Blue Ridge: Vol. 3 - Escape

by Sophia Gray

  Julia exchanged a look with her husband before responding. “We seek your assistance in looking for our sons, and the human girl.”

  “Nonsense. If your sons do turn up I will send them home, but the girl, well that is a different matter. Humans cannot be allowed to return to their world with knowledge of ours.”

  “You would kill the girl?”

  Lily shrugged. “Why not? What is a human to me?” She laughed again at their incredulous stares. “Oh fine, Julia, if it would make you sleep better, I will send Nadia home too. Now be dismissed, and I do mean completely dismissed, and take your aged parents with you.”

  Julia and Derrick looked at one another for several seconds. Foster couldn’t see their faces but he could sense a change in the tensions of their bodies.

  “I said you’re dismissed!” the Queen said sharply.

  “Tell me, Lily, how did you know the girl’s name?”

  She looked confused, but only for a split second. “The rumors, of course.”

  “How odd.” Julia said. She turned her face back to Derrick. “Derrick, did you know her name?”

  “No.” he growled.

  Julia turned to face the crowd. How many of you knew of the rumor about my son being involved with a human?” Only a few raised their hands, and as far as Foster could see, they all wore blue collars on their tunics indicative of Council members. “Tell me, of those that knew of the indiscretion, how many knew her name?” No one raised their hands. Julia turned back to the Queen. “Where is the girl, Lily?”

  The Queen’s eyes narrowed and she leaned forward in her seat. Her son sat with his face resting on a fist and he frowned. “Careful, Julia, or I will find you in contempt.”

  “I demand the help I deserve as a child of the Sidhe.”

  “Half Sidhe.” The boy sneered.

  Derrick took a long stride toward the first step of the platform, but Julia stopped him with an outstretched arm. “A Sidhe has never been denied the help of the throne.”

  “I guess this is a night for new beginnings.” The Queen clapped her hands together two times. “Guards! I wish the Anak family to be my guests!”

  “Oh no.” Nadia breathed. Garth stood and motioned to the others across the room.

  Foster and Warren watched in horror as multiple guards appeared out of nowhere. The room held a momentary tension as the guards began their approach of Derrick and Julia. Foster saw two guards approach Dain and the elderly couple he now knew to be his grandparents. Dain stood and shouted across the room.

  “Damn you to hell, Lily! We had an agreement!” The room fell into absolute silence.

  “What agreement?” Derrick barked.

  “I guess it is null and void, Dain.” She smiled. “Guards!”

  “We’ve got to go!” Stefan said frantically and pulled Foster and Warren away from the opening.

  “Come on!” Garth said and was pulling Nadia out of the little room at the same time that Stefan was herding the others down the opposite stairs.

  “What are we going to do?” Nadia asked as they ran down the narrow staircase.

  “Whatever we can.” Garth said and placed a long dagger in her hand that had belonged to the dungeon guard. “We have to catch up with the others. It shouldn’t be hard. If the rooms were opposites, we should be able to meet up with them on the hall that holds the kitchen rooms.”

  Nadia nodded and looked at the dagger in her hand. The weight of it was strange; as strange as how different this place was compared to her life. She had yearned for adventure, and now that she had it, she wished for it to be over. Foster’s family was in danger. They were in danger because of her. If anything happened to any of them she wouldn’t be able to bear it. She tried to put her thoughts aside and follow Garth.

  Sound was erupting all over the castle. Garth stuck his head out of the door they had entered in and pulled it back quickly. Running footsteps and shouts could be heard on the other side of the door. Once they faded Garth stuck his head back out and pulled her close to his back. The hall they were on intersected the main hall from the front, which meant they would have to cross and possibly be seen. Garth positioned the short sword he had taken from the guard in such a way to not be conspicuous, but could be easily pulled from his belt if needed. They crept quickly down the hall and slowed their pace as they approached the entrance to the mail hall. Fae and Sidhe were practically running from the direction of the throne room. Garth and Nadia ran head first into a pale one that was pulling a female along by her hand.

  “What are you fools doing?” he said gasping for breath. “We must exit the castle at once?”

  Realizing the Sidhe had no idea who they were, Garth asked; “What has happened?”

  He rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder briefly. “That bastard son of the fallen has fought off a handful of guards and is trying to torch the place!”

  Garth’s eyes grew wide and he looked down the main hall to see most of the guests running from the throne room and coming their way. The Sidhe that was speaking to them, tugged at his female hard, and resumed his hasty retreat to the front of the castle.

  It was complete chaos. Nadia could hear someone screaming. It sounded like a man, but the language he was screaming in was like nothing she had ever heard before. It was guttural yet beautiful, and she could feel threads of her mind responding.

  “Come!” Garth snapped. “We should be able to blend in somewhat with all of this.”

  They began crossing the hall, pushing past others that were trying to leave. Nadia could detect the faint scent of smoke. She wanted to ask Garth if he thought it was Foster’s father that was doing it, but knew that it wasn’t the time for a conversation. Once they were on the other side of the hall, they ran until they were in the west wing where the kitchens and servants quarters were. Several servants and a few guards were lugging large buckets of water, heading for the main hall. A small Fae stepped out of a room and into the hallway.

  “What is happening?” she said in a small voice, her eyes wide.

  “The whole place is going up! Get out while you can!” Garth shouted, never breaking stride. The little woman squeaked and started banging on doors to tell others. Nadia looked up at him and saw his smiling face looking down at her. He had just created more chaos; perfect to help mask their escape.

  When they finally made it to the matching little room that overlooked the throne room, they were both disappointed to find it empty. Smoke was rising to the ceiling and Nadia could see the orange glow of flames below them. They dared a glance down to the throne room and found it almost totally engulfed in flames.

  “Where could they have gone?” Nadia asked.

  “I don’t know, but for now we need to get out of here and out of the Realm.”

  “No! Not without Foster!”

  Garth grabbed her by the arm just like he had done on their trip to the castle. “We will find them once we are out. If I know Derrick Anak, he is probably leading the way home already!”

  When they reached the bottom of the stairs at least dozen servants were hurrying down the hall. A few had grabbed belongings and one was trying to drag a trunk after herself. Garth bent down to Nadia’s ear and whispered, “There must be a servant’s exit. Try to just blend in with them.” Nadia was not sure how Garth would blend in. He was at least 6’6” or taller. The next tallest one in the hall was just over Nadia’s height. She didn’t argue however; she kept her eyes forward and her mind on Foster.

  *****

  Foster couldn’t understand why Stefan had insisted that they leave the castle from the way they had entered. His family was in there. Nadia was in there. They would be of no use to them out here.

  All three of them were lying flat again scanning the courtyard from under the rose bushes. Fae and Sidhe were milling about looking back at the castle with worried and stunned expressions. Some were preparing to leave. They caught snatches of sentences.

  “Never have we seen….”

  “Nons
ense! The last war….”

  “Lily has underestimated….”

  It went on like that for several minutes. A guard ran from the castle and yelled at the ones trying to keep order in the courtyard. “The throne room is lost! We must protect the Queen and Prince!”

  Foster watched at least six guards re-enter the castle. He saw something step out of the shadows of the courtyard and he gasped in surprise. “She has a minotaur!”

  “Aye.” Stefan said. “Two of them.”

  Foster watched the second one step up beside the other. The people of the courtyard didn’t seem surprised but shied away from them anyway. They both carried long swords and scanned the courtyard with their animal eyes.

  Stefan flattened himself further into the ground and began slowly backing away. “Foster!” he whispered. “They see with the eyes of an animal. We won’t be safe here.”

  “They hear like an animal too.” Warren’s voice was strained in the dark. Foster and Stefan looked to see the Minotaurs coming slowly towards them. They were looking right at them, and Foster was sure he saw one smile. They held their breath and stayed as still as possible, but it was of no use, as the rose bush closest to Foster was cut away by one of their swords. Leaves and rose petals flew into the air and fell all around him. Another one was removed straight out of the ground in front of Stefan. The three of them were completely exposed, and two bull heads bent to look at them. They were smiling.

  *****

  Nadia and Garth tried to stay with the servants but it was too hard. Some were running back to the kitchens to try and get more buckets of water, some were trying to leave, and others just stood in the way; so used to taking orders they didn’t know what else to do. Garth could tell that most of them were trying to head for the main hall. A shrill voice stopped him in his tracks.

  “Find the Anaks!”

  “But my Lady!”

  “You fools! I will be fine! Go find them, and when you do I want them brought to me alive!”

  Garth pushed Nadia against the wall and watched as the Queen came into view with her son following right behind. Her hair was slightly messy and he could see her dress was torn. Garth knew hell would be paid for this. Blood would be paid. He crouched and tried to watch where she was going through the bodies that were moving up and down the hall around him. He thought she was going to leave and enter the courtyard but she stopped and Garth saw a smile spread across her lips. Two minotaurs walked into view, and each was dragging someone. He tried to see if it was Derrick and Julia, or maybe Dain, but it was neither. He looked down at Nadia and put his forefinger to his mouth indicating for her to be quiet. The hallway they were on ceased all movement. The servants were apparently very afraid of the minotaurs.

  “Well, well…what have my precious pets caught for me?”

  Two bodies were flung before her and one minotaur answered her in a muffled throaty voice, “Found these hiding in the rose bushes. Another escaped into the mountain side.”

  The Queen glared at them for a moment. “It’s a day for escapes. I will have to rethink who protects my keep.” The two minotaurs lowered their head in embarrassment. Queen Lily bent at the waist and lifted the head of one of the bodies. Garth tried to see better from around the waist of a round Fae that was in his way. He watched her look at both in turn. “There is no mistaking these two: Foster and Warren Anak. I am delighted.”

  Garth gave Nadia a stern look and she covered her mouth with both hands to stop from screaming. She bit down hard on her tongue as huge tears ran out of her eyes. Everyone in the hall just remained still and silent, waiting either for the Queen to act herself, or demand for them to act.

  She looked down at the brothers briefly and Garth could see a decision being made.

  “I want their heads on a pike. Perhaps then Mommy and Daddy will come out of hiding.”

  Nadia could handle it no more. She felt something welling up within her chest. If she could have named it, she would have called it a tornado. Her eyes blurred from the tears and from the lust to see that woman dead. Foster was lying dead at her feet. His brother lay beside him. She would die with them. With strength she didn’t know she had, she yanked the sword from Garth’s belt and charged up the hall screaming with the voice of a banshee. The absolute look of astonishment that came from the Queen was priceless.

  Nadia didn’t take time to enjoy it. Her feet left the ground and she jumped into the air with the sword out before her at an angle. The Queen’s mouth flew open and she staggered backwards. Nadia could feel the momentum give as her body was descending towards the woman. Another body lunged forward and threw arms out in front of the Queen. Nadia felt the tip of the blade hit and heard the terrible tearing sound as steel entered flesh. It was a spot on hit, but the target was wrong. The look on the Prince’s face mirrored his mother’s. His eyes were large and his mouth wide. All time seemed to stop. Deep silence was all around her the moment she watched the life fade from the golden Prince’s eyes. Then it was over. Time sped back up. The minotaurs let out a deafening sound, a sound that only angry bulls make. The Queen screamed and tried to pull her way out from the body of her son. Her sobs were horrific. No one has seen true horror until they watch a mother grieve her child. Garth grabbed Nadia from behind and pulled her into the air, but the thing that was truly glorious was the sight of Foster and Warren staggering to their feet just behind the enraged and charging Minotaurs.

  The night air was almost cold as it whipped around Nadia. Garth sprinted easily with her thrown over his shoulder, and he wrenched the bloody sword from her hand as he ran. The courtyard wasn’t empty and he dodged several people and guards. He jumped over the edge of the bluff and they crashed into brush and tree limbs. Nadia could feel branches and thorns scrap at her face and arms. She fell to the ground and sucked in air from the force of it. Rolling to her side she quickly stood and tried to fight past Garth.

  “I saw them stand! Foster’s alive!”

  Gath looked upwards and pulled her after himself. Nadia was fighting against him, trying to dig her heels in the ground and she snapped at him with bared teeth. “We….have… to go back!” she screamed. Garth flung her behind a large tree that had bushes growing all around it. He put his weight on her and clamped a large hand over her mouth. She tried to bite the inside of his palm, but he shook her head hard enough to make her teeth chatter.

  “Quiet, girl!” he hissed. They laid there trying to see and listening to the clamor above them. One of the Minotaur came into view just above the bluff and started a slow descent downward. Garth eased off of her and hissed again in her ear. “Stay still.” He silently worked his way to the left and momentarily disappeared out of Nadia’s view. She would have seen him if she could have turned her head, but that would have caused her movement, and she knew that any sound was going to be too loud. The Minotaur was just a shadow but he was coming closer every second.

  Garth took a stick and threw it a few feet away. It hit the leaves and made a sound loud enough to attract the minotaur. He moved towards the noise and garth jumped out from behind the tree and stabbed him through the chest. The bull man was strong and tried to fight, but Garth had to send the blade back into his chest three more times before his body lay still. He returned to Nadia as quietly as he had left, and lay beside her again. He kept his eyes on the top of the bluff. A few came and looked over but none dared venture down as the minotaur had.

  An eternity seemed to pass before they heard footsteps to the right. Garth touched her lips and she knew to be completely quiet. Easing himself over, he got on the balls of his feet and crouched there listening to the sounds of someone coming closer. A large figure appeared, silhouetted momentarily by the moonlight. Stefan stepped within three feet of Garth before he realized Garth was crouching on the ground. Garth reached up and pulled the other man down beside him.

  “Garth, you are a sight for sore eyes!” Stefan whispered and squeezed his shoulder.

  “Are the Anaks still scattered?”
<
br />   “No, Derrick and Julia were just beyond the gate of the green men when I escaped. I thought Foster and Warren dead, but they left the castle right after the two of you. We watched from the trees. We were trying to come up with a plan, but young Nadia took care of it.” Stefan said and smiled at her through the darkness. “How did you learn to use a sword?”

  “I just learned today.”

  Stefan nodded and continued to smile at her. “We need to get her to Foster. He’s fit to be tied and ready to burn the forest down to flush the two of you out.”

  “I think Derrick has burned enough.”

  “So what? She’ll loose the throne room and maybe a few others, she had it coming.”

  “Aye.” Garth whispered. “What is it looking like up there?’