Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web - Volume 1 (30 page)

“Where are they taking her?” Leo asked. “Why do they want her?”

Sims pocketed the money and shrugged. “Those answers are beyond my knowledge, gentlemen. You wanted to know where she was taken and I told you. Our deal is completed.”

Nicholas took a quick step toward Sims, tempted to grab him by the collar a second time, but restrained himself. The horses restlessly bobbed their heads in the cool autumn air. “You know nothing else? How could you not?”

Sims sighed and shook his head. “Look, I was only hired to grab the girl and transport her to a designated location. Nothing more, nothing less.” He noted Nicholas’ clenched fist, and wanting to end this transaction on a painless note, he relented a bit. “My employer did mention something about a waiting ship when we chatted, so I assume whoever arrives at the root cellar to get the girl will probably travel close to shore. But I can’t tell you anything more because I
know
nothing more. Your best bet is to find the farmhouse before the others get there first. You have no other option.”

Leo agreed and glanced at Nicholas, his expression indicating that they had garnered as much information as they were going to get. Now it was time to leave.

“Spend that money fast,” Nicholas warned as he and Leo climbed back on their horses. “Because if we ever see your face again…”

“I think he gets the point,” Leo said, gathering the reins as he stared down at Sims. “Now let’s get out of here.” He and Nicholas quickly trotted away as Sims looked on and chuckled.

“Fine work,” he whispered to himself, patting the pouch of coins in his coat pocket.

He swiftly headed back into town to grab a bite to eat in a tavern and plan his journey south the following morning, anticipating better opportunities abroad. But as he turned a corner onto a narrow dirt lane a few minutes later, he thought he saw a dark shape dart though the shadows up ahead. He paused for a moment and spun around, sensing that someone was following him. Another figure slowly emerged into the moonlight filtering down in the lane directly in front of him.

“Now just where are you off to in such a hurry, Mr. Sims?” a deep voice asked.

Sims grunted. “As if it’s any of your business? And how do you know my name?” He pulled out a dagger that glinted in the pale moonlight. “I don’t think you want to get in my way, old man.”

“Oh, but I think I do,” Uncle Aubrey replied with a throaty chuckle. “And so do they,” he added, pointing ahead.

Sims glanced over his shoulder as Aubrey’s two sons stepped into the light, each holding a large walking stick that they emphatically pounded once onto the ground. At the same time, Uncle Aubrey pulled out a large knife from underneath his coat, casually picking off bits of wax stuck to the blade.

“I believe you have some money that belongs to a friend of ours,” he softly said. “Fifty copper pieces? The three of us are hoping that you’ll return it without incident so we can all go home in peace. I’m looking forward to a slice of mince pie my wife baked and don’t want to keep her waiting.”

Sims glared at Aubrey and his sons, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He slowly returned the knife to its sheath, muttering under his breath in the bitter night air as he reluctantly fished the pouch of copper pieces out of his coat pocket. He tossed the bag to Aubrey, listening as his money disappeared and knowing he must do the same before the next rising sun.

CHAPTER 20

The Grasslands

Nicholas and Leo hurried to Castella’s house after leaving Sims. They grabbed a few provisions for their journey to Cavara Beach, hoping that Ivy would be there when they arrived at the farmhouse. Aunt Castella insisted that they eat first, so Nicholas and Leo sat down at the kitchen table for some soup, cheese and bread.

“Neither of you boys will be of any use if you don’t keep up your strength,” she said. “I’ve made up a sack with some dried beef, a few apples and several biscuits. That’ll sustain you to the next village and back. And there are two filled water skins, too.”

“Thanks, Castella,” Nicholas said. “With any luck we’ll have Ivy back here by noontime tomorrow.”

“May it be so,” she softly replied as she joined them at the table. She sipped from a cup of hot tea, steeped with worry. “I don’t think sleep will find me tonight.”

“Rest if you can. You need to keep up your strength as well,” Leo reminded her, finishing his soup. “Now we must be off. It’s past midnight and the Bear Moon has already set. We only have the Fox to guide us now.”

“It’s nearly full, so there’ll be plenty of light unless the clouds roll in,” she said. “But be careful regardless. The night roads can be treacherous.”

“We will,” Nicholas said, putting on his coat and hugging her goodbye. Shortly after, he and Leo were on their horses in the cool night, heading for the main road.

“Be safe,” Castella whispered as she watched them disappear into the gloom from her front doorstep. Moments later she went back inside to take refuge from the darkness, closing the door as she wistfully wondered where the warm sweet days of summer had gone.

The main road to the village of Cavara Beach proved to be a cold, dark and bumpy stretch, overrun in parts with dried grass, deep ruts and sharp stones. Low scraggly bushes encroached upon the sides, tinted shades of deathly gray in the moonlight. Nicholas and Leo progressed slowly on horseback, riding carefully so their steeds wouldn’t injure themselves along the narrow course.

“Not the best maintained road in the county, is it,” Nicholas muttered.

“I haven’t made an apple delivery this way in two years,” Leo said. “A lot of people have moved east to Boros and Laurel Corners where the fishing and farming are better. There might not be a village of Cavara Beach in ten years.”

“Let’s just hope Ivy is there now,” he said as a cool wind off the water brushed against his face. Despite the risk, he urged his horse onward a little bit faster.

When they finally reached the village, it lay in a state of gloomy sleep. Windows were shuttered as a few flaming oil lamps in the narrow streets flickered and sputtered in the breeze. They passed silently along the main road and headed into the countryside, looking for the third turnoff to the right. Sims had instructed them that that would be their first turn. When a few clouds drifted in from the west and dimmed the moonlight, Nicholas feared they would be too late. They had already lost precious time on their way to the village and were now mired in the murky maze of undefined roads and footpaths that were difficult to navigate.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Nicholas asked a while later after making two more turns, scratching his head as he looked about. The two had paused a moment to survey the landscape after wandering about aimlessly for an hour as the Fox Moon drifted westward.

“Sure we are,” Leo said halfheartedly. “At least I think so. Maybe we made a wrong turn that last road back.”

“Or maybe Sims lied to us.” Nicholas climbed off his horse, trying to keep his frayed nerves in check. He grabbed the reins and walked along the dirt path to stretch his legs as Leo followed.

“Let’s go on for a bit longer,” he said. “If we don’t see what looks like an abandoned farmhouse soon, then we know we’re on the wrong path.”

Nicholas nodded, not in the mood for words. When the moonlight peeked out of the clouds a half hour later, highlighting a desolate expanse of grassy fields and dark water in the distance–but no sign of any farmhouse–Leo glumly concluded that they were heading in the wrong direction. Nicholas agreed and they turned around, backtracking to their last turnoff to determine where their path went awry. They continued along the previous road for about a half mile until they reached a turn onto another road they had passed earlier.

“Should we try this one?” Nicholas asked, noting that it was a left turn from where they had originally approached. “I know Sims said this next turn was also to the right, but maybe he misspoke or we misunderstood.”

“Or he sent us on a lost cause,” Leo remarked, quickly shaking the thought out of his head. “Can’t start thinking like that or we’ll get nowhere. Come on. Let’s go.”

Leo snapped the reins lightly and his horse trotted along the road. Nicholas followed, mustering up what he thought were the last traces of hope within him as the Fox Moon dipped in the west.

Several minutes later they noted a small farmhouse in the distance, though when they passed by it, they smelled smoke drifting from the chimney and moved onward. Another mile down the road Nicholas pointed out a second farmhouse, this one also clearly not abandoned. They trotted by in dismal silence, neither wanting to say that they may have been deceived by Sims as they trudged through the dreary predawn veil slowly settling over the landscape. A nagging weariness tormented them. They each battled a lack of sleep and wondered how much longer they could continue without rest. Leo was about to say as much when he noted a dilapidated barn slouched in the field to his right, a gaping hole punched into its roof.

“Look!” he said, pointing it out.

Nicholas glanced up, shaking the sluggishness out of his head. A one-story house of wood and clay bricks off to one side of the barn appeared to be in even worse shape. “That has to be it!”

They hurried down the road and crossed some tall grass that had taken over the property. When they neared the house, its shutterless windows yawned in the darkness. They jumped off their horses and scouted around while the two animals grazed. The Fox Moon slowly sank behind the tips of the Trent Hills in the distant west as a hint of gray tinged the edge of the eastern horizon. Dawn would break within the hour.

Nicholas raced along one side of the house while Leo ran the opposite way around the barn. The smell of decaying grass and damp soil permeated the air. They met up on the back side of the barn, shrugging their shoulders as they frantically craned their necks in the gloom. Then Nicholas spotted a low roof near the edge of the field camouflaged by clumps of tall grass and thorn bushes.

“A root cellar!” he exclaimed, racing to the front of the structure as Leo followed. He stopped suddenly when he saw that a low door at the entrance had been left ajar, a black silence oozing out. He threw a worried glance at Leo before hurrying down a few stone steps and slowly opening the door, ducking his head as he stepped inside. Though very little gray light seeped within, he immediately realized that the tiny enclosure was empty. He sighed and stepped backward, leaning against the wall.

Leo walked inside, stooping so as not to bump his head on the low ceiling. He wondered how late they had arrived since Ivy left.

“
If
she had been here,” Nicholas said despondently. “Is this the right place? And if it is, Ivy could be anywhere right now.”

“It has to be.” Leo sniffed the air, noting a familiar scent. “Smells like somebody burned a candle in here. Maybe an oil lamp.”

“She
was
here!” Nicholas said excitedly, standing up quickly and bumping his head on a wooden beam. “
Ow
!” he muttered, rubbing out the pain though he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

Leo grinned and yawned at the same time. “No doubt she was. But if we don’t rest, Nicholas, we’re never going to find her. The sun will be up shortly. Let’s sleep for a couple hours and then get our bearings. Whoever kidnapped Ivy will have to rest, too. And since they don’t know they’re being followed, maybe they won’t be in a hurry.”

Nicholas was about to protest but realized Leo was correct. His eyelids were heavy and his thoughts in disarray. So they agreed to grab a quick nap on the east side of the barn, knowing the rising sun would jar them awake. They plopped down in the tall grass, bundled in their hooded coats, and promptly fell asleep near the horses. As the Fox Moon disappeared behind the Trent Hills, a light mist formed upon the dirt roads and fields, swirling about in a gentle breeze, momentarily safe in the lingering night.

Nicholas felt the warm touch of light upon his face as he slowly opened his eyes, the pungent scent of grass and soil dancing in the breeze. He stretched, feeling rested, and then sat up, his heart suddenly racing when he noticed the sun blazing behind a thin layer of gray clouds. How long had he slept? It must have been several hours past sunrise, he calculated as he shook Leo awake.

“Get up! We overslept.”

“
Huh
?” He struggled to sit up, scratching his head. “
What
?” He noticed the sun climbing high in the eastern sky. “Oh…”

A few minutes later they were standing on the main road, eating some dried beef and bread as they surveyed the landscape. The western end of Sage Bay was only a short distance to the east, its gentle waves tipped with the subdued morning light. The shoreline of the Trillium Sea lay about five miles to their north, its rich dark waters hugging a slate gray horizon. A vast expanse of grasslands stretched westward like a sea of brittle stalks swaying in unison wherever the capricious winds commanded it. Nicholas wondered where they should go next.

“I can’t imagine these roads go much farther west,” Leo said. “There’s nothing in that direction except tall grass. And Sims mentioned hearing something about a waiting ship. So whoever abducted Ivy must be traveling along shore.”

Nicholas agreed as he took another bite of his cold breakfast. “We’ll head north for the shoreline and follow it west. If a ship’s waiting somewhere, we shouldn’t miss it.”

“Assuming it hasn’t sailed off.”

Nicholas didn’t want to ponder such a thought. He walked over to the horses, ready to begin the next leg of their journey.

The clouds thickened as they reached the seashore. Nicholas’ spirits fell when he gazed upon the somber stretch of water and the unreachable horizon. If Ivy were already on a ship, where would she go? The Northern Isles were the closest place out on the water, nearly two hundred miles away. With an aching heart, he wondered how he would ever find her.

They trudged westward along the shoreline through the gloom and desolation. The wall of tall grass to their left stood like a legion of silent sentries. Nicholas and Leo rode their horses as often as possible, walking alongside them when the terrain turned too stony or soft from recent rains. They spotted impressions of horse hooves and wagon wheels on the ground from time to time which encouraged them as they set out. Meals and rest stops were brief, though they paused to sleep from time to time.

As darkness descended, they attempted to make a small fire using the tall grass as fuel, though it wasn’t dry enough to do so. In the end, they took shelter within the grass to escape the ceaseless breezes off the Trillium Sea, sleeping for a few hours near the horses. When they awoke, the full Fox Moon was still high in the clouded sky, its gauzy light enough to guide them through the night as they marched onward in sluggish silence.

Chances of finding Ivy briefly increased when Nicholas spotted the remains of a small campfire the next morning. The damp smell of cold ash enlivened his spirits and urged him and Leo on at a faster clip. Their need for food and sleep diminished over the next several hours as they made steady progress.

“We must be gaining on them,” Nicholas said, hoping that speaking the words would make them come true.

“We are,” Leo replied, encouraging his friend despite the miles of rugged shoreline ahead.

They continued onward for several hours, enduring the bland and chilly surroundings. Pangs of doubt again crept into both their minds, forcing them to wonder if they were merely chasing an illusion. If Ivy was already on the sea, each additional mile of their journey would make such a bitter outcome all the more heartbreaking. And if they didn’t find her soon, when would they admit to themselves that their efforts had failed?

After following a gentle curve along the shoreline, Nicholas noted a flash of familiar color in the gray light which purged such gloomy thoughts from his mind. He jumped off his horse and scrambled to the edge of the grasslands. Leo slowed his steed and trotted over toward him.

“What’s the matter, Nicholas?”

“Nothing’s the matter,” he said, reaching to the ground. “Luck’s finally joined us in the search!” He grinned, clasping Ivy’s scarf in his hand and joyously holding it up. “She’s left us a sign. We’re on the right track.”

“Then let’s not stop to celebrate,” Leo said. “Get back on your horse.”

They urged themselves forward through the slogging hours of the dreary afternoon, finding no more signs from Ivy as the air cooled and the clouds drifted slowly overheard like a mass of gray mountains. Occasional hoof prints or wheel tracks offered the only hint that they were still on the correct course. Nicholas sighed as they journeyed into another night, wondering if Ivy and her captors were traveling just as fast as he and Leo were as he watched the distant tips of the Trent Hills fade into darkness.