Heart Of The Goblin King (The Realm Trilogy Book 1)
Page 3
Apparently my giggling hadn’t been quiet.
“Sarcasm will not improve anything,” Drake said calmly. “What are you concerned about?”
“There is a dust cloud in the distance. The not-so-far distance, in case you were wondering.”
I felt Drake walk past us. “Damn. I’d hoped to avoid detection. Is there a gong that announces your presence wherever you go?” Drake no longer sounded grumpy. I could hear amusement in Drake’s tone. He and Brennan were close. But Brennan was obviously the nice one.
“Perhaps. If not, there should be. I do wish it was not so prompt. What are you doing, Drake? Can you get a better look at the dust cloud? Does it look like our friend the scarred fae?”
The words hummed in my head. “Scarry McScarface,” I giggled.
“What did you say?” I could tell Brennan spoke because I felt the vibration in his chest next to my ear.
“Scarry McScarface. Our friend the scarred fae,” I sang the words a little.
Silence greeted my words, and then I heard both men shout with laughter. Brennan leaned forward slightly, and I felt myself dip. Kind of like flying.
“Well, at least she has a sense of humor.” Drake sounded almost nice for a moment. “I like that, Scarry McScarface. No, I don’t see McScarface but the cloud is still some distance away. Hang onto the funny girl, Bren, and let’s get out of here.”
Brennan’s grip on me tightened, and I felt the hum of his voice next to me again. “Let me stand back. No telling what’s going to happen. You and one of my crystals. I think you’re right. I did bump my head.”
“Of course, lordship. Apologies.” Now Drake was laughing. “I’m hurrying. I know that holding the human and fighting will be too much for you.”
Brennan grumbled. “I am not sure why I put up with you.”
I felt Brennan tense up. Something was happening that I could neither see nor hear. I strained, trying to get a read on this. Then he exhaled, and I could feel his relief. It flowed from his arms to me. Interesting how I could feel his emotions. He walked forward, taking a large step. “Finally. Now we need to find the Court Mage.”
I couldn’t hear the sounds of outside anymore. It felt like we were inside. I really hoped that I’d be able to see again soon. This pretty much sucked. Blind, I had no chance to get home, back to my mom and dad. And Heath. I felt a pang at the date that had just gone up in smoke. He’d think I ran out. Great! I doubted he’d ask me out again. How would I—
“Thank you, Drake. Well done. Good to see you remember something. Will you please bring Taranath to us?” Brennan’s voice broke into my thoughts.
I heard footsteps and then the click of a door closing. Brennan still held me. Once the door closed, he turned and carefully set me onto what felt like a couch. I turned my head. Things didn’t look quite as black. Could my vision be coming back? I could see a faint glow around the edges of the black.
Brennan’s voice right next to my head made me jump. “I am sorry we had to drag you along, but Taranath will be here shortly, and then you’ll be home and forget all about this. Is your vision improving?”
“It’s getting a little bit lighter,” I focused on the direction of his voice, which felt too close. It made my breath catch. I didn’t feel so calm. If anything, my calm from only moments before was going away. “What? What the hell? Where am I, and why did you kidnap me?” I pushed myself up off the cushions. He’d laid me down? What was next? The panic rose like bile in my throat. Oh god. Oh god! I blinked, but my vision wouldn’t clear. A small ring of light around the edge, but that was it! How would I get out of here if I couldn’t see? And why had I been calm before? Did he drug me? Oh god, oh god!
I opened my mouth and screamed loudly, hoping to attract help.
Instantly a hand clamped over my mouth. I struggled, grabbing the hand to hold against me and bit down as hard as I could.
“Ow!” Brennan yelled. “What did you do that for, you insane human?”
I didn’t answer, but screamed again, and again.
My mouth closed as though there was a zipper on it and someone had zipped it shut.
“Be quiet,” Brennan said.
Rather unnecessary. Not like I could talk with my lips sealed shut. What the hell was this place? Blind as a bat, and now gagged. Oh my god. I’d been kidnapped by sex trade assholes.
“I must ask for your forgiveness, but not until later,” Brennan said.
He certainly didn’t sound sorry. Asshat.
“I cannot having you screaming down the castle. Just let my Court Mage have a look at you, and then we’ll get you home.”
That stopped me in my thoughts of escape, of getting my vision back, and finding the nearest weapon to brain him with.
He didn’t want to sell me to the nearest sex ring? It was probably a lie. And how the hell had he gotten my mouth to shut?
Something wrong, very wrong, was going on here. I couldn’t figure out how he’d done it, but my imagination supplied a number of fantastical ideas. None of which I really wanted to think about. None of which should be possible.
Of course, I’d been attacked by guys in skirts swinging swords around in a bathroom. That alone lent itself to falling right into crazy.
“If you’ll hold still, and try to remain calm, I may be able to help your vision. Shall I try, or leave you as you are?”
He was still mad about me biting him. I could tell. After a moment, I nodded. Not the most gracious response, but my mouth wouldn’t open.
“Don’t move. You might want to keep your eyes closed.”
At that, I actually rolled my sightless eyes at him. Really? Sarcastic and fairly mean?
I felt a touch on the top of my head, and I jumped, fearful of what was coming.
“Don’t move, girl. This won’t work if you don’t hold yourself still!”
I wanted to ask what the hell he was doing, but…mouth still unable to open. Suddenly, that fact hit me like nothing else about this crazy whatever or wherever I found myself in, and I could feel the tears leaking from my eyes.
I’d been in a lot of scary situations living on a boat my entire life, and I’d never been as scared as I felt right this moment.
“Not tears!”
His voice sounded as though he’d stepped away. Figures. Big, bad kidnappers, falls apart when a girl cries. Asshole.
“Girl—Iris—listen. I won’t hurt you. No one will hurt you while you’re here. If you will please stop crying and let me help you with your vision, we can…” He stopped.
That sounded ominous.
He sighed. “We can get Taranath to meet with you, and then send you home. I realize it’s a great deal to ask, but will you please trust me?”
I listened to his words, and the message behind what he said. He was worried, I could tell. Frustrated as well, although that might not have anything to do with me.
Not what I’d expect a kidnapper’s mindset to be. Although I could be wrong. What the hell did I know about the criminal mastermind?
I would have laughed if my mouth worked. This guy didn’t really seem to be much of a mastermind. Now his henchman, Drake—that one, maybe.
I crossed my arms in front of me. It made me feel safer. Stupid, I know. I nodded my head once.
He exhaled. “Good. This won’t work if you’re not being helpful.”
Oh? What a bad kidnappee I was, being so unhelpful.
The light touch on the top of my head again, and I steeled myself not to jump. Then I could feel a warmth spreading from my head and down my face. It reminded me of having my hair done, and how much I enjoyed having someone else wash my hair.
“All right. You should be able to see again.”
I opened my eyes, closing them again immediately as the colors and light overwhelmed my senses.
“Lean back. Breathe,” I could tell that Brennan wanted to be comforting.
Right.
“I can’t,” I gasped, my eyes blinking fast, so fast that I could feel tea
rs welling. Again. I didn’t think the tears were only from regaining my vision suddenly. That one fact made me angry. I knew men saw tears as weak. I didn’t want to look weak, but my damn eyes weren’t with the program.
“How can I speak again? What did you do to me, you sick freak?” I pushed myself up off the couch—it was a couch, as I’d suspected—and tried to get up. He moved at the same time with arms out.
I smacked right into Brennan’s head.
“Ow! God! Could your head be any harder?” My eyesight swam, threatening to leave again.
“Are you all right?”
That voice. I liked it, in spite of the fact he’d kidnapped me, and had some freaky stuff going on. I fell back into the couch and kept my eyes closed, rubbing my head. “I think so. I might be blind again, though.” I opened my eyes a little, and allowed the light to seep back in. Then opened them a little wider.
To see Brennan standing in front of me, looking very guilty. He saw my glare.
Brennan held up his hands. “If you would please control yourself, I’d be happy to explain.”
“Explain what? Are you a sex trafficker?”
The confusion I saw on his face didn’t look faked. “What are you talking about?”
“Why’d you drag me here? How in the hell did you get into the ladies? Oh my god!” I clapped my hand to my mouth. I’d been on a date! Finally, Heath asked me out. How would I explain this? Worse, how would my parents take me disappearing like this? I looked around, feeling wild. I didn’t even know where I was. “Where am I? And how fast can you get me home?”
An odd expression shifted across Brennan’s face. Almost as though he didn’t want to tell me something. A kidnapper with a conscience?
“We are not in the Human Realm at the moment, Iris. Once you meet with Taranath, I’ll make sure you return there.”
My mouth opened but no words came out. What? I must have lost my hearing as well.
I tried again. “What are you talking about, we’re not in the human realm?”
Brennan sighed, and I could see so much in his sigh. For a moment, I felt empathy for him. Obviously he carried a great weight of some sort. It bothered me that I had feelings other than run away fast for this guy. That moment didn’t last long.
Because I had my own great weight, and he wasn’t helping it. I had to remember that. No matter how good looking he is, he still kidnapped me.
I looked him up and down, really looked at him, for the first time. My earlier impression of a skirt wasn’t far off. He wore pants, but he had a long coat over his whole get-up. That must be what made all the noise.
His hair was cut close to his head, and his eyes. Oh, wow. I forgot my anger for a moment. He had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. Even now, with a furrowed brow, and an air of concern, he was, quite simply gorgeous.
Stop it! I told myself. This weird guy, looks aside, kidnapped you. Blinded you, basically sewed your mouth shut! I ought to be peeing my pants in fear, and I’m admiring his eyes?
I shook my head to force it to stop thinking about anything other than getting home. To Mom and Dad. To Heath.
No matter how good-looking Brennan was, I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. I belonged home, with my family. And if Heath was meant to be part of that, no sense in ogling the criminal.
He stared at me, waiting for something.
“What?” I asked.
“I asked you where you thought you were.”
“I have no idea. Blind, remember?”
He didn’t say anything, then whirled around, the coat flaring out. It did make a swishing skirt noise.
“I don’t have time for this! No more biting!” He sounded exasperated.
“What the hell? You don’t have time for the person you kidnapped? Oh, I am so sorry to disturb your schedule! Hey! Where are you going?”
He’d walked out the door, and slammed it behind him. I made myself get up, feeling steadier. Went straight to the door, and tried to open it.
Locked. I should have bitten him again.
Chapter Four
Brennan
He stood, hands on his hips, listening to her bang on the door, and call him names that he felt pretty certain were not complimentary. Well, to be expected. No one liked to be brought somewhere without permission.
Why had he brought her? It was good question. He hadn’t wanted to, but Drake insisted. He knew Drake was right—that she had to be made to forget, and that he didn’t have enough energy to return them and modify her memory. But he hadn’t wanted to bring her. She made him uncomfortable. Seeing her in front of him, tears falling down the side of her face—it had stirred something in him he hadn’t felt before. Until she bit him. He sighed. Her reaction was understandable. It didn’t mean he liked it.
All the more reason to get her seen by Taranath, and get her away. He didn’t need anyone making him feel anything like this girl stirred in him. Not ever. Too risky for everyone.
He started towards Taranath’s rooms, hoping to hurry him along. The girl was a distraction he didn’t need, for a great many reasons.
As he rounded the corner from his chamber, he nearly ran into Drake.
“Brennan, did you give the mage permission to travel?”
“What?” Brennan found himself distracted by the image of her face in his mind, and he had to pull his attention away from her to pay attention to Drake.
“Did you give the mage permission to travel? The goblins who care for him say that he left on a journey some days ago. They seemed to think it at your behest. Or at least with your blessing.” Drake scowled. “They were properly…concerned when I indicated that you had need of him immediately.”
Brennan sighed. His goblins were good creatures, if somewhat mischievous to the point of being a major pain at times. With the stunning exception of the goblins who’d attacked them earlier today, Brennan had nothing but positive relations with his subjects. This day kept getting worse.
“Did they have an idea of where he was or when he planned to return?”
“You know them. When they get scared, there’s not much talking to them. It’s not my habit to beat up on old women.”
His words flashed the face of the mage’s head chambermaid. She was an old goblin, who’d been in the castle for as long as the mage had.
“Then let us go and speak to her. You frighten them,” he grinned at Drake suddenly. “I’m their good king, not like you and your disrespectful self.”
“Have at it,” Drake gave a mocking bow, indicating that Brennan should leave first. “The longer she’s here, the harder it will be to alter her memory properly.”
They both turned to look back towards the lounge. Listening, Brennan could hear her pounding on the door.
“That really is a lot noisier than I expected. Why’d you let her wake up?” Drake asked.
“I didn’t let her do anything. She came out of the spell on her own.”
“What? That should have lasted longer! Brennan, something isn’t right here!”
Brennan gave Drake an incredulous look. “Yes, you’re right. We dragged back a human girl to our realm and we need to get her home and concentrate on the real problem.”
Drake shook his head. “No, that she broke the spell so quickly. That should have lasted for hours.”
For the first time, Brennan felt some of the worry that had been driving Drake. “Are you sure? We were in a hurry.”
“I don’t make mistakes, lordship.”
“Even I do, Drake. We all do. I have to ask. I don’t want to believe that this is anything more than a coincidence.”
“It can be a coincidence when we find Taranath and he tells us that I’m being an old man and worrying too much.”
“Very well,” Brennan sighed. “Let us go and talk to his servants. See if we can find him.”
“Sooner than later would be better.”
They turned and walked together, not speaking.
There was no need to.
Iris
It looked like a castle. Or my impression of what a castle should look like. Stone walls, and a huge fireplace that dominated the room. In addition to the couch where I’d been, there were a couple of chairs.
It looked comfortable. Not like what I’d expect from a kidnapper. I walked over to the tall window and looked out. That wasn’t as easy as expected. The glass had that look of being old, and had waves in it.
What I could see was that the sun shone over a garden. He’d said the human realm—what did that mean? This looked like a really nice house, but what the hell was that realm business?
It made my head hurt to try and figure it out. I ran my hands around the window to see if I could feel a latch or anything that would let me out.
Nothing. Damn it.
If I were home, I could…
Oh my god! I reached into my back pocket. It hadn’t fallen out. I pulled my cell phone out, and swiped the screen to wake it up.
Opened up the phone and dialed 911.
I huddled in the corner of the window, not wanting to be caught. The phone didn’t make any noise, and then the busy signal went off.
What the hell? How could 911 be busy? I ended the call, and dialed it again.
Once again, busy signal.
I checked the signal. It had no bars. That meant no cell tower within range.
That scared me. I didn’t want to think about it, so I shoved my cell phone back into my pocket. I huffed back to the couch and tossed myself onto it, feeling stray tears leak from my eyes. I had to get back. What would my parents think? Mom was so sick. If I didn’t come back…I didn’t finish the thought. I’d spent my whole life on a boat with my parents. We’d come back to land, so to speak, because I’d graduated high school and wanted to attend college. Right around that time was also when my mom had begun to feel sick. Moving off the boat had been fortuitous as she’d been diagnosed with brain cancer later that summer.
Dealing with all the things that had to be done had been our focus to the exclusion of everything else. Finally, Mom threw up her hands and insisted we take the boat out for a week. She’d rescheduled all her appointments. While neither my dad nor I would admit it, we were thrilled that she’d made the decision. The boat was our lodestone, the thing we all came back to. We hadn’t been out on her since the diagnosis.