by Alice Wilde
“And then what?”
“What do you mean? We escape, why you let them put us here in the first place is beyond me.”
“Because we might actually learn something useful by staying here, at least for the moment. Besides, if we did make a break for it, we might unwittingly lead them back to Annalise.”
“What could they do against all three of us?” I ask. “It’s not as if we’re surrounded by magic and shifters here, let alone an army.”
“Like you’ve said, they’re no real threat to us, but they could be to Annalise. Just give me a little time to try to come up with a plan, we might need their help in our own quest…and they have provisions we could use. Besides, the storm will make it difficult to find our way back.”
“And what about Annalise?”
“What about her?” Li asks.
“We’re just going to leave her alone in the middle of a stormy forest? How do you think she’s going to react when we don’t return?”
“Hopefully she’ll be patient enough to wait for us to return.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Neither of us is fool enough to believe that.”
“And she’s not alone. Ero can take care of her,” Li says.
I clench my teeth at this. Ero. I’d completely forgotten he was with her, or maybe I’d intentionally let that detail slip my mind. His name triggers my imagination, and I have to force myself not to think of the two of them alone…together. “I hope so.”
“Just bear with me,” Li says. “At least until we have a chance to meet their lord.”
“When’s that?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Fine, I’ll give you until then.”
“Thank you.”
“Then I’m making a break for it, with or without you. I’m not going to stay here as their prisoner a second longer than necessary,” I growl, slumping down to the floor. I try my best to keep my imagination from running wild, but it keeps returning to Annalise and Ero. Try as I might, I’m unable to keep myself from envisioning him taking her.
Jealous envy twists my stomach, oozing through my veins like poison and then the sick emotion abruptly bursts and I’m overwhelmed with guilt. I grind my teeth in an effort to swallow the pain as guilt turns my thoughts dark and self-loathing.
Not once had I really thought why. Why did I hate the thought of Ero and Annalise together? Aside from the more obvious, selfish desires to keep her all to myself, why does it bother me so much?
I’ve spent so much time focusing my hatred toward Ero that I’d managed to keep what bothered me most pushed to the back of my mind. I hated his relationship with Annalise because he always manages to be there for her when I can’t. Time and again, I’ve failed the lass, leaving her on her own… no wonder she turns to Ero for comfort. It was all my fault. I was the one who turned a cold shoulder when I found out about her and Ero, I was the one who knowingly left them alone together back in Scotland. I’d let my own self-pity get in the way of putting her well-being and happiness ahead of my own. If anything, I should be grateful Ero’s kept her alive when I haven’t been there to protect her.
I doubt I’ll ever be able to think of them alone together without a pit in my stomach, but it’s a small price to pay if it keeps her safe. I swallow the lump in my throat, my heart pained at how much and how often I’ve let her down. Some husband I’ve turned out to be. Ero may not love the lass the same way I do, but he’s proven himself far more reliable than I ever have…and for that, I will be grateful.
“Why haven’t they sent for us yet?”
“Patience,” Li says, although I can tell from the strain in his voice that he’s starting to wonder as well.
“It’s nearly noon,” I growl. “If they don’t come for us soon, I’m breaking us out of here.”
“We can’t break out.”
“What are you talking about?” I whirl on him, my fists clenched.
“The door,” Li says, walking over to it. “They’ve put some kind of spell on it.”
“How do you know?”
“I wondered why they felt safe putting us in a cell if they really suspect us of being supernatural beings,” Li says. “While you were sleeping I inspected the room… look here.”
Li crouches, pointing to the base of the wall and I lean down to examine what he’s found. There’s a line of tiny, handwritten characters painted around the entire cell.
“Can you read it?” I ask.
“Some of it, but I’m not familiar with many of the characters and symbols. The most I’ve been able to gather is that it’s a binding curse, meant to keep any and all beings confined within these walls.”
“How are we supposed to get out then?”
“We need someone to open the door from outside.”
“So, they can leave us to rot in here if they want to.”
“Yes, strictly speaking, I suppose they can.”
“Fantastic,” I grumble.
“But they’re not going to. These villagers are too superstitious to be comfortable having us living here among them, even locked away in a cell. They’ll come for us soon enough.”
“You better be right,” I say. “As soon as they let us out of this cell I’m getting out of here.”
“Don’t be foolish,” Li snaps. “Just follow my lead and give me a chance to handle this diplomatically. Quiet, listen.”
We both shut our mouths, leaning against the barring in the door and, sure enough, there’s the sound of approaching footsteps echoing down the hall.
“Fine,” I say in a low growl. “But as soon as things start going south, you better warn me. We’re not going to stay around long enough to be stuck back in this cell.”
Li gives me a short nod just as a group of men step into view outside the door. They say something to Li who grabs the barring in the door, his jaw sharp and tight as he responds as calmly as possible. I look back and forth between them, but even without understanding the words I can tell the conversation isn’t go the way Li expected it to. A moment later the group of men turn and leave the way they’d come and Li slams his palm against the door, hanging his head in anger before slowly turning back to face me.
“They’re not going to let us out of the cell.”
“What?!”
“The governor was cornered by a group of villagers earlier and they demanded he proceed with our meeting while we remain in here.”
“Hell, Li,” I snarl. “What mess have you gotten us into? We should have left the second they tried to corner us.”
“I should have listened,” Li admits. “But there’s nothing we can do now but wait. If all goes well, I’ll have us out of here as soon as we speak with their leader.”
“If all goes well,” I mumble, shaking my head in frustration. “When is this so-called governor planning to make an appearance?”
“Mid-afternoon. After the people take their break.”
“Break?”
“Their midday naps.”
“Great,” I groan, rolling my eyes. “Don’t suppose they could feed us in the meantime?”
“They think we’re demons, remember? We don’t need food.”
I drop to the floor in a huff, as if this day could get any better…
Five
Annalise
“Roan? Li?” I ask in a harsh whisper, peeking over the wooden door opening through the barred window into one of the cells. There’s no one inside. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know, but we need to hurry,” Ero replies. “I doubt the village will stay asleep for long.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I ask, my tone sharper than I intended. I bite my lip and look down at the floor. “Sorry, Ero. I didn’t mean to be impatient, I’m just so worried.”
“I know, princess,” Ero says. “Now, let’s focus on why we’re here.”
I give him a small smile and nod, proceeding further down the hall and standing on my tiptoes to peer into the next cell, this one isn’t empty but the bod
y lying within isn’t moving either. I clasp a hand over my nose and mouth and quickly avert my eyes, dropping below the opening so I don’t have to look.
“What did you see?” Ero asks, glancing over my head into the room. “Oh…”
“Is…he dead?”
“Yes, and has been for quite some time by the looks of things.”
I try not to imagine what might have become of Roan and Li if we never found out they were being kept here… What might still happen to them if we don’t. Ero and I continue on down the hall, checking each of the cells one by one. My heart drops in my chest each time we find an empty or similarly occupied cell.
We’re nearing the end of the hall, but there’s one last room. I try to keep my emotions in check, but my heart rises with hope in my chest as I take a deep, calming breath and peek into the room.
Empty.
“They’re not here!” I nearly scream the words, and Ero exhales in frustration. “Where could they be keeping them?”
“Damn it. Maybe there’s another hold?”
“I don’t think so. The guards were talking about the red devil before leaving their post.”
“Alright. Then they must be here, we just have to look harder.”
“We’ve checked all of the cells!”
“So, we check again,” Ero says firmly. “Maybe we missed something. A secret door or hall?”
My eyes light up at this. “You’re right. Let’s check for a hidden entrance!”
I start to scurry down the hall but Ero grabs my wrist to pull me back. “Let me check that end of the hall, you start here. If the guards return and happen to find me, I’ll warn you so that you have time to hide.”
“Okay,” I reply hesitantly. Ero lets go of my wrist and strides down the hall, and I turn back to start my own search.
The majority of the building is made of wooden panels, lattices and those same strange, pole-like trees. I run my hands carefully over every inch of the hall that I can reach, slowly making my way down the hall toward Ero. I briefly glance into each of the cells I pass once again, just to double check but they aren’t here.
Ero and I meet in the middle, neither of us having found any clue or inkling of a secret door.
“What do you want to do now?” Ero asks.
“They have to be here. They just have to be!”
“We’ve checked everything.”
I swallow hard, my nose and eyes burning as tears fill my eyes. There has to be something we’re missing, but what? I wipe my eyes and spin on my heel, storming back down to the end of the hall, Ero following close at my heels.
“We’ll check again, together this time,” I demand.
“Alright,” Ero says, leaning back against the wall at the far end of the hall as I start searching once again, “but I don’t see—”
Ero shouts and a loud cracking sound rings through the hall. I whip around toward him to find he’s fallen straight through the wall into another hall beyond.
“Ero!” I exclaim, stepping over him, my eyes wide and my heart beating excitedly in my chest. “You’ve found it!”
I race down the hall, jumping up to peer into each of the cells.
“Li? Roan?” I call, barely managing to keep my voice down.
“Lass?”
“Roan!” I hurry toward the voice.
“Lass, over here!” Roan calls as I race past his cell.
“You’re alive,” I cry, grabbing the bars and pulling myself up to look in, my eyes watering once again, but this time from joy.
“Of course, we’re alive,” Roan chuckles, wrapping one of his hands around my own. “What are you doing here?”
“I…we were worried when you didn’t come back to camp last night,” I say.
“You should have stayed away, Little Bird,” Li says, stepping up to look through the bars at me.
“It’s nice to see you, too,” Ero snorts, walking over as he still brushes bits of the wall off his clothes.
“Why did you bring her here?” Roan asks.
“Why’d you get trapped in a cell?” Ero retorts.
“Enough,” I say, “thank the gods we found you, that’s all that matters.”
“Why are you still here anyway?” Ero asks, giving the door a little shake. “Doesn’t seem like a very difficult prison to break out of.”
“It can only be opened from outside,” Li says.
“I meant, why didn’t you just break down the door?” Ero asks.
“There’s some kind of spell. No one can escape unless they’re let out.”
“Is that so?” Ero takes a step back from the door, cocking his head to the side as he examines it. “Step aside, Annalise.”
I do as he bids.
“What are you—”
Before I have time to finish my question, Ero closes the space between him and the door. Grabbing the bars in the door, Ero tears the entire wooden door away from the wall and tosses it to the floor. Roan and Li step out of the cell and I run over to hug them.
Roan pulls me to himself and into a kiss as Li inspects the damage. “We’re not going to have an easy time explaining this.”
“You can’t still be planning to talk to them,” Roan says.
“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” says Li, pointing down the hall. We all turn to look and see a group of men racing toward us.
“Holy hell,” Roan groans.
“Damn it.”
I glance around at all three of my men, trying to gauge what they’re going to do next. Roan steps in front of me, Li and Ero stepping into place next to him, forming a wall between me and the group of men.
“You,” one of the men shouts, “stop right there!”
“We’re not moving,” Li replies.
“Don’t…don’t you be smart with me,” the man says shakily.
“They really are demons,” one of the other men gasps. “Look what they’ve done to the door. No human could have done that. What should we do?”
“We’re not demons,” Li says.
“You can’t trick us!”
“We’re not trying to trick you.”
“Demon,” the man hisses and the others join in. Li shakes his head, pinching his nose in exasperation as he tries to reason with the group of men. “You’re not going anywhere until you’ve been addressed by Zhen Longwei.”
“I’ve had enough of whatever this is,” Roan growls. “Let’s get going before more people get hurt.”
“No, wait,” Li says.
“What did the red devil say?”
“He said,” Li starts, “that you better fetch your leader before we have to curse this village for wasting more of our time.”
There’s a second of tense silence and then the man orders one of the others to send a message.
“What’s going on?” Ero asks.
“They’re sending for Zhen Longwei,” I whisper.
“Who?”
“Their governor,” Li says.
“And we’re just going to stand around waiting for him?” Ero scoffs.
“Yes,” Li orders. “I need to know what’s going on around here, we need to know.”
“What’s going on around here,” Roan growls, “is a bunch of bored, superstitious villagers with nothing else to do but make up stories.”
“Just give me a few minutes to talk to their governor,” Li says. “If things go awry, we’ll make a break for it.”
“Swear it.”
“I swear it, just don’t do anything until I give you a signal.”
Roan mumbles something nondescript, but before Li can question him returning footsteps echo down the hall.
“He’s on his way,” the man pants.
Everyone glares uncomfortably at each other for a few minutes and then we hear voices. It sounds like Zhen Longwei has decided not to come alone, the din of chatter growing louder and louder.
“Has he brought the entire village with him?” Roan snarls.
“This is going to make things
a hell of a lot harder if we have to escape,” Ero says through tight lips.
I peek through a gap between Roan’s arm and watch as a tall, long-haired man sweeps down the corridor toward us. In his wake, although a few steps behind and separated by a line of guards, follows a crowd of villagers. They shove their way inside the narrow hallway like a flood of water, and I can’t help the growing sense of unease within me.
Perhaps Roan was right, and we should have left when we had the chance. If things go wrong, I don’t know how we’ll escape without injuring any of the town’s people…or ourselves.
“Zhen Longwei,” Li says, offering a courteous bow as the tall man steps to the front of his men and eyes Li warily.
“And you are?” Longwei asks.
“My name is Li, and these are my traveling companions.”
Longwei’s eyes dart to Ero and Roan in turn, his brow furrowing. “I thought there were only two of you.”
“There were, my lord,” one of his men says, “but when we found them just now, there were three.”
“You mean four,” Longwei says coldly.
“Four, my lord?”
Zhen Longwei points to the floor. “They’re protecting someone behind them. Show yourself.”
All three of my men’s bodies tense, even though Li is the only one of them to actually understand exactly what the man has commanded.
“Let me through,” I say quietly, laying a hand against Roan and Ero’s backs. After a second of hesitation, they step aside to let me through. “Good day, Zhen Longwei, my name is Annalise.”
The man’s eyes narrow as soon as he sees me, and he doesn’t respond. Instead, he looks up at Li with a hard expression.
“Why were you hiding her from me?”
“We were just trying to keep her safe.”
“Safe from what? Is there a reason for you to worry for your own safety? You’re the ones who’ve entered my town, broken into my holding cells, and terrified my people.”
“Nevertheless, I prefer to err on the side of caution.”
“Hmm… She looks quite normal,” Longwei says, his eyes returning to me. “Aside from her strange attire and the paleness of her hair and skin. Is this the sorceress who summoned you forth?”