La’tiera tossed and turned, for once her nightmares of her own making. She awoke several times, but shifting beneath her covers and mumbling sleepily, she would soon drift off to sleep again.
The fourth time her dreams woke her, however, she felt strangely alert, her senses telling her something in her room wasn’t right.
Trying to pin down the feeling, she sat up in bed, her gaze trying to pierce the shadows around her.
“I’m sorry.”
Turning her head in surprise at the whisper right beside her, she never got a chance to scream before something fell over her mouth and nose, forcing her back. An acrid smell attacked her nostrils as it burned down her throat.
Gloved hands seized her arms and pulled them down as she desperately attempted to grab the rough rag over her face and yank it away. Fear raced through her, a strange numbness spreading in her limbs. With all her might she tried to gather her strength to call for help but only managed a faint whimper.
“Don’t be afraid. We’re not here to hurt you,” a deeper voice than the first whispered close to her face as the one to whom it belonged to let go of her now-unresponsive arms. The rag was gently pulled away from her face.
“We need to verify things before we go any further.”
Something was set on the bed close to her head. La’tiera heard a faint creaking noise and then a small shaft of light fell over her. At the edge of her tilted vision, she saw a gloved hand reach toward her chest and the medallion resting there. She could do nothing to stop it, nothing to prevent them from revealing the secret her uncle tried so hard to hide.
Panic and fear filled with utter helplessness made her dizzy. She knew what would be done with her, she knew what they planned. But there was nothing she could do to stop any of it.
Sharp gasps echoed in her ears as she felt the room’s cold air caress the Eye.
“You were right. She is the one.”
The awe she heard in the man’s voice made her more anxious.
“But…”
“We can discuss that part of it later. I’m sure it will be all right.”
With another soft creak, the light disappeared. She felt her speeding blood thumping at her temples. There had to be something she could do.
“Get her ready. I’ll keep watch.”
One of the deep shadows moved away from the bed in the direction of her door. The shadow beside her reached for her. She quivered inside as she was carefully lifted and the heavy necklace removed from around her neck. She felt the mattress move as the medallion was tucked beneath it. Her hands were gathered together and tied at the wrists. Her ankles were tied as well, though neither binding felt very tight. She was lifted again. Her hair was swept gently to the side and a gag tied in her mouth.
She was set back on the bed for a moment then scooped up and nestled in someone’s arms. Her face fell against the man’s chest, and she could hear his heart beating. It was going almost as fast as her own.
They moved across the room to join the shadow by the door.
“Ready.”
The other said nothing, quietly opening the door into the hall. Only the soft sounds of their footfalls stirred the air.
La’tiera knew they’d just passed the dining room when the group stopped and cautiously opened a bit of the hooded lantern to get a look at what lay ahead. Closing it, they went forward again.
When they started to descend, she knew they’d found the stairs leading to the garden. She heard the creak of the metal gate Mela locked every night so no one could enter her wing. There was a gate on the first floor behind the stairs that only opened at night to let those who tended the garden do their work. Hoping against hope, she prayed fervently that they’d not finished for the night and that someone would see.
She stared anxiously at what little she could see, wanting nothing but deliverance. She saw no one as they opened the door leading out to the garden.
Moonlight sparkled on the predawn dew, giving her plight a totally surreal quality. Her bearer shifted her in his arms, moving her field of vision so it now included his face.
Her heart lurched, and he must have felt something because he glanced down at her face. Though his mouth was covered by a dark scarf, she recognized him. There was no mistaking that blue gaze. It was Dal. He was the one taking her. Dal was trying to ruin the survival of the world.
Tears welled in her eyes, a pain she couldn’t quite name flooding through her. She didn’t have the ability to blink them away. She thought she saw his expression grow troubled through her blurred vision. She knew she must be imagining things.
“It’s not what you think,” he whispered. “We’re here to save you.”
She didn’t want to be saved! There was nothing to be saved from. She’d been a fool from the start. He’d pretended to want to know her, to be interested in her, only to do this. She would have hit him, screamed at him if she could, anything and everything to try to make some of the pain go away.
“I know it sounds mad, but once we’re out of this, everything will be explained. You’ll see.”
Nothing would be all right, no explanation possible.
Dal and the other shadow hurried down the garden paths, heading toward the back wall. They would use the way Aya had found to escape.
The taller man climbed the rope dangling from the wall. As soon as he was up, Dal carefully slipped La’tiera over his shoulder and climbed, holding onto her. She could only stare at the dark ground, feeling dizzy. The descent felt worse, as it made her feel she was rushing toward the leaf-littered ground and would smash upon it, helpless.
Once on the ground, Dal returned her to the earlier, more comfortable position. He glanced at her but said nothing.
Following the other man, they kept to the shadows, moving from object to object, shadow to shadow, the areas of darkness growing less dense. Despite everything, La’tiera found herself staring in fascination at what little she could see. She was over the wall; for the first time, she was outside the small world she knew.
An opulent arch led into the manor. To the left and above were the high narrow windows of her wing. The whole building possessed a grandiose and imposing look. The other buildings she could see within the walls appeared small and insignificant by comparison.
Dal turned, and she now saw the darkened way toward the manor’s gates. Light from torches illuminated guards standing on either side.
Though the torches made the sentries easy to spot, their small group went on unseen as they zigzagged in that general direction. If only she was able to make a sound, if only one of her captors would make a misstep…
Dal changed directions again. Ahead of them were a number of wagons packed full of goods and barrels, all covered in tarps. Slowing down, the two men carefully made their way to the wagon farthest from the light and the battlements.
Dal’s partner climbed in, loosening the cord holding down the tarp. Several moments later, he climbed back down after lowering the wagon’s tailgate. He took one of the barrels and placed it on the ground. He then took the top off, careful not to make a sound.
“It’s ready.”
The thready whisper brought Dal closer. La’tiera stared at the barrel, a horrible premonition letting her know what they planned to do with it.
“You’ll only be in there a few hours,” Dal told her. “As soon as they open the gates at dawn, they’ll come for the wagon. Once it reaches its destination we’ll get you out.”
Despair tugged at her heart, and more fear at the thought of being put in such an enclosed place.
“We’ll be here with you. We’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” With great care he slipped her inside the barrel. La’tiera felt the tears starting to come again, the strong scent of wine rising around her as she was enveloped by the deeper darkness of the barrel.
“You will be free very soon.”
Scrunched inside, she heard the lid being placed back on top, trapping her in total darkness. Her fear swooped over her, making her feel breathless, until a soft pop came from above and a beam of half-light trickled within.
Moments later, she felt the barrel being lifted and slipped back into the back of the wagon. Indistinct sounds of movement dribbled in over the next several minutes, and then everything grew still. She had never felt so abandoned and alone.