The Uncharted Series Omnibus Page 13

  * * *

  After the evening meal, Connor sat at the kitchen table with John and Levi while they planned the journey. John copied maps and wrote the names of the overseers of each village. Levi watched with his usual reticence. Connor listened carefully and made notes as John listed the potential helps and hazards they might encounter along the way.

  John instructed Connor and Levi to leave at dawn. They would take the covered wagon—pulled by two horses—and drive south to Woodland, inland to Riverside, south to Stonehill and finally, on to Southpoint. They would have to stay overnight on the road between villages—two nights between some villages. After their journey south, Connor and Levi were to return to Good Springs before embarking to the three villages to the north.

  Connor was surprised to learn how large the Land was—and John only had maps of the portions that had been explored. John spoke of a mountain range about three days’ journey inland, which no one had ever crossed and returned to tell about it.

  Connor glanced at the kitchen’s back door every few minutes. He had hoped Lydia would be there for the planning—it had only been three years since she traveled throughout the Land and he valued her input—but he had not seen her since he left the market that morning. It bothered him. Whenever he asked Levi where she was, Levi only answered with a surly grunt.

  When they finished planning their trip, the day was gone and darkness filled the space where the kitchen door stood open. Connor gathered his papers from the table, rolled them tightly and took them to the barn where the wagon was packed and ready for the trip. He usually enjoyed preparing for a mission, but the thought of leaving Lydia after he had seen inside Frank’s cabin filled Connor with apprehension. The journey sounded like it would be a camping trip through a pristine country that reportedly did not have predatory animals. If he could simply get some assurance Lydia would be all right, he could relax and enjoy the adventure.

  Connor opened the barn door and stepped inside. He climbed onto the front of the wagon and put the papers under the cushion of the bench seat, then he sat on the bench and looked around. He could not believe he had gone from the cockpit of a fighter jet to the bench seat of a covered wagon. He was not sure how it had all happened to him, but he intended to do everything he could to protect these people and their land.

  Connor heard someone approaching the barn and glanced at the door. Relieved to see it was Lydia, he jumped down from the wagon. She was carrying a bushel basket full of food. “Here, let me help you with that,” Connor said as he took the basket out of her arms.

  Lydia looked at him, but she did not smile. “It’s for your journey.”

  “Thank you.” Connor set the basket on the back of the wagon and turned back to Lydia. Strands of light brown waves had escaped the tie that held her hair back. She did not bother to move them off her face like she usually did. “Are you okay?”

  “Hm?” Lydia looked at him then at the ground.

  “What’s wrong?” Connor stepped closer to her, but the distance between them only seemed to grow. It made him want to reach out and hold her. She was a strong woman and he loved that about her, but he had a strength she needed. He wanted to gather her into his arms but knew she would not want him to, so he sank his hands into his pockets.

  “Doctor Ashton is close to death. I have known him my whole life. He trained me to be a physician.” She blinked and looked away. Connor instinctively drew a hand out of his pocket and reached for her hand. She pulled it away and smoothed the front of her skirt. Then she cleared her throat. “He has lived a good, long life. Still, it is… hard for me.”

  “I’m sorry.” Connor knew the pain of loss. In his life before coming to the Land, tragedy transpired daily. When he had first learned of life in the Land he thought it would be simple—too simple—to hold any challenge for him. The Land was unspoiled, plentifully resourced and beautiful, with a small, barely-governed society. Yet even here the days were woven with the threads of the common experience. Connor was not sure why, but he wanted to spare Lydia the pain and protect her from the effects of life in a fallen world. He could not take away her grief, but he wanted to shield her from danger. He thought of what he had found in Frank’s cabin that morning. He needed to know that Lydia would be safe while he was gone.

  Lydia stepped to the back of the wagon where Connor had set the basket. She pulled a package off the top of the basket and held it up. “This is medicine. Levi knows how to use it. Hopefully, you won’t need it. Um… I think Father wrapped some bread for you.” Connor watched her hands as she searched the items at the back of the wagon. Her fingers shook slightly. “It may still be in the kitchen. I will go and get it.”

  Connor appreciated her ability to focus on the task at hand no matter how she felt. He had to do it every day as an aviator. He would have to do it when he left Good Springs if he was worried about Lydia’s safety the whole time he was gone. Lydia started to walk to the door. Connor knew at any moment someone may come to her for help, and he may not see her again before he left. “Listen, Doc… ” He rubbed his whiskered chin, not knowing what to say. “This morning, at Frank’s cabin—”

  “Oh, yes. Levi said you were able to retrieve the beacon and it had not been activated.” Lydia smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

  “Yeah, that was a relief, but I saw some things that were… troubling. Remember when you first told me about Frank? And you said he was a man of poor character?” Lydia nodded. Her smile faded. Connor noticed but continued speaking. “I think there is more to it than that. I know he has followed you around for years, so you don’t think much of it. But you need to know that the man is obsessed with you in a bad way. I think he’s dangerous.”

  Lydia’s cheeks grew pink and she looked away. “Yes, well… I should get back to work.”

  Connor did not mean to embarrass her. He only wanted to warn her that Frank was a real threat to her safety. He took a step toward her. “I want you to be careful while Levi and I are gone.”

  “Frank Roberts has been lurking in the shadows since I was a girl. I know this is new to you, but it is not new to me. He is not going to hurt me; he only wants my attention. I worry that he will someday do something outlandish enough to make me look foolish to the village, but he will not hurt me physically. Besides,” Lydia squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “I can take care of myself.”

  “No, you really can’t,” Connor said. Lydia’s eyes bulged in shock but Connor did not mind. He wanted her to know the truth and stepped closer to her. “Last night when you bumped into me behind the house, I barely held you and you still couldn’t move.”

  “I would have thought of something! Besides, you bumped into me.”

  “Face it, Doc, you couldn’t fight off a man. Especially a crazy pervert like Frank.”

  Lydia huffed and turned to the door, but she did not walk out. She mounted her fists on her hips and took a few loud breaths. After a moment her shoulders wilted. Then she spoke and her voice sounded unsteady. “As an unmarried woman I am still under the protection of my father. That is the custom here. I am safe because I still live with my father, and he has dealt with Frank.”

  Connor understood the custom, but he came from a culture where stalkers and rapists were commonplace. “You live in your cottage alone. People knock on your door at all hours of the night, and you open it to them.”

  “Because they need me.” Lydia spun around and faced Connor. Her voice grew in fullness and volume. “I am committed to caring for the health of this village. I must remain available to them. I would never lock myself away—not out of fear or any other reason. The foremost purpose of that cottage is for the village to have a place to go for medical care. It is not mine but theirs—the people of Good Springs. It is only secondly my home.”

  “Look, I know you have a heroic reputation around here, but I think you should be more careful.”

  “What are you so afraid of?”

  “It would be so easy for him to—”
<
br />   “To what?”

  It was the first time Connor had seen her angry. He was not sure how he had managed to get her upset; he felt both the dull weight of regret and the sharp ping of delight. His purpose was to protect her from that creep, but she did not seem to understand his intention. “You have to consider the possibilities.”

  “I will not live in fear!” she shouted.

  “Just promise me you will lock your door.”

  “I promise you nothing.” Lydia turned and stormed out. As she disappeared into the darkness, Connor put his hands behind his head. He turned to pace the barn floor and kicked a clump of dirt, venting his frustration. It smacked into the wagon wheel with a thud and crumbled to the ground.

  Connor had not expected her to find his concern offensive. He wished there were something he could do to make sure she was safe while he was gone. There was not. She was right—she was responsible for herself, and maybe her father still had some obligation to protect her. John knew about Frank. He may not know about the sketches, but he had to know the danger Frank posed. Connor knew he had to leave Lydia’s safety to John, but the thought of Frank Roberts would plague him the entire time he was away.

  Chapter Nine

  Lydia climbed the stone steps and walked back into the chapel. Both of its tall doors were propped open. She yearned for the quiet inside the church now that all of the people were gone. Her footsteps tapped lightly on the wood-planked floor as she walked the center aisle. She let her fingers trail over the arm of each pew as she passed it, then she stopped near the front of the chapel—third row from the pulpit—where Doctor Ashton sat every Sunday. She sat in his habitual seat and leaned her back against the wood. It was still warm from the mourners who had just left. She wanted to see the chapel from Doctor Ashton’s perspective only this once. She was taking his place professionally, and that was enough.

  Lydia gazed at the pulpit in the front of the room and the large wreath of flowers leaning against it. One of nearly every flower in the Land was represented in the wreath. The colors of the flowers started to mix together in a blur until Lydia blinked back her tears. She was not prone to crying, and it felt like a childish thing to do. She preferred logic to emotion. She was not the only person grieving and told herself to swallow her tears and avoid the headache inevitably brought by crying. Doctor Ashton was in heaven now. He was perfect and without pain.

  The words spoken by his family and the elders during the memorial service played through her mind. Doctor Ashton had been a faithful husband and a gentle father and grandfather. He was compassionate, generous, wise and careful. Lydia knew him to be a good teacher, patient and forgiving, intelligent and forthright. He also had a witty sense of humor. She remembered traveling with him during her apprenticeship and the entertaining stories he told to pass the time as they rode between villages. She owed her profession to Doctor Ashton and daily recalled his wise instruction as she cared for her patients.

  The tradition for her profession was much like that of overseers in the Land. Every village needed one, but the training was long and the life so demanding there was usually only one per village. She had studied and trained for four years under Doctor Ashton and had worked alone for over a year. Surely the elders would soon bestow upon her the title of doctor. Receiving the title made his passing no less painful. It simply meant the village officially recognized her position. Doctor Lydia Colburn—the thought made her smile; she felt ready for the distinction and wondered if her mother would be told the news in heaven. Maybe Doctor Ashton would tell her himself.

  “I thought I saw you come back in here.” Mandy’s voice echoed from the high chapel ceiling. Lydia scooted down the pew to make room for Mandy to sit beside her. “It was a lovely service, was it not?”

  Lydia nodded and watched Mandy as she sat down. Mandy pulled a long curl through her fingertips. She twisted it around and around as they sat in silence. Lydia looked again at the flowers by the podium, and after a moment Mandy spoke again. “Did Levi hear about Doctor Ashton’s passing before they left?”

  Lydia shook her head. “He and Connor departed at dawn on Sunday. Doctor Ashton passed away later in the afternoon.” She glanced at Mandy. “Levi knew it was coming. But they had to leave. Father felt the matter was urgent.”

  Mandy’s eyes were fixed on the flowers. “Yes, I suppose it was. My father told Everett and me about Connor last night. I knew there was something peculiar about him, though I never imagined he was from another land.”

  Lydia looked back at the flowers, but they had lost their charm. She turned to Mandy. “It caused quite a stir in our home too.”

  “How long have you known he was from another land?”

  “Oh, since he arrived.” Lydia bit her lip.

  Mandy stopped twirling the ringlet of hair and held it laced between her fingertips. “Is he going to stay here?”

  Lydia shrugged. “He says he cannot safely leave the Land. I don’t know if he plans to live in Good Springs or not. I don’t think he knows either.” She smiled, thinking of her brother’s reaction to Connor. “Levi is hopeful Connor will fall in love with a woman in another village and not come back here.”

  “Levi has never been quick to welcome strangers.” Mandy resumed her curl twirling.

  Lydia remembered her last conversation with Connor. “I am afraid we did not part on the best of terms.”

  “You and Connor?”

  “Yes. I know he meant well. I’m not even sure why I got so upset.” Lydia looked at her hands folded in her lap. She remembered how Connor had reached out to her and she had pulled away. “Connor seemed to have some personal interest in my safety. He warned me to be careful while he was gone. He wanted me to promise I would lock the door of the medical office. He was concerned about—”

  “Frank Roberts?”

  “Yes.”

  “So Connor noticed the same danger we all see and he tried to warn you.”

  “Yes, well… it doesn’t sound so problematic when you say it, but it felt intrusive when he said it. I had just come from Doctor Ashton’s house and I was worried about Connor and Levi’s journey and I know it probably does not make sense, but Connor reached out to me and I just did not want his concern.”

  “I see—you don’t mind if he needs you, but you don’t want to need him.”

  “That is just it: I don’t need him. He is certainly pleasant and I enjoy his company, but I don’t need him. By custom, I am still under my father’s protection, and Levi’s protectiveness of me is no secret. I don’t need another man telling me to be careful.”

  Mandy put her arm over the pew behind Lydia’s shoulders. “Is it possible his personal interest in your safety comes from his personal interest in you?”

  Lydia chuckled. “I doubt it.”

  “I saw how he watched you at my family’s party. It looked to me as though he is intrigued with you. And that beautiful dance had to mean something to him.”

  Lydia refused to speculate about Connor’s intentions and knew she had no romantic intentions of her own. She dismissed Mandy’s observations and shook her head. “It hardly seems appropriate to speak of now.”

  Mandy grinned. “I can think of no better time to speak of hopeful things than in the wake of sadness.”

  Lydia heard footsteps and turned to look at the door. Mandy turned as well. John was closing one of the chapel doors and then stood waiting to close the other. Lydia and Mandy shuffled out of the pew and walked down the aisle to the door. Lydia glanced back at the flowers one last time and walked out.

  * * *

  After leaving the Colburns’ home, Connor and Levi traveled south for two days on the road through the gray leaf forest before they arrived in the village of Woodland. Though smaller than Good Springs, Woodland’s residents were no less hospitable. Levi was acquainted with the overseer of Woodland, who welcomed them into his home. When Connor presented the letter from John Colburn, the man quickly gathered the elders to hear Connor’s warning.


  The only inn in the Land was situated halfway between Woodland and the village of Riverside. After a full day of travel, Levi stopped the wagon there and offered the owners of the quaint country house a full jar of Lydia’s gray leaf salve for one night in the last remaining guestroom. Connor enjoyed spending the evening among the travelers over a feast in the communal dining hall. He listened to the seasoned traders tell stories of traveling to all the villages in the Land but kept his origin to himself. Still, it felt good to be around people who were jovial in nature and open to whomever gave an ear. Levi was quiet but courteous with the strangers, and Connor realized by Levi’s infrequent—albeit constructive—responses that Levi was prone to deeper thought than Connor had previously accredited him. When the owners of the inn called it a night, Connor taught Levi the game of rock-paper-scissors to determine who would sleep on the single bed in the small room. After a practice round, the men played the game in earnest, and then Connor spread his bedroll on the guestroom floor.

  The village of Riverside was active with trade and smelled like stewed beef. Connor learned most of the elders were busy gathering their harvests, but when the overseer heard his message, he immediately sent word for the elders to meet. After Levi and Connor departed Riverside, a three-day journey took them to the outskirts of the village of Stonehill.

  Perched on the front bench of the wagon, on the eighth day of what was a much smoother trip than he had anticipated, Connor realized he enjoyed the long days of travel through the Land. Levi was not much of a conversationalist when driving, but he was less surly than he had been at home. Connor did not mind that they had to sleep on the ground when they camped between villages, but the nights grew cooler the farther south they traveled, and he was looking forward to arriving in Stonehill.

  Shadows played across the horses’ backs as they marched beneath a tall tree pulling the wagon. Comfortable with the primitive vehicle’s rattle and sway, Connor folded his arms and relaxed while Levi drove toward Stonehill. As they passed the entrance to a salt mine, Levi said they were not far from the village. Connor watched a falcon drift overhead. It made him miss flying. He realized he thought less about his old life with each passing day. He preferred to stay focused on the present, and at present he was on a peaceful wagon ride through beautiful country.