By Force (14 page)

“Remmie! The floor is all ice! You’ll fall through!”

Roland was at my side and the smaller monsters lay on the ground with their mouths open and green liquid leaking from their bodies into pools around them. I hugged him tight. “Help him, Roland. Please.”

“He’s got this,” Roland said. “I won’t take this kill from him.”

My eyes widened as Remmie and the monster wrestled on the floor. The cracks in the floor lengthened. I wouldn’t sit back and let Remmie fall to his death, even if he wanted a kill to himself. He would die in the process. I pushed away from Roland and ran over to the weapons, grabbing a dagger and racing over to the monster. Remmie wrapped his massive arms around its throat and tightened. The monster choked out strangled cries as they rolled. It reached around its back and slashed at Remmie, leaving lines of blood down his torn shirt. I jumped on top of them, driving the dagger into the monster’s eye. It jerked and twitched and went limp before Remmie pushed it to the side.

I sprang into Remmie’s arms and wrapped mine around his neck, pressing my face into his hair. In that moment, all I thought of was him and how safe and warm he made me feel.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, pushing me away. His eyes washed over my body, examining every inch of me.

“I thought he would kill you.”

“I’m offended.” I could hear the hint of a smile in his voice.

I started to chuckle when a loud crack rang out in the small space and chunks of ice began to fall away from the floor.

Nole squirmed above us. “Get me down from here before there’s nothing for me to fall onto!”

Oh, right. Nole. And Otis. “Where’s Otis?”

Roland ran toward one of the tunnels. “Get Nole. I’ve got Otis.”

Blood sprayed from the monster’s eye as Remmie ripped the dagger free. He tossed it up toward the icicle Nole hung from, knocking a chunk from the side that fell and splintered on the ground. Nole jerked and swayed, causing cracks to travel up the length of the icicle until it finally gave way. Nole nearly fell on top of us, his body crashing to the ground with a noise that reminded me of thunder. More of the floor began to give way. Before I could panic, Remmie grabbed my hand and we hurried to the exit tunnel moments before the floor collapsed completely, leaving Roland and a battered Otis on the other side of the cavern.

“What now?” Remmie said, scanning the space.

Nole smacked Remmie on the arm. “One minute later and I would have been at the bottom of that black hole.”

Remmie brushed him off. “No. You would have still been hanging from the ceiling.”

“And how the hell would you have gotten me down then?”

Remmie shrugged and both men glanced over at their friends.

Nole’s whip still lay coiled at his hip. He lassoed an icicle and swung the end of the whip over until Roland caught it. Would it hold? These men weren’t exactly light.

“What about Otis?” I said to Nole.

“He’ll live.”

“Don’t you worry about me, lassie,” Otis said with a smirk. “It’ll take more than an ass-kicking from a Clawback to put me to rest.”

I wasn’t so confident. His clothes were saturated with blood and he had gashes in his neck and face. But, true to his word, he sailed across the cavern, followed by Roland.

“We need to move quickly,” Nole said. “Before more of those blasted creatures find us.”

We found another cave several miles from the cavern. It was light out now and the snow had stopped, but the men and I needed to rest. Otis was more hurt than he would admit, but the men assured me he’d heal quickly, like me. I slept between Nole and Remmie. We had yet to discuss how I’d run off and come back for them. Or why I followed them now instead of having to be dragged. I was no longer their prisoner. At least, I didn’t feel like I was anymore. The lines between us continued to blur and I needed clarification. But that could wait until the morning. All I wanted in that moment was sleep.

* * *

When I woke, the men were already up, engaged in a heated conversation. I lay still, not wanting to get in the middle of it.

“She could have run,” Remmie said.

“She did run,” Nole snapped back.

“And then she came back. To save us. We kidnapped her and then she rescued us.”

“We rescued ourselves,” Nole grumbled.

“We can’t hand her over to the king,” Otis said. “I won’t have no part in it. She’s like a child, so innocent and vulnerable. Those Clawbacks would have killed her and she didn’t care. She still tried to rescue us.”

“We took an oath. And our word is our bond,” Nole reminded him.

“It doesn’t bother you that we are going to deliver her to King Knolen?” said Otis. “What will he do with her?”

“I won’t think about that and neither should you. It’s not our concern. We should have gagged her, stopped her from working her magic on us.”

“That child is no more magic than you or I. When the king sees this, I can only imagine the horrible things he’ll do to her,” Roland piped in.

“What do you suppose we do? We already have to explain James’s death. And what will he say if we return without her?” His words started forcefully but trailed off.

There was a brief pause before Remmie responded, “What if we don’t return?” His voice was quiet and monotone, as if he was trying to remove emotion from his thoughts.

“And go where? Do what?” Nole was clearly annoyed. “Everyone and anyone we care about will be killed. Are you and Roland willing to sacrifice Emma for her? And what about you, Otis? You’ve spent most of your life in the castle. All your friends and the people that have cared for you… You’ll never be able to return.”

“Everyone I care about is right here,” Otis said, his eyes intent and his forehead full of wrinkles.

The men all cast their gazes on him and nodded solemnly.

My stomach tightened and I felt sick all over again. I had hoped they felt as much for me as I felt for them, and to some extent I think they did. But helping me or letting me go meant hurting everyone that they loved. I couldn’t let them risk their families’ and friends’ lives for me. I hated to admit it, but I wanted to know what this was all about. Could I be what the king believed me to be? Was it even possible? I wanted to know. Why me?

Not wishing the men to fight any further, I slowly rose to a sitting position. “If you don’t take me to your king, I will travel the rest of the way myself.”

“Stay out of it, Isame,” Remmie snapped at me.

“Stay out of it?” I repeated, my volume rising. “This is about me and your guilt. Don’t ruin your lives because you feel compassion for me. Either way, someone will be hurt. Isn’t one life better than several? Besides, I am different from the others on this island. I didn’t want to admit to it, but I am. What if I am what he says? I never thought it possible, but after what he claims and after how the gypsy witch reacted to me… I’m starting to wonder.”

“A gypsy witch?” Nole asked, curiously.

“A gypsy witch from Faemell. She told me my fortune in Haevene just before I met you. Well, she started to, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Nole tipped his head to the side, his eyes narrowed as he took a step toward me.

“She said that she could not help me and that my future was already cemented. She seemed almost scared of me, though I can’t fathom why.” I shook the thought off. “Before she packed up and left, she said that I would always be safe in Faemell, which makes no sense because everybody knows how unsafe that island is.”

A brief silence ensued as they considered what I had told them.

“This gypsy witch, she might be able to help us.” Nole paced the cave, caressing his braid.

The men grumbled and nodded in unison.

“So, I propose we seek out this witch. Demand she tell us what she saw. If she tells us that Isame is in no physical danger from the king we can still hand her over before he realizes we have strayed off course. That way we can stay true to our word.”

“She’s one of us now,” said Otis. “She’s no prisoner. If she comes, it’s because she chooses to.” Otis and Roland looked to me but as I started to speak, Remmie cut me off.

“And what if the gypsy sees him hurting her—or worse?”

“We’ll deal with that bridge when we come to it—if we come to it,” Nole said.

Chapter Thirteen

Remmie walked over to me and offered his hand. He lifted me up and cradled me to his chest. He would carry me for the next leg of the journey, which was all downhill now. Naturally, we moved much faster than before. I retched at times, and Remmie slowed, increasing his pace only after much coaxing and assurance from me.

He held me close as he skimmed along the ravine, his strides long and smooth. I secured my arms around his neck much tighter than I had with the others; he moved so fast, the world blurred around me.

The men shucked their extra clothing when we finally reached the bottom of the mountain trail. It was warm, but not that warm. I left mine on until my body gradually adjusted to the dramatic change in temperature. I removed the fur and only kept the thick wool dress and cape on.

Now that I had seen how fast the men could run, I was embarrassed with the knowledge of how much I had slowed them down. They would have been back in Optavia by now if it hadn’t been for me. I broke into a run, the body of my dress fanning out behind me. The men regarded me with confusion. Perhaps they were tired. They had carried me for over two days and here I ran ahead of them.

I spun around and kicked the dirt at my feet, as I waited for them to reach me. It was dusk and we were about to stop for the night when we spotted a light in the distance.

Smoke snaked from the chimney of a small farm about a mile ahead. I could tell that every one of us was drunk with excitement at the thought of a bed and a hot meal, but I wasn’t overly optimistic about a family of Copaxans welcoming savages into their home.

I told the savages to stay on the path while I spoke with whoever lived inside. Copaxans were naturally suspicious of savages. Perhaps whoever lived in the small home would be more receptive to a human woman than they would be to a woman and four warrior savages.

A young man, not much older than me, answered the door. He had shaggy, unkempt hair that was somehow fetching, big brown eyes, and a kind smile.

“Can I help you, miss?”

“I hope so. You see, my friends and I”—I gestured to the savages—“have just completed a long and tiresome journey over the mountains. We could really use a place to rest and a hot meal, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

The man looked around me to stare at the savages. “Are they what I think they are?”

“Who,” I corrected him. I tried not to sound annoyed. “And yes, they are. But they mean no harm.”

An older woman with thin white hair and dull gray eyes appeared behind him. “Don’t just stand there,” she told the man. “Invite them in.”

She pushed past the man and extended her hand, “I’m Ursula,” she told me, “and this mannerless git is my son, Sam.”

I bit my lip to refrain from laughing. “It is very nice to meet you, Ursula.” I lightly shook the woman’s wrinkled, brown-spotted hands and then turned to Sam to nod hello. “I’m Isame.”

I waved the savages over to the home and introduced everybody. Sam frowned at the savages and refused to shake their hands. Their irritation was palpable but they managed to keep calm.

We took seats around a weathered table while the woman stirred a pot over an open flame. She tasted the stew and said, “Divine.”

I smiled. “It smells it.” And it was. The savages ate every last bit of it. I wanted to lick my bowl but managed to restrain myself.

“So, what brings you ’round these parts?” asked Ursula.

Her son cautiously watched the savages but did not add much to the conversation.

“I am escorting my friends to the port of Lypsis to meet their ship.” The fabricated words poured out of me like I had been lying all of my life. Hours of endless reading gave me a vivid imagination.

“It is unwise for a young woman to be traveling alone with four men,” Sam said while eyeing my companions.

“Perhaps,” I agreed. “But I am no ordinary woman.” The savages watched me curiously, no doubt waiting for whatever creative words I could pull from my mind. Remmie winked at me, causing my stomach to flutter. “I am a member of the king’s royal guard and he only sends his best to escort noblemen, which my friends are.”

“Well, what do you know,” said Ursula. “Noble savages in my home. And a female guardian, huh.”

The men’s eyes narrowed at the word savage. I’ll admit I kept calling them that in my mind. For years that was all I ever knew them as, but now I saw how much offense it caused them. I had to correct her.

“They are actually called Daentarry,” I said with a small smile. “They really aren’t very savage at all.” Sometimes…

“My apologies,” Ursula said as she walked the length of the room to remove a decanter from a shabby cupboard and poured us all a drink.

Sam snorted at the men. “Daentarry indeed. We once had a group of them come by here and fight with a group of Copaxan travelers. They ripped out one of the travelers’ hearts and ate it. You tell me, is that savage, Isame?”

I swallowed a lump in my throat as the muscles in Remmie’s and Nole’s necks began to flex. I didn’t want trouble and I didn’t want our new friends hurt, no matter how disrespectfully Sam behaved.

“I assure you, these men wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Sam nodded but said nothing. Thankfully, Nole and Remmie relaxed when mugs were placed in front of them.

I smelled the purple liquid before diving in. Rum punch.

“Did you make this?” I asked Ursula.

“Aye,” she said. “Boy’s not much use.”

Her son made a face, then downed his cup.

“This is wonderful,” Nole told her. “May we take some with us?”

The woman considered it.

“Of course, I would pay you for it.”

She waved him off. “Not necessary. I’ll give you a few bottles in the morning.”

“You’re too kind,” Nole told her, flashing a truly charming smile, reminding me of how tolerable he seemed when I first met him at the Blacksnail.