Sacrifice of the Septimus: Part 2 (Afterlife saga Book 7) (17 page)

“I need to see her, take me to her…
now”
                

Chapter 52

Throwing Caution to the Wind

“Hey Pip, time to get me out of here.”
I whispered still in the same throne room as before. After Draven demanded that Ranka take him to see me, I knew my time was limited. I watched as they both left before chancing calling for Pip but for some reason she wasn’t responding.

“Pip?” I said looking up at the ceiling as if I was trying to radio God himself.

“Shit, shit, shit…what to do, what to do?” I said pacing back and forth, not knowing what to do next. Should I wait and continue to try and hail Pip or should I just leg it and try to get back before Ranka and Draven? I knew that if I didn’t make that decision soon it would be too late as I needed to follow them to guide me back to the room.

“Come on Pip, last chance…BEAM ME BACK NOW!” I shouted making my voice echo but then wondering if it really echoed at all considering I wasn’t really here.

“Oh sod it, I can’t wait!” I said making my decision and racing towards the door hoping that I hadn’t left it too late and lost sight of them already. I yanked open the door and scanned the open hallways both left and right. I thought all was lost but then from the corner of my eye I spotted Draven striding through a doorway across the open courtyard. Watching all the people coming and going who seemed completely oblivious to me, I decided my best bet was to cut through the elaborate looking courtyard or I really did risk losing them.

I felt like shouting ‘what are all you people still doing here at this time?’ or was this everyone’s version of date night and instead of going to the movies, it was a midnight stroll around the palace fountain!

I zigzagged and weaved in and out of people, knowing that no one could see me but I wasn’t so sure if anyone could feel me or not, so knocking people down wasn’t an option. I looked up to see there was only one way of making this any easier and that was to simply go through the fountain itself!

“I can’t afford to lose them.” I said to myself and so without giving it another thought I ran towards the small wall surrounding the water and leapt over it landing ungracefully on all fours thanks to my clumsiness. I spat out the water like I was also blowing raspberries and wiped the remainder from my face as I got back up. Then I ran in the only awkward way anyone could when running in water until reaching the other side, where I then legged it to reach the same doorway I had seen him pass through.

It wasn’t easy running in a soaking wet tunic down to my ankles as I felt as though someone had dumped a wet sack over my head, but I could only imagine the trouble I would be in if I wasn’t in that room by the time they got there. How on earth would I explain any of it. Hell, I didn’t even understand it! And Pip, what had happened to Pip?

These were all the questions running through my mind as I ran like my life depended on it. I skidded around the pillar and through the door only to be left panicking even more when I had no clue as to which way they went.

“Come on, Pip!” I shouted looking up one last time before making the rash decision to continue forward, instead of turning down either of the two directions they could have taken. At first the odds didn’t seem to be in my favour until I rounded a corner and saw them just passing through a door at the end. My heart pounded and my lungs burned from all the physical exercise, which made me curse my stupid aversion to the gym. That was it, as soon as made it back I was signing myself up to one, because this was gettin
g
ridiculous! I couldn’t help thinking how much easier it would be when getting myself in these crazy situations if I was as fit as say, Zena warrior princess!

I pushed myself even harder making it to the door before yanking it open thinking that I would be faced with another hallway I would have to race down. Of course assumption can be the downfall for a lot of people, just as it was for me in that very moment, because directly on the other side I found Draven and Ranka.

They had obviously been stopped by someone as Draven, with his back to me, was busy speaking to someone in fine robes and a jewel encrusted turban.  My mouth dropped open in shock as everything else started to happen in slow motion.

Ranka was the first one to turn around to face me and from the look of astonishment she gave me, it didn’t take a genius to know that Pip’s voodoo was wearing off. I looked down at myself and frowned as my body started to fade in on itself, now making Ranka’s look of astonishment turn into one utter bewilderment.

Draven was still speaking so hadn’t yet noticed Ranka’s strange behaviour but this was about to change as he gave her a quick glance, as though he could feel something was wrong. She looked to him but it was too late, he had already seen her reaction to the doorway so was now turning around himself to see what it was she had been staring at. I closed my eyes hoping that I could prolong the time before having to explain myself and why I was stood opposite them both, now ringing wet. To be honest I couldn’t understand how they could now see me, unless…something terrible had happened to Pip?

That thought nearly sent me into blind panic and my eyes snapped open expecting to see the same look on Draven’s face as I had done on Ranka. Only that didn’t happen. No, instead I opened my eyes only to find my friend staring back at me and still in the same position as I had last left her.

“Pip?” I said her name in question and she grinned down at me, shrugged her shoulders and said,

“Uhh…my bad?” This was the moment I let myself panic!

“Shit! Pip what happened?! Never mind, we have to hurry ‘cause he is on his way up here!” Pip’s eyes widened but seeing that she didn’t move and was still sat on me, I had to buckaroo her off so that I could get up. She rolled to one side with an ‘umpf’ sound.

“I fell asleep. What do you mean he’s coming up here?”

“What do you mean you fell asleep?!” I shrieked back taking in her guilty look which at that moment she decided to combine with a yawn.

“What, I was wiped. Sending you palace hopping isn’t exactly something I can do with my pinky tied behind my back and with only three shakes of a lamb’s tail…no pun intended.” I frowned having no clue what any of that meant let alone what the pun could have been.

“Look it doesn’t matter but what does matter is that I am here now and pretty soon so will Draven!” This was when Pip finally got what I was freaking out about.

“Oh…OH! Oh okay, so keep calm…wait, why are you wet?” she asked, suddenly noticing first on herself from where she was sat on me and then on me, as I was still dripping on the floor.

“Because I ran through a fountain!”

“Rock on.” Pip commented giving me the sign of the horns, one usually reserved for rock concerts.

“Pip!” I shouted her name as she was still just sat on the bed, now holding her legs to her chest and rocking like a child.

“Oh right, panic…sorry, so what are we gonna do?”

“I don’t know, for starters how do I explain why I am all wet?”               

“I know, say you were sweating and not used to the heat.” I stopped in my tracks to give her a look.

“What?”

“Oh I don’t know, because the whole aim of this trip was to sleep with the younger version of my husband in hopes of him getting me pregnant and him walking in here finding me dripping wet with what he thinks is sweat doesn’t exactly scream sex appeal, Pip!” I told her and she looked as if she was going to say something but then stopped herself and said,

“Good point…sweaty sex…good, sweaty before…not so much.”

“Exactly. Now what are we gonna do because he can’t find you here and me looking like this.” I said holding out my wet hair after nodding to my ninja friend.

“Right! First things first, take off your clothes…quick, quick!” Pip said taking charge and after giving her a curious look she clapped her hands and said,

“Mush, mush!” After this I didn’t question it, I just did what she said and pulled my tunic over my head, trying to keep my modesty covered.  

“Good, now stand there…over a bit…yep, just there. Now brace yourself, it’s been a while since I did this.” Pip said after directing me in front of the open arch that lead onto a balcony.

“How long exactly?” I asked with trepidation.

“Oh I don’t know, the last time I did laundry, so a few years.” I gave her a raised eyebrow.

“What? I usually just buy new clothes when I need them…now are you ready?”

“For what?” I asked still having no clue as to what she was planning to do.

“This,” she said coming to stand in front of me, then after raising her hands up above her head she shouted a word I didn’t understand,

“AURA!” I didn’t have to wait long before something happened for it seemed like she was drawing in energy from somewhere. I watched as her small dainty hands started to shake and her eyes started to turn into black smoke. Then before I could ask if she was alright, she flicked her wrists and shot the energy my way.

I sucked in a quick breath as a mighty gust of wind hit me with enough force to send me back a step as I fought to stay upright. The air started to increase until it whipped around me like a small tornado, lifting my hair on end and spinning it around like rope. 

It only lasted seconds but it was enough to have me bone dry in a heartbeat and as the air was suddenly sucked back out into the night, I was left panting for breath. I looked up to see I wasn’t the only one trying to get over the storm that just entered the room as Pip was also trying to catch her breath.

“Pip that was…wow…it was…” I was still trying to find the right words when Pip’s head snapped up from where she was bent over and she said,

“Out of time.” I followed her intense gaze to the door to see she was right, we were out of time. We could hear not only the footsteps outside but also when Ranka dismissed the guards from their duty.

“Quick, on the bed, pretend to be asleep!” Pip whispered desperately and I didn’t waste time. I could just see the door opening as Pip did a running leap over the balcony, dropping out of sight. I sucked in a gasp not knowing where my friend had landed but the second I did, I also heard her voice pop inside my head.

“Don’t worry about me Sugar Toots, I am fine but remember, no nookie for you, not until Ari turns up or shit will hit this time warp and our cover will be blown. Now have fun…but not too much…nighty night.”
I tried not to smile at her mindful farewell, along with her ‘no sex warning’ and closed my eyes just as I could hear them both walk through the door.

“You see my Lord, she is safe and well.” Ranka said in hushed tones obviously believing that I was fast asleep or at least playing along with it after what she had seen only minutes before back in the hallway. No wonder she also sounded slightly relieved and I was sure Pip and I would be explaining that one tomorrow.

“Very good, you may leave us now,” Draven said sternly and I had to wonder what had been said between the throne room and here. Had Ranka told him of the attack and how Stateira’s sister had been sent to kill me?

“My Lord?”

“I must know that she is safe and the only way for me to know for certain is if I remain with her.” He informed her and my heart skipped a beat. He was spending the night? I don’t know who was more shocked, me or Ranka.

“I…uh…do you think that wise my Lord, it is just that if people find…”

“Do you think me to be more concerned with palace gossip over the life of the woman I love?” he asked seriously after first interrupting her and again my heart was going berserk.

“No my King, forgive me. The grounds for my concern is only making her more at risk from those who learn of her importance to you through such actions.” After this I heard Draven sigh because he no doubt knew she was right. It had been the same reasons for his caution back in my time as he knew once his people got wind of me then it would also be like asking me to live with a big target on my back.

At first I remember thinking that he was simply being over protective but now looking back at all that had happened, I knew he had been right. For I hadn’t spent many days since then when some plot against us wasn’t being hatched by our enemies and I wasn’t in danger of some sort. Hell, it was exhausting just thinking back over the years of what we had been forced to endure just so we could stay together.

“Her importance to me will soon be known at the choosing tonight and once the announcement is made, then there will be no more opportunities to be had, not when she will remain by my side and therefore have my constant protection.” This was the point I wanted to stick my head up and say…uh, what now? Because this wasn’t exactly the Draven I had planned for. Yes, an overbearing protective cave man act I was used to but never letting me out of his sight…I think that was a little much.

And besides, how was that going to work when he had not only an entire kingdom to run but also a hidden supernatural race to rule? And when he thought I was mortal just like the others who had no clue as to what was lurking in the shadows of this secret world of his. What was he planning to do about that…tell me and hope for the best? Well whatever he had planned, I doubted very much it was based on using a logical mind and more on acting with an irrational heart. Not that I was one to judge considering half of the crazy shit I had pulled in the name of love…
one called Draven.