I tried to open my eyes, but they fought to stay closed. My whole body jolted, and my eyes snapped open. I was in the arms of a man; my arms were wrapped tightly around him. I sucked air in a giant gulp.
“Please do me a favor and don’t scream Princess,” a husky voice whispered. I looked over his shoulder not recognizing where in the palace we were. He stopped at crossroads in the corridor.
“Set me down now,” I demanded loudly ignoring his request “I am the Princess Seraphine, and my world is law.” I could hear voices in the distance.
“Shut your mouth; you’ll have us both killed you spoiled little bitch,” the gardener said and dashed down the left passageway. “Do you remember anything yet?” Images were coming back to me in quick succession.
“I remember you killed her,” I started to say friend then remember the knife. I felt my shoulder and pain lanced through the bandages beneath my fingers. I needed answers “PUT ME DOWN YOU LOATHSOME BRIGAND!” I demanded. My shout rewarded us with the sound of feet pounding louder down the hall behind us.
“As you wish,” the gardener said dropping me on my buttocks. Pain jolted through my whole body. Only Sir Roland had ever treated me nearly this roughly, and that was during my lessons. I looked up to see my kidnapper brace himself.
I wondered why he’d brace himself just as a man flew at him, snarling. They went down in a flurry of fists and knives. I crawled backward and away. From the tangled mess of arms and legs, a dagger flew past me with a thunk. A sword clattered to the marble floor, followed by a body.
“Shit! He’s killed Frankie,” another man said and out of the darkness. The voice who had spoken embodied by a scruffy man in a guard’s uniform.
“Who are you?” I asked scared as he approached me. The man’s eyes darted to the fight taking place on the floor. The man who had tackled the gardener was now on top and struggling to push a dagger into my captor’s chest.
“I’m one of the Guards. Quickly, come with me. This man is an assassin,” he answered, and I started to move towards him then realized he was not one of my guards or any guard for that matter.
“My Guards all shave,” I said and dove out of the way. His blade sent sparks into the air as it chipped chunks of marble from the floor.
My mind raced, nothing was what it seemed. Gardeners saving me from assassins, only to kidnap me. Guards who attacked me. My head was still fuzzy feeling. The Man on top of the Gardener had the point of his stiletto into the gardener’s chest and was slowly pushing it deeper.
I grabbed the fallen dagger from the floor and drove it into the back of the man, also in a guard’s outfit, on top of the gardener. The man grunted, and the gardener shoved him away. This took the blade that had almost taken his life and rolled into a standing position.
“You fucked with the wrong asshole,” he cursed and jumped at the man with the sword. Several quick exchanges of blows and the Gardener swept his knife across the man’s throat. The spray of blood splattered the wall, and the fight was over.
His body hit the floor with a dull thud. I stared into the vacant eyes of the dead man and then over to the man I had killed. I was confused, what was happening? I leaned forward and heaved and heaved, but nothing came out. Dry heaves wracked my body.
“Come on. It was them or us,” the gardener said rubbing my back gently. His voice was like honey. Gone was the harshness in his voice and I wanted to feel soothed, but I had murdered someone.
“What is happening? Who are you? You’re no gardener. Why?” I cried, the questions spilling out of me accompanied by tears. He lifted me to my feet.
“I’m a stupid patsy of a thief; that’s why. You were nearly assassinated, and because of you, being the last person in the way of the throne. I assume,” he answered.
“My uncle sent them?” I asked as he pulled me deeper into the bowels of the palace.
“I would be guessing, but yes I think so. Whoever it was, hired a Deadly Friend, they do not come cheap,” he said checking over his shoulder for any more pursuers.
“A deadly what?” I asked confused.
“A Deadly Friend. They are assassins who use their gifts of persuasion and magic to seduce their victims into yielding calmly into death. You almost succame to her talents. Had I not been there, you’d be worm-meat. Now we have to get out of the palace before any more of your assassins catch up to us. There is I believe, a way into the sewers down here” he said to in a such a direct way I was taken back.
“I’m safe now. Take me back,” I said suggesting an alternative to fleeing the palace. “What were are you doing in m y rooms anyway?”
“No, there is no going back,” he replied and turned into a tunnel. I followed quietly thinking about what I should do. We entered into a room from a door on a platform that overlooked pipes and greats and huge tanks.
“Where are we and why not,” I demanded, stomping my foot. Who was this jerk? People never told me no, they might delay or suggest alternatives but no on ever told me no so directly.
“Get used to it.” he said looking at me and then his eyes returned to searching the room.
“Get used to what?” I asked.
“Oh, you looked funny.
“When I get back up there I will have my Uncle and everyone who assisted him in the attempt on my life arrested,” I informed him.
“Not likely. I don’t think you have many supporters left up there. From what I heard while addressing your wounds; most of the people who supported you coronation quit breathing the air of this world.” he words fell over me like a eulogy of my own.
“What do you mean?” I asked the tears coming to my eyes again.
“I mean your maid, your tutors, cousins, guards, everyone that would have stood for you has been murdered. Your body, or a cameo, was found last night in your chambers, slaughtered. For all intensive purposes, you are dead.” he said turning towards me, “Look I can get you to safety, but from there your life is your own.”
“Thank you,” I whispered to shocked to say anything else. I followed the thief down the stairs and through a hatch that leads down into a dark tunnel.
It felt like we had been traveling for hours and hours, maybe even days before he brought me to a steel door in the wall of one of the tunnels. I would never have even seen the doorway had he not lead me to it, so great was its camouflage.
“Where is this?” I asked. I could hear the exhaustion in my voice.
“Safety that where this is,” he replied, and we entered a small room containing a bed, shelves built into the wall and not much else. He dropped a backpack to the floor that fell with a clatter. Whatever was inside was jumbled all about. I watched as he locked the door and pressed several runes inscribed in the steel in a quick sequence.
He pulled his shirt up over his head revealing a lean muscled body covered in thin scars. There were small stitches on his left arm that had broken and several small cuts on his stomach and torso. He tossed the shirt aside and took linen from a shelf, along with a clay pot.
“What is that?” I asked watching him clean his wounds and then dab the cloth in the paste and put it on his injuries.
“Medicine,” he answered gruffly. I could tell this guy would just be a pleasure to be around. I was not sure what his problem was but I couldn’t wait to be rid of him. He finished up and stood.
“Come sit,” he ordered.
“Maybe a please or your highness,” I mumbled but did as he told me. He began looking over my arms and then moved to lift my blouse off. I jumped up and slapped him across the face.
“What in goodness are you thinking? Save me, so I am yours to assault?” I accused angry, embarrassed and most of all exhausted. I n]knew my words were unjustified. I blamed the recent events and my exhaustion. I’d never have treated a servant that way.
“Who, your highness, do you imagine put that shift on you after dressing your wounds?” he asked. His hands reached for my shift again, and I backed away. I grabbed the shift to pull it over my head like he had but it caught in my arms, and somehow I managed to get tangled in it. His chuckle infuriated me, but I welcomed his warm touch as his hands deftly untangled the mess I had caused.
“Thank you,” I whispered. My face was on fire with embarrassment as I stood before the thief in only my small clothes. I looked down and realized my top to see my it covered in dried blood, but my skin was mostly clean. “What’s your name?”
“Jack.” He peeled the bandage away and cleaned the knife wound. The pain made me woozy, and I had to have him help me to sit. The salve was cool and took the pain away.
“That feels great. The pain is almost gone.” I said amazed. I stood up and realized I was directly in his personal space. The heat was coming off his body, and I could feel my body reacting.
“Sleep. You will need it,” Jack said stepping away revealing the single bed behind him.
“There is only one bed,” I whispered, stepping to the bed. I crawled onto its uneven surface.
“Very astute Princess,” he said and took a large thick blanket off another shelve. I lay down, and he covered me. The coverage weighted me down and made me feel warm and secure.
“Thank you, Jack,” I whispered, turning over to sleep. If he wouldn’t be polite, that was his problem. I would, though, maybe that would make him kinder towards.
“Welcome. now shut up and sleep,” He said grumpily, then crawled under the covers.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked shocked to have a man in my bed.
“Attempting to sleep, if you’d shut up,” he answered.
“Yes, but this is my bed,” I said snappily.
“It is, in fact, my bed and as you so cleverly pointed out, the only one,” he replied and rolled over away from me. “The floor is your other option. Blanket stays here.”
“Good night Jack, Touch me and,” I started then realized all my threats would be empty. “Good night.” I looked at the floor of the tiny sewer flat and decided just to lay here awake.
