by Livia Lance
Lana stood and walked to the door, even though every instinct was telling her not to approach, to turn around and run. She heard a shuffling outside and the clank of metal. The guards were leaving? This had never happened before. Opening the door just a crack, she listened. Her hearing was exceptional and she was able to make out a hoarse whisper.
“He wants it done tonight, Jane.” The speaker was a man and Lana wasn’t sure but she thought it was the nasally tone of Tyndall Hurst. “He brought his daughter to court today so that he could put her on the throne before the day was out. It must be done now!”
“But why does it have to be me?” Jane responded, sounding angry and sulky. “I have raised that child practically on my own. I have no real love for her but it just feels wrong!”
“You’re the only one who can get close enough,” he whispered back. “Do it now, while the guards are gone. They won’t say anything, we paid a lot for their silence. Henry Reed is ready to immediately declare your innocence in this matter. Use the potion I gave you and it will appear that she died in her sleep. Your hands will be clean. Now, go.”
Lana’s heart was pounding. The stones were screaming at her to run but she was frozen with terror. What was she going to do? How could she escape? She threw the bar into place to lock the door and buy herself some time, then turned to the window, her only possible exit. And then stood there in shock. There was an elf in her room.
* * *
Clay had gone up a few more floors until he found what appeared to be the top level. Judging by the depth of the dust on the furniture, this level was not often used. Perhaps it once held guests of the kingdom when a large event was going on, but it had apparently been a long time since anyone had set foot in here. There were no footprints in the dust on the floor, no sign of life anywhere.
Clay wasn’t here for thievery, it was only a kidnapping mission, but it never hurt to make sure his pockets were well lined. Satisfied that he was alone, he explored the area thoroughly, checking to see if there was anything of worth he could use to fund his trip back home. There was probably an hour until nightfall and then he would make his move.
He knew from watching the castle the day before that the top floor had a window a few levels above the one he wanted. Clay wandered around until he found the right room, reflecting on the map of the castle in his mind. Yes, this was the one. It had to be. Otherwise, he might end up barging into the King’s room. That would be fun.
There was nothing to do, so he settled down to wait. Elves were patient creatures but he had little of that particular quality. He couldn’t sit around and watch the grass grow, he wanted to be running around in it instead. Closing his eyes, he stretched his senses outward so he would be aware if anyone tried to sneak up on him.
Time passed, he wasn’t sure how much but when he opened his eyes the sky outside of the window was a dusky purple, the last vestiges of a sunset. Something had startled him. What was it? He sat quietly for a moment and realized that the stones were trying to speak to him. It wasn’t easy to talk to stones, they were so old they tended to forget their voices but these stones wanted him to hurry. Why?
He wished, not for the first time, that nature could speak in words but all any elves could understand were feelings, urges. Clay had a special talent in this area but it didn’t do him any good this time. He could only feel that the stones wanted him to get a move on without delay.
“Alright, alright, I’m going,” he told them irritably. Pulling his pack off his shoulder, he dug around until he found what he was looking for. A grappling hook and rope. He prayed it would be enough to reach her room, then he would have to figure something else out. Securing the hook to the stones under the window, he asked them to please not let it slip. The stones didn’t respond, they just kept pushing him onward. Don’t stop, don’t delay. Danger. Hurry.
Finally starting to feel a little anxious, Clay threw the length of rope out over the wall and began climbing down. He skirted around a darkened window, praying no one was looking outside, and continued until he was next to the one he wanted. Clay thought if the stones had hands, they would have shoved him inside. He’d never heard such a clamor from rock before.
Perching on the windowsill, he took in the room. There was the princess, standing in front of her door and everything about her body language spoke of terror. He climbed in, unsure of what to do next. The plan had been to come in on her sleeping but the stone wouldn’t allow him to delay for a moment longer.
She whirled to face him and his mouth went dry. Clay knew she was beautiful from the short glimpse he’d gotten the day before, but he was not prepared for what he would feel seeing her face to face.
Her eyes were bright with emotion, glinting like emeralds in the sun. The color had risen in her cheeks and her breast was heaving with her quickened breathing. This princess was absolutely captivating and something about her left him feeling completely off balance.
He opened his mouth to speak and the dumbest thing he could ever say in this situation escaped his lips. “Hi, I’m here to kidnap you.”
Escape
She stared at him in shock. Behind him, Clay heard a distant clang and then a louder one. He turned around and saw that the grappling hook had fallen from the top floor and was caught in this window. Taking a moment to thank the stones and still amazed that they were being so helpful, he turned back to face her. The princess was barreling straight for him. She stopped at the window, looked over her shoulder at him and said, “What are you waiting for? Kidnap me! Quickly!”
She clung to his back as he rappelled down the castle wall. With her added weight, the descent was not easy. More than once Clay’s grip slipped on the rope and they slid for a short distance before he could grasp it again. His palms were raw and stinging from the rope burn but she never made a sound. Clay could hear her frantic breathing in his ear. The girl was terrified but not of him and not of potentially falling to her death. She was terrified of what she had left behind in the castle.
Once they hit the ground, the princess let go and moved a few paces away. Clay gave a sharp tug on the rope, asking the stones for one last favor, and they complied. The hook landed neatly at his feet and he gathered it up along with the rope, tucking it all back in his pack.
“We have to run,” she said, calmly. She was all regal grace now, despite the fact that he could still feel the panic coming off of her in waves. “We have to go, right now, or they’ll find us.”
Without waiting for him to follow, she gathered her skirts and sprinted toward the forest. Clay watched her for a moment, struck by how impossible it seemed that the person he had come to kidnap actually wanted to be taken and then, snapping himself out of his reverie, jogged to catch up.
Clay ran with her into the forest and watched her from the corner of his eye. The woman looking around in wonder as if she’d never seen a tree before. Every once in a while, she would stretch her hand out and lightly touch a trunk as they passed by. Once she even stopped to bend down and smell a leaf from a low hanging branch. When it looked like she was about to pull the leaf from the tree, he stopped her.
“Don’t,” Clay said softly. “You’ll hurt it. Don’t you know that?”
She stared at him in silence, inspecting him closely for the first time, those tilted green eyes searching his soul. Stepping forward slowly, as if she was approaching a deer and didn’t want to startle it, she got close to him and put a hand on his chest and then snatched it away.
“Who are you? Why were you going to kidnap me?” she demanded in a tone that could only be delivered by a genuine princess.
Clay didn’t care for being commanded by someone who didn’t rule him and thought about giving her a cheeky response just to irk her but decided that half the truth would be annoying enough.
“I don’t know,” he told her plainly. “But I did, and here we are.” That was all this haughty royal was going to get from him until she learned how to address him politely, so Clay spun on his heel a
nd continued to the heart of the forest. After a moment, he could hear her following him. Her steps were light and quick but the fact that he could hear them at all told of her human side. He slowed his pace until she caught up and they walked in silence.
* * *
Lana was feeling so many emotions she didn’t even know how to begin to make sense of them. She was free and that made her feel exuberant. She was hunted and that brought terror. She was kidnapped and that only made her feel confused. Who was this man and what did he want from her? He didn’t seem inclined to give her any answers but she felt something of an affinity for him and that made her feel safe. She really shouldn’t feel safe, but there was something about him…
It was all so very strange.
She was still in awe of the massive forest around her. The scent of the fir trees and the earth under her feet was intoxicating. The man led the way to wherever he was taking her, carefully holding back brush until she’d passed it by, helping her clamber over trees that had fallen, but never speaking a word. Since he was keeping silent, Lana did the same but she couldn’t help feeling a rush of excitement every time he touched her. Because of her captivity, this was a new sensation.
As they walked through the forest, the elf kept his gaze straight ahead, so she was free to watch him undetected. He moved with such grace, almost feline. His eyes were tilted like hers, but more so, and his features appeared almost too delicate to be masculine. He was taller than her, not a common thing among the men she’d seen in her life, though that didn’t account for very many men at all.
Eventually, they broke into a clearing with a fire pit in the middle and the remains of a camp scattered around. Lana looked at her surroundings and stopped walking. What did he expect her to do? She decided she would just wait and see what would happen next.
The elf went around the nearby trees, always keeping her in sight, and collected branches and twigs from the ground. He piled them neatly in the fire pit and started a fire with some implements he’d pulled from his pack. Sitting on a nearby log, he stared into the flames for a time. Then, he looked up at her.
“Come and sit. Warm up. The night will only get colder,” he said, patting the space on the log next to him. Lana approached the fire, but stood on the opposite side, silently refusing the seat. He had some explaining to do and she wasn’t going to speak to him until he gave her answers.
Sighing, the man stood up and stretched, then approached her slowly. When she shifted to keep the flames between them, he smiled and stopped.
“Okay, fine, have it your way,” he said, crossing his arms. “So, tell me princess, what were you so afraid of back there? It wasn’t me, that’s for sure. I never thought I’d come to kidnap someone who actually wanted to be kidnapped.”
Lana frowned at him and narrowed her eyes. “Tell me who you are and what you want with me.”
The elf tilted his head, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “No,” he responded simply.
She wanted to strike him, this cocky man who thought he could speak so to a princess. She deserved respect, she commanded respect. Lana had never felt so outraged in her life. But there was a small part of her that was thrilled with this exchange. She’d never met such resistance before and it was like stretching a muscle that was desperate to be used.
“I command you-” she began.
“You do not command me,” he said evenly.
Lana fell silent, watching him for a long time. He stared back calmly. Finally, she sat down on the ground, folded her hands in her lap and watched the flames, ignoring him completely. He chuckled softly and settled himself down on the log.
“Better get some sleep, princess. We have a long road to travel. There are some people out there who want you very badly.” He shot her a devilish grin. “Don’t worry too much, though. I was told that you were not to come to any harm and I mean to see that you don’t. I will keep watch, you should rest.” And with that, the man wrapped his cloak around him and turned to face the direction of the castle, pulling out the dagger from the sheath on his belt and placing it in his lap.
Why isn’t he worried that I’ll run away? She could, of course. There was nothing keeping her here. He hadn’t bound her hands or feet. Lana looked around at the forest, this place she’d always seen from afar but never imagined she would get to see up close. It was extraordinary. She was free, finally. But there was something menacing about a dark forest. She shivered, peering out into the darkness. No, she wouldn’t run. She had nowhere to go, no destination in mind and he would be able to catch her anyway. Lana remembered the way he had moved earlier, so at home in this wilderness. She would stay with this strange man for a while. She knew nothing about the world beyond her castle but he did. For now, she needed him.
Lana stretched out on the forest floor, no blanket to keep her warm or even a cloak. The ground was softer than she would have thought but it was nothing compared to her bed in the castle. Her last thought was to wonder why she never heard an alarm raised. There were no signs of pursuit. Why weren’t they coming for her? She could ask her captor, but he seemed mostly unconcerned so she decided she must be safe for now.
She watched the trees above her, marveling at their size and before long, she was fast asleep.
* * *
Clay watched the forest and listened to the trees. If anyone was coming for them, they would let him know. He could feel their watchfulness. An animal of some sort was walking nearby, likely a deer from the sound of it. Nothing to worry about. He was trying not to listen to the princess’s soft breathing, slow and deep in her sleep. He couldn’t stop himself from looking at her, though. It was his job to deliver her to the elders in one piece so watching was part of his duty, Clay reasoned. She looked angry even as she slept. Her brow was slightly furrowed. It was cute.
He turned his attention back to the forest. The princess had slept for a few hours but there were still no signs of anyone coming to reclaim her. Why weren’t they following? She seemed scared to death in the castle so surely there was some imminent threat she felt she needed to escape from. It stood to reason that guards should have been right behind them but the trees were not alarmed, the forest hadn’t been breached. Maybe the guards thought they would flee to the town outside the castle and try to hide there. Clay had considered that exact plan and decided against it. They would just get penned in if they stayed within the city walls. No, the only escape would be the forest.
He stood up and stretched his limbs, stiff from sitting for so long. It was time to get moving again so they could get somewhere secure enough for him to rest. He walked over to the princess to wake her but found that she was laying there with her eyes wide open, staring at him angrily. Such a temper. His movement must have been enough to rouse her. Well, she was half elf so she would have pretty good hearing. He’d have to remember that.
“It’s time to go, princess,” Clay said calmly, not ready to rile her up again just yet. He turned to put out the fire and gather his belongings. It was going to be a long walk to get to the other side of the forest and into the plains and he wanted to make it by sunrise.
Clay turned back to her and she was on her feet, brushing off her skirts. The dress was ruined but would still fetch enough to buy provisions and some traveling gear for her. He wondered how she’d like tromping around in pants. He chuckled at the thought of stuffing a princess into pants and she glared at him.
“Let’s go,” he called to her and started walking.
She followed and after some time finally spoke up. “Why isn’t anyone following us?”
The question had been asked without that tone of command so he answered. “I wish I knew. I wonder if they thought we would try to hide in the city.”
She frowned, considering that. “Perhaps.”
They had walked for an hour and the princess was starting to lag behind. They stopped so she could rest and she pulled off one of her slippers to rub at her feet while leaning against a tree.
“We need to stop a
t a town soon,” Clay said. “Those clothes are too fine for the places we’re going, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. Not only that, they aren’t fit for travel and we have many miles ahead of us.”
“I care not for finery,” she said haughtily. “It means nothing to me. Do what you must.” She put her shoe back on and started walking again.
“Yes, princess,” he said mockingly.
She spun around suddenly, glaring at him. “Lana.”
Clay raised his eyebrows at her, not sure what she was trying to tell him.
“That’s my name,” she said. “Lana. Not princess. Not anymore.”
“Hello, Lana,” he said, sweeping her a bow. “Pleasure to meet you. My name is Clay.”
“Clay…” she said, trying the name out. “Nice to meet you, Clay.” She executed a perfect curtsy. “Now, will you tell me where we’re going?”
“There’s a small town backed up against the forest. It’s called Briar Glen. We can sell that dress and those shoes of yours and it should fetch enough to get a horse, some traveling clothes and provisions for the journey.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Lana responded, frowning. “You are kidnapping me but you haven’t told me where you plan to take me.”
Clay decided that the best thing he could do was to lie to her and put her mind at ease. It would make the journey go much more smoothly if she wasn’t too resistant.
“I said I was kidnapping you but it was actually a rescue mission. I don’t know who wanted you taken from that place but you seemed happy enough to go. I was not told why, I was only given a job to do and so I’m doing it.”
She was silent, absorbing that new information.
They continued on walking for a time. Clay felt a little disappointed that she was playing nicely. He rather enjoyed seeing her temper flare.
“What did you mean yesterday, when you told me not to hurt the tree?” Lana asked suddenly, ducking under a branch. They were walking slowly now, not rushing, trying to conserve their strength.