Seventy-two hours after you read this
Must remain faithful and good
Do not seek the unblessed King’s talisman
only desolation and weakness will come, as time runs
Green warrior. Suddenly, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. When I had visited Marcum, my body was made of a glowing greenish-blue light. Holy crap. Émil had seen me fight evil in one of his weird visions. In three days… Crap. Crap. Crap.
Then the Tear of Uadjet rotated a couple times in opposite directions, left and right like a safe deposit dial, opening the compartment below the clock with a small explosion of dust that made me sneeze. I bent to see its interior. A couple dusty metallic pieces lay there. Instantly, I recognized it—the arm mechanism, or part of it since it looked like a gladiator bracelet and the arm and shoulder armor pieces. I took them out, and as I did, the Tear of Uadjet moved the mechanism again, the compartment door closed, and the tear popped out. I stood there in silence, holding the metallic piece I took out without knowing how to proceed.
What kind of sick joke was this? I could kill Émil for eluding to warn me. Why had he given me this? I wasn’t ready! I wasn’t even a warrior, or was I? Not yet. Crap. Now what would I do? What had I done?
Desperately, I pushed the tear back inside the slot and tried to move the clock hands, but the clock mechanism continued to gyrate and there was no stopping it. I couldn’t breathe. I tried to reason. Even if I could, putting the bracelet back inside the clock wouldn’t change my future. He had seen my future. He had given me the tear to protect me. Crap. Crap. Crap.
I needed to find out what time it was. I took the arm and shoulder armor pieces, the gladiator bracelet, and the Tear of Uadjet with me and stormed out of the room. I felt trepidation at the realization of what just happened.
I was going to fight evil soon, very soon.
This changed everything.
Chapter 41
Moonlight cast shadows inside my room as the heavy drapes fluttered with a cold breeze of the night—winter was finally approaching. I left my balcony doors open and sat on my bed. I felt numb, neither cold or warm, neither smart or strong. I held my knees, watching the embers of the fireplace Enit had left for me come alive as the breeze stirred it up. I was tired of trying to contact Émil so many times without any kind of results. I figured he was busy finding the meaning of life. All I could see in my mind was blue water, lots of it. Wherever he was, I couldn’t reach him right now, even when this constituted an emergency.
Four hours I had spent panicking. Dinner was plain torture. Champagne, candles, flowers, white linens, soft conversation, subtle glances. One thing I had to say for French cuisine was that my dinner was kind of strange. I’d never had frog legs (poor Kermit, he was probably in a wheelchair) or escargots (eew, slimy pests). Gratefully, I tasted just a couple before learning their source. I used to hate them when I used to help around the vegetable farms. I spat the second one inside my white linen napkin, trying not to gag.
However, when it came to the art of seduction, French men with aristocratic titles and money, hands down, were in for first prize. Namely Nicholas, who somehow had convinced Francis not to be part of tonight’s dinner. On one hand, it had been better this way. I was panicking so bad that I would have told Francis everything, and then… he would try to protect me. No. He could never know. On the other hand, well, I panicked so badly, I left Nicholas at the first sign of intimacy right after escargots. I’d asked him again about Gavril’s freedom. He came closer to my seat and kissed my hand.
“Let’s marry,” he’d said, opening a small box with a gorgeous ring inside. I gasped, and felt my hands shake.
“I—I don’t feel good.” I accidentally knocked my champagne glass onto his pants as I stood up then knocked the server and his tray with soup as I’d stormed out of the royal dining room. What can I say? I freaked out.
If I was going to fight evil, I didn’t want anyone I cared for to be a casualty of the fight. I had to take it somewhere away from Francis, Gavril, Nicholas, and even Demyan. I knew how Ash could overpower anyone. I didn’t want them to be in the same position as Mother Clarisse. This was my fight alone. Nicholas just shouldn’t marry—me.
Focus… The ball was tomorrow night.
Time was of essence. I had to negotiate with Nicholas to release Gavril. I was going to play dirty this time. The collar, according to Francis, was keyless. It needed the secret electronic code that Nicholas had. Once I had that, I could walk away and disappear. I was going to need Demyan’s help to pull this one off.
A party full of people in masks might work, I supposed. How convenient. It was the perfect timing to become a real career criminal. I was going to get those notes from Count Rubbish, then I needed a distraction to be my perfect getaway.
I wore the arm bracelet, but other than being weird in a Terminator kind of way, I couldn’t find it’s functionality.
I played with the Tear of Uadjet in my hands. Émil had said it was also a weapon. What kind of weapon? A sharp-edged stone was a better weapon. My awful six-inch heels were better weapons! I placed the shoulder piece, that first sight seemed incomplete, over my shoulder like I had seen in the picture. Except that in the picture, it had depicted the complete piece. I ogled and examined the Tear of Uadjet once more. The water sign was edged on the belly of the egg. Water.
I examined the pieces, but they had no receptacle of any kind. In fact, the pieces were heavy, and just like the egg, they were made out of many layers of engrains and mechanical pieces so small, I was astonished how Émil had even created them.
I licked my finger and rubbed the water symbol to clean the dust. The piece magnetized instantly and attached itself to the bracelet. I gasped, as the bracelet was undoing itself, covering my arm with separate pieces until reaching the piece over my shoulder. Suddenly my chest and arm were covered like the picture in Émil’s book.
I ran to the mirror and saw myself with the light of the moon that showered the room. Émil’s armor seemed to fit me perfectly and was quite flexible with all the jointed rings that expanded and contracted with my movements. I understood the function of it. It was designed to hold a sword for hours or carry out a fight without a sign of weakness.
Émil had made these for me—a girl. He understood I would need to hold my sword longer than I’d lasted with Reginald at the dungeons. Now I understood the value of the egg. Crap. Time was running out.
The sound of something heavy landing on my balcony brought me out of my own head. Someone was outside my open window. Crap. Whoever was on my balcony didn’t know I wasn’t in my bed. I had that as my advantage.
Nicholas, you are just going to scare her more.
… Unless it was an ill-advised, foolish, and very gorgeous prince and his invisible Draugr, Mara, arguing over me in French. Of course, they didn’t know I was listening to them. Right that moment, I was beyond scared and not from them. I was going to confront real evil soon.
This was how my ancestors made happy marriages, he said. According to who? The kings or the poor queens who had no choice? I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
There was something to be said about immortals. They tended to grow obtuse in their ways as time went by. It seemed as though Nicholas and the Strzyga kingdom had been in their little bubble too long and didn’t really feel the need to change with the times. The XY chromosome in the Strzyga kingdom was clearly small-minded about equality rights. I never felt more grateful to Francis.
Kidnapping is a very witless, thick-minded tradition. In this century, it’s considered as low as raping, Mara said.
Whoa—I could not agree more. His ancestors must have been the Australopithecus (cavemen) for that matter. Crap—kidnapping was the last thing I needed right that moment. Immortals. I shook my head.
I have to try. She keeps rejecting me. I know I will make her happy, he said.
Awh, so sweet. Crap. God help me stop this nonsense. They were still outside in my balcony.
>
She will not understand it, Mara warned him again in French, and she was right. He shouldn’t have sneaked into my room without my consent, particularly to kidnap me.
I am desperate. I know she feels this love as strong as I feel it for her. He was right. Sadly, I was going to continue disappointing him to protect his life.
I took one of the wheels of satin twine that was left in one of the baskets of fabric samples and ribbons in hopes I would pick some to make more of those ridiculous gowns. Well, I was picking this one for very different reasons. It was thickest and the strongest of all.
Go. I’ll be fine. Nicholas sent Mara away. He thought he had everything under control.
I chuckled. I was going to teach him a lesson. We XX chromosome females were not to be underestimated—ever.
The struggling rustle with the drapes was a noisy giveaway. I saw his shape under the moonlight. Nicholas had miscalculated the extent of his wings. I almost broke into laugher as his large wings got caught with the three layers of drapes over my windows. He then enfolded his wings to let go of the drapes. Shifting into his human form liberated himself from the tangle of the fabric. I waited until he was unaware, walking straight to my bed and right in front of me. There was no doubt who this person was, if the humming in my chest was any clue.
I jumped onto him. Instantly, I felt our bodies radiating warmth.
In one simple and unanticipated move, I made him lose his balance and he slammed onto the floor. I tied his hands behind his back and his bare feet together with the satin twine I had taken. He fought me, trying to push himself up with the help of his knees. He tried to shake me off his back, but I was quicker, holding down the back of his knees with the help of the strength of the armor. Unfortunately, the twine wasn’t long or strong enough to hold off for very long.
He was shirtless. God, he was sexy. Stop that. He also huffed and puffed, and he was seriously pissed off.
“What do you think you are doing?” His voice was angry as he struggled his hands and feet from his ties. Francis had taught me to make strong knots among other things.
“I am calling the guards. I have captured a brute and a debaucher.” I was being sarcastic of course. He couldn’t see the large mocking grin over my face.
“Wait! No guards… please.” His voice was almost humble now.
I had humiliated him. Crap. I felt terrible… until I remembered he was still holding Gavril and that he was going to force me to marry him.
“Tell me one good reason I should not be calling Reginald outside my door,” I asked him. This was payback for keeping Gavril in that insane collar and for coming into my room unannounced.
“Because if you do, your friend might pay the consequences.” He was now playing tough and dirty.
“That is unfair. If you do, I will leave, and good luck with your kingdom.”
“You will not leave me,” he warned me. Ha-ha. Just watch me.
“Oh, I’ll send you postcards. The Count will keep you company. He is quite the dresser,” I reassured him.
He inhaled at my words and turned sideways, fighting his ties. “I am not used to refusal,” he said, somewhat surprised. He looked at me wonderingly, as though studying my soul.
For one crazy moment, I wanted to lose myself totally to him and say yes.
“You are so… different,” he said.
No kidding… more than you would ever know. My DNA was pretty much freaky, even for Strzyga.
“Different?” I asked. I was curious of his definition of different. I had to ask. Besides, I had an ugly fear that he wanted me because I was his last choice.
“From anyone I know,” he confessed. I’ll bet. I wasn’t like the bombshells he was used to date. Nope. Not even close.
“Should I be worried?” I asked him with a teasing grin, but there was an underlying truth to that question. I was worried.
“Untie me first. Then we can continue this conversation.”
Right.
“Not until you either tell me why are you here or you give me the password to free my friend.”
“You are persistent. I’ll give you that. By the way, who taught you to fight like this?” he asked, still struggling with his ribbon. It was a matter of time before he would tear the twine apart.
“Oh, that was just a little Krav Maga and Jujutsu that Francis taught me,” I said, sitting down next to him with my legs crossed in Lotus.
“I should have known. Are you going to untie me?” he asked again.
“Are you going to tell me why you are here this late?” I already knew why. I wanted him to realize his mistake.
“I am supposed to…” He mumbled the last words.
I couldn’t help myself but grinning at his embarrassment. I arched my eyebrow at him expecting a proper delivery of his intentions.
“All right, I was supposed to kidnapped you,” he said.
I snorted with laughter. “Nicholas, you realize Francis could have killed you?” I shook my head with resignation. We could never be together if he appreciated his great immortal life.
“Ailie, you are very young, and you are scared. I understand that. But you must see how we feel without each other. How much more we are together. I need you, and you need me.”
I was very young, but old enough to marry? I shook my head.
“This is all an illusion. It isn’t real. Why does it have to be me or a Strzyga? You can make new laws. It is a new era where you can have anybody. Miss Universe or a famous Top Model.” I tried to reason with him with all my lies. I forced those lies on him, and it made me feel horrible, because it wasn’t at all what we felt right at that moment. But I was protecting him. I knew that much.
In 1.0 seconds, he was on top of me, kissing me. I had been distracted enough not to pay attention to his ties that he’d managed to brake. I kissed him back. A long moment went by. The universe had gone into Big Bang, collapsed, and renewed itself. Just us, two beings in this new universe that had survived. Mesmerized as how his eyes reflected the stars when they twinkled at me from the night sky.
“No. I have no eyes nor feelings for anyone but you,” he said to me, locking his eyes with mine so convincingly, I had to redouble my efforts. But I was out of ideas to refute the truth.
“Nicholas, please. You are confused—”
“No, shush.” Nicholas kneeled next to me, almost pleading, brushing a stubborn short lock of hair from my eyes. “I don’t understand what kind of trick the gods have for us. All I know is that I love you like I have never loved before,” he declared, should I say very vehemently.
He loved me. He really loved me. No one had ever loved me before. He loved me. The words were stuck like one of those old LPs that Mother Clarisse used to play. Crap. The worst part was that all I could think of was to kiss him again, those lips that were adoring and so sexy. As if reading my mind, he kissed me, and I gave into it, until we both were breathless.
“At least you haven’t said no.” He grinned, shaking his head at my shoulder armor.
I had forgotten he was a prince, with a crown and a kingdom to run and that I was just a girl with a death target painted on her back. All I knew at that moment was that I loved him too.
“I believe something so insignificant would never stop His Royal Highness from persisting.” I grinned back at him, and we both erupted into laughter. We both were under the empty-headed love spell.
He kissed me more to the point of madness, and there we were… just the two of us. He was right, we couldn’t be apart. Nothing else mattered. I was lying to myself, and I didn’t make sense anymore.
“I believe you know all my secrets, and it is not fair.” He gave me another dazzling smile, one that pronounced the cute dimple on his left side I liked so much. He twirled me in his arms.
I giggled, but I could not pretend I wasn’t worried.
“I want to talk about you. I want to hear all about your life, what you think, what you feel… everything. You were right. I want to know you.”
Uh, crap. Reality check. I wanted to tell him everything about me, everything. But the closer we got, the more danger he would be in. Ash and the Count could use any information against him or against me. He couldn’t possibly know anything about me. I had to stop this. Now.
A polite knock at my doors gave us a pause. We exchanged glances and blurted into laughter. We had gotten ourselves caught.
“That must be Reginald,” Nicholas said, straightening up before attending the call. How would he know? Uh, oh.
“You told Reginald?” I asked him, feeling a tad befuddled.
He grinned wickedly at me. “I had to tell him, so they wouldn’t be looking for you or me. It was actually your friend’s idea,” he admitted.
“Gavril told you to kidnap me?” Oh-em-gee.
He shrugged his shoulders and walked to my antechamber to open the doors. Gavril was in so much trouble now. Hoping to be not so obvious, I stepped closer to listen to the conversation. Nicholas was telling Reginald that we had decided to participate in the ball first. He was a gentleman after all. My hearts soared with love for him.
He turned to me, leaving the doors partially open. He took my hand and spoke. “I apologize for my unfitted behavior. I now rest assured you are well protected.” He looked at my shoulder armor with an amused grin. He kissed the back of my hand. “I thank you for the most intriguing and most enlightening soiree. I will be expecting with anxious anticipation your appearance at the ball tomorrow night. Good night, my princess,” he admonished and kissed my forehead.
I exhaled with relief as he left me alone in the room, and Reginald closed the doors with an uncontained facial expression mocking the prince. He suspected what had happened from personal experience.
The love cloud in my head cleared up sufficiently to let me know I was in trouble. I truly wanted to be a princess by Nicholas’s side. I wanted so badly to have the happy ending. The fairy tale. Nicholas loved me. What I wanted and what I could have couldn’t be so far apart. The golden arrow was in some way responsible for the way we both felt. We were ultimately in love, and it conflicted with the reality. I stared bleakly at the wall clock. I had sixty-six hours left.
Legends of Astræa: Cupid's Arrow Book 1 (Legends of Astræa Series) Page 40
