by W. J. May
“If you hurt Sarah…” Alfie muttered and tightened his grip on Rae's arm.
The empty hall gave Rae the opportunity she was waiting for. She sent an electric shock at Alfie to break free. She spun and brought her foot under his legs and knocked him down. In a split second she moved and pulled Alfie's gun out of his holster.
He lay stunned on the ground a moment before raising his hands in surrender. He scowled at her. “What are you?”
“A well trained soldier.” She had no intention of telling him about her ability.
“A lousy one who doesn't know how to hold a gun.” Alfie kicked out at her. “Or take the safety off.”
The gun flew out of Rae's hand and clattered down the hall on the marble floor. She reacted instantly and grabbed her dress so she could press her heel against Alfie's neck. If he moved he would never move again. “I'm not that lousy.” She shifted her foot to show she knew exactly what she was doing. “I'm not here to hurt you or Sarah. Like I said before, I'm here to protect her. Now can I trust you to help me find her? I'd prefer to do this with help.”
Alfie glared at her before finally relenting and nodding his head ever so slightly. He couldn't talk as Rae's heel was pressed hard against his esophagus.
She lessened the pressure and slowly set her foot on the floor. “I'm faster and stronger than you. Don't try anything or I'll have to lock you up in a room until I know Sarah's safe.”
Alfie stood and dusted off his suit jacket.
Rae checked down the hall. Where are you, Devon? “Where do you think they went?”
Alfie spoke into the cuff of his shirt. “Amber alert. Anyone spotted the FQ?”
“What's FQ?” Rae asked as they waited for a response. Thanks to Devon's tatù and the quiet hallway, she could hear the crackle of Alfie's ear piece.
“Future Queen.” Alfie waved his hand as replies started to come in from other Queen's Guards to say they had not seen the FQ. “Room check. Everywhere. Now.” He walked over and scooped up his gun, unlocking the safety and standing ready by the nearest door. He pressed his fingers to his lips and motioned for Rae to get behind him.
She obeyed, feeling silly since she had the better skills to protect him. The music from the hall vibrated against Rae's chest. Laughter and muffled chatter came from the large ballroom also.
Alfie's hand turned the doorknob expertly in one slow, fluid and soundless motion. He pushed and barged through the door faster than Rae thought the older man could move. He cleared the room in a few seconds. Rae scanned the room with a tatù maybe a heartbeat faster. “You're good,” she whispered as they made their way to the next room.
He cleared the next room just as fast. “You care to do this one?” He motioned to the door in front of them. His ear piece crackled as information came through from other guards clearing rooms above them.
Rae nodded as Alfie moved back toward the cleared rooms and spoke quietly into his cuff microphone. Rae wiped her palms against her dress and leaned her weight into the door as she tried to mimic Alfie's movements from earlier. When this was all over she would love to ask him to teach her some of his techniques. It would never happen, but it would be cool.
She also needed to learn how to hold a gun. The lightning and ball of fire were handy, but a gun… It just represented a different kind of power. She opened the door slightly and burst in, thankful Molly had made sure the length of the dress wouldn't catch on her heels. Using Devon's tatù, she cleared the room and stepped back into the large hall, locking the door behind her like she had seen Alfie do.
He watched her with eyebrows raised.
“No one's in there.” She took a step toward the next set of doors. The hall was huge. They needed to move quicker.
Alfie followed her this time. “Do you have night vision glasses?”
“Pardon?” She glanced at him quickly before setting herself against the next door and waiting for Alfie to get behind her.
“You cleared the last room in the dark. How do you know there wasn't anyone hiding or if there had been a struggle in the room?”
“I-It's night vision contacts. They're new. The PC's are all about crazy devices and inventions.” She grinned, liking the story more as she told it. “I've also got this zapper-thing implanted in my pointer finger.” She kept her voice low as she showed him a small spark by snapping her fingers.
“Oye! That's how you broke my hold before.” He nodded more to himself than to her. “No wonder you don't carry a gun.” He flattened himself against the wall. “You clear this room, I'm going to check the one adjacent.” He pointed and scooted over.
They came out of the rooms at the same time and locked the doors. They continued until they reached the end where it split into two hallways.
Alfie shook his head. “Do you trust your partner?”
“With my life.” Rae knew Devon had nothing to do with this. “I think whoever is after Sarah is either going to have his hands full with Devon or has somehow managed to incapacitate him.” What if it was someone with a similar ability to hers? What if there was a team and they had taken down Maria, Curtis and Devon? Her heart sped. She noticed a long stick leaning against an antique chair down the one hall. Probably an umbrella.
“Okay. We need to split up. My men are nearly finished with sweeping the upstairs. They'll be down soon. I have four men outside. No one gets in or out of the building anymore. There are cameras set up on all walls outside. A team is on their way to start checking the video.” Alfie stood to her left and pointed down the hall nearest to him. “I'll clear here. Call out if you hear or see anything suspicious.”
Rae nodded. She could move faster without Alfie, a lot faster. “Let's find them ASAP.”
Alfie turned and jogged silently down the hall to the office doors on his side.
Maria! Are you there? She didn't like the lack of response. Curtis! What's going on outside? You can't answer me but can you make some alarm or something go off? Turn the electrical power off in the building if you need to. Rae slowed her pace as she passed the ornate chair. She skidded to a stop and backtracked when she recognized the stick. Maria's cane.
Rae silently stomped her foot. Crap! Crap! Crap! They had Maria as well? Had they knocked her out? That's probably why she couldn't reply. Maria, I'm here. Rae planned on sending Maria a similar thought every few minutes in case she might hear. Rae left the cane where it lay against the chair and forced her way into the first room. Nobody had been in there. The desk sat empty and nothing was amiss. No sound of a heartbeat or breathing.
She closed the door and rushed over to the next one on the other side a few paces down. The room was probably empty as well. Using her tatù she couldn't hear or detect anything. The bastards had probably grabbed Maria just after Rae had bumped into her and dragged her down this way. They wouldn't hide out so close to the main hall. If they were here, they would be further down.
Or in some secret door. Like the Oratory. The building was Tudor era, it probably had secret rooms in it like most of Guilder. Rae began checking for drafts or odd spaces between the small office buildings. She hurried through each room, panic building as it began to feel like she was going to hit a dead end.
She faced the last door and noticed it slightly ajar. The hair on the back of her neck rose and she heard movement inside. Did she use the element of surprise or was stealth the better option?
Pressing her lips together, she swapped Devon's tatù for Jennifer's and burst silently through the door ready to flip Molly's electricity tatù on like a switch.
The door opened to another short hallway that had a staircase at the end. She ran down the hall, watching for any hidden entrances, finding nothing. The staircase was an old swirling, wooden one, probably a fire escape route from decades ago. Rae took them two at a time and hugged the stone wall as she neared the top.
She flattened herself against the wall at the top landing and counted to three before quickly peeking her head around the corner and jerking back to the wa
ll again. Her brain processed what she saw. Three doors facing each other and - wait a minute - Alfie's guard. The guy who had been at Devon and Rae's flat the day Sarah had come by.
Rae leaned against the wall and banged her head lightly against it. Another dead end. The guard was clearing this hidden wing before heading down. What was his name again?
She came around with her hands in front of her so he wouldn't think she was attacking him. He froze when he saw her and reached for his hip.
She frantically shook her head. “Larry, it's me,” she whispered. “Is it clear here? Alfie's checking the other end of the hall.”
He hesitated a moment before letting his hand drop to his side. “Clear. Can't find anything. You?”
She shook her head. “Absofreakin' nothin'! It's like they vanished.” She stopped halfway down the hall when he reached her.
“You carrying a gun?” Larry asked, standing an arm's length away from her.
“No.” She debated telling him the same thing she had told Alfie.
“Stick your hands out. Prove it.” He didn't trust her, the same way Alfie hadn't earlier.
They didn't have time for this. She thrust her hands out in front of her, palms out. Alfie's voice echoed through the ear piece Larry wore. “We need to get downst-”
Larry slapped a set of cuffs on Rae's wrists. The same ones she had once seen on Kraigan. Privy Council issued.
“Come on! Larry, I'm on your-”
“It's Lenny!”
A small dribble of spit flew out of his mouth and hit her bare shoulder. She shuddered but thrust her hands at him. “Take these off. Contact Alfie, he'll let you know I'm working with you guys.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
She huffed. “Look! I work for the Privy Council, just like Devon does. We're here under cover trying to protect Sarah. I can't do my job if I'm tied up here arguing with you. Get a hold of Alfie, he'll verify it.”
Lenny lifted his left arm and spoke into the mic hidden in his cuff. “The wandering package is contained.”
Huh? More code? Rae tried pulling a hand free of the bionic cuffs. “You found Sarah? Is Devon with her? My friend, she's not dressed for the ball, might be there also. Where are they?”
A muffled thump echoed from a door behind Lenny. He glanced back and then returned his gaze to her. A sly grin grew on his face, making him look mean. “Sarah's in there. She's a little fighter. You and her, my dear, will never see the light of day again.” He jabbed a needle into Rae's arm and pushed the clear liquid inside the capsule before Rae could jerk her arm away.
Halos of light flooded her vision and sound seemed to have become subdued. She blinked, trying to focus, and felt her eyes roll as she fought the feeling of fatigue filling her body. Her legs seemed heavy and weak. Her knees gave out and she dropped to the floor, falling face first, unable to put her hands out in front of her to break the fall. She managed to get her cuffed arms bent in time to protect her nose from hitting the cold marble floor.
Uh-oh.
Then everything went black.
Chapter 18
Why did she feel so tired? Rae tried rolling over but realized she was sitting, wedged between two walls. A corner maybe? She told her eyes to open, but they were too happy to stay closed and ignored her.
Moments flooded back in hazy blotches. Masks, dancing, Sarah missing; as each memory touched her brain, panic inched its way into her belly. She let her head fall forward and figured another few minutes of sleep would make it better. She focussed on inhaling and exhaling long slow breaths. She felt her jaw slacken and hoped she wouldn't start drooling, especially in the Masquerade dress.
Masquerade! Rae switched to Riley's cheetah tatù ability. She needed the caffeine rush feeling. Larry-Lenny, whatever the dummy's name was, had drugged her. That needed to get out of her system. How long had she been asleep?
The tatù coursed through her body, eating up the knockout drug Lenny had shot into her. She coughed and forced her eyes open.
Cuffs were still on her wrists, and her legs were tied together by some plastic looking tie. Her dress had somehow managed to remain miraculously wrinkle free. Molly had done her homework on this one.
Molly!
Rae blinked to clear the few remaining cobwebs out of her head and focussed. Molls! It's Rae. Don't panic but you need to get a hold of Carter. Something's gone wrong. One of the Queen's Guards has kidnapped Sarah. He's also taken Maria and tied me up. I don't know where Devon is. We need back up. We're at the Ball. I'll send you coordinates as soon as I can.
She hoped the message would reach Molly. She didn't know how far her ability could go. She glanced around the dimly lit room and tried to figure out where she was. The cold ground and trapped feeling brought back memories of the night Lanford had locked her in the tower at Guilder. Just to be sure, she glanced up to make sure there was no monitor or brainwashing device above her. Nothing but bad lighting.
Rae tucked her feet under her and tried to stand up. It was awkward, and the hard plastic cut into her ankles. She sat back down and kicked her dress out of the way. Her hands were tied with some device the Privy Council had invented. It didn't stop her tatù, but the weird material wouldn't break, as hard as she tried with every strength tatù she had.
“Crap!” She dropped her head back against the wall. She needed to get out of here - wherever here was. Staring at her legs, an idea hit her. She slid both legs toward her, bending her knees. With her pointer finger, she used her mother's fire ability and spread her ankles as far apart as she could. She held the small flame on the plastic and applied pressure. It broke, and she quickly scrambled up and headed for the door.
Devon! I found Sarah. Lenny's involved. I think he's got Maria as well. He used some needle on me that knocked me out, but I'm awake now, locked in some room. I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I'll get out. Trust Alfie, find him and warn him about Lenny. I'll find Sarah. She tried the door, not surprised that it was locked. We're down the hall where Alfie and I split up. At the end is an old abandoned fire escape stairwell. There're three rooms at the top. I think we're still there. Each in a room.
The cuffs needed to go. She tried burning them with fire, knowing her mom's ability wouldn't burn her skin. The damn things were fire resistant! If she made the flame any bigger, she would set her dress on fire. She brought her tied hands to her face and rubbed her temples.
“Think, Rae, think!” She began to pace. “If I was back at school in the Oratory doing some class assignment, what would the other kids do to break free? What skills could they use?” She snapped her fingers. “Nic!” She switched to the MacGyver tatù and tried running through possibilities.
“Ice!” she whispered and froze when keys jingled outside her door. She stepped back frantically looking for some weapon while at the same time focussing on her wrists. The sweat on her palms wouldn't create enough ice. She needed more, fast!
Rae bent down and grabbed the plastic tie she had burned and squeezed her left hand around it and then pulled sharply with her right. She felt the plastic cut into her skin across several fingers and bit her lip at the sudden pain. She should have made Carter bring Charles in before they left for this trip. A healing tatù would be handy today.
The brass lock above the doorknob clicked and turned.
As fast as she could, she smeared her blood onto the cuff, trying to freeze it at the same time.
The door swung open, and Lenny stood in the frame. He glanced first at the corner where he had dropped her and then over to where she stood. He scoffed when he saw her standing, blood dripping and her hands still shackled. “Trying a little escape?”
Rae moved slightly so her long dress would hide the plastic wrap that lay on the floor. He wouldn't know she had broken free of the ankle wrap. “You drugged me.” She needed to distract him long enough to freeze the blood smeared on her wrists. She pretended to hobble back away from him, hoping she looked scared.
Lenny shrugged. “I could
n't use chloroform. It would take too long to drug you, and you might fight back and stop me before it set in.” He apparently enjoyed her struggling to break free. “So I used the synthetic opioid etorphine to induce unconsciousness. It worked better than I thought it would. On you and Sarah.”
Rae could feel the cold metal start to freeze against her skin. She might risk frostbite but if it allowed her to break the cuffs, she didn't have a choice.
Lenny stepped in and closed the door, locking it behind him. “She needed another dose after you showed up. Probably should have put a bit more into the syringes. No worries.”
Rae needed a bit more time. Her hands were starting to shake from the cold. She turned slightly so Lenny wouldn't notice. “Why would you want to hurt her?”
“It's simple. Sarah cannot become Queen.”
“You're the Queen's Guard. Your job is to protect her.”
Lenny's face turned red. “No, my job is to protect the throne. She is not allowed on the throne.”
“Why the hell not? Who are you to judge who is able to sit on the throne?”
“I'm the Queen's Guard!” he yelled and then lowered his voice. “She's one of you!” The disgust in his voice rang clear. “No tatù will ever sit on the throne.”
Rae blinked in surprise. He knew? “Are you-?”
“Hell no!” He cut her off before she could finish. “Who do you think started the Queen's Guard? The King's Guard?”
Rae's body was shaking everywhere. It looked to Lenny like fear, but it was the cold on her wrists that was chilling her. Goosebumps rose on her arms as her wrists began to burn from the freezing. Frostbite had to be setting in.
Lenny didn't appear to notice, he was too caught up in delivering his history lesson. “King Henry believed in you guys. He trusted you to give him a male heir. When he knew you couldn't complete the task, he grew weary of his Privy Council. He used you for the purpose of controlling the crown and England, but he hated every one of you. England will never have one of you sit on the throne! He created the King's Guard to protect the throne from that very threat!”