Chapter Eight

WRONG SIDE OF THE BED:

The next day brought more troubles. Sam had not slept and felt a wreck. Her conversation was dry and minimal. Everyone learned quickly to back off as soon as she started scratching her head. Angus, however, did not know this about her until he saw her that afternoon in the courtyard. She was stretching. Angus leaned on a wall and watched, amused.

She sat on the ground with her legs spread apart and her upper torso leaning as far forward as possible. "If I could do that, I'd never leave home," he said, looking down at her with arms crossed. She grit her teeth and did not so much as flinch a smile.

'Not now,' she thought.

He leaned down and waved a hand in front of her face; a motion that greatly irritated her. "What?" she said.

Angus stepped back. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"As much as I want to criticize you for such an awful use of a terrible cliché, Angus," she breathed, lifting herself up. "I can't because I didn't sleep anywhere so I couldn't have woken up on the wrong side of anywhere this morning."

"Ah, I see," he said, stepping back further. "Yup. You must have wiled away the hours thinking about me last night. That's why you couldn't sleep."

Sam shot up and had him pinned to the ground before he knew what was happening. "Angus…I have a bad headache because I didn't sleep. I have to help Ivar track down the location of Maeve's power and I have to find my friend Ona today and that requires me to take out my wings which I really shouldn't be doing because it really, really hurts. Just…ease up on me today, kay?"

He gulped. "Kay," he repeated.

She jumped off of him and climbed to her feet.

"Angus," said Rohan. "You were beaten by a girl?" A smile crept upon his face.

Angus struggled to his feet. "Now don't you start."

"Well that's not so hard to believe, now is it, Rohan?" asked Deidre. She placed her hands on her hips. She was no longer wearing a long gown. She wore a short skirt and knee-high boots and armbands.

Rohan fumbled with his words. "Oh, well, I was just saying, princess. I didn't mean…." He sighed.

Sam watched as the princess strode off, followed by Rohan desperately attempting to explain himself. She blinked. "Is it me or is Rohan…?"

"Yup," said Angus.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. She is too, matter of fact, but…."

"Let me guess, she wants to be in control and he does, too?"

He paused. "About last night…."

"Not now, Angus."

"But," he started.

"Later," she teased.

Suddenly, there was a screeching noise from far above. Sam shot her head up to the sky. A form was soaring down to the earth. As soon as it landed, Sam sent a punch to the back of its head. Ona staggered forward. She rubbed the back of her head. "Ow!"

"I hoped that hurt."

Ona glared at Sam. "Ow."

"Oh, get over it. It's not like it hurt."

"Physically, no it didn't."

"I don't have time for this. Where are the villagers?"

"Which ones?"

In Sam's right hand, a small sword appeared. Ona's eyes widened. "I swear I didn't do it."

"Talk," said Sam.

Angus was between them and he looked from one to the other, eyes just as wide.

"Talk or you lose something," she said, sword drawn and unmoving. Her hand was as hard as rock.

Rohan and Deidre had reentered the courtyard, tattered up a bit. They stopped in their tracks to witness the scene before them.

"I told you, I swear I didn't do it."

"Why didn't you tell me about Mider? Matter of fact, let's get this all cleared up right now. Why haven't you told me about anything?"

Ona shrugged. As with Angus before her, she didn't realize she was in a chokehold until it was too late. "Damn you," cursed Sam.

"Not before you," said Ona. Sam jerked back her arm and Ona gasped for air. "Ah, let…me…go."

"Talk."

"I…can't."

"Stop fucking around. Just talk."

Ona sneered. "I was ordered…to protect you."

"That's established but that's not going to keep me from shoving this blade up your ass."

"By Marock."

Sam frowned. She touched the tip of the blade to Ona's gut. The sentinel cried. "No, ah, please, don't do that. I hate this game."

"This isn't a game, Ona," Sam whispered.

"Good God," said Garrett. "What the Devil is going on?"

"Never you mind," said Sam. Ona's wings flapped in her face but Sam's grip was so tight, Ona only worsened her situation. "Why? Why Marock?"

"Same reason as always. He wants you…ah!" Sam had accidentally tipped the blade a little too close to Ona's gut and she bled. "I mean it, he wants you…stop it! He wants you to succeed. But there are those who are on his side who will willingly betray him so that you don't succeed."

"There's no telling if I will live long enough to succeed. Who are these people?"

"Some sentinels. One's named Knox, but you already knew that."

Sam raised a brow. "Oh, I think you know a little more than that. Why do you know Mider?"

"Who?"

Sam edged the tip closer.

"Okay, okay, Mider, right. Well, before I sent you here, I had to find out what kind of place this was. I found out through some allies that the legendary Mystic Knights had lived here and there was a war going on between them and Temra where Queen Maeve presides. Mider has had more influence among the sentinels than some of those dirty angels. I only served as a messenger so that I could spy on him."

"Funny, I don't believe you. Why is that?"

"Because you never have?" Ona choked.

Sam glanced over her shoulder and received many stares from the knights and the guardsmen. She turned the two of them around and said, "Here are the Mystic Knights, Ona. Why don't you say hello?"

"Hello," she said.

The knights were speechless.

"Ona, why don't you tell the Mystic Knights why their villagers have disappeared?"

Ona did not hesitate. "He wants their souls."

"The Devil?"

"Knox. He's very temperamental and thinks that by killing a couple of humans he can make a point within his own coven."

Sam sighed. "Goddamn it. This is just…twisted." She paused. "What did you say to Fin Varra?"

"Oh, how did I know you were going to say that? I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you, lest I be assassinated. You're being followed, too, so don't try to pry into this one."

"Thanks for the advice."

"I mean it."

Sam looked down at Ona. She pushed the sentinel away and relinquished her small sword. Ona fell to the ground and grabbed her stomach. She huffed. "Boy, someone sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"I didn't sleep at all."

"You shouldn't do that," said Ona. "It's bad for your health."

"Like you're not?" said Sam, stepping over her. She walked towards the knights. "Well, this case seems to get more complex the more we pry into it. How 'bout lunch? I'm starved."