Ollie MacQuoid and the Journey To Rubius

Chapter Five

"Ollie?"

Ollie blinked. The man was gone, carried out of sight. Most of the crowd had disappeared as well. "Huh?"

Alaudidae bent down before him and looked at him in concern. "You looked a little spaced out. Are you alright?"

"I, uh —" Ollie suddenly felt cold. "I know that man. He met with my dad a couple months ago."

"That guy?" Calladin pointed to the empty beach. "The kidnapper?"

"Yes!" Ollie said, standing and wrapping his coat around him. The backs of his thighs were tingling. "He was weird. My dad made me sit on his lap. I didn't like it."

Alaudidae's wing extended and pulled Ollie closer. He was glad for the warmth. "I can imagine so. What a creep."

"Can we go home now?" Ollie looked to Calladin. For once, he looked genuinely caring. Calladin nodded, wrapping his arm around Elora's shoulder to keep her close.

"Alright. Let's go."

The short walk to the ocean was silent. The man had left deep grooves in the sand from his struggle, which they carefully avoided. Wizards could water-travel. Gods know where that little girl would be now if he'd managed to reach the ocean. The memory of her made Ollie feel queasy. How many like her weren't as lucky as she was?

"This'll be a bit harder without something to jump off of. Everyone has to run when I do, alright?" Calladin said. Ollie nodded, holding Calladin's arm tightly. He stumbled when Calladin broke into a sprint but managed to jump at the right time, diving into the chilly waves so quickly he instinctively flinched at the ground rushing up to meet him. The air was colder as they appeared on the dock again, the clouds dark with rain. Ollie felt even more anxious. Maybe he'd go up for a nap when they got inside. He doubted anyone would mind, given what they'd seen.

"Don't worry about that guy, Ollie," Alaudidae said as they walked down the dock. "He'll be put in jail for what he tried to do. That girl's safe."

Ollie rubbed at his eyes. He really did need a nap. "I hope so."

Calladin swung the sliding door open. Neither Agnus nor Bermire were in the kitchen. There was a seemingly-abandoned bowl of pancake batter on the kitchen counter. Calladin raised an eyebrow.

"Kids?" Agnus's voice came from the living room, though they couldn't see her. "Come here, please!"

The twinge of nervousness in her voice made Ollie's stomach drop. Without removing his coat or shoes, he darted through the house and stopped at the top of the small staircase that led into the living room. The air froze in his lungs.

"Hello, Oliver."

Ollie's father stood by the fireplace, face shaded by the flames' flickering shadows. Agnus and Bermire sat opposite him on the old couch by the window. They smiled as they came in; Ollie's father did not.

"Kids," said Agnus. "This is Alistair MacQuoid. He's Ollie's dad."

Nobody said anything for a few seconds. Alaudidae's face had gone rock-hard, and Calladin's eyes kept flicking from Ollie's face to his father's as if he were confused. Ollie didn't blame him. While they shared the same black hair, olive skin and dark, almond-shaped eyes, the resemblances ended there. Where Ollie was round and soft like his mother, his father was all sharpness and angles. He loomed over Agnus and Bermire, eyes narrowed. Ollie shrunk into himself instinctively.

"Ollie?" His father hummed. "They've given you a nickname. How quaint."

Agnus motioned for them to sit down, though nobody moved. Ollie felt like his knees were going to buckle under him. His father sighed. "Don't be rude, Oliver. Sit down."