Taken by the Enemy

by Jennifer Bene

  Because no matter how much she wanted to say yes, lying alone in the dark with an ache in her chest, she knew she wasn’t thinking straight. There would be plenty of time to talk tomorrow, when her head was clearer.

  A sharp jerking motion pulled Emmie out of sleep with a gasp, and she was disoriented for a moment. She was on her stomach, her arms were being pulled painfully behind her back, and it was still dark. The sudden tightening of rope across her wrists made her panic. “Stop!”

  She twisted, trying to pull them free, but a knee landed on her back and she heard grumbling above her. “Stupid, spoiled, bitch…”

  Another knot tightened the rope around her wrists and she was finally able to twist enough to see who was on top of her. “Clara? What the fuck are you doing?”

  The blonde answered with a hard slap that knocked Emmie’s head against the bedding and made her cheek light up with pain. “Shut up!” Clara’s face was twisted with rage, and she reached down next to her to lift up a very sharp looking knife. “You’re going to come with me, Emmie, and if you scream, I’ll just cut off something unimportant. Understand?”

  “I don’t understand! I haven’t done anyth—” Another hard slap made Emmie gasp in pain, her eyes watering as she leaned her head against the ground.

  “Let me rephrase, how about you not talk at all unless I tell you to.” Clara climbed off of her and reached down to grip Emmie’s arm, digging her nails into her skin. “Get up.”

  Emmie stumbled to her feet, and Clara dragged her out the door of the stable. The sky was a dull gray, covered in clouds, but dawn was coming. Clara shoved her to the side and she almost tripped over Ben’s feet. “BEN!”

  “I said be quiet!” Clara hissed, bringing her knee up hard into Emmie stomach, and she would have collapsed to the ground if Clara hadn’t kept a vicious hold on her arm.

  “Please,” Emmie whispered, fighting the urge to throw up whatever was left in her stomach. She scanned Ben’s body and couldn’t see blood, but the man was completely unconscious, slumped to the ground. “What did you do to him? He’s —”

  “He’s an asshole.” Clara growled and pushed her around the side of the stable and on into the woods. “But he’s still alive, since you seem so concerned. He never even questioned why I had snuck some brew from the other growers. Idiot. I could have poisoned him, but I’m actually nice. He’ll wake up with a headache, and be in a ton of trouble when they find out we’re gone. Although why you’re pretending to care about any of them I have no idea, Miss Daniau.”

  Emmie stopped, frozen in place by the use of her real name. Suddenly, her situation felt even more dangerous, and she wondered how well she could outrun the girl with her hands bound.

  Clara turned towards her, grinning as she dug furrows into Emmie’s arm with her nails. “That’s right. I recognized you and your sister in your pretty dresses. Do you know how often the newspaper had pictures of your fucking family?” She huffed and kept walking, dragging a stunned Emmie along.

  “I could never read the stories, but men used to leave papers inside the brothel all the time, and we’d look at all the pictures, and everyone knew your father.” She laughed low as she stepped over a branch and Emmie almost tripped on it when Clara jerked her forward. “He was one of our frequent customers, but like most men in power he was all bravado in the street, and no real muscle in the sheets.”

  Emmie’s stomach turned. “I don’t want to hear this, Clara.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what you want to hear, Emmie! You’re going to listen to me because you and your damn father never took time to listen to anyone!” Clara growled. “No one listened to me! That’s for sure. One of his friends tried to leave without paying, and when I demanded he pay me, he hit me. So I smashed a bowl over his head. And who gets exiled? Who gets dragged through the streets while people shout whore?”

  The blonde shoved her hard against a tree, the prickly bush at its base scratching at her legs through her pants. Emmie kept her mouth shut tight as Clara moved closer to her, lifting the knife to trace it down her cheek. Fear made her tremble, and the edge of Clara’s mouth tilted in a small smile.

  “Me. He exiled me, and nothing happened to the man. Because he was rich.” Her voice was low and threatening, and the edge of the blade pressed harder against Emmie’ skin, making her whimper. “Do you think your daddy would still want you back if you weren’t as pretty?”

  Emmie closed her eyes, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to stay completely still.

  “Knowing your father, he probably wouldn’t want you back.” Clara dropped her hand and grabbed Emmie’s arm to jerk her forward again. “And you’re my ticket back into the city. Back into real houses, real food, and real friends. I’m sick of being the outcast in that damn village, watching all of you new bitches get chosen like you’re somehow special.”

  “How am I supposed to get you back into the city, Clara?” Emmie asked the question softly, but Clara just huffed.

  “I’m not stupid. Your father would never tolerate the embarrassment of having to exile his own daughter. No. You left for some reason, and whatever reason that was… I’m sure Daddy wants you back.”

  “He doesn’t want me back, Clara. I promise you, this is fool —” Emmie was cut off with another hard slap, and her ear was ringing as she shook her head.

  “Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” Clara grabbed her arm again and forced her to keep walking. “We have a full day’s walk to make it to the wall before nightfall. Don’t make me hurt you anymore.”

  Emmie clenched her jaw shut, hating that she had been so careless. If Clara had never seen the photograph of her and Gabrielle, this would have never happened. She would have never connected the dirty, messy, poorly dressed Emmie with the elegant, pristine, smiling Emeline Daniau.

  Her worst fears were happening, because if the girl was right, if they believed she was Emeline Anne Daniau, if they took them back into the city – her father would be waiting for her.

  They walked until she could see the sun through the treetops, and it had to be mid-morning when they finally stopped by a creek. Clara shoved Emmie to her knees and left her there to crouch down and drink from the clear water. As tempting as it was to try and run, her mouth was far too dry to pass up the opportunity to drink. She inched forward on her knees. “Clara? May I please have some water? I’m thirsty too.”

  The blonde turned, wiping her mouth with her shirt. For a moment, she was worried the woman would refuse, but then she smiled. “Of course, Emmie.”

  “Thank y—” Before she could finish Clara had grabbed her by her hair and yanked her forward, shoving her face first into the water. Emmie bucked, trying to pull back but her body weight was tilting her down into the creek. With a painful jerk, Clara pulled her out of the water and Emmie sputtered, choking on the water that had made its way into her nose and mouth.

  “Still thirsty, miss? Here, let me help.” Clara shoved her head back into the water and Emmie jerked her head back and forth, her nails biting into her palms as she fought the urge to try and breathe. Finally, just as her ears were starting to buzz, the woman pulled her back again and threw her down.

  For a few minutes every breath resulted in coughing and she just lay on her side trying to recover. The cool air was biting now that her hair was wet, and the ground was damp and cool beneath her this close to the creek.

  “Get up.” Clara nudged her with her foot, harder than necessary. “Up!”

  Emmie growled, rolling to her knees so she could kneel and then stand up slowly. The blonde didn’t even give her a moment before she’d planted her nails in her arm to drag her forward again. As much as Emmie wanted to scream at the woman, curse her, it was clear that Clara was anything but stable.

  The girl was insane.

  They marched for hours, and Emmie shivered for most of them, pleading with her own hair and clothes to dry. The trembling was an easy distraction from the random mumblings as Clara talked to herself. A littl
e after noon both of their stomachs were growling, but Emmie knew better than to say anything about it. She’d probably end up with a mouth full of dirt and rocks for the trouble.

  “What did Lucian see in you anyway? Before you pissed him off last night and got kicked back to the stable.” Clara’s sudden question made Emmie’s head snap up, pulling her out of the dark visions in her mind of what her father would do once he had her back.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Oh come on, he had to say something. It’s not like you have anything else to do right now, just answer me.” Clara seemed to be in a better mood, and Emmie wondered just how close they were to the city.

  “Or what? You’ll try to drown me again?”

  Clara laughed. “I wouldn’t have let you drown. You’re my pass back into the city, remember? Without you, they’d just turn me away again.”

  “Again?” Emmie asked, but Clara only rolled her eyes.

  “Tell me what Lucian saw in you. He hasn’t taken a woman for himself in my two years there, not even me, and I think every free man in the village has tried me once or twice.” The bitterness in her voice was apparent, and Emmie did her best to squash the momentary flash of sympathy.

  “He said he liked my spirit,” Emmie mumbled.

  “Your spirit?” She laughed. “If that’s all he cared about, he would have picked me!”

  “You’re not spirited, Clara, you’re a bitch.” Emmie regretted it the moment she said it, but instead of striking her the woman just stared at her.

  “Is that what he said?” Her voice was soft. “Is that what Lucian said about me?”

  “No.” He had called her a fucking nightmare, and crazy, but not a bitch.

  “What do you know anyway? He kicked you out of his bed too, so even if he liked your spirit, he clearly didn’t like what’s between your legs enough to mate you.” Clara smiled and made them start walking again. “He just never gave me a chance. I probably intimidated him, especially since he’s so out of practice. He would have loved fucking me.”

  “Sure.” Emmie muttered, keeping the reality of their situation to herself.

  “Either way, I’m glad he kicked you out. I was starting to think I’d never be able to get you alone again.” She laughed. “Now I’ll get to go back home. Maybe your daddy will even give me a reward for bringing you back, set me up nice in some little house. What do you think he’d pay to have you back safe and sound?”

  He’d kill you before he’d pay you a dime.

  Emmie kept her mouth shut tight, refusing to engage in the woman’s insanity any further. They had been walking most of the day and her feet and legs were tired, she just wanted to sit down for a minute, but based on the dropping sun – they could be at the city any moment.

  Any moment turned out to be another hour or so, but then the taller buildings inside the city came into view, and then the massive walls were visible through the trees. They were far to one side and Clara corrected their path to head directly towards the gates.

  According to their history books, over a thousand years ago there had been a need for huge fortresses like the one that cradled the city. There had been open warfare between the large cities, but now everyone mostly stayed within their own walls. It took weeks to travel to the nearest city and the trips were only taken when it was truly necessary. Letters didn’t even move between the cities much anymore. Coming upon it from the outside was intimidating, not just because of the sheer size, but the small moving figures along the tops meant it was difficult to approach without being seen.

  Except in the dark of night.

  Would Mathias still go through with his plan? What would happen if they did come into the city?

  Staring at the walls in person made all of their talking feel almost impossible.

  “HEY!” Clara shouted to her side, waving her free hand. “Guards! Hey!”

  “Go back, exile!” One of the guards leaned over the wall, pointing back into the forest.

  “I think you’ll want to bring us in!” Her voice rose up, the greedy grip on Emmie’s arm tightening.

  “We don’t want you. Now go back before we fire a warning shot.” The guard turned to step back from the wall, and Clara cursed to her side.

  “Before we go, maybe you should ask Jules Daniau if he’s missing a daughter!” Clara’s voice was taunting, and the way the guard rushed back to the wall made her laugh. “I’ve got Emmie Daniau here, but if you’d like us to leave —”

  “OPEN THE GATES!” The guard roared, and Clara grinned over at Emmie.

  “Look at that. Like a key in a lock. Guess Daddy does want you back.” Her words settled like stones in Emmie’s stomach, and she wished she could die on the spot, because whatever awaited her inside the walls was going to be so much worse than anything Lucian had done.

  Lucian.

  Her chest ached and she dropped her head forward in defeat as Clara dragged her towards the gates. She might never see Lucian again, might never get to smooth over the mess they had both made the day before. Her ass was still sore from his punishment, but instead of the memory bringing up anger she just wanted to be in his arms again. To have him kiss her and comfort her.

  The clanking of the interior metal gate rising could be heard even through the thick wooden doors. Emmie knew from sneaking around with Gabrielle when they were children, that a huge beam the size of a tree also barricaded the doors themselves. It took a team of men to raise the metal gate, and a team to lift the beam away, and several men on each door to push them open.

  When the doors parted, there was an entire squad of guards, at least fifteen men, and two of them stepped forward to grab Clara and her, finally separating them. “Emeline Daniau?” The man’s voice was gruff, but Emmie kept her mouth shut.

  “It’s her! I swear it is!” Clara screamed, pointing at her. “Check her back pocket! She has a photograph!”

  Emmie cursed and looked up as the man dug his hand into one pocket, and then the other – and pulled out the photograph. It was folded in four, but the moment he opened it she heard his grunt. “It’s her. Let’s take them back.”

  The walk through the city drew too much attention, but Emmie was able to keep her head down, letting her messy hair cover her face so the people they passed wouldn’t recognize her. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at a low building, and the strange glow of electric lights made the room they placed her in look odd. The man that was holding her arm turned her around and began to work at the ropes on her wrists, relief flooding through her that she’d at least have her hands free.

  She was about to thank the man when another guard handed him metal cuffs. “Wait —”

  “Sit down.” The guard pushed her backwards until she dropped into a wooden chair, and he fed her wrists through gaps in the back of the chair and cuffed them together. It wasn’t particularly painful, and the cuffs weren’t too tight, but it meant she wasn’t moving. Then the other man knelt on the floor in front of her and looped a cuff around her ankle.

  “What are you doing?” she shouted, but he just grabbed her ankle tight when she struggled and pulled it to the outside of the chair, cuffing it in place. The first guard repeated it on her other side, and she found it impossible to bring her knees together.

  Shit.

  “We have some questions for you and we don’t need you kicking or hitting. If you spit at us, or if you can’t behave, we’ll gag you and you can just nod. Understand?”

  “You can’t do this to me.” Emmie’s voice was low, but the guard just laughed.

  “I don’t think you understand just how angry your father is, he’s had us searching for you for over two weeks. He threatened to exile any of us that spoke a word about your absence, but he also promised great rewards if you were returned to him – in decent condition.” The man ran his thumb over her cheek and she pulled back from him, glaring as her stomach dropped. “We’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”

  The two men laughed as they left the room, an
d she heard the turn of the lock. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, and it only took a few quick tugs against the metal cuffs to realize that she’d only hurt herself if she struggled.

  Her mind was a cacophony of fears that made her sick. Had her father really told these men they could touch her? Had she pushed him that far in his anger? What would happen once she was returned to him?

  Tears threatened in her eyes, but she refused to cry. She wasn’t going to show fear to these men.

  It seemed to be forever before she heard the lock turn in the door, but she didn’t lift her head even when the heavy footsteps of a man walked to the table in the room and grabbed the other chair. He dragged it, squealing, over the floor and set it down in front of her. “So, you’re Emeline Daniau.” The man sat down, but all she could see were his dark, clean boots. “I’m a sergeant in the guard here, and I have some questions for you. Your friend has been telling us quite a story.”

  “She’s not my friend,” Emmie growled, her fists clenching on the other side of the chair.

  “Either way, I need you to verify some things for us. Is it true there is a village of exiles in the forest?” His voice sounded bored, but Emmie kept her mouth shut. He repeated himself. “Is there a village of exiles in the forest, yes or no?”

  When she didn’t respond, he leaned forward and grabbed her face, jerking her head up so he could stare into her eyes. His were dark brown, and his face was tanned, a faint shadow of facial hair across his cheeks.

  “I assure you, this will go much more pleasantly if you answer me, Miss Daniau.” His grip tightened on her face, but she forced herself not to react or look away. “Is there a village, yes or no?”

  He waited. His eyes flicking back and forth between her own, and then his jaw tensed.

  “Last chance.”

  Emmie took a slow, steadying breath through her nose, preparing – and then he released her face and backhanded her hard. A burst of white-hot pain exploded in her cheek, and she suddenly missed the comparatively weak strikes from Clara. She bit her lip, suppressing the urge to cry out, and then she made herself sit back up.