CHAPTER TWENTY: Follow Me

"Arwen, it's time." The quiet voice roused the elf-maid from eerie dreams of rushing waters and frog-filled caverns.

"Mm." Her heavy lids lifted a little, then fell with a crash. Arwen was satisfied to see she wasn't drowning in some dark cavern. She was in Zuleika's palace, lying on soft cushions in a quiet chamber. She felt safe, and very snug.

"Wake up, beautiful!" The rough hands kept shaking her.

"Margo?" Arwen turned over, expecting to see the beautiful, red-haired captain grinning down at her. Instead her heart gave a lurch as she recognized the broad shoulders and scowling features of the fiercely handsome pirate Ling Kray.

"You!" Arwen blinked her eyes, and suddenly everything clicked. "Ling Kray, you have to warn the frog-children. Margo and the girls, they're searching the caverns! Is it too late?" She sat up in confusion, her black hair in wild disarray.

"Easy, elf-child." The pirate dropped to one knee on the cushion beside her. "We've got the queen's loyal guard locked up down in the caverns. Our frog-friends are safe."

"What? But they were all looking for you. They were armed! They think the frog-children are dangerous monsters. I tried to explain how gentle and harmless they really are . . ." Arwen bit her lip, fighting to stop a sudden flood of tears. "Margo will kill them all. Those poor creatures," she sniffled.

"Hush, my unruly slave." Ling Kray tucked a stray lock of tangled ebony hair back behind one of her pointed ears. "The red-head won't cause us any trouble. Right now she's safe in dreamland. Out like a candle, just as you were a minute ago. All the girls are. It's all going according to plan."

"According to plan? But I don't understand . . ." Suddenly Arwen felt her cheeks burn with anger and embarrassment. "The Happiness Drink! You tricked my friends into falling asleep!" The daughter of Elrond scowled, remembering how she'd coaxed the others into trying her favorite drink. She'd enjoyed every drop, just like Margo and the rest. But she never guessed that it was all part of a plot to capture them!

"No, I didn't. You did." Ling Kray laughed, offering her his hand and helping her to her feet. "I wasn't sure the others would sample the frog liquor in the crate, but I knew you would. I was counting on you, and you didn't let me down."

"Well, thanks for letting me know I could assist you, master." Arwen didn't like being used. She tried to sound both snarky and superior as he pulled her to her feet. "Next time let me know when you want my help," she added, in a softer voice.

Arwen was still mad. But suddenly they were face to face. Her heart started pounding, and she even felt a bit dizzy, just as she had when Ling Kray kissed her back in the swamp. What if she kissed him this time? What if she leaned closer and just closed the gap between their mouths? They were so close their lips were almost touching already. All she had to do was close her eyes, and lean a little bit closer . . .

"I want your help, Arwen."

"Huh?" Arwen opened her eyes. She felt confused and bewildered. Disappointed. No, she wasn't disappointed – she was relieved. She was glad Ling Kray hadn't kissed her!

"I want your help." Ling Kray took both her hands in his and squeezed. Arwen understood what the gesture really meant. The fierce pirate was not commanding her as a slave but asking her as a friend. "You know Queen Zuleika quite well. You've been in her chambers. Can you help me find the source of her magic powers?"

"Uh . . . I think so." Arwen remembered the pendant of power the majestic older woman wore around her thick neck. "But Ling Kray, it's dangerous! The queen has magic powers, she can cast spells and she's well-guarded by woman warriors."

"Not today," the pirate told her. "Her best guards are down in the cavern. Zuleika is in the market place collecting taxes from the merchants. You and I can slip into her private chambers and destroy her magic. I just need you to get a fix on the true source of her powers. You elves have a natural feeling for such things. Together we can defeat her and make Prince Kassim the new ruler."

"But . . . but what if I'm not meant to do this?" This was the most important question Arwen had ever asked herself. In a way she had been asking it ever since she left Galadriel's protection and struck out on her own.

What was her original mission here in Zin Zaraboob? Only to negotiate an alliance with Queen Zuleika, and to determine whether or not young Prince Kassim had met with foul play. Now it seemed clear that the queen had been planning to get rid of the little boy. But he was already safe. Who was to say what should happen next? Should Queen Zuleika be toppled from power? Executed, banished, or imprisoned? Would the boy Kassim rule in her place? Did Arwen have the right to judge who was fit to rule in Zin Zaraboob? Did she have the right to change the destiny of an entire city?

Arwen was afraid – not of getting hurt, but of making a decision that might hurt others. She was afraid, deep down, of what she truly felt. She felt in her heart that Ling Kray and the frog-children were good – but he was a pirate and they were creatures who lived in the slimy deep. She also felt that Queen Zuleika and Captain Margo were up to no good – yet they were both strong females who had treated her kindly.

"I can't do this," she said finally. Her head sank down till it rested against the fierce pirate's massive chest. "I just can't."

"I can carry you off," Ling Kray told her gently. He put his arms around her, pulling her close. Yet he still didn't kiss her. Instead he stroked her long black hair. "You have to decide, girl. Be my slave and I'll take you away to a place of safety. We'll forget all that's happened here. But if we stay we make a stand. We see it through. I can't do this without you, Arwen."

"You can't?" Arwen looked up into his bronzed face. Ling Kray was devastatingly attractive, a supremely confident male with an almost primal hold over her. He called himself her master, yet he trusted her with his life. They were going up against Queen Zuleika, and he was putting her in charge. "What if I make the wrong decision?"

"You won't." Hard black eyes burned into hers, fierce and hungry with desire. Yet it was the need that made her knees go weak. This time Ling Kray kissed her. It was a punishing, ravishing kiss that thrilled her right down to her toes. Arwen kissed back eagerly, wanting to let the pirate know how deeply she was his. Yet when they finally came up for air her voice was calm, steady, and in control.

"That's enough," she said. "Follow me."