by B. B. Hamel
“Yes, that’s right,” the voice said. “You can’t really speak, either. It’ll come back though.”
I rolled onto my side and was jolted suddenly as the vehicle went over a bump. I groaned at a pain in my elbow.
“Not a comfortable trip, I’m sure. Sorry about that. We couldn’t take any chances with you, though. You’re our biggest prize since this whole stupid war started.”
I felt someone grab me and slowly sit me up. I tried speaking again. “Who are you?” I managed to say very slowly.
“You know who I am,” he responded. “Think carefully, dear.”
It hit me. Nicolai Corvin.
“Why?” I asked him.
He laughed. “How could you possibly understand the answer to that question, you American whore?”
“No,” I said. “Please.” I wanted to say more, but I just couldn’t form the words.
“The thing is, I’m not really Nicolai Corvin. The real Corvin was some asshole lord from my home village. I worked as a footman in his estate. One day I found the bastard dead as a doornail, and so I robbed all of his papers and his jewels and his seals, and then I took off. I became Nicolai Corvin on that day, and nobody mourned the real one. Nobody gave a shit.”
“Who?” I groaned.
“My real name is Freddy,” he said. “A little anticlimactic, right? No special name, because I’m not a special man. I’m a vehicle of the revolution. We are going to destroy the monarchy and bring freedom to Starkland.”
He was a rebel. This man, this imposter, had really been working for the rebel army the whole time.
“Assassin,” I said. “You sent him.”
“I did,” he agreed. “I really only wanted him to kill Trip, but when I got word that you were with him, well, I couldn’t pass up the chance. The king killed while fucking his American whore? Too perfect. Shame it didn’t work out.”
“He’s better than you.”
I felt a blinding pain as Corvin, or Freddy, or whoever he was, hit me in the side of the face.
“Maybe,” he said calmly, “but I’d watch your mouth.”
I groaned and fell over. Corvin helped me back up. “Where are we going?” I asked him.
“You’ll find out in a moment. But for now, know this: Rescue isn’t coming. We have you and we aren’t letting you go. Your precious king might ransom you, but in the end you’ll be the reason he falls.” I felt his lips close against my ear. “Think about that.”
I wanted to retch and vomit. I was terrified, disgusted, and in so much pain, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d let Trip down.
This was my fault. I’d let Corvin grab me. I was stupid enough to get involved in a foreign king’s affairs, and that made him vulnerable. I was Trip’s weakness, and the rebels were only taking advantage of that weakness.
The remainder of the drive went in silence. Finally, the vehicle stopped, and I heard a door roll open. Someone helped me out of it, pushing me roughly.
I stumbled forward, dizzy but feeling better. My mind was slowly coming back to me, and with it came the overwhelming fear.
I had been kidnapped by violent men, and they planned on using me against Trip. These men had done horrible things already, and I knew they wouldn’t hesitate to do those horrible things to some foreigner girl.
There was nothing to protect me, save for Trip finding me important. But what if he had gotten over me already? Would he sacrifice his country and his kingship just to save me?
I felt someone take my arm and I stumbled forward. “Not much farther,” Corvin said.
A door opened. I walked forward. Another door. We were inside somewhere. Our footsteps echoed. Corvin’s hand was tight on my arm. More walking, more hallways, more doors. Finally, we stopped.
“Sit,” he commanded.
Slowly, I sat back. There was a chair behind me.
I felt more ropes getting added to me. I was getting tied to the chair.
Finally, Corvin, or whoever, finished. I couldn’t move an inch. Once I was bound, he pulled off my blindfold.
Light flooded me. I blinked it back and slowly the room came into focus.
It was relatively large and steel. It looked like it was in a warehouse or something like that, maybe an old factory. It was industrial either way.
And Nicolai Corvin was grinning at me from a few feet away. He stepped forward. “Now, Bryce my darling, my beautiful foreign toy, it’s time to play.”
Fear spiked. I opened my mouth to scream, but Corvin’s fist shut me up. I toppled backward, and the world went black again.
32
Trip
“Your Highness,” Max said soberly, “Bryce is gone.”
I leaned back in my chair and frowned. I had known he was going to say it, but it still didn’t feel good to fucking hear it.
“And Corvin?”
“Gone as well,” Max said.
“Where?”
“We’re tracking them now.”
We were sitting in the situation room, a conference room with high definition televisions and advanced computer systems surrounding the central table. Max, Richter, and Al all sat around the table, looking dour.
“How could this have happened?” I asked them.
“We don’t know,” Max said. “I have people working on that.”
I shook my head, glancing out the window.
This was a fucking nightmare. Some psychopath who had been masquerading as a lord had taken Bryce, and I had no idea where they had gone. I didn’t even know what the guy wanted or if she was even safe.
She had to be safe. She was worth more alive than she was dead. I had to keep telling myself that. There was still hope, and they would contact us soon.
In the meantime, there were other considerations. The main bulk of my security force had just left, and the estate was at its weakest. On top of that, I had to wonder how Corvin had managed to sneak into Bryce’s room and somehow smuggle her out of the estate.
We were distracted, that was how. We were distracted preparing to field the army against the rebel gathering. If we weren’t doing that, we would certainly have noticed. We would have had twice the number of men out around the grounds, watching every entrance and exit, and Corvin would have never gotten away.
“Recall the army,” I said to Max.
There was a pause as the three men looked at each other.
“Is that wise, Your Highness?” Max asked me.
“Yes.”
“Why?” Richter asked. “Shouldn’t we crush that army now more than ever?”
“That army isn’t the real target,” I said. “That army was a distraction.”
“You think they used the army to draw our attention away while Corvin grabbed the girl,” Max said.
“Exactly. I think that army is going to melt away into the night as soon as we get close, and we’ll look like we were chasing shadows. Recall the army. We’re going to need the manpower.”
“Your Highness,” Max said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Even if they were just a distraction, the army is still out there. We’re getting reports that they’ve been on the move lately.”
I glanced at Al. He nodded. “They’re getting worse and worse, Your Highness,” he said.
“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “It’s a distraction. There is no real threat.”
“Sir, I think you’re letting your personal feelings blind you,” Max said.
“Believe me, Max, I’m not. Look, there’s nothing of strategic value out in the east. All of the reports have been of the army roaming around, robbing peasants. Does that sound like a real attack?”
“No,” Max admitted.
“They’re baiting us. I’m the only real target out here, and they went after Bryce to go after me.”
Max nodded slowly. “I can see that,” he said.
“Recall the army,” I said again. “Don’t make me order you one more time.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Max said, and he stood. He qu
ickly left the room.
I looked at Al. “How’s it going finding them?”
“Sir, the grounds are patrolled by drones day and night. If someone came or went, it’s in the drone footage. It needs to be analyzed.”
“Very well. Get people on that.”
“Very good, sir.” He stood and left.
I was alone with Richter. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I don’t envy you one bit, Trip.”
I raised an eyebrow. Richter had only ever called me by that name once or twice before in my entire life.
“Why do you say that?”
“All of this, it’s one hell of a mind fuck. I mean, they kidnapped your mistress for fuck’s sake.”
“She’s not my mistress,” I said.
“Fine. Your woman. I don’t care what she is. I just wouldn’t want to have to make these decisions if I were you.”
He was right. I had to choose what was important to me, and my choices would effect all of the Starkish people. If I went after Bryce too aggressively, I could allow the rebels to win some important battle because of my inattention. Or, if I didn’t pursue Bryce immediately, I could risk losing her forever.
I was in a quandary, and yet I didn’t really feel like it. In truth, the decision felt simple.
I was as responsible for Bryce as I was for my people. I brought her here and I ignored her at the dinner last night. I could have done more, gone to see her, something. But instead, I let my sense of duty override what I really desired.
I wasn’t going to do that again. I wanted Bryce, and I was going to get her back. It didn’t matter if the democrats sent their entire force against me to keep her; I was going to cut them all down one after the other.
I wasn’t letting Bryce go. I could do everything possible for the country and still make some mistake. I had an entire force of ministers who wanted to steer the ship. It was time to listen to advisors and do what I needed to do.
I was going to go after Bryce. I was possibly making some mistake, but I didn’t care either way. The only thing I cared about was getting Bryce back and making her mine.
“The decision is easy, Richter,” I said, standing. He stood along with me. “I’m going to get my woman back.”
He grinned at me. “Well said, Your Highness.”
“I just hope I don’t burn the country down in the process.”
“Oh, I doubt that. The country has survived worse, sir.”
I smiled, nodded, and left the room. Richter saluted as I went.
I felt good as I moved down the halls toward my private rooms. For some reason, I really craved a shower. The idea of hot water rinsing away my hesitations appealed to me.
But in the end, I had made my choice. I was choosing Bryce, and I wasn’t looking back.
33
Bryce
I woke back up in the room, my head swimming.
I was alone. The light was out and I could see my surroundings better, but I couldn’t seem to concentrate. I was still tied and bound to the chair, and there was no wiggle room as I flexed my arms and my legs.
I tried to scream. This time, I had a gag in my mouth.
I bit down on the damp-tasting rag and tried to breathe deeply through my nose. I couldn’t give in to my fears and panic too hard. I wasn’t hurt, or at least not badly hurt. I probably had a ton of bruises from where Corvin had hit me and where my body was pressed up against the hard frame of the vehicle they transported me in, but really, that stuff was minor.
I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath. I gathered myself.
Trip was going to come for me. I had no doubt in my mind that Trip was going to come and rescue me sooner or later. All I had to do was survive until he got here, and then I knew I’d be okay.
Survival seemed like a problem, though. I wasn’t ready for this, couldn’t handle it. I was a regular person from a normal family. I never imagined I’d be a political prisoner and that I might get tortured. I had no clue if I could even stand up to that, or what they wanted from me.
It wasn’t like I knew anything. Trip never shared any state secrets with me during pillow talk or anything like that. Hell, I couldn’t even speak their language. Even if I wanted to learn something, they mostly spoke Starklandian around me, so I couldn’t follow it anyway.
I opened my eyes and looked around the room. A single, large light floated up above me, a lot like in the movies. The walls were bare steel with beams at regular intervals, and the ceiling was at least twelve feet high. Otherwise, there was a drain in the floor below me and nothing else.
What the hell was this place? From what I could tell, it was built for torture. Everything about it screamed industrial body horror or something like that. I couldn’t believe a place like this could exist.
Just then, the only door in the room opened and then shut. It must have been behind me, because I couldn’t see it.
Prickles ran down my spine as footsteps echoed on the ground.
“Hello?” I asked, though it came out muffled.
“Hello.” The voice was right in my ear. The breath was hot on my neck. A hand yanked the gag from my mouth.
I flinched and swallowed a scream.
Corvin laughed and walked around me. “You’re awake. Good.”
“What do you want from me, Corvin?”
“Straight to business. I like that.”
“I can’t tell you secrets. Trip never told me any.”
“Oh, I know that. Our king may not be known for his brilliance, but he’s actually much smarter than the people realize. No, I know Trip would never reveal something important to you.”
“So what do you want?”
He smiled at me, his hands behind his back. Corvin wore a denim button-down shirt left open over the top of a white undershirt. His jeans were faded and fraying at the base, and he was wearing work boots.
“I want you to say some things for me,” he said.
“What things?”
“I want you to denounce the king on camera. I want you to tell Starkland how much of a tyrant he is and how he needs to be deposed.”
“Why?” I asked, barely a whisper.
“Because if the king’s own foreign whore denounces him, he must be pretty shitty. At least we hope that’s what people will think.”
“I won’t do it,” I said. “I won’t betray him like that.”
“Why?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. “You barely know this man. He’s only brought you trouble. Why would you be willing to risk serious injury for him?”
I swallowed hard. “Because he has given me something.”
“What?”
“I can’t explain it,” I said.
“Don’t tell me you’re in love with the idiot.”
“No,” I whispered. “Or maybe yes. I don’t know. But I know that I couldn’t go against him.”
Corvin laughed, shaking his head. “I suspected you’d say that at first.”
“What do you mean at first?”
He slowly moved his hands out from behind his back. He was holding two long, wickedly curving knives. A disgusting smile spread across his pig-like face.
“I’m going to give you plenty of chances to change your mind,” he said.
“Please, Freddy,” I said.
He laughed again. “You remembered! But don’t call me that. You can’t appeal to my humanity here.”
“Why? I’m just a girl. I don’t belong here.”
“You do belong here,” he said, coming closer. “You belong here, you wicked bitch.”
“You’re so pathetic.”
He crouched down in front of me. “Maybe,” he said, “but you’re tied to a chair and I can do whatever I want with you.” He rested the tip of one knife on my thigh. “Isn’t that right?”
I spit in his face. I had no clue where that courage came from, but I was so disgusted by him that I couldn’t stop myself. I spit directly in his eyes.
He reared back and wiped it off with his shirt. �
�You fucking whore,” he roared. He cut me down my right thigh and I screamed. “You’re going to regret ever coming to this country. I’m going to carve you into pieces, you invading bitch.”
“You’re insane,” I said, biting back tears. The pain in my leg was intense.
“No,” he said. “I’m a fucking patriot. I’m saving this country by ruining you.”
I struggled, but it didn’t do anything. He came toward me, laughing the whole time. As his knives rose, I heard the door behind me open.
Corvin cocked his head as someone spoke to him in Starklandian. He replied and then looked back at me. “To be continued,” he said, and then he left.
I let out a sob once he was gone. That bastard cut my leg open, and I was betting he was going to do worse. I shouldn’t have pushed him like that.
I needed to survive this. Trip was going to come, and he was going to save me. So what if I said some lies on camera? Trip would get here before they had a chance to even use the footage.
But what if he didn’t? I couldn’t see how what I said would really matter. I was nobody, absolutely nobody in all of this, and yet suddenly I’d been shoved into the center of the conflict.
I took deep breaths, trying to steady myself. The cut on my leg wasn’t deep, but it was very, very painful. I could only imagine what it would feel like if he turned those horrible knives against the rest of me. I’d be torn to pieces, and I’d be left a screaming wreck on the floor.
I couldn’t last. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t let a man cut me to pieces.
And then I realized something. I had said out loud that I was in love with Trip. I’d never said that before, or even admitted it to myself.
It was true, though. I found that feeling deep inside me, glowing in my chest, giving me the strength to fight, the strength to spit in the face of pain and terror. It was love for Trip, love for a man I couldn’t stand, love for a man who made me feel things physically and more that I never could have imagined.
I was in love. I began to half laugh, half cry as the realization shook my entire core. I was in love with Trip. I was in love with the king of Starkland.