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 centre.
“How much?” I asked a little dazed, holding the bracelet up.
The seller smiled gently. “Five coppers, miss.”
Five coppers? That was all. I picked it up, as well as another similar, only it had different coloured beads. Haydyn would like it, I was sure. “I’ll take the two.”
She smiled pleasantly at me again and took 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 impulsive buy. I wasn’t really much of a shopper.
I wandered for a while amongst the glitter and awe of the splendid market and then eyed a confectionary store in indecision. Finally, at the little growl my stomach gave, I shrugged and went inside to buy a cream cake. I took the cake back outside to stand back from the crowds at the corner of the shop where it met a narrow side path between buildings. I could eat my cake in peace here.
Although the cake was good, I couldn’t help feeling a little unsatisfied as I ate it people-watching. It was nowhere near as good as Cooks, 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 make my way back 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. Perfect.
Just as I made to take a step forward, I heard a scuffle from behind me. My heart spluttered with dread.
But it was too late.
A grimy hand clamped down on my mouth, dirty and sweaty, 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 shivered as a decayed breath hit my nostrils. I stilled, feeling the strength in his hold.
“Do it,” someone else said.
How many were there?! I turned to see just as a musky hood came down over my face, drowning me in darkness. Panicked, I began to thrash and beat out at my attackers. More hands clamped down on me, muffled grunts and curses as they tried to lift me off the ground. I was terrified, furious, to be so helpless and vulnerable, with one of my most valuable senses disabled.
The familiar sound of a sword hissing from its scabbard halted us all, and my heart fluttered as one of my captors grunted, “Deal with him.”
One of the Guard! I’d never been so thankful to be followed! Trying to listen to the fight that had broken out, I stupidly let myself be thrown up onto what I assumed was a hard shoulder. Grunts and a shout of pain found 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 began to squirm now, beating down on whatever body part I could find.
“Stop it, or we will kill your bodyguard!” the voice below me growled as an insolent hand swatted me hard on the bottom. Tears of humiliation sprung in my eyes but I stopped fighting, realising they had both I and the officer in an untenable position. If one of the Guard had let himself be 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.”
Realising we were really, truly going to be taken 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 my arm at a dizzying speed and flooded my brain in a gush of warmth and bright colours. The colours burst like fireworks in the night sky until they faded, leaving only a numbing darkness.
Chapter Eleven
A shaft of light shot up under my eyelids causing a sharp pain to ricochet through my head, eliciting a small moan through my dry lips.
“Rogan?” A familiar voice asked.
I jolted at the voice and then groaned, peeling my eyes open. I turned my head and winced at the cold stone beneath it. A tiny window was the source of the annoying light in another wise dank, cold cellar. I scrambled quickly to a sitting position, grit and dirt pinching my hands. Panic set in as I found Wolfe sitting near me, looking tired and pale; his eyes searching.
“Are you alright?” He asked softly.
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. I felt like I was in a dream. I couldn’t remember how I had gotten here. Flashes of images, of unfamiliar faces, swept through me. I remembered being jostled. And someone trying to feed me. And dreams. I felt like I had been dreaming forever.
“Where are we?” I croaked. My throat felt like it hadn’t been used in a while.
Wolfe sighed and pushed a cup of water to me. I gulped it thirstily.
“Do you remember being taken in the market at Ryl?”
Instant fear shot through my body and I trembled, dropping the cup. “Where are we?” I whispered, searching frantically about now. I could still feel that clammy, dirty hand over my mouth, those hands on my body as they tried to restrain me. “You were the one that followed me?”
He nodded gravely. “We’ve been kidnapped by the Iavii.”
My jaw dropped. 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 and I had just assumed this was the same situation. Maybe not. “Those gypsies 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 in my chest and I felt sick. “A few days. At the mercy of those people?”
Wolfe’s jaw clenched and he turned away from me in frustration. “Well you would have to defy orders and take off on your own somewhere.”
Heat, angry heat, shot through me, waking me up. “Oh it didn’t take long for the lecture to start, did it, Stovia?!”
“I’m not the one that 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’ve got!”
“A Dravilec?” I was momentarily thrown by the fact that gypsies would have a mage amongst 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 promptly told who they were and what they wanted with us.”
Feeling belittled and guilty I mumbled fearfully, “What do they want with us?”
He laughed humourlessly. “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 our safety ransom in exchange for land from Markiza Raven.”
I scoffed at the ridiculousness of it. “Are they idiots?” I made a face. “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 keep us hostage for a while. They know how much the Princezna cares about you.”
An awful understanding dawned. “You mean… 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 in my chest since we learned of the growing crime in Phaedra enlarged painfully. “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 him when he had that focused, ruthless look in his eye. “Yes. It is,” he replied finally.
“We have to get out of here.” I shook my head frantically and jumped up to rush at the cellar door. My legs felt wobbly after having not used them for a while but determinedly I held onto my balance.
“Rogan…”
I pulled at the door but it was worthless. Ignoring the prick of tears behind my eyes I peered through the bars. There was nothing there to see. Just a narrow, dark staircase leading upwards into the house. I whirled around, my eyes narrowing 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 instantly, but refused to show my fear. “Well, we have to do something.”
“The only chance we get is if they let us out of here.”
Reluctantly hearing the wisdom in his statement, I nodded and made my way back over to my spot at the wall. I slumped down to the ground and stared straight ahead. It was then I became aware of how much I needed a bath. I wrinkled my nose. Being kidnapped was not fun.
Wolfe grunted and muttered a curse under his breath.
“If you’ve got something to say, say it,” I snapped.
“Oh it’s nothing,” his words were laced in heavy sarcasm, “Just relaxing, you know, thanking my fortunate stars for being the one who was put in charge of protecting you.”
“Hey!” I whipped around to scowl at him. “No one asked you to protect me! To follow me!”
He rolled his eyes. “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 creepy… Iavii… people!” He spat.
“Oh dear haven,” I groaned, and leaned back against the cold brick wall, closing my eyes. “Will you get over it, already?”
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?!”