*POV* Clay Sparks
We reached the white city two days later, it took a couple coppers to get through the gates and into the city. Jayden left us and told me he would meet us that night back at the inn.
As soon as we entered the inn we were hailed from across the room, Dixie and Pip sat with a couple others. Kanyon smiled. We went over to them. Dixie immediately hugged me in greeting. "Glad you are here Clay." A server brought over some more drinks but I wasn't thirsty.
"When can I meet the baby?" I asked Dixie naggingly, I was in a hurry to see them and to leave, but I had to stick to the plan and that was to leave at nightfall.
Dixie grinned. "We will be back later." Dixie told the group before she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the stairs that lead to the second floor of the Rocking boat. The halls were clean but narrow and it gave the impression of walking in a secret passageway.
Dixie chatted with me all the way down the hall when we reached a door with the numbers b34 curved into the wood. She opened the door with a push of her shoulder.
The room looked nowhere near big enough for the whole group but by the stack of bed rolls and packs in the corner I guessed they all slept in here. Only one bed sat against the wall with a table and two chairs.
In one of the chairs sat a plump woman with a pleasant face, in her arms was a baby wrapped in a blanket with small strawberries embroidered on. I stepped forward and the woman stood and with a nod from Dixie handed the small bundle over to me.
They were light and weighed almost nothing, I stared down at the row face and watched as their eyes opened. Brown eyes meant mine before a loud scream erupted from its throat.
In no time they were squalling and wriggling in my arms I probably would have dropped them if Dixie wouldn't have jumped in with a light laugh. "Seems she will have to get used to you." I sighed as the baby quited as soon as she had her.
Dixie crawled her close. "There there." With a smile she handed her back to the nanny. "That's not all." she smiled as she motioned for me to come over to the bed. I stared as I looked down at another round face wrapped in an identical blanket.
"This is her son, she had twins Clay." She grinned down at the sleeping child and gushed about being an auntie. I wanted to strangle someone but instead clenched my fists. "Do you think you guys will be able to leave by nightfall?" I asked her.
She straightened and smiled. "Yup, we are all itching to get back to the group." Dixie smiled. "And I am sure Destiny must be overwhelmed with you gone." I returned her smile.
When we returned to the table Kanyon had his arms slung over Kristine's and another girl's shoulders as everyone laughed. I walked behind him and slapped him lightly over the head. "Come on, I need to go see someone." Kanyon looked at me then sighed.
We left the inn and headed deeper into the working district of the city. When we finally reached Anderson's trading and mill. I walked up the steps and opened the door. "Do you even think he is here?" Kanyon questioned.
A short slim woman stood behind the contour but other than that no one was in the shop, shelves lined the walls covered in wagon parts and sacks of grains. "Welcome." Called the woman from the contour I smiled and walked forward. "I am here to take a look at the door handles." I gave the coded message for 'I need to meet someone in the back.'
She smiled. "Of course head on back." She pointed towards a white door behind the contour before lifting the top to let us through.
We entered a long hallway that was dimly lit, various doors of different colors passed as I looked for the green one. When I saw it we stepped in.
"Oh?" Someone questioned, I shut the door behind us and grinned. "Andrew. It's me, Clay." The blind man behind the desk stood. "Clay!" He moved around the desk carefully and I strolled forward to give him a quick hug.
"What brings you here? What am I saying? I am glad to see you." I smiled and he moved to sit down again. Two chairs sat in front of his desk. "Sit." We sat.
"What brings you here?" I was happy to see my adopted father again. "I came to ask how Coral was doing?" He sighed, "She is okay, but not faring too well. Her health has been declining."
I clench my fist. "But what about you?" He asked. "How are you doing?" I smiled, relaxing my hands and told him about the last year since the last time I had seen him.
After I was done we continued to talk until a knock came on the door. "Come in." Andrew called out. The door opened and I boy came walking in shyly and placed a note on the table within Andrew's reach, before he darted from the room.
"Could you read that for me?" Andrew asked. I sat forward and took the note lightly and opened it up.
'Water is inside the castle' was all the note said, I thought about it for a second then repeated it out loud. "Water is inside the castle?" Andrew stiffened. "Well… it seems I have some things to do." He rose again and we gave our goodbyes before Kanyon and I left.
The note bothered me all the way back to the inn. "What do you think that meant?" Kanyon asked as we entered the Rocking boat. "Just what it said. The king has his hands on a water mage." I whispered to him. He stopped short of grabbing my arm.
"We have to get back. And fast!" I shoved his hand off. "Yeah I know." I was scared and my heart began to beat faster. We had his children and he was bound to come after us at any moment.