19. Captured
Captured
Cerise
Every cell in my body went cold as I froze, staring wide-eyed at the group of men, their expressions eager and cruel.
Poachers. Oh gods, no.
What were we going to do?
Liam took a step in front of me, raising his hands. “We’re just passing through. If you let us go, we promise not to tell anyone about you.”
My heart raced so fast, it felt as if my chest would certainly burst. One of the men stepped forward and said to his companions, “Bring them to camp.”
Liam tensed. “Run, Cerise,” he said between gritted teeth.
I turned as fast as I could in the mud, the rain now a light drizzle as the storm passed, and took off toward the trees. But I didn’t make it far.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, pinning my own arms to my sides as I was lifted off the ground against a broad chest. I screamed, kicking and struggling as I tried to wrench myself from his grasp.
“Unhand me!” I ordered, slamming my heel against his shin.
The poacher let out a curse as another lurched forward and grabbed my ankles, rendering my legs useless, his grip so tight I gasped in pain.
“Don’t touch her!” Liam shouted as he tried to pull away from two men who were holding him back.
A burly man hit Liam on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
“No!” I screamed, flailing and resuming my attempt to escape. “Liam!”
A tall and wide man with tan skin and sandy blond hair yanked Liam’s head up by his hair, pulled a knife out, and held it against his throat. “If you don’t stop screaming and carrying on, I’ll kill him. We only need one of you anyway. So don’t try anything.”
I froze, heeding his orders, my heart still racing a mile a minute.
“Let’s go,” the blond man—who appeared to be the leader—ordered as he headed away. The group followed, two men dragging Liam, another two gripping my arms, with the last bringing up the rear.
I thought through every potential escape.
I could struggle again…or somehow surprise them enough to loosen their grip and then run into the woods.
I could feign illness and perhaps they would let go.
But even if I was able to free myself from their clutches, they were faster than me and I refused to leave Liam behind, especially when he was incapable of protecting himself.
I would have to wait for him to awaken and a better opportunity.
Forcing myself to match their pace, I allowed the men to march me through the forest, all of our supplies left behind.
Determined to make it back to our belongings after our escape, I paid sharp attention to our surroundings, cataloguing each tree or rock, every odd plant or bright flower, and committing it all to memory.
We passed by a large tree with a heart-shaped burl in the center of its trunk. A few minutes later, we climbed over a fallen log, covered in lichen that resembled a face.
All the while, I remained quiet, sneaking glances at Liam from up ahead, still not awake.
It wasn’t long before we crested a hill, arriving at a large camp. Half a dozen tents took up the space in the clearing, set up next to a small river. A fire crackled in the center beneath a tall structure protecting it from the mist coming down.
But my eyes caught on something else.
The animals.
Dozens of cages sat throughout the site, filled with wildlife.
Clear containers held brilliant-colored snakes and lizards.
An entire family of sturudillos were crammed into their own enclosure.
A stunning parrot, its feathers a rainbow of colors, cawed from his pen. Monkeys chattered. A small fox whined.
And my heart broke.
These weren’t just poachers. They were part of the illegal animal trade where people could purchase exotic pets on the black market.
I was livid.
“What is this?” I shrieked, forgetting my plan to be quiet. “What are you doing to these poor animals?” I began to struggle again. “Let go of me this instant. This is highly illegal. You cannot do this!”
“Will someone shut her up?” the leader barked.
Before I could prepare myself, a fist hit my face.
Stars danced in my vision and pain bloomed across my cheek.
My head fell forward as I was dragged across camp, moaning through the throbbing in my cheek.
Everything was blurry. I could barely see through my tears.
Could barely focus through the pounding in my head.
Almost delirious I barely comprehended someone tying rope around my wrists and ankles, then dropping me to the ground.
“Liam,” I moaned. Where was he? I needed him. I needed help. “Liam…” I whispered again.
Then, my vision went dark.
“Cerise.” A voice. Soft. Quiet. Worried.
My head pounded; my face throbbed.
I tried to move but I couldn’t. Something rough dug into my wrists. I let out a small whimper.
“Cerise…” the voice whispered again. Where was it coming from? “Sunshine…can you hear me?”
Liam. It was Liam’s voice.
With great effort I forced my eyes open. My feet came into view first, ankles tied with rope. There was a dirt floor beneath me and something hard against my back.
“Cerise,” Liam said again. “Look at me. Can you lift your head?”
“Yeah.” My voice was rough, my throat dry.
I straightened, my senses finally returning, and met Liam’s worried emerald eyes.
He was tied up, sitting against a pole with his hands behind his back and ankles secured with rope like mine.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said.
I blinked rapidly, still dizzy from that punch. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure. I woke up and we were tied up in here.” His face darkened as he looked at me, eyes catching on my cheek. “Someone hit you.”
“Yes,” I whimpered, my eyes welling with tears. “How bad is it?”
“It’s not that bad. Your cheek is swollen and starting to bruise.”
“Liam…they—” I took a breath, trying to gather my words. “They knocked you out. Threatened to kill you if I didn’t cooperate.”
I started to tremble. How in the world were we going to escape?
There were half a dozen of them and two of us.
We didn’t know how to fight. We weren’t violent.
Perhaps we could somehow get free of our restraints and run.
But I didn’t know how far we’d be able to make it before they were upon us.
They obviously knew this terrain well, and we didn’t.
“Take a breath, Cerise. We’re going to get out of here. Try to stay calm.”
“How? How are we going to get out?” I whispered harshly, pulling at the rope binding my wrists. “Can you use your magic to help?”
“It’s too risky. I could burn through my ropes, then yours, but they’re fast. And my magic isn’t powerful enough to take down all of them.”
“So what do we do?”
“Wait for the right opportunity. They need us for something,” Liam said.
“What makes you say that?”
“Because we’d be dead otherwise.”
I stopped struggling as I mulled over his words. “What do you think they want from us?”
“No idea. But my guess is they need help finding some animal they’re hunting.”
“Of course. To add to their horrible collection.”
I scanned the space around us. There wasn’t much in the dark tent, lit by the subtle glow of a lantern. A table sat in the corner with a few books, specimen containers, maps and papers strung about. But no tools or knives. Nothing that could serve as a weapon.
The sound of boots outside the tent drew near. The flaps opened and in stepped the blond man, crossing his arms as he looked down at us.
“The two of you better do everything I say. We only need one of you. Do you understand?”
Liam glared at him. “What do you want with us?”
“We have a special request for an animal that’s hard to track.
When I heard there were beastologists in the area, I was hoping we’d find your research camp.
But color me surprised when we came upon you two in the middle of the jungle.
You’re going to help us track down this animal and trap it.
” His voice was low, gruff. And he sounded more intelligent than the others, which could cause us problems.
“No,” I said immediately. I would not aid in the capture of a wild animal. I refused.
The change in blondie’s demeanor revealed his ire at my answer.
Stupid. Stupid, Cerise. Why would you talk back to him like that?
He strode up to me, fire in his eyes as he pulled his foot back like he was about to kick me.
“Stop!” Liam shouted. “We’ll do it. We’ll help. Whatever you want. Anything. Just…just don’t hurt her.”
Blondie halted, glaring down at me. “Next time I break a rib. Keep your mouth shut.”
I nodded, trembling and trying to slow my breathing.
“What kind of animal?” Liam asked.
“A female jungle cat and her young.”