Chapter Ten: Kidnapped
Tobe was grinning wildly when he walked in to his rooms in the Rider's Barracks, which had been re-arranged so their was room for him, Loey, and Treyvan. His wife looked up from the crib, and motioned for him to be quiet.
Loey soon walked over to Tobe "I just got him to sleep" she explained, seeing the look on his face, she added "What did you do?"
"Me?" Tobe asked "Nothing. I just helped out my baby sister."
"Which one, and how?"
"Kaiya" Tobe said "I got her and I guy who she liked and who liked her together."
"And how did you manage that?"
"I told Caden I needed to talk to him, then when we reached the stables, I told him to hide by the stable doors, and I told his stallion, Prince, to be quiet and still. Next, I cornered Carly and managed to get her to tell me that she liked him. He over-heard it, and well, the rest of it fell into place."
"So Caden and Kaiya are courtng?"
"No. They are waiting for this whole custody thing to clear up, and then Caden will ask whoever has custody."
"Smart."
"Thank you. That was also my idea."
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Tobe answered "Hi Kaiya."
"Hi Tobe" Kaiya said "I just came by to say thank you, and that you are the best big brother ever."
"I know" Tobe said.
"Thanks Kaiya" Loey said, her voice thick with humor "Now I will have to shrink his big head."
Tobe turned around and stuck his tongue out at Loey, who returned the motion.
Kaiya laughed "Good night you two."
"Good night" Tobe and Loey said.
(three weeks later)
"Alright everyone, it is late, so I don't want anyone talking on their way up to their rooms, got it?" Evin asked "You have all day tomorrow to be lazy. Enjoy it."
Kaiya dropped her Rider's gear right inside the doorway to her rooms in the barracks. She and her Riding Group had just gotten back from a bandit chase that had lasted two weeks. Now, all Kaiya wanted was a bath, food, and then bed-not necessarily in that order.
Suddenly, she heard her door close behind her, and before she could turn around and see who it was, a blindfold was placed over her eyes. Someone grabbed her from behind, and a mixture of instinct and adrenaline took over. She started thrashing around.
Which friend is closest? Kiaya thought Eva.
"EV-" a hand clasped over her mouth, and she fought her ambushers harder and managed to get her arm free, she started to claw at the hand over her mouth.
"She's a fighter, this one" the voice was completely unfamiliar to Kaiya.
"Of Course she is. She's a Rider, not a court lady."
Kaiya bit the hand that was over the mouth, and a man's voice muttered a string of curses. She felt a fist hit her in the lower jaw. Next, she felt the cold point of a dagger on her throat.
"Don't do that again" a voice muttered in her ear "Else we'll give you a nice little scar right here for people to talk about."
Kaiya went back to struggling as the hand covered her mouth again.
"Hold still girl!" one of the voices said.
"Get the rag, that'll make her still."
The next thing she knew, an oily rag was placed over her nose and mouth, and she lost all sense of thought, then passed out.
(A week later)
"I can't believe we only have another two and a half months to decide between Kel and Dom or our birthfather." Carly said.
"I know. We really need to focus on that some more don't we?" Kirsten said.
"We'll talk to Kaiya about it today."
Alanna and Kirsten had joined the Own and Carly in leading the Ambassador of Scanra and his family back to their own border. Finally, they were arriving back home in Corus.
"Look, there is Kel!" Carly said "Hey, her parents are here!"
Kirsten frowned "Something is wrong."
"How do you know that?"
"Look at Kel's face, it's showing emotion...and that emotion is worry."
"Dom!" Carly called.
"Yeah Carly?" Dom asked, riding up.
"Something is wrong with Kel, she is worried."
Dom rode ahead of everyone to Kel, and jumped off the horse. He started talking to Kel. He turned "Carly, Kirsten!" he beckoned them over.
The girls came over "Hi...can we still call you grandmother?"
"I'd be insulted if you didn't" Ilane said and hugged the girls.
"Same here" Piers said as he hugged them "You know, with grandda, not-"
"Hi grandmother, hi grandda" Kirsten and Carly hugged them both, and turned to Kel and Dom.
"What is it?" Kirsten asked.
"Girls, we have to tell you something, and there isn't an easy or gentle way to put it" By this point, Raoul and Alanna had joined them.
"What is it?" Carly asked.
"Kaiya has been kidnapped" Kel said.
"WHAT!" Carly and Kirsten said.
"And Dylan disappeared at the same time. No one here is convinced that this is a coincidence."
"So Dylan kidnapped his own daughter?" Raoul said.
"That's what King Jonathan thinks."
"When was she kidnapped?"
"About a week ago" Kel said.
"How did she get taken?" Kirsten asked.
"Her Rider stuff was left on the floor in her doorway, so we think it was an ambush that occurred soon after the Riders got back from a bandit chase, which according to Evin, was at about one in the morning." Kel said "Caden went to wake her up the next morning, and he found this-"
I have one. Some men who work for me will be coming to get the other two in a matter of weeks. Hand them over if you don't want anything to happen to this one. If you try anything, I have a knife that will give Kaiya a one-way ticket to a reunion with her mother.
"He is using Kaiya to get us" Carly said.
"We have to do something" Kirsten said.
"First thing you have to do is go see King Jonathan" Kel said "He ordered you to come to him as soon as you two return."
"Come on" Alanna said "Raoul and I will go with you."
Kaiya's head felt fogged as she looked up. As feeling returned to her body, she noticed her hands and legs were bound, and she still had a blindfold over her eyes.
She used her gift to burn away the rope that bound her arms and legs, and removed the blindfold. She was in the back of a wagon, and as she looked up, she saw three men sleeping nearby. There was a man driving the wagon, and the man had red hair.
"What the hell are you doing! Trying to get yourself arrested again" Kaiya demanded.
Dylan looked over his shoulder "How did you get your binds undone?"
"All three of us inherited the gift our birthmother had" Kaiya said "Now answer my question."
"I won't be arrested, I haven't broken any laws."
"What do you call drugging me and taking me against my will! I call it kidnapping, which is illegal."
"It's not kidnapping when you are my kid" Dylan said.
"We never said you had custody over us" Kaiya said "King Jonathan said that was our choice."
Dylan didn't answer her, instead, he glanced back at the three men who were still asleep "Hey! You lazy bums back there...wake up!"
The three men woke up.
"Is this what you call watching?" Dylan demanded "Get her re-bound, gagged, and blindfolded...use the chains and you-" He glared at an old man "-Can place the dampening spell on them."
Kaiya tried to fight back the men, but they overwhelmed her, and had her gagged, chained up, and blindfolded again in a matter of minutes. She soon felt herself feel sick, tired, and weak as the dampening spell took affect.
The only time she had felt this was when Numair, who had taught the girls how to use their magic, had placed a dampening spell over them to teach them what it felt like. He had told them, depending on how strong the mage was, the dampening spell could be overthrown, but he also told them their gifts were too weak, and they would never be able to throw off a dampening spell alone, that it would take the three of them together.
(Back at the palace)
"But sire!" Kirsten exclaimed, furiously.
"Your majesty, do you realize what you are asking us to do?" Carly asked.
"Yes, I do" Jon said.
Kirsten, Carly, Kel, Dom, Tobe, Caden, Alanna, and Raoul were with Jon and Thayet in the royal study. Jon had just told them they were not allowed to go after Kaiya.
"Jon, think about it" Alanna said "If you were them, would you remain behind?"
"If I was ordered by my king? Yes."
"Liar" Alanna said "You have already gone against a king to help rescue someone else."
"When?" Jon said.
"During the Tusaine War" Alanna said "I was captured, and your father, who was King at that time, ordered you and every other knight to stay behind, but you went after me."
"That was different" Jon said "You were my squire, I had an obligation to you."
"These girls are Kaiya's sister. Tobe is like a brother to her. Kel and Dom raised her! Caden...well Caden is..."
Alanna, who knew about the secret courtship between Kaiya and Caden, glanced at Caden.
"...I am her co-worker, and one of her closest friends" he finished for Alanna Dom has just had a girl who is like a daughter to him kidnapped, he doesn't need to know she has been lying to him for weeks on top of it. Caden decided.
"Right" Alanna said "You don't think they have an obligation to her?"
"Alanna, don't help them. My decision is final."
"Your majesty, please-" Carly said.
"Carly, no" Raoul said.
"But sir!" Carly turned to Raoul.
"This isn't a battle you can win" Raoul said "Arguing won't change that...however, Jon, I have a proposal."
"I'm listening."
"The girls, Kel, Dom, Tobe, and Caden will all promise you not to go after their sister-"
Carly, Kirsten, Caden, and Tobe began protesting.
"Quiet!" Raoul said, using his commander voice. Silence fell "They will make that promise, however, if we get a lead on where Kaiya is, we get to go after her."
"Who is the 'we' you are referring to?" Jon asked.
"A company of the Own, if her Group isn't out, Kaiya's group, and anyone in this room who wants to go."
"It's reasonable Jon" Alanna said.
"Alanna? You are agreeing to a compromise?" Jon said "The world must be coming to an end."
"No, the world won't come to the end until I decide to give up my shield, steal you away from Thayet, and become Tortall's new Queen...in that order."
"Ok, fine" Jon said "If everyone of you gives me your word that you won't go after Kaiya, I will allow you to go after her if we get a lead."
"I'm not agreeing to this" Kirsten said.
"Neither am I" Carly said.
"Well, then make yourselves comfortable, because no one leaves until all of you agree" Jon said.
"Sir, these girls can be stubborn" Jon's squire, Nicholas, said "Should I have a servant bring tea?"
"No Nicholas, that is fine. Actually, you are a close friend with Kaiya aren't you?"
"Yes sir."
"I want you to promise me you won't go after Kaiya as well."
Nicholas looked about ready to protest, when Jon raised his eyebrows "Do you have an objection, squire?"
Nicholas bowed "Of course not, your majesty. You have my word. My duty is here with you."
"Good." Jon said.
Kaiya heard her stomach growl. She tried to speak, but found that she couldn't, due to the fact she was still gagged.
"I think she is trying to say something" one of the men said. Kaiya nodded her head to say she did want to talk.
"Fine, find out what she is saying" Dylan said.
The cloth that had gagged her was removed "I'm so hungry, can't we stop to eat?" she asked.
"I'm getting hungry too boss" one of the men said to Dylan.
"I suppose" Dylan said "But Kaiya doesn't get those chains removed."
"How am I suppose to eat with my hands tied behind me?" Kaiya said.
"We can switch it around, so the chains have her locked with her arms in front of her" the mage suggested.
"Ok, fine" Dylan said, but you make the switch here in the wagon."
"Of course."
(2 hours later-back in Jon's office)
"Kirsten, Carly, just agree to the compromise so we can leave" Tobe said "You don't have to be happy about the situation. I don't like being stuck here, but I agreed."
"I'm not agreeing to something I am against" Kirsten said.
"Neither am I" Carly said.
"Alanna, Raoul, talk to your squires" Jon said.
"Carly, I have already told you, there are times when knights have to do things they don't want to, this will be good practice for that" Raoul said.
"You wouldn't say that if it was one of your kids that had been kidnapped" Carly shot back "If it was one of your kids, you wouldn't have even reported to Jon once you found out."
"Carly, watch the tone" Kel said "Apologize to Raoul."
Carly glared at Kel with a look that said Why don't you make me?. Kel raised her eyebrows and frowned at her.
"Lord Raoul, I am sorry for loosing my temper."
"Kirsten, come on" Alanna said "The compromise is fair"
"Lady Alanna, what if Jon had forbidden you and George to go looking for Aly-and scrying includes as looking-when you didn't know where she was?" Kirsten argued, trying to keep her voice even "Then would you think this is fair?"
"That is a different matter entirely" Alanna said.
"Not to us it isn't!" Kirsten lost her carefully contained temper and yelled at Alanna.
"Kirsten..." Dom warned.
Kirsten glared at Dom and refused to pack down.
"Lady Alanna, you have to see our side of this." Carly said "You had a twin! King Jonathan is an only child. He doesn't understand how close the bond between siblings are, especially not twins or triplets."
"I do understand that bond, Carly. When my twin brother died, I felt like half of me died with him" Alanna said "But without us knowing where they are, there isn't much we can do."
"We don't care what any of you say" Kirsten said "We won't agree, or at least, I won't."
"I won't either" Carly said
Reviewer's Choice
Who's side are you on?
A) Kirsten and Carly's side ("We won't agree!")
B) Jon's side (the compromise)
Reviewers Reply
Lady Knight Keladry Thanks for the update. I'm glad you liked that Kaiya and Caden are hooked up now. I hope you enjoyed this chapted
SOPROL Thanks, I like the couple they make too. I hope enjoyed this chapter.
Pie of Doomeh I hope you enjpyed the chapter I dedicated for you. I am glad to know that you would review anyway, that's great to hear, well...read. I like fluff too. I don't do it often, but it is fun to do every once in a while. Well, as the beginning of this chapter told you, Tobe had known Caden was there...he planned it! I actually added that small part because you mentioned it in your review and I thought it would be interesting...tell me how you like it! Sigh it's not fair. School takes the best of our brilliance out of all of us.
rapidishponyta Gasp! You thought you were reading something Tamora Pierce herself had written? I am touched. That is the biggest compliment anyone could give...well...ANYONE! Thank you so much. I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much.
