“My options were pretty limited at that point,” Ember said. “I had to get Charlotte out of there. I drove for, like, eight hours, then I stopped to get my arm in a sling and clean myself up, and then Charlotte insisted that we buy luggage and new clothes, which I obliged because I did whatever I could to get her here. Then we caught the train two towns over. I don’t know if Konstantin followed us, but I doubt it.”
“If he didn’t go after you on the train, I’d say you got away safe. He has no reason to follow you here, because he knows where Doldastam is and that the H?gdragen are waiting for him here,” I said, thinking about what I would do to Konstantin if he set foot behind these walls again.
“I hope so.” Ember sat in silence for a moment, then she turned to look at me. “I’m sorry I let Konstantin get away.”
“No, there’s no reason for you to be sorry.” I smiled at her. “You got Charlotte out of there safe and sound, and you kept yourself alive. That’s what really matters.”
As I pulled up in front of Ember’s cottage, she smiled wanly back at me. I got out of the Land Rover and then went around to help her. The goats were bleating loudly in the pasture next to the house, and I looked over to see Ember’s mother, Annali, coming out of the pen. The bottom of her long dress was dark from melting snow and mud, and a few pieces of straw were stuck to her dark hair.
“Ember?” Annali asked, her words tight with panic, and she rushed over to us. “What happened? Has the medic seen you yet?” She touched her daughter’s injured cheek, causing Ember to flinch a little.
The few medics in Doldastam weren’t the same as you’d find in human society. They had medical training, so they could set bones, stitch up wounds, and even perform surgeries. But they’d been recruited from the Trylle tribe for a very specific reason—they were healers. Thanks to the Trylle’s psychokinetic abilities, with a simple touch of their hands they could heal many minor biological ailments.
“I just got back. I haven’t called yet,” Ember said.
“Come in the house.” Annali motioned frantically toward the house. “I’ll call the medic.”
She tried to help Ember into the house, but in her fear and frustration, she didn’t seem to realize how rough she was being, so I told her to call the medic while I helped get Ember inside. As I got Ember settled on the worn sofa, her mother talked on the phone in the other room, speaking in irritated, clipped tones.
“You can head out if you want,” Ember told me in a hushed voice after I draped a blanket over her.
“Nah, I can stay.” I glanced over toward the kitchen, where Annali was continuing to swear at the poor person on the other end of the line. “I’d feel kinda bad leaving you alone with her.”
“She means well, and she’ll calm down.” Ember moved the pillow behind her head. “I should probably get some rest anyway.”
“I understand.” I touched her leg. “Take care of yourself, and let me know if you need anything.”
Ember nodded.
I went through the kitchen quietly, not wanting Annali to direct any of her anger at me, and I’d almost made it to the door when Ember stopped me. “Wait. Bryn.”
“Yeah?” I turned to her, and she motioned for me to come closer. I went back to the couch, and sat down at the end, next to her feet.
“I was debating on telling you this, but…” Ember said so softly I could hardly hear her above her mother, “I think I should.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“When I was trying to get Charlotte, I knocked Konstantin to the ground. He got up slowly, and then we heard the sirens.” Ember licked her lips. “He didn’t leave right away, though. He said something to me, and then he took off.”
“What did he say?”
She took a fortifying breath. “He said, ‘Run along home, and tell that white rabbit to watch out.’”
“White rabbit?” I echoed. My blood was already pounding so hard in my ears I could barely hear my own voice, but I already knew exactly who Konstantin was talking about.
Ember’s eyes were so dark and so solemn, they seemed to pull in all the light around them, like tiny black holes. “He means you, Bryn.”
NINETEEN
partnership
The number of people crammed into such a small space left it feeling stifling and humid, and everyone’s voices blended together in one low, uncomfortable grumble. It was the same meeting room I had been in a couple days before, when I’d been having brunch with my distant Skojare relatives, but now all the tables had been pushed out and replaced with rows and rows of chairs.
I’d arrived ten minutes before the meeting was set to start, and it was already at standing room only. Somehow Tilda had managed to get a seat in the second row, and she offered me an apologetic smile when I came in, since she’d been unable to save me a seat.
Kasper Abbott stood at the side of the room, along with several members of the H?gdragen. I wasn’t sure if he’d gotten here too late to sit with his girlfriend, or if he’d just chosen to stand with the guards instead. But every tracker in Doldastam, including some of the senior class that hadn’t graduated yet, was here, along with about a quarter of the H?gdragen. Aside from Ember, who was still at home recuperating.
Ridley was already here, standing in the front of the room talking to a few trackers. He glanced up at me as I found a place in the back of the room, and I gave him a small smile, which he returned briefly before going back to his conversation. I hadn’t talked to him since I’d kicked him out this morning, but we were both professionals, so I was determined to act normally around him. At least in situations like this.
I leaned against the wall while I waited for the meeting to get under way. It wasn’t that much longer before my dad came in the side door. His head was down as he flipped through a huge stack of papers, so he bumped into a few people as he made his way to the front of the room.
“Ahem.” Dad cleared his throat, still not looking up from his papers, and everybody kept on whispering and muttering, ignoring him. His normally clean-shaven chin was covered in salt-and-pepper stubble that he rubbed absently when he looked up at the room. “Excuse me.”
With my arms folded over my chest, I glanced around the room, but not a single person had stopped talking. I tried to give my dad a look, encouraging him to speak louder, but he wasn’t looking at me.
“If I could, uh, have your attention,” Dad said, and I could barely even hear him at the back of the room.
“Hey!” Ridley shouted and clapped his hands together. He grabbed a chair, stealing it from a tracker in the front row, and then he climbed up on it. “Everyone. Shut up. The Chancellor needs to speak to you.”
The room finally fell silent, and my dad gave him a smile. “Thank you.”
Ridley hopped down off the chair, then offered the chair to my dad. “The floor is yours, sir.”
“Thank you,” Dad repeated, and with some trepidation, he climbed up onto the chair. “I want to thank you all for coming out for this. I know it was short notice.” He smiled grimly. “We’ve got a lot of great trackers here, and even some of the H?gdragen. So thank you.
“Let’s get right into it, then.” Dad held his papers at his waist and surveyed the room. “We have reason to believe that our changelings are under attack. Last week, Konstantin Black and an Omte associate of his, Bent Stum, went after Linus Berling.”
Murmurs filled the room, and I could hear Konstantin’s name in the air. Dad held up his hand to silence them, and reluctantly they complied.
“As most of you know, Konstantin Black is considered a traitor for crimes against the King and Queen, and, um, the Chancellor, specifically.” He lowered his eyes for a moment, but quickly composed himself. “He’s been on the run for the past four years, and we’re not exactly sure what he wants with the changelings, but this no longer appears to be an isolated incident.
“Yesterday, Konstantin Black and Bent Stum attempted to take another one of our changelings,” Dad went on. “He assaulted a tracker, but thankfully, both she and the changeling weren’t seriously injured and made it back to Doldastam.”
“You think he’s going after other changelings?” someone in the audience shouted.
“Yes, that’s exactly what we fear,” Dad said. “There’ve been two incidents with Konstantin Black in the past seven days. We don’t want a third. Which is why we’ve called you all here.”
“Are we going after Konstantin?” Kasper asked, and I straightened up.
“We don’t know where he is, or where he’s going to strike next, so that doesn’t seem prudent,” Dad did his best to explain. “We’re going after the changelings.”
Everyone erupted in protests, saying how it wasn’t possible or how it would ruin our economy. With over five hundred changelings between the ages of four months and twenty years old out in the field, we didn’t have the manpower to bring back every changeling, and it would cripple our finances if we did. Not to mention that a lot of the changelings were still just kids, many under the age of ten. The American and Canadian police would have a field day if we kidnapped hundreds of children.
“Calm down!” Ridley shouted. “We have a plan, and before you guys get your panties in a bunch, you should at least listen to what it is, don’t you think?”
“Konstantin’s attacks haven’t been random,” Dad elaborated, once the room quieted down again. “The first changeling he went after was Linus Berling, who as you all know is next in line for the throne if the King doesn’t produce an heir. The one he targeted yesterday was Charlotte Salin, who is right behind Linus in line for the throne.
“He’s going after royalty,” Dad concluded.
“But how is he getting this information?” Tilda asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting had started. “It’s classified. Almost no one has access to it.”
“We’re not sure, but we’re investigating,” Dad assured her.
“As soon as we find the leak, we’ll be able to find Konstantin and put a stop to this,” Ridley added.
“But until then, we need to keep ourselves protected,” Dad said. “That means more protection here in Doldastam, which is where the H?gdragen come in. Linus Berling and Charlotte Salin need extra guards on them. The front gate needs to be locked at all times, and we need to instate a patrol to go around the wall. Doldastam must be impenetrable.
“As for the rest of the trackers, you’ll be going out to get our more elite changelings that are coming of age. We think that’s who Konstantin will target next, and we want you to get to them before he does.” Dad pulled out his papers, looking down at them. “I’ve got all the placements right here. When I call your name, come up and get your file, and then you’re to leave as soon as you’re able.
“Tilda Moller and Simon Bohlin, you’ll be paired together,” Dad began.
“Paired together?” Tilda asked as she stood up.
“Oh, yes, after the incidents, we thought it would be best for the trackers to be paired up,” Dad explained. “Both for your safety and for the changelings’.”
“But what if we don’t need to be paired up?” I protested, and Tilda gave me a look as she made her way to the front of the room.
“Everyone is paired up. No exceptions,” Dad told me without looking up.
“But we’re wasting resources,” I insisted. “We only have so many trackers. If we pair up, then you’re cutting our number in half. If we went on our own, we could get twice as many changelings.”
“Or twice as many of you could end up dead.” Dad pursed his lips and finally looked at me. “The King and Queen made the call, and the decision is final.”
“I’m just saying—” I began.
“Bryn Aven, why don’t you come up here and get your placement?” Dad asked. “That would probably make the rest of this meeting go much faster.”
I groaned inwardly, but I went up to the front of the room, carefully maneuvering around trackers and guards. People had begun whispering and talking among themselves again, but they kept their voices low so they’d be able to hear my dad call their names.
“Where’s my file?” I asked when I reached my dad.
“I already gave it to your partner.” Dad motioned to Ridley, standing beside him, holding a manila file.
“You’re retired,” I protested.
“I came out of retirement for one last job,” Ridley told me. “This is an important mission, and they needed the best.”
“And that’s me and you?” I asked.
Smiling down at me, he said, “I don’t see anybody better here. Do you?”