Betrayal (14 page)

I took a blanket with me.  I didn’t know if I could actually sleep on the trampoline alone or not.  Not!

And yes! 

I didn’t remember crying myself to sleep before unless it involved the trampoline.  I was independent.  I was my own self.  I would not be pinned up.  I covered in jasmine and curled up under the net wanting to be alone.  I knew I couldn't have lost Rion, but he wasn't right behind me when I arrived.

I wished sometimes I didn’t love him so much because it would be easier to stay angry with him.  Parents, older people who are married, they tell you “you just know” when you love someone.  I could count the times in my head that I’d been this irritated with Ian and how the anger dissipated into nothing at the first look of his convincing smile.  He knew this too.  Maybe that’s how he knew to hold on for so long.  He dealt with my foolish ways too..  He knew how much I loved him even years ago.

Something nudged my shoulder in my sleep.  I stayed still.  It happened again.  I knew it had to be Ian trying to get me up and come to his room even if my senses were sleeping still.  I wouldn’t give in this time.

“Is she dead?”

“No! Chach!”

What the—

“Grab her arms.  I’ll get the legs.”

Crap!  Crap!  Crap-o-la! 

Goblins.

Time was a black hole of endless stupid events.  How was I alone and without a guard, again?  Rion was on the ground knocked out cold.  When we passed him and the other downed guard, I tried to scream.

I screamed in my head for anyone to come rescue me. 

The little buggers took me bound and gagged through the trees not at all paying attention if my skin liked the thorns and vines that slashed on every turn.

I was dragged. 

I was yanked.

I was poked.  Not nicely.

When they dropped me, I rubbed every spot on my body and then some.  The ground was as soft as dirt could make it.  My clothes in tatters, I managed to sit on my bum and sneak a peek at the group over the little hill they dumped me by.  Sneak.  That word would have to go.  Gets me in too much trouble.

They
talked. In a language I could understand.  It hit me now, knocking me back a notch.  They were talking.  Ian never mentioned that.  Maybe I just never understood till now.  Maybe my abilities are growing.

“The king says he would trade.  Now that we have ‘er, let’s ‘esk fer more gold.”

“NO!” 

“YES!”

They stunk like garbage.  I listened to them go back and forth a while.  Where was Pike or Ian?  They usually save me by now if Kin isn't involved.  I tried to command them to let me go, but nada.  It didn’t seem to work on goblins.

“Sane says he would trade ‘er fer that amount.  If he wants ‘er alive, he will gives more.  She is the new queenie.”

“He neve’ says she has to be alive.  Chach!”  The one speaking was taller.  I could see his head. 

I prayed they didn’t own any foreign sharp objects.

“She lives.  Sane can do the dirty work.”

Wooo!  Thank the gods for that.  This gruff sounding one sounded older by old man voice standards, but who could distinguish age on goblins anyway?

“Fer now we wait.  King Sane will be ‘ere soon.”

And wait we did.  They ignored me leaving only one ugly mugged goblin guard to watch over me.  I sat against the rock, not completely uncomfortable.  Hungry, but otherwise fine.

“He ‘ill go after ‘er one way or other.  He try to lure ‘er there, but she not go.”

Hmm! 

The scratches across my face stung when I yawned or moved about.  My dress was missing in several revealing places that left me sitting odd to keep myself covered.  I wasn’t cold yet.

Something stabbed at my side.  My dagger.

Hours had to have passed since the sun was farther up in the sky.  With no sign of my saviors I began to devise an escape plan.  If Sane was on his way, would Kin be also?  Was Kin involved?  My heart broke a little.  I really felt like he might be changing for the better.  I hoped anyway.

I could easily overtake the goblin on watch.  Standing two feet taller, I could muscle my way past him and run for the woods.  I was fairly certain that they brought me southbound based on the path the sun was going.  I think we traveled for only thirty minutes or so which means we weren’t really that far considering.  So where were the guys?  If the guards were down, it is possible they don't know.

I heard a rustling in the bushes near me.  My head popped sideways in the direction it came, but suspicions told me to look the other way in case it was Ian or Pike.  The mindless goblin guard would still catch me gawking at the moving brush.

I made casual glances in several directions hoping to catch a glimpse of my man coming to the rescue.  Nothing.

Fear of not being saved was starting to set in when another hour or so passed and no Kin either.  The dagger poked my side giving me plan B as I forced the fears away.  I drifted off a little in the silence and came too with my head tilted over. I’d never sat curled in a ball starved and thirsty on the dirt, in a dress no less.  Guessing shock was the culprit, I admonished myself for losing focus and allowing myself to be vulnerable even more than I already seemed.  The night had come full circle and without a watch or a good view of the constellations, I couldn’t make out even a small estimation on time.  I was hungry, exhausted.

“He’s almost ‘ere,” gruffy voice said.

My body began to shake from the chill.  The guard stood me up and grappled my arm over to the spot where the others had been eating some kind of foul smelling watery stew for what I assumed might be breakfast.

“Make her stand still,” another one said.

Guard goblin yanked my arm down making his sharp as knives fingernails cut into my skin.  Tears sprang to my eyes, but I didn’t say a word.

Time passed slow as they finally let me sit back down where they stood.  Hours more. The beginning of dawn peeked over the trees as my stomach reminded me of its absence of substance. 

“When the king gets ‘ere, make sure he doesn’t get ‘er till we get the gold.”

The head goblin in charge was making all kinds of circles with his men. 

Small, round, little, ugly creatures holding black cannon balls ready for attack.  My mind went back to a day when I survived the attack.  Rion. 

I was alone. 

No one would save me.  I had vanished.  I couldn’t scream and be heard.  I couldn’t magic my way out of this.  Magic?

I looked around surveying the area, light headed and thirsty.  Counted.  Measured.  Running was the best option.  Only option.  Fifteen goblins including the taller one who looked almost like a Nym and goblin mixed.  That was obscene.

I found the best opening and calculated how many times the two predictable guards beside me looked away in a patterned way.  I saw the way the head Goblin looked off towards a beaten down brush pile away from my own eyes and assumed the worst.  The
In
Sane king was close.

Pop!  Someone’s face rose above me.  I hated that my sense of smell didn’t work on all things alive.  When I met this next kidnapper's face though, I knew it well.

David!  “Switch?”

“Whatever names pleases you, love.” His voice was smooth and inviting like Kin’s, always trying too hard to make the girl fall into the “sexy voice trap”.  I was not in the mood for games at the moment.  His eyes went to the rings on my finger. 

“Don’t call me that.  I know your motives you spineless piece of—“

“Now, now.  Our princely heroes wouldn’t like such language coming from their saintly prophecy girl.  Pure and holy you shall stay.  For now.”

Switch edged closer to me slinking the blade of his knife across my cheek.  He
was
scaring me, but I could read people and creatures of this world better than ever.  Motives were harder, but not impossible. Giving credit to Pike for much of it seemed wrong but true nonetheless. It's not like he affects my time with Ian.   Since Pike’s first encounters, I have tried my best to avoid it for the sheer embarrassment of it.  Mine and the recipient. 

Switch felt only anger.  Nothing more.

“Course, damaged wasn’t worded in the deal.  I promised all else, but not
intact
.”

The goblin looked up at Switch giving him a goofy look that I could surmise meant something else enticing only to him, but a goblin’s face was wearily hard to read. 

“You are a traitor to Kin and he will see through your ways.”

“I doubt that.  I’ll just blame the goblins.  They would see you dead anyway, Seelie Queen are far on their list of likes.  I will just have my way with you and see that they receive the wrath.”  He eyed me over licking his lips.  Disgusting.  Definitely makes a girl see past the gorgeous outward package when the inside is tarnished with corruption.  Pushing the fear away, I tried to stay on task.  Rescue myself before Switch could follow through with what the human world would put him behind bars for.

Goofy goblin boy threw a look up at Switch again, but his eyes narrowed this time.  Baiting him was a good set up, for I had a secret.

“You know.  You could change the way this is going and take the whole darn court by surprise.”  His hip shifted, his hand returned his knife thinking I was far from a dangerous threat, but he held the hilt in case.  Wrong!

“HOW?”

I had no earthly idea, but I had him right where I wanted him now.  I pulled every ounce of power in me and froze Switch into a persuaded mojo version of what I now called “duped”.  He stood stark still stroking his knife secure in its pouch.  Now was my only choice. 

A very unpracticed but well aimed arm karate chopped my goblin friend and swooshed out the dagger landing a slice to his scaled dry skin. I floored the ground running the way we came wanting to scream bloody murder to alert my rescuers that had never come in hopes that they were maybe just lost looking for me and I was somehow undercover and undetectable.  I couldn’t see how.  Surely they could sense me like I do them.  I knew they could regardless of whether they admitted it or not.

Ian never got lost.  Nor did Pike.

I kept my bearings and ignored the new scrapes my skin met with as I flew through the trees praying my eyes would stay adjusted to the little light I was given.  I could hear my trail of chasers lagging behind me simply because I was taller and faster.  Seconds would count when Switch realized what I’d done.  A tree stump threatened to trip me.  Bad memories forced my feet to move faster.  Using my best mind tricks in hopes of success, I tried to create a glamour over me.  It wouldn’t work no matter how hard I pushed.  Thinking I needed high emotions only made me angry since I was an emotional mess at the time.  I forced my mind to wander down paths of the past knowing the memories would rile me up.  I’d hidden the idea that my own emotions were readable to others with the intentions of pondering it another day and keeping them blocked to save embarrassment, but I could see now how practicing to use them as fuel was a better idea.    I felt the tingles of glamour inside my mind angle up and wave out like the tide so I ducked down into a thick holly bush and went stone still including my wayward thoughts.  It worked.  I was covered in glamour stabbing at flesh I knew had to be goblin.

“Chach!  Chach!”

“Get the damn b—“

That’s all I heard.  I rolled again and away from the one I stabbed.   After the sounds passed right by me, I refused to move.  Minutes turned into an hour at the least.  I was so scared holding the dagger near my chest concealing it just in case.

I didn’t even relax my body from the fetal position or even notice how I started to sob.  I was scared.  Alone.  Panic set in.  The idea of leaving the spot only to be caught by Switch again kept me there.  Goblins and Kin’s men working together.  The Nym attack before.  It didn't make sense.  Who was sending them?

Rustle! 

I heard it again, and then again.  Closer now.

I held my accursed magic though it was killing me to do so.  I could tell I was weaker.

Whispers.

“I can tell she is near.”
              “As can I.”

“If she is close, she will answer.”

I recognized all three voices.  They were here.

A loud crack.  I think it was someone hitting something hard.  A tree.  Incoherent words escaped someone’s mouth aloud and then a kick to something hard vibrated the air. 

I whimpered uncontrollably. 
Here!
  I said in my mind. 

Nothing.

HERE!
  I screamed in my mind. 

Shuffling feet headed my way. 

“Grace, where are you?” Ian shouted.

I let go of the magic and tried to roll over out of the brush.  I just couldn’t move.  Stiff and aching everywhere, I just stayed there glued to the ground.

I’m here.