Salt Storm: The Salted Series: Episodes #31-35 by Galvin, Aaron (top 5 books to read TXT) 📗

“I know he was headed there with the rest of us,” said Lenny. “Can’t say as I ever saw Garrett again after the Orcs separated our kind from him and the princess.”

Tom frowned, but nodded. “Well, it’s something to go on, at least.”

Lenny’s brow furrowed at the notion of Tom leaving them behind. “What about all these others we brought along with us? The ones we rescued in Bouvetøya? All that talk about holding onto this key, or whatever it is, to keep the Orcs from killing these others?”

“Don’t know what you plan to do,” said Tom. “But I’ll have no more part in it. Much as I admire your father and all he claimed about never leaving anyone behind, if Røyrkval taught me anything after all these years, it’s that you can’t save everyone, Dolan. Don’t matter how much you try. You wanna the argue the truth of that, why, I’d say you don’t have to look any further than what happened today with Vasili, or losing your father too.”

No, Lenny thought, understanding the heart of such truth, the faces of all those he had lost swirling in his mind. No, you can’t save everyone.

“As for the others from Røyrkval and those we picked up in Bouvetøya,” Tom continued. “Brutus will take most of the rowdier sort with him, no doubt. Try to stir up some trouble along the way. Jemmy T said he might be able to find some placement for the younger sort and orphans. As for the rest, well, I reckon they’re gonna have to find their own way through this hard ol’ world, just like all of us.”

Except not all of us know our way, Lenny thought, all of his former hopes and dreams of freedom near meaningless now without his father to share it with. Just like I didn’t know to do, or where to go, when the queen turned me loose after we got to the capital.

Tom fixed Lenny in his stare. “What about you, Dolan? You got a plan of where you’re headed next?”

“I’ll figure one out . . .” said Lenny.

“I have no doubt about that,” said Tom, turning silent for awhile before he spoke again. “I suppose you could come with me, if you want. Help me look for Garrett.”

Warmth spread through Lenny at the notion. It flamed further when he looked up at the crimson-haired giant and saw it for an offer in earnest. “You would want that?”

“Why not?” Tom shrugged. “Unless all you told me about helping him was a lie . . .”

“No,” said Lenny. “I told ya true, Tommy.”

“For what it’s worth, I believe you,” said Tom. “And because I believe it, I don’t see any reason you couldn’t come along and help me find my boy. Since you were with him from the beginning, might be you know some people that I don’t who might remember Garrett from along the way too. Maybe they could help us find him. Know where Garrett is, or where he might have gone since you last saw him.”

His girlfriend will know. Lenny thought back on his interactions with Garrett Weaver and those they traveled with. If I can find a way to get word to Ellie, then I can get to the princess too. And if we can get to Sydney, then she can talk to the queen about helping out the rest of those we’re bringing in.

The idea of seeing some friendly and familiar faces from his past cheered Lenny for a moment. He reflected on the time he and Edmund had went to rescue Garrett in Crayfish Cavern, all to right a wrong that he had done. How he might be able to atone again for his past mistakes, if helping to reunite the Weaver father and son. He also thought on what such a deed would mean to him, especially if Declan were alive and someone could do that for he and his father now.

For all such elated notions that toyed with him to explore them further, it was the twin pendants around his neck that gave Lenny Dolan pause. Though light in weight, the cold from the twin pendants reminded him of one who would never feel warmth again; of the sacrifice his father made, all so that Lenny and the other Selkies might have a chance at finding true life and warmth again.

“Thanks for the offer, Tommy,” said Lenny. “I can’t go with ya though.” He motioned toward the train car door. “I can’t leave all these others behind to look for their own way and get enslaved all over again because they don’t know what to do, or where to go.”

“I understand,” said Tom. “I’ve felt such things before too. A friendly word of advice I already gave you though?”

“You can’t save them all,” said Lenny, inferring the message.

Tom nodded. “And for every one you lose, it just gets harder, son. You think it would be the other way. That it gets easier because you already know that numb feeling. But, the more you lose, the more time goes by and you’re still here? Remembering all those times you shared before? All their faces and names . . .” he shook his head. “That’s when you finally understand the truth.”

“What’s that?” Lenny asked.

“That in the grand scheme of things, the whole of time, their lives, your life – none of it really matters much at all,” said Tom. “Not except to a lucky few that really got to know you, that is. Those precious few who it’d pain the most to lose you, or for you to lose them. That’s when you really understand the point of living though. The reason to keep going through all the mess and darkness thrown your way.” Tom clapped his meaty paw of a hand on Lenny’s shoulder, gently squeezing as he stood to go. “I’m tired of seeing those people taken me from, Dolan. All