“Don't give up just yet,” I told him.
He did not reply. I put him down on the pile of straw, then sat next to him, my back to the wall and my sword balanced across my knees.
I fished the first Trump out of the pouch at my belt, the one showing my room. A couple of thin blades of light came in through cracks in the door. I tilted the Trump until I could see I clearly and began to concentrate.
It should have come to life before me, but it didn't. I felt…
So much for my first backup plan. I put the Trump away. Before I could try creating a Pattern-Trump of my own, the light faded away, leaving me in complete darkness… no way to see or draw a new Trump.
I sighed. That just left my father.
It shouldn't be long now. It shouldn't be long at all…
Chapter 28
After what seemed a lifetime, I felt the familiar sensation of someone trying to reach me via my Trump. I opened my mind and reached out.
Dworkin appeared before me, framed by the white walls of the cottage. My wine-sketched Trump lay behind his left shoulder.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“In a cell with Taine. Take us out?”
He nodded and extended his right hand. “Come on.”
I picked up my brother's limp body, reached out to Dad, and he pulled us both through to the cottage. As the dark cell disappeared, I couldn't help but grin.
“Thanks,” I said. “I've been waiting for you.”
He glanced at the sword in my hand. “They did not disarm you, I see. What happened?”
“It was a trap,” I said.
I carried Taine into the bedroom and set him down on the bed. He stirred a moment, then lay still. He looked worse in the bright light than he had in the cell. Still, he was tough or he would have died long before this.
“They locked me up when I went into Taine's cell,” I continued. “I tried to get out with one of Aber's Trumps, but they must have spells that prevent the Logrus from working, I think, like in Juniper.”
“Interesting,” he said.
“They haven't figured out yet that you're no longer using the Logrus.”
Dworkin chuckled. “You know too much, my boy! Good thing they did not question you.”
He looked over my brother's injuries briefly. “Dehydration and loss of blood, I think. Starvation. The wounds look worse than they really are. Get him something to drink.”
“Water…” gasped Taine suddenly.
I looked in the next room, but only found the half bottle of wine I hadn't finished. I poured him a glass and held his head up while he took tiny sips.
He finished it all, then lay back and seemed to go to sleep—or pass out.
“What should we do with him?” I asked. “Do you know any safe Shadows, where they can't possibly reach him?”
“I have a better idea.”
He produced a new Trump and handed it to me. It showed the library of our house in the Beyond. The paint glistened; it hadn't been made long before.
“Take him to Freda. She will nurse him back to health. Home may be the best place for them all right now. I can't think of a safer one.”
“Aber and Freda put up spells to shield it,” I said.
“I know,” he said. “So have I. Get going.”
“Then what? When will I see you again? You said you needed my help.”
“I do. I will.” He nodded. “I will contact you soon. I have one quick errand first…”
Scooping up Taine, I studied the Trump until the library grew before me. Scrolls, books, the table…
I stepped through and found myself in the room. Fenn and Aber were seated at the table, talking. They leaped to their feet, looking surprised—and happy.
“Is that Taine?” Aber cried.
“Yes.”
“How“
“I rescued him,” I said simply.
I deliberately didn't mention our father's role in the adventure—if they knew too much, they might be considered conspirators with Dworkin and me, and punished accordingly. That was the moment I realized I
“Let me give you a hand,” Fenn said. He took Taine from my arms.
Aber and I followed him out and up the stairs to the floor where we all had rooms. He knew Taine's door, and the face carved in it let us all in without any question. It seemed they could adapt to emergencies when they had to.
Anari suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking concerned.
“Lord Taine?” he asked. “Is he—”
“Alive but unconscious,” I said. “Find Freda and tell her to get in here. Then get us warm broth and lots of water. I don't think he's eaten in weeks.”
“Yes, Lord.” Anari turned and ran down the hall.
I returned to the bed. Taine began to stir and opened his eyes a little as Fenn put pillows behind his head.
“I dreamed…” he whispered.
“Try not to think about it,” Aber said. “The important thing is that you're here and you're safe.”
Freda appeared. “What is this about?” she demanded. Then she saw Taine and hurried forward, pushing Aber and Fenn to one side.
“I think,” Aber said, drawing me out to the hall, “that you have a story to tell us.”
I chuckled. “It's going to have to wait. I'm exhausted, and I'm going to bed. Call me if we're attacked, otherwise…”
“But your meeting with Locke! What happened?”
“It wasn't Locke,” I said simply. “He told me where to find Taine before I killed him. Then I went and got him. It's that simple.”
Port swung my door open as I approached.
“No one,” I said after he closed, “is to come in here until I wake up. Especially not brothers, sisters, or beautiful half-dressed women!”
“A very wise decision,” said Port, sounding happy at last.
I couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours before I felt rough hands shaking me.
“What now?” I groaned. If this was Aber, using yet another of his seemingly endless supply of Trumps, I'd strangle him.
But it was not Aber. It was my father.
“Get dressed, quickly and quietly,” he said. “We're leaving. I told you I needed your help. The time has come.”
