Chapter 59 Betrayal In Strange Places
Chapter fifty-nine
Betrayal In Strange Places
Alaceandra
Iwake up, my body drenched in a cold sweat.
That one felt so real. Could it have only been a dream?
Blinking my eyes open, I realize that Sorin, Sam, and the prince are laying across the bed.
What happened last night? I push at Sorin to try and get his weight off of me a bit, but he only moves slightly.
I lift the blankets to look at my legs. They are unmarred.
No cuts, no dirt, nothing. And it looks like I am fully clothed…
. I look around. And so are they? So why- One of the iron pieces on the walls comes crashing to the floor and I realize what woke me.
The room is shaking. Suddenly last night’s events come back to me in a rush.
We talked, ate, and then…. and then everyone collapsed.
Panicking I push at the prince, Sorin, and Sam, but they are out cold.
The room shakes again. I untangle myself from the bed and drag myself across the room on weak legs, looking for something that can help me wake them.
Spotting Sorin's bag, I rifle through the myriad of potion bottles he has stowed within.
"Come on, come on, come on," I mutter sniffing each potion bottle before finding one that is particularly potent.
Gagging, I cap the bottle, and squat as a particularly vicious tremor runs through the room.
Once the room stills, I practically crawl over to the men and frantically waft the potion bottle's aroma under Sorin's nose. He awakes with a jolt.
"Wha-at the fuck," he groans, rolling over to his side.
"Get up!"
"L-lace?"
"Yes. Get up! The room is shaking."
He holds his head, wincing. "My head hurts."
"No one will wake up." My voice is borderline hysterical, the room shakes violently again.
Sorin bolts upright. "Can I see that?" He points at the bottle.
I give it to him, and he looks at it shaking his head before pulling himself from the bed and dragging his body over to his bag.
Searching through it, he takes out two other bottles.
Drinking part of one, he walks back over to the bed and pours the rest of it out in the other two men's mouths before uncorking the next.
He gulps down part of whatever is in the second bottle as well before offering me some.
I drink a little and he takes it from me before pouring that too into the sleeping men's mouths.
"This one should help keep us stable through the quakes," he explains before tossing both the bottles away from him.
After a moment, both men wake and jump from the bed.
"What is going on?" Sam demands.
"We were drugged," Sorin deadpans. The room shakes yet again.
"Why is the room shaking?" The prince asks, rubbing a hand over his face.
"We are under attack," Sam states. He starts pulling on his leathers hastily. Sorin follows.
The prince stares. "How do you know that? I thought we were still safe from the threa-"
"Obviously we are not. You both keep Alaceandra safe. You know what to do." Sam darts out of the room.
"Wait where are you-" the hatch shuts with a bang.
"We need to find a place to hide." Sorin is all business, yanking me towards the bathroom. "We should be relatively safe in this cottage for now if they think you are in the other one with the prince, but we will need to find another place soon. We do not want to be sitting ducks."
"I want to help," I say pulling away from Sorin.
"You will be helping by keeping yourself safe, we already discussed that you are what they are after,"
"That is bullshit. Sam is out there on his own, we need to help him."
He glares at me. "You are not advanced enough in your training to take on a real threat, Firefly. Not that I would send you out any-"
"I am helping," I demand. "You all were training me for a reason.
I have a good control over my fire and dagger, and I was able to hold off the other attacker well enough on my own.
I am not going to have Sam go out on a suicide mission without the two of you.
If you are worried about my training, I promise, I will stay back as much as possible, but if I can help at all, I am going. " Sorin stares me down.
"The whole point of us being with you is to keep you safe, Firefly. If we let you go out into the danger we might as well be handing you off to the enemy."
"That thing, whatever it is, sounds big and who knows what destruction it has already caused.
Either you take me with you and I stay out of the way, or I will find some way to sneak out of here and join the fight without any of your protection.
Do not test me. I will not have Sam out there on his own. "
"He can handle himself. He does not need us out-"
"What if all this shaking makes the tunnels collapse? I would be in as much danger of starvation and death being trapped down here as I would be up there."
Surprisingly, it is the prince that breaks. "We need to take her," he says to Sorin, before looking back to me. "But stay out of the way and near the cottages. If something happens to you… well let's just hope nothing does."
"But-" Sorin starts to interject.
"Lace isn't kidding," the prince mumbles.
"She will find a way to get away, how do you think she got involved in the fight last time?
" He gives me a reproachful look and I cast my eyes down.
Not because I am ashamed but because he is right.
I am fully prepared to find the next exit out of here to help Sam if needed.
I just feel bad about worrying them. "And we do not know how sturdy these tunnel systems are.
It is very possible we might get stuck down here if we wait. "
Sorin sighs. "Okay, then. Let's go."
We make our way through the tunnels. Dirt rains from the ceiling. We have to pick our way through carefully as to not be hit by any rocks. When we reach the ladder to Sylvie's cottage the prince climbs up, but just as I am about to follow him Sorin stops me.
"Remember Lace, if things get dicey out there do not try to be a hero. Just-"
"Run. Yes. I know." I hold back an eyeroll.
He looks at me steadily. "Will you?"
I look away. "Yes."
He sighs and releases me. "I don't believe you."
I turn away from him and climb up the ladder, because he is right not to. If push comes to shove and I can be of help to any of them out there, I am not sure if I can run away, even if that ended in my detriment.