Gilded

by Renita Pizzitola

  Crap, I’d told him to say yes and he had, but how did I get him to open the damn thing? I concentrated hard on opening the door. “Walk to the door.”

  He turned and took several steps until he stood in front of it.

  “Now open it for me.”

  He put his hand on his keys and looked at me.

  “That’s right, unlock the door and let us through.”

  He found the key and my heart almost burst when the latch disengaged. I’d really done it. My happiness halted. Instead of turning the handle, he glanced back to me his face scrunched with confusion.

  “Open it,” I commanded.

  He didn’t move.

  “Maybe he needs more ambrosia,” Lexie whispered.

  Or maybe my charm skills weren’t that good.

  His hand fell from the door and he turned to me. “What are you two up to?” He rubbed his head.

  “Nothing. Now open the door,” I coaxed.

  His hand went back to the door and I held my breath.

  “I can’t,” he said. “I want to open this door for you but know I can’t.”

  Crap. It reminded me of the night I told Grant I loved him in my ambrosia stupor. I’d said the words but didn’t understand the emotion. Like me, the guard wasn’t affected as a human would be.

  “Don’t you want to do it?” I smiled at him. “For me?”

  “I can’t.”

  Anger and frustration tightened my chest. We were never even going to get a chance because this idiot wouldn’t open the door. We’d already wasted too much time with him.

  “Tell him to let us open it,” Lexie whispered.

  I could have hugged her for the brilliant idea. “Let me open it.”

  He stared at me, blinked hard and shook his head. “I can’t.”

  And like that, the plan fell flat.

  I wanted to cry, to scream and was close to shoving him out of the way and forcing myself through, when a voice caused me to jump.

  “Yes, you can. Now open the door.”

  Chapter 10

  I spun to face my mother. What was she doing here? I didn’t know what to do.

  “You have permission to open the door. Now do it.”

  The guy jumped, turned to the door, pulled the handle and flung it open.

  “You never saw me nor these girls,” my mother said. “You were here all night, by yourself. Nothing suspicious happened. A normal night, do you understand me?” Her voice remained steady and firm as she used her spirit magic.

  The guard stepped aside, leaving the door wide open.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because you’re my daughter and I would do anything for you.”

  “But–”

  “Kylie, there is no time for talking. You need to move. I won’t be going in there but I’ve reached out to the rest of the guards. I’ve made them easier to charm.” She shook her head a little. “I can’t believe you tried to do this on your own.” Sighing, she put her hand on my cheek. “But if it were me and I had one more chance to see your father, I’d do it too. Nothing could stop me from trying.”

  Lexie grabbed my hand and pulled me to the stairwell. “Come on, we need to hurry.”

  “Be careful, Kylie.” My mother smiled then I bounded down the stairs with Lexie.

  When we encountered two guards at the bottom, we came to an abrupt halt. They looked at us, their youthful faces brightening. My mom had pulled through again.

  “What are you girls doing here?” asked one of them, a hint of humor in his tone.

  “We came to share this.” Lexie held up the bottle. The first guy reached for it and my heart raced. What if he didn’t drink it? What if he dropped the bottle, shattering it?

  He brought it to his lips, took a big swig and handed it to the other guard, who followed suit.

  “Hey,” the first guard called out to someone as my heartbeat pounded in my ears. “Come try some of this.”

  A third man appeared, older than the other two, but still young enough to be intrigued by two girls with ambrosia wine.

  I shot Lexie a look. We were outnumbered.

  The guard rubbed his clean-shaven head and looked around then took the bottle and gulped some. “Man, that’s good.”

  “Special reserve.” Lexie grinned.

  “I need one of you to show me to the prison cells.”

  “I’ll do it,” all three said at once then looked annoyed with each other.

  I worried they would begin arguing over who got to do it so I turned to one of them. “You.”

  “Follow me.”

  I turned to the other two. “We were never here. You never met us, a normal night, nothing unusual. Okay?”

  They nodded, their expressions blank.

  A twinge of concern ran through me as I wondered if the triple threat–my mom’s power of suggestion, my faery charm and the super potent ambrosia wine–was a bit more than they could handle. I grabbed Lexie’s hand and we followed the guard.

  My dim surroundings smelled musky. Just as I would envision a dungeon, minus the skeletons hanging from handcuffs along the stone wall. We passed a few empty cells, which I was thankful for. Convincing all the other prisoners were never there would have been impossible.

  “There’s no one here,” Lexie whispered.

  “The king doesn’t keep prisoners. Usually these are only holding cells until execution,” the guard answered.

  Panic raced through me. “But Grant’s down here, right?”

  “Yeah, he’s here. Some kind of deal the king worked out.”

  I sagged in relief.

  The guard continued, “So his execution date has been postponed.”

  “What?” I practically screamed then lowered my voice. “What do you mean?”

  “The king’s a pretty twisted guy. He says the execution will happen after his son’s marriage. He called it a wedding present to the bride. I don’t know what Grant ever did to that girl. I guess she’s ticked off about the kidnapping but it still seems a bit melodramatic, you know?”

  Speechless, I looked to Lexie.

  “I guess it’s a good thing we came,” she whispered.

  A painful knot formed in my throat. I pushed the fear of what could have happened into the back of my mind. I needed to get Grant out of there, now more than ever.

  “Hey, where do you think you’re going?” A guard stepped out in front of us. A very familiar hulk of a guard whose shirt clung to his ripped arms. “Well, if it isn’t the princess. Did you decide what you’re looking for and come back for more?”

  “Actually,” I stepped past our escort, “I found exactly what I’m looking for.” I reached for the half-full bottle. “I brought this for you. Consider it a gift from me to you.” I handed him the bottle and smirked. “Now drink up.”

  He eyed me then studied the bottle.

  “Bottoms up,” I cooed.

  “Hey, he can’t have it all,” whined the other guard.

  He glowered, tilted the bottle and took several long gulps, emptying it. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and staggered. “Good stuff.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Orin,” he answered, his gaze locked on mine.

  “Well, Orin, I promised I’d remember you, and I do.”

  He smiled like an idiot in love, a step away from his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

  “You’re going to show me to Grant’s cell. You’re going to open it and set him free.”

  He nodded, eyes glassy.

  “Then you’ll forget all about us. You never saw me or my friend here. You never touched Grant’s cell and you have no idea what happened to him. Now, take us there.” I pointed to the other guard. “You stay here.”

  He looked disappointed but conceded.

  We’d followed Orin past several cells, when a familiar tingling rushed through my body. By the time I stood in front of Grant, he was already on his feet searching for me.

  “Kylie? What are you doing her
e?” Dark half-moons cradled his eyes and he looked thinner.

  “I’m here to get you out.”

  Orin stepped forward with the keys, unlocked Grant’s cell and swung the steel bars open.

  With the way Grant stared at me it seemed he’d drank the ambrosia wine. “But– How?” He looked from Orin to me as if trying to make sense of the impossible.

  “I’ll tell you later. Right now we need to get out of here.”

  He cautiously stepped forward.

  “Grant, it’s fine. We need to go. He won’t remember any of this. It’s going to be okay.” I grabbed his hand and the prickle of a thousand tiny sparks warmed my palm and spread throughout my body. The urge too strong not to react, I spun toward him and threw my arms around his neck, giving him the biggest kiss possible. The soft stubble of his jaw rubbed against my chin. He almost fell back and his mouth turned in a smile but it didn’t stop him from returning the kiss.

  “Oh my God, Kylie,” Lexie whispered. “Now is so not the time to be making out with your boyfriend. Let’s get out of here.” The urgency in her tone snapped me out of my PDA.

  My face warmed as I pulled Grant along. Orin stared at me, looking none too happy about my exchange with Grant.

  “Hey,” I whispered to Grant, “has Orin ever mentioned meeting me before?”

  What looked like anger flashed in his eyes but he reined it in. “He said a few words about it.”

  Throwing on a sweet smile, I turned to Orin. “Hey Orin, change of plans. You don’t remember me, or my friend, but what you do remember is freeing Grant, but you acted alone. Understand? You are responsible for his escape.”

  He nodded.

  “You don’t have to confess if asked, but you will live with that knowledge and I’ll let you decide what to do with it.”

  Grant studied me. I’d have a lot of explaining to do.

  “Stay here, Orin.” We rushed down the hall and I called back, “You never saw us.”

  Lexie grabbed the empty bottle from Orin and I mentally thanked her quick thinking.

  “Hey, Kylie,” Grant asked, “Why are the guards looking at you like you’re steak and they’re starving men?”

  “Long story.” I grinned at him, and he shook his head.

  “As long as I don’t have to fight every guy for your affection, it can wait.”

  “Nope. Only you.”

  “Enough,” Lexie snapped. “You can profess your undying love for each other once we’re out of here.”

  “Can’t wait to get outside,” he whispered.

  I bit my lip to suppress the giggle threatening to escape. Having Grant by my side had me giddy with excitement.

  Lexie led us toward the stairs.

  “Wait.” Grant motioned us to stop. “We should use this exit.” He pointed in the opposite direction and sure enough, there was a large metal door. “You didn’t think they led prisoners around through the castle? This is where they bring them in, and take them out.”

  The reminder had me eager to leave. “Let’s hurry.”

  Grant raised the heavy metal latch, and pushed the door open. The crisp night air gushed in freshening the dank dungeon air.

  We stepped through the doors, and I paused.

  “Hey,” I called to the nearest guard. “Lock this behind us.”

  He agreed.

  Grant pushed it shut and metal ground as the guard forced the latch down.

  “Good thinking.” He smiled and grabbed my hand.

  “Well that was easy. I thought we were going to have to run through the whole castle trying to get you out.”

  “You call that easy?” Lexie mumbled.

  “Easier than expected,” I corrected. “Okay, let’s find Ida. She’s supposed to be near the rose garden.

  Grant took the lead, knowing the grounds better than we did. We weaved through bushes, flowers and trees, until we spotted a girl scanning the grounds and tapping her foot.

  “That would be Ida.” I pointed in her direction.

  “Huh, interesting,” Grant offered in reply.

  “Ida,” I whispered.

  She looked around.

  I called her name again.

  She squinted and walked toward us. “You’re late,” she grumbled. Her mouth dropped. “And now I see why.” She shook her head but motioned us to follow her anyway.

  Grant whispered, “Good friend of yours?”

  I wanted to laugh but it was no time for goofing off.

  We followed Ida as she moved. A few times, she turned so fast I thought we’d lost her, but true to her word, she got us to the exit.

  Liam scanned the area while wringing his hands. When he saw me, his shoulders relaxed and a broad smile appeared, but faded the minute he saw Grant.

  “Awk-ward,” Lexie muttered.

  “Liam, I had to,” I blurted.

  “You need to hurry. Conor’s waiting for you on the other side.”

  Grant shot me a “you didn’t tell him” look.

  I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked away.

  Liam met my gaze. I paused to talk to him but he shushed me and waved me on.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said in a way that implied we could talk then.

  “If she even comes back now,” Ida scoffed loud enough for everyone to hear.

  I whipped my head around and stared at the tiny girl with the sharp tongue. She usually reserved her snide remarks for only me to hear. “Yes, Liam, I will see you tomorrow.” I glared at Ida then followed Lexie and Grant through to the other side. When I turned back, Liam looked doubtful. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

  A small smile appeared.

  Lexie tugged my hand and I turned to my friends.

  Conor said, “We may be out of the castle walls but we aren’t out of trouble yet. We need to get into the wooded area before we’re safe from being spotted by any guards.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  The four of us rushed into the forest beyond the castle. Scared someone would be following us, I didn’t look back.

  After we’d sprinted a good way into the woods, Conor stopped to catch his breath. “Mind telling me what this is all about?” He pointed to Grant with a hint of amusement on his face. “How in the hell did you girls pull it off?”

  Lexie and I exchanged a glance.

  “Long story,” I said.

  “If you two would have gotten hurt or caught–”

  “But we didn’t,” Lexie interjected.

  “No point dwelling on it. What’s done is done.” Conor muttered a few things and patted Grant on the shoulder. “Glad to have you back.”

  Grant stared at me, his eyebrows pushed together. “I’m happy to be out, but I think I need to hear this long story. I mean, what’s even going on? Why are the four of us in the woods? What was that back there with Liam?”

  I put my hand on his chest. “I’ll tell you everything I promise, but one question at a time.” I was happy to explain our plan, partly because it had worked, but mostly because I got to explain it to Grant.

  “Well, now would be a good time. It’s too dark to travel any deeper into the woods, especially in these parts. We need to camp out until morning,” Conor said.

  “Here?” Lexie croaked.

  As he spoke, Conor threw his arm around her. “Don’t worry, you and Kylie are such bad-asses, I’m sure you can take care of us all.”

  “We are pretty bad-ass,” she agreed.

  I laughed and looked at Grant as his smile faded.

  Conor dropped his arm from Lexie’s shoulder and whipped around to face me.

  Grant shouted my name.

  Instinctively, I ducked and looked to my right as a large black animal leapt out, claws and teeth aimed at me. I turned my face away, shielding it with my hands and braced myself for the impact.

  Lexie screamed.

  Chapter 11

  Grant stared, wide-eyed. Conor and Lexie wore similar expressions.

  But, where had the t
errifying beast gone? I turned.

  A half-dome comprised of thistles and thorns tightly woven together sheltered me. It made no sense how it stood, well, except for the denseness. It seemed as if it couldn’t be loosened. A black shape squirmed and whimpered on the other side. The yelps faded into the cries of a boy begging for someone to free him.

  Conor snapped out of his trance and moved around to the other side of my shelter.

  Grant ducked under the growth, and wrapped his arms around me. The familiar hum his nearness brought offered some comfort.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” My voice trembled.

  “Kylie, this is–” He took in the armor of thorns as he searched for the right words. “Incredible. How did you do it with almost no warning?”

  “I don’t know. I guess fear helped.” I tugged on my necklace. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “Don’t worry about that. Conor’s talking to him. It’s another puka. He’s a solitary though.”

  “What’s a solitary?”

  “He lives alone out here. Most pukas prefer that lifestyle. Solitaries aren’t very welcoming to outsiders, but he never should have attacked. We’re no threat to him.”

  He took my hand and led me out.

  I glanced back at the boy still stuck in the bramble and guilt ransacked me.

  Lexie gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Kylie, don’t feel bad. He planned to rip your face off. A few scratches is nothing. As far as I’m concerned, he got off easy.”

  I had acted in self-defense, but he seemed so young and helpless now, no longer a vicious animal.

  Conor pulled out a pocketknife and cut away at the barbed branches trapping the boy. Grant joined him, said something to Conor, who nodded then both set to work.

  I envisioned the roots anchoring the vines and branches, focused on the ground and pictured the stems reeled in like fishing pole string.

  Lexie muttered, “Oh. My. God.”

  The overgrowth slinked away.

  Conor and Grant stepped back.

  The effort exhausted me and I had to stop. Throwing emotions into it made it happen naturally, without much effort, but manipulating the earth at will was still a challenge.

  “Does that help?” I wiped perspiration off my forehead.

  Grant stared at me, eyes wide and lips parted