Chloë

by Marcus LaGrone

  “No, it won’t! My father will have them hunted down!”

  Heather stared at Chloë with a blank face. “First of all, that was sarcasm. Second, um, it would really bother you if your father did hunt them down after all of this?”

  Chloë’s mind was still spinning, “Sarcasm. Right. I should never have expected that from you.”

  Heather laughed at the feeble attempt at humor, “There you go, girl. Now you are getting with the spirit of it. Let’s get back and prep. If little Penn can find the guy, then so much the better. But we can’t rely on him long; it’s already past his bed-time!”

  Chloë nodded as the pair quickly made their way across the great sea of people and back toward the inn. “Um, Little Penn, as you called him. Who is he?”

  “Oh,” laughed Heather, “there I go again. Throwing names around without a proper introduction.” Heather blew a raspberry. “Great, I’m turning into my Second Mother…” She quickly regained her smile. “He is my cousin on my dad’s side. His father is Penn Merryfield of clan Silverglade. He is visiting my cousin Ellis as the Merryfield family just had a pair of twins and could use a little more calm around the house.”

  “Was he following me?” asked Chloë somewhat paranoid.

  “Just at the dance,” replied Heather with a toothy grin. “Dad wanted someone to keep an eye on you and Little Penn is fairly inconspicuous.”

  “Is everyone in your family sneaky?”

  “Nah, just the boys…”

  15

  “Time to get up.”

  Chloë rolled over in bed and squinted. “Already? It’s…”

  “Four thirty in the morning. I know, way too early. Get up and get dressed, wear your warmer skirt and blouse. I have a light jacket I can throw you. The morning air has quite a chill to it.”

  Chloë stared at Heather in disbelief. Was this the same hyper, bouncy, giddy girl she had known for so many weeks? As she fought the sleep from her eyes, she got a good square look at her. Yep, same girl. Same grin in fact. “Are you enjoying this?”

  That grin spread across her face. “Sneak across the border being pursued by malicious kidnapers or spend a day looking for a new teacher to apprentice under. Hmm… let me think.”

  “You can’t be that upset about looking for a job. This is serious!”

  Heather laughed softly. “No, I’m not that put out about getting a job. But I am seriously put out that these jerks won’t leave you alone! Greedy, evil and probably have mange for all I know.” She laughed again, a little louder this time. “Dad says the best way to prevent evil from spreading is to take care of it early and often. Time to do my share of culling the forest.”

  Chloë blinked again. “You are either awesome or insane.”

  “Must it be ‘or’?” she beamed. “I’m going to go grab some food for us right quick. Get dressed and meet me in the lobby as soon as you can. Do not go outside without me.”

  Chloë nodded; she needed little reminder about traveling alone. It was almost like home—she had an escort wherever she went. Unlike at home though, her escort here was a friend trying to help! Five minutes later she was dressed, packed, and waiting in the lobby. Chloë quickly met Heather and the pair stepped out into the cold and dark city streets. Less than eight hours ago, these same streets had been a blur of people coming and going from the dance. Now, a pair of lonely streetlights was the only thing to break the gloom.

  “Fog, perfect!” chimed Heather as she started down the street.

  “In the fog we can’t see very well,” countered Chloë.

  “Yes, but it also means they can’t see us very well. I know these streets and trails very well. I doubt they do. Come on, we have three gates to hit in rapid succession. Careful, that many gates that quickly might make you queasy. Needless to say, we eat later.”

  Chloë felt like a thousand eyes were watching her. She had no idea how much of that was paranoia or caution. Her only comfort was Heather’s enduring optimism. “You think they are following us?”

  “Someone is behind us right now, but I don’t know if they’re friend or foe. Either way, we’ll lose them at the gates. They’ll pick us up later, of course, but we need some elbow room.”

  “They’ll pick us up again? How?” asked Chloë.

  “That guy bugged your dress last night.”

  Chloë started to panic, “Should I leave the dress here? Can we destroy or remove the bug?”

  Heather grinned broadly. “Nah, I already removed the bug. Just a tracking device really. We’ll use it to throw them off when we get a bit closer. The longer they think they are in control, the worse the surprise well be in the end.”

  “You are enjoying this…”

  Heather beamed. “Sorry. I am, kinda. Growing up around my dad, I was more than ready for this. But it’s always the boys who go off on their little adventures. Why not us girls?”

  Chloë was a little shocked, but being shocked with Heather’s attitude was starting to become, well… normal. “Um, for one, biology. Statistically men are stronger and faster. Their adrenal glands are four times the size of ours. They can swift!”

  Oh, there it was again. Another raspberry from Heather. “Statistics are good for gamblers and actuaries. I’m neither. I’m well-less than one tenth as good as my father. I know that and I have no chance of ever being half as good. So does that mean I should give up practicing and getting better? Hardly!” An evil grin flashed across her face. “Half as good as my father is still seven flavours of awesome compared to the likes of people you have ever met.”

  “You are a little crazy, you know that right?” asked Chloë. “I’ve seen some of the people my father has hired. They are some very scary people!”

  Raspberry number two… “Oh here we go—the Gatehouse. Stay very close.” Heather stared at Chloë who was starting to balk. “Look, we jump through a few gates right quick and I’ll explain.”

  Chloë nodded and so the pair quickly entered the Gatehouse and rapidly ran through three different gates. They paused just long enough for Heather to toss a bottle in a nearby stream and then they quickly ran back through four more gates. Chloë was very sick to her stomach when it was over, and her body quickly informed her that she ought to lie down… or fall down. Heather lay in the soft grass outside of a simple Gatehouse beside Chloë. “You okay? Just your tummy I hope.”

  “Yeah, just my tummy, but oh, does it hate me!”

  “Sorry about that. Here, let’s break for something to eat. As odd as it might sound, a bit of bread on your stomach will help.”

  Chloë sat up and took some bread from Heather. It was a little hard to get down, but once she ate it, she did feel better. “Let’s not do that again anytime soon.”

  “Agreed!” grinned Heather.

  “So,” began Chloë as she took a drink of water, “was the tracking bug thingy in the bottle you threw in the water?”

  “Exactly!” beamed Heather. “That stream slowly winds down to the borderlands right on the edge of the Altshea and Kulpgurie frontier. Not too far, in fact, from the place where we are supposed to meet these… people…” Heather briefly risked a frown, but in a flash, it was gone!

  “So we are taking a different route. By the people your father used to know.”

  “Yep, yep! As soon as you are up for walking, we’ll go down this trail a little ways and float down the Narrows and out to the borderlands of the east.”

  “More boats? Well, that beats walking!”

  “Exactly!”

  Chloë took a few minutes to eat a bit more bread and then stood, joining Heather. The pair quickly made their way down a path past a pair of houses and a mill that perched right on the banks of a swift river. Heather knocked on the door of the first house and, after several long minutes, finally got a response at the door. Heather just smiled at the sleepy woman who answered the door, and bantered on as if being up at five in the morning was normal for sixteen year old girls everywhere. She quickly paid the half asleep lady
for a boat and rejoined Chloë. “It’s like a kayak only with an outrigger for more stability. Ever been on a kayak?”

  “No. Not at all. Those are like canoes but you are tucked inside. Is this river dangerous?”

  “Relative to…?” asked Heather with her trademark grin.

  Chloë finally just had to laugh. “You win. Just pardon me if all I do is hold on for dear life and scream now and then.”

  “Fair enough,” replied Chloë. The pair quickly made their way over to the boat. Heather carefully tucked their packs inside its frame and helped Chloë into her seat. “Pull the leather apron tight around you. It’ll help keep you dry.” Heather then sat herself, let go the mooring, and pushed away with a defiant laugh.

  16

  Much to Chloë’s relief, the trip was quick and relatively calm. Either that or she was just too sleepy to notice! She was still mostly dry and the sun was cleanly above the horizon as they hit the calm waters of the river delta.

  “So where are we going exactly?”

  “Well, if we hug the shore to the right, we’ll hit a little border town of the Altshea. If we paddle over to that little island on the left, however, we’ll make it to Trevor’s house. Trevor used to work with both my father and my uncle Edward. He’s retired now.”

  “Retired. But can he still help us?”

  “Oh, oh yes!”

  Heather neatly tied the boat up to a small dock and helped Chloë out before recovering their packs. It was a picturesque setting with a stone path up to a nice house in the distance. Playing outside was a little boy of about five or so. He quickly spotted the pair and waved and ran up.

  “Hi! It’s Heather right? Is your dad here too?” He was a pleasant youngster—hyper, but not near so much as Heather, thus there was some sense of propriety in the universe.

  “Hi, there. It’s Kevin right? No, it’s just us two. Is your dad up yet?”

  The boy laughed. “No, I’m William. Kevin is bigger than me! Mom and dad are back in the orchard. Come on, I’ll take you!”

  Heather laughed. “Sorry, little William. It’s been too long. Please, lead on. We need to talk to your father at once.”

  The trio circled around the house to find several long rows in a manicured orchard. Fruit trees ran down the middle while hearty grapevines lined the perimeter. Nestled in the center was an elegant stone gazebo where two figures sat enjoying the sunrise and eating a light breakfast. They trio was quickly spotted and was cheerfully waved closer. It was a pair; the man appeared to be in his early fifties while the woman was in her late forties. Both were cleanly dressed and had a professional air about them.

  “Heather! How are you doing?” grinned the male as he rose to join them. “How did you get here? Your father in tow?”

  Heather just laughed. “No, Trevor, father isn’t here. Yet. We rented a boat at the old mill place. I’m doing well, but Chloë here, well, we have some problems. Oh yeah, formal stuff: Chloë, this is Trevor and Gillian. Trevor used to work with both my father and my uncle Edward.”

  “Chloë Amsterval, I presume,” interjected Trevor as he shook her hand. “You’ve made a bit of news on the side, young lady. Is there still a problem that hasn’t been solved through official channels?”

  “Delighted to meet you,” offered Chloë more than a little nervous at being so thoroughly recognized.

  “Well we are here rather than the police…,” laughed Heather. “Isn’t that hint enough?”

  Trevor nodded lost in thought for a bit before turning to his wife, “Gillian, weapons free?”

  Gillian just smiled. “By all means help the young lady, just stay out of the center of the storm. There are too many youngsters that want to be in the middle!”

  “I’ll stay on the island.”

  “Then do whatever you can.”

  Trevor nodded to the two girls with a grin. “She does work hard to make sure I stay retired. Let’s get inside. So tell me, what is going on that you were up before the sun without your father in on it?”

  “We were visiting Edmundshire when things tipped, so Dad wasn’t around. Forwarded a letter to him when we left.”

  “Edmundshire?” frowned Trevor, “The chief constable there is an idiot…”

  Chloë laughed lightly, “That is what Heather said.”

  “What? Just because it is snipy it can’t be true coming from me?” teased Heather.

  “So what happened? Someone tried to snatch her off the street again?” asked Trevor in a calm tone that hinted both professionalism and experience.

  Heather nodded to Chloë who then spoke up, “They said my governess, Anna, survived the wreck and they had her. I had two choices, come back with them to get Anna to a proper hospital back home or meet them in the Altshea lands,” she handed Trevor the slip of paper with the address on it. “Meet them tonight with three million in cash and they would turn Anna over to a local hospital and leave me alone.”

  “Odds are they’ll try for both; snatch you and the cash…,” mused Trevor.

  “That’s what Heather said!”

  Heather blew a raspberry and just rolled her eyes.

  They walked into a large study where Trevor quickly found a seat in front of a large computer terminal. “Take a seat, girls. Let’s see what we can figure out. That location is a rough but not unreasonable side of town. I know the CI there so maybe we can get things done under the radar, so the bad guys don’t get spooked.”

  “CI?” asked Chloë.

  “Chief Inspector,” offered Heather. “So you think the rank and file cops won’t be of help there?”

  “Nah, they are probably fine. There are just two concerns: one, there aren’t that many cops in that area in the first place, and two, when dealing with hostage situations you deal with firm facts not ‘probables.’” He paused as Gillian walked into the room. “You don’t know of someone who could pass for Jake Ellington do you?”

  Gillian rolled her eyes, “Here? I don’t think so. Can’t you call and get Jake to recommend someone.”

  “I think I’ve run out of favors with him…”

  “This isn’t a favor for you, it’s a favor for the young lady,” replied Gillian.

  Trevor laughed and fired off a message on the computer. “Did they offer proof of life yet?”

  Chloë blinked, “Um, no. That didn’t come up.”

  “Amateurs or they don’t actually have her,” groused Trevor. “I hate amateurs: they are so unpredictable. Heather, you going to be her escort?”

  “That was the plan, sir,” nodded Heather.

  “Good. You are unassuming and will throw them off-guard. We will pull the cash, stash it in parts well in advance. Why don’t you go catch some proper breakfast and I’ll see what I can do,” offered Trevor.

  Gillian nodded to the two girls and smiled. “Come on; the kitchen is this way. You have been on the road for a few hours already I should imagine. Let’s get you some hot food!”

  Chloë stood up and started to leave with the others, “But what of the cash? When should I try to hit the Nedej bank and pull the money?”

  Trevor grinned. “Don’t worry about the cash; we aren’t going to let them get away with it anyway. I don’t take kindly to kidnappers! Much less those withholding medical aid. Go on, enjoy breakfast. This is like old times… Need to poke some people at the DSS!”

  Chloë quickly rejoined Heather and Gillian and they made their way to a very large and modern kitchen. Gillian quickly set about cooking breakfast for the pair of girls while they sat at the kitchen table. Heather kept trying to help, and Gillian kept shooing her away, so Heather relented and sat next to Chloë at the table.

  “Um, ma’am, so are you into spies and secret police like your husband?”

  Gillian laughed softly. “Trevor was not really into either. He served two years in the army in a volunteer unit with the Shukurae; that is where he met Heather’s father, Llewellyn. He later transferred to the Altshea Diplomatic Security Service, the DSS, for some te
n years or so before serving again with the Shukurae. The second time he was in planning and operations rather than as a soldier in the front lines. There he served with Heather’s uncle Edward. It was when they were taking a paid assignment, usually those are simple private security jobs that were mostly seen as a break and breather for the troops, that we met. On that mission, I met him and we fell in love and got married. So he resigned from the DSS and was a consultant, as it were, for various groups and agencies until he finally completely retired.” She let out a small laugh. “I, on the other hand, was just a music producer and promoter. Their team was trying to protect one of my clients. It was all quite a story.”

  “Her client was Tatiana. She and Zoe married my uncle Edward,” offered Heather.

  Chloë laughed. “It does sound like quite a tale! Music—it does tend to tie that family together.”

  “Yes, quite so!” replied Gillian as she brought them a pair of hot plates. “Eat up, there is more if you want. Not a problem at all.”

  Chloë gracefully wolfed down her food. It is an art to eat that quickly and still be elegant about it, but it was something Chloë was good at: elegance and manners. Food met her stomach well; it wasn’t that the food Maria and Gwen cooked was inferior, it was just that the style and flavor palate of Gillian’s was familiar, much more like what she grew up with.

  Gillian smiled broadly. “It seems breakfast was well received. I hope it has something to do with my cooking and not the fact they you two have been up for two or three hours already.”

  Chloë grinned. “It was wonderful, ma’am! Any time of day.”

  “Well, you two may want to wash up and change your clothes. Those look a little warm for the lowlands and we are expecting bright and clear skies today.”

  The two girls nodded appreciatively and were quickly shown to the spare rooms and bathrooms. They started to clean up just as Gillian brought in a large rack of clothes. “Here, dig through these. If you are going to be going into the borderlands, you’ll want to look like locals. Your normal clothes will make you stick out.”