Refuge In The Shadows

23.

The boys made it very clear to Carys that she did not need to see nor talk to William Carraway ever again, but Carys was not the sort of person to dole out punishment cowering behind five young men in the safety of her bedroom. As soon as she was well enough to walk on her own, Carys headed straight for the cells to pay Cadeyrn's attempted murderer a visit. William was once again in the same confines as before, only this time, he sat on the bed with his head in his hands. She stopped by the bars and let out a soft breath. "What did they do to you, William Carraway?"

The man in question looked up and almost did a double take when he saw Carys alive and well. His eyes were red-rimmed, as if he had been crying nonstop since he had been placed in there, and his face showed fading bruises. "Your brother, I think, knocked me out and the others dragged me back in here," he rasped, casting his eyes down as he spoke. Carys ran a finger down the iron bars and shook her head sadly. "No, William. What did they, your uncle and his colleagues, do to you?" William straightened at the mention of his uncle but still kept his gaze on the floor. Tears now began streaming down his face, "Everything."

Carys's heart ached for him. The others could not see William as anything but a traitor for turning his back on The Phantom Hunt, but the pieces had begun to fit together for Carys the more William had been with them. "My brother figured out who you were quite well, but I believe he misinterpreted a few details." William's gaze on her was unreadable as he waited for her to continue. "The Phantom Hunt meant a lot to you. You loved the freedom, the sense of purpose, and the ability to forge your own identity. To be able to throw off the suffocating expectations of being the eldest son to a prominent family was a gift, especially when you got to fall in love with someone you truly loved. But your uncle had gotten a hold of you and insisted that you come work under him. To refuse would have revealed the existence of The Phantom Hunt, an existence that has stayed hidden for centuries.

"All this talk of having enough wealth to support Alice and her siblings is not true is it? You could not care less about the money. You went back to the life you hated, let those expectations smother you again, to fiercely protect the Hunters. You held onto your love for Alice as the only tie to that freedom‒and you thought we were trying to take that last piece away from you that day." Carys took a deep breath and watched as William rose from the bed and started walking towards her. "Alice, from what I have heard, was supposed to be at the factory, but our carriage got stuck in the mud from the rain and she did not get there on time." William nodded and reached for Carys's hands through the bars. He clasped them in his. "I am so, so sorry. Please, I will gladly accept any punishment you give me. But even death would not be enough to compensate for what I put you all through." his voice but a whisper.

Carys gently removed William's hands from hers and reached for the set of keys that hung by the wall. "We have been through so much death already. And I would not have any right to call myself a Hunter if my heart was frozen into one without mercy and forgiveness," she said as she unlocked the cell and let William out. Carys then turned to the door, "Alice? You may come in now." William's eyes widened in disbelief, then unbridled joy as Alice hesitantly entered the room. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck sobbing. Carys respectfully stepped back and allowed the lovers to make up for lost time. She could almost feel her mother's soft hand on her cheek as Alice hugged William back fiercely. I am so proud of you, Eira seemed to whisper in her mind.

Not as proud as I am to be your daughter, Mam, she thought, and hung the keys back on the hook.

*****

Dark grey clouds hung low in the sky, casting the city in a dull and melancholy light. From Carys's vantage point on top of the warehouse that she and her mother visited nine years ago, the wind coursed through her loose hair and caressed her cheeks. Her chest ached as she hauled herself onto the rooftop, but she did not pay that any mind. Carys wanted one last look at London before she, Cadeyrn, Bryn, Rhys, as well as James and Jonathan, left to go back to Dolgellau the next morning. Following William's release, Carys had helped former workers of Carraway's factories adjust to living back in their own homes and working for a more fair and just employer. Nothing made her more happy than seeing the gratitude and exuberance women and children had on their faces. Vicky and the other courtesans had improved so much during the weekly night trainings that Carys believed that they could rival any of the hunters. She had talked to Wright about allowing them in the Hunt if they wanted, and he had agreed without a question.

At the sound of booted feet on brick, Carys turned her head to watch as Cadeyrn pulled himself onto the roof. "James has been beside himself trying to find you," he said, sitting down next to her on the edge. "I needed to come back here one last time," she replied. Cadeyrn nodded and together, they silently watched the hum of activity down below them. It was then when Carys noticed the same notebook and pen peeking out from her brother's pocket. "So are you going to tell me what you have been writing all this time?" Cadeyrn grinned and took out the notepad. He flipped to a page, and let her read the large words scrawled across it. "Refuge In The Shadows?" Cadeyrn closed the book with a flick of his wrist. "It is that written account of our adventures that I told you about. I need to get my hands on one of those typewriters and make my book less of a mess."

Carys playfully elbowed her brother, "I will be the first to read it, correct?" Cadeyrn elbowed her back, "Of course. You can even fix my grammar and spelling for me." She laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I have always wondered if Mam and Tad are somehow watching over us, if they have been with us at all in some shape or form," Carys said, looking out at the London skyline. Cadeyrn nodded. "I have always believed they are making sure we are all right, but I think that in the recent years, they are not so worried about us anymore." He checked his watch and stood up, "It is getting late. We need to get you back to that Englishman of yours before he throws a hysterical fit." Carys laughed as she was helped up by her brother. Her eyes gazed at the vastness of London all around her and smirked. "Race back? No roofs, just the streets." Cadeyrn's eyes brightened at the challenge, "Very well."

Together, the twins somersaulted off the roof and onto the street. They gracefully land on the cobblestones and stealthily melt into the comforting shadows of an alleyway.