Fervor (16 page)

Francis did not go to his room. Instead, clutching at his cheek where Royce’s elbow had made contact, he got to his feet and strode out into the kitchen. Nathan walked over to where Fiona lay and helped her up. It was clear to Sam that there was some conversation going on between the two Bigs, but just as Francis had been blocking him out during the friction with the Control, Nathan and Fiona weren’t welcoming any intrusions either.

Sam was starting to think that he preferred things the old way, when he lacked some privacy, but other people couldn’t hide things from him so easily either. Sarah gave his arm a quick squeeze and then released it.

“
Do you think that’s it then? No more fighting?”
she asked hopefully.

“
For now,”
Sam replied, relaxing a little
. “But as much as Nathan wants it to be, I don’t think that this is over.”

That was when the smaller boy considered what really had just happened, and what sort of impact it had for him. He gazed at the Control’s door. This had been an overt display of rebellion on Royce’s part. Before now, Francis’s instructions had been the only ones that he had been willing to listen to, and not because he was compelled to do so like the others, but for other unknown reasons. That had changed. Royce had made the decision that he wasn’t going to follow the rules anymore if they didn’t suit his purposes.

This revelation hit Sam like a brick to the side of the head. With the exception of any physical interference that Nathan had been able to offer, Francis had really been the only thing standing between the Finder and the older boy. What Royce had just done was essentially push Francis aside and now, if Nathan was not around, there would not be anything to help assure Sam’s safety. Fiona had claimed that she could deal with Royce, but it seemed now that that was only talk, or at least, it didn’t apply to any time when Royce was enraged over something, and lately that seemed more often than not.

The fear caused by these new circumstances gripped Sam violently, and hyperventilating slightly, he bolted for his room. Once inside, he locked the door behind him and leaped under his blankets. He huddled in the dark and shielding comfort that he found there, wishing that the sense of security they brought him was real, and not imagined. He also threw his walls up as thick as Francis normally did lately, and ignored all the knocking that came from the others. He wanted to feel like he was alone now, and safe as a result. If he could pretend that there were no threats to him, then he would not need anyone else.

* - * - *

On a day-to-day basis, things did not change much, but gradually, over the next two years, they got worse rather than better. Francis and Royce clashed on a regular basis, on the odd occasion that Royce bothered to come home at all, and the results involved some violence, usually on Royce’s part, more often than not.

Royce’s bullying of Sam worsened as well. He stopped making any artificial show of tolerance towards the smaller boy, and if Sam happened to be unfortunate enough to cross his path, he would usually have to run away in order to avoid any rough treatment. The Finder took to skulking through the backwoods when he had a choice, and as much as he liked the beach, he avoided it because of the lack of cover there.

Sarah, Fiona, and Nathan did not suffer to the same extent, but there was a general unease in their home, a sense of misery and hopelessness that hung over all of its inhabitants.

On the days following any storms, Fiona, Sam, and Sarah would all go out to scour the beach together, travelling in numbers in hopes that this might lend more security to their Finder. Sarah did not serve much purpose on these outings other than company, but Sam was still grateful to have her there. He was worried nonetheless. Running into Royce alone might not be a problem for the three of them, but if they encountered the five Controls that sometimes gathered there and the Unconnected Bigs decided to rid themselves of the perceived nuisance, there would be no contest. Two Littles and a female Big with only a moderate physical presence could never offer any real resistance to the threat that those five would pose.

They remained on edge while they searched, and they usually would not have to go far if there was nothing there to find. Sam could tell them within the first five minutes one way or the other, and on the days that there was nothing, they would return home both disappointed and relieved.

On five separate occasions, however, Sam was sure that he would find something there from Elliot, and they were forced to carefully make their way down the beach, keeping a constant lookout for danger. As if his own fear were not enough to deal with, Sam could feel Sarah’s anxiety wash over him as well, and he gripped her small hand tightly, knowing it would not make any difference but finding the contact soothing despite this.

The first two times that they found the messages, there had been no sign of Royce whatsoever, and they recovered the little orange containers without incident. With the box happily tucked away in Sam’s pocket, the three rushed back to the house to see what Elliot had to say. There were a few more details, but little in the way of progress suggested by the technician.

The first note had said that Elliot managed to obtain the name of the magical device that he was trying to steal and bring to them. He referred to it as the Languorite, and while knowing this would not help him gain access to the tool, it did let him know what to look for when scrounging for more information on the item. Elliot also said that he had managed to get a hold of a selection of the scholars’ notes on the Languorite for a scant few moments and had scanned them as quickly as he could. The only new detail that he had picked up from them was that the device drew its magic from those around it passively, and that most of its effects were always active and persistent. There had been a couple of important exceptions, but Elliot had been forced to abandon his investigation at that point and flee in order to avoid getting caught. He had too much invested in making good on his promise to help the children of Fervor to risk being discovered.

The second note was somewhat apologetic. Elliot explained that he had not been as creative as he would have liked to have been, and had failed to get anymore information from the scholars. He did claim some success, however. As a technician, he had access to the blueprints of all the facilities on the mainland, and since he had assisted in the construction of the Languorite, he knew where it was being kept. He had gotten copies of the blueprints for that particular building in hopes that he could find a way in past security to gain access to the device. His note took on an air of despair from that point onwards, and he had obviously been discouraged by what he had found in those blueprints. He no longer seemed confident that he would achieve his objective, suggesting what needed to be done would surely require the efforts of more than a solitary man. He still asked them not to give up hope, and that he would definitely keep trying for their sake.

On their third venture to the beach that resulted in a find from Elliot, they did catch sight of Royce from a distance, and he them, but he was alone at the time. Much to their satisfaction, he chose to keep his distance from the threesome. They retrieved the orange box and made it back to the house safely with their treasure.

That message had been very brief, and Elliot had not offered anything new for them. He told them that he just wanted to let them know that he had not forgotten them, and that he was working on gathering equipment to help him break into the facility where the Languorite was being kept. He indicated that it was a very slow process. He did not have easy access to the resources that he needed, and he certainly did not have the manpower, but that would not stop him. He would find a way – somehow.

On their fourth successful trip to the beach, as they headed in the direction that Sam had guaranteed would lead them to the newest note from Elliot, Nathan had come across them just before they reached their prize. The day was quite grey and gloomy, and the Watcher approached them with a curious look.

“
Hey! What are you all doing so far from home?”
He wouldn’t have been surprised to find Sam there on his own, looking for some good find. But he knew the small boy did not need Fiona’s help to retrieve anything from the beach, and there was absolutely no call for Sarah to come along under any circumstances. It was also hardly the type of day that would prompt a casual stroll along the shore.

Sam shot Fiona a nervous look. She always seemed to be able to come up with a convincing reply, especially where Nathan was involved.

“
Sam doesn’t like to come to the beach on his own anymore. Ever since Royce started fighting with Francis and made it clear that he doesn’t plan on taking orders from him, Sam doesn’t feel safe,”
she suggested.

Sam nodded. Despite the inability to lie, it always amazed him how she managed to come up with answers that obscured a part of the truth. Neither he nor Sarah had mastered that skill.

“
He asked me to come with him, but Francis wasn’t at the house, and you know that I don’t like to leave Sarah there by herself, so we brought her with us.”

“
Well that makes perfect sense. You happen to be right on the path of my circuit now. Do you mind if I walk with you? I like the company,”
the older boy stated.

This request actually presented Fiona with a bigger problem. She really did mind, but she did not want Nathan knowing that. How then to agree to his request without lying, or to dissuade him so that it would not be an issue? This time it was the older girl’s turn to fidget uncomfortably. Sam came to her rescue.

“
I’ll be glad to have you with us,”
Sam told him.

He really meant it. Ever since Royce and Francis had started fighting, he was happy to have Nathan around whenever he could. It would delay things, and Sam would have to endure the horrible burning itch of passing the thing that he felt compelled to find, but it wasn’t something that he would object to. Nathan had been quick to dismiss the first little orange container that he had seen as a meaningless trinket, but laying eyes upon a second one would surely generate some suspicion.

When his circuit finally drew the Watcher away from the beach again, they quickly made their way back to Elliot’s message.

The fourth message said that the technician was finally making some advances on his plans, and that he was now in the process of hunting down a long-distance hover. He would need one in order to make the trek out to Fervor if and when he managed to get his hands on the Languorite. He still wasn’t prepared to make any guarantees, but there was a renewed eagerness in Elliot’s words, as if things had been going better than expected lately.

By the time they were done reading his letter, all three of them were twitching with excitement, so much so that when Francis arrived back at the house, he watched them for some time with suspicion. Since there did not seem to be any obvious reason for their buoyant mood on such a gloomy day, the Teller had good reason to wonder exactly what the three were up to.

The fifth and final message during that two year stretch came after a particularly violent storm shook Fervor with driving rain and fierce winds. When they headed out that day, before they had even reached the beach proper, Sam had been convinced that they would find something. Because he was so obsessed with finding the message that day, he had forgotten himself, thrown caution to the wind, and charged ahead of the girls. The box was half buried in the sand, and the small boy flung himself to his knees and started digging enthusiastically.

“
Stop! Stop!”
Sarah’s familiar forceful push echoed urgently through his mind.
“Stop, Sam, please!”

Sam knew that tone, and she had not bothered to knock. Something was wrong. He glanced up. Sarah and Fiona stood behind him and facing the opposite direction – in front of them stood Royce, and his four Control cohorts.

“
He says they’ve seen us down here before, and that they know that something’s going on,”
Sarah relayed.
“He says they want to know what we’re up to, and that if we don’t tell them what they want to know, they’ll be forced to beat it out of us.”

Sam raised his gaze to where Royce loomed before them. The black-haired boy smirked down at him with malevolence gleaming in his brown eyes.

.