The idea exploded inside Thaddeus’s mind like a supernova and filled him with an urgent sense of hope. He didn’t know about magic, but water from the Well of Tears sounded like it might be just the thing they needed to cure his father. Why hadn’t he thought of that?
“Do you think it would work?”
“I don’t know. But it’s worth a shot if it will save your father’s life, isn’t it?”
“Oh my God,” Thaddeus said, his mind spinning now. He could imagine them finding the well, pulling up a bucket of its magical water, and then rushing back through the forest and across the grassy plain to his father’s side. Tears swamped his eyes, and he barely managed to hold in a sob that would have embarrassed him for certain had it escaped.
“Are you all right?” Fetter asked, moving a couple of steps closer.
Thaddeus turned away, not trusting his voice at that moment. He picked up a few more sticks as he worked to get his emotions in check. When he was ready, he looked at Fetter again. “I don’t know what to do. We’re not even certain the Well of Tears is real. And we’re supposed to be finding my mom… er, the dragon. But my father is very sick. I’m not sure how to ask Teofil something like this.”
Fetter smiled. “Let me take care of it. I’m the oldest after all.”
“But shouldn’t I ask Teofil about it since it’s my father and mother in the balance?”
“Teofil might not like the idea of going off our initial mission,” Fetter said. “Do you want him angry at you so early in your relationship?”
Thaddeus shook his head. “Oh, no. I guess not.” He’d never had anything close to a relationship before, and he’d never dreamed he’d find someone as unique and kind as Teofil. The thought of ruining what they had between them before it really had a chance to grow made Thaddeus feel ill. “You don’t mind asking about it?”
“We’re all in this together, right?” Fetter said.
“That’s right.”
“I’ll ask once we get the fire going and have some food.” Fetter tipped his head toward the place where Teofil worked on the fire pit. “Come on, let’s take this wood back and look for leaves for bedding.”
Thaddeus followed Fetter through the undergrowth. He clutched the sticks in his arms tight, and he was careful to watch where he stepped so he didn’t fall again. The stretching earlier had helped, but his leg still felt stiff, and his injured palm ached a bit. Now and then the mixture Miriam had spread over the wounds on his hand seemed to get deeper into his system and sting as it attacked more germs. But that was minor compared to his combined excitement and anxiety over the possibility of finding the Well of Tears. If it existed at all.
Teofil smiled at him when Thaddeus dropped his armload of sticks near the fire pit, and he tried to smile back, but he was a bit too nervous to pull it off very well. He quickly turned away to start gathering fern leaves for bedding as his thoughts went back and forth between trying to save his father and continuing the search for his mother, struggling to decipher which course was the most important.
Chapter 5
The fire crackled and popped, the smoke curling up toward the heavy canopy of leaves. All around, the darkness crouched as if waiting for the fire to die down so it could fall upon them. Thaddeus shuddered at this thought and shifted a bit closer to Teofil. They ate the last of the mooshberries they had packed, and then Astrid brought out some wild carrots she had uncovered while looking for bedding, and they all munched happily.
But even as he filled his belly, Thaddeus was nervous. Fetter had promised to talk with Teofil to see if he would ask the wood fairies how to find the Well of Tears instead of for direction through the Lost Forest to the mountains. Thaddeus knew it was a long shot. Even if the Well of Tears did exist, it could take them days out of their way through possibly even more dangerous terrain. But if it meant the difference between his father living and dying, it was a risk worth taking. He only hoped Teofil would feel the same way.
He felt a sliver of guilt at the idea of Fetter broaching the subject instead of Thaddeus himself. It might be better if he stepped up and took responsibility for the idea since it involved a choice between his parents. It would be the right thing to do, even though it might mean Teofil would be angry with him. When he thought it through, however, he realized it had been Fetter’s idea. As he sat crunching absently on a carrot, Thaddeus went back and forth between wanting to bring it up himself and hoping Fetter would ask about the well and get it over with.
“You’re deep in thought,” Teofil said.
“What?” Thaddeus asked, startled out of his contemplation. “Oh. Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Care to share?”
Thaddeus looked away into the dark woods. “Just thinking, that’s all. Nothing important enough to say aloud.” A muscle in his neck cramped, and he tipped his head side to side to stretch it out. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to sleeping on the ground.
A tiny light zipped into view. It circled a foot or so above their heads a few times, then flew off through the trees in the direction of the clearing Teofil had noticed earlier.
“The fairies have arrived,” Astrid said as she licked mooshberry juice from her fingers. She leveled a look at Teofil. “Don’t get us lost, big brother.”
Teofil smiled at her. “Have I led us astray yet?”
Astrid waved to the trees surrounding them. “No idea. Every stupid tree in here looks like every other stupid tree.”
“Careful how you talk about the forest with wood fairies around,” Fetter said. “If they hear you, they’ll give us bad directions for sure. Or worse.”
Astrid waved at him dismissively and then turned away to start putting together the leaves she had gathered for her bedding.
“Brother dear, a word if I may?” Fetter asked, brushing the dirt and leaves off the seat of his trousers as he got up.
Thaddeus watched Teofil stand, noticing the thin line of his lips and the muscle twitching in his jaw. Teofil was more than likely still sore at Fetter for his hurtful comment about their parents selling him to Leopold. That would probably play a key role in how Teofil reacted to Fetter’s suggestion for a change in direction. The mooshberries and carrots rolled in his nervous stomach, and he swallowed hard as he watched the brothers walk a short distance into the trees.
“You all right?” Astrid asked.
“What?” Thaddeus looked at her. “Yes. Of course. Why?”
“You look pale, and you’re acting twitchy and nervous. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t eat a bad mooshberry or something.”
Thaddeus let out a breath. “I’m okay. Thanks.” He looked over to where Fetter and Teofil were talking and saw Teofil fold his arms over his broad chest and narrow his eyes.
“What are they talking about, I wonder?” said Astrid.
“Can’t be sure.”
“Doesn’t seem as if Teofil likes it, whatever it is.”
“Yeah, it does look that way, doesn’t it?”
“No!” Teofil said suddenly, his tone sharp and his voice loud.
“Oh, God,” Thaddeus said with a moan. He’d agreed to Fetter’s suggestion, and now Teofil would know and be upset with both of them. He’d never wished harder to be able to take back a decision than at that moment. Why had he agreed to allow Fetter to broach the subject of switching the goal of their journey? The Well of Tears was a legend, a story passed down from generation to generation. No one even knew whether or not it really existed. And if anyone should have asked about them changing direction to find the Well of Tears instead of the dragon, it should have been him.