The Lost Kingdom (The Fifth Element Chronicles)

Chapter 8 [part 2]

A bonfire.

Laughter.

Whispers.

I could only see disconnected images amid the confusion and pain in my head.

The blood in my brow had stopped, as had the rest of my instincts, all silenced by the desperate cry of betrayal.

Caelus had betrayed me and I had been naive enough to believe he would help me.

Who was he planning to sell me to?

Yes, that was what I wondered.

I didn't wonder how many of the things that had happened had been true or false.

Had he faked his interest in the tree? Why go to such lengths to find out that it had all been a lie?

I didn't understand anything.

I only knew that if he sold me, he would have an assured buyer.

He could go straight to Bieno, where Jonah would reward him with gold and jewels for himself and all his filthy followers.

I managed to open my eyes to see what I had detected in pieces.

My captors were around the campfire, laughing and sharing a meal I wasn't sure where they had obtained.

Caelus was the one who caught my attention right away, still completely dumbfounded by his betrayal.

How had I not seen this coming? I was angry with myself. All that was left was to watch him and hate him silently.

His arm was around the shoulders of his beloved fairy. He noticed I had woken up, but said nothing, just watched me for a few seconds before cutting off the interaction and going back to ignoring me.

You'll pay for this, I thought over and over. You will pay for this.

I studied my chances.

I was completely tied to a tree.

They had tied my entire body with a rope, wrapping it around me about four times. It was a strong, hard rope, there would be no way to cut it.

I knew that if I used my powers, I could free myself in less than a minute. And, then, I would go on to make them pay, every last one of them.

But my powers were not an option.

With my elbows I searched for my much adored knife, the one Russell had given me, but I couldn't find it. They had taken from me the only possible way to free myself.

There had to be another way, there had to be because it wasn't long before dawn and I had to be in front of that cave no matter what it took.

Noticing that everyone was getting up, I closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious. I could take advantage of the moment when everyone was asleep to try to untie myself. Maybe I could reach for a branch and...

I felt pathetic.

I was a princess, a future queen, with magical powers, tied to a tree, prey to mercenaries.

What kind of salvation was I supposed to be?

'We could sell her in parts, send one to each Kingdom,' Aurora said without knowing I was listening.

'Tomorrow we'll decide what to do with her, right boss?' I thought I made out Trevor's voice.

'Tomorrow,' Caelus replied, and then there followed noises of twigs.

I guessed they were lying on the ground. I just had to wait a few more minutes. Just a few more minutes.

When I figured that was long enough, I opened my eyes.