The Gathering (71 page)

They turned as they saw the door open and Beverly and Elena walked in.

"Hello, Children… hello, Christopher.
 
How are you feelin'?"

Chris smiled.

"Hey, Bev, Elena… I'm fine.
 
I keep telling everyone that, but no one believes me.
 
I feel good, just tired."

Brian looked up at Beverly and Elena.

"Does he look different to you?"

They looked at Brian and then over at Chris who sighed and put his head back.
 
Bev cocked her head and looked at Chris.

"Yes, I suppose he does.
 
He looks… older."

Elena nodded as Kaley and Sara looked at their brother.
 
He did look older.
 
There was an air of experience about him now.
 
The scars from the battle were like lines of wisdom.
 
Kaley could now see her baby brother for the man he was and not the little boy she had always known.

Chris was getting tired and Amanda's weight was beginning to make him sore.
 
He raised his eyebrows to Kaley, who was brought back.
 
She walked over and gently picked up Amanda, who tried to grab at Chris.
 
Bev touched her head and she took out her thumb and looked at Bev with large eyes.

"It's time to let him rest now, Little One.
 
He's still weak, but he'll be back home with you very soon."

Bev started to take her hand back, when Amanda grabbed it and kissed it.
 
Bev stroked Amanda's cheek.

"Now, now, none of this."

Elena smiled.

"Ok, who wants to have an éclair, on me?"

All the kids jumped up and waved their good-byes to Chris as they followed Elena out the door.
 
Sara and Rebecca shrugged and nodded as they each leaned over and kissed Chris good-bye as well.

After the children had left and Bev and Kaley were about to leave, Chris leaned forward.

"Ok, now that the little ones are gone, I need some answers."

Kaley turned, followed by Bev.

"What do you mean?"

Chris sighed and looked at Kaley.

"I mean, what's happened since I've been asleep.
 
I don't remember much after Rona stabbed me, just images of people running and Tanner helping me to the Hall.
 
Where is everyone?
 
I mean mom and Tanner and Coeli and Alisha.
 
Why haven't they been here?
 
And what about Hannah?
 
Did anyone get her?
 
Did they capture Rona?"

Bev and Kaley looked at one another and then at Chris.
 
The pain of those that they had lost, and those they still might lose, now overshadowed the joy at his return to health.

They sat beside him and answered his questions.
 
Then they held him as he wept.
 

106

"I say we keep half the soldiers back about a mile.
 
That way, if something happens to the rest of us, there's still a chance that they can get the kids out."

Alia now listened to Connie as she had Myron and several of the others.
 
The afternoon sun was high in the sky and getting brighter.
 
She took her canteen from around the horn of her saddle and drank slowly and deliberately.
 
Then she capped it and hung it back over the horn.

"I agree with holding several of the troops back, but that also means holding back several of the leaders," Alia said.

"I'm going with you."

Myron stared ahead and Alia sighed.

"At this point, I just need a leader to stay back."

No one would look at her.
 
She shook her head and then she saw Vance riding back far enough to not be involved in the conversation, but close enough to hear it all.

He looked up at her and nodded.
 
She felt her sorrow try to climb back up, but she pushed it down.

"Vance and Connie will hang back."

"Ah, c'mon!!"

Alia turned and looked at Connie.

"There will come a point where either we'll need your help or we'll need you to carry on where we failed.
 
I trust that the two of you will do that."

Connie looked away, but nodded.
 
Alia looked back at Myron.

"I'll need you to separate the troops, Myron, those that’ll come with us and those that’ll wait with Vance and Connie.
 
Also, we need to formulate some kind of attack plan."

Molly Creegan moved forward.

"Your Majesty?
 
They know we're coming, right?
 
That means that they'll be waiting for us."

Grant looked at Molly.

"What's your point, Molly?"

"Well, since some of us are staying behind and others are going forward.
 
I think we should walk through the front gate."

"That's suicide!!"

"I know it seems that way, President Hearst, but really… I think they out number us and the fastest way in is to put up as little fight as possible and be captured."

Jones piped up.

"What Creegan is trying to get at is that we don't think they'll kill us, at least not right away.
 
They told Her Majesty that she needed to get there by the Mourning Moon, right?
 
Well, I'm sure that they know she wouldn't come alone and they might need us for something.
 
The odds are in our favor."

Molly looked back at Alia.

"I've seen this castle in my dreams, Highness, and we won't succeed by sneaking in or fighting our way in.
 
It'll have to be by them taking us in."

Alia looked to the sky.
 
No ravens anywhere.
 
She needed a sign.
 
Myron sighed and shook his head.

"I don't like it."

"Me either, but she has a point.
 
Larry?
 
Grant?
 
What do you think?"
 
Alia asked.

Larry rubbed his neck and shrugged.

"I don't know.
 
We don't know the layout and we don't know how many they are.
 
I guess it makes sense."

"Well, it's a good thing we're hanging back, because you guys'll be dead in the first five minutes."

Grant looked over at Connie.

"Way to stay positive."

"I'm just saying… "

"I don't think we have a choice.
 
Molly's right… I'm sure we're outnumbered and they'll have us soon enough," Alia sighed.

Grant was nodding.

"Now we just have to decide who's staying and who's going."

Alia rode silently as the voices around her faded.
 
They would be there soon.
 

107

 
Elian rode silently as he watched Ian and Scott.
 
Their skin was pale, but they seemed alert.
 
They had moved fairly quickly and were now fairly close to the Fail.

"If you guys need to stop for any reason, just let me know."

"Hey, El?"

Elian turned and looked at Scott.

"How come you volunteered to take us home?"

Elian looked forward and sighed.

"No one else was going to and you needed to get back.
 
Sometimes you have to put faith in someone else's ability to get done what you would have liked to do yourself.
 
I have to trust that they'll bring Albion home."

"You've changed, you know?"

Elian looked back over at Scott.

"What do mean?"

Scott shrugged.

"You're more real now."

"Yeah… "

Ian was nodding.
 
Elian looked ahead.

"I don't know what you mean."

Ian and Scott looked at each other, assuming they had offended Elian who kept staring straight ahead.
 
Then they looked at him and he turned to look back.
 
Then he shrugged.

"No, really, I don't know what you mean."

Scott smiled as Ian shifted in his saddle.

"He means that you've started to care more about determining who a person is by their actions rather than their belief system.
 
You're not judging anymore."

Elian nodded as he thought to himself.
 
Scott winced slightly and grabbed his side.
 
Elian turned to look at him and stopped their horses.
 
He moved Scott's hand and saw that the seal Alia had given Scott's wound was beginning to split again.

Elian looked in his bag and then jumped off his horse.
 
He pulled out a length of bandage and some aloe extract.
 

"Hold still, Scott.
 
This seam is starting to open again."

Elian dabbed the extract on the open wound and then packed it with gauze.
 
Then he began to wrap the bandage around Scott's waist.
 
He winced slightly and gritted his teeth.

"I'm fine, really…"

Elian looked up at him.

"Yeah, we know…"

"No, Sara's in my head… she knows I've been hurt."

Elian tied up the bandage and let Scott breathe.
 
Scott smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, El… again."

"You're welcome.
 
You can hear Sara in your head?"

"Yeah, it happened that night that thing was in my head.
 
I just knew what she was thinking and feeling.
 
It was weird, but it felt right, like it was the way it should be, ya know?"

Elian smiled.

"No, but I'm sure I will one day."