Tagan's Child (16 page)

“They’ll find
him Sophe, he can’t have gone far.”

I felt dreadful
not being able to tell her what had really happened but I knew I
couldn’t utter a word.

“Do you think
he has been kidnapped by that woman Ahran warned you about?” Bennie
asked once we were in the car.

I shrugged
tearfully, the less Bennie knew the better.

We drove back
to my house and I looked at my watch. How much longer would Ahran
be? My stomach was in knots and I felt completely powerless. Every
minute that went by was another minute Toby was being taken further
and further away into a world he never knew even existed.

The tears
streamed down my face as I opened the front door and Mungo came
bounding towards me. I knelt down and wrapped my arms around his
neck. It was surprisingly comforting nestling my face into his thin
coat. Somehow it made me feel closer to Toby. I sat back on my
heels and looked into the dog’s eyes. He looked quizzically back at
me sensing something was wrong.

“Where is he
Mung?” I asked quietly. I would have to find someone to look after
him if I was going to return to Ramia.

Bennie followed
me in.

I didn’t want
her to overhear my conversation with Sandie. “Can you put the
kettle on? I’m just going upstairs to get changed.” I had been
crying steadily since we had left the school and I could sense that
Bennie had no idea what to say or do to comfort me.

“Yes of
course,” she called after me.

I closed my
bedroom door and dialled Sandie’s number. I wiped my eyes with the
back of my hand. “Hi Sandie, I’ve got another favour to ask.” I
tried to sound as bright as I could and hoped she hadn’t heard
about Toby’s disappearance yet, it wouldn’t be long before it was
all over the village.

“Fire away,”
she prompted.

“We’ve got to
go away for a couple of weeks and I wondered if you wouldn’t mind
having Mungo. I’d obviously pay you.”

“Yeah, no
problem. Where are you going?”

“Oh, I’ve just
got a last minute deal,” I said, wincing at the deceit as it rolled
off my tongue. How quickly I was becoming accustomed to lying.

“Can you come
and collect him tonight? I’ll leave his food out and put the key in
the usual place.”

“Okay.”

“Great, thanks
very much.” My finger hovered over the hang up button.

“Sophe…Sophie?”

“Yep?” I put
the phone back to my ear. Please don’t ask any awkward
questions.

“What about the
shop? You know and my wages?”

“Well, I’m
going to close the shop temporarily, what with Audrey being so ill.
I could do with a break. Don’t worry about your wages, consider it
a paid holiday.” I knew as soon as Sandie found out about Toby she
would wonder what the hell I was playing at but I had to clear the
way so that I could get to Ramia unimpeded.

“Thanks Sophe,
that would be fantastic.”

“Alright then
Sandie, thanks again, see you when we get back,” I said, praying
that this would be sooner rather than later.

“Yeah bye
Sophie, have a good time.”

I hung up. If
only we were going on holiday. I hated myself. Why hadn’t I just
taken Toby to the safety of King Halsan’s palace when Ahran had
first told me about Bazeera? I had been too wary of the wrong
people. I angrily wiped my tears away. It was no good sitting here
feeling sorry for myself. If Ahran didn’t return soon I would go
there myself, even if it meant travelling through the portal on my
own.

I had to hurry
before Bennie came up to find out if I was alright. I grabbed a
holdall from under my bed and went through my drawers. Without too
much thought I selected a few clothes before stuffing them into the
bag. I dashed into the bathroom and grabbed a spare toothbrush and
some deodorant and threw them in on top.

“Sophe, are you
alright?” Bennie called up the stairs.

“Yeah, I’m
coming.” I went back into my bedroom feeling frantic. How could I
possibly pack for a trip that held so many uncertainties? I did a
quick scan of the room to see if there was anything else I might
need. My eyes came to rest on the photo of Katie and Toby on my
bedside. It could be useful to have a picture of Toby, but there
was also a part of me that felt I needed it with me, anything that
would help me to feel close to them right now. I grabbed the photo
frame and put it in the side pocket of my bag. As I passed Toby’s
room I paused briefly wondering if I should get anything together
for him. No, it was better that I travelled light. I started down
the stairs and changed my mind two steps down, spinning around I
dashed back into his room. I grabbed his well-loved teddy and
stuffed it in my bag. If...no, when we found him he would need it.
I fought back more tears and pulled his door shut. My phone buzzed.
Oh God, please let that be Ahran saying he’s on his way.

To my relief it
was a text message from him.

Leave by the
back door, go through your back gate and meet me in the wood. The
police are on their way round the front.

I had no time
to waste. I ran downstairs and into the kitchen.

Bennie was sat
at the table with her hands wrapped around her mug, looking
distractedly out of the window.

“What’s wrong?”
she said when she saw my face.

“I’ve got to go
Ben, I’m really sorry I haven’t got time to explain,” I said
breathlessly.

“What’s going
on?” she asked, looking utterly confused.

“Please just
stall the police. I will explain I promise.” My voice was pleading
and urgent.

“Okay,” she
said, looking concerned. “Be careful, won’t you?” she added.

I hated doing
this to her but I had to, for her sake and for Toby’s sake. It was
better that she didn’t know any more than she absolutely had
to.

“Yes of course
and thank you,” I said, giving her a quick squeeze.

“I’m sorry,
I’ve got to go.” I left by the back door and sprinted to my back
gate. I gingerly poked my head out to check that the coast was
clear and then ran as fast as I could in the same direction Ahran
and I had gone this morning. He was leaning against a tree as he
spoke quietly into his phone. I ran down the track towards him. He
looked up as I approached and put his phone in his pocket. Without
even thinking, I threw my arms around his neck. I couldn’t have
been more pleased to see him. He wrapped his arms around me and
briefly hugged me back. His arms were strong and reassuring and I
drew what strength I could from him in that brief moment.

“Have you heard
anything?” I asked.

He pulled away
and gave a slight shake of his head. “Come on, let’s get going
before anyone sees us.” He took my bag and grabbed my hand. We ran
as fast as I could but on more than one occasion I tripped or got
snagged in a bramble, so he lifted me clean off the ground and
carried me effortlessly towards the portal, moving much faster than
I could have run.

“Hold on,” he
said.

I clasped my
hands around his neck, screwing my eyes tight as he ran into the
gateway. There was that same sinking feeling although the
nauseating sense of motion wasn’t quite as bad as before, I felt
safer in Ahran’s arms.

I clung to him
as we stepped into the light and warmth of Ramia and I buried my
face in his chest to protect my eyes from the sun.

“Are you okay?”
I felt the rumble of his voice. My mind flashed back to our kiss
before we had left Ramia this afternoon and my stomach clenched at
the memory.

“I think
so.”

Ahran handed me
his sunglasses again, and I put them on. I needed him to put me
down.

He made no move
to let go.

“You can put me
down now,” I suggested as I cautiously opened my eyes and looked up
into his face. I felt a little embarrassed in his arms. He
hesitated before lowering my feet to the ground.

“Do you think
you are going to be sick?”

“No, I’m
okay.”

His expression
was doubtful.

We started to
make our way down the hill. I still felt a little woozy from the
change in atmosphere.

“I’m sorry. How
is Elaya?” I’d forgotten all about her in my hurry to get here.

“Nothing too
serious, she was lucky, just some bruising, she will heal
quickly.”

“Thank goodness
for that,” I said, relieved that she wasn’t in the same condition
as Audrey.

How differently
I felt coming here now, compared to how I had felt this morning.
Then, I had been reluctant and full of trepidation, and now, I
couldn’t get here quick enough, my trepidation replaced by ice cold
fear.

I glanced up at
Ahran. My feelings for him had changed in the last couple of hours.
After he had kissed me I had wanted to distance myself from him as
far as I possibly could, now I wanted to stick to him like glue.
This was no good for my own self-preservation but I knew he was my
best chance of finding Toby.

The big wooden
gates opened slowly and Sulaan jogged down the front steps towards
us as we entered the courtyard, his expression sombre.

“Ahran, Miss
Sophie, the King and Queen are waiting for you in the drawing
room.”

He ushered us
into the building and took us to a large room with comfortable
chairs and a large screen on the wall. Beneath it was a modern fire
place. The King was pacing and talking to someone on his phone.
Leylana was sat in one of the chairs staring out of the window
twisting a handkerchief in her hands. When she heard us approaching
she jumped up and came towards us, her eyes were red and puffy and
devoid of any mascara. She opened her arms and hugged me tightly.
Seeing her grief unleashed a sob from me and she responded with
more of her own tears. For a few moments we cried together unified
in our misery.

“I just can’t
believe this has happened,” Leylana said, wiping her eyes as she
pulled away. “Just when we were getting so close to meeting Toby at
last, that hexrina snatches him right from under our noses.” I was
a little taken aback by the venom in her voice, she had been so
calm and poised at lunch.

“I thought he
was safe enough whilst I made the arrangements for us to come and
stay…” my voice trailed away.

“You must not
blame yourself Sophie, we had no idea she would be so bold and
snatch him at school, the woman is pure evil.”

In her grief,
she reverted to Ramian and spat out a flurry of words.

The King
finished his phone call and walked towards me. I had expected him
to shake my hand like before, but this time he leaned in and kissed
my cheek. It was a tender gesture which brought a fresh rush of
tears. I was so touched by their grief and it made me feel more
confident that they wouldn’t stop until Toby was found.

“My dear, I am
so sorry this has happened. I should have done more to protect him.
Come and sit,” he gestured to one of the large sofas. “I will
explain what has happened so far and what our plan is.” He looked
towards Sulaan. “Can you arrange some tea for us all?”

Sulaan nodded
and left the room.

I sat down. The
Queen came and sat next to me taking my hand in her lap. I was
grateful for the contact.

The King sat
opposite and Ahran took the chair the Queen had just vacated.

“I have already
sent out a number of my best agents to start searching for Toby.”
The King said, slipping into business mode. “It is highly unlikely
that Bazeera’s men will have taken him to her main residence, it’s
too obvious, but she has a number of other palaces dotted around
her territory. My agents will start at each of these and see if
they are able pick up any trails.”

Sulaan
reappeared.

“Has anyone
seen or heard anything yet?” I asked, hanging on the King’s every
word.

“No, nothing
yet.” The frustration was evident on his face. “The one thing we
are counting on is that Bazeera won’t harm Toby. She will want to
use him to bargain with and we are expecting her to make contact
with us soon, she won’t waste any time trying to get what she
wants.”

I struggled to
feel reassured by what the King had just said. The mere mention of
Toby being harmed sent me into paroxysms of fear.

“Isn’t there
anything more we can do?” I asked choking back my panic. I suddenly
remembered the photo of Katie and Toby. I unzipped my bag and got
it out. “I’ve got this, might it be helpful?” I handed it to the
King.

“Yes, thank
you.” He looked at the photo with interest. The Queen got up to
have a look at her grandson too. The King regarded the picture
thoughtfully and Leylana started to cry quietly. He put his arm
around her to comfort her.

“I’ll have it
copied and sent out to the relevant parties. Sulaan, would you take
care of this?”

Sulaan bowed
his head as he took the photo and went to do as the King had
asked.

“My Lord, I am
keen to take part in the search,” Ahran said.

“Of course, I
am counting on you Ahran, we need your skills,” the King
responded.

“I’m going with
you,” I said. There was no way I was staying behind twiddling my
thumbs.

“Sophie, that’s
a bad idea, it could be dangerous, it’s better that you stay here,”
Ahran replied in a tone that didn’t encourage any argument.

I ignored it.
“I can’t stay here, I’ll go mad. I want to go with you.” I tried
not to sound too hysterical. The thought of not doing anything and
leaving it to everyone else was unbearable.

“My Lord?”
Ahran gave Halsan an imploring look.

“Ahran’s right.
It is far too dangerous for you to go, it’s much better that you
stay here.”

I continued
undeterred. “With all due respect, he is my nephew and I have cared
for him as if he were my own son over the last year, I cannot just
stay here doing nothing. I’d rather die trying to find him than sit
here helplessly.”