Leaves of Revolution (17 page)

“ARE YOU DOING all right?”

If it had been anyone other than Nathaniel asking that right now, Zander might have lost it. But it was Nathaniel; he’d ridden up close beside him, out of earshot of the two guards ahead of them. So he nodded. “I’m fine. It’s actually nice to be out riding instead of stuck in Tobias’ house – it feels like I’m doing something.”

To his relief, Nathaniel didn’t press the point about his shoulder; he only nodded. “I know what you mean.”

“Are we getting close to where we left the carriage, do you think?” In truth, the ride had been long and far more challenging than anything he was used to. His shoulder was killing him, but he was proud of the way he’d been able to handle Ember in the deep snow.

“Shouldn’t be far.” Nathaniel reached behind him into the saddlebag and pulled out a silver compass and the leather-bound map he’d been using all morning. His stride was perfect, even though the map appeared to consume all of his attention. “Maybe fifteen more minutes, though going into the trees might slow us down.”

Unlike when they’d traveled to Tobias’ house, today they’d stayed mostly on what they could see of roads, trying to keep the horses away from hidden dangers under the layers of snow.

The road they were on now cut directly through a forest; trees loomed on either side of the narrow, snow-packed thoroughfare – really more a path than a road. Zander kept careful watch of the trees, and ahead of them, James and Ethan did the same; nobody wanted a small avalanche of snow dropping from a branch onto one of the horses.

“Do you think Linnea will be okay?” he asked.

Nathaniel looked over at him, warmth and kindness in his gray eyes. “I think so. I want to get this medicine back to her, and I want to make sure everyone else gets a dose so this thing doesn’t spread, but I think everything will be all right.”

“What would happen if someone got sick like that and you didn’t have medicine from my world?”

“There is medicine in this world as well, Zander – what we’re retrieving from the carriage was made here; it’s not exactly the same as the kind in your world.”

“Well, I know that.”

“Yes, it’s not what you were asking. An illness like Linnea’s can be treated here by healers trained in the arts of this world with some success – but no, her chances wouldn’t be as good as they are with the knowledge we attained in your world. And neither would ours. An epidemic of pimaeum could be a serious problem without the right medicine. I truly was interested in the science of Earth, and I’m grateful for what I learned there.”

“So you don’t regret leaving your kingdom and going to live there?”

“I can’t go back and change it, so no; I don’t see the point in regretting it.”

“What about not telling Quinn who she really is?”

Nathaniel sighed. “I regret lying to her, and not pushing harder to have the kind of relationship I wanted to have with her as she was growing up. I regret the way she found out and the hardships that has caused for her. I’m sorry I hurt her, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make those things up to her, and restore things between us.”

He paused, looking ahead at the other two guards – they were still too far away to hear the conversation. “I’m also sorry for the way it affected you, Zander. My choices – and Samuel’s – put Quinn in a position that caused her to hurt other people, and you were one of them. I hope you can forgive me for my part in that.”

“It’s not your fault I’m stuck here.”

“No.” Nathaniel chuckled. “When you voluntarily walk off a broken bridge in the middle of an icy river, you have to take some responsibility for the consequences.”

“Owen could have been a little more upfront.”

“
Owen
is eight, and you were responsible for taking care of
him
.”

“Minor details.”

Nathaniel laughed. “Yes, well. I have to say I am grateful you listened to him. You saved William’s life, and possibly many others’.”

At that moment, Zander caught a glimpse of something that made him freeze, bringing Ember to a halt right there in the middle of the path. Nathaniel had to circle back around to meet him, letting out a loud whistle as he did that made James and Ethan turn around immediately.

Up in the trees to the left of them, maybe fifty yards ahead, there was a flash of green in the trees – the color worn by Philothean guards.

Nobody spoke at first. Zander nodded toward the trees and the other men followed his gaze. James and Ethan both already had their hands on their hilts, and Ethan’s eyes swept the entire area – searching for more hidden threats, Zander realized.

He looked around, too, while he thought about the best response. “We’ve already called attention to ourselves,” he said quietly.

James shrugged with one shoulder. “Better than being ambushed.”

“So do we confront them, wait for them to confront us, or keep traveling and pretend we didn’t see them?” Zander asked.

“We don’t know how many of them there are,” Ethan said. “We don’t stand much chance with four. Perhaps if we appear to be commoners…” He pulled the hood of his plain brown cloak over his head.

Zander didn’t know if that was a good idea or not, but he followed suit. A moment later, though, it didn’t matter. The single flutter of green suddenly turned into a wave as three fully uniformed men rode down out of the trees and began heading toward them.

He didn’t need to watch what James and Ethan were doing; his sword was out and ready.

The three guards approached more slowly than he would have expected for a confrontation. Zander had plenty of time to continue searching the surrounding forest for anything else out of place, but he didn’t see anything.

When they were finally close enough to really get a good look, James let out a surprised breath. All three men appeared disheveled, their uniforms wrinkled and smudges of dirt on their hands and faces. One, the youngest-looking, had a large bloodstain on the side of his cloak.

Zander’s concern changed to a different kind; the tight grip he had on his sword loosened a little.

“Do you live near here?” one of the guards called. He was the oldest of the three, perhaps in his late-twenties. Though it didn’t mean anything, Zander had never seen him before – he would have remembered the man’s shoulder-length light, wavy hair.

“Why?” Ethan asked.

The man’s blue eyes narrowed. “I’m just trying to understand why you’d brave this weather to travel in such dangerous times. The next village is quite far – and we haven’t come across any homes in this area.”

Ethan coaxed his horse a couple of steps to the side, concealing his sword arm behind both his cloak and the animal. “What’s so dangerous about traveling right now?”

“Have you not heard? King Ivan’s army has invaded the capital city. They’ve taken over the castle.”

Zander had to give Ethan credit for his ability to feign surprise. He had just the right amount of surprised panic in his voice when he asked, “The queen?”

The guard shook his head. “We don’t know. There are rumors…”

“What rumors?” James asked.

This time, the younger guard – the one with the bloodstain – spoke. “We have a friend who was in the battle at the castle… he says the queen and the royal family weren’t there, and he believes they may have escaped to safety. Others are afraid…”

“What are you doing out here so far, then?” Ethan asked.

The three guards exchanged wary glances.

Zander frowned, returning to his search of the trees – these guards had revealed too much to a group of unknown men traveling through the snow. That could only mean that, despite their bedraggled appearance, they weren’t afraid. There had to be more soldiers nearby, ready to defend them. He could feel Nathaniel doing the same thing next to him.

Nathaniel’s search lasted only a minute, though. When the guards hesitated a little too long in answering, he asked, “How many of you are there? Soldiers in these woods?”

The guard who hadn’t yet spoken closed his eyes as the oldest of the three sighed and said, “A fair few. Are you hiding a battalion as well?”

The middle guard now had an expression that matched the one Zander knew he’d been wearing a few minutes ago – a “so-this-is-how-we-die” look.

“No,” Nathaniel said, drawing back his hood and allowing them to see him for the first time.

The youngest guard recognized him first; he gasped, dismounting his horse in one fluid motion, and dropping to one knee in the snow. “Your Highness! It’s Prince Nathaniel,” he hissed to the others.

The other two guards were halfway to the ground before Nathaniel could object. “That’s not necessary,” he said. “Please don’t get wet.”

Following James’ lead, Zander re-sheathed his sword, though he kept his hand close to the hilt.

“Please, come out of the snow,” Nathaniel said again. “You look cold already. Are you all right?” The question was directed at all three of them, but his eyes were on the blood on the youngest one’s cloak.

“It’s not mine,” the man said. “I’m not hurt – I’ve just been helping tend the injured.”

“The injured?”

“Yes.” The middle one finally spoke. “Since yesterday, we’ve been searching for those who were able to escape the castle during or after the battle. Many are injured and in need of assistance.”

“I see.” Nathaniel sighed. “What is your name?”

“I’m Ellis Kirk; this is my brother Rhys,” he nodded to the younger one, “and this is Isaac Pearce.”

“Kirk?” Nathaniel asked. “Is your father Spencer?”

“Yes.”

“Spencer Kirk?” Ethan asked. He looked at Zander and James. “He was on duty the night of the invasion.”

Ellis nodded.

“Is he here as well?”

“No,” Rhys said. The underlying tone of his words made Zander’s stomach twist uncomfortably.

“He’s missing,” Ellis clarified. “We don’t know if he survived, but nobody has seen or heard from him yet.”

“We had to stop traveling back toward the castle yesterday afternoon,” Isaac said. “More troops started moving into the city after the snow stopped. They’ve occupied nearly the whole city now. We don’t know how to get more people safely out.”

“Do you know whether the queen is still alive?” Ellis asked. “We’ve been trying everything to get information, but nobody knows anything.”

“The queen is safe,” Nathaniel said. “So are the king and the prince. That is all I can tell you right now.”

When all three men practically melted in relief, Zander finally let go of his sword. “Where are the injured men?” he asked. “Do you need assistance?”

“We need all the help we can get,” Rhys said. “We need healers, supplies, shelter. That storm couldn’t have hit at a worse time.”

“All right.” Nathaniel nodded. “Can you give me a minute to discuss things with my men, and then you can show us where you’re set up?”

As soon as the three guards were out of earshot, Ethan rounded on Nathaniel. “This could be a trap!”

“It could,” Nathaniel agreed.

“We’re going to do it anyway, aren’t we?”

“
I
am, Ethan. Whether you stay and help, or return to Tobias’ is up to you.”

“You’d risk everything we’re doing on this?”

Nathaniel took a deep breath. “What is
everything we’re doing
if it involves – even possibly – leaving our own men to die?”

Ethan’s mouth fell open. He looked back and forth between James and Zander for support.

“I’m living a borrowed life already, thanks to Queen Quinn,” James said. “I won’t leave others to suffer at Tolliver’s hands.”

Zander cleared his throat and met Ethan’s glare with a steady, calculated calm. “I’m with Nathaniel in any case – but if it’s a trap, it’s a trap. We’re already in it. We don’t have an army waiting somewhere to protect us. I’d rather walk in and understand what we’re up against than accidentally lead someone back to Tobias’ place.”

The cold logic registered with Ethan, and he nodded. “All right. I’m sure we’ll need the supplies from the carriage for the soldiers. Since we’re close already, should we go there first, or try to keep that location hidden?”

“The location of the carriage doesn’t tell them anything they don’t already know from finding us here,” Zander said, shrugging.

“What about getting the medicine to the princess?” James asked.

Nathaniel whistled long and low. His seeker bird, Aidel, responded immediately, fluttering down from the treetops and landing right on his outstretched arm. “I’ll send a message back to everyone letting them know what’s going on. Once we’ve been to the carriage, I can send a vial of the powder back to William. He’ll be able to handle the rest there. We’ll make sure to save enough for any more emergencies back at Tobias’.”

“CAN I HELP YOU with that?” It was becoming Thomas’ go-to entry line – she’d already teased him about it – but he figured there were worse ways to start a conversation.

Mia looked away from the clothesline she’d rigged up in front of the fireplace in her room and raised an eyebrow. “You really want to tackle
that
?” She tilted her head toward a large bucket of wet clothes.

He hadn’t known he was holding his breath for her reaction until it came out, leaving a flood of relief in its place. Despite everything, things were still okay between them today. He grinned. “Does anyone
want
to? I’m sure you don’t either, but we all need clean clothes.”

She stepped aside. “How is Linnea?”

“She’s asleep, finally. I think I was keeping her awake being in there, so I left for a bit. William is down in the basement trying to figure out how to grow mold to make antibiotics or something I don’t understand. I don’t know that we’ll be here for long enough for him to accomplish anything.”

“He probably just needs to feel like he’s doing something.”

“That’s Will, for sure.” Thomas pulled a shirt out of the bucket and shook it in front of the fire, frowning at the color of the fabric. “Is this Tobias’?”

She nodded. “He insisted I didn’t need to do his, but…”

He hung the shirt carefully over an empty section of the line and then turned and reached for her, taking her into his arms and pressing his lips against hers.

It was several minutes before she finally pulled away. “What was that for?”

“Do I have to have a reason other than you’re adorable
and
amazing?”

“And here I actually believed for a minute that you came in here to help with the laundry.”

“I’ve never been satisfied doing only one thing at a time,” he said, shrugging and planting another kiss on the top of her head as he reached into the bucket again.

Just as he finished hanging another shirt, there was a wiggling motion in the center of the bed and then a loud screech.

Mia sighed. “This is why I never get more than three things hung up at a time. He’s been much more restless than usual.”

“You can’t really blame him.” Thomas walked over and scooped his nephew from the little nest Mia had made with pillows. “We keep taking him to new places and disrupting his schedule, and everyone’s stressed out around him.” He rocked Samuel gently back and forth in his arms. The baby’s cries grew quieter, but didn’t stop completely.

“He’s probably wet and hungry by now,” Mia said.

“I can fix one of those things at least.” Thomas reached for the diaper bag. “And then I’ll take him to Quinn. She and Marcus should be ready for a break.”

“I should make a comment about you skipping out on the laundry,” she said, this time approaching him, “but instead I think I’ll just do this.”

He grinned as he leaned down to meet her lips. “Samuel’s going to think this is all we ever do.”

“I’m all right with that,” she said when they were finished.

Catching her hand with his free one, he looked deep into her green eyes. “Me too, Mia.”

*          *          *

Thomas paused outside the door to Tobias’ sitting room, debating whether it was safe to interrupt – he couldn’t hear any voices.

After only a few seconds, Samuel settled the question by letting out an ear-splitting wail, bringing Quinn to the door immediately.

“I think he can
smell
you,” he said as she took the baby. Samuel quieted immediately once he was in her arms.

“Yeah, I think so.” She smiled, though underneath that he could see how worried she was. “You can come in, Thomas. I was actually alone for a minute.”

“Where’s Marcus?” he asked, following her as she carried Samuel over to a couch.

“He went to go see if any more birds have returned with messages.”

“Do you need me to do anything?”

“You’re keeping an eye on Linnea, right? She won’t let me anywhere near her.”

“I know. She and Will both made me promise to wash my hands and face before so much as talking to you or Samuel – don’t worry, I did. Changed my shirt, too.”

“Thanks.”

He nodded, looking around the room at the maps and books laid out on every flat surface. “Finally learning the geography of your kingdom?”

“I had to start sometime, right?”

He chuckled. Back at the castle, an entire wall of Quinn and William’s sitting room was covered with enormous canvas maps of both Eirentheos and Philotheum. She’d asked for them even before her coronation.

“This area was actually quite interesting,” she said, pointing to a space on a map stretched over a low table.

Thomas leaned down to look, mentally calculating directions. He glanced out the window, then back at the map, and then up at Quinn. “That’s where we are, right?”

She nodded. “Kind of close to this little village here.” She pointed to a spot that showed a small body of water, and bore a name he couldn’t quite read. A huge chunk of the map surrounding it was blank. “That’s all forest,” she said.

“Tobias likes his privacy, huh?”

She nodded. “The map I have at the castle shows nothing in this region at all.”

“That isn’t actually all that surprising. There are probably a few villages like that in Eirentheos, too.”

“Marcus said that, too. It’s still hard for me to wrap my brain around a world without satellite imaging.”

“I didn’t spend enough time in your world for that to even sound like real words, Quinn.”

She chuckled.

“I don’t know if you’re worried about
why
Tobias would be out here like this … I see why you’re concerned, but … he hasn’t killed us yet.”

“It’s not that. Not that I don’t still have questions about him, but they’re not my most pressing ones. It’s this village – Valderwood. Marcus said that some of the people there aren’t overly friendly toward the royal family. Many of them moved out here to get away from the authority of the capital – they even have their own soldiers.”

“In all fairness, if I was living under Hector’s reign, I might have joined them. I’m not bad with a sword either, you know.”

“I know.” She sighed. “I don’t even know how they feel about my taking over the crown, if anyone trusts me, or if it’s more people who want me arrested or dead. It’s just another complication.”

“Well, at least you have something new to add to your map. Geography is good.”

“Yeah… now if I could just get a handle on the history... Everything I learn leads me to ten other pieces of information that might have been helpful.”

“You’re doing great you know.”

“Uh-huh… Running away from the castle and allowing a usurper to take control of my kingdom is
fantastic
leadership. Someday, Nathaniel’s going to finally slip with the secret that I was actually my father’s second-born child.”

“Hmmm… How much older than you is Zander
exactly
?”

“
Not funny
, Thomas!”

“Yes, it kind of is.” He laughed at the face she was making. “Okay, so maybe it isn’t – but the only
reason
it isn’t is because at this point I don’t think it would shock me.”

She shook her head like she was trying to send that thought flying across the room. “Maybe I am following my father’s example anyway – running away from the fight just to save my own skin.”

“Yeah?” He perched on the arm of an overstuffed chair. “Now that you’re out of imminent danger and can think, are you planning on taking yourself and the true heir to another world and forgetting all of this ever happened?”

“No.”

“See? Totally different. Relax. Even if you did give up your castle for a bit, you can still die for your kingdom.”

“Especially now that I gave up my castle and came to the middle of nowhere next to a town with a militia that might hate me.”

“Exactly.”

She chuckled as she ran her fingers through Samuel’s downy black hair. “You always know what to say to make me feel better, Thomas.”

“It’s my job. Besides, you’re not dying for this kingdom without taking me with you.”

“Unless pimaeum gets to all of us first.”

“And there’s my sister – full of optimism, as usual.”

“Your Majesty?” Marcus’ voice called from the doorway.

“It’s fine, Marcus. Thomas and I were just chatting. Is there any news?”

“Yes. Another message from Stephen … and one from Nathaniel.”

Thomas knew his own expression must match the alarm in hers.

“Is everything all right?”

“Nathaniel is fine – and so are the guards with him. They’ve come across a whole encampment of soldiers.” He held a folded piece of paper out to her.

Thomas had to sit on his hands to keep from snatching the paper or reading over her shoulder. “Do you want me to leave?” he forced himself to ask.

She shook her head, looking up from the paper with an awed expression. “Nearly fifty guards, from both the castle and the city.”

“Where?” Thomas asked.

“It doesn’t say.” She held up the note. “I think Nathaniel is being extra safe not sending that information. A number of the men were injured in the battle.”

Thomas closed his eyes. “So there was a battle, then?”

“That’s what all of this is sounding like. Something happened. This says he’ll try to get more details and send them later, but he’s doing what he can for the men now. Did he send something as well?”

“Yes.” Marcus pulled a vial from his pocket; Thomas could see some kind of powder through the brown glass – one of William’s medicines, no doubt.

“He says that should be enough for everyone here – they might not attempt coming back and giving away our position.” She looked at Marcus. “Did they have enough supplies with them to be safe in this weather?”

“They made it to the carriage, Quinn,” Thomas said. “There was plenty there, and Nathaniel knows what he’s doing.” He squeezed her shoulder.

“Okay, then we’d better get this to William.”