Choose Your Own Misadventure - 2

BACK

Lorcan reached out and took the drawing. He looked down at the picture of Evie and then up into this woman’s stern eyes. “Luciana?” Lorcan whispered softly while she was leaning down close to him.

The female soldier’s eyes narrowed. That was all the warning Lorcan had before she swung out of her saddle, kicked Lorcan in the head hard enough to send him sprawling into the dirt, and knelt over him with her knee pressed hard against his throat.

Luciana pulled a wickedly curved dagger from a sheath in her boot and ran it carefully along Lorcan’s cheek. A miniscule trail of blood seeped out of the razor thin cut she left. “Now citizen, let us try this again. How can you possibly know my name if you have not seen my sister?” Luciana asked in the same calm, cold voice as before.

Lorcan tried to speak but could only make a sickly gurgling noise with her knee pressing down on his windpipe.

Smiling vindictively, Luciana pulled her knee back a fraction of an inch so that Lorcan could almost breathe normally. “Better?”

Lorcan started to nod then remembered the dagger still pressed against his face. “Yes,” he rasped.

“Where is my sister?”

“In the house. She was hurt and I brought her back here after I bandaged her wound. She made me promise not to tell anyone but you where she was!”

“Smart girl.” Luciana withdrew her knee and knife before yanking Lorcan to his feet. “Surround the house. No one gets out until I give the word,” she told the other soldiers.

Lorcan stumbled along as she pushed him towards the house. “There’s really no need for this violence. I didn’t know you were Evie’s sister at first and I was not about to go blabbing to every stranger I met that I found an injured girl in the woods. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but you are a very scary lady! Not at all the type of person you instinctively hand a frightened child over to.”

His little speech seemed to amuse Luciana. “You’re either smarter than you look or a very vocal coward.”

“A bit of both, I think.” Lorcan opened the front door and led them inside.

“Take me to her room. Quietly.”

Lorcan did as he was told. He kept his ears alert for sounds of others moving through the house, but he heard no one. Dammit, Pa! Why do you have to be such a heavy sleeper?

They stopped in front of Lorcan and Mandy’s room. “You first.” Luciana nudged Lorcan forward.

Lorcan opened the door and gestured to his bed, where Evie was sleeping soundly. “There, safe and sound. Just like I said.”

Luciana pushed him inside the room and pulled a bit of rope from her belt pouch then quickly tied Lorcan’s hands behind his back. “Kneel and stay still,” she commanded. “Move and you will be dead before you reach the doorway.”

“You don’t really have a good grasp on the concept of peaceful cooperation, do you?” Lorcan muttered as he did exactly as he was told.

Ignoring him completely, Luciana sat on the bed next to Evie and stroked her hair tenderly. After a moment Evie’s eyes flickered open and her face lit up at seeing her sister.

“I knew you’d come!” Evie threw her arms around Luciana’s middle in an enthusiastic hug.

Luciana put a finger to her lips. “Quietly, now. We have to get you out of here. You aren’t safe. Uncle Arcon’s men are searching for you. His allies are demanding that father turn you over to the Justicars for a trial.”

“But…” Evie glanced sadly over at the slumbering Mandy.

Luciana shook her head firmly. Evie stuck out her lip in a pout, but did not argue further as she climbed out of bed and hastily pulled on one of Lorcan’s cousin Sophie’s dresses over her nightgown.

“Come on.” Luciana lifted Lorcan to his feet—she was surprisingly strong—and pushed him in front of her and Evie down the hall towards the front door.

In the living room Luciana was dismayed to find three surly women in their nightgowns glaring vehemently at her. Despite their angry faces, it was hard to find them all that menacing. Aunt Sandra’s nightgown was bright blue with little duckies all over it. Great Aunt Lorna was wearing one that was pink and covered in bear cubs touching their noses like they were kissing. Of course, Great Grandma’s was the most ridiculous with its preposterous amount of extra padding sewn in to keep her warm, fluffy material, and bright yellow color she looked like an enormous crotchety chick; she even had scrawny little chicken legs to complete the image.

Immediately, Luciana drew one of her knives and pressed it against Lorcan’s throat. “I have no quarrel with you, citizens. I am taking my sister and we are leaving. As soon as I am off your land I will release your boy—unharmed so long as you do not provoke me.”

Great Grandmother cackled and slapped her thigh. “Oh, you silly, foolish girl! We are the witches of Weyrd Mountain. We will dictate the terms of your departure. Now, release my great grandson or I shall be very perturbed.”

Lorcan noticed that the mention of witches made Luciana pause. Not a fearful pause, which would have been the sane response, this was something else. Like she was intrigued.

“I have a dozen men outside ready to attack at a moment’s notice,” Luciana warned.

“Phaw!” Great Grandma scoffed. “Take a look out the window, girly.”

Everyone turned to peer out the open window to where the three visible soldiers were slumped against their horses’ necks and snoring loudly.

If seeing her men fall victim to a spell annoyed Luciana in any way, she did not let it show. “Very well, what are your terms for allowing my sister and me to leave?” She was still standing directly behind Lorcan with her knife against his throat.

Great Grandmother looked disappointed. “Aw, you already want to be reasonable? Are you sure you don’t want to struggle some more? I do enjoy a good struggle!”

“Sorry to upset you. What are your terms?” Luciana repeated.

Great Grandma looked to Lorna and Sandra. “No one’s ever been reasonable before. Usually they have to break down in tears before they’re willing to make a deal. She’s got me all flustered! What were our terms again?”

“Release Lorcan immediately,” Aunt Sandra prompted. She was still doing her best to look intimidating even with ducklings sewn to her pajamas.

“Oh, yes! Wait…really? It seems like a lot of trouble just for Lorcan. I think we should demand something better. Any ideas?” Great Grandma whispered in her usual none-too-quiet fashion.

Lorcan sighed. “I can hear you.”

“Was I whispering loudly again?” Great Grandmother asked.

Lorna and Sandra nodded.

“Damn. Still, what do we want besides Lorcan?” Great Grandma rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

Lorcan groaned. “You know what? Just go,” he told Luciana. “I’ll help you wake your men up and you can be on your way. Once Great Grandma gets distracted all her vengeful witch instincts go out the window.”

Reluctantly, Luciana pulled her knife away from Lorcan’s neck and cut the rope that bound his hands behind his back.

“Wait! No! The standoff can’t be over yet!” Great Grandmother pleaded.

“Come off it, Mom. It’s too early for your dramatics,” Great Aunt Lorna muttered groggily and turned toward the kitchen.

“You make the tea and I’ll get the pancakes started,” Aunt Sandra said eagerly as she followed Lorna.

“No! Traitors! Where did you go? I really am blind, remember?” Great Grandma waved her cane around trying to determine where everyone was heading. She hobbled off after them into the kitchen.

“Congratulations, you’ve survived your encounter with the dreaded witches of Weyrd Mountain.” Lorcan sighed and motioned for Luciana and Evie to follow him out of the living room.

It had started raining while they were inside, so Lorcan handed Evie a cloak to keep her dry from the wall lined with coats and cloaks next to the front door. He offered one to Luciana, but she shook her head. Lorcan donned his long coat and wide brimmed hat before the three of them stepped out onto the front porch.

“Are there other witches in the Reach?” Luciana asked.

Lorcan arched an eyebrow at her. “The Reach?”

Luciana looked at him as though not sure whether he was mocking her or not. “Yes. This region of the Empire is called the Reach.”

“He’s not very smart,” Evie explained.

“I doubt that,” Luciana said. “So, Lorcan, are there other witches nearby?”

Lorcan could sense that this was of particular importance to Luciana for some reason, which intrigued him. Most people—those with a decent sense of self preservation, anyway—wanted nothing to do with witches. Despite the feeble show that his relatives had given earlier, any one of them could be devastating if she was sufficiently angered to the point of becoming violent. When a group of men had hidden in their woods after raping a girl in the village, Lorcan had seen Great Aunt Lorna burn them to ashes with only a thought. And Great Grandma was supposed to be even more powerful.

“Not that I know of, but then again I’ve never been anywhere except these woods and the village below.”

“And you…you haven’t followed in your Great Grandmother’s footsteps, have you?” Luciana asked politely.

Lorcan chuckled at how delicately she asked such an insulting question. “Am I a warlock? No, I should say not.” Though he knew little of magic, Lorcan had read that while a very rare family trait allowed some women to use magic, the only way for a man to do the same was to make a Dark Bargain.

For some reason, Luciana’s eyes darted to Evie’s side and then back to Lorcan. She was getting soaked by the increasingly heavy rain.

“You’re going to catch a chill,” Lorcan scolded. “Here, take my hat and coat.” He pulled his hat off and attempted to put it on Luciana’s head.

She darted back, lightning fast, to avoid Lorcan’s hat. “No, thank you,” Luciana said rather tersely.

“What’s the matter?” Lorcan asked. “I swear, I’m not going to hurt you or your sister.”

Still eying the hat as though it were a poisonous snake, Luciana took a deep breath. “Your relatives have obviously not taught you much about their craft. Certain spells are triggered by transferring a possession from the witch or warlock to another, particularly when it is placed on the target’s head or over their heart. I apologize for my rudeness.”

Lorcan’s curiosity finally overcame him. “Why are you so interested in witches and warlocks anyway? Smart people steer clear of them.”

“Our father is here looking for witches,” Evie told him.

Luciana glared daggers at her sister.

“Sorry!” Evie gulped.

Still glaring at her sister, Luciana nodded. “She should not have told you that, but it’s true. The Emperor sent several Senators to the Reach. Their mission has something to do with witches, but as mere children we know nothing more than that.” Luciana said the last part with special emphasis that was no doubt a message to Evie to keep quiet.

Lorcan didn’t much care what else there was to know. He pitied anyone foolish enough to come after his Great Grandmother and actually attempt to do her harm. “So I guess you’ll tell your father about the witches here and he’ll come conduct whatever business he has with them.”

“Something like that,” Luciana answered carefully. Lorcan did not much care for the look she was giving him.

“Aaaand we’re back to you being creepy and vague. Come on, let’s wake your men up so you can get out of my hair.” Lorcan put his hat back on, walked across the lawn to the first soldier, and shook him awake.

Luciana tried to do the same thing to the next man in line, but he refused to rouse. She looked questioningly at Lorcan. She shook him again and even shouted in his ear. A third, much more vigorous shake still yielded nothing.

“It’s not that hard. Just shake him.” Lorcan did so and the soldier perked up immediately.

“That is exactly what I did to him.” Luciana backed away slowly, pulling Evie behind her.

“You honestly think I’m a warlock?” Lorcan asked her, slightly annoyed. “Would a warlock have let you kick him in the head, cut his face, and tie him up?”

“Those who have made the Dark Bargain are notoriously crafty.” Luciana pursed her lips and yanked Evie’s cloak off, throwing it at Lorcan’s feet.

“Hey!” Evie grumbled.

Lorcan was growing tired of this foolishness. “Woman, you are being insane! And trust me, I live on Weyrd Mountain and I know exactly what insanity looks like!”

“Just wake the others and let us be,” Luciana told him, her hand resting on her sword’s hilt.

Muttering to himself about the idiocy that seemed to prevail in his life, Lorcan went down the line of soldiers surrounding the house and woke them up one at a time. When the last man stirred and he had gone in a circle back to where Luciana and Evie waited, he shouted, “There! I have freed them from my Great Grandmother’s evil spell with my magical powers of shoulder shaking!”

“Mock me all you want,” Luciana replied coldly. “You may not know what you are. Some—the truly devilish—include the removal of their memories in their Bargain so that they can walk among us in complete secret until the time is right.”

Evie tugged at her sister’s sleeve. “Please, Anna, Lorcan isn’t like that! Just because Mason was evil doesn’t mean everyone is!”

“Be silent!” Luciana hissed. She drew her sword and pointed it at Lorcan. “Father is here searching the Reach for a warlock who lives with three witches. I have no idea what he wants with you, but he has given orders that you are not to be killed. So consider yourself lucky, warlock! I won’t be killing you…today.”

What should Lorcan do?

1)      Offer to go with Luciana and Evie to meet their father and learn what he wants.

2)      Let them go then confront Great Grandmother about the things Luciana said about him.