Page 78 of Arrows and Gems
“Southeast,” Jean-haut replied in a distant voice, pointing. “No trees until after we hit the main road, so we should cut straight across to save time.”
Glancing around the corner, Cap replied, “Good, then let’s—”
“Wait.” Jean-haut’s voice was tight. “Cap, there’s one missing. I can’t find one of the tokens.”
A tendril of icy fear threaded its way through Cap’s chest. “Whose?”
The awareness returned to Jean-haut’s eyes as he faced Cap. Awareness…and compassion. “Margit’s.”
He felt the blood drain from his face as he gaped down at his friend. “What? I—I must have misheard you.”
Jean-haut’s eyes filled with compassion, but he repeated, “King Antoine is dead. I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t like the last time.” Jean-haut’s hand gripped his arm, dragging him back to the present. “It could just be a problem with the token.”
“What kind of problem?” Cap asked, fighting to maintain his neutral expression.
Jean-haut hesitated. “We’ve only been using them for a couple of years. It’s possible there are problems we haven’t encountered—”
“What kind of problems, Jean-haut?” Cap repeated more forcefully.
Sighing, the forester replied, “Until now, the only reasons for losing track of a token have been when it ran out of magic or when it was... destroyed.”
“I thought you filled them last night.”
“I did.”
That left only one option. And how could a token be destroyed without harm befalling the person wearing it?
Adrien’s arm wrapped around Cap’s shoulders. “Hold on to faith, my son. We won’t know anything until we regroup with the others.”
Twisting away from them, Cap ground out, “I am no man’s son. Not anymore.”
He took a deep breath and pushed down the grief, but panic rose up in its place. What if Margit was hurt? Separated from the group, and he had no way of finding her?
What if he really had lost her?
What if he lost others?
He shook himself. He couldn’t help anyone if he lost himself to his emotions.
“We need to find the others.” Turning to Jean-haut, he asked, “Can you tell if the rest are stationary or if they’re still headed toward the meeting spot?”
“They’re too far away. I’ll have to check later and see if they’ve moved.”
“But if theyweremoving, they’re in the correct position?”
“More or less, yes.”
Cap gave a sharp nod. “Then we’ll head there and adjust if necessary. But the checkpoint and a lost token suggest the need to hide better. Any ideas?”
Looking him up and down, Jean-haut commented, “You’re too tall to hide.”
“Adrien and I are almost the same height. You’re too short.”
Chuckling, Adrien interjected, “If the guards are earnestly searching for Le Capuchon, I imagine it is the bow and the beard that will give him away more than his height.”
“I can’t shave, Adrien,” Cap replied with a frown. “Even trimming my beard might be too much. And I can’t give up my bow.”
