“Strictly speaking, I didn’t.” Darius took a seat, and Tay sat beside him, her fingers almost welded with his. “I asked her to pretend to be my sister.” He shrugged. “The rebel angle was added by others…”
“Yes, by Lars and Cody,” Tay interrupted, unwilling to let Darius speak for her. “They sent me to him.”
“To release your father,” Darius retorted. “Nothing more.”
“And if you hadn’t asked me to play as your sister…”
“You’d still be starving in the District,” Darius continued, in his insufferably calm voice, “but this is beside the point.” He glanced up and nodded at her mother. “Where are we? And why are we here?”
“You’re in the Great Forest.”
“That’s not possible,” Darius replied, leaning forward in shock. “The Great Forest is nowhere near our home.”
“And that’s where you were heading,” Tarin replied. At the look of disbelief on Darius’ face, she gave a sharp bark of laughter. “Honestly you nobles; stick you in a luxurious carriage, give you access to lots of pretty things, and you fail to notice the landscape.”
“Why would we be heading for the Forest?” Tay asked, her voice wavering but strong.
“Because that’s the route the Prince had detailed to the driver.”
“Talon sent us this way?” Tay repeated the question, confused by her mother’s words. “Why?”
“You’ll have to ask him.” Tarin got to her feet. “For now, I’ll get you some food, and then you can attend the meeting.”
“What meeting?”
“You’ll see.”
“Wait.” Tay got to her feet, and faced her mother down. “Did Dad know?”
Tarin bowed her head, a glimmer of tears showing in her eyes. “No.” Leaving an open-mouthed Tay to stare after her, Tarin headed into the kitchen and began to rattle some pots and pans. Once more, Darius and Tay sat alone, staring about the rustic, but strangely appealing, room. Tay moved and settled into her mother’s vacant chair, and an awkward silence settled between them.
“About what happened on the train…” Tay closed her eyes. She had been hoping that Darius had forgotten.
“It was…” she stammered, struggling to find some words.
“I don’t regret it.” She opened her eyes. Darius was watching her from the other chair, his face gentle. The memory of the kiss still soared through her mind, and a flush of rose tinted her cheeks. “And”－he took a deep breath－“I would do it again.” Tay’s mouth dropped open, stunned by the words that fell from his lips. As she struggled to process what he had said, Darius got to his feet. A couple of steps, and he stopped just before her. “I know it’s madness,” he continued, his voice soft, “and it could have been a fear of dying kind of thing, but I don’t feel sorry about it.” His hands reached across and caught hold of her fingers.
“Darius, I…” Tay stumbled over the words, wondering if she had tripped into crazy-town. Was he mad? If, by some miracle, they managed to get out of this unscathed, there was no way they could pursue a relationship. But his fingers on her skin felt like fire, and dangerous, tempting thoughts tugged at her mind. It wouldn’t take much to lean in and properly taste his lips. Indeed, without any of the court here, there would be no risk of exposure as a fraud, and yet, she couldn’t. Despite his charms and his kind nature, the risk was too high. There was no way this could work, and it would be better if they never started. With some reluctance, she tugged her hand free, the skin still tingling from the contact. “I don’t want to talk about this now.” She ignored the small, internal voice that dared her to kiss him. “Not when we need to find out why we’re here.”
Darius nodded, and then stepped back, disappointment in his eyes. Tay almost rushed past him, her feet sounding loud against the smooth wood of the cabin floor as she headed for the kitchen. Her thoughts flew into turmoil. He’d wanted to kiss her, and he would do it again. The flush to her cheeks deepened as she thought back to the feeling of his fingers, the look in his eyes, and she wished she’d had the guts to kiss him properly.
“Mum.” She reached the kitchen, and stared at her mother questioningly. Tarin was sitting at the table, a small disc reader before her, and earphones over her ears. She waited for a short space of time before she moved to one of the empty chairs, drew it out, and sat. She heard Darius approach from the other room, and her fingers tightened into claws. As he sat down at the table, Tarin finally turned off the recorder, removed the earphones and looked at them.
“Your food.” She pushed the chair back and stood up, agitation in every movement. Quickly, she opened the cupboards and emptied food and pans onto the nearest worktops. Silently, Tay stood and began to help.
“What’s going on?” Darius asked, as the pair began to quietly make supper.
“I’ve had a report from the Palace.” Tay gave a small start, wondering at the extent of her mother’s influence. “Kail has left for the Western edge of the forest.”
“That’s in the direction of the Clockwork Temple,” Darius noted, a thick vein of worry flowing through his voice. “He’ll be out to warn his father.”
“Reports are coming in about the King mobilising the guard.” Tay picked up a kettle from the stove, and poured a stream of boiling water into a pan. “They’re heading this way.”
“Well you did attack the train holding his son,” Tay’s voice whipped out, heavy with sarcasm. “Why on earth did you do that?” Tarin placed the kettle onto the side, and began to busy herself with a haunch of dried meat. “Mum?” Tay prodded.
“I’d like to know too,” Darius interjected, from his place by the table. “Not that it hasn’t been fun and informative, but you’ve done our enemies job for them. They don’t even have to get their hands dirty.”
“Because we needed to act,” Tarin snapped back. “We can’t go on like this, living in fear.”
“And damn everyone else?” Tay’s voice shook with pent-up emotion.
“When we find the Coi…”
“Don’t say you’re still looking for that fairy-tale?” Tarin winced at the raw anger in Tay’s snarled words.
“It’s not a tale,” Tarin replied, with equal heat. “They’re as real as you are.” She reached beneath her coat a pulled a slender tome from her coat. “Or didn’t you read this book?” Tay started at the sight of the Talon’s book in her mother’s fingers.
“I didn’t get a chance to properly read it,” she replied, staring at the leather-bound item with curiosity. “It just seemed to be a bunch of stories.”
“This,” her mother continued, “gives the location of the Coils.”
“What?” Tay reached out and snatched the book from her mother’s hand. With hasty, agitated motions, she flipped open the cover, and began to flick through the pages. Rows of spindly writing covered each page, and she skimmed each line. “This isn’t directions,” she argued, turning sheet upon sheet. “It’s a children’s tale.”
“Look closer.” Her mother moved nearer, and pointed at a passage. “It states…” She cleared her throat, and spoke with the storytelling cadence that Tay remembered from so long ago. “They travelled to the forest’s edge, and gazed upon the scene below. The world of copper and brass laid out before them, a mass of metal and clockwork.”
“The Clockwork Temple,” Darius interjected. “The Coils are there?”
“That’s the start,” Tarin confirmed. “They’re somewhere in the Great Forest.” She glanced back at her daughter. “The changes to the night sky prove it.”
“You saw it too?” Tay said, excitement in her voice. “Amira said…”
She broke off as the door to the cabin burst open. The attackers from the train strode in, brushing the snow from their coats. A blast of frozen air cut through the warmth of the cabin.
“Are they ready Tarin?” the leader asked, as he strode toward them.
“Yes.” Tarin stepped away from Tay and moved to sit at the table.
Tay watched the oth
ers file into the room without comment. Several faces, she recognised from the train, and at one, she took a sharp breath.
“Get him out of here,” she snarled, as the guard from the wagon stepped in from the cold.
“Tay?” Her mother turned to stare sharply at the group.
“I don’t want him near me…”
“But I didn’t…” the man protested, as the leader nodded at the door. “You can’t keep me out of this.” Anger flowed through his voice. “I didn’t do anything to her!”
“Go out Lyle,” the leader cut across his protests. Lyle was pushed out into the cold and the door shut in his face. “Better?” he asked, moving to take the seat beside her mother.
“A bit.” Tay was only marginally mollified, the memories of her near-death on the orders of the man before her still played heavily on her mind.
“I’m Ander,” he continued, seemingly unconcerned by her lack of enthusiasm. “I lead here.” He glanced over at Tarin. “As does your mother.” Another thought, even less appealing than Lyle, began to flow through Tay’s mind, as Tarin reached over to squeeze his hand. “We founded this group in the hope of discovering the Coils of Copper and Brass.”
“That seems a lofty goal.” Darius’ sardonic, mocking tones rippled through the crowd, causing many to scowl. “And why would that involve wrecking a train?”
“The Prince,” Tarin continued. “We knew he’d be there.”
“And he knows the Truth,” Ander finished. “All the royal family does. When our spies in the Palace heard he was travelling with you to the Mine…”
“And that he had changed your route.” A wide, brilliant smile spread across Tarin’s face. “It was perfect.”
“That’s strange,” Tay retorted. “I could have sworn you talked of ransoming his Highness.
“Of course,” Ander replied, “When he’s answered our questions.”
“And you think they’ll pay?” Darius cut into the conversation, an incredulous lilt to his voice. “What makes you think they won’t just kill you?”
“They won’t know where he is,” Tarin replied. “None of the patrols come out this way.”
“They have no clue that we’re out here.”
The door to the cabin burst open, and a young man rushed into the room. His breath came in short, sharp gasps, and his cheeks were red from exertion and cold. “The scouts have spotted movement,” he choked out. “Half a mile away.”
“Monsters?” Tarin asked, a serious note entering her voice.
“No.” The scout shook his head violently. “Too organised and fast.”
“How the…?” Ander rounded on Tay and Darius. “What did you do?”
Tay shot a confused glance at Darius. “Nothing.” Another spike of fear shot through her. “We did nothing.”
“Then how do they know our whereabouts?”
“I don’t know…”
“Leave my daughter alone.” Tarin stepped forward, and laid a hand across Ander’s arm. “We have to go.”
“Alright.” He jerked his head toward the stairs. “Get some warm clothing on and follow us.”
Tay hesitated briefly, before heading toward the stairs, followed closely by Darius. The group filed out of the cabin, save for Tarin and Ander. As Tay reached the bottom of the staircase, she turned back to the room. Her mother was standing close to the other man, her hands wrapped about his arm. A hot feeling of resentment began to burn through Tay as she stared at the sight.
“Don’t think about it.” She started at the pressure of Darius’ fingers on her upper arm. “That way madness lies.” She gave a weak smile at his joke, and turned back to the stairs.
“I didn’t realise she was…” Words failed her as she contemplated the nagging thoughts in her mind.
“Let’s just get away from here first.” They reached the top landing and their rooms. Darius moved toward his room. “See you in a moment.”
Tay nodded and entered her room. Pulling open the drawers and wardrobe, she dragged on the clothing she found inside. The trousers were too long, and she had to roll them up to prevent them dragging on the ground. Pulling on her boots, she returned to the cupboard. A set of jumpers laid within the drawer. Several sizes too large, and moth-eaten, she drew them on regardless. Reluctantly, she left her ‘Lyana’ clothing on the bed, and headed back down the stairs.
The door was open, and snow blew in through the gap. Tay glanced about at the empty rooms, the recently extinguished fireplace.
“Tay.” She followed the shout outside. Her mother was standing with a small group, huddled against the freezing chill of the winter night. “You’ll stick with me.” An arm covered in thick wool coiled about her shoulders, and she resisted the urge to shake it off. “Where’s the noble?”
“Right here.” Darius walked out of the cabin, his frame wrapped in several layers of jumpers. “So where are we going?”
“Into hiding.” Ander walked toward him. “Then we can deal with the Coils.”
“I don’t think…” Tay stammered to a halt, as the group stared at them. A tense silence passed, before she swallowed, and started again. “You have the Prince”－she noted the limp bundle held in the arms of one of the others－“but that won’t help you.”
“Explain.” Ander stared down at her, his face hidden by a bulky scarf.
“If that’s Jackson’s men, then we’re all dead,” she explained, her voice becoming stronger as she spoke. “If they’re the King’s men, then we’re still dead, but they won’t give up.” She nodded at the bundle. “Jackson wants Talon dead, and the King won’t negotiate.”
“You seem awfully sure,” Ander retorted, peering down into her face.
“I am sure,” Tay replied. “And if the Prince is killed by Jackson’s men, we will have a real problem,” Tay finished for him. “They will use it as an excuse to raid the Factory District.” She nodded at Darius. “They don’t even have to reveal Darius’ involvement, he’ll just be a casualty.” Volumes of anger flowed through her voice. “If they’re the King’s men, they’ll stop at nothing to get the Prince back.”
“What do you suggest?” Ander said, contempt flooding through his words. “Asking nicely before they fire?”
“Darius, Talon and myself should stay here. You guys hide, if it’s the King’s men, we’ll leave with them, if they belong to Jackson, you can attack.”
Ander considered for a moment, “We haven’t questioned the Prince yet,” he noted.
“Do you have time to question him?” Tay pressed, trying to keep anger from her voice. “Is he even conscious?”
“Tay’s right.” Tay glanced at her mother, feeling the familiar burn of anger against her mother’s dedication to the cause simmer back into life. “We don’t have time.” Tarin laid her hand on Ander’s arm. “Let them do it.”
“Alright.” Ander nodded at the two of them, and took a step back. “We’ll go with this.”
“Really?” Darius stepped forward and caught hold of Tarin’s arm. “You’re quite willing for your daughter to do this?”
“I trust my daughter’s judgement,” Tarin replied, pulling her arm free. “She’s a fighter, and unlike you nobles, fully aware of the consequences of her actions.”
“Tarin, come on.” Ander gave a hand signal, and the rebels moved out of sight, Tay’s mother with them.
Left alone in the centre of the clearing, Tay turned to face Darius. “Let’s get back inside.” She refused to think of her mother, and the woman’s devotion to the cause.
Darius nodded and picked up Talon’s unconscious form. “And I thought I had the monopoly on disappointing parents,” he muttered, as they both returned to the house.
Tay glanced at him but said nothing. Her mother’s survival was not the miracle she wanted it to be. It seemed, even after all these years, Tarin still valued the cause over her family.
Despite the unlit fire, the house was significantly warmer than outside. Darius doused the lights, and they waited in near-dark
ness.
“Do you think we should have left?” Tay stared out of the window, looking out into the forest, her heart beating faster in anticipation.
“You’re thinking this now?” Darius replied, coming to sit beside her. A jolt of electricity rippled up her arm as he brushed against her. Tay didn’t move, resting against him in comfortable silence. “But, as it happens, you were right.” He glanced across at her. “We would have been chased down.”
“What if the King’s guard try to kill us?” Tay shivered, more through fear than the cold, and Darius wrapped his arm about her shoulders. “We look like those rebels.”
Darius swore and moved away from the window. “Get dressed in your other clothes,” he ordered, as he raced toward the stairs, taking them two at a time. Tay stared after him, bewildered by his words. As she made no move to follow, he turned back to face her. “You said it yourself, we look like rebels. The King’s guard will shoot us wearing these clothes.”
Understanding flashed through Tay’s mind, and she ran for the stairs. The room was how she had left it, and she began to drag the warm clothing over her head. After the layered warmth of the jumpers, Lyana’s day dress felt like gossamer, and the increasing cold of the cabin rushed through the thinner fabric. Shivering, she pulled a blanket from the bed, and wrapped it around her shoulders. Moving toward the window, she continued to stare out at the dark forest, worrying about her mother.
“Any sign?” Darius moved to stand beside her, and she shook her head, staring out at the dark forest in confusion.
“No.”
“Are you warm enough?” Concern laced his words.
“No.” She hesitated only briefly. Lying about the cold, would end in hypothermia, that she was all too aware of. Darius drew another blanket from the bed and wrapped it about her. Muttering brief thanks, she returned to her vigil, watching the darkened forest in apprehension.
They didn’t have to wait long. A loud, rumbling sound filled the clearing, and a large vehicle crashed through the undergrowth. Tay jolted back from the window, fear racing through her veins at the sight. Beside her, Darius kept watching as squads of guards moved into the village.
Amber Sky (C.O.I.L.S Of Copper and Brass Book 1) Page 29
