25. Kit A Word of Warning
Kit: A Word of Warning
Unease flooded Kit’s body as he launched himself across the river.
For once, he was thankful for his wings; he wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to ford the river on his own, and the pragmatic part of his brain was grateful that the swollen body of rushing water separated Nelle from Scarlett and Gisborne. If nothing else, she was safe.
“Well? What do you want?” he snarled, landing a few feet from the two cretins.
Gisborne and Scarlett shared a conspiratorial glance, then Scarlett grumbled, “We just wanted to warn you?—”
“Warn me?” He clenched his fists, as rage consumed Kit’s body, replacing the unease. “You dare threaten me?”
“No, no, not threaten. Warn,” Gisborne assured him, his tone raising half an octave. Scarlett elbowed him and the brawny man had the grace to blush. “We work for…with a few very powerful people. And your…connection with the ice witch has drawn their attention.”
Kit narrowed his eyes. “What kind of powerful people?”
Will glared at him. “The kind that you would have met in your…past life, shall we call it?”
“I don’t suppose you’d be helpful enough to stop speaking in riddles and give me their names, would you?” Kit demanded.
“Not for all the gold in all the kingdoms,” Gisborne said. “I don’t fancy being turned to?—”
“We’re not at liberty to say,” Will said, smoothly finishing the other man’s diatribe.
“But it would be…safest for you to hand over the girl. Once you do, we’ll go on our merry way, and you’ll never hear from us or her again.
Our employer has promised that she will leave you in peace once deliver her to us. ”
“Your employer is a woman, then?” Kit asked, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. It couldn’t be a coincidence that they’d broken Nelle’s curse, only for a mysterious woman to demand that they hand her over to them.
Scarlett blanched. “Er, yes…but you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Who else would I have heard it from?” Kit asked, rolling his eyes. Really, these two were not the brightest candles in the hall. He fixed his attention on the pair. “And what happens if I refuse?”
Gisborne and Scarlett shared another meaningful glance, and Kit resisted the urge to throttle them. Scarlett answered once again, saying, “I already told you, our employer is not someone you want to make an enemy of. Our leader made that mistake, and he’s paying the price for it.”
Kit’s eyes flared. “What do you mean, your leader made that mistake?”
Gisborne glared at Scarlett. “Nice job, nitwit. Why?—”
“You can tell the Snow Queen that she can take Nelle back over my dead body. I don’t know how you’re contacting each other, and, to be honest, I don’t care.
Make sure that she gets the message: Nelle is off-limits.
If you come near her again, you’ll have me to answer to,” Kit snarled.
Sparks poured from his nostrils, making the two jump back in fright.
“You’ll regret this, beast,” Gisborne said. “The Snow Queen doesn’t leave threats unanswered.”
“Good. Neither do I. Now, get out of my sight,” Kit growled, following the order with a full burst of flame. Both Gisborne and Scarlett shrieked and disappeared into the forest, their screams of fear echoing through the trees.
Kit watched them go, breathing hard as he tried to get his temper back under control.
He didn’t regret the threat; Queen Snow White clearly hadn’t gotten the message that Nelle was off-limits.
But he did regret letting his anger get the better of him.
He could hear his father’s voice in his head now: Anger does not produce righteousness, Kit.
Don’t let it rule your heart, or it will destroy you.
“Kit? Are you alright?” Nelle called, shouting to be heard across the river.
Kit turned toward her and forced a smile. “I’m fine, snowdrop. I’ll be right there.” He concentrated on taking slow, measured breaths before soaring back over the river. Once he landed next to Nelle, he said, “Do you mind if we head back the way we came? I’ve lost my appetite.”
Nelle nodded. “Me too. Seeing the lieutenants…” She shuddered. “I thought I’d have been grateful to see them again, but seeing them just reminded me of all I’ve done to them. And how they never wanted me in the camp.”
Kit pulled her close to him, resisting the urge to kiss the top of her head. “It’s their loss. You’ve brought so much light into my life, snowdrop. I’d be a fool to let you go now.”
She leaned back to look at him, a fond look glinting in her green eyes. “Well, you can’t let me go now. I haven’t broken your spell yet.”
Kit rolled his eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
Nelle smiled. “I know. Come on. Let’s go home. I think seeing those rats calls for cookies baking and reading in front of the fire.”
Home. Her chosen word echoed in Kit’s ears, and he couldn’t help but return her sweet smile. “I like the way you think, snowdrop. Come on. Let’s go.” He laced his fingers through hers before retrieving the picnic supplies from the ground.
For a few moments, they walked in silence, listening to the birds sing and the river’s rushing growing further and further away. But, far too quickly for Kit’s liking, Nelle broke the silence, wondering, “What did Will and Guy want?”
For a moment, Kit tightened his grip on her hand, as he considered what to tell her.
On the one hand, he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to lie to her.
Honesty was important to him, and he couldn’t expect her to be honest with him if he didn’t show her the same courtesy.
But, on the other hand, he feared that if she knew what the two had demanded, he would lose her.
“Kit?” Her tone made him turn toward her until their eyes met. “I need to know. Don’t hide it from me.”
Kit sighed heavily. “Very well. They…they wanted me to hand you over to them.” He explained what they’d demanded, even revealing that they were working for the Snow Queen.
Nelle listened to his explanation intently, nodding every few seconds, so he knew she was listening. “Why not offer a trade?” she suggested, running her thumb up and down the back of his hand. “Me for Robin. Surely?—”
“Stop right there,” Kit growled, halting in his tracks.
“There is no deal they could make that would make me okay with handing you over to them. Even if it meant getting Robin back and breaking my curse. You’re too important to me, snowdrop.
Do you understand?” Nelle wouldn’t look him in the eye, but she nodded.
He tilted her chin so she could see the fierceness in his gaze.
“I won’t force you to go back to your mother, Nelle. Not now, not ever.”
Nelle frowned in objection. “But what if?—”
“There is no situation that would make that ‘what if’ a reality,” Kit assured her. “Do you trust me, snowdrop?” She nodded without hesitation. “Then trust me to protect you with everything I am and with everything that is in me.”
Slowly, she nodded again. Kit searched her face for a moment more, then returned her nod. “We’ll find another way to get Robin back. Not to worry.”
How? The persistent inner voice was back, and it refused to let Kit squash it. There’s only so much you can do to protect her. And you still don’t know where the queen is holding Robin. You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.
“Shut up,” Kit muttered to himself, keeping his voice too low for Nelle to hear him. Still, she gave him a funny look, which he repaid with a forced smile.
“Do you think it’s a coincidence?” Nelle asked after they drew close to the castle.
Kit glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “What do you mean?”
Nelle shrugged. “Well, usually the lieutenants meet in camp, and they almost never venture this far from its borders unless they’re leading a raid. So what were they doing by the river? And why today, of all days?”
Kit considered her words. “That is strange.”
“And Gilbert was there. That, in and of itself, is odd. Gilbert almost never leaves camp. He’s the one who leads security, sets up the watch, protects the borders…so what was he doing way out here?” Nelle mused.
Kit frowned. “Not long after you…transformed me, I overheard Robin say that he thought that there were traitors amongst his men. We’ve already established that Scarlett and Gisborne are working for your mother, not for the good of the camp.”
“But Gisborne only arrived a few weeks ago, and Will—I mean, Scarlett, wasn’t at camp very often until about two months ago. Until then, he was a lieutenant in name only. He didn’t actually lead the people much.”
“Then, there’s got to be at least one more traitor in the leadership. It might be Gilbert. Which one was he?”
“He was the darker one,” Nelle said.
Closing his eyes, Kit visualized the group before shaking his head. “No, I remember him. He was one of Robin’s close friends growing up. I think he was the son of the leader of the hunt. I don’t think he would have betrayed Robin.”
“So, it would either be Alan, Friar Tuck, or Saphira,” Nelle mused.
“I’d hate to suspect a member of the clergy,” Kit murmured. “And he was a member of the court in Hopka for a bit, so I know him, too. He seemed like a good man.
“I think he is. But he is the longest-standing member of the lieutenants. He was there before I arrived,” Nelle said.
“Well, that could mean he’s in the best position to betray Robin. But, as I said, I hope it’s not him. I’ve got a soft spot for that little dwarf,” Kit said. “In any case, I’m not sure this speculation is helping us much, and we could always ask Robin when we find him.”
Nelle nodded absently, staring off in the distance at something Kit couldn’t see. “Still, I hope it’s not Saphira.”
Kit frowned, remembering how the woman had referred to them as the monster and the beast. “Were the two of you friends?”
Nelle shook her head. “No. She’s Hansel and Gretyl’s step-mother.”
Kit blinked, then nodded. “Ah, the one you said didn’t have any interest in being a mother.”
Nelle’s cheeks went bright red. “It sounds so mean when you say it like that.”
“I don’t think either of us meant it to be. But sometimes the truth is unkind,” Kit reminded her.
“I think she just doesn’t like me because Kai and I are so close. She doesn’t like the competition,” Nelle muttered, brushing a strand of her frizzy brown hair behind her ear. She blanched and lowered her head. “But Kai is in the service of my mother, too. I’d forgotten about that.”
Kit’s heart ached for her. “That doesn’t mean you two aren’t close. He trusted you with the care of his children, and, from your stories, they’re precious to him. That must count for something.”
Nelle nodded and gave a watery smile just as they approached the castle. “Maybe you’re right and it does mean something.” She squeezed his hand before releasing it. “Or maybe he just saw that he could use me and discard me, like the Cracked Mirror and the Snow Queen. Maybe that’s my real curse.”
“Don’t say that,” Kit growled, tugging her into his arms. “You’re not some tool or a pawn. You’re a beautiful, intelligent young woman. Your value is not what you can do, but in who you are. And you are a treasure, snowdrop.”
“You’re just saying that,” Nelle mumbled into his chest.
Kit tightened his hold on her. “I’m not. I can’t imagine anyone being in close quarters with you and not wanting to spend more time with you.” He rested his cheek on the top of her head. “You’re addicting, snowdrop. In all the best ways.”