Chapter 102: I Found Them

Chapter 102: I Found Them

Is there any news? Ilyana sounded cautious. Tori sat on her bed, legs crossed, and papers spread around her. Sketched copies of maps had grids drawn over them and each section that was searched had been shaded in lightly.

Other papers were charms that were drying for additional energy to help the fatigued knights to keep up their strength. There were two open notebooks with various scribbles shed written down to try to collect and organize her thoughts.

Tori hadnt left Duchess Tetris winter cabin since they arrived two days ago, but she was tired.

No, she replied in a strained voice. Duke Tetris team finished a sweep of the towns and villages surrounding Lake Glass. Theyre going to start backtracking and checking the small foot and horse paths. Lake Glass was the most remote of the large resort lakes in the area and at a slightly higher elevation than the others.

It had taken two days for Duke Tetri and his people to comb through the towns around the lakes and no one had seen a trio of teenagers matching the descriptions of Alessa, Dimitri, or Montan. She supposed it made a bit of sense; the protagonist and love interests had to physically stand out, and be unique and special.

Sebastian and their knights swept through the forests around the main roads, hoping to find clues that could lead to the missing teens or the carriage that they took. Her brother was growing frustrated; they hadnt found anything yet.

Neither Baron Hart nor the Guthrys had gotten hold of Alessa and Dimitri. They were calling almost hourly, and no one was answering.

Tori had spent half an hour the night before trying to calm and reassure Madam Guthry. The Prime Minister had taken a leave to join the search for his son and Madam Guthry was left in Horizon. The friends and family members who tried to comfort her no longer had any words, and so Madam Guthry called her to ask about the search.

Tori didnt have much to say either, but couldnt bring herself to be upset at the woman.

What about the roads back to Horizon? Ilyana asked.

We have people in the large towns and cities along the roads. Duke Sinan has sent a few of his people to guard the checkpoints in case the trio arrive, Tori answered. Duchess Tetri had called Duke Sinan and he complied because the Prime Ministers son was missing. Anlar also has guards along major checkpoints and its ports.

You dont think they left the continent, do you? Ilyana almost choked out something unthinkable.

Tori let out a low breath. Not on purpose. No one wanted to think of the possibility that the three had been kidnapped enroute to wherever they were going, but it lingered in their heads.

Dimitri was the Prime Ministers son; he was a walking target, though the motive of a kidnapping could only be speculated.

Its been almost a week since they left her hometown, Ilyana said. The roads leading out of the region were checked within three days, how far could they have gone?

They could have traveled off road. Tori looked at a quickly sketched copy of a topographical map from Duchess Tetris library. It had marked footpaths that hunters and others who made a living in the forests used.

And no one has seen the carriage? Carriages dont simply disappear, Ilyana said, almost bitter.

The last place they were sighted was on a country road, by farmers along the road. They had stopped to rest and someone matching Guthrys description asked for water, Tori said. After that, they continued on, but never made it to the lakes.

Inns, taverns, and homesteads along the route had been questioned. Alessa and her party didnt stop anywhere to spend the night. Tori wasnt sure if this was because of finances or if they were simply pushing forward and didnt want to waste time.

Which didnt make sense to her. Alessa was angry at her father, not afraid. It wasnt as if she were fleeing in fear.

Tori, Ilyana said, her voice quiet. What do you think happened to them?

Tori swallowed hard and shut her eyes for a moment. I dont know.

The crystal ring around her comcry began to pulse, indicating that someone else was calling her. Ilyana, I have another call. If anything happens, Ill let you know. Please remember to feed Alexander.

I will. Dont strain yourself, Tori. Youre doing what you can.

Which isnt much if Im being honest. I know. She slid her finger back and forth across the crystal. Hello?

We found the carriage. Sebastians voice didnt carry a hint of excitement and the moment Tori heard it, her stomach sank.

Her own voice was breathy as one hand clawed on to her lap. Where?

Three hours ride from the cabin, up one of the mountain passes overlooking a feeder river, her brother replied in a steady, emotionless voice. It was hidden by the canopy. We wouldnt have seen it if someone didnt notice the broken branches along the side of the mountain.

Toris eyes narrowed. Why was it hidden?

It fell off the path and down the side of the mountain, into a ravine. The carriage wheel looked to have broken off and the driver lost control. It broke apart on the descent.

Tori felt a chill sweep over her body. Sebby.... She opened her mouth, but the question she wanted to ask didnt come out.

Its all right, Tori, Sebastians voice softened. There were no passengers.

She drew her head back and knit her brows together. This was good news, but at the same time, vexing. The carriage was empty?

There were a few personal items, but there was no one in the carriage. No blood, no ripped pieces of clothing, no signs of distress. Sir Alvarez believes that the carriage was already empty when it lost control and fell.

Tori lifted her hand and rubbed her chest. She was relieved, but this only deepened the mystery. What about the driver?

There was no driver. Of the two horses, one went down with the carriage. It was still attached to the harness. Sir Montez estimates its been dead for a few days.

She closed her eyes once more and grit her teeth. Was the broken wheel an accident?

Duke Tetri is on his way to inspect it. This is his specialty. Well be here for a few hours, waiting for him, Sebastian told her.

Tori nodded. Should I tell the Baron and the Prime Minister?

No, we dont have enough answers. I want Duke Tetri to find out the reason the carriage ended up down the side of the mountain. As of right now, we are certain that your classmates were not present when it fell. Sebastian hesitated. Idunn is with some knights following the path to try to find out where the carriage was coming from. The path leads away from the lakes.

Then it was coming back?

I can only guess, Sebastian said.

Tori gritted her teeth and shifted her legs out from underneath her. She ignored the pins and needles feeling, and crawled over the papers in front of her. Where did you say you were?

Three-hour horse-back ride northwest of the cabin, Sebastian told her. He paused once more. On the topographical map, Id say grid square 21.

Tori pulled a large sheet of paper forward and ran a finger down the surface. The square surrounded a stretch of mountain pass. She followed the lines that represented the pass. It was a minor road and didnt seem to lead anywhere except further up the mountain.

The fuck were they doing up a mountain? Watching the sunrise? Singing kumbaya and having a moment after spilling their guts? All right, she said with a nod to herself. Please let me know what Duke Tetri finds out.

I will, Sebastian said. And I know you were up late last night and were up early helping prepare food for the knights. Get some rest. Sir Aguilar and Iturralde are taking shifts to guard you. Benedict is there, too.

Tori nodded. I know.

The call ended and Tori scooted off the bed to get to a desk where shed placed most of her things. The cabin was quite large for a retreat cabin that was only used in winter for skiing: three levels and spanning the area of a large house. There was also an adjacent wood house and a covered overhang with a stable for horses and a space for two carriages.

The ground floor was for dining and entertaining, but there was a suitable kitchen where Tori tried to do her part to support the search parties by preparing food they could bring. As much as it frustrated her, she couldnt do much else, but cook and be a glorified phone operator.

She didnt have the riding skills to keep up and join them in the physical search.

She didnt have the training for tracking people, either.

And her attempts to find Dimitri through the lapis lazuli were useless. Madam Guthry had given the crystal to Dimitri as a good luck talisman for his exams, but she didnt know if he brought it with him when he left. Tori couldnt remember seeing it attached to his bag, like it was meant to be.

There was a chance that Dimitri couldve just accepted it as a symbol of encouraging sentiments from his mother, but later tossed it into a drawer to be forgotten.

However, even if he did have it on him, he was too far away for her to find.

Her reach wasnt enough.

Tori rummaged through a bag carrying writing utensils, papers, more maps, and dug out a compass. She walked back to the bed and picked out the topography map and placed it on the floor. She knelt over it and measured out the distance from the cabin to the area where the carriage was found.

To her, it was about ten to fifteen miles away. Tori then measured the distance to the end of that mountain pass. Give or take another two to three miles. From there, Tori made a circle and then sat back on her legs.

Fuck.

Even with crystals and charms supporting her to draw energy, and focus it to search for a corresponding energy signature in a charm in a narrowed direction, her reach only lasted for two or three minutes. Shed timed it and it didnt go far. It was excellent for someone who only started learning two years earlier, but for the purposes of the search, it was useless.

Tori slouched down and tossed the compass on top of the map with a glare.

Lady Tori. A knock came from her door. She looked towards it. Knowing that shed be stuck in the cabin the entire time, her brother assigned her the master suite on the top floor, which took up most of the floor. The rest of the seven bedchambers were on the floor below her and knights alternated using them, resting in between their searches.

Instructor? Tori asked. Aside from her mothers knights, the only other person in the cabin currently was Instructor Ignatius, who helped her cook. Two valets arrived the day after them and oversaw buying supplies to bring back to the cabin and as it was in between meals, they had gone to town for more ingredients.

My lady, are you all right? Senior Sebastian called me and told me they found the carriage.

I know! Tori said. Im fine, Instructor. Frustrated, but fine.

A raspy, shaking voice spoke quietly. They...they found the carriage.

Dammit, who told them? Tori gritted her teeth. Yes. My brother said that they are still investigating.

Dimitri hasnt been found?

Tori closed her eyes as she felt her chest hurt. She bit her lower lip as she tried to suppress the aching at the sound of the womans broken voice. No, Madam. Not yet.

She heard the familiar choked breathing and then a pained cry. Dimitri....

Tori lifted her eyes to the ceiling as she felt them glisten over. The carriage is the best clue weve found, Madam. This narrows our direction.

I shouldnt have agreed to let him go to Fosse...I shouldve been more careful. I shouldve told him to commute there.

You had no reason not to believe him, Tori said, quietly. She didnt know what else to say.

Dimitri usually isnt like this. I dont understand. Why? Madam Guthry was asking that question aloud rather than directing it at her. How could he lie to us?

Tori found it funny at first. She was amused that Dimitri was found out and would face consequences, but hearing his mother crying daily and fearing the worst, all of Toris humor at the situation faded. As much as those three missing persons irritated her, she couldnt stand to see their decent parents ravaged by their disappearance.

If anything, it made her detest Alessa, Dimitri, and Montan more.

Madam Guthry, you must rest. Tori furrowed her brows. You must take care of yourself. Even if you have no mood for it, you must rest and eat properly. The Prime Minister is out searching for your son; do not let him worry about your health, as well.

Yes...yes, youre right. Madam Guthry let out a heavy breath. I...thank you, Lady Tori.

I cant do much, Tori said. Please rest, Madam.

She slid her finger across the crystal and put the comcry down. She lifted her hands and covered her face. Her hands were shaking, and she wasnt sure if it was from her experiment or Madam Guthrys call.

She took a deep breath and grabbed the velar. She prepared to write more charms and stopped. Noise controlling circles could be written on the ground. She looked at the black crystal in her hand and then at the floor.

Well, why the hell not?

Tori slid the velar back into her bracelet and walked into the seating area that took up part of the room. She grabbed the back of a large, cushioned chair, and pulled it to the side and off a large, oval gray and white rug.

She then crossed it and pulled away two more large chairs, placing them against the wall. Tori pushed the arm of a large sofa to one side before pushing the other arm back. She alternated pushing each arm of the heavy sofa until it was off the rug.

The sound of the sofa leg scraping against the floor cut through the air.

My lady? a voice came from outside.

Its fine! Im just moving a chair! she said, blowing some hair out of her face. She then dragged a low table off the rug and next to an unlit hearth. She crouched down to one side of the oval rug and began to roll it up to reveal the dark hardwood beneath.

When the rug was pushed to the feet of the chairs shed moved earlier, Tori looked down at the wide space she had cleared. Her hand slipped to her bracelet, and she slid out the velar.

She stood in the center of the open space and knelt, drawing a circle with the charged velar. She then drew six more around it, crisscrossing lines until a six-pointed star took shape, connecting the circles. At the end of each point, she drew another circle. She stood up and admired her work.

That is the ugliest Metatrons cube Ive ever seen.... She tilted her head back and inhaled and exhaled deeply. Whatever, I dont have a big ruler.

It didnt matter that the lines were a bit shaky, and the circles werent perfect. The general shape was there, and she could feel energy radiating off it. A lot of energy. Tori was almost giddy as she felt the energy coursing through her just by standing in the center of the cube. She then wrote down some Old Sulfae within the circles.

She sat down in the center after putting the velar back. She never really thought about the energy she felt in the delta. At first, she struggled to feel it, but as she progressed in her crystal usage, she began to sense it in the air, the way Sebastian had when he first visited. Then, she had grown used to the energy vein after spending so much time there. But now that she was away from it and seated within the cube she drew, she noted that the pulse felt similar.

Tori placed her palms on the floor on either side of her and closed her eyes.

The moment she grounded, she felt a surge of energy shoot through her, and her eyes nearly flew open.

She opened her mouth, trying to take a breath as the feeling of being swept up in a large wave surrounded her. For a moment, she almost felt weightless, as if surrounded by and floating in the middle of the ocean.

Was this all energy?

She gritted her teeth and focused on steering what felt like a tsunami in the direction of the found carriage. Her energy was moving faster, recklessly, in the direction she tried to funnel it towards. If her earlier attempts were like a stream, this was the water released from a broken dam.

Tori tried to keep herself grounded as her energy flooded the area, hoping to find a single crystal shed charged.

She felt sweat slide down her temples as she continued to channel.

Tori could feel that she was close to something. She just needed to keep going. The far reaches of her energy began to thin out. Her brows came together. The cube was still gathering obscene amounts of energy. Tori felt her back grow cold.

Fuck, its not the crystal symbol, its me. It was her body that was reaching its limit.

She clenched her jaw. She just needed to go a bit further. She could feel something.

A gentle pulse of familiar energy attracted her attention. It was hers.

I found you, you fucking bastard! Lapis lazuli. Her energy connected to it at once and she could feel trace amounts being absorbed, meaning someone was nervous, angry, scared, or all three, and the crystal was doing its job trying to relax the wearer. This meant that the wearer was still alive.

And even if the wearer wasnt Dimitri, it was another clue.

The problem now was that while she knew the general direction, she didnt know how far the lapis lazuli was from her or her brother. The further out her energy went, the slower it became. She couldnt accurately estimate the distance.

Her head began to lighten, and her balance felt off. Normally, shed stop grounding at this point, but she couldnt bring herself to. She found them! She just needed to figure out where they were or somehow chart out where the lapis lazuli was.

Lady Tori? A series of rapid knocks came from the door. Instructor Ignatius sounded worried. Lady Tori, there is a large amount of energy-

Tori, Im going to come in.

Piers? Her focus nearly broke and the energy fluctuated. Dont come in! Im working!

Lady Tori, this is too much energy for you to deal with! Whatever youre doing, stop at once!

Tori heard someone jiggle the handle of the door. It was locked, but she had no doubt Piers, and her knights could break their way in. She scrambled to figure out how to track the lapis lazuli.

Break down the door.

A heavy thud was heard. Tori could feel her own grasp on the energy begin to falter and her body was starting to grow weak. Crystal fatigue was setting in.

She didnt know what else to do. She couldnt keep up the connection.

Tori forced the energy up through the ground, lifting the earth the same way she did when she first tried to use the terracrystal. However, without the terracrystal, the earth didnt move.

Tori began to sway in her seat. The energy around her plummeted. A splitting pain shot through her head, and she fell back.

Lady Tori! Someone grabbed her before she hit the floor.

Instructor, Tori opened her eyes and squinted. There were shapes of people above her, moving. She couldnt tell who was who. Instructor, my energy-

Dont move. The man carefully laid her on the ground and reached into his pockets for crystals. What are you doing? You know youre not strong enough to control so much energy!

Tori. A cool hand touched her forehead. Give her a pillow! Piers told one of her knights. She could make out him on her left and felt a hand lift her head so a pillow could be placed beneath it.

She was dizzy and clenched her jaw to try to focus.

Senior? She heard Instructor Ignatius speaking. Her brother should not have arrived yet; did he call? Its likely, she was using so much energy just now-

Toris eyes widened and she looked towards the blob she assumed was Instructor Ignatius. Does Sebby feel my energy signature?

Yes, he said he felt it where he is-

Is it still there?

She couldnt see Instructor Ignatius expression. Senior, is her energy lingering...in the air? There was a pause. Lady Tori...why did you release your energy?

Tori closed her eyes. Tell Sebby to follow the energy while he can, before it disperses. She allowed her body to sink. Follow it away from where we are. Her senses were dulling.

Why? Someone asked and she wasnt sure who was talking.

Because I found them.... Her breathing weakened. Follow....

Tori? Tori!? Piers voice faded away and then there was nothing.