Chapter 18
Eighteen
Samaria
The puppies have grown significantly in the last few days. They tumble about, entangling themselves; it's difficult to tell which body ends and another begins.
Ruse and Alaric have left for Valebridge with Sorin, how he got them to understand him I’ll never know. So now it’s on Jarek and I to watch over the raucous pups. Keeping them indoors was certainly an argument with Lord Thaddeus, but Sorin convinced him it was for the best considering they haven’t quite learned the art of being inconspicuous. Their growls and yips from the greenhouse proving his point.
“They grow fast, don’t they?” Tallulah steps to my side. I hadn’t realized anyone else was in here, but I suppose a Florecas like herself would probably be fond of the greenhouse, given their ability to grow and conjure plants.
“They do.” I offer her a smile which she returns. Her eyes, more blue than I’ve ever seen, are radiant under the gray light that filters through the windows of the room. “The Stones?” I let my question linger in the air.
“With your mother,” Tallulah says. Relief settles in my chest so I prop myself against a workbench and try to trick myself into relaxing. “She’s been resting, but I’ve ensured she has plenty of tea to keep her company.”
Warmth blooms in my chest. The Stones are safe and my mother’s been cared for. Her health has been worrisome to Sorin and I for the last several years, but stubborn as she is, she’s never seen a Healer.
“She plans to travel back to Loxley as soon as she feels well enough.”
“Good.” I nod, biting into my bottom lip. Ulric is more than capable of managing Loxley in our absence, but having my mother home, where I know she’s safe, will surely help the weight on my shoulders. Changing the subject, I rub the exhaustion from my eyes. “Have you and Evren been together long?”
Her smile broadens, intensifying her beauty. “A little over four years,” she says, gesturing to me to follow her.
We find a small gardening table and a few chairs near the back of the greenhouse. I dust the chair quickly to free it of dirt and sit down across from her.
“We met out of pure luck,” Tallulah continues. “Or perhaps the Mother had something to do with it. She works in mysterious ways, after all.” She chuckles, and I smile.
“And he said he was a hunter?” Relaxing into my chair, I glance around the small greenhouse. Windows line two walls while one is attached to the Jade Guild. White-washed stones make up the ground and not to mention the rows and rows of beautiful green plants and flowers. The puppies bump into a tower of stacked pots, nearly tipping them over.
“He was,” Tallulah says. I tear my eyes away from the pups to glance at her. She pulls a pile of long grass into her lap and begins weaving them, creating a tapestry of green, her fingers quick and nimble, as if they’ve done the task a hundred times before. “It feels like a lifetime ago.”
“Will you tell me about it?” I ask. “I could use the distraction, my nerves have been on edge these last few weeks as I’m sure you could imagine.” She smiles as she continues her weaving. “Besides, I must know the story of how you managed to make such a surly man bend his knee to you.”
Tallulah tips her head back and laughs, the sound bright. “It wasn’t love at first sight or anything like that.” She places the half-woven leaves onto the small table and faces me. “There was a lot of pain and fear between us. So much misunderstanding.” She frowns but only for a moment before her features relax again. “But somewhere in those weeks together, the fear of each other morphed into wondering instead.”
“What kind of wondering?” I pick at a loose hem on my shirt.
Tallulah sighs as she leans back into her chair. “The kind that sweeps you away. Wondering all the different alternatives in life. Like—” She bites her lip. “Like what if magick was never outlawed and hunted? It’s a terrible thing to be glad for, but would I have ever met Evren? What if I had never been forced to endure those horrible things, would I have found this love I thought only reserved for storybooks?” She laughs, shaking her head before picking up her leaves again. “I’m getting sentimental, forgive me.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” I say. “Your story is beautiful, just as this greenhouse is.” I gesture to the vibrant green plants and bright pink flowers proudly on display.
“Evren built it.” Her eyes scan the space. “It was his wedding gift to me, though I think it’s unfair because we never said we were exchanging gifts. I still owe him one.”
“You know, Sam,” she says, lowering her voice and leaning across the table, “it’s only a matter of time before you access that magick of yours. I know how painful it must be. How it must feel to have such a large part of yourself blocked off.” My throat tightens but I nod, allowing myself to be vulnerable with this stranger. Just as Elora had been with me. “But when the Dyrsjel arrives, the Ceremony will happen for you. And when it does, we’ll all be here to help you find your way.”
“Thank yo?—”
“Lu!” Evren shouts, bounding into the greenhouse with a lead foot.
Tallulah and I both turn, the same wide eyed expression plastered on our faces.
“You and Sam need to get underground, now .”
It isn’t two seconds later and Evren is gone and Tallulah is grabbing my arm, leading me out of the greenhouse.
“Underground?”
“Yes,” she says. “Someone must be at the gate.”
“What of the puppies?” I glance over my shoulder at the four pups still wrestling with each other.
“Evren will see that they remain locked in the greenhouse.” Tallulah pulls me through a maze of tunnels. Twists and turns, up a flight of stairs and then back down again. My head dizzies, but before long, we’ve reached what I presume is the last level. An arched cellar door covered in vines opens easily and we slip inside.
My eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness of the space, my hands gripping the walls on either side of me for reassurance. Tallulah leaves my side and a few moments later, the room is filled with soft, warm light from a small oil lantern. Shuffled boots sound above us, some faint shouts in the distance.
Jarek.
I start for the door but Tallulah grasps my arm tightly. I turn to look at her.
“My mother!”
“She’ll be okay,” she says, reaching for me. “There is another safe room, just above us. I’m certain Evren showed her the way.”
My shoulders deflate.
“It isn’t often we get visitors, but Evren and Thaddeus insist I hide when we do.” She shrugs. “Just in case.”
Her words do nothing to soothe me. My mind replays the caravan. Losing Elora and Galen. I can’t lose my mother too. The Stones. It’s all so much, the cramped space of the room closes in on me and?—
“Come sit.” Tallulah turns and leads us to a pair of chairs. Books are piled high onto a small table and a knit blanket is folded neatly on the ground. How many times has she visited this space? And for how long? She grabs a few of the books before taking a seat.
I join her at the table. She hands me a book with a smile. I take it but my eyes keep drifting to the door. Above us has quieted, no more shouts or boots scurrying back and forth so my shoulders relax. Must be nothing, just as she said.
I thumb through the pages of the book, the words all bleeding together. Giving up, I place it back on the table and stretch my arms and legs. I try not to think about my mother being cramped into a similar room, the Stones now placed in her protection when they should be with me. I try not to think about being underground. I try not to focus on how little air there is down here or how dark it is even with the small lantern.
Breathe, Sam.
Before my mind can shift to a dark place, more shouts erupt above us. Louder and more intense than last time. Tallulah jumps to her feet and her abruptness has my heart racing.
Not just an ordinary visitor, then.
“We need to help.” I head for the door without waiting for her to answer. “Jarek and my mother are up there and if something is wrong?—”
Tallulah grabs my arm again.
“It’s not safe.” Her eyes are wide, and I’ve forgotten, for a moment, that she isn’t like me. She wasn’t raised in a protected village with parents who cared for her. She wasn’t afforded the freedoms I had until the uprising. Perhaps was never taught how to fight or defend herself. Taking her quickly in my arms, I clasp her shoulders.
“You can wait here if you want.” I give her a quick hug before heading back to the door. It pushes open silently, the dark, winding staircase looming before me.
Hope I don’t get lost.
I take a tentative step out. The voices above me are louder now, the scuffling is quicker. My heart races as I take another. The dagger placed on my hip is the only thing giving me any sort of peace. It’s not my bow, but it’ll do.
As I take a third step up the stairs, the door behind me shuts. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Tallulah just as she joins me on the staircase.
“I’m coming.” She takes a steadying breath. As if she needs the extra oxygen to fuel her steps. “I’m not always brave, but if the last few years have taught me anything, it’s that I’m capable of more than I think.”
Tallulah guides us through the labyrinth of staircases and hallways. Each level we go up, the voices and shouting rises.
Who could be here?
And why?
The pups . Dread coils in my stomach. If they got out or escaped somehow… If a hunter or guard found them…
My palms sweat as we round the last corner. Tallulah covers her ears as noise reverberates off the stone walls. Through all the chaos, a distinct Scandavi voice travels through.
Jarek.
“Set up in there!”
Pushing past Tallulah, I stumble and squint against the abrasive sunlight. But as my eyes adjust, my mouth falls open. I expected navy blue and grizzlies. Royal hunters or guards. Fighting and steel. But, instead, before me are men and women dressed just like the people of Loxley. Simple clothes and colors. All shuffling about. It takes a moment, disbelief and fear still pulsing through me, to realize they are not just dressed like the people of Loxley.
They are the people of Loxley.
All here, inside the Jade Guild.
“What is happening?” I step toward the line of people still filtering down the hall.
My hands tremble.
“What is happening?” I ask again, but no one hears me.
Evren is somewhere I can’t see, but I hear him shout orders. Something about filtering to the second level.
“What is?—”
“Sam.” My chest constricts at the sound. Turning, Ulric is before me. His face and hands are covered in ash. His ruddy cheeks and nose are lined with scratches and knicks.
“What happened?” I pull him into a hug. His arms wrap around me and smoke fills my nose.
As we separate, his eyes glaze over. Dozens of people continue to filter past us. Listening to the orders of Evren and Jarek that I’ve completely tuned out.
“They burned it.” Ulric runs a soot covered hand over his bald head. “They burned Loxley.”