“And I’d be stuck in this world forever!” she retorted.
“We don’t need you anymore, Jules,” Frank said.
“I hope you know your so-called ‘brilliant plan’ has ruined Sarah’s life,” Jules said. “I think you’re the one who needs some sense.”
Frank took a menacing step forward, his cheeks ablaze with anger. “Get out! We don’t need you.”
Sarah grabbed his arm. “Everyone calm down. Let’s take a breather.”
“I’m going to look for my friend,” Jules said, opening the door.
Wait…is he crazy? But the knights saw his face in the pub. They know he’s in on it with us. Sarah grabbed his arm, his gaze imploring. “It’s not safe out there.”
“It’s not safe in here either.” Jules shot Frank a glare over his shoulder before he walked out, slamming the door behind him. Ironically, as loud and ominous as the slam sounded, the ornate door was carved with a bevy of angelic symbols and cherubs.
“You idiot! How could you chase away the only friend we have in this dreadful place?” She turned to face Frank, challenging him to a fight that was long overdue. She wasn’t keen on his Victor-marrying plan in the first place, and he had talked her into it, just like Jules said.
He hugged her tight, pressing her against his broad chest. “I’m sorry, Sarah,” Frank whispered into her ear, “but the thought of sending you back to that whack-job infuriates me. We’ll find another way. I promise.”
She snuggled into him, inhaling the manly scent of his skin, comfort washing over her, if only for a second. She let out a sigh, eager to forget her own incredulity and just trust him for a change. “I know, babe. Just try and keep your cool. Your outbursts aren’t helping my nerves.”
“So what exactly did you do to strengthen this so-called bond with your so-called husband?” Frank asked. “I’m sorry, but I gotta know.”
She looked up at Frank, ready to confess it all. “I kissed him.”
His gaze narrowed. “Yeah. You mentioned that.”
“No, I mean…I-I really kissed him…like, uh…a lot.” She felt the telltale heat rising in her cheeks. Her breath caught in her throat, but not from shame. Somehow, Victor’s kiss lingered in her mind, all too vivid, and it wasn’t an unpleasant memory.
Frank narrowed his gaze. “What happened to the alleged smooch?”
Is he jealous? She regarded him intently, taking in the frown perched above his brows and the tight lines around his mouth. “It was more than that—more like some serious making out, but it didn’t go very far. I swear! Besides, it was only because he seduced me with those bright blue eyes of his, and I think—”
He pushed her away. “I just wanted the truth. You think I want to hear the details? How could you let him lock lips with you anyway?” He shuddered for dramatic effect.
She shrugged, anger rising up inside her. How dare he corner me like that and try to make me feel guilty? “It just happened, Frank. It’s not like the priest announced us man and wife and I jumped him. It was more like the other way around. I guess when I didn’t resist, when I kissed him back, I somehow triggered the darn ring. It was really just some kind of accident.”
“So he just attacked you?”
“He just seized the moment.”
“And you obliged him because you liked it?” He groaned. “I don’t believe this. I know we’re not dating, but still. You’re attracted to him big time, aren’t you?”
“What woman wouldn’t be?”
“Right, with ‘those blue eyes of his’,” he mocked. “Gosh, Sarah, I can’t believe you’d kiss that jerk. Do you want to be with him, to be his queen or something?”
“Frank, he’s not my type. You know as well as I do that the last guy I’d want to be with would be a guy who wants to control me.” She gripped Frank’s hands. “Besides, I’m here with you, aren’t I?”
“Right,” Frank said, not sounding too sure.
Chapter 11
Jules returned but refused to talk to anyone, and Sarah thought it best to give him some time to cool down.
When footsteps echoed outside the door, she held her breath and motioned Frank to keep silent. Jules’s hand moved to the dagger tied around his waist. She had no idea what he’d do with it against an entire army, but it was the thought that counted. At least it indicated that he wasn’t going to jump at the first opportunity and turn his back on them, leaving them to their fate.
The thuds stopped in front of the door, and an eerie silence ensued. Sarah barely dared to peel her gaze off the entrance to shoot Frank a questioning gaze. His brows were drawn together, his tense shoulders, and the muscles peering from under his short sleeves told her he was ready to battle for his life—and for hers. So was she. She decided that groveling was fair play; if need be, she’d punch and scream her way out, tugging at hair and kicking them where it’d hurt the most, hoping their armor didn’t protect them everywhere.
The door handle moved slowly, and the sound of old hinges cut through the silence of the chapel. Sarah clenched her hands and nodded at Frank as the door flew open. The second it did, she pounced like a cat, ready to claw her way out, stopping only inches away from the face of an old man with thinning white hair and a scraggly white beard.
“Hello, Father,” said Jules calmly.
The priest hugged Jules in a tight embrace. “It’s so good to see you, son. Thomas told me you are here and of the dire situation you are facing.”
“I would have come myself, but I got tied up here.” Jules smiled. “These are my friends, Frank and Sarah.”
“Greetings,” he said, smiling. “Welcome, my Queen. My name is Father Haster, and I am the priest of this sacred house.” He wore a hooded monk’s robe with a rope-like belt.
She peered behind the man to see whether it was a bluff, to see if anyone was hiding outside to ambush them. The cobblestone path seemed deserted, the woods to the left and right devoid of life.
“Did you expect someone else?” The priest looked away as he broke the silence, drawing her attention to him.
“It’s our pleasure to meet you, Father, and we’re actually glad to see you and not someone else,” Frank said, grabbing the old man’s hand in a tight grip until his knuckles turned white.
“You’re killing him,” Sarah whispered.
He threw her a questioning look, so she pointed at his hand. Frank let go, a smile playing on his lips. “It’s not my fault I’m built like an ox.”
She smirked. “You got the ox part right—in smell and brains at least,” she joked. “Father,” she said, bowing, “it’s an honor to meet you.”
The priest touched her forehead with a finger as dry as sandpaper and gestured her to straighten. “You can’t leave until tomorrow, child. There are orders about to execute you on sight. I’ve never seen King William react this way to anything or anyone. Sending his troops to kill a defenseless woman is uncalled for. Jules has filled me in on your problems, and I am more than happy to offer you sanctuary.”
Of course, he doesn’t know I made out with Victor, she presumed. She smirked. “Jules is a very helpful soul…and so very understanding.”
Jules nodded, not getting the hint.
“Yes, he has always been known to help those in need,” the priest said, “and I’d like to think he gets that from his priest.”
Sarah eagerly shook his hand. “Well, truly, Father, it is a pleasure, and thank you for your kindness.” Then she said dryly, looking embarrassed, “I guess I shouldn’t have played the part of Princess Gloria. It might’ve earned me an Oscar in our time, but here, it seems my only reward would be a death sentence. Can I ask, Father, what would be the means of execution for someone of my crimes?”
The priest looked away as he whispered, “Beheading.”
I’ve been thinking I was losing my head all this time, but literally? Sarah let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “I better calm down and keep my head on straight then.”
Frank wr
apped an arm around her waist, forcing her to face him. “Your life isn’t a joking matter, Sarah.”
“Let me deal with it the way I want,” she hissed. “Remember what I said about controlling men, Frank.”
“As you wish.” He shrugged and let go of her as he turned to the priest, but she could see her reaction didn’t sit well with him.
That’s just too bad, Sarah thought. I’ve had enough of people telling me what to do and how to react. It was time to be herself and play it all down because pretending no evil would ever befall her was a better coping strategy than expecting the worst and letting herself fall into an abyss of worry and depression.
“Even if Sarah’s refuses to acknowledge it,” Frank said, shooting her a sideways glance, “I say we need to protect ourselves. Do you have any weapons we can use? Wouldn’t have an Uzi lying around, would ya, Father?”
“I know not what an Uzi is,” Jules said, “but weapons in a church?” Jules snorted. “What do you expect? Crucifixes and holy water?”
“Well, given that we’re dealing with Immortals, maybe,” Frank said.
Sarah peered at him, not amused at his jokes after he’d just scolded her for making her own. “An Uzi, Frank? Really. Don’t be stupid. Try to think more along the lines of swords, Jules—or maybe even a dagger.”
“Did you see their armor? What do you plan to do with a dagger, sweetheart?” Frank asked. “Peel them an apple and poison them with it?” His arrogant, superior attitude was slowly beginning to irritate her.
“Do you have a better idea? And I swear, you better not start talking about some Rambo arsenal again, or I’m going to find the closest dragon and personally feed you to it.”
The priest held up his hands to stop their banter, which was becoming a bit more heated than friendly. “Enough! There’ll be no violence in this house of God.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sarah said. “But does the army outside agree too?”
Frank nodded, agreeing with her for a change. “Yeah. Why don’t you remind the leaders of Tastia and Dornia about peace and goodwill, because right now, we’re toast. If you don’t toss in a sword or two, we’ve no way to defend ourselves.”
The priest shook his head and turned on his heels, walking out of the room without another glance back.
Jules chased after him. “Father, do you need any help?”
Sarah elbowed Frank in the ribs hard. “Now you did it! You made the priest mad.”
“What did I do?” Frank hissed.
“You know all too well. Quit pissing everyone off, will ya? We already have a long list of people fuming at us. We don’t need the clergy on our heels as well. Think witch hunts and all that.”
“What?” He snorted and rubbed a hand over his face, annoyed. “Every soldier out there’s trying to kill you, and you think I’m just being paranoid.”
“Nope. Just irrational and negative.”
“I sent Jules out to get the rest of my bags and take them to my quarters in the back.” The priest’s voice made her turn around. “And this is for you.”
Her gaze fell on the silver heart necklace he held out to her. For a moment, Sarah could only stare. Her eyes clouded with tears as she lifted a finger and traced it over the face of the locket. Her hands trembled while she pried it open it and saw a photo of Liz inside it—a photo of the two of them standing side by side, together, happy and healthy as ever. Why would anyone in this world have Liz’s belongings? Liz would never give this away. Unless… Sarah shook her head defiantly. No! It can’t be! Liz has to be alive and well. She just has to be okay after all we’ve gone through to find her!
Frank snorted. “What are we supposed to do with that? Choke them to death or ask for their hand in marriage?”
“Shut up, Frank!” Sarah screamed, casting him a death glare. “I bought this for my sister the Christmas before she disappeared,” Sarah whispered, her gaze fixing on the priest. “How did you…where did you get this?” she asked, almost scared to hear the answer.
The priest inched closer and cupped her hands. “My child, Jules has brought you here for a reason. He told me that you are looking for your sister.”
Frank peeked over Sarah’s shoulder at the picture. “Yes. She went missing ten years ago, and no one knows what happened to her.”
“I met a girl by the name of Elizabeth Larker when she was fifteen,” the priest said.
Sarah stared at him, for a moment unable to comprehend why he was avoiding her gaze. Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage, threatening to jump out of her throat any minute. “Oh no! Tell me she’s not…” Her voice came thin and low, so low she wasn’t sure anyone had even heard her. Someone who wasn’t out to kill her had seen Liz, and she was finally making progress, but something didn’t feel right. She met Frank’s gaze, her mouth gaping. “This proves without a shadow of a doubt that she definitely walked through the portal.”
“Don’t do that, Sarah,” Frank said slowly.
“What? Why?” She met his dark, brooding eyes and found there what she’d been trying to control all along: her hope that somehow, Liz was still alive and well.
“I don’t want you to be disappointed, that’s all. I couldn’t bear to see you hurt.”
He was right, but she couldn’t help herself—not until someone proved her wrong.
The priest smiled, the thin skin around his eyes morphing into hundreds of tiny lines. “Elizabeth does look very much like you indeed, my dear.”
“I knew she was alive!” Sarah squeezed his hand, fighting the need to grab him into a hug, which she was rather certain would not be appropriate. “I never believed for a moment she was dead. Where is she? When can we go to her? How do I find her, and—”
“She was only here for one year, I’m afraid. During that time, I tried to help her through the pain of being stuck in this world, but she didn’t adjust well. It must’ve been a great shock for her. From what she told me, I gathered your world is very different from ours.”
Tears welled in Sarah’s eyes as realization kicked in.
“Babe, I tried to tell you,” Frank muttered.
“You said she was here for a year?” Sarah said, ignoring him. “How long ago was that? And where did she go when she left?”
The priest scratched his forehead, thinking. “It’s been a while. I have been out in the mission field for two years and just recently returned. I’m afraid I don’t know where she went.”
“Do you know whether or not she’s still alive?”
“I don’t know, but why shouldn’t she be?”
Sarah shrugged, hysteria bubbling up inside her. The journey had proven to be nothing but an emotional rollercoaster. If she continued this way she was bound to develop a borderline personality disorder, what with all the crying and laughing and hoping, only to have her hopes dashed an instant later. “I shouldn’t have left her. How can I ever forgive myself? I shouldn’t have been so scared of the creature and dumped my own sister like a sack of potatoes.”
“You were only a kid yourself,” Frank said, “a teenager. “A grown man would have been scared seeing one of those Bigfoots up close and personal. Heck, even I about crapped my pants, and you know how brave I am.”
“She was fifteen, Frank—lost, scared, and wandering around in a forest with countless Bigfoots chasing her.” Sarah turned back to the priest. “When was the last time you heard from her?”
“Let me think.” The man’s eyes glazed, deeply buried in his memories.
Sarah appreciated his help, but her patience was growing thin. She wished she could shake them all out of him, make him answer faster, because her pangs of hope were killing her inside, but she couldn’t risk alienating him; he was her only link to Liz. So she clasped her hands behind her, digging her nails deeply into her skin until a burning sensation traveled up her arm.
The priest answered eventually. “She left when she fell in love with a man. Last I heard she was still with him, and they are doing splendidly.”
&
nbsp; Sarah smiled. Somewhere in the midst of all that tragedy, Liz had found true love—something Sarah couldn’t manage to hang on to if her life depended on it. “So she’s happy.”
The priest nodded. “Very much so.”
A thought struck her. “When we arrived in the cave, it was nighttime, but when we walked through the portal, the sun was out. They’re opposites!”
“So she would’ve arrived at night,” Frank finished.
Sarah swallowed, unclasping the necklace and putting it around her neck. “She had to be so lonely and frightened. I hope that man is good to her, whoever he is.”
Frank lifted her hair and clasped the locket around her neck. “We’re going to find her and take her home. Do you remember the man’s name, Father?”
The priest scratched his head. “His name was Charles, and I believe he was from Ripteenia, north of here. Liz never told me much else about him. She was a bit secretive, that one.”
Sarah jumped as the front door slammed open and Jules walked in, his eyes wide. “Two villages away, when the sun sets, they plan to hang three people by the names of Beth, Steven, and Adam,” he announced between labored breaths, as though he had just run a marathon. “I heard they were dressed in odd clothing, similar to those Frank was wearing when I met him. My friend said they came through the forest of the Guardians, just like you two. Do you know them?”
Sarah gasped. “Of course! That would be my BFF, my lead researcher, and my cameraman.”
“BFF?” Jules and the priest asked in unison.
“Never mind,” Frank said to them with a groan. “Sarah, they followed you in? You’ve got to be kidding!”
Chapter 12
Sarah stared at Jules, wide-eyed. Three members of her team had made it through the portal, but now they faced execution. She felt awful about that. Once again, it was all her fault that people she cared about were in trouble. She’d been in charge of the expedition, and she’d picked the spot where they hunted for Bigfoot. Waves of guilt surged through her, first over Liz and now over her friends, her team. If anything happened to them, she could never live with herself. She grabbed Frank’s hand, avoiding his apologetic gaze. “We can’t just let them die in this place, Frank. We have to do something—anything! Let’s go!”
Suspending Reality Page 38
