Linus at Large Page 3

  I hugged him, and he let me squeeze him too tight, returning the embrace with one arm. “I’m still here.” His lower lip jutted out as he glanced at me. “You’re smaller than I remember.”

  “Well, you’re bigger than I remember. I’m not so sure how I’m liking you being this tall. Makes me feel like the younger sibling.” Our parents never told us who was born first. Dad said he didn’t want us to take our roles to the extreme – that we were equals.

  “Maybe Undraland’s making up for all that chemo BS I had to go through.” He flexed his bicep, marveling at the work of art. “Not a bad welcome back to reality.” He looked around the room at the magical creatures. “Or fantasy fiction. Either one, I’ll take it.”

  As soon as we were all ready, Linus learned the art of walking in the company of vanished people. Jamie disappeared Foss and I, leaving Linus to talk more covertly if he wanted to address us, unless he wanted to draw the eyes of the four occupants in the eating nook downstairs.

  “This is bizarre!” Linus marveled under his breath to me, talking without moving his mouth. “Look at their hair! It looks like anime.” He indicated with his stare the Nøkkens’ signature blue-white coif.

  “Yeah. That’s what all the Nøkkens look like.” I began explaining to Linus the physical differences between all the races as we started on our morning trek. When I exhausted that, I pointed out the political and personality differences.

  The others were ahead of us with Foss setting the pace at a swift walk I could barely keep up with unless I squeezed in a trot every now and then. As the hours wore on, they took a toll most on me, who was a far sight shorter than the rest of the group. Foss was eager to get the cure for his people. Couldn’t fault the guy for that. I wondered what the difference might be in Foss, who’d had several layers of the curse stripped away from him already. I wondered at Olaf’s change, and if it would help me to forgive him at all.

  No, Jamie concluded, eavesdropping on my mental conversation with myself. I saw what he did. There’s no forgiveness for that. Even if there was, I won’t let you spare the good that’s in your heart worrying about it. Olaf will answer for his crimes. Jens and I will see to that.

  My head snapped in Jamie’s direction. He was rarely so violent. Though I’d seen him fight in battles and even dueled a Werebear alongside him, all those were necessary evils. To hear him seek out a war made my heart sink. No, you won’t. I appreciate it, but no. Let’s get in and out of Undraland as quick as we can. You’ve got a baby and a bride to get home to.

  Jamie turned our conversation out to the group when Foss declared it was time to break for lunch. We were passing near the last village in the northern cities of Nøkken, and would soon be on rougher terrain.

  Jamie passed around the apples in his sack. “I don’t know that the bond can be broken. If it can’t, I’ll travel with you to Fossegrim to help lift the curse.” He crunched into an apple while the others ate quietly, all grateful to be sitting. “No matter how much curse is erased, Olaf will not live to see it.”

  I glanced nervously to Linus, wishing we didn’t have to get into all that in front of him. “Jamie, I don’t really want to get into it right now. We should just let it go.”

  Jens ignored me, which normally would have been infuriating. This time, it made my stomach churn. “I like that plan. Do we kill him first, or wait till the curse is lifted, and then do it?”

  “Who’s Olaf?” Linus asked me.

  It was the first time since he’d come back that I didn’t want to look at my brother. “No one.”

  Foss narrowed his eyes at me. “Olaf is one of the four rulers of the Isle of Fossegrim. He’s the power of the West. I was the power of the East.”

  “I’ll go refill the canteens in the stream,” I offered, scooping up an apple and an armful of canteens, and fleeing as gracefully as I could. I didn’t want to be there for any of that story.

  With renewed energy, I trotted to the stream that was shouting distance away and knelt down to refill the vessels. I knew it was all going to come out now. Not just Olaf and the slavery blast of awful, but Foss, too. His faked death, our time there. Linus would soon find out that I was…

  “She’s married?!” Linus’s head whipped in my direction. He held up his hand to wave me back.

  I shook my head, pretending refilling the water was a much harder task than it actually was.

  Linus was shooting questions at Foss that I couldn’t decipher, but by the tone, I’m guessing it wasn’t too friendly. I decided to eat my apple by the stream to avoid answering questions I couldn’t face myself.

  A young kanin bounded up to me on the other side of the narrow stream, sniffing the air that had my scent in it. It was so tiny and cute, especially since I got to observe this one without contemplating whether or not it would be my dinner. Floppy bunny ears, a squirrel’s tail and a raccoon’s striped body made it a wonder to watch. Judging by the way she was looking at me, I could tell she thought the same about the human in her territory. There was a scrape across her left cheek that was missing fur around it. She was no bigger than a week-old kitten.

  “You’re not going to turn into a Were. That’s a bonus,” I said to her, trying to ignore the anger in Linus’s tone that reached my ears. “Pesta’s dead, so you don’t have to worry about your mind being taken over all of a sudden.” I watched her little bunny nose twitch at me. “What must that have been like? You’re just walking around, minding your own business, and all of a sudden, someone else is pulling the strings.”

  I bit off a small bite of my apple and tossed it across the three-foot wide stream to her, smiling as she gobbled it up with her tiny claws and two large front teeth. Her head whipped up at me, sniffing the air and deciding that I had more food she wanted.

  The animals must not have been in that much fear of being hunted this far out, because the next thing I knew, she had jumped into the water and was doggy paddling over to see me, or more accurately, to see if I had immediate plans for the rest of my apple.

  Watching her do her diplomatic bunny begging at my side was too adorable to resist. I bit off another chunk and fed it to her, loving the way her squirrel-like paws held it, turning the hunk over every three nibbles to indulge in a new spot. She was small, like a young squirrel. Bigger than a chipmunk, but not by much.

  Her name came to me easily. “Clara Barton, you are lovely. Much better than the kanins we had to eat on the road. Sorry about that.”

  She scurried closer, placing her little nose on my thigh to let me know she loved her new name. With a slow-moving hand, I began petting her. My heart melted when she snuggled into the touch. I wondered how long it had been since someone had been kind to her. She didn’t look like she had anyone with her. The gash across her face certainly didn’t look friendly. Upon closer inspection, I saw a chunk of fur missing near her tail, too, with a gouge on the peach skin.

  “Don’t worry, Clara. You can come with me, if you want.” I patted my chest, and she took the invitation to scamper up my body with lithe movements like a squirrel’s so she could look me dead in the eye. “Do you want to go to the Darklands?”

  I knew she couldn’t understand me, but her trusting eyes made me confess more, so she would know what she was getting into. “It’s going to be all curse-breaking-mad-action-crazy once we get there, so if that’s not your thing, you should stay here.” I looked around. “With nobody. You’re alone, huh.”

  Her little whiskers twitched at me, and then she surprised me by scampering further up my shirt and perching on my shoulder so she could nuzzle the top of her head to my neck.

  There was no turning back from it now; I loved her.

  You can come back, liten coward, Jamie told me. The worst of it’s over. Foss explained the bare minimum, leaving out that he’s actually in love with you, and that the fact that you don’t want to be his wife kills him.

  Hey, Mister Opinions, keep it to yourself. I’ve got enough drama.

  We’re moving. B
est come back.

  I gathered the canteens to me and stood without moving my shoulder, taking Clara Barton with me as she ran from one shoulder to the other, weaving through my hair like it was her own personal jungle gym. She chittered playfully in what sounded like a laugh as I rejoined the others and returned their water vessels.

  “Who’s this?” Jens asked with a note of grim acceptance in his tone.

  I grinned up at my boyfriend, letting him know with a look that I would not be parted from my new friend without a fight. “Clara Barton. Look at her face. I think she’s getting picked on.”

  Jens shifted his red pack on his back that held most everyone’s gear in it. “What are the chances of me convincing you to leave her behind?”

  “About as good as you and Tucker putting on a musical show for us.”

  Tucker stretched his arms over his head to stretch. “Would that be musical theatre, or like an instrumental concert?”

  I smiled at him, and he returned the merriment. “I want a full-on Broadway musical. I want singing and dancing. I want The Sound of Music meets Rent.”

  Linus groaned. “The only advantage of being dead for two years? Not having to watch musicals with you and Mom. Worst nights ever.” He leaned over to examine the odd creature that did not belong in our world. “That thing is crazy. Is it a rabbit? A squirrel? A raccoon?”

  “Yes,” I answered. “It’s called a kanin. Her name’s Clara Barton. Cute, right?”

  Linus ran a gentle finger over Clara’s fur, but Clara hissed at him, the fur on her back raising in defense. “Huh. Well, I’m not so sure how I’m liking you, either. I always wanted a dog. You’d be terrible at playing fetch.”

  Thoughts of Henry Mancini tugged at my heart, so I pushed them away before Jamie could remark on them.

  “The Sound of Music will get rid of the mini-kanin?” Jens snapped his fingers twice, but gave up before any songs birthed from his sculpted lips. “I got nothing. And I also had to sit through that movie about a thousand times, by the way. Clara can stay, so long as she doesn’t bite or scratch you.”

  “You’re too soft on her,” Foss ruled, frowning at Clara Barton. “Leave it here, Lucy, unless you want it to be dinner.”

  I frowned. “I won’t leave her behind. Not ‘it’, her. Don’t you understand? She just got in a fight! Look at her little face. She’s clearly hurt. You can’t just throw people away when they fall apart.” I moved Clara to my chest and kissed her little head. For a second, it sounded like she was purring under my chin. “She was all alone, Foss. Do you think she deserves to live and die alone? Can you really do that to Clara?”

  Foss ran his hand over his face. “I can’t go through this again. Jens, control your charge.”

  I harrumphed and stalked past both of them, my nose in the air. “That you think you can control me shows how little you understand anything, Foss. Clara’s fine. It’s been a boys’ club for way too long. I miss Britta.”

  Tucker saddled next to me and made chirruping noises to Clara Barton. “I haven’t seen a kanin in ages. Though, I’m not sure this little mouse qualifies. Practically all bones.” He took his last bite from his apple and broke off the stump of the core, handing it to Clara, who was immediately endeared to him. She rubbed the top of her head into his finger, making him chuckle in a way that had absolutely no innuendo to it. He actually had a nice laugh when he wasn’t being disgusting. “She’s sweet. I haven’t had a pet in ages.”

  “She likes you.”

  Tucker kissed my temple. “Yes, well, I have that way with women.”

  Clara Barton was easily taken in by Tucker’s charm, not that I could blame her. He was absolutely adorable with her when she crawled into his hand to finish off his core. We walked in amicable silence together. Somehow, Clara Barton muted Tucker’s gross comments and crude jokes. She was full from the core, so she curled up in his large palm and hugged her tail like it was her teddy bear. She was peaceful and perfect in sleep, her bunny ears flopping back haphazardly on the heel of Tucker’s palm.

  “That’s only like, the cutest thing in the world,” I commented. “I mean, she loves you.”

  Tucker’s face was uncharacteristically serious as he peered down at the fragile creature in his hand. “She’s small. I know I haven’t been here in a while, but one used to be a decent meal on a Friday afternoon. This little girl’s much too tiny, but her fur’s all the way in, so she’s not a newborn. Shame.”

  I pondered the ups and downs of life in Nøkken that could have led to her ostracization and tiny stature. “Do you think she’ll make it?”

  Tucker brought his cheek down to nuzzle Clara Barton’s soft side, and then kissed my upturned nose. “You know? I think she just might. Best be gentle with this one. She’s delicate, no matter what she’d like us to believe.”

  “I can do that.”

  Tucker held my gaze for a few beats, too many emotions crossing over his face at once for me to pick out just one. “I’m sorry I broke you.”

  I swallowed as we walked, falling behind the others. Jens was regaling Linus with stories about Nik and Tor. I didn’t want to hear them. I nodded, not knowing the perfect thing to say. “I’m not broken.” It wasn’t defiance, it was a stated fact. Somehow through all the stories Jens was giving Linus the PG version of, I hadn’t broken. Not completely, anyway.

  Tucker’s free arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me closer so we walked in step. “Remarkable, that.”

  We walked in silence a few minutes, enjoying the last of the lush and colorful Nøkken scenery before we saw a thick band of trees that looked far more difficult to maneuver than the ones in Elvage. These trees were tall and thick, but they appeared to be growing sideways, up-ways, and every which way, crisscrossing at odd angles and most looking like enormous angry swords jutting out precariously before they fell. “Is that where we’re going?”

  “Yes, darling. Into the woods. On the other side of the Darkken Forest is the Darklands. The forest isn’t terribly deep, but it’s hard to make any sort of headway at a reasonable pace.”

  “I can see that.” I watched Linus and Jens looking at the ground while Jens told him stories about Charles Mace. I really didn’t want to be a part of that conversation. “Do you think we’re overwhelming Linus? I mean, he just got here and we’re all like, ‘Let’s talk about the weirdest creatures and most dangerous stories you’ve ever heard. And by the way, your parents are dead and you’re homeless.’ It feels like it’s too much.”

  “You worry like a mother. You’re the sister, remember? He’s alright.”

  “He looks different. I mean, the same, but bigger. Like I’m still my age, but he looks twenty-five or something. It’s weird. Why did that happen?”

  Tucker shrugged. “He’s Undran now. You’ve still got the block in you.” He sighed. “I suppose I’ll be tasked with training him how to learn elfin magic. I hope he’s a better student than you.”

  I guffawed at the idea that our failure had anything to do with me. I was an excellent student. Heck, I read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame for a stupid English class. Well, read most of it, anyway.

  When we reached the edge of the forest, Jens held up his hands to address the group. “Alright, take a break, take a drink, take a leak. Whatever you need to do. Once we get in the forest, we’re not stopping. In fact, what do you all think about setting up camp here and moving through the woods tomorrow? I don’t know how long it’ll take, and I don’t feel like doing this in the dark.”

  Jamie answered with the cry of his heart. “Let’s go now. I have to get home to Britta.”

  Jens nodded, and I could tell by the clenched jaw that he was worried about the journey through. “Okay, then make your break quick.”

  I took Clara Barton so Tucker could refresh himself before we continued on. Linus moved next to me with a serious expression. “So, it sounds like you’ve had a whole life since I’ve been gone.”

  “That’s the thing about being abducted and taken
to a magical world where everything’s a trip.” I held Clara Barton in my hands, taking care not to jostle her tiny bones while she slept. Though even in sleep, she inched away from Linus. “How are you holding up? It’s a lot to adjust to.”

  Linus shrugged. “It’s okay. I mean, I’ve known the basics for a while. It’s the seeing it in person and hearing what’s happened with you since then that’s been nuts. I mean, you’re married. That’s crazy.”

  I couldn’t look at Linus. “Sure, but only here. On the Other Side, it gets to be me and Jens.”

  “For the record, I was the first person who knew when Jens had a crush on you. You want to know when I knew?” He continued on without a response from me, since he already guessed what it would be. “Do you remember Rob? The guy who played on the soccer team with me in Maryland? Well, he had it bad for good old Lucy Kincaid and asked me if he could take you on a date. Your garden gnome over there overheard and turned into the Ice Princess. Pissed as all get-out. Went on a tirade about premarital sex, STDs and the idiocy of teenage guys.”

  “What?” I said, mouth agape. “That’s insanity. I remember Rob sorta. He was nice. Helped me with my science lab once when we both got detention.”

  Linus grinned, pointing at me to let me know I was on the mark. “That was the day Rob talked to me! He got detention on purpose so he could hang out with you, so you wouldn’t be so blindsided when he went for it. I told him you were a little boy naïve.”

  I frowned at Linus’s assumption. “Well, what the crap? Why didn’t he ask me out? I would’ve said yes to a movie, at least.”

  Linus motioned toward Jens, who was checking inside his pack nearby. “The next day, he came down with some mysterious weird virus that took him a week to get over. No idea who was behind it.”

  “I let the air out of his tires, too. What seventeen-year-old kid needs a Mustang? Tool.” Jens hefted his pack on his back and moseyed over to us, unapologetic. “I delivered a pizza to his house with a little sjuk sprinkled on top.” When I gave no indication I knew what the smack that was, Jens added, “It’s an herb over here that gives you constant diarrhea for about a week.”