Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web - Volume 1 (46 page)

“
It’s been an enlightening few days here at the Citadel.
”

“
I can’t wait to get back to Linden now, sit down and enjoy a roasted pheasant! Why, it’s as if…
”

“
…and I’ll be sure to send word that…
”

Dooley wrinkled his brow as he listened to the bits of conversation that appeared to be drifting out of the chamber and into the adjoining corridor where the huge tapestry of Morrenwood hung, splashed in the radiant glory of the four seasons. As the silence in the chamber deepened, except for a few leftover voices, he felt a cold knot form in the pit of his stomach. His heart pounded and his palms began to sweat. Dooley wondered what Farnsworth would say to him when he returned home. He feared what Caldurian would do to him the next time they met. His lips began to quiver. He realized with horror that he had slept through the entire war council.

END OF PART THREE

PART FOUR

PRELUDE TO WAR

CHAPTER 28

One Lit Candle

Monstrous flames crackled wildly in the bitter breezes rolling off the Trillium Sea and across the grasslands. Nicholas glanced up at the stars but found no comfort in them as he sat on a log and warmed his aching body in front of the bonfire. They appeared cold and aloof staring down upon the stony shore, not concerned about the travails that had befallen either of the two men huddled close to the blaze. It had been a couple of hours since the soldiers from the Northern Isles had attacked Nicholas and Leo, leaving them unconscious as they kidnapped Ivy, her desperate screams still echoing in their minds. Nicholas imagined her being hauled off to the ship and sailing away across the cold, cruel waves. Though he shivered and his head burned, he felt more wretched for Ivy’s plight than his own. The Trillium Sea was vast and the Northern Isles might as well be on the other side of the world. He thought about how he could possibly reach the Isles, and if he ever did so, how he would locate Ivy.

He recalled their predawn conversation by the fireplace in Castella’s kitchen three days ago, though it seemed like weeks had passed since they shared that tender moment. He was overwhelmed by the dizzying sweep of events that had led them from there to here, part of him wondering if he would ever see Ivy again. Hope drained from his heart as he warmed himself by the fire. He glanced at Leo sitting close by, his friend having the worst of the injuries.

“How’s your wrist?”

Leo turned his head, making an effort to smirk. “Feels a lot better than the back of my noggin, but I think I’ll live. On the bright side, I’ll probably get a good sleep tonight.”

“Sporadic bouts of unconsciousness will do that for you,” Nicholas said, trying to keep the mood light. “And you have your choice of tents, too. No second class accommodations here.”

Five abandoned tents, tormented by the wind, lined the edge of the tall grass. The other three bonfires once blazing along shore had burned down to glowing embers. A short distance away, their two horses wandered through the field with the pair of steeds from Madeline and Mune’s wagon. They would begin the return trip to Boros in the wagon tomorrow morning, neither having any idea how to break the sad news about Ivy to Castella, her aunt and uncle at the candle shop, or her parents in Laurel Corners whom they had not yet met. A cold and dispiriting journey awaited them.

“Part of me doesn’t want to leave, Leo. Maybe if I stayed awhile…”

Leo glanced at his friend and shook his head, guessing that Nicholas blamed himself for Ivy’s kidnapping. As he stared back into the fire, he couldn’t help feel responsible himself, but knew that wallowing in their regrets wouldn’t bring her back. “Nicholas, the ship’s not going to return,” he flatly stated. “And delaying our return won’t accomplish anything except to prolong her family’s anguish.”

“I suppose.”

“And even if there’s a chance of rescuing Ivy–and I have no idea where to begin–I know it’s not going to be accomplished by sitting here on this miserable beach.”

Nicholas took a deep breath. He knew Leo was right but hoped for a miracle anyway. He wished he had had more time to know Ivy and talk with her, smiling as he remembered giving her the scarf he had purchased in Boros. But deep in his heart he knew the two of them wouldn’t be enjoying moments like that again any time soon, if ever. He closed his eyes, letting the snapping flames lull him to the verge of fitful slumber.

They awoke at midmorning after several needed hours of uninterrupted sleep. After a brief breakfast under bright sunshine, they hitched up a pair of horses to the cart and tethered the other pair to the back and began the return trip to Boros. With the food supplies that had been left behind in the cart, they didn’t have to worry about stretching out the remaining rations Castella had provided. Nicholas spotted a sack of apples and grabbed two, tossing one to Leo.

“Just like old times,” he said, recalling their trip north up Orchard Road with Princess Megan. “You must miss her.”

“Even more so now after all that’s happened,” he replied as he guided the horses across the stony terrain. “Megan’s going to be very upset. She never cared for the idea of trading identities with Ivy and will probably blame herself.”

“Ivy wanted to do it to protect her.” Nicholas watched as the stalks of tall grass monotonously passed by on his right, trying to convince himself that she had done the right thing. But maybe they had been foolish, fighting against forces they had no business dealing with. He reminded himself that the fight had been brought to them by the likes of Madeline and Mune, the man who tried to kidnap Megan at the Plum Orchard Inn, and Sims, whom they had paid off with Leo’s apple money. Nicholas even threw Dooley Kramer and Arthur Weeks into the mix, realizing that people sometimes had no choice but to act when others were aligned against you. That notion offered him cold comfort as the wagon rattled eastward across the windswept coastline.

The journey back took nearly four and a half days, about a day longer than the forward trip since Nicholas and Leo found themselves oversleeping on several occasions as they recovered from their injuries. A rainstorm during the second day of traveling added to the delay, but in time the grasslands thinned out. Their spirits lifted when they finally saw the western edge of Sage Bay in the distance. Soon they turned south for the village of Cavara Beach where they would pick up the main road leading to Boros. They were certain that Megan and Castella were both racked with anxiety at their delay.

As twilight descended and the first stars peered down from a crisp autumn sky, they passed through the sleepy village of Cavara Beach, the scent of wood smoke and the occasional bark of a dog carried upon a breeze. They traveled the rutty road, anxious to get back to Castella’s house and a warm meal. When they were about two miles from Boros, they heard the faint clip clop of hooves upon the road and saw a solitary figure on horseback approaching from the east, the nearly full rising Bear Moon plastered against the skyline behind it.

“Evening,” Leo said as the stranger advanced, the moonlight reflecting off his face. The young man on the horse quickly stopped, clutching the reins.

“Is that you, Leo? We’ve been looking all over for you.” He rode up close to the cart, curiously surveying the vehicle. An expression of disappointment suddenly crossed his face. “Isn’t Ivy with you? Is she in back?”

Leo recognized the man as Jonathan, one of Uncle Aubrey’s two sons. Leo had briefly met him when he had gone to Aubrey’s house with word about their plan to pay off Sims. He introduced him to Nicholas before explaining what had happened to his cousin. Jonathan bowed his head, stunned by the unfortunate news.

“I’m sorry,” Nicholas said. “We were so close, but…”

“I’m sorry too,” Jonathan muttered. “We had been taking turns patrolling these roads at times and searching out the area around Cavara Beach for any sign of you. We never imagined that you had gone so far west. My parents will be disappointed. Ivy’s parents will be devastated.”

“Let’s get home so we can tell them,” Leo said. “We’ll figure out what to do when there are more minds to consult. Right now Nicholas and I don’t know what to think.”

“Follow me,” Jonathan said as he turned his horse around and trotted back to Boros toward the rising moon.

When they arrived in the village, Nicholas and Leo instructed Jonathan to send word to his father about their return, promising to stop over as soon as possible. First they were eager to see Castella and Megan and let them know they were safe. As Leo guided the wagon up the winding street soon afterward, the sight of Castella’s house filled them with joy. Candles flickered in the downstairs windows and the wreath of dried goldenrod and corn husks still decorated the door. After Leo secured the wagon and horses in the shadows on the side of the house, they walked around front, almost reluctant to knock on the door and divulge the bad news. But before they had a chance, the door flew open with Megan standing there, silhouetted against the warm glow of firelight.

“I saw you through the side window,” she said excitedly, finding comfort when seeing the faces of her two protectors. When she noticed that Ivy wasn’t with them, her heart sank. The despondent looks upon Nicholas and Leo’s faces told her everything she needed to know.

“Is Ivy back?” a voice called from within the house. Castella peered over Megan’s shoulder a moment later, her spirit equally crushed soon after. “What happened?”

“We failed,” Nicholas said with a sudden moody edge to his voice as she quickly ushered everyone inside. When he noticed Ivy’s light brown cloak hanging from a wall peg that Megan had brought back from the candle shop, a brief surge of bitterness welled inside him. The plan to switch identities now seemed foolhardy and ill-conceived, and he chided himself for ever going along with it. “We made a terrible mistake. We should have gone to the local authorities for your protection,” he said, eyeing Megan as a stream of air escaped his tightly pressed lips. “Instead we just…”

Megan, sensing that Nicholas might be casting some of the blame upon her, held back an urge to lash out at him in his distressed state. “Tell us where Ivy is,” she calmly inquired. “Where have you two been all this time?”

“It’s a long story,” Leo said, reluctant to tell it since he knew Castella’s heart would break. But when he saw the pained expression already upon her face and noted her trembling hands, he already guessed that she expected the worst.

“Let’s go into the kitchen where it’s warmer,” she suggested. “You boys look like you could stand a bite to eat.” When Castella glanced at Nicholas, noting his sullen mood, her expression hardened. “And if you want to blame anyone, Nicholas, then blame Ivy and me. We were the ones who cooked up this scheme in the first place. So if you have something you want to say, now is the time.”

Nicholas, taken aback by her forthrightness, realized that he wasn’t the only one hurting by Ivy’s absence and regretted his cool demeanor since walking into the house. He shook his head, offering an apologetic smile. “No one is to blame, Castella, especially you. Just attribute my mood to being tired, sore and hungry.”

She nodded. “Well, I think I can do something about the latter,” she replied, signaling for them to follow her into the kitchen where she was soon serving tea and buttered biscuits at the table to help absorb the awful news she knew was forthcoming.

Nicholas and Leo took turns explaining their chase across the grasslands, expanding upon every detail whenever Megan or Castella insisted. When they mentioned that it was Megan’s old nursemaid, Madeline, who was behind the kidnapping, Megan shook her head but didn’t appear shocked at the news.

“I guess my grandfather was right,” she said. “Ghosts from the past still haunt us. But I never heard of that gentleman named Mune whom Ivy told you about. Just another scoundrel trying to live off the misery of others, no doubt.”

“But where would they have taken Ivy on that ship?” Castella asked, feeling as if she had lost her own daughter. “If they sail to the Northern Isles…” She looked at her guests, her face ashen. “How will we ever get her back?”

“Her captors still believe that Ivy is Princess Megan, so that ought to keep her safe,” Leo said. “At least I hope so.”

As Leo continued to speak, Nicholas looked wistfully at the hearth and relived his and Ivy’s short time together, missing her now more than ever. He didn’t want to imagine what hardships she might endure because of his failure to save her, wondering if she was sailing across the tumultuous waters of the Trillium Sea while believing she had been abandoned to a life of misery and imprisonment. Her predicament seemed massive and unconquerable compared to his own complications that had caused him to flee Kanesbury. He searched his heart for any possible way to save her.

“Megan, maybe your grandfather can help!” he blurted out, interrupting Leo in mid-sentence. Megan, Leo and Castella looked at him, sympathizing with his anguish. “Sorry, but my mind was wandering. I just…”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Megan calmly said. “And I intend to do just that. I don’t know what kind of assistance my grandfather can provide, but I’ll ask him to help us save Ivy when I return to Morrenwood. I can’t remain here another day while other people’s worlds are falling apart because of me. I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“
We’ll
leave first thing in the morning,” Leo said, gazing into her eyes. “I intend to go to the capital with you, like it or not. We’ll stop at my parents’ house first. I’m sure they’re worried sick.”

“Count me in,” Nicholas said, a tinge of hope filling his heart.

“I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” she replied. “I don’t know what I’d do without you two bumpkins at my side.”

“That settles it,” Castella said. “I’ll prepare some food for the return trip. It seems this adventure of yours is just getting started.”

Later that evening, Nicholas and Leo stopped at Aubrey and Nell’s house to explain what had happened. Ivy’s father, Frederick, was also there. He had been visiting from Laurel Corners when Jonathan arrived with the bad news about his daughter. Though devastated, Frederick decided that it was useless to tell the local authorities about the situation.