The Locket (29 page)

He sniffed one last time while he took hold of Savannah’s hand and the three of them started off together. The boy walked closer to her as they made their way through the forest, glad to know that the young girl who found him was not one of the many unkindly creatures that lurked there.

“So tell me about your family,” she started, trying to take his mind off of being lost. “Are they nice?”

“My mommy is,” he agreed. “But my daddy is sometimes kinda’ mean. He likes to have me at the dinner table at ‘six sharp,’ so he says, and if I’m not there by then, he yells at me.”

Savannah raised an eyebrow. “Really? What does your daddy do for a living—err, what is his job?”

Tony squinted his eyes and lowered his eyebrows, making a face that showed he was trying to remember. “I don’t know. Mommy says that it’s very important though. She treats me better,” he grinned. “If daddy’s not home by dinner, which is pretty often, then she won’t yell at me if I’m late.”

“I see,” she said in understanding. “Does your mommy have a job?”

“No,” he shook his head. “She stays home while daddy goes to work. But right now, daddy’s not at work, so he will be angry if I’m not there.”

Savannah scrunched her face in slight concern. Not that she knew much of anything about parenting, but making a child stick to a strict schedule couldn’t have been pleasant to live with. Then again, perhaps he had a good reason … like being able to tell that his son was missing if he didn’t show up to dinner. “I’m sure that your daddy won’t be mad at you for getting lost. He’ll understand.”

Tony gave her an uneasy smile. “I hope so.”

“I know so,” she confirmed. “I’ll bet you that you daddy will be so thrilled that you’re home and safe that he won’t even mind you’re late to dinner. It’s not six o’clock yet anyway,” she glanced up to the sky. “It’s only the afternoon.”

Christian cleared his throat, undoubtedly not used to being around children. “So, Tony, you like to play outside, huh?” The little boy nodded his head. “I’ll bet that it is better than being cooped up inside all day.”

“It is,” he beamed. “I especially like it when I get to play with my friends, but since my friends aren’t here, I can’t play with them,” he finished with a frown.

“Why aren’t they here?” Savannah wondered.

“Because they’re back home.”

“Oh. So you are on vacation?”

“Yes. It is just me, and my mommy, and my daddy. We came here for a break, my mommy says. She thinks that what my daddy does for a living is too violent, but he disagrees. He thinks that she is just being p-par-par,” Tony trailed off a bit, trying his hardest to recall his father’s words. “Par-e-nodded.”

“Parenodded?” Savannah glanced over at Christian, hoping that he would know what Tony meant.

“Yes, parenodded. He told mommy that she was too scared and ...” he paused again, remembering as best as he could, “unreasonable.”

Realizing what Tony meant, Savannah started to laugh. “Oh, you mean ‘paranoid.’”

“Yeah, that was the word. Daddy said mommy was paranoid and crazy.”

Holding back a slight giggle, Savannah continued to walk in silence. Was sensing a little boy, afraid, alone, and lost in the woods all that felt wrong to her? Was that the only negative feeling that bubbled inside of her? No, there was something else, because the feeling was not yet gone. So what was it?

The three of them kept on for what appeared like nothing more than a few minutes before Savannah heard an unexpected, “I see it! I see it! We made it! We’re here!”

At that moment, both Savannah and Christian immediately whipped their heads up. They were here. At last, after all of this time, they were finally here. Through thick and thin, through friend and foe, through rain and shine—they had made it to the other side of the forest.

Before either one could stop him, Tony ran across the last couple of meters of wooded territory and to the wall of golden light beyond the forest’s edge. It was like entering a whole other world. The graveness of shadowed trees subsided, the amount of sunshine pouring, rather than trickling. And best of all, there was a busy little town, full of so many people. She noticed, gratefully, that this scene stood in place of the occasional few faces that Savannah and Christian had seen within a three or four day period. It was a giant relief to no longer feel alone or in danger.

“MOMMY!” Tony cried in delight.

With her eyes, Savannah followed Tony’s trail over to his mother. “Tony? Oh, Tony! I’m so relieved that you’re all right!” she yelled, catching the little boy in her arms. She gave him a long hug before pulling him away. “Where have you been?”

“I got lost in the woods. But then I met Savannah.”

“Who?” Tony’s mother looked up to where two teenagers came out of the forest. The girl she did not recognize, though the boy held a hand at the level of his eyes, so it was difficult to determine if she knew him or not.

“Hi, I’m Savannah, but you can call me Anna,” the young girl said, extending a hand out in front of her.

Tony’s mother shook it, not quite sure what to say first. Her mind still jumbled from the stress of losing her son. “Hello, my name is Emily; obviously I’m Tony’s mother.”

“And this is Christian,” Savannah added, motioning over to him. The woman’s face suddenly dropped, a cross of surprise and alarm taking over her cheery first impression. When Savannah looked behind her, she noticed the grim line of Christian’s mouth, his eyes downcast and doing anything to avoid contact with either of the two women. Strange.

“They’re the ones who saved me from the forest monsters!” the little boy exclaimed, jumping up in the air to show his enthusiasm. His mother smiled.

“Well, I may not have saved him from monsters, but helping him find his way home is true enough. And it was nothing,” Savannah answered modestly.

Emily smiled, placing a hand atop Tony’s head. “No matter, it would have been the greatest tragedy of my life to lose my son. Thank you, Savannah. Christian,” she said pointedly. Then, “Is there any way that I could possibly repay you?”

Hoping Emily would say that, she tried her best to act polite and calm while her insides were shrieking with happiness from the near completion of her task. “Actually, there is something that I was wondering if you would be able to help us with. My friend and I are on a quest to find the general of the Kingdom of Reverice. We were hoping that maybe you would know who he is or where we may find him.”

Emily’s smile changed rapidly from welcoming to almost playful. “As a matter of fact, I know him very well—he is my husband.” It made her chuckle when she saw the look on Savannah’s face. “Come on, I’ll take you to our cottage.”

Taking Tony’s hand once more, Emily led them into the town and away from the forest. The five or ten minute walk that it took to reach the general’s house was short, but the impression Savannah gathered from the town, she was sure, would stay glued to her memory forever.

The village was so beautiful. Children were outside around every corner, playing with toys and games of chase and hide and seek. Parents were watching their children, discussing various topics with neighbors over summer drinks and enjoying themselves. Most of all, Savannah loved the way it was so sunny and gorgeous that it made everything seem bright and cheerful.

Each building was constructed entirely of either aged tan bricks with dark wooden shudders and window panes or musty gray bricks with black shudders and pains. The streets were dusty and narrow, but not close enough to crowd the townspeople or to lose their cozy touch.

Around every corner lay some form of shop, mostly markets or a cafés. There were few trees—which Savannah enjoyed due to her newfound forest sickness—yet there were many gardens and flowerbeds. The flowers and plants made up for the lack of color in the buildings and roads.

“Here we are, home sweet home,” Emily announced, allowing her son to scramble inside the house. Within another minute, he came back outside with another ball and started bouncing it up high in the air on the front lawn. “The younger you are, the easier it is to get yourself lost … and scare your mother half to death,” she explained to her guests, patting her chest right above her heart. Savannah nodded her head in agreement, thinking back to all the times she used to get lost in the mall. Her mother was always so happy to find her again, followed by the scolding of a lifetime.

“Would you two like to come in for a glass of lemonade? I just made it this morning.”

“Sure, that sounds great,” Savannah answered, following Tony’s mother into the house. When she glanced behind her, she noticed Christian holding back. “Chris, aren’t you coming?”

“Ah … no, no, I think that I will stay out here. I might sightsee or something of that nature,” he replied nervously. Savannah just shrugged and went inside.

While Christian busied himself with a game of catch with Tony, Savannah observed the cottage in awe. She had never seen so many hunting trophies in one room in all her life. Despite the fact that she was not a large fan of the sport, she could appreciate that it was a way of life for some people and a necessity to survive for others.

It was both creepy and inviting to see so many remains around the room. But with the tasteful manner in which it was done, Savannah had to hand it to the general that the decorator had not wasted his or her time. A fireplace lay in the center of the living room, surrounded by an oversized wooden chair and a few smaller, softer ones. An oak bookcase lay next to the fireplace, full of scrolls and scripts in various sizes and shades of tan.

The décor of the kitchen matched that of the living room, with its wooden furniture and appliances. A large, gray cauldron lay on a hook in the second fireplace where a fire was stemming around the pot. A heavenly scent of some kind of broth soup was filling the kitchen, making Savannah’s mouth water. Pots and pans of black and gray filled the floor, while wooden spoons and utensils occupied the walls. Beyond the kitchen lay a grand dining room. An elegant table was in its center with polished chairs around it. The thin table cloth they used was perfectly straight, without the slightest hint of a stray thread.

“So the general is your husband. That was lucky for us.”

Emily nodded her head in response as she poured two glasses of lemonade. “Around here there is no such thing as luck. There is only fate,” she smiled, handing her a glass of the sunshine yellow liquid. “Do you believe in fate?”

Savannah took a sip of her drink, savoring the sweetness that filled her mouth. She also wanted to prolong the time it took her to answer. “I suppose so. It’s hard not to when everything that’s happening to me now was because of one event in my life.” Emily nodded, content with her answer. “So I hear Tony has to be home for dinner promptly at six?”

To this the general’s wife let out a small snort, making her way to the small table in front of a gleaming window. The window showed out to the front yard where she could watch her son play. “Yes, that is true. Nathan likes to keep to a schedule, especially when it comes to the safety of his family. I don’t always agree with the harsh parenting techniques he comes up with, but sometimes they are for the best. I’m afraid you cannot have either a husband or a general, but always both.” Though her last statement could have been said with bitterness, Emily said it with warmth, the love for her husband evident.

“Christian’s father’s a lot like that. He makes him get up at dawn, preparing him for the family business. I believe he said his father told him it would turn a boy into a man.”

Recollecting the conversation, Savannah remembered how glad she felt not to be in his position despite the empathy she held for him.

Emily cocked her head to the side when she watched Savannah’s eyes cloud with an obvious passion. Masking her troubled expression, Emily eyed Savannah over the rim of her cup. “And what does Christian’s father do, I wonder?” She was curious to see what Savannah’s reaction might be.

“Oh, he’s a silversmith,” she offered. “He is training Christian for the future. Although I don’t understand why he’s training him so hard. Surely a silversmith doesn’t need that much preparation.” Her gaze drifted to where the man in question was playing in a nearby field with the general’s son. Christian grinned as he passed a red ball to the child across from him, perfectly happy to be doing something so simple and sweet. It was a wonderful sight to see and tugged at Savannah’s girlish dream to one day have a family of her own.

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that for you,” Emily said, bringing back her attention to the conversation at hand. Savannah gave her a weak smile as if to say “that’s all right,” as she took a sip from her cup. “Perhaps you should talk to Christian a bit more about his family. You may be surprised.”

Savannah stared at her a moment with bewildered eyes. “His father’s a silversmith. Is there more that I need to know?”

“You would be surprised,” Emily repeated. There was a slight twinkle in her eye and a frown on her face.

Savannah knew that Emily was hiding something. If the conversation didn’t make it apparent, the look on her face certainly did. It was the same look that Christian got when she asked about his life, and since he was where the conversation was focused, she could only guess that this was the same secret. Before she could open her mouth to question Emily further, the front door burst open.

“I’m home,” boomed a voice so loud that she thought they could hear it back in her world. The figure of a tall, masculine man closed the door and stood before them. He had broad shoulders that went well with his sturdy exterior. His face was rugged, his red goatee and hair were neatly trimmed, and his hands looked as if he could kill a man with a mere slap across the face.

There was no doubt in Savannah’s mind that this was the notorious general.

Upon spotting his wife, the general was quick to scoop her up into his arms and place a smacking kiss on her lips. “Did you miss me?”

Emily’s face brightened as she released a womanish giggle. “When do I not?”

After lowering her to the ground, he peered over to their guest, his eyes still shining with adoration for his wife. “And who is this lovely young lady?”

“Oh, Nathan, this is Savannah. Savannah, this is my husband Nathan. Darling, Savannah was kind enough to rescue our little boy from the Mysterious Forest.”

Savannah studied the general’s face as it changed from joy to utter concern in a matter of seconds. It softened her heart to see how greatly he cared for his family, regardless of how strict his rules might be. “Tony was in the Mysterious Forest? How did that happen?”