Hostage

by Rachel Manija Brown

  She had to get away, to get on her horse and ride and ride. That’s what she always did when Min Soo upset her. But she expected that from Min Soo. Being angry with Father, lying to Father, having reason to lie to Father: it was as if the solid earth had shifted under her feet.

  She couldn’t let him see her stumble.

  “Then do you mind if I ride back by myself? I haven’t had a good gallop for days.”

  Father patted her shoulder. “Not at all. Would you like a bodyguard?”

  Kerry shook her head, like the strong heir she was. “I can protect myself.”

  At last came his smile of approval.

  For the first time, she was too angry to care.

  Chapter Twenty. Ruined City Outside Gold Point.

  Jennie

  Jennie took the binoculars from Mr. Vilas and peered down at Voske’s camp in the pre-dawn light. Relief washed over her when she spotted Ross climbing out of a sleeping bag. He didn’t seem to be injured, but he looked thin and tired and miserable. She wished she could run down, hug him, and get him out of there. Or at least let him know that she was near. He must feel so alone.

  She swung the binoculars, taking in the forty or so guards. She saw no way to even get a message to Ross, much less rescue him.

  A girl wearing a crimson shirt headed for the king’s tent.

  “Is that the crown princess?” Jennie asked. “The girl in red?”

  Mr. Vilas nodded.

  Brisa nudged Jennie. “I want to see the princess. I’ve always loved princess stories.”

  “Hold on.” Jennie squinted down at the camp.

  She could make out the silvery glint of Voske’s hair. He was surrounded by bodyguards, just like he’d been when she and the Rangers had fought him, and Sera Diaz had been killed. Sera had said, Take him down. They’ll all fall apart.

  Jennie handed Mr. Vilas the binoculars. “If we got closer, could you get a shot at Voske?”

  He laid his rifle on a rock and took the binoculars. After a long scan, he passed the binoculars back to Jennie. “I doubt it. See how he always keeps a crowd of guards around him?”

  Jennie peered downward. Voske leaped into view. She flinched, remembering that face from the battle, lit by the fire that she and her team had started when they blew up his ammunition. The princess had the same sharply pointed nose and chin, and high, prominent cheekbones—a face like a fox—though her hair was black.

  Mr. Vilas was right. With all the bodyguards surrounding the king, you’d never get a clear shot.

  Voske and the princess walked behind some huge boulders. He was obviously always aware of the danger of unseen enemies.

  Ross sat on a rock, ignoring a plate of food. Another boy sat beside him, gesturing as he talked. Soldiers stood nearby with their rifles pointed downward but in Ross’s direction. They were guarding Ross, not protecting him.

  Mr. Vilas nudged her. “I was wrong. I might get a clean shot from that hill.” He pointed fifty feet below, where a jumble of pine grew on a cliff overlooking the camp.

  Jennie brought the binoculars up. Voske and the princess were nowhere in sight. The only person the bounty hunter could get a clean shot at would be Ross.

  Jennie put down the binoculars. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  Mr. Vilas raised his eyebrows, as if she was inexplicably doubting him. “I could get that shot. Five minutes down this slope. Perfect cover all the way.”

  Brisa leaned out. “But . . .” She broke off.

  Mr. Vilas reached for his rifle. “It’s a clear shot.”

  Jennie put her hand on her pistol. She would shoot him before she would let him kill Ross. And she could draw faster than he could get his rifle. “Don’t move.”

  He stared at Jennie, eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth quirked.

  “Something’s happening down there,” said Yuki. “Give me the binoculars.”

  Jennie held them out to Yuki, but kept her other hand on her pistol and her gaze on the bounty hunter.

  “The girl in red is Voske’s daughter?” Yuki muttered incredulously. “She looks just like Paco. Just like.”

  Brisa gasped. “How could she? Paco isn’t . . .” There was a long pause. “Oh.”

  Leaves crunched as Yuki shifted position. “I should have known when I saw those kids of Voske’s. They seemed familiar, but I couldn’t think why.” Jennie felt his questioning gaze. “Jennie, did you know?”

  Jennie kept watching the bounty hunter. “We’ll talk about this later.”

  “Let me see,” said Indra.

  Though Jennie and Indra had never discussed Paco’s father—Jennie hadn’t wanted to think about it, and Indra had never brought it up—she knew from the lack of surprise in Indra’s voice that she wasn’t the only one who’d gotten a good look at Voske’s face during the battle at Las Anclas.

  Indra said, “Jennie, the princess is at the picket line. Alone.”

  Jennie grabbed the binoculars from Indra. If the bounty hunter moved, she’d use her power to snatch his rifle from his hands.

  The shimmering golden stallion the princess had approached laid back his ears and lashed his catlike tail. Jennie wouldn’t have wanted to ride that horse in that mood, and neither, apparently, did the princess. She turned to a placid gray mare, swung into the saddle and rode off, alone. She was heading northward, back toward Gold Point.

  That meant she’d pass directly below Jennie and her team. Alone.

  An entire plan leaped into Jennie’s mind—a plan that would keep the bounty hunter away from Ross, and maybe even get Ross back.

  “We’re going to capture the princess,” Jennie said. “We’ll take her back to Las Anclas and exchange her for Ross.”

  Nobody spoke. She lowered the binoculars to find everyone staring at her, Indra doubtful, Brisa astonished. Yuki’s gaze strayed toward the camp. He looked like he was in shock. The bounty hunter’s brows lifted and he gave a slow nod. He was the only one who approved.

  That made Jennie a little sick. But she tightened her resolve. “Come on. We have to get into position.”

  “We’re kidnapping her?” Indra asked, incredulous. “We don’t do that. Voske does that.”

  Jennie kept her voice low, but put all the authority she could muster into her words. “We’re not going to hurt her. We’re only going to capture her. And we won’t have her for long. Voske can’t want Ross more than his own daughter.”

  Indra looked away, his mouth a tight line. Yuki stared blankly down at the camp. Brisa’s eyes rounded in surprise.

  Frustration boiled in Jennie’s stomach. One more comment and she’d tell them all what she thought of this mission, of the Rangers, of everything. She was sick of horrible dilemmas. No matter what she chose, it always seemed to be wrong.

  I hate secrets. I hate the Rangers, she thought, scowling at Indra’s disapproving face, his tense shoulders. Oh, it felt so good to think that!

  This will be my last mission. I’ll rescue Ross, and then I’m done.

  Jennie looked directly at the bounty hunter, not Indra, as she spoke. “This is for Ross.”

  Indra followed her gaze. Mr. Vilas still had his hand stretched out toward his rifle.

  “Understood.” Indra’s brow smoothed, and she knew he’d remembered Mr. Preston’s secret order. “Jennie, you’re in command.”

  Chapter Twenty-One. Arroyo Outside Gold Point.

  Kerry

  Kerry guided the mare down the red rock canyon. She’d galloped halfway around the mountain, but even the magic of riding had failed to calm her. Nor was she any closer to figuring out whether Father was right to believe that Santiago would be safe. But she had to get the better of her anger. Of course she trusted Father—nobody was smarter, more determined, more successful. Nobody.

  He had to be right.

  But Ross had killed thirty soldiers in the battle at Las Anclas. Why would he care about one more? Much as she’d like to imagine that he could be happy in Gold Point, she knew that he was d
esperate to escape. Nobody would turn down their heart’s desire to save the life of an enemy.

  Think of it as a test, she told herself. Come up with a better plan.

  She could persuade Father that Santiago was too valuable to risk. No, nobody was too valuable. Certainly not a mere scout with a useless Change power. Even family wasn’t too valuable. Deirdre’s death had proved that. Refusing to risk even the most precious people to achieve one’s goals was weakness.

  What about locking Ross in the hell cells until his will was truly broken? Nausea curled in her stomach. Anyway, that would only make him even more desperate to get away. Or he’d sit there until he starved himself to death. She wouldn’t put it past him.

  I could run away, she thought. Like Sean. And take Santiago with me.

  She was weak and stupid if all she could come up with were childish fantasies. She needed a real plan.

  This is a test. I can’t fail now.

  The mare’s forefoot slid in rubble. Kerry guided the mare around a rock fall, then pulled up before an enormous boulder. She dismounted and went to see if there was enough room to squeeze past it. A fist-sized rock clattered down the side of the narrow arroyo. Kerry jumped back.

  The stone exploded in a burst of flame, sending sharp fragments into Kerry’s face. An ambush!

  She spun around and flung up her hands, creating a shield. A staff whistled down toward her head, swung by a tall man in a long black coat. It bounced off her shield, jarring her entire body.

  It was that traitor bounty hunter! She kept her shield up with her left hand, and shaped a sword in her right. Furious, she swung her sword with all her strength, slicing halfway through the staff.

  Two people tackled her from behind. The sky and the cliff whirled as she crashed to the ground. Her concentration broke, and her sword and shield vanished.

  Two enemies fought to pin her hands: a strong-looking girl with near-black skin, and a tall boy with braided hair. Kerry kicked the girl in the stomach, formed a pair of knives, and slashed out at them both. The boy stepped on her forearm. Kerry dug in her heels and yanked her arm, trying to dislodge him. He didn’t budge. Turning the knife into a whip, she snapped her wrist upward. The tip of the whip opened a long cut across his cheek.

  He recoiled, off-balance. Kerry rolled to her feet and got her back against the boulder. Loose braids swung across her eyes, half blinding her.

  She saw five enemies now, including the traitor. Even with Kerry’s weapons and skills, those were bad odds. If she wasn’t so far away from camp, she’d have screamed for help.

  Kerry could surround herself with a shield, but she’d quickly run out of air. All they’d have to do was wait. She dismissed that possibility. It was pointless and undignified.

  She lifted her head proudly. “I am Kerry Ji Sun Voske, crown princess of the Gold Point Empire. Run away now, or I’ll have your heads mounted outside my bedroom window.”

  Kerry materialized a sword in each hand. The dark girl jerked up her empty left hand and made a gesture with it. Kerry flinched, expecting some Change power to strike her, but nothing happened. The dark girl looked surprised.

  The bounty hunter, whose coat was falling off his shoulders, signaled to the dark girl. The girl raised her sword and charged. As Kerry spun to face her, a black cloth fell over her head. Kerry swung out her sword blindly, and started to reach up with her left hand to yank off the leather coat the bounty hunter had thrown at her.

  Two bodies slammed into her before she could get her hand up. She fell hard, her face shoved into the dust. Several sets of knees thumped onto her back and legs. She got one last swipe with a sword before her palms were smashed into the ground and pinned there.

  A girl chirped, “I’ve found her hair clip! Don’t want to leave any evidence. Oooh, it’s real gold.”

  Kerry hadn’t told anyone her exact route. If these kidnappers brushed out their tracks, no one would know what had happened. With the coat still over her head, she jerked her ear against her shoulder. Her face was quickly shoved back down, but not before her earring tore out. Her earlobe stung, but triumph was sharper. She’d left a clue.

  The gravelly voice of the bounty hunter interrupted her thoughts. “Her Change weapons come out of her palms. Tie them together.”

  As strong hands dragged her arms behind her back, Kerry managed to get her mouth out of the dirt. “How dare you try to kidnap me! My father will kill you all.”

  Her palms were squeezed together and tightly wrapped with cloth. Then the pressure on her left leg lightened. She lashed out and connected with someone’s shin, winning a satisfying grunt of pain.

  Someone yanked the coat away. Kerry was hauled her to her feet. She cast her gaze down till she spotted a glint of gold and ruby, then set her foot over her earring and glared.

  Finally, she got a good look at her enemies. She had no idea who they were, except for the bounty hunter, but she could give them suitable nicknames until she learned their real ones.

  The dark girl was big and lumpish as a steer, with a scowl fit to strip paint. Ox, Kerry decided. The boy with the ponytail was pale as a ghost, and far too lanky. Beanpole.

  The boy with the braid didn’t have as obvious and glaring flaws as the other two, but . . . Kerry’s critical gaze traveled from his face to his body, then back to his face. Nothing jumped out at her. She supposed his ears stuck out a bit. He could be Jug Ears.

  Kerry was pleased to see that both Ox and Beanpole were bleeding from her knives, Ox from her right hand and Beanpole from the shoulder. Kerry’s whip had cut open Jug Ears’ face.

  The other girl, whom Kerry was sorry to see was unhurt, had her hair tied up in babyish ribbons in a shade of pink Min Soo would love. She was fat enough to remind Kerry of the round dumplings Min Soo also loved, filled with sickly sweet bean paste. Dumpling.

  To Kerry’s disappointment, she’d also failed to wound the traitor bounty hunter. But at least she’d destroyed his staff.

  “Let’s go,” said Ox.

  With none of the respect due to a princess, they roughly grabbed her, flung her over her horse, and led her away, never spotting her earring. Kerry hoped she hadn’t accidentally buried it.

  When she saw the waiting horses, she knew the bounty hunter was still working for Las Anclas. The horses had antlers like deer, and a large gray rat perched on a saddle.

  Her enemies mounted up, guided their horses in to circle Kerry’s, and rode due west. When Dumpling started to speak, she was quickly hushed.

  Kerry waited until the direction they were taking was clear, then checked as best she could to make sure no one was looking. Wedging her ear into a bit of tack, she jerked her head and tore out her other earring. No one noticed.

  That was her last triumph. Otherwise she endured a nightmare of discomfort, while she alternately wondered what they thought they’d gain by kidnapping her, and whether Father would still go ahead with his plan and risk Santiago’s life.

  They stopped a few times to pour water into her mouth, but they didn’t make camp until nightfall. Kerry was dismayed to see how far they’d come. If Father didn’t find her earring until now, any search party would be a full day behind.

  “Father’s search parties are right behind us,” Kerry said. “If you let me go now, I’ll walk back and intercept them, and you can escape.”

  Nobody replied. Jug Ears began making a fire.

  Kerry couldn’t believe they were ignoring her. “I’ll have all your heads on pikes. After I’m done playing with you.”

  They ignored that, too. Kerry recalled Father’s lessons on how to intimidate people. For people who didn’t fear their own death, threatening the ones they loved worked nicely. It was too bad she didn’t know who they loved, but Father had taught her how to deal with that, too.

  “Father will come to Las Anclas with an army.” Kerry watched them carefully. “He won’t spare anyone. Not even your little sisters.” That got a good flinch from Jug Ears, Beanpole, and Ox. Ah-ha.
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br />   Kerry went on, “If your little sister is lucky, she’ll be beheaded without being tortured first. But since her big siblings kidnapped me, she won’t be lucky. Father has very skilled torturers. They can make an execution last all day. Usually, they begin by placing hot coals—“

  “Shut up!” Ox snapped. “One more word about torture or executions, and I’ll gag you.”

  Kerry sat back and enjoyed the unsettled silence that descended on the camp.

  It was broken by Dumpling. “You know what would be great right now? A nice, juicy, roast rabbit.”

  “You want it, Brisa, you shoot it and cook it,” Ox said.

  “Got it, Jennie. Jerky and tortillas it is.” Dumpling—Brisa—began passing out stiff tortillas and unappetizing strips of jerky.

  When she came to Kerry, she paused, head to one side. “I guess I could feed you.”

  “I don’t want your filthy hands on me,” Kerry said.

  “Aren’t you hungry, Princess?”

  “Not enough to eat food you’ve touched.”

  Brisa’s forehead puckered with hurt. Then, to Kerry’s surprise, Brisa gave her a sympathetic look. “I’d be in a bad mood, too, if I’d been kidnapped. You’ll feel better if you eat.”

  Was it some ploy? Kerry decided to play along. “I can’t eat unless you untie my hands.”

  Brisa turned to Ox—Jennie—who seemed to be the leader. “Can I?”

  “No,” Jennie said.

  There was the distinctive clatch-and-click of a rifle chambering a round. The bounty hunter sat opposite Kerry, the firelight beating on his face. “I’ll guard her.”

  Kerry didn’t flinch. “Go ahead and kill me. I’ll be so useful to you then.”

  The bounty hunter smiled. “You’ll be plenty useful with a smashed kneecap.”

  There’s the stick. She hoped there’d be a better carrot coming along than jerky and stale tortillas. Keeping her dignity, Kerry said, “Untie me. I won’t hurt you.”

  “Brisa, you can untie her,” Jennie said. “But stay out of the line of fire.”

  So much for the idea of shoving Brisa at the bounty hunter.