Chapter 503: Allies
I'd never felt like a rock star before. But the adoration and sudden need of each and every soul in the village to come and touch me, fall at my feet in sobbing joy, was about as close as I could imagine. It wasn't until Qesay chased them off I was able to join Ram and Ahmose in their examination of the transport.
"You just wasted your power on them, you know." Ahmose's clear disdain made me feel I'd done the right thing even more.
"Mine to share," I shot back before turning on Ram, temper prickling. "Well?"
He straightened from peering over the rounded lip, a small console fading into the surrounding hull. "Well." He shrugged. "Nicely done."
"Whatever." I wasn't in the mood for platitudes. "Will it run?" I didn't like the idea of having to carry it with magic, or ourselves for that matter, any distance.
"I can fix it," he said, though dubiously. "There's enough residual power left in the console I should be able to get it running long enough to access sunlight."
"Solar powered?" How odd.
"Not exactly." He chuckled, leaned against the hull, grinning at me. "Forgive me, Princess. I keep forgetting you weren't raised on Demonicon. Fire magic. The ship should soak up enough heat to reactivate the core of fire magic. Then it's just a matter of giving it enough to wake the core. It should then begin to absorb what it needs to our next destination."
"Ostrogotho." I faced him down though Ahbi's power twisted suddenly in my gut in protest.
"Milanseme," Ram said. "We have a meeting we're probably already too late for."
"I don't recall agreeing to any meetings." What, stubborn? Me?
"We could knock you over the head and toss you in the back again," Ram said.
"Correction." I held up one finger, power sizzling down its length. "You could try to knock me out and toss me in the back. While dying. Slowly and painfully."
Ram shrugged. "Can you fly one of these, Princess?"
Oh. My. Swearword. His tone and the whole Princess thing was getting on my last nerve. "I can learn," I said.
"I'm sure." He stepped back. "Off you go, then."
The worst was Ahmose's smirk. The. Worst. He was lucky I didn't send him back in pieces to the city we'd left.
"Just fix it," I snapped, hating how easily Ram pushed my buttons.
"Yes, Your Highness," he said before turning his back on me.
Oooh. Creeporama.
I found a place to perch on a wobbling stack of something I didn't want to investigate closely, arms once more crossed over my chest, face set in a frown. I was going to give myself premature wrinkles at this rate.
Ahmose grumbled about the filth while both Ram and I ignored him. I found myself instead focusing on the rather shapely back end of the demon bent over the side of the transport, his shirt discarded, pants hanging low on his lean hips. A deep cleft ran between his shoulder blades, slight points of his demon's spine shoving against the skin, tracing a lovely valley down to his waist, disappearing under the fabric. Broad shoulders, gleaming with perspiration, flexed, muscular arms showing perfect definition as he used magic and sheer strength to lift the transport free and float it into the middle of the alley.
Yum.
No, not yum. Stop it.
But...
Sigh.
I shifted my focus to the narrow hull, several large dents and one rather gaping hole in the side not adding to my optimism. But Ram grinned at me, turning so his muscular chest caught the light of the suns, bare and shapely, a thin line of black hair beginning at his sternum, tracing a line into his pants...
"Should be fine," he said as my gaze jerked from his waist to his eyes. Was that laughter?
Oh hell no.
"Better be," I said. Grumpy, yup, yup. "Just hurry up."
Ram bowed, winked. Flexed his chest.
Creepzilla.
I lurched to my feet and spun on my heel, marching to the end of the short alley, my back to them both. My demon might have been a traitor, oogling some guy who, admittedly, was rather attractive. Or would have been if he hadn't kidnapped me. But I wasn't about to fall for his charms, no way, no how.
The heat of the suns was finally starting to affect me, breaking through the surface of my water shield. I could only imagine how hot it was for the boys, but I chose heartless over helping. Forget it. They could fend for themselves. Since this was their fault.
Syd. I meeped a little cry of nerves as Sassafras's voice reached me, faint but there.
I glanced over my shoulder, but neither Ahmose nor Ram were looking my way. Ducking around the end of the building for some privacy, I reached out to my demon cat with something akin to desperation.
Sass! I almost sobbed with relief to feel him in my head, though it was only now I understood how much strain I'd been under and that the silver Persian somehow meant rescue to me.
Syd, where are you? I could feel him pacing, tail twitching, though for some reason our connection was weak and only showed me flashing images of him.
I was kidnapped. I ran him through the scenario quickly, wrapping it up with my best guess at our location.
Sassy sighed when I finished. Despite his unconventional means, he sent, this Rameranselot's reasoning is probably sound.
Um, what?
You were attacked in your cell, correct? I agreed as Sass went on. Then your life is in danger.
How do I know he didn't set up the little show for my benefit? Anger bubbled, new resentment rising.
Because your kidnappers killed the three Guards, Sass sent. And are now to be executed themselves.
Wait a second. Despite the growing heat, I felt myself go cold. They were alive when I was drugged.
Then either your two friends killed them after you were unconscious, Sassy sent, or someone else killed them.
Sass, I sent. There's more. I filled him in on Ahbi's geas while Sass grumbled softly.
Your father told me about this, he sent. Let me feel.
I opened to Sass, and despite the weak connection, I felt it when he first touched on Ahbi's power and then the geas.
Why hasn't Dad tried to reach me? I bit my lower lip, feeling it tremble as anger gave way to desperation. How had I ended up in this disaster again?
He tried, Sass sent. Meira's with me and she tried. I've been trying for hours. But I've only now broken through.
Through what? I pushed harder, trying to strengthen the connection, feeling something in the way. Something that felt much like the wall between me and the veil.
I don't know, he sent. But at least I've finally found you.
The trial? I didn't have to ask.
The evidence my mother and others have brought is damning, Syd, he sent. I won't lie to you. But if we can get you back here, let the tribunal feel the geas, they will know you didn't steal Ahbi's power, but were given it willingly.
As soon as he spoke, my demon grandmother's magic protested. With a kick in the guts so hard I doubled over with a grunt of pain.
Syd! Sassy's panic tightened our link, if only for a moment. What happened?
Ahbi doesn't seem to agree with your plan, I sent. Not even a little.
He fell silent so long I worried I'd lost him. I feared as much, he sent at last. The bossy old bitch. Funny how he spoke with such affection despite his words. How long do you have before you have to move on?
Now that we were talking about it, I could feel the pull of the geas building inside me, the thrum of the dark promise I had no choice in making. Not sure. A while.
I'll come to you, he sent. I could feel him moving. At least then I'll be able to stay in touch with your father.
No, Sass. As much as I wanted him with me, if he was the only one I could reach through this weird blockage, I needed him with Dad. My escape route, if I was ever able to break the geas. Just cover for me. The anger I'd felt returned, but I realized then all of my irritation and frustration had nothing really to do with Ram or Ahmose or being kidnapped. I have to find Ameline.
You're certain it's her? Sassafras's magic flickered as the connection weakened.
I am. My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I stared with hatred at the horizon, knowing she was out there, somewhere. I have no idea how she did it, but she's here, Sass. And she killed my grandmother. How much of my anger was mine and how much was Ahbi's? I didn't know. Or care. Revenge it was.
I could feel Sass's hesitation, but he finally hugged me with his mind. Be careful, he sent. And stay in close touch. A little pause. You can trust this Ram, Syd?
I have no idea, I sent. But I don't have much choice.
He sadly broke contact while I sagged back against the side of the building, almost falling as the wobbly wall gave way. Ram appeared just as I staggered forward to prevent the catastrophic collapse of a villager's house. He caught me, pulling me upright.
Amber eyes studied me a moment. Did he know I had been talking to Sass? Was he or those he worked for the cause of the blockage keeping me from talking to my father or using the veil? And could I trust him?
Those questions swam around inside my head like starving sharks while Ram released me with a little smile.
"I fixed it, Princess," he said. "Time to go."
***
