Through the Looking Glass

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  “You should have heeded my warning, wife.”

  “I do have a name, you know.”

  The man infuriated her. His mood swings were beginning to give her whiplash. One minute he was all smiles then the next he was frowning again. It freaked the hell out of her. She never met anyone who had such wild changes in mood. Daniel didn’t count because what he did was something totally different. He had been relatively nice to her while they had been dating but his mood too seemed to change after he asked her to marry him. She should have known at that point that something was wrong.

  He didn’t stop until he had her in their bedroom and was dumping her unceremoniously onto the bed. “You will remain here until I return.” He turned his back to her and left the room. The sound of the lock sliding into place had her jumping off the bed and running to the door.

  She pounded on the door with her fists as she shouted, “Let me out! Unlock this door! Damn it!” Her pounding on the door wasn’t doing any good and was barely making a sound because it was too thick. Defeated, she returned to the bed and flopped herself down, landing of her stomach.

  This was getting to be more and more ludicrous by the minute. She would never understand Jakar and his actions. Here she was locked in the room once again for some reason and she didn’t know why! She was going to give him a great big piece of her mind when he returned. She was sick of this world and wanted to go home!

  Chapter 12

  Daniel landed with a thud on the cold wet ground of Aslog. It took a moment for his head to stop spinning and the nausea to ebb away. Regaining his senses, he looked up to see where he was. To his automatic relief, he recognized the ancient stone structure of the abandoned castle. He knew then he was only a short distance away from his home and from Tuloch.

  He got to his feet, swaying for a second, then took a step forward. He took a few steps before he remembered he hadn’t been alone when he travelled back to Aslog. The area around him was quiet with the exception of birds chirping up in the trees. The trees were dripping with raindrops that fell to the ground. Off in the distance he could see the black clouds moving away from him and heading north.

  Lizzy was nowhere in sight. Where the hell had she gone? He walked back to where he had landed when he emerged from the mist. Nothing, Lizzy was either gone or travelled to another part of Aslog. Tuloch was going to be furious with him once he got back to his castle. He had failed in his mission to either bring Isobel back to their world or make sure she was dead before he left. Unfortunately, the bitch had escaped him twice and was still a threat to him and Tuloch. He would have to go back to the witch who had created the potion for Tuloch and request she procure another. He had to get back to Isobel’s world and take care of the problem once and for all.

  He headed off in the direction he knew so well. It was a long way on foot back to the castle where Tuloch lived, so he couldn’t waste any time. Tuloch would already know he was back in Aslog because of the witch. Oh, how he despise that old hag! She had been the one to volunteer him to go to that other world and find the one the fairies had been talking about. He wasn’t happy with the witch and her wicked ways but he did it to gain rank in Tuloch’s army.

  He had to admit to himself that Isobel was not a bad looking woman and the sex with her had been okay. But she wasn’t the type of woman he craved. He tried to be the domineering type where Isobel would submit to him but she wouldn’t have anything to do with it. She had told him if he wanted a submitting obedient wife he had better go fuck himself. He had to come up with a new plan in order to keep her close until he was able to get her back to Tuloch.

  He was on his back alright but empty handed. His Lord was not going to be happy with him and he prayed Tuloch wouldn’t decide to just lop his head off where he stood.

  The roads to the castle were a mess. This was the rainy part of the year, not to mention cold, which made travelling the roads extremely hard. Even walking was a chore as he dug he foot out of another puddle of water and mud only to land in yet another.

  As he came across the first dilapidated house Daniel knew he was entering the confines of Tuloch’s inner most land. He passed by several more of the abandoned houses until the first signs of life came into view. The village was a muddy mess and smelled awful. This was one thing he had not missed with being in Isobel’s world. The stench had his stomach rolling as each step he took drew him farther into the village.

  A group of children chasing a piglet stopped in front of him then took off quickly when they recognized who he was. He had to smile at the fear the children exhibited when they looked up at him. He hated children and took pleasure in causing fear in their little eyes.

  The neigh of a horse drew his attention away from the scurrying group. Just when he thought he still had a bit of time until he had to face Tuloch, his world crashed around him. Coming down the hill and not more than ten feet away from where he stood, his lord steered the horse he was riding right in his direction.

  Well, he had to get it over with at one time or another. He approached Tuloch with a raised hand in greeting and bowed gracefully.

  My lord,” he tried to sound normal.

  “Daniel, I see that you have returned.” Tuloch’s face was a blank slate. Nothing gave away how the man felt either way.

  “We will speak in private.” Tuloch turned and called out to one of his soldiers. “Bring him.”

  Daniel hopes of appeasing Tuloch flew out the window. He hoped he could wiggle his way out of this one without losing his head or any other body part. He followed reluctantly behind the horses as the entire group turned and headed back up the hill.

  ******

  Lizzy’s eyes shot open when she felt the cold drops of water hitting her in the face. Above her, clouds swirled violently as the wind carried them away from where she was. The rain was beginning to ease some but she was already soaked to the bone. Her jeans were plastered to her legs and her sweatshirt hung like a wet lump on her torso. Getting to her feet proved to be a much more difficult task to accomplish because of the waves of dizziness and nausea she experienced with the sudden movement. She had to drop back down to her knees in order to get the feeling to pass. Once she had her body under control she stood up and took a few tentative steps. She had no clue to which direction she should head even after looking around for any signs of life.

  Daniel must have over powered her and taken her from the castle, dumping her in the forest. He was going to great lengths to make sure he wouldn’t be caught for the crimes he had committed so far. If he had been capable of murdering Isobel’s parents what else could he be capable of doing? The man was psychotic and she was now mixed up in whatever his scheme was.

  She walked in the direction that the clouds were travelling. The rain finally stopped falling but off in the distance she could see the lightning flashes as they spread out across the dark sky. The rolls of thunder that followed each flash sounded farther and farther away each time they clashed in the sky. The ground she had to walk on was soaked so it didn’t take long for her tennis shoes to begin to squish with each step she took. The cold in the air was seeping through her wet clothes and making her shiver. She had to find help soon or she would die from hypothermia.

  She had to have walked for hours before she heard the sound of hoof beats coming from in front of her. Not sure what to do, she stood off to the side of what she had thought was a road even though it was more mud than an actual road. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited for whoever was coming. If she hadn’t been so cold she would have hidden in the bushes or ran, but she was shivering badly now and was ready to accept whatever help she could get.

  The horse and rider rounded the corner in the road and sped towards her. Her eyes bugged out of her head when she saw the size of the horse and its rider. The horse had to be the size of one of the Clydesdale horses she would see in the Christmas parades back home. It amazed her to see an animal so big running at full speed. The rider must not have seen her at first because h
e sped by without slowing down.

  Her eyes stayed glued to the running horse and its rider as it went by. When the rider pulled back on the reigns, the horse reared up and let out a loud neigh. The rider whipped his head around to look back at her plastered against a tree. She heard the rider make a clicking noise with his mouth to get the horse to turn around and trot back to her. She swallowed nervously as the massive horse approached her with its heavy breath coming out of its nose in a mist.

  The rider stared at her as his horse danced around for a minute before coming to a standstill. His dark green eyes glared at her as if she was some kind of a threat to him.

  “Who are you?” he demanded.

  She couldn’t get her mouth to form the words she wanted to say. She was terrified beyond belief and was ready to pass out. When she didn’t answer the question, the huge man jumped off his horse and stood before her. He was bigger than she thought he was. He had to be at least six and half feet tall and had muscles bulging on every limb. Compared to him she felt like a child. The top of her head only came to his breastbone, so she had to tilt her head back to see up into his face.

  “I asked you a question, woman. Who are you?” he deep voice grated over her skin causing goose bumps to form.

  This time she was able to whisper out her name to the overbearing man, “Elizabeth.”

  He folded his thick corded arms across his chest as he continued to glare at her. “What are you doing on my land?” He took a step forward, pinning her to the tree.

  Oh shit she was going to die! “I…I…” tears formed in her eyes and threatened to burst free. She wasn’t one to confront danger in the face and that’s exactly how she felt about the man standing in her of her. “I…I don’t know how I got here,” she finally got out.

  The man sucked in a long breath as he stood studying her. His eyes travelled up and down her body, making her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

  “You are trespassing on my land, Elizabeth. So, what am I to do with you?” he asked her.

  Shaking uncontrollably and her teeth chattering together, she was at a loss for words. For once in her life she felt totally helpless and scared shitless. Was he going to kill her right where she stood? Was he going to rape her then kill her? The possibilities were endless. His next words took her by surprise.

  “Are you cold?” His expression softened when he finally realized she was soaking wet.

  She nodded her head and folded her arms around her waist. The man returned to his horse and dug inside a saddle bag on the rear of the horse. When he came back to her he had a brown blanket in his hands.

  “Why are you out here in this kind of weather?” he asked as he draped the blanket around her shivering form.

  “I woke up out here in the forest and have no idea how I got here. The last thing I remember I was fighting with the man who murdered my friend’s parents.” She used a corner of the blanket to wipe the water running into her eyes.

  The shocked look he gave her had her thinking that he thought she was lying. “What friend?” he asked.

  “Isobel. Her name is Isobel. Her ex-fiancé killed her parents not long ago and she is in hiding.” She was afraid to look up at him as she told her story. She knew it was crazy but it was the truth.

  “Come with me,” he directed as he grabbed her elbow softly and steered her to his horse.

  “How do you except me to get up there?” she asked through her clenched teeth?

  He didn’t bother to answer her. Gripping the pummel of the saddle, he pulled himself up in one fluid movement. He settle himself in the saddle then reached down to her.

  “Give me your hands.”

  She did as she was told and reached up to the large hands that were waiting to clasp hers. The warmth of his hands encased hers then quickly pulled her up. He had her sitting side saddle which made her right arm brush across his defined chest.

  “Are you comfortable sitting this way?”

  “I’m fine.” Why the hell was he so concerned with her well-being? He didn’t know her from Adam but he was willing to take her along with him to where ever he was headed.

  “Where…where are you taking me?” she asked as she looked up into his green eyes that had lightened some.

  “To my home.” He wrapped his arms around her smaller body and nudged his horse with his feet. “Do you know where you are?”

  “No, I told you that already. I don’t have a clue to where I am or how I got here.”

  He grunted at her impatient words. She shouldn’t piss this man off but she had already told him a couple of times she didn’t know where she was. Someone was playing a game with her and she wanted out. Maybe she was in a coma or something considering she had been fighting with Daniel. He could have hit her over the head causing her to go into a coma. But everything felt so real to her. She could smell the rain, hear the birds chirping, could feel the bite of the wind as it blew across her face, so why did she have a feeling she wasn’t in Kansas anymore?

  “Where are we?” Did she really want to know his answer?

  “We are in the northern part of Aslog. My home sits the farthest north. My brother, Jakar is Lord to Aslog.” He looked into her upturned face as he spoke to her.

  As he was talking, Lizzy was busy memorizing every inch of his face. Being this close to him allowed her the opportunity to see every little scar and line that crossed his handsome face. His short brown hair added to the startling effects his green eyes had as they changed color. Thick brown lashes surrounded his eyes while a five o’clock shadow shaded the lower half of his face. Her eyes stopped to examine his lips that were full and slightly pink. She had the instant urge to run her thumb across his bottom lip to see if it was as soft as it looked. His nose was almost straight but had a minor bump in the ridge that told her he must have broken it sometime long ago. A white scar ran across his cheek and disappeared into his hairline near his right ear.

  “Do I have something on my face?” he asked her.

  She jumped at his words. She had been caught red handed staring at his features. The warmth of a flush spread up from her chest to her neck then her face. She knew she was probably beet red because she could feel the heat coming off her face.

  “No. I…I was…” she stammered.

  His laugh shook both of their bodies. When he smiled her heart did a flip-flop. God, he was gorgeous. Straight white teeth and a dimple on his left cheek appeared when he laughed, adding to pleasant features.

  “It’s alright, my little forest nymph. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” He continued to smile but stopped his laughing. “I need to get you back to my home and into some dry clothes before you catch the illness.”

  Her bones were literally hurting now from shaking so much. The tips of her fingers had turned a light shade of blue even though she had them tucked into the blanket. Her face started to feel wind burned as the wind continued to blow head on with them. She wanted to soak in a hot tub and never get out. She wasn’t even sure that her body would ever regain its warmth after being out in the nasty weather for so long.

  Her head began to nod as the sway of the horse rocked her to sleep. A couple of times she jerked awake to find the man, who’s name she still didn’t know, staring down at her.

  “Lay your head against my chest, little Elizabeth.” His big hand pushed her head down until it rested on his chest.

  It was uncomfortable at first, lying on a man she didn’t know, but soon the call of sleep had her eyes slipping shut. She wanted to know the name of the man she was sleeping on before she passed out.

  “What’s your name?”

  Small vibrations travelled through his chest when he answered her. “I’m Brock. The second oldest brother to Jakar.”

  She smiled when he finally told her his name. With her head against his chest, she pulled the blanket up farther until she was able to bury her face inside. She prayed silently that his home wasn’t much farther because she was slowly feeling her body go numb.

 
; Chapter 14

  Isobel was still pacing the room by the time he returned. The door had remained locked and no one had attempted to enter while Jakar had been gone. When she finally heard the jingling of the key in the lock she whirled around to face her husband. She was going on the defensive because she was tired of feeling like a prisoner.

  She waited for him to enter the room and shut the door before she started her assault. Without thinking because she was so mad, she picked up a glass that was sitting on the nearby table and hurled it at his head. Jakar turned just in a nick of time to see the glass coming his way and was able to duck out of the way as it shattered against the door.

  “What the fuck?” he roared. His eyes searched for his attacker and landed on his wife. “Isobel…” he didn’t get another word out. Another glass came flying at his head, repeating the same motion as before.