Chapter Eleven
The Path of the Doomed
“Claire.”
His voice broke through my subconscious in waves.
“Mmm?”
“It’s time to wake up, honey.”
I yawned and sat up, pushing the hair from my face. “What time is it?”
“It’s one in the afternoon.” He kissed my bare shoulder and I shivered.
“Then why am I still tired?”
He laughed and tugged on a lock of my hair before rising. “You still want to look for that meadow today?”
“You bet.”
“Good. Meet me downstairs. I’ve got a plan.”
“Fifteen minutes?”
“Fine.”
I showered and dressed in a pair of jeans and a midnight blue top that tied around the neck. I skipped the makeup for time’s sake, though I was sorely tempted to put a little on. Everything seemed to be happening so fast that I was left feeling off balance. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I reflected as I strapped a pair of low-heeled sandals onto my feet. When I had gone upstairs with Mark the night before, I’d had no clue what the morning would bring. But a part of me had expected to feel regret in the light of day. The reality was, I felt none. I would not have taken back my time with Mark. I was certain of that. But it had thrown an entirely new set of questions into the mix. For me.
For us. I was suddenly seeing hopes and dreams before me that had never existed before. I didn’t want to leave him, but I knew the day was coming when I would be forced to do just that.
“Claire? Are you okay?” Mark called from the foot of the stairs.
I cleared my throat and pushed thoughts of our parting from my head. I would deal with it when the time came, I decided.
“Yes, I’m coming down now,” I called to him.
“No hurry. It just got quiet all of a sudden. Wow. You look beautiful.” He kissed me and spun me around as soon as my foot touched the bottom stair.
I laughed with him. It was impossible not to.
“I’m out of practice. Am I supposed to tell you that you look beautiful too?” I teased.
“I hope not,” he smiled.
“Coffee?” I asked hopefully.
“In the kitchen. I started without you.” He waited until I had poured a cup before he continued.
“So do you want to hear my plan?”
“I do. What have you got?”
“We split up for the day. You work here and finish what we started last night—”
“I think we did finish what we started last night.”
“Very funny, Claire.”
“Sorry. You were saying?’”
“You see what you can find in the books and I will scout the surrounding areas.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” I know that a lot of women might have resented being stuck at home while the man got to do the exciting stuff. Not me. He knew the area a whole lot better than I did. Not to mention that every time I left the house, something or someone tried to kill me. So I had no problem at all with his plan. In fact, it sounded downright logical to me.
“I don’t know when I will be back. It might be late.”
“I’ll wait up,” I promised.
He walked to the door and hesitated. “Claire?”
“Hmm?”
“When we find your brother…”
“Yes?”
“What will you do then?”
I bit my lip. If that wasn’t the ten-thousand-dollar question.
“I guess I will go home, then,” I answered without looking at him.
“I know. I know that you have a home and a family. And you have important work to return to. I just…the thing is…”
“You don’t want me to go?”
“I don’t want you to go,” he confessed.
“I don’t know what to say.” But there were so many things I wanted to say, that I simply froze. All of my thoughts tumbled together and I could not begin to make sense of them. I could have said ‘I love you.’ Or ‘Yes, I will stay here with you.’ I could have said a lot of things. But I didn’t. It never occurred to me then that I would always wonder what would have happened if I had.
“You don’t have to say anything right now. But, do you think that you could be happy here?”
“Yes,” I answered truthfully. “But I don’t belong here. You know that,” I said gently.
“In that case…do you thing that I could ever belong in your world?”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. “What are you saying?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I’ll see you tonight, okay?” He kissed me goodbye and was gone before I could say anything else.
I spent the next hour poring over books and cross-referencing maps in the library, all to no avail. I could find no mention of Kahn’s meadow or of Triniti Supply. It probably didn’t help that I kept thinking about Mark and the last thing he had said to me. I swore in frustration and jerked another book off the shelf.
“Swearing at the books won’t help you find what you are looking for.”
I whirled around. “Oh, hi, Marta. You scared me.”
“Not any more than you scared that poor defenseless book just now.”
I glanced down at the thick volume in my hand and gave Marta a wry smile.
“I think it will live.”
“That’s what you said about my roses.”
“True. Is everything okay?”
“I need some help getting a box down from the pantry. It’s heavy.”
I put the book back onto the shelf. “Of course I can help you. Let’s go.”
“Be careful, now,” she cautioned. “It’s awful heavy.”
“Don’t worry.” I grunted under the weight of the box. “I’m stronger than I look.”
“You must be, because we haven’t dropped this thing on our toes yet.”
“There will be no broken toes today.” I grinned. “Where are we taking this?”
“Straight to the kitchen table.”
“What’s in this thing?” I asked once we had plunked it down onto the worktable in the massive kitchen.
“Old cook pots, mostly. A few utensils are in there.”
“I can see why they were in a box.” I rubbed at the puncture wounds on my wrist.
“What is the matter with your arm, girl?”
“Nothing. It’s just sore.” I pointed to the box. “Are you going to show me some old fashioned cookware or not?”
“Well, this one here was always my favorite,” she said as she pulled out a basketball sized frying pan. It looked like some of the old cast iron pans that still graced my own mother’s kitchen.
“Oh, yeah? How come?”
“How come what?” Marta set the pan on the table.
“Why is that your favorite? Because it doesn’t stick?”
“No, but it sure makes a good whacker.” She took hold of the pan again and demonstrated by taking a swing at the air.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I grinned.
“You do that. Want to see some more moves?”
Creative cooking, I snickered. Only Marta could teach kill moves using only kitchenware.
“Maybe later? I have to—” Time stopped as the lettering on the box caught my eye.
“Annabelle?”
“The box. Where did this box come from?” I crouched down and lifted the top flap to make sure I was not hallucinating. But it was right there in black and white. Well, black anyway. “Triniti Supply? This box came from Triniti Supply?”
“Is that what it says?”
“Yes.”
“Then I suppose that’s where it came from. Are you feeling all right, girl?”
“Yes. Great.” I could not believe my luck. Because printed beneath the company name was an address: 2638 165th Drive, Keogh, 689245. “I don’t believe it,” I whispered, turning to Marta and pointing triumphantly at the box. “Do you know what this means, Marta?”
&n
bsp; “That you’ve caught the fever?” She slapped a cool hand across my forehead and frowned.
I brushed her hand away and made another attempt to rein in my initial exuberance. I had done it! I had finally done it! I had what I needed to find the meadow. “I need a pen. And paper,” I blurted.
“In the kitchen drawer.”
“Thanks.” I dashed across the wide kitchen and made quick work of scribbling out the address from the box label.
“Tell Mark that I will be back tonight. It might be late, though.” I tossed over my shoulder on my way out the door.
Marta followed doggedly after me, her fists planted firmly on her hips.
“Do you plan on telling me what is going on, Annabelle?”
I froze, one hand still on the doorknob and one foot out the door. For a moment, I could have sworn I was seventeen years old again and getting caught trying to slip out of the house.
“Just a little shopping.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. I love shopping. It’s a sickness, really,” I rambled.
“Fine, but aren’t you forgetting something?” She held a set of keys high in the air.
“Right. Thank you, Marta.” I retrieved the keys and kissed her weathered cheek in one swift movement. “Oh! One more thing—do you know where Keogh is?”
Marta’s eyes widened briefly before her face became unreadable again.
“Keogh? The town of Keogh?”
“That’s right.”
“What do you want with that old place?”
“There is a dress shop I want to check out there,” I lied smoothly.
“Not in Keogh.” She shook her head. “That whole place was abandoned years ago. There’s nothing there but dust and guardsmen.”
“Guards?” My pulse quickened and I hesitated in the doorway.
“Some, yes.”
“How many?”
“Girl, how should I know how many? Isn’t one enough?” she demanded. “Annabelle, what is going on?”
“I heard about this great dress boutique, and I’m just sure the woman said it was in the town of Keogh.”
“You might be thinking of Haelport, the next town over. It’s a quiet little town, but they do have a shop or two.”
“That’s it—Haelport!”
“Well, I—”
“Is it protected?”
“Yes, but—”
“Is it close to Grandview?”
“No, it’s just outside of Lerna, but I—”
“Thanks, Marta! I’ll see you tonight!”
“Annabelle, wait!”
I cringed but slammed the door and raced to the car anyway.
By my calculations, it would take at least three hours to reach Lerna. I exhaled sharply and checked the dashboard clock. It was just after four o’clock in the afternoon. It would be close to midnight by the time I made it back. I felt a little guilty for not waiting for Mark, but it would be hours yet before he returned, and I didn’t want to waste so much as a minute of time. If Mike was being held captive in the meadow or what lay beyond it, then every second counted. Because even though he had gotten himself into this mess, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to him. I pressed harder on the accelerator and tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
I drove mindlessly for the first two hours before I began to reconsider the wisdom of striking out on my own. For one thing, I didn’t relish the thought of another run in with the guards. I had no weapons, no plan, and no back up. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I was also being actively hunted by Kahn. Kahn, who made John Hanlen look like a child throwing a tantrum. All together, it painted a very discouraging picture.
“Stop it,” I commanded in a firm tone. It was a rescue, not a funeral, I mentally chastised as I pulled into Lerna. The last light of the day was beginning to fade, although if my luck held, there was still an hour of half decent light left in the day. But I would have to hurry. I swung the car onto Seventh Street and pulled in to Lerna Express, a small coffee house that I had noticed during my first visit to the town. The woman behind the counter was in the process of closing the shop down when I walked through the door.
“Is it too late to get a cup of coffee?” I gave her a winning smile and a pleading look.
“No, you’re just in time. Another twenty minutes and you would have been too late, though. What can I get you?”
“Just a regular coffee will do; cream and sugar—heavy on both.”
“Coming right up.” She chattered happily as she worked. “You know, when my husband suggested keeping the shop open an extra hour in the evening, I thought that it was a silly idea.”
“Oh.” I took a seat at the counter and fiddled with the napkin dispenser.
“For now it’s just on the weekends. We still close at six during the week. But if business keeps going like this, we might expand our hours even more.” She passed a large brown paper cup across the counter to me and deposited the money that I handed over.
“Mmm. This is so good.” I sipped the brew and gave her another mega-watt smile.
“Glad you like it. Can I get you anything else?”
“As a matter of fact you can. I need directions.”
“I can probably help you. I grew up around here. Where are you headed?”
I thought about asking her for directions to Keogh, but quickly abandoned the idea. The last thing I needed right now was another lecture on safety.
“I’m looking for Haelport. My sister just moved there and I want to surprise her.” I congratulated myself on my quick thinking, then frowned. I seemed to have developed a talent for lying since I had come to Terlain. I wondered when lying had become a virtue. Although, I reasoned, when in Rome…
“…turn left and you are there.”
“Sorry, could you go over that one more time?” I put all thoughts of my dormant aptitude for bullshit aside and gave the shop clerk my full attention.
“No problem…you look a little tired.”
No, I’m just an idiot, I thought with a sigh.
“Go south on Eighth Street and turn left at the fork. Haelport is a half mile down the road. There’s no sign or anything, but trust me, you can’t miss it. It’s very quaint.”
“Got it. Thank you.”
“No problem. Enjoy your visit!”
“I will.” I smiled and gave the woman a friendly wave on my way out. I nodded congenially at the variety of young couples milling about on the streets and climbed behind the wheel to try and formulate a plan. My arm began to sting and I rubbed at it gently. Yet another graphic reminder of why I needed to exercise extreme caution in what I was about to do.
The short drive to Haelport did not allow much time to think or come up with a plan that had any substance or merit. This, to my way of thinking, was probably just as well. If I ended up having to do more than look at the town from a safe distance, I would be screwed either way. I believed in optimism just as much as the next person—maybe even more so—but I also knew my limitations.
The country road gave way to a smattering of buildings and houses. I pulled into the first empty parking lot that I came to and eyed my surroundings with a sense of disbelief.
When the owner of the coffee shop had referred to the town as ‘quaint,’ she had not been kidding. From what I could see, the layout of the town was similar to the grid formation of Lerna. The town square was the most prominent section of the village, with a smattering of houses that framed the shops and municipal buildings. The only difference was, oh, a hundred years or so. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought I’d just stepped onto the set of an early 1900s film. The building design was old, the home design was old, and there were no streetlights; in fact, I was almost certain that there was no electricity in the entire town.
The only light that was visible through the windows of the homes I could see was a gentle glow. The people who lived in the village probably used lamplight and candlelight instead of electric
ity. I wondered if the towns’ people were motivated by a love of the old ways or by abject poverty. There were only a few people still walking the streets at this hour, but the ones that were still out were clad in lace-up boots, long dresses, and either leather or pin-striped vests. They did not look impoverished. Personal choice then, I mused.
“Interesting.” I got back in the car and drove the length of the town. The west end of the town did not appear to be used for much of anything. A long row of tall bushes ensured that Haelport remained unseen by what I assumed was neighboring Keogh. The fence on the other side of the landscaping appeared to separate the towns. I leaned over the fence rail and peered at the town formerly known as Keogh. It looked abandoned and run down. Years of neglect had taken a severe toll on the structures that remained standing. I had promised myself I would not do any more than look around the town from a safe vantage point.
I saw the little girl out of the corner of my eye. She looked to be about five years old and she was very thin. Her hair was dark and she wore an old fashioned dress and a pair of battered lace-up boots on her feet. She was skipping near the fence, then stopped and looked to her left and right, and slowly undid the latch on the gate.
“Hey…stop!” I yelled. But the gate was already swinging in her wake. She disappeared down the path. I darted over to the gate and leaped over the top rail. I had to find that little girl.
“Damn it, why isn’t anybody watching her?” I cursed as I scanned the path. Faint orbs of light began to pulse rapidly along either side of the path. I stopped and fixed my gaze on the lights, backing up slowly and wondering what was about to attack me this time.
The lights began to dim and take shape.
“Oh, no way. This is not happening.” I closed my eyes and opened them again, but the ghosts refused to leave. Hundreds of them lined the path as far as I could see. They were all dressed in old-fashioned garments. They were all dead.
“What are you?” I whispered. I didn’t dare touch them, and thankfully they didn’t touch me. They spoke to me, though. Some cried, and some shrieked, but most of them talked, the sounds rising and blending together like a broken symphony.
“Go back, go back.”
“You have to stop her. You have to help her.”
“She’s dead now. Run away…”
“She’s gone, she’s gone…”
I did the only thing I could think of. I promised to never drink an extra-large coffee again and tried to ignore the dead girls. I ran headlong down the path, my eyes scanning the forest for signs of the little girl, finally spotting her several yards away next to a large tree. She was reaching up, trying to pick an apple from one of the lower branches. In the distance, I saw the guards. I couldn’t tell if they were the same ones I had met before. There were four of them gathered around a campfire. Ten yards away, I saw my brother. He was lying on the ground with his arms tied behind his back and a gag in his mouth.
I snuck up behind the little girl and clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Shhh. I’m not going to hurt you. Please don’t scream. You shouldn’t be out here. You see those men over there?”
She nodded.
“They are very bad men,” I whispered, “and we have to get out of here. Do you understand? Good. Now I want you to take that path and go back to your home, on the other side of the fence.”
I took my hand away from her mouth and she turned around to face me.
“Come on.” She held her hand out to me.
“No, honey, you go. I have to go and save that man on the ground over there. He’s my brother. Follow the path and go home, okay?”
The child’s bottom lip quivered. “Please don’t leave me here with the bad men.”
“Shush, now. You let me worry about the bad men. You just go on home now.”
“But I don’t have a home.”
“Shit.” I peered around the trees. The guards were walking off into the woods. They carried spears and from what I could make out, they were going hunting. I would likely never get a better chance to rescue Mike. “Okay,” I told the little girl. “Go onto that path there and stay hidden in the bushes. I’ll be back to get you in five minutes.”
“Do you promise?”
“Promise.” I ruffled her hair and gave her a gentle push toward the path.
Even though the guards were gone for the moment, I stayed low to the ground when I approached the camp.
“Mike!” I hissed.
My brother raised his head and closed his eyes in relief when he spotted me. I came up behind him and hugged him. “Mike I can’t believe I found you. You have no idea!”
“Mmmmhh,” he mumbled around the gag.
“Oh, right. Sorry.” I untied the gag, then went to work on the knots that bound his arms and legs.
“Claire, how did you find me?”
“Luck, Michael. A whole lot of luck. And a whole lot of help too.”
“Hurry, we have to get out of here. The guards are looking for you. Kahn is looking for you.”
“I know. Let’s go.” I helped him to his feet and we raced toward the path. I stopped only long enough to retrieve the little girl.
“Where are we going to take her?” Mike questioned. “It’s not safe for her to be traveling with us.”
“I know that, but we can’t leave her. I’m going to take you both to the people who have been helping me. We’ll safe there and we can figure out everything when we get there. It’s a three hour drive, though.”
“Wait.”
“Oh, no, don’t even say ‘wait’ like that. Do you know what I have been through trying to find you? And now we are both finally safe and you’re saying ’wait’ with that look in your eyes.”
“I know, but—”
“And speaking of—just what the hell were you thinking?” I shouted.
“Claire, I don’t think that now is the time to be having this discussion. We have to get to the woods by Lerna.”
“Where we came in at?”
“Yes.”
“Right now? But we can’t leave yet—”
“That’s fine, but I buried my half of the key there.”
“You did what?”
“I buried the key. We have to go and get it.”
“Crap. Okay, let’s go.”
We drove to the edge of the forest in Lerna and hopped the gate. The little girl insisted on coming with me and I had no intention of letting Mike out of my sights for, oh, the next ten years or so. So we all ended up creeping through the woods. The child huddled on the ground a few feet away while I helped Mike dig.
“Here it is!” he exclaimed. “Let’s get back to the car now.”
“There they are! Both of them!”
“Stop!”
We jumped to our feet as the guards began shouting. They were approaching quickly and within seconds they had us surrounded on all sides.
“Mike?” My voice shook as I quickly snatched the little girl out of reach of one of the guards.
“We’ve been set up, Claire—”
“We have to get out of here!”
“Put your key in the dirt, now! We have to go back!”
“But—”
“They’ve got us surrounded. It’s the only way. Put your key in the dirt next to mine and hold on to the girl!”
There really was no other choice. We joined the two halves together and held on.