“I can see that you are, too, Katherine, despite the brave fight you’ve waged.”
“My resolve has waned while I was constantly monitoring my movements,” she admitted. “I dare not visit Maynard and Adelaide as I would surely be followed, putting their lives and those who harbor them at risk. But I don’t know how long Farnsworth will tolerate this uneasy truce between us. His patience and wealth must be growing thin having to finance those men. Maybe it’s time to publicly confront him regardless of the consequences.”
“Have you kept in contact with Maynard and Adelaide?”
Katherine nodded, reluctant to reveal their location. “The morning after I left them was the same day Farnsworth had made his veiled threats, promising to hire the watchers. Guessing that that would take some time even for him, I immediately rode out to where Maynard and Adelaide were staying. I arranged to communicate with their guardians from then on without me ever having to leave the village.”
“How?”
“Every ten days or so, I cross paths with one of them at a prearranged spot in the village, such as the bakery or the butcher shop, never speaking to nor acknowledging the other,” she said. “Instead, we slip a note unobtrusively to one another about the latest news. In the note I receive, the next meeting place and time is provided. I can’t take the chance and speak to these individuals in case one of Zachary’s men is watching.”
“How are Maynard and Adelaide faring?”
“Adelaide is fully recovered and is helping to nurse Maynard back to health, though it has been a slow ordeal,” she said. “Maynard had finally awakened sometime in New Winter, but is still very weak, needing assistance to walk. He sleeps several times throughout the day as if Arileez’ spell still has a lingering effect upon him.”
“Arileez?” Nicholas was shocked to learn that the wizard had caused some of the problems in Kanesbury. “I heard stories about his plan to replace King Justin in the Citadel, though he was killed in the attempt. Apparently Arileez had the ability to transform his appearance to resemble anyone or anything he desired.”
“That’s what Dooley told me. After Arileez cast a sleeping spell on Maynard, he assumed his likeness and position in Kanesbury to implement Caldurian’s plan against my uncle.”
A sickening feeling washed over Nicholas. “He impersonated Maynard?”
Katherine nodded. “That is why Caldurian needed you out of the way, Nicholas, so you wouldn’t stumble upon his elaborate plan.”
“But Dooley knew that I was going to leave Kanesbury and join up with the King’s Guard. Why bother framing me?”
Katherine told him how Dooley had stolen the key to the Spirit Box when he was a boy, and of Farnsworth’s attempt years later to return the key to Caldurian in exchange for control of the village. “With you gone, Dooley had a chance to demonstrate his worth to Ned Adams by easing his way into your job at the gristmill. It was all Zachary’s idea to curry favor with the wizard. Since Dooley would be required to make deliveries to the Citadel, Zachary thought that Caldurian might be able to use him as a spy of sorts and reward him further for his ingenuity.”
“The idea sounds preposterous,” Nicholas said, “yet Dooley did act as a spy as you mentioned earlier, so…” He shook his head, his emotions in a whirl.
“And we may never know all the harm that resulted from it.”
Nicholas agreed, yet knew that Dooley Kramer had paid for his transgressions with an untimely death. “What’s done is done, I suppose. And between you, me, Maynard and Adelaide, we have more than enough evidence to clear my name. But that’s the least of my worries. We need to expose Farnsworth without endangering you or anyone else.”
“There is nothing I’d like more, but I fear that once we make a move against him, he’ll unleash his private forces upon everyone I care about. I couldn’t bear to see what happened to Constable Brindle–or something even worse–happen to others.”
“Or happen to you, Katherine.”
“That is the least of my worries, Nicholas. Whether Zachary is arrested or flees, I can’t risk having his men attack others in a final act of crazed vengeance.” She shuddered. “I’ve seen the heartless acts he has committed. He’s a vicious animal.”
“Then we’ll defang him and eliminate the others in his pack.”
“But how? The two of us are outnumbered.”
Nicholas smiled encouragingly. “We’ll just have to trust in a few more people.”
Katherine nodded, letting go of her fear and accepting the reality that more help was required. “You’re right, Nicholas. But with Zachary’s men all over the village, I’m worried that someone will get hurt no matter what we do.”
He thought for a moment, the candle glow highlighting a sly smile inching across his face. “First we need to get Zachary and his men in one place before making our move.”
Katherine was skeptical. “How are we ever to do that? You don’t realize what kind of people I’ve been dealing with, Nicholas.”
“Oh, I have a good idea considering some of the people I’ve had to endure,” he replied. “But it may not be as difficult as you think. We just have to lure those wild animals of sorts to us with a tempting piece of bait.”
“And what exactly would that be?”
“Me.” Nicholas was about to say something more, but held back. “Let me mull over the details for a few days. I need to come up with a solid plan first,” he said. “But I know the perfect place to do my thinking, providing you’ll help me, of course.”
Katherine returned to the ice cellar twenty minutes later, having gone upstairs to talk with Oscar, Amanda and her mother so as not to arouse suspicion. She gave Nicholas a small sack of food to take on his visit to Maynard and Adelaide, whose whereabouts she finally revealed.
“It’s a small thank you for Emmett and Lorna for all their help over the past few months, though I’m still in their debt,” she said. “The Stewarts won’t miss the leftovers.”
“Thanks for trusting me with their location,” Nicholas said.
“I suppose I have to start trusting someone.”
“Since no one but you knows that I’m back in Kanesbury, I’ll simply be a shadow in the night. Maynard and Adelaide will be safe.”
Katherine nodded, realizing that the next few steps in their plan were out of her hands. “But you mustn’t go until after Mother and I leave and Oscar and Amanda retire for the night. Whoever is watching this house will most likely depart after we head home. When all the lights are off, you can slip away.”
“And all you have to do is wait for your next secret meeting where I’ll get word to you about my plan.”
“That will be in four days at the poulterer’s shop.”
“I’ll have all the details worked out by then, or at least I hope so,” he teased, standing up. He smiled at Katherine with a mix of pride and affection. “Though I often wondered how Kanesbury was faring during my absence, I never suspected how much misery and chaos you all had to deal with. Some of my adventures pale in comparison.”
“From what little you already told me, I doubt that. And when this is all over, I expect a more detailed account from your first day on the road to the last, including all of your dealings with wizards, mountain guides and secret tunnels.”
“You have my word.” They hugged goodbye before she made her way to the staircase. Nicholas eyed her as she ascended the first few steps, debating whether he should tell her about his relationship with Ivy. “Katherine, wait,” he called out.
“Yes?” she asked, moving down the steps and walking back into the candlelight.
Nicholas looked uneasily at the ground for a moment, glad they were immersed in shadows. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his stomach knotting up. “Katherine, there’s something I need to tell you about.”
Sensing his apprehension, Katherine sat down and invited him to do so, too. “Nicholas, you’re my friend and can tell me anything. What’s on your mind?”
He looked brie
fly away before raising his eyes to meet hers. “While I was on the road, I met a woman and…” His voice faltered and he looked down.
Katherine touched his trembling hands and smiled kindly. “And fell in love?”
He lifted his eyes, sensing nothing but her support and good wishes. “Yes. I guess fell in love is the proper description.”
“Then I’m happy for you!” she said excitedly, wrapping her arms around him. “So very happy.”
As she pulled away, Nicholas wondered if she had heard him properly. “That wasn’t the reaction I expected,” he replied, a wave of relief washing over him. “I did say that I was in love, so I thought that maybe you’d be…”
“A bit more upset?”
Nicholas smiled awkwardly. “Well, when I had invited you to the dance, I was thinking that maybe our friendship might develop into something more, though I never said so directly. And when you accepted, I sensed–or maybe I hoped at the time–that you might have thought so, too.” He shrugged. “But I guess running away quashed any chance for us to ever find out. Even still, I was a bit hesitant talking about this just now in case you had felt something more for me back then.”
Katherine sighed despondently, her eyes downcast. “I must confess that the notion had crossed my mind, Nicholas.” She slowly looked up and caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers, her mesmerizing gaze momentarily clouding his thoughts.
“Oh?” he replied, his voice quavering, wondering if he had hurt her feelings.
“And now after hearing this news…” Katherine slowly leaned back, apparently upset, until she broke out in a broad smile, once again his old friend. “Oh, don’t think too highly of your charms, Nicholas Raven,” she teased. “After all, you weren’t the only man on my mind in your absence. I’ve found someone else, too.”
Nicholas swallowed hard and grinned. “You had me going there for a moment. I–” He raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Uh, what are you talking about?” he asked, noting a faint blush upon her cheeks. “Or should I say–who are you talking about?”
“Well, since I assume the new love you’re referring to is that woman named Ivy–”
“You know her name?” he asked in amazement.
“Dooley overheard a lot while up in the rafters.”
“He apparently did,” he responded with a chuckle.
“Anyway, from what little information he gleaned about Ivy–her being kidnapped and your search for her–Dooley guessed that you cared deeply for this woman. I thought as much, too. Because of that, I didn’t want to mention her name until I better understood where you stood with her, lest you thought I was prying.”
“I would never think that about you,” he said.
“So can I assume you found Ivy safe and sound?”
“Very much so, and on two occasions, but both after long and wearisome searches.” Nicholas felt as if those adventures were part of another life. “After I fled this ice cellar, my road took me all the way to the Trillium Sea–twice–and then to Kargoth and inside the heart of Vellan’s mountain before sending me right back here. Quite a journey for one man,” he admitted.
“And to think that I didn’t have to leave the borders of Litchfield County to experience my adventure,” she replied. “Seems we’ve both had quite a time.”
“We sure did,” he said, delighted that Katherine had a newfound love. “By the way, you never mentioned who you’ve taken a fancy to. Someone I know?”
She nodded with a mischievous smile. “But you may not recognize him since you last saw the man in Amanda’s kitchen up to his elbows in soapy water. He’s since gotten a proper haircut and now works for Oscar harvesting and hauling firewood.”
Nicholas thought for a moment. “Lewis?”
“He’s turned into a charming man, if you must know, and we get along swimmingly,” she said. She recounted how Lewis had protected her and immobilized the man who had tried to kill Dooley near the swamp.
“One of these nights, you, Lewis and I will have to meet at the Water Barrel Inn and compare notes of our adventures over a few mugs of ale.”
“Not until our current mess is settled,” Katherine reminded him. “Your work tonight isn’t over.”
“And neither is yours. You’d better go before Amanda comes looking for you.”
Katherine gave him a final hug and hurried upstairs, already anticipating the note he would send to the poulterer’s shop in four days. Nicholas, in the meantime, bided his time in the ice cellar until Katherine and her mother left for the night. Shortly afterward, Oscar and Amanda extinguished the houselights before retiring to bed. Nicholas, noting that the faint glow outlining the door at the top of the stairs had disappeared, guessed that it was safe to depart. He grabbed the sack of food Katherine had provided, blew out the candle and, just as he had done eight months ago, slipped through the doorway behind the house and disappeared into the shadowy night.
CHAPTER 116
A Plan Takes Shape
Nicholas returned to Adelaide’s house to retrieve his wagon, then traveled east along River Road, contemplating how to wrest the village of Kanesbury from Zachary Farnsworth’s grasp. About a mile outside the village, he turned left onto Willow Road. Emmett and Lorna Trout lived a few minutes north on a farm with their three children. When Nicholas arrived, he found it dark and still, guessing that the family had long since gone to bed. Then a swift shadow sped from the barn and made directly for him, shattering the silence with loud, piercing barks. A light appeared in an upper window of the small house nearby. Nicholas placed his head in his hands, sorry he had abruptly awakened the household.
“Horace! Quiet!” growled a deep voice in the night. A tall man emerged through the front door, holding an oil lamp in one hand and a stick of firewood as a weapon in the other. He hurried to the wagon with the dog now silently at his side, both suspiciously eyeing the new arrival. “Who’s there?” Emmett asked, raising the lamp high.
“Katherine Durant sent me,” Nicholas said as he introduced himself. “I’m here to see Maynard and Adelaide.”
“About what?” he asked, his doubts quickly allayed since he had heard Adelaide fondly mention Nicholas’ name several times in conversation.
“About taking them home,” he said. “But it’ll require some hard work.”
“Well, I’m all for that!” Emmett spouted with delight as he tossed aside the piece of wood and scratched his whiskered face. “Let’s go inside and hash out the details. I’ll have Lorna put on a hot kettle.” He signaled for Nicholas to step down from the wagon. “It’s about time, too. From all the stories we’ve heard about Farnsworth, his day of reckoning has been a long time coming.”
Nicholas followed Emmett Trout and his dog into the house, the cool kitchen scented with the aroma of freshly baked bread that the family had shared at dinnertime. Emmett’s wife, Lorna, was soon downstairs, happy to meet Nicholas and delighted that a solution to their problem was perhaps just around the corner.
“Adelaide has been like a doting grandmother to us and the children,” she said, hanging a kettle of water for tea over a fire and fixing up a plate of cheese and biscuits, two of the items Katherine had included in the sack of food Nicholas presented to them. “But Maynard needs better care than we can provide.”
“And I don’t know how long we can keep his presence a secret,” Emmett added as they sat around the kitchen table.
“Your help is beyond appreciated,” Nicholas said. “But with luck, Maynard and Adelaide may soon be back home where they belong. Can I see him now?”
“Of course,” Lorna said, bringing over three mugs of tea on a wooden tray with the cheese and biscuits. “But he’s probably fast asleep.”
“He does that quite a lot after what he’s been through,” her husband said.
“But I, on the other hand, am wide awake,” someone spoke in soft tones near the doorway to an adjacent room.
Nicholas turned around upon hearing the familiar voice and smiled when seeing his
dear friend and neighbor wrapped snugly in a shawl. “Adelaide!” he said, jumping out of his seat and giving her a hug. He was surprised by the vibrant spark of life in her steel blue eyes and her air of strength and resolve after all she had endured.
“It’s wonderful to see you, Nicholas!” she replied, hugging him again as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. “You’re the last person I expected to see for a while–if indeed ever–after what Katherine said had happened to you.”
“She told me a lot about you and Maynard as well, but it appears that you pulled through despite your harsh ordeal.”
Adelaide shrugged as she wiped her face dry. “I have my good days and my bad, but thanks to Emmett and Lorna’s kindness, those latter ones don’t come around as often or as intensely as they used to.”
“How is Maynard faring?”
Adelaide sensed his anxiety. “Let me show you to his room. You can see what Misters Farnsworth and Kramer have reduced him to. I’ll come back and sit with Emmett and Lorna until you return, eagerly awaiting your story of life on the road.”
He fondly wrapped an arm around Adelaide’s shoulder, happy to see her up and about. Yet he silently dreaded what might have become of Maynard, fearing that his condition was quite the opposite of hers.
In a small room in back, Maynard lay asleep in bed beneath several blankets and a patchwork quilt. A candle flickered on a nightstand. Though a tall man, his gaunt face and pale complexion made him appear frail and sickly. His long silver and black hair was gathered about the shoulders as his chest rose slowly beneath the coverings.
“Stay with him awhile,” Adelaide gently said as Nicholas sat down on a chair next to the bed. “Join us when you’re ready.” She patted him on the shoulder before exiting the room, closing the door behind her.
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