in suddenly. âDid you look for a message?â
âWe did,â Traunt Rowan said. âWe looked everywhere. But we didnât find one.â
You searched our house,
Bek thought.
That was bold. Why did you feel the need?
âIf Pen failed to leave a message, it was because he didnât have enough time to do so.â Rue was sliding into her protective mother role, and Bek could see the anger in her eyes. âWhy wasnât he offered your protection earlier?â
A flicker of irritation appeared on Traunt Rowanâs handsome face and then quickly disappeared. âWe did what we thought best at the time. We were a little disorganized, confused. We didnât know what had happened at that point.â
âYou still donât, it seems,â she snapped.
The Druid turned to Bek. âIf you will return with me to Paranor, perhaps we can find them together. We know you have a strong connection to your sister, that you share the use of her magic. We were hoping that you might find a way to apply your talents to help us with our search. If we can find either your sister or your son, we have a chance of finding both.â
He hesitated. âI admit that we are growing desperate. We need a fresh approach. We need any help that we can get.â
He sounded sincere and his plea had merit, but something troubled Bek. He couldnât put his finger on what it was, but he couldnât quite make himself dismiss it, either.
âWhat of the expedition?â he asked, trying to think it through.
âI will see that everything is taken care of. Another ship, paid for by the order, will fulfill your obligation to your passengers. With your permission, I will fly back with you aboard your airship to Paranor. The
Athabasca
can continue her search. We have all of our airships out looking, crisscrossing the Four Lands. I donât want to take any of them out of service until this matter is settled.â He paused. âWe are doing everything we can to find your son.â
He directed this last comment at Rue in what was surely an effort to reassure her, but Bek was pretty certain it was too late for that.
âWe have to find him, Bek,â Rue said quickly. âWe have to do whatever it takes.â
She was right, of course. But that didnât mitigate his sense of uneasiness. Why would Pen, who was always so dependable, disappear without a word to anyone? Where would Ahren Elessedil have taken him that required such secrecy? Looking at it from every conceivable angle, he kept coming back to the same two possibilitiesâthat his son had been forced to flee or that Traunt Rowan was lying.
âLet me talk with our passengers and tell them whatâs happening,â he said to the Druid. âThen weâll come with you.â
He took Rueâs hand and led her over to where the six who had hired them were standing in the shadow of
Swift Sure.
Quickly, he told them a version of the truthâthat an emergency had arisen that required them to leave immediately for home, that another airship with another Captain and crew familiar with expedition work would come to allow them to complete their outing. There were a few disappointed looks, but everyone took it well. None of them asked for their money back. They shook hands and wished one another well.
After giving a wave of reassurance to Traunt Rowan, Bek walked over to the crates of supplies stacked on the ground at the airshipâs stern and began checking through them. Rue, who had hesitated before following him over, bent close. âWhat are you doing?â
âPretending that Iâm doing something useful,â he said. âGaining us a little space and time so that we can think.â
She joined him in poking through the crates, her eyes never leaving his face. âYou donât trust him, either.â
He glanced back at the Druid, who was leading their passengers over to the
Athabasca
in