by Scott
“Now, I need to go. Levi will be waiting for me. Be very careful today and remember all that I’ve told you.”
Slade reached up, pulled Dallan’s face close to his and kissed him. “Yeah, yeah, Merlin, I’ve got it. Go. I’ll be fine.”
Dallan moved hesitantly off the bed and toward the door, where he stopped and looked back. “This should only take a few hours.”
“Go.”
Once Dallan left, Slade decided that there was no need for him to get up yet. He was still tired from the night’s activities, so he rolled over and pulled the sheet over himself. He fell asleep, smiling, thinking of all that they’d done, but was awakened sometime later by a loud commotion outside. What the hell?
He jumped out of bed and grabbed his jeans and t-shirt off the floor where Dallan had thrown them when he undressed him the night before. He had his jeans on and was pulling his shirt over his head as he went to the front door. Still half-asleep, he yanked it open without thinking and was set upon by four tall, thin creatures with long, white hair and lidless eyes. As if they weren’t ugly enough, they had gaping mouths with fangs and paper-thin skin that stretched tightly over their faces, giving them skull-like countenances. Their arms were long and ended in dangerous-looking claws.
They had his hands bound and a lead rope tied around him in no time. They were armed with some nasty-looking weapons that looked like axes and clubs. He got the message loud and clear that they weren’t afraid to use them on him if he gave them any trouble.
They surrounded him and one of them took hold of the rope and began to pull him along. Feeling more alert now, he realized that he had to do something before they took him too far from the house, so he yelled for Harry as loud as he could, hoping to wake him. He didn’t know if it worked because as soon as he did it, one of the assholes hit him over the head with something, knocking him out.
When he came to, he was trussed up and tied to a pole like a pig on a spit. There was one man at each end carrying him and one walking on each side of him, both carrying some sort of club. That must be what they’d used to knock him out. Looking around as best he could, he saw that they were on a dark trail surrounded by woods.
Slade guessed that they walked for about another ten minutes before veering off to the right on a smaller footpath deeper into the forest. When they had gone far enough away from the more traveled path to be hidden from it, they stopped and untied him from the pole. His feeling of relief at no longer hanging there was fleeting, however, because they soon had him tied to a tree.
As soon as they made sure that his bonds were secure, they left him there, moving about ten feet away to a small clearing. They built a fire which gave enough light for them to keep an eye on him and for him to see what they were doing. He watched them digging something out of a bag that looked bloody and disgusting. When they started to eat it, he thought he would puke. When they’d devoured whatever it was, they brought out jugs and began drinking.
When they’d finished one jug and brought out another, they began to dance around his tree, poking at him with their claws. Several times, they drug their nails over bare skin, leaving scratches. When one of the scrapes went a little deep, he yelled and they seemed to enjoy his pain. He made up his mind that he would not make another sound for their enjoyment, no matter how much it hurt.
Finally, they tired of the game and went back to the campfire, pulling out another jug and starting on it. Damn. Don’t these bastards ever get drunk and pass out?
They continued to drink and eventually, they became quiet. After all the ruckus they had raised, the stillness was profound. Slade was spooked. He had grown up camping out in the woods at home, but this was different. For one thing he was tied up and defenseless. For another, he had no clue where he was and, even if he managed to get loose, no idea which way to go. Then, there were the noises. Strange ones, not like anything he’d ever heard before. Hell, there might be something out here worse than these creatures. Slade refused to allow himself to imagine anything worse than these monsters.
What a mess. How stupid was it to just throw that door wide open like that. Dallan was right. I need a keeper. If Dallan had sealed the house like before, none of this would have happened. Slade began to shiver, not from fear, though there was plenty of that, but from the cold. He’d only pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. He didn’t even have any shoes on. No warmth reached him from the fire.
He pulled at his restraints, but they didn’t budge an inch. It had gotten so dark that he couldn’t see anything around him except the creatures passed out by the fire and he sure as well didn’t want them to wake up again. He’d never felt real fear before, but he was starting to feel it now. He’d always felt that he could handle any situation, but that was before he was tied to a tree, in the dark, in the middle of a so-called realm of immortals that he’d never heard of or known of its existence.
He took a deep breath. He had to stay calm so that he could think. Maybe he could come up with some kind of plan of escape before something out here in these woods killed him or those damn things woke up from their drunken stupor.
Harry. Maybe Harry had heard him before they knocked him out. If he had, he would alert Dallan. On the other hand, he’d only managed to yell that one time before they clubbed him, so the owl might not have heard him.
Wait. There was something else. He tried to remember what it was. Dallan had told him something else. But what? Think, damn it. His head hurt. That lick on the head sure as hell didn’t help my thought processes. Dallan had said to use whatever it was only in case of a dire emergency. Did emergencies get any more dire than this?
What was it? Slade played the conversation this morning over in his head. He pictured himself lying in the bed and Dallan crawling up there with him. He remembered the kiss and Dallan whispering in his ear. That’s it. His fae name, but what the hell was it? Something weird. Relax. Let it come to you.
Slade made himself calm down by doing deep breathing exercises. Slowly, but surely, he felt the tension easing and his thinking becoming clearer. Then, finally, there it was. Cynfael. He wanted to shout it over and over, but Dallan had told him to speak it quietly and it would come to him. It was probably all bullshit, but in this situation, what did he have to lose by trying. Slade listened for a minute, trying to make sure no one was around to overhear him and that those things were still passed out. Everything was still and quiet. And dark. He waited another minute before whispering faintly, “Cynfael, Cynfael, come to me. Help me.”
Nothing to do now, but wait. He wished that he could believe that Dallan was actually going to hear him calling for help, but he didn’t. It was ridiculous to even entertain the idea, but it was the only hope he had, so he clung to it. He wouldn’t allow himself to think about what those ugly fuckers had in store for him. They had impressed him as a bloodthirsty bunch, so imagining what they might have in mind would be non-productive.
Besides, his head hurt, they must’ve given him quite a lick, and he was sleepy. He knew that he should try to stay awake. Wasn’t there something about not going to sleep after a head injury? Well, what the hell, Delaney? They’re probably going to kill you anyway.
****
Dallan and Levi had completed their investigation and Dallan was ready to get out of there. It turned out that his father had been the security leak and had been careless about covering his tracks. Guess that’s what comes from being arrogant enough to think that you’re smarter than everyone else. His father had become complacent and, therefore, careless. He’d never been close to the man, but it saddened Dallan to think that the offer of money and power could turn him into a traitor. Of course, as Niam had pointed out imperiously when confronted, he was from the Faery Domain and loyal to his king, Marek. Therefore, he didn’t believe himself to be a traitor.
Well, Levi can deal with Niam. Dallan approached Levi. “Your Highness, is there anything else you need from me?”
“No, I’ll handle it now. I know that this was
difficult for you and I appreciate your help.”
“No problem. I’m fine, but concerned about my mother. She’ll be hurt and embarrassed by all of this, but of course he never thought of anyone but himself. I’m going to go see her, and then I need to get home. Something is wrong, I feel it.”
“Go. I’ll make sure your mother is all right.”
“Thank you. Tell her that I’ll be back tomorrow to see her.”
“I will. Bring Slade with you. Cole and I have a proposition to discuss with the two of you.”
Dallan raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner at Levi. “That sounds interesting and I wish I could discuss it further, but I need to go.”
“Go. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
When Dallan got outside, it was already getting dark. He hadn’t realized how late it was, and the closer he got to his home, the more ominous his feeling of something not right became. That feeling was validated when he arrived and saw that his front door was standing open. Hurrying in, he called out to Slade. No answer. The house was silent.
Dallan walked into the bedroom. The bed was empty, as was Harry’s perch. Where the hell could they be? Hopefully, Harry is with Slade. If not, Slade could be lost in the woods, where there was all manner of danger.
Dallan had to do something quickly, but his anxiety level was interfering with his abilities as a wizard. He needed to calm down and think of a spell to cast to locate Slade. As he walked into the living room, a whisper of wind blew past his ear and, with it, he heard, Cynfael, Cynfael, Come to me. Help me.
Oh, hell. It was Slade and he was definitely in trouble. At that moment, Harry flew in the still open front door, making loud shrieking noises. He landed on Dallan’s shoulder, using his head to bump against his master’s head in a nudge, before flying back outside and then, back in to repeat the process.
Relief flooded through Dallan the second time the owl did this. “You know where he is, don’t you?” Harry took flight again and came back in to circle around Dallan before exiting. Dallan understood and followed him out the door, putting a spell on the house to seal it.
Following Harry in the dark was not going to be an easy task, but after walking a short distance, Dallan saw faery lights to his right under a large tree. It looked as if it might be three of the small Carraigs. He held out his hand to summon them, and they came immediately. Two of them landed on his shoulder and the other in his hand. When they materialized out of their sparkling light, he explained what he needed. “I have to follow Harry farther into the woods to find my companion. I believe that he is in grave danger and it’s too dark for me to see Harry as he flies. I need you to fly with him so that I can follow your light.”
Each of them nodded and three sparkling balls of light joined Harry on the tree limb where he was perched. They took off, two of the faeries flying low enough to help illuminate the trail and the other one riding on Harry’s back.
It seemed to Dallan that he’d been walking forever when, suddenly, Harry and the Carraigs veered off to the right. He followed them till he saw Slade tied to a tree. His head was lying over to the side and he looked as if he might be asleep. Or dead. Dallan’s heart was racing as he approached Slade, finally getting close enough to see that he was breathing. Relief flooded him.
He looked toward the fire and saw the kidnappers. Dark Elves. That’s what he’d been afraid of. Since they hadn’t already killed Slade, they must have had something else in mind, like holding Slade hostage to make the wizard open a blood gate for them.
He bent down and began untying the ropes that held Slade, but not before putting a spell on the elves to make them sleep long enough for him to get word to Levi to send someone to arrest them.
Slade opened his eyes and smiled at Dallan. “Boy, am I glad to see you.”
“You may not be when I get you home. I gave you specific instructions about being careful. How the hell did they get you?”
“I’ll explain everything to you after you get me out of here.”
“No, you can explain it to me now.” Dallan didn’t give him time to open his mouth, though. “Do you know what they are? How dangerous they are? You could have been killed, you idiot. I don’t know what to do about you. You don’t listen to a damn word I say. I don’t talk just to hear myself talk, you know. These are Dark Elves. They are extremely dangerous and they hate humans. They don’t just want to kill them, they want to slaughter them and eat their brains. I’m so damn mad at you I could kill you myself.”
He opened his mouth to continue, but Slade interrupted him. “Dallan. Damn. Take a breath, will you? Don’t you think I’ve had time to think about how I fucked up? I’m sorry. Okay?”
Dallan untied the last restraint and grabbed hold of Slade, pulling him close. In the darkness, he hadn’t noticed the abrasions on Slade’s arms. but he heard him groan in pain. “What is it? Did they hurt you?” He pushed Slade back against the tree and summoned one of the faeries to hover over him to provide some light. That’s when he saw the scratches and one long, nasty-looking gash. Dallan made a hissing sound. “I’ll kill them myself and then Levi won’t need to send anyone out here to get them.”
“No, just take me h—uh, just get me out of here.”
Dallan hesitated, as if considering what to do. Finally, he seemed to make a decision. “Fine. I need to get you home so that I can put a potion on that before it gets infected. Those elves are disgusting creatures that carry all kinds of infections.” He helped Slade to stand, being careful not to hurt him further.
Once he was standing. Slade staggered a bit. “Sorry. They hit me over the head with one of their clubs, I think, and I’m feeling a little off-balance.”
Dallan was furious. “I really should kill them.”
“No, Dallan. I’m really not feeling well. Please. Let’s just get out of here.”
****
Slade felt like he was going to pass out, but he kept pushing himself, willing himself to keep walking. He was following Dallan, who kept asking if he was okay. He could’ve stopped anytime, but he didn’t want Dallan to know how bad he really felt. He wanted to get as far away as he could from those damn elves. His head hurt, the gash in his arm was throbbing and he felt like he was going to throw up. Not to mention the fact that he had no shoes on. He had to stop for a minute. “Dallan.” His voice was weak. He hoped that Dallan had heard him.
Apparently, he had because he stopped and turned around just in time to catch Slade as his legs buckled under him. Dallan lifted Slade onto his shoulder and moved off the trail onto some soft grass where he sat down with his back to a tree. He positioned Slade so the he could lean against his chest. “We’ll sit here for a while and let you rest. Why the hell didn’t you say something before now?”
“I thought that I could make it. I’m not a weakling, you know. I’m an FBI agent with survival skills, not to mention a former soldier trained by the U.S. Army.”
“Yes, yes, I know all of that. I should. I’ve certainly heard it enough times in the last few days, but you’re injured now. I shouldn’t have listened to you when you said you were okay every time I asked. I should have known better. You really are the most infuriating human I’ve ever met. And the stubbornest.”
Slade was too weak to argue and it felt too good sitting here, leaned against the muscles of Dallan’s chest. “Just be quiet and let me rest a minute. Is that too much to ask?” Dallan started moving around. “And would it kill you to be still for a minute?” Dallan didn’t respond, but he stilled and then Slade felt a cool liquid at his lips. Water. He opened his mouth and took it in large gulps before Dallan took it away.
“Not too much. Take it slow.”
“So good.” He slurped a little more down.
Dallan removed the flask he’d been holding to Slade’s lips. “That’s enough for now. You’ll make yourself sick.”
“I’m already sick.”
“I know. I’d like to let you rest until morning
, but I’m afraid to wait that long. If I let you take a break here for a few more minutes, do you think you can make it? It’ll take about another hour to get home.”
“I can make it. We could leave now if you think we should.” Slade was starting to worry about his arm. It was really hurting and Dallan’s concern troubled him.
“No, we can rest a few more minutes.”
Slade was glad because he didn’t think he could stand up and walk right now, if his life depended on it, which apparently it did. He trusted Dallan to know what was best, so he relaxed against that muscular chest and promptly dozed off.
It seemed like it had only been about two minutes when he heard Dallan calling him. “Slade, wake up. We need to be going.”
Slade opened his eyes and saw that it was still dark. He felt a little better, but wasn’t sure that he’d be able to get up. He leaned forward with a groan and did manage to get to his feet, but he felt unsteady.
Dallan stood and put his around Slade, lifting him onto his shoulder again. He was a big man, and strong, but so was Slade, who wasn’t sure that he could carry him all the way.
“Put me down. I can walk. Besides, I’m too heavy.” Slade began pushing at Dallan’s back, shoulder, whatever he could reach, trying to get down.
Dallan slapped him on the ass. “Stop that and be quiet. I’ve had enough of your shenanigans. Since you obviously are incapable of making good decisions, I’m taking over.”
Slade stopped moving around. “What the hell are you talking about, Merlin? And, by the way, don’t hit me on my ass again like I’m a child.”
Dallan slapped his ass again. “When you quit acting like one, I’ll stop. Although…”
Slade heard the smile in Dallan’s voice and caught on immediately to what the wizard was thinking about. His cock twitched. What the hell? I’ve probably got a concussion, my arm may rot and fall off and I’m so weak I can’t stand up on my own, but my dick is responding to a sexual innuendo. I’ve definitely got it bad for this guy.
