A Nightingale's Tale

Chapter Seven

The gates slammed closed behind the group of exhausted Guardians. One boy fell to his knees. Lydia didn’t think she had ever been so tired in her life. Her legs ached from trudging through the swamp for hours. She was covered in bug bites and bruises. Marcus and Andrew ran off immediately to inform the Elders what had been found. There was a large crowd gathered waiting for their return. Families and friends welcomed their Guardians home. No one was there to welcome her. Arabella would still have been working. Lydia swallowed her pride and started walking to the church. Marcus and Andrew were arguing a few feet down an ally.

“You’re really stepping over the line, Marcus. It’s not your place to make those decisions,” Andrew said.

“This is what needs to happen. I hope I have your support when we speak to the Elders.” Marcus sounded threatening.

“I will tell them exactly what happened, how it happened.”

“We’ll see.”

Andrew pushed his way past Marcus and back onto the street. Lydia hid behind a food cart. Marcus wasn’t far behind Andrew.

Lydia needed to hear what was being said about the group of creatures. She watched Andrew and Marcus go into the Great Hall, the chambers of the Elders were on the upper floors. She snuck around the building and found an open door. She heard their footsteps heading up the stone stairs. Once she heard a door shut, she followed up the stairs. She couldn’t hear them through the thick wooden door. She put her ear to the door of the chamber next to the one they were in, silence. She turned the door-handle, unlocked. She peaked her head in and saw no one. The room was dark with a desk and a few chairs, it was an Elder Brothers office. She shut the door as silently as she could and went to the balcony doors. Luckily, Rex’s balcony door was open to let in the night air. If she sat against the steel railing of the adjacent balcony, she could hear them clearly. The conversation had already started and was getting heated.

“We don’t know that they aren’t a threat!” Marcus yelled.

“They were disabled. one of the shifters looked like she couldn’t make the full transition. I think they were rejects, left for dead. They are no harm to us. We should give them a few weeks to collect themselves, then if they aren’t gone, be a little more abrasive.”

“We only saw a few of them, there could be more that aren’t sick or injured. For all we know there could be King’s men hiding in there waiting.”

“That’s ridiculous! Their leader was a child! He couldn’t have been more than eighteen. They’re refugees like we had been.”

“They are nothing like us,” Marcus spat. Lydia couldn’t see his face, but she knew how he looked. His eyebrows would be scrunched together, and the right side of his upper lip would be in a scowl. She had seen that face when the others were cruel to her, and Marcus had interjected.

“Enough, you two,” Rex stopped them, “Andrew, they have four weeks until Sebastian is back. Until then, we let them heal their sick and wounded. But as soon as Sebastian returns, they will leave or be removed.”

“We can’t wait…” Marcus started.

“Marcus, enough. Andrew, you’re dismissed.”

Lydia heard his footsteps followed by the slam of the wooden door. A few moments later she heard a hard smack as skin hit skin.

“Don’t you ever speak back to me, son.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I understand where you are coming from. Honestly, I agree with you. I would rather eradicate anyone that can cause us harm. But, many of the Elder’s believe in the preservation of magical lives, enough if they're defective. Son, one day you will sit here and make these decisions and when you do, you must realize that there are many hurdles that prevent progress. We lose a battle to win the war. Our main concern is preserving and protecting this coven. It’s not always a happy position to be in but I know you will make the difficult decisions that are coming. Decisions even I don’t think I could make. Times are changing, I wouldn’t have let a girl be a guardian if it weren’t for your in-put. I know you’ll do whatever it takes to protect us.”

“Of course, I learned everything from you.”

“And, I from you, here, have a drink, you deserved it.”

Lydia snuck off the balcony and down the stairs quick and quietly. The empty streets were welcome as she made her way to the church. She hated to hear Rex talk about her in anyway. But what she hated more was what Rex had turned his son into over the past few years. She missed the young, sweet Marcus that would let her change his hair color with magic spells. The boy that kissed her arm when she broke it and had to go to the Sanitatem for the first time. The boy that held her while she cried when he mother died. She didn’t think that boy was coming back, his father killed him long ago.

Lydia was startled as some yelled her name. She was almost back at the church and Arabella was standing in the doorway. Arabella gasped at the rough shape Lydia was in. Lydia was wobbling even more than she had been when they first got back. Arabella put an arm around her friend and helped her to the church. There were still people in the church praying. Roland was pouring a bowl of melted wax on a boy's arm at the altar. After the arm was covered in wax, he wrapped it in cloth for it to harden.

“Lydia, how was your first trip off the island? Did you find anything interesting?” Roland asked coming down from the altar.

“Roland, I’m not in the mood.”

“I’m being sincere.”

“Since when?”

Arabella was almost completing supporting Lydia at this point. All she wanted was to take a bath and go to bed.

“Did you see the port-door?” Roland gave her a sideways glance. Remembering the grand golden door shot adrenaline through her. She wanted to know everything about.

“Yes, I did. What do you know about it?”

“Why don’t you ask your fellow Guardians?”

Roland began unwrapping the boy's arm and pulling the wax cast off. Lydia saw his burnt arm, it looked like a spell burn. Roland told the mother of the boy sitting at a pew the instructions to care for his arm, which mostly consisted of praying to the health goddess. She paid him and took her soon away. There were still people that preferred prayer to the Sanitatem. Roland took the wax arm and walked to the back of the church, Lydia followed him. He went into a back room, that was once used as storage but now was his own healing room. Hundreds of wax limbs hung from the ceiling. Magic incense burned under different groups for certain ailments.

“What is your problem? Ever since I told you I wanted to be a Guardian you’ve either ignored me completely or have been negative or so sarcastic it makes me what to hit you and now you’re interested in what I’m doing?”

“You and I both know you don’t want to be a Guardian.” He turned away from her and found an empty hook and hung the wax arm.

Lydia started to argue with him, but she was too exhausted to deal with him. She walked back out to where Arabella was waiting in the chapel. She put her arm around Lydia again as if it say, “It’ll all be ok” and helped her up the spiraling stairs. As if her body new rest was near, her legs shook as she flung herself onto her bed.

A large copper bathtub sat in the corner of Lydia’s room. Arabella dropped heat stones into the conjured bath water. When the bath was warm Lydia sunk down into it, she didn’t even mind the mud that stuck to her clouding up the water. Arabella took a sponge, grown from one of the gardens, and washed her friend. Lydia felt like Arabella was scrubbing away all her worries and guilt. She so desperately wanted to tell Arabella everything from Emily to Onyx. Never in her life had she kept so many things from Arabella. The first time she had snuck out she intended on telling Arabella, but she never found the right moment. Then time got away from her as years went by and it no longer seemed feasible to tell her. She wasn’t sure if Arabella would forgive her if she knew Lydia had something to do with Emily’s reformation. She couldn’t lose her only real friend.

When the bath was a murky brown from the mud and cooling down. Lydia made her way out of the tub and back to her bed. She wrapped herself in a thick blanket and lay on the bed.

“What was it like? That’s all anyone’s been talking about today,” Arabella said she picked up dirty clothes form the floor, Lydia had been neglecting.

Astonishing, breathtaking, terrifying, beautiful, hopeful, desperate, she thought. It stirred feeling inside of her that not even Onyx could touch. Everything her mother had said was true and so much more. There were colors of greens, yellows, reds, that seemed to not be able to thrive inside their desolate walls. Sure, they had fruits and vegetable, but everything seemed to have more life within them when they aren’t caged. The trees seemed to beckon her to come deeper and live in their lush embrace. The smell of fear of the men around her was pungent and thrilling. She thrived in a world they feared to their core. Then there was the door. Seeing the door was like she had been reading the book for years and was never able to understand it but then something clicked in her brain and once she could finally understand it, the entire text changed her very being. And the creatures, the magician’s boy leader, the injured centaurs, the deformed shifter, and all the other misfits in the camp. How could she possibly say any of those things too sweet, innocent Arabella and have her understand?

“Different,” Lydia was all she could say.

“Oh, I bet. What I would give to see the outside of those walls,” Arabella said as she sat beside Lydia on the bed.

“You wouldn’t be scared?”

“What? No, it would be great. Getting to see something other than these damn gray walls. What was at the port-door?”

“How did you know we went there?”

“Oh please, something like that won't stay a secret long. People are saying a group of magical creatures came from the other realm and that it's no coincidence Anna went missing at the same time.” Arabella propped herself on one elbow and laid facing Lydia.

“Well, half of that is true. I don’t think they could be responsible for Anna going missing though.”

“Why?”

“They weren’t what I had expected. They were...different.” That word again. “They were fleeing the other realm and apparently some of them are injured. I doubt they would risk kidnapping someone.”

“There have been rumors that she found a way off the island.” Arabella rolled onto her back and played with a strand of her hair.

“How?” Lydia began to get nervous. If that rumor was going around, they would be monitoring much more.

“I don’t know. It's just gossip. A Guardian was running his mouth earlier saying that Anna hated Elder Samuel so much he wouldn’t have been surprised if she jumped from the wall.”

“How would she get up there?” The only stairwells, besides her tower, were constantly guarded.

“There are ways,” Arabella said, “There’s an old entrance in the Sanitatem that leads to a stairwell to the top of the wall. You could even climb out your window and get to the top of the wall pretty easily.”

Lydia didn’t like that being brought up even if it was hypothetical. “Marcus went with us,” Lydia changed the subject.

“I saw. I thought he was in Max’s group.”

“He is. I think he was following where I went. He acts like I owe him something for helping me with training.

“He has been acting odd.”

Lydia let out a sigh, “You should have seen him today. Marcus acted exactly like his father would, cruel and tyrannical. It’s like the old him is gone for good.”

“I’ve heard rumors that a few of the women from the Sanitatem have been caring for Rex secretly at night.”

“Is he sick?”

“I don’t know for sure but if he is, it makes sense why Marcus would start acting the way he has been.”

“I never thought about him being Rex so soon. I can’t imagine his father not being around. He’s the only reason I was able to compete to be a Guardian. I know Marcus was what convinced him, but without Rex’s approval, I wouldn’t be here.

“Marcus just wanted to spend all that extra time practicing with you.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. They both knew how Marcus felt about Lydia, but she figured if she acted clueless he would eventually move on.

“Oh, come on, it’s no secret he’s loved you since we were kids,” she began laughing, “You and Marcus will be a super Guardian couple one day with spoiled little children running around your huge house.”

Arabella was laughing but it bothered Lydia to think of a life like that. Lydia had always known that she would have to marry someday but she had never put much effort into the thought, other things always seemed much more important. She leaned off the bed and started putting her skirt on. She usually hated it but after her strenuous day, they felt like home. Her skirt no longer smelled of Onyx, but she could still feel him. She looked out the window to the shore wondering if he was thinking of her.

“What if I don’t want to?” Lydia said.

“Want to what?”

“Marry Marcus, or really anyone.”

“You don’t have much of choice. None of us do.”

“What about you? You’ve had many guys fall for you over the years, but nothing ever happened.”

Arabella didn’t respond. Arabella had had passing emotions for some the boys around the island, but Lydia never thought of her truly marrying one of them. She never showed any interest, at least not for longer than a few weeks. Yet, here they were wondering who they would be forced to marry in the next few years as the boys their age came into positions of power and could force them if they had to. Would they ever find love or end up like their mothers had and marry without choice? The image of a life as miserable as that sent shivers down Lydia’s back. She lay back down on her bed trying to change her imaginary future life.

“The laws are wrong,” Lydia said. Saying something like that aloud was bad enough to send her to reformation.

“What do you mean?” Arabella said.

“What if we never love one of them but instead had a desire for something entirely new?” A human would certainly be new.

“It doesn’t matter how we feel.”

“It should.” Lydia wanted to explain what she was implying to Arabella, the possibility of life off the island, and of Onyx, but it still held itself in her chest like a sip of water that had gone the wrong way, no matter how much she choked, it was still stuck. She felt if she said his name out loud, he wouldn’t exist in her fantasy life anymore but would be pulled into her real life where they could never be. She decided this small joy in their imprisoned life deserved to be shared with her best friend. She mustered the courage to finally tell Arabella the truth about where she had been sneaking off to when Arabella leaned in and pressed her lips against Lydia’s. Lydia’s heart jumped into her chest from shock. Arabella swept her hand across Lydia’s face. Lydia was too stunned to move.

A knock on the door had them both on their feet in seconds. Arabella opened the door and hurried past Kyle standing on the other side of the door.

“Bye, Ara,” he said, “What’s up with her?”

“I…” she stumbled over her thoughts.

He cut her off, “I just wanted to see how you were feeling.” He gestured toward her hand, still bandaged.

“I’m fine.”

“I got a little carried away today. I have no good reasoning behind how I acted. I put us all in danger, including you. I could never live with myself if something happened to you. Really, I’m sorry.”

He took her bandaged hand and kissed the top of it. Moments they shared like this reminded Lydia of when they were younger. Lydia, Marcus, and Arabella grew up practicing spells on each other. She longed for the days when they were inseparable and had no worries.

“You’re under a lot of pressure from your father. I know you wouldn’t let anything happen.”

“Thank you,” he said as he gave Lydia a sideways hug, “What was up with Ara? Why didn’t she stay for dinner?”

The smell of potatoes wafted up the stairs, dinner was ready. Lydia’s stomach growled at the remembrance of food. Lydia hoped the woman cooking tonight was the one that added hot spices to everything.

“Umm…I don’t really know.”

Lydia walked toward her bedroom door and Marcus followed as they made their way downstairs.

“Are you ok? You look, well I don’t know, stunned?”

“She just kissed me, I mean out of nowhere.” She blurted out before she even realized she had.

“What?” he almost laughed. He didn’t seem as shocked as Lydia had been.

“We were talking then she just did it.”

“Makes sense,” he said.

“What do you mean makes sense?”

“I mean she’s always been weird. Remember that guy, the one that worked at the garden, they were perfect for each other, and she completely ignored him for weeks. I think he’s married now. She’s never even dated, anyone.”

“Neither have I.”

“Yea but you’re.... different. You’ve been in training for years. No one dates while they’re training. It’s nearly impossible.”

“No ones even ever asked me, now that I think about it.”

Lydia wondered if that had to do with Marcus or her training and now that her training was over was her freedom over as well? Would she be expected to start dating soon, Marcus or other? Certainly not, Guardians had privileges no one else had, dating had to fall into that category, right? She hoped.

Marcus sat at one end of the dining table while Roland sat at the other. Lydia sat directly in front of the potatoes. The woman that had cooked the food for the evening thanked Roland and left. Marcus and Lydia went back and forth telling Roland the events of the day. They finished each other’s sentences and provided support for the other’s recollection of the day. It was like old times. It was as if they were a real functioning family having a good conversation.

“Refugees,” Roland said, “Things must be getting increasingly worse in the other realm. We haven’t had anyone come through that port-door since we got here. They must be truly desperate.” Gravy dripped on his patchy beard. He was already on his third glass of wine.

“Why haven’t more come to this side?” Lydia asked.

“No one else was hunted as savagely as we were,” Roland said, “They didn’t need to leave. Hell, they all wanted us gone! And now look at where they are, running from the same monsters we ran from.”

Roland finished his glass of wine and poured another one. He had barely touched his food, tonight would be another drunken stupor. But at least, he seemed to be in a good mood.

“We protected them. That’s what Guardians were originally, ya’ know. We kept the peace in the magical realm until he came along. Everyone sided with him saying we were prejudice against certain creatures. We weren't prejudiced, magicians are better than other creatures. That’s just fact. His men slaughtered our kind. They were infinitely more brutal than we ever were. Now there’s just us. At one time, there were hundreds of covens that followed the old laws. I knew it was only a matter of time before he turned on other creatures! Told ‘em, I did but no one listened to me.”

Roland was rambling. Of course, Lydia and Marcus had heard the tale of what happened to cause them to flee their homeland. Hundreds of years ago, the best fighters of different covens came together to be an authority force in the other realm and they called themselves Guardians. Before there were Guardians, different species of magical creatures were constantly fighting and killing each other, mainly for territory and prejudice. Guardians set rules for every species that covens had always followed. Obviously, not everyone liked the law enforcement which included belief systems. There were multiple rebellions against the laws, but magicians were much more powerful than most creatures, so they just had to submit to the will of the Guardians. That was until a section of covens, about three decades ago, broke away from the old laws and started their own new laws that didn’t worship the same Gods or have the same ritual or cultural rules. But their main purpose was to unite all magical creatures, no matter what race, as one unified group. Their goal was to live in harmony, which clearly hadn’t worked previously. In that rising came the self-proclaimed new King and through his rebellion many covens sided with him. He started by speaking in underground rebellion hideouts, preaching his ideas of unity, equality, and peace. In no time, he had thousands of followers, who took over major cities and covens easily. They showed no mercy to the Guardians and covens that believed the old laws, which included separation of species. Their coven, Covet, fled through a secret port-door created in case of an emergency where they hid on an invisible island in the human realm in order to secure their survival. Everyone in Covet knew this tale perfectly. It was performed by children on a stage every year after they finished their magic classes and start working toward their profession. It’s kind of a rite of passage and a show for the parents, like a graduation ceremony.

Dinner promptly ended when Roland spilled half a cask of wine on the remaining food.

“Thanks for having me,” Marcus said to Roland.

“Anytime boy!” Roland said as he tried to button his shirt back up.

Lydia walked Marcus through the church to the front doors.

“Do you want me to stay and help?” he asked.

“Stay? Curfew has already passed.”

“Things are changing, for me and for you.”

“What does that mean?”

“There are some things I’ve been meaning to talk to you about…”

She grew nervous, she didn’t want to have this conversation already.

“Can it wait? I’m exhausted and really need to get some sleep.”

He looked at her and sighed, “Sure, Lydia. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Night” she said and hurried him out the doors.

She watched him walk away from a small window off the side of the church, she wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to change his mind and turn around. When he was out of sight she happily retired to her room.

Many days were strange on the island but today had been one of the strangest she had encountered. The food had given her a second wind and she desperately wanted to see Onyx. She had felt strange going ashore and not seeing him. She had left her shutters open on her window and the icy air whipped around her room like a phantom. She cradled herself in her mother’s winter robe and placed blocking crystals at the base of the door, considering Guardians were still searching everywhere for Anna, she wanted reassurance no one was getting in. She lit a fire before she crawled out the window so when she returned from the mainland her room would be nice and warm. The sea was calm that night. The waves gently rocked her back and forth as she paddled along. When she got to shore she looked down the beach toward the port-door and the camp. From this distance, it looked as if the woods were empty, but she knew they weren’t.

It was a clear night, but the wind blew the trees, so they creaked and cracked against each other. She suddenly felt like she wasn’t the only one walking through this part of the forest. She hurried along the path. She heard footsteps following her. She turned around quickly, praecant ready, no one. She began to move faster and faster until she was in a run. Her breath was deep and loud as she pushed tree branches out of her way. She could feel it, it was close behind her, almost touching her. She placed her thumb over her praecant ready to spin mid-run and strike. She ran straight into a solid mass. Onyx was standing in front her. It was as if he had appeared before her, like magic.

“You scared me,” she spoke heavily in between breaths. She turned back around to the dark path. There was nothing there.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked.

“What are you doing out here?” she rebuttal.

“Kindling, for the fire.” He showed her his hand full of small sticks, “What about you?”

“I came to see you.”

“Good,” he said with a smile.

She relaxed, and he put his arm around her, she fell into him. Her mind danced around the word love, but she could ever land on it. Such a short word can’t describe how she felt. It wasn’t for the way he spoke or the way he looked at her. He made Covet disappear with a single look at her. He was so assertive and assured of himself that it made her feel more confident. If someone, as poised as him, saw something in her, there must be something fantastic about her that she can’t see herself, yet.

“I have to go to New York soon. You should come with me.”

She swallowed her thoughts. She wanted to go more than anything but, how could she? She immediately weighed the pros and cons. Cons, the instant she wasn’t in her room for more than a day, the Guardians would come to look for her. She knew Marcus would never stop looking. Plus, she would never leave Arabella alone. Roland’s already in terrible condition. Besides, she had worked so hard to be a Guardian. She was making real changes in the coven. One day everyone might be able to leave when they want. Someone had to be the first, it could be her. Pros, she would be with Onyx. She stopped reasoning with herself and buried her face in his chest.

“Not now but one day,” she said.

“Why not? I could show you all around the city. You would love the city at night.”

“One day.” She said forcefully. And immediately wanted to recoil.

“Soon,” he smiled at her, giving her reassurance.

He pulled her chin up, so he could level with her lips. He wouldn’t allow her to rebuttal anymore. He always had to have the last say. He slipped her shirt off right there in the yard. They moved into the living room where she lost more clothes. He assured her Edna was fast asleep because she hadn’t been feeling well. He didn’t hesitate with Lydia, she had to keep up. Slow and easy were not in Onyx’s vocabulary.

A few hours later they lay on a pile of clothes and blankets in the living room in front of a burning fire. Onyx poured glasses of wine and sat the bottle at their feet. The fire gave the bottle a dancing glow like a fairy trapped in a bottle.

“What are you doing in New York?” she asked.

“Work.”

“What kind of work?”

“Boring work,” he said kissing her.

This is how all their conversations ended. Anything personal she asked him, he would change the subject. She never prodded him about himself because she couldn’t, and wouldn’t, answer questions about herself, although he never seemed to ask. Their relationship was a mutual void of knowledge of the other.

After a few glasses and discussing different paintings around the room. His eyes fluttered with sleep. Lydia decided to get a new book from the library, so she slid her clothes on and left him in the pile of blankets, falling asleep to the crackling of the fire. She went down the hall where a bathroom, Edna’s room, the library, and a few smaller rooms were. She noticed the door across the library slightly ajar with a light on. She didn’t know this room was being used. There was only a desk with books, a chair, and one table lamp in the room. Lydia assumed Onyx must have been using it as an office. The book that was open on the desk caught her attention. The page that it was open to had an incantation and drawings of herbs. It was a grimoire. She hadn’t seen one since her mother was alive. All the grimoires of Covet families were locked up in a library only accessible to Elders. But her mother kept a copy of hers and constantly added to it in secret. It disappeared when her mother died, she assumed they had found it and locked it up with the rest. She flipped to the front pages looking for a family name. Dark lines covered over where a name once was. Did he know she was a magician? There was no way this could be a coincidence. There was a sinking feeling in her gut that told her, something wasn’t right. She had always followed her gut feeling and it had never let her down before. The feeling she had now, was dark and deceitful.

She didn’t know what to do and in a panic, she snuck out the back door in the kitchen. As she ran through the woods she felt like he would jump out from behind a tree at any moment. She didn’t waste any time getting back to the island. It was strange how much she feared Onyx in that moment. She wasn't sure why she ran from him, but she had too many questions to be able to face him without asking them. She didn't like the thought that he knew so much about her when she knew absolutely nothing about him.

She was calmer once she was back in her warm room. A loud yell from downstairs broke her from her relief. She changed into a new set of clothes and hurried down the stairs. Louise, Arabella’s mother was screaming at Roland in the chapel.

“There you are!” Roland said rushing to her, “I’ve been banging on your door for hours.”

“I…I didn’t know,” Lydia said trying not to look guilty.

“How is it possible you didn’t hear me?”

“She was with them! She knew all along. She trusted you!” Louise yelled. She coughed and had to support herself on a pew. She pulled out a stained handkerchief and muffled her coughing. Lou wasn't supposed to be out alone, ever since she was sent to live in the ailing house.

“What are you talking about?” Lydia asked.

“Were you in your room?” Roland asked.

“Yes of course…I…I had trouble getting to sleep, so I took a remedy Arabella gave me. It must have been stronger than I thought.”

“Your room was magically locked.”

“I know I did that before I went to sleep. I didn’t want to be bothered. I needed sleep. I must have forgotten to unlock it. What’s going on?”

Louise had sat on one of the pews and was sobbing into her handkerchief. A long silver chain, with a fairy at the end, swung in front of her face to the floor, Arabella’s necklace.

“Lou, where is she?” Lydia asked.

“You tell me!” Lou yelled again bringing up deep coughs from her chest.

“Lydia, Ara was taken tonight,” Roland said placing himself between the two.

“What are you talking about?”

“Guardians took her. I didn’t even know about this. Then you weren’t in your room. I thought…”

Roland was talking faster than Lydia could compartmentalize what she was hearing.

“That’s impossible. I saw her just before dinner.”

The kiss. Marcus. He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t, but it had to be him, he was the only one that knew anything damning enough to get Arabella taken. The words she had said to him the night before bubbled in her stomach. She lurched forward and almost vomited. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t, she kept repeating to herself. There was no way he would have mentioned what she told him to anyone. The three of them had all been so close their whole lives.

Lydia knelt down in front of Ara’s sobbing, wheezing mother, “Lou, stay here I’m going to find out what happened. Keep her here until I return.”

Roland leaned his back against a pew as if the stress made it so he couldn’t hold himself any longer. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it from his eyes. She could tell he had been crying. He looked much younger than he had in years in that moment. The wrinkles on the corner of his eyes seemed to stretch thinner. Concern sat on his forehead. He looked like he had something important to say. She looked at him for a few more moments and when he didn’t say what was on his mind, she turned toward the front doors of the church.