Blooms of Consequence (Dusk Gate Chronicles Book 4) (33 page)

“Sort of. Alvin told us both about it at our wedding – how the gate works.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There’s some kind of magnet buried in the ground on either side. Then, when the two worlds are lined up just right, the magnets weaken the magnetic field between them. But if either magnet is missing, then the gate doesn’t work.”

“So we have to find the magnet.”

“Right, but I don’t have any idea how.”

“Or if it’s even possible.”

“I hope it’s possible,” William sighed. “If Jonathan is right, and Hector really has told more people about the gate, then it’s not going to be enough to just stop him. Our world could be in danger forever.”

“Do you think Quinn is really going to be okay with that? With closing the gate?”

“No, she’s not. How could she be? Her family is over there, Nathaniel. I don’t know if
I’m
going to be okay with it.”

“Okay with what?” Quinn’s voice startled both of them; they turned to see her coming out of the bathroom.

“Is Linnea all right?” Nathaniel asked.

William could tell that she saw right through the quick change of subject, but that she decided not to pursue it – he knew she’d ask him later.

“Yes, she’s just finishing getting dressed. I was just coming to get a hairbrush.” Quinn sighed. “She says she’s completely fine, but I think she’s still pretty shaken up. I was thinking maybe…” she looked at William hesitantly, “maybe I should sleep with her tonight?”

He didn’t have any idea why she would be worried about asking him something like that, and he was about to tell her that, of course, she should stay close to Linnea tonight, when the bathroom door, which had been barely cracked, came flying open, and his sister stalked into the room.

“I. Am. Fine.” Linnea said. “You two have had a bed to sleep in together for exactly one night since you got married. I am not going to be the reason you’re separated tonight.”

“Nay,” William said softly, walking over to her. “Quinn and I are going to be married for a very long time. Neither one of us is worried about a few hard nights.”

Linnea closed her eyes. “Can we compromise? How about I sleep on the couch, and everyone can keep an eye on me as much as they want to?”

“How about this, Linnea,” Nathaniel said, “you sleep in that bedroom there, on a bed where you can actually be comfortable, and
I
sleep on the couch, where I can hear you if you need anything at all?”

Linnea raised her eyebrows at William and Quinn. “Satisfied?”

“All right, Nay,” William said, sighing to himself. He’d never in his wildest dreams imagined himself on this side of an argument. “So long as you eat a good dinner, and then you let me give you some medicine that will help with the pain and make you sleepy – I’ll agree to that.”

“Fine.”

*          *         *

Nathaniel took his bath while the rest of them ate and got Linnea into bed. When Quinn and William came back out of Linnea’s room, Nathaniel looked up at them. “I’m going to go speak with Marcus and Ben before I go to bed. Maybe see if I can find Jonathan, as well. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” And he disappeared into the hallway.

Quinn watched him go. “Well, that was subtle.”

“Better than Linnea, who practically gave us a checklist for what she expects us to do.”

Quinn giggled. “She did not.”

The look he gave her made her giggle again, and he wrapped his arms around her. “It’s nice to hear you laughing.”

“You wouldn’t think that would be possible after a day like today.”

“I don’t know. What’s so bad about today? The meeting with your grandmother went … well, it was interesting, but I’d say the outcome was good. We got to watch Linnea stab Tolliver – that’s a decent day in anyone’s book, I think.”

“William!”

“Well, it was. He deserved much worse, and I’m not going to feel bad that he got what he did.”

Although it surprised her a little, Quinn didn’t feel even a little bit bad about Tolliver, either. She knew he wouldn’t have hesitated to do it to Linnea – to any of them if they were standing in the way of what he wanted. Still, all of their problems hadn’t been solved by Tolliver’s arrest – or even by Sophia’s acknowledgement of Quinn as the heir.

“We still have to deal with Hector, you know.”

He kissed her on the forehead. “One day’s problems at a time, love. Much of Hector’s power is gone if he doesn’t have Tolliver. And he doesn’t have Tolliver – or Linnea. Today was a good day.”

“That’s not the only reason I’m worried about Hector.”

“I know it isn’t. Do you want to talk about that right now?”

No, she didn’t.
She didn’t even want to think about that right now. William was right – one day’s problems at a time. She shook her head.

“Okay.” He kissed her again, and then stepped away from her toward the bathroom. “It looks like Nathaniel already put fresh hot water in the tub; that was nice of him.”

She followed him in there; the steam coming off the water already felt good just standing next to it. “That definitely looks better than washing in a cold river.”

He nodded. “Much better. Do you want to go first?”

“I’m not the one with blood on my clothes.”

“You make it sound like I’m covered in it or something. It’s just a little bit on my pants. I changed my shirt. I washed my hands and face. I can wait a little longer. And besides, I think I had more sleep than you last night. You should go first so you can relax after.”

But standing here with him, in this warm, steamy little room, she suddenly wasn’t tired at all. In fact, looking at the huge bathtub gave her an idea – but she wasn’t sure she could say it out loud.

“Why are you blushing?”

Oh, no … she definitely was not brave enough to ask him this … was she?
She felt her face getting hotter and hotter. She swallowed hard, pulling herself together. It was William, her
husband
, she could do this. “I was just thinking how much easier it would be if we didn’t have to heat water and fill the tub again after this…”

He looked back and forth between her and the tub, and then a grin spread across his face, reaching all the way up to his beautiful gray eyes, lit up with his love for her.
Yes … her husband.

“I like the way you think, Mrs. Rose.”

“HOW’S THE BREAKFAST?” JONATHAN asked, walking into the sitting room.

“Better than dried meat and stale bread,” William said, scooping up another bite of eggs.

Quinn had to agree – though they’d had a little more than that while they were traveling, it hadn’t been as nice as this by half.

“Did you sleep well?” The question sounded like it was directed toward everyone, but Jonathan was looking at Quinn.

“Yes, I did, actually, thank you,” she said. For the first time in a long time, this was true. William had awakened before her this morning, and she couldn’t remember being up at all during the night or having any disturbing dreams.

“And Princess Linnea, how are you feeling?”

“Sore, but all right.”

“Excellent. Because I’ve just heard that someone is riding up – someone I’m sure will be anxious to see all of you. I’ll be right back.”

She frowned as he went back out the door. “That was …
strange
. Do you think it’s Charles and Ellen already?”

“They should be arriving any time now, actually, but then why wouldn’t he just tell us? And why would he say some
one
instead of naming them? Who else even knows we’re here?”

“I don’t know,” Marcus said warily, standing and going to get his sword. Ben quickly followed.

Quinn, too, was on the verge of questioning her decision to trust Jonathan when the door opened again, and Stephen walked in.

She nearly fell off her chair in relief.

At first, he didn’t have eyes for anyone except Linnea. His gaze zeroed in on his daughter the second he entered the room, and he went straight to her, practically lifting her from her chair and into his arms.

Until she winced at his tight grip, it was clear he hadn’t even noticed her bandages. When he did, he gasped and quickly let her go, stepping back to look at her fully. “What happened? Who did this to you? Was it
Tolliver
?” Stephen’s whole face and neck were red with his anger.

“Yes, Stephen, it was,” Jonathan said, his voice apologetic. “But he’s been arrested now. He’s being held until he recovers enough to be transferred back to the capital.”

“Perhaps you should send him back to
my
capital,” Stephen said through his teeth.

“I’m sure that’s probably open for discussion” Jonathan didn’t quite manage to disguise his grin.

“What is he
recovering
from that he can’t be moved today?”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at the rest of them.

After Nathaniel and William explained what had happened, Stephen pulled Linnea back into his arms – a little more gently this time. “That’s my girl,” he said, close to her ear. “I’m proud of you.”

They hugged for a long time, pausing briefly so that Stephen could hug the rest of them – he even embraced Marcus and Ben, thanking them for what they’d done, but when Stephen sat down at the table to speak to everyone, he pulled Linnea’s chair next to his, and he kept his arm around her; she leaned up against his chest.

“How did you get here so quickly?” Nathaniel asked.

“After I got your note that you thought Linnea was here yesterday morning, we left within a few hours – it’s just me, Luke Willoughby and a couple of other guards. We rode hard, and we rode through most of the night – I’m sure the horses aren’t very appreciative.”

Stephen looked at Jonathan. “This place was easier to get into than we expected – we were afraid it might be a fight.”

Jonathan nodded. “Yesterday, it would have been. Much has changed with the arrest of Tolliver. The troops that were here with him are regrouping somewhere, I think. Perhaps they’re trying to get into contact with Hector. Nobody seems to have heard from him or knows where he is.”

“That sounds dangerous. Does he have any troops with him?”

“I don’t know.” Jonathan’s eyes flicked to Quinn. “We’re afraid the danger might be a little more serious than that.”

As soon as Stephen’s eyes met hers, Quinn knew that he knew. She tried, unsuccessfully, to keep her voice from shaking when she asked her question. “Did you have a dream, too?”

He didn’t look away from her, though she could see that it took effort on his part. “Yes, I did.”

She swallowed. “You think it’s a real threat.”

“I think you know the answer to that. Using the gate has always been dangerous, and none of us have been as careful about it as we should have been.”

“I still don’t understand how Hector could have found out about it,” Jonathan said.

“It doesn’t matter how. Nothing matters at all except keeping him from using it.” Stephen’s expression was grim. “And we have very few options for doing that. We can’t station troops around it without being prepared to tell them why – and now is not the time to be giving that information to more people.”

“No,” Quinn said, “I already know. I’ve already been through all of this in my mind, over and over. We have to try to close the gate; we have to prevent Hector – and anyone else he may have told – from ever using it. And, no, I’m not okay with that and I probably never will be, but it doesn’t matter, because the alternative is even worse. So, I don’t want to talk anymore about how it will affect me, or what it means. I think I know how to close it, and we just need to do it.”

William reached for her hand, and – for just a fraction of a second – she didn’t want it. She yanked her hand away, out of his reach, but then just as quickly put it back, and allowed him to hold it tightly.

“Okay,” Stephen said, after several silent, strained minutes. “So you tell me everything you know about closing it, and we will send a message to Simon, Maxwell, and Thomas today. Hopefully they can start trying to get it figured out. Our horses need a rest after that ride, and so do the rest of us, I think, but we can leave to take Linnea back to the castle tomorrow morning, and if we hurry, we’ll still make it back a day or so before the gate is scheduled to open again.”

The look on Ben’s face as they talked about Linnea leaving nearly broke Quinn’s heart, and she saw Linnea glance sadly up at him, too.
Oops
– she doubted the two of them had meant for
that
to happen.

There was a knock on the door then, and when Jonathan opened it, they saw the young man who’d attended them last night. “Sorry to bother you, Prince Jonathan,” he said, “but Prince Charles and Princess Ellen have just arrived, and I was told you wanted to be notified as soon as they were brought in.”

“Yes, I did. Thank you very much, Zavier. Are they in the house now?”

“Yes. Mr. Miller asked that they be shown to their accommodations, and that their horses be taken care of. Would you like me to take you to them?”

“Please. And some of the supplies the horses are carrying belong to our guests here. Can you please ask someone to sort that out and bring them in here?”

*          *          *

When there was another knock on the door less than an hour later, William expected that it would be Charles and Ellen, or perhaps Jonathan, giving them more information about what was going on. But, instead, his father opened the door to find Queen Sophia standing there, by herself.

“Stephen,” she said, coming in and allowing him to close the door behind her. “It’s been a long time – too long.”

“Indeed it has, Sophia. Although I must say, you’re looking as beautiful as ever.”

“Your wife may still allow you to get away with that, Stephen, but I’ve had too much experience with insincere flattery to believe it anymore.”

William felt a lump in his throat at the queen’s words. She was, in fact, still very lovely. And she deserved more than a man like Hector who had made her feel this way.

His father, too, had sadness in his eyes as he regarded Sophia, and he shook his head gently. “In my eyes, you’ll always be the lovely, loving mother of my dearest friend – the way you were when Jonathan was alive. The two of you were one of the happiest couples I’d ever seen. Even as a teenage boy, I knew that.”

“We were the happiest couple I knew. Until I saw you and your Charlotte.”

“Well, Charlotte’s a special case.”

“Indeed she is. And now I already see it between your son and my granddaughter. I suppose something of the magic has survived.”

 Stephen smiled over at William; he was sitting on the couch, still with his arm around Quinn’s shoulders. They’d all just been chatting before Sophia arrived. “More of the magic than you think, Sophia. It’s all still here, if only you’ll take hold of it.”

Sophia nodded. “It’s been too long, Stephen; I’ve missed all of you. I’m sorry things have gotten to this point between our kingdoms. I know much of that is my fault. I trusted the wrong person.”

“No, Sophia. It isn’t your fault for trusting him. He betrayed a very valuable gift you gave him. Although you could, perhaps, have asked for help when you first realized the truth – back when it would have been much easier to fix things. Before so many things were lost.”

“Until my dying day, I will regret that I didn’t – that I allowed things to get this far.”

“It’s a waste of time to focus on what we regret, Sophia. I would like to do what I can to help you move forward – to move all of us past this, and to right the wrongs we are able to.”

“Yes, well, I have been discussing things with Jonathan, and I’ve even had a chance to speak with Charles and Ellen – imagine, all of my children are under one roof again – even Samuel, in a way,” she glanced at Quinn. “It’s unfortunate that my youngest is here under arrest, but those are the choices he made. And he is going to have to live with them, for the rest of his life.” Her shoulders shook a little as she spoke, and Stephen reached out his hand to steady her.

“Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “Our discussions have led me to this conclusion. I don’t know where Hector is, but I need to assume my rightful role and get rid of him before Quinn will be safe here in Philotheum, and we can proceed. I have the necessary troops at my disposal and the support of the Friends of Philip as well.”

“Of course, you always have the support of Eirentheos. We may even be able to help locate Hector.”

“We’ll take whatever assistance we can get. I am going to ask my children – including Nathaniel – to accompany me back to the castle and help me build the support of our people for Quinn’s coronation – as both the rightful heir, and the one who has fulfilled the prophecy through her marriage to your son.

“For now,” she said, turning to Quinn, “I’ve decided you both should return to Eirentheos. I am planning on releasing knowledge of your existence to our people, and you will be safer there until we’ve located Hector.”

Quinn’s eyes were wide, and William thought he knew why. There was certainly no guarantee that she would be safer from Hector in Eirentheos – well, not safer from
him
personally, anyway. Her grandmother was right in that Quinn might be less a target of Hector’s troops, if she were safe in the castle in Eirentheos. He rubbed her shoulder.

“Also,” Sophia continued, “we need to do things the proper, public way. You must have a public wedding ceremony, in Eirentheos, so that everyone is aware of your marriage, and of what it means to our kingdoms. I will attend that wedding, with all of my children, in approximately one moon’s time, provided Hector has been caught. Once the wedding has been accomplished, we can move forward with bringing you back to Philotheum for your coronation.”

Quinn’s jaw was practically on her chest.

“Close your mouth, Princess. You will soon be a queen.”

Though she still seemed speechless, Quinn did as she was told, sitting up straighter on the couch, too.

“In the meantime, of course, the private wedding that was already performed will still be considered the real date of your marriage. I am sorry to have missed it.” With those words, Sophia turned and headed toward the door. Her hand was on the knob to turn it, when she suddenly whirled around and walked back toward Quinn.

Sophia knelt down in front of her, surprisingly gentle after the fervor of her speech. “And thank you, precious child. I don’t yet know you as well as I wish I did, but I do see what you’ve done here, and the sacrifice you’ve chosen to make to right the wrong that occurred when your father left Philotheum. We’ll work this out, and then you’ll come to be with me, and perhaps you just might be the cornerstone on which we begin to rebuild our family.”

She then turned to William. “You’re brave, Prince William, getting yourself into this. Thank you for loving her enough to stand beside her – beside all of us. And welcome.”

Sophia bent down and kissed Quinn on the top of her head, but she didn’t wait for a reaction or a response before she really did leave.

Nathaniel let out a low whistle as the door closed behind his mother. “I haven’t seen her like that since I was four cycles old. I’ve never forgotten it though.”

“I think it’s a good thing,” Stephen said.

“As do I.”

William didn’t know her well enough to be sure, but he did think it was a definite improvement over the woman they’d seen yesterday, who’d looked like a strong wind would knock her over.