Midnight Wonders

5.5.1. The Passage of Lost Time

Tristan had come to the Yew with a whole company, the one Luc and Kay had run into on the way to the Sycamore, but he had not taken them into the Yew with him because, as he said, Symphora surely would have not let them in. It seemed they had mostly milled about looking for people to help, and upon leaving the Yew, Tristan and Luc met up with them at the lodgings where Tristan had left them.

The way back to the Sycamore was much more lively than the opposite way, expected with the larger company. Luc knew that he was supposed to know, and had once known, the knights who had come with Tristan. They all knew him. They were all terribly friendly, though Luc had no way of knowing if it was merely out of politeness or genuine affection. In turn he could be nothing but polite because he could not remember a thing.

"Haven't you been here for a while, though?" said one of the knights, who had had to introduce himself to Luc, somewhat awkwardly, as Claude, a name which, expectedly, stirred no memories. "You were with Kay, weren't you? Didn't he tell you anything?"

"What'd you expect?" Tristan said. "Kay didn't even tell us that Luc was here."

"I know, but I thought—" Claude paused, frowning. "Well, I just thought he didn't like us."

"Probably not you," said Tristan.

Claude smacked him. "I mean, it would've served him much better to tell you everything," he said to Luc. "I didn't think he would lie to you. I always thought of him as someone who said what he meant even if it was mean."

"Well," said Luc. "He has yet to prove that he's honest to me."

They made it back to the Sycamore, and they must have taken a different route than Annabel and Emma, for they did not pass By-The-Well. If they had Luc might have wanted to stop there and see Fenella again. He didn't know why he couldn't keep her story from nagging at him in the back of his mind.

The doors of the Sycamore looked different. It was hard to understand why, when it was the same as it had always been, and it was even extremely similar to the Yew. It was just something about looking up at this vast palace woven of trees and knowing that he had grown up in this place. Knowing that it had been his home for years, for most of his life. And yet he could not remember it.

Tristan knocked.

"Why do you have to knock?" Luc asked. "Isn't it your house?"

"So that everyone knows you're there," Tristan said, grinning.

"Step back," came a voice. The door opened, and it was Morgan again. Luc wondered how he seemed to be everywhere all at once, always doing everything around the Sycamore despite how many other people there were stumbling about in the great hall. "Ah, you're back," said Morgan. "Did you leave Annabel and Emma at the Yew?"

Luc nodded. "It's almost Midsummer."

"Yes, it is," said Morgan. "It's good that you're here, then. The King will want to see you." He looked pointedly at Tristan, who sighed.

"All right," Tristan said. "Well, I knew this was coming."

Morgan let them inside, and the other knights dispersed into the crowd. Morgan began to lead Tristan off to see the Sycamore King, and Luc followed, not sure what else to do. He supposed he ought to see the King himself, now that he knew how they were related. It struck him that the King's tears might have had a different meaning than he'd originally thought. But then he remembered someone else.

"Excuse me," said Luc. Morgan turned, looking over his shoulder. "Is Kay here?"

"He should be in his room," Morgan said, starting to leave. He paused again. "But he's going to leave as soon as he knows you're here."