If I can’t get away, then I’m going to suffocate trying.
A light flashes in the dark as the lantern casts a hazy glow over the room. Frantic, my eyes dart up to meet my captor’s, a cruel smile lining his lips. I don’t know why I never recognized it until now.
The little blond savage come back to haunt me from the woods. Except now, he’s all grown up.
“Cursed One,” he says before he places another cloth over my nose, and the light fades out.
Thirty-Five
The pound begins in my head. Slow and steady to a haunting beat that I cannot control. My fingers itch to rub across my temples and calm the ache, but when I try to move my arms, I find them bound and tied above my head. My feet are the same, tied neatly together as my body lies pinned across a hard, wooden surface. The dry fabric in my mouth forces a gag from my throat, and I fight to calm the racing of my heart.
A pig led to slaughter. That’s what I’ve become.
“Careful, Princess. Struggle too much and you’ll find yourself worse for wear.” He pauses, and I slowly open my eyes, squinting at the sudden onslaught of light. “We don’t intend to hurt you, but I’m surprised the silence alone hasn’t been enough to do you in.”
His words are followed by a cruel laugh, and I narrow my gaze, refusing to let him see my fear. He stands at the back of my makeshift stretcher. His thick arms are coiled tightly as he holds his end up and navigates the forest floor below. Beams of light shine down through the open trees, highlighting the beads of sweat that drip from his blond hair, making trails of dirt down his pale skin. I tilt my head up, trying to catch a glimpse of the other man who clearly played a role in my demise, but all I can see is the back of his long, dark curls as he holds onto the front of my board and leads us through the trees. Other than the harshness of his breath, he doesn’t make a sound. Quiet for a man who just last night had a good laugh at Aras’ expense.
Aras.
The thought of him waking up to find me gone sends a wave of nausea through my stomach, and I can’t help the second gag that catches in my dry throat. I tilt my head to the side, my eyes watering as I nearly choke with the remorse of leaving things undone. I shouldn’t have let them take me so easily. I shouldn’t have played dead in my covers when I could have woken the whole house and fled from the room. I could have done anything different, and it would have been much better than this. Now I’m alone and on my way to who knows where. From the looks of the trees, I’m no longer headed in the same direction.
Yet another gag heaves from my body, but this time, I’m met with relief as his dark eyes flash with disdain. He whistles before dropping his end of the stretcher on the ground. His hand darts out and snatches the fabric from my mouth, sending waves of air spiraling to my frantic lungs.
“Alright, alright. Calm down, would you? Everything is going to be fine. Everything’s going to be perfect, actually, now that we’ve set you on your rightful path.”
I let out a dry cough, turning my head to face the one man who I knew I should have stayed away from. The man who not only haunted my dreams, but also knew me as a child. “I think you and I have very different definitions of the word perfect, Reeve.”
It’s all I can get out before the choking returns, and I turn to my side, yanking the tight bonds of rope with me. Suddenly, the top half of my body lowers, and I’m met with the rough ground and the most regretful face I’ve ever seen. His long, dark hair falls in waves around his clean, but sweaty face, and his light complexion mirrors that of my own. He shoves a skin of water to my lips, and I tilt my head back, not even caring when the excess drips under my chin and across my neck. All too soon, he pulls back, never meeting my eyes or speaking a word.
“Thank you,” I whisper to his retreating back, though I have a feeling we both know he doesn’t deserve my gratitude.
Reeve settles onto the ground beside me, effectively blocking my view and causing another wave of nausea to assault my empty stomach. For the first time, I wonder just how long I’ve been out.
“It’s been over a day,” he says, guessing the question in my eyes. “And before you ask, he’s fine. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but it was necessary to ensure our goal. Sometimes, love can be a blinding force, but when he comes around, I’m sure he’ll see our path as the only way. They both will.”
His words confuse me just as much as they provide hope. I knew Aras was going to be fine from the very second these two broke into my room and roused me from sleep. It was clear they had already had their way with him, convincing Cil, I’m sure, to mix something in his food. Aras is the lucky one, really, though I doubt he’ll see it that way when he wakes up.
“And you don’t think Aras will come looking for us when he wakes? It was never him who needed me in Orien, and he answers to someone much higher than us.”
“Oh, I know Aras will come looking, but I wasn’t talking about him.”
His shoulders shift, and a wire cage comes into view, resting on the ground as two additional men stand before it, wearily watching the contents within.
And that’s when I notice it holds something black.
My hands and feet yank against the ropes, causing a burning pain to cut through my flesh. “What have you done to him?” I yell.
Reeve’s lips tighten in a grimace. He looks over his shoulder, making me strain to hear the words he speaks. “Your cat will be alright. He’s just been hit with a dart, not all too different from the very dagger you stabbed me with.”
He stops, rubbing a slow hand over his sleeve where I know his wound to be. “As I said, it was necessary. He wouldn’t have let us have you without a fight, and too many of my men were already swayed by his presence.”
“And when he wakes, do you plan to keep him in that cage forever? It’s no matter whether you think he’ll come around to your way of thinking. Either way, he’ll rip you to shreds. That I can promise.”
A frightening spark flashes across his eyes, piercing me with his gaze. “Not after we all have a nice long chat, Brave. Trust me.”
He stands then, letting out a sharp whistle as I’m once again lifted from the ground, headed in a direction I’m quite sure I don’t want to go.
ↄ
By the time night falls, and we’re treated with a rest among the opening trees, I’ve come to terms with the fact that my future may not hold any hope. Aras has probably woken by now, and without the help of my panther, I have little faith he’ll find me on his own. There aren’t many people in these woods who are on his side, it seems, and for once, he might find himself in a compromising position that he cannot escape.
My only hope is that he at least has a word or two with Cil on his way out.
“More water?” a quiet, kind voice asks.
I turn my head, wincing as my hair catches and holds along the board. I’m greeted with the same dark-haired man whom I only know as the person who carried the top of my load. His face remains void of expression, but I have a suspicion that there are many thoughts churning underneath its surface.
“Yes,” I whisper, greedily accepting the water as he holds it up to my dry lips.
Once again, water trickles its way down my throat, soaking my tunic across the chest. “It would be easier if I could actually hold it, don’t you think?”
He nods his head, and a veiled sense of regret slides across his features. For a ruthless captor, he’s not a very good one. I suppose I should be grateful, considering he is the only one who suggested regular, albeit embarrassing, restroom breaks. With my hands still bound, it made each stop interesting to say the least.
“You’ll be untied soon, Princess,” he says, standing to take his leave.
Startled, I call out, halting him in his retreat. “You call me princess as if you truly mean it, yet you’re stealing me away from the very place I may one day rule. Why does the title matter, if you don’t believe it to be my destiny?”
He turns, bending to his knee beside me. “I call you princess because t
hat’s who you are. I never said you wouldn’t rule over Orien because it’s already written that you will. It’s just that we’re counting on you to rule over Theron as well. And in that way, you are my princess.”
He stands and leaves before I’m sure the shock can fully register on my face. His words only add to the mounting pressure I feel building in my chest, and I stretch against my restraints, not even flinching when they bite into my sore skin.
Theron.
Of all the lands, that’s where they’re taking me? The one kingdom that Knox is trying to convince his people took their queen? The heated words from Troy at the safe house come flooding back. His suggestion that we flee to Theron made it seem as though it would be the only place we would be safe.
It’s also the very place that Knox wants to go. The very place I have a feeling he’ll use me against.
“I suppose I should untie you now, but I’ll need your solemn promise to behave.”
Reeve approaches with what almost appears to be a smile on his ragged face, and the sight alone frightens me more than his usual scowl. He cuts each of my ropes with an even swipe, narrowly missing my bruised skin below.
I’m positive he knows it, too.
Slowly, I roll on my side, fighting against the pain as I brace my hand against the board and push myself onto my knees. Every muscle in me aches, pushing and pulling as if I’m bursting from the inside out.
“Have we arrived at my humble abode?” I ask, carefully flexing the stiff fingers that lie cradled in my lap.
They feel cold and lifeless, nothing like the heated flames I’ve battled throughout my time in these woods. Now I actually miss the tingling pulse—the promise of a horrid magic yet to come—and wonder why it chooses now of all times to forsake me.
Reeve shrugs as if the answer shouldn’t really concern me. “We’re close enough. Another few days, and you should arrive just fine, but this is as far as my men and I will be taking you.”
His words surprise me, and I instantly regret it when my head pops up, straining the muscles in my neck. “Oh, is that right? So I’ll just be stumbling along, trusted to make my way to a place I haven’t even heard of until now?”
“Not a chance.” He smirks. “We’re meeting someone who will take you the rest of the way. Someone important.”
“And I suppose you have no intentions of telling me who that person is,” I say, my mind whirling at this new set of possibilities.
“Oh, don’t look so glum, Brave. I’ll tell you when I think you’re capable of listening.”
His snide words earn him a hard look, and he raises his brows as though he was expecting just that. “Come on. I’ll lead you to your camp before it gets too dark.”
“I thought you said we were staying here?” I question as he grabs my elbow and pulls me to my feet.
My legs wobble with the sudden pressure, and though it kills me to need his help, I latch onto his arm.
“I said we, as in my men and me. You, on the other hand, are much too valuable for that. We’ll be keeping you tucked away until your shining escort arrives.”
He tugs at my arm, prodding me through the open trees. Glancing up, I see a trace of the stars beginning to form in the darkening sky.
“I had no idea that the woods near Theron were so different.”
Reeve offers a sideways glance before ushering me on through a large break in the trees. “So who was it that told you then? Dax, I’m guessing. I knew the poor guy cared too much to go on this mission, though I let him anyway. He’s as fierce as they’re made, and you’ll need him when the time comes.”
I don’t ask, but I assume Dax must be the dark-haired man with too much sympathy in his eyes. The one who thinks I’m going to be princess of not one kingdom, but two. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I don’t plan on being the princess of any.
Reeve stops only once to take a torch from one of his men before we leave the camp and make our way through the woods. The walk is quiet, though I know we both have plenty to say. Reeve never has been much for words, except for when he’s spouting off snide remarks for my benefit.
I try my best to observe every detail of my hopeless walk through these few, but towering trees, but I find my mind floats about like the breeze. Not only do I think of Aras and my panther, but also of Papa, and the fact that I still have no clue where to find him. Aras was probably my best bet at that, and though the thought alone sends an uncomfortable squeeze across my chest, I can only hope my mother is indeed hiding away in Theron. It’s the only option I have left to find Papa.
Reeve comes to a quick stop, and his grip digs into my skin as I struggle to follow his lead. The area around us looks perfectly ordinary. There are no giant cages or tortuous shackles lying about, and though the trees tower above us, they are not as plentiful as the forest of The Lost. If any poor soul were to happen by, they’d instantly spot my soiled and irritable spirit. It seems a peculiar place to keep a runaway princess, although I’m sure there is some secret pit lying about that I’ll tumble into at any moment.
Or at least that’s how my life tends to unfold.
“Is this really where you’re keeping me, or should I wait for the net to fall on my head?”
“For all of your smarts, Brave, you’re not very observant.”
For once, he lets go of my arm and raises his torch in a dramatic fashion, sending it so close to my hair that I’m surprised when it doesn’t light up in a giant, flaming blaze. I start to complain, but I shut my mouth at the last second.
Perhaps that would be a good thing.
“Your humble abode doesn’t rest on the ground. It rests within the trees.”
My head tilts up into the dark limbs above, barely catching the wooden structure tucked among the branches and linked from tree to tree. It’s another treehouse, but much, much bigger. This one would pinch Aras’ pride as soon as he laid eyes on it.
I immediately decide that I am unimpressed.
“Aras showed me something like this once,” I spout. “Not much to it, I suppose. Though it hides well during the dark, I’m quite sure someone would take notice of it during the day. What happens if I yell out, or dare I say, climb through the adjoining trees and rescue myself?”
Reeve brings the torch back down to our level, lighting his eyes with a frightening spark. “Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Just think of your poor panther, lying in a cage back with my men. I would hate to do anything rash, but I can’t promise that no harm would come to him.” He smiles, his white teeth shining in the light. “Though I guess I could always bound and gag you again. It’s really all up to you.”
I send him my most menacing glare, which probably makes me look more like a frightened mouse when my lips begin to shake. “Humph, and here I thought I couldn’t dislike you any more than I already did, Reeve. You’re just full of surprises these days. I can see now why women must be lined up for ages just begging for a chance to be miserable with you.”
He responds with an arrogant shrug, as if gaining my approval is the least of his concerns. “Seeing that you’ve apparently taken so well to Aras, I’ll consider that a compliment.”
I smile thinly, ushering with my hand to lead the way. The quicker I’m tucked away in my new box, the quicker I’ll be rid of his unlikable face. Reeve moves ahead, walking to one of the closest trees and snatching the end of a coiled rope wrapped skillfully around its lowest branch. Another trick I’m sure Aras stole. I’m expecting him to toss the rope my way when he tugs on it, sending a ladder falling from the sky. The shock of it appearing before my face causes me to stumble back, and I’m sent on a graceful fall to my rump.
It seems I’m not safe from anything anymore—present ladder included.
Reeve doesn’t say a word, nor does he offer his hand when I struggle to right myself again. He simply motions toward the ladder, bent on me climbing it first.
“And what should I do when I arrive to the top in the pitch dark? Stumble along until I plu
mmet to my death?”
“I’ll be right behind you, Brave. My torch will give off enough light from here. Besides, there aren’t many options when you arrive at the top. You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure it out.”
I’m not sure when someone calling me a smart girl turned into an insult, but as I eye the dark treetops before me, it’s the very last thing that I want to be. Grudgingly, I yank the rope into my hands and begin the long climb to my new cage. The ladder swings forward with my weight, and Reeve has the decency to grab hold of it from below, making my climb more manageable and less of a deathtrap.
Once I reach the top, I grab tightly to the wooden post stationed just at the entrance to a rounded hut of sorts. The light from Reeve’s torch bounces about the space, making it hard to focus on any feature. The one thing that my eyes do notice is a thick door no doubt ready to be locked with a key.
When Reeve finally reaches the top, he passes the torch to my waiting hands and hauls himself up onto the boards beside me. Fishing a key from his pocket, he unlocks the door and motions for the torch. Briefly, I consider throwing it and lighting the whole structure aflame, but while Aras is convinced I have my father’s magic, he didn’t mention flying as one of my possible feats.
What good is this magic if it can’t even save my life?
“Hand it over, Brave,” he says, frowning as if he has the right to be disappointed in my reckless thoughts.
Immediately, I shove it into his outstretched hand, hoping a flame or two will lick across his arm. When he handles the fire with expert ease, I return his frown, holding every right to be disappointed by his safety. Reeve pushes his way through the open door, and it’s only the thought of my caged panther that makes me crawl to my feet and follow his lead.
Just as I suspected in the flickering light, the structure is rounded with a well-thatched roof. Aside from the door, there are no openings, and my heart shrinks at the thought of being locked away in this dark room.
Look to the Stars (The Orien Trilogy Book 1) Page 26
