Lark (20 page)

“I’m reporting this to Dugan.”

“Be my guest. But remember
your
place. You’re a mere human. I’m Dugan’s heir.”

Brian glares at Jacoby then turns to me.

“Don’t let his small act of chivalry fool you. There is a reason he is Dugan’s favorite little pet.” He spits out a mouth full of blood before leaving.

             
As soon as he’s gone, Jacoby rushes over to me.  He grabs me by the shoulders and looks down at me, his face filled with worry. Due to our sudden closeness I catch a whiff of his heady scent. It’s woodsy and kind of rustic as though he spent all day hanging around a fire pit or something. It reminds me of autumn back home, and I’m struck with a sudden sense of nostalgia.

             
“Are you okay?” He sounds so sincere it startles me.

             
“Yeah,” I nod weakly. My scalp feels like it’s on fire, I reach up and touch it realizing I am missing a rather large chunk of my hair. A wave of nausea comes over me. My back is throbbing, but nothing feels broken. It could’ve been much worse. “Thank you for stopping him.”

             
“God, I can’t believe he did that to you. I hate that I can’t be the one to guard you 24/7.  I’ll try to figure something out. I won’t let him hurt you again.”

             
“Why? I mean, why do you care whether he hurts me or not?”

             
“Nobody that shines as bright as you should ever feel any pain.”

             
“I don’t think anybody deserves to feel any pain,” I tell him pointedly.

             
A shadow crosses Jacoby’s face.

“What are you going to do?” Jacoby asks me.

“About what?”

“About the curse?”

              “I don't know,” I answer quietly. “The prophecy only says that I’m supposed to break the curse, it doesn't say how."

             
“You better figure it out.”

             
“What?” I gasp. I don't know why I am so shocked. Of course he would want me to break the curse. His loyalty obviously lies with Dugan. Just because he has been somewhat pleasant to me does not make him my friend. “Even if I did know what to do, I already told you guys: I'm not doing it.”

             
I’m so angry at myself for letting my guard down around this guy. How could I be so stupid?

             
“Mia,” he says, almost imploringly. I’m determined to just ignore him, but he’s not going to let me. He walks over to me and reaches for my hand. The naturalness of his touch sends an electric current through my body. Shocked, I look up at him. He gently caresses my hand with his thumb and the gesture feels oddly natural, like a habit that is so ingrained you don't even realize you are doing it. I don't know what to think. I freeze, unable to jerk away from him. Unable to do anything but stand there, staring into his green eyes. Dazed and confused.

             
“I didn't mean that the way you think,” he says quietly. “You need to figure out how you are supposed to break the curse. And then do everything you can to avoid it.”

             
His logic makes complete sense, but his motivation baffles me.

             
“Why?” I’m so confused. Jacoby is one of them, why doesn’t he want me to break the curse? Is this all a ploy to try to trick me into helping them? I back as far away from him as I can possibly manage, but he doesn't release my hand. I don't trust myself around him. My thoughts become a jumbled up mess in my head when he gets too close.

             
“For years I have been used,” he whispers, the pain in his voice obvious. “I’ve tortured hundreds of souls, inflicted pain on them beyond your comprehension. I didn’t think twice about it when I was a kid. I even thought it was pretty cool sometimes,” he shakes his head in disgust and continues, “Dugan was the only father I knew. I did as I was told. As I got older I started feeling conflicted about our way of life. I didn’t want to do it anymore, but when I told Dugan I was done doing his dirty work, he gave me a taste of my own medicine as punishment for my defiance. Every time I tried to refuse to do what he was asking of me, he would lock me up in one of those rooms and
convince
me to continue. I had no choice. Dugan had given me everything and he could easily take it all away. I hated him. I hated myself. But now that you’ve come along, I realize that maybe I’m not as heartless as I thought I was. That maybe there is hope for me after all.”

              He then places my hand over his heart and I feel the rhythmic beats pounding nearly as hard and as fast as my own.

             
I realize that Jacoby is damaged. That there is a darkness about him that I know should frighten me, but I think there is something else. Something that makes me believe him, against all reason when I know I probably shouldn’t. I look away, not liking the way my heart seems to recognize the beating of his.

             
I regain my senses and jerk away from him.

             
“If that is how you really feel, if you are being honest, then you know what you have to do. You have to help me escape.”

             
“I'm already working on it.” His eyes twinkle as he gives me a slight smile. “Haven’t you been listening? You were right. Of course you are right. All this time I didn’t do what I knew was right because I was afraid. Afraid of the pain, afraid of death, afraid of the unknown. But I’m not afraid anymore.”

             
“You really are going to try to help me aren't you?” I ask in disbelief.

             
He smiles, but before he can say anything, I see movement behind him and I gasp as I realize my time is up. Jacoby, reading my reaction correctly, reaches for my plate as though this is his reason for entering my cell, then turns around to greet Dugan.

             
“Hey Your Majesty, has it been two days already?” He asks casually.

             
“No, but I am getting impatient. And after having an interesting little chat with Brian, I’ve decided she has had enough time to come to her senses. Don't you agree, Jacoby?” He sneers at me.

             
“You know, I think she could probably use one more day to be persuaded.”

The tension in Jacoby’s shoulders is my only clue that something terrible is about to happen.

              “I am afraid that is just not possible,” I hear Dugan say, and as I look up at him he glares back at me intently before a cruel grin spreads across his face.

             
Then the world starts spinning.

             
Not in a way that typically precedes a fainting spell, but in a way that reminds me of a disco ball. Pulsating lights encompass my vision, the colors swirling around me with nauseating speed. I feel disoriented. I can't tell which way is up and which way is down. My instinct is to fall to the ground and curl up in the fetal position, except I don't know where the ground is. I hear screaming and muffled voices all around me, but when I look around I am completely alone.

             
No Dugan.

             
No Dark Elves.

             
No Jacoby.

             
I am alone.

             
A sudden and blinding pressure explodes in my skull, producing the most excruciating pain I have ever felt. Reflexively, I open my mouth to gasp in agony.  Only, I realize I can't breathe. Panicking, I desperately try over and over to take a breath.  But it’s useless, and the effort only increases the aching burn in my chest as my lungs scream for oxygen. Black spots take over my vision and my head no longer feels attached to my body. The next thing I know, a hurricane-strength wind slams into my chest and knocks me back to the ground. I still can't breathe, but this time it isn't from lack of oxygen. The blasting wind is relentless, and it pummels me with painful force. I curl up on the floor tornado-drill style and just pray for it to be over soon.

             
I get my wish.

             
The howling wind vanishes instantly, and I am finally able to catch my breath.  My burning lungs greedily gulp in the sweet air, but I don’t have a chance to fully recover.  To my horror, water begins pouring into the dungeon from nowhere, and it is filling rapidly.  Panic mode sets in yet again. 

             
I can’t swim.

I mean, I used to know how to swim. But it's been so long I think I have forgotten how. Is it like riding a bike? Do I even remember how to ride a bike? In my hysteria, wild thoughts zoom in and out of my brain.

              The room is still spinning chaotically as the water continues to rise. I clamber desperately onto the small cot to give myself some height advantage, but it's no use. The water is up to my shoulders now, and I have to keep spitting out mouthfuls of the salty liquid as I frantically kick my legs in an attempt to stay afloat.

             
Then something in the water grabs me.

             
I kick and fight with all of my strength, but I continue to be pulled downward by the invisible force. I hold my breath for as long as I possibly can, but it's no use. I am too weak. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have some power over the water element. My body gives up, and I inhale the burning liquid into my lungs.

             
I know it then. I know I am going to die.

             
Just like Maddie.

             
As soon as my sister enters my mind, I see her chubby little face as vividly as if she were right here with me.  The agonizing thought of leaving this sweet baby girl behind at the time when she needs me most gives me a sudden, desperate burst of strength.  I kick with all my might and finally reach the surface, coughing and sputtering, screaming Maddie's name.

             
I emerge from the depths of the salty water, gasping desperately for air.  But instead of the sweet oxygen my lungs are screaming for, I inhale a searing gulp of acrid smoke. The water is suddenly gone, replaced by a scorching wall of fire that encircles me. I am completely trapped.

             
How is that possible?

             
And then it hits me. 

             
Dugan.

             
Is he controlling the air, water, and fire? I was under the impression that Elves only specialized in one of the elements, but surely he must specialize in all three to have such immense power over them. The thought of someone so evil being that powerful sickens me, and I realize I must do everything in my power to make sure he is never released from the curse. I feel the tingling sensation in my fingertips and realize what I am about to do approximately two seconds before I actually do it.

             
I command the fire away from me and with all my remaining strength I mentally shove it right back in the direction it came from—toward where my instincts tell me Dugan is. My head finally begins to clear, but before I have a chance to process anything that just happened, darkness overcomes me.

Chapter 14

             
My head is throbbing. I am awake, but I am afraid to open my eyes. The last thing I remember happening before the world went black is mentally pushing Dugan's wall of fire as far away from me as I possibly could. It obviously took a lot of my strength, because I am so weak today I don't even know if I will be able to pry my eyelids open. So I remain still, silently praying that this has all been a horrible nightmare. I just keep chanting: It wasn't real. It can't be real. None of this is real.

             
“I know you are awake,” he whispers softly.

             
I can't help but feel a surge of anger toward Jacoby. One, because he promised he was going to help me escape, yet he continues to remain a part of the group responsible for holding me hostage, and two, if we start talking, I know I will be forced to acknowledge the dreadful reality of my situation.

             
And that just sucks.

             
I feel him sit down beside me on the narrow cot.  He gently brushes a sticky strand of hair away from my eyes, but I still don't open them.

             
“Who is Maddie?” he asks me softly. At the sound of her name, the hole in my chest explodes. The pain is unbearable. The tears stream down my face uncontrollably, and I am rather caught off guard by this sudden release of emotion. He pulls me into his arms, and I don't fight the warmth of his embrace.

             
I’m not sure how long I let him hold me as I cry until my eyes burn dry. There is something oddly comforting about letting his strong arms encase me. I press my face into the soft flannel of his shirt, feeling the hardness of his chest and inhaling deeply the rustic fragrance that is all Jacoby. The anger I felt towards him earlier is gone, but the inner turmoil is still there.  The fact remains that he’s still keeping me captive despite the promises he made to me, and he has done nothing to help me escape this desolate place.  On the other hand, I'm pretty sure comforting the prisoners is not part of his job description, so that must mean he cares about what happens to me, right? Maybe he really does want to be my friend? Suddenly, I feel compelled to tell him. To trust him.