Notes to Readers:
Once again, I have uploaded a chapter of a story to ff.net, gotten a "success"
message, and come back two days later to upload the next chapter, only to find
that the previous chapter never "took". Odd. Am going to try again, and because
you all have been so patient, and so faithful in reviewing (thank you again), I
will upload the next chapter later today. Thank you for your patience!
Announcement: "Runaway" now officially has a co-author. Please extend a warm
welcome to Jodancingtree, author of "The Shaping of Samwise", "Sam's Rose",
"Another Way of Leaving", and "The Drunkard of Bag End", just to name a few.
Even though I name only these stories, there are many more wonderful tales that
have come from her pen. Check them out! You will begin to see her efforts
starting with chapter 13. (She's on chapter 20 now, working steadily, and
blowing me away with the result. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with
next!)
Thank you for the comments! Reviews are very motivating and give me insights
into the stories that make me dig deeper in writing, which I probably wouldn't
do were I the only one reading these stories...
Madeleine, it is interesting, how when things start to go a little wrong, they
can rapidly go very far wrong when people jump to conclusions.
Xena, the tension will continue to mount as we get into the stuff Jo is writing
(she took what I wrote, from chapter 13 onwards, revised and refined and added
her own material, and... oh, my. You'll just have to see it to believe it).
Hai, you're right, they're about to get in trouble, and it is going to be
messy. You've summed it up quite well.
Bookworm, I don't think Ferdi had this in mind, for sure, though Tolly was
reluctant to go along and might have had some inkling of what could go wrong.
He's given up gambling, you know (maybe you didn't know?).
Aemilia Rose, it has become a great big mess, and though Pippin is not yet in
the middle, can you imagine a mess without him? He'll just have to jump in
soon.
Miriel, you ask some good
questions, and I do believe most will be answered in the next ten or so
chapters.
FantasyFan, I managed to come up with the worst possible scenario, worse than
you'd imagined? Hoorah, I love it when I can pull off a surprise (cannot do it
very often, with such sharp readers). Of course, it could be worse. Your
comments are intriguing. (Hey, Jo, what do you think of FantasyFan's idea of
having everyone out in the storm?)
Ff.net and other factors permitting, expect to see the next chapter two
days from this posting. If you cannot access ff.net, try www.storiesofarda.com. You can leave
reviews there, as well (thanks Miriel and FantasyFan!), and there is a
"reply" feature where an author can reply to a review right there
rather than within the text of the story. I have also discovered the
"author alert" feature. Amazing place, that SoA.
The next chapter of "Truth" will be added on the morrow, if ffnet
agrees.
Enough admin notes. Let's get to the story.
***
12. Mixed Messages
Tooks and servants stared, stunned to silence as Haldegrim escorted Tolly
through the Great Smials to the main entrance. They could hear the whispers
start up behind them, Did you see... He was bound! What's happened?
At the door, Haldegrim stopped to throw Tolly's cloak over his shoulders and
fasten the clasp, pulling the hood up over his head for good measure. It was
cold outside. Tolly nodded thanks as Haldegrim donned his own cloak, then took
the head of escort's arm once more to walk him out into the yard, where saddled
ponies waited, their breath making white plumes in the icy air. Tolly shivered and
tried to shrug more deeply into his cloak. The clouds stared sullenly down,
bringing early twilight to the dismal day, and lamps shone forth from the
windows of the Great Smials. There was a breathless heaviness to the air, as if
a storm were about to break. Tolly had no doubt that it was so.
Reaching the ponies, they turned back to the Smials to wait for Reginard.
Movement caught Tolly's eye; he looked more closely and saw his wife
Meadowsweet standing at a window, her hands pressed to the glass, staring at
him. Though it was her right to stand by his side, he had put her off with a
headshake when she'd stopped them in the tunnel, demanding an explanation.
'Business of the Thain,' Haldegrim had said, gently moving her out of the way.
'Tolly, do you want...?'
Tolly shook his head again. With a glance at Haldegrim, he risked a whisper.
'It'll be all right. Take care of the children. I—' Haldegrim gripped his arm
tighter in warning, and he broke off.
She knew what he'd been about to say, whispering her own love to him as
Haldegrim pulled him away from her. Now Tolly saw her lips moving, knew she
said, I love you! He nodded, tried to smile reassuringly, and then
Haldegrim was turning him towards the ponies preparatory to mounting. Reginard
had exited the Smials and the party was ready to depart.
***
Ferdi fell into a heavy sleep near teatime, just about the time Hally and Robin
returned empty-handed from their hunt.
'All the wild creatures are hiding, it seems,' Hally said. 'All of Woody End
seems to be holding its breath.' He put down his bow and called his older sons
to make sure everything was tied down or locked up tight while everyone hurried
to finish their evening chores now rather than after teatime.
The air bore down oppressively. 'It's no wonder Ferdi's laid so low,' Hally
whispered to Rosemary as she watched by her brother's bedside. 'I can hardly
breathe, myself, and if the air is pressing on his head anything like it's
pressing on mine...'
Rosemary nodded. Though she held his hand, Ferdi made no sign of knowing she
was there.
'Do you want me to ride for the healer?' Hally said.
'No,' Rosemary answered. 'There's a storm about to break loose, and I don't
want you in the middle of it, having a tree limb blow down upon you or
something of the sort. I don't know what more a healer would do for him than
I've already done, besides.'
'Right,' Hally said, bending to kiss her cheek. 'You stay here with him, then,
and we'll get tea on.' She nodded again, her eyes fixed on her brother's face.
Farry was glad that Rosemary was busy with Ferdibrand; he wasn't feeling all
that well, himself, and he was afraid her sharp eyes might find him out.
Thankfully, everyone was on edge and out of sorts and no one remarked on
Farry's heavy eyes and flushed face.
Robin had let slip that he and his father had visited an inn and his father had
spoken to the quick post rider there. Farry determined that he would have to
slip out tonight, when the family were sleeping. It was good luck for him that
Ferdi was so ill, though he felt a twinge of conscience at the thought, rather
than the satisfaction he expected to feel at knowing Ferdibrand was in no
condition to follow him. Sleeping by the hearth as he was, rather than bundled
into a bed with several others, it would be easy enough to pick up his blanket,
swipe a loaf of bread from the sideboard, and slip out the door in the middle
night.
A few hours after the Bolgers sought their beds, Farry roused slightly, hearing
a roaring noise outside. He wondered for a moment if he was dreaming about
dragons, then realised that he was hearing the sound of a mighty wind, and
spatters of rain driving upon the roof above. He felt another blanket being
laid over him, and looked up to see Rosemary's smile.
'Go back to sleep, Farry,' she said. He nodded and closed his eyes, then
cracked one eyelid to see her stretching herself wearily upon the bed in the
corner. Hally must be watching with Ferdi. Farry snuggled deeper into his
blankets. He'd just wait long enough for her to fall asleep, and for the
blankets to chase away the chills that assailed him afresh, and then he'd take
himself off into the night and the storm.
***
Late supper came and went at Brandy Hall, but no messenger with small boy in
his charge.
'What d'you suppose happened?' Pippin said, sipping brandy in the Master's
study. 'Pony post has never failed us before...'
'Perhaps a pony pulled up lame, and the messenger had to walk to the next inn,'
Berilac commented, filling Merry's glass.
'That would slow him down considerably,' Merry said. 'I cannot believe it,
however, with what we're paying to keep the ponies ready and in good
condition.'
'It's not the weather,' Pippin said. 'Despite all your misgivings, cousin, I've
seen no sign of a storm as of yet.'
'Just wait,' Merry said gloomily. At that moment, there was an urgent knock on
the door.
Pippin started up from his chair. 'Here they are at last!' he said.
'Come!' Merry called, and the door opened, to admit a pony post rider, but no
small boy in his train.
'Palanard?' Pippin said, coming forward.
The messenger strode into the room, removing a folded note from his pouch and
extending it with a trembling hand. 'I rode as quick as I could, Sir,' he said.
'What is it?' Merry asked, rising from his desk as Pippin took the note, broke
the seal and began to read. All colour drained from the Thain's face and he
staggered as the grim-faced messenger reached out to steady him.
'Call the healer!' Merry rapped out, moving to Pippin's other side. Berilac
jumped to obey. Together, Merry and Palanard half-carried Pippin to a chair and
eased him down.
Merry took up Pippin's glass and held it to his cousin's lips, but Pippin
turned his head away. 'Faramir,' he whispered. His hand fell to his side and
released the note. Merry caught it and scanned the few lines, then understood
the reason for his cousin's collapse.
'Steady, Pip,' he said. 'Breathe, cousin,' he added, for Pippin's breaths were
coming fast and short, and he'd begun to wheeze.
'Farry,' Pippin said again, staring at nothing, locked in a private nightmare
of realised fear.
It was with great relief that Merry saw the door open some moments later to
admit old Ossilan, head healer at Brandy Hall, Berilac close at his heels.
'What's happened?' Ossilan said as one hand closed about the Thain's wrist. His
calm was a steady rock to cling to in the swirl of emotions that Merry fought
down: fear for Pippin, and for his son; fury at whomever was responsible for
the lad's disappearance; a thirst for vengeance that surprised him with its
unhobbitlike power.
'His son's gone missing,' Merry said.
'Come, Master Peregrin,' Ossilan said, for all the world as if the Thain were a
tween once more, resisting the healer's ministrations. 'Breathe for me, now,
lad. In... out... in... out... that's it, steady breaths.' Merry found himself
relaxing and breathing more deeply in response to Ossilan's rhythmic cadence
and soothing tone. Colour began to return to Pippin's face, and Merry saw the
healer subtly relax.
'Farry,' Pippin said again. 'Where's Farry?'
'We'll find him,' Merry said staunchly. He had no idea how, but he had no
doubt.
There was a commotion in the corridor, and then Everard Took flung himself into
the Master's study, to fall to his knees before Pippin, taking the Thain's
hands in his own.
'Farry,' Pippin murmured, still in a state of shock.
'He's found, Pip,' Everard gasped, 'at least, we think he is.' He'd run all the
way up to the Hall from the Ferry landing.
'What do you mean?' Merry said sharply.
'Just after Regi sent off the message that the lad wasn't at the Smials, a note
came from Ferdi, in Woody End, saying that he had the lad there and safe,'
Everard explained in gasps, still gripping Pippin's hands. 'Pip, do you hear
me?' he added. He had nearly killed that last pony in the effort to catch the
pony post rider, who had stayed just ahead of him; as it was, Everard arrived
at the Western Ferry landing in time to see the Ferry pull up to the landing at
Brandy Hall.
'Woody End?' Berilac said. 'What's he doing there?'
'That is what we are going to find out,' Merry said grimly.
