“Guess they didn’t think to search me. Bad for them, but good for me.”
After choosing the flathead-screwdriver attachment, it took him less than two minutes to snap the small hinges that held the cover on. He ignored the crash it made as it hit the ground. With the end of his knife, he prodded and poked at the wires inside the panel. Color coded, they were wrapped in a familiar configuration. In fact, it resembled one of the custom-wiring panels he’d created for an experimental electronic lock.
With a quick prayer, he eased apart the wire bundle until he found the two wires he needed. Using the knife, he cut them. A quick pass with his lighter loosened the sheaths, and he stripped away the outer casings. Once they were exposed, he twisted the ends together. Less than five seconds later, the cleverly concealed door slid open with a low hiss. He dropped the wires and straightened. “Easier than hotwiring my momma’s old Chevy.”
After a quick glance in both directions, he stepped out into the darkened corridor. Like the cell, it offered nothing that hinted at his location. Deciding it probably wouldn’t matter in the end, he took a step to the left then froze when a huge brute of a man appeared out of the darkness. Dressed in stained leather pants, thick-heeled boots, and a frayed tunic shot through with metallic threads, the stranger cast a rather imposing figure. Adding the worn-leather bracelets at both wrists and the thick belt with a short blunt sword, the man’s stout build suggested he was lethal as well.
Unease pooled in Ivan’s stomach as the man spotted him.
“How did you get out? Queen Theria will not be pleased.”
Ivan almost swallowed his tongue when the man closed the distance between them. Had he been cast into some kind of Medieval reenactment, complete with executioner? The bastard was even bigger than he was. He forced himself to remain calm.
“The magic touch?” Ivan held up his hands while balancing his weight on the balls of his feet. With drawn breath, Ivan waited for the other man to attack.
“Then the queen must know of this magic. Come with me. We must go to the Queen’s Hall.” The man palmed the hilt of his sword.
Ivan weighed his options. He might be smart, but he wasn’t egotistical enough to think he could take on a man with a sword just his bare hands. “All right. I’ll come.” He skirted around the guard then followed the man’s muttered directions. Several minutes later, they arrived outside of a pair of huge oak doors.
Whatever Ivan expected when he entered the Queen’s Hall, it wasn’t what he got. Instead of tapestries, velvets and brocades, and majestic furnishings, the room presented a blend of futuristic design with shiny-metal walls, vertical blinds, and uncomfortable-looking furniture. The floor gleamed underfoot and appeared to be polished stainless steel. At the center of the room, behind a sleek desk, a woman dipped the end of a long feather quill into a small metallic inkwell then scribbled on the pages of a massive book. The contrast of the futuristic, ultra-modern appearances with the outdated past of inkwells and quill pens caused Ivan to doubt his senses. Where in the hell was he?
The guard cleared his throat and the woman glanced up, her expression far from serene. Her eyes narrowed in obvious irritation at the interruption, the bags under them more pronounced than he expected. She pursed her lips, and her eyebrows drew together before she relaxed her face. The quick metamorphosis baffled him while sending the urge to flee to his folded limbs. This was the queen?
As she stood, Ivan struggled to reconcile this woman with any fairytale version of a queen he’d ever read about. But it was impossible. She didn’t have the appearance of a matriarch. Tall, like the guard, her blonde hair was pixie short and shot through with a bit of gray. She wore knee-high leather boots and a form-fitting black jumper. The only outward sign of her rule were the precious jewels adorning each shoulder, the silver chain accenting her slender waist, and the huge opaque stone nestled in a wide silver ring on the middle finger of her left hand. But even without a crown or scepter, her aura of power was palpable.
“Milady, begging your pardon.” The guard dropped to one knee then dragged Ivan down to kneel next to him. He grunted when the man slapped the back of his head forward into a bow. Out of the corner of his eye, Ivan watched the guard do the same. No matter the queen’s appearance, the guard made his expectations pretty clear. Ivan would respect his queen or he wasn’t above using brute force to push the issue.
“I know you asked for the intruder to remain locked away, but, during my rotations, I found him in the hall outside his cell.”
“And why did you not put him back inside it, Caroc?” The click of her heels against the floor echoed through the room.
“I would’ve, milady, but I wasn’t sure how he got out. The door was shut.”
“Really?” As she moved closer, the click of her heels grew louder. “Then we do have a mystery here, since only Master Aranos and I have keys to the cells.”
Placing a finger under Ivan’s chin, she tilted it up. Her shrewd eyes—crystalline blue with a rim of gray, dissected him as if he were under a magnifying glass. “You were unconscious when my guards found you outside the north gate. What is your name?”
“Ivan Chugunov.”
“Did you steal Master Aranos’s key, Mr. Chugunov?”
“I stole nothing.” Ivan spoke softly.
“Really? We shall see about that.” She released him to turn toward the second guard who rushed into the room. “Call for Master Aranos.”
The idea that she thought him a thief rankled. “I stole nothing. If you didn’t want me to get out, you should’ve taken my utility knife.”
In a single move, she thrust her hand out to clutch his throat. She squeezed once in warning then leaned in until her nose touched his.
The guard sprang to his feet then drew his long sword and stepped behind him. Ivan froze at the touch of steel against the base of his neck.
“You dare bring a weapon into the Queen’s Hall?” she hissed.
It was hard to speak, but he managed. “It’s harmless.”
She tightened her grip. “I’ll be the judge of that. Where is it?”
A low growl built in his chest. If it hadn’t been for the sword tip resting between his shoulder blades, Ivan would’ve pushed her hand aside. “Front pocket.” He kept his gaze on her as her guard’s hand plunged into the pockets of his loose pants.
“Nothing, milady, other than this.” Caroc opened his hand to reveal the familiar red pocket knife with a white cross on it.
The queen glanced at it, before she returned her attention to him. “That is a weapon?”
Ivan shook his head. “No. A multi-tool. I used it to open the door.”
She pursed her lips. “You can control energy?” She dropped her hand.
“Control, no; manipulate, yes.”
For the first time since he’d been in her presence, something other than irritation filled her gaze. It resembled hope. Then, she narrowed her eyes. “You will show me.”
He swallowed hard, but nodded as Caroc dragged him to his feet. Would this nightmare ever end?
A short time later found him back in the dungeons, this time with the queen in attendance. However, instead of returning him to his original cell, they placed him in a different one. As soon as the door slid shut, he repeated the process.
When the door slid open, Queen Theria’s face was filled with wonder. “You’re the answer to my prayers. You shall use this gift to save my people.”
“Excuse me? I don’t see how being able to hotwire a cell door will help you.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Unless, of course, you have a tendency to lock yourself out of your….” He searched for a word to describe the space around him. “House?”
She drew a hard breath in, scowling at him. “No one would dare lock me out of the Great Hall. What I need is your way with energy. Since the disappearance of our LT-1789 unit, there has been no one in our clutch who can manipulate the circuitry that cleans our water or runs my home. You will locate it and bring it back
here. If you don’t, you’ll die.”
Ivan stilled. “You’ll kill me? Forgive me, but I believe that is still illegal in the United States.”
She shook her head. “I know nothing of this United States. You are in Krontos, the ruling clutch of Sisera, in the Fourth Realm. And it will not be I who kills you, but the poisons inside your body.”
Sisera? The Fourth Realm?
The woman had to have a screw loose. Why hadn’t some nice men with a handy white straitjacket already hauled her away?
“However, you can avoid such a terrible fate if you help us.” She continued to pace.
“I can?”
“Yes. The parasites within us have begun to make my people sick. The only thing that protected us was a water purifier that no longer works. Along with the loss of our medical unit, we are living on borrowed time. That’s where you come in.”
Dread pooled in his stomach, but he decided to play along. “So if I fix the purifier, then bring back this LT-whatever, it will save your people.”
“We believe so.” She sighed. “Our world is being consumed. Or so my advisors tell me. The An’tealan Forest has encroached on us for several generations. Before, we were able to keep it at bay, but….” An unreadable emotion crossed her face. “Since my reign began, we’ve failed. The forest is no longer passable. We are cut off from our sister clutches and have to rely on what we can salvage. So, unless you can turn the purifier back on and retrieve the LT-1789, our time is limited. Even if I could send you back, the parasites already within you would probably kill you.”
Ivan closed his eyes. He’d play along for now. But, the first chance he got, he’d escape. “So, if I get the water purifier working and find the medical unit, you will give me the cure and then send me back to Chicago?”
She nodded. “Of course. If my advisors are able to find a way, I shall return you to your Chicago.”
***
“How much longer?” Caroc asked for the tenth time as he moved closer. “It will soon be dark, and the An’tealan Forest is no place to be once the sun sets.”
“Dammit, I don’t know! Stand back! You’re blocking my light. It’ll be fixed when it gets fixed.” Ivan glared at the four guards behind him before returning to his task. After a two-hour trek into the dense woods with four shadows, his patience was gone. Kneeling in front of an antiquated machine attached to a half-submerged waterwheel, he’d finally located what he hoped was the main circuit board. Unlike the cell’s electronic lock, it had taken more time and substantial effort to remove the access panel. The vegetation around the unit had made his job nearly impossible, not just difficult. Once he’d hacked through the stranglehold the greenery had on the machine, it had become the guards’ constant hovering which pissed him off. They were in his way, even Caroc. Didn’t they realize crowding him wouldn’t fix the machine any faster?
He pushed aside another bundle of wires then grinned as he spotted the circuit board. It was free of rust and other contaminants. Now, to check the connections. Tilting it toward the fading light, he examined each wire connected to the board. Everything was in its proper place order, but where the hell was the power source? When he couldn’t find one, he again dug back into the innards at the base of the old equipment. A triumphant sound passed his lips as he found the loose wire inside the bottom of the machine.
After reconnecting it around the small screw used to anchor it, he placed the board back inside, and began to press random buttons on the front panel of the machine. It took several tries, but he found one that worked. The dirty display screen lit up as the machine hiccupped, hissed, and then grumbled to life. The small paddle wheel next to the machine gave a lurch. Ivan gave a small shout of accomplishment. “Turn, you bitch.”
The meter on the screen continued to rise as water flowed through the machine, until it gave a beep as the filter kicked in. “Looks like it’s fixed. It seems to be sustaining water pressure.”
“You did it! Queen Theria will be so pleased.” Caroc turned to two of the other men. “Return to her at once and give her the good news. Rancor and I will set up camp for the night. Inform her that tomorrow morning we will begin our search for the LT-1789.”
The other two guards nodded and disappeared from Ivan’s sight.
He rose and faced the remaining guards after replacing and securing the panel. Maybe he could escape tonight once they slept. But until then, he had to let them think he’d follow orders. He pasted a smile on his face.
“Okay boys, what else can I do to help? I don’t know about you, but I am hungry.”
A few hours later, with a full stomach, Ivan pretended to settle in for the night. It hadn’t taken him and the two guards long to make camp. Soon after he’d fixed the machine, they’d had a fire built. While he and Caroc set up the small pup tents, the other guard had managed to catch some kind of fish Ivan had never seen before for their meal. Not that he had ever been up close and personal with a fish before it’d entered his mouth. He was a product of his urban upbringing and modern grocery stores. Now, he listened to the crickets and the frogs croak while he waited for the other men to settle in for the night. He wondered how much longer it would be when a sudden scream pierced the night air. It was followed by the sound of breaking branches, grunts, and curses from the two guards. Were they being attacked by a bear?
“Help me!” The agonized plea was eclipsed by footsteps.
Horrified, Ivan threw open the flap on his tent and palmed his small penlight. Even if he was their hostage, he couldn’t very well let a bear eat them. He scrambled free of the tent’s small confines then almost gagged. It was no bear. Almost eight feet tall, it had scales, long ebony tusks, and five-inch claws. It’s like some reject from a Creature Feature. In the dappled moonlight, the grotesque monster stood upright on two feet as it tossed Caroc into the air like a toy. As the man plummeted to the earth, it caught him between its jaws. Snapping, razor-sharp teeth shut around the guard’s thick shoulder, the beast shook the man.
Caroc’s scream pierced the night as razor-sharp talons raked open the man’s vulnerable stomach. Blood spurted, and Ivan stumbled back. The flight instinct was riding him hard. Nothing could’ve prepared him for the brutality of the attack. Or the grim reality that he most definitely was not in Kansas anymore.
“Be still.” The sudden harsh whisper filled his ear.
Already on edge, Ivan jumped. A soft curse passed his lips as he was dragged back against a hard body. His penlight revealed the planes of an almost perfect face before the device was knocked out of his hand to the ground. Surprise warred with apprehension as the other man held him with ease then closed a dark cloak of some type around their combined bodies. Ivan tried to twist away, but his captor refused to let him go, even when he arched backward and ground his ass against the stranger’s groin. Within moments, the man’s cock stiffened then wedged between the cheeks of Ivan’s ass.
A hand clamped over his hip. “Stop. Now is not the time to lure me with your wicked ways. I don’t care what the queen has promised you. It will matter not if we don’t survive. The morte’metentis has an unshakable thirst for human blood, but has poor vision. Our only chance to survive is to remain still. It may not be able to see us, but it has sharp hearing.”
“It does?” He cringed at the sound of bones crunching when the beast tore an arm from the guard’s mangled, limp body. Even though he didn’t care for Caroc, he wouldn’t have wished such a fate on him.
“Yes. Now be still. I do not wish to be its dessert.” Then, as if the mysterious stranger could read his mind, the man spoke again. “There is nothing we can do for him. Even a drop of its venom is fatal for humans. He was dead from the moment it tagged him.”
Ivan had no choice but to stand still in the man’s arms, as the morte’metentis devoured the last of its late-night snack. Each growl as the beast shredded its feast seared into his memory. His utter helplessness warred with desperation. There would be no escape for him. He didn’t know how it ha
d happened, but he wasn’t on Earth anymore. And he would have to play Queen Theria’s game if he wanted to go home. But without his guard, how could he even find the missing medic unit or return to the clutch? I’m so fucked.
Table of Contents
Also by Jessica E. Subject
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Epilogue
~A Letter from Jessica E. Subject~
The Star Princess (Beyond Fairytales) Page 7
