26. Nelle A Friend Goes Missing
Nelle: A Friend Goes Missing
Over the next few days, Nelle struggled to put Will and Guy’s threats to Kit out of her mind.
She spent much of her time in the kitchens, pouring her fear and stress into breads, tarts, cookies, and other baked goods.
Whatever she and Kit couldn’t eat, she packaged up, and Kemma and Ember took them to the Sherwood Company’s camp, leaving the packages outside the gates.
“I’m still not sure how I feel about you sending care packages to people who are threatening us,” Kit grumbled one evening as he worked at the worktable in the kitchen.
He spent most nights with her in the kitchens these days, poring over old maps and books, trying to find a likely place that the Snow Queen might have taken Robin.
She’d pointed out that the light was better in the library, but he’d simply shaken his head, saying the company was better in the kitchen.
Nelle shrugged as she placed the last of her edible creations in the basket she was preparing. “I don’t mind. It’s fun. And it gets my mind off of…things.”
Kit met her eyes. “What things?”
Nelle averted her gaze, fussing with how everything laid. “Just things.” Like wracking her brain over how she could break his spell. Or worrying about whether or not Guy and Will were going to make good on their threats. Or?—
Kit grunted as he shook his head. “They don’t deserve your generosity. They treated you horribly. One might argue they’re still treating you badly.”
“Yes, but at the same time, treating them as I wish they would have treated me doesn’t hurt,” Nelle reminded him, as she finished tying the ribbon around the basket. “Besides, you said it yourself. If we ate everything I made, someone would have to roll us out of the castle.”
“True,” Kit grumbled, before winking at her. “But that doesn’t seem like such a terrible fate, especially with how delicious your creations are.”
Nelle smiled as she left the package and curled up with a book he’d suggested.
They’d fallen into this habit in the evenings—him researching the next place he wanted to take his search for Robin and Nelle reading in front of the fire.
It felt so perfect, in a way she couldn’t explain.
“Besides, you talk about it as if Will and Guy were the only ones in camp. Don’t think of the packages as gifts for them; think of them as gifts for Hansel and Gretyl and the other kids in the camp. ”
Kit grumbled, but he couldn’t help but smile over at her. “Fine. I’ll accept that explanation. But only because I know how much you love those kids.”
“You say that as if you don’t love them too,” Nelle pointed out.
“I admit to nothing,” Kit said, as Kemma flew into the room. Seeing them sitting there, she smirked and purred, “Ah, a picture of domestic bliss. It’s really rather adorable.”
“We’re not adorable,” Kit mumbled at the table.
“Of course you’re not,” Kemma laughed. “Is that the latest package, Nelle?”
The young woman looked up from her book. “Yes. It should be ready to go.”
“Excellent,” Kemma chirped. “I like going to the camp. It’s always so exciting to play spy.”
Nelle fixed her with a glare. “To play spy?”
“Um…” Kemma glanced between her and Kit. “Was I not supposed to say that?”
“No, you were not,” Kit said, though there was no heat in his words. He set the map he was studying aside. “It’s not really spying. I just wanted Kemma to look around and see if there was any chance they were going to attempt a sneak attack.”
“I thought you knew about his request.” Kemma glared at the dragon man. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have said anything.”
Nelle laughed, trying to force humor she didn’t feel. “I can’t help but notice you wouldn’t have said anything, not that you wouldn’t have done it.”
“Of course I would have done it,” Kemma said, raising her chin. “This is the most fun I’ve had since you filled the pantry with snow so we could have a snowball fight.”
Nelle’s eyes widened. “I did what?”
Kit grinned. “It sounds like there’s a story there. What made a younger Nelle cast such a mischievous spell?”
Kemma’s eyes lit up. “Well, it was one of the hottest summers I can remember, and we were?—”
A banging sound interrupted the tressym. Nelle and Kit shared a glance. “What was that?” Nelle wondered.
“It sounded like someone was banging on the front door,” Kit said, pushing his chair back and racing out of the room. Nelle threw her book aside and ran after him.
“You don’t think this is the attack you were expecting, do you?” Nelle panted.
“No. Ember would have warned me,” Kit said, skidding to a stop in front of the door. Still, he called out, “Who goes there?”
“It’s us! Hansel and Gretyl!” a child’s voice floated through the thick wood.
Nelle pushed past Kit and threw the door open.
Her heart dropped as she took in the children.
Gretyl’s dress had tears in several places, and she was trembling like a leaf in a storm, clinging to her brother’s hand.
Hansel was in worse shape. The knees of his breeches had holes in them, through which Nelle could see blood. He also had bloodied hands and elbows.
“What in Afeyra happened to you?” Kit didn’t wait for an answer before picking up the boy.
Nelle bent and gave his sister the same treatment.
They carried the children back to the kitchen.
Kit placed Hansel on the kitchen table and examined his scrapes.
Without looking up from his work, he muttered, “Kemma, we’re going to need the salve and bandages again. ”
“I’ll be right back.” Kemma raced out of the room, her little tail flicking this way and that as she went.
“Can I hold Kemma?” Gretyl mumbled into Nelle’s neck. She clung on tighter when the woman tried to put her down.
“Once we get you two all cleaned up,” Nelle soothed, stroking the little girl’s hair. She settled them in the rocking chair next to the fire. “Can you tell us what happened? Where is your papa?”
“Gone. The bad woman took him,” Gretyl sobbed.
From across the table, Nelle saw Kit stiffen. “What bad woman?” he asked. The tension in his shoulders told Nelle that he was struggling to keep his temper as he moved to the sink and began wetting a clean rag before returning to Hansel’s side.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Nelle suggested softly.
“Papa took us into the forest with him to collect firewood. At least, that’s what he told Saphira that he was doing. I don’t think it’s true. We didn’t pick up any firewood, and we went further from the camp than we usually do,” Gretyl said.
“We weren’t gathering firewood,” Hansel agreed. “Papa had his pack with him, and he asked me to lead him here.”
“Lead you here? Why?” Kit wondered. Kemma flew back into the room, carrying the requested items in a basket with her teeth. She deposited the items in front of him, and he nodded his thanks.
“Papa said he needed to warn you. But I don’t know why,” Hansel said, looking down at his hands as Kit began to bandage them. “But before we got there, two of the lieutenants stopped us.”
“Which ones?” Nelle wondered, tightening her hold on Gretyl.
“The one with the yellow hair and the one who’s almost as big as Kit,” Hansel said. “I don’t remember their names.”
“Guy and Will,” Nelle breathed. Kit nodded in agreement.
“They asked Papa what he was doing. They sounded mad,” Gretyl whimpered. “Papa told them we were just collecting firewood.”
“But they didn’t believe him!” Hansel cried. “They told him that the queen doesn’t deal lightly with traitors.”
“And then the air got really cold. Like it sometimes did when you got scared or sad.” Gretyl put her head on Nelle’s shoulder.
Over her head, Nelle met Kit’s eyes, and he nodded.
Queen Snow White. The Snow Queen. She was there.
Oblivious to the unspoken agreement going on around her, Gretyl continued, “And a woman started speaking. She said that she’d already given Papa a second chance, and he would not get a third one. ”
“And Papa said that he refused to stay under her thumb anymore, and he wouldn’t let her bring you back under her power.” Hansel glanced at Nelle. “He said that their plan wouldn’t work, that he would warn you.”
“Did he say what plan that was?” Kit asked.
Hansel shook his head. “No. But when we were playing by the Big House a few days ago, Jack and I overheard the lieutenants saying something about an attack.”
Nelle’s blood went cold, and she couldn’t help but tremble almost as hard as Gretyl had. Kit was right. The Sherwood Company was planning an attack.
“What happened then?” Kit asked as he finished bandaging Hansel’s scrapes.
“The lady said he wouldn’t have the chance.
And then Papa yelled at us to run, and said he’d hold them off,” Hansel said.
“Gretyl ran straight away, but I tried to help Papa, and the man with yellow hair pushed me. I fell.” He stared at his bandages.
“Papa hit the man and told me to take care of Gretyl. We ran straight here.”
“Good. That’s exactly what your Papa wanted you to do,” Kit assured him.
“I should have fought harder. I should have made it so that the bad men couldn’t hurt him,” Hansel said, his blue eyes welling up with tears.
“You were protecting your sister,” Kit reminded him. “It’s important for men to protect people who can’t protect themselves. Do you think Gretyl could have protected herself against those bad men?”
Hansel cocked his head for a moment, lost in thought. “No. I don’t think so.”
“I could, too,” Gretyl said, puffing out her chest. “I’m strong!”
“You are strong,” Kit agreed with a smile. “But without those spells that I’m going to teach you, those bad men might have hurt you badly. So until you learn those spells, it’s your big brother’s job to help you.”
Gretyl scowled. “I still think I can protect myself.”
“Of course you can,” Nelle soothed. “But we can all use a little help sometimes, don’t you think?”
Reluctantly, Gretyl nodded.
Hansel’s frown was still in place. “But I still should have helped Papa.”
“You did. You got Gretyl here, and you warned me and Nelle about what you saw. I’m positive that’s exactly what your father would have wanted,” Kit said. “And it will all be okay in the end. We’ll get your father back.”
Hansel eyed him dubiously. “Are you sure?”
Kit nodded solemnly. “I give you my word.”
Hansel gave a small smile. “Okay. I believe you.”
“Good,” Kit said. “Now, I think we still need to check on Gretyl, and then we’ll put off the rest of our work for tomorrow. It’s going to be a big day.”
“Really? Why?” Gretyl asked sleepily.
“Well, tomorrow we’re going to have to go back to where your papa went missing so that I can track where those men took him,” Kit said. “And then I’m going to get him back.”
Hansel gazed up at him with wide eyes. “Really? Can I help?”
Kit frowned. “We’ll see. I might need you to help Nelle prepare the castle.”
“Prepare the castle?” Nelle and Hansel asked together.
Kit nodded. “If the queen suspects you told us about the attack, she might order her people to make it happen sooner. If that’s the case, then you three will be in charge of putting our defenses in place while I find your father.”
“But what if you can’t find him in time?” Hansel asked. “What if we have to defend the castle on our own?”
“You won’t be on your own,” Kit assured him. “I have a plan.”