Essay to My Heart

Essay to My Heart

by

Macie Snow

 

 

Stretching my hands over my head, I look around the library. It was shockingly empty, seeing as finals were upon us. I look down at the textbook lying open in front of me. Math. It had never been my best subject, and was always my least favorite. Yet once again my brain had succumbed to its devastating power, and I had actually learned something. Unfortunately, I still needed to study.

I pull my glasses off and clean them with my shirt before putting them back on and turning back to the books and notes in front of me.

Not twenty minutes later, I notice a pair of shoes to my left. I peer up, looking over the top of my glasses, as they had slid down a bit. My heart instantly starts pounding in my chest.

“Hi,” Jordan smiles, clearing his throat and shifting his weight to the other foot. “Would you mind editing my essay for me?”

I nod, forcing a smile to my face as my throat clenches. I'd had a crush on Jordan since first laying eyes on him. And as I got to know him, from a distance of course, I only fell for him more. I was one of the few people who could tell him and his identical twin brother, Kyle, apart, and they didn’t even know me. Sadly, a relationship between us would never happen. I was a nerd, always had my head stuck in a book, or working on one project or another, and he was a star athlete.

I accept the paper he held out to me. Only one paper.

‘He’s never going to get his bachelors if his final essay is only one page long,’ a rude little voice in the back of my mind says. I force her down and start reading the essay. My heart flutters a bit as Jordan sits in the chair next to me and watches me read.

Love is an interesting thing. It will slowly grow in your heart, undetected, until one day that special person walks by and love smacks you in the face.

I glance at Jordan. He had picked an… interesting topic, considering he was a jock and all.

Your heart starts racing, your palms get sweaty, and you don’t know what hit you. Maybe your sick.

I cross out the ‘your’, and write above it ‘you’re’.

But when the feeling returns every time that person walks by, you realize what it is. Every time you rush by me , oblivious to my presence, it only makes my condition worse.

I start to correct the jump in perspective, but my eyes get ahead of me, and I read the lines further ahead.

I didn’t know it at first, but you stole my heart. You snuck in undetected and invaded my dreams. Soon you occupied my every thought, every night I would dream of you. Every time you didn’t notice me, I wept inside. Every time you look at me, another flame burns my heart.

I frown. Had he seriously asked me to edit his confession of love? For someone else? My heart pounds and tears burn at the back of my eyes, but I deny them exit. I would cry later. Alone, in my room.

 I cannot live without you in my life. And not just as a face in the crowd. I need your face to fill every waking moment, because it already fills my dreams. I love you Kaycie-

My heart stops in my chest. That… That was my name. My eyes dart up to Jordan and he smiles at me. I look back down and skim the rest of the note. It was my name. It was about me. He… Oh my god.

“So?” Jordan asks softly. “What do you think?”

I look at him as my eyes fill with tears. His eyes grow wide upon seeing them.

“You don’t really want me to edit this do you?” I ask softly.

He smiles and shakes his head no. “So?”

I look at the last line of the letter.

Would you do me the tremendous favor of going out with me?

I choke out a laugh “Of course I will!”

Once In A Blu Moon

Once In A Blu Moon

Finale

 

by

 Macie Snow

 

 

 

4:24 a.m.

                 “What the hell is wrong with you people?” I cry, jiggling my hands around trying to free them. After I had discovered that Ron was the son of my sister’s killer, I had made a mad dash for the door. Unfortunately ,Ron had closed the door behind us, trapping me in the wall with them. And I didn’t know the way out. Ron had shortly thereafter handcuffed me in the corner to a metal bar that seemed to be placed there for no purpose other than to handcuff people to it.

                “There’s nothing wrong with us dear. We are perfectly normal.” The man says, placing a small glass vial on the only shelf in the room. It had a whole line of glass vials along it, each one sporting a little white label.

                “How did the girl’s blood taste Father?” Ron asks, throwing me a nasty look.

                Why the hell was he giving me nasty looks? I was the one who should be giving nasty looks!

                “It was a bit dry,” the man says, turning to face us. “She had some anxieties that she kept to herself, which dried her blood out.”

                Clair had anxieties? I shake my head to clear the thought. I couldn’t listen to this guy. Besides, I had more important things to worry about.

                “Perhaps you can find another?” Ron suggests. “After all, the blue moon is not yet through.”

                The man shakes his head furiously and begins flipping through a leather backed journal. “There is not enough time. If you had returned sooner perhaps we could find a victim, but alas, we cannot.”

                “Apologies Father, I could not give away our game to her,” Ron says, nodding his head my direction. “But perhaps she would be a worthy sacrifice?”

                I stare at Ron in horror. Had he just offered me up to his father to fulfill his vampiric fetish?

                The man glances up and looks back down at his book. “She is too old. Her blood will be tainted.”

                “Excuse me?” I cry. “Why would my blood be tainted?” Shutupshutopshutupshutup I scream inside my head. But my sleep deprived body would not listen to my rational side. It was buried deep in a haze of eternal darkness, and blood splattered on white wool. I almost chuckle. What a time for the shock to set in and destroy all rational thought.

                “The blood must be pure,” The man says, carefully reading through his book. “As one grows older, their blood becomes tainted as they let the world sink in. It is why we age, because we lose our carefree demeanor, our innocence.  One cannot live in this world and ever hope to remain pure. The longer one lives, the darker they become. You are no longer young, no longer pure.”

                “Are you calling me old?” I cry. “I’m only twenty!”

                The man peers up at me callously. “That is twenty years too long to remain innocent.”

                “What,” I scream. “The hell are you talking about?”

                The man shakes his head and steps forward, closing his book as he peers into my face.

                “It is very complex my sweet. I do not expect you to understand.” He opens his mouth to say more, but closes it as he takes in my, now ruined, Little Bo Peep costume (or Mary, as I kept trying to insist), and my facial features.

                “What is your name girl?” he demands.

                I see movement behind him and watch uncomprehendingly as Ron places a cell phone sized device on the desk. He notices me staring and frantically waves a hand at his father as he subtly hides the device. My mind spins as I try to identify what he had hidden.

                “Answer me!” the man roars. Ron stares at me, eyes wide, and jerks his head towards his father. Somehow I get the message. Keep him talking. Or maybe that was my survival instinct kicking in. After all, better late than never right?

                “Luna,” I murmur, turning my gaze back to the man, ignoring Ron as he blacks more little boxes around the small room, subtly but effectively hiding each of them.

                “Your whole name,” the man growls.

                “Luna Kimberly Blu,” I spit, glaring into his eyes, meeting his challenge.

                “Really?” The man asks, surprise lighting his gaze. “And I assume you saw the honor bestowed upon young  Clair?”

                “Honor?” I scoff. “You murdered her you bastard!”

                “So you are her sister.” He muses. “When I learned her twin was a boy I was devastated. But they have blessed me with another opportunity. And here you are, right where I need you.”

                “What?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even. Ron had stopped moving around and I glare at him. He was supposed to help me. I was supposed to bring Clair’s murderer to justice. He was supposed to find his mothers killer. I blink and realize that Ron is mouthing words to me. I blink as he mouths them out again slowly.

                Get. A. Confession.

                I inhale sharply, comprehension dawning. He was trying to help me. He had placed voice recorders all around the room. We would have not only evidence, but a confession. That is, if I could get one.

                I wrack my brains, scrambling to find a way to get a confession out of the man who was now, disconcertingly, leering at me.

                “Why does it matter that I’m Clair’s sister?” I ask.

                “They told me that only the pure blood of sisters under a blue moon on all hallows eve would stay pure.” The man answers. He lightly trails a finger up my arm creating a little army of goose bumps that marched after his finger.

                I mentally sort through that very confusing statement and start with the simplest question. “All hallows eve?”

                “Halloween,” he smiles and trails his finger back down my arm.

                “Why under a blue moon?” I ask, gritting my teeth against my gag reflex.

                “Everything is stronger under a blue moon. That is common knowledge.”

                “And why does sister’s blood stay pure?”

                “That is what they told me. They have not lied to me yet, nor will they ever lie. Do you question their wisdom?” he growls.

                I shake my head. “Of course not. I only wish to understand their great wisdom.”

                The man smiles. “Alas! We have not the time for you to learn all their great wisdom.”

                “”Perhaps I could learn some of their wisdom? Surely if I knew the legacy my blood would be used for, it would make me more willing to sacrifice it. And a willing sacrifice would be more pure.” I say, smiling sweetly. “After all, the blue moon does not set until the sun rises at seven.”

                “Seven twelve to be exact,” the man frowns.

                “Of course. And it is only,” I glance at the small clock on the wall above Ron’s head. “Four thirty-five. Surely and hours wait would not taint my blood. In fact, learning of the great wisdom they taught you might even purify my blood.”

                The man’s eye’s gleam in perverse delight. “A brilliant point. Perhaps if I had realized it sooner, the girls’ blood would not have worn off so quickly.”

                I nod, plastering a grin on my face.

                The man step back and pulls up a chair. He sits in the chair and leans back, facing me.

                “The first thing you must know is that they are all-knowing, and they are never wrong. You do not question their word, you do not contradict it. And they can only exist inside me.”

                Comprehension slaps me in the face like a bucket of ice water. I wasn’t just claiming that this man was crazy. He actually was crazy. As in, needed to be constantly supervised, kept on strong drugs crazy. As in, he misses taking his pills and goes psycho and kills people. The only question was, what kind of crazy was he?

                “Unfortunately we do not have the time to educate you about their vast knowledge, so I will merely explain what applies to you.”

                “What my blood is for.” I add helpfully.

                “Right.”

                “And what their blood was for?” I ask, nodding to the shelf of glass vials.

                He glances over his shoulder at the shelf. “Ah, so you were admiring my collection?”

                “Yes, they’re very…..” I search for a description he would like. “Pretty.”

                He laughs. “Yes they are indeed pretty. I had each vial specifically made to match the individuals’ personality. They told me that was the best way to keep the blood alive.”

                “How does that work?” I ask.

                “The glass vial, unique to each personality, keeps their spirit alive. The blood inside is part of their soul, and by matching it with the proper spirit, the blood stays alive inside me.”

                “Brilliant,” I say, turning away from the glass vials of blood before I saw Clair’s. “And you learn their personality by…”

                “Well I have to choose the sacrifice carefully. And leading up to the blue moon I observe them.”

                He was a stalker too. Great. He just kept getting better and better.

                “What about my blood? You haven’t had an opportunity to observe me, and you don’t have a vial for me. Won’t my blood die?” I choke out.

                He shakes his head. “Yours will live with your sisters. She is everything you want to be. Beautiful, innocent, and loved by all. Your blood will bond with hers and live together forever. You need not worry.”

                “So, why must you do this in the first place?” I ask, hoping his answer wouldn’t be ‘because they told me to’.

                “It is the only way.”

                “The only way for what?”

                “I must drink the life of those who are pure. By doing so I will gain their life, and their innocence, thus prolonging my own life.”

                I run that through my head then ask. “So it’s to keep from aging?”

                “Indeed.” He looks at me appreciatively. “It really is such a shame we did not find each other sooner Luna. There is much I could have taught you.”

                I force out a believable smile. “So why do you have to do it the way you do? Wouldn’t it be easier to use a needle in their arm? It would be cleaner too.”

                “I thought that at first too. Honestly I hate cleaning up, that’s why I have Ron clean up after. He’s so much better at it anyway.”

                I glance back at Ron. He had grown pale. I couldn’t blame him either. In catching his father, we had just sentenced him to a life in prison as well. If not a lifetime, then the majority of a lifetime. He waves me on as he open a drawer and starts going through it.

                The man in front of me glances over his shoulder. “What are you doing boy?”

                “Just looking for a pen Father,” Ron says.

                The man shrugs and turns back to me.

                “As I was saying. I thought it would be easier to use a needle as well. And I tried that. But the blood never lasted. I consulted them, and they said that in order for the blood to work, I had to get it straight from the source. Namely, the person’s heart. I go up through the gut because it is easier, quicker, and requires only a sharp knife. Of course it took a few tries to perfect my method. Sadly Ron was too young to be of much help then, so I had to deal with cleanup myself.”

                “How long have you been doing this?” I ask, not looking forward to hearing the answer.

                “Ten years. My dear wife was the first.”

                I shudder. How could this man refer to his wife in a loving way when he had literally ripped out her heart and drank her blood?

                “Why, and please pardon my asking, but why don’t you want to age? Wouldn’t you say that it’s life’s natural course and its beneficial for all?” I ask.

                The man glares at me. “If you are so certain that death is important, we can start yours. Ron, fetch my knife.” The man growls over his shoulder. He stands and pushes the chair back in its place while Ron pushes the drawer shut furiously and dashes out of the room. Unfortunately he blocked whatever mechanism he used to open the door from my view, so escape was still out of the question.

                “Your lesson from them is over Luna Blu. Say your prayers, because they’re going to be your last.”

                My lip quivers before I can stop it and my stomach aches in anticipation of what was about to happen to it. My heart clenches with dread as I realized one inexplicable fact. I was going to die tonight. Luna Kimberly Blu would never see the sun rise again.

 

5:16 a.m.

 

                “Where is that blasted boy?” the man roars, storming around the tiny room.

                I was huddled up against the corner, covered in a sheen of sweat. Anticipation of the pain that was to come had overwhelmed the rational part of my mind, and I could no longer think of anything but my own demise.

                The wall groans, and the door opens, revealing Ron.

                “I am sorry Father, but I cannot find your knife. Nor any knife. They seem to have vanished.”

                “Insolent whelp!” The man screams. “You know where they are!” he storms toward the open door and stops to whisper in Ron’s ear, rather loudly. “If I miss this because of your insolence, you will take her place. Blood be damned. I’ll kill you just for the pleasure of it if I can’t drink her blood.”

                Ron turns a shade lighter as his father storms out of the room, closing the door behind him.

                “You bastard.” I spit, glaring at him.

                He glances down at me, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “My father may be many things Luna, but he is my father.”

                I glare at him as he walks around the room, retrieving his little recording devices. “I won’t play your game.”

                “What game would that be Luna? The game of saving your life and stopping a killer?”

                “That’s my game,” I growl. “Your game is giving me hope and then laughing while I die at your father’s hands.”

                Ron frowns at me over his shoulder. “I’m not going to laugh while he kills you.”

                “But you admit that you’re going to let him kill me.”

                “Of course not. Why do you think I put these voice recorders out? You got him to confess, in a roundabout way.”

                “Excuse me for not spilling his guts. Believe you me, I would love to.”

                “See, now you’re fitting right in.” Ron smiles. He open a drawer and puts them in it, and pulls out a little silver key. “Now let’s get rid of those handcuffs.”

                “Why, so your dad will have the pleasure of the chase?”

                “My father will not lay another hand on you. Don’t you trust me Luna?”

                “No.”

                “Fair enough,” Ron says, reaching around me to unlock my handcuffs. “But I promise you, I am trustworthy. I’ve been trying to find a way to stop my father ever since he forced me to start cleaning up his messes. Now that I have an opportunity, I’m not going to waste it.”

                I rub my wrists and glare up at Ron. “He’s going to be back in a few minutes. With a knife.”

                Ron laughs. “Wow, you really are slow aren’t you?”

                “I haven’t slept for,” I glance at the clock. The hands pointed to the five and the six. It was five thirty. “Twenty four hours. You’re lucky I’m still awake.”

                Ron chuckles. “I would have loved to see the look on my father’s face if you have fallen asleep while he talked about his voices.”

                I frown. “Voices?”

                “You know, ‘them’” Ron frowns at me. “You didn’t actually believe him did you?”

                “Of course not. You wanted a confession, I got him to confess. So….. Why is he” I wave my hand back and forth in front of my face, unable to pull the word out of my muddled, sleep deprived brain.

                “He’s schizophrenic Luna. I figured you would have picked up on that.”

                “And how long has it been since he’s taken his medicine?”

                “He took the last pill eleven and a half years ago and never renewed the prescription. Mom wanted him to overcome this on his own, without drugs. In the end, she was the one who was overcome.” Ron says dryly.

                I say nothing and stare at my hands. A loud noise reaches us and I stare up at Ron, wide eyed in terror.

                Ron winks at me. “Relax, I hid the knives.”

                “Where?” I ask. From the sound of things, there were many knives, hidden throughout the house. How could Ron possibly hide all of them and be sure that they wouldn’t be found?

                “In a place where he’d never think to look.” Ron grins. “The dishwasher.”

                I gape at him. “You hid them in the dishwasher? He’s going to find them! And I’m still going to die!” I wail.

                Ron crouches in front of me and puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder.  “Hey, relax. He won’t look in the dishwasher. We always wash the knives by hand, as we do our dishes. He hasn’t touched it since mom died. I promise you won’t die tonight.”

                I sniffle and nod. “So what’s the plan then?”

                Ron smiles and stands, pulling me up with him. “You will hide.”

“What? I don’t want to hide,  I want to help.”
“You didn’t let me finish.”

“Oh, sorry.” I whisper.

 

6:00a.m.

 

                I  carefully step over the squeaky stair Ron had warned me about and step into the kitchen. As promised, the dishwasher stood alone, and untouched. The kitchen was empty. Ron had told me that his father would be frantically searching his bedroom and the gaming room, which was where he hid most of the knives.

                I step to the patio door and slowly, carefully, slide it open. I allow myself only a few inches, barely enough to squeeze through. Once outside I look around and find the stairs. Rushing down the stairs I look around for the bin Ron had told me to find. It was hard to see in the pre-dawn light, but I managed to find the bin. Rushing over to it, I fling the lid open and dig around in it. I feel the smooth wood under my palm and grab it. Pulling it out, I test the weight in my hand. It was sturdy, and heavy. More than enough.

                I close the lid and run back up the stairs before carefully squeezing back in, bringing my new weapon with me. I close the patio door and click the latch softly. I stand there, forcing myself to breath softly while I listen to the silence. I hear a muffled curse word and a crash.

                “Where are they boy?” Ron’s father screams. I quickly but silently follow his voice. “What did you do with them?”

                “I do not know father!” Ron cries. “I cleaned them and put them back where they always are.”

                “What’s your game boy? What are you planning?” the man growls. I hear heavy footsteps and frantic footsteps, both moving in the same direction. Something bad was about to happen, and I had to hurry.

                I make it to the hallway and rush down it, heading to the one room with the lights on. Ron had told me it was the game room, the first room on the left. I cautiously peek into the doorway and see Ron backed up against the opposite wall; the handcuffs still a lump in his front pocket. His father was right up in his face, and Ron already had a busted lip and a cut above his right eyebrow.

                I practically stop breathing as I silently cross the room. This man would no longer get away with his crimes. I stop right behind Ron’s father and hold the bat up in preparation for the coming blow. I brace myself and swing with all my might right as Ron’s father raises a fist. The bat connects with his skull with a solid thunk. He doesn’t move, and a thrill of fear runs up my spine. Had I not hit him hard enough?

                His knees buckle and he slumps to the ground. Ron sighs and stares into my eyes, fear receding from them.

                “Thank you,” he murmurs.

                I nod and gesture to his unconscious father. “Just put the handcuffs on him before he wakes up.”

                “Right,” Ron says. He pulls out the handcuffs and tightens one around his father’s right wrist, before looking around for something to cuff him too.

                “You could put him by the pool table,” I suggest, pointing to the stubby leg sticking out of the bottom of the table.

                “Good idea,” he says. He drags his father over to the table and pulls the cuff behind the table leg before attaching the other cuff around his father’s left wrist.

                “Now that that’s done,” I murmur, leaning the bat up against the wall.

                Ron smiles sadly and pulls an envelope out of his back pocket. Inside was the letter we had written earlier, explaining what had happened, and how to get to the room in the basement. It also detailed where the voice recorders were, on the desk in the basement, and the sad story of how both I and Ron were killed by his father, Roger. I had discovered his father’s name when peeking at the letter he was writing while cleaning the blood off my arm. I had made my own vial of blood, and added it to the shelf, right next to Clair’s. We head to his room and he takes off his Halloween costume while I start throwing clothes in two large overnight bags. When we are sure we have everything we needed, we go back to the game room where Ron pulls out his phone. I adjust one of the bags on my shoulder as Ron dials three numbers on his cell. 911. H places the phone face up on the pool table and we both leave. We climb into the black Lexus ES 350 in the garage and pull out of the driveway.

 

7:30 a.m.

 

                It didn’t take long for to police to find it. The story was all over the radio. Ron and I listened grimly while they said our names, along with Clair’s. We listened while the y listed the charges placed against Roger Gale Schkitz, Ron’s father. We listened to all of it.

                Roger had ruined both my life, and Ron’s. We were both accomplices, Ron obviously, and me because I had helped burn Clair’s body. Which was a stupid move, I now realized. In trying to prevent my parents from discovering Clair’s murder, I had essentially killed myself as well.

                The letter was one the Ron had written as his father. It described in detail what had happened, and it was meant to look like his father had had one sane moment, and chose to turn himself in, sadly not before killing his son and his last two victims.

                Ron had birth certificates, social security cards, even credit and debit cards (apparently Roger had many private bank accounts, spread throughout different banks around the world); any and all legal papers that we would need to create new identities. Because if it was known that we were alive, we would both be wanted criminals. When asked about the papers Ron told me that his father was paranoid even before his first murder and had created false identities for himself and his whole family. Unknown to me, Ron also used to have a younger sister who, ironically, was about my age. I was worried about the car, but Ron assured me that it would not be missed, because it was not officially registered to his father, or himself.

                We would start a new life, together, and try to forget that Halloween night. Luna Kimberly Blu and Ron Gregory Schkitz had died at the hands of Roger. We were no longer those people. We would create new identities, new histories. And together we would never forget that night. Together we would work past it. Whatever we did, we would do it together. Luna and Ron died. They are no more. I am now Clair Anne Kane. He is Gale Jeremiah Mason. Together we will survive. Together we will live for the lives that were stolen.

                After all, things like what we went through only happen once in a blu moon.

Twin Desires Chapter 5

While Katrina and Sir Justin are in hot pursuit of Adrinna and her captor, Adrinna is helpless against her kidnapper.  Today you get to hear from Adrinna. 

Chapter Five
by
Macie Snow
 

              

               My kidnapper was a man. I knew that almost instantly. After he had drug me out the window, he immediately bound and gagged me. Then, contrary to what I expected him to do, we remained on the roof of the castle. I could hear Katrinna screaming for help as her cries grew ever fainter. Shortly after, her voice disappeared completely, I saw her run out of the castle, through the courtyard and into the stables, in her nightgown. I roll my eyes at her rashness. Katrinna had never been one to think things through.

         I try to scream again when I see Father and his men running after Katrinna, but my voice is muffled by the gag in my mouth. The man who had drug me out of my bedroom turns to me and whispers furiously, “Do not scream. If you cooperate I can promise that no unnecessary harm will befall you.” He then turns back to the scene unfolding in the courtyard.

         I frown, but make no further attempts at noise, and instead, study the man who was currently in the process of kidnapping me. He wore a black cloak that masked his face, much to my frustration, but the crest wrapped around his bicep was clear as day. He was a Saludynian. I make a mental note to cooperate, knowing he probably would not hesitate to cause me much pain. Saludynians were renowned for their violence and utter lack of mercy. I shake my head to clear it from the unpleasant thoughts and look back to the scene in the courtyard.

         We watch Katrinna storm out on a black stallion, barely making it through the gate in time as Father’s knight tried to stop her. We saw Father yell at the knights until his face turned scarlet, and soon after Justin raced out on his buckskin horse, Flinn. After that, things were silent as we waited, presumably for Justin to come back, Katrinna in tow. I stifled a giggle to think of their meeting in the woods. Katrinna tried her best to hide her crush on Sir Justin, but it was obvious she had fallen for him. And I found it quite humorous, especially as Father did not object to our marrying a knight, as he himself was one. But Katrinna never paid attention to Father’s stories, nor his lessons, and believed her crush to be forbidden love.

         Just before dawn comes, my captor stands. He picks me up, roughly throwing me over his shoulder before starting the slow descent to the ground. We move slowly, he sticks to the shadows and freezes anytime we are near guards.

         Eventually, we end up in the woods behind the castle. My captor drops me to the ground outside a well hidden cave. I struggle against my bonds furiously as he enters the cave. He comes out quickly, leading a chestnut horse. I freeze as he checks the saddle.

         “Alright princess,” he says, he slides his hood off as he walks towards me.

         He is younger than I had expected.  No more than a year older than myself. He has wavy dark brown hair that falls in his eyes, and stops at the nape of his neck. His face is perfectly sculpted, body strong and muscular, with slightly tan skin. But what surprises me most are his startling gold eyes.

         “I will let you move of your own free will, and let you talk if you cooperate,” he says, stopping in front of me. “Will you cooperate?”

         I nod furiously. He hesitates at my cooperation, but reaches down and releases my bonds, before removing my gag.

         “Who are you?” I whisper hoarsely, before clearing my throat. “What do you want with me?”

         “My king has been wronged.  I was sent to right that wrong.” he says, walking to his horse. He pulls a bundle of cloth out of the saddlebag. “Put these on.  They are less conspicuous than your current…attire,” he says tossing the bundle. I grasp for the bundle, and barely catch it. Upon inspection, I realize that it is clothing.

         I stand shakily and start towards the cave, but the man jumps in my path and grabs my bicep in a bruising grip, preventing me from going further.

         “I am only changing,” I sigh, exasperated. “You cannot honestly expect me to undress in front of you.”

         He blushes deeply and releases my arm before stepping aside. I walk into the edge of the cave and change as quickly as possible. There are black pants, and a simple brown tunic. When I walk out of the cave, nightgown in hand, he gives me worn brown boots and a cap before grabbing my nightgown away from me.

         “Tie your hair into a bun and cover it with that cap,” he says as he quickly folds my nightgown up and shoves it into his saddlebags.

         “But…” I trail off. The brown cap was atrocious, besides that, if I covered my hair, how would people be able to recognize me? How could I  call for help? For if anyone saw my hair, they would recognize me instantly, as I was practically the only person in the kingdom with such bright golden hair.

         “Just do it,” he grumbles angrily. I reluctantly tie my hair into a bun and cover it with the atrocious cap.

         “We are going to ride long, and hard. We will take very few breaks, and will stop for nothing,” the man says, tugging on the saddle straps.

         “Why?” I ask.

         He glares at me, eyes a burning gold. “I will not answer ever little question that pops into your airy little head. I am trusting you will cooperate, but if you don’t, if you struggle or try to escape, I will take away all your freedom of movement, and life will be miserable for you until we reach the king,” he growls, tying a rope to the horses saddle.

         I bristle at the insult, but say nothing. I had to cooperate and be good, or else get hog-tied again.

         “Can you just answer one question?” I ask softly, trying not to provoke him.

         He sighs and turns around to glare at me. “What?”

         “What is your name?”

         He frowns and turns to tug on the rope tied to the saddle. Then he walks over to me, grabs my right wrist, and ties the rope around it. His hands are firm, but gentle.

         “Nigel. My name is Nigel,” he mutters, before releasing my wrist and stomping back to the horse.

         I glance at the rope around my wrist. It was not tight, but I wouldn’t be able to slip my hand out of it. The knot would also be impossible to untie with just one hand. I sigh. Nigel wasn’t taking any chances. I walk to the horse stiffly when he tugs on the rope. Nigel helps me onto the saddle, before climbing on himself, trapping me between his arms and the reigns.

         “Try not to fall off, princess,” Nigel says tauntingly.

         I scowl, and open my mouth to reply that could very well stay on a horse, but the horse quickly leaps into a full sprint. I teeter, but Nigel’s arms keep me from falling off. I clutch the horse’s mane to keep from losing my balance, as Nigel chuckles softly behind me.

         I squeeze my eyes shut and try to think about something else. There was something tugging at the back of my mind, begging for my attention. Something about Nigel. I felt as if I had met him before, but I shove the thought away. Why would I know the attack dog of a brutal king?

         I could only hope that Katrinna, and Justin, figured out what was going on and saved me before we reached Saludyn. Or, even worse, their king.

Twin Desires Pt 4

Ever wonder about Justin's past?  We get a little taste of it today: Justin will have to set aside his personal grudges and learn to trust.

Chapter Four

 

                When you hear that a kingdom is neighboring another, you assume they are close. You would be wrong. It turns out that, even though Saludyn is a neighboring kingdom to Tantin, my father’s kingdom, it is extremely far away. And the easiest path from Tantin to Saludyn, is not easy at all. Woods stretched from the edge of our palace to the mountain range serving as the border to our kingdom. If you attempted to go around the mountain range, you would find yourself in King’s bay. So named for the first king who founded the two kingdoms, which, ironically, used to be one kingdom. So we were forced to travel through the woods, to the mountain range, to a tiny path through the Icy mountains, creatively called the Icy path. The plan seemed simple enough, until you took into factor the many creatures within the woods, much less later on. The creatures ranged from the mildest mannered of chipmunks to the deadly bear or mountain lion, yet it did not stop there. Rumors, mostly from drunkards in taverns, told tales of fantastical magical creatures such as the beautiful unicorns, powerful phoenixes were often tried to help travelers.   But there were also tales of the cunning intellect within the minds of creatures such as centaurs of sphinxes, who were just as likely to help a traveler as they were to hinder them. Most frightening of all however, were the dragons.  Dragons were said to be naturally violent, and to detest humans, knights and kings mostly. It was said that this hatred spawned from when a decree was made declaring dragons too dangerous, and thus ordered their existence terminated. The dragon’s treasures were stolen, their eggs were smashed, and hatchlings slaughtered. Supposedly, some kings kept hatchlings as pets, believing that by having such a majestic, deadly creature in their households their family and kingdom were a force to be reckoned with.

                What utter rubbish, I think as Justin continues to tell me about magical creatures and the dangers that we may or may not encounter. Though, What if it’s true? What if the Saludynian king has a couple dragons in his hold? What if the drunken rumors weren’t just rumors? If  they were true, and Adrinna didn’t comply with her captor’s demands, as she surely wouldn’t, would they feed her to the dragons? Suddenly even more frightened for Adrinna’s safety, I turn in the saddle to face Justin.

                “Justin!” I cry fear for Adrinna bubbling up in my chest.

                Justin snaps his mouth shut in frustration. I blush deeply, realizing that Justin had still been talking, and that I just revealed that I hadn’t been paying any attention to him. “What Katrinna?” Justin asks gritting his teeth in frustration as he pulled Flinn to a stop by Zypher.

                “Is it true that-” I start to ask, unaware of the volume of my voice. But before I can get the rest of my question out, Justin quickly slap his hand over my mouth, effectively silencing me. I glare viciously at him, as a slow blush rises in my cheeks. I push impossible thoughts away and try to talk around Justin’s hand, but all I can get out is a few muffled sounds.

                “Shh,” Justin whispers in my ear. I shiver as his breath tickles my earlobe and the impossibilities start pushing their way to the surface. Then I notice the look on Justin’s face. He was tense and unmoving as his eyes darted around, frantically searching the woods around us. Realizing that something was very wrong I pull at Justin’s hand until he moves it away from my mouth reluctantly.

                “What’s-” Justin’s hand flies to my mouth again and he glares down at me as he places a finger to his lips, silently telling me to shut the hell up.

                I huff angrily to let him know how unhappy I was about being silenced. Justin’s lime green eyes intently search the trees around us, flicking nervously from left to right and back again. The woods are entirely silent however, not even animal noises escaped the forest. I don’t pay much attention as I suddenly find myself entranced by Justin. The last rays of dying sunlight were illuminating the left side of his face, making his eyes sparkle.  I picture those eyes staring into mine, raw with desire as I run my fingers through his wavy blonde hair, gently brushing it away from his eyes.

                Just as my imagination takes a turn towards a more physical connection, a twig snaps, and Justin tenses as his eyes focus on a single spot in the trees as I practically leap out of my saddle in surprise. Justin slowly moves his hand from my mouth and grips the hilt of his sword in one hand, and Flinn’s reigns in the other.  I reluctantly drag my eyes to the same point in the shadows, and force my mind to the present, away from the interesting turn my wild imagination had taken. The shadows shift and swirl until they finally spit out a cloaked figure. Then another. The first was a black horse and its rider. The rider was wearing a black cloak with the hood pulled up to hide his face.

                “State your business here!” Justin bellows, gripping his sword handle tightly as I try to push back the fear tingling up my spine.

                The mystery rider smirks. “Why should I state my business to you? These are not your woods. I do not live on your king’s land, for I am not his property.  Pardon me,” the rider states sarcastically. “I meant that I am not his subject. Knight,” The rider spits the last two words like poison.

                Anger flares in Justin’s eyes and he opens his mouth to retort, but the rider beats him to the proverbial punch.

                “Silence yourself knave. We must be onto business,” The dark rider smirks. “You look as if you have considerable amounts of wealthy goods on your persons. Do yourself a favor and remove them.”

                Anger flares hot in my chest, quickly replacing the fear that had been crawling up my spine as Justin stares at the rider furiously.

                “Who do you think you are?! He-” I cry, gesturing to Justin. “-is the best knight in the entire kingdom! Show some respect!” I scream, trying to fry the rider with a single look.

                The rider smirks and lifts his left hand, leaving his right hand to rest on the saddle horn. He makes a complex hand gesture before whistling shrilly. I frown as my ears ring, unsure of what te rider was doing, until I hear Justin take a sudden, short breath.

                All around us, gypsies start appearing from the woods. I look around frantically, as hundreds of knife-wielding, bloodletting, sticky fingered gypsies and bandits appear out of nowhere. I literally stop breathing, before shrinking down into my saddle as much as humanly possible.

                “Since you have played hard to get, we will simply have to kill you. Knights these days,” the rider sighs, shaking his head. “No respect for us honest thieves.”

                “Too true Volos,” the gypsy to the right of the rider says. His hand immediately flies to cover his mouth as he shoots a fearful look towards the rider.

                “Your name is Volos?” Justin asks, his voice sounding strained.

                The rider, Volos sighs. “Yes, my name is Volos. As this slippery tongued idiot let slip. You might also know me by my cheesier nickname, The Rebel. Whoever gave me that nickname deserves to be drawn and quartered.” Volos growls, dismounting his black steed.

                “It’s quite cute,” I say coyly, fluttering my eyelashes. Adrinna had always believed a woman could charm her way out of anything, while I had never believed that myself, it was never too late to try. Some of the bandits snicker as Justin turns and glare viciously at me. Volos pulls his hood back to reveal a ruggedly handsome face surrounded by black, shoulder length hair, his stormy grey eyes stood in stark contrast to his dark hair and I noticed a slight hook to his nose, as if it had been broken and never properly set. He is also well built, muscular, and probably around six feet tall, overall a very intimidating person. I would guess him to be in his early thirties.

                Justin’s back stiffens at the sight of him as his grip tightens around his sword hilt, turning his knuckles white.

                “Silence!” Volos yells at the gypsies around him. The surrounding gypsies fall into a fearful silence as Volos turns his attention back to me and Justin. “Now, we must start working on your demise, so that we may steal your valuables,” Volos growls, he gestures to the gypsies behind him and they start marching towards us.

                “Katrinna,” Justin whispers to me, as Zypher steps back nervously. “When I count to three, you run.”

                “No,” I retort, surprised that he thought I would just run away.  “I’m staying here.”

                The bandits’ approach us, grotesque grins on their faces as they draw their swords. Justin pulls his long broadsword out of its scabbard and holds it in front of him as he pulls on Flinn’s reigns to force her back a step.

                “No, Katrinna, you don’t understand. You need to run. Run as far as you can.” Justin says, continuing to back Flinn up slowly, forcing me to back Zypher up. Justin remains facing the bandits as I reach towards my swords, before realizing they would do me more harm than good.  I reach to the sheath around my waist and draw my knife instead. I hold the knife if front of myself forcing my hand to stop shaking as I was still clutching Zypher’s reigns in my left hand and I needed to at least appear confident.

                “I will not run. We have to save Adrinna, and I certainly can’t do it by myself,” I whisper to Justin furiously, an angry blush rising in my cheeks at admitting my own incompetence.

                Justin glances back at me, and he looks furious, though there seemed to be some desperation in his eyes. “Stop arguing with me Katrinna, just do as I say!”

                “Why should I?” I scream, tightening the grip on my knife.

                “Hey!” Volos yells.

                “What?!” both Justin and I yell to Volos at the same time, both of us glaring at him furiously.

                “If you two lovebirds are done bickering, we are about to kill you here. You’re supposed to be terrified and attempting to run,” Volos growls.

                “Told you, you should have run,” Justin whispers angrily to me. “Even he thinks so.”

                Approximately thirty of the gypsies sprint towards us, quickly covering the last few feet that had been separating us. Justin yanks on his reigns and jerks Flinn to the left, quickly positioning himself between me and the gypsies. Suddenly, I hear a big clashing sound, and peer over Justin’s shoulder just in time to see all the gypsies disappear into the ground.

                “What….. just happened?” I ask softly, trying to look over Justin’s shoulder.

                “I- I don’t know, they just, fell.” Justin mutters, clearly shocked.

                “What do you mean they just fell? Where did they-” I start to ask before Volos cuts me off, again.

                “What is this! Where did this hole come from?” Volos yells to his men, stomping over to the edge of said hole. I get Zypher to move so that I am able to clearly see around Justin.

                “Sir, this is the hole you had us dig this morn’. Was to trap trav’lers you said. And to steal their goods af’er” One of the gypsies shouts out to Volos.

                “What? I ordered no such thing!” Volos yells angrily before pausing and peering down into the hole. “But hey, it worked, see? Easy prey.”

                “Sir, it did work indeed, and they would be very easy prey, only, those are our men in the hole,” another gypsy says.

                “Ugh, my head hurts,” Volos says, clutching his forehead between his fingertips.

                I start giggling at the absurdity of the situation as the adrenaline that had been pumping through my veins dissipated, leaving me on a high of sorts.

                “Katrinna, stop laughing. Now is our chance to escape,” Justin says, turning Flinn around and running off. I back Zypher up before yanking on the reins and running after Justin. But the sudden movement draws Volos’s attention and he shouts.

                “Oye! After them you idiots! They’re escaping!” Volos screams. I glance over my shoulder to see Volos and the rest of his men running after us on foot, before they are engulfed by the earth. I pull Zypher to a quick stop and turn back. Justin notices and follows suit, albeit reluctantly. I stop Zypher at the edge of the new hole and dismount before peering into the mass of angry, confused gypsies at the bottom of the new hole.

                “What’s this hole now?” Volos shouts in a gypsies face.

                I giggle as Volos knocks the man upside the head.

                “Ouch! Sir, you also ordered us to dig this hole to catch pass’rbys,” the gypsy says, rubbing his temple here Volos had hit him.  

                I glance at Justin as he stands by my side, peering down into the hole, silent anger burning in his eyes.

                “Why on earth would I order two holes dug?” Volos bellows.

                “You had us dig this hole las’ night sir!” One of the gypsies shouts. “And this mornin’ you forgot where it was, and ordered another dug!”

                “Ugh, my poundin’ head,” Volos moans, rubbing his temples while the gypsies around him began bickering.

                I start laughing again and Justin looks at me disbelievingly.

                “What, pray tell, is so funny?” Justin asks incredulously.

                “They- He…..Hole…..Forgot- Fell,” I giggle, unable to grasp the absurdity of the situation. Deep in my mind I knew I was making a fool of myself, but the leftover adrenaline didn’t care.

                “Well of course he forgot Katrinna, he was clearly drunk,” Justin says sternly, pulling me away from the edge of the hole.

                I stop laughing and cock my head to the side, confused. “Drunk?”

                “Obviously,” Justin says his jaw tight.

                I glance back into the hole. From what I knew, gypsies couldn’t afford the luxury of alcohol strong enough to get drunk on. Which meant they could only get it for special occasions, or when something terrible had happened. And since the gypsies seemed to be a little worse for the wear, I seriously doubted that Volos had drank to celebrate. I suddenly felt a pang of pity for the gypsy leader.

                “Come on Katrinna, let’s go,” Justin says as he grabs my arm and tries to gently pull me back to the horses.

                “Wait,” I say softly. “We can’t just leave them.”

                “Yes, we can just leave them!” Justin yells, face deep red with barely restrained fury.

                I tug my arm free. “No, we have to help them. Maybe they’ll be willing to help us in return.”

                “They were going to kill us!” Justin screams, staring at me like I was crazy. Quite honestly, I was starting to wonder that myself, but I decided to follow my guts.

                “They just wanted money Justin; they’re probably just hungry, and tired. We can help them, and maybe prevent them from killing anyone else,” I plead, looking towards the bickering gypsies desperately.

                “You don’t even know them!” Justin yells.

                “Oh and you do?!” I scream back.

                Justin snaps his mouth shut and glowers at me, working his jaw in frustration.

                “Justin,” I ask hesitantly. “You don’t know these people do you?”

                “I did,” Justin answers shortly. “ Once.”

                “What?”

                “I knew Volos.”

                I glance towards the hole full of gypsies, who had become strangely silent. “What do you mean, you knew Volos?”

                “We grew up together.”

                “You‘re a gypsy?” I ask incredulously.

                He corner of his mouth hitches up in amusement before he answers firmly. “No. Volos is a knight.”

 

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 

“Volos is a knight?!” I scream, head spinning with confusion.

                “Well, he was,” Justin says, rubbing the back of his head angrily, clearly at a loss of what to do with his hands, now that he no longer needed to hold his sword. “Volos was my role model when I was younger. I looked up to him. Then after… after the accident he lost it. He rebelled against everything to do with the king, and left. Nobody has heard from him since. He’s a murderer Katrinna, he killed my brother.” Justin says softly.

                I open my mouth to speak, but close it again without saying a thing. I hadn’t known Justin when he was young. Only Adrinna. The two of us were raised alone; every day had been filled with lessons on becoming a princess. Ballet, so we could be graceful dancers at balls, horseback riding, for ceremonies, and the never ending etiquette lessons that I so despised. I’d never thought of Justin’s childhood, never even knew he’d had a brother. As well as I thought I knew Justin, as much as I secretly loved him, I realized I really didn’t know a thing about Justin, other than his time in knighthood. The last thing I wanted to do was rip open some deep, emotional scar by rescuing the man who murdered his brother. Yet… I couldn’t bring myself to leave those men in those pits to die, whether they were murderers or not.

                “I know you want to help them Katrinna, but you have to listen to me when I tell you, that man is dangerous,” Justin says softly, reaching for my arm as his eyes silently plead with me.

                “I’m- I’m sorry Justin,” I say, shaking my arm loose and backing up towards the hole. “I have to help them.” I turn and run to the edge of the hole with Volos in it, ignoring Justin’s frustrated grunts. I stop at the edge of the hole and glance over my shoulder to see Justin decimating a tree with his sword, blinking the images away, I look down and find Volos in the mass of gypsies. He was scowling up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought, while his men mumbled quietly to each other.

                “Hey! Volos!” I yell, crouching down. Volos focuses his gaze on me in confusion.

“Haven’t you ran away yet girl?” he asks in disbelief.

I shake my head, grinning. “No, I’m going to help you out.”

                Volos scowls, “Why on earth would you help us?”

                I smile gently, “Because I cannot just leave you here to die. My morals are higher than that.”

                Volos’s eyes narrow skeptically, but I ignore him and run to Zypher’s saddlebags. I root around until I find some rope which I tie to Zypher’s saddle, ignoring Justin destroying another tree nearby. I double check the knot, then unwrap the rope and start to run back to Volos with the end, only to find Justin blocking my path.

                “Katrinna I can’t let you do this,” Justin whispers, voice strained with emotion, eyes filled with hurt as his chest heaves in exertion and small beads of sweat run down the side of his face.

                I meet Justin’s gaze, carefully avoiding looking at the sword in his right hand. “I have to. You may be willing to leave them, but I’m not. I was taught to have mercy for everyone Justin, and give them a just punishment. Most of them are nothing more than common thieves. I will not let them suffer this death. I am truly sorry for what happened to your brother, and you’ll have to tell me the story sometime, but I must help them Justin. Please.”

                Justin glares down at me before his eyes soften. “Very well. But do not let your guard down. And I will be watching both of our backs extra closely.”

                I smile and jog around Justin to the edge of the hole.

                “Here!” I shout, tossing the end of the rope into the hole. “Climb on up!”

                One by one Volos and his men climb out of the hole. As they climb up I lead Flinn to the other hole and repeat the process. Once all the gypsies are out, Volos turns to me.

                “Why did you help us?” he asks hesitantly.

                I smile gently, “Because I could not leave you to die.”

                “But we tried to kill you.”

                “I don’t think it was against me personally. Besides, you all must  just be desperate,” I say softly.

                Volos goes silent for a few moments before speaking again, “Let me repay your kindness. I overheard you say you were on a quest, to save someone. Let us come, we can help.”

                I turn to look at Justin and see his jaw hanging open in shock.

                “That is a very generous offer, kind sir, but I don’t think we require any assistance.” I reply, forcing back a grin at Justin’s expression as I turn back to Volos.

                “No? You were just overcome by a simple band of gypsies. If it weren’t for my….” Volos clears his throat loudly. “We would have killed you,” Volos finishes, placing his hand on his sword hilt. “I always repay my debts madam, this is no exception.”

                I look back to Justin and he shakes his head slowly. I turn back to Volos. “Give me a minute,” I say, smiling in apology before walking over to Justin.

                “You can’t let them come,” Justin whispers furiously.

                “And why on earth not?” I protest. “We could use the help, because he’s right you know.”

                “He tried to kill us Katrinna!” Justin cries.

                “Excuse me,” Volos says, stepping in next to me and Justin. “But we can be of assistance. You’ve saved every single one of our miserable lives, dear maiden, and we will repay you.”

                I look at Justin pleadingly.

                “Who is this knave that challenges your decisions?” Volos asks, glaring at Justin.

                “He’s my, ah, guard,” I say, glancing at Justin.

                “My perception may be skewed, but I believe guards are to remain silent as they do their duty.”

                “You-” Justin growls, stepping forward angrily.

                I throw myself between the two of them. “Stop it Justin, he just wants to help.”

                “We don’t need help from people like him,” Justin spits.

                “Don’t talk that way to me boy,” Volos growls. “I merely wish to repay my debt to the kind lady.”

                “Then leave us to be on our way and consider it repaid,” Justin growls.

                “I cannot, mine honour would never allow it,” Volos says.

                “Honour indeed,” Justin says furiously. “Where was your honour when-”

                “Enough Justin!” I cry. I turn to Volos. “We appreciate your offer, but cannot accept such a large favor. What I did was a trifle, no more.”

                “I beg to differ madam,” Volos says softly. “It was an enormous act of kindness, to brutes that deserve naught but anger from you.”

                “None the less,” I say, as I start to steer Justin towards our horses to keep him from punching Volos in the face. “We cannot accept your offer.”

                Volos is silent, and only speaks up once Justin and I reach the horses.

                “Did you say he was your guard, fair maiden?” Volos asks slowly.

                I turn to look at Volos and see the gears turning in his head. “Yes…” I answer hesitantly.

                “Then you must be a lady of great riches, to have such an important man as your guard.”

                “Indeed my father is rich, but what does it matter to you? Do you plan to rob us, since we will not accept your offer?” I ask nervously.

                “No, of course not! Perish the very thought!” Volos cries out. “I merely had a thought.”

                “You wouldn’t dare,” Justin growls from behind me.

                “We can escort you on your voyage. We know how to survive in the wild.” Volos says.

                “I already told you-” I sigh.

                “And in return, you can pay us for our efforts,” Volos finishes with a flourish. “Quite brilliant if I do say so. It solves both our problems quite nicely.”

                I remain silent as I ponder his offer. Justin grips my shoulder and spins me around to face him.

                “You can’t honestly be considering this!” he whispers furiously.

                I remain silent.

                “Katrinna, you cannot spend your Father’s money! Besides that, he would never approve of giving it to gypsies, much less letting them join you in a journey across the kingdom!”

                I meet Justin in the eye, having decided. “I’ve made up my mind. You can’t change it.” I spin on my heels and stomp back to Volos, ignoring Justin’s protests.

                “Volos, I will accept your offer. If you help us save my sister, and bring us back to my Father safely, every one of your men will be paid one hundred crowns.”

                The gypsies mutter to each other anxiously.

                “One hundred crowns each?” Volos sputters. “That is way too much, only the king has that kind of money!”

                “I assure you, my Father has enough. My only other requirement is that none of you ever steal, or kill again. Now will you accept my offer?”

                Volos nods.

                “Good,” I smile, and glance over my shoulder looking for Justin, only to see him step in front of me.

                “What are you thinking Katrinna?” Justin mumbles angrily. “You can’t do this.”

                “I have it under control Justin. Besides, if Father finds out, you will lay claim to the idea, no?” I whisper, well aware that Justin would indeed take the blame, if only to keep me from being punished.

                “No, I will not lay claim to this madness,” Justin growls, crossing his arms over his chest.

                I smile, knowing that if push came to shove he would lighten my punishment. As would I lighten his if our positions were switched. “Very well Justin, I will take full responsibility for this ‘madness’ as you say. After all, it will either work wonderfully, or we will all end up dead. And if we end up dead it really doesn’t matter whose idea it was.” I grin, turning back to Volos, leaving Justin dumbfounded at my back.

                “So who are we rescuing?” Volos asks.

                “My twin sister,” I say, distracted by Justin’s smoldering glare aimed at the back of my head.

                Volos raises an eyebrow, “Not many twins ‘round here,” he says. “Mostly just the princesses.”

                I shake my head and look at Volos. “Well, we don’t really look much alike,” I chuckle nervously, glancing over my shoulder to tell Justin to stop glaring at me.

                “What do you want?” I whisper to him.

                “Nothing, my lady,” Justin chuckles.

                “Augh! Don’t start with that again!” I cry, stomping over to Zypher to get a drink of water.

                Justin chuckles before firmly addressing Volos. “Okay Volos. So are you going to help us?”

                “Aye,” Volos answers gruffly. “Me and all my men.”

                “That won’t work,” Justin grunts. I turn from Zypher’s saddlebags and glare at Justin.

                “What are you doing?” I cry.

                Justin ignores me and speaks to Volos as I roll my eyes and tilt the water canteen up to drink. “We cannot afford to take thirty men with us,”

                “A hundred and thirty-seven,” Volos interrupts.

                I splutter and spit out the drink of water I had just about inhaled before I fall into a coughing fit, causing many of the gypsies to stare at me.

                “Fine,” Justin says, clearly irritated at being interrupted, though shock briefly appeared in his eyes at the large number. “We cannot take a hundred and thirty-seven men with us. We would move slowly and be seen quickly.”

                “My men are swift and silent,” Volos growls, clutching the hilt of his sword.

                “Be that as it may, we will be riding on horses. This is a matter of extreme importance. We cannot afford to waste any more time,” Justin snarls.

                Volos and Justin glare at each other as I recover from my shock, and subsequent coughing fit. I quickly replace my canteen and run over to place myself between them. “What Justin means, is that we are in a very big hurry, and cannot afford to have a large troop that can be easily tracked down. Not even men as wonderful as yours Volos.”

                Justin snorts and I glare at him. “We can only have a few of your best men with us, yourself included of course.”

                “You tryin’ to cheat my men out of their pay?” Volos growls angrily.

                “No! Of course not! All of you will be paid the specified amount. But we can only take a few men with us.” I say calmly.

                “Three men, including you, would be perfect,” Justin cuts in.

                “Three of your best men,” I say, fluttering my eyelashes flirtatiously.

                “Fine,” Volos says gruffly as Justin glares at me. “Ajax, Conroy, and Raldyn.”Three men emerge from the mob as he speaks, and gestures to each in turn. “And myself, of course.”

                I look at the four men, ignoring Justin’s sharp intake of breath beside me. The youngest, Ajax, was probably a little younger than Volos, in his late twenties. He had a strong build, and was rippling with muscles. He was a bit shorter than Volos, but more than made up with it in muscles. He had short medium-brown hair, very tan skin, and dark blue eyes. The man next to him, who Volos had said was Conroy, was probably around 35. He had an average build, and was about the same height as Justin, who was 5’ 8”. Conroy had jaw length coppery hair, russet skin, and bright green eyes. The last man, Raldyn, seemed ageless. He could have been anywhere between twenty and forty. He was thin, and almost as tall as Volos. He had blonde hair, that looked almost white, which he wore in a long ponytail. His eyes were endless pools of darkness, black as the shadows lurking in the night. I shudder, Raldyn officially creeped me out.

                “Will these men please you?” Volos asks sarcastically to Justin.

                “These men will be fine,” Justin says, his voice strained. I frown at him, wondering what was wrong with him.

                Volos walks over and talks to another gypsy, who seems to be second in charge. Soon after, the rest of the gypsies melt back into the shadows, leaving us with Volos, Ajax, Conroy, and Raldyn.

                “We need to go,” Justin says. “It’s getting dark, but we can still travel a bit before nightfall. Then we will make camp, and continue in the morning.”

                Volos scowls, but listens. We all mount our horses and ride deeper into the forest.