Special thanks to Harlequin :DDDD Amazing job with the 'rescue' and 'reunion' (:
I have a game for you, I read this in a story.
You give me a word and I have to incorporate it into my next chapter. It can be any word or saying, as long as it's leangth is resonable. You can ask me to make a certain character say something and I have to try to make it happen (: I'll give it a go. I'll underline the word or saying in my chapter and I'll put your penname in brakets beside if you're the one who requested it.
CHAPTER 28
I woke the next morning to Janco's complaining. "Great, he left without us. He just took off in the middle of the night."
Ari tried to reason with him, "I'm sure he had good reason too."
"No, I'm telling you, this war, Yelena missing, Brielle somewhere in Sitia and getting fired is going to drive him crazy."
What the hell were they talking about? I looked around, disoriented. I felt weight on my arm. Looking down, I found Opal sleeping there, buried into my side. So I guess she did trust me—just a little. I smiled to myself.
"Opal!" Janco called. I knew it wouldn't be long before he came in here looking for her.
Opal stirred. "Mmm… I don't want to wake up. Go away," she mumbled. Her eyes started to open. "You smell wrong, Devlen." She muttered, pushing me.
I chuckled. "Of course I smell wrong. It's Valek, not Devlen." I chuckled again. Girls were funny when they were half asleep. Yelena said all kinds of nonsense in the morning. Looks like Opal was the same.
Her eyes flew open. "Valek?" she asked. "How? Oh, I wasn't dreaming." She put a hand to her throat in relief. "But, why… Why did you come here? You didn't like the lounge room?"
I laughed. "Yes, I preferred sleeping in your company then next to the snoring Janco." I snorted. "You were crying, I was worried. Although, I have to admit—I got more sleep here than I have had in the past week next to Janco."
"And you actually do smell wrong." She crossed her arms over her chest. She sniffed, as if trying to rid herself of the smell.
"How so?" I inquired.
"I don't know, you just… I don't know. You smell familiar, but I don't know how. You have a particular smell, but it isn't exactly how it should be. I really don't know." My eyebrows went up. "I can't really describe it. It's like… I can't say, you'll think it's stupid."
"No I won't. Come on, Opal." I was honestly curious. Even if my smell was a weird subject to be talking about.
She sighed. "You smell… like musk… and spice. It's an odd combination." Opal looked down, embarrassed.
"Why would I think that's stupid? And why is it familiar?" I asked. This was getting interesting.
"I don't know. Yelena says she likes it, but I don't know why I find it's different. Even though it is. Um… how can I say this? It's… It smells like… I don't know. Look, why are you even asking me this?" I didn't answer, I wanted to have a complete opinion. "It smells normal. Now are you happy?" she demanded.
"So you're saying that my smell is… odd, because it doesn't go with me. Correct?"
"Yes, you don't smell like an assassin." Her cheeks darkened and she hid behind her hair. I couldn't understand why this was an embarrassing subject to her.
I smiled. "And what does an assassin smell like?" I asked. "I didn't know there was a specific way I was supposed to smell to be one." I was trying to get her to smile. And it worked. She laughed.
"I don't know. Dangerous?"
"Someone can smell dangerous?" She was confusing me.
"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one who's supposedly dangerous."
"Supposedly?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, supposedly. It's not like you act on it around me." Her chin rose confidently.
"Really? What if I decided to go insane right now, and killed you?" I stood, towering over her.
"I… I don't think you would do… that…" her voice quivered.
Janco banged on the door, making Opal jump. I laughed. "Opal, get out of bed, Valek left." I nodded, asked her to play along.
"He did?" she asked with a smile playing on the corner of her lips. I moved to the bed and spread myself out on the mattress, feigning sleep. I put a finger to my lips a motioned to the door.
"Yeah, can I come in?" Janco asked. His voice was muffled by the thickness of the wooden door.
"Just a minute," she called. She climbed under the covers and picked up a book from her night stand. "Just lay still and pretend you're asleep. I want to see his face when he comes in."
"What are you going to tell him?" I asked in a hushed tone.
"Um… I wasn't feeling well, so I came to get you, and you fell asleep after staying up all night. Good enough?" I nodded. She motioned for me to go to sleep.
"Come in." I closed my eyes obediently when the door opened.
Janco's footsteps were quiet when he came in. I heard him start to question Opal when he saw me 'asleep' on the bed. But she shushed him, "Hush, he's exhausted. Let him sleep."
"What? What is he doing here? Ari, I found Valek." Janco was respecting the restrictions placed by Opal. His voice was quieter than before.
I heard Ari's distinct footsteps join everyone in the room. "What is he doing here?" he asked in a whisper.
"I wasn't feeling well, so I went to see you, and Valek was awake, so he came here. But be quiet, he was up all night because of me. Let him sleep." Opal was good at this.
Since I was turned away from the Power Twins, I risked a small smile. No one saw me. But I rather enjoyed sleeping in. I should get Yelena to… Right, Yelena. Slowly, I turned and stretched. All eyes were on me. Yawning, I opened my eyes.
"What the hell was that?" Janco demanded as soon as my eyes opened all the way. He didn't even give me the time to blink before he was in my face.
Without thinking, my hand came up and crashed into his jaw. We all flinched when there was a crunching sound—definitely dislocated. "Ow!" he exclaimed. "What was that for?" he hissed. There was a crack when he moved it back into place. He moved it a couple of times to get it back to work. Then his fist moved towards me. I caught it. And flipped him onto his back, over the bed. With his arm twisted, there was nothing he could do.
"What the hell is your problem?" he demanded when I let him go.
"You are. You're my problem. We're leaving, now. And we're not coming back until she's in my arms, safe." I commanded.
We hid in the forest bordering the Daviian plains. I could see the camp from here. Opal said that this was probably the place, since it was a void. So it was a void protected by a null shield. Tough break. No wonder they didn't find her, if they didn't bother looking for her the old fashion way.
"What now?" Ari asked.
"Opal and I go in. You try to keep our backs safe. As soon as Opal and Yelena are out, you leave," I commanded. I wasn't going to let them get caught because they were waiting for me.
"What about you?" Ari asked uncertainly.
"Forget about me. They're safe, you get the hell out of here."
"But we can't just"—he protested.
I cut him off. "—Yes, you can. And you will. That's an order." I wasn't risking their lives because I was stuck. Which I was probably going to be.
"Where do we take her?"
"Up north. As far north as you possibly can. Take her to the MD-1 safe house. They wouldn't dare follow you that far. Hopefully, I'll meet you there a couple of days later." I turned to Opal. Her face was pale as a sheet. "Ready, Opal?" She shook her head. I put my hands on her shoulders. "You're going to be fine."
"But you won't," she whispered shakily.
"I'll be all right."
"No you won't. If you were sure of that, you would have us wait. But you aren't. You know there's a distinct possibility you aren't getting out of that camp alive." I tried to protest, but she stopped me. "You know. Don't lie to me."
I sighed. "Yes, I do." I hung my head. She saw through me. Janco was right; this war was driving me insane. "Let's just go. We'll be all right. Just remember what I told you," I said, not looking directly at them.
Opal sighed. "I guess we have no choice. Let's go." She pulled me to my feet and motioned for me to lead the way.
I lay on the ground near the border of the camp. Not close enough to be seen, but enough so that I could feel the null shield. I didn't want to go touch it. I remembered last time. Null shields were the only magical weapon that could be used against immunity to magic. I had no choice though. If I wanted my Yelena back, I was going to have to go through it.
We wove through the tents, staying on the edges. Both of us felt it when we travelled under the shield. It was a shock and we immediately dropped low, intent on not being seen. I glanced at Opal and motioned for her to circle from the right and that I would do so from the opposite side.
As I ramped, I thought and watched. There was screaming and pain all over the camp. Blood of different victims littered the ground. There were piles of dead, drained bodies. I shuddered. This was sick. I couldn't believe some people would be willing and enthusiastic about this practice. I looked around for where Yelena might be.
I heard a twig snap behind me and I quickly spun around. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough, and something hard came into contact with my head and my world tumbled into darkness. I hoped Opal didn't meet the same fate and was able to get help.
Opening my eyes to darkness, it took me a moment to realize where I was. Looking around, I recognized that Opal was lying next to me. Great. We were both here, and our back up was clueless as to our current predicament.
Once my head cleared enough I rolled onto my stomach and attempted to stand, only to hit my head on what felt like a metal bar. I groaned, but felt around my surroundings. Confused, I reached my hands out and it didn't take me long to realize we had been caged—like god damn animals. With resignation, I reached out again, feeling each of the bars, attempting to work out the size of this cage that we're trapped in.
Dragging my hands down the bars in front of me, I fumbled around for locks. I sighed in annoyance when I couldn't find any, before quickly stumbling to the next side. This time I managed to locate them, there were six in total. Each of them was rough with what I assumed was rust. Damn. That made it near impossible to pick. And I didn't have any lock picks. So I couldn't even try. I was tempted to give up and just lie down and wait for them to kill me.
But I couldn't give up. Yelena needed me and I wouldn't find her if I was going to waste my time in a god damn cage. I quickly shoved my hands into my pockets, searching for something to pick the locks with. I bit back a groan of frustration when I couldn't find anything.
I wondered if Opal had anything hidden in her cloak, but the darkness made it impossible to see her. I nudged her with a hand, trying to shake her awake, but she didn't even stir. I knew it wasn't a good idea to force her back into consciousness. She could suffer from severe damage.
Crouching back down on my knees, I waved my hands in front of me, as I searched the cage. But my brow furrowed in confusion when my hand brushed against something cold and soft. Quickly, I realized that we weren't alone in this cage. Shaking my head, I moved in the general direction of the person.
I reached my hand out again to the unknown person, but before I could say anything they cowered away from me. Obviously they would be scared—they clearly assumed I was there to hurt them. Not surprising considering the monsters that held them hostage. I wondered how long they had been here. They obviously needed help. A sudden thought dawned on me—perhaps there were others here. More people like Yelena. The thought brought the urge to throw up.
By now, my eyes had accustomed slightly to the poor light, and when I looked down again, I saw in horror that it was a woman. Curled up, naked, and shivering in the cold air. Instinctively I started to unbutton my shirt. She clearly needed it more than I did. Draping it around her, she sighed before holding it tightly around her. I just assumed it was due to the cold.
"Valek…" I heard a sigh. My heart stopped. The voice of my love that I had feared was dead and I'd never see again echoed through my head.
"Y-Yelena?" I whispered in horror. No, that wasn't her. That couldn't be her. But deep inside me, I knew that it was.
A sob escaped her lips in answer to my question, and I slowly reached a hand out to stroke her cheek. My need to touch her—to confirm that she was really here and not another of my dreams—controlled my body before I could think about what I was doing. I held out my hand, as you would to an animal you were beckoning to come closer, and waited. I felt guilty, treating her this way, but when I saw her reaction, I realized how much she truly needed it. She moved tentatively towards me, testing. She wanted to see who was in control here—if I would touch her without her consent. I waited patiently. Slowly, she came close enough for me to touch and paused. I moved closer and reached out to stroke her face.
But as my hand came into contact with her cheek, I only had a second to realize it had been mutilated before she yelped in pain and jerked away from me again. She jumped away and crouched low, hissing at me like an animal, warning me to stay away.
My throat burned as the bile threatened to escape. I hadn't expected her to be unharmed, I wasn't naive. But the harsh reality of seeing Yelena hurt and scared, made me feel sick as well as angry.
I reached out again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Come here. I won't do it again. I'm sorry," I apologized. I coaxed her back to me softly. I continued to speak to her in soft words until she was within my reach.
Another heart breaking sob escaped her lips before I gently pulled her into my arms. She struggled at first, pushing against my chest and flailing madly, trying to escape my grip. Her attempts were so feeble, that I couldn't believe she was actually trying. Seeing as I wasn't bringing her any harm and that I wasn't releasing her, she sunk into my body slowly. Unable to resist, I buried my face into her hair, inhaling her scent. The lavender fragrance she usually carried with her was gone. In its place, a vile stench pervaded. I backed away from the smell, but—to my surprise—she didn't allow me. Her hands gripped my undershirt tightly, trying to keep me with her. I gladly obeyed.
Her body still trembled against mine as sobs continued to consume her body. I wrapped my arms tighter around her. "Shh... It's ok. I've got you. You're safe now, my love. I'm not going to let them hurt you again. I'm so sorry. I tried to get here sooner. I truly did. Please forgive me. Please," I begged. I lifted her from the ground and carried her to the far end of the small space we were enclosed in and sat down there, cradling her.
It took half an hour just to calm her down. I kept a strong, calm exterior, but on the inside I was secretly breaking down. Now that I held her in my arms, I realized even more how I didn't want to lose her. Which I knew there was a great possibility of.
I wasn't stupid. I knew what would happen to us. I also had no guarantee that I could get us out of this mess. And as much as it terrified me to admit this, this was probably the last time I'd ever see her. In this world at least. If ever. If I was not able to get her out of the camp, her soul would be used for the ritual and trapped for eternity. 'No,' I vowed. I wouldn't allow it. I would get her out of this insane place safely.
Her hands released their death grip on my undershirt, and tangled themselves in my hair instead. Nuzzling her face into my neck, she sighed. I held her tightly, grateful for this moment that had been granted to me. I knew it was a one-time thing. For now, Yelena was just overjoyed having a pair of arms that wouldn't hurt her to climb into. When she got out of here, I knew it would take much more than just a couple hugs and kisses to fix the damage that had been brought onto this poor soul. She would need love, patience, time. I was willing to give it all to her—providing that I got out. There wasn't much chance of that.
The door of the wretched cage squeaked open and I saw the silhouette of a man stride in. Yelena stiffened in my arms and buried her face in my chest.
The man spoke, "Well, well, well… What do we have here?" He diverted his gaze to Opal. "And another girl." He let out a joyous laugh. "Take her to the house, boys." He called. Two men came in and grabbed Opal by her limbs. She didn't react—still knocked out.
I knew I should help her, but I couldn't leave Yelena. "Oh, and the Ghost Warrior. I bet you're glad to see him, sweetheart," he sneered to Yelena. "Well enjoy, he won't be around for long. In fact, neither of you will." He left the cage laughing. I had a sudden urge to rip him to shreds and burn the pieces while dancing around the fire.
The questions are coming...
1. Answer Valek's question: Someone can smell dangerous? And How so?
2. Do you feel like dancing aroud the fire with Valek, 'cause I sure do?
3. Will Valek get out unharmed?
4. How can I improve my writing?
5. Word or saying for the challenge mentioned in the beginning note. (Please :)
Karl
