A Warrior’s Heart by Misty M. Beller
21
When Brielle stepped out of her family’s apartment, the wind slapped hard. She parted ways with Jeanette on the threshold with a final wave. The thick haze of snow made visibility more challenging, but there were no signs of anyone else around. The large flakes had turned to icy crystals, dusting the air in a thick cloud.
She raised her gloved hands to cup her mouth and aimed her voice toward the gate. “Marcellus!” She kept up a steady march as she listened, but only the howling wind answered.
Her feet sank in the snow halfway up her knee-high moccasins. She really should have taken time to lace on her snowshoes but hadn’t thought about it in her hurry. Surely this would be a quick journey. Marcellus must have gotten disoriented as the wind and snow thickened. She knew all the places around where he might’ve taken refuge, and if he could hear her voice, they would find each other quickly.
After passing through the gate, she shifted under the trees on the left side of the trail, the exact place Evan had taken refuge after she’d shot him on that fateful day. She could still feel the thickness of his arms when she’d pressed him facedown on the ground, pulling his wrists behind him. Even then, she’d been impressed by his strength as he fought the power of the potion on her arrow tip.
What was he doing now? At least he was safe and warm, tucked in the storage room with Leonard to guard him. Maybe he was still eating the food Audrey had brought for his morning meal.
The thought made her own belly grumble, and she reached into the bag Charlotte had packed. As she called again for Marcellus, she pulled out the first bundle and opened it to find roasted caribou. That would give her enough energy to accomplish this mission and get back. She could save the rest for when she was warming by the fire. Just the thought of a warm blaze moved her feet a bit faster.
“Marcellus!” She strained to hear a response as she bit into the meat.
Walking under the trees blocked some of the buffeting wind, so she should be able to hear him respond.
But no voice called back.
Maybe he’d found refuge in the clutch of cedars tucked against the rocky cliff ahead. There weren’t many trees there, but the protection of the stone wall on one side would stop much of the wind, and the branches would keep the worst of the snow off him.
Lord, let him be dressed for the weather. Please.
If he’d not covered every bit of himself with furs, he could be frozen stiff by the time she found him. An awful image flashed through her mind, pressing her faster. That would explain why he’d been gone so long.
But no. Marcellus couldn’t be . . . dead. Lord, please. Let him be safe.
He brought such joy to everyone around him. She hadn’t meant the times she became frustrated with him. He always intended kindness.
And Jeanette. What would her sweet friend do if something happened to her boy?
When Brielle left the shelter of the trees and plunged across the open land, the wind nearly bowled her over with its gale-like force. Snow pounded her cheeks, and she pulled her scarf higher to cover every part of her face except her eyes.
Her breaths came harder as she pushed against the wind, and it seemed to take forever to reach the group of cedars beside the cliff wall. If she hadn’t traveled this way so many times before, she might not have found the spot. The snow was so thick, she could barely see more than a few strides in front of her.
When she reached the trees, she wove her way through them. Nothing. “Marcellus?” She shook every branch, kicking the lumps of snow to see if he’d been covered.
Still nothing.
Her heart hammered into her throat. Where else would he be? Everyone knew better than to leave the village walls with the threat of snow. Even him.
The knot in her stomach pulled tighter. Maybe he’d seen an elk or other game and thought to bring food home for his mother. Even though they all knew hunting wasn’t his forte, if he set his mind to something, it was almost impossible to waylay him.
She stood at the edge of the trees and stared at the white beyond. Should she go south or north? With one mountain at her back and Laurent ahead of her, those were the only two immediate choices. But no matter which direction she chose, a medley of options would soon become available to her. There was no way to track him at this point, not with so much snow covering his prints. Her voice wouldn’t carry very far through the howling wind.
Lord, show me.She closed her eyes and let her mind roam over the possible directions. Whether Marcellus knew the trail or not wouldn’t matter to him if he’d been focused on whatever he was following. Maybe she should go where an animal would have gone. Most of the near herds grazed to the north, but she’d already checked those areas when she hunted this morning. So perhaps she should head south and search the trails she hadn’t yet traveled that day.
Gathering a breath for courage, she started out. At first, she attempted a jog to cover ground faster. But the snow was so deep now and the wind pressed against her so hard, she couldn’t maintain the pace.
Dropping back to a walk, she extended her stride as much as she could manage in the soft snow. Every minute or so, she called his name. And in between, she sent up prayers for God to lead her to him.
Worry coursed through her, but it was likely nothing compared to what Jeanette and Louis were feeling. She’d already been gone much longer than she anticipated. At least the gnawing fear kept her from being hungry. With so much unknown, she needed to save the food in case . . .
In case what? Her mind tried to answer with images of Marcellus so cold and weak he couldn’t walk on his own. When another picture tried to surface of him mostly buried under snow, she pushed it away. “Marcellus!”
Once again, no answer.
God, where are you?Did He not care about one of the best of His creations? Everything in Marcellus desired to be good and helpful and kind and loving. Surely the Lord would respond the same.
After checking two different places where Marcellus might have sought cover, she was so miserable with cold and fear she wanted to scream. But she didn’t waste energy on such a reaction.
Instead, she ate a bit more roasted meat. Her strength was waning, but she had to keep moving.
She wasn’t as familiar with this area, as it didn’t usually provide much game. There might be places he’d taken refuge that she’d forgotten about, but with the storm swirling around her, she could only move from one known group of trees to another.
The isolation of the blizzard made her feel like night should be coming on, but she probably hadn’t been out that long. For a while now, the clouds had covered what little sun there was, casting a pall over the atmosphere that made it feel like the semidarkness that lasted so much of the winter months.
How long had she been searching by now? Half a day? The storm hadn’t let up. If anything, the strength of the wind had worsened.
Should she turn back? She couldn’t. Her family would worry, but they would know she wouldn’t return without Marcellus.
Had someone told Evan? Was he worried?
But she pushed all those thoughts away. She didn’t have the energy to let them fester. She had to find Marcellus. She couldn’t return without him.
A dark mound rose up before her, and she staggered toward it. The form took the shape of a scrawny tree standing separate from the others clustered a few steps away. She braced a hand against its trunk and let it bear her weight.
Maybe she should turn back and see if she’d missed him somewhere along the way. If she still didn’t find him, she could stop in Laurent and gather supplies, along with one or two others to help search. Then they could go northward and see if she’d missed him in her travels that morning.
The plan sounded as good as anything else her exhausted mind could conjure.
Pushing off from the tree, she turned back the way she’d come and screamed Marcellus’s name once more.
Evan eyed the guard as he sat with his paper and charcoal. Leonard had acted more and more worried as the afternoon progressed. The man said a blizzard was raging outside, but did that account for all of his angst?
Leonard stood again and began to pace the short length of the room. Back. Forth. Back again. He glanced at the door each time he turned.
“If there’s something you need to go do, I’ll be fine here. I won’t try to escape. You have my word.”
The man jerked his focus to Evan, then shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do.”
“What is it you’re worried about?”
He just grunted and shook his head again.
Evan wanted to pound the pencil point into the stone floor. Anything to vent the frustration building inside him. His own body itched with pent-up nerves, but he couldn’t tell if it was merely fear of not knowing what was wrong or an inner sense telling him he needed to take action.
Soft footsteps sounded in the hall, and they both jerked to attention. Leonard strode to the door and lifted the bar with a sharp clang. He pulled the door open to reveal Audrey standing with the tray containing their evening meal.
Her wide eyes stared at the man, then swung to Evan.
“Any news?” Leonard spoke in French, but his voice was loud enough Evan could make out the words without much trouble. He was going to be fluent in that language by the time he left Laurent.
Audrey’s lips pressed tight, and even in the shadows he could see the worry lines fanning her face as she shook her head.
Leonard stepped back and motioned for her to enter with the tray. A thick fear hovered in the room, and Evan breathed it in with every breath.
He reached to take the tray from Audrey as she bent to him. “Audrey.” His voice made her pause in the process of straightening. She met his gaze, and he searched every nuance of her brown eyes for some sign of what the problem was. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Brielle.” Her mouth barely parted as the name slipped out.
It sliced through him like a knife blade cutting open a deer carcass. His heart skipped a beat, and his breath grew ragged as the pressure in his chest grew. “Where is she?” He’d wondered why she hadn’t come by today but had told himself it couldn’t have anything to do with Leonard’s worries. Her absence seemed more likely to be from their kiss, a possibility that twisted his belly.
But now this . . . Was she out in the blizzard? She couldn’t be. She possessed too much savvy about this land. She wouldn’t let herself be surprised by a storm.
He honed his focus on Audrey, willing her to explain, as he didn’t have the breath to ask.
“Marcellus is missing. She went to look for him when she came back from her hunt this morning. Neither of them have returned. Brielle’s father and uncle went out to look for them.”
No. It wasn’t possible. Only the urge to help one of her people in danger would make Brielle set aside her good judgment and put herself in so much risk.
“The storm? Is it fading?” He could only pray so. Lord, let it be dying. Let her be hidden with Marcellus somewhere, protected from the cold and wind. Or better yet, let her be, even now, at the gate, on her way to safety.
Audrey glanced up at Leonard as she shook her head. “Not yet.” The turn in her voice said what she didn’t. If anything, the weather was worsening.
He pushed the tray aside and rose to his feet, then looked to Leonard. “I have to go look for Brielle. She needs help. I’ll bring her back here, I promise. I won’t run away. You can keep my things, I’ll sign an oath, whatever you need. I promise I’ll be back, but I have to go find her.”
The man was shaking his head even before Evan stopped talking. “I can’t let you. I have my orders.”
Anger sluiced through his veins, and he spun to Audrey. “How long ago did her father go out?”
Audrey’s brow lined. “A couple hours, maybe. The storm’s really bad, Evan. As worried as I am about Brielle and Marcellus, I don’t think the others should’ve left, either. Now all four are in danger. Unless they found a place out of the cold, they might not make it back.” Her voice trembled with her words, and she wrapped her arms around herself.
Desperation threatened to close his throat and he shook his head, turning back to Leonard. “I don’t care. If I die looking for her, that just means you won’t have to worry about me anymore. I have to try.” He spun back to Audrey. “Do they know where she’s gone? Which direction?”
Her mouth pressed together. “I’m not certain. Charlotte would know for sure. She and Jeanette were the last to speak with Brielle before she went out.”
He stepped forward and gripped Audrey’s arm. “Can I talk with them, both of them? His mother might know something that will help us find them.”
“No!” Leonard’s voice rang off the stone walls, slicing through the thoughts racing in Evan’s mind. He spun to face the guard.
Leonard fisted his hands at his side. “I can’t let you go. If anyone knows what to do in the storm, it’s Brielle. I’ve been ordered to keep you here no matter what. I can’t disregard that, especially with the chief gone, as well.”
A fresh wave of anger washed through him, and he had to lock his jaw to keep from charging forward and gripping the man’s shoulders to shake some sense into him. “Who’s in charge, then? Whose permission do I need?” Everything inside told him she was in danger. He’d promised himself that he would protect her. How could he do that when they wouldn’t let him out of this place?
Leonard looked to Audrey, uncertainty marking his features. “I guess one of the council. Maybe Erik.”
Evan turned to Audrey and almost dropped to his knees to beg. “Get him, please.”
But she was already nodding and backing away. “I’ll find him.”
“Thank you. And bring Charlotte and Jeanette, too. I’ll need to speak with them before I leave.”
The moment the door closed behind her, Evan started his own pacing. Leonard didn’t seem to mind that he’d left the fur pallet. There was no way he could sit still with his mind churning. He had to make a plan for where to start looking. Every moment could make a difference for Brielle.
It seemed like a lifetime ago that he’d ridden his horse so blindly to the gate of Laurent. He could barely recall the landscape around the rock walls, and his memory of the land he’d traveled earlier that day was even hazier. But it would come back to him when he was outside. It had to.
Give me wisdom, Lord.