Riddle Me This?

Chapter 17

What could that possibly mean? Not that it mattered now. The sun edged over the horizon.
What if Barney did this on purpose?
The image of Matt's face after he'd thrown the lantern down that hallway flitted through my mind. Scared, almost. Like he'd done it without thinking it through all the way. I'd wanted to ask him about it at some point, but that didn't seem likely now. What's Hestia going to do with us? I heard the door to our cage open, and pulled my head away from where it rested on my knees. My neck creaked.
"Out." The man in charge last night stood in front of the cage. "Today, we will be seeing what happens to you." If the presence of the other four or five men around him were any indication, there wouldn't be a chance for us to run. Two of them shoved Meris and Noam in front, and filled the gap between me and Matt and them with more soldiers. We were completely surrounded.
Do they think we're dangerous or something?
"Head out," said the man in front. One of them behind me prodded my back, and I walked forward.
The scream. That stupid scream, probably just a noise from someone's TV turned up way too loud, and we'd mistaken it for some grand mystery. Wish I'd never stepped foot in those woods. Never gone poking around for the answers to family secrets. There was a reason they were kept so quiet, right? If I hadn't gone looking for answers so stubbornly, we wouldn't be in this mess.
No. That's not true. You were never in control of any of this. Something would have happened sooner or later.
The house moved into view ahead as we marched on the dirt path. This one wasn't near as big as Brightleaf, but it was still a mansion, stiff and imposing, surrounded by trees on all sides. Maybe those troops we'd seen outside Skyrren were nearby. Maybe they'd help us.
Who am I kidding?
I watched the hypnotic flashes of red on my shoes, peeking out through whatever wasn't covered with grime. Thinking of the washing machine at home bought tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. Get a grip. You chose this.
I stepped onto a stone walkway that wound to an entrance way at the mansion's front. Was the door getting bigger? No way it was actually frowning at me. The man in front pounded on the door. A minute passed with no answer.
Then the door cracked open and a man, dressed in what was probably a gray uniform, stuck his head out of the opening. He looked down his nose at the soldier who'd knocked at the door.
"Is this important?" he asked, his voice drawling out with a note of impatience, one eyebrow raised.
"Prisoners," was all the answer he got.
The man at the door did nothing for a moment. "And what significance might that have for me?"
The leader of the soldiers squirmed. "We found these four lurking around on Lady Hestia's land. Just following her orders to bring any intruders we might her way, since we're using her this area."
The butler, if that's what he was, rolled his eyes and stepped back, pulling the door farther open. "Wait in the hall," he told us, turning away.
A rough hand shoved me over the threshold. The butler disappeared up a wide, curved set of stairs in the middle of the hall. The soldiers stayed quiet. Coughs and feet shuffling echoed off the marble floor and white walls.
I barely kept a huge yawn down. A clock ticked, somewhere, and now that I'd noticed it, I couldn't unhear it. The noise grew, echoing off the dark wood around us as I studied my dirty shoelaces, letting my eyes. A third noise, off-rhythm, intruded on the steady ticking. What is that? I looked up as the butler descended the stairs and stopped halfway down.
"Lady Hestia will see you in her private study. Please follow me." He turned and climbed back up the stairs.
"Get up there," the captain said.
One of the men grabbed my arm. Oh, no way. I yanked it from his grip. "I'm going."
How much damage could I inflict, if it came to that kind of desperation?
We climbed the stairs and turned right. The butler watched us, sighed, and knocked on a pair of doors.
Looks like he loves his job.
"In please," a woman's clipped tone answered from inside. The man opened the doors and another hand pushed me forward.
Do they really get that much of a kick out of all the shoving?
A wide window in front of a huge desk let in the morning light, flanked by bookshelves and two heavy, drawn-back curtains. A woman in a plain dress stood facing us, just watching us, neutral and cool.
"Captain, why are you bothering me at this hour?" she asked. Hestia's eyes went around to each of us, moved down for a moment to her shoes before they flicked back to the captain. My mouth dried up.
The captain cleared his throat. "We found these four snooping at the edges of our camp, on your land. They match the descriptions of four individuals charged with—"
Hestia blinked and cut in. "You brought me children."
The captain paused.
She wasn't looking at us, but her words were hope, even if she might be awful.
The guy behind Noam spoke. "These four are accused of shooting and wounding Iacomus, king of Naolon, and were seen attempting to steal food some days back, in a town south of here."
"Hungry children, then." Hestia raised an eyebrow as the captain shifted uncomfortably.
"Yes, well—" The captain straightened his back. "There's the matter of the assault on the king—"
The woman interrupted. "Captain, please place the items you confiscated from them on my floor and leave them here. I do not care for your special gift of capturing traveling seventeen-year-olds." She exhaled in a huff. "I've seen the representations of the accused. These four are not it, I am most certain. You've wasted my time with your error. Leave us."
She's going to set us free.
For a second, relief filled me up, but the men began to gather around us again.
"Captain," Hestia said.
He turned around. Hestia continued to speak. "When I said 'leave us,' I included the children in that. Go back to your work, and leave them here. Is that understood, or do I need to find some way of making it clearer?"
The captain stared at her. "Yes, ma'am," he grumbled.
"Their belongings as well, as I asked."
I eyed the leader. He had my knife. He kept glaring at Hestia, his face turning steadily redder. Something flashed through his eyes, but he signaled. One of his men stepped forward and laid the weapons on the floor, along with our backpacks. He tossed my knife down. I let my eyes focus on the dull blade as it clattered and lay still. Don't lunge for it. Just wait.
No more waiting afterwards, though. It had to be sharpened.
Why is she letting us go?
The men stepped back. "Anything else, my lady?" the captain asked.
"Just that you are out of my home as soon as possible."
No wonder they don't like to deal with her.
The men filed out, closing the door behind them with a thud. Hestia walked to the window and held a mirror up briefly, twisting her hand side to side. After a second, something flashed back. A reflection. I caught Noam's eye, but he only shook his head once.
Hestia then pulled the curtains shut and turned to the servant who'd led us up here. "Cephas, you are dismissed for your holiday."
"Yes ma'am." The butler exited through the door he'd brought us in, boots echoing back down the hallway and fading out.
The room was silent for another minute.
Hestia sighed and leaned against the desk. "Why are you here?"
It didn't seem like anyone was going to answer, which made us seem even more suspicious.
Noam opened his mouth.
"We were taken captive—"
Hestia cut him off. "And why did you allow that to happen?"
"It was unintentional," Meris answered.
Hestia rubbed her eyes. "I am quite sure that it was." She paused. "Do you have it, then?"
My heart raced. She knows. Don't answer. Don't react.
"I don't know what you speak of," Meris said, her voice quivering at the end.
Hestia laughed bitterly. "Meris, you are a bad liar, just like your father."
Meris's face went white. "My father...?"
"You look like your mother, though," the woman continued. "Just like her, I swear." There was a pause. "Tell me, how is Margaret?"
Meris just stared wordlessly back.
Noam cleared his throat. "How do you know who we are?"
Hestia smiled. "Meris I know from her childhood, though she won't remember me. As for the rest of you, well, Barnabas is a young man I have long been in contact with. He did direct you in error this time, though it wasn't his fault, I can assure you. He did intend for you to escape. Cephas has a son who was in that very same camp, just last night, and you're very fortunate for that." She paused. "So...where is it really?"
The words blurted out of my mouth before I could stop them. "It wasn't where Barney said it would be." Meris shot me a hard look.
Alarm crossed Hestia's face. "You truly don't have it?"
And now our world won't be safe, ever.
"No, we don't." Matt took a deep breath. "We never did." The woman's piercing eyes stared into his, and seemed distracted all of a sudden.
"How do two children of Earth come here, so eagerly seeking the work of Gavin Dupree?" She began to pace. "Never mind. If Barney was given bad or old information..." She stopped and looked across the room. "You have to leave. Gather your things and come with me." She rushed, to a door off to the side and opened it, disappearing into what looked like a closet.
Matt spoke softly. "Should we?"
Meris still looked pale and disturbed. "I think we can trust her."
Hestia's muffled voice interrupted us. "Now, please!"
The first thing I grabbed was the knife. I stuffed it into my back pack. If we were able to get away, I'd sharpen it, most definitely. Maybe I'd take it home if I had to. If it helped solve anything, and maybe it would.
Home. Now, impossibly, after the night was past, it was starting to look like we'd really get back there. I shoved the blade down into my backpack and kept close to Matt as we passed through the door.
Hestia stood in the inside, by another door that opened into a smaller room. "Get in here."
"What is that?" Meris asked.
"It will take you out of the house and off my property the safest way I know how." The woman pulled on Noam's arm, guiding him into the elevator car. "Please get in. I find that I will be needing to leave as well."
We squeezed in, and I was the last before Hestia closed the door. A muffled "good luck," a shuddering creak, and the elevator lurched, then steadied, moving slowly downward.
Please be sturdy, please be sturdy. . . .
It kept going, far past the point it should have. We'd only been on the second story of the house, and the elevator had moved us far past that now, as best as I could figure.
Noam groaned. "Where is she sending us?"
Meris answered, her voice shaking. "It will be fine."
Had she not noticed what Hestia had done at the window? "You know she signaled someone, right?"
"I saw that, too," said Matt.
"I did see it." Meris didn't sound so sure of herself this time. Could've been because we were in a tiny box in the pitch dark.
Why don't these people like lights?
The car came to a stop with a soft jolt, and nothing happened for a minute.
What had she wanted us to do?
"Are we supposed to wait for somebody?" Matt asked.
"She didn't say," Meris told him.
"So are we just gonna wait in here?"
Noam spoke next. "Maybe we should, just for a few—"
The door opened, pulled by some unseen force, and a dark figure moved into the doorway, a dark shape against a lot of light behind him.
Oh no. What do we do? Run? Fight?
"Finally! Thought you guys would never get here."
The voice was unmistakable and so familiar. "Danny?"
Without warning, I was wrapped in a bear hug, too stunned to do anything.
What's he doing here? Is Matt's aunt here too? His whole family? His parents weren't mine, but I'd take seeing anyone from home. How long has it been there?
"Who is this, Matthew?" Meris' voice was sharp.
"My cousin Danny." Matt met my glance, and the smile slid from his face.
The cousins stood side by side, both pairs of eyes glowing in the dark.
"You're a moon-eye too," Meris said.
Danny laughed.
Noam coughed. "That was rude."
"No, it's all good." Danny smiled again. "I'm supposed to get you all out of here, apparently. That was the suggestion, anyway."
My eyes adjusted to the low light in the room, and I saw stoves and trays and pots. A kitchen.
And people, staring for a moment as they went by. I sucked in a breath and took a step backwards. Matt stayed where he was as the staff of this house bustled around us. Danny sure didn't seem to be in a hurry.
"They're ignoring you. Just wait for a second," he whispered.
"Why?" Meris hissed.
Danny grinned. "You'll see."
Everyone else in the room paused, as if on cue, and all stared up at a clock on the wall, stopping as one and standing still.
Without another warning, a bell began to clang from upstairs, fast and frantic. Everyone who was gathered around in the kitchen began to move again, running now, and a voice yelled out from above us. "Breach! Evacuate!"
"Okay, let's go!" Danny took off through the kitchen, pulling me and Matt after him, leaving the other two to follow him through the door and into the hallway. He turned sharply left, and I could see the staircase ahead.
"Up there?" Matt asked him.
"Yep!"
Sounds filled the air, crashes and people running, even some screaming now and then. About halfway from us and the stairs, a grate in the floor showed off a golden glow.
"What's that thing in the floor go to?"
Danny glanced at it was we passed. "Underground, I guess. Another exit."
The inside of it rumbled louder as we got closer to the stairs, and right after Noam passed the grate, flames shot out and touched the other wall.
We crashed up the stairs, keeping to the right as more people dashed down and others ran past us. Why had Hestia sent us all the way downstairs if we were just going to come up again?
What is going on? Had it suddenly become more than some distraction?
We ran into a light, airy hallway that stretched all the way to a smaller door. Just barely, I could see a rough old building in the distance outside. With one last burst, we were at the end, but Danny pulled up short and stopped us.
"Okay, do you guys see that barn?" He pointed at the building.
"Yeah," Matt said, panting.
Danny nodded, inhaling deep. "Okay, you're gonna run for that. There's a compartment inside where you can bunk down for a while if you need to." He stepped to the side to let us all through.
Where's he going? "Aren't you coming with us?"
"Nope." He smiled. "I gotta get somewhere else for now. I'll see you all soon, but you have to go. This evacuation got their attention down at the camp, I'm pretty sure. Trust me when I say you don't want to stick around much longer." His face got serious. "Good luck."
And without another word, he was off down the hallway again.
Matt looked around at us, pausing longest on me. "I guess we should go there, then."
"Well it's that or stay in the house, Matthew." Meris pushed by him. A second after she stepped out of the door, she looked left and set her face in a hard expression. "And the barn is my preference."
Matt ran out the door, and I followed, feeling the spongy grass give under my feet. The barn was close, getting closer.
One cry echoed across the fields from the men gathered in front of the manor. "Stop right there!"
The barn stood empty, welcoming us as the shouts started up from all over Hestia's land and servants streamed out of the house. Matt pushed the doors closed and slid the bar down to lock it, for now. Until someone busted in, which they'd probably do.
"There's a compartment here somewhere," Noam said. I scanned the floor.
There. A weird inconsistency, a perfect square shape. I took a step, and some of the straw on it didn't move. Clever. "Here it is."
It opened easily enough, and I climbed down first. It wasn't tall enough to stand in here, but there was more than enough space to sit down, and just enough room for all of us to fit. My knees shook as I bent them and lowered myself into the corner of the cold, dark hole. Noam came down the ladder last, pulling the hatch with him, and shutting us off from the daylight.
We waited. I knew better than to talk. A muffled crash came as someone busted through the door of the barn. Footsteps entered, thumping on the floor above us. Something heavy stopped on one edge of the hatch. It was still thin enough to hear the loud voices grumbling through.
"...know I saw them come in here."
"Don't know where Lady Hestia went, but she's apparently gone."
Disgust wrapped up the third voice. "More tunnels, I bet. Moon-eyes."
"Must be a hatch here, and if that's the case, we'll just plan on marching. They're long gone, and I'm not heading down into the dark to go looking for them."
Are all people here afraid of the dark? Were people like Matt and Danny the reason?
The footsteps trooped back out, heading away from us and taking the voices with them.
That's the second time we've gotten away because they don't want to cross whoever lives underground.
Once it was clear that they were gone, I let out a sigh, daring a whisper. "So I guess we're just gonna relax in here a while."
"It would probably be best." Noam yawned.
I leaned forward and put my backpack at my feet, huddling closer to Matt. "Fine with me."
Meris voice held a strain at the edges. "How long should we hide?"
Matt shifted next to me. "Long as we need to. Until it gets completely quiet out there."
Why were all these people helping us so much? They were ready to, it was clear. Why, then, hadn't they done everything before?
I told myself it was just because they didn't have the key to solving the riddle, like we did.
Oh well.
There was no more discussion. Too tired to move. The air was warmer now. Don't even need a blanket.