I may have been drunk, but I was certainly aware of what was going on around me. Well, kind of…
I did know that I had been given ether, taken to a secret hideaway, and bound. I also knew that it was part of my initiation for my gentleman's club. I wasn't sure how much I liked this club anymore however… What kind of club held you hostage before you could be initiated?
I found myself at the moment in a chair, my hands bound behind me. There was a cloaked man behind me of this brotherhood and to my surprise, he had a knife close to my throat. I didn't understand what was going on.
The door opened and I groggily looked over to find my sister Gemma, blindfolded and being dragged by a scarred man, Fowlson I believe, into the room. It just barely registered in my mind that this was a gentlemen's club… So, why was Gemma here?
"Tom!" Gemma exclaimed, running towards me in a most unladylike manner, I must say.
"Stop at once!" One of the leaders called out from somewhere above. Was he God or something? How did he make his voice come from up there? "If you touch him, he will die, Miss Doyle. Our man is quick with a knife."
Now what was that? I'd die? Well, that isn't very kind! Why would they want to kill me? My drunken mind was trying to process what they were just saying.
"Gemma, don't worry," I mumbled. "It's my ini… inish…"
"Initiation," an Indian boy shouted, coming to stand next to Gemma. "Call it off."
What was an Indian doing with my sister? I wondered. Must not be important…
"Brother Kartik. I'd been told you were no longer living," a voice called. "Mr. Fowlson, you will answer for this."
The fog in my head made it hard to think, but I knew that I knew someone named Kartik… He was… the carriage boy, that's it! Why was our ex-carriage boy here? And why did they call him Brother? How could an Indian be a part of this gentleman's club?
The man with a scar, Fowlson, paled and muttered. "Yes, m'lord."
"Let my brother go!" Gemma shouted. I wish that I could find my tongue well enough to reprimand her about yelling at a gentleman. It certainly was not very ladylike. Plus, how could she yell at God?
"Certainly, dear lady. Just as soon as you give us the magic." The voice continued.
I knew that the haze in my brain must have been heavy at that time. I mean really, accusing my little sister of having magic… Of course not!
"I can't do that," Gemma said.
Is this a play or something? Is this just a big joke? Because why would Gemma not disagree about having magic?
I felt the bite of steel near my throat and screamed, my brain registering the feel of a knife. "Stop," I said in a strangled voice.
"Please, I need your help!" Gemma cried out. "Something terrible is happening in the Winterlands. We're all in danger. I believe those creatures mean to come into our world."
The room broke out into polite laughter and I fight the urge to giggle. I didn't know what is going on, but it sounded so ridiculous! What was the Winterlands? And what are the creatures? And of course they'd come into this world! There are no other worlds to go into.
"I have seen Amar in the realms!" Gemma shouted. "He was one of you once. He warned me that it was coming. 'Beware the birth of May,' he said."
The room stopped laughing and I wondered why. What are the realms and who was this Amar guy? How did Gemma know him? And why was the birth of May bad? What was coming?
"What did he mean by it?" The voice from above asked. I vaguely wondered why God didn't know what Gemma meant. Wasn't he supposed to be omniscient?
"I don't know," Gemma said and I could practically feel my common sense returning. The drink was wearing off and I noticed Gemma staring at me intensely. "I thought it meant the first of May, but that day has come and gone. It could be another day -"
A man that I recognized as Lord Denby stepped out of the shadows; well he certainly wasn't God. "I don't know what manner of trickery this is, Miss Doyle, but it will not stand." His finger lowered and the cloaked figure pressed the knife harder to my throat. "He will die."
"And what if you kill him?" Gemma said. "What bargaining power will you have then?"
"Your brother will die!" Lord Denby's voice thundered.
Understanding dawned on Gemma's face and she looked determined. "And you will have nothing then," she shouted. "Nothing to shield yourselves from my power. And I will unleash it, sirs, like the hounds of hell, if you should harm one hair on his head!"
I wanted to reprimand her for language and yelling at a gentleman, but found that I couldn't. First of all, she was trying to save my life, second of all, there was a knife at my throat, and finally, I was shocked into silence. She was also confusing me, and I needed a moment to try to think about what she was saying. What was her power?
Lord Denby's finger waited at ready for a breathless moment. Finally, he said, "You're a woman. You won't do it." He lowered his hand and I gasped, bracing myself. But suddenly, cool steel was not against my neck – instead, there was the slick surface of a balloon.
"Tom, run!" Gemma shouted. I sat in utter confusion, unable to heed her warning. What just happened?
Kartik, who I'd nearly forgotten the presence of, grabbed me roughly and pulled me away. Gemma started to vibrate and my eyes widened as suddenly, the walls are crawling with flames.
Gemma had a look of intense concentration on her face as the walls continued to burn and ghosts shrieked from above.
"Stop!" Lord Denby cried. The flames and phantoms disappeared. He stumbled to the railing. "We are reasonable men, Miss Doyle."
"No, you're not. And so I must speak very plainly, sir. You are never to approach my family again, or there shall be consequences. Do I make myself clear?" Gemma said straightforwardly.
"Quite," He gasped.
"What about the realms?" Kartik called out. "Do you forget that we have long been its guardians? Will you not come with us into Winterlands?"
I didn't understand them at all. What were the realms and the Winterlands? How was my gentlemen's club the guardian of whatever they were?
The men mumbled amongst themselves. This journey must be dangerous.
"Very well," Lord Denby said. "I shall assemble some foot soldiers for the task."
"Foot soldiers?" Gemma asked. I was wondering the same thing.
Kartik folded his arms. "Men like Fowlson and me. Men who won't be missed."
"Yes, take Mr. Fowlson with you," Lord Denby said in a degrading manner. "He has a way with a knife. You're a good chap, aren't you, Fowlson?"
Fowlson clenched his jaw, looking angry but resigned.
"As it is my choice, I shall have Mr. Fowlson. We understand one another. And he does have a way with a knife," Gemma said. "Untie my brother, if you please."
I just at that moment realized that I was still tied. Fowlson untied me and shouldered my body, which was too limp to move on its own accord. I was pulled towards the door.
"The blindfold!" A man bellowed.
Gemma threw it on the floor. "I don't need it. If you wish to wear it, be my guest."
"Gemma!" I finally got my tongue under control. "What the devil is going on? What did you do?" I felt like I was unraveling and Gemma gave me a look.
"Hold him still, will you, please?" She said to Kartik and Fowlson, who took hold of my arms.
"Here now! Unhand me at once!" I insisted, though I was too groggy to put up a real struggle.
"Thomas," Gemma said, removing her gloves, "this will hurt you far more than it will hurt me."
I stared at her warily. "What?"
She gave me a hard punch in the mouth and I was out. Goodness, she punches like a man!
A/N: Oh Tom… I have a love/hate relationship with him. But as I've mentioned before, I love it when the secrets get out and I had to give Tom's perspective of it! Thanks for reading!