Unbound, page 11
“Can you honestly say you weren’t lonely? That you haven’t craved some sort of connection with another person?” he asked.
Have I? How could she miss what she didn’t really know? What did it mean to crave connection? Did that mean she wanted friends or lovers? Both? She had spent so much time knowing that she would be alone, that she would refuse companionship, that she no longer knew if her apathy towards forming bonds with others was real or an impenetrable wall to protect herself from getting hurt. No one had ever made her question it before. And she it had been a long time since she asked herself what she truly wanted. So long that she didn’t know the answer anymore.
“Alannah?”
She turned her head to realize he was staring at her. “Hm?”
“I…nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t have to answer.”
Alannah frowned. “Elliot—”
“We should catch up to Mr. Pinkus before we lose him.” He cut her off and quickened his pace.
She fell into step behind him. The conversation ended but it didn’t feel resolved and she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he was going to say to her.
***
Alannah couldn’t form the words to describe how beautiful the forest was. Trees with trunks larger than Alannah reached skyward until it grew harder to tell how tall they were. Branches dripping with thick leaves and sweet-smelling flowers stretched towards each other, creating arches that she and her companions walked under. Green grass sprouted between rocks and tree roots. Lavender and dandelions danced in a breeze that she couldn’t feel. Wisps of blue, purple, white, and pink darted between trees in the distance. Everything about it was magical. Ethereal.
And she was sick of it already.
They walked through a hallway created by trees and it felt like the same one they had walked through nearly an hour ago.
“Are you sure we’re not lost?” she asked Mr. Pinkus. “Because it feels like we’re lost.”
He huffed. “We’re not lost.”
“I agree with Alannah. It feels like we came through here already,” Elliot said.
“I know where I’m going. I’m from here, remember?”
“Right, but how long has it been exactly?” Elliot asked.
Mr. Pinkus sniffed. “I don’t know. Time doesn’t move the same between the two places. But I wouldn’t forget my home and how it tries its best to trick people.”
“I think it has tricked you,” Alannah grumbled.
Mr. Pinkus stopped and turned towards her, sitting on his haunches. “Would you like to lead us then?”
“I don’t know why you won’t admit that we’re lost,” she said.
“Because we’re not.”
“Okay, but clearly, we are! We’re going in circles and I don’t want to die because we walked in circles for three weeks. I’d at least like to get somewhere.”
Mr. Pinkus thumped his tail against the ground. “We are getting somewhere. If you knew how to tap into this place you would know that too. We are wasting time by arguing.”
Alannah flung her hands up. “And how would I know how to do that? I can’t even try because I am already a ticking time bomb. And you don’t even take the time to explain anything to either of us! We’re supposed to trust you, which forgive me, is a little hard to do lately.”
They stared at each other, the silence stretching between them. Mr. Pinkus broke it first with a sniff. “That wasn’t a fair suggestion.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “No, it really wasn’t. You know I can’t use any magic, no matter how much I really want to.”
“You can’t use your magic here?” Elliot asked.
She shook her head. “If I do, it’ll drain me even faster. I’ll run out of time and I already don’t have enough.”
“You conveniently skipped telling me that when we planned this.”
“Sorry, I…I’m so used to the people around me knowing already. I didn’t think to. I didn’t even think I’d get this far,” she chuckled, but it was devoid of humor.
“Well, I guess it’s too late now. Why don’t we rest for a few minutes? We’ve been walking for a few hours,” Elliot said.
“And my feet hurt,” Alannah added.
Elliot nodded. “Let’s sit and be thankful and it isn’t any worse.”
“How could it get any worse?” she muttered.
The first droplet splash against her cheek. After that, the sky opened up. How could it when they were standing underneath a canopy of trees? She didn’t know. It was as if it was done on purpose. To test her. To prove it could always get worse. Now her feet hurt and she was drenched. She could barely see the other two through the sudden onslaught of rain.
Elliot sighed. “Good going, Alannah.”
“I fail to see how this is my fault.”
“You never tempt fate. Sometimes it’s listening.”
“May we keep going now?” Mr. Pinkus asked.
Alannah heaved a sigh. “Please.”
The rain obscured her vision. Thank goodness Mr. Pinkus was orange, otherwise she might lose him to the landscape. She trudged behind Elliot. The ground was slick under her feet. The rock came out of nowhere. At least, that was her story and she was sticking to it. Alannah felt herself pitch forward. Her stomach rose into her throat as she began to fall.
Elliot grabbed her upper arms to steady her. “Be careful!” he shouted over the noise of the rain.
“I’m trying!” she shouted back.
“Come on,” he said. He let go of her upper arms only to grab her hand.
It was warm. Searing even. His palm pressed against hers and their fingers interlaced as if they had done this a hundred times. Her heart stuttered in her chest. Do I crave connection? No one had ever held her hand before. Not even her mother. In fact, her mother barely touched her at all. Not even a hug. Do I want to be touched? Elliot’s hand squeezed hers as he led her through the path. Maybe, I do.
Elliot didn’t even notice Alannah’s inner turmoil. He focused on getting through the rain. Good thing he was because she was far too focused on determining whether or not she liked him holding her hand and surprised that she was leaning towards liking it.
The rain slowly let up. It took half an hour for it to stop completely. Only then did they stop. Elliot let go of her hand, but the warmth lingered. Alannah stumbled away and leaned against a tree to pull herself back together. She leaned against a tree and began to wring the water from her shirt. Her eyes looked everywhere but right at Elliot.
Mr. Pinkus jumped up onto a log and shook his head. “Please don’t challenge this place anymore. It’s going to take forever for my fur to dry.”
“Sorry,” she grumbled, squeezing the water from her hair.
“How much further do you want to go today?” Elliot asked.
Mr. Pinkus licked his paw. “It would be imperative to get close to the edge of the forest by nightfall.”
“There’s more than the forest?” she asked.
“Of course,” the cat chuckled. “There is much to Underhill. It’s a shame you’ll see so little.”
Elliot sat down beside him, unbuttoning his overshirt. “How big is it exactly?”
“Exactly? I couldn’t say. At the very least, comparable to the size of the human realm if not bigger.”
“How can it be bigger?” Elliot asked.
“We aren’t bound by your…what is it called again…” Mr. Pinkus stopped grooming himself a moment. “The physical limitations of your realm or your laws of—”
“Physics?” Elliot offered.
“Yes, that.”
Elliot pulled off his shirt and twisted it in his hands until water dripped onto the ground. “How do you know about physics?”
Mr. Pinkus rolled his eyes. “I didn’t spend all of my time as a well-fed housecat. I know many things about the human realm. The humans that stumble their way through the forest often have such interesting things on them. And those things are often left behind.” He hopped down from the log. “I would be remiss not to learn in my spare time.”
“Have you ever actually been to the human realm before?” Elliot asked.
“We should get going. Night fall will be upon us soon enough,” Mr. Pinkus said instead of answering and began to walk off without waiting for them to follow.
It wasn’t a no. And ignoring the question made Alannah wonder. Her home didn’t count as the human realm. It existed in between. A pocket. Tethered between the two worlds but didn’t fully exist in either. So, had Mr. Pinkus been in the human realm before? Now she was curious. She pushed off the tree and began to follow him with Elliot trailing behind her. The cat had no intentions of answer now. She would have to wait. Maybe catch him off-guard. Elliot caught up to her and matched her stride. It seemed he had the same thought process as her if the twisting of his lips and minimal space between his eyebrows were any indication.
For now, they remained silent, letting the cat lead them further along the path.
The forest grew still. Flowers didn’t move in an invisible breeze. Wisps didn’t move between the trees. They had gone. Perhaps the rain had forced them away. Or maybe it was something else. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The sudden quiet unnerved her.
Alannah couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
But she could be paranoid. After being a spectacle for over a week, she consistently felt eyes on her and in the quiet, she could feel them again. At home, the boundary kept her safe. Out here, they could get her. Whoever “they” was. A feeling didn’t tell her if it was someone friendly or someone who meant harm. Given that she was still in Fae territory, it was more likely that whoever it was, wasn’t friendly.
She cleared her throat. “Uh…Mr. Pinkus—”
“I know, Alannah. Keep moving,” he cut her off, his voice terse.
Her hand sought Elliot’s without a spare thought. With their hands intertwined, they quickened their pace to close the distance between them and Mr. Pinkus. Alannah heard a whistling sound, like a rush of wind moving through the trees, and felt a breeze against her cheek. Something landed into a tree a mere foot from her left with a hollow thunk.
She reached for it, her fingers grazing feathers. “Is that a—"
“Arrow!” Mr. Pinkus shouted. “Run!”
Elliot’s hand tightened over hers and he tugged her away from the tree right as another arrow missed her by an inch, landing beside the other. They’re really trying to kill me. When Mr. Pinkus said Valeria would send assassins, it felt like a joke. Like he couldn’t possibly be serious. Why would she be worried about Alannah succeeding when it was damn near impossible?
Another tug from Elliot—this one more insistent than the first—and they were running. Mr. Pinkus stayed ahead of them, leaping over rocks and roots. He shouted back to them. She couldn’t make it out. It was too hard to hear over the ringing in her ears and the thudding in her chest. The only thing that kept her from falling flat on her face, was Elliot’s firm grip on her hand.
Don’t trip. Don’t trip. Don’t trip.
The forest wasn’t silent now. She heard the rustling in the trees. Above them. Behind them. How many were there?
Sweat dripped down her face. It burned her eyes. Her lungs and thighs burned. How long were they supposed to run? She doubted she had the stamina to outrun assassins. And she couldn’t use her magic. There was no conceivable way to defend themselves. What was the plan? Did Mr. Pinkus have a plan? Did anyone?
This was a bad decision.
Her boots slipped on wet grass and rocks. Every step threatened to send her flying forward. Inevitable really that she would find herself falling and taking Elliot down with her. She threw her hands in front of her face. Sharp rocks scraped her palms. Dirt mixed with a blood. She sucked in a breath through her teeth. Get up. Her legs ached and her thighs trembled. Get up. Footsteps from every direction closed in on them.
Get up!
Alannah pushed herself up onto her knees. A glint of metal in the corner of her eye made her freeze. It was too late to run now. They emerged from the trees. She expected many, but only saw two. One stood tall with skin color of severe storm clouds, bright purple eyes, and black hair pulled back in a braid to reveal pointed ears adorned with silver rings. One hand curled around a recurved ebony bow. The other clutched an arrow.
The second was shorter. Pale. Opalescent scales covered their forehead, curved around their cheeks, and continued down their slender neck. Wisps of white hair framed their face and the rest was secured in a ponytail. Black eyes with no trace of color or light stared at Alannah with curiosity, much like one would look at a fascinating creature, not a person. Daggers—pearl-handled with a deep blue blade—were pointed at Elliot.
Both assassins wore the same style of leather armor. A jet black with ruby red stitching around the edges. It covered their chest and forearms. Their boots were made of the same material, but without the stitching. Underneath the armor, clothing was a simple shirt and leggings the same color as their armor. Something an enemy wouldn’t be able to discern from far away.
Valeria’s wasted no time in sending her assassins. Perhaps she was afraid Alannah would succeed after all. Despite the dire situation, the thought sparked an inkling of hope. One that wouldn’t last long unfortunately.
“Sorry, Elliot,” she murmured.
He squeezed her arm.
The bow raised. The arrow aimed right at her.
Alannah should run. It would be better than kneeling in the face of death. But she couldn’t move.
I should’ve stayed home.
Chapter 15
She waited for the blow. Time slowed down. Seconds felt like minutes. He drew the arrow and she drew in a deep breath. Her last one.
Something slammed into her back, knocking the air right back out. “Stay down!” Mr. Pinkus yelled in her ear. Why did it matter? Was it somehow better getting shot while lying on the ground?
But with her ear to ground she heard it.
A third set of footsteps. They were coming from the other direction. And fast. Friend or foe? Alannah desperately hoped it was a friend even though she didn’t have any. Maybe Mr. Pinkus did. The others seemed to hear it too. Eyes darted away from Alannah, and the assassin aimed the arrow into the thicket of trees behind her.
She heard the whistling of an arrow, but it came from behind her. The assassins moved. Something the other person clearly anticipated. It pierced right underneath the armor of the smaller assassin. Their mouth opened and shrill cry made Alannah clap her hands over her ears. They stumbled backward, fingers clawing at the arrow protruding from their armor, their partner catching them to keep them upright.
Alannah lifted her head to see the stranger step out of the trees. Brown leather boots left impressions in the soft earth. A hood was pulled up to hide their face, but Alannah could see a hint of light from within. A bow—this one shorter than the assassin’s bow with veins of gold threaded through the wood—held firm in their grip.
“I’ve never known Valeria to break her own rules. She always waits at least a day to send assassins,” the stranger said, their voice neutral with the hint of a lilt as if they were disguising their voice.
The grey one sneered with arms wrapped around their partner’s shoulders. “I know that’s you, Senna.”
The person—Senna, they had been called—shrugged and reached up to pull their hood back. Alannah noticed their eyes first. Gold, not the polished kind, but more like an ore with black veins running through it. Skin of dark umber with freckles of gold stretched across their nose and cheeks. Multiple braids were held together by a piece of leather, but that didn’t stop a stray few from resting against Senna’s high cheekbones.
“If you know, then you know you won’t win. You should leave while you have a chance,” Senna said, the corner of her mouth lifted into a smile.
With their partner cradled in their arms, they stepped back into the forest and disappeared instantly as if the trees had swallowed them whole. Clearly, they knew how to hide in the forest. It made Alannah wonder how long they had been following. And why they had decided to strike when they did.
A hand entered her field of vision and she jerked back. Senna had leaned over, her hand held out for Alannah. “Face down was an interesting choice of position.”
“To be fair, I was facing the arrow at first,” Alannah grumbled, ignoring the hand, and pushing herself up onto her hands and knees. A difficult task with a weight on her back, but Mr. Pinkus jumped down beside her. Just because this person saved them didn’t mean Alannah had to automatically trust them.
“Who are you?” Elliot asked, already kneeling, dirt smeared on his cheeks, chin, and hands. He didn’t look hurt.
Thank the goddess.
Senna stepped back, hands on their hips. “My name is Senna. I’ve been paid to take you to the witches. And to make sure nothing happens to you.”
“And how can I trust that?” Alannah asked.
Senna raised an eyebrow.
“It’s all right, Alannah.” Mr. Pinkus said. “Senna won’t hurt us.”
Senna’s mouth twisted in a frown and she crouched down to get a better look at Mr. Pinkus. “Lysanthvir, is that you?”
“Who else would it be?”
“Pardon me for not expecting you to show up as a fat housecat,” Senna answered. “Although, it is a good look for you.”
Mr. Pinkus sat up straight. “I think so too. I’ve rather enjoyed my years of being pampered and loved.”
Senna snorted. “You haven’t changed at all, have you.”
“Only by being a cat.”
“You two know each other?” Elliot asked.
“We were friends for many years before I was cast out. It is nice that the friendship still remains,” Mr. Pinkus answered.
Senna nodded. “And I would like to catch up, but we should move. The assassins will take a little time to lick their wounds and then try again.”
