Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 7)

“Thank you,” she repeated, returning the nod, and stepping back into the hall. The instant she verified she was alone she all but ran towards the stairs; god only knew how Gaius was holding up now that he was completely by himself. The faster she found Sara, the better. And she’d already failed twice.

She did run at this point. Not a full on sprint, but it couldn’t even be loosely considered walking at this point. She rushed up the stairs, thinking through her options. Aside from the dungeon and the barracks, she was fairly certain Gaius’s bedroom was the place she’d least like to see — even now that she had a guarantee he wouldn’t be in it. So, nursery, then. She hesitated to tug her clothes straight and knocked, doing her best to keep her huffing and puffing as quiet as possible.

"Just a minute!" Marcella's voice rang out, and almost immediately Sara opened the door. She looked surprised when she saw Ky in such a state, and she glanced back at her children before stepping out and closing the door.
"What's the matter, Ky?" she asked in concern.

“He needs you,” she said quickly, voice low. “He went to the prison and now…” she searched for a word, but she couldn’t find one. “Now he’s not okay. He asked I come find you. He’s in the sitting room on the first floor nearest the barracks.”

"What?" She blinked. "Gaius? He went down there? Was anyone with him?" She looked back at the door tensely.

Ky shook her head. “I don’t think so. He came back upstairs with Captain Bay, but…”

Sara winced to herself. "Thank you for letting me know. I'm going to fetch someone to watch the little ones, then I'd like you to take me to him, alright?"

“Yes ma’am.” Ky nodded quickly. “… do you want me to watch them while you get someone?”

She wasn’t in the mood for children just then. But it’s not like they could be left alone. They were too little.

"That's alright." She gave her a quick smile, then opened the door and said, "I'll be back in a few minutes dears; I've got an errand to run. Can you watch your brother until someone else comes in?"
"Yeah!" Mattathias replied. Marcella nodded reluctantly, wrinkling her nose.
"You're wonderful," Sara said to them, then stepped back out and closed the door. "Right, then. Lead the way, Ky."

“Yes, ma’am.” She nodded again and hurried towards the stairs, then hesitated, not sure if she was going too fast.

Sara kept up with her easily, stopping a servant as she was coming up the stairs. "The children are in the nursery," she told her. "Can you watch them for maybe an hours?" When the servant dipped her head she thanked her and moved on, watching to make sure the woman headed in that direction. "How was he when you left him?" she asked Ky. "He was talking?"

“No.” She shook her head. “He had his eyes closed and was trembling a bit. The only thing he said was your name.”

Pretty bad, then, but not as bad as it could be. "What was he doing down there?" Sara asked as she walked. She couldn't imagine what had possessed him to go; he avoided that place like the plague. For good reason, too.

“He went to get Captain Bay.” Ky cringed. It was her fault that he’d gone; he had no need for Bay aside from her. Even though she had explicitly told him she wanted to wait until Bay was free. “He was interrogating someone, but Gaius wanted him to come talk to me about sparring lessons.”

"Did he say anything about Loren Carthe or General Nox when he came up?" He must have been showing off for Ky or something. Showing off wasn't quite the word, but this wasn't at all like Gaius.

“He didn’t say anything.” Ky shook her head. “Just told me it was time to talk — then came with me and Captain Bay to a room and was quiet while the two of us talked — then asked for you.”

That would make sense, if he’d come across the two of them. They must be triggering for him to interact with.