Before The Worst
Chapter Twenty Nine
After much arguing and debate, it was decided that DG, Glitch and thirty soldiers would go to McKinnon's land. Azkadellia was heartbroken at both her sister and the man she loved leaving at the same time.
"What happens if you don't come back?" She cried at the pair of them and Glitch caught her hands, pulling her to him.
"Don't think like that, Azkadee." He said desperately, stroking her hair. DG had embraced her sister tightly.
"We're coming back, Az." She promised.
Nonetheless, Azkadellia had been sobbing as they departed the next morning, Lavender and Ahamo on either side, embracing her as the vehicles pulled away. DG waved silently before slumping in her chair. They'd taken three of the royal guard vehicles, open backed trucks similar to those that DG had seen used by the military on the Other Side. There were sheets of strong canvas hiding them from view and wind, for which she was grateful. She and Glitch sat with ten men in one, whilst the other twenty were spread between the two other trucks. Glitch tapped her knee.
"Stay calm, DG."
"I am." She lied and he shook his head, eyes on the Emerald. She looked down at saw that it was glowing again, full of the sorrow she'd felt at leaving her family. The guards were watching it warily and she closed her eyes, concentrating until she felt it fade away.
Tomlin, the young man who'd brought her the news of Cain's capture, looked at her.
"Did you want to go over the plan, Princess?"
"It's pretty simple." She said quietly. "I go in alone, kick McKinnon's ass from here to Kansas and get my fiancé back."
"You know it won't be that easy." Glitch said pointedly and DG shrugged.
"I can shield. I can create fire, ice, wind and I have this." She pointed at the gun Ahamo had equipped her with. "I've never fired one before, but Dad said it's a straightforward aim and fire."
"If there's a hint of a struggle, we're coming in after you." Glitch said firmly. DG gave a small smile.
"There's going to be a struggle, Glitch. And if you come in too soon, they'll just attack us."
"We're prepared to give our lives." said Tomlin. Several other guards nodded.
Glitch winced as DG sat up straight, frowning at them.
"You say that again, I'll shoot you. I don't want anyone giving their lives for me." She said crossly, the Emerald pulsing with light again, "It's taking me long enough to convince Cain he isn't supposed to be throwing himself into the paths of bullets for me."
"Yeah, but you're marrying him." One of them pointed out. DG rolled her eyes.
"I know. But my point still stands. No sacrificing, please."
"With all due respect, Highness, I'd rather face your wrath than Lord Cain's, if he found out we weren't doing our jobs right." Somebody muttered.
~*~
Although the terrain was rough and the ride jolting, DG slept most of the way. The Emerald was still, as though accepting her need to sleep and build her strength. So it was only when they went over a particularly deep pothole that DG fell off her seat and out of her slumber, stumbling as several hands caught her before she hit the floor. Clambering back into her seat, she looked around.
"Where are we?"
"Almost halfway. We weren't planning on stopping to set up camp, but if you'd like-" One of the guards said but DG shook her head.
"No. I want to get there ASAP." She said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was almost sunset, she could tell by the pale orange light that was slipping through the back of the truck. Glitch handed her a bottle of water.
"We'll stop soon so everyone can stretch and so on." He said as she sipped the slightly warm water. DG nodded, settling back in her chair. Her joints were stiff and all her muscles ached, the constant jolting from the vehicle sending pains shooting up her back.
But it was more than a physical pain that put her in so much discomfort. The constant ache in her chest that had gaped open the minute Cain had left was starting to feel like an actual wound, hurting every time she breathed or spoke. It hurt more than the wound in her shoulder which, despite being on it's way to healing nicely, was still sore, the scab rough against the tender skin.
Glitch's hand rubbed up and down her arm and she looked up at him.
"Don't get yourself worked up, Doll." He said quietly as the vehicle lurched to a halt. The guards began to climb, grunting as they stretched sore limbs. DG slid from the truck, wincing as her spine cracked. Walking a short way into the surrounding woods, she washed her hands in a fast flowing stream, splashing icy water onto her face.
The Emerald hummed and she placed a palm across it.
"We will save him." She murmured. It had become a sort of mantra over the past twenty four hours, something she repeated to steady herself and mentally prepare for the coming battle.
~*~
Cain tugged again on his manacles and winced as a trickle of blood made its way lazily down his hands. He was sat in an empty room, where he'd woken hours before. There was no window, only the shrinking candle gave any indication of passing time. How long had he been here? Hours? Days? Or maybe longer, there was no way to know.
He'd woken with a splitting headache, hands cuffed in this miserable place. After shouting a few choice swear words in the hope that McKinnon would hear exactly what Cain thought of his mother and sexuality, Cain had inspected the room for any escape routes to find none. He'd worn the skin on his wrists away with straining at the cuffs, his wrists raw and damp with blood. No servants had come to feed him, he'd heard no sign of anyone passing the door.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seated position and put his head back against the wall. It had been a trap. DG had been right; he couldn't have handled this by himself. He hadn't thought McKinnon would actually attack, not a future consort and his Royal Guard. The man had to be insane.
Don't let DG come. Don't let her be so goddamn stupid as to come after me.
But he knew she would try. The minute she found out he was in danger, she'd go rushing in, hopefully with more sophisticated technology than a stick. Cain only hoped that Glitch or Ahamo would stop her.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor and Cain got to his feet, the raw patches on his wrists smarting. The door opened and Cain gritted his teeth as McKinnon entered, followed by two soldiers.
"You son of a bitch." Cain growled but McKinnon was unconcerned. He smirked at him.
"How did you sleep, Lord Cain?"
"I knew you were a traitor." Cain snarled. McKinnon spread his hands, eyebrows raised.
"A traitor? To the Gales, yes. I was faithful to those who kept me comfortable."
"The Longcoats? The Witch?" Cain demanded.
McKinnon chuckled, scratching his chin idly.
"To power, Lord Cain. I did well in the Witch's reign. I kept my part quiet; no one knew just how many dealings I made with her and her troops. But I was wonderfully rewarded."
"And now you want the Gale family destroyed?" Cain spat. Uncontrollable hatred was bubbling in his chest but McKinnon didn't appear to have noticed.
"The Queen and Consort don't concern me. The Queen barely has enough power to rule, she admitted that herself." He said, "Azkadellia is a mess, she'd flee at the first sign of trouble. But DorothiGale…"
"If you touch her-" Cain began but McKinnon ignored him.
"She's on her way here, Lord Cain. She'll be here by noon tomorrow."
"What the hell do you want with her?"
McKinnon smiled, his cold green eyes fixed on Cain's.
"I want to destroy her. I have plans, you see, and she's the one person who can stop them." Cain was silent, waiting from to continue. McKinnon considered him for a moment. "You were the spire when Zero was destroyed, weren't you?"
"Who do you think put a bullet in his head?" Cain snarled and McKinnon laughed.
"Then you know what Zero did to himself."
Cain was silent, watching McKinnon with a growing sense of dread. McKinnon was thoughtful, staring into space.
"He only had one vial of the witch's essence, didn't he?" McKinnon said after a long moment. Cain didn't reply, eyes narrowed. McKinnon tapped his chin thoughtfully before sighing and letting his hands drop to his sides.
"He was powerful. With only one vial."
"He was insane and now he's dead." Cain said quietly. His captor ignored him, pacing the small room quietly.
"Four vials. I have four vials, how powerful would that make a person?" He wondered aloud and Cain tugged at his chains, ignoring the stinging pain in his wrists.
"If you put that stuff anywhere near DG, I'll make you wish you'd never been born!"
McKinnon looked around at him, almost surprised not to find himself alone.
"You're mistaken, Lord Cain." He smirked. "I would not dream of wasting such power on her."
~*~
Tomlin sat awake, unlike many of the other soldiers who had dozed off. Glitch was snoring quietly, but Tomlin had already seen that the princess was sat with her knees tucked under her chin, the pale light of the Emerald the only illumination as they traversed the forested path.
"Can't you sleep, princess?" He asked quietly and she looked up before shaking her head.
"I shouldn't have let him go. I knew there was danger." She whispered. Tomlin stepped over a sleeping guard to take the seat opposite her. She lowered her feet to the floor, glancing round as Glitch mumbled in his sleep.
"There was nothing that could have stopped him." Tomlin said quietly, "He's a determined man."
"He's stubborn, that's all." She replied dryly, "He'd get into a fight with a brick wall if he thought it was a threat."
"Then it's no use saying that you should have done this or that." Tomlin said firmly, "He wouldn't have listened anyway."
"I should have locked him up in a dungeon somewhere." DG muttered, scratching the back of her neck.
They sat silently for a minute before Tomlin spoke again.
"We underestimated McKinnon. We didn't expect the resistance he put up and we certainly didn't expect him to attack the way he did." He stared at his hands. "Almost twenty men dead in a few minutes."
Silence once more. Tomlin looked up.
"I'll protect you." He said quietly and DG looked at him properly for the first time. He was young, only about nineteen years old, with scruffy brown hair and hazel eyes. DG leaned forward and touched his hand.
"What's your name?" She whispered, "Your first name?"
"Jacob." He whispered back. DG gave a tiny smile and squeezed his fingers before leaning back in her seat.
"Thank you, Jacob."
~*~
The trucks came to a halt on the ridge overlooking the house at noon. DG climbed out and stood where Cain had stood only a few days before, staring down at the same view. The Emerald was still beating, but she'd almost stopped noticing now, it was such a regular occurrence. Glitch stood at her side.
"Let me come with you, DG." He said but she shook her head.
"He sees anyone except me, Cain is dead." She turned to him and forced a smile. "I won't be long."
"Better not be."
DG turned and saw the soldiers had gathered silently, almost as though they were seeing her off on a long journey. She gave the same fake smile and then looked at Tomlin. He looked desperate to help and she reached out a hand to give him the silver locket he'd fought to return to her.
"Keep this safe for me? I know I can trust you with it."
"Of course, highness." He said, tucking it into his pocket. DG turned and began to walk down the steep path to the house. Her magic was boiling beneath the surface of her skin and she raised a shield as she saw two armed men appear at the gates. Two pulses of magic knocked them unconscious and she marched past to the door.
Her resistance lowered and magic burst through her hands, throwing the door open. She was prepared to raze the building to the ground if necessary, but found McKinnon waiting with soldiers just inside the doors. Several bullets rebounded from her shield and she ignored the armed men, her gaze meeting McKinnon's. He looked perfectly calm and DG stood a few metres in front of him, hands at her sides burning with magic.
"Where is he?" She said and he raised an eyebrow.
"Good afternoon, Highness. A pleasure to see you again."
"I have enough magic to kill every person in this room and blow up this house a hundred times over, McKinnon. Don't make me ask again." DG spat. Another bullet rebounded and she threw the man who had fired it a filthy look before knocking him unconscious with a pulse of magic. "Next person to try that gets a fireball to the head."
McKinnon laughed; it was an unnerving sound and made the hair stand up on the back DG's neck as she flexed her fingers. Wiping a tear from his eye, he stepped forward.
"Now, Highness, I can see you're determined. But I'm sure you want to know why I captured Lord Cain and tried to have you assassinated?"
"Couldn't give a damn actually." DG replied. He laughed again, clearly enjoying the banter but DG had had enough.
She raised a fist and formed a fireball, holding it before her as she stepped forward. McKinnon's laughter died in his throat.
"Where is my fiancée?" DG said again, in a quiet voice but everyone heard her. McKinnon looked at her before nodding to a nearby man. DG watched as he went to a nearby door and signalled to someone inside, but she kept McKinnon in her gaze. He had tucked his hands into the pockets of his long coat, and DG pulsed the shield brightly as a reassurance to herself.
Then her attention was pulled back to the doorway where an unconscious Cain had appeared, dragged by two men who threw him onto the ground in front of McKinnon. DG hesitated but McKinnon had knelt beside the unconscious body.
"Do you know why I killed those men? Why I lured you here?" He said, rolling Cain onto his back. He moaned slightly at the movement. She made to step forward but McKinnon held a gun to Cain's temple as he looked up at her.
"Because you destroyed my life." He hissed, his handsome face filled with hatred, "I was thriving under the witch's rule. Do you think she will reward me for bringing her back?"
"You can't bring her back." DG said loudly, torn between wanting to attack him and utter fear for Cain's life. "She's gone."
McKinnon smiled and it was filled with cruelty. DG's heart began to pound and the Emerald was almost screaming in her head.
"Not all of her." McKinnon hissed and before DG could react, he'd whipped the gun away and had plunged a large syringe into Cain's neck. DG had only a glimpse of the black liquid draining into Cain's body before her body exploded in fire and her vision was obscured by white light.
It took her several minutes to readjust herself, because there was a huge amount of noise surrounding her, the sounds of fighting and shouting and somebody calling her name. Blinking heavily she looked around and her heart missed a beat.
They were no longer in McKinnon's home but in the large entrance hall of the Central City Palace. Glitch, Tomlin and all the other soldiers were there, some looking utterly confused and others fighting with McKinnon's men. McKinnon himself was only a few feet from DG staring around in disbelief.
His eyes met DG's.
With a cry she threw herself at him and everyone stopped to stare as DG began hitting him, every inch she could reach, driving her fists into his face and chest. He struggled and almost knocked her back but she was filled with wild fury.
Ahamo and Lavender had appeared in a doorway, Azkadellia behind them. More soldiers had flooded the room and all of McKinnon's men were soon unarmed, but they didn't put up a fight, staring as DG attacked their master without mercy or restraint.
Glitch moved forward and grabbed and DG's hand as it swung back, but she pushed him away. Tomlin rushed towards her and between them they managed to haul her off the bloody McKinnon. He spat a mouthful of blood as a soldier hauled him to his feet.
"Let me go!" DG screamed, "I'll kill him!"
"DG, stop!" Glitch shouted as she writhed under his grasp, trying to get back to McKinnon.
"I want to kill him!" She cried, legs flailing as she tried to pull herself out of their grasp, desperate to attack him again.
"DG!" Azkadellia gasped, moving towards her sister.
DG's eyes were wide and wild, her hands coated with blood but her head was starting to spin. Azkadellia seized her sister's shoulders, forcing her to look at her.
"DG, what happened? How did you transport all these people?" Azkadellia demanded but DG was staring past her sister at McKinnon, who was watching her. She couldn't tell what his expression was, his face too damaged and swollen, blood dripping from his nose and mouth.
There was utter silence as DG stopped fighting. Her hands dropped to her sides as she tore her gaze from the man's to her sister. Azkadellia dug her fingers into DG's shoulders.
"DG, what happened?" She asked again. DG swayed unsteadily as her expression moved from fury to terror and heartbreak.
"…He injected Cain with black liquid of the witch."
A communal gasp was quickly cut short by McKinnon's hysterical laughter. DG's fury rose again and she made to rush at him again but Tomlin had already caught her, restraining her again.
"Why?! Why did you do it?!" She cried, every gun aimed at him. His laughter faded to a chortle as he stared at her, blood thick on his face.
"Two birds, one stone, Princess." He said and then paused to spit out a shattered fragment of tooth, his eyes never leaving hers. "I wanted the Gale family off the throne. Your parents, your sister… pathetic. But you're the one person who might have stopped me; you and that dogged old Tin Man. Now he's gone and whatever's left of him is going to come after you. And when he's done with you, he'll take over, the Witch's power will be back and the faithful will be rewarded!"
He began to laugh again, unrestrained and insane. Without a word, Glitch marched to him and punched him squarely in the face. The man fell unconscious to the floor. Azkadellia turned back to her sister but DG had stepped back, pulling the Emerald from around her neck.
"Take me back!" She shouted at the unresponsive pendant. "You brought us here, take me back!"
No.
"He must be saved! You said it yourself, he must be saved!" DG cried. Everyone gazed at her in confusion, unable to hear the Emerald's reply.
He cannot be saved. It is too late.
"No! No, we have to save him!" DG sobbed, clutching it so tightly that imprints were left in her hands. The Emerald glowed quietly.
He cannot be saved without risk to the heir.
DG was silent. Her legs gave way and she fell to her knees. Azkadellia hesitantly moved forward but Glitch caught her arm. DG stared down at the Emerald and then lifted her gaze to her sister, to her parents who had moved to stand beside her. Lavender reached out a hand to her daughter.
"DG… if Cain is lost, then we must keep you safe." She said with quiet desperation. DG shook her head slowly.
"He'll come for me." She whispered. Glitch shook his head.
"There are ways to hide you, DG."
"Sending me to the Other Side? Locking me away in the Northern Palace?" DG laughed but there was no humour in it. "We can't let him come to Central City; he'll destroy anyone he meets!"
There was silence as she looked down at the Emerald again. After a moment she breathed heavily.
"I'll go to him."
"Don't be stupid!" Azkadellia cried but DG had clambered to her feet. She looked at her older sister and Azkadellia shuddered at the haunted look in her eyes.
"If there's even the slightest chance that he's still there, I need to save him. And if not…" She pushed back the side of her jacket to reveal the gun that Ahamo had given her. "I'll be the one to end him."
"DG, you can't!" Lavender cried, moving forward but DG fell back from her loving embrace.
She clutched her arms around her, the Emerald still in her hand as she stared at her family.
"I can't leave him like that!" She said, trying not to cry, "Look, I love you all, but he's… he's mine. He's a good man, I won't let him become like Zero! And I told him I'd… I'd never leave him."
DG turned away from her family, looking down at the Emerald.
"I'm going to him. Either you help me, or I leave you here." She said quietly. The green light glared up at her.
Stubborn
"I'm hearing that a lot." DG muttered, "Transport me."
And in a bright flash of light, the heir to throne of the Outer Zone vanished.
A/N: People are selfish. Let's get that cleared up straight away! Yes, DG is dumb for going back alone, yes it's irresponsible because she's the heir and has her family/friends etc. But she's selfish, because that's what people are when they think they're going to lose something this important.
Thank you muchly for the lovely reviews! Appreciated, as always!
Lots of Love
Katie
