CHAPTER 17

C HAPTER 17

E very day Cade felt a little stronger, a little clearer, though there was still much he didn’t understand or remember. It helped that Bastien hadn’t visited him in a couple of days. Probably away tormenting other poor souls.

It helped enormously that Tamsyn was a constant presence in his mind, like a bright star on the darkest of nights. He wished that she could be more fully present but sensed that maintaining that contact took power and she couldn’t use all her energy in that way while she was trying to arrange his rescue. He had no idea how she would manage it, but he felt her increasing confidence.

Once, his mental powers had been the equal of hers and he prayed that would be true again, but for now, rebuilding his physical strength was the only thing he could do. When Tamsyn came, he’d be ready.

He occasionally felt mental brushes from other members of his family, but they were never as strong as those from his Tam. When his mind had been clear, he’d been able to feel the others much better.

He was quietly jogging in place when he felt the distinct touch of his brother Bran’s mind. Behind Bran he felt more power from Bran’s wife, Merryn. Even working together, their mind touch wasn’t as strong as Tamsyn’s, but it was true and real.

Bran felt his welcome and the bond between them strengthened. Might his brother be able to help him in practical ways? Cade visualized the chain that locked him to the wall, charging the image with loathing.

Bran understood and after a long moment, he sent an image of boots. Cade’s boots?

Yes! It was real communication and pleased them both. Bran’s image sharpened, focusing on the heel of the left boot Cade had been wearing when he was captured. Something concealed inside?

Cade looked around the stark room. When he’d been dumped here, unconscious, his coat and boots had been stripped off and piled onto the plain wooden chair that was set in a corner.

Could he reach the chair? He stretched as far as he could, but the chain wasn’t long enough for him to reach that far. Frustrated, he tried to puzzle out a solution. It seemed that there ought to be a way . . .

Ah, his legs were longer than his arms! He sprawled across the bed on his stomach and stretched his legs out. His extended right foot touched the chair. He stretched himself even more and was able to hook his foot around one of the legs. Slowly he pulled it toward the end of the bed, careful not to dislodge the boots and coat that had been left on the chair seat.

Bran had focused on the left boot heel. Cade lifted the boot and tried to twist the heel off. Nothing. He tried pulling and twisting in various ways and found success when he pulled the heel away from the sole and twisted it counterclockwise. Yes, that worked!

The heel pivoted to the left, attached to the boot by a thin nail. The inside of the heel was hollowed out with something inside and a fluff of wool to keep it from rattling.

Removing the wool revealed a pair of slim metal bars. Picks, he realized, designed to open a lock. He stared at them, knowing he’d once been good at picking locks, but he couldn’t remember how to do it. The picks felt awkward in his fingers. Swearing, he returned them to the hollow heel. He packed the wool in again and twisted the heel into place so that the boot looked normal.

He didn’t want his captors to know what he was doing, so he started to return the boots and coat to the chair and then shove it back into the corner. But the chair was sturdy, and he realized he could use it to look out the window for longer than the brief glimpses he’d caught by jumping and grabbing the sill.

He climbed on the chair and peered out the window. Yes, he could see more than the sliver of the sea he’d viewed before. There was a sandy beach and the tide seemed to be coming in. He drank in the sight.

A low bluff edged the beach with wind-shaped grasses and shrubs at the top. In the distance he saw a few cottages belonging to farm workers or fishermen. The real world with normal people living their lives.

His sluggish mind realized that this stretch of the sea must be the English Channel, and on the far side was home. He squinted into the distance, hoping for a glimpse of England, but there was too much mist over the water to see land.

At the bottom of his field of view, two riders emerged along the sand, both riding fine white horses. One was a boy, the other an older woman. They seemed to be chatting amiably as they ambled along the beach.

The boy turned in his saddle and looked up at the stony building that was Cade’s prison. With shocking suddenness, he knew it was Tamsyn, disguised as a boy and surely scouting this area. Did she know he was here? He tried to send his thoughts to her, to catch her attention, but he wasn’t strong enough to reach her.

He remembered the spark of her essence that was always in his mind, and imagined it growing brighter and stronger so that she could feel him. Though she glanced up in his direction again, he didn’t think she was aware of him.

But Tam was here looking for him. She hadn’t given up. Knowing her, she never would.

With a sigh of resignation, he stepped down from the chair. Then he pushed the chair back toward the corner as close as he could get to the original position. He didn’t want his captors to think that he had any will or understanding.

Then he grimly set himself to the strengthening exercises which were all he could do that might help him escape.