“Only it turned out I was wrong.” Laous still sounded shocked, even though this event had been months ago. “His blood held no properties from Overworld. Nor the wife’s, which I took as a precaution. That was when I figured out where I went wrong. It was you I needed. You and a key, apparently. Which that useless Draygo had neglected to tell me the first time I questioned him.” His eyes were boring into me and I wanted to gouge them out. “He didn’t make that mistake again.” His chuckle was low and raspy. “Once I finally figured it all out, it was easy to lure you to Astoria. Then just as easy to get you here in Overworld. All without drawing any attention to myself.”
Not exactly true. Daniel had noticed, and he had told the other overlord minors. They would be able to go to the council … hopefully it wouldn’t be too late for me by the time they convinced them.
“Now that I finally have the right blood…” Laous scowled at me, like it was my fault he screwed up. “It should lead me to the key, and then that will lead me right to the other three.”
He flicked his fingers and two of the men in the middle of his line of defense stepped forward. I tensed, taking my first step back, arms falling from across my chest to rest at my sides, loosely held, ready to protect myself.
“It’s in your best interest to help us, human.”
Those words had me blinking at the overlord. “Oh yeah, I’m sure it’s totally in my best interest,” I replied, sarcasm strong.
A pop nearby blasted through us, my ears doing that weird ringing sound again. As the prisoners tumbled out of the egg about twelve feet from me, a single tear tracked down my cheek. Sara and Michael could barely drag themselves along the ground as they tried to move closer to each other, their emaciated forms weak, near dying.
“I will do whatever you need – please just help them,” I said in a rush, never taking my eyes from my guardians.
Laous chuckled, another psycho switch of emotion. “Your parents’ oldest friends, who’ve spent their lives trying to track down my world. Your parents caused that, you know, telling them stories that they shouldn’t have, opening their eyes to the wonders beyond Earth.”
Sara’s dark eyes were pools of pain, locked on me. I returned that gaze with my own, barely able to stop myself from rushing toward them. I needed to be smarter than that. There were a bunch of assholes standing in the way who could knock me out with one blow. Now was not the time for rash actions. Whatever happened, I was determined that Sara and Michael would be safely returned to Earth.
“If you need my blood, then just take it,” I demanded, my voice vibrating with emotion.
“Oh, I will.” A bark of words in return. “But it would be much easier for me if you just told me where the key is, rather than the tedious task of tracking it down. It will be something very special to your family, something which you feel a tie to.”
“Release my guardians first.” For once there was not an ounce of fear in my voice. Mostly because I was very serious about rescuing Sara and Michael. I owed them so much.
Sara lifted her head as high as she could manage, her dark curls matted and bunched on one side. “No,” she called out in a reedy voice. “Don’t … Em … no…”
My chest was hurting so badly, not the ribs this time, but right around my heart. I had to help them. I had to save them.
I eyed Laous again. “If you don’t send them home, they’re going to die, and I will never help you. You can torture me until I’m dead. I will never reveal where this key location is, and I will fight you for my blood. I will fight you the entire time.” My threats were somewhat empty, because these guys could overpower me in a second. And I had no idea what this key was he talked about. My parents hadn’t been precious about any of their things; they didn’t care about stuff. Besides, if there had been anything, wouldn’t it have burned up in the fire? Still I had to try to convince him it was better to let the Finnegans go.
“If you release them,” I continued, my voice confident, “send them back to Earth, show me evidence of them safe, and then give your word that you will never touch them again, I will help you with whatever you need. I give my word, which is worth as much as yours.”
He observed me for a few long moments. I was practically holding my breath, praying he would accept my terms. Finally he nodded. “I agree to your stipulations. You provide me with the key, and in return I will not harm your guardians. They’ll go right back to Earth, free to go wherever they please.”
“No…”
I ignored Sara and Michael’s pleas. “Are you sending them back right now?”
His eyes flicked across to the Finnegans, coming back to rest on me. “I’m going to give you three a moment to catch up, a chance to say goodbye. I want you to remember how much they mean to you.”
Lexen’s face flashed through my mind. I was eternally grateful that it seemed like House of Imperial knew nothing about my fondness for the Darkens. This dickbag would no doubt threaten anyone I cared about.
I could protect them from this. All of them.
The line of guards parted and I realized I was allowed to go to Sara and Michael. I started to cry as I hurried toward their frail forms. Neither of them could do much besides hold their heads up off the ground. I had no idea how they were still alive. Panic was very much taking over my body as I worried it was already too late. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered over and over as I knelt between them.
There was no way this was just starvation. They’d only been missing for a bit over a week. Laous had done much more than just starve them.
“Em…” Sara’s low murmur caught my ear, and I leaned down so I was resting my head next to hers. Our eyes locked on each other.
“Escape. Can’t … gii-ve … the key.”
Every word was a struggle for her; her chest wheezed as air sucked in and out. Tears fell down my cheeks but I managed to hold my sobs inside, even though my throat ached like it was in a stranglehold.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered back, placing my hands on hers and Michael’s. “I love you both so much. You saved my life this year. This is just a small thing I can do to return the favor. When you get back to Daelight Crescent, go straight to the guard and tell them you need to speak with a Darken. Make them contact Roland or Lexen. They will protect you.”
I didn’t know where this key was, so I had to hope they could get to safety before Laous decided to go after them again. I was giving them a chance; it was the best I had. I heard footsteps coming closer. My time with them was up.
