Canes of Divergence (Dusk Gate Chronicles)

by Puttroff, Breeana

She looked around at the wide area where they were all playing, then frowned. “They are going to destroy those.”

  He followed her gaze.

  Emma and Alice had wandered away from the playground area, and they were climbing into the huge bed of rose bushes that lined the back wall of the garden. In the summer, the area was a huge cascade of blooming flowers that seemed to pour off the stone walls and stretch forever, separating this area from the kitchen gardens.

  During the growing seasons, it would have been impossible for the children to even get in there. Now, though, it was slightly more sparse – mostly a tangled mass of sticks and stems; the last of the blooms had finally wilted and been trimmed off the remaining canes by the gardeners only a few weeks ago.

  The two children were climbing carefully, but every few seconds, another twig would snap. As he watched, Emma stepped right into the middle of one of the bushes; the leg of her pants caught on the thorns for a second before she pulled it free.

  “Yes, they are. Where are Ben and Linnea?”

  She nodded toward the swings as he stood and handed the baby back to her. Ben had just picked up Sarah, who was crying, and Linnea was bent down talking to Alex.

  “I have no idea what those two think is appealing about playing in those thorny roses, but my mother won’t be happy if they kill all of her bushes. I’ll be right back.”

  “I knew you’d get out of it somehow,” she teased, chuckling as she reached for the diaper bag.

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “Right. Because I haven’t changed the last hundred diapers. Do you even know how to do it?”

  “Um…” She giggled as she glanced into the bag. “I’m sure I can figure it out.”

  “I love you,” he said, kissing her on the head.

  “I love you, too. Now go, before there are no roses next cycle.”

  He’d only been kidding, of course. Quinn had changed her share of Samuel’s diapers, but he considered it only fair that if she had to do all of the feedings, then he could do as many of the changings as possible.

  He yelled for the girls before he ever reached the flowerbed, but they were so wrapped up in whatever they were doing that neither one of them even turned at his voice. Sighing, he looked for the clearest route through the thick brambles and climbed in.

  Less than ten feet into the flowerbeds, he noticed the girls had stopped moving and both of them were kneeling down. A second later, he saw what was holding their attention so fully.

  “Emma! No!” he shouted.

  Whether she’d finally heard him, or she was just frightened by the sudden movement of the animal that crouched in the bushes didn’t matter. Emma stood up and leapt back in such haste she bumped into Alice, knocking her sideways into the bushes – and right into the path of the startled fox.

  In the next instant, Alice was screaming, and William was running toward her, his worry about the plants forgotten.

  “Get out of here, Emma, now!” he yelled as he reached them.

  Before he could grab Alice and yank her out of the way, the fox sprang, closing its jaw around the little girl’s forearm.

  He reacted without thinking, elbowing the fox’s muzzle twice, until it let go of Alice and then shoving her to the side. Immediately, the animal’s teeth sank into his arm.

  William twisted his whole body in an attempt to get away from the fox, but it wouldn’t let go. The girls were both screaming and crying now.

  Suddenly, he felt a huge thud, and then the fox whined, its teeth finally loosening from his arm.

  He scrambled away as quickly as he could, trying to pull himself to his feet at the same time, putting himself between Alice and the fox.

  The high-pitched whine that was still coming from the fox made no sense to him until he finally turned around.

  Ben was there, brambles and thorns stuck to his pants, beet-faced and breathing hard, kneeling over the fox, which was, William could now see, dying. Ben’s dagger was through its side, pinning it to the ground.

  He scooped up Alice, pressing her face to his chest as Ben placed his boot over the fox’s neck, withdrew his dagger, and then stabbed it again, this time through its heart. The animal fell silent.

  “We need to keep it – to get it back to the clinic.” Although he didn’t really. He knew, from the wild look that had been in the animal’s eyes, from the white froth that even now was escaping its mouth, what the test results would show.

  Ben nodded. “It’s not going anywhere now. Let’s get the girls there first.” As he spoke he was already walking to where Emma was huddled on the ground. She’d stopped screaming, but tears still streamed down her face.

  William could see small cuts on her hands from where she’d fallen in the roses, but he didn’t think she’d been bitten.

  Ben picked her up, and both of them hurried to carry the girls out of the flowerbeds.

  Alice’s wound was beginning to bleed everywhere. He pressed his hand against it as tightly as he could. She whimpered, but didn’t start crying again.

  Quinn and Linnea were standing at the edge of the flowerbeds looking shocked.

  “What can I do?” Quinn called as he approached her. Her face was white as she took in his appearance. He was covered in Alice’s blood already, and he was sure his own wounds were bleeding, too.

  “You can get Samuel and the rest of the kids upstairs. Now, please. They don’t need to see any more of this.”

  “Are you okay?”

  He nodded, though he was sure she saw right through him. “Linnea,” he said, “please find Mother and Father and have them meet me down at the clinic.”

  ~ 7 ~

  No Choice

  Bristlecone, Colorado

  ZANDER WAS SURPRISED to see lights still on inside his house when he pulled up to the curb. Normally, his parents would be in bed before he made it home from a party.

  He checked the clock. No, it wasn’t late enough for them to start worrying. Still, he was wary as he approached the house.

  “Is that you, Zander?” his dad called from the kitchen at the sound of the door closing.

  He didn’t sound angry. “Yeah, it’s me.”

  His dad appeared in the doorway separating the kitchen from the living room, a dishtowel slung over his shoulder. He didn’t look upset, either. Zander relaxed. “What are you still doing up?”

  “Oh, it was kind of a crazy night here with the extra kids. I told your mom I’d finish cleaning up so we can get out of here at a reasonable time tomorrow.”

  “I forgot you guys were leaving.”

  “Yeah, Ashley’s performance is tomorrow night. We thought we’d get an early start and maybe take all the kids to the zoo first. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

  “Am I sure I don’t want to be packed into a hotel room tomorrow night with you and mom and four little kids?”

  His dad chuckled. “It’s a suite.”

  Zander raised an eyebrow.

  “I know. I don’t think I would have wanted to at your age, either. What are you going to do here for the rest of the weekend?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe hang out with Adam; maybe go through the college catalogs again.”

  “Still haven’t made a decision?”

  “No – and I know I’m running out of time.” This wasn’t entirely true. He knew where he wanted to go – he just wasn’t ready to have that conversation with his father.

  “Another letter came for you today – it’s on the mantel.”

  “Really?” He was pretty sure he’d heard back from all of the colleges he’d sent applications to.

  When he saw the logo on the envelope, he was confused. He hadn’t sent his application to DU. As he tore it open, he tried hard to convince himself it was something else, just junk mail, or … but it wasn’t. His heart sank when he unfolded the acceptance letter inside.

  “So?” His father’s voice was gleeful; Zander was surprised he wasn’t jumping up and down.

  “Didn’t you already open it
and look? Why wouldn’t you take that upon yourself, too?”

  “Zander, it’s a good school. They have a great business program. Four years from now, you could be ready to become a partner at the office.”

  “And what if that’s not what I want to do?” He’d never outright challenged him on this point before, wanting to avoid the battle. When his father had brought out the application for DU, Zander had filled it out dutifully, essays and all. But he’d never mailed it. One afternoon, when he dropped Quinn off for work at the library, he’d stopped in to use their shredder.

  But Jack Cunningham was meticulous about everything. He’d made copies of every application before they sealed them up. Most likely, he’d realized that Zander never sent the original when the check for the application fee wasn’t cashed.

  “Zander, I remember what it was like to be your age, I do. This wasn’t what I originally wanted to do, either. I had the same argument with my father. But then, I went to college, I met your mother, and I realized this was going to be a good job – that I would be able to provide for her, to raise a family with her.”

  “I don’t plan on getting someone pregnant in college, Dad.”

  “Regardless,” his father answered, his voice only slightly darker, “you’re going to want to marry someone someday. And you’re going to want to have a career that can provide for you – and them. I have a business ready to hand over to you.”

  Zander stared at him, silently contemplating, not wanting to turn this into a fight. He knew his father loved him and that his intentions were good – but Zander wanted no part of running a real estate office in Bristlecone, Colorado. And he didn’t want to go to the school his father had gone to. Wasn’t he supposed to have some choice in the matter?

  “Look, I know DU doesn’t have a football team…”

  “Is that what you think this is about, Dad? Football?”

  “Well, I know it’s been important to you.”

  “What else is supposed to be important in Bristlecone? Seriously, Dad. It was you who made me go out for football in the first place.”

  “Made you? I thought it was important to you. You’re so good at it.”

  He wasn’t going to be able to stay calm a whole lot longer. “Dad. It’s fine. Football was fine for high school. I had fun, and I made some good friends. I might have been okay for Bristlecone High, but I already knew I wasn’t going to be playing football in college. It’s not about football, okay?”

  “Then I don’t understand. What is it about?”

  “I don’t know, Dad. Maybe it’s about making my own choices, about living the life I want to have, instead of one somebody else picked for me.”

  “The world doesn’t really work that way, Zander. At some point, everyone has to grow up and do the responsible thing.”

  “Why does it have to be your ‘responsible thing’?”

  “What else are you going to do?”

  “Do I have to decide right this second? I’ve been thinking about computer science … or maybe even pre-med.”

  His father rolled his eyes. “Those are jobs for really smart people.”

  The words stung so badly Zander actually flinched. He took several steps backward.

  “Oh, don’t take it like that, Zander. I just meant the kind of people who go into those are the ones with straight ‘As’ – the ones who study all weekend and don’t have lives. You have a life.”

  He bit his tongue until he tasted blood, willing himself not to do something he’d be embarrassed about later. It was true he didn’t have a straight 4.0, but he’d never made less than a B in anything. And his grades in science and math were perfect. Maybe his father had never even noticed that. Or maybe he just didn’t care, because it got in the way of his vision of what he wanted for Zander. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” he finally muttered through his teeth.

  “Well, you can’t put off talking about it forever. The deposits are due soon. And, honestly, son, I don’t have any intention of throwing my money away. If you’re determined to mess around and waste your time chasing after something that doesn’t have a future for you, then you’re going to have to find a way to pay for it yourself.”

  Zander stared at him, stunned into silence; his mind had suddenly gone completely blank, and he couldn’t focus on anything, except the strange ringing in his ears.

  “Someday, when you own a nice real estate business, and you’re standing in the kitchen of a nice house with your own son, you’ll thank me for this, Zander. Now, I have to get to bed. I have a busy day planned with my family tomorrow, which will be paid for with money from the business I run. Good night.”

  His father paused on his way out to pat him on the back, but Zander still couldn’t respond.

  ~ 8 ~

  William

  Rosewood Castle, Eirentheos

  THE SOUND OF the sitting-room door closing startled Quinn; she hadn’t realized she’d dozed off. At the motion, the baby, who had just finally fallen asleep on her chest, stirred and immediately began fussing again. She didn’t know if it was because of her own heightened emotions or what, but Samuel had been a mess ever since she’d brought him inside after the fox attack.

  For the moment, though, she ignored the fussing and carried him with her to the other room. The motion quieted him down a bit.

  “Will! Are you all right?”

  He nodded, though he wasn’t the least bit believable. The dark blue of his shirt hid most of the blood spatters, but it was ripped in a couple of places. Most notable was the big white bandage that was wound around his right arm, just below the elbow. Almost white, anyway, a small dot of red had seeped through in the middle of it.

  “You’re still bleeding.”

  “It’s fine,” he said, shaking his head. “We can’t close the wound all the way right now. The fox probably had rabies.”

  Cold, stark horror washed over her. “What? Are you sure?”

  “Almost positive. Nathaniel is going to test it.”

  “Did he give you the shots?”

  “No … why is he crying like that?”

  Samuel’s fussiness had now exploded into full-on screams, his little face turning red; Quinn was rocking and bouncing him, but it wasn’t helping, and she couldn’t concentrate on anything except what William was saying. “What do you mean no? Why not? People die without those, Will!”

  “Seriously, Quinn. The baby. Feed him or change him or something. Look, I’m a mess, and this has been … I’m going to go and have a bath. Take care of him, please.”

  He walked away from her, through the bedroom door and then, a second later, she heard the bathroom door close. She stared after him in shock, the baby’s cries piercing her ears. He’d just blown her off. Avoided her question entirely. She was afraid she was going to be sick.

  And still, the baby cried. His diaper was dry and fastened perfectly. He’d finished eating only a little while ago, but still she sat down on the couch to see if he was hungry again – but that only made him angrier. It was the dance they’d been doing all day.

  Finally, she wrapped him snugly in his blanket, scooped him up, and carried him out of the room. Miraculously, by the time they’d gone a few feet down the hall, he quieted. She stopped and looked at him. Immediately, his bottom lip quivered again, and she started walking, quickly. If that was what it was going to take … well, she thought she could probably do with some exercise herself.

  Besides, if William wasn’t going to give her any answers, she was going to find some for herself.

  Bouncing the baby the whole way, she headed toward the family’s wing.

  She was almost to the common room when she ran into Thomas coming from the other direction. “Hey, Quinn, are you okay? Where’s Will?”

  “I’m fine, I guess. Will is taking a bath. Where’s everyone else?”

  Thomas frowned and opened his mouth to answer her when the baby suddenly let out a high-pitched wail. “Whoa,” he said instead, “is it really t
hat bad little man?”

  Quinn swayed him back and forth, attempting to mimic the motion of walking, but it didn’t help. “He’s been like this all day. It’s why I’ve been hiding in our room.”

  “May I?” Thomas asked, holding out his hands.

  She passed the baby over willingly.

  Thomas unwrapped Samuel and then laid him facedown over his arm, cradling the baby’s chin with his hand and patting him gently on the back while he rocked from side to side.

  For almost a full minute, she thought it was going to work. The crying quieted to a whimper and the baby’s tight fists relaxed a little. Then, Samuel hiccupped, which made him mad all over again and the screaming resumed. Quinn almost felt like joining him. She closed her eyes, needing half a second to compose herself.

  “Let me try.” Mia’s voice came out of nowhere. Quinn opened her eyes, startled. She hadn’t heard her approaching – not that she’d have been able to hear footsteps over Samuel’s cries, she supposed.

  Thomas handed her the baby. She grabbed the blanket from Thomas’ shoulder and wrapped Samuel loosely in it. Then she held him, just cradled normally in her arms, gently swaying back and forth. Less than a minute later, he was quiet. Quinn and Thomas both watched in stunned silence as, another minute after that, Samuel’s eyelids started growing heavy, his little blinks lasting longer each time.

  “Can I have him for a while?” Mia asked.

  Quinn tensed, waiting for Samuel to get upset again at the sound of Mia’s voice, but he didn’t seem bothered in the least. He was almost all the way asleep now.

  “I’ll bring him back if he gets hungry or if I can’t calm him,” she said a bit nervously; probably misunderstanding Quinn’s hesitation in answering. “It just seems like you could maybe use a little break, milady.”

  Quinn nodded. “Thank you.” She was going to say more, but at the sound of her voice, Samuel’s eyes fluttered open again, and his tiny lips twitched. She took a step back.

  Mia smiled in understanding, and then turned and headed down the hall. At that exact moment, Quinn wasn’t even interested in knowing where she was going.