Awake

by Riana Lucas

  I nod, happy he is not arguing for once. Just as I turn to descend the stairs, Gideon grabs my shoulder, spinning me back to face him. “I do not think you should be the one to go down. It’s my job to protect you. I’ll go and either shout a warning or come back for you all.” Then he disappears, sweeping past me and descending the stairs fast but without any sound at all. As angry as I am for his handling of me, I am impressed with his stealth.

  I check on the others. Thorne is ever-vigilant but there is a smirk on his face, Holly's eyes are narrowed and she is watching the dark shadows around us, and Willow shrugs and smiles at me. Satisfied with what I see, I turn to watch for Gideon’s return. Within seconds, his form begins to appear out of the darkness. As soon as I’m able to make out his face, he gives a quick nod. Without hesitation, I lead the others downstairs to join him.

  It’s dark and musty, as you would assume all dungeons are, and just as cold and wet. The sound of dripping water somewhere in the darkness and the smell of mildew, makes me shiver and my nose crinkle in disgust. The dirty floor contains fallen stones, discarded garbage, and old food, making me cringe when I think about what else could be under my feet. The unseelie dungeon fits the image most would conjure when thinking of such a place. King Foxglove insists upon his prisoners being miserable and unkempt. Cells line both sides of the walkway, each of them small and even dirtier inside than they look on the outside. He never has them cleaned, not even when one prisoner is taken out and a new one is placed in the cell. There are no bathrooms or showers either, leaving the prisoners just as disgusting. It is a horrid and repulsive place. Seeing the horrible state around me intensifies my need to get to Reed and Rho causing my pace to pick up.

  We make our way through the darkness, our eyes having adjusted enough to follow the paths as they wind left and right. There do not seem to be any other prisoners, which is odd, but I allow the thought to pass. My focus is on my main objective.

  As we near the area where I am sure Reed and Rho are being kept, I catch a faint noise, stopping me in my tracks. It sounds like sniffling, maybe even crying. I listen for a moment longer to make sure I do not hear any indication of guards hiding in the darkness. Then I quicken my pace to a full run. Gideon curses softly behind me, but he does not stop me. He and all the others remain close behind.

  I sense Reed and Rho before I see them. We are about halfway down this particular corridor when I come to such a quick stop that Gideon has no other option but to slam into me. He has to wrap his hands around my waist to keep us both from falling, and I let him catch me, because I would not have been able to stop myself from hitting the ground. What is in front of me has caught my full attention.

  My fae eyesight has adjusted enough now to allow me to see well enough that, as I peer through the cold, thick metal bars of a cell, I see Reed’s narrowed blue eyes.

  My breath catches in my throat. I cannot seem to release it as I stand there, staring into his eyes, with Gideon supporting me. I feel as if it has been an eternity since I last saw him. One part of my brain tells me he is the same as before. No real time has passed, therefore his appearance could not be any different. The other part, apparently the same part controlling my breathing, says differently.

  His blue eyes—which are still narrowed in anger, but I cannot form the words to ask why—are much deeper and almost mesmerizing. They are similar to a great lake right before the sun sets, deep and bright but with a hint of darkness beginning to creep in. I do not recall them being like this before. His hair is a beautiful brown with golden streaks of blond running through it. The slight wave and almost shoulder length gives him a slight boyish appearance. It looks so soft and inviting, perfect for one to run their fingers through.

  I jolt upright, taking a much needed deep breath. Where in the faery realm had that thought come from? Run my fingers through…? I must be lacking some oxygen to my brain, because I do not think whimsical and romantic thoughts. I am on a mission. Our lives are in danger. This is not the time, much less the place, to consider Reed in a romantic way.

  I take a quick look away from Reed’s eyes for the first time. To my horror, I realize he is bruised and wounded. My blood boils as I gaze past him to take in the huddled bundle shielded behind his body. The hunched figure is trying desperately to stifle her sobs. It is Rho. The fact that she is hiding tells me she is not aware that I am the one who has entered the dungeon. I glance back up at Reed and begin to speak, but I notice his eyes are still narrowed in anger. His gaze is not fixed on my face, though. Instead, he is staring at my waist, where Gideon still has his arms wrapped around me.

  I roll my eyes, but inwardly my stomach gives a little turn at the thought of Reed being angry over witnessing another male's arm around me. I begin to pull away from Gideon, but he tightens his arm a bit. Turning my face up, I look at him sharply. My voice is a low warning when I speak. “It would be in your best interest if you released me this instant.”

  He apparently got the point, because he pulls his arms away, even taking a step back. Thorne snickers, so I shoot him a warning look as well before turning back to face Reed. Rho scrambles out from behind him now, rushing over to the bars of the cell. Reed’s eyes are still narrowed, but now they are focused on the group behind me. I am sure he is confused, seeing Holly and the others with me, but before I can say anything, Rho interrupts.

  “Oh, Poppy! I knew you would come for us. I was so scared. Please get us out of here.” She begins to sob again. I reach through the bars of the cell to embrace her as best as I can. The fact she is crying is hard for me to grasp since it is something I have never witnessed before. Rho is almost as strong as I am. She may be girly, prissy, and romantic, but she is still a strong warrior who does not show fear or hurt, ever. I gaze at Reed, wanting to know what’s happened, but he does not offer any answers to the questions I am sure he can read in my eyes.

  Instead, he motions to the others with a stiff nod of his head, still scowling at them all, and asks, “What is she doing here, and who are the rest of these people?” There is a bite to his words when he gestures toward Holly then the others, but I cannot blame him. I am not sure what he has been through.

  “It is too much to explain now. We are here to get you two out safely. Once we are in the forest and past the unseelie territory, then I will explain everything. Where are the guards and the keys to the cells?”

  Reed hesitates for a moment. Rho is watching him, not speaking—waiting on him to decide whether he will trust us or not. Quick, sharp jealousy jabs my stomach. Reed and Rho have known each other for a few days, but they have been through a lot together, and I am sure they developed a strong relationship—much like I thought Reed and I had.

  “You can trust them, and you can trust me,” I whisper to Reed as I stare into his eyes, willing him to do as I ask but worried he will not. As I wait, I try to push the earlier thoughts away, but it is difficult. These sensations of hurt and betrayal are foreign and unwelcome. I do not want to be jealous of my best friend, nor do I want to be hurt by Reed’s possible interest in Rho.

  I’m not sure what emotion crosses my face, but it must be something significant, because Reed’s features change. His face softens, his eyes growing concerned. He straightens his body and steps to the cell bars next to Rho. My hands are still wrapped around the bars of the cell. Reed places one of his over mine.

  His hand is dirty and moist, but also warm and soft. The sensation sends tingling waves all through my hand and up my arm, making my heart beat faster. He ducks his head a bit so he can peer into my eyes. “I’m sorry, Poppy. I didn’t mean to doubt you. I trust you, and if you trust them, then so do I.”

  I let out the breath I was holding as I feel a slight blush creep into my cheeks. I am grateful in that moment for how dark it is in here. “It is okay. I understand,” I say, a little more breathlessly than I would have liked, but I cannot help myself. The way he touches my hand and gazes into my eyes makes my stomach flutter and my head spin. It is unfam
iliar and frustrating because I do not seem to have any control over it.

  Someone clears their throat from behind us, which snaps my head around. Gideon speaks up with a rude tone that has me narrowing my eyes and clenching my fists. “As nice as all of this is, I think we should get going.” He must notice my anger, because he quickly fixes his tone before continuing, “My apologies, but we need to get out of here before someone discovers us. The queen wouldn’t be happy with us if something happened to you.”

  I wince, because I know Reed and Rho will be very curious about the comment and there is no time to explain. When I turn back to face them, they both have their heads cocked in nearly identical ways with their eyebrows raised. If that had not sent another stab of jealousy through me, I would have laughed. I reluctantly pull my hand free from Reed’s, squaring my shoulders. “Later” is all I can manage at the moment. “Keys?”

  Reed gives me another look but does not question me. He nods his head toward the opposite wall. “The guard comes down once a day to give us water and a little food. He keeps the keys over on the hook.”

  Holly strides over to retrieve them, then tosses them to me. The dungeon is cast under a spell so the prisoners would not be able to use magic down here. I am sure the sight of those keys has driven Rho crazy knowing that if she could use her magic, she could have cast a quick spell and had them in her hands. Taunting prisoners this way is undoubtedly another cruel idea of the king’s.

  Keys in hand, I turn and unlock the cell. The door swings open with a loud squeak, and I glance over my shoulder as if someone will appear out of thin air at hearing the noise. Then Rho is in my arms. She hits me with such force I stagger back, held upright once again by Gideon, though this time he releases me as soon as I regain my footing. She hugs me so tightly I am unable to breathe for a moment, but I hug her just as firmly. “Poppy! I thought you were dead for sure. I’ve been so worried,” she chokes out as she begins to cry. Tears begin to form in my eyes as well, so I turn my face into her hair to hide them.

  She smells of sweat and musk from being locked in the dungeon, but I can still smell a hint of the sweet flower from which she is named. The smell screams home. Coming back to the court had not raised any longing feelings or happy memories, but the familiar scent of my best friend does. That is when I realize this place has never been my home, but being with Rho gives me a sense of belonging. I squeeze her one last time before pulling back to look at her. “I am fine. How are you?”

  “Great now. How are you alive? Reed said the queen had you!”

  “That is a very long story, but I am fine. I will tell you when we are safe. Let’s get out of here.”

  We release each other, and I turn back to the others, opening my mouth to make quick introductions, when I am lifted off of the floor in another bone-crushing hug. Reed buries his face in the crook of my neck and takes a deep breath. Momentarily stunned at his show of affection, I allow him to hold me for a moment. Then his familiar scent reaches my nose, causing me to melt a little inside. Before I can think better of my actions, I am wrapping my arms around his neck, holding tight. Flashes of memories zip in and out of focus as I finally admit to myself for the first time how much I care about him.

  “I’m so happy to see you.” His warm breath tickles my neck as he whispers the words, causing a new wave of tears to begin to fill my eyes.

  “Me too,” I whisper back, unable to say anything more.

  Someone clears their throat—probably Gideon—and I glance up, directly into Rho’s eyes. She is giving me an odd look, and I remember the way she watched Reed. I am new at all of this emotion stuff; I have never cared for many people and I have certainly never felt jealousy. I am not sure what has happened between her and Reed, but I care for the both of them, so I need to keep my feelings under control until I find out.

  I begin to release my hold on Reed, but he squeezes me tight again. “We must be going,” I tell him. “I want to get you two out of here and safe.”

  “Okay,” he whispers back, but he still does not put me back on my feet. I almost laugh; he is still the same Reed. He finally lets out a sigh of resignation, placing me carefully on my feet. He stares into my eyes. “As soon as we are safe, there is a lot we need to talk about.”

  “Agreed. Once we are out of unseelie territory, and safe, I will bring you both up to speed on what has been happening. Then we will go home.” His eyebrows quirk up when I say 'home', but he does not question me now.

  Reed keeps his arm around my shoulders as I turn to the others once again. Gideon is giving us a thoughtful look, Willow is all smiles, and Holly and Thorne both focus on the shadows, scanning for danger. I make quick introductions in hopes of easing some of the tension between the two groups of strangers. Seelie fae and unseelie fae are natural enemies, their only thing in common being that neither cares for halflings, so the tension is understandably high. Thankfully they all seem to relax marginally once I have introduced them as my friends.

  I glance at each one of my friends and formulate a quick plan. “Single file through the dungeon. Gideon can go up the stairs to check things out and yell down at us when the way is clear. Then same route through the castle as we came. If you hear anything, duck into a room until the danger passes. If we move fast, we can make it back to the forest before anyone even wakes up.” They all nod in agreement then I continue, “Same formation as before, but we will add in Reed and Rho. I will take the lead, then Reed, Gideon, Willow, Thorne, Rho, and Holly bring up the rear. Keep your eyes and ears open. Move as quickly and as quietly as possible. Follow me.”

  I begin making my way back to the hall and to the lead of the group when Rho speaks up. “Poppy, do you have any extra weapons? I would feel way better if I were armed.” I cringe, realizing I am not thinking as clearly as I should be. I should have done that first. Being unarmed in the unseelie court is as good as being dead. I reach back to grab the sword I brought, when I hear a shuffling noise.

  I freeze, straining to place the sound. The others pick up on my tension, freezing as well. We all listen as we scan the area. I cannot hear anything else, but my senses are telling me that someone is here. Pivoting my body slowly around, trying to peer into the area beyond without making noise, I squint into the darkness. Suddenly a form appears, almost out of thin air.

  I take a quick step back but bump into Reed, who is not moving. When I turn to tell him and the others to run, I realize the full extent of the situation: we are surrounded by unseelie fae, at least thirty of them. Thirty of the king’s strongest and fiercest warriors managed to sneak up on us and surround us, giving us no hope of fighting back or escaping. They must have shimmered into the dungeon when we were all talking, making it easy for them to catch us off-guard this way.

  I turn back to the fae in front of me, Damien, and he gives me a deadly smirk. “It’s so nice to see you, Poppy. I was so worried about you.”

  I snort, but otherwise remain silent. Damien is aware of my true identity and where I have been, and I am sure he has also deduced I have been informed of my true identity. Let’s not forget the small fact that he tried to kill me. He has not been worried about me in the least.

  A new thought occurs to me, and I curse myself for not thinking of the possibility sooner: this was all a trap to lure me back to the unseelie court. If Rho and Reed were not here, I would never return here, ever. I would have taken my place in my new life. Damien and the king knew that. I am not sure why the king had me here in the first place, but I am sure there was a reason behind it. The king would not be happy with his plans being ruined or me being back at the seelie court with my mother. Seeing Damien here with all these guards, I suspect he and the king have no intention of allowing me to return to my new life.

  We are all now prisoners of the unseelie court.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Damien does not even bother to acknowledge my obvious skepticism. With a gesture of his hand, his men begin to strip us of our weapons. I almost cry when the
sword and my daggers are ripped away from me. The guards are not gentle with us; I hear grunts and cursing coming from behind. I do not bother turning around—knowing it would not be allowed—until I hear Willow shout out, followed by Gideon saying in a low, deadly voice, “Do not touch her.” This is when I whirl around to Gideon standing over one of the guards he must have just taken down. Willow has her hands over her mouth, staring at them in disbelief. I am not sure what happened, but I can imagine the numerous ways the fae may have tried to hurt or violated her.

  Instinctively taking a step towards her, I come to a stop when Damien grabs my upper arm and jerks me back toward him.

  “Don’t move,” he warns me, and then to his other guards says, “Stop those two now. The king wants to see the prisoners at once. We have no time for these games. Leave the females alone for now. There will be plenty of time for whatever you please once the king has given them to you.”

  Bile rises in my throat when I catch the snickers along with the lusty smiles on the male fae faces. I am very familiar with the way the king uses the female prisoners of his court. Once he is finished using them as he deems fit he then turns them over to the guards. This has never sat well with me but I have never known another way. Now that I do, I am even more sickened by this behavior. The mere thought of my friends enduring even one moment at the king’s hands has my stomach churning. I’m not sure how, but I will get them out of here.

  For now, the only thing I can do is cooperate to find out what the king intends. I may be able to negotiate with him. He is cruel, but he is also selfish; if I can find something I can use for leverage, he may be willing to listen. This will be their only hope.

  Damien jerks me beside him, snapping me from my thoughts and maintaining the bruising grip on my upper arm as he leads us through the dungeon at a quick pace. The others follow behind us, and I have no doubt they are all watching and waiting for an opportunity to fight back or escape—an opportunity that will not come. We’re outnumbered three times over, and we no longer have the element of surprise.