Chapter Fifty Six
Leah
I woke up with a terrible headache and a bad taste in my mouth to find myself still inside the cabin but now wearing chains around my feet and hands and peering around in the gloom saw Jackie seated on the floor chained just like me and looking as bad as I felt. Luckily the gap had been left open in the door so the sun's rays illuminated the interior a little. We must have been drugged, it was the only explanation for our present predicament. How long had we been unconscious? Was this later the same day? Or the next? We knew the elders had been frightened of our powers and in order to bind us safely, they must have put something in our food or drinks. I still felt nauseous and weak and suspected we had been drugged ever since we arrived to keep us quiet but in smaller doses so we didn't notice until they increased the dose in our last meal. Did this mean they were ready to act? Had they finally decide what they would do with us?
Jackie moaned and lifted her head looking pale in the weak light,
"What happened Leah?"
"They drugged us, I guess they are scared of two helpless females after all."
I spoke a little louder hoping anyone standing outside would hear me and motioned for Jackie to speak in a whisper for the same reason, after all, she might say something we didn't want them to hear.
"We should have phased and broken out of here when they first put us in."
"We tried to remember? This place was erected especially to keep us in. The walls are so thick we couldn't claw our way out and throwing our weight against the walls didn't help either. I think we've been drugged all along or we might have had more luck but I doubt it. Do you feel like you could phase now?"
Jackie closed her eyes and stiffened but soon opened them again and I saw my own fear reflected in them.
"They're going to kill us aren't they?"
"They can try but we aren't finished yet."
They were brave words but I didn't feel as optimistic as I sounded and I wondered if we really were about to die.
We both tried our bindings but the chains were new, thick, and shiny, secured with new heavy duty padlocks, the elders weren't taking any chances with us. We stopped as soon as we heard footsteps close in on the cabin, our jailers were back and we would now hear our fate.
"We have discussed what best to do with you. Unfortunately, you have already proved your powers and lack of ability to control them, therefore, you leave us with no choice but to have you taken from this world."
"You mean to kill us don't you? Why don't you say the word out loud or are you too ashamed to admit you are frightened of something you do not understand? Guilty because you are unwilling to listen to us or look for the real killers."
"We have the real killers locked up. There have been no more murders since we captured you. Is that not proof enough?"
They weren't going to be swayed by anything we might say and I was beginning to think we really would die today but they would have to take us somewhere if they planned on killing us surely, and once out of here we could try to phase. Hopefully, even with the drugs in our system, we would be strong enough to break these chains and make a run for it once we were in the fresh air. Although I knew they would take that as a further admission of guilt, however, I didn't care what they thought of us once we had escaped.
"Is there any last message you would like to send to your families? We know you are both estranged from them but they may want to know you thought of them at the end."
"I'm estranged from mine but Jackie isn't, her family love her and they will come looking for revenge if you murder her."
"Are you going to threaten us with your leech friends too? Because I have to tell you that they will not come here to avenge your death, it would be most unwise, especially as violating our reservation would be a declaration of war as far as the guardians are concerned."
He was right of course although I had no hope of Bella or the Cullens coming to rescue or avenge us.
"So? Do either of you wish for paper and pen to write some last words?"
Jackie asked for supplies and sat close to the gap so she could see to write and I noticed the hand holding the pencil was shaking so badly she could hardly form the words she wanted to write.
Bella
Carlisle was on the phone to Denali as soon as he finished explaining to the others and I had my fingers crossed that he might step in to help Leah and Jackie, after all, he knew they couldn't possibly be guilty of murder. Listening in I could hardly believe my ears, he wasn't going to intercede for them!
"I am sorry but the girls betrayed the guardians and as such I have no control over them or the tribe they have offended."
"Offended? They have done nothing and you know they could not have killed those women."
"Do I? How can you be so sure, ungoverned guardians have been known to kill humans, Sam Uley disfigured his own mate and could have killed her when he lost his temper and phased. Unlike you Carlisle Cullen, I understand the nature of my kind. We are all animals at heart and sometimes the animal savagery breaks through. Would you trust a human in a wolf pack or among bears?"
"Well no, but you are humans first and animals second. Guardians do not make a habit of attacking humans."
"And you know this how? Have you studied guardians closely? because I have and they are as dangerous a predator as any vampire, believe me. Leah and Jackie must go to trial and if the elders find them guilty then it is for them to decide on a just punishment. If the girls are innocent then they will prevail. I cannot help them or you."
"He's going to let them be murdered isn't he?"
Carlisle looked at me soberly,
"His hands are tied, Bella. The girls are no longer members of the guardians and the tribe is not a guardian tribe."
"Well, someone must be able to intervene. I won't see my best friend murdered for something she didn't do."
"And you are sure of that innocence Bella?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well, then we should move quickly. We have no idea how long we have although Darius is listening for any news. Of course, there is a serious problem to be overcome."
I shot him a concerned look,
"We cannot go into the village without the possibility of our presence sparking a war with the guardians."
I hadn't thought about that,
"So what can we do? I won't leave Leah to die Carlisle."
"Perhaps Jasper can help us get around that, with your help."
I still didn't understand but we had to get to the airstrip so the conversation was put on hold as Carlisle called the pilot and then Darius again but there was no more news, the elders were still in conference.
Once on the plane Jasper explained what Carlisle had meant,
"I can not only feel other people's emotions but also project them, it's how I kept you calm when you were first among humans and if necessary I can ramp it up to an extent it acts like a knockout drug. I think Carlisle was thinking that we could knock the elders out and you could shield the girls as they make their escape."
It sounded like a really good idea but what if they were unable to get out of whatever prison the reservation had?
"Then we go to plan B."
"Which is?"
Jasper smiled and took my hand,
"I'm working on that now and hopefully we won't need to use it."
I took that to mean we would have to go into the village and rescue them ourselves.
"How far on the reservation is the village?"
"Now that is one thing in our favour, the village is on the banks of the river and the other bank is not reservation land so we will be able to get very close to our goal."
What he didn't say but I could hear in his tone was that we might need to get closer still.
"We don't know how far your gift will extend, if it's powerful enough we won't need to get too close, it really depends on you, Bella."
Jasper and I had played with my shield and I knew I could extend it a few hundred yards but whether that would be sufficient or how much further I could reach was open to conjecture.
