Kidnapped

A little over a month had passed since Merton's raid, but Eris Village was still having a hard time recovering. Maybe that's why the "important man" was coming. The mayor had warned the street kids not to bother the important man, but Jack still perched himself on the roof of the bakery and watched as the mayor gave the man a tour of the wrecked village.

Jack wasn't sure he had ever seen such fancy looking clothes. The man really must have been important if he had all that money. However, his face was sad as he looked around at the people trying to rebuild. Jack stood up and fixed his oversized jacket, then climbed down from the roof and picked up his leather kit. The mayor grimaced when Jack ran right up to him and tugged on the important man's fancy, important coat.

"Penny for a shoe shine?" Jack asked him.

"No," the mayor said sternly, giving the man an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, he's a little bit-"

"Penny for a shoe shine?" Jack repeated.

If the man had money, he could afford a shoe shine. The mayor started to shoo Jack away, but the man held a hand up to stop him. He then knelt down in front of Jack. When he was at eye level, Jack could see that despite the fancy clothes, this was only a man. Probably around as old as his father, with kind eyes.

"How old are you?" the man asked gently.

"Seven," Jack told him.

"Very grown," he said. "I have a son your age. What's your name?"

"Jaxie."

"And your parents?"

Jack didn't say anything, and that was the only response the man needed.

"My name is Theron," the man said. "Why don't you come join the mayor and I on our walk?"

"Okay."

Jack was startled awake when Brielle gently shook him. He didn't even know when he had fallen asleep, slumped against the wall. She let out a bit of a relieved sigh.

"Sorry to wake you, I was worried you got sick," she said. "Those stale bread scraps they gave us couldn't have been healthy."

"No, it's fine," Jack told her. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep, anyways. We don't have a lot of time. How are the footsteps?"

He and Brielle had been keeping track of the sound of footsteps overhead, taking note of how many pairs of feet they heard and which directions they walked.

"It quieted down," she said. "I think they finally passed out. They were celebrating our capture, so they were drinking pretty heavily. There might be one or two people still up in the main room."

"Now might be our only chance," Jack said. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

She stayed close to Jack as he crept up the stairs and slowly opened the door. Sure enough, everyone had retired. Someone was snoring by the door and a couple others were passed out on mats, but the drunks were nothing to worry about. It was still dark out, but dawn was starting to peek over the horizon.

Jack and Brielle tiptoed past the man asleep by the door, and Jack closed the door behind them. It was surprisingly easy to leave right out the front door, but the difficult part was everything that came after. Once they were out of the shed they ran as fast as they could until they reached a road, but they still had no idea where they were and they were still in their nightclothes. Whatever structure they were in may have been near Elmdale, but it was likely still a ways to go before they got back to the actual town. They couldn't do that in slippers.

"There," Jack said, pointing to a small farmhouse up ahead.

"I don't know," Brielle said, uneasy. "Even if they're willing to help us, what if we lead the thugs back to them?"

"We won't," Jack said. "Besides, they wouldn't ask around and make a scene. Merton won't want anyone to know there was someone smarter than him."

"Merton? Was that the guy's name?"

"Follow my lead," Jack told her, ignoring her question. "Damsel in distress, helpless and innocent."

She gave him a firm nod, changing her expression to a more worried one. He cracked a smile and ruffled her hair to make her look a little more disheveled. It was just starting to get bright out when Jack knocked on the door of the farmhouse, making himself look like he was on the verge of tears.

The door opened and a kind looking older woman greeted them, though her brow furrowed with concern when she saw the state of them.

"I'm so sorry to bother you," Jack said. "I know it's very early. We've just had... a long night."

"Of course, please come inside," she said, ushering them in. "You poor dears, have a seat."

Jack glanced over his shoulder to make sure they still hadn't been followed before they went inside the modest house. The woman's husband was sitting at the breakfast table, watching them with concern.

"My wife and I had just bought some land up the road," Jack told them. "We were setting up for a dairy farm, but we didn't know about Merton's gang being around. They wanted to take some taxes from us, but we couldn't swing it. And they... well..."

"We understand," the woman said. "I'm Lisbeth. This is my husband, Theodore. I'm so sorry Merton crossed your path."

"I'm Edmund," Jack said. "And my wife, Jeannette. We had heard about Merton's vicious ways, but we naively thought we would be left alone. They took everything from us. And whatever they didn't take was burned."

"It was horrible," Brielle agreed. "All of our life savings, up in smoke."

"Interesting, I didn't smell or see any smoke last night," Theodore said.

Jack tried not to flinch, but he thought quickly and put an arm around Brielle, who was now forcing tears out.

"They're good at covering things up," she said.

"Our home can be rebuilt," Jack said. "I'm just grateful Jeanette and I were able to get away safely. It was terrifying, what with the baby and all."

Lisbeth gasped, nearly dropping her teacup. Even Theodore forgot the holes in Jack's story. Brielle gently placed her hands over her stomach and forced a smile.

"They didn't take our greatest blessing from us," she said softly.

"Poor child," Lisbeth said softly. "Those brutes have no concern for budding families. How can we help you?"

"My mother lives in Elmdale," Jack told her. "She would be happy to take care of us until we're back on our feet. We just want to know if there is any chance you two have some spare clothes or shoes around, so we can travel. These nightclothes aren't the best walking clothes."

"We don't have much, but my earrings are gold," Brielle said. "I'm happy to give them to you in return."

"Heavens, no," Lisbeth said, taking a hand from each of them and giving them a squeeze. "Save them, to help you rebuild. For the baby. Teddy and I have some old clothes we've outgrown, and we won't miss them."

"Of course," Theodore said. "This afternoon I'll be going into Elmdale to sell some eggs and wool. If you don't mind waiting, I can take you two along. Lisbeth can fix you a rejuvenating lunch."

"We'd be very grateful," Brielle said. "Thank you so much."

They followed Lisbeth upstairs, where she took them into a spare room and brought them some folded clothes. They thanked her and closed the door so they could change. Dressing like ordinary farmers was certainly a better disguise than walking around in pajamas. Brielle pulled a brush through her hair and tied it back with a ribbon, then looked at her reflection with a sigh.

"I didn't think I'd ever be so happy to wear a cotton frock," she said.

"It suits you," Jack told her. "Simple things, I mean. No glitz to distract from that pretty face."

"We don't have to fake being married, they're not listening," she said with a light laugh.

"No, I meant it."

She blushed slightly, then set the hairbrush down and turned to face him. She lowered her voice to speak to him now.

"How did you know Merton's name?" she asked. "He never told us."

"I'm familiar with him," Jack said reluctantly. "Blaise Merton. He leads a massive gang of raiders. They take over small towns and villages and harass the residents for 'tax' money. If you can't pay, they terrorize and steal. They've left some horrible crimes in their trail. They had control for a little bit, until your father cracked down the whip on them. That's likely why he wanted to kidnap Byron and Nadine. The union implies that Byron will continue his father's work, which gets in Merton's way. He was trying to send a message. It's just that the message was poorly written."

"Very poorly written," Brielle agreed. "I hope everyone back home is okay."

"They're fine," Jack said. "Merton still thinks you and I are Byron and Nadine. As long as we keep pretending, we can protect them."

"I didn't know my father was in a turf war with these people," Brielle said softly. "He never mentioned it."

"It's not just you," Jack reassured her. "He doesn't talk about it with anyone. Only when absolutely necessary, to make political decisions. I don't even think he talks to your mother about it. I only know because... well, I do."

"You mean when you were younger?"

Jack's movements slowed as he folded their old clothes, then forced a smile.

"Past life," he told her. "It was a different time."

"Sometimes I forget you didn't always live with us," Brielle admitted.

"Don't worry about it," Jack said. "We're going to get to Elmdale, and then we're going to figure out what to do next. And when we get back, we'll send a gift to Theodore and Lisbeth to make them forget we lied to their faces.

"Right. Let's go. For the baby."

"For the baby."