Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web - Volume 1 (18 page)

“Only trying to make pleasant conversation. And maybe I could help you since you said it’s a complicated matter.”

“That assumes I
need
help.”

“We all could use a little,” he replied, again sensing her prickly attitude returning. “You’re stuck here alone in the woods and I’m just wondering why. And who was that Samuel fellow you mentioned earlier?”

“If you needed to know, I would have told you. Besides, you didn’t want me interrogating you earlier, so now I’m asking the same favor as pleasantly as I can–please mind your own business.”

Nicholas leaned back, his mouth slightly agape as the snapping flames sent a flurry of sparks skyward. “Sorry, Megan. I didn’t mean to offend.” He took a last bite from the apple and tossed the core into the woods. “Maybe I’ll visit the folks over at the next campfire. I hear they’re planning to sing songs later on.”

“How amusing.” Megan combed her fingers through her hair during a few moments of icy silence before gently gazing at Nicholas. “Look, I’m sorry for being brusque. It was uncalled for. But I just don’t feel comfortable going into detail about...”

“Yeah, I understand. Complications. I have them too, Megan, and I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

“Perhaps we should tell each other ghost stories instead.”

“I heard a few scary ones growing up.”

“Or you could tell me more about your village,” she suggested. “And your family. Just the general details, mind you. Leave out any of the complicated parts.”

“Agreed,” he said with a pleasant chuckle. “But promise not to fall asleep if you get bored. Kanesbury isn’t the center of excitement in the kingdom.”

“Don’t be too harsh about your hometown. The busiest and most fascinating places in the world can at times have all the charm of a dreary prison,” she said. “Or so I’d imagine,” she quickly added.

“I suppose. But Kanesbury is a nice enough place. Plenty of good people living there. I just needed to get out and see something new. Bored, I guess.” Nicholas stood to stretch his legs and escape the heat of the fire. “I imagine you don’t think my reasons for joining the King’s Guard are so noble now.”

“It’s not my place to judge. But at least you’re considering offering your services to King Justin despite the reason. That’s more than most men would do.”

“But the closer I get to Morrenwood, the more doubts I have. I don’t like to have other matters hanging over my head.”

“What did your family think about you leaving home?”

Nicholas sat by the fire again, quiet for a few moments as he thought about Maynard and Adelaide, the only real family he could claim. He vaguely recalled how his mother looked, and any memories of his father were the result of other people describing the man to him over the years.

“Well, my good friend Maynard supported my decision to join up with the King’s Guard if it was what I really wanted. That was before my other problems snowballed. He and his wife, Tessa, raised me as their own since I was ten.” He glanced at Megan with a smile, happy to tell her about Maynard. “He always gave me the best advice yet allowed me the freedom to find my own way. The same with Tessa.” Nicholas stared into the fire, recalling past sorrows. “She was really sick with fever about two years ago and passed away. That nearly devastated Maynard. He’s better now. Strong inside, just like the huge oak tree planted near his house.”

“He sounds like a good, honest man,” Megan said. “I hope I’m not being intrusive–and tell me if I am–but what happened to your real parents?”

Nicholas warmed his hands by the fire and spoke to the flames. “It’s all right to ask. I don’t mind talking about them. My father, Jack, died shortly before I was born, so all I really know about him was from what others told me. He was thrown from a horse during a bad storm one night away from home. Took some serious injuries. And, well, that’s what happened.”

“I’m sorry. It’s too bad you never got to know him. All sons should have a father to raise them.” She hooked a finger to move some hair out of her eyes. “And all daughters a mother.”

“It would have been nice. And though I don’t remember, I’m told my mother never really recovered from the shock of losing him. Her name was Alice,” he softly said. Embers glowed deep red within the fire as the flames cast wavering shadows over the lower pine boughs. Gray smoke meandered lazily through the bending branches. “She died when I was five. Sickness also, like Tessa. Maybe from a broken heart, too. Anyway, her older brother and his wife raised me, reluctantly, until I was ten. They lived on a farm outside the village. Neither were the best farmers nor
parents,” he admitted with a laugh. “Everyone knew it. They had three children of their own which were three more than they should ever have had in the first place.”

“Nicholas, you make them sound awful!”

“They were in a world of their own and I was just another mouth to feed. One of my teachers during winter lessons suspected as much and took me under her wing. She was very kind, offering me extra help to read and write, or a hot meal at home now and then. She and her husband weren’t able to bear children and liked having me around. They even paid me for doing odd jobs on their farm when lessons weren’t in session.”

Megan smiled. “Maynard and Tessa?”

He nodded. “In time they offered to raise me as their own, which my aunt, uncle and I readily agreed to. So I’d been living on the farm ever since.”

“Quite an interesting childhood, Nicholas.”

“But since we haven’t compared it to yours yet, it may be as dull as dry mud. Does your family know you’re hiding out here in the middle of nowhere?” he asked. “Running away perhaps? I wonder if your great aunt Castella really exists at all,” he said with mock suspicion. “Or maybe there’s more intrigue to your story than you’re willing to admit.” He grinned but quickly turned serious when realizing that Megan was less than amused with his banter. “Hey, I’m only joking, Megan. Don’t look so sour.”

“I am not sour!” she said with a sharp edge to her voice. “Just tired. Perhaps we should put aside these irksome inquiries about each other’s families and get some sleep. I’ve had a long day.”

“Sure.” Nicholas scolded himself, realizing he had stepped over the line. He knew Megan had no intention of continuing their discussion any further that night. “I’m not tired. If it’s all right, I’ll just sit here awhile.”

“Suit yourself. Stay by the fire the entire night if you’d like, but I’ll be leaving at first light.” Megan retrieved a blanket roll from the shadows and spread it across some soft pine cuttings she had gathered earlier. She lay down and faced the fire, covering herself with her cloak. “I have more food you’re welcome to share with me at daybreak.”

“Appreciate it.”

She closed her eyes. “Good night, Nicholas.”

He gazed at Megan, feeling protective all of the sudden while wondering who this woman really was and how she had ended up here. “I’ll tend to the fire. Good night.”

Nicholas watched as the flames delicately illuminated her face. Though Megan looked at peace, he could discern a trace of apprehension etched in her features. Despite his growing curiosity, she deftly guarded the details of her personal life which he decided were none of his business. And since he wasn’t eager to tell of his woes, he knew he shouldn’t expect others to do the same. Yet it would be nice to unload his thoughts and get another perspective. Perhaps if he dared to open up first? But that would be impossible since Megan was leaving in the morning and traveling in the opposite direction.

Nicholas again debated the wisdom of joining King Justin’s guard. Running away wouldn’t solve his problems, yet he still needed time to figure out what to do. And he missed Katherine and Maynard, wanting so much to talk with them to determine what really happened back home, knowing he couldn’t solve the matter by himself.

He added a few more sticks to the fire, finally settling down for the night an hour later. He needed sleep desperately despite what he had said earlier and lay down on a bed of dried undergrowth, wrapping himself tightly in his blanket. He hoped their dual complications might be easier to deal with in the light of morning.

They awoke simultaneously an hour after sunrise with the cold gray ashes of the campfire between them. Slivers of sunlight slipped into the woods and a sapphire blue sky hung above the treetops. Crisp autumn air slowly washed the remains of last night’s sleep from their heads.

Nicholas yawned as he sat up, stretching a kink out of his back. “I don’t suppose the innkeeper set out any hot spiced cider or darlaroot tea.”

Megan smirked. “Would you like that with your eggs and biscuits, or before?”

“Give me a moment to decide,” he said, sitting with his knees bent and the blanket wrapped around him. He shivered as a morning chill shot through him.

“Don’t take too long,” she replied, fumbling through a small sack of food. “The kitchen closes soon.”

“I’m famous for snap decisions after a full night’s sleep,” he said, pausing a moment. “And I’ve just decided something important.” Megan turned around clutching an apple she had retrieved from the sack. “I’m going back home.”

“Oh?” she said, trying not to sound surprised. “So there’ll be no mighty adventure with the King’s Guard in your future?”

Nicholas caught the apple Megan tossed to him. “Maybe some day, but right now I have to get back to Kanesbury. Like it or not, there are some matters I can’t escape nor should ever have run away from in the first place.”

Megan offered an encouraging smile. “Those dastardly complications. They plague us all, don’t they?”

“Life would be dull without them.”

“What exactly will you do once you get home?”

“Still working on that part,” he added, taking a bite of the apple. “I need more time to think through the details.” He took a second bite. “But I was figuring, Megan, while I’m doing all this lofty thinking, maybe I could keep you company on the road as we’d both be going in the same direction for a while. If it’s all right with you, of course. I don’t mean to impose my charming and delightful company on someone unasked for,” he added with a wink.

Megan removed a bread roll from the sack and sat down next to Nicholas. She ripped the roll in two and handed him half. “It just so happens that I’ve been sorely lacking any charming and delightful company of late,” she said, playfully jabbing him in the side. “It’s tough to come by on the road.”

“Isn’t it though?”

“Just don’t expect a fabulous culinary experience like this at every meal, okay?”

“No more than twice a day, tops.”

“Only on the condition that you promise to scrounge up all the firewood.”

“As long as you don’t tell me how to
build
the fire.”

“Agreed,” she replied, extending her hand as Nicholas shook it with a smile.

END OF PART ONE

PART TWO

THE ROAD NORTH

CHAPTER 11

A Brief Visit

On their first day of traveling together, Nicholas and Megan walked leisurely along River Road, passing through a tiny hamlet now and then, and stopping only long enough to eat or chat with the locals for the latest news. They kept their conversation to a few topics, aware of each other’s skittishness when broaching personal matters.

Nicholas, though, grew weary of hiding his problems and was tempted to tell Megan about the strange events in Kanesbury. But second thoughts cautioned him and he held his tongue. How could he tell her that he was an accused murderer and thief despite the falseness of the charges? Since she had no more proof of his innocence than did Constable Brindle, Nicholas feared she might run away if he told her.

He wondered at the same time about her life story. Could it be any worse than his? He seriously doubted that since Megan seemed too decent a woman to have wronged anybody. Yet that didn’t stop him from speculating about what she was hiding.

At noon the following day, they reached the intersection of River and Orchard roads, the former which continued east while the latter stretched north into Kent County on the shores of the Trillium Sea. When Nicholas had first passed this spot on his way to Morrenwood, he hadn’t cared a whit where Orchard Road might lead. Now his plans had changed.

“I’m going with you,” he told Megan matter-of-factly before she could fashion a few words to mark their departure.

“Excuse me?”

“I said I’m going with you. I mean, I’ll go with you–all the way to Boros–if you don’t mind some company. Just to see that you get safely to your great aunt’s house.” Nicholas smiled awkwardly as he tugged at his jacket collar. “I’ve got plenty of time on my hands.”

Megan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Not eager to rush home and face those unappetizing complications? How bad can they be?”

He dug his boot into the dirt under the warm autumn sun. A flock of blackbirds chirped monotonously in a nearby grove of elm trees. “Pretty bad,” he muttered, looking at the ground. “So I spend a few more days mulling things over up north.
Then
I’ll go home.” He looked desperately at Megan. “What’s wrong with that?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Nothing at all. Some people are forced on the run, others just run away. In the end, they all need the same thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Time and understanding.” Megan smiled, indicating the road north. “Come on, Nicholas. I’d love some company.”

They walked for a couple of miles, stopping once to drink from a cold spring flowing along a shady embankment. Though it was the first month of the autumn season, the afternoon felt unusually warm. Nicholas and Megan enjoyed their brief respite under the falling leaves of some sugar maples. Patches of cobalt blue sky winked through the upper branches.

The road inclined steeply at one point and they paused to catch their breaths near the top. They were rewarded with a spectacular view of the changing foliage for miles ahead. Acres of maple, elm and birch trees covered the hilly area below near the village of Kast, bathing its nestled homes in shocking splashes of tangerine, crimson and gold. Tall pines scattered among the woods accentuated the bursting collage with somber stripes of dusky green.

“Isn’t it beautiful, Nicholas?” Megan placed her hands to her face, absorbing the incredible sight.

“I never tire of it,” he said.

“I’ve never seen such a stunning display!” she added, wide-eyed and smiling like a child just given a new toy. “There are mostly pine trees around the mountains near Morrenwood–which are very nice, don’t get me wrong. But this view is amazing!” she burst out, not realizing the words she had just spoken.

“You’re from Morrenwood?”

“
What
?” She turned to Nicholas, half paying attention. “What’d you say?”

“You’re from Morrenwood, Megan? From what you just said, I assume you must live in the capital city.”

Her smile disappeared in a heartbeat. She lowered her hands, distractedly smoothing out the light brown peasant dress she wore. Her cloak lay draped over one arm. “Did I say Morrenwood?”

“You did.”

“Well, I... I’ve passed through that part of the kingdom once. That’s what I meant. It’s so different from this area,” she said rigidly.

“If you are from Morrenwood, that’s okay,” he said kindly.

“I may be or I may not,” she excitedly uttered. “It doesn’t matter to you, does it? Why even ask about something so trivial?” She flopped her heavy cloak onto her other arm and marched ahead without looking back. “Let’s get going. Can’t chatter away all afternoon. Only a few hours of daylight left.”

Nicholas smirked as Megan marched down the dirt road, raising small puffs of dust with each foot stomp. “Right behind you,” he replied, studying his companion with deepening curiosity.

They ate a brief lunch in the village of Kast which consisted of the remaining food items Megan carried with her–two red apples, a stale bread roll, a tiny wedge of goat cheese and one slice of dried salted beef. Each savored the remaining scraps, washing them down with water from a stream on the outskirts of the village. Megan refilled a water skin she carried with her and then each took a few moments to wash their hands and faces. They sat on the stream bank afterward and soaked their feet in the crisp water. Miles of road weariness flowed out of their tired limbs, and the gurgling water rushing over mossy stones nearly lulled them to sleep. But within the hour, they took to the road again, refreshed and eager to forge ahead a few more miles before twilight.

Nicholas wrestled with a thought before speaking. “I’m curious about something.”

“About what?”

“If you had expected to travel all the way to Boros–from wherever you call home–well, you didn’t exactly calculate your supply of provisions properly, did you.”

“I now have a second mouth to feed,” she retorted.

“Good point,” he said. “But even taking that into consideration, you still didn’t plan very well. Unless you have money with you or decide to beg from the locals.”

Megan shot a sarcastic glance his way. “I had planned to steal what I needed, if you must know.”

“Don’t get upset. We’ll have plenty to eat until we get there. I’ve got some money. I was only curious.”

“About what?” Megan stopped in her tracks and faced him, her arms akimbo. “What is your point, Nicholas? So I’m not an expert at arranging trips on the open road. Do you want to berate me for that?”

“No.”

“Though I noticed that your meager supplies ran out long before mine did.”

“But my trip was spur-of-the-moment,” he said. “I was lucky to have what few provisions I did. But you had a destination in mind, so I was wondering why you didn’t fully prepare.”

Megan sighed disgustedly. “Still waiting to hear your point.”

“My point is... Well, I guess there really isn’t a point. I’m just worried for you, Megan. I keep thinking about that person you mentioned earlier–Samuel? Is he after you? Are you on the run from him and had to leave in a hurry?”

“You don’t give up, do you, Nicholas. Didn’t we agree not to pry into each other’s personal business?”

“Yes, but if you’re in trouble I’d like to help.”

“You’re walking to Boros with me. Isn’t that enough?”

“You know what I mean.”

Megan draped the cloak over her shoulders. The warm afternoon air had cooled slightly as the sun began its westward descent. “No, I
don’t
know what you mean. You may be in trouble, too, Nicholas, and I’m not allowed to know why. But just because you’re more than eager to assist, I’m supposed to break down like a helpless maiden and tell you my sob story? I’m not a little lost girl. I can take care of myself!”

“Didn’t say you couldn’t.”

Megan walked ahead and then quickly turned around, waving a finger at Nicholas. “You men in my life are all alike, thinking that I need to– I mean, thinking that we women need to be kept out of harm’s way whenever trouble comes bounding along. Well, I’m quite sick and tired of that type of thinking!” she snapped. “I don’t like to flee at the first whiff of adversity. I’m not a coward.”

“Oh, and I suppose I am. Is that what you’re implying?”

“I’m implying nothing, Nicholas.”

“Admit it. You think I should have stayed home and faced my problems head on. Say what you really mean.”

“I don’t want to say anything! Are you always this exasperating?” She whirled around and stormed up the road, wrapping the folds of her cloak tightly about her waist.

Nicholas glared at the sky and gritted his teeth before going after her. “Slow down! This isn’t a race.”

“Keep up! I want this trip over with as soon as possible.”

“So do I!” he muttered, matching pace with her brisk steps.

“Then go home. No one’s stopping you. I’ll find the way to Boros on my own.”

“There, you said it again!
Go home
. So you
do
think I was wrong for running away from my problems.”

Megan stopped and spun around, nearly colliding with Nicholas who steamed forward like a mad bull. He faced her fiery eyes and the tip of her index finger again pointed at him with a vengeance.

“I’m not accusing you of anything, Nicholas. Do you understand? I can’t and won’t judge your decision because I know none of the facts.” She grabbed the edges of his unbuttoned jacket and held him tightly in place. “Maybe you’re babbling on about these feelings because you’re wondering if you did the right thing. Did you ever consider that? And you can struggle all you want with the guilt or regret. That’s okay. I suspect things look bleak for you,” she said, trying to be a bit gentler, but her frustrations were already close to boiling. “But just please don’t take your problems out on me!” She shook him while clutching the folds of his jacket. “I’ve got enough to endure in my own life!”

She released Nicholas, straightening out his jacket and realizing she may have been a bit overly dramatic. Megan raised her eyes in a silent apology and then hurriedly continued up the road as Nicholas stared at her with a stunned and crooked smirk plastered across his face.

“We’ll both get over our troubles one of these days, I promise you. It’s only a matter of time before–” Megan then realized that Nicholas hadn’t been following her. She turned around and saw him frozen in his stance, glassy-eyed and mouth agape, and trudged back to him. “What’s the matter? Look, I’m sorry if I came across a bit too strong a moment ago. I can sometimes be–”

Nicholas remained lost in thought, holding the folds of his jacket and slowly rubbing his thumb along the right side where the brown button was missing. He looked up at Megan as if aware of her presence for the first time.

“Are you feeling all right?” she asked. “Are you ill?”

Nicholas softly spoke two words. “
Dooley
Kramer
.”

Megan shook her head. “I don’t understand. Who is Dooley Kramer?”

“An important piece of the puzzle.” Nicholas offered an encouraging smile, putting her at ease. “I worked with Dooley back in Kanesbury. We were both employed in Ned Adams’ gristmill. Dooley is one of the laborers. I do the bookkeeping for Ned.”

“But why are you thinking about him now?”

“Because I just now realized that he helped to turn my life upside down.” He smiled again. “Thank you, Megan.”

“For what?”

“For shaking some sense into me.”

“You’re welcome, I think,” she said, still in the dark. “And though I’m not quite sure what you mean, I apologize if I was too loud about it.”

“Perhaps just a
little
bit loud, ma’am,” another person said as he rattled up alongside them in an open wagon, gently pulling on the reins to halt his two horses. “I heard your voice way down the road near the last farmhouse I passed. Is there a problem here?” he asked with an air of suspicion, clutching a wooden cudgel that lay next to him on the seat that he carried on the road for protection.

Nicholas and Megan hadn’t noticed the stranger approaching. He sat straight as a board, puffing a pipe and sporting a short, brown beard. Atop his head rested a sun-washed hat, whose floppy, tattered brim shaded a pair of chocolate colored eyes.

“We’re just having a friendly argument, sir,” Nicholas assured him. “More or less.”

Megan blushed. “I was voicing a minor difference of opinion with my friend. I hope we didn’t disturb you.”

“Not likely,” he said, releasing his grip on the cudgel, momentarily convinced that the young lady was not in any danger. “I have two sons who play and argue from sunup to sunset. I’m used to it.” He exhaled a stream of pipe smoke which twisted in the air like rope. “Where’re you two headed, if I might ask?”

“North,” Megan replied. “To Boros.”