I meant to say thank you, but a mist had risen to my eyes and my words were choked back.
He brushed my face with a gloved hand. Leaning down, he embraced me, his strong arms, encircling my lower back. I held onto him, not wanting to let go. Something fused us together, a force, strong and invisible. That embrace poured through it the love, the longing, and the loss that accompanied the knowledge that neither of us was sure to survive the following days. The connection felt so good, and hurt my heart so much, that I squeezed my eyes shut. The mist there condensed and spilled a tear from either cheek. Pulling away, he kissed me softly on the lips and whispered in my ear.
Rune left me in the secret room of lost Dragoons and broken hearts, his words echoing in my mind. I knew then that the white horse charging forward on the wall was Death, and that the white sculptures of waves and wind were the shapes of spirits.
Before I left, I went to the memorial. Hands shaking, I found a space on one of the rolls of paper, and a pen that still worked. I wrote his name among the others. I did it for him, even though I didn't want to acknowledge that he might be right. He deserved that much. Just in case.
Rune Thayer -- You are worth more than this life has given you.
His words repeated again and again in my mind.
“I'll try.”
C hapter 34: Until Morning
I returned to the balcony where I'd last seen Dylan, not expecting to find him there. I didn’t. It was crowded with persons of high society, under a black and starless sky. They were dressed in dark colors, and darker lace. My dress matched the fashion perfectly, but the mustached men and bejeweled ladies watched me with apparent distrust, their eyes fixed on my brooch. Beneath their feet I could see the vague hints of sooty scorch marks where the fire had been. Dylan was nowhere in sight.
“Where's your book, Historian?” one of them sneered. “Let us have a look, won’t you?”
Ignoring their remarks and leering stares, I pushed past them and hurried back to our rooms. I couldn't wait to get out of this stupid dress. Dylan would be there, furious of course, but what else was new?
I swung the white door inward. Two people sat on the armchairs within. One of them rose swiftly to his feet. It was Kyle.
I gasped, caught completely off guard. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too,” Kyle said, throwing his arms around me. For a skinny guy, he had a really good bear hug. He managed to crack my back. “Glad you're okay.” When he let go, I stretched appreciatively.
“Thanks,” I said. “Now what are you doing here?”
Sterling was there too, and rose from his seat to greet me. “We thought you'd want to know we were here.”
“I did, I mean I do,” I stammered.
“Nice dress,” Kyle said, smirking at me. I'd never gone over the top, fashion-wise, not at any dance or gathering or party. He knew that, and found the sight of me funny. I didn't blame him.
“Shut up,” I said, elbowing him in a very unladylike fashion. The truth was, I was insanely relieved to see them. I even gave Sterling a quick hug. He was so much bulkier than Kyle, I felt like my arms were far away from my body. “What happened? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Kyle said. He was beginning to show some discomfort. I knew him well enough to pick up that everything was not okay. “They let us through, and we came up. When we got to the harbor, a kid was waiting for us. Said he was supposed to let you know when we arrived, on Hest's orders. We followed him up, but he had a lot of messages to deliver, so we decided to come straight here. You can thank Sterling. This was all his idea.”
Sterling shifted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I didn't think it was right to wait around on the boat when you might need us.”
“Obviously, I've been worried, but I didn't think we should risk coming here ourselves,” Kyle blurted, shooting Sterling a sour look.
I barely got the door closed behind me before the shouting began.
“She's your best friend, Kyle, and you'd just leave her up here?” Sterling's voice rumbled. “What happened to the guy that was all fired up about coming here in the first place? You're the one who decided to follow her out of Haven, why stop now? Or did you lose your backbone?”
“I didn't lose anything. This isn't a countryside resort, it's Raserion's lair! It's dangerous! I think that further decisions should require a little more consideration.” Kyle had his metaphorical hackles up. Had they been fighting the whole way here?
“Everywhere Outside is dangerous. You lost your nerve. I've seen it before.”
“Where? Contact sports?” Kyle spat. “Forgive me if I'm not impressed with your meat-headed wisdom. Some of us use our brains to get through life.”
Sterling ignored the insults, plowing forward. “You're crumbling. Guys like you always do.”
“Guys like me?” Kyle raged. “You don't know anything about me!”
“Neither do you,” Sterling snapped. “So pull your tail out from between your legs and show some courage. A real man finishes what he starts.”
“Is that what your dad told you when you failed basic math?”
“Wait,” I said, holding my hands up, before Sterling could hit him. “Wait, wait, wait.” Gravity, I was tired. “It doesn't matter now. You're here. So, unless you're going to rip each other's faces off like bloodthirsty zombies, and I'd like to point out that'd be counter productive, let's all just take a breath and move on.”
They stared at me.
“No face ripping?”
They both looked away, sulky.
“Good,” I said, exhaling and rubbing the back of my neck. I had the makings of one nasty headache. The sooner we were done with talking things out, the sooner I could get out of that dress. “So, you've been up here waiting the whole time? Did you get caught in the mob on the street?”
Kyle and Sterling looked as though they had no idea what I was talking about. “What mob?” Sterling asked.
“Never mind,” I said. There were more pressing matters to discuss.
“Carmine is still on the Fish,” Kyle added, brushing the shaggy brown curls out of his eyes. “You should see the vest she's wearing today. It puts everything in the right places.”
Sterling frowned and nodded with a single shoulder shrug. That quickly, they were both back on the same page. The animosity in the room dissolved around the united peace efforts of Carmine’s glorious body.
“Okay. Got it. Where's Dylan?”
“He's not with you?” Kyle asked.
Sterling shrugged. “Not here.”
Great. Dylan was angry, armed and missing. My headache reminded me, painfully, of its presence, and I rubbed my temples.
Just move forward. Just move forward.
“Did you find Paperglass? Is she here,” Kyle asked.
“She's here,” I said. “I haven't found her yet. But I did find Rune.”
Kyle raised his eyebrows. “The Dragoon?”
“That’s his name?” Sterling asked. “Rune the Dragoon?”
“Yes, that’s his name!” I said defensively.
“It rhymes,” he pointed out. Kyle shook his head furiously at Sterling, probably trying to signal that it wasn’t something he should bring up.
“It’s Rune Thayer. And I’m sure his parents had planned it that way on the off chance he was born with an Ability and drafted into the military for a life of hellish turmoil,” I quipped back. “He's going to help us find her tonight. And he's sending some cargo down to the Flying Fish for us to bring back to Breakwater. It's for Brendon.”
“You mean, Lord Axton?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah.”
Sterling folded his arms over his chest at mention of the man. My muscular classmate may have only been eighteen, but he was physically formidable. Even peace loving Haven had its share of fistfights and brawls. I imagined Sterling would want nothing more in that moment than delivering a punch to Brendon Axton's face. I imagined the two of them would get along better
than most, if the Common-Lord wasn’t imprisoning his girlfriend.
“It's very important that we bring it with us,” I told them. “I need someone to let Carmine know. If everything goes well, we'll leave tonight. If she needs to refuel, or if any repairs need to be made, they have to happen now.”
“No problem,” Kyle said. His cheerful demeanor was dampened considerably. “I'll tell her and be back before midnight.”
“I'm not going anywhere until you have your mother,” Sterling said, squaring his shoulders like a boulder. “And neither are you,” he said to Kyle.
“Terrible idea,” Kyle replied. “Not that I'm okay with Kat being here either, but she at least has a background story that seems to be working.”
I had to agree. “It's safer if you both go back to the ship.”
“Thank you,” Kyle said.
Sterling unfolded his arms and ran a hand over the fuzzy sand colored stubble of his closely shorn hair.
“Push me,” he said, gesturing to his chest. “Come on. It’s okay, just do it.”
I pursed my lips and tried to push him, wondering why he wanted me to do it.
Despite my effort, he didn’t move an inch.
“See? I’m not going anywhere,” he grinned.
“Sterling! This is serious,” I told him.
“Listen,” he said, using his wide hands for emphasis. “I'm not going to be doing anything back on that boat, except for painting the deck with vomit. We're finding your mother, and we're leaving.”
“You can't just walk around the Prince's installment fortress,” I said, emphatically. He needed to understand. “They'll kill you. Drain you.” I hadn't even told them about the Monarch yet.
“I'm not helpless,” Sterling said, rubbing his palms on his pants. He looked awfully shifty all of a sudden. “I hate that I have to do this, but you need to know. I can make people forget what they're doing.”
“What?” I heard myself ask. “What do you mean?”
“I can make them forget,” he repeated. “It doesn't sound like much, but when I was a kid learning to play sports, I used to use it to win the games. My dad was furious. I don't really like playing because it's easy to get caught up and forget I shouldn't be using it.”
That meant that Sterling was a Lodestone, like me. We were two people with multiple Abilities in a kingdom where at most, people had one.
He wouldn't look me in the eyes. Guilt. He and I weren't so different. He didn't mean to throw a game any more than I meant to hurt Calvin Cale.
Kyle was looking at him with new eyes. “Really.”
“No one is supposed to know,” Sterling said, his voice rich with warning.
“It's okay,” I assured him. “These are different circumstances. You're not breaking your promise to your dad.”
“To Haven,” he corrected.
I smiled at him. Did he even know how much we both cared about our responsibilities to our home? “To Haven.”
“And you,” he said to Kyle. “Unless you want me to be the one to tell her why you're a valuable asset to this search, you'd better agree to come.”
“Fine,” Kyle said, deflated.
I looked at my long time friend with new interest. He didn't offer me any explanations. He was clearly uncomfortable. I couldn't help but feel offended. One of my best friends was keeping things from me? I didn't have time to let the annoyance expand. There was a lot we were just learning, about ourselves, each other and our home. Kyle would get a free pass, this time.
Sterling and Kyle had spent the rest of the hour rifling through Dylan's side of the rooms for the pistol he'd swiped from me, before I’d stopped them. It was pointless. I already knew that it wasn’t there. The Pull was pointing me right out the door, but I was too tired, inside and out, to make a quest of it.
After bathing, I found that the sheets of my bed had been replaced. Our muddy clothes had been washed and pressed, and my goggles had been polished, crowning the folded stack.
A pot of rich seafood bisque had been brought to our door, and the three of us shared it over a loaf of freshly baked bread. Next came a big leafy salad topped with a baked fish and garnished with citrus peels. Last was a small pyramid of tarts. The Gold Palace sure took care of its guests.
Withering with fatigue, I gave up. “And now, to the courier station.”
“Why?” Kyle asked.
“We need to let Carmine know about the cargo,” I groaned, throwing myself back into motion and heading for the door.
“No, wait,” Kyle said, blocking me. “I'll go. I'll come back, I swear,” he added for Sterling's benefit.
“Kyle, it's not safe,” I sighed, barely capable of arguing with him. My limbs were heavy and my head pounded in my skull.
“Believe me, I know,” he chuckled dryly, and placed both of his hands atop my shoulders. “But I don't trust sending a written message. All kinds of things could go wrong. Don't worry about me. I know the way. I'll be fine.”
I watched him leave, afraid that I'd never see him again. It was like that here. I couldn't take a single moment for granted.
Sterling had posted himself in the armchair in my room, angling it to face the window and the door.
“I've done enough sleeping,” he'd said. I was glad he was there with me. Just having a friend, someone familiar with me, someone I could trust even despite our differences, meant the world to me. I felt secure.
After days of eating little and sleeping less, a combination of food in my stomach and a soft bed stole me easily away to sleep. I drifted off, thinking about Rune.
I'll try.
That night, I dreamed of introducing Rune to my dad, and showing him Rivermarch. In that dream, the weather tower still stood and I was as proud of my home as I was my family. But the sky darkened, the weather tower crashed down over us, and Eddie Elm was standing, dead on his feet. He pointed behind me, and sunk into the ground. I looked over my shoulder to see Margrave Hest riding the three-headed warhorse. She was charging straight at me, a sword held out to lop my head off. Rune stood in front of me, to protect me. When her sword slashed into his chest he disappeared like smoke. I screamed, throwing my hands up to block my face. Hest raised her arm and cut downward, driving her blade into my shoulder.
My eyes flew open and I found Sterling standing over me, with his hand on that same shoulder. “Time to go.”
C hapter 35: Fear and Fortune
I dressed in the clean clothes that had gotten me through the battlefield just two days ago. The fit of my black breeches, blouse and corset were breathable and flexible; a dramatic improvement from the gown I'd worn the night before.
I fished through my leather satchel, hoping in futility that Dylan had returned my pistol. He had not. In fact, he hadn't returned at all that night. I couldn't let myself worry. I couldn't.
I pulled my hair into a ponytail, securing it with a rubber band, and strapped my boots securely to my feet. Slipping my battered night goggles over my head to rest around my neck, I swung my door open.
Kyle had returned while I was sleeping, and he and Sterling were ready, waiting in Dylan's room. The two of them turned to look at me as I entered.
“Where is Dylan?” Sterling hissed under his breath. His large shoulders were tense. A line, summoned by anger and worry, had appeared on his forehead.
Kyle made an ugly sound. “Who cares?”
“No Dylan, no Ruby,” Sterling said, his eyes ready to burn holes into Kyle's head. I was glad that wasn't an Ability.
“We can't control him,” I said to my bulky friend. “Brendon knows that.”
“Yeah? Is that what we're relying on? That he’ll just hand Ruby back if Dylan gets left behind?” Sterling asked, rhetorically.
“I could find Dylan,” I said, knowing it wasn't a real option.
“No, you can't,” Kyle chimed in. “We don't have time for that if we're following your Dragoon's plan.”
“I swear, if anything happens to her,” Sterling growled.
> “We'll get her back. No matter what,” Kyle said, looking him in the eyes. I was surprised to see his reassurance actually work on Sterling. “We just need to handle things one step at a time.”
“We'll find a way,” I said, grinning impishly at the horribly gaudy play on words. In truth, I wanted to run into the washroom and throw up in the bathtub, but I had to be strong for my friends and for my mother, if she was still alive.
I got them both to crack smiles.
“Wow,” Sterling said, wincing.
Kyle flipped his pocket watch open and dangled it up where I could see. “Five minutes,” he said. “Carmine is ready for us and the cargo, and I saddled the horses in their stalls downstairs before I came back here. You and your mom will have to ride double.”
“It's fine. Florian can handle it,” I said. Nerves were eating me alive. What if we found my mother's dead body, like Dylan was so fond of suggesting? My pulse was already climbing. “Thanks, Kyle.”
We'll find her. It's not too late.
* * *
Rune's plan was flawless. The Gold Palace was asleep, with only the bakers milling groggily down the gilded halls to the kitchens. We passed two palace guards, leaning on glossy wooden statues, slumbering at their posts.
If I'd thought the Gold Palace was sleeping, the installment fortress was all but dead. Even with a pair of extra Haven citizens tagging along, we moved through the dark and sterile passages undisturbed.
There were Dragoons present, as always, but those few that we saw seemed to have more to worry about than our little group. I'd hoped that by walking ahead with determination, my Historian pin gleaming, we wouldn't be stopped and questioned. For once, I wished that Dylan were with us. For the time being, we were lucky.
The whole place was under the spell of dark morning. It's the one time of day when all the world is mute, and each and every sound carries farther than it would at any other point. The tapping and shuffling of our shoes on the flagstones seemed unbearably loud to me. Like Margrave Hest would hear and intercept us at any moment, ready to smile and cut me again. Absently, I clutched my bandaged left hand. It still hurt a little, tingling, the way a healing scratch does.
Dragoon (War of the Princes Book 2) Page 21