by M. J. Bavis
I pushed against his hands. “I’m a mess, Leo. I’ve done so many things wrong!” I swallowed the rising lump in my throat. This was not the time for this.
“Shh, it’s going to be okay.” Leo brushed my cheek. “We just need to get out of here and then we can start over.”
My head shook. “I don’t deserve another chance.”
“So you made a few bad choi—”
“A few? A few?” I faced Leo. “I ruined everything! I’m responsible for Kailen’s death, I deserted the Guard and ran away” —I ignored Leo’s attempts at trying to shush me— “I abused my gifting to harm myself, lied to those who helped me, fled from those who trusted me, treated you like rubbish, and I risked the King’s life by getting caught. If that’s not enough, I might get you killed trying to rescue me.” I squirmed away from Leo, away from lack of judgement on his face.
“Listen.” He placed two fingers under my chin and lifted it. “We’ve all made mistakes. The important thing is where you go from now. Let the past go.” His fingers moved to my wrists, hovering over torn flesh, and instantly retreated. “I’m so sorry I left.”
I pulled my arms back. “This was all me, Leo.”
“Sebastian will pay for this.”
“No. Don’t take him on, he’s strong and he’s smart.”
Leo laughed dryly. “You still don’t have much trust in my abilities.”
“I can’t have you risking your life, no matter how small a risk you think it is. I will not.” Determination took over the emotions. I would make sure Leo got out of the mess I got him into.
“Shh, did you hear that?” He lifted a finger. “Someone’s coming.”
I dropped onto the floor and army-crawled under the bed, with Leo on my heels as soon as he’d put the chair back by the desk. The door opened, and a pair of black dinner shoes appeared. The manager. He puttered around as if looking for something, pausing at times. Soon enough, he left. We lay silent for twenty seconds, listening, until Leo shuffled out, pulling me behind him. He went to check the window, tight-lipped.
“We should go.”
I dusted myself off. “What’s the plan?”
“Make for the woods further down the road.” Leo adjusted the strap holding up a knife against his ankle. “We’ll find cover and stay put for the night. Tomorrow we’ll head for the town centre for a car. It’ll be easier to blend in when the town’s up.”
I considered my appearance—bruised, ragged and malnourished. I might as well wear a sign begging for attention.
I reached my arm out. “Let’s go, then.”
Leo checked the corridor and beckoned for me to follow. I hopped along behind him, taking support from the wall. By the side exit, Leo suddenly paused, fingers hovering over the door handle.
Impatiently, I watched him staring at the door, then the corridor behind me, and the door again. Finally, he locked eyes with me.
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” I said in a hurry but meant it wholeheartedly.
“Good. Remember that.” Leo inhaled and opened the door.
Outside, not two metres from the door, stood Sebastian.
Chapter 38
“Well, well, well, look who it is. Mr Saves-the-Day has finally shown up.” Sebastian blocked the way, Kol a few steps behind him.
An invisible rope tightened around my neck.
“Sebastian. I can’t say it’s a pleasure.” Unfazed, Leo took a step outside, standing directly in front of me.
“Lucky for you, I’m in a good mood.” Sebastian smirked. “Hand her over and we’ll let you walk away in reasonable shape.”
Statue-like, Leo and Sebastian stood staring each other down, not missing a blink.
“I’ll come with you if you let him go unharmed.” I inched out to Leo’s side, but he pushed me back against the doorframe.
“No.”
Sebastian tutted. “Bad call. I only offer a deal once. I guess we’ll make room for one more passenger.”
“Over my dead body!” The door slammed shut behind me as I attempted to bypass Leo again, but his arm pressed against my chest.
“Let me handle this, Kali,” he said with a stern look.
“Aww, look at you two… How cute,” Sebastian mocked, unfolded his arms, and placed them behind him. “I’ll make sure you’ll get cells next to each other in Gorah.”
“She’s not going anywhere with you.” Leo took a step forward and I prepared myself.
Sebastian whistled, and five guards emerged from the darkness, forming an impenetrable wall behind him. Our odds diminished. We couldn’t win.
Leo glanced at me; he knew the same.
“It’s up to you. You can come with us peacefully or with a few more broken bones. Either way, you’re coming with us,” Sebastian said.
“You lay a finger on her again and I will kill you,” Leo bit back.
I balled my fists, my fingernails sinking into my skin. I wouldn’t let them take Leo. I would not sign his death sentence.
“Wait—I’ll do whatever you want if you let Leo go,” I pleaded.
“Too late, love.” Sebastian motioned for Kol. “Take her, I’ll deal with him.”
Kol had hardly taken a step forward when Leo’s arm shot up.
“Stop. I will come with you and I’ll cooperate, but I want her escorted back to Bridleton to Tony’s flat unharmed, and I want your word you’ll never go after her again.”
Sebastian’s laughter echoed in the night sky. The others didn’t seem to know what to do with themselves.
Whatever Leo was trying, sounded dumb even to me.
“You really are something else!” Sebastian shook a finger at Leo. “First of all, why would we want you? And secondly, why would I even consider a deal when I can take you both? Even if Miss Hop-Along could fight, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
I had to give it to Leo; nothing seemed to shake him.
“You know I’d kill at least half of you before you’d even get close to her. Starting with you.” Leo lifted his chin, not breaking eye contact with Sebastian.
“Well, aren’t you awfully sure about yourself. No wonder Kalika found you obnoxious.” Sebastian spat on the ground as if needing to make his point any clearer, yet much to my surprise he stalled.
“You know I’m right.”
“Tell me then, why would we trade you for her? You might make a nice addition to our front line, but we both know Kalika is worth much more.”
“Because,” Leo said simply. “I have information that no other Guard has.”
“Oh yeah, and what’s that?” Sebastian’s patience was wearing thin, but he must’ve seen Leo as a threat to have entertained him for so long.
Speechless, I observed, equally curious about Leo’s play.
“I have the information you need to capture the son of the King of Narun.”
My eyes bore into the back of Leo’s head. The Lost Prince? Only the King’s closest advisors knew anything about the Prince; he hadn’t been seen since the Queen was murdered. Leo couldn’t have any information worth bargaining with, nor would he ever give it up.
Could he? Would he…?
My brow furrowed. He must be buying for time.
It was a pointless play.
Sebastian folded his arms in front of him again as the other soldiers waited for his lead. “Why would I believe you?”
“Can you afford not to?” Leo dismissed Sebastian’s condescending tone. “I know the reward for the Prince’s capture. You’d be bathing in gold for the rest of your life. Not to mention everyone would know who you are; everyone would remember you.”
Sebastian licked the corners of his lips. He couldn’t possibly be buying into it.
“The King’s son in exchange for her? Maybe you’re more like me than I thought.” The night fell quiet as Sebastian mused to himself.
My pulse accelerated. This wouldn’t end well for anyone when they found out Leo was lying.
He is lying, right?
“This is ridiculous—” I was quietened by Leo’s raised finger.
“And you’ll escort her back home, unharmed?”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “As you wish, but you’re still coming with us.”
Leo extended his hand towards Sebastian. “In that case, you have—”
“What? Wait, no—no!” I grabbed Leo’s arm and hopped a step forward so that I was by his side, seeking eye contact. “I’m not okay with this. I won’t let you reveal his location or let them take you! Leo, I’m not worth it!” I shoved at Leo and started towards Sebastian. “Take me to Gorah. I’ll come with you!”
Leo yanked me back and steadied my balance with an iron grip.
“Well, cutie,” Sebastian put on a casual voice, “You’re more than welcome to—”
“No. She goes home, that’s the deal.” Leo let go of me but kept a solid arm in my path.
Sebastian lifted his hands, palms facing us. “Alright, alright, let’s kill the drama. My deal is with you, Leo. Quite frankly, if you are telling the truth, we won’t need her. But if you’re lying” —Sebastian’s eyes narrowed menacingly— “you both pay for it. Especially her.” Sebastian winked at me and I noted the veins on Leo’s neck bulging.
“Deal.” Leo stretched out his hand, and Sebastian shook it firmly.
My objections went to deaf ears.
Sebastian’s hand departed with a grin, and a second later his face grew stern. “So, where is the heir to the throne?”
Leo placed his hand on top of mine to stop me from shaking him. The hardness in his features melted for a brief second, and then he faced Sebastian.
“You’re looking right at him.”
Chapter 39
“You expect me to believe you are the King’s son? Heir to the throne? The Lost Prince?” Sebastian looked about as vexed as I felt. Did Leo actually think Sebastian would buy it?
I sucked in the crisp air. Might as well stock up on it for the rest of my life in prison.
Leo sighed, heavy, but unalarmed. “You can believe what you want, but it doesn’t change who I am.”
A sense of trepidation clawed up from the pit of my stomach. I narrowed in on his features and scoffed. Of course he’s bluffing.
“You have three seconds to prove it, Prince.”
I was about to end the ridiculous play when Leo dug something out of his inner jacket pocket. A small brass like object flashed between his fingers. He opened his palm, dangling a short pendant in front of Sebastian. On the end hung a small, brass crust of a moon, or at least that’s what it reminded me of. Its outer lining was smooth while the inner curve was uneven, broken.
Sebastian stared at the small thing catching a glimmer in the night light, fully transfixed. He took a step forward, reached out for the object, but didn’t touch it, and flicked his gaze back to Leo.
A triumphant sneer spread across his face. “My, my…it is you.”
My head whipped between the pair. “What’s going on? What is that thing?” I slapped Leo’s chest. “What is going on?”
“All this time the bigger prize was right in front of me.” Sebastian’s eyes were slightly glazed. “She didn’t know, did she?”
“Know what? What is going on?” I was beginning to think I’d been muted.
Sebastian flashed a grin in my direction. “Who would’ve guessed your personal stalker would turn out to be the only heir to Narun?”
He believed Leo?
Whatever that thing was—Leo tucked the pendant back into his inner pocket—it meant something to Sebastian. It meant that he believed him.
Shivers sprinted up my spine as terror gripped me from inside.
“Leo? Is he right?” My face twitched, and I forced Leo to look at me. He peeled my hand off his face gently.
“I trust you’ll hold onto your end of the bargain, Sebastian,” he said, looking at me.
Sebastian came out of the victorious haze he was already wrapping himself into. “Of course.” He beckoned with his finger. “Kol, take her, escort her back and make sure she gets to her friends before you return.”
Kol melted into action. I went for Leo’s arm, but he stepped aside, leaving me with a handful of his jacket instead.
“No, no, no! I’m not going without you! Leo, don’t do this!”
Kol grabbed my arms, trying to pry my hands off Leo.
Panic fuelled my veins. “I won’t let you do this, I won’t! I’m not worth it, Leo, don’t do this!”
Sebastian laughed in the background, my resistance bringing him some kind of sick pleasure. Kol pulled me, lifting me from the waist.
“Leo, please, you can’t sacrifice everything for me. You have to run! I won’t let you do this!” With my free hand, I tried to release myself. “Let me go—Kol, let me go!”
I drowned in hysteria as the magnitude of what Leo was doing hit me. He would reveal his identity for me, be taken away and possibly sacrifice the future of Narun for me.
No. No way.
I evened the weight on my legs and swirled to hit the unsuspecting Kol. He stumbled enough to lose his grip on me and the second he did, I pushed against Leo.
“Get away from here!” I yelled, desperately willing him to flee.
Calmly, without hurry or care in the world, Leo took my wrists, brushed his thumbs against the torn skin, and pushed me down, all too easy.
“It’s my choice,” he said softly. “And you are worth it.”
I screamed as Kol tore me away.
While I was still shrieking objections, I saw Leo smile at me before Kol dragged me into the darkness. One of the other guards placed a gag in my mouth, stifling my screams. I struggled against Kol with everything I had until he forced me into the backseat of a car, tied my hands and feet, and locked me in.
I hammered against the door as the engine purred and Kol set off.
How could Leo do it? The King’s son’s identity had been sealed, even from the Guard, since he was a child so he would be safe. So that one day he could take the throne and continue in his father’s legacy. Narun’s legacy.
Now the Gorahites not only knew who he was, but they had him.
And it was all my fault.
I pounded at the door again, only to stop abruptly as the realisation hit me. All this time, I had treated the heir to the throne like something to be disposed of. I winced at the thought of how I’d disrespected him.
Kol hit the brakes abruptly and I skidded on the seat, grabbing the seatbelt behind me so I wouldn’t roll off. He apologised and accelerated.
Would they kill him? Interrogate him? Use him for ransom? The already once-worn skin on my wrists moistened, but the ties wouldn’t give in.
I had to stop them. I had to alarm the Guard, the King… I had to do something. I wouldn’t be the death of him or the downfall of Narun. I couldn’t be.
Please, I couldn’t be.
“Hope you’re comfortable back there. We have a long drive ahead of us.”
I strained my neck to see Kol’s face from the rear-view mirror. By the time he’d let me go, Leo would be far away, and so would the chances of getting him out.
*
The long drive back was unbearable; every mile added a pound of guilt and tore me further from Leo. The effect of hopelessness was searing.
Though desperate to bring him back myself, I had finally concluded that I needed help. The best thing for Leo would be for me to return to Narun and tell the King everything—and beg for his forgiveness. He would send an army out straight away.
If it wasn’t too late.
“Where does this friend of yours live?” Kol asked.
Treetops had changed to high buildings, some I recognised. I gave simple directions to Tony’s flat.
I’d been gone for a lifetime. What would Tony
and Jill think? Mind occupied with Leo, I hadn’t thought of what was waiting for me. Did they know of the past weeks? Had Leo been in touch with them?
“Guess we won’t be kin after all.” Kol’s eyes flickered across the rear-view mirror. I refused his gaze. “Shame. We could’ve got along well.”
“Will they kill him?”
“Not today.” Kol stopped for a red light and pulled a knife from the seat next to him. The ropes around my wrists separated, same with feet. He holstered the knife into his ankle strap.
I sat upright, sliding to the right-hand side of the backseat. “Tony might not be home.”
“It’s not even seven in the morning. He’ll be there.” Kol took the turn to Tony’s street. “And if not, we’ll wait.”
The familiar surroundings belonged to a different time. They stood for a season that had passed, a ‘me’ that had once again changed.
I was nervous to see Tony. Nervous of all I had to explain.
“Here we are. Time to say goodbye.” The engine silenced. Kol jumped out and opened my door. “Let’s go. If Boy Scout’s home, my job here is done.”
No one could fault Kol on fulfilling his duties.
Behind the familiar door, Kol knocked twice. We waited—nothing. Kol knocked again, louder, adding a knock to his rhythm.
“He must be out,” I reasoned.
“Or fast asleep.” Still holding my arm, Kol pounded again. This time the door swung open before he could finish, leaving his fist in the air.
Tears clouded my vision as Tony’s sleepy face and bare chest appeared in front of me. He rubbed his neck, staring at us blankly. It took him another glance to fully wake up.
“Milla, are you okay?” Concern stamped on his face, Tony took my arm as if to pull me in for a hug. He stopped as he registered Kol’s presence, and his arm on me. “Who’s this?”
“Just the driver.” Kol released his grasp, nodded to me and flew down the stairs.
I fell forwards into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Tony. I can explain, I didn’t—”
“I know. I know everything.” Tony cupped his hand on the back of my head. “Leo told us you’d been taken and that he was going after you. Where is he?”