Farrah, sitting next to Adallia in the bed, caught my eye. She wisely refrained from saying anything, but I could see my worries reflected in her eyes. Yes, family was important to Baxley. But which one?

  Something in Farrah’s gaze flickered ever so slightly, and I knew she, too, would be on her guard. We wouldn’t be safe until we were in Orchwell again — and maybe not even then. Would it be possible for Baxley to safely extricate himself from the Hauster family, or would they forever be hunting him?

  But I knew better than to voice that aloud. I didn’t know if that thought had occurred to Adallia, or if the excitement of finding Baxley overshadowed any of the realities that would inevitably come their way. Then again, Adallia and Delphine were technically on the run, so perhaps they would be accepting of a life of constant pursuit. Although finding Lord Olivera alive meant they could return home without his supposed murder hanging over Delphine’s head anymore. If they could prove that he was still alive to the Orchwell authorities, of course.

  I forced myself to stop chasing the various threads of thought, lest I get sucked into the whirlpool of never-ending possibilities. Best to just focus on one thing at a time. And the thing we needed to focus on was getting out of here undetected with Delphine, Jondan, and Baxley.

  “I know it’s hard, but try to relax,” Rhyss said, eyes still closed. “Lie down, take a nap. There’s nothing else to do while we wait, anyway.”

  “Rhyss is right, Kaernan, conserve your energy,” Farrah said. “We’re going to need to be as sharp as possible later on.”

  I stretched out on the low couch again, my ankles and feet awkwardly dangling off the end. Settling in as best I could, I closed my eyes, all of my worries and unanswered questions chasing each other in my mind.

  A SOFT TAPPING AT THE door roused me out of my sleep. This time it was harder for me to wake up; I felt like I was fighting through layers upon layers of fabric, trying to break free. I opened bleary eyes and sat up, still shaking off the feeling of grogginess.

  Jondan entered, followed by Baxley and ...

  “Delphine!” Adallia was instantly on her feet and embracing her daughter. Her voice was thick with the tears she was trying to hold back. “I was so worried for you, afraid we’d never be able to get you out of that cell. And when that hateful Lord Olivera tried to take you ...”

  Delphine shuddered, even while she held her mother close. “It’s all right, mama. I’m here now.”

  Delphine stepped back from her mother’s embrace, greeting the rest of us in turn.

  Once the greetings had died down, Baxley took charge. “Sunset approaches, and with it a guard change. Jondan has the first watch tonight.”

  “Convenient,” I remarked, and Jondan grinned.

  “Quite,” he said. “It helps to have people in high places on your side.”

  “Once Jondan is in place, we’ll wait until it’s fully dark, and then leave the fortress. It shouldn’t be too difficult; once we reach the forest we’ll be fairly well concealed,” Baxley said.

  I snorted. “You make it sound easy, but I know better than to believe that.” To Jondan, I asked, “Will you be returning back to your family in Rothschan? I’m sure your mother and sister are anxious to see you and know that you’re safe.”

  Sadly, Jondan shook his head. “It’s not a good idea; Rothschan is too close to this place, and I don’t want to endanger them by returning home and making them a target. I’ll head to Orchwell with you, and send a message back home once I’m there. If that’s all right with you,” he added, a note of uncertainty creeping into his voice.

  “Of course it is,” I said. “And you’re welcome to be a guest at Asthore Manor for as long as you need to stay.”

  “Hopefully it’s not as long as all that,” Jondan said, but his original uncertainty was replaced with relief and gratitude.

  Turning to Baxley, I said, “And if you need a place to stay, you’re also welcome at Asthore Manor. If my father gets upset about it ... well, let’s just say it won’t be the worst thing he’s been upset with me about.”

  “Thank you.” Baxley smiled wryly. “I don’t think my brother will exactly greet me with open arms, but I appreciate the invitation. But first, I have to make it as far as Orchwell to be able to take you up on that.”

  “You will,” Adallia said encouragingly. Rhyss, Farrah, and I kept silent. Delphine looked confused.

  “What should we do now, while we wait for it to get dark?” I asked. “How are we going to slip out without anyone seeing us?”

  “Don’t worry, it should be fairly easy for all of you to leave,” Baxley said. “I have called a Family meeting, to be starting shortly. We have much to discuss since the Ceremony never happened, plus we need to decide what to do with Lord Olivera. I hope it won’t take too long, but having this meeting will definitely pull attention away from the hallways — and your group. There are two ways in and out of the hill, but one of them is a secret entrance only for Family use. Everyone else must use the main entrance, the hillside’s hidden door. Just take the back stairs all the way to the top level and exit out that door. Jondan will already be in place as guard. Wait in the forest until Jondan and I join you.”

  “But what about the servants? Or the guests? Won’t they see us if everyone’s leaving at the same time?”

  Baxley shook his head. “The day servants have gone home, and the night staff has already arrived. Our contracts are magically binding; while the servants are allowed to leave, they are unable to disclose our location. Our guests meet us at our original estate in Rothschan to stable their horses or carriages, and are then blindfolded and escorted to the hill. Once they enter, they are magically unable to leave until after the Ceremony. We make exceptions, but in very rare cases. When a commission is completed and a guest leaves with their person, they step outside the hill and are magically transported back to the old estate. It’s rather elaborate, but it’s necessary to keep the Family safe.”

  I nodded, hoping our escape really would be as easy as Baxley made it sound. We all filed out of the room and into the hallway, where Baxley pointed out the servants’ stairwell at the end of the hall.

  “Hide there for a few moments, until Jondan has been relieved of his duty at your door. By that point, the Family meeting will be underway and no servants should be using the stairs, as they should be attending the needs of the Family and our guests, who will also be present at the meeting. After Jondan has left his post here and you reach the top level, he’ll head straight to his new post at the front.”

  “Won’t the other guard see us? The one Jondan is relieving?” Farrah asked.

  “The guards usually don’t bother with the servants’ stairwell,” Jondan said. “It’s much faster for the guards to use the main stairs, as it’s a more direct path.”

  Rhyss nodded. “We’ll just wait for the other guard to clear the hallway, then. And if not ...” He reached down toward his boot, where his dagger was hidden, and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  Farrah rolled her eyes, a common expression she used with her friend. “Let’s try not to leave an obvious trail behind us as we sneak away, shall we?”

  Jondan chimed in. “And many of those men are my friends. We’re all just trying to earn a living ... or pay off a debt.”

  “No blood, then, sorry, got it,” Rhyss said sheepishly. “Just unconscious?”

  “How about not calling any attention to our group at all?” Farrah said.

  Baxley coughed discreetly. Farrah and Rhyss immediately broke off their bickering. “I really shouldn’t be late to the meeting I called,” Baxley said pointedly. “If you would ...?” He pointed to the stairwell.

  “Yes, my replacement should be here any minute,” Jondan said, sounding worried.

  Farrah, Rhyss, Adallia, Delphine, and I hurried to the end of the hall, climbing partway up the stone steps. As the last one up the stairs, I paused, straining to hear what was happening back at our former guest room.

  We had just made it to our hiding spot. Footsteps echoed down the hallway, becoming louder until they stopped right around where our room was.

  “Hey, Hahlrath,” Jondan greeted the new guard.

  “Hello yourself, Jondan. How’s it been?”

  “Boring. They just finished with dinner, and they’re locked in again.” I heard a door handle rattle slightly as Jondan demonstrated that fact. “It’s not like anything’s happening here. They’re rather boring, as prisoners — guests? — go.”

  “Just my luck,” Hahlrath said. “I’d much rather be in the Family meeting. There’s sure to be good gossip to be had.”

  “Don’t feel bad, I’m just as unlucky,” Jondan said. “I’m on my way to do first watch up top.”

  The other guard laughed. “We’ll have to grab some of the others for a pint later on to get caught up, then.”

  “Sounds good,” Jondan said, laughing as well. “Have a good night, Hahlrath.”

  Hastily, I turned to the others and motioned that they should move up the stairs. Behind us, Jondan’s footsteps retreated into the distance as he walked toward the other staircase. I hoped his departure would mask any noise our group was making.

  Quickly and quietly, we headed up the stairwell to the second level. There, Farrah, who was in the lead, had us halt briefly while she made sure no one was around. But Baxley had been true to his word; the area was clear and silent.

  We continued on, when Farrah stopped us again. She turned to us, her finger touching her lips as she cautioned us to stay quiet. Still at the rear, I strained to hear what was going on. Faintly, I could hear the heavy door open. I started counting mentally, trying to calm my anxious nerves.

  ... 30 ... 31 ... 32 ...

  The fortress door shut. 38 ... 39 ...

  Farrah waved her hand at us, indicating it was safe to move forward. Walking a little faster than the others, I reached the door to the outside first. Putting my hand on the door handle, I hesitated. Even though the other guard was at least one level down, it was so quiet in the fortress right now that I worried about any little noise.

  Farrah caught up to me, eyebrows raised. Seemingly knowing what I was thinking, she shooed me away from the door. She touched the metal handle, concentrating as she muttered a spell under her breath.

  The handle glowed a cool, icy purply-blue, a few shades lighter than Farrah’s hair. As the color faded, she grasped the door handle and pulled.

  The door opened effortlessly — and, to my surprise, completely silently. I couldn’t help it; I gasped. On the other side of the door, a surprised Jondan peered inside at us. Farrah smirked at me before walking into the moonlight-bathed landscape outside.

  The rest of us followed, awkwardly standing outside the hill fortress for a few moments as our eyes adjusted. Jondan shut the door behind us, asking quietly, “Nobody saw you?”

  “No,” I answered.

  “Good. Are all of you ready, then?”

  “Yes,” I said, as the others in the group nodded their agreement. I looked around, realizing Jondan didn’t have any sort of bag or knapsack with him. “How about you? Do you have everything you need before we go?”

  Jondan held up his arm, where his sister Juneyen’s bracelet was securely fastened in its proper place again. “I have everything I need right here.”

  He pointed toward the forest edging the meadow. “Hide in that stand of trees until Baxley and I join you. A Family meeting can sometimes last hours, but I know he’ll rush them through things so he can get out here before the next watch. Our goal is to have at least a few hours’ start from here before they discover anyone’s missing.”

  “Wait!” I said as a horrible realization washed over me. “What are we going to do when the second watch guard comes to replace you? He’ll realize you’re gone and raise an alarm.”

  Jondan shrugged. “It’s possible, but I doubt it. When I left him he was practically snoring in his cups ... and he’ll have quite the headache when he wakes up tomorrow.”

  I frowned. “I didn’t realize you had enough time to grab a drink with your comrades.”

  Jondan grinned. “Just one. But one is all you need when your boss gives you one of his sleeping potions to ... expedite things.”

  I shook my head, remembering how I felt the day after the Hausters had used their sleeping powder on us. “Poor man. He has my sympathies.”

  With that, we left Jondan and made our way to the forest, sticking to the shadows just in case, although I was fairly certain Jondan was the only guard on patrol. We made it to the forest’s edge without incident and settled down, either on the ground or against the trees, to wait.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  WAITING, EVEN WATCHFUL waiting, has a way of making it feel like time moves slowly. Slower, even, than waiting for my father to show approval. It hadn’t been too long — maybe three-quarters of an hour, or a little more — when I saw movement in the shadows edging the clearing. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by the two final members of our group, Jondan and Baxley.

  Jondan was holding up a surprisingly weak Baxley. Baxley was panting heavily, gulping in air so loudly that I was sure he could be heard inside the fortress. The moonlight streaming through the trees illuminated Baxley’s pale, sweat-drenched face.

  Horrified, I asked Jondan, “What happened?”

  It was Baxley who answered me. “The ... spell. I ... can only ... go so ... far.”

  “It gets worse the farther we go,” Jondan said worriedly. “And we’re still in eyeshot of the fortress.”

  “There’s no help for it,” I said, hating at how callous I sounded but knowing we had little choice. “We need to get going. Let’s find the horses; maybe riding will help ease the pain of the magical tether.” Or possibly make it worse.

  We slowly made our way to where we had left the horses earlier. Fortunately, they were still there, tied to the trees. One of them nickered softly at our approach as Rhyss started to untie them. Farrah and Adallia began rummaging through the bushes, passing out our various belongings.

  When Delphine reached for her pack, Jondan offered to carry it for her, but she shook her head. “I’m so happy to be carrying this again, because it means I’m free from that horrible ordeal,” she whispered.

  Our bags retrieved, we mounted our horses. While Adallia, Delphine, Farrah, Rhyss and I had our original mounts, we hadn’t brought an extra horse for either Baxley or Jondan. Truth be told, Baxley looked too weak to be able to handle a horse on his own. We decided Baxley would ride with Adallia while Jondan rode with Delphine. It would slow us down, but maybe we could hire two more horses once we reached Meira.

  ALTHOUGH WE MADE GOOD time riding — much better than if we had left our horses behind in Rothschan — our progress was still, to my mind, excruciatingly slow. It wasn’t the horses; even carrying extra riders, they were fresh and excited to be out after several days’ rest, first in the Rothschan stables and then while waiting for us to leave the fortress.

  But Baxley’s condition made it hard for us to go faster. No, that’s not quite true. Once we cleared the forest and reached the road, we could have pushed the horses to a gallop to put as much distance as possible between us and the Hauster fortress. Indeed, we tried it. Baxley, who had already been moaning in intermittent pain as the horses picked their way through the forest, screamed in agony as soon as the horses increased their pace.

  We immediately stopped the horses. I brought my horse alongside the mount Adallia and Baxley shared. Rhyss and Farrah kept a lookout, knowing that Baxley’s scream would have attracted unwanted attention.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked urgently. “Baxley. Uncle ... are you okay?”

  The poor man was shaking uncontrollably, shivering even as he sweated profusely. He could barely raise his voice above a hoarse whisper. “It hurts ... so much.”

  “What do we do?” Adallia’s worried voice bordered on frantic. “We can’t leave him ... nor can we take him back. But this ... this is killing him.”

  “Keep ... going ...” Baxley coughed out. “But not ... too fast. Hurts ... more ...”

  “We should get going.” Rhyss sounded apologetic, but his eyes were still darting everywhere. “Someone was bound to have heard his scream; we really shouldn’t linger.”

  “Yes ...” Baxley said. “Let’s ... go.”

  “Okay, then.” I touched my uncle’s shoulder briefly. “I’m sorry.” To Adallia, “Let us know if it gets worse.”

  I spurred my horse forward, pushing it to a brisk trot. Behind me, Baxley moaned softly. Back stiff, I listened for any sounds of more intense pain, but he seemed to be holding steady.

  Resolutely, I tuned out the sounds of my uncle’s moaning and focused on the road ahead. The sooner we got home to Orchwell, the better. I hated to say it, but maybe my father would know what to do to help ease his brother’s pain.

  WE RODE THROUGH THE night, stopping for a few hours’ sleep. I don’t know about the others, but the short rest was anything but restful for me — between the worries racing through my mind and the intermittent yelps of pain from Uncle Baxley, I didn’t get much sleep.

  When the sun started to lighten overhead, I was the first one up and about, getting a cold, quick breakfast ready for everyone else. Carissa had been kind enough to give us some extra provisions, for which I was now extremely grateful. We ate quickly, deciding to press on until at least the late afternoon. We were all eager to get as far as we could.

  We pressed on as the sun traveled its own path overhead. I stayed in the lead of our little group, my mind going over the various scenarios we might encounter on the road, in Meira, or back home in Orchwell. Behind me, Jondan and Delphine were talking in low voices.

  “... And when he wouldn’t stop, I yelled, ‘No!’” Delphine said. “The next thing I knew I woke up and he was laid out flat.”

 

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