Stone of Hope

Chapter 20

“Ash?”

Who I thought would be Ash turns out to be a golden god who steps out from the shadows into the light. My eyes are like saucers as I take him in. Running my eyes from head to toes and back up again, my instincts tell me to run. I quickly turn and try to make it back inside, but he steps in front of me and cuts off my path. Thwarted, I look at the golden haired, blue eyed, flawless man standing before me, pristine in his charcoal grey, tailored suit. He reaches out, placing the slightest touch of his fingers on my chin to close my gaping mouth, and heat climbs to my cheeks. I stand perfectly still, mesmerized by his eyes. He reaches around the back of my head, fumbling for the ribbon that secures my mask. Suddenly he sighs and quickly steps back into the shadows.

Who the hell was that? I’m shaken.

Belatedly hearing approaching footsteps, I turn and see Molly.

“Jewel, why don’t you head back inside? You’ve been out here long enough.” Molly grabs my hand and hauls me back inside, but not before I glance at the shadows.

Improvising a smooth lie, I remark, “I was just making sure you and Alfred had plenty of time to get to know one another.” I shoot her a knowing smile.

“Thank you,” she whispers, returning my smile right as we reach our table.

“Jewel,” Timber greets me, pushing my chair in for me as I sit.

I smile in response, trying not to let him see how rattled I am, and reach for more punch. Thankfully, Timber sits next to Paul and I’m able to ask Molly about the man I just met.

“He was huge,” I begin, careful to keep my voice down. “Tall like Timber, but the muscles on him were massive, bigger than any I’ve ever seen. He was dressed head-to-toe in charcoal gray, which I have yet to see in this Kingdom, now that I think about it?—”

As I talk, I notice Molly’s face goes white and her eyes get impossibly wide. She jerks her hand over to Alfred’s arm as he’s talking to Paul and Timber.

BOOM!

A loud explosion sounds in the hall, and wood flies across the dance floor from the main entrance. Without warning, I’m thrown to the ground with Timber’s body covering mine, protecting me from the impact of the blast as wood and debris rain down. I look up in time to see the man from outside casually stepping through the hole where the front door used to be, leading a column of similarly dressed soldiers, their size much larger than the Northern trolls.

Timber sees them too, because in a flash, he’s off me and shouting orders to his army. I stand to follow, but Molly grabs me and starts to pull me under the table.

“Who are they?” I ask, my voice shaking.

“They’re from the South Kingdom!” Molly pulls more insistently on my hand. “Please, Jewel, the stories I’ve heard about them… Please, we must hide!”

I take in the Southern trolls. They all bristle with weapons, gripping everything from swords to giant clubs that look like thorn branches, but the man I saw outside still has his sword sheathed. As the Southern trolls march inside and line the perimeter by the front door, the man from outside approaches the middle of the dance floor. Several of his soldiers follow him. The Southern soldiers hold their swords and giant clubs out menacingly, but the man from outside coolly surveys the room until his eyes land on me. Timber sidles in front of me protectively.

The man’s voice booms out over the crowd. “You have the stone, and we have come to take it.”

“I do not have the stone!” King Forrest answers forcefully, slamming his fist down on the table. “What proof do you have, King Destine?”

“The rumors are true, are they not?” King Destine answers slyly. “Word has gotten out that you have a jewel in your possession.” As the eyes of each Northern troll turn to me, I let out an exasperated breath and roll my eyes. Within moments, Timber’s army assembles and puts themselves between Prince Timber and their King.

“You have mistaken a rumor for a name, you fool.” The words spill from King Forrest’s mouth with confidence and conviction. “You are unwelcome here. Please take your men with you and leave.”

King Destine stands his ground and raises his eyebrows. “Then the pregnancy rumors within your kingdom are untrue? I do not move my army on a mere whim or rumor, King Forrest. I came here based on facts. There are five females pregnant, are there not?”

He must not know of Norell. That means whoever is spying for King Destine wasn’t at the meeting the night Paul told the King that Norell is pregnant.

King Forrest barks, “What goes on in my kingdom doesn’t concern you. Like I said, you have based your actions on rumors. We have no jewel or stone. You have mistaken her name,” pointing at me, “for the stone you seek.” All eyes turn to me once more.

In answer, King Destine takes a step toward me and Timber charges him with his sword drawn. Molly tries to drag me away, but I remain standing, shocked, watching the fight unfold.

With a hand signal, King Destine’s men draw their swords and flank the Northern army. Without a moment’s hesitation, the soldiers are fighting each other. Metal clashes against metal, echoing in the glittering ballroom. King Forrest vaults from behind his table, reaching King Destine before Timber can, so Timber turns to the man standing behind King Destine. Everywhere I turn, there is violence. All the women flee the room, tables are shattered, and trolls of both armies are being tossed in the air. At some point, Molly must have let go of my arm and ran to safety. I know I should run, too. Danger surrounds me, but I can’t seem to look away.

King Destine’s solider kicks Timber in the stomach, sending him flying through the air. He lands head-first on one of the tables, then rolls to his stomach and struggles to get up. The solider lifts his thorn branch, aiming to strike, and my feet move quicker than they ever have. I reach Timber just in time to shield him with my body, the thorn branch scraping my side and back before flinging me into the wall.

Landing in an awkward tangle of limbs, I put my hands of both sides of my head to try and make the room stop swaying. I take shallow breaths, pain sizzling down my back with each intake. Once the dizziness starts to fade, I search for Timber, finding him standing, gripping the hilt of his sword. A look of confusion crosses his face as he looks around. He doesn’t see me leaning against the wall, and heads back into the fight. The solider who attacked him is now fighting King Forrest. I peel myself off the floor and start making my way against the chaos, trying to find a way to safety. Suddenly, rough hands grab me around my waist and spin me around.

“Jewel.” The strange man speaks with a sense of confident calm and familiar ease, his crystalline eyes never leaving mine. The sounds of clanging metal fades, and the battle ends as quickly as it began. Confused, my eyes search the ballroom and find Timber. His eyes wide with fear, he drops the handle of his sword and his blade clatters to the floor. He looks past my eyes, into the mocking eyes of King Destine.

King Destine knows he has won. With a maniacal glint, he calls out, ”Let’s dance! It is a party, after all.” He adjusts my wooden hands in a dancing embrace and starts to spin me around the room. With each revolution, I frantically try to keep my eyes on Timber. “Please don’t look away from me,” he warns, turning me so I can no longer see Timber. “It’s rude.” After a moment, he asks, “Do you know who I am?”

“Y-yes,” I stumble. “You are King Destine, ruler of the Southern Kingdom.”

His eyes light up in delight and his perfectly even smile widens further. “And what have you heard about me?” We spin in the other direction, my head spinning along with us.

“I’ve only heard why you are at war.” I feel trapped, somehow knowing I need to see Timber again. The image of Molly’s white face and big eyes as she spoke of this king keep coming back to me.

“And what opinion have you formed?” He twirls me once again despite the lack of music. The silence is deafening.

Hearing nothing but the thunderous sound of my heartbeat, I concentrate on my breathing. Looking in his eyes, I pause and stop moving. “From others, I’ve been told you are a ruthless king. From my own experience, I see this same king standing before me, willing to start a war over a name. My name.” I narrow my eyes.

Shaking his head, he clicks his tongue. “Jewel, surely you’ve lived long enough to know that pregnancies are such a rare, precious gift, that some kingdoms have gone years without any, yet this kingdom has five. That is proof the stone is here!” He starts the dance again, but lowers his voice. “Is it so hard to believe that a King such as myself would do whatever it takes to make his people happy? To bring on the many blessings we would have if I had the stone in my possession?”

I don’t know what to say to that. Even King Forrest believes it’s here, according to the conversation I overheard! I look for anyone to help me out of his grasp. King Forrest and Prince Timber stare at me, but they don’t move due to the swords at their necks by King Destine’s soldiers. I see desperation in their eyes. Looking for an escape route, I look anywhere but at him.

Yelling comes from the hallway outside the ballroom, followed by the sound of objects crashing to the floor. “We don’t have the stone!” someone shouts. Another person yells, “The stone is here!”

King Destine’s voice turns rough. “Enough games, Jewel.” I bring my eyes back to him. His voice is soft. “Tell me your opinion of me now.” His eyes look into mine, trying to read me.

I can’t imagine why he cares about my opinion, so I assume he is stalling while his soldiers search the castle. “I do not form opinions based on others’ thoughts or perceptions,” I declare. “If you’d like me to form an unbiased opinion, you’ll have to tell me your side of the war – your stories of the South Kingdom, your land, before I’ll make up my mind about what type of person you really are.” My only hope is to stall long enough for Timber to think of a plan, or for King Destine to become bored with me.

His smile is smug. “You are so delightful.”

As he drags his hand up my back to pull off the mask, I cringe as he rubs the open scratches from the thorns. He quickly pulls his hand back, seeing blood. He gently turns me around and moves my hair to the side. I gasp in pain as my hair drags across the open wounds. Words of outrage suddenly surround us.

“Who dared to hurt a female troll?” King Destine’s voice booms. “You know the penalty!”

I hear Timber yell in return, “Death by my sword!”

Death?

Destine turns me back around to face him, lifting my chin. I am alarmed by the concern swimming in his eyes. “Who did this to you?”

I feel pure rage at the look of pity in his eyes. He may as well have done it himself – it was his order of attack that caused this entire ordeal! “I will not be responsible for someone’s death,” I announce, not daring to look away from him for fear my eyes might travel to someone in the crowd and have them be accused of it. “This war you wage is all about power,” I scoff, allowing my voice to ring out above the crowd. “Power to increase your race. I refuse to be a part of decreasing it. Even if it is one life. Each life you take will take away part of who you are. I will not be the cause of someone’s death.”

“Keeping our race from dying means keeping our females safe,” he answers soundly. “I will not ask you again.” His fingers dig into my arm painfully, though I don’t think he’s aware of it.

For a brief moment, my eyes lock onto his in a silent challenge. A smug smile comes across my face and a look of confusion crosses his. He will not hurt me, none of them will. I am a female. With a quick twist of my body, I’m out of his grasp and heading in what I hope is the direction of my room. Gasps echo throughout the ballroom as I head in the direction of what is left of the main entrance. Fingers snap behind me and King Destine’s soldiers move in a blur, blocking my way to the blown-out entrance. All eyes are locked on me, shocked either by my defiance, or by the damage done to my back. Whatever it is, I don’t care.

I breathe a heavy sigh as I come to a stop and change direction. My adrenaline from earlier starts to wear off as my back begins to throb. Ignoring the pain, I realize no one is trying to stop me; maybe they’re all in shock. I’m only a short distance from another door I pray leads me out of here. I take a step when a powerful shock of pain flares up my spine. I stop mid-stride, holding my breath and waiting for it to pass. I try to recover quickly, hoping no one notices, but the pain is too great and my head begins to sway. Somewhere far off, I hear the words Darkland and King Gus.

A hand grabs my arm and spins me around, and that’s all it takes. The quickness of the action makes the room spin even more. Confused, my head falls and I notice blood on the floor and coating the bottom of my dress. It all happens so quickly. At first, I’m falling, then I’m suddenly in the air being cradled against someone’s chest.

I hear Timber’s voice. “Starber Jewel!” he shouts.

All I can manage is a quiet plea. “Help me.”

I feel a gust of wind and smell smoke before inky darkness takes over.