by S. Young
“On the contrary, I think you might set a new fashion for interiors. Wait until we get you back to the palace to decorate Haydyn’s private parlor, Mrs. Zanst. Then all the ladies will wish you to decorate their homes.”
Wide-eyed, she pulled me into her equally quaint and beautiful parlor. “Do you really think so?”
Having apparently made a friend for life in the charming Mrs. Zanst, I felt awful when I tricked her. Desperate for some time alone, to be away from the Guard and the Factory District, which was buzzing with the news of our arrival, I knew I had to make my escape before the neighbors started calling on Mrs. Zanst to meet me.
I faked a headache and fatigue from the journey and was shown to a spectacular guest suite with wonderful views of Ryl. There I hastily wrote a note to Mrs. Zanst informing her where I’d gone so she wouldn’t worry, and then threw on a dark cloak, creeping out of the room. I was forced to hide twice—once in another bedroom and then in the music room on the second floor. I halted at the sound of children squealing and realized the nursery must be near. Afraid of being found by an impish child, I scurried down the next flight of stairs and then cursed under my breath when I came face-to-face with the butler.
“May I help you, my lady?” he bowed, gracefully, the tallest butler I had ever encountered.
I gulped, thinking fast. “I’m going for a walk. Mrs. Zanst suggested I follow the main road out of the Factory District to arrive at the center of the city …”
He frowned, shaking his head. “That cannot be correct, my lady. Mrs. Zanst must have meant for you to take a right and then a left once you reach the entrance to the Factory District.”
I smiled inwardly. “And that takes me straight into the city?”
“You cannot miss it, my lady.”
“Thank you.”
And as easily as that, I was out the door. I held my breath, almost skipping as I shot down the driveway and through the gates. As I hurried along, I glanced back at the house and saw some of the Guard still organizing themselves at the stables. Afraid to be spotted, I took off at a run, no longer caring which of the neighbors saw.
As the wind rushed into my face, tearing my eyes, my skirts billowing a hindrance around my legs, I grinned and pushed harder. It was wonderful, so freeing.
Skidding to a stop at the end of the Factory District, I peered over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t being followed. I couldn’t see anyone. I smoothed my skirts and straightened my cloak and walked sedately toward the city. There were still a few hours until nightfall, plenty of time to have a look around.
Quite suddenly, I found myself in the hubbub of the city, lots of people rushing around as if they had somewhere important to be. In fact, as I stared around at the rather drab appearance of the city, with its towering industrial factories in the distance and the squat little shops, I realized how different it was to Peza.
Or so I thought.
Like stepping into an oil painting, I walked through an arched alleyway and was lambasted by color as I entered the market square. Everywhere were people and stalls in a multitude of hues where quiet sellers stood patiently offering help and information. Never before had I seen such serious, hushed sellers. I walked around the stalls, my eyes widening now and then. Their products were beautiful, no matter if they were mass-produced.
I stopped, drawn to a stall with beaded jewelry. The jewelry I owned was of the finest precious metals and stones. But I trailed my fingers over a bracelet made with pleated leather; three beautifully painted beads in emerald, aquamarine, and rose decorated the end near the clasp. A little silver bird hung between the beads.
I saw my mother taking a bracelet from my hands as a child, pressing a soft kiss to my head and telling me it wasn’t to be played with, but when I was older, it would be mine. It had been a leather rope bracelet, no beads, but a little bird had hung from its center.
“How much?” I asked, a little dazed, holding up the bracelet.
The seller smiled. “Five coppers, miss.”
Five coppers? That was all? Haydyn would like one, too, I was sure. “I’ll take two.”
She smiled pleasantly as I handed over the money. She then wrapped the bracelets separately in tissue paper before popping them into a little paper bag for me. I thanked her and walked away, bemused by my impulse buy. I wasn’t really much of a shopper.
I wandered for a while among the glitter and awe of the splendid market and then eyed a confectionary store in indecision. Finally, at the little growl in my stomach, I shrugged and went inside to buy a cream cake. Once outside, I stood away from the crowds by the corner of the shop where it met a narrow alley between buildings. There I ate my cake in peace.
Although the cake was good, I couldn’t help feeling a little unsatisfied. It was nowhere near as good as Cook’s, I grimaced. I wondered if Valena was eating all my cakes as well as hers. Smiling wryly at the thought, I wiped at a smudge of cream on my lip and readied myself to return to the Zansts’. I was lucky to have gotten away for this long. And I just knew I was in for a severe lecture from Wolfe.
Just as I made to take a step forward, I heard a scuffle behind me. My pulse skittered.
A grimy, sweaty hand clamped down on my mouth and my feet left the ground as I was dragged back into the darkness of the alley. I tried to scream against the hand but all that came out was a muffled whine. I beat at the head behind me, trying to wriggle free from the strong arm around my waist.
“Stop it, or I’ll break your neck,” a gruff voice spoke in my ear, and I trembled as decaying breath hit my nostrils. I stilled, feeling the strength in his hold.
“Do it,” someone else said.
How many were there? I turned to look just as a musty hood came down over my face, drowning me in darkness. Panicked, I thrashed and beat out at my attackers. More hands clamped down on me and muffled grunts and curses lit the air as they tried to lift me off the ground. I was terrified, furious to be so helpless and vulnerable, with one of my senses disabled.
The familiar sound of a sword hissing from its scabbard halted us all, and one of my captors growled, “Deal with him.”
One of the Guard!
I’d never been so thankful to be followed!
So busy attempting to hear the exchange, I wasn’t paying attention to my captors and stupidly allowed one of them to throw me onto a hard shoulder. Grunts and a shout of pain hit my ears. I hoped the officer’s sword had just found one of my captor’s bellies. The clatter of steel hitting stone made me tense. Then all I could hear was flesh smashing into flesh—grunts, groans, hisses of pain.
“Stop, or we kill the girl.”
I heard heavy breathing and then silence.
Fearful, I squirmed, beating down on whatever body part I could find.
“Stop it, or we will kill your bodyguard,” the man holding me said as an insolent hand swatted me hard on the bottom. Tears of humiliation sprung in my eyes but I stopped fighting, realizing they had both me and the officer in an untenable position. If one of the Guard had been disarmed, then there must be too many of them to fight.
“What will we do with ’im?” a rough female voice asked from somewhere to my left.
“Bring ’im. ’E’ll only send people after us otherwise.”
I began to fight again in earnest, taking pleasure in the yelp of pain I produced when I bit what I assumed was an ear through the hood over my head.
“Blood ’ell! Prick her!”
A sharp, short pain flared in my arm and I cried out. Heat rushed up the appendage at a dizzying speed and flooded my brain in a gush of warmth and bright colors. The colors burst like fireworks in the night sky until they faded, leaving only a numbing darkness.
Chapter 11
A shaft of light pried at my eyelids causing a sharp pain to ricochet through my head. I moaned through lips that were dry and cracked.
“Rogan?” a familiar voice asked.
I jolted and my eyes flew open. Blinking against the light, I turned my
head and winced at the feel of cold stone beneath it. A tiny window was the source of the annoying illumination in the dank cellar. I scrambled quickly to a sitting position, grit and dirt pinching my palms. At the sight of Wolfe sitting near me, looking tired and pale, I experienced more than a flicker of panic.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I shook my head, trying to get my bearings as I looked around the large room with the low ceiling that had nothing in it but us and a changing screen in the corner. A door made of thick metal bars stood at one end. It was as if I were in a dream. I couldn’t remember how I had gotten there. Flashes of images, of unfamiliar faces, swept through me.
Then I remembered being jostled. Someone tried to feed me.
“Where are we?” I croaked. My throat was dry.
Wolfe sighed and pushed a cup of water to me.
I gulped it thirstily.
“Do you remember being taken in the market at Ryl?”
Fear shot through my body and I trembled, dropping the cup. I could still feel that clammy, dirty hand over my mouth, hands on my body as they tried to restrain me. “You were the one who followed me?”
He nodded gravely. “We’ve been kidnapped by the Iavii.”
That was the last thing I had been expecting. Although, to be honest, I didn’t know what I’d been expecting. The last time I’d been kidnapped, it was for my power; I assumed this was the reason behind our current situation. “The clan from Alvernia that have been causing havoc in Javinia?”
“The very ones.” He grimaced. “They drugged us. We’re in Javinia, but we’ve only been out for a few days, I think, which means we must be near the border.”
My heart thudded. I felt sick. “A few days. At the mercy of those people?”
Wolfe’s jaw clenched and he turned away in frustration. “Well, you would have to defy orders and take off on your own.”
Furious heat shot through me. “Oh, it didn’t take long for the lecture to start, did it, Stovia?”
“I’m not the one who got us into this mess,” he hissed, gesturing around at the cell. “They have a Dravilec, Rogan. And they’re well armed and can fight. God knows what else they have up their sleeve.”
“A Dravilec?” I was momentarily thrown by the fact that the clan would have a mage among them, considering there were so few left.
“Yes. The healer took the effects of the drugs away so we would wake up. I was then informed of who they are and what they want with us.”
Feeling guilty, I exhaled. “What do they want with us?”
He snorted humorlessly. “They find themselves fortunate enough to have in their hands the Handmaiden of Phaedra and the captain of the Royal Guard. We’re bargaining chips, my lady. They’re going to hold us for ransom—they want land from Markiza Raven.”
I scoffed. “Are they idiots? Even if they managed some temporary agreement with Novia, once we’re free we’ll just send in the entire Guard to arrest them for what they’ve done.”
Wolfe shook his head. “Not if they refuse to free us but merely guarantee our safety while we’re imprisoned. They know how much the princezna cares about you.”
An awful understanding dawned. “They mean to keep us here indefinitely?”
“That would be my guess.” He nodded. “They’ll promise to look after us, keep us alive. But they won’t hand us over until they’re certain of their position. If ever.”
Acid curdled in my stomach and I dragged myself along the floor so I could lean my head against the wall. The tight, fearful knot that had begun to grow within me since we learned of the increasing crime in Phaedra was suddenly nauseating. “This is because of Haydyn … isn’t it? Because her power is waning?”
Wolfe sighed and followed my lead, leaning back against the wall, his light eyes hard as flint. I looked away, unnerved by the focused, ruthless expression. “Yes. It is,” he replied finally.
“We have to get out of here.” I jumped up to rush at the cellar door. My legs were wobbly with disuse but I pushed through the sensation.
“Rogan …”
I pulled at the door but it was useless. Ignoring the prick of tears, I peered through the bars. There was nothing there to see. Just a narrow, dark staircase leading upward into the house. I whirled around, my focus on the window. I ran at it but couldn’t reach it. I twisted around to glare at Wolfe. “Can you get your ass up for a minute to see if these bars will shift?”
He pinned me to the wall with a disgusted look. “I’m the captain of the Royal Guard, Rogan, not an idiot. I tried the window and the door as soon as they left us in this damn cellar.”
I deflated but refused to show my fear. “Well, we have to do something.”
“The only chance we have of escape is if they let us out of the room.”
Reluctantly hearing the wisdom in his statement, I nodded and returned to my spot against the wall. I slumped to the ground. It was then I became aware of how much I needed a bath. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
Wolfe grunted and muttered a curse under his breath.
“If you’ve got something to say, say it,” I huffed.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” His words were laced with heavy sarcasm. “Just relaxing, you know, thanking my fortunate stars for being the one who was put in charge of protecting you.”
“No one asked you to protect me. To follow me!”
“I’m the princezna’s captain, Lady Rogan, and you are the most important person in her life. Not to mention the last of the Azyl and the only bloody person who knows where the Somna plant is. It’s my job to protect you. And you make it very difficult.”
“I went for a walk!”
“And got us kidnapped by the Iavii!”
“Oh, dear haven,” I groaned, closing my eyes. “Please get over it so we can move on.”
He spluttered, “Get over it? Get over it? Do you have any idea what this could do to me? What if I can’t get us out of here, Rogan? What if something happens to you?”
“Relax. It’s not like they’ll blame you and you’ll lose your job.” I sighed. “I can’t believe I got kidnapped with Captain Wolfe Stovia. Talk about fun.”
“You are such a brat.”
I smiled, enjoying the thought of irritating him. “And you are such a pompous, untrustworthy snake.”
I heard his indrawn breath and determinedly squished my remorse.
Before he could reply, a key turned in the lock. A huge, burly man with long, dark hair pulled back into a messy queue strolled into the cellar. He seemed to take up the entire space as he watched us, like a predator studying its prey.
“We’ve brought ye food.” He had a slight accent, his words rolling and unrefined. He nodded at someone and a young man came into the room carrying a tray. “One move and I run ye through,” the big man warned, his hand going to the hilt of a sword strapped to a belt around his hip.
I looked at Wolfe for guidance. His attention was trained on the larger of the men. The young man came forward, keeping his distance, and set the tray on the ground. He looked at me as he picked up one bowl and slid it toward me. He did the same for Wolfe’s bowl, his eyes never leaving me, and I squirmed under his strange regard. He watched me with a clinical interest that was extremely disturbing. I waited for Wolfe to do something. But he just sat there.
“I need to use the … I have need of … I need to relieve myself.”
“Relieve yerself?” The big man grinned. “Ye mean ye need to use the piss pot?”
I flushed at his crassness but nodded, hoping he would let me out of the cellar so I could note our surroundings for Wolfe.
“There’s one in the corner.” He grinned harder. “Behind the changing screen.”
I was horrified. “You are jesting?”
He shook his head. “If ye’re that desperate, ye’ll use it.”
Disgusted, I could do nothing but wait with bated breath for them to leave and then I turned on Wolfe. “Why didn’t you do something?”
He sh
rugged and grabbed the bowl and bread that had been left for him. “He had the upper hand. Plus … I’m hungry.”
How could he be so blasé? Infuriated with not only him but myself for not having the skills to save myself, I snatched my bowl. “Wonderful. Just wonderful. Let me know when you decide to start working on that whole protecting-me thing you keep spouting on about.”
He threw me a look but didn’t retort, which annoyed me more than I would have liked.
When we finished eating, he looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “You know, if you need to … relieve yourself … I could hum or sing so you’re not embarrassed … you know, by the noise—”
“I understand your meaning, thank you.” I blushed so hard my face could have warmed the Guard around a campsite.
“I’m just saying I—”
“You could sing, yes, yes, very funny.”
He nearly choked himself to death laughing when three hours later, I made him do just that as I darted behind the changing screen to use the chamber pot.
Worse still, he actually had a very nice singing voice.
Chapter 12
“I really am tiring of people manhandling me,” I muttered, covering my fear with bravado at the bite of the dagger at my neck. I tried not to think how ironic it was that only a few days ago, I had someone else in the position I was now in.
“Rogan,” Wolfe warned.
I shrugged, and the clan member at my back pressed the blade harder against my skin. I winced as it nicked my skin.
“Hey!” Wolfe growled in outrage, making a move toward me. The two huge Iavii holding him reeled him in.
“I told ye, the girl gets it if ye make a move to attack.” The man holding me was the one from yesterday with the messy queue and hand-me-down gentleman’s clothing. The arm he wrapped around my waist tightened so I was flush with his body. “And ye,” he whispered softly in my ear, “keep quiet. Or I’ll find a far more pleasurable way to occupy yer mouth.”