Indebted

33

Enduring a helicopter ride that was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Heart racing the entire time. Esti was brought down in another field so much like the one she had left behind. Except wherever the copter had touched down, it was closer to the ocean than Esti had been. She could smell salt on the wind. Could feel the compass in her bones, hinting where she could be. Esti could guess based on the few maps she had seen, she was only certain that she was far outside the sheltered Dragon Court Territory.

The copter started to take off, barely a moment after Esti had alighted from the cramped cabin of the private aircraft. Several bags had been tossed from the helicopter by the crew and seconds later, the flying machine was gone.  Esti made her way to the two people who seemed to be waiting for her. Or at least, waiting for whomever was going to be delivered.

The only reason Esti was able to make her own legs continue to carry her farther away from Atticus, was feeling so strongly that he only grew happier the farther away she went. He didn't want her anywhere near him. It hurt. Esti tried to ignore her heart, she had thought so much of Atticus. Had loved that he had grown up outside of court. He had seemed so different. Had trusted that Fowl's friendship meant Atticus was a good man.

Then Atticus had left her alone, and only grew happier the farther away she moved from him. She had thought last night had been special. For both of them. Esti felt used and foolish that she had thought last night had been as wonderful and pleasurable for Atticus as it had been for her. She hadn't known how good her body could feel with nothing more than the exact right touch, and love. Or the belief that she was loved at least. She had dreamed under the stars in the open air of a new kind of life for herself, a real life outside of court, away from a place that had only brought her life to misery.

She was confused, and alone. She didn't understand why Atticus wasn't with her when she woke up. Why he left her alone in the night. Leaving her unsure if anything between them had ever been real, or if Atticus was just better at lying to her than Quwent had been. Paired with being on the run for a murder she had not committed. The second time she had been accused of such a crime in as many months. Esti was not at her best. Her emotional walls were thin. She was delicate. Ready to crack at any moment.

Esti was silent as she followed her new guardians to a truck. Forcing her feet to keep moving and her mind from remembering the last time two men had shown up in her life with a truck. The bags from the helicopter were now being loaded into the truck bed. "What are all the bags for?" Esti asked immediately, regretting being so bold. Feeling past overwhelmed by everything from today. 

The two men looked at each other, "Senior Norman and lady Nigella have been planning for your escape since you managed to avoid execution." One of the men who were loading the five large duffle bags into the truck bed parked by the road.

Esti was taken aback, "I didn't know?" Esti said. Speaking honestly. She knew Nigella and Norman had said they wanted to help her. She had assumed that they would be able to get her and Atticus over the border and then that would it. She had never imagined the quiet boiler man, and confident kitchen head would have planned an escape as impressive as today's long trip had proven to be, "Is Atticus ok?" Esti asked. The man who hadn't yet given a name for himself, paled. Not making Esti feel any better.

The two nameless men that Esti would had trouble distinguishing when describing them, looked first to each other before looking at Esti. "Court seems to believe that he killed Quwent, even though we all know you did." The man on the left side said.

Esti's feet stumbled. "I didn't kill anyone?" Her mind now racing, trying to think back over recent events. Her mind was muddled, her memories didn't make sense. She woke up alone in the tower... Then Doros had found her outside the castle. 

Esti was confused. She looked up. The two men looked at each other, eyes flashing gold as they looked at each other. Dragons, "Did you know you don't have a scent?" The man on the right asked Esti, confusing her even more.

She shook her head. "No? I-I didn't kill anyone. I'm not anything." Esti pressed what had been true until recently. The two men looked at each other again. "Is Atticus ok?" Esti asked again.

Another loaded look passed between the dragons. They are mated. Seeking a third. You intrigue them. A voice Esti had only heard once before sounding inside her own head. It didn't seem like the two dragons could pick up on the voice in her head.

"I'm Joe, that is Theo." Right side introduced himself and his partner. "Atticus is not in immediate danger. You however, very much are." Their mood changing by the second. "The king had never once engaged in kinslaying." Which was not as comforting an answer as some thought it was.

Esti was bundled into the comfortable backseat within the oversized, King cab pick up. Driven down winding unmarked dirt road after unmarked dirt road. Traveling through some of the most beautiful areas that Esti had ever seen.

Deep old woods. Roads only used by logging trucks. Rivers used by salmon for their breeding runs. Covered Bridges helping Esti and her guides as they moved back and forth over the river. "The more passes over the river, the harder it will be to trace you", Esti heard the voice in her head again. The voice in her head sounded like she approved of the path the truck was taking.

Esti was silent, head against the window, watching the scenery pass by, Atticus was glad she was far away, it hurt her heart. Joe interrupted her thoughts from the front passenger seat. Holding hands with Theo as he drove. "We're starved, and I've heard your stomach rumble more than once." Joe turned around and looked Esti over top to bottom. "You are going to need to change into more human looking clothes." Esti looked down at the dark, mens tunic she was wearing, she was also still barefoot.

Esti felt like she was never wearing the right clothes lately. A paper shopping bag was handed to her, "We weren't expecting you to be barefoot, I'm going to pull over soon and you can change, and Theo and I will see if any of the supplies Nigella arranged for you included shoes." Esti nodded opening the bag to find a soft knit cream colored sweater, a couple pairs of draw string waistband pants. Along with an assortment of underwear scattered on the bottom of the bag.

Esti looked up, "Thank you. I am hungry." Her voice was low, the clothes looked strange to her, the cut and styles so different from clothing she was familiar with at court. As promised, Theo pulled the truck over onto a small side road, tucking the large truck behind dense brush.

"You can change in here, we will go and look through the bags." Theo told her, the two men got out of the truck and went to the back, Esti waited until she could hear bags moving around before she started to change. Taking off the men's tunic. Taking out the sweater. There were strange tags sewn at the neckline, and another on the side. Tiny, intricate stitches were holding the sweater together, she had never seen a sweater made like this before.

The sweater was oversized on her, comfortable and light. She liked it. Esti rummaged along the bottom, taking out several pairs of underwear before she found one that looked like it was about the right size. Except, there was far less fabric making up these underwear than ones she was used to. Tighter against her skin, but then when she sized up the waist wouldn't stay up.

Feeling like she was taking too long, she rushed getting back into the first pair of underwear, and pulling up the pants that matched the size on the underwear. The legs were cut straight, Esti found the strange pants easy to wear, and comfortable. The underwear though, those were going to take more time to get used to.

When Esti had the pants tied how she wanted, there was a knock on her door. Esti opened the door for Joe. "We found some shoes that should work, seems Nigella at least knew your size, there are a couple options all the same size." He had three pairs of shoes clutched in his arms, as Theo got back into the driver's seat. The shoes were handed to Esti, "Here is a pair of socks if you need as well." Joe nodded as Esti, closing the door, as she bucked herself back up. The shoes were all just as strange as the clothes were. Esti held her tongue and got dressed in the strange human clothes. Feeling like an impostor.