Free Thorns of Decision (Dusk Gate Chronicles) by Breeana Puttroff Page B

Quinn as she pulled into the driveway. It would be easier to get Thomas into the back seat of her Pilot than into Nathaniel’s small sedan. And Nathaniel had already told him that he intended to drive Quinn’s car back to her house for her tonight, and have a conversation with her mother. William was rather disappointed that it would be quite a long time in his world before he saw Nathaniel again to hear the outcome of that meeting.
    William was surprised at the overwhelming relief he felt, knowing that Quinn was coming with him back to the castle. After everything she’d been through recently, and what had just happened in Nathaniel’s living room, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her here with so many people who were angry and not speaking to her. What had the girl done to deserve any of that?
    He walked around the car and opened her door to help her out. Her eyes were puffy and red, so he didn’t ask how things had gone with her mother. “Did you have fun with Annie?” he asked instead.
    She nodded. “It’s next to impossible not to. She ended up spilling half of her hot chocolate down the front of her shirt – I couldn’t resist taking her into Nannie’s shop to pick out something clean to wear home. Then I bought her another hot chocolate and told her she couldn’t drink it until she was home.”
    William smiled – he wished he’d been there to see that. “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you guys about ready to go?”
     

6. Return to Eirentheos
     
    When they reached the other side of the bridge in Eirentheos, Simon and Maxwell were there, waiting for them with a wagon. His older brothers came up onto the bridge to help him and Nathaniel carry Thomas. Simon raised an eyebrow when he saw Quinn come through the gate with them, but Max looked almost as if he’d been expecting it, greeting her with a friendly, “Glad you see you again.”
    Thomas smiled and joked, trying to hide his chagrin at needing assistance with everything , but William knew the helplessness grated on his younger brother.
    “We weren’t really expecting you’d be back so soon,” Simon said, as they worked to arrange Thomas’ leg on pillows and help him get comfortable in the wagon.
    “Truthfully, he could have used a couple more days in the hospital,” William said, noting the sweat on Thomas’ forehead, and the fact that he’d gone a little gray. “He did just have surgery two days ago.”
    “We figured Nathaniel would make him stay longer, but Mother insisted we bring the wagon out here last time, too. Linnea wanted to come this time, but we convinced her that it really was too soon.”
    “I’m fine,” Thomas said. “I’m ready to be home.”
    William squeezed Thomas’ shoulder. “I know, buddy. Do you want some more medicine before the wagon ride? It’s close enough to time you could have more.”
    Thomas shook his head. “I don’t want to be asleep when we get there.”
    Quinn, climbing up near his head and finding a place to sit close to him, rolled her eyes. “Right. Because it’s better to pass out from being in pain than it is to be asleep .”
    Thomas just smiled at her. “You’ve got your spark back,” he said.
    She sighed.
     
    William walked with Nathaniel back up to the gate, and picked up the two enormous backpacks they’d dropped on the bridge as soon as they’d crossed into Eirentheos carrying Thomas. Before they’d driven down, they’d emptied Quinn’s small backpack of her school things, and filled it with as many medical supplies as they could. She was wearing the backpack now.
    He felt bad that she hadn’t even had a chance to bring even a few small personal items with her from home – the confrontation with her mother hadn’t given her an opportunity to grab anything when she stopped by her house. His parents would provide anything she needed while she was here, of course, but he was sure there must be at least a couple of things she would have liked to