Abducted [W&W Book 3]

Chapter 56

Ildri glanced at every prone body that she saw lying on the ground and every man that she saw walking around. Most did not pay her any mind.

"Who are you?" asked a soldier suspiciously. She recognized him vaguely and thought that his name was Derrick.

"Er, I'm... Ivan?" she said unconvincingly. "Derrick, I'm just—"

"My name's Erich, and I don't care. I'll be taking any suspicious people to his lordship. Best if you don't struggle."

"Listen, please—"

Ildri felt a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Erich. I know... Ivan," said a very familiar voice.

"Ty," Ildri said in a voice embarrassingly like a squeal. "Er, Lord Tyson! You're all right!"

"And why wouldn't I be, Ildri?" he asked as Erich left them.

"Maybe because you're in a war, obviously. How did you know it was me anyway?" she asked.

"You're swimming in magic, and you still look quite a bit like yourself. And you still walk like a girl, and talk like a girl even if your voice is different and you're larger and your face is more angular."

"I don't talk like a girl," Ildri disagreed.

"Yes, you do. That little squeal? Very feminine. And you still smell like you."

"What?"

"Never mind. Forget I said that. What are you doing here?"

"I was worried about... everyone."

"You should have stayed where it was safe," he said.

"Probably. But I didn't. I wanted to help."

Ty shrugged. "You're helping by... how?"

Ildri wrinkled her nose. "I'm not leaving unless Lord Wildwood makes me."

"Oh, yes. Of course, if Lord Wildwood says it you'll do it."

Ildri scowled. "Now that I know you're fine I have to get back to where he told me to wait."

"Fine. Take care," Ty said, although he sounded like he did not much care if she did or not.

"Fine," Ildri agreed and she stormed off to where she had been told to wait. She felt like crying frustrated tears. She came all this way for what? For Ty to be cold and nasty to her, that's what. She wondered if she was in a lot of trouble with Lord Wildwood, too. And all for nothing! She had not helped at all. A wasted, ridiculous effort.

Ildri sat down on the ground and waited for what felt like a really long time. People moved around with obviously various tasks related to organizing and defence. Ildri sat there uselessly. After a while Jim and Anya returned and waited with her.

Anya leaned her head on Jim's shoulder and Ildri felt very alone. She supposed that it was better than sitting alone, however. At least Jim's presence kept people from asking too many questions of the strange supposed men in the camp, although a few people stopped to gawk at him and the still rather masculine looking Anya leaning on him.

Finally Lord Wildwood returned and Ildri noted that Lady Theresa was still looking very male even though the potion had begun to wear off of Anya.

"I've decided that you two will stay here, but you will continue taking that potion regularly, Ivan and Andrew."

"Thank you, my lord," Anya said, and she immediately dug around in her bag and took a swig of the potion. Her features lost more of their femininity again and it seemed to remind her that she was supposed to be a man, because she moved away from Jim.