He rapped with the brass knocker. A short time later a small panel in the door slid aside and a pair of gray eyes stared out. Jen heard an exclamation when they rested on Blue. After many rapid clanks and clinks the door flew open.
“Cap! My boy, it’s been an age!” the man cried. He swept Blue in his arms and hugged him tight.
“Too long, Tubole,” Blue said, his freckles expanding with his smile. “This is my friend, Jen.”
“Pleased to meet you, Jen. Any friend of Cap is a friend of mine.”
He was a short man with a thin mustache. His face was round and pleasant, although it appeared too narrow at the forehead.
“Pleased to meet you,” Jen replied. “We brought you pigeon pie.”
“Pigeon pie! Now that’s rare. You must join us for dinner and have some.” Tubole stared both ways up the street, which was deserted, then bolted and chained the door.
He led them down a dim hall to a snug living room. A bench covered with a faded tapestry and pillows faced a stone fireplace. A clock on the mantle was made of glass, and Jen could see the gears and swinging pendulum. Below, a blaze crackled on the hearth. Two straight-back chairs were arranged near the bench. At the foot of one chair was a small pile of wood shavings. A woman sat in the other chair. She was dressed in a high-necked brown cotton dress. Her fingers twitched at her knitting needles, and she glanced up only a moment as Jen entered the room. A little girl about three sat on the floor glued to the woman’s calf. She stared with wide eyes, her face flat and expressionless.
“Divida, my love,” exclaimed Tubole, “look! It’s the little Cap’n, come to pay us a visit. And here’s his friend, Jen.”
Divida smiled and looked everywhere but at Blue and Jen. My, Jen thought. She’s shyer than Bit. She wondered if Bit had found the doctor for Father and Dash. Time was running out for them, and Mother too. She glanced at the glass clock, aware now of the ticking.
“Forgive the mess,” Tubole said, sweeping up the pile of shavings and throwing them into the fire. “I’ve taken up whittling. Problem is, I never seem to make anything. If only I had their talent.” He nodded to the clock.
“Blueback?”
“Who else? No one can touch their craftsmanship.”
Jen sat beside Blue on the bench. Tubole picked up a piece of wood and a knife and began slicing thin curls onto the floor.
“Where’s Darleen?” Blue asked.
Tubole studied his work and made an extra long curl. Divida’s fingers flew at the needles. Jen was impressed. The wales and courses were perfectly straight, and the stitches the tightest she’d ever seen.
The curl of wood finally floated down to the floor. “Darleen’s visiting my sister,” Tubole replied. “She likes to play with my niece.”
Blue looked disappointed. “I wish I could have seen her.” He turned to Jen. “She’s their daughter. About our age.”
“She’d want to see you too,” Tubole said. “Divida. Why don’t you heat up that pie? I’m famished.”
Divida hurried off to get dinner ready, taking the little girl with her.
Tubole continued whittling. There was little left of the wood now. He tossed it aside and selected a new piece to work on.
Blue leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “How’s the Resistance?”
Tubole glanced at Jen.
“It’s okay,” Blue said. “You can trust her.”
“You’ve been gone awhile,” Tubole replied. He held up his work and turned it in the firelight. “Naryfel captured Makken and Tich.”
Blue exhaled sharply. “That’s a blow. Are they alive?”
“We don’t know.”
“Who leads us now?”
“That’s the problem. No one’s stepped up.”
“They’re scared. They need to see we can beat her. It doesn’t have to be big. Something to show she’s fallible.”
“Interesting,” Tubole said. “What do you have in mind?”
“Naryfel captured Jen’s mom.”
Tubole threw aside the whittling and reached out a hand to Jen. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I know how hard it is. Everyone in this city has lost someone to Naryfel.”
Jen didn’t know what to say. There was a lump in her throat and all she could do was swallow.
“What does Naryfel want with your mother?” he asked.
“She’s going to kill her,” Blue said.
Jen was relieved she didn’t have to say it. But the words were grim. Final.
Tubole froze, his mouth halfway open. “Why?”
“Why does Naryfel do anything?” Blue said angrily. “On a whim she’d burn your house down.”
“True enough,” Tubole said. “How can I help?”
“Naryfel is taking Jen’s mother to the Ice Falls tomorrow morning.”
From the kitchen beyond, Jen heard a pot crash to the floor. The little girl started bawling. Tubole sprang to his feet, Blue and Jen right behind him.
“No,” he said. “Please. Sit. I’m the only one who can soothe her. It will only take a moment. She’s just frightened.”
He left the room and in a few minutes the girl was quiet. Tubole returned carrying her in his arms. She stared at Jen with saucer eyes.
Tubole settled in his chair. “So. The Ice Falls.” He shook his head sadly.
“Will you help?” Blue asked. “There’s a good chance you’ll be driving.”
“I know I will. Naryfel ordered the carriage for sunrise tomorrow. She never tells me in advance where she’s going, though.”
“How does she work it?”
“She brings the prisoner down in advance, under heavy guard. Then she makes ’em wait.”
“Why?” Jen asked, not liking the sound of that.
Tubole smiled wryly. “So they grind their stomachs worrying.”
Jen gripped the cushion, digging in her nails. “She takes every chance to torture.”
“She does,” Tubole sighed. He rocked his daughter, her head nestled under his chin. Her eyes closed and she fell sleep.
“How long does the prisoner wait?” Blue asked.
“Maybe an hour.”
“Perfect,” Blue said. “If we can get the guards away from the carriage, we can ride off with the prisoner.”
Tubole caressed the child’s hair, his eyes far away. “You love your mother very much,” he said to Jen.
“She’s everything to me,” Jen replied.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Tubole nodded. “As much as a child loves, a parent loves more. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for you. You can’t imagine the agony she’s feeling now.”
Jen clenched her fist. “I’d jump off a cliff if it would save her.”
“You’re brave and determined. I can see that.” Tubole’s daughter stirred and he kissed her soft hair.
“You’ll help then?” asked Blue. “We’ll keep you and your family safe, of course. We’ll force you to ride off, so Naryfel won’t blame you. I could hold a knife to your throat.”
“That could work. How do we handle the guards?” Tubole asked.
Blue flashed him a crimson smile. “I have just the plan.”