Seeds of Discovery (10 page)

The baby girl’s eyes were open, showing deep gray ringed with long, dark eyelashes. “What’s her name?”

“She will receive her name in a few days, at her Naming Ceremony.” Queen Charlotte replied. As if in response, the tiny girl let out a squeak and waved her fist in the air, trying to get it near her mouth.

“I think she’s hungry, too,” Charlotte laughed, and unraveled some of the blankets from the baby. A moment later, when the baby was contentedly nursing, Charlotte studied Quinn’s face. She opened her mouth, looking as if she was going to say something, and then closed it again. Quinn wasn’t sure what to say, either.

Charlotte began again suddenly, “So, Quinn, how is William getting along in your world?”

Quinn’s head snapped up, surprised, “I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?”

“Oh, Quinn, really. There is no need to be so formal with me, darling. Please call me Charlotte. I just thought … William is always away from me, from home, for so long, with only Nathaniel to keep him company and to let us know how he’s doing. It would be nice to hear it from someone who is in school with him, who perhaps knows him in a different way.”

Quinn swallowed hard, reminded just then of her own mom. “I … don’t know if I know William all that well...”

Charlotte’s face registered surprise, mingled with something else …
concern?
“Really?  He seems to know you. He’s talked about you before.”

Quinn’s eyes opened wide. William had talked about her? To his family? She hadn’t been positive he knew her name, and he had been talking about her? “Well, I have seen him around a lot, ever since we were little. He kind of keeps to himself a lot, though. I’ve never really talked to him at home.”

Charlotte raised her eyebrows, “Keeps to
himself
? Does he have friends?”

“I don’t know,” Quinn answered honestly. “I’ve never seen him with anybody.”

A deep line appeared in Charlotte’s forehead, Quinn guessed that hearing this made her sad, and she suddenly saw William Rose in an entirely new light. Where before she’d seen him as reclusive, wondering if he was plotting something, she could now see a lonely kid often separated from his loving family. His strange behaviors told a very different story now that she had a better idea of the truth. She wondered why he did it at all, but wasn’t sure that this was the right time to ask his mother that question.

“Does he do well in his classes?” Charlotte asked, changing the subject.

“Yes. Everyone knows that. William is smart and ahead in everything. He’s a year ahead of me, but I still know that.”

Charlotte smiled.  “That’s good to hear. Thank you for sharing with me, sweetheart. I don’t mean to put you on the spot.”

“Of course she does!  Isn’t that what mothers are for?” Thomas had returned, carrying a loaded tray. He set plates full of food in front of Quinn, and in a spot for himself. There were tall glasses of red juice for all three of them, and a glass bowl of freshly-cut fruit for Charlotte.  “I know you’ve already eaten breakfast, Mother, but I thought you’d like a treat to help you keep up your strength for my little sister.” Charlotte smiled widely as Thomas kissed the top of her head before he sat down to eat.

The three of them ate in companionable silence for several minutes, Charlotte swaddling the baby again after she fell asleep.

Suddenly, Quinn heard footsteps on the stone path, directly behind her. Thomas and Charlotte both looked up.

“Hello, Linnea,” Charlotte smiled as the girl leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Hello, Mother, Thomas. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Thomas grinned, and stood, “I wondered how long you’d be able to back off before you had to satisfy your curiosity.”

“Never long. This must be Quinn?” The girl sat down in Thomas’ chair, taking a sip of his juice, and appraising Quinn.

“Yes, Linnea, this is Quinn.  Quinn, this is my busybody sister, Linnea.”

Linnea smiled widely, “It’s very nice to meet you, Quinn. Welcome.”

Quinn smiled back shyly, “It’s nice to meet you, too. Thank you.” She studied the newcomer. Linnea looked strikingly similar to Thomas. She had the same friendly, gray eyes framed by thick lashes, and dark curls, too, although hers flowed down past her shoulders. She was shorter and slighter than Thomas, but there couldn’t be much difference in their ages. She was both surprised and relieved to see that Linnea was dressed nicely, but simply, in a tailored maroon blouse, and
capri
-length tan pants, woven out of something like cotton. Apparently, Quinn wasn’t too out of place not wearing a dress.

Linnea looked back at Thomas, “I told you this morning, you wouldn’t get to keep her all to yourself for long.”

Thomas rolled his eyes in response, smiling in Quinn’s direction, “Just trying to keep her from being overwhelmed by all of this.”

“Well, time’s up. It’s my turn now. Quinn, I promise I don’t bite. Anyway, Thomas, Nathaniel sent me to find you. A messenger arrived from Mistle Village this morning. Essie’s asking for help, and Nathaniel can’t find William anywhere. You’re the only one who ever
knows
where he is.”

Quinn didn’t understand the look in Linnea’s eyes, darker than her lighthearted tone implied, but Thomas seemed to take some meaning from it, looking apologetically at Quinn.

Linnea rolled her eyes. “Really, Thomas, she’ll be fine here. Won’t you, Quinn?”

Quinn nodded. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she liked the spunky Linnea already. Now that she wasn’t preoccupied by getting out of here and home, she found herself becoming fascinated by this place, curious to learn more. It felt like walking into one of the fantasy novels she loved to read.

Linnea grinned, her expression matching the one that Quinn was quickly growing accustomed to seeing on Thomas.

“Yes, Thomas, we will see to Quinn’s needs here.  I’m sure William needs you right now much more than she does.” Queen Charlotte rose from her chair, handing the baby to Linnea so that she could embrace Thomas. “Be careful. Send for help if you need to.”

“Nathaniel was going to have Jared saddle Storm and ready him for you. Delores was packing up some food.” Linnea told her brother. “We’ll see you this evening.  Quinn will have had a wonderful day.”

“All right then, Quinn. I suppose I’d better go track down my brother. How you ever managed to keep a close enough eye on him to follow him here, I’ll never know. Don’t let my little sister get you into too much trouble.”

Linnea shot Thomas a dark look, “Fifteen extra minutes does not make you my big brother.”

“Older is older, fifteen minutes or fifteen cycles,” Thomas teased, ruffling Linnea’s hair.

“All right, you two,” Charlotte scolded, “Thomas you should get going. Linnea, why don’t you show Quinn around, make sure she knows the way back to her room.”

 William led his horse, Skittles, down a narrow path between trees and bushes that led to the river. They emerged from the foliage at a spot where the river widened out into a large, deep pool.  He dismounted and sat down in the soft, bright green grass at the edge of the river, and watched the gentle flow of the water over the smooth stones.  Skittles walked right into the water up to her knees a few feet away from him and dropped her tawny head down for a long drink.

This was his favorite spot to come when he needed to be alone and to think, and today there was a lot on his mind.

When the girl had followed him through the gate last night, he had assumed he would be in trouble; he had betrayed the secret and possibly put everyone in danger. As deeply annoyed as he was with her, he knew it was his fault. That his own carelessness had allowed this to happen.

So yes, he had expected to be in trouble. But the reaction he’d gotten instead ... he couldn’t understand it at all.

On his last few visits, he had told his mother about the girl who had been following him around at school. He always told her any story he could about the kids at school, to make it seem like he had more of a social life than he did. He knew his mother worried that he wouldn’t have friends or that he would feel lonely.

She was always interested in his stories, but this time she’d asked even more questions than usual, William had thought maybe because it was about a girl, though he’d never cared one way or another for any girl in Bristlecone. While other girls in Bristlecone had imagined a romantic interest in him, that wasn’t the impression he’d gotten from Quinn.  No, Quinn Robbins’ interest in him had not felt romantic in the slightest.  It was something ... else.

Of course, now he knew what that something else had been. What had she been thinking actually following him over that broken
bridge.
Was she crazy?

And then she’d had the nerve to be mad at him? Well, sorry. It wasn’t his fault she’d been reckless enough to land herself here. It almost served her right to be stuck here for ten days.

For a brief moment, he felt a flash of sympathy for her. How scary it must be to have something like that happen. He pushed the thought away almost as quickly as it came, though. She shouldn’t have been following him then.

Regardless of what Quinn’s intentions had been in following him, though, he just could not understand what had happened when he had led the horse carrying Thomas and the unconscious girl into the courtyard.

Both of his parents had been there waiting, standing together behind Nathaniel, who had quickly rushed to help William lift Quinn carefully from the horse.

His mother had been visibly upset, but only with worry over the girl’s condition.  She seemed unconcerned with the fact that she shouldn’t have been there at all. She had questioned William over every detail of Quinn’s injury, and then quickly followed Thomas and Nathaniel upstairs, where Mia had apparently already been preparing a room for the unexpected guest.

This had left William standing there in the courtyard, facing his father, who held the tiny new baby in his arms.  His face held slight disquiet, but no outward signs of anger.

He had looked up at his father in shame, afraid of the disappointment he had caused.

“Will the girl be all right?”

“Yes, Father. The injury was really very minor.”

“Good. Welcome home, Son.  It’s wonderful to see your face again.” His father had wrapped his free arm around William, embracing him tightly. Then, “Meet your new little sister,” he had said, placing the blanket-wrapped child gently into William’s outstretched arms.  The new baby was adorable; her long, dark eyelashes fluttered softly against her rosy cheeks. She had sighed softly in her sleep as William had rested his face near the top of her head and breathed deeply of the warm new baby smell.

“Come, Son, everyone is anxiously awaiting your arrival to begin dinner.”

That had been all; no words were ever spoken about William’s mistake in allowing Quinn to follow him. His mother had fretted over her comfort and well-being.  The cover story that she was a guest from one of the surrounding villages was passed around and easily accepted - other guests were slowly drifting in from places around Eirentheos in preparation for the baby’s Naming Ceremony.  The explanation would work. There was nothing else.

It felt odd to William, like Quinn’s arrival had been expected somehow, even anticipated, which made no sense at all. It made him feel like everyone knew something he didn’t, as if he was out of some loop. Returning home was always disorienting as it was, having been gone only five days in his mind, but missing several weeks’ worth of life here. He was sad that he had missed the baby’s birth; he had entertained thoughts that he might be able to assist Nola, the midwife, with the delivery. Though he knew that they would never hold it without him, it still pleased him that his family had held off planning the Naming Ceremony for a time when he would certainly be here.

William stared at the flowing water for a long time, trying to clear his head.  It felt good to be here, to be home, and to soak up the warm summer sun after days in the bitter winds of a mountain winter in Bristlecone. Aelwyn, his seeker bird, had clearly missed him. She soared above the trees now, enjoying the sunshine and the small prey she was catching, but every so often, she would swoop down near William, pushing her head under his hand for a pat. It felt as though she were checking to see if he were still here.

He was surprised at the amount of irritation he felt at Quinn’s presence here; at the doting attention she was receiving from his family, from Thomas. Why was his brother so fascinated by her anyway?

All of a sudden, he heard the sound of hooves cutting through the underbrush. He sighed. Of course Thomas would be able to find him here. William rose to greet him, brushing the dirt and leaves off his pants.

“William, there you are,” Thomas said, dismounting Storm.

“Like you didn’t know where you would find me?”

“You don’t usually run off so soon when you first get back.” Thomas worked for several moments to remove an extra pair of saddlebags from his mount, gave Storm a long rub on his silvery neck, and then watched as the horse waded into the shallow water to join Skittles.

William watched him, still too absorbed in his own thoughts to process the amount of supplies his brother had been carrying. “I just needed some time to think, without everyone around.”

“What’s bothering you?  What’s going on with this girl?”

William’s eyes grew tight, “Nothing is going on with her. She followed me.”

“You knew she was following you around school before the last time you were home.”

“I had no idea she’d get close enough to see me at the bridge.”

“You don’t notice much about people, especially in Bristlecone, do you?” Thomas asked, watching the rapid changes in his brother’s facial expressions with interest.

William’s brow furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve known that girl for half a day, and I could have told you she was never going to give up until she figured out what you were hiding.”

“It’s an important secret. I’m supposed to be hiding it.” William crossed his arms defiantly.

“That’s not the point. The point is that you were completely oblivious to how this girl was reacting to you.”

“She wasn’t reacting to me; she just wanted to know where I was going.”

Thomas sighed, “Maybe that’s not the only thing you’re oblivious to.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Thomas studied his older brother’s face carefully; he looked as if he were deciding something. “Nothing, I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just glad you’re home.”

William’s fury wasn’t so easily abated, “And another thing, why is everyone acting like this is so normal? Like they’re not as shocked as I am that she followed me through that gate?  What? We’re just preparing rooms now for people who follow us here? Welcome to the family?”

Thomas did his best not to smile and anger his brother further. “That one I cannot answer for you, although I’m not sure it would be normal for our family to be unwelcoming either. Have you ever seen anyone turned away who needed help?”

“No, I suppose not,” William’s fit deflated slightly.

“And that girl clearly needs help. What do you expect her to do, live in the woods for the next ten days and starve, just because you didn’t stop her from seeing you?”

William didn’t bother answering that one.

“Anyway, speaking purely for myself, you’ll never find me raising objections to you bringing home a sweet, pretty girl, no matter where she’s from.” Thomas beamed, and then ducked away from the well-timed punch William directed at his shoulder.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice,” Thomas said, once he was safely out of reach.

William only rolled his eyes.

“Sometimes, Will, you are the most obtuse older brother in the world,” he muttered. “I hate to interrupt your pleasant day of wallowing here, but Nathaniel actually sent me looking for you. He needs us to go down to Mistle Village today to check on things. He went on ahead, and wants us to follow him.”

“Has there been any more news?” William
asked,
sudden concern in his voice as he headed to retrieve Skittles.

“There have been some new cases of whatever this thing is. Essie White sent a messenger to Nathaniel this morning, asking for help.” Storm was already answering Thomas’ whistle. “I loaded up all the saddlebags with supplies already, so we can just get going. You can thank me later.”

“Don’t push it Thomas,” William’s tone was less irritated than determined. He and Thomas worked together quickly to load the second, heavy pair of saddlebags onto Skittles’ back.

The brothers mounted their saddles in unison, and led the animals back up the narrow path, winding through the trees for several minutes until they came to a larger road.

“Still no more ideas about where this is coming from?”

“No. Jacob and Essie have just been tending to things as best they can, waiting for you and Nathaniel to come back. It’s still so strange. Only affecting children and it doesn’t seem to be spreading from person to person. It’s striking random families.” The worry in Thomas’ words was clear, and William heard something more in his voice, past the worrying -- pain?

William rode in silence, letting several minutes pass before he spoke, “What are you not telling me?”

Thomas slowly came to a halt, and paused, waiting for William to bring Skittles to a stop and turn around to face him. Cold trickles of dread ran down his spine. “What, Thomas?”

“We lost one. Sabrina and Galen Howe’s little girl,
Alanna
. She was six.”

William felt his heart sink into his stomach. “When?”

“Five days ago.”

The two brothers stared at each other in silence, and then simultaneously turned their horses back to the road, taking it at a gallop.

When they reached Mistle Village, they found Nathaniel’s horse hitched outside of Jacob and Essie White’s medical office. Nathaniel heard them approaching, and met them outside on the wide, covered porch.

“What’s the news, Nathaniel?”

His uncle’s face was grave, “It’s not good. Two more children sick in the last week. Several are recovering, but we still don’t know exactly what this is or what is causing it. One little boy was brought in last night with a high fever. We haven’t been able to get it down at all, even this morning. Seven years old. The family’s farm is nearly twenty minutes’ ride outside the village. None of the rest of the family or neighbors
are
sick.”

“I packed everything you brought Will.” Thomas held a bag of medical supplies out to William, who took the bag and walked into the clinic. Inside, he scanned the room where several children and their families had been staying. Two children were sleeping, and another lay lethargically on her cot while Essie tried convincing her to accept small sips of water. A large blister near the girl’s mouth was making the effort visibly painful. Her father sat near her in a chair with worry in his eyes.

A young woman in a handmade farm dress sat cradling the little boy. She sang to him and cried as a ragged cough tore through his tiny, fever-ridden body. William’s stomach turned when he saw the terrible red rash that covered the boy’s face and arms.

“The other villages?” William asked, finally finding his voice, but fearing the answer.

“The same.”

“There won’t be enough.”  William looked at the sick children, opened his bag and started with the boy.

“There is never enough.”