The main building at 'the hunting camp' was really a sort of hunting lodge. Certainly not as big as Downton or even Matthew's victor home, but the large two story log built structure had a huge gathering room with an inviting fireplace. Mary nodded to her parents and Sir Anthony but made her way to the door that led out onto the large wraparound porch. It wasn't an awful place to hide, she had to admit that, but between her family, the servants and their families and the tenants who had come with them, and the other landholders and their followers going back and forth through the forested maze of cabins and lodges, she was already tired of being in close quarters with everyone. Even the fact that her father had dropped the notion that the women were too delicate to be involved with the daily debriefings about the state of the rebellion couldn't alter the reality that she felt constantly enclosed and bothered.
The wide covered porch was cold but empty and she pulled her heavy winter coat around her tightly. It had been a drive of over five hours to the secret encampment her father had prepared, a shock to find out that it was actually a bolt hole that the small coterie of lords and land holders had been stocking for years in contemplation of the rebellion. It went unsaid that they might not ever return to District 10. She was grateful at least that it wasn't some filthy cave or lean to in the woods. The problem in her mind was that no matter how clever and capable she knew Matthew to be, no matter how much her father reassured her that Matthew had memorized the map, it didn't change the ugly fact that Matthew wasn't there. Her father's connection to District 13 had found out that Matthew and Sybil weren't under arrest at the Capitol, that they had forced their way off the victor train somewhere near District 12. That was still hundreds of miles away and while it had been a mild autumn, the mountain camp was already dusted with snow and despite being farther south, District 12 was notoriously cold. That Matthew and Sybil got off the train was good, but there were literally thousands of things that could go wrong on such a journey. As she took a seat on one of the cold wooden benches, she tried to shake off the dark thoughts.
"May I join you, Lady Mary?" She jumped, not realizing that Tom had followed her. He was holding two steaming mugs. "Mrs. Patmore made spiced cider as a treat. I thought you'd like some."
"Hot spiced cider…" Mary took one of the proffered mugs with gratitude. "Mrs. Patmore must be feeling very kindly to make such a treat." Food wasn't short at the hunting camp, but it was noticeably plainer. Something sweet was a welcome change.
Tom sat down next to her. "I think she was feeling sorry for us."
"Then I will make a show of thanking her," Mary murmured as she sipped the hot beverage, "because I admit to feeling very sorry for myself right now. Sorry, and worried."
Tom nodded, clearly relieved that she was willing to acknowledge it. "I try to keep busy all day, and at first there was plenty to do, but now, once evening comes…" He smiled wryly. "I never thought I'd ever wish for a lengthy dinner party to distract me, but now here I am."
Mary almost snapped at him. It felt like he was making light, but then she looked in his eyes and realized the truth. He was distracting himself from his own worry by trying to make her feel better and she felt a sudden kinship with the lower class chauffer her sister had married. "Tom," she said quietly as she took his hand, "You and I are in the unenviable position here. You and I are going to spend this late fall and winter watching and waiting for our loved ones to find their way here." She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I don't consider myself alone in this wait. I have you to share this with. I don't pretend to be the liberal that dear Sybil is, but she was wise in her choice of you. I see that now. All I saw was your job and your position, and I couldn't imagine what she was thinking. Now I see it. You're a kind, clever man with a fierce sense of right and wrong. You remind me of Matthew."
For a wonder, he blushed with pleasure. "Then let me accept that high compliment, and offer one of my own." He grinned ruefully. "When it was announced that you and Matthew would be married, I couldn't figure out what he saw in you. All I saw was the regal and somewhat haughty highborn lord's daughter who looked down her nose at us. But then I began to see the real you, the caring, warm woman who cherishes her loved ones so fiercely that she'd walk on coals to protect them. You don't let many get close to your heart, but once you do, you don't let go, and you fight for them with everything you have." His eyes twinkled suddenly, breaking the intensity of the moment. "I suspect if Matthew or Sybil so much as have a scratch, you'll have President Snow dead long before I even get the chance to pummel the bastard senseless."
"When the time comes," she said carefully, "and notice I say when and not if, I will let you have a turn before I rip that man to pieces. But fair warning, I think Papa and Cousin Isobel both want a turn as well." She clinked her mug of hot cider against Tom's. "But for now, let us both wish Matthew and Sybil well, and hope they know how much we miss them."
Tom dutifully clicked glasses with her. "I'm sure they miss us dearly and would wish themselves here if they could." Softly, he added, "I know we'll see them again. They've both know what they're doing in the woods, and there's surely bigger fish to fry than two missing victors who weren't involved in the conspiracy."
Mary nodded but she suspected the two of them were sitting a long vigil.
0o0o0o0
There was, despite the snow falling gently around them, something disquieting about the forest. Matthew didn't consider himself any sort of woodsman or hunter. They weren't starving, but he did worry that the colder it got, the harsh reality was that they were going to need more food. Sybil in particular was going to need more. She didn't fuss, but he recalled that Mary hadn't fussed until about her fourth month and then she had altered from a rather light eater into someone that occasionally matched poor Dickie McKendrick in her voraciousness. Sybil would need more, and better, than the occasional rabbit or fish he caught in traps and the wild greens and fruits they scavenged for. There were still some camping rations in their bags but they tried to not break into those unless the weather prevented them from gathering.
He knew they were close to District 12. Over the years, he had asked discreet questions about the make up of the Districts and he had looked at books in Robert's library that predated Panem. While he was certain that the roads between the Districts still existed, the safer path was to follow the rail tracks that would take them to District 12 and then hook north to District 10. They weren't directly on the tracks, that was a foolish risk, but following along through the forest and periodically connecting back to the tracks when it was absolutely necessary to use the bridges built for the train. It was risky, but so far he hadn't found a reason to alter the plan.
It didn't smell right, that was the thing that troubled him. District 12 was similar in wildlife and plants. There were more hills, mountains really, and valleys with steep slopes and that was different from District 10, which was flatter, but walking through a forest on a wintery day was very similar. Except for the smell. He sniffed deeply and stopped walking for a moment. A metallic tang was in the air, mixed with an odd burned scent, almost reminding him of the rare times that firecrackers were used at celebrations.
Sybil stopped walking as well. "What is it?" She was calm. Matthew had come to understand that was how she carried herself in a crisis, with a forced calmness that belied her inner worry.
"There's something wrong. It's in the air, something's burned." He waited, hoping she was on the same wavelength.
She sniffed the air as well. "Bombs." She cocked her head at him, clearly amused that she had surprised him. "That chemical scent that you can't quite place… It's the same smell that the bombs under the platforms that the tributes stand on give off when they explode. Someone has set off a bomb." She hesitated, and took a deeper breath. "District 12 is more enclosed than our district, everyone lives in the valley. I know our plan was to skirt around the fence, but maybe we should take a look. There is a rebellion, after all."
It made him nervous, the very idea, but their only news since jumping off the train had been from two runaways from District 9 who had told a tale of massive uprisings with District 13 behind it all. He knew the truth behind the fanciful tales, that District 13 certainly had its hand in and long term, he wondered if District 13's plans were the best plans for everyone or for just District 13, but that was a deep thought for late night thinking. "Let's see what the fencing looks like where the train goes in and see what the situation is."
Sybil nodded agreement. He hadn't expected a protest but he was worried that the travel, the walking day after day in forest and snow, that she was wearing out. He knew she was strong, she had won her games by fighting but it worried him. She was pregnant after all, and he knew that could take a toll.
The sun was setting when they came upon the fence. It was unsettling. District 12's Peacekeepers were sloppy and always had been, but he knew the rail entrance was always staffed because it was an entry point. In District 10, it was a high priority. What he saw in the waning light shocked him. The wire gates were flung open, like the district was expecting a train to come but the tracks were covered with blown down leaves and branches. Matthew knew from learning about the estate at Downton, that while passenger trains like the Reaping train were rare, there was a constant scheduled group of supply trains taking the district's commodities to the Capitol. In District Ten it was meat and milk, mostly, and in District 12 it was coal. The gate building was dark and looked abandoned.
"There's no one there," Sybil whispered to him. "But there's always guards, that's strange." She eyed him nervously. "Unless something has happened…"
He nodded. "The door to the gatehouse is open. It's too cold to leave the door like that if someone is inside. And the snow all around the building has no foot prints. No one has been here for at least the last day. We can skirt around, we were always planning to trace around the district and pick up the rail tracks that head north. We can still do that." But he had to admit, a part of him itched to see what was going on.
Sybil cocked her head. "I want to get home sooner than later. Going around the fence will take five days if not more." She paused. " I think we both suspect that something terrible has happened to District 12. In for a penny, in for a pound. Besides, if they used a nuclear weapon, we've already gotten too close. We might as well walk through the fall out."
Her words struck him like a blow. He leaned against the tree and then slid down, sitting in the soft snow, feeling utterly defeated. "I didn't… I didn't even consider that possibility. Sybil, I'm so sorry…"
Much to his surprise, Sybil chuckled as she sat down next to him. She put her arm around and hugged him the way a sister would hug a brother she was trying to cheer up. "Matthew, I didn't even think of that possibility until just now, and I was just being morbid. Frankly, whatever has happened, the Capitol isn't foolish enough to irradiate their most needed fuel source, and none of the trees or animals look sick. And… if I'm wrong, we're already too close." She patted his shoulder. "You know, Mary is completely right about you and I."
"What, pray tell, is Mary right about?" Matthew asked. She was trying to jolly him away from his dark thoughts and he decided to let her.
"One time she compared us all to wild animals. She likened me to a wolverine, unassuming until backed into a corner and then vicious and thorough. You, she called a noble wolf, guarding the pack and fighting anyone that threatens them." She looked him in the eyes. "We're in this together. We both made the mistake in not considering the nuclear option. You're not to blame for not keeping me safe. Now, let's take the tracks into District 12. With evening coming on, we should be quite safe."
He nodded and rose to his feet. "Dare I ask what Mary sees herself as?" He could guess.
"A mountain lioness, of course. And of course, Edith was something dreadful, a raccoon, I think." Sybil laughed.
He hesitated and then decided to share. "Mary delights in being contrary about Edith, but she would be lost without her. And I know for a fact she rather likes raccoons." He pointed to the tracks. "I concede to your plan, but let's first check the gatehouse." At her raised eyebrows, he shrugged. "Did you ever go into the ones in our District? Robert took me to one when he was teaching me how to deal with the estate's responsibilities. The Peacekeepers keep emergency supplies in the gatehouses. We might find something useful."
It was disquieting, the way the gatehouse had been abandoned. There were train schedules on the bulletin boards, and weapons left out. It also looked as though the gatehouse had been the staging area for some sort of pick up. He and Sybil began grabbing the remaining unopened food rations, relieving that worry at least for a moment. It just spoke to how quickly the place had been evacuated that they found so many useful items.
They kept off the tracks and in the woods until the devastation made it impossible. The entire valley had been bombed into oblivion. Matthew was glad it was evening, there was no way to hide. There was nothing but burnt rubble and the charred remains of buildings and trees. The rail tracks had been cleared, enough so that trains could go through but the snow on the tracks told him that nothing had been by in the last day. As they walked through the devastated land, he was also quietly pleased to see snow start falling. "If we walk through the night we'll be on the other side by morning," he said quietly. His words seemed to echo, regardless.
Sybil nodded. "If nothing else, we've taken days off the journey and… we have a tale to tell when we get there." She came up beside him, so they were walking side by side. "You don't think…"
He took her by the arm, to hold her steady. "No. I don't think District Ten will be like this. I think District 12 was punished for the girl, Katniss, escaping the Arena in the attack. I also think the Capitol has a healthy stockpile of coal put aside. They can afford to bomb District 12 into nothing. They'll just relocate people from other districts to be miners in the spring. Our district produces the meat and milk the Capitol eats. Everything of value in District 12 is under the ground, but our wealth is in the land and the things that grow on it." He waited a moment. "And I told you what the plan was. I'm convinced now that your father was wise to plan to an exit to the hunting camps he's been stocking. I didn't think the madness would go this far."
After a moment, Sybil nodded. "I'm afraid we often don't give Papa credit for his cleverness." She gripped his arm firmly. "Let's be on our way briskly then. Truth be told, I'm wanting to be home more now than ever, even if home is a different place."
"Agreed." Matthew had no other response. If anything, he suspected he wanted to be home more than Sybil.