Hidden Revenge (The Kingdoms Book 1)
Page 18
This man was a courtesan, from one of Cerridwen’s many pleasure houses.
“Do you want to get away from here?” Amelia asked, deciding on a whim.
She hadn’t stopped the Fae from taking human children. She’d left Zoane behind at Inherell, along with countless other prisoners. She hadn’t been able to rescue that leashed girl today, nor free the slaves at the Wentbur plantation herself, but this one man, she could help – if he was willing to accept it.
“You weren’t sent here by the Fae,” he said matter-of-factly.
Well, of course she hadn’t been. The Fae would never waste a healer’s talents on a slave they’d tortured themselves, nor go out of their way to make sure her injuries were treated by sending someone –
That was it.
That’s why the man had looked so strangely at her.
He hadn’t been ordered to care for Amanthea, either. Although he’d done quite well, cleaning the cuts, closing the gashes and bandaging the worst of the wounds, healing wasn’t his trade. The man was here out of his own volition just like her.
He was here because he cared.
She stood, staring down at the man still on his knees as she said, “Thea is coming with me.”
In the blink of an eye, the stunning young man was on his feet, too, looming over Amelia and staring at her with the same decisiveness she felt.
“I am not leaving her.”
“And I am not leaving her here,” she countered.
“Then I am coming with you,” the man shot back. “Although you might very well be taking us to our doom.”
“I’m not,” she retorted, then gentled her voice. “From here on, I won’t let anything bad happed to Amanthea.”
From the way his mouth twisted down, the man must not have believed what she'd said - or more likely, that she could uphold such a promise –, but the gesture seemed to reassure him enough regardless.
He nodded, and Amelia nodded back, agreeing and sealing their deal, “You’re both coming with us.” Then asked with a quirk of a smile, “Do you have a name, Thea’s man?”
Shaking his head, the man said, “It’s Sander.
Amelia nodded again, acknowledging his answer and ending their exchange, then her gaze fell on the window and she sucked in a breath.
They had to go. Right now, or they’d miss their chance.
“Evana, tell me Damian is at the stables.”
“She is,” the elfling replied, sounding uncertain.
“And of course, you know how to get there.”
“Yes …”
She’d known Evana would never let her brother out of her sight without exactly knowing where she’d find him.
“Then let’s go. That’s where we are going.”
“You want to steal the Fae’s horses and escape by riding?” The man – Sander – broke in, tone filled with incredulity.
So, that’s how it was going to be, Amelia thought, tempers rising. But if he meant something to Thea …
She sighed. She’d just have to endure.
“No, Thea’s man. I am not that stupid.”
With that, she sat on the edge of Amanthea’s bed, intending to wake her. Then as she trailed a hand through her friend’s tangled hair, an idea occurred to her, and she glanced back at Sander.
“Can you carry her and run at the same time?”
He stared at her.
“Yes.”
Amelia stood on shaky legs, and turning to the others, she said, “Then grab her.” When he complied, she went on, addressing Evana, “And you …” She smiled. “Please lead on.”
~ *** ~
As it turned out, Evana indeed knew the fastest way to the stables.
They got there in record time, even with the human man carrying Thea slowing them down quite a bit. When the outdoor building was already within sight, Evana raced off, using the extra seconds to let her brother know what was happening. Then they were there, as well, but Amelia didn’t go for the horses. No, she kept going, walking through the stables and right out the back door at a brisk pace, with the others following. Annnd …
The blonde beamer, Saundra, blinked into existence beside her.
Amelia let out a big sigh.
The suggestion had worked. The female had come to the appointed location, arriving right on schedule, and Amelia wasted no time to delve into the her mind.
Not bothering with subtlety, Amelia told the beamer, “Take us to this clearing.”
And shoved the appropriate image into her head.
Mouth opening and closing in incomprehension, the blonde Fae shook her head. She felt that something was wrong but didn’t know what. Still, the urge to comply with the wishes of a human wasn’t natural for her.
“Take us! Now!” Amelia ordered verbally while simultaneously pushing.
And a second later, the stable vanished, along with everything around them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
This time, the sudden dislocation left Amelia gasping for breath, bending over as she clutched at her stomach.
She so preferred traditional ways of travel, even if these Fae tricks could come in very handy in situations like the one they were currently in. They were miles and miles from the capital and the Council Building now, but that didn’t mean they were safe. Not by a long shot. Their little group still had a lot of distance to cover.
Apropos, group …
Amelia reached out with her senses, checking … And heard their temporary Fae companion suck in a breath the same minute she confirmed they weren’t alone. But the enemy wasn’t about to descend upon them. Not yet, anyway. She’d have to ask Saundra about that, but for now …
Amelia’s lips quirked upwards.
There he was.
She could feel him coming, getting closer and closer…
Using the element of surprise, Vik tackled the beamer to the ground, quickly taking her in a chokehold. That wouldn’t keep the Fae here, though, so Amelia commanded her to stay, and the mental order had her body going slack, becoming dead weight in Vik’s arms.
Grunting, but managing to catch the female before she fell, Vik arched a brow at Amelia.
“It’s fine. She isn’t going anywhere right now, but we may not have long.”
Which brought them to their most immediate problem.
While she was wearing Aroan’s damned collar, the male could locate her, and she was sure he’d already noticed that somehow, she’d managed to put a great distance between them. It’d be safer for the others to split up. Without her, they’d be much harder to find. But this far from the human border, Amelia was also their best bet to get away and to safety unscathed. They’d need her, and thanks to her abilities, she could also provide them some protection.
So, what to do …
Turning to face Saundra directly, Amelia asked, pushing for answers, “Are there beamers in the Council Building? Do the councilors have access to any?”
The female wasn’t inclined to give her an answer. She pressed her lips together stubbornly, refusing to let a sound escape her, but her mind told Amelia everything she needed to know.
There weren’t any other beamers in Cerridwen. In fact, this ability happened to be so rare, that to Saundra’s knowledge, there were only two others out there who could bend space to their will.
Good.
Now, how could she make sure this one didn’t return to the capital to bring down a whole army on them? Amelia didn’t know whether she could make a Fae forget, and this wasn’t the time for experimentation. But Saundra also hadn’t hurt anyone – that Amelia knew of, that is, but she couldn’t just go fishing for information –, and she wasn’t about to risk killing an innocent.
She wasn’t like Aroan and the rest of them.
Amelia looked up at Vik.
“Render her unconscious.”
Acting immediately, Vik tightened his hold around Saundra’s neck. The female’s eyes flickered with panic and she tried to blink out, but Amelia interfered, reinfo
rcing her earlier command, and she got nowhere. Instead, her body went slack in Vik’s arms, who then deposited her on the floor none to gently but also not throwing her around.
Straightening and turning so he could keep an eye on the others, Vikarion marched over to Amelia and crushed her in a hug.
“You are back,” he whispered, voice rough with emotion.
“I am, Vik. I am back, and we are leaving,” she whispered back. “For good this time.”
It took Vikarion a second to gather himself and let go, asking, “Who are those?”
It would’ve taken too long to go into details right then, so Amelia just said, “They’re my friends. And they’re coming with us.”
Unless ...
She looked over at Evana who stood staring at her with big eyes and clutching her brother’s hand.
“Evana, I’m leaving,” she began. “You’ve seen what the councilors are capable of. What they do to non-Fae. But if you want to return to the mansion, you can. Or is there any place you can go here, in the Upper Kingdom?” She paused, remembering what the girl had told her – that she was the only one left to take care of her brother. “A place where you know you will be safe?”
Expression solemn and resolute, the elfling said, “It would be too dangerous. I won’t bring down the Fae’s wrath on any other clans.”
“Will you come with me, then?” Amelia asked, extending her hand.
She nodded, taking Amelia’s hand along with her offer.
“We are coming with you, Amelia.”
Amelia looked at this scared, selfless girl who’d accepted her as a friend when others wouldn’t even look at her – who had helped her, risking her own safety, and come to mean so much to her in spite of her best efforts to keep her at a distance .. She looked right into the girl’s eyes as she said, “Lia. My name is Lia.”
And judging from the blinding smile that broke out over Evana’s face, the elfling understood perfectly what kind of trust she’d just placed in her.
That name had rung with the truth.
Shaking off the last remnants of her guise, Lia turned and walked over to the big rock in the middle of the clearing, bending to retrieve the object she’d had to return to this place for. Then she said, “Let’s go.”
~ *** ~
As they forged ahead, Lia took a moment to fall behind so she could walk next to Vik.
She’d taken the lead since she was the one who knew where they were going. Evana and Damian were walking side by side in the middle, with Sander carrying a still unconscious Thea a bit behind them, while Vik had positioned himself at the back of their little pack, not leaving them open to attack from any direction.
Still, there were a few things she had to know about before they took the last step towards safety, so Lia had told Evana to go straight on, and by the time they needed to change directions, she’d be back at her place. But first things first.
“How did things go?” Lia asked as she fell into step beside Vikarion, striking up a more private conversation.
“I got another message to the Resistance. They have your sketches now, along with that detailed description of the location.” His face creased with a smile. “They’ve got it from here. And they are grateful for everything.”
Lia snorted. Deep down, she still felt like she hadn’t done enough, though, but even if it might take a while to come up with a good plan, at least now those people at the plantation had a real chance of being rescued.
Vik bumped his shoulder against hers.
“You know, Leelee, I had no idea you were an artist.”
“I’m not,” Lia snapped, her face going red, which elicited a chuckle from Vik.
She truly wasn’t, though. She’d never taken lessons, and she hadn’t drawn anything in a long while. Painting had never really been her passion – just an interest she used to share with someone.
“Lia, what happened at the clearing …”
Aware that she’d need to take the lead again soon, Lia cut in, “Vik, I will explain everything soon. I promise. But it’s complicated,” she gulped. “Just know that I am still the same person. Please don’t forget that. Whatever happens.”
Vik’s brow furrowed in confusion, and his face creased with worry lines, so Lia hastily asked, “And you? Are you well?”
Vik allowed her to change the subject.
“I’m fine. Everything went well.” He rubbed his forehead. “Although I readily admit I could use some rest.”
Lia gave him a half-hug.
“I’m on it.”
Before she could say anything else, a strange feeling washed over her. Spine going rigid, she opened up her senses, scanning their surroundings in ever widening circles … until she found the two Fae on their heels.
Getting steadily closer, and headed straight for them.
Aroan had to be one of them.
Lia’s first thought was that Saundra must’ve woken up sooner than she’d expected. Then she also realized Aroan must’ve acquired a spacer and brought him along, since their pursuers weren’t moving in a linear fashion but in jumps.
“Make for the river,” she shouted, and her words spurred everyone into a fast-paced run.
Getting there might very well be their only chance now. Lia couldn’t risk Aroan finding out what she could do … Not even now. Not unless she was ready to kill him then and there – and sure that she could. Which she wasn’t. At all. And also, Lia just couldn’t let him off so easily after everything he had done.
Aroan deserved to suffer for a long while.
But more than that, Lia couldn’t risk a fight with two youngsters and three humans by her side, one of who was seriously hurt and still out. Which left her with the one option.
Even though Lia knew she couldn’t count on Aroan being a male of his word, this was the best course of action.
They cleared the trees just where she’d hoped they would, but as the wide expanse of swiftly moving water came into view, she felt the Fae take form just a few feet behind them, so she called out to Evana softly, hoping the elf’s ears would pick up her words thanks to her superior hearing.
“Keep going! Follow the river!”
When the elfling pulled ahead, showing the way to the others, she let out a relieved sigh, then came to a stop at the exact same place she’d jumped from her horse what … about a week ago? Two weeks?
It felt so much longer.
She turned around, head held high and arms loose at her side, just as Aroan stepped out of the woods.
Alone.
For a moment, he just stood there, his eyes zeroing in on her and gliding over her body. Taking her in from head to toe. Then he surveyed the land around them, searching for the others – who were hopefully making headway.
Scanning the area herself, she sucked in a breath.
Vik wasn’t gone. The spacer, on the other hand, was following the rest of her friends.
“Call of your dog!” Lia called out to Aroan without thinking, only wanting to keep the others safe.
She didn’t move from her spot, though. She had to keep the male’s attention on her.
At her words, Aroan’s gaze swung back to her. Fingers clenching, he regarded her a second longer, then she started towards her.
“That’s close enough,” Lia said decisively when the Fae was within human hearing distance, and surprising her, the male came to a stop.
“Come to reclaim your property, Councilman?”
Although she knew, knew she shouldn’t antagonize the male, she couldn’t bit back the words. Not after staying silent for so long.
Aroan cocked his head.
“Decided to make a run for it after all, slave?”
He used the same mocking tone Lia had, and the girl knew – sensed somehow, even though she wasn’t in Aroan’s mind – that the riot of emotion roiling inside him was just below the surface, masked with the usual veneer of ice, but only held in check by his iron will.
She had to tread carefully.
“Until you leave this place.”
He was echoing his words from that day.
So, he at least remembered.
“Until we leave this place,” Lia specified. “I and all of my companions.” She thought back, then recited, “Paying it forward. I've sworn that here, in this one place, I let people be who they really are and do as they like.”
She looked into those eyes that were sharp like glass, piercing her to the bones.
“Let us go, Aroan. Let me have my freedom.” He didn’t react, so she added, even though uttering the words felt like the biggest gamble of her life, “Don’t destroy your mother’s memory completely.”
Aroan’s muscles bunched up, and his face contorted with such fury, that Lia immediately widened her stance, readying herself for a fight both mentally and physically. But as the seconds ticked by, Aroan just regarded her wordlessly, standing frozen in place for what felt like forever. Then he gave a small, humorless laugh and inclined his head.
“Go on, then,” he said, his deep baritone warped beyond recognition. “But know that you can’t run away from me. You can’t escape. I will always find you.”
“Your companion won’t follow us?”
“No,” he said, then specified, “He is following them, but he has orders not to interfere.”
So her friends were safe for now, but she’d have to get rid of that Fae before they made the crossing. She was about to go when Aroan’s words reached her ears.
“This isn’t finished, Melia.”
“I am not Melia,” she said but nodded in agreement – they weren’t finished, although things wouldn’t unfold how Aroan thought in the least.
He wouldn’t find her. She would find him when the time was right. When she was ready. And that time, there wasn’t going to be much friendly chatting.
Not that she had anything left to say right now.
Thus, Lia headed for the trees, and when she was out of sight, she circled back to where she felt Vik’s presence. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him along wordlessly, although inwardly, she was cursing him for staying behind instead of going with the others.