The Charmed Locket, page 10
part #1 of Treasure Hunter's Heart Series
I was finding it hard to focus when I looked at that statue. Something hummed or buzzed in my ears. I tried to search for something that caused the sound but couldn’t see any source. Maybe I was just tired from all the climbing. Glancing up at the sky, I realized that the sun would set soon, and I wanted to get up to witness the moon rising in the sky.
I stood and continued on my way, abandoning the path of statues behind me. The humming sound ended. I glanced behind to look at the city. Arganda started to twinkle underneath me as the city lights shone and the evening darkened. I was quite high already, and the view was amazing. There was a steep and treacherous looking cliff near the path, and I would have to make sure to come down the same route. If I remembered to stay on the left side, I would be safe and not stumble down.
I was out of breath when I reached the castle. The view was breathtaking—stars dotted the sky and the pale, rosy glow had almost vanished behind the ocean. I saw a young couple gazing the sunset. Their arms were around each other and once in a while, they exchanged a passionate kiss. A sting of jealousy struck me harder than ever. I had lived my life completely happy without a man or a lover, and I hadn’t needed or wished for one. Why now?
Seeing the couple in such a romantic setting pinched my heart, and bitterness crawled in. Why had Nicholas deceived me? Why hadn’t he simply asked about the locket? What was that he said to me before I blacked out? That I was safer at home and that I should forget him and the locket. But why would I listen to him? After all, he was a traitor and a thief and . . ..
No. Stop.
I had to survive on my own. The only thing I could trust right now was my heart. Father had said that if I listened to my heart, I couldn’t go wrong.
I sat on a bench, looking at the waves crash against the stones underneath me. The moon gradually climbed in the sky. It was large and had a wild red shade to it. Staring at it, mesmerized, I felt peace wash over me. I was at the beginning of my life, not at the end. I didn’t have to be anything I didn’t want to be. But still, I didn’t know if the life of a merchant was something I desired. I needed something to show me my path.
A chill made me shiver and I woke up from my meditative state. The moon had climbed higher in the sky. I had been meditating for too long, and Petrian must be waiting for me at the starting point. I glanced around, noticing the place was now deserted. Now that there was no one, it was easy to imagine the time when pirates held their place in these ruins. How they had sighted the coming ships from afar, how they had celebrated their victories, how they had reveled in the city. I decided to follow a longer route to the main entrance for I hadn’t seen the whole castle yet. I wanted to see the hall before I left.
When I strolled between the stone ruins, something caught my ears. I heard talking. I tiptoed forward, under the archway, into the open corridor with gray stone columns circling around on my right and a wall to my left. There was a crack in the wall ten feet from me. The voices came from there. Like the thief I was, I snuck in and peeked through the hole. Several men stood in the dark space, lit with few torches. Most stood their backs in my direction.
“Father, I brought you the item we have been seeking,” a man’s lowered voice said.
“Well done, son. You shall be rewarded. I’m grateful for your loyalty and all the Divided will acknowledge your efforts.”
The man whose face I could see was an older man, tall, standing in a fierce posture like a leader. I couldn’t see him clearly as it was relatively dark. He got something from another man.
He started rubbing the locket, just like I had, and then he whistled the notes. Then suddenly, he roared, “It's empty! Where is it, Nicholas?”
I gasped. Nicholas?
The old man pulled Nicholas close to his face.
“What?” Nicholas sputtered.
“It’s empty. The medallion has nothing in it!”
He forced Nicholas to the ground and produced a knife from his pocket.
My heart flipped and I put my hand over my mouth. I shouldn't be here. This was the last place on this island where I should be, but I couldn't move. Once again, I was frozen to my spot, following the play in front of me.
“Tell me, where is the note.”
“Father . . .. I don't know! Maybe someone else has opened it before? I took it from a woman . . . Gina Mansfred! She must have opened the locket.”
“You let the woman go? A woman who had the locket of Achmerra?”
Nicholas stumbled up. “If she unlocked it . . . she might have the note.”
“You must find her, collect the note from her, and then kill her,” the older man said.
“I can get her,” a familiar voice called.
Elliot! What the hell was he doing there?
“No. I want to do it myself,” Nick said. “I know how to handle her.”
I stumbled backward, shaken by the harsh words, terrified that they were talking about me. A pigeon, startled by my steps, suddenly took off. I froze and listened. The men in the cove had quieted down.
“Nick, go to check it out.”
“Yes, Father.”
Oh no!
I needed to get away from there. I snuck beside the columns and ran across the wall as silently as I could. I leaned my back against the wall and peeked behind me. He was coming.
I didn't need to be careful anymore, so I abandoned the cover of the shadows and ran across the meadow. The dew had moistened the grass, and long strands got stuck to my ankles. I gathered up my skirts and cursed the common fashion. I should have worn pants!
I reached the cliff and pulled halt. I could see the flickering lights of the city under me, but the grass hill was steep. The path was on my right, but if I tried reaching it, Nicholas and those other men would find me. I glanced behind and saw Nicholas and some other men coming closer, and without thinking more, I jumped from the cliff.
After a brief flight in the air, I harshly fell down the grass hill on my bottom. I started to slide down the hill uncontrollably. Mud and wet plants stuck to my legs and hands as I tried to reduce my speed, but it merely increased. I smashed against a rock that had emerged from the dark, painfully hitting my thigh and arm. I suffocated my cry but let out a small scream when I started to roll and tumble as the hill steepened. The fall ended abruptly, and I lay on the bottom of the mountain, gasping for air, checking if I had broken anything. I hurt everywhere. I heard shouts above me and witnessed three men slide down the hill.
“No . . .. Oh, no!”
Ignoring the pain, I stumbled up, my head dizzy and feeling sick and hurt after the fall. My ankle was twisted and it hurt to put weight on it, but I didn’t care. Those men wanted me dead. I couldn't let them catch me. Never! I was near the cottages on the city’s edge, and I quickly snuck into the dark alleys. I stumbled and staggered, leaning against the walls.
I could never outrun them, not in this condition.
I heard them running behind me, and I continued my poor attempt at escape. Damn that burglar for giving me the locket! Tears obscured my eyes and fear caroused through me. Their voices were closer already. I peeked behind and saw a shadow lurk behind a corner.
I needed to defend myself.
I wiped my tears with my grimy hand and investigated my surroundings. I was standing in an alley behind a butcher’s store, and the sole thing I could find for my defense was a broken stick that was covered in blood. Wrapping my fingers around it, I placed my feet firmly on the ground. I tried to remember all the advice Ross had provided me in our fencing classes, but my mind was blank. The running steps were nearly here! My heart beat fast, I heard the blood rush in my ears. I took a breath and tried to soothe my nerves. Maybe they would let me go after I told them about the note, maybe they would—
A hand was placed over my mouth and the stick taken away from my hands. I tried to scream and kick, but the hands that had grabbed me were too strong. My attacker hauled me deeper into another alley, even darker and smellier. He was going to violate me, I knew it. This was how Gina Mansfred's life would end—raped and stabbed in an alley without anyone knowing. Subduing a sob, anger surged in me. I kept struggling and then finally bit the hand over my mouth as hard as I could.
“Ouch! Damn it! Don’t do that!” a man hissed in my ear. “Don’t you see I’m trying to save your ass?”
I was about to scream and bite again when he rammed me against the wall, covering me with his extensive body.
“Don’t . . . please,” I whispered and waited for his hands to start to grope me, but he shushed me. “Quiet. Pretend you’re kissing me.”
“W-what?”
“Now! They’re coming!”
I heard the steps closing in on us and squealed. The man holding me plunged his head low near my ear and his hands were suddenly around my waist. I pushed my head low and concealed my face against his chest.
He smelled nice.
I was shaking.
The steps ran past us and he nudged his head up.
“Okay, let’s get away from here.”
“Wait a minute,” I said and crossed my arms over my chest. “Who are you? I’m not going anywhere, I need—”
“They are looking for you. You need to get away from the street. I promise I’m not going to hurt you.”
I groaned when the searing pain surged in my skull.
“You’re injured. Come on, I’ll support you.”
“Fine. But if you are going to kill me, I’m going to . . . uh. My head hurts terribly.”
“I’ll help you.”
He carried me through the narrow alleys. I kept my eyes practically closed and leaned my head on his chest. He bound his arm around me, pulling me forward.
“We’re almost there. Hang on for a few more minutes.”
“I’m staying with Mat, take me to Mat’s place,” I mumbled.
“I think you might be suffering from a concussion. I need to get you to the Guild house.”
“Okay,” I said, nearly unconscious. I stumbled on my feet, and the man escorting me cursed. “Shit. Here, I got you.”
He scooped me in his arms when I passed out.
CHAPTER 12
“SHE’S WAKING UP,” a woman said. I flashed my eyes open. The light was bright, and I had to blink several times. I was kidnapped. I quickly sat up and moaned; the pain in my head was killing me. There were several people in the room, and I tried really hard to make sense of everything.
I jumped up, trying to exclude the pain in my ankle and fought the dizziness. I examined the people around me. There was an old man, his nose like a peak of an eagle with worry in his wise eyes. Beside him, on a high stool, sat a woman with short, red hair, her hands crossed over her chest, smiling with her white teeth showing. There were two other men by a window. Another one was tall and muscular. He glared at me under his dark eyebrows, and the other one—my kidnapper—leaned against the wall casually and studied me.
“Who are you, people?” I asked and took a step backward. “Why am I here?”
I kept squeezing and opening my fists. There was a searing pain in my head, and I felt sweaty and dirty. I glared at my surroundings to find a way to escape and was stunned by the glorious room. Grand bookshelves reached all the way to the high ceiling, statues stood on pedestals, huge paintings of wars and battles hung on the walls.
“You suffered from a concussion. You really should sit down, miss,” the old man said.
I didn’t reply to him.
He continued, “My name is Alcinous Ammen. I am the leader of this school.”
“Why am I here? I am staying at Mat Andelou’s place . . ..”
The red-haired woman jumped down from the stool and snorted. “Cause if we wouldn’t have found you, the Divided would have. And believe me when I say, it’s not as fun to be with them as it is here with us.”
“I don’t know anything about any Divided or anything else. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused, but I need to return to Andelou’s place.” I turned my back to them and limped to a door.
Before I had taken more than a few steps, someone grabbed my arm. My kidnapper. I looked at his hand on my arm and discovered a black star under his thumb. A shocked breath escaped my lips—the mark was exactly the same as the dead burglar had.
“You’ve been asking about Philip all over the city.”
I pulled my hand away from his grip and turned to Alcinous. “Do you happen to know any man named Philip?”
“Yes, I know a Philip,” he said. “One is standing next to you.”
I observed Philip. He had a similar star. I would tell him the message and have a nice vacation on this island. There was still so much I hadn’t seen—the rainbow waterfalls, the small villages on the eastern side of the island, and the other more minor islands which were a part of Los Lenyvos. I could wait to see if Mat would return and if not, I could leave Mat a note to contact me when he returns from whereever.
“Fine,” I said. “I have a message for you. Is this room . . . a secure place to talk?” He nodded.
“A few weeks ago in Karis, I came across a man in an exciting situation. Unfortunately, he was killed . . . not by me, but some others. I overheard his last words. He asked me to come to Los Lenyvos and find a man named Philip.”
“Pedro . . .” the red-haired woman whispered and concealed his face with her hands. The bulky man by the window laid his hand on the woman’s shoulder.
I lowered my voice and looked straight into Philip’s intense gray eyes. “He asked me to bring you a certain locket he was wearing.”
Everyone went silent as they stared at me.
“And do you have that locket with you, miss?” Alcinous asked.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have it. Someone stole it from me when I was traveling by ship—”
“Then all is lost!” the woman shouted and flung her hands up in the air. “If it’s gone, then everything is lost!”
Philip tilted his head and observed me with narrow eyes. He was oozing masculinity with his big biceps, clipped flaxen hair, and a few silvery scars on his face. He was confident and radiated power.
“You don’t seem to be worried,” he said to me.
“That’s right,” I said, feeling confident. “You see, I opened the locket, read the message, and after, the paper just dissolved. Puff.” I gestured with my hands. “The ones who took it . . . they have nothing but an empty shell. The message is in here.” I tapped my forehead with my finger.
Philip frowned. “When I found you tonight, do you know the men who were tracking you?”
I had recognized Nicolas. His deception still stung.
“I recognized one of them. The one who stole the locket from me . . . Nicolas Rain.”
I couldn’t believe I had kissed him. I was ashamed of myself, my naivety.
Alcinous walked closer to me, looking worried. “Nicolas Rain is one of the masters in the Divided. He is an extremely dangerous man. If he suspects you know the message, you are in grave danger.”
I closed my eyes. I knew I was in danger. I had heard them talking. I knew they wanted the message and me. If I told these people the message, would they all leave me alone?
“Even if you told us the message, they wouldn’t allow you to leave. Not when you know the secrets they don’t want anyone to know,” Philip said and looked at me.
I groaned and stroked my head. The headache was awful.
“I would like to rest a bit . . .. Could someone transport me to Mat Andelou’s place? Then I could think about all of this.”
Philip glanced the others in the room. “I don’t think you are safe. Let us take you there to gather your things and if you’d like, you can stay here with us. This is a place where they won’t come.”
I opened my mouth to disagree, but Alcinous nodded. “Absolutely. She needs to stay here. Ramon, Philip, go with her. Gather her belongings from Andelou’s place and get back here. Sera, make sure she has a room.”
“You can’t tell me what I need to do,” I said. I couldn’t believe all this. I was supposed to deliver the locket and meet Uncle Mat and then enjoy a vacation. This was not what I had had in mind.
Philip seized my arm and I experienced a sudden desire to smack him in his face.
“You have no idea what they are capable of, Gina. Please, stay here. At least for now.”
I paused and squinted my eyes. “I never told you my name.”
His mouth twitched and he let go of my arm. “Yes, you did.”
I slowly shook my head. “No, I didn’t. How do you know my name?”
He glanced at his boots and then met my eyes again. “I’ve been following you.”
“For how long?”
“Since Petrian gave you a lift. When you asked about me, he came straight to me.”
“So, I’ve been searching for you for a week, and you have been lurking behind me all along?”
Elevating one eyebrow, he said, “You were the easiest person to shadow. You were not cautious at all.”
I tossed my hands in the air. “I’m on vacation. I had no idea someone wanted me dead!”
His serious, gorgeous eyes connected with mine. “You can’t stay at Mat’s house.”
“I can and I will.” I turned around to leave, but the headache returned. I moaned and placed my hands on my head. I stumbled, and soon Philip’s firm hands held me.
“It’s okay. We will take you to Mat’s place,” he said. “We’ll make sure it’s secure.”
“Thank you.”
MAT’S HOUSE LOOKED QUIET. Marina had gone to visit her grandmother on the other side of the island. It smelled wonderful—she had promised to leave something for me to eat. There was a window open in the common room, and wind waved the curtains. I commanded Philip to stay outside while I packed and scribbled a note to Marina. I had decided to go with them, as I had to admit, I was scared.
I went to the study to write her a note after I had packed. When I stepped in, the door behind me was flung shut. I turned around and confronted Nick. He stood in the dark corner, staring at me. My heart started a loud gallop.
