He turned and ran, his throat slits opening fully. He allowed his eyes to close halfway, using his olfactory and tactile abilities to navigate the forest floor with its slick and uneven terrain.
He soon came upon Maddoc on his knees, crushing something to his face.
He slowed to a stop, Evelyn was not there.
His eyes met Maddoc's.
The fragment had preceded them. Footprints, broken branches and disrupted earth made a chaos of debris all around them.
Maddoc turned and stood, his eyes swollen and red. He had something clenched in his hand.
A sapphire ribbon fluttered in the slight breeze of the forest, waving like a desperate flag.
They turned and ran back the way they had come, soundlessly.
Their throat slits the only visible thing on their thick necks.
CHAPTER 27
A horrible pain penetrated the fog of consciousness that Evelyn found herself in. She realized the gait of a horse the instant she tore through the shroud of hazy wakefulness. Her hands and torso slapped gently along the flank of the horse that she rode upon. She had been thrown along its backside and was flopping along, tethered loosely.
Shards of glass stabbed her eyes and neck. The men of the fragment beat her until she lay still. The biggest finally picked her up when she struggled no more and tore her blouse from her body, grabbing her breasts and mounding them together. Then a rough voice had said they would have to be off. That a clan lay close-by and would miss this female.
The fragment had found it mysterious that a female of such quality would be bound and left as a gift in the forest. In all their years as they scavenged they had never tripped upon a prize such as she.
The leader had thought it was a trap. But after almost one half hour of careful waiting, it became apparent they were alone in the wood. They overtook her easily, reveling at her fragile beauty, her obvious youth. She fought them like a tigress and they had needed to subdue her. As vicious as the fragment was, there were some that were uncomfortable beating a female.
Lyle was not; he enjoyed inflicting the pain. It was only when she fell into unconsciousness that he discontinued, much to his disappointment.
“Lyle, it was dumb of you to beat the girl. We will not get top trade for her with the Midwestern fragment. They sent message they travel this way. A beaten female will garner less.”
He gave Stephen a withering look. “Tucker will not care. It is female flesh that he desires, not the condition. Besides,” he lifted a piece of her hair as she lay over the horse, “she will heal.”
Evelyn rolled over smoothly on her back, which was arched fully across the horse's back and jabbed her hand into Lyle's nose. She allowed herself to slip off the opposite side and with a stumble she set off running. She didn't realize how badly she had been beaten until the sight in front of her doubled.
She plunged forward and was caught from behind. She screamed.
*
Maddoc pulled his horse up shortly, clutching his chest. Bracus pulled beside him, twisting the reins and bringing Briar Rose around.
“What say you?”
“I do not know. I have a pain here,” he stamped his fist above his heart.
“Are you an Intuitive?” Bracus asked quickly.
Maddoc nodded. “Mother uses me to locate enemy position during war.”
“She is in danger presently.”
“Evelyn,” he breathed.
“Yes.”
They turned, digging their heels into their steeds' sides. They galloped toward Evelyn.
*
Evelyn bucked, her head swimming with dizziness. Rough arms turned her and she raised her arms to ward off the blows.
But they did not come.
Slowly, she took down her arms and found herself staring into the face of one of the fragment whom she knew from before.
Daniel.
And behind him she saw a cruel smile form on the male that stood behind him.
Tucker.
Evelyn's hand clutched against her chest as her heart broke from despair, the world swirling into a dark void of oblivion as she fainted.
Daniel's heart ached. He knew the girl was but ten and four and the fragment which held her had beaten her savagely. He hated them. They were worse than the one he traveled with.
He'd never felt like he belonged. He wasn't sure why, but he fit badly with the men. However, he'd fought his way to the top. It was he and Tucker and no other. The small bundle of female lay in his arms and he instantly wondered where Clara was? Was she well? The battle had ended badly, the remaining of the fragment had fled. He saw the member of the Band slice the throat of the Prince and beat Tucker's face into a bloody pulp.
It would've been fantastic if Tucker had been killed. Then he'd lead by himself.
He looked behind him and saw Tucker's crooked nose, the scars of battle still disfiguring his face. It would always look mangled. He couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more.
He stood, the girl in his arms.
Tucker looked closely at her still form. “Those idiots. They have beaten her in the face.” He turned on Lyle like a dog in a fight.
“You idiot! You know you'll get less of a trade for a beaten female. Did you pleasure yourself with her as well?” he demanded.
Lyle glared. “No!”
“Well, there's that, at least.” He went back to inspecting Evelyn as she lay against Daniel. His eyes flicked to Daniel's. “This can't be the same girl that we had in our grasp just two months ago? She had the figure of a boy,” he said, looking at the curves revealed by the lightweight undergarment she wore.
Daniel looked down at Evelyn. As she slept gooseflesh appeared on her arms, her blouse gone. She was cold.
“It is.”
“Humph,” Tucker said. “How old do you guess she is?”
Daniel thought of the best answer. Tucker usually didn't attack females that were too young, he purposely guessed young, “Maybe ten and four?”
“Fourteen? I don't think so! Look at the figure on her?” he said, gyrating his hips rudely.
Daniel shrugged, trying to look casual. “Some look older but are not. I remember the Princess said that she was young. That seemed the age I remember.”
Tucker shrugged. “It's excellent that they ran into her. Have they said where the Princess is? I would love to lay my hands on her.” His gaze traveled off into the distance and Daniel could clearly see that he wouldn't rest until he had Clara.
Daniel wouldn't allow that to occur.
“Are we ready then? We will travel to her sphere. She does not need to be there but the Princess will come when she discovers the overtaking.”
Daniel nodded. Clara had seemed to be a monarch that was not in name only. The intel from the fragment told them that each sphere was run differently from the others. He hoped that if Clara were to return, that he was firmly in a position to help her.
After he murdered Tucker.
They assembled the men that they would need to travel to the sphere and were discussing taking the girl.
“We have already traded much with Lyle for her, it makes no sense to leave her!” Daniel argued, knowing full well that if they left her, this fragment would not leave her untouched, even with the threat of retribution so real. Damaged goods weren't valuable.
“Then you'll be in charge of her. She is dead weight and wounded. I don't want the distraction. We need to be at the ready, when the element of surprise is most useful.”
Lyle was listening to their guarded conversation. “What do you hope to gain by penetrating their sphere?”
“Are you really asking that question?” Tucker scoffed, the scarred flesh of his face puckering as he sneered. “Their women, their meat, their clothes, whatever lies around will be taken. We'll kill the men and take the women. It's exactly as it has always been except that we do not have the Band to contend with for once.”
Lyle scowled. “The spheres are impenetrable,” he said, folding
his arms across his chest.
“True,” Tucker commented easily.
Daniel knew the secret and stayed quiet.
Lyle walked over to him. “You seem confident of penetrating the sphere? How is this?”
“Tucker is an enterprising man,” Daniel said, holding his mocking tone inside.
Lyle turned his stare on Daniel. “You seem odd. I have never gotten the sense of you.”
Daniel shrugged, going for nonchalance. It was very near the truth and he didn't like this idiot showcasing that difference.
Tucker looked at Daniel thoughtfully. He'd always been set apart from the other men. He couldn't put his finger on that difference but it was there, nonetheless. He frowned, there was something on the edge of his consciousness but not fully formed...
Daniel said, “Let us make haste in our travel.”
Tucker felt the mental connection float away and frowned. He'd been on the point of a revelation. Whatever, he'd figure it out at another time.
“You're right.”
He looked at Lyle. “Until next time, thank you for this find.” His eyes traveled to the girl and his mind thought on the Princess. That was the prize he really wanted. He would revel in her degradation. He had a feeling that she was strong-willed and he would enjoy crushing her spirit.
Daniel saw the smile on Tucker's face and didn't need a great deal of deliberation at its source.
Lyle's fragment packed up their gear and heaved it on their horses. It was a scant forty minutes before they were ready to depart.
Tucker waited until they were black dots on the horizon then turned to Daniel. “It's time.”
Daniel nodded and as he walked away he looked at where he had laid the girl down on the grass and she began to stir. Her eyes opened in her bloodied face, the blue deeply contrasting with all the red.
“Daniel,” she whispered.
Mindful of Tucker watching him he walked over as if she didn't matter. “What?”
Doubt crowded her eyes and he saw her rethinking his position and was sorry. But it couldn't be helped. After all, Tucker would see any weakness as something to be exploited at the worse possible time. He flicked his eyes in Tucker's direction and he saw understanding in hers.
She was a smart girl, she knew something was up.
Evelyn looked at Daniel. The only male of this fragment, for the other one that had beaten her was no longer about. Evelyn remembered that Clara had said he was kind inside. At first, when he acted like her welfare mattered not, she had felt hopeless. But then his eyes had shifted to the awful Tucker and she realized it was a signal. Very much like the ones Jonathan would give her when the adults were around and he had a secret. She decided to pretend that he was as Tucker.
“I thought I recognized you from before.”
“So? It means nothing unless you tell us where the Princess is?”
“You mean Queen Clara?”
Tucker and Daniel looked at each other.
Tucker walked over to where she lay and she scooted backward. “I thought that she was Princess?”
Evelyn was not sure why this was important but felt like she had made a grave error by admitting her stature.
“Prince Frederic did not tell us that she was Queen,” Daniel said.
“She didn't either,” Tucker said thoughtfully.
“What does it mean?” Daniel asked but thought he knew.
“It means we have a traitor in our midst.”
Evelyn frowned and the movement caused her face to flinch over the worst of the wounds and she made a pain sound.
Tucker liked the sound she made.
She saw his reaction to her and had to hold herself still as her body wished to flee. She knew that Lyle would have beat her again had he caught her. But he had not. Daniel had.
“Let's go.”
Tucker nodded reluctantly, thinking how fun the sport would be with all the unsuspecting females of the sphere.
Daniel gave a hand to Evelyn and helped her up. She looked up at him gratefully and he gave the smallest smile.
It was enough.
She followed him by the hand to wherever Tucker was going.
*
Evelyn saw the anomaly even from where she stood. A shimmering oval stood in the middle of the glade. It was a strange wave in the middle of the air, it undulated as the breeze moved through it.
Daniel looked at the ripple, so benign.
So deadly.
Tucker knew where it was located and the time line that ruled it. They were here not by accident but for a purpose.
It was time to travel the Pathway.
The twenty members of the fragment that had escaped the siege by the Band had assembled in front of the ripple, their eyes wary. The group was superstitious to be sure. They knew that the travel sickness was real. There was only a certain number of times the human body could travel the Pathway without irreparable harm.
Daniel squeezed Evelyn's hand then let it fall. It wouldn't do for Tucker to think him soft. He needed to appear as he always was; ready.
“Move into the slit. We don't have a lot of time. Maybe another twenty minutes,” Tucker said, herding the soldiers of the fragment toward the iridescent mouth that opened obscenely to welcome them into the Pathway.
One male broke away and began to run. Tucker took off after him and pausing briefly, he gripped his dirk at the handle and threw it after the fleeing figure. It buried in the back of his skull and he crumpled to the ground. The five remaining of the fragment hurried inside the waiting hole. When the last one was ready to enter, he put out his arm tentatively, pushing it into the gaping mouth. The arm disappeared but his body remained outside.
Tucker crouched beside the fallen fragment and using both hands, he gripped the blade and yanked it backward, the skull cracking open wider as he did.
Evelyn covered her mouth and whimpered. The gray matter of the brain covered the blade. Tucker wiped it on the back of the fragment and stood. His eyes met hers and he smiled.
She backed away.
He looked over as the last soldier pressed his arm through and said, “Do you need encouragement from the dirk? As your comrade did a minute ago?”
The soldier's wide eyes took in the man that lay dead with a hole in his head and slipped in the rest of the way. His body remained visible for a moment, then eerily disappeared from sight.
Tucker looked at Daniel and Evelyn, re-sheathing his dirk at his waist. Daniel heard something and looked at Tucker. Tucker looked a question back to him but did not sense what Daniel did.
Riders.
He walked the distance to the ripple with Tucker and Evelyn.
“Riders approach,” he said.
Tucker looked at him. “I don't hear anything.”
“It sounds of the Band,” Daniel said and Evelyn tensed to flee. Daniel felt her weight shift and held her against him.
“Don't,” he said. Evelyn's heart sank. She was traveling to Clara's sphere with the fragment. The mode of travel was something that frightened even the males.
They would pillage the sphere. Then her life would be one with the fragment. Degradation. Abuse. Pain. Death.
Evelyn was without hope.
*
Bracus and Maddoc scented the fragment's trail.
Maddoc could barely make out Evelyn's scent for it was covered by another.
Blood.
He knew from the change to her scent she had been hurt.
His fury sped him onward.
They broke into the clearing at the same moment.
*
Evelyn's head snapped up as the Band entered the glade. Hope slammed back into her body, adrenaline surging to her extremities.
Her eyes met Maddoc's and she screamed for him, “Maddoc!”
Maddoc was already moving forward, his heels buried against his mount. The horse surged forward and he leaned into the wind to give her the speed she needed to reach Evelyn.
Bracus galloped slightly behind him a
nd watched as a large male of the fragment held her tightly against him and the leader slightly behind. Bracus recognized him immediately, the damage on his face evidence of Matthew's fists, his features distorted.
Too late Bracus recognized the vehicle of their departure. But it was Maddoc that screamed for him, “No!” he bellowed just as Evelyn was jerked backward into the slit, her battered face disappearing from view.
The ripple hovered for a moment in the sunlight, glimmering and moving as a supple serpent suspended in the air. Then it winked out of existence with a sizzle.
Maddoc and Bracus stood paralyzed. No amount of nearness would make it reappear.
Evelyn had disappeared with the fragment.
*
Evelyn saw Maddoc coming for her and hope welled up inside her. She had believed that he was acting out of duty.
She felt her body still as she was sucked back by Daniel. She was encased in a horrible coldness, the icy coating leeching into her body.
Her eyes met his over the head of his horse and it was then that she knew it was more than duty.
Determination filled his eyes.
And love.
The vision of his face galloping toward her narrowed until it became a pinpoint then disappeared.
Evelyn felt a crushing weight descend upon her, she could no longer feel Daniel holding her. She was flying through space without end.
She folded into unconsciousness in a cocoon of ice and fire, speeding into absolute darkness.
CHAPTER 28
Clara and Rowenna looked up as Maddoc and Bracus burst through the doors which led to Rowenna's chamber.
Empty-handed.
Clara's face fell. They would not have returned without her unless something horrible was afoot. Her stomach clenched as she prepared herself for news of Evelyn.
The SAVAGE Series, Books 1-3: The Pearl Savage, The Savage Blood and The Savage Principle Page 49
