“Probably right,” Teofil said and stood up beside Thaddeus. “Maybe Mum had to hide your dad because another troll came by looking for the one we killed?”
“But why didn’t they leave a note or anything?” Thaddeus asked, hating the whine he heard in his voice but unable to help himself. He just wanted to see his father again. He’d been through so much to get back to him with the water from the Well of Tears. They didn’t have time to hunt for them. His father needed to drink the water now.
“They didn’t think we’d be coming back,” Astrid said in a quiet voice. “Remember? Not right away, at least. We were supposed to go to the mountains to look for your mum, and that would have taken us longer.”
The realization hit Thaddeus hard. Of course that’s what had happened. They weren’t supposed to be back this soon.
“Maybe your mom got my dad up and hid him in the forest to keep out of sight of the trolls. Let’s look near the mooshberry bushes.”
They walked as a group toward the forest, following the trail of broken and matted down grasses left by whatever had dragged away the troll’s body. Thaddeus kept a hand on the canteen fastened to his belt to reassure himself that once they found his father he’d be able to immediately deliver a serving of the healing water.
The claustrophobic feel of the forest closed over Thaddeus once again as he followed the others into the trees. The air was heavy with moisture, warm and close, the breeze seeming to die before it could make its way inside the trees. A quiet sensation of oppression snuck up and wrapped around him. After feeling the sun and wind again, their return to the forest amplified his concern for his father.
“I liked being in the glider much better,” Teofil muttered to him.
Thaddeus gave him a thin smile. “I wish we had been able to fly in one together.”
Teofil took his hand and squeezed it. “Me too.”
Astrid was in front, picking out the easiest path to take them along the edge of the forest as they searched. Teofil was next, then Thaddeus, and Dulindir brought up the rear. They were all silent now, and Thaddeus realized the stillness and close feeling within the trees had caused them to stop calling out to their parents. He wondered what else might be living among the trees, maybe stalking the forest’s edge and waiting to pounce on a hapless traveler. He hoped it hadn’t gotten to his father.
Worry built inside him with each step, and he mentally cursed himself. He never should have left his father’s side. It didn’t matter if he was their best chance to approach his mother as a dragon; he should have stayed behind with his father. Without his father, Thaddeus didn’t know what he would do. He had no history with his mother, so even if they changed her back, he wouldn’t know her.
He wanted to learn magic from his father.
He wanted to hear stories how his father and mother grew up—the actual stories, and not some vague fabrications to hide the fact his father was a wizard.
He wanted to tell his father he’d summoned a ball of light, seen a water sprite and a reaper grub, and helped save an elf’s life.
He wanted to tell his father they’d built gliders and flown their way back to him with a magical cure.
In front of him, Astrid stepped around a tree then jumped back and gave a shout of surprise. Her shout turned into laughter and she squealed one word with more joy than Thaddeus had ever before heard anyone manage: “Mum!”
“Mum?” Teofil’s voice quivered as he hurried forward.
Thaddeus followed closely behind, tromping through the undergrowth and stumbling over tree roots. As he approached, Thaddeus saw Astrid hugging Miriam tight, laughing and crying as Miriam held her close. Almost every inch of Miriam’s exposed skin had mud smeared over it. Her clothes were dirty and disheveled, her blouse torn in some places, and a scabbed-over scratch ran the length of her left arm.
“Did you do it, then?” Miriam asked, then let out a happy cry at the sight of Teofil and she grabbed him in a strong hug. “Oh, my little gnomlings! It’s so good to see you.”
When she released Teofil, Miriam met Thaddeus’s eyes and flashed a smile, but quickly looked away. A dark sense of dread formed low in Thaddeus’ belly, but before he could say anything, she put a hand to both Astrid and Teofil’s shoulder and looked between them.
“You reached the mountains so quick and found the dragon? Is she changed back? Is it done?”
Teofil looked around at them all, then back at his mother. “Well, we, um, we kind of took a detour.”
“Detour?” Miriam looked at Thaddeus, touched on Dulindir a moment with a frown, and then searched the forest behind them. “Wait, where’s Fetter? Where’s your brother?”
Astrid took Miriam’s hand. “Mum…. He’s gone,” she said in a small, sad voice. “But he’s been gone since all of this started. All this time it wasn’t even him.”
“What?” Miriam looked at them in turn again. “You’re not making sense. And who’s this elf that’s with you instead of Fetter?”
“I am Dulindir,” he said, as if stating his name offered explanation enough.
Miriam looked at Dulindir blankly a moment, then turned her attention to Teofil. “Are you telling me your brother is dead?”
“We’re not sure, Mum,” Teofil replied. “Like Astrid said, it wasn’t him at all. Since the day of the attack when Fetter was carrying me to safety, it’s been Isadora.”
Miriam looked shocked, her eyes widening and her lips pressing into a thin line. Finally, she whispered, “Isadora?”
“It’s been her all this time, Mum,” Astrid said. “All these years, pretending to be Fetter, gathering information, making plans. Lying.” Tears streaked down her face, and Thaddeus felt the sting of his own tears all over again at the enormity of Isadora’s betrayal.
“By Flora,” Miriam whispered. “Isadora. That sneaky witch.” She seemed to come back to the moment and looked at each of them. “She didn’t hurt you, did she?”
“No, she didn’t hurt us,” Teofil said. “But, Mum, she’s off to find the dragon. She wants to use it. Use her.”
Miriam looked at Thaddeus before she approached and pulled him into a tight, comforting hug. “Oh, Thaddeus. You must be so worried. Don’t fret. Your father is alive. He’s in a bad way, though. Very bad. But he’s strong willed, I’ll give him that.”
Relief flooded Thaddeus, filling him, pushing out the exhaustion, the fear, everything else. His father was still alive. “He’s safe?” Thaddeus asked, his voice muffled against Miriam’s shoulder.
She pushed him back to arm’s length and smiled. “He’s safe. Like I said, he’s weak, but he’s holding his own.”
“I have something that will help him.” Thaddeus placed a hand on the canteen. “Hopefully, it will cure him. Like Teofil said, we took a detour. We found it, Mrs. Rhododendron. We found the Well of Tears.”
Chapter 16
“You found the Well of Tears?” Miriam stared at Thaddeus. “Is that what you said?”
“It is,” Thaddeus said, his eyes wide and hand still resting on the canteen hooked to his belt.