Thorns of Decision (Dusk Gate Chronicles) (13 page)

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Linnea sighed as William and Quinn followed her father down the hallway, wondering what in the world was going on
now.
She’d been waiting as patiently as she could for them to return, and now there was something
else
going on that she wasn’t a part of.

She raised an eyebrow at how closely her brother walked behind Quinn, almost as if he were ready to catch her if she stumbled.
She’d seen the subtle way that things had changed between the two of them when they’d first brought Thomas home from Philotheum, and she wondered how much more things had changed while they were in Quinn’s world.

After Philotheum, Will had no longer kept his distance from Quinn – no longer spouted off his ridiculous assertions about “letting” her get “too involved” in their world, that by being torn between the two worlds, she’d get hurt in the end. As if any of that was up to any of them, anyway. She’d met Quinn. That girl was going to do what she was going to do.

Not that he was fooling anyone in the first place. Linnea and Thomas had spent countless evenings gossiping about it while Will was in Bristlecone, and wondering when he was going to wake up and realize how he really felt about Quinn.

It had been obvious from the first night the girl had arrived at the castle. Careful, observant, meticulous Will
not noticing
that a girl was following him closely enough to find the gate?
Right
. Really, it had been clear that something was up with this girl from the first time he’d ever mentioned her.

He’d talked about girls in Bristlecone before, come home and told everyone stories about the ones who tried to get his phone number, or who asked what he was doing over the weekend. That question was always good for a laugh around the fire in the evening, because wouldn’t the unfortunate girl be surprised if he told her the answer?
“Wanna come over to dinner with my family in a different world? I’ll bet you’ve never been inside a castle before. Don’t worry – I’ll take you back home after we keep you for a couple of weeks.
”

But when Will had first brought up Quinn Robbins, said he’d noticed her around a lot lately, and he’d been wondering if she was watching him, it had been different. When Thomas had teased him about his “new secret girlfriend,” Will hadn’t laughed. He’d been defensive of the girl – insisting that she was only curious, not like the others – that she didn’t have a crush on him.

And once they’d all met Quinn, and seen William around her, it had become quite clear that he truly wasn’t worried that she had a crush on him. Although he’d never admit it even to himself, his real worry was that she
didn’t.

She had never before seen Will the way he behaved when he’d first brought Quinn home with him. The girl had fallen on her way, and William had needed to stich up her leg. She’d arrived at the castle unconscious from a rare reaction to the valoris seed he’d given her to help her relax.

That night, William had refused to go into Quinn’s room to check on her – making Nathaniel take care of her instead. He’d acted angry – at the girl for being so persistent, and at himself for “not seeing” her. He’d excused his refusal to attend to her by saying she’d be more comfortable with Nathaniel, whom she already knew.

Linnea and Thomas, though, had both seen it for what it really was. Quinn made him nervous, in a way that no other girl had done before. They’d talked about it that first night, huddled together in the family room playing choice, wishing Will would get over himself and join them. They’d learned to give him his space, though. The next morning he’d still been in his huffy mood, and had run off somewhere to blow off steam.

Thomas had been taken with the girl right from the beginning, too. So much so that Linnea had been
dying
to meet her, and frustrated that she’d had to wait until after breakfast the next day. Actually, Thomas had tried to get her to give the girl privacy for longer than that, but she hadn’t been able to hold off. And once she’d met Quinn, she couldn’t blame her brothers. She’d loved her instantly, too.

Although Thomas would have gladly pursued the girl himself under different circumstances, it was on her second night in Eirentheos, as Linnea and Thomas danced together, that Thomas suddenly stopped, and nodded toward William and Quinn, who were dancing after being goaded into it.

“Someday,” Thomas had said, “someday, that girl is going to be our sister. And I will do whatever I have to do to make the two of them realize it sooner than later.”

That night, Linnea had just smiled and nodded. Tonight, she was anxious to find out just how much those two had realized.

Curious and excited as she was, though, her thoughts were on Thomas right now more than anything. She knew her mother needed some time alone with him, but there was only so much Linnea was willing to give her. She’d been separated from her twin far too much lately.

Before Thomas had left to go to Bristlecone, she had battled with her parents over going with him. Although her hopes hadn’t been high that they would agree, she’d been flabbergasted at how vehemently they’d refused. She hadn’t even gotten to use any of her well-planned arguments.

Her parents had been sorry; they knew how difficult it was for her to be away from Thomas. Her mother, especially, was aware of the anxiety that sometimes overtook Linnea, the feeling that she would sometimes get that something wasn’t right.

But their answer had been so absolute, coordinated, unwavering, that it had made Linnea wonder what else was going on that she didn’t know about. Surely she was old enough now – she was almost of age – that she could be trusted not to violate the secret of the gate. There had to be more to it than that. And now she wondered if this “private” conversation that Will and Quinn were having with her father had anything to do with it.

She would find out, and she would find out
soon
. But first, she was going to have to address the anxious twisting in her stomach that had been there since Thomas had gone back to Bristlecone – she needed to see Thomas again.

Linnea hurried to the kitchen and asked one of the servants there to have three trays sent up to Quinn’s room – that was probably where they would head after they’d finished whatever they were doing. Then she asked for some soup and bread for Thomas and after that, she practically ran back up to her brother’s room.

Inside, the room, it was quiet. Her mother was sitting in a chair next to Thomas’ bed, stroking his hair. He was still wide awake, but he looked a little more relaxed than he had been a few minutes ago.

“Hey, T,” she said, approaching the bed and taking hold of his hand.

He smiled. “My Nay-Nay. I’m glad you came back in. I missed you.”

“You have no idea,” she said. “I know it was only a couple of days for you, but I wasn’t ready to have you away from me like that again.”

Her mother caught her free hand and squeezed it.

Thomas opened his mouth. For a second, she thought he was going to argue, give her some stupid, teasing, Thomas-style platitude, but then he looked into her eyes and he just nodded. “I know, sweetheart.”

Tears dripped down her cheeks and off her nose as she leaned in to lay her head on his chest, careful not to bump or jostle him. Although she had known he was safe and being taken care of in Bristlecone, the last thirty days had been far too much of a reminder of the time he really had been missing, that they hadn’t known where he was.

Linnea had worried every minute of that time that he wasn’t okay. She’d tried to brush it off, the anxious feeling that had sat in the pit of her stomach and wouldn’t budge. Every morning she had awakened, hoping that he’d be in his room and it would have all just been a bad dream.

Even when he finally had come home, he wasn’t okay. Her beautiful, loving twin brother, who would never hurt anyone, who protected those he loved with a fierce, unwavering determination, had been so brutally beaten. It was devastating.

And during these last thirty days that he’d been gone again, that feeling had come back. She knew it was irrational, that he was okay, and that the surgery he was having would ultimately make things so much better for him. But that feeling had a life of its own, and only now, with her head against his chest, feeling him breathing in and out, could she keep that nightmare at bay.

 “Do you want William with you while we have this conversation, or would you prefer to speak to me in private?”

Although Quinn considered the question for a moment, there was no real decision. “He knows as much as I know already,” she said. “He can stay.” She and William were sitting on one couch in a small sitting room, and Stephen was on another sofa, directly across from them.

For the first time since she had met him, the man in front of her didn’t look like a king. Sitting there on the sofa, wearing a purple sweater and gray slacks, hollowed out cheeks, and an expression of worry mixed with apology, he didn’t look like the ruler of a kingdom. He looked like a father.

He studied Quinn’s face for what felt like a long time before he spoke. “So your mother told you.” It wasn’t a question.

She shook her head. “My mother isn’t speaking to me right now. Nathaniel told me.”

Stephen’s eyes grew wide for a moment, and then he nodded. “How much did he tell you?”

“That my father was his brother – that he’s really my uncle.”

Stephen was silent again, clearly considering his next words.

“He said there was more to it that he wasn’t telling me. I’m going to guess that you won’t tell me, either?”

Though she didn’t know how it was possible, his expression grew even more apologetic. “I’m sorry. I can’t, Quinn. I’ve made promises …”

“Promises to my mother? What does that even matter when I find out she’s been hiding something like this from me? I just found out that my father was from a different world, and my mother has been keeping that a secret from me for my entire life! How much worse could it get?”

Stephen’s expression turned soft, and suddenly he was off his couch, kneeling in front of Quinn. “Precious girl, it doesn’t get
worse
than that. The only thing worse than finding it out is the fact that there are those of us here who have always loved you, and we’ve been missing you this whole time.”

She was taken aback by the sadness and apology on his face, and she allowed him to take her hands in his. He stared at her for what felt like a long time, long enough for her to see the truth of his feelings, even if he wasn’t telling her the whole story. Stephen reached up and ran his hand down the side of her face. “Whatever else happens, Quinn,” he said, “please know that we always loved you, and every decision we ever made came first and foremost from our need to love and protect
you
.”

Quinn had no idea how to respond to that, but she nodded, and Stephen retreated back to his spot on the other couch.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me, Father?” William asked.

“What were we supposed to tell you, and keep the secret safe? Knowing something like that would have put an enormous burden on you. Alone in a world with her? It would have been too hard.”

“But why keep it a secret from me in the first place?” Quinn demanded. “Especially after I found the gate? Why does my mom get to make all of the decisions?”

Stephen shook his head. “First of all, Quinn, remember how difficult this must be for Megan. She lost her husband so suddenly, and then she was left alone with you. I know it was hard for her to think that at any time, someone from here could decide to just snatch you away, or something.”

Her eyes widened. “But you would never do that.”

“No, of course Charlotte and I wouldn’t have done anything like that, and nor would Nathaniel, but she had no reason to trust that. Secondly, the decision was not hers alone. Your father never intended for you to know everything either, not before you were of age.”

“Why?”