CHAPTER TEN
I want to tell you that I was brave. Hell, I always want to tell you that I was brave – that I soldiered on. But, after hours of being jostled and bounced around, I’d become a bawling mess in Drew's arms, and any hope that I'd survive was gone. I felt crushed.
Sure, I get depressed, but I never quite give up. That vanquished feeling never wins, because there's always some spark of hope that flares to life when the odds are against me. I always know that somehow, some way – I would come through it all with my skin intact, and better off than I started. Maybe it was all the years of writing happily ever after endings for the wretched heroines in my books. Maybe it was surviving impossible odds. I didn't know what fueled it. Whatever the cause, I just have this infallible belief that I will prevail in the end.
That was all gone.
Not only was I resolved that I was going to die, but I wanted to. I wanted to ghost out of this world and onto to the next phase of whatever existence I could manage. By the time we'd been traveling for a couple of hours, I'd not only convinced myself that we weren't meant to live forever, but I'd also tried impaling myself on one of Porkchop’s spikes as a means of ending it all.
Porkchop wasn't having any of my nonsense. Sadistic bastard. Every time I tried scaring him or waving my arms weakly around with intimidation, he'd given me a huff and a head tilt – as if to say "Bitch, please."
He was still with us. I couldn't decide whether it was from loneliness or the curiosity to see what kind of trouble we'd get into. But he was trailing along chattering in what I'd come to believe was the world's cutest bitch fest. More amusing was that Drew had begun responding.
"Yes. I know she's still crying," Drew would say after a prolonged bout of teeth clicking from Porkchop. Or, "I suppose it could be worse than suicide by porcupine butt."
"You're losing your mind, Drew" I croaked out after listening to them going back and forth for half an hour.
"What?"
"You've either spent too much time with me, or you're losing your ever-loving mind, talking to that creature."
He frowned down at me. "Why do you say that?"
"You act as though you can understand each other."
"Because we can."
"I'm sorry?"
"It only took about an hour before he was projecting his thoughts along with his vocalization to me. I speak porcupine now. So yes, we can understand each other."
I choked out an abbreviated laugh. "Of course, you can. Why are you able to read its mind but not the servant girls?"
"I have no earthly idea, maybe it was the proximity to the palace that was hindering my abilities. You should be able to soon, as well. Your communication device has been working even while you were out."
"Awesome," There was a bit of sarcasm in my voice. Who wouldn't be sarcastic at a time like this?
"Why do you think we veered off the path? He's telling me where to go to get you help."
"I'm hallucinating this, aren't I?"
"You've been in and out of consciousness, but you aren't hallucinating."
"I don't mean to be a crybaby, Drew." I finally admitted. "I don't ever remember hurting this much."
He had to stop to step carefully over a fallen branch, but the movement jostled me, and I hissed in response.
"I know," he rumbled.
"I wish I were as strong as Diana. I've never seen her cry."
"I have." He nodded at me. "Yeah, I saw her bawl her eyes out."
"No!" I exclaimed, surprised.
"Oh yeah, when you went on your first off-world mission without her, she cried for at least fifteen minutes because she was so afraid she'd lose you again."
"I think you're pulling my leg now." I looked at him from under my lashes. He still looked a little peaky, and I wondered how he'd hauled me for so long without collapsing. I wasn't a tiny little girl.
"Okay. Not fifteen minutes. But I did see a few tears."
"She shouldn't have sent me. I wasn't ready for this. I've been too out of touch for too long."
"I don't think she expected it to be this -" he paused, thinking of just the right word. "Trying."
I coughed a laugh. "That's an understatement. Granted, if I'd worn the right footwear, I probably wouldn't be weighing you down right now."
"You're not that heavy."
I scoffed. "Whatever. How far do you suppose we have to go? You can't have been going that fast."
He stopped finally and looked around. "I'm going to put you down for a minute and do a quick check. Is that okay?"
I nodded, and he set me in the shade of a mature, leafy green tree. I was going to be in pain no matter what but not being jostled felt a thousand times better. I sighed in relief and closed my eyes. The chittering started up again, and I opened them to see a large snout inches from my face. "You need to brush your teeth." My voice came out dull.
A few snorts and a huffy exclamation later, he shuffled a few feet away and plopped into his stomach. He kept a brown, wary, eye on me but didn't come closer.
After a few moments, I called up, "See anything?"
"Yeah. I'm coming down. We're going in the right direction. I see a few rooftops in the distance."
"Do you think it will be safe there?" I hated not knowing what we could expect. I could think of a thousand things that could and would go wrong right now.
"Porkchop seems to think so. He likes the name you gave him by the way. He says it's nicer than the other things that people have called him."
I looked at our unexpected companion, my face softening. "It's not his fault he was born with deadly butt spikes. He's sweet. He deserves a good name. Do you think we can take him home with us?"
Drew snorted. "Where would we put him?"
"He can live in my backyard."
"He'd be the only one of his kind on Earth, Grace. Don't you think he'd get lonely?"
I reached out toward the animal. No. He wouldn't be lonely and neither would I. We'd have each other.
"I heard that Grace. We need to talk about your isolationist behavior. It's not healthy."
"Whatever," I murmured.
"Brace yourself. This will probably hurt."
"No. Just leave me. You can bring a healer back here."
"Don't be an idiot. I'm not leaving you here."
"I refuse to move," I said mutinously.
"You don't have a choice. I'm picking you up whether you like it or not." He bent over, and I weakly pushed at him. "Just give up and go with it. I'm not leaving you here." He hefted me into his arms and shifted me into a more comfortable position.
"You'd be able to get away faster if you weren't lugging me."
"And then what? I can't open a Rift. So, it wouldn't matter."
"Oh right. Okay, let's get this over with."
"Now I know I'm hallucinating."
"You're not hallucinating, Grace. Shut up and just lay still."
"No, I think I am.” I nodded toward a break in the trees. The setting of the sun created a soft glow of light that framed a small village in the near distance. “I can’t think of a single person who would voluntarily paint their house puce."
It couldn't be real. The buildings, all painted different colors with designs in bias, were stacked against each other. Some listed like drunken friends against their sturdier counterparts. It would have been enchanting if not for the garish colors. Okay, maybe it was still a little enchanting.
"Thank Zeus," Drew breathed.
Porkchop responded with a stream of clicks and chatters and then sat next to a tree, refusing to move further.
"You think so?" Drew asked.
More chittering was his response.
"What is he saying?"
"He thinks you can get help here. But, he's afraid to go further. People killed his mate near here, and it makes him uneasy."
"So, whoever lives here could be evil, or they could have just been startled by a fiery-assed, giant porcupine. Hard call."
"Pretty much tha
t, yeah."
"Are we out of the zone yet? I think I'm still too weak to try calling up a weapon." And I was. My thoughts were scattered, and focusing on anything seemed impossible.
"Not yet, babe. We're close, though. I'm feeling stronger."
"I think I might be too far gone to heal from this, Drew."
"All I need you to do is open a portal, and we'll get your mother here. She'll fix you. She can fix anything, right?"
"Did you just call me babe?" I tried injecting some sass into the question, but it came out weak.
He chuckled. "There you are. You've been such a whiny mess for the last few hours I thought I was going to lose you."
"I'm afraid."
"Of course, you are. You are a lot of things, Grace Murphy, but you're not stupid. We could be walking right into an enemy camp right now, and the deities help me, I can't seem to avoid it. I have to get you to a healer."
I nodded. "Okay. But if they try to kill us, remember that I told you so."
"If it makes you feel better to be right, then okay."
"It does," I said smugly. "It makes me feel a lot better."
"You're a pain in my ass."
"Ditto."
"Shut up so I can pay attention to any impending traps."
"You shut up," I whispered.
"You're not getting the last word here," he said stubbornly. "I mean it. Shut up."
I opened my mouth to respond when we heard the short burst of a whistle. We'd been spotted.
"Well here goes nothing," I finally got out.
Drew gave me a beleaguered look and walked out of the clearing.
"Men surrounded us with raised weapons the moment we stepped out of the forest.
"I'm here seeking a healer!" Drew called out in English. The resulting looks were blank. Apparently, they didn't understand English.
"I don't think they speak English, genius."
"Oh, right. Undoubtedly, they don't.” Drew switched over to the language that he used with Dmitri and Apollo and loudly over-enunciated."
He set me gently on the ground and held up his hands.
"Typical male. Talk a little more loudly next time, so they really understand you."
"Shut up and hold your hands up Grace."
"Drew, I couldn't even if I wanted to. It's taking everything I have just to stay upright."
He said something else and then leaned over and tapped my ear. As it turns out, my translator had not been on. When he started speaking again to the villagers surrounding us, I could finally understand, but I was drifting and didn't pay much attention. A kaleidoscope of colors swirled in my vision, and for a moment I thought, "Well isn't this lovely?"
"You pass out again, and I'm letting you die, Grace," Drew growled it, and the tone snapped me into focus.
"I'm not passing out. Shut up."
The group warily agreed to take us to their healer, but we'd have to leave our weapons and equipment behind at the edge of the forest. I didn't think this was a good idea and said so. Drew threw me an exasperated look and agreed to the demand.
Before long, we were settled into a small lime green hut. "The healer would be along shortly," a stocky man in a purple cloak said before ducking through the door.
"They sure are colorful here," I gasped out. Breathing had become more difficult, but I was me. I couldn't let my opinion go unspoken.
"I find it charming," Drew said from across the room. He was examining various devices set atop a shelf. "These are more technologically advanced than I expected."
"And why is that?" asked the healer who'd just ducked through the door.
I choked and Drew reached into his pocket, and pulled out my axe. I was glad to see that he hadn't left it with the rest of our supplies on the edge of town, because Nemah stood before us, cloaked in a scarlet hood. I'd like to know how she got here before us. Granted we hadn't been running full speed, but still. It hadn't been a short jaunt either.
"Calm down," she tutted. "If I'd wanted you dead, I could have killed you at the palace." She dropped our packs beside the table I was sitting on and then stood back –probably to escape my stench.
"How did you get here before us?" I demanded.
"I live here. What are you doing here?" she responded, cocking her head to the side with a smile. I wanted to punch her and ruin that smile. Drew was right, I was awfully violent for a romance writer.
"We need healing for Grace. She's been poisoned." Drew moved in front of me, taking up a guard position.
"I couldn’t tell." She threw him a smirk and walked up to the table I was laying on. "I can see that she's sick. Ran into the Monster of Granuile Forest, did you?"
"He's not that bad once you get past the burning quills that shoot from his ass," I quipped.
"Indeed," she responded with a clucking noise. "This looks pretty bad. How long ago were you injured?"
"I don't know," I answered.
"It's been about four hours," Drew corrected.
"It's a miracle you're still alive." She washed her hands in a bowl by the table and started prodding the wound. The pus had gone from a bright neon green to a mottled gray with streaks of blood, and I gagged at both the smell and the sight.
"None of that now. What would the folks at home think of the Great Grace Murphy gagging at the sight of a little ooze?"
"Can you fix it or not," I grit out.
"Certainly I can. Although, I suspect that your body is already working toward healing itself." She walked over to a shelf and started pulling down bottles.
"I don't see how that's possible. Our regeneration powers haven't been working properly since we got here." Drew retorted. His color was up, and I was glad to see that while he looked weary, his body had lost the gauntness.
"Well, in another hour or so, you would have been free and clear."
"What does that mean?" Drew growled. "Are we prisoners here?"
"That depends on you, I suppose." She poured astringent liquids into a shallow bowl and then a pinch of something that made it catch fire. I stared into the flames, transfixed by the flickering light.
"Enough of the ambiguity," Drew jerked the axe and the hafts extended from the handle. "I have no problem slicing your throat and taking Grace away from here."
"Hecate culled most of this village after selecting her current coven from its ranks. Anyone powerful enough to go against her has been summarily murdered. So, you probably wouldn't find any single person strong enough to fight you, but they've become a distrustful lot. And," she pressed the cloth against my wound, and I let out a piercing shriek. "They have no problems making strangers disappear these days. Grace, don't be such a mewling babe."
It felt like someone had injected acid into my wound. The searing pain traveled up my arm and spread through my veins. I gripped the edge of the table and fought hard to stay silent.
After a few agonizing minutes, I finally ground out, "Why is everyone so damned afraid of Hecate?"
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The angry healer rounded on Drew and gave him an aggravated sneer. "How will she ever learn anything if you keep her in the dark? Hecate should have been one of the first people she heard about."
"We've been too busy trying to keep your mother buried." He took a threatening step toward her, but she didn't back down.
I croaked out a "What?" as she said, "How long have you known?"
I clamped my lips shut; I wanted to hear his answer as well. What she'd said about them not telling me anything hit a nerve. I'd focused on one thing for so long that I'd lost sight of all the other danger that could hit us.
"I realized who you were about five minutes after you walked into our room. You should have used a glamour if you'd wanted to hide."
"Well, I couldn't. None of my power works within Hecate's sphere. You may have noticed the pillars on the bridge. She cast a spell and nothing sparks within a thirty-mile radius except for her own power. I suspect that she's also using that spell to steal power from those who unsuspecting
ly fall into her trap."
My curiosity got the best of me, and I had to ask, "Why are you helping us? Considering who your mother is and what I've been working towards, I'm surprised you haven't killed us by now."
She snorted and measured out some powder into a bubbling liquid. "You don't need me to kill you, Grace. You'll probably accomplish that all on your own."
"Nemesis," Drew warned.
"Well, it's true. I haven't come across anyone as ignorant or bumbling, in… well ever."
Good Christ, we were in so much trouble. "Nemesis? THE Nemesis?"
She rolled her eyes and gave me a short bow. "At your service."
"How did you get here? Why are you still here? And more importantly, why didn't you answer my question? I'm not so out of it that I didn't notice that, by the way."
"We don't have time for this. Hecate has soldiers stationed outside the village. They'll be here soon. There's a matter transporter in the village if reinforcements are needed. Consequently, that's how I got here before you." She gave me a wry look before continuing. "We need to get you patched up and on your way before they start checking door to door."
"Matter Transporter?" My ears perked up at that. This culture may not have the same kind of technology, but if they could beam me up, Scotty-style, I was impressed.
Drew groaned at my interest. He'd had to listen to hours of Star Trek speculation over the years and knew that once I got started, I'd never stop.
"Yes, a teleporter, for an easy journey. The palace as well as all of the major cities and villages have one. I would have had you use that instead of risking injury in the forest. How did you get out, by the way?"
"A mutilated servant showed up to clean our room and showed us a secret tunnel."
Nemesis froze. "What did you say?"
"A servant showed up and showed us the way out?"
"That's impossible. Aliana is dead. Has been for weeks. Her body washed up on the shore beneath the palace, mutilated almost beyond recognition, much like her cousin's."
“Who? Who has been dead for weeks?”
“Aliana.” Nemesis turned away after she said it, busying herself on the other side of the room.
Drew cursed and left the room. We'd been had. He'd been had, and more importantly, our mission was a bust before we'd even gotten started.
Illusions: A Grace Murphy Novel Page 9
