by L. S. Emory
I looked toward the smoke. I was still too far away to see anything, but I did see movement. And I could see shadows bouncing around. Someone, or something, was definitely out there.
I looked over at Kirby. He was looking intently toward the camp. He turned his head slightly toward me. He raised his hand up, then slowly brought it down in a chopping motion. I guessed that was the signal. I probably should have clarified what exactly the signal would be beforehand, but now it was too late.
With my right hand still on the sword, I raised my left hand in the air. I made the motions and pointed my hand toward the camp. I began to slowly, and clearly, utter the words to the spell. If I didn’t say the right words, it wouldn’t work. Or something bad would happen. In my experience, it was usually something bad. My magic always worked, just not in the way I always intended it to. If I did it right, a small pyramid would appear in my hand. The color of the pyramid would tell me if there was magic in the vicinity.
A few seconds later, the pyramid appeared and began to take shape. It had worked! Slowly, the pyramid turned a soft blue color. That meant that there was no magic present. I looked up to signal back to Kirby. Then the pyramid began to turn a light rose color. If it had turned red, it would mean that magic was present. The rose color meant that there was magic, but there was something non-magic there also. That was it. I did it right.
I waved my hand up and down at Kirby. He pulled his staff down again and made his way back to where I was.
“It’s a mixture of both, magic and non-magic. I’m not sure it that means that there are both humans and supernaturals there, or humans and magic items, or supernaturals and non-magic items.”
Kirby nodded his head, agreeing with me. “I know. I was able to get a fairly good look at what we are dealing with. One man. He has a rifle, so he’s probably not supernatural. A supernatural would come with a different weapon. Tough looking fellow.”
There was more, though. I knew that. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach through. If it was just one human, we should be able to get around, or at least frighten him away. “What about the magic I detected?” I asked.
Kirby looked me straight in the eyes. “You need to listen to me very carefully. This is serious, and you aren’t used to hearing what I am about to tell you. So I need you to not react. This is just information. Don’t be scared. Can you do that?”
I could do that. At least I was reasonably sure that i could do that. “Yes. Now tell me.”
“This may indeed be a poacher. He has some type of animal tied up. That means it’s alive. I couldn’t get a good vantage point to see exactly what it was, but it’s big. I’ve seen guys like this before. If he’s brave enough, and has enough power, or magic, to capture something that big, then he’s a pro. He didn’t stumble out here. He’s been hunting. You with me so far?”
“I understand.” I wasn’t sure why Kirby thought that might scare me. That’s what he had already told me. “See? I didn’t freak out at all.”
Kirby didn’t move. “That’s not all.”
“Well, what is it? Spit it out.”
“There’s a girl there. Probably about your age. She’s handcuffed. Maybe a bounty, maybe just someone that he came across.” He stopped and seemed to be unsure of what to say next.
“He has a prisoner?”
“Yes. A supernatural. The handcuffs are definitely magical. I could see the glow off them from here. They are the kind of cuffs that dampen magic. I’ve seen them used before. She may have been what you detected. Maybe the animal. I’m not sure.”
“We have to help her!” I whispered, almost too loudly.
“It’s not that simple.”
“What do you mean? He has a girl handcuffed and, I’ll assume, is holding her prisoner. We have to help her. It is that simple.”
“This isn’t just someone like a poacher. He came prepared. And...”
“And what?”
“It looks like she’s been hurt. On purpose.”
Chapter 15
“What do you mean, ‘hurt’? How bad?” I asked.
“It looks like some marks on her arms. And some blood. Not just on her. It’s on the ground too. She didn’t get captured without a fight.”
That’s when it felt like something in me just snapped. My mind was spinning out of control. On my own in a forest with nothing but a map? Whatever. I can handle myself. I’ smart, I can find my way. A werewolf in the forest? Fine, I get it. Everyone, including weres, had a right to live their lives. And there are plenty of dangerous people in the world to avoid. Getting caught in a trap? I wasn’t really hurt, other than my pride. But what we were talking about here was different than all of that.
This wasn’t about some stupid test anymore. Someone was hurt. Cody lied to me, put me in danger. So did Aunt Linda. And now, what’s looks like a real deal bad guy has a girl tied up. A girl who is hurt. A girl my age, maybe like me. In fact, if things had gone differently, it might have been me tied up in there, instead of being outside and looking in.
“Help me!”
I heard the cry coming from the camp. It wasn’t a call just for help. It was a cry of desperation.
“You hear that?” I asked, pointing a finger at Kirby. “Let’s go.” I started off through the trees, but Kirby grabbed me, pulling me back forcefully.
“Wait, Annabeth,” Kirby pleaded with me.
“Let me go. Now.” I was playing with this goblin anymore. “If you don’t want to help me, then give me back my map and leave. But I’m not going to leave this girl trapped like that.”
Kirby let go of my arm and stepped back. By this time, I was breathing hard. I could feel the adrenaline in my veins. I kept thinking that it could have been me handcuffed and taken prisoner. It was just luck that I stepped into that trap. It could have been me.
“We’re going in, but we can’t rush in unprepared. You can’t let your emotions get you into trouble, ok? We’re going to get her, but you have to do something first.”
“What?” I asked, visibly perturbed. “What do you want me to do.”
“I want you to breath in for six seconds. Then hold that breath in for six seconds. And then breath out for six seconds.”
“Are you crazy? We don’t have time for…”
“Annabeth, just do it. Trust me,” Kirby said. I looked into his eyes. They weren’t the eyes of the con-man, the bounty hunter, or the goblin worried about his own self interests. They were eyes filled with real concern.
Trust him.
There was voice again. I looked around but didn’t see anyone. My mind maybe. Or intuition. If I had not had bigger problems, then I would have again been worried about losing my mind. I didn’t know if I could trust Kirby or not, but I also knew that I didn’t really have a reason to not trust him. He had been fair so far.
“Fine.” I breathed in for six seconds. I could feel the air go up my nostrils and fill my belly. I held it in, the released it, as instructed. As the air went out of my nose, so did the tension I didn’t realize that I had. My body felt looser, more at ease. I felt calmer, my anger coming back under my control. Stupid goblin. It had worked.
Kirby smiled a bit. “Now, feel better?”
“Yes, I feel better. Now what?”
“Now we figure out how to execute this operation.”
“What do you mean operation? I have magic and a sword, and you have a techno-whatever staff. We go over there, rescue the girl, and whack the bad guy into submission for kidnapping her. Very simple.”
“Calm down, calm down. We have to have a plan,” Kirby said. He looked back toward the camp. “I have an idea.”
For some reason, I had this feeling that I wasn’t going to like his idea. But, I wasn’t going to say so. I would give him a chance. “What’s your idea?”
“How good are you at playing the damsel in distress?”
I was right. I didn’t like his idea. Not at all. “I’m not a damsel in distress. I am perfectly capable of taking care of mysel
f without anyone else’s help. I’ve been doing it for quite a while and am very good at it. What’s Plan B?”
“Not being a damsel in distress, playing one. And there is no plan B. This will work.”
“What do you want me to do?” I asked.
Kirby pointed towards the camp with his staff. “You’re just a girl wandering around the forest. You absentmindedly wander into the camp. This guy sees you, thinks that having two captives is better than one, and tries to take you prisoner.”
Great. Get captured, again. Just like in Kirby’s trap. “And what about you? Where are you at while I’m risking my life getting captured and all?”
“See how thick the trees are up there?” He pointed up above us. “I think I can rig up something pretty quick to capture this guy. But I need about five minutes. You’ll have to distract him, get him talking, while trying not to get captured. Just make him think that you are an easy mark, that you’re naive and maybe worth something as a prisoner. Like someone would pay a ransom for you.”
“I’m not really worth a ransom.”
“But he doesn't know that. It’s just acting.”
“And rig up what? Are you sure you can do this?” I asked. I needed more details if he wanted me to do this. “It sounds like I’m the one taking all the risk here.”
Kirby let out a big sigh. “I don’t have time to explain the details. We need to do this before this guy gets restless and start patrolling around the camp. If he any good, he’s already doing that, or has traps of his own set. We’ll have to be careful.”
“That makes him sound a little paranoid.”
“All the good hunters are.”
It wasn’t a bad plan. After all, Kirby had trapped me, so I knew he had some skills in that department. I just wasn’t sure about my acting ability. I had been in plays when I was little, but this was different than dressing up like a butterfly and running around someone who was pretending to be a flower.
“Ok, I think I can do it. Just don’t leave me out there long. Or let me get captured for real.”
Kirby nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this before.”
“When?” I asked. Now, I was curious about how often Kirby had been in this situation. Where I came from, this wasn’t a normal part of the day.
“Never you mind. Now give me your sword.”
No way. I wasn’t going in there unprotected. I may still have had my magic, but the sword was much more reliable. Besides, having the sword made me feel more powerful, more confident, for some reason. “I’m not giving you my sword.”
Kirby crossed his arms and narrowed his eyebrows, definitely unhappy with my response. “A girl wandering around the forest isn’t going to have a sword. Damsel in distress, remember?”
“Nope, not doing it. I’m not going in without it.”
Kirby just stared at me.
“I’ll make you a deal.” I didn’t really have a deal to make, so I had to think fast. Then I had an idea. “Give me your vest.”
“What? For what reason?”
“I’ll put it on, and it’ll help hide my sword. Give me,” I said motioning with my hand.
Kirby shook his head. “It won’t fit you. It’s goblin-sized. It’s too small for you.”
He had a point. It would only cover down the middle of my back. But I wasn’t going to give up. “Let me try it on. Come on, we don’t have time to argue.”
Kirby sighed again, but gave in. He pulled it off and handed it to me. I put it on, squeezing it around me. The burnt green color wasn’t really me, but this wasn’t a fashion show and I hoped that nobody in the camp would notice. I was counting on kidnappers and such don’t have much idea about color coordination. I adjusted my sword, pushing it down as far as I could. I looked over both shoulders, seeing if it worked.
“How do I look?” I asked. “And keep in my mind I’m not going in without my sword, so your answer better be the right one.
Kirby stood back and looked at me. He went around behind me, and adjusted the sword, and the vest. Reaching up as far as he could. I bent down a little to try to make it easier for him.
He came back around and crossed his arms.
“Alright, I guess it helps some. Better than nothing, since you insist on doing this the hard way. You just have to make sure that you are facing him. Don’t turn around or turn to the side, or he’ll be able to see it for sure.”
“I will. Don’t worry, I can do this.” I hoped I could. I needed him to believe that I could. I needed him to do whatever he was going to do, and do it fast, without worrying that I was going to give myself away and show my sword.
“We’ve wasted enough time. Are you ready now?”
I nodded my head. I was ready for us to be the heroes and rescue the girl. I knew that moment was one of those big moment of life. One of those moments that can define a person, show the world who she really is and what she is capable of. One of those moments that would make my life count for something bigger than myself. I understood the sacredness of the moment. I was ready.
Then I heard a twig snap behind us.
“Don’t move, or you’re dead,” I heard a deep guttural voice behind us grunt.
Chapter 16
Crap, was the first thought that I had.
“Put your hands in the air, and don't turn around.” The man pointed the gun at us waving it up and down, signaling the direction that he wanted our hands to go. I wasn’t sure what kind of weapon it was since it appeared to be a normal human weapon. But it did look like something that the military would use, a rifle with a large clip and a scope. I didn’t really have much of a defense against bullets with my hands up. I needed to be able to move them around to cast a shield spell, or anything that could protect us.
Kirby and I both raised our hands slowly. I looked over at Kirby, while also trying to keep an eye on the man with the gun. I thought I saw Kirby wink at me, but I wasn’t sure. He probably had some experience in this type of situation. At least more experience than I did, which was none. I hoped he had an idea of what to do.
“Now let’s see, what do we have here, exactly,” the man said, with a smug smile on his face. He looked at Kiry, then at me, then back at Kirby. He slowly moved over towards Kirby and kicked his staff, which Kirby had dropped on the ground, off to the side. “You won’t be needing that anymore.”
Kirby had no expression on his face. He looked like a statue. If he felt anything at all, he wasn't showing it. I, however, was feeling something else. I should have been scared. There was a man with a gun pointed at me. And he didn’t look like the kind of guy that had any problem with doing whatever he wanted. He looked like a man who had killed before. There was something about his eyes, something in them that was off. But none of the worried me. I wasn’t even sweating, which kind of freaked me out.
But then he turned his attention to me, walking closer and closer to me. I could smell something on his breath but couldn’t tell what. But it was pretty strong, and pretty distinctive. “Hmm. What a fine-looking weapon,” he said, reaching for my sword, which was still on my back, under Kirby’s vest. As he reached for it, I instinctively grabbed his hairy wrist, hard. As soon as I did, I realized that might have not been the best move.
“Little girl, you have about two seconds to take your pretty little hand off me before I do it for you. And if I have to do it, you won’t be getting that hand back. You know what I’m saying?”
It felt like his stare was boring holes in to my face, and his breath burned. I had two choices. I could back off, let go of his hand. He would then take us to back to his camp, kill us, torture us, or do whatever. He would win. Or I could make a move. I wasn’t in a position to draw my sword, but I did still have magic. But casting a spell could work for or against me. A fifty-fifty chance.
Kirby looked over at me. “Annabeth, let go of the nice man’s hand.” When I didn’t, he leaned over and whispered, “If you don’t let go, then this is going to end badly for us.”
I cons
idered what he was saying. He was right. It didn’t look like this was going to turn out well.
“Listen to your little friend, girl,” the man snarled at me.
“For the record, I’m not little. I am of perfectly average height for a goblin,” Kirby replied.
“Shut up,” the man growled, not taking his eyes off of me.
I clenched my teeth, but I let go of his hand.
“That's a good girl,” the man said with a smile. He then grabbed my sword, still in its sheath, and pulled it out from under the vest. He looked at it, up and down. Then he grabbed the map. “Huh, what’s this? It’s blank.” He threw it down to the ground. “Now, start walking. Over that way,” he said, pointing his rifle toward the camp.
We started waking in that direction, and it didn’t take long to get to the clearing. There was a tent set up to the right. It looked old, with a few tears in it along the edges. I didn’t know if this was because he was an outdoor enthusiast, or if this was from hunting people in the forest. He also had some type of portable stove set up near it, the kind that used propane. I remembered that from when I went camping with my parents and some of their friends when I was little. I thought it was magic, the way that the food cooked on a thing that wasn’t in the kitchen. Then my parents explained to me what it was.
I also saw a couple of backpacks and a duffle bag on the side of the tent. There seemed to be more gear here than possible for one man to carry in to the forest. Unless, of course, he didn’t come in alone.
“Alrighty, stop,” I heard the man behind me say. “And no moving around.” I could hear something going on behind me, but I couldn’t tell what was happening. I turned my head over toward Kirby. He still had no expression on his face. “Hands behind you. And no funny business.”
I didn’t like this. I pulled my hands behind me. A few seconds later, I could feel something on my wrists, pulling them together. I stretched my fingers and could feel it. Some kind of rope.