“Not that she won’t need a lot anyway. It is just the difference between ‘a lot’ and ‘insane’ amounts of attention,” Maria laughed.
“Hey, Dawn, did you see who is hanging off of Tobias’ arm nowadays?” giggled Lynn.
Dawn’s mind mentally raced as she tried to think, “No idea. I’ve not seen him with a girl since he broke up with Kate.”
“Fiona!”
“Gavin’s sister? Are you serious?” Dawn was shocked and amused all at the same time. “Need to harass Gavin about that.”
“Well, I for one think he made an excellent choice,” interjected Maria. “The lad has shown a serious improvement in his choice of ladies.”
Dawn and Lynn giggled at each other, “Low bar!”
“She’s a beautiful girl and very pleasant to talk to, but does she have a trade?” asked Lynn.
“You live in town; I figured you’d seen her around,” began Dawn. “She works at the book store. She is the index for that place. She also does book readings, well, recitals actually. She memorizes books amazingly well, and I’ve done some readings for her.”
“‘Works at the book store,’…well, of course you would know that,” joked Lynn. “Isn’t that your second home?”
“I’m not that bad… Oh! Watch it, here comes Lily!” smiled Dawn.
Lynn sprawled on the blanket next to Lily. Lily turned with a soft mew and trundled up to Lynn’s face and started playing with her ears. “Ouch! Careful, Little One. Don’t pull so hard.”
“Just make sure she doesn’t bite your ears,” warned Dawn. “She is teething, and I found that out the hard way yesterday.”
Lynn took the warning to heart but let little Lily continue to play.
“Have you thought any more about coming over for a week when the babies arrive?” asked Dawn.
“Yep. That’s a long way out still, but my Second Mother already said she is fine with it. I still need to ask First Mother, but she will be back in about another two weeks. Plenty of time.”
“It is going to be a wild time…” Dawn rolled over and stared at the peaceful clouds slowly waltzing by overhead. She suddenly bolted upright, “Oh, I forgot to ask. Maria, is it okay if Lynn, Gavin and I have a picnic lunch at the top of the Gray Falls on Wednesday?”
Maria paused to think carefully, “That is a little further out of town than I care for with things being as they are. It is a beautiful place, I agree. Great for a picnic.” She paused again to collect herself, “If Father says it is okay, than ‘yes.’ Otherwise, please consider down by the old mill or something a bit closer.”
Dawn nodded and thought carefully. It wasn’t like Maria to defer to Father, but Eric was still out on the loose. “I do hope they find him soon. He’s putting a serious cramp in everyone’s summer.”
“Father and Owen are doing what they can, but hunting a Silver in the woods is difficult.”
That caught Dawn by surprise, “Eric is a Silver? I hadn’t heard that.” A sudden mental image flashed over her and she asked in horror, “He isn’t a High Silver is he?”
Maria chortled softly, “No, he isn’t a High Silver. But he is still sneaky enough. Just follow what your father says and things will be fine.”
“Dawn, changing subjects, I have a silly question for you,” said Lynn.
“Ears are perked and fuzzy,” replied Dawn.
“Why don’t you get a dress made that is easier on your wings? Right now you either have to lace them up and down all the time or just pop a seam the hard way. There has to be a better way.”
“That is an excellent idea, Lynn,” concurred Maria. “That will be a bit of a challenge for the dressmakers, but they should be up for it.”
“I think I own more clothes now than I have in the last two years combined,” joked Dawn.
“The more the merrier!” laughed Lynn.
“Oof! I now see why they say boys are so much cheaper to raise,” teased Maria.
“Ah! But you agreed getting new dresses was a good idea!”
Maria laughed, “You caught me there! All right, next time we are in town we’ll see what they can do. How does that sound?”
“So when can we go?”
“Is there no end?” laughed Maria
Chapter 24
Dawn sat at the kitchen table and double checked everything in the backpack for the seventeenth time.
“It’s fine, girl. Nothing has escaped from when you last checked, oh… thirty seconds ago!” laughed Maria.
“Yeah, I know. I just want to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”
Llewellyn walked into the kitchen with Lynn and Gavin close behind, “Look what I found in the woods. They followed me home. Should we keep them?”
Maria giggled, “As much time as they spend here, I thought we already had.”
“Um…,” began Gavin, “If we are being a problem, we…”
Dawn shut his mouth with a quick kiss to the cheek.
“Oh! That worked quite well!” observed Lynn playfully.
“Yes, indeed! Why don’t you try it?” countered Dawn.
Lynn playfully kissed Gavin on the cheek and his eyes went wide and glassy. “Yep, that worked quite well. He shouldn’t interrupt at all now.”
Dawn laughed as she scooped up the backpack. Gavin, desperate for something to say offered, “Here, let me carry that.”
“Oh! I like what they did with your new dress Dawn. How well does it work?” asked Lynn.
Dawn gave it a quick spin. A country dress with a mostly open back with one extra tie in the middle. “Pretty well, one quick pull and the middle comes loose so I can fly. And it is easy-peasy to tie back so it doesn’t look frumpy.”
“Practical and sharp. They sure know their business!”
“Yes indeed.” Dawn paused and gave Maria and Llewellyn a quick hug. “We’ll be back before supper. Don’t worry about us!”
“I’ll try not to,” murmured Maria.
“If you need me, I’ll be up river a ways by the old mill,” said Llewellyn. “If anything gets seriously bad, just holler.”
“And have you get sick all over the floor and pass out again? I think not! We’ll be fine, Dad!”
She gave him another quick hug as the three turned and headed out.
“It’s what, about an hour and a half hike?” asked Lynn as they hit the trailhead.
“About that, maybe two if we don’t push it” answered Gavin. “There is a traveler’s fountain two thirds of the way up if we need to take a break. Water is nice and cold!”
“We’re in no rush. Let’s just see how it goes,” said Dawn.
“Oh, midsummer’s dance is three weeks out,” began Lynn. “Can I impose on you two and go with a coordinating dress with Dawn?”
Gavin and Dawn looked at each other and smiled.
“Sure,” replied Gavin. “That would be a lot of fun.”
“Whew! Who would have thought today was going to end up being so hot?” panted Dawn. “How much further to the fountain?”
“Just around the next bend,” replied Gavin. “Here is a funny one for you, Dawn. Have you ever thought about which crest is the Ranger’s badge?”
Dawn tried to search her brain as she plowed through the heat and almost certain dehydration, “Um, no?”
“It’s a black gryphon,” grinned Gavin. “Kinda funny considering you, don’t you think?”
Dawn gave a good hurmph, “Do I have an eagle’s head? I thank you not!”
Lynn gave a good laugh to that, “Remember the little kids’ story about the lynx and the gryphon. It kind of fits you two!”
Dawn rolled her eyes, “I’ll assume all of this is the result of deranged minds short of water and baking in the sun.”
Gavin laughed, “Well, it is a lot nicer in the Spring and Fall when I head up here on camping trips with the Lowland tourists.”
“You take Lowlanders camping?” asked Lynn.
“Lowlanders, offworlders, all sorts. They pay quite well and tip even
better. Had to back off a bit when I started seeing you two so much.”
“Hey, we can work around your schedule if it is hurting your job,” offered Dawn.
“What’s the point of having a job if you don’t have someone to spend the money on?”
Both Dawn and Lynn flushed at that. “We are glad you feel that way,” said Dawn thoroughly embarrassed.
Gavin went suddenly serious, “Wait a second. Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” whispered Lynn as they all strained their ears.
“On the path ahead—there’s someone running a breakneck speed I’d say,” replied Gavin.
“Off the road,” suggested Dawn nervously. “Let’s get out of sight until we see who it is.”
The others nodded in agreement and quickly concealed themselves in the bushes to the side of the road. In less than a minute their curiosity was rewarded as they saw Kate running down the path towards them with a panic-struck expression.
Gavin stepped out to intercept her, “Hey! Kate, what is going on?”
Kate’s fur all stood on end as Gavin stepped out, but she quickly refocused when she realized who it was. “They’re after us!” she whimpered.
“Who is after you?” asked Gavin.
“And who else is ‘us’?” asked Dawn as she and Lynn stepped out as well.
Kate swallowed hard, “Eric and his goons! They descended on us at the fountain. I just barely got out. Just ran! You should, too!”
Dawn peered at Kate, “Was there someone else with you at the fountain?”
Kate nodded anxiously, “Little Astrid was with me. I don’t know if she made it.”
“Astrid! Your three year old little sister? You just left her behind?” asked Gavin incredulously.
Kate made a short nod and quickly broke eye contact.
“What type of person leaves a little three year old in the hands of a bunch of murderous thugs?” demanded Dawn. “You could have picked her up and carried her… anything!” Dawn was beyond livid. She could feel her blood boil as she fought to remain in control.
“We need to alert your father,” observed Lynn calmly. “The sooner the better.”
Dawn’s head slowly stopped spinning and things came into sharp focus, “Lynn, head straight to the old mill and tell my father. If you outrun Kate there, that’ll be her own fault. Gavin and I are going after Astrid.”
Lynn nodded and gave Dawn a quick hug, “Be careful, you two!” She hiked her dress a notch and took off running back down the path leaving Kate in the dust.
“Lose the backpack; we have work to do,” said Dawn to Gavin. “We need to make sure they don’t sneak off with the little girl before my dad gets here.”
“So that’s the plan?” asked Gavin dubiously.
“No. That is a goal,” replied Dawn. “I was hoping you were going to come up with a plan.”
Dawn peered over the bushes as she neared the fountain. There was no sign of Eric or his men and even less of Gavin. She was hesitant to call out to him, but was getting anxious at his absence. Suddenly he started to fade into view on the near side of the fountain and he motioned her over.
“They carried the little girl away with them,” he said somberly. “It looks like they only chased Kate for about five steps before settling on the easier prize. Here, go ahead and get a drink of water. You look parched.”
“Water seems a little unimportant.”
“First order of business is to always make sure you are at full strength. If we suddenly had to run all the way to the bottom of the hill, you’d need it.”
Dawn nodded and got herself a drink. Oh! It was cold, but felt wonderful. She looked Gavin over; this was the most serious she had ever seen him: focused, to the point, and determined. She knew for certain what a good choice he was.
Once her head was back up, Gavin took his turn, a long turn, at the water.
“Fresh from the glaciers, it feels like,” he murmured.
“Darn cold indeed. Now what?”
Gavin sniffed thoughtfully, “If I were them, I’d want an easy place to stash the girl that was also easy to defend. On the far side of the falls is an old abandoned house in a horrible disrepair. That would make for an easy base. So first we need to see if they are, in fact, there. If they are, you sneak in and get the little girl out, and I’ll distract them.”
“Why don’t you sneak in and get the girl? You sneak really well!”
“I will probably accidentally scare the little girl. You won’t be nearly as intimidating. And then once it gets to escaping, you can fly her out. You can fly her out, can’t you?”
Dawn’s mind raced as she considered it all, “I doubt I can gain any altitude, but I’m pretty certain I can glide with her. If I get her next to the edge of the falls, I can make it down.” She looked Gavin up and down hard, “I’m not sure I like the idea of you being the distraction, but this is what I get for letting you make up the plan.”
Gavin shrugged, “No one said it was a good plan.”
“It’s a great plan! Are you sure you can get out yourself?”
“Worst case, I toss up a few trees and go all sneaky. I won’t let them figure out I’m a Silver until I’m running for the door.”
“High Silver,” she corrected. “And a darn cute one at that. Just make sure you stay that way. Blood isn’t very cute!” she mock scolded.
“Yes, ma’am! Okay let’s make this happen!” He turned to start up the trail.
Dawn caught him quickly, giving him a tight hug before kissing him on the mouth. “That is to make sure you come back!”
The two carefully made their way up the trail, Gavin scouting ahead, all but invisible, while Dawn moved forward in a low jog. She relied on Gavin to keep a lookout as she kept her eyes glued to the ground. She was choosing her steps carefully to minimize the sounds of her feet. She was amazed at how silently Gavin could bound up the trail, but he had been doing this for a number of years as a hunt was normal sport of boys.
They quickly rounded the top of the beautiful Grey Falls. The moment was lost on them, though, as they had more pressing concerns: Astrid for one, Eric for the other. As they cleared the top of the falls, Dawn could start to make out sounds beyond. It seemed that Gavin was right; Eric was holed up in the old building.
“I’ll give you about five minutes to loop around,” Gavin whispered, “Then I’ll make myself known and try and draw them away so you can get in. If anything goes wrong, don’t worry about me, just worry about the little girl.”
“I know just how little Astrid feels right now, and that really makes me both mad and sad. Time to show them what Stratford girls are made of.”
They quickly hugged each other and then Dawn started her long spiral through the underbrush. All her life she had envied the gorgeous coats of Aurorans, but now she was glad for her own black coat as she crept ever closer to the old house.
The house looked like it hadn’t been used in over a hundred years: trees were already invading it and one wall had collapsed. But where is the little girl? She stopped to think. There were several people in the house; how could she pick out the girl? She wouldn’t be talking probably…. Smell. She was a little girl from a nice house, not a thug living in the woods. She would smell like soap or perfume. She strained her nose to pick out a hint. Nothing. Desperately she thought back to the kartivalds at the party. What had Gavin said? Inhale through the mouth and the nose. She relaxed and tried again. This time she could make out the faint scent of lilac, and lilacs didn’t grow wild up here! She had her cue, now she had to close in on it. She started to climb a tree next to the wall when she suddenly heard Gavin beyond.
“Excuse me, but did anyone see a little girl run by here?” Gavin asked innocently.
A series of hoots and hollers were his response and Dawn could tell many of the men inside had been drinking. Many people indeed! How many were there?
“Which of you lazy bums was supposed to be on look out? He walked right up!”
�
��Hey boy, this might not have been a good place for you to be.”
Good! They were, in fact, leaving the house! Dawn peered through an open window. Finding the room beyond empty, she carefully crawled through and crept to the door. It was off its hinges so she peeked around the corner. She could smell the lilac more strongly now. She had to be close!
“I didn’t mean to cause a commotion, I’m just looking for a little girl about three years old. Have you seen her?”
“Maybe we have, maybe we haven’t. Does she have a name?”
“Her name is Astrid.”
Bingo! The far door had a strong scent of lilac and was closed from the outside by a simple bolt rather than a far noisier lock. Dawn slid the bolt back and surveyed the room. In the far corner was a huddled weeping mass that had to be Astrid. She carefully crept into the room and whispered to the little girl, “Hey! It’s okay. I’m going to get you out of here.”
The little girl’s face lit up as Dawn picked at the knots on the rope. They were quite tight. After a moment she gave up and, shielding the door with her body to limit the flash of light, winked a small Live Steel blade into her hand. She quickly and carefully cut the rope and was hugged vigorously by little Astrid in response.
“You really shouldn’t have wandered out here, kid. Now I think you may need to stay with us for a while,” started a new, and very grumpy voice.
“That’s fine, sir. I will happily leave and not cause you any more trouble,” replied Gavin eloquently.
“Not really a request, boy. Unless you think you can fight your way out.”
“If I must fight, I will.”
That sparked a whole series of laughter and Dawn used the noise to sneak Astrid back to the other room. As the laughter died down, Dawn slowed her pace with the youngster. Slowly she started to work her over to the open window.
“I’m Eric Fechner, you little punk. You don’t want to cross paths with me,” bellowed the nasty sounding individual.
“I’m only here for the child. I don’t wish for a confrontation, but I will do whatever it takes.”
Dawn Page 15