The Mapkeeper and the Rise of the Wardens (17 page)

Reaching over the table, the queen took Lucy’s hand in both of hers. With a sobering, glassy-eyed sincerity that sent chills down Lucy’s spine, the queen leaned toward Lucy and whispered, “Now, please do be
careful
, dear.”

“You were amazing last night!” Cadmus gushed, laughing and throwing an arm around Lucy’s shoulders. They walked together across the field outside the castle toward the row of trees beyond the stable that lined the cliff overlooking the valley. Lucy was elated, dizzy with excitement over having time alone with Cadmus and still thrilled that she’d proven Bade wrong the night before. She’d shown that she could manipulate the power of the map in a big way.

“I didn’t even know what I was going to do until it was happening,” she admitted. “I just felt like if I channeled my emotion and focused about what I wanted to happen, I could use my touch to make it happen. And it worked!” she looked up at him, grinning.

“I have complete faith in you, Lucy. It won’t be easy, but with all the clans onboard with the possible exception of the trolls, plus your mastery over the map, I think we’ll have a good shot at not only defending ourselves, but at wiping out the Wardens for good.”

They reached the tree line and broke apart to pass on either side of a tall evergreen. A short walk through the narrow yet dense plot of trees lining the cliff brought them to the edge, shielded from sight of anyone in the castle by the trees.

The view took Lucy’s breath away. It was mid-morning, and the sun dappled the Dark Sea with dancing splats of golden light. The same light glistened off the milder waves of Glacial Lake, making it shine like a gemstone set in the middle of the soft green valley. The Tree of Virtue on its eastern shore appeared healthy, laden with a variety of colorful fruits and flowers. Beyond that, Doldrums Forest loomed dark as night.

Lucy could just make out the path they’d taken across the valley along Glacial Lake leading into the forest. She shuddered at the unwelcome memory of what she’d seen within. Across the valley, the Dour Mountains lorded over the valley, imposing as ever.

She inhaled the crisp, clean air, filling her lungs to capacity and holding it for a moment before releasing it. It was renewing. To the west, almost out of sight beyond the cliffside, Lucy could make out Rhys’ hut on its outcropping overlooking the valley. She wondered if he was inside, concocting some fancy new potion.

“It’s a gorgeous day.” Cadmus crossed his arms and leaned against a tree trunk.

“It is,” Lucy agreed. “It’s hard to imagine that anything is wrong in Praxis when you see it from way up here. Everything seems so peaceful.”

“I know.”

They were quiet for a moment, soaking in the natural beauty of the land from their incredible vantage point.

“You know, the map doesn’t just pick anyone to be its keeper.” Cadmus faced her. “The original Wardens ensured that the map would only select keepers who were brave and pure of heart. Worthy of the position. You may not know it yet, but you’re more courageous than you think. You shouldn’t worry about what lies ahead. You will be equipped to handle it when the time comes.” He took both of her hands in his, stepping closer. “And I’ll be by your side the whole time,” he added, looking into her eyes. She melted, her heart hammering against her chest.

“I appreciate that, Cadmus. You don’t know how much your support means to me. Thank you.” She leaned up toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he embraced her. He guided her chin up until their lips met, and once again she found herself drawn into a vortex of passion, entranced by the man in her arms. She ran one hand up the back of his head, relishing his soft hair between her fingers. The map began to glow warm in her front pocket, but she was too engrossed to pay it any attention.

It wasn’t until she was falling that she realized something wasn’t right. Cadmus’ warmth faded with an odd sluggishness from her hands, and all she could see was white—blinding white.

Her hard landing was cushioned by something soft and cold. Blinking her eyes open, the first thing she noticed was the map in her pocket. It was hot—hotter than she had ever felt it! She snatched it out and tossed it to the side, where it fizzled for a moment, fine wisps of steam rising around it. The world came into focus around her and she became aware that she had landed in a large drift of snow.

Lucy shook her head and pushed herself into a sitting position with a groan. Her backside was tender from the fall.
What happened? Where am I?
Tall evergreens loomed high above her. The scene was familiar...

With a stab of panic, she realized where she was. She could just make out the tree line in the distance. Beyond it, the vague outline of a familiar single-story cherry log cabin peeked through the trees. She picked up the map, which was now cool to the touch, and slipped it back into her pocket, pushing herself to her feet and dusting snow off her pants and backside. She winced, irritated by the minor injury.

“Ahh!” She grabbed her head with both hands in exasperation. She pivoted in a quick circle, assessing her surroundings again just to be sure. With a groan, she admitted to herself that she had been transported back to Algid.

҉

A dozen different thoughts vied for Lucy’s attention as she made her way toward her house, cutting through the woods and keeping to the outskirts of town. How had this happened? What if she couldn’t get back to Praxis? What if someone saw her? What time of day was it? She knew she needed to return to Praxis as soon as possible. They needed the Mapkeeper
now
. She formulated a plan on the fly as she trudged through the pristine shin-deep drifts.

She slipped into her father’s house, undetected as far as she knew. Of course, in her Algid, one never knew who might be peering out their living room window, snooping on the neighbors for lack of anything better to do. Her father never bothered locking the back door. Crime wasn’t a problem in Algid, and the Barnes family didn’t have much worth stealing anyway.

Inside, everything was as she’d left it. Her father didn’t spend much time at the house. Breezing through the living room, she checked the clock in the kitchen. 2:54. It was mid-afternoon. Her father would be hard at work at the shop, in the middle of reassembling an outboard motor or replacing an old oil filter. She needed to hurry. She was anxious to get back to Praxis.

Grabbing a duffel bag, she pulled open the chest of drawers in her room and stuffed it with a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, underwear, wool socks, a thick woolen hat, and waterproof gloves. She hurried back to the kitchen, where she slapped together two peanut butter sandwiches, bagged them, and stuffed them into the duffel.

Will Dad notice four slices of missing bread?
She wondered as she rinsed and wiped the knife, putting it back in the utensil drawer and mopping the excess water out of the stainless steel sink with a rag. She filled her favorite stainless steel canteen with warm tap water and screwed on the top. In a cabinet in the living room, she grabbed a flash light and two spare batteries, adding them to the bag and zipping it closed.

Touching the outline of the map in her front pocket for reassurance, she slipped out the back door and grabbed the birch twig broom that Peter always left leaning against the back porch rail. High-stepping backwards away from the house, she swept over her footprints, masking them with a tousled layer of powder. When she was as far from the house as she dared to venture with the broom, she gave it a hard toss, sending it crashing against the side of the house. Wincing at the clatter, she looked around. Nothing stirred, so she turned heel and raced for cover among the woods, the duffel bag slapping against her thigh.

“Lucy! Lucy!”

She whipped around. Her father stumbled out the back door, striding toward her with such desperation that the deep drifts caused him to misstep and stumble.

“Lucy, oh sweetie, I missed you so much! Where were you? Where are your brothers? I’ve been worried sick!” He suffocated her in a long embrace.

Tears welled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks as she hugged him back.

“Dad,” her voice cracked.

“Where are you going? Come back inside!” He put an arm around her shoulder and led her back toward the house.

“I want to, Dad.” She allowed him to lead her as she wiped her cheeks with the back of a hand. “But I have to go back to Praxis.” She did a quick scan to make sure no one was in earshot. “There’s a map, Dad, and it’s a portal to another world. It took me and the boys to a place called Praxis, and they need my help!” she whispered.

Peter’s eyes divulged his apprehension as he held the back door open for her.

“I don’t know why I transported back to Algid.” She set her duffel bag on the floor. “But I was going to try get back to Praxis as soon as possible.” She traced a circle on the floor with her foot. She couldn’t meet her father’s eyes.

Peter sighed. “I don’t know what to say.” He scratched his beard. “Are the boys all right?”

“Yeah, we’re all fine. I know it sounds a little crazy, but just trust me. We have friends in Praxis and they will keep us safe.”

The front door burst open with a startling bang.

“Move in!” A helmeted Commune guard with a large semi-automatic weapon held the front door open as he waved four more guards across the threshold.

“Ahh!” Lucy screamed as she jumped behind her father, who pushed her behind him.

“Lucy, run!” Peter directed, pointing to the back door.

She flung the door open and sprinted, pumping her arms. Her heart thundered in her chest. Hearing no one in pursuit, she paused halfway to the edge of the woods and looked back, still able to see through the open back door.

“Lucy, keep running! They took your mother, Lucy! Come to the Capital and find her! We’ll be together again!” he screamed as four guards dragged him through the house and out of sight. Three more guards were making their way through the house toward the back door. She knew they would hunt her. She was their prey.

Lucy heard herself whimper as she whipped around and sprinted into the woods. She knew this part of the woods better than anyone, she realized, settling into a fast but rhythmic pace. She needed to use that to her advantage. She cut left, then right, hurdling fallen trees and blasting through patches of supple saplings. She could hear the Commune guards shouting to one another in the distance behind her.

At last she came to the ravine known only to her, her brothers, and Drew. It was their secret hideout. She leapt over a large tree trunk and hopped between two patches of dirt to avoid leaving footprints. She slid down the snowy slope, making a clumsy landing in a crevice sheltered by thick, leafy fallen boughs. She scooted beneath the boughs, which provided a canopy that hid her from sight from above. The guards’ footsteps pounded nearer and nearer. They ran in step, their boots tramping in unison. They reached the point where she’d hurdled the fallen tree and the rhythmic stomping ceased. Lucy held her breath.

“Which way, sir?” a deep voice demanded. There was a minor shuffling of boots.

“This way!” came a gruff reply. The boots tromped eastward, fading as they ventured farther from Lucy’s position.

Lucy put her head down and held her breath until the only sound was her heartbeat in her ears. She allowed herself to breathe again, icy air funneling in and out of her lungs as tears trickled off her chin, dotting her pants with moisture.

Without meaning to, she pulled out the map and unfolded in her lap. It was instinctive. She didn’t know why she’d done it, and she didn’t care. She could barely process coherent thoughts, though her mind cleared when she noticed a few of her tear drops had splattered against one of the bottom corners of the map.
What is that?
She leaned closer to inspect the partial imprint that had suddenly become visible through the moisture-saturated parchment.

Trod trod trod.
She became aware of the distant, slow rhythm of someone walking. It was growing louder—someone was coming. She wiped her cheeks and folded the map, stuffing it back in her pocket. Then she froze, remaining as motionless as possible.
Did the guards split up to search for me?
The unknown individual drew nearer, closing in on her secret spot. Her heart raced as her mind whirred with terrible possibilities.

She held her breath when the footsteps paused. A thump signaled that whoever it was had just hopped over the fallen tree! Despite the cold, Lucy’s palms began to sweat. Though her lungs began to burn, she dared not breathe.
Trod trod trod
. Three footfalls were all the warning she had before a body slid down the side of the ravine, skidding to a stop a mere arm’s length from her concealed location.

Lucy peered through the branches of her hideout, nerves on edge, ready to jump up and run. Instead, she was hit with a wave of relief when she recognized her visitor. She let her breath out with a whoosh.

“Drew?” She parted the branches and crawled out. He leapt out of his skin.

“Whoa!” He scuttled away from her, sliding on his back side and kicking with his feet. “Lucy! What the… where have you been?”

In spite of herself, Lucy chuckled, wiping tear streaks from her cheeks. “Sorry for scaring you,” she whispered, grinning. “It is so good to see you. But listen—before I explain anything, we need to go back inside the hideout.” Her eyes narrowed. “There are Commune guards looking for me.”

Drew’s eyes darkened. He held back the branches as she slipped inside ahead of him, and then followed her inside. He settled against the rocky embankment across from her.

“Hey!” She beamed, thrilled at the unexpected chance to see him.

“Were you at the Capital? And where are your brothers? Everyone at school has been talking about it.” He pulled his legs up, clasping his hands around his knees.

“Drew, I really want to tell you everything, but I’m so afraid…” Her eyes welled up again and she glanced through the barrier of limbs, scanning for signs of movement outside their sanctuary. “They took my dad!” Her voice cracked.

“Oh my gosh!” He grimaced, his face distorted with emotion. “I’m so sorry, Luce!” He crawled across the base of the ravine beneath the tree limb shelter and scooted up beside her, putting an arm around her.

“I came home and was telling my dad everything when all of a sudden, five Commune guards burst through our front door and grabbed him. I ran, but when I looked back, my father cried out that my mother was taken too...” Her voice cracked again. She drew in a ragged breath, holding back a torrent of tears. “…and that she’s in the Capital. He said to come to the Capital and we’d all be together again, but...” She paused, unable to go on without breaking down in tears.

“It’s okay if you can’t tell me,” he insisted. She looked into his brown eyes, which were framed by stray locks of tousled hair. Her chest tightened as she realized how much she’d missed him. “I am so sorry, Lucy. Please know that I’m here for you, no matter what.”

She drew in a shuddering breath, calmed by his presence. Her mind spun with conflicting emotions: fear of the Commune guards, terror at what they might do to her father, desperation to return to Praxis, and elation to be with Drew. “I’m a mess,” she confessed, wiping a tear away. “I feel like my life is spinning out of control!” He nodded and tightened the arm he’d draped around her shoulders, his dark eyes filled with concern.

“Do you want to come back to my house for a little while?” Drew offered. “I was just coming out here to be alone and think. This is kind of my hideaway… and home base, of course, when Mack and I are adventuring or hunting in the woods.” He grinned, flashing his handsome smile.

“I would love to, but I can’t be seen,” she replied, her breathing steadier now. “I’m not supposed to be back in Algid right now. In fact, I’m leaving again as soon as possible.” Her heart constricted, sensing his disappointment. “Not that I don’t want to spend time with you,” she bumbled, trying to explain without revealing anything of substance.

“It’s okay, I understand.” He squeezed her in a one-armed hug. “You don’t have to explain.” Despite his kind words, his eyes revealed his dejection. Guilt and frustration seared through her like a white-hot spear, making her chest constrict. Overwhelmed, she didn’t realize the ravine sanctuary around her was fading until she felt the familiar falling sensation.