Canes of Divergence (3 page)

“If you continue on this path, Zander, keep sticking your nose in this issue, you are going to find yourself in the same situation – telling lies to the people you care about.”

Who was this guy, anyway? A CIA agent or something? What in the world?
Zander was getting a little scared now.

“And you’re here to what? Warn me to stay away?”

“Among other things, yes – not to threaten you, Zander. There’s no need to be afraid of me. I’m merely asking you to be sure of what your motives are. Quinn doesn’t
owe
you an explanation. If you insist on having one, you will be responsible for whatever else it brings into your life.”

“Why do I feel like I’m in some kind of weird spy movie?”

Alvin smiled. “It’s not a movie, Zander. I merely consider it only fair to let you know that you might get more than you bargained for if you pursue this, and to give you a chance to back out now.”

Alvin’s face was perfectly kind and friendly now – there was nothing menacing about him at all – but a chill ran down Zander’s spine. “Did Quinn have the same warning?”

“No. That’s an advantage you have that she didn’t – not that she’d likely have taken the warning.” Alvin smiled; the look in his eyes when he spoke of Quinn was a fond one – it calmed Zander a little. “But her circumstances were very different than yours. This isn’t your family, Zander, and it isn’t your concern.”

“Unless I make it my concern.”

“Unless you do.”

“What if I really just want to know that Quinn is all right – that nothing has happened to her?”

“Nothing happening to her and her being all right are two completely different things. I can tell you that she is currently healthy and well. Now, if you will excuse me, today’s an excellent day for catching fish.”

Zander wasn’t anywhere near ready to
excuse
Alvin to go anywhere, but by the time he opened his mouth to respond, the old man was already several hundred feet away from him, down by the riverbank. He wasn’t even sure how he’d gotten there so quickly.

Sighing, his thoughts traveling in even more directions than they had been when he’d arrived, he turned to walk back to his truck. Halfway there, just before heading into the trees that would obscure his view, he glanced back, half tempted to chase the man down and demand more answers from him, but when he looked, Alvin was gone. Zander couldn’t see him anywhere.

Startled, he turned all the way around, looking up and down the riverbank. Nothing.
Weird.
There hadn’t been time for Alvin to leave. He started to walk back down to where they’d been talking, his eyes scanning the entire area.

That’s when he saw it. If not for the small movement, he would never have noticed the man.
Way up the slope that led to the highway above, and quite a distance downriver, there was a man, just sitting there, right next to a boulder.

It definitely wasn’t Alvin – he was too far away for one thing, and for another, this man had
the blackest hair he’d ever seen; cropped close to his head, it looked nearly midnight blue. And he was staring right at Zander.

Even at this distance,
he knew that the man had seen him, too – but the stranger didn’t seem to care. If anything, his posture indicated boredom. He didn’t look away, he just continued to watch. Zander was reminded of a hawk, a thought that sent a shudder rippling down from his shoulders to his toes.

Though the spring day was growing warmer, Zander snapped his jacket closed around him as he turned back and headed toward his truck.

Rosewood Castle, Eirentheos

T
HE KNOCK ON
the door was so soft that at first Quinn wasn’t sure she’d actually heard it, but William’s head turned at the sound, too. The baby in his arms sighed contentedly; William had just finished changing him and wrapping him up in a clean blanket.

“Do you want me to answer it?” he asked.
“I think whoever it is knocked that quietly because they don’t want to disturb us if we want to be left alone.”

“Go ahead,” she s
aid, glancing toward the window at the bright sunlight pouring in through the small crack William had opened a little while ago when the baby had woken them. “They’ve been patient for long enough, I think.”

“You’re not too tired for company?”

She shook her head. “Three hours of sleep at a stretch is probably as good as it’s going to get for a while. Might as well get used to it. Besides, I’m a little hungry.”

“Good.” He smiled,
leaning down to nestle the baby in her arms and kissing her hair before going out to the sitting room to answer the door.

Nathaniel appeared in the bedroom doorway behind William.
“Are you sure it’s okay? If it’s not, I’ll leave this here and go.” He nodded at the tray in his hands, loaded down with bowls of hot grain cereal, sweet rolls, fruit, and glasses of juice.

“Oh
, come in, Nathaniel. We have something we wanted to tell you anyway.”

The answering grin on her uncle’s face
made her glad he hadn’t waited any longer.

William took the tray from him, and Nathaniel approached her. “How are you feeling?”

“Great, actually. I’m not even as tired as I thought I would be.”

He
smiled again, gazing down now at the baby. “May I?”

Nodding, she tucked
the edge of the blanket back over a tiny arm before handing her son to him. Her uncle had come to check on her and the baby last night after William and the midwife delivered him, but he hadn’t held him. Nobody had yet, besides her and William.

“Oh,” Nathaniel breathed.
“He’s perfect. He has William’s hair, but otherwise … he looks just like you, Quinn.” Cradling the baby with one arm, he gently brushed his finger across the little forehead. “This is exactly what you looked like, the first time I held you.”

Warmth filled her chest as
Nathaniel held her son so tenderly. Her uncle wasn’t always expressive, and the two of them were still figuring out what their relationship was going to be like, but watching him now – there was no doubt how he felt about her, and now about her child. Of course, right at the edges of the warm fuzziness was the ache in her chest that never quite went away.

“I’m so sorry that you mother isn’t here, sweetheart,” Nathaniel said, as if he sensed what she was thinking. “Or the rest of your family. I wish they were all here. And I really wish Samuel was here. This would have been a shining moment for him.”

“It’s still a wonderful moment,” William came to sit on the edge of the bed beside Quinn. He handed her a glass of juice and put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulder gently. “I know wherever Quinn’s father is, he’s seeing this now, and I still – we still – have hope that Quinn will see her family again, that they’ll get to meet our son, even if it’s not today. But today is still a pretty great day.”

“Yes, it is,” Quinn agreed, nodding. And it was. S
he would always miss her family; it would always be hard, but something had shifted inside her when William had first set the baby on her chest last night. The joy she’d felt then … the same joy she felt now when she saw that sweet little face … outweighed all of the sadness.

“We wanted to tell you that we’ve chosen a name,” she said.
“I know it’s supposed to be a secret until the Naming Ceremony, but we thought you might like to hear it first.”

“Oh?”

“We were thinking Samuel … Samuel Owen Rose.”

Nathaniel’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect.” He looked down at the baby. “A perfect name for a perfect little boy,” he cooed, leaning down to kiss little Samuel on the forehead.

“So is everyone else pacing the hallway waiting to get in here?” Quinn asked, once Nathaniel finally handed the baby back to her.

He grinned
. “Only Thomas. Charlotte and Stephen are anxious to see you, of course, but they’ve been through this enough times now to be patient. Alice has asked a few times, too.”

“Bring them in,” Quinn said. “There’s no telling how much longer we have until he needs to eat again.”

William sat down beside her, resting his hand on Samuel’s little head. “If how he’s been so far is any indication, I’d give it half an hour, tops.”

A
lmost as soon as Nathaniel went out, Thomas appeared in the doorway, making Quinn chuckle. “You really were out there waiting for an all-clear, weren’t you?”

“I only have a limited time to spend with my nephew before you run
off back to Philotheum with him.” He grinned. “I have to soak up every second I can get.”

William rolled his eyes. “You’re coming
with
us at first.”

“But only for the Naming Ceremony. I’m not staying.” Thomas’ eyes were on Samuel now. “You two and Linnea and Ben are going to have all the fun after that. Hand him over, Sis. It’s my turn.”

She thought about teasing him for a second, but then she saw the look in his eyes – behind all of the banter, he was quite serious – and she let William take the baby from her arms and hand him to his brother.

He was so natural with the baby; Quinn was reminded instantly of the first morning she’d ever known Thomas, when he’d so easily taken his youngest sister from his mother. Now, he hel
d little Samuel in front of him so they were facing each other. For several moments he was silent, just studying his nephew, while the baby lay there contentedly. Finally, he bent down and kissed Samuel on the forehead before turning his attention back to them.

“I can’t believe you’re a father, Will.”

“No, neither can I. I always figured you would be the first one of the two of us – I was never sure I’d ever get to be one at all.” He sat down next to Quinn again, putting his hand on her knee.

Quinn couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “Whatever. You’re eighteen, Will. And Thomas, you’re sixteen. In my world, people would think you’re crazy for even talking about babies. If I went back there now, with him…” She shook her head. Truthfully, she couldn’t even imagine it. Her life in Bristlecone seemed like a million years ago now.
In some ways it was as if she’d never lived there at all. “What’s your rush?”

Thomas shrugged and pulled the baby closer, cradling him against his chest. “If I’d lived as long in your world as I’ve lived here, I’d be somewhere around a hundred and sixty years old. You’d be a hundred and seventy. Somewhere in there, I think wanting a family is pretty normal.”

“Maybe.” Quinn still wasn’t sure.

“Do you regret marrying Will?”

William’s hand tightened on her knee, and she looked up at him. “No. Of course I don’t.”

“It just doesn’t stop you from imagining other possibilities, does it?” William asked quietly.

She shook her head. “It’s just…nothing prepared me for this, you know? It’s probably still the same school year in Bristlecone.”

“Yes,” William said, nodding. “It’s
been less than two months there since the last time we came through the gate.”

“I will never wrap my head around that.”

“Showing up there now with a husband and a baby would present more problems than just your age.” Thomas chuckled.

“Uh, yeah, no kidding. Maybe it’s best I
can’t
actually go back right now.” But even just saying those words set off the ache in her chest again. Although outwardly she was still smiling, William’s hand moved from her knee to around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and she leaned against his side.

No, she didn’t regret her decision to marry him even a little bit.

“Can we come in?” a voice called from the doorway.

“Of course,” Quinn said, smiling at Charlotte and Stephen.

She pushed back the covers to stand up and go to them, but Charlotte held her hand up.

“You stay right there. It’s our job to wait on you for a few days.”

She sighed, but sank back against the pillows as William stood instead to go and hug his parents. “Will the waiting on me
stop
after a few days?”

Charlotte chuckled
, and gave a wry shake of her head. “No.”

“You’re a queen now, Quinn,” Thomas said. “At some point, you’re just going to have to get used to it.”

“No promises,” she grumbled.

“If I can get used to it, so can you,” Charlotte said, though her attention was almost fully on the baby now, as she lifted him from Thomas’ arms.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed with him, she held him up so she could rest his soft little cheek against hers, and then she cradled him again, kissing him gently on the nose.

“I never thought anything would be as wonderful as snuggling my own babies,” she said softly. “But, oh, grandbabies might be even better.”

“Gee, thanks,” Thomas said, though he was still watching the baby with such wonder that it was obvious he wasn’t actually offended.

“Now that,” Stephen said, coming to stand beside Quinn, “is a beautiful baby. From an equally beautiful couple.”

“Thank you,” Quinn said.

“He’ll make a wonderful king someday.”

Though she smiled, the thought made her breath catch in her throat a little. He was so
tiny
– she wasn’t ready to imagine him as the heir to the throne.

“Hush, Stephen,” Charlotte said, handing the baby back to Quinn. “You should know better than that by now.” She nudged him gently wi
th her elbow, rolling her eyes. “When Simon was born, I had to tell him that, outside of the Naming Ceremony, he wasn’t allowed to mention anything about my baby running a kingdom until he was at least walking. He’s been pretty good about holding back with Evelyn, but maybe he thinks you’re different because you’re the ruler.”

With the baby
safely back in her arms, it was easier for Quinn to smile about that.

Charlotte rested her hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “Queen or not, you need time to just enjoy this little one without worrying about his future.”

“Sorry sweetheart. I’ll go back to my rightful place as doting grandfather,” Stephen said, resting his hand on the baby’s soft hair. “Thank you for making me one again.”

Suddenly, there was a lot of commotion in the doorway.
“Oh! He’s so cute!” Emma exclaimed, running up to Quinn. “Can I hold him?”

“No, Emma,” Stephen said gently, laying his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “You can look, but the baby needs to stay with Quinn for now, okay?”

“It’s okay, Em,” Quinn said softly. “Just come sit up here by me.”

“You too, Alex.
” William lifted his little brother under the arms and up onto the mattress next to Emma. Both children gently touched the baby’s feet and cooed at him.

“Do you want to see too, Alice?” William asked, picking her up and holding her in his arms.

She nodded, but made no move to get down onto the bed. Instead, she laid her head against William’s shoulder while she stared at Samuel.

“He is cute,” she said.

“I think so,” William agreed.

“I love him.”

“He’s going to love you, too.”

“When he gets bigger.” Alice’s voice was very matter-of-fact.

William smiled. “Yes. He’s too tiny to notice very much right now. But he would love you if he understood who you were.”

“Can I kiss his head?”

“Of course you can.” Quinn shifted the infant up so Alice could reach better.

Alice didn’t leave William’s arms; he just
held on and lowered her so she could lean over and plant a very soft kiss on the baby’s hair. “I love you, baby,” she whispered.

“Hey, quit pushing me. This is my spot!” Emma shrieked beside Quinn.

“Oops,” Stephen said, lifting her down from the bed in one swift motion and then reaching for Alex. “I think it’s time to head back to your lessons. Both of you.”

Emma gave an indignant huff, but neither of them argued.

Stephen turned back to his new grandson, running his finger gently down the side of the baby’s face. “I’ll come back another time to enjoy a cuddle with this one who doesn’t squabble yet. Congratulations, again.”

Then he turned to William, pulling him into
an enormous hug, before stepping back and looking at him, tears in the corners of his eyes. “I’m so proud of you, son. I always have been, in everything you’ve done – but this, William – seeing the kind of husband you are to Quinn, and what kind of father you already are to my grandson … this may be the proudest of you I have ever been.”

Quinn saw tears in William’s eyes, too, as
he stood there with his father; the two of them were nearly the same height – she’d never noticed that before.