“And what happens to me when you’re gone? You’re right that my father won’t forgive this,” Sal said, his voice low and urgent.
Allie hesitated, then slipped into the water, letting herself enjoy the feel of the warmth. “Let’s just say I don’t think that’s going to be an issue when my mother’s done here.”
Sal frowned, even as Anna’s eyes went wide in understanding. Sal knelt down next to the water, his expression intense, “You think she can convince my father to forget this mistake? I doubt that greatly.”
Anna gave the young elf a pitying look, “I’ll just go get some towels fer ye then, shall I?”
Allie nodded, then looked up at Sal, “Don’t worry about it Sal, just stick by me. I’m doing my best to keep you alive and I intend to keep doing that. And can you please take this bracelet off?”
He started slightly then reached out as she lifted her wrist up and took the magic-suppressing bracelet off without another word. Allie repressed a smile at how easily he fell into line, then shook herself slightly. Don’t start thinking like that, that’s dangerous ground. I am not like Mother and I better not start acting like Mother. Looking up at Sal she said, “I’d like a little bit of privacy, but don’t go too far, alright?”
“I’ll sit on the stairs,” he said, putting the bracelet in a pouch at his belt. “All things considered I think I’ll stay close until I feel less like you’re the only one around here who doesn’t want me dead.”
Allie waited a few minutes during which she took care of practical needs like scrubbing her hair, to give Anna a chance to bring down the towels and leave again. When she was confident she was as alone as she was going to get she reached out to her bondmates, careful not to fully project to Jess, only to speak to them. Even with some time to digest the situation she was still angry enough that she was scaring herself a little bit and she didn’t want to risk hurting either of them. Again.
“Jess? Bleidd?”
“Allie?” Jess’s voice was so relived she could taste it, heavy and thick. Carried with him was a sense of Bleidd’s presence.
Her love for them warred with her anger. “I just want to know, before I start yelling at you, how could you do this?”
“How could who do what?” Bleidd thought back.
“You, Morighent, how could you?” she thought, struggling with her fury and knowing he wasn’t the one she was really angry with.
“Allie,” he thought back, guilt swirling around his words, “wait-“
“How could you call my mother? You know I haven’t seen the woman in 27 years, and I certainly don’t want to see her now. I didn’t need her showing up here when I wasn’t expecting her at all. If I was desperate enough to think calling her in was the only option then I would have asked you to do it, but to go behind my back and contact her without talking to me about it first, that’s just wrong.”
“Allie,” he protested, his emotions now a swirl of confusion and hurt, “I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t even know your mother’s name – how would I contact her?”
“But she said, she told me that my husband called her and told her what had happened and who had taken me,” Allie shot back, now as confused as he was.
“Allie,” Jess broke in, “I was the one who called your mother.”
“You! What?” she stammered, totally taken aback. She had assumed it must have been Bleidd because it was so like him to do something like that, but Jess…Jess always consulted her first, considered her feelings. “How?”
“The morning after you were taken, after we first spoke to you, when it was confirmed that the Dark Court was involved,” he said, his emotions for once almost a blank, “I realized that there was a strong chance we would not be able to reach you before you were taken further away. Possibly even out of the Holding. Searching for you in another Holding, another monarch’s realm, legally would be extraordinarily difficult. The odds would be high if you were taken to another Holding that we would not even gain permission to enter the other Holding with any authority until after our son was born, and the thought of that, I could not…and so I needed a back-up plan. And I remembered you saying that your mother was Dark Court. I pulled your permanent residency papers and I found her name – of course you had told me your clan before – and I found out from there what Holding you had been born in. And I used my authority to contact someone in that Holding and connect to someone in your clan, who in turn connected me to your mother. I did not even know if she could do anything for you, but it seemed the wisest course, to use the Dark against the Dark. I told her what we knew of who had taken you and the general area you were likely in. I had no idea she would move so quickly or be able to find you herself.”
Allie sat back, stunned. Oh Jess she thought to herself, seeing it from his point of view then, how terrified he must have been with her gone and only a tenuous lead to follow. Knowing all the ways that the investigation would be slowed each step of the way by elven Law. Not trusting her to save herself or him to save her he had looked for every possible means, and of course had stumbled upon her mother without any clue why that would upset Allie, or why it would only complicate the situation.
Her son chose that moment to kick and remind her of his presence. She settled her hand on her abdomen wincing slightly. “Alright” she thought to both of her spouses “I am sill mad, but I understand you didn’t know why involving her was a bad idea, and that you were only trying to help me any way you could.”
“Why is it a bad idea?” Bleidd asked. “And for the record if I had thought of it and had the means to track her down I may have done so myself, so you can be angry with both of us.”
“Is this some sort of husband solidarity thing?” she thought back, rubbing her temples. “Because that’s not fair, I’m obviously outnumbered.”
“Allie,” Jess said.
“Involving my mother is a bad idea because my mother’s response to most things is to destroy the problem utterly. That’s how she deals with things that get in her way. Scorched earth. Its why no one messes with her, and its why she felt I wasn’t strong enough to stay with her. She’s utterly merciless to her enemies. I seriously doubt anyone except my mother’s people and the two lesser Fey who own this place will be alive here by sunrise tomorrow.”
“Are you including yourself in that body count?” Bleidd said, his feelings grim.
Allie thought of Sal. “No, but I don’t intend to be here when the sun rises. I’m getting out of here at the first opportunity tonight before I find myself packed in my mother’s luggage and on my way back with her to her Holding.”
“Would she do that?” Jess said, his feelings subdued.
“If she thinks I’ve become an asset instead of a liability, yeah she would,” Allie said. “She came here thinking she’d find a child, even knowing I was married, she was picturing me as the little girl she left 3 decades ago. I think it shocked her to see me as an adult, and she kept talking about how cunning I was and being proud of me…yeah I think she may very well be planning to have me go back with her, and that is not happening.”
“I’m sorry Allie,” Jess said, his regret as bitter as vinegar.
“No my love, please don’t,” she thought back. “I’m sorry I was angry before. This whole situation, it’s so hard, and it seems like weeks have gone by in these few days. I love you both more than anything and I don’t mean to speak harshly to you. I just want to be back with you again. The idea of crossing the Wildlands is scary, but I don’t want to take that out on you.”
“We’re still on our way Allie, we will find you,” Bleidd said.
“I know you will,” she thought back projecting as much love as she could to them, “I guess it was just easier before to think all I had to do was sit here and wait to be rescued. Now I have to do the rescuing.”
“Do you have a plan?” Jess asked, his feelings stable again, his love wrapping around hers.
“Yeah, I think I do. I have an ally I’m taking wi
th me and I think with his help I can get out of here and headed in the right direction. If all goes well I’ll contact you again in the morning.”
Chapter 7 – Sunday Morning
Allie lay in the darkness, trying to still her racing heart as she felt the sadistic joy of her mother’s trow while they killed Varessial’s bodyguards. She’d never been this close to that sort of feeling since embracing her own nature, nor had she ever been so close to this kind of death and she found herself helpless against the energy. She could not stop herself from taking it in, even though it made her slightly nauseous and left her shaking.
She’d mentally stumbled upon the murders as they happened out behind the stable purely by accident. Above her in the rooms of the upper levels of the house the elves who were staying there were doing what elves enjoyed taking any opportunity to do. The sexual energy had drawn her like a siren song, almost irresistible in her deprived state. Almost. Until she forced herself to remember that two of the people in different areas very enthusiastically having sex up there were her mother and brother. And that Anna was not a happy participant in any of it. Those thoughts had sent her seeking frantically outward for anything else to focus on, and unfortunately she’d run directly into the murders.
Oh Gods this is so bad she groaned silently, afraid of waking Sal up. The young elf was asleep on the floor next to her, his even breathing the only other sound in the small room. She’d have to wake him up eventually, to convince him to leave with her, but she wanted him to get whatever sleep he could first. And they obviously couldn’t make a run for it now, with the trow outside, and everyone upstairs still…awake.
If she’s already making her first move against Varessial, having his bodyguards killed, then she won’t wait too long to kill him and his cousin Allie thought, biting her lip. She probably assumed I wanted Sal in here with me for the same, um, activity they have going on up there. Oh that is so creepy on so many levels. But at least it means he’s safe until morning. Not that I plan on us being here then.
Ameralleia had kept Allie close by her side all night until Allie had finally pled exhaustion and dragged Sal with her into the small pantry-turned-bedroom. The evening had been tense, with Varessial and Pollineir making every effort to ingrain themselves with Ameralleia and Allie’s mother toying with them, neither encouraging nor discouraging their hope. Allie’s brother had hovered near their mother all night, his compliments about Allie’s appearance and wit making her deeply uncomfortable. Their mother mostly ignored him, having too much fun stringing the other elves along. Allie found the entire thing disturbing and it had reinforced her resolve to make a run for it, especially after her mother made several comments implying – but not outright saying – she expected Allie to return with her.
Now she lay in the bed, counting her breaths as if she were meditating, in and out, trying to calm her mind and her feelings. Being a prisoner had been bad. Having Sal’s father arrive and being traded like chattel to his cousin had been worse. But seeing her mother had brought up a tidal wave of memories and feelings that she did not want to deal with. Again and again she found herself wishing she was a Bahvanshee fully in control of her abilities, who could use them against others, even though in the next moment she would be horrified at herself for thinking of using emotions as a weapon. Once during the evening when her mother had patted her hand, as if she were still the little girl Ameralleia had left, Allie had nearly stood up and screamed at her wanting to reveal that she wasn’t a weak human empath but something even the Dark Court feared. Wanting her mother to regret abandoning her. But just as desperately as she wanted to see her mother sorry for leaving her she desperately did not want to be ripped from her current life – from her home and her husbands – to be dragged back to a life where she’d be expected to have sex with someone for the fun of it and then slit their throat to prove a point. It would drive her mad, and she knew it.
The minutes dragged into hours and silence spun out throughout the house. Allie cautiously extended her senses out again, like a child expecting to get their fingers burned. But this time there were no emotional eddies or surges. Everyone was asleep, even the remaining trow. She let out another slow deep breath, embracing the quiet. Well she thought to herself it’s now or never. If I wait too long we won’t have enough of a head start if mother decides to follow me. And I have no idea whether she will or not, so I had better assume she will. She sat up slowly in the small bed, pushing the covers back and swinging her legs over to the floor.
“Sal, wake up,” Allie whispered, nudging the sleeping elf with her foot. She’d expected a slow reaction but he either wasn’t fully asleep or he slept lightly because his eyes popped open immediately.
He sat up, looking at Allie who was sitting on the bed above him. The mattress wasn’t that thick so it didn’t put her that far over his rough pallet of blankets on the floor, but she suspected from his point of view the difference was more than just physical positioning. He blinked at her slowly, his eyes fixed on her face in a way that reminded her oddly of her fairy hound, “What is it Allie? Is something wrong?”
“No,” she said, her own senses extended outwards into the rest of the house, carefully reading the other inhabitants. If there was any sign of anyone else being awake she had a few cover stories she could use to explain why they were out of the room, but she’d rather not have to use them. “I think they are all finally asleep and we need to talk.”
“Oh,” he said. “Right.”
He reached one hand up and tentatively slid it along her outstretched leg, “What do you want me to do?”
She grabbed his wrist when his hand reached her knee, embarrassed that he’d assumed ‘we need to talk’ was code for ‘I want sex’. And that his background meant he’d just do whatever he thought she wanted, even that. She shook her head slightly trying to refocus through the haze of worry and confusion emanating from him after she grabbed his hand. “That’s not what I meant, also not why I asked for you to stay in here with me – although that’s probably what everyone else is assuming.”
“Oh,” he said again, less confused but still worried.
She let go of his arm and he settled back down, still watching her for cues. It shook her to see him like this, so obviously beaten down and in such contrast to the confident, even cocky, young elf she’d first met in her store. “Listen, we need to get out of here, tonight.”
“Escape?” he said, frowning. “Why? Your mother is here now, you’re safe.”
“Well safe is a matter of perspective,” Allie said. “I’m safe from your father and his cousin, but I don’t want to go back with my mother any more than I think you wanted to go back to your old life.”
He flinched but nodded, “If I had a choice no, but it’s not in my hands. Even if you or your mother can convince my father not to kill me for this, this debacle, my situation is pretty grim. But running won’t help anything, he’ll just send Urien after me again and this time I won’t have any hope at all of mitigating things.”
“Sal,” Allie said, sighing heavily. She leaned forward, then reached out, despite her preference to avoid touching people, and put her hands on his shoulders. “Those two trow who came with your father are already dead. Your father and Pollineir will be dead by morning. I have got to leave while I can and if I leave you here you’ll be dead too. For whatever crazy reason I don’t want that to happen.”
His mouth fell open and he stared at her, his feelings a swirl of disbelief. She kept talking. “My mother doesn’t play around with these things. She was going to kill them from the moment she found out what was going on. She delayed slightly to get the details, to let him say enough in front of witnesses to incriminate himself beyond question. Then she kept them alive to toy with them, to have some sport. But they are as good as dead already. They will not leave here alive. Trust me. She said as much in her own roundabout way to me when we said goodnight to each other. Told me to sleep well because all our problems would be gone tomorrow and w
e could head home. What do you think she meant by that?”
Sal swallowed convulsively, “How do you know Urien and Uther are already dead?”
Crap Allie thought to herself then Screw it. I can tell him I’m an empath without telling him the Bahvanshee part. I may not want him tortured or dead but he’s not exactly my friend either. “I’m an empath. I can sense people’s emotions, and I…sensed them being killed a little while ago, by my mother’s people.”
Even in the dark her night vision was good enough to see him pale. She kept talking, “She wouldn’t have had that done if she meant to let any of you live.”
“I think I’m starting to understand why you didn’t want her involved in this,” he said softly.
“My mother is nothing if not ruthless,” she agreed. “And thorough. I can convince her to spare Anna and Cormac, I think, because they were only ever tangential here and they helped me. But she’s pretty pissed with you. I’m not sure anything I say will change that enough to matter.”
“Why do you care?” he whispered. “Why help me now?”
Allie sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time that day. “I don’t know, alright? I should be angry with you for getting me into this to begin with, but I keep looking at you and remembering the young elf coming into my store, joking around with me. How much spirit you had. I don’t want to see that spirit destroyed, not just in this moment but in general. I don’t want to see you end up like them, up there, hurting other people and enjoying it. I’m not saying you’re a perfect person – I don’t have any delusions that you are – I know you’re willing to hurt other people to save yourself. But I don’t think you enjoy it. I don’t think you hurt people for fun. And that matters to me. I can’t just leave you here to be killed because of me.”
Dark of Winter: A Between the Worlds novel Page 15
