“Do you have a better idea? And I swear, you better not start talking about some Rambo arsenal again, or I’m going to find the closest dragon and personally feed you to it.”
The priest held up his hands to stop their banter, which was becoming a bit more heated than friendly. “Enough! There’ll be no violence in this house of God.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sarah said. “But does the army outside agree too?”
Frank nodded, agreeing with her for a change. “Yeah. Why don’t you remind the leaders of Tastia and Dornia about peace and goodwill, because right now, we’re toast. If you don’t toss in a sword or two, we’ve no way to defend ourselves.”
The priest shook his head and turned on his heels, walking out of the room without another glance back.
Jules chased after him. “Father, do you need any help?”
Sarah elbowed Frank in the ribs hard. “Now you did it! You made the priest mad.”
“What did I do?” Frank hissed.
“You know all too well. Quit pissing everyone off, will ya? We already have a long list of people fuming at us. We don’t need the clergy on our heels as well. Think witch hunts and all that.”
“What?” He snorted and rubbed a hand over his face, annoyed. “Every soldier out there’s trying to kill you, and you think I’m just being paranoid.”
“Nope. Just irrational and negative.”
“I sent Jules out to get the rest of my bags and take them to my quarters in the back.” The priest’s voice made her turn around. “And this is for you.”
Her gaze fell on the silver heart necklace he held out to her. For a moment, Sarah could only stare. Her eyes clouded with tears as she lifted a finger and traced it over the face of the locket. Her hands trembled while she pried it open it and saw a photo of Liz inside it—a photo of the two of them standing side by side, together, happy and healthy as ever. Why would anyone in this world have Liz’s belongings? Liz would never give this away. Unless… Sarah shook her head defiantly. No! It can’t be! Liz has to be alive and well. She just has to be okay after all we’ve gone through to find her!
Frank snorted. “What are we supposed to do with that? Choke them to death or ask for their hand in marriage?”
“Shut up, Frank!” Sarah screamed, casting him a death glare. “I bought this for my sister the Christmas before she disappeared,” Sarah whispered, her gaze fixing on the priest. “How did you…where did you get this?” she asked, almost scared to hear the answer.
The priest inched closer and cupped her hands. “My child, Jules has brought you here for a reason. He told me that you are looking for your sister.”
Frank peeked over Sarah’s shoulder at the picture. “Yes. She went missing ten years ago, and no one knows what happened to her.”
“I met a girl by the name of Elizabeth Larker when she was fifteen,” the priest said.
Sarah stared at him, for a moment unable to comprehend why he was avoiding her gaze. Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage, threatening to jump out of her throat any minute. “Oh no! Tell me she’s not…” Her voice came thin and low, so low she wasn’t sure anyone had even heard her. Someone who wasn’t out to kill her had seen Liz, and she was finally making progress, but something didn’t feel right. She met Frank’s gaze, her mouth gaping. “This proves without a shadow of a doubt that she definitely walked through the portal.”
“Don’t do that, Sarah,” Frank said slowly.
“What? Why?” She met his dark, brooding eyes and found there what she’d been trying to control all along: her hope that somehow, Liz was still alive and well.
“I don’t want you to be disappointed, that’s all. I couldn’t bear to see you hurt.”
He was right, but she couldn’t help herself—not until someone proved her wrong.
The priest smiled, the thin skin around his eyes morphing into hundreds of tiny lines. “Elizabeth does look very much like you indeed, my dear.”
“I knew she was alive!” Sarah squeezed his hand, fighting the need to grab him into a hug, which she was rather certain would not be appropriate. “I never believed for a moment she was dead. Where is she? When can we go to her? How do I find her, and—”
“She was only here for one year, I’m afraid. During that time, I tried to help her through the pain of being stuck in this world, but she didn’t adjust well. It must’ve been a great shock for her. From what she told me, I gathered your world is very different from ours.”
Tears welled in Sarah’s eyes as realization kicked in.
“Babe, I tried to tell you,” Frank muttered.
“You said she was here for a year?” Sarah said, ignoring him. “How long ago was that? And where did she go when she left?”
The priest scratched his forehead, thinking. “It’s been a while. I have been out in the mission field for two years and just recently returned. I’m afraid I don’t know where she went.”
“Do you know whether or not she’s still alive?”
“I don’t know, but why shouldn’t she be?”
Sarah shrugged, hysteria bubbling up inside her. The journey had proven to be nothing but an emotional rollercoaster. If she continued this way she was bound to develop a borderline personality disorder, what with all the crying and laughing and hoping, only to have her hopes dashed an instant later. “I shouldn’t have left her. How can I ever forgive myself? I shouldn’t have been so scared of the creature and dumped my own sister like a sack of potatoes.”
“You were only a kid yourself,” Frank said, “a teenager. “A grown man would have been scared seeing one of those Bigfoots up close and personal. Heck, even I about crapped my pants, and you know how brave I am.”
“She was fifteen, Frank—lost, scared, and wandering around in a forest with countless Bigfoots chasing her.” Sarah turned back to the priest. “When was the last time you heard from her?”
“Let me think.” The man’s eyes glazed, deeply buried in his memories.
Sarah appreciated his help, but her patience was growing thin. She wished she could shake them all out of him, make him answer faster, because her pangs of hope were killing her inside, but she couldn’t risk alienating him; he was her only link to Liz. So she clasped her hands behind her, digging her nails deeply into her skin until a burning sensation traveled up her arm.
The priest answered eventually. “She left when she fell in love with a man. Last I heard she was still with him, and they are doing splendidly.”
Sarah smiled. Somewhere in the midst of all that tragedy, Liz had found true love—something Sarah couldn’t manage to hang on to if her life depended on it. “So she’s happy.”
The priest nodded. “Very much so.”
A thought struck her. “When we arrived in the cave, it was nighttime, but when we walked through the portal, the sun was out. They’re opposites!”
“So she would’ve arrived at night,” Frank finished.
Sarah swallowed, unclasping the necklace and putting it around her neck. “She had to be so lonely and frightened. I hope that man is good to her, whoever he is.”
Frank lifted her hair and clasped the locket around her neck. “We’re going to find her and take her home. Do you remember the man’s name, Father?”
The priest scratched his head. “His name was Charles, and I believe he was from Ripteenia, north of here. Liz never told me much else about him. She was a bit secretive, that one.”
Sarah jumped as the front door slammed open and Jules walked in, his eyes wide. “Two villages away, when the sun sets, they plan to hang three people by the names of Beth, Steven, and Adam,” he announced between labored breaths, as though he had just run a marathon. “I heard they were dressed in odd clothing, similar to those Frank was wearing when I met him. My friend said they came through the forest of the Guardians, just like you two. Do you know them?”
Sarah gasped. “Of course! That would be my BFF, my lead researcher, and my cameraman.”
“BFF?” Jules and the
priest asked in unison.
“Never mind,” Frank said to them with a groan. “Sarah, they followed you in? You’ve got to be kidding!”
Chapter 12
Sarah stared at Jules, wide-eyed. Three members of her team had made it through the portal, but now they faced execution. She felt awful about that. Once again, it was all her fault that people she cared about were in trouble. She’d been in charge of the expedition, and she’d picked the spot where they hunted for Bigfoot. Waves of guilt surged through her, first over Liz and now over her friends, her team. If anything happened to them, she could never live with herself. She grabbed Frank’s hand, avoiding his apologetic gaze. “We can’t just let them die in this place, Frank. We have to do something—anything! Let’s go!”
“What do you suggest we—” Frank started.
Jules grabbed her shoulder, interrupting Frank. “Where do you think you and Frank are going? We’re in the middle of a big village crawling with knights. You take one step out there, and it will be an execution of five instead of three.”
“He’s right,” Frank whispered. “Besides, it might be a trap. They probably know we all came from the same world and that we’re friends. They might be trying to bait you out of hiding, Sarah.”
Sarah was trying to think logically, but having more people on her conscience wasn’t an option. She had done enough harm already. Shaking her head vehemently, she turned to face Frank, her eyes ablaze. “I don’t care! They are only here because they were loyal, trying to find me, and I’m not going to desert them now. I’m going, with or without you.”
“Sarah, you’re being irrational,” Jules said. “I won’t let you go.”
“And you care why?” Sarah asked. “Last time I checked, you couldn’t wait to get rid of us.”
“You scammed King Victor and dragged Mia into all your craziness. I might not like it, but I promised Mia I’d keep you safe. I’m not going to just stand by and watch you walk into death’s arms. Throughout this journey, I’ve regarded your safety as my top priority because I will not break a promise to my love.”
“Walking out there is a suicide mission,” Frank said. “Unless this Immortal nonsense can also make you invisible, we’re gonna need a disguise and a smoking hot plan…and a couple of Uzis really would have helped.”
The priest smiled. “I may be able to help with the disguises,” he said proudly, walking over to a peeling wooden chest. He pulled out two black cotton robes, frayed where the hem had dragged over the ground. “Just wait a bit longer. In one hour, hundreds of priests will gather for prayer and to attend a short midday service. When they leave to return to their villages, you’ll blend right in with them.”
Frank nodded, brows raised. “I love it when a plan comes together,” he said with a smirk.
“I think this will work,” Sarah said, slipping into a robe, tying the hood, and then adjusting the white belt cord. The coarse material hid her supple curves, giving the impression of someone much leaner and less feminine.
She turned her attention to Jules. “Are you onboard with this or not?”
He seemed confused. “I don’t understand. It is not necessary to use a boat, as we’ll be traveling on foot.”
She rolled her eyes, more at herself at forgetting the poor guy wasn’t accustomed with twenty-first century slang. “Sorry. I meant to ask if you are in agreement to help us with this. Can you guide us? We cannot find the village on our own.”
“I said we’ll be traveling on foot, didn’t I? And I know a shorter way.”
The mention of a shortcut made Sarah smile, in spite of the sarcastic tone in Jules’s voice. “Even better,” she said, tossing him a robe.
The priest handed Sarah a staff, a pair of glasses, and an oversized silver cross on a long leather string. “You need the best disguise possible, considering you’re their main target.” He squeezed a small bag of gold into her hand. “Take it. Your sister would want me to help you, and you may need this on your journey.”
For a moment, she struggled with the idea of taking the old man’s money. His torn clothes and the tattered condition of his church told her he needed it as much as she did; however, she knew they might not make it without his monetary support. Even though her throat constricted at the idea, she held out her hand and grabbed the sachet, then hugged him tight. “You’ve been a huge help, Father. Thank you,” she whispered, vowing to come back and repay her debt.
* * *
Sarah leaned against the giant stone pillar outside the back of the church. The beams of sunlight felt good on her face. She wondered how her sister had dealt with the drama of finding herself in a dangerous new world with no one to protect her when she came through the portal at fifteen. The sudden helplessness had to be world shattering. Not only had Liz lost all of her friends and family, but this odd world was very different from what they were used to, and one tiny mistake could’ve cost her her life. Sarah jumped as bells chimed in the distance, jolting her out of her thoughts. She straightened her back at the realization that the church service must be over, and the time had come for her to leave the sanctuary of the kind priest’s church.
Frank put up his hood and turned to face her. “It’s time.” His voice came low and grave, too grave for an easygoing man like him. It wasn’t like him to let his worries take hold of his spirits.
“Yep, I’m ready.” She infused as much cheeriness into her tone as she could muster. At least one of them had to keep up the good mood before they drowned in their own pool of despair.
Smiling, Frank straightened up her glasses. “There, you look perfect.”
“Thanks for everything, Father.” She turned to hug the old man. “And thanks for taking care of my sister when she had nobody else to look after her. That means the world to me.”
“My doors are open to anyone in need of refuge, as our heavenly Father would have it.” The priest nodded graciously, and Sarah thought she might have seen a tear in his eye. “Be careful,” the priest said. “I’ve just received word that Ethano Milers is tracking you as we speak.”
“Who is he?” Sarah asked.
“He’s a very powerful Immortal from the Cardashian Court. I don’t understand why they would send somebody so high up to personally bring you in for trial. Usually, they just send in an experienced and skilled tracker. My prayers will go with you, child.”
Sarah shook her head. Obviously there must be a reason. She officially had her third enemy. “They must really want me.” She gave the priest one last hug, and this time, there was a tear in her own eye.
Jules led the way through the lush green grass to the front of the huge stone church. They blended in with all the other priests in monk’s robes, exiting through the two giant oak doors.
Sarah’s mouth dropped. Reality came crashing down at the sight of hundreds of knights on horses, all there with one mission: to behead her. Shudders rocked her body. She couldn’t give in to her fear, though—not when her life and the lives of so many others depended on her. She forced herself forward, gazing only at the ground, trying to gain her composure. She hoped that if she didn’t look, her heart would stop beating so fast, but the closer she inched, the more her hands started to sweat. Her nerves felt like they were fraying like the bottom of her borrowed robe with every step she took.
The knights swarmed the place, waiting for the moment she’d come out of hiding, as if they were cats and she the mouse.
Taking a deep breath, she started limping as she clung to the staff, hoping it might throw them off her trail. Her heart pounded as she swerved between two knights on black horses. A horse neighed, and Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin. She wasn’t sure if her nerves could take another moment of it. She took a deep breath and focused on seeing her sister’s face again.
“Sorry about that, Father,” a knight to her right said.
She nodded and tried to understand his logic. He was sorry his horse had scared a priest, but he seemingly had no qualms about killing an unarmed woman f
or no apparent reason other than identity theft. What kind of place is this? Is that their idea of justice? She hobbled along, and in no time, they came to the edge of the city where knights guarded the perimeter.
“Halt!” a knight ordered.
She peered up past the black horse to the red tunic covering the guy’s chainmail.
“Let us pass so we can get more bread from the next village,” Jules said. “No one told us about the extra guests.”
“You intend to feed our troops?”
“Indeed,” Frank said. “We just need a few supplies—some wine, bread, and potato chips.”
Potato chips? Sarah nudged him. It was no time for making jokes.
“Splendid, Father.” The knight lifted his visor, his brown eyes shining at the thought of filling his stomach with a free meal and then plundering the village.
“What is your answer then?” Jules prompted impatiently.
Sarah kept her head down and bit her lip, waiting for the soldier’s answer, her heart pounding hard.
The knight motioned his colleagues to clear a path. “Let them pass to go for provisions!”
The others obediently took a few steps back.
Sarah let out a tiny sigh of relief and walked into the forest, taking swift but measured footsteps so she wouldn’t look conspicuous. Either the disguise or the kind priest’s prayers had worked—or maybe a little of both.
An animal snort, along with the sound of thundering hooves echoed behind them. She spun around to see a group of knights approaching, and her hands began to tremble. She frowned.
The knight’s hand moved to the hilt of his sword as he inched closer. “Wait, you.” His hard gaze focused on Sarah. “Hello, Father.”
She swallowed hard, words frozen in her throat. Sweat gathered across her brows, and her pulse started to race again. Their plan was falling apart, she knew it, yet she wasn’t about to go down without a fight, dressed like a clergyman or not.
Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) Page 23