The Two Kings (Afterlife Saga) (138 page)

I soon
spot
ted
the black four wheel drive two cars back and I felt my shoulders relax to know my Viking beast of a Demon was
back there keeping his guardian
eyes on me. It was strange to think that it wasn’t long ago that I had hated the idea of being
guarded
,
but now I seemed to be relying on it for comfort. Maybe it was down to all the bad things that had happened since.

Once at the airport I had to play blind and dumb
,
not reacting to Ragnar right next to me clung like a bodyguard to a celebrity. It was only when we reached the checkout desk when things started to get complicated.

“What do you mean it’s the wrong date?” I said staring at the lady in a smart red and navy airline suit.

“I am afraid this ticket is for the day after tomorrow
.
” She said trying to
be pleasant in telling someone
their horrible news for the day.

“That can’t be right
.
” Libby said coming to my side. She grabbed the ticket fro
m the lady whose name tag read ‘Jean is happy to help’.
Well I didn’t really care for the happy part but the help was sure
ly
needed!

“I am afraid you booked the tickets for a separate day
.
” Well that sure wasn’t helpful and I had to stop myself from saying
,
“Well no shit Sherlock!”

“Our mother booked the tickets...Oh No, look Kaz she did
.
” Horror filled my sister’s eyes as she scanned the ticket over and over before letting me see the evidence for myself. Sh
e was damn
right, my
mother had only gone and
booked my ticket for a different day!

“Well can’t we buy another ticket?” Me and Libby both asked at the same time.

“Umm...
I’m sorry but that flight is fully booked and the flight will be boarding soon, so those of you with tickets will have to hurry to the right departure gate.
” I felt sorry
for ‘Jean’
at this point because Libby turned to scowl a
t her. I had to drag Libby over
to where Frank and Hilary waited for us with anxious faces.

“Mum went and book
ed
Kazzy on the wrong bloody date!” Libby screeched to Frank.

“Can’t she swap the dates?” Frank added unhelpfully
,
bless him.

“I don’t think it works like that Frank, the flight
is
fully booked
.
” I said as Libby was muttering about our mother
’
s incapability to use computers and all modern technology in general, while also blaming herself for not checking each ticket.

“Look it will be fine, I will just call Dominic and get him to pick me up and then fly out to you guys in two days...problem solved
.
” Well at least it seemed so for them, now I was wondering how this affected Draven’s plans? Once I got these guys o
n their way I could find a quiet
place and ask Ragnar
,
who was still at my side frowning at our current situation.

“I can’t let you fly out on your own!” Libby said but Frank was nervously looking at his watch and the flight numbers on the checking board.

“Lib’s
,
I f
lew out here on my own remember? L
ook if you guys don’t go, you will miss the flight...is the spare key still hidden in that old jar in the shed?” Frank nodded before pulling me in for a hug.

“We will see you in a few days
,” h
e said making Libby curse under her breath.

“Lib’s it will be fine, don’t be too hard on mum and give everyone my love until I get there
.
” I hugged her even though I could tell her mind was still running through every possibility. I hugged Hilary and waved them off until out of sight,
watching
my sister being pulled through
security
with Frank
’
s strong arm around her shoulders. She looked like a lost sheep amongst the cattle of travellers.

“Well
,
what are we going to do now?” I said in a low whisper trying not to gain too much attention
,
but when a passerby stopped and stared
,
I decided to get out my phone and pretend to be talking to someone on it.

“I will call my Lord, come with me
.
” Ragnar held onto my arm and we walked through the crowded airport until we were outside one of the main terminals. It was still far too crowded to go unnoticed
, but no-
one could hear Ragnar let alone see him so it was only me being paranoid for no good
reason. He dug in his dark tan j
acket and pulled out a phone that looked tiny in his hands. He pressed one button and began talking immediately.

“The mother made the mistake
.
” He added after explaining our new situation. I wished I could hear the other side of this conversation because Ragnar’s head bobbing wasn’t easing my irritation.

“Yes I will, n
o
,
th
e car left after we did. I can
not detect any of our kind nearby. We will wait for the car and I will bring her back to Afterlife directly...Yes my Lord
, with my life.
” He said and passed the phone down to me, which must have looked might
y
strange for anyone walking past, me taking a phone from thin air!

“Hi
,
” I said very forlorn.

“Keira are you alright?” Draven sounded concerned and h
yped
up as if he had been waiting phone in hand ready for something to go wrong.

“Yeah I’m fine, so what will happen now?” I asked
,
trying to sound a little less ‘end of the world’
.

“I am sending a car to pick you up and then we will decide when you get here. It will be alright Keira
,
soon you will be safely in my arms
once again.
” The thought made me smile and the nagging feeling I had all day seemed to evaporate.

“Good, I will see you soon then
.
” I was about to hand it back when I heard Draven’s words enter me to the core.

“Keira, I love you
.
” I smiled and although he couldn’t see me I think he heard it in my reply.

“And I love you
.
”

Ragnar had arranged for us to be picked up in a quieter part of the Airport
,
when his phone rang.

“My Lord?” He seemed surprised but nodded again and again as new orders were being given. I
,
meanwhile
,
was sat on my suitcase like a bored child.

“You want us to get to the jet?” Ragnar looked surprised
,
which brought my nagging fear rushing back to me in a heartbeat. He nodded a few more times and muttered acknowledgements down the phone but his frown never left his harsh red face. The little potted scars seemed to stand out further when he looked this agitated and it automatically made me wonder what had gone wrong.

“But my Lord,
that is not what we had planned...the girl she...” Ragnar shut up immediately once I heard shouting from the other end and we both flinched simultaneously.

“No, My Lord I am sorry to question you... No it will not happen again.” He said after obviously being reprimanded but still his frown remained. I
t was quite
clear whatever Draven’s changes
,
Ragnar did not approve.

“Yes
,
I will take her there now, you will meet us?” He waited for his answer and then nodded. Once he had received his new orders he snapped the phone shut and looked down at me with his dark red eyebrows closely knitted together and emitted a low growl.

“What is it...what’s wrong?” I asked placing my hand on his arm
,
which felt a bit like comforting a tree trunk against the rain.

“My Lord
wants me to take you to the hanger where one of his jet
s
is being fuelled
.
” He said looking around the airport like he was scanning for enemies.

“But I thought it was only a minute ago he was sending a car for us?”

“It was, but now he has decided to change his plans
.” H
is usual husk
y
voice had an uncertain edge to it that I needed to question.

“And you’re not happy?” It was an obvious question.

“No, I don’t like it because it is not like my Lord to be so unpredictable
,
but his word is law so I do not question it. We have to move
,” h
e said taking my suitcase in one hand and me in the other. That was the end to our conversation but I felt his tension flow through me like it was sticking to my skin in the form of a nervous sweat. I found myself being pulled along until Ragnar found what he was looking for. The next thing I knew I was being pulled into a taxi and sitting back while Ragnar took over the Driver
’
s mind. He sat back with a faded expression on his face like he was listening to bird
calls
in the distance. It almost made me want to shake him but I wouldn’t have dared. So I did all I could do...I sat there and worried.

I had no idea how we got there but the one lot of security we did encounter after a few words from the driver we passed without trouble. Soon we were driving towards a
big aircraft hanger where the
doors were opening to allow for the sleek black jet rolling out. That’s when the brakes slammed on and thrust me forward hitting into the back of the front seat. I made a noise
as
the air had been knocked out of me
,
but before I had time to complain
,
Ragnar had released his hold over the driver and forced him into a deep sleep.

“Some
thing
’
s wrong
!
” He said in the worst tone to hear from a former Viking King...that was panic!

“Why?” I was so scared to ask but I gripped onto his arm as I waited for an answer I was sure I didn’t want to know. He was staring at the Jet like he was waiting for it to blow up or something and when I jerked him for a response, he turned to stare at me so slowly I felt my skin prick with fear.

“Drave
n’s jet is
white” These were the last words I heard before all Hell broke loose.

I didn’t even have time to scream as the car suddenly filled with a blinding light like someone had just released a flash bomb inside. I couldn’t see a thing but when the car’s metal frame around us started to shake, I heard all the glass shattering outwards and landing in thousands of pieces on the tarmac like the falling snow had turned into icy shards.

Ragnar’s roar so
on became a distant noise as an
ear splitting, high pitch
ed
hum filled the
small space and made it near
impossible to think of anything other than covering my ears and closing my eyes. It was only when I felt the cold air be
ing inhaled did I realize that i
t was so
I
could carry on screaming through the fog of disaster. Then I felt myself being moved. First I heard the rest of the window crash as the door was being opened on my side and then hands we
re
on me dragging me from the car. I still couldn’t see and my hearing was playing on and off as though someone was flipping a switch. The hands gripped onto my shoulders and yanked until my body slid out onto the tarmac, landing on my back wit
h a painful thud. I was so scar
ed
,
I was shaking but I wa
s trying desperately to hold on
to whatever shred of control I had left.

“KEIRA RUN!” I heard Ragnar’s thundering voice shouting through the craziness but for me there was no going anywhere. Once I had fallen
,
I was quickly pulled roughly to my feet and held on either side by towering men above me. My eyes were still in blur mode but I could just make out their shadows looming so close to me, holding on to me at the tops of my arms. I tried to squirm away but it became too painful when their fingertip
s
started to dig into my flesh like they were pointed at the ends.

“Enough!” A man’s voice shouted without anger, it was more a controlled manner, almost business like. That’s when my sight cleared as though water had just been splashed in my eyes and my hearing was no longer consumed by the high pitch
ed
hum that was causing my head to hurt. Of course
,
although all my senses were back
,
it only
brought a new level to
our dire situation into perspective.