by Kristie Cook
She doesn’t seem to notice though, and for good reason because what she says next completely shatters my world.
“Maddie’s in the hospital.”
“She’s in the hospital? What’s wrong with her? Are you and Paul okay?” I just left a week ago, so my first instinct is that she has been in some sort of accident. Grey has entered my room now and closes the door behind him quietly.
“She got sick over the weekend and it has progressively gotten worse. She has pneumonia.” I can barely hear her now. It’s as if she is afraid saying the words too loud will make them more real.
Over the weekend.
Maddie got sick the weekend I left. The night she woke up in the middle of the night for the first time since she was a newborn. I knew something was off. I feel sick to my stomach. I want to rush home and make her feel better.
Then I realize: I can.
“Mom, I’m heading home right now. Everything will be fine, okay? I promise. I’ll make everything okay. I love you. I’ll see you soon.” I hang up quickly without waiting for her to respond and turn to Grey.
“Grey, I—”
“I know. Let’s go.” He reaches out for my hand and the next second we are standing in the airport parking lot where Greyson parked my car a week ago.
As I am fumbling around for my car keys, I realize that I never changed out of my gown. Crap. I am supposed to be skiing.
“I should probably change, huh?” My eyes well up with tears as I try to focus on my next step.
“Yes, that would be a good idea,” he agrees as he hands me a handkerchief. “We have time, Mia. It’s okay. Don’t cry. Everything will be fine.”
A part of me believes that. I do. But I am just so overwhelmed. Finally the tears begin streaming uncontrollably down my face. Grey pulls me into his arms and caresses my hair. He whispers something I don’t quite hear. I lean in and inhale his sweet, crisp apple and sandalwood scent, and for a moment I feel all will be okay in the world if I could just stay in his arms forever...
What is wrong with me? My baby sister is in the hospital and I am cuddling with a boy in a parking lot. I shake my head and get a hold of myself.
“We gotta go.” I get into my car.
He doesn’t say anything as he gets in and sits back with his eyes centered on the road ahead. We drive in silence until I pull into the driveway of my house.
“I’ll wait right here while you change,” he says quietly, his voice flat and monotone. He doesn’t even look at me. I brush it off and just try to focus. I have to get to Maddie, and soon before she gets any worse.
As I suspected, Mom and Paul are still at the hospital, so I don’t have to worry about sneaking in. I run up the stairs to my room, and my stomach drops to the floor as I turn on my bedroom light.
“Hey, Mia.”
It’s Brian.
Sleazy, smelly, creepy Brian.
He’s sitting on my bed with a deceitful grin plastered to his face. I look around and notice that he is accompanied by someone else. A tall, copper-haired boy I’ve never seen before. He’s wearing jeans and an untucked flannel shirt but he appears clean, unlike Brian who looks just as greasy as ever. His wavy locks fall in that slightly disheveled, messy but on purpose way, right above his ear. His perfectly normal human looking ear. I think it is safe to assume he’s not an elf. Plus, this guy has a five o’clock shadow. One of the many “elfisms” I learned this past week in Á lfheimr is that they never grow facial hair. It explains how Grey always manages to look so smooth and clean-shaven; he never has to actually shave.
“What are you doing here?” I demand defiantly, trying to hide my fear. I’m afraid I’ve just walked into a trap.
“I never thanked you for saving my life, now did I?” he says nonchalantly, as if it’s perfectly acceptable to sneak into a teenage girl’s bedroom in the middle of the night to express his gratitude.
I have an urge to punch him in his face.
“Brian, let’s just get on with it,” the copper-haired boy says from the corner over by the window. “There is a Light Elf in her car. He’s bound to grow suspicious if she doesn’t come down soon.”
God I hope so. I am desperately praying that Greyson will rush in and save me. Unfortunately, I have a sneaking suspicion that just isn’t going to happen. I’m just not that lucky.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Brian again.
He casually gets up from my bed and walks over to me. As he gets closer, I noticed he is wearing the same amethyst pendant that I always found odd. The pieces snap together and I realize Grey’s suspicions about how Brian managed to disappear so quickly that day are confirmed. Brian follows my gaze and a slow smile creeps across his face.
“Yes, it is what you think it is. A gift from King Dugan,” he says proudly.
This was not going to be good. I knew the Dark Elves would be looking for me. Why did I not insist that Grey come in the house with me? Heck, he should have insisted.
“Brian. Having a Light one so close is dangerous. If we must take her, we need to get on with it.” The copper-haired boy looks bored and mildly annoyed. If not for the scowl on his face, he would be quite handsome.
Whereas Brian seems to enjoy teasing me, the other one acts as though he would rather be anywhere but here right now and seems completely indifferent to my ineluctable peril.
“Fine, Jacoby.” So the copper-haired boy has a name. “Let’s go.”
Before I have time to react, Brian pounces. As soon as he grabs my arm, immediately overpowering me, we transport out of my bedroom. A second later we are no longer in my bedroom, and all hopes of saving Maddie Rose die in that moment. A piece of me dies too. How unfair is it to discover I have the ability to heal, only to be powerless to heal the one person in the world I care the most about? I am so wrapped up in my sorrow that I don’t immediately notice that we have arrived at our destination. Brian still has a firm grip on my arm, but it is completely unnecessary because I don’t even attempt to pull away as I take in my new surroundings. It takes my eyes a moment to adjust, but when they do I find myself even more frightened than before. Two torches hanging on opposite walls in this dimly lit room offer barely enough light to see my own hand in front of my face. I swear I can hear screaming echoing out of the darkness. I’m so terrified that I don’t realize I’m gripping Brian’s arm now as though it is my lifeline. Suddenly the room lights up and I find myself face to face with, quite frankly, the scariest looking creature I could ever have imagined.
“Mia Carrington. My lovely niece. I am so happy you have come to visit your old uncle at last.”
My uncle? Oh God. I am standing before Dugan, the Dark Elf King.
He’s a few inches taller than me, and almost as skinny, with stringy black hair that hangs down almost to his waist. His skin is the ashen-gray color of someone who hasn’t seen the light of day in a long, long time. If not for the sickly color of his skin, he could almost pass as a human. Except no human being would ever have eyes so black and full of evil.
He saunters over to me and chills run down my spine as he casually drags a two inch long fingernail across my jawline. I jerk back and it makes him cackle.
“Aren’t you jumpy?” he sneers. “We are family you know. You can relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”
For some reason I just can’t bring myself to believe him. He did just send his evil spies to kidnap me in the middle of the night, after all. I seriously doubt that Dugan ever plans to return me safe and sound to my bedroom.
“What do you want?” I demand much more confidently than I actually feel.
“Oh I think you know exactly what I want from you. I am sure my dear brother has told you all about the prophecy.”
“He might have mentioned it,” I respond with my chin arrogantly in the air. In fact, Alberico doesn’t even know that I know about the prophecy, but for some reason I don’t divulge that tidbit of information. There is no way I’m going to let him see how terrified I am. If I’m going to
go down anyway, I’m going to put up a fight. I catch a glimpse of the copper-haired boy named Jacoby, and he is staring at me with what I think may be amusement. Which sucks. Amusing is definitely not what I’m going for here.
“Good. I was afraid Alberico would try to be noble and keep the information from you. That was always his way. Sit back and watch. Try to protect. Ridiculous. If you want something, you go out and get it. Take you, for example. As soon as I heard of the prophecy, I sent my spies all over to scout for possible Half-bloods. I was quite intrigued to learn that my very own brother had been paying special attention to a mere human and her daughter. I sent Brian to watch you carefully. Alberico must have been interested in you for a reason. Imagine my delight when I discovered that my honorable brother may have fathered the one foretold to break this wretched curse? Ironic, wouldn’t you say?”
I just stare silently at him, desperately trying not to throw up all over myself.
“You seem like a smart girl. You know exactly what you need to do, don’t you?” He looks at me expectantly.
Except I don’t.
“I haven’t the foggiest idea how to break this curse. And even if I did, there is absolutely no way you could ever make me do it.”
The Dark Elves look uncomfortable, but Dugan just laughs.
“I have ways to break you, Mia. Why don’t you think long and hard before denying me?”
He snaps and two Dark Elves step forward, each grabbing one of my arms and leading me deeper into the Underworld. I want to scream and kick and make this as difficult for them as possible, but instead, I maintain my dignity and walk willingly.
As they lead me down into what I assume is the dungeon, I hear screaming, and the air is pungent with a distinct odor that can only be a combination of dirt, sweat, and the metallic scent of blood. We pass several rooms, some with doors open exposing walls adorned with chains, and even more with the thick wooden doors closed tight. The screams originate from behind these, accompanied by evil laughter. I feel sick to my stomach as I remember what I read about these Dark Elves.
We finally reach what will apparently be my cell. I try not to focus on the red-stained scratch marks on the stone wall that I can only assume have been made from human hands desperately trying to claw their way out of here. The fourth wall isn’t a wooden door like the ones we just passed, but rather consists of steel bars like an actual jail cell. My cell is sandwiched between two empty ones that are identical to it. After securely locking me in, Brian sits guard outside of my cell door for the next few hours, leaning back in his chair with his hands placed lazily behind his head and watching me pace around the cell. He looks pleased with himself.
Now I really want to punch him in his face.
Before I can say something that may very well get me in even more trouble than I’m already in, Jacoby comes down the stairs.
“Your shift is over, Brian.”
“Too bad. Nothing more entertaining than watching a caged animal.” He sighs. “See you soon, Mia.” Then he growls and barks at me, literally, like a dog would. He laughs to himself as he leaves the room.
Sleazeball.
Jacoby rolls his eyes disgustedly as he sits down, but instead of leaning back and making himself comfortable like Brian did, he leans forward, towards me.
“Well, you’re different than I was expecting.”
I ignore him and continue pacing around the cell.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” He asks after a few minutes.
Maybe if I ignore him long enough he will leave me alone?
“Hmm, you were much feistier before. Maybe you won’t be all that entertaining after all?”
“Sorry to disappoint.” I couldn’t stop myself. I bit down hard on my lip to keep myself from saying anything else.
“Ah, there it is. You’re kind of spunky. I like it.” He pauses for a moment, as though still waiting for me to say something before adding, “Spunky, but kind of stupid.”
“Excuse me?” I am seething, but when I stop pacing the miniature cell to look up at him, his expression surprises me. He appears concerned. Not exactly the emotion I was expecting to see from one of my kidnappers, as if he gives a damn what happens to me.
“You were stupid. You should have stayed where you were. Safe and sound in Á lfheimr,” he whispers.
“Yeah, well, I couldn’t very well do that now could I?” I snap. Thinking about Maddie makes me want to cry. I have to figure out a way to get to her.
“I’ve never been, of course, but I hear it’s quite lovely. What made you leave anyway?” He seems so genuinely curious that I almost want to answer him. Oddly, I feel compelled to. But I don’t let myself. I don’t know this guy and what little I do know isn’t good. He is one of them.
“That is really none of your business, now is it?” I collapse on the cot-like bed in my cell. I know that after all that has happened I should be utterly exhausted, but I’m too upset to be tired. Still, I simply can’t pace around this pestilential prison any longer. I’ve been provided a thin ragged sheet that I have absolutely no intention of ever covering myself up with, and a flat, dirty pillow. My mind is spinning and my heart is aching painfully. How am I going to get out of this mess?
Chapter Twelve
To my dismay, I must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing I know someone is gently shaking my shoulder.
“Mia? Hey Princess, wake up.”
“Don’t call me Princess,” I snap, which makes him laugh.
“How about Blondie?” he suggests arrogantly. I respond with a disgusted groan, which only makes him laugh harder. “Okay, okay, not Princess or Blondie, but rest assured, I’m bound to come up with a suitable nickname eventually. In the meantime, get up. I went to all the trouble of bringing you breakfast, the least you can do is eat it and attempt to be cordial. Though, from what I’ve seen so far, cordial may be a foreign concept to you.”
I am struggling to open my eyes in my sleepy haze when suddenly, the full force of the memories from last night slaps me back into my senses. I jerk away from Jacoby and I’m immediately on my feet. I’m not sure what exactly I have planned but I know I feel less vulnerable when I am standing.
“Says the evil kidnapper.” I glare at him and look around for any of the scary looking Dark Elves.
“Relax. It’s just me down here. And despite what you may think, I am not evil. I have absolutely no desire to harm a hair on your pretty little head. I swear.”
He holds up his hands innocently, and my heart slows down a bit. But I refuse to sit down next to him. He seems to find that humorous since he flashes a toothy grin that reaches all the way to his sparkling green eyes. He holds out a plate of food that he has brought down for me. It’s just some toast and oatmeal, but there is something mildly unappetizing about eating in a dank dungeon, so I just shake my head.
“Come on, you have to be hungry,” he persists. “And how do you expect to make your great escape on an empty stomach, Sugar?”
He winks at me.
I kind of want to kick him in the nuts.
What is with me lately? I am usually not this violent, but I guess being kidnapped and held hostage is bound to piss a girl off.
“No, Sugar isn’t quite right either.” He shrugs halfheartedly before patting the spot on the cot next to him. “Come on. Sit. Eat. Enjoy my company because I promise you, I am a hell of a lot more interesting than Brian and 100 times more pleasant to talk to than any of the Dark Elves.” He runs a hand through his hair, but the waves fall right back to their disheveled state. The glow from the torch reflects off his hair, causing its already coppery hue to glow like embers. He is actually quite attractive. His features are angular but in a perfect sort of way. His skin is surprisingly freckle free considering the auburn color of his hair. He actually has a better tan than me. His pretty green eyes are framed by dark eyelashes most women would kill for. And he has full, kissable pink lips.
He’s actually sort of swoon-wo
rthy.
A vision of Grey pops in my head and I feel guilty. Which is ridiculous for so many reasons. What the heck, Mia? I mentally slap the boy-crazy girl out of my head. Greyson and I are just friends, and this Jacoby character, regardless of how dreamy he may appear, is aiding and abetting my captivity. Not exactly the kind of guy you want to bring home to meet mom.
“Mia, I’m not going to bite.” He gently pats the spot right next to him again. I finally concede and sit down as far away from him as possible, which isn’t far on the narrow cot, and take my less than appealing breakfast while trying to appear grateful. I actually am a little hungry. I take a small nibble of the toast and it’s not terrible, so I take another bite.
“There. That is much better. I would hate to see you starve to death.”
“Why do you care anyway?” I finally say.
“Well, let’s just say that I don’t agree with keeping anyone, especially pretty girls, against their will. I would much rather they make the choice to be in my company, but since you are here anyway, I figure we better make the most of it.” He winks at me again.
“Is there something in your eye?”
“No, why?” He asks with a bemused expression.
“Then stop winking at me. It’s annoying.”
“Beautiful and feisty,” he mutters to himself. “I might never leave.”
“Do you mean that you can leave? He lets you?”
“I am not enslaved, if that is what you are asking,” he says cautiously.
“But why would you want to come back if you are free to leave at will? You can’t possibly want to be down here,” I ask incredulously.
“Truthfully? I don’t really spend much time down here anymore. Not unless I have a reason to.” He gestures at me pointedly, as if to indicate that I’m his reason for being here now. Which, I probably am. I am sure Dugan is forcing him to play guard.
“Where do you go when you leave? Do you have a house or something?”
I wish I could make myself shut up. I don’t have any desire to get friendly with this guy, but I am oddly curious. He’s human after all. If he doesn’t have to stay down here, why is he here at all?
