Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
On his way back to Emily’s room, Noah prayed the medical book he’d sent back to Paige would reveal some treatments that could buy them the time they needed to locate a portal.
Despite all the evidence pointing toward it, he still couldn’t be sure if the unstable tunnel he’d been in was it. It would require more extensive examination. And he still had to devise a new way to slip past the guards to make that happen.
The panic building inside him tasted bitter on his tongue.
The moonless night was only a day away, and they had to be ready.
Emily couldn’t hold out for the next one.
But she also needed the strength to withstand the rigors of traveling through time.
Even if Paige could find something in the book to stabilize her, the truth remained, it was doubtful it could happen in time.
He and Emily had been strong and healthy when they’d been swept through time, and it had still taken a toll. He was in constant terror that it might be too much for her now. But he couldn’t allow himself to even consider the alternative.
And now he faced another constant, nearly consuming worry.
Skye.
She’d sent him away, back to Emily’s chamber to see if Paige had discovered anything yet or might need anything Skye could supply. But it had been too soon. She was still poring desperately over the text, so he’d gone back to the library to wait for Skye to finish the confrontation with her father.
Guilt ate at him, knowing he should have spent the time searching for the portal, but Skye’s world, her entire belief system, had just been destroyed. She’d need him. And he needed to be there for her, needed to make up for not insisting on accompanying her in the first place.
Maybe now, she’d agree to come with them. He loved her. Needed her. And he prayed she felt the same.
He’d waited, lingered at the library for what felt like forever, then paced the corridors, hoping to see her or perhaps run into Keir to learn if she was still with her father. But it had been hours. It was late evening already, and as each hour passed, the burning fear in his gut grew stronger.
How could he have been so selfish, so focused on finding answers that might somehow ease Emily’s suffering, that he’d abandoned Skye at her most vulnerable?
They could have gone to see Paige together and then confronted her father—together, despite Skye’s objections to the contrary.
At the very least, he could have waited for her outside The Keeper’s study.
His stomach twisted with guilt, remembering how he’d simply stood by in that library as Skye’s entire world shattered around her. Done nothing as she learned that everything she’d believed in was built on lies, and then he’d walked away and left her alone with all of it.
I should have stayed with her. Should have made sure she was safe.
But the reality was, he’d abandoned both Emily and Skye. He felt split apart, unable to be who he needed to be for either of the two people he loved most in the world.
“Please God,” he whispered, heading toward Emily’s chamber. “Don’t make me choose.”
He’d check on Paige’s progress one more time to see if she’d discovered anything that could help Emily before going in search of Keir. The man never strayed far from Skye. He, if anyone, would know where she was.
Still agonizing over a clear path forward, he rounded the final corner to Emily’s chamber—and all thoughts fled from his mind.
Four guards stood at attention outside her door. There had only been two when he left. What had changed? Had something happened to Emily? Were they posted there to keep someone in? Or out?
Noah’s pulse kicked up as one of them stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. “You’re to gather your belongings immediately. All of you will leave at first light.”
The words hit Noah like a physical blow. “What do you mean? On whose orders?”
“The Keeper’s.” The guard’s expression remained impassive. “Your presence here is no longer welcome.”
“I need to see my sister.” Noah moved forward, but the guards shifted to block his path. “My family is inside. I need to see them.”
“They are aware of the decision. You have until dawn.”
“Dawn?” Noah’s voice rose despite his efforts to control it. “You can’t be serious. The Keeper is aware of my sister’s condition. I can’t risk taking her out of here!”
“That is not our concern. The Keeper has spoken.”
For a moment, Noah considered fighting his way through. His hand moved instinctively toward his waist where his knife should have been, but of course they’d taken his weapons days ago. The guards watched him with the careful attention of men trained to respond to threats.
“Let me pass,” he said, forcing steel into his voice. “Now.”
Something in his tone must have registered. After a tense pause while Noah’s heart hammered against his ribs, the lead guard stepped aside with obvious reluctance. “I will let you inside. But we will remain here to escort you out at the appointed time.”
Noah pushed through the door, his mind reeling. They’re throwing us out. After everything. After Skye helped us, risked her relationship with her father for the truth...
The scene inside the chamber drove every other thought from his mind.
Emily lay frightfully still against the bedclothes, her face pale and translucent against the dark fabric.
Her breathing came in shallow, labored gasps that made Noah’s chest ache.
Paige bent over her, one hand pressed to Emily’s forehead, the other clutching a damp cloth.
The worry lines around Paige’s eyes had deepened into markers of fear.
Taran stood by the window, his broad shoulders rigid with barely contained fury. Finn moved between their packs, checking supplies with tight, economical movements. And at the foot of Emily’s bed, Brody sat unnaturally still, his eyes too wide and frightened for a five-year-old.
They all looked up as Noah entered.
“They’re throwing us out,” Paige said without preamble, her voice hollow. “At dawn.”
Noah crossed to the bed, noting the medical book lying open beside Paige. “The book is from your time. I was hoping…”
Paige glanced at the thick volume, a desperate look on her face. “It could have been a godsend, Noah. But,” she turned away as tears tracked down her cheeks, “it came too late. There’s not enough time now.”
“No!” he cried fiercely. “That can’t be. There must be something in there that will help.”
Her hand trembled as she gestured toward the open pages.
“It’s all in there. The symptoms and signs of leukemia.
.. treatment protocols... temporary stabilization.
..” Her voice trailed off as Noah watched her expression shift from desperate hope to grim determination.
“If we’d had the right herbs earlier, it’s possible I might have been able to improvise the compounds and buy her a little time. ..but…”
She didn’t finish as she turned her attention back to Emily’s still form. She didn’t need to. They all knew what she wasn’t saying. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. Not here, not in this time.
“Where’s Skye?” Taran’s voice cut through the moment, sharp and concerned. “When she dinnae join us here after speaking tae her da ye said ye were goin’ back tae find her. She could talk tae him. Make him see reason.”
The question drove the air from Noah’s lungs. “I don’t know.”
“What do ye mean, ye dinnae ken?” Taran stepped away from the window, his expression darkening. “Ye dinnae find her?”
“No. I went to the library thinking she might have gone there. I waited, but she never came. I haven’t seen Keir either.”
“But she did go see her da?”
“I don’t know that, either.” Noah’s voice sounded hollow to his own ears. “She said she intended to confront him about the lies. About everything. But that was hours ago.”
Finn stopped packing. “How many hours?”
He shrugged. “I left her in the library. I don’t know if she went directly to her father, or not.” Remorse churned in his stomach. “It’s my fault she can’t be found. I should never have left her.
“Even if ‘twas a difficult confrontation she should hae returned by now.” Taran exchanged a worried glance with Finn.
“Maybe she’s in her chambers?” Paige suggested. “Perhaps she’s upset and needed time alone after...”
Noah shook his head, a sick certainty solidifying in his gut. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
“Then we’ll find her.” Taran moved toward the door with purpose. “She helped us. Risked everything tae give us this chance. We willnae leave without confirming her safety. And if she wishes it, we’ll take her wi’ us.”
Noah moved to join his father when the loud click of a lock snapping into place stopped him cold. He exchanged looks with Taran as an equally cold sliver of fear skittered through him.
Despite knowing the futility of his action, he stormed to the door, tried the handle to no avail, and pounded on the thick wood. “Open this door! At once!”
The fading echo of his voice was the only response.
He pounded again. “OPEN this door!”
Still nothing. And then finally a contemptuous burst of laughter from the other side. “Glad to. At dawn, when we escort the lot of you out of the citadel and off the mountain. Until then, rest well. You’ll need it.”
Finn joined them at the door. “Mayhap the three of us can tear the wood from its frame.”
“No’ wi’out summoning every guard in the fortress,” Taran stated tightly. “And ’tis a good fifty-foot drop from the window tae the rocks below. We’re caged up like swine for the slaughter.”
Noah fought the panic clogging his throat.
What’s happened to Skye? She would have been here as promised if she was able.
What had they done with her? Confined her to her chamber with her own guard until after he and his family were removed?
And what of Keir? Where did his loyalty lie?
Would he guard her against her father, or guard her for him?