by Taylor Leigh
‘My dear boys!’ he boomed. ‘How will I ever find a way to keep you two out of trouble?’
Thedric sauntered forward up the stairs to meet the man. Victoria and Andrew followed a few steps behind.
‘You’ll have to lock Andrew up, Father, if you want to keep him safe! Almost got himself skinned out in the wood by Flynn and his gang of Druids.’
‘I dare say, what could you have possibly been doing out in the forest? You’re not fit for such things, Andrew!’ The man chuckled and then turned his attention to Victoria. ‘And who is this?’ His voice rumbled like thunder, growing more serious.
Before Thedric could speak, Andrew pushed past him. ‘I found her out in the forest. She says she’s from the Red World.’
The man narrowed his eyes, suspicious. ‘From the Red World you say? Could be a clever trick. You got a name, girl?’
Victoria, in a daze, realised he was talking to her. She nodded her head wildly, groping for words. ‘Y—yes, I—my name is Victoria,’ she stammered out, then added. ‘My lord.’
‘Got rather a thick accent, doesn’t she?’ the man asked, amused.
‘She says she knows the Traveller,’ Andrew said quickly.
‘The Traveller? Why, she looks nothing like him, but she claims to be from the same planet!’
Molly appeared from round the bend at that moment. ‘Oh Uncle Bard, the Traveller isn’t from the Red World. He doesn’t have a home.’
The man, Bard, straightened himself up. ‘Well, he’s got a home here! Might as well claim him as one of our own. So this girl thinks she knows him?’
Andrew nodded.
‘Why don’t we just send for the Traveller and get all this rot sorted out?’ Thedric groaned.
‘Splendid idea! He’s just in the main hall, talking it up with the men. By stars, that man has some stories to tell!’
An armoured guard, whom Victoria hadn’t seen till just now, dashed inside the manor, barking an order. Bard cleared his throat. ‘In the meantime, fellows, let’s get inside out of this rain. It’s falling faster now and I’m not too keen on catching anything!’
Victoria followed Andrew up the steps, heart hammering in her chest. She had never been so uneasy in all of her life. These people seemed friendly enough, but seeing these people for what they really were, so similar to herself, made her all the more frightened. She knew just how wicked people could be. And what of the Traveller? Who was this person they all revered so much?
She stepped up to the top step, wobbly, and looked up at the huge wooden doorframe. The darkness beyond, inside the manor, was an entirely new world for her, and she knew she wasn’t ready for it.
She didn’t get to a chance to prepare herself. Andrew pressed her arm impatiently, and reluctantly she walked inside, swallowed by the darkness.
Chapter Thirteen
Though it was not particularly bright outside, it still took a moment for Victoria’s eyes to adjust. She stood still in what she thought was a long dark hallway, blinking blindly. A few candles mounted to the walls flickered happily and as Victoria’s eyes grew more accustomed, she could begin to make out her new surroundings.
Stone walls rose up into a wooden arch that stretched for a ways ahead of her. Wooden doors branched off to the right and left at even intervals. Tables decorated with glassware and candles lined each side of the hall as well and, glancing down, Victoria noticed a deep green carpet beneath her feet. Nothing was barbaric or horrible, as she had envisioned. Nothing seemed threatening. It was just…normal. Cheerful voices echoed down the hall.
‘Ah! Traveller! There you are!’ Bard shouted. Victoria turned her attention to the end of the hall, peering in the gloom. ‘Tollin, my lad, come over here and help us out!’
Victoria felt her heart lurch as out of the shadows he meandered. Tollin looked just as he had when she’d seen him earlier, except he no longer wore his threadbare clothes. He had opted for dark trousers and a wool coat in which his hands were deeply dug into the pockets. His eyes glinted in amusement as he walked up. Victoria wasn’t sure if it was the torchlight, but she could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile on his lips. His eyebrows rose.
‘Tollin,’ Bard said. ‘This girl claims to have come from the Red World!’
Tollin leant in a bit closer. Victoria was torn between falling on her knees and begging for his help and slapping him across the face. He’d trapped her here. But as much as she wanted to punish him, panic was closing in on her. If she made a wrong move, he could betray her and she’d be dead.
‘Really? Well, now that is rather a strange claim!’ Tollin drawled amiably.
‘She also claims she knows you,’ Thedric said.
‘An even stranger claim. Not many people can say that!’
‘We were hoping you could clear all this up. Some of us don’t know what to make of her,’ Andrew said.
‘Ah.’
‘Well, Tollin, is she with you?’ Thedric asked impatiently.
Tollin eyed Victoria through narrowed eyes. She stared up pleadingly at him. He made a thoughtful face. ‘Oh, I don’t know, she looks familiar. But my memory is not the best with these things.’ He gave her a look. ‘Are you with me?’
Victoria felt all the eyes on the group fall to her. ‘Uh…Y—yes. Yes! I’m with him. We travelled down together, just got separated in the fall.’
‘There, you see? We’re together!’ Tollin cried, clapping his hands decisively. ‘Didn’t really mean on losing you, Victoria, get so distracted is all!’ He tousled her hair.
Thedric still looked doubtful. He grumbled something under his breath as he walked away.
Andrew let out a breath. ‘Well, now that that’s cleared up we can release her then.’
Bard shrugged. ‘The more the merrier! Eh, just keep an eye on her, will you?’
Thedric started to protest and Bard raised his voice to speak over him. ‘If Andrew is the one who found her then I’d say she’s his responsibility. He is more than capable of deciding what to do with her. And I expect you to respect that, understood?’
Thedric shuddered dramatically, expression stormy. ‘Fine. Works for me. I wouldn’t let him look after my dog.’
Bard fixed Victoria with a hard stare. ‘Really? I was thinking just the opposite.’ He gave them all a tight smile and then wandered off down the hall, humming to himself happily.
Molly cut Victoria’s bonds. ‘You behave or you’ll end up worse than this, understood? I’m trusting you. Come on, let’s find you a room and you can get cleaned up.’
Victoria nodded, unable to believe her luck. ‘Thank you, thank you so much. I’ll be right there; I just have to talk to the Traveller for a moment.’
Molly shrugged and stepped into the next room, shouting Thedric’s name chidingly.
Andrew nodded to Tollin, who grinned conspiratorially, and then Andrew melted into the gloomy hallway, after his brother.
Tollin leant in a bit closer to her. ‘Glad to see you made it down in one piece. Was afraid you ended up in the ocean or something.’
Victoria grabbed his collar and stared up at him. ‘This is all your fault! I demand that you take me home this instant!’
Tollin put his hand against the wall, leaning casually. ‘Why? So you can live happily ever after and marry your useless cousin? Is that really what you want? I thought things were so bad you were thinking of ending your tedious existence.’
Victoria stared up at him in shock. She wanted to slap him. How could he be so rude? ‘You hold your tongue! That is no business of yours! Now take me home!’
Tollin directed his gaze up the ceiling. ‘Right. Well. I’m afraid that’s impossible.’
‘What?’
‘At least for another year. Gravitational pull from the planets is gone. Won’t happen until another Passing.’ He looked at his timepiece. ‘Which will be exactly…one year from now. Well, one year minus one day.’
‘What? Whatever magic you made pulling me here, reverse it!’
&n
bsp; ‘I can’t. It’s called gravity and it’ll probably be quite a while before your lot on Scrabia discover it. You are such a backwards planet.’
Victoria felt tears stinging her eyes. ‘Our lot? You’re from Scrabia as well! And I know what gravity is, so don’t insult me! And everyone knows it pulls you down, not up. Now, I demand you tell me who you are!’
Tollin shrugged. ‘From all over, really. Anyway, that doesn’t matter now. Magic has nothing to do with it and I couldn’t do anything about it if it did. So. I suggest you run along, find Molly, get cleaned up, because you are a bloody mess! And then we’ll sit down and have a nice supper. How’s that sound? You’ll be able to observe these people. They’re way ahead of Scrabia. You all are still living in the dark ages down there; these people will inspire you! Well, Andrew will. If you can get past his…quirks.’
Victoria trembled. ‘When we get back to Scrabia you will pay for this,’ she said through clenched teeth.
Tollin smiled. ‘One year away.’
He gave her a little wave, pulled an apple out of his pocket and sauntered off down the hall, crunching happily.
‘You’ll be rooming right across from me,’ Molly said, pulling the doors of Victoria’s closet open and peering inside. ‘We seem to be about the same size so I think you’ll fit into this stuff.’
She hung up a few dresses, oblivious to Victoria’s quiet stare.
‘Thank you,’ Victoria managed to stammer out. She was overwhelmed that they had taken her in so fast. If any of these people had fallen on Scrabia, they’d be in a dungeon by now being tortured.
‘Dinner is in a few, we’ll meet you down there. Just follow the smell and noise and you’ll find us. It’s informal, just us. Should be a lot of fun, hearing Tollin’s stories.’ Molly smiled wistfully. ‘Though I bet you’ve got some interesting ones as well!’
Victoria shuffled. ‘Well, I don’t know about that…’
Molly grinned. ‘If you travel with Tollin, you must have. He’s been all over. This world and the Red World. But of course you know that.’
‘Right.’ Victoria swallowed. ‘And what about you all? It sure looks like you have a lot to say. I’ve never been here. I’d like to know more about my new home.’
Molly shrugged. ‘I’ll tell you what I can.’
‘What about Andrew? Are you his sister?’ She felt a slight flutter mentioning his name.
‘No, I’m not his sister. I’m Bard’s ward. He adopted me when I was just a child. Found me out in the forest just wandering round in a complete daze. I don’t remember much of it, wherever I came from, it wasn’t anyplace good.
‘As far as Andrew goes, well, he knows more about anything than anyone. He’s an absolute genius. He’s an inventor, as well. The trouble is trying to get him to talk. He doesn’t like questions and can come off a bit rude. Don’t take it too hard. You’re probably his greatest discovery. He’s rather proud of you.’
Victoria felt a little weird about that.
Molly moved towards the door, ‘Well, I’ll leave you be now. Come down when you’re ready.’
Victoria took her time cleaning herself up. She’d thoroughly searched her room to see if there was any possible way of escape, but her window was high and barred. Of course, Victoria knew she couldn’t leave. Tollin was here and he was her only hope. She couldn’t lose him again.
Victoria descended the stairs and started down the hall, trembling like a leaf. She was terrified of walking alone, sure she’d be set upon at any moment, but her fears seemed to be uncalled-for. She received several quiet nods from guards, but none appeared the least bit concerned with her. The idea she was allowed to have freedom and wasn’t imprisoned was shocking. Being a friend of Tollin certainly had its perks.
She was overwhelmed by the keep. It was small compared to her palace back home, but it was so alien she couldn’t help but be in awe. She had never seen art for the sake of art before and here paintings and tapestries lined the walls between glowering stuffed animal heads, watching her silent journey. Most rooms she peered in were crammed full of intriguing mysteries. One was filled top to bottom with books, another, strange metal equipment that moved and ticked. Still others had nothing but furniture covered with sheets.
She paused in a bend in the hallway. It split and ran two different directions and she was at a loss of which to choose. Victoria turned round on the spot and almost screamed at the sight of a dark figure lurking in the shadows. She clapped her hand over her mouth as she watched the figure stride towards her, when she realised that it Andrew. He gave her a confused look, as if he didn’t understand her fright. His lips pulled down into a slight frown.
‘Bit nervous, aren’t you?’
In one of his long, pale hands Victoria noticed he grasped a menacing black cane, though it looked more as if he more supported it, than the other way round.
Victoria straightened, momentarily forgetting herself. ‘Well, can you blame me?’
An unnerving smile crossed his lips. He studied her for a moment. She could almost see the wheels in his head turning, but all he said was, ‘Follow me.’
He walked past her and she timidly followed him as he strode down the hall. Victoria felt small knots of nerves twisting in her stomach being near him. They walked in agonizing silence. She kept her eyes on his straight blond hair, feeling a flurry of odd emotions.
Victoria began to discourage they’d ever find the dining hall, and be for ever forced to walk in awkward silence, when at last Andrew paused. Off to their right was a well-lit hall, and from this came the noise of laughter and the smell of cooked food.
Victoria padded forward to the doorway and peered inside. She could see the others already seated and visiting raucously. Her painfully silent journey was finally over. Also, more importantly, a hot meal! Her stomach grumbled, reminding her of that fact rather pointedly.
She was well aware of Andrew watching her and was just about to make a break from him when he caught her arm and pulled her back. ‘Ah, Victoria. I wanted to clear matters up before things got any further.’
She felt his strong fingers wind their way round her arm. Victoria was surprised by the fluttering she felt in her stomach over his words. Besides ambushing her in the hall, it was the first time he’d acknowledged her since he’d rescued her and she had begun to give up on him. She couldn’t help but feel a connection to him and desperately wanted him to like her; he was her saviour, after all! Perhaps they could start over.
Andrew’s sharp eyes searched her face, seeming to take in more than just her appearance. She felt her face growing warm under the scrutiny.
‘I need to make something clear to you. I know how people tend to romanticise these things and I don’t want you getting any wrong ideas. When I saved you it was simply out of curiosity. I had hopes that you might be different than the other people here, perhaps more like Tollin. I was wrong. You’re just like the rest. What I want you to understand is that I saved you for no other reason than an intellectual interest. I don’t want you to get any ideas in your head; people tend to do that sort of thing. There was no other motive behind it, I’m not into charity or romantic ideas and I’ll have none of it, do you understand?’
Victoria felt like he’d just struck her. She stared at him. His expression wasn’t malicious, simply patient, waiting, wanting her to understand. He’d simply saved her because he was curious. He didn’t care. His brows lowered slightly and she realised he was waiting for an answer.
She swallowed and nodded. ‘Yes, of course,’ she breathed. ‘Of course I understand.’ Victoria was repulsed with herself as she felt tears welling in her eyes.
Andrew nodded, satisfied, then turned on his heel and strode into the dining room without another glance.
Cautiously, Victoria followed him inside, fighting down her disappointment and looked round. A huge table stretched the length of the hall. Overhead, low wooden beams ran horizontally across the ceiling, supporting great chandeliers lit with smoky candle
s. A picture window, also running the length of the hall, framed the gigantic form of Scrabia, causing the room to have a red glow to it, hidden behind a curtain of shimmering golden light.
Although the table was gigantic, Victoria saw her new companions sitting at the end closest to her, laughing and chatting over a large pot at the centre of the table. Andrew reached the table and sat down, face still void of emotion.
‘Ah! If it isn’t the Lady Victoria, come to grace us with her presence, and oh, dressed in Scottorrian garb no less, very nice!’ Tollin cried, leaning on the edge of the table to get a good look at her. Victoria wanted to run for cover, but by the expectant looks of everyone in the room, realised that wasn’t an option.
‘There’s a seat next to Andrew for you,’ Molly said gently. ‘Saved you some stew.’
‘Though you had better hurry,’ Andrew said. ‘Thedric is doing his best to eat it all. As usual.’
Thedric grunted and kicked his brother under the table. Victoria slunk over to Andrew and sat down. She tried to ignore the amused look on Tollin’s face. She didn’t know if he was actually enjoying her discomfort or if his face was constantly stuck in a smirk. He seemed to never be parted from it.
‘Bear stew,’ Thedric said, ladling another heaping helping of meat, potatoes, onions and carrots into his bowl. ‘It’s a favourite round here. Don’t get it very often, usually stick to seafood.’
Victoria frowned. She had no idea what seafood was but decided it was best to keep quiet. The smell from the stew was almost overpowering and she tucked in, momentarily forgetting her table manners. For someone used to three square meals a day, she had never gone so long without food. The rich taste was enough to make her knees quake.
‘Thanks to Molly, our brave Gatherer, we can enjoy meals from the forest every now and then. Stars, how I do miss it,’ Thedric said wistfully.
Victoria peered up at him. ‘You live in the forest but you don’t eat from it?’