by Taylor Leigh
Molly looked down into the water. ‘Have you lost something?’
‘No. Well, wasn’t something of mine that I lost. I didn’t really lose it. Just can’t find it.’
Molly dropped down to stand beside him. ‘You’re muttering. Would you like some help looking? I know the woods rather well; go out in it almost daily to find plants.’
‘Yes…plants. Okay, sure, come along. Might as well have an extra pair of eyes. Never know what they might spot. Though I have a sneaking suspicion I’m on the wrong side of the lake…’
Molly had to struggle to keep up with Tollin as he dashed about over rocks and logs down the stream. He had the balance of a cat. ‘You do know this stream leads to the marina, don’t you?’
‘Yes, but that’s a good place to go when you’ve lost something, don’t you think? Things tend to wash up in marinas.’
Molly shrugged. ‘Guess so. What are you looking for?’
Tollin paused, thoughtful. ‘Something that doesn’t belong here.’ His eyes grew dark. ‘Something organic.’
‘You mean like Victoria?’
‘No. This is different, but she’s connected to it, whether she wants to be or not. No, this is something else. Something wrong. Do you remember what Story said about the Blaiden?’
Molly thought for a moment. ‘She said…she said there was something foreign. A poison. And the Blaiden worshiped it, am I right? You’re trying to find those pods.’
‘Right, well, evidence of them,’ Tollin said. ‘And I believe the poison the Druids are talking about might have come from Scrabia. She said the forest was drinking it up. That should mean it has some connection to the water. It must be diluted or dumped into it. I think someone sent something here…I just have to find it. The Blaiden might have missed a pod or two. Hopefully. With a planet that is eighty per cent water, I wouldn’t be surprised if a handful of them had a bit of a wet landing.’
Molly took a deep breath. ‘Well, this shouldn’t be that hard. Just trying to find some mysterious thing that we don’t know what it looks like, or what it does, or where it fell.’ She started walking again. ‘We better get moving then. I think it’s time we talked to some sailors about any intriguing objects they might have seen in the ocean.’
Tollin grinned and rubbed his hands together with a wild grin. ‘Oh, Molly. I do love the way you think!’
* * * * *
Victoria did not know how long it was before Andrew finally decided to call it off for dinner. By the time she had marched up the log steps of the lodge she felt exhausted. Her throat ached; she doubted she had ever talked so much in her life. Darkness was falling, making her feel even more tired than she knew she should. It didn’t help she’d been tromping round in the forest with Tollin the night before.
When Andrew had said he wanted to know everything, he really had meant everything. Once Victoria had given a detailed overview of the landscape and city, Andrew pressed her to go back as far as the records on Scrabia went. Victoria was beginning to regret all of the history lessons she’d slept through over the years. Talking about the dawning of Scrabian civilisation had taken at least three hours, and the description of the planet itself had taken almost two. There were times she honestly thought she might lose her mind.
Andrew was like a sponge and he sucked up her information with vigour. If she did not go detailed enough, Andrew would stop her and make her start again. He had written like a madman, and urged Victoria to draw the entire time she talked. Now, as they stumbled up the steps together, she was both worn out and irritated with him. It was hardly a desirous way to spend the day. She’d spent the entire day talking to him, and it didn’t feel as if their relationship had advanced at all.
When they reached the indoors, her spirits lifted. The smell of food was strong from the dining hall and she found herself walking through the doors towards the food without a thought. She heard an exasperated sigh from Andrew behind her but ignored him. ‘Hey, I’ve been talking all day; your book can wait a bit!’
Andrew nodded and stuffed the leather notebook under his arm. ‘Stay away from the boiled whale. It’s terrible.’ He swung past her and claimed a seat at the table where Tollin, Molly and Thedric already were.
Victoria turned up her nose at the dish he’d pointed out and placed the server back gently. She filled up her plate with food that looked relatively safe, and then dropped down into a seat next to Andrew. The dining hall was crowded. Tables were spaced out about the room and most were surrounded with people either eating, playing games, or simply talking. Most didn’t look like they lived in the lodge. It just seemed to be the place to go once the workday was finished.
‘As I was saying,’ Thedric said. ‘He was charging up on me, horse running as fast as it could. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it but I dodged out of the way and jumped!’ He smacked the table, making the silverware bounce. ‘Right up on the horse’s back. Was just a matter then of wrestling him down. Not that many men are as strong as me, but Carlise, he’s champion when it comes to charging. Gave him a bloody nose for his trouble.’
Molly blinked. ‘You actually beat Carlise at charging? I don’t believe it!’
‘Of course I did! First time someone’s ever knocked him off his high horse, er, literally.’
‘Wow. That’ll hurt his ego, getting beat by you. So what’s that make, you going to the championship at Flotsen?’
‘Nah, not yet. Wasn’t an official matchup or anything. Just a bit of messing around. Last time he’ll come down here looking for trouble though, I can promise you that!’
The entire conversation flew completely over Victoria’s head. ‘Sorry, what is all this about?’
Andrew spoke up, tone bored. ‘It’s a completely idiotic game some of the men here play called charging. Basically one man is riding a horse and another man on the ground has to unseat him by any means necessary.’
‘Oh Andrew, don’t make it sound so dull,’ Thedric groaned. He cast Victoria a look and shook a fork full of boiled whale at her. ‘Most normal people around here find it extremely exciting and fun.’
Andrew let out a breath. ‘Waste of time,’ he muttered, flipping through the pages he’d written earlier.
‘Oh yes, that’s right. I forgot Andrew’s idea of having fun is drawing up charts of the lake currents!’ Thedric laughed.
Tollin looked up over his meal, brown eyes wide, as usual. ‘Oh, do you have those? I’d like to have a look at them.’
Andrew gave his brother a measured look as he spoke to Tollin. ‘Of course we have them. I drew them up when I was seven. And Thedric, just because I prefer something more intellectually stimulating than someone trying to knock someone else off a horse does not mean I don’t know what fun is. I simply have better things to do with my time.’
‘Bet Victoria found that out this afternoon!’ Thedric hooted, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He turned to her. ‘What did he have you doing, arithmetic problems?’
Victoria glanced at Andrew shyly and turned her fork slowly in her hand. ‘N—no. We were...I was telling him about the history of Scrabia, my home.’
Thedric barked with laughter. ‘Oh stars! That sounds about as exciting as lake charts! You two are perfect for each other! Can we expect a wedding soon?’
Andrew’s gaze grew frosty. ‘I do wish you’d shut up, Thedric, since the majority of the words that spill out of your mouth are absolute dribble. Victoria is helping me create a compilation of the history of Scrabia, nothing more. If there is one thing I find more pointless than hearing you talk, it would be relationships, so if you are implying anything, drop it now!’
Again he threw open the leather notebook rather violently and started reading, shutting the rest of the table out.
Victoria watched him for a moment, then sighed and went back to her food. She wasn’t sure why his words stung so much. It was not that she felt anything for Andrew. He hadn’t given her much to go on in that regard despite his agonisingly good looks. He was a
stranger to her, after all, and a cold, aloof one at that. But she did truly want him to like her. And she was not going to simply accept the fact that he considered her nothing more than a way to achieve his ends. He might think her as his ticket to fame and recognition among the elite on Scottorr, or so he said. But the fact that he considered her nothing more than a means to reach that goal was simply unacceptable—and more than that, it was dangerous. Her fate, as disturbing as it was to accept, was completely in his hands. Was he just going to drop her and completely forget about all the time they’d spent together once the account was finished? She couldn’t allow that to happen.
Turning her mind from the unnerving problem that faced her, Victoria found herself wondering, for the third meal, why Tollin chose to spend his time with them when clearly he was several years Thedric’s senior and rather blatantly the odd man out. Timidly, she asked him.
The look he gave her was one of absolute befuddlement. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’ he asked. ‘After all, you’re the brightest, most interesting people in town. Where else would I fit in?’ He smiled warmly.
Her gaze drifted over the heads of Tollin and Molly, towards the great windowed walls. She could see beyond the wooden veranda and through the trees. Past the small shops in the village and down to the lake. Scrabia was reflected in the black water, along with the light, already growing smaller with each passing day. She knew that soon she would no longer be able to see it in the night sky. Soon the only thing she would have left to remind her of home would be the written pages in Andrew’s book.
Clouds were starting to pull across the sky, she understood now that they would bring rain. She already didn’t care for the phenomenon. The weather spat her own emotions back at her in an ugly, crude mirror. She felt her spirits sinking as she listened to the talk around her. The cold distance of Andrew sitting next to her, scribbling away in the notebook, did little to improve her mood. Across from her she could already see a change between Molly and Tollin. They sat close, almost conspiratorially. Molly was valued in Tollin’s eyes; Victoria could see it in his brown gaze as he watched her talk. A wave of jealousy she didn’t understand hit her. She could never imagine Tollin as someone she would be interested in, but there was a camaraderie about him, a devotion that he clearly reserved for a special few. She couldn’t help but feel it should be her sitting next to him, instead of Molly. He’d been the one who’d brought her here, after all. Instead, she was stuck with the living textbook, who demanded information from her with a curt, unfeeling hunger.
As if to make a point about just how cold and unfeeling he was, Andrew stiffened beside her. She turned back to him. He was staring at the page with a fixed expression. Victoria was about to ask what was wrong, then she saw his hands. They were trembling. His eyes lifted and locked with Molly’s. Molly’s large eyes widened with concern.
‘Andrew, hold on, I gathered some plants today. Just hold on,’ her voice was calm, soothing as she stood up. ‘Just wait here, I have to go to the apothecary. I’ll be right back.’
Andrew jolted to his feet, shaking so hard now that he could hardly stand. He shook his head and pushed away from the table. Out of everyone, his eyes locked with Victoria’s. She felt herself growing small under his intense gaze. She didn’t understand what he could possibly want from her, why he was looking to her out of all people. She had never felt so useless and hated herself for it. She hated the way she sat, unable to think of a single thing to help him. Strangely, Andrew seemed to understand. His jaw clenched as his face broke into spasms that made him wince. His arms jerked at his sides so he could barely keep hold of the book in his hands. Yet his eyes were still. He stared at Victoria for a moment, almost apologetically. She half stood, hand reaching for him.
‘What can I do? Andrew?’
Andrew’s head jerked to one side, as if to shake his head no, then he shakily spun on his heel and marched stiffly from the room. Molly dashed after him, shouting his name angrily. Victoria heard a door slam and jumped slightly. Molly shouted Andrew’s name again and pounded on a door. Then silence.
Thedric sighed. ‘We really should lower the rate for lodgers around here.’
Tollin looked at Victoria and offered her a gentle smile. ‘Are you all right?’
Victoria’s mind was whirling. ‘Am I all right? What about Andrew?’
Molly walked back into the room, hurriedly trying to dash tears from her eyes. ‘He’s locked himself in again.’
‘Figures,’ Thedric grunted. ‘Proud git. He’d die before he let anyone help him. Wish you wouldn’t torture yourself over him, Molly. You’re better than that.’
Molly sat down heavily and moaned. ‘Wish you wouldn’t say such things. It may very well happen one of these days, considering the way he always acts!’
Victoria glanced back the direction Andrew had gone. ‘Isn’t there anything you can do for him?’
‘Nothing that he’ll accept,’ Molly sighed. ‘Andrew is just one of those people…’
‘One of what people?’ Victoria asked slowly.
‘One of those people that is just so bored with life they don’t care anymore.’
Victoria’s eyes locked with Tollin’s. His brown gaze was deep, compassionate. He didn’t offer her any words, but in that moment she felt a connection with him then. Yes, he was a stranger to her, and perhaps a stranger to the entire world, but he was the only solid, familiar thing she had to hold on to. Her jealousy and fears were absurd. Tollin wasn’t going to abandon her for Molly. They were in this together.
As if reading her mind, Tollin reached his hand across the table to her. Victoria rested hers in his, feeling the rough callouses and warmth of his skin. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she knew then that no matter what happened in this unfamiliar place, she could count on him.
Chapter Twenty
Three Months Later
Victoria had finally managed to encourage herself to get out of bed. It had been a late night. The Summer Solstice had started, and that meant celebrations. Molly and Thedric both took the word celebration to heart and it had been an evening to remember. Victoria had never participated in a celebration that didn’t end in people casting themselves into trances or pulling knives on each other and it had been surprisingly pleasant—for her at least.
Her other two friends were complete opposites. Andrew could not be tempted to any form of revelry and had locked himself in his room after a few scathing words about wasting time. On the other hand, Tollin had been slightly more easy-going about the festivities, having started out the night with his nose in a book and ending it standing on a table, loudly telling a story about how he’d defeated a hoard of Bearalins—whatever those were.
It took a good deal of motivation to finally emerge from her dark room. Andrew would not be happy with her, she knew that. She’d stayed up later than she was sure she ever had and might have drunk a bit too much as well, judging by her headache. No, he would not be pleased, considering the amount of work he had mentioned he wanted to get done today on his history. Victoria was not feeling up to talking about the economic system of Layers, especially not with the hangover she was experiencing. Still, she knew it was better to not put off the inevitable and went in search of Andrew.
Despite the three months that had passed, Victoria still could not make sense of him. Andrew was impatient and unemotional. Occasionally angry and obsessive. Finicky and ordered. A mess of rules and contradictions that seemed to obey no law but his own.
He had his own rituals, so well regulated it was almost a religion—or science—that never ceased to confound her. Once, helping Nan with the washing, discovered that not only did Andrew required his sheets to be washed daily—he could not stand the prospect of a slept-in bed—but all of his clothing was exactly the same. Same set of cloth for each day.
Late at night, well beyond the hour every reasonable person had gone to bed, he would sometimes play the harpsichord so loudly it was impossible for anyone to fall asleep. And, beyond
it all, he was desperate for people to recognise just how clever he was. He fed on attention, yet at the same time gave the pretence he did not care for it at all. Andrew was an impossible, irritating, fascinating person that Victoria could not truly decide if she liked or not.
Every day for the past three months they would work their rounds together, though by now, the village was so used to her, Victoria did not need to follow him about. She would help him where she could, report to him, and do whatever he needed, if he was too busy—or too lethargic—to do it himself. After that, they usually secluded themselves to some quiet place to work on the Scrabian history. Today was devoted to simply that.
Even after three months and countless similar occasions, Victoria still managed to find room for butterflies in her stomach at the thought of spending a whole day alone with him. Andrew had never shown the slightest interest in anything but his work, yet Victoria still could tell something ever-so-subtle had shifted inside of him. It was something in the way he now looked at her with new appreciation in his eyes. She was sure of it, and it frightened her. There was something there, however small, that wasn’t there before.
She did not find Andrew in his usual place by the fire, where he sat most mornings, eyes glued on the hallway, waiting for her with the assured patience of a loyal dog. Victoria sometimes got the impression he waited there all night, just to prove how inconsiderate it was for her to make him wait. She frowned and checked the dining hall, empty. Veranda? Empty as well. Victoria turned back towards the hall where his bedroom was. No. He couldn’t possibly still be in bed; he rose earlier than most of the fishermen in the village.
A slight worry tinged in her stomach. What if he’d had a fit last night and was hurt? She was used to his random spasms by now, but that didn’t make her comfortable with them. He never allowed her to help him and she would be the first to admit, they frightened her.
She started towards his room, feeling her pulse starting faster when a noise reached her ears from the door to her right. It was the library and from within came sounds suspiciously similar to paper ripping.