Chapter 10

Malek and Mitty returned from their meeting by their usual method. With a thought Mitty took them to the orchard, and they walked hand in hand back to the cottage. This time Mitty had remembered to bring the berries.
Malek gave her a kiss and headed off to the shed to finish some projects he had promised for the people of Gooled. Normally he liked to work by hand, still not quite comfortable with the power inside him. Today he’d probably finish them up the quick way. There was no telling how long he was going to be gone.
Mitty was worried about Masonae. His father had never been gone for more than a few days at a time. It was going to take some work to explain why Malek was heading off into the great unknown for an unspecified amount of time. He’d probably want to join him.
Mitty opened the door to the cottage. It was clean, as always and the fire still crackled in the hearth. She loved her home. It stood in such a sharp contrast from the one she grew up in. There was no yelling in this home. She didn’t have to slave or beg approval from her father either. Her husband was a quite man, affectionate and was a great father to their son.
It hadn’t been love at first sight. She’d thought he was a deranged individual with a bankrupt character. She’d caught him in the act of stealing from a lord. It wasn’t until he pointed out that she was doing the same thing, that she began to trust him. Within the first night, he’d kissed her, kidnapped her, drugged her, and fed her the most delicious meal she’d had in ages. When he’d rescued her from jail, she knew they were meant to be.
“Masonae,” Mitty called as she put the basket of boysenberries down on the table. She knocked on the door to his room, and opened it when there was no answer. Everything was neatly in its place, the bed made with his nightclothes folded nicely on the foot.
She searched the kitchen next, then her tailoring room. She saw the note right beside the basket on her way back through the main room. Her breath caught in her chest and she ran to the front door, swinging it wide.
“Malek!”
He came running, one hand on his bow, the other reaching to the quiver on his back.
“Look!” She thrust the paper at him and pulled the bow out of his hand. “Where did that come from?”
“I don’t know it just appeared when you screamed. What’s it say?”
“Read it.”
“It’s hard to read when you’re shaking it at me.” Much calmer than she, Malek put a hand around her waist and pulled her into the cottage. He sat her down on the bench by the basket and took the paper from her hand.
“It says, ‘Gone to Tamarin. See you there,’” Mitty said excitedly. “What does he mean by that? See us there? How does he know? How did he find out? Does he know? Does he--” Malek kissed her. It was an old trick, but it worked well. She quieted down.
“I told you he was beginning to figure it out. He’s not a dummy, you know,” Malek said, still holding her tight. His presence was a comfort.
“Of course he’s not a dummy. He’s ours, isn’t he?”
“He’ll be home soon enough. He won’t be able to get there by himself.”
“All the roads lead home,” Mitty said softly. “Unless he doesn’t use a road. Unless he goes through the forest.”
“He’s not that stupid. He wouldn’t go into the forest alone,” Malek said. She felt him stiffen slightly, and knew that the worry had started to kick into him as well.
“What’s wrong?” Mitty asked.
“Nothing.”
“Yes it is.”
“No. He’ll be home by tonight.”
“He’s not alone, is he?” Mitty glanced around the cottage, suddenly knowing what else was missing.
“That doesn’t mean that he went into Argon.”
“We’ve got to find him.”
“Maybe it’s better if we left him alone. He’s got to know sometime.”
“But not yet. He’s not old enough.”
“He’ll never be old enough.”
“Well, at least I ought to check up on him.” Without waiting for a reply, Mitty closed her eyes and tried to connect to Masonae. She could feel him, almost see him through the black haze of her mind, but when she reached out, he slipped through her fingers like mist.
“Sweetheart, you won’t be able to find him that way, not if he’s figured it out. It’ll have to be the old fashioned way.”
Mitty opened her eyes and leaned her head back against her husband.
“Why did he have to go and do this now?”
“In the morning, if he’s not back here, I’m sure he’ll arrive at Tamarin. We’ll talk to him there, tell him the truth, and then I can go with the boys to find these stupid seeds.”
“Malek, if the tree is fully recovered…”
“I know what you’re thinking. You don’t want Masonae to grow old and die on you. Neither do I. But we have to consider his feelings in the matter. We didn’t have a choice about becoming a Great Mage. He will, if this works… if we heal the tree.”
Mitty sighed and kissed her husband again. “I love him so much. I love you too.” Malek kissed her on the forehead and smiled wryly.
“I know.”