Clockwork Blue (82 page)

But if the situation with
Nicola
was as grim as his premonitions told him, he would most likely have to apply magic, which would cause him to lose his powers, he knew for a fact, for at least two months.
He didn't know how Nicola and Malcolm's happiness fit into the large scheme of the world, but never mind that. He only cared about Nicola.

As he caught the ribbon of rainbow to carry him to earth, he knew as well as he knew his musical scales that any sacrifice would be worth the assurance that
Nicola
and
Malcolm
would be safe and happy.

The evening sun slipped behind
the clouds as sounds of shouting reached
Nicola
where she sat inside
Toad and Hare
Inn. She would stay the night until the stagecoach came the next morning; then she would leave
Malcolm
and all the heartache he brought.
Hollowness
echoed in her at the thought, but she couldn
'
t bear to stay with him.

A woman hustled her children away from the window and the sounds of the growing ruckus outside. Glad for the diversion,
Nicola
rose from her chair and stepped outside to see the commotion. A mob had gathered a few yards down the street. Shattering glass cut the air. Men with axes splintered looms that had been dragged onto the street.

"
My lady?
"

She turned to see the innkeeper had followed and was wringing his hands. His
eyes
were round and large behind his spectacles as he looked at her.
"
I think you should come back inside. There are dangerous rogues out there, and you don
'
t want to get caught in the melee.
"

"
Just a little while, Mr. Hardegree. I
'
ll be careful.
"

He hovered nearby and shuffled his feet as she watched the fracas. Angry bellows mingled with the sounds of cracking wood. Someone lit a stack with a torch and the fire licked the night sky. Alarmed shouts followed the sound of hooves clunking on cobblestones. She turned to see the militia bearing down.

"
Arm yourselves, men!
"
a familiar voice shouted.

"
Ramsey?
"
she murmured, jerking her attention back to the mob. Horrified, she saw him, axe in hand, preparing to confront the riders.

"
No, Ramsey!
"
The clashing of metal and cries of the men drowned out her shout.

Her cousin dodged flying hooves. A militiaman vaulted from his horse, sideswiping him. As they grappled each other,
Nicola
ran inside the inn.

"
My lady, please, don
'
t do anything rash!
"
Mr. Harde
gree pleaded, dogging her heels.

"
I
'
ve got to help my cousin.
"
She searched for a weapon.

The rotund man rubbed his balding head.
"
But what can you do? You
'
ll get hurt!
"

"
Not if I can help it,
"
she replied. Anything, she would do absolutely anything to save Ramsey. She grabbed her umbrella and ran past the beleaguered innkeeper. Heart hammering, she bolted between scuffling men and dodged rearing horses, but where was Ramsey? She had lost him in the fray. Searching the crowd as men fled and chaos was all around her, she saw no sign.

"
Lass!
"
Glissando
yelled
.

She turned to see the green pixie flying toward her.
"
Thank the heavens you
'
ve returned!
"

He approached her, his face wreathed in worry.
"
What is happening? Why are
you
here
?
You
'
re supposed to be enjoying wedded bliss with the Falcon.
"

Yawning emptiness threatened to overcome her, but she concentrated on the trouble at hand.
"
Forget that. What are you doing here? I thought you couldn
'
t stay with me.
"

"
Never mind me—I
'
m worried about
you
. I just knew
you
were in trouble. I knew things weren
'
t right.
"

"
Oh,
Glissando
, now what? What can I do to help Ramsey? I can
'
t find him!
"

"
I
'
ll find him and use a flash
to guide
you
,
"
Glissando
responded.

"
A what?
"

"
Just look for a bright light,
"
he responded and flew down the street.

Nicola
ran after him, dodging men who struggled with each other.

"
Over here, lass!
"
Glissando
yelled
. A white light
flared
.

She looked in the direction of the beam and saw a uniformed man confronting Ramsey
who had a split lip but appeared determined, his fists raised. She ran toward them.

Suddenly a man ran toward
Ramsey
's back,
club
raised
.

"Tom Ryder,
no
!" Glissando cried
before a
spray
of red embers showered down on him
, making him cry out
.

No time to see what happened to the Caller.
Nicola
crashed
into her
cousin, knocking him out of the
mace's
path
.

The
weapon
hit her instead.

Bright p
ain explo
ded in her head
. A dark void surrounded the edges of her vision
. As she fell, she knew she would welcome the blackness of unconsciousness. It would be much more bearable than the blackness of a life without
Malcolm
'
s love.

Her wardrobe was practically empty.
Malcolm
stared at the lonely articles of clothing, dread welling in his throat. He
'
d been to Yorkshire to look at his mill, unable to stay at Windmere with
Nicola
the night before because he
yearned
for her too much. The distance hadn
'
t helped. Nor had he regained his coldness and equilibrium, as he
'
d been trying.

When he
'
d returned from his miserable trip, he hadn
'
t believed the housekeeper when she
'
d told him
Nicola
had left with luggage. But he should have. He knew that he
'
d hurt her by his inability to let go of his guilt. His inability to love her.

The rebellion had begun. He
'
d known about the uprising several days ago and that was why he
'
d arranged for Ramsey to be taken away; however, something was wrong. A deep foreboding clutched his whole being. Now, as the butler cleared his throat behind him, the premonition only increased.

"
My lord, the owner of the
Toad and Hare
Inn is in the kitchen, asking to speak with you.
"

Malcolm
didn
'
t say a word, but ran to the back of the mansion.

"
My lord?
"
A rotund man with spectacles shifted on his feet, his
eyes
huge, wringing his cap between nervous fingers.

Fear clutched Malcolm's heart
. A menacing sensation raced down his spine.
"
Have you seen my wife?
"

"
Yes
, Lady
Nicola
was at the inn. I tried to stop her from getting involved with the mob, but she saw her cou
sin and ran into the struggle. I'
m worried about her and thought you should know,
"
the innkeeper shouted after
Malcolm
, who was already running down the hall toward the
foyer
, the courtyard and the stables.

"
My lord,
"
Gaspar said from the courtyard a few feet away. The blood on his forehead confirmed that Ramsey had gotten away.

"
Stay here. Have Mrs. White bandage your head.
"
He knew where to find Ramsey. And where Ramsey was, he was certain he would find
Nicola
—if it wasn
'
t too late.