Donovan and Marcus ran their horses at full speed. The horses had one hell of a time but the short amount of time that they had been back at the castle, they were attended to. It was the only reason they hadn't collapsed of exhaustion.
The wolves had managed to pick up the child’s scent to track. He didn't know how they did it, but they were never wrong. Marcus was near and in a ragged state. Black rings had appeared around his eyes and he’d stopped talking. The sooner they found the physician and the baby, the sooner they would be able to get back to Ellen and Laura. He hoped that Laura would be able to stave off Ellen's illness, otherwise, he wasn't sure if even his size and strength would be enough to hold off Marcus's anger. Laura may actually be in some physical danger. He could only hope that the smart resourceful girl he knew was going to be able to save the woman.
He had watched his friend fall in love with Ellen and he was sure that his soul, heart, and mind wouldn't survive the death of her.
The wolves steered them toward the next town over, where the Physician lived. A man who stole a baby and knew if anyone found out, he would be hunted, wouldn't go home. If he had a reason for taking the child, taking her home made no sense. A sense of dread settled in Donovan’s gut. Maybe Laura had been wrong. Maybe there had been only one child and they were running around for no reason, as Ellen came closer to death.
Large stone walls encompassed the small town where the Physician lived. They were going to have to go in. A simple whistle told his wolves to wait in the trees and they trotted over and stayed. Donovan and Marcus entered the town full of humans. As long as they didn't draw attention to themselves, they most likely wouldn't be recognized. The two of them immediately pulled their cloaks up to cover the tattoo's on their necks. His armor was generally what everyone recognized about him so he was sure to remove his helm.
Marcus had made the trip to the physicians home on more than one occasion so Donovan followed the man there. When he saw that the man's horse was in fact there, as well as three other horses, he wasn't sure what he was feeling. Should they be relieved that they found him or filled with dread that the chances of him having the child were now lower. Surely the man couldn’t be so stupid as to bring the child to his home?
They both dismounted and Marcus's hand moved immediately to the hilt of his sword. Donovan clasped the man on the shoulder. "My friend. We need to know he is guilty first. If you kill him, we many never find the child."
"I understand," he snarled. Donovan knew it wasn't directed at him.
Instead of knocking on the door, he opened it and walked right in. Donovan followed his footsteps with his hand on his own hilt.
Inside they heard men speaking in another room.
"I did what you wanted. I want my money."
"You will get the money when we get what your King wanted."
"Money first," the physician demanded.
"Where is it?" The other voice said.
Marcus and Donovan stood behind a the wall listening. Though neither party admitted to having the child, he watched as Marcus's white knuckles clenched the hilt harder and harder.
"We need to get something on him first," Donovan whispered, "wait for him to admit something."
"You won't get her until you give me my money. You won't find her without my help." The physician finally said before he shifted around the room. The floorboards creaked under his movement.
The sound of a sword being unsheathed made them tense. The physician had said "her." Marcus had twin girls? They couldn't let the physician die until they had the baby in their arms. Why would anyone want Marcus's child? Especially King Argon?
