The Toll {Book 2}

10. The Search Begins- Ferdinand

At home, Martin joined in for our lunch. We ate in a casual dining room at the front of the house. The servants served us a cold soup and a roast with vegetables, which sat heavy in my stomach, but also distracted me from the coldness that hadn't yet left my hands since seeing the soldiers on the street.

Martin talked at first of his day at work so far. It was some government position with lots of signing and papers and talking to other men. Hannabella seemed to know what he was talking about, but neither Nadia nor I made any sense of it. Eventually, he began to talk about the refugee work the government was doing on the word from Queen Leonore. I paid more attention to this.

"We're getting hundreds in each day," Martin said. "The lines the Vigilant Men put up to keep the people inside the cities have broken, and they're hemorrhaging support. Anyone not aligned with the Vigilant Men in all of the three cities are trying to get out and come to Flauns."

I looked up sharply. "Do you think this means the war might be ending soon?"

Martin twisted his lips to one side. "I don't know about that. I don't have much contact with the military," he said. "I do know that those who do support the Vigilant Men are very passionate and indefatigable in their fighting. They've firmly entrenched themselves in Rumonin, and they're receiving support from their comrades in Prest and Lenostkaya. As long as they are able to keep their hiding places in the city, I think they'll continue causing problems."

"I wish the whole place would burn to the ground if it meant the Vigilant Men would be finished," I mumbled, stabbing my spoon into my soup bowl.

The table lapsed into silence for a few minutes, and Hannabella fidgeted uncomfortably. Martin cleared his throat and began to dig around in his pockets. As he dropped a handful of coins and wrappers onto the table in his search of his pockets, he glanced up at us. "I was debating whether to say anything, as I don't want to get your hopes up, but I've decided that perhaps a little hope might be worth having at this point."

He finally located what he was looking for in his jacket pocket, and plopped it on the table in front of him. It was a small notebook and a pencil. "Seeing as how Hannabella is on the board for the Refugee Relief, and I have a small hand in arranging the logistics and paperwork for it, I was thinking, if you had anyone you wanted to locate, we might be able to find them."

"What a brilliant plan, darling! Why did I think of it?" Hannabella said. She leaned forward in her chair, her hands on both of the arm rests. "The Refugee centers keep accounts on everyone who checks in, so it shouldn't be that hard to trace anyone who's made it to Flauns. If they've gone elsewhere, it might be a bit trickier, and it will certainly be longer before we know any news, but I have many contacts in the other countries offering aid to those fleeing the Triplet Cities."

As Hannabella's voice grew louder in her excitement over this new plan, I felt my heart sink as I glanced at Nadia. She had no one left in the city to look for. The girls she'd once lived with were never her friends, and Mr. Lennox... well, he was in hell and that was exactly where he belonged. I tightened my fists at the thought of him, and though my heart ached for her loneliness, I found myself glad that she did not have to worry about anyone from her past. None of them deserved her.

"All right," Martin said, placing his pencil to the paper. "Let me know any names you want looking up, and we'll send out our first inquiries by tomorrow morning."

Nadia offered a smile that looked more like a grimace. "I'm sorry, I don't have any names. Ferdinand is the only one I have left."

Hannabella's face softened, and she reached for her hand. "You have us now," she said. "And now that you're in Flauns, I'm sure that this number will grow even more. A sweet girl like you will attract attention in no time."

I hesitated, but eventually turned to Martin. "Could you look up my parents? Baron and Baroness Artyom and Galina Popov. And my sister, Lady Katya." I felt terrible asking in front of Nadia, but I needed to know if they were alive. I needed to know if they were safe.

"Yes, of course. A titled family will probably be easier to find, thankfully," Martin said, scribbling their names down. "When I head back to the office after our meal, I'll start writing some letters to try and find out anything about them."

He slid the notebook back into his pocket, and we all finished our food. Martin wiped his mouth with his napkin, before pushing away from the table, pecking Hannabella's cheek, and bidding us all farewell as he returned to his work. We moved into the sitting room, where I watched Martin's carriage trundle off.

Could he really find my family? If they were still alive, and had somehow made it out of Rumonin even despite their dangerous titles, could I ever hope to meet them again? I felt queasy thinking about; a mixture of longing and fear. We had been so different, before the uprising. How would life be like now, after we'd all changed so much?