“Oh my God!” Corrine gasps.
The child falls to the ground screaming, and she picks him up and starts shaking him again.
“HEY!” we both yell at her and immediately start running toward them. Suddenly I’m flooded with rage. How could any mother so viciously strike a helpless infant like that? My eyes widen in horror as I see her raise her hand and whack the sobbing child again.
I run faster. “Stop that! Stop!” I scream, with Corrine echoing me from a few feet back.
The woman looks up at us briefly, and then throws the toddler to the ground again. From somewhere I hear Vincent yelling, but I don’t care; this woman is going to kill her child!
Corrine and I are maybe a dozen feet away when Vincent suddenly appears directly in front of us. He reaches out his hand, but just as he’s about to touch me, a sudden violent gust of air blasts him off his feet and sends him flying back out over the water.
Startled, I follow him with my eyes until I hear Corrine’s horrifying scream. The woman, who was standing right in front of us only a fraction of a second before, has now taken the shape of a hulking beast of a man, at least eight feet tall. His heavy brow nearly obscures his black-as-night eyes, and his salt and pepper hair is greasy and matted. The ‘baby’ is nowhere to be seen.
I recoil in horror as the realization sinks in. “No, no!” I turn to run, but it’s too late.
A debilitating paralysis spreads through my body. I try to scream but my mouth no longer moves. All I can think is that I’ve been caught.
And how unbelievably stupid… and totally screwed I am.
Chapter 20. Liora
Torrents of icy water blast around me like I’ve been shot from a gun at the speed of light. Time and space warp together as the water rushes past me… beating, stabbing, poking, punching… in one disorientating, excruciating blur. Is this real? Or am I dead. I can’t think—can’t breathe. How long will this torture last?
Eventually everything slows, and the icy water no longer stings my skin. I have the sensation of being lifted out of the water and into the air, and then being set down on something soft, and very cold.
Everything is quiet. Unnaturally still.
I try to open my eyes, terrified of what I might see. But I can’t. A violent shudder wracks my body, and it suddenly hits me how cold I am. I’m freezing to death. The bitterly frosty air has already sealed my wet lashes together.
A blast of arctic wind hits my skin like hundreds of sharp needles and every nerve in my body screams in agony. Yet I am unable to move.
When I finally manage to open my eyes, I see only blinding white blending into a pale grey sky. There is no color anywhere, and the sun doesn’t bother to share its golden rays. There is no point. The stinging wind gusts again, and I hear a soft groan.
I roll over and see Corrine a few feet away, huddled up in a tight ball.
I try to move, to speak, but nothing happens. Whatever… whoever… brought us here apparently wants us to die in the worst, most painful way. Neither of us will last much longer out here—wherever here is. I just hope the end comes quickly and that Corrine’s suffering isn’t half as bad as mine is.
Corrine moans again, and I try to force my body closer to hers. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t move. I feel frozen from the inside out.
I’m about to give up and accept the inevitable, when a strange warmth starts budding in my stomach and then moves to my chest. The trickling stream of heat quickly spreads and grows, and the rest of my body absorbs it like thirsty tree roots sucking up water. I gasp, as I’m suddenly able to breathe. Gradually I feel my strength begin to return. I scoot over to Corrine and wrap my arms around her, the bare flesh of my arms covering hers. And I hope and pray that my body heat can somehow help keep her alive.
“Corrine,” I whisper. My throat is scratched and raw, as if someone had run a cheese grater over it. I shake her gently. “Corrine, wake up.”
She still doesn’t move. The heat grows stronger and stronger, until now I’m almost too warm. I hold Corrine close and pray that whatever is helping me can help her too.
She trembles, and I tighten my grip, trying to protect her. But I’m a little late for that.
“L-Lee-o-ra-ra,” she finally chatters.
“It’s okay, you’re okay.” I squeeze her tighter. Suddenly I sense a shift… subtle, but there.
We’re not alone anymore.
“Shhh,” I whisper in her ear. “Just stay still. Don’t move.”
I hear the soft crunch of snow as heavy footsteps approach us. My heart pounds, and my body heat increases even more. Corrine shakes in my arms, whether from cold or terror, I can’t tell.
The crunching comes closer, then stops directly behind us. I want to roll over to see who or what it is, but I stay still.
A moment later something pokes me on my lower back.
“Ow!” I cry out before I can stop myself. Crap!
“Good, you’re alive. Not much use to me dead,” a gruff voice snarls.
“It’ll be okay, don’t move,” I whisper very softly into Corrine’s ear. I gently let go of her and roll over to face our kidnapper. The huge, ugly man from the beach is glaring back at me.
His eyes flash with evil intent, and he gives a callous smirk. “Girl, you sure are stupid. You were easier to catch than a dead fish in a bucket. No challenge at all. I’ve gotta say I’m a little disappointed. I was looking forward to the chase.”
Of all the things he could’ve said to me, nothing could have hurt more. Because he’s right. Only stupid doesn’t even begin to cover it.
“What do you want?” I croak.
He grins even wider and cocks his head to the side. “What do I want… what do I want… Oh yes. I want my reward for you, little girl.”
“Your what?”
He pulls from his pocket something that looks like a long, crooked stick and waves it in the air. Then he walks in a big circle around Corrine and me, chanting strange words under his breath. A moment later I hear a weird crackling sound, then a series of pops, followed by a steady hum. A strange neon green haze appears and covers us like a giant igloo. I feel an immediate change in the air, and even the cold snow beneath us now feels like a soft, comfortable blanket.
But my relief is short lived as the reality of our situation sinks in. Corrine and I are trapped here, imprisoned in this magical cell, and at the mercy of a demonic lunatic.
He walks around our green cocoon several times, tapping it with his little stick. Apparently satisfied, he pauses and turns back to me with a toothless smile. “I want my reward. I want what’s owed to me. Plenty of people are interested in you right now, little girl, and they’re willing to pay a price. Old Otto here is going to get himself a piece of the golden pie.”
I start to get on my feet, but he holds up his hand and waggles his finger at me. “Ah! Ah! Ah! You don’t want to do that. You might lose your head. We wouldn’t want that… no we wouldn’t.”
I eye the dome of green haze. It’s only about five feet over our heads and about ten feet in diameter. “What happens if I touch it?” I ask.
“Anything that comes in contact with the shield from your side instantly disintegrates. So I’d be careful if I were you.” He laughs, and in this moment the only thing stopping me from running at him and pummeling his ugly face with my bare fists is that fact that I believe he’s telling the truth.
I sit back down and bury my face in my hands. “What do you want with me… with us? Why did you take her?” I motion to Corrine who is still lying motionless.
“I want to collect the bounty on you. As for the human girl, well, she’s just a bonus. Leverage to make you behave if necessary. I’m sure they’ll pay extra for that.”
“Who’s they? The Light-angels?”
He shrugs. “They put out the initial bounty. But apparently you’re also wanted by some Dark-angels, so I figured I’d see who was willing to cut old Otto here a better deal.” He rubs his hands together and
paces the perimeter of our cell. “But it might take some time, and meanwhile, I need to keep you somewhere safe. Somewhere no demon or angel or human will ever be able to find you. So you might as well get comfy in there, because this might take a while. Or not. You never know with these things.”
I frown. “So which side are you on? Light or Dark? Are you Angel or Demon?”
Otto shakes his head. “Both. Neither. I come from a long line of Sovereigns. We’re the outcasts, the unwanted.”
“I’ve never heard of that. I thought it was only one or the other.”
“Originally it was. But at one point some in the two races merged, and we became something else. There’s not a lot of us, and we keep a low profile. We’re not bound to any side, and we do what we want, any way we want, and for whoever pays the best, usually.” He lets out a gruff laugh.
“So you’re a bounty hunter.” I brush the hair from my face, and am surprised to notice that it and my clothes are already dry. We were in water not fifteen minutes ago.
“I’m what you call a jack of all trades, master of none,” the Sovereign goes on. “Well now, I take that back. I’m pretty good at stealing stupid little girls who wander off their protected property. If you woulda just stayed there, I wouldn’ta never been able to touch you. ” He chuckles again.
“I don’t understand. Are you bad or good?”
“Neither. I just go where the work is. I don’t judge, and I don’t ask why. I just do the deed and move on.”
I glare at him. “So you stole me, and you want to see who will give you the better deal, the Light or Dark-angels.”
He nods and walks around the green prison again, tapping it in random places with his stick. “Light-angels want you alive. And from what I hear, Dark-angels don’t care if you’re alive or in a hundred pieces.”
I gulp, and from behind me I hear Corrine give a quiet gasp.
“So you’re just going to… what? Hold some sort of auction for me?”
“Something like that.”
I ponder everything he’s just said. Light-angels want me alive, demons want me hacked to bits. I give a rueful laugh under my breath. My spot between the rock and a hard place just got even smaller.
“How did you find me?” I ask after a few moments. “How did you know where I was hiding?”
“Well, I admit that part was a bit tougher. Lost your trail several times. I started sniffing around your old house, and that whole area had a pretty solid protection blanket, too. But I was able to get enough. I learned your signature, so to speak. Can’t cover the stench of demon. The rest is my secret, little girl. Maybe I’ll tell you one day, or maybe not.”
“Liora. My name is Liora Greyson. And I am a girl. I’m a human. And this is Corrine, Corrine Wilson. She’s an innocent human.” I nudge her and she sits up, her eyes filled with fear. “I’m only seventeen years old, and so is she. We haven’t done anything in this life deserving of this treatment. Your name is Otto, right? Otto, don’t you have a heart in there somewhere? Name your price, whatever you want. I can get you money… all the money you could ever want. It’s yours. Just let us go. Please.”
He shakes his head. “You know I can’t do that, little girl.”
“Then please, please just let her go. I swear, I’ll do whatever you want. I swear! Just let her go. She has nothing to do with any of this.”
He shakes his head again. “Sorry, little girl. No can do.”
Frustrated tears stream down my face.
He turns and walks away, disappearing from sight in the blanket of white haze. A few moments later he returns carrying a red duffle bag. He throws it through the green dome and it lands harmlessly at my feet. I look up at him, surprised.
“Open it,” he says.
With trembling fingers I pull the zipper, hoping there’s not a bomb inside. But all I find are several wrapped sandwiches, dozens of candy and protein bars, a bag of apples, two bunches of bananas, and four big canisters of water. I look at him.
“Toss me an apple,” he instructs.
Confused, I pick the smallest one and throw it his way, resisting the urge to hurl it as hard as I can right at his smug face. But it wouldn’t have mattered anyways. The second the apple hits the green neon plane it makes a funny zap, and completely disappears into thin air. Otto laughs.
“Just thought I’d remind you what’ll happen if you try to escape. Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll try not to be too long.”
And with that he turns and walks away, leaving us alone in our green prison.
Chapter 21. Liora
I wipe my tears and turn to Corrine. “I am so sorry.”
She shakes her head. “I know this isn’t your fault. You didn’t mean for this to happen.” Tears are streaming down her cheeks too, and I feel even worse.
How could I have been so careless? So mind-blowingly stupid? All I had to do was stay within the boundaries of Anastasia’s property. That’s it. Doing this to myself is bad enough. But I’ll never forgive myself for what is happening to Corrine because of me.
I sniff and rub my eyes. “It is my fault though. Not just for falling for that stupid trick, but taking so long to decide to do the right thing. I knew I was putting everyone in danger. I should’ve just done what I knew needed to be done. And I was going to— it’s what I wanted to talk with you about, actually. Right when he did this.”
“What were you going to do?”
“End it. End me. Let Lucky take over full time. Anastasia knows a spell. It’ll be like I never existed.”
Corrine’s face crumples. “No, Liora, you can’t! I don’t understand—”
“Yes, I CAN, and I have to! I should’ve done it already. I mean look at us! This would’ve never happened to Lucky. They only came after me because they know I can’t defend myself. And look at you. You’re caught up in it, too. All because of me.”
“Stop saying all that, and stop blaming yourself! God! Why do you always feel like everything bad that happens is your fault? Like you should’ve done something different or been someone different or made a better decision sooner somehow. Come on, this guy is an evil asshole! It’s his fault he’s a kidnapping dickface, not yours! You were trying to help save a little baby. He’s the one that manipulated that goodness in you and used it against you!”
“Exactly my point! My goodness is a liability. To everyone.” I frown as I think of Vincent being flung away out to sea. I really hope he’s all right and was able to teleport himself to safety.
Corrine shakes her head and brushes her stringy hair back behind her ears. “Not to me, it’s not.” She wipes her cheeks again, and for the first time I realize that she’s still wearing her ill-fitting eyeglasses. Seems like they would’ve fallen off during our violent underwater voyage.
And strangely, everything on me seems to be intact as well. Even my Boumeaux is still safely tucked beneath my tank top. Thank goodness I didn’t lose that! Then I’d definitely never forgive myself, no matter what Corrine says. It has always been the most important thing Lucky and I have owned, even though I only recently started wearing it again. Sure, I might be able to replace the stone if necessary, but the sentimental value… how we got it… is entirely irreplaceable.
Corrine gets up on her knees and starts looking around. “Where do you think we are?”
I scan the area, but all I see outside the dome is a blinding, greyish-white haze. “I’m wondering the exact same thing myself. I mean, I have no idea even what direction we traveled in. Alaska? Antarctica? Some remote mountain in the Swiss Alps? Really, we could be anywhere.”
“It doesn’t even feel like we’re on planet Earth anymore,” she whispers sadly, and my heart skips a beat at the possibility. What if he’s taken us to another dimension, a parallel world like Thiberoux?
I close my eyes and concentrate for a moment. Then I shake my head. “No, I’m certain we’re still on Earth. This is our world.”
Corrine looks at me. “But no one knows where we are.”
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I shake my head again and take a deep breath. “Probably not.”
“So what that guy said about us not leaving a trace… that really means no one will be able to find us?”
I shrug. What can I say?
She twists some of her hair around her finger and tugs. “Isn’t there some demon psychic thing anyone can do? Thought that was part of the deal, having all those cool powers. Or maybe Anastasia can do something? She’s a powerful witch, right? Maybe she’ll find us and tell Vincent where to teleport to and save us?”
“Yeah… maybe.”
Deep down I know our chances are pretty bleak, but I don’t want to let Corrine know that. Otto seems to know what he’s doing, and that would include covering his tracks. I’m pretty sure this isn’t his first kidnapping.
Corrine looks at the ground and wipes her cheeks again. I feel my heart crushing, and I reach over and pull her in for a hug. “Please don’t be scared,” I tell her softly. “I’m so sorry that I got us into this, but I promise I’ll get us out. I promise, okay? No one will hurt you.”
She hugs me back and sniffs. “I just wish I could do something. I hate feeling so helpless.”
I give a rueful laugh. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
But then I remember something… what happened earlier when we first got here and I was freezing to death, and how my body had warmed itself. Was that Otto’s doing, or was it something else? I think about Anastasia’s earlier prediction, how the babies might make me manifest some powers and act as my protectors. Are they protecting me now? Maybe I’m not as helpless as I think I am.
But I quickly dismiss the thought. Even if it was them, it’s not like it’s something I can control. And putting my life in the hands of two demon fetuses half the size of my pinkie doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.
“What about Lucky?” Corrine asks, her face tight.
“What about her?”
“Do you think she can do anything? Bust the magic shield or something?”