some time ago, and found its way to that market in Eirentheos. The people in Harber Village are becoming more and more afraid of Tolliver and his guards. Some of them apparently have a habit of showing up, uninvited, in people’s homes at mealtimes. Lily and Graeme were the most outspoken citizens against it. Stephen has been supporting them as much as he can, but it has been a desperate situation.”
“So what do we do? How do we find them?” She was starting to get a little panicked again.
Behind her, Nathaniel rested both of his hands on her shoulders. “I know it’s hard, Quinn,” he said. “But we wait, we gather the information we need in order to proceed, and we do this the right way, without putting anyone else in danger.”
“Or potentially creating more danger for Thomas,” William added – she could tell that he’d felt her tense defiantly beside him.
“For tonight,” Marcus said, “we go to sleep. It’s late, and it’s been a long day for everyone. I know I’m exhausted. I’ll see you all in the morning.” She watched as Marcus disappeared down the dark hallway toward the bedrooms.
“Are you going to be able to sleep again, Quinn?” Ellen asked. She looked over at Nathaniel. “She was so exhausted that she just slept for several hours.”
She thought about it. She started to nod; her arms and legs felt unnaturally heavy, and she’d had to suppress several yawns during their conversation, but then an image of the dark, lonely room flooded her mind. William turned to her in alarm when she began trembling again – she couldn’t help it. The panic she’d been holding back all day was still there, just under the surface. The idea of being alone again in a strange place, for hours on end brought it all crashing down on her again.
Roots of Insight (Dusk Gate Chronicles -- Book Two) Page 19
