Deception (29 page)

Pike gave us time to finish our business and approached.  Ian looked like he was reading him easily enough while I was still in the beginning stages of figuring out guy talk much less guy body language.  And that’s without the mind reading ability.   

I was in too much bliss to care or notice.  Ian broke the silence first and turned us around to face where he’d been standing too close not to be watching.  “The binding is severed by death only.  What can be done, I do not know.”  He squeezed my shoulder and walked over to Pike.

Death?

Pike pondered aloud as he watched me, “The only one that I’ve ever heard of that the binding was overruled is dead. If my history is correct, somehow they reversed the binding.  I wouldn’t know where to start except maybe the seer.”

My heart rate hadn’t slowed down but I was fully into the conversation.  “We can talk to the seer?  It’s the easiest first place to start?”

Pike offered, “There is something about royal blood being important to the binding, but I never cared, so I never inquired.”

I just shrugged rubbing my wrist in spy mode so the two wouldn’t analyze the amount of pain as more than it was.  Nothing was going to get me down right now.   I could tell Ian was happy mostly, but anxiety was written all over his face as they talked back and forth like I wasn’t there.  Kind of like a two way mirror separated us and they could see me, but I was oblivious to what was being said.  Well, I could hear every word and see them both.  Pike was eyeing my hand and rubbing his chin.  He knew.  Of course, he could read my thoughts.  And oddly, he hadn’t made a snide remark yet.

“We will go find the seer.  There is no need to create panic until we are sure there is something to panic about,” I reached to grab Ian’s hand to comfort him but the burn on my wrist was still tender and I twisted my arm back when it rubbed against his hand.  Ian was alarmed instantly.   Ode to the god of perfect timing.   Way to remind him of the thing he’s worrying about the most.  

“Its fine,” I lied. Not that I can hide my pain since Ian immediately looked at Pike in an attempt to check my honesty.  “Oh, you two quit that.  I have no privacy.”

Picking up on the tension in the air, Pike offered to leave us alone, but Ian told me that he and Pike had to take care of something.  When I asked what it was, he simply replied, “We’ll handle it.”  I wanted to question it, but left well enough alone. 

They both wanted to examine my wrist again and again before they left me sitting at the map table with a guard on each corner and a demand for alarm bells if I so much as winced in pain.  They spent way too much time on something trivial, I thought.  After both boys took turns twisting and turning my arm, I was finally able to unleash my memoirs on the hour. I needed to replay the events to believe them anyway.

My mind dashed and hurtled through the reasons why Pike was being okay with this. And why does Ian still question my motives secretly with Pike?  Is it simply from the frustration of not being able to know himself or to check in and see if Pike is listening like I told him not to do?  More likely, the first scenario is playing out but I still didn’t like them working together when it came to the subject of me.



              Once again, Ian never knew my sneak skills were so adept.  I followed them to the clearing, guard and all.

Ian walked to the middle where I stood when Kin reached to grab me during the meet up. 

“To step in the clearing, Kinsler had to leave footsteps.”  Pike was searching the ground where he would’ve entered. 

“Are you sure they belong to him?”

“I know his print.  He spies more than you think.  Not so stealthy when your brain’s the size of a damn lima bean.” 

Ian actually laughed.  Then  he actually joked with Pike, about me.  “Yeah, you had to be there.”

“I was.”

“Peas.” Pike cut his head over.

Ian chuckled, but not like when with me. It was huskier. “She said he was pea-sized. You should have seen his face.”

“I did.”  They laughed again before looking around.  I was in all kinds of awe.   They were acting like friends.

Pike explained to Ian that he’d tracked the same footprints through several places in the woods nearby for weeks as well as by the garden at court.  He could confirm that it was Kin today if the footprints match.  They found their answer in the dirt right where Kin entered and exited the circle.

“See?  He drags his left foot just slightly since that run in with the dwarves from a few years back.  He called it a football injury with the humans.  No one else would even notice it.  Remember?”

Ian bent and examined the ground closer.

  “He’s playing both courts and I want to find out why.  I tracked him all the way to the winter court at the end of the summer season.  They stopped right outside the guard station of his
own
court he was banished from.  I can’t figure out his agenda, but he is watching both courts, seducing the Nyms, and now playing us like a crappy game of crap.”

“Only a Seelie can bind to another Seelie and the same for the Unseelie.  When the bind was complete, he bound the two courts, I’m sure of it.  At least it was the intention.  This could be devastating.  Or, it could null and void the whole binding.”  

So Ian did know something. 

“I want to check with Altheon.”
              “No duh, man.  He won’t give up trying to get her.  If he gets her alone—“

I didn’t understand every word Ian replied with, but it wasn’t appropriate.  Ian didn’t like Kin.  That much was confirmed.  And Pike and his Prince Charming ways were uttering words that no lady should hear.

They headed back to camp and shared their conclusions to both me and then to the necessary guards. 

After all the told thoughts on the footprints, Kin’s possible motives for being in both courts, and avoiding why Kin might bind to me, I entertained the idea that perhaps he trying to start a war but they both dismissed it.   I wasn’t convinced yet.

Really he could’ve been trying to force a marriage binding to join the courts, which in turn would make him king over both courts.  That’s assuming he regains his exiled status out of the Unseelie court.  And it would be just like him to off his father, force me into something horrific, and no doubt, off the two Seelie court princes.  Or, he could be as simple as starting a war.  Or, both!  Or none of the above!
  Ay!
I’m dying here.

I had no doubt that I had heard the condensed version and not their full set of worries.  The hard part was hiding what I’d heard from their own lips and couldn’t tell. 

“A war!” I was in total shock by the idea and glad after arguing it out, they were finally listening.  Playing make-believe was an asset, but difficult and unfortunately, needed around the two of them.  Ian gave first when I mentioned carefully that perhaps Kin wanted to cause friction and make the Seelie court fall apart.

“Between the courts,” Ian answered.  “It could happen.”

“How?” I asked.

“That part, we’ve no idea!  You are the only connection at the moment.  With so many kings and queens dead in the last hundred years, who knows. Otherwise, I have my guesses.” Pike rubbed his chin stubble causing a scratching noise. 

Distracted, I looked at Ian’s chin.  He had stubble growing too.  They must have shaved in the human world.  They should leave it like that more.

Pike snickered.  He was freaking listening inside my head again after ignoring me for a while.  I snarled at him as he rubbed his chin again forcing it to make even louder scratching sounds.
Jerk!

“But no evidence points in that direction other than our speculation,” Ian folded his arms watching both of us. 

The pertinent topic was deadpanned with Pike announcing my female stupidity and need to mind wonder about things I shouldn’t.

“Grace here requires a no shave day.”  Pike smirked and planted his feet in front of me.

“Not sure I like this anymore.  Maybe I’ll hire Danella to keep an eye on her thoughts.  You’re—“

“What are you afraid of, Tree Boy?  She might like it.”  Pike squared his shoulders up. The real Pike steps up.

I started to scream at the ridiculous name calling returning.  J
ealous much? 
I let that slip through.  “He’s not afraid of anything.  He’s looking out for my best interests, unlike you.”  The old Pike might have been a silent hide under the bleachers kind of guy, but this Pike would never leave without the last word no matter what.   So I knew he’d not leave well enough alone now.

“Oh, I’m looking out at your best interests.  That I can see very well.”  He watched me intensely stepping an inch closer. 

Brilliant!  You’re a pig, DO.YOU.HEAR.ME?  And you can go blind for all I care.

“What?  I know you like what you see, Grace.  Go blind?  I think not!  Unless it’s to Tree Boy’s thoughts about you.  But your thoughts about me…you seem to have no problem understanding what I mean or making it clear what you mean or do you just like it that much?  Your
interests
line up with mine more than you want to admit,” he taunted me.

“ENOUGH!”  Ian yelled.

I jumped two feet up in the air.  We sat in silence a while before changing the subject to Kin.  This, oddly enough, was a safer subject than
my interests
.  I just knew Pike would try something standing this close, but he backed away and sat across from me at the table.  Not far enough to avoid his wordless gaze that said so much.

The three of us speculated for the rest of the night staying strictly away from any subject matter involving me. Mostly, Pike and Ian stayed in silent speculation
avoiding
me.  Or rather any subject involving me that’s outside of meeting with the rebel leader of the Nyms, evil plots to hurt and create war, or the possibility of any surprise attacks from Kin, Kin, KIN! 

I needed a break from the two of them so I excused myself to the tent set up for the ladies.   When I returned, it was decided that Ian and I would go back the Seelie court and see Al, the seer about the binding.  Once again, we left the next day without a goodbye from Pike. 

We’d traveled almost halfway back before the guards frightened me half to death.   Both of them!

They sandwiched me in within seconds creating an instant shield understanding quickly how bologna felt. 

I was over the shock enough to attempt knocking them away, but I found out too soon that wasn’t a possibility.  I couldn’t hear any sounds coming out of Ian or whether he was still behind me or not.  So I decided I’d just wait. 

A rapid stutter of wings sounded from the left sided barbarian dude with a low whispering wind encircling around near the top of my head.  Twisted green trees were barely visible to my allowable blind spots.  This was a dangerous part of goblin territory we were forced to traverse. No one ever mentioned they would attack us. 

I knew he was leaving out more than needed, but I hated nagging him about little details he’d felt obligated to leave out.  I could handle more than he liked to admit.  Why couldn’t he let me be stronger?  Information makes you stronger.  He called himself protecting me.

Something flew past my head and slammed fiercely into Rion, the guard, barely missing his head.  He grunted as he held his ground and solidified the wall around me.  The smallest elevator wasn’t this compact. 

I locked myself down to keep a breath from escaping.  The object in question fell near my foot and rolled down the jagged rocky ground this part of the journey ventured into. To me, it looked like a small bowling ball impacting with the weight of an elephant
.
I looked up into Rion’s eyes trying to gauge his pain.  He didn’t show an ounce of it in the coal black emptiness that stared down.  They were taking the hits meant for me.  I looked back and forth from guard to guard and then reminded myself that Ian was possibly fighting for his life. What if I lost him? A chasm of deep fear entered my mind, body, and soul.  Peeking out beyond my bodyguards once more reassured the fact he was a fighter.  A warrior.  A protector
.  My guardian! 

Another black ball slung toward my protectors just as the sound of it crashed to the ground beside us.  They stood their ground, but I watched in agony as their faces showed little pain.  I caught a flicker of motion just in front of me and saw the glare of Ian’s sword glisten in the sunlight as it danced around in the air.  Then I saw ugly, brown scaly legs flying up in the air and assumed whatever was attached to the legs hit the ground hard.  I heard clothes rip.  I heard something breaking and hoped it was sticks, not bones.

Just then, a tug on the hem of my traveling gown forced me to lean into Rion.  A small creature, much like the goblins I’d seen before I entered the realm of the Fey, was pulling at me.  They were goblins.  I wasn’t sure of its intent, but from the looks of what Ian was dealing with, it wasn’t going to be satisfied with just the hem of a dress.

I felt another tug on my shoe from the front and began to scream.  My guards gathered around held me squeezed even tighter and before I could really get my feet free of the little brown scaly clawed hands. I lost my balance and felt gravity pull me to the earth.  Hands came from several directions now.  Even though I felt semi-safe, I was screaming from the pinched feeling of the sharp nails digging into my ankle.  I hated feeling this helpless.