I Will Find You

* ~ 27 ~ *

Gwendolyn's POV

The count's hand is warm. And sweaty. It is holding my hand a little too tightly. I try to yank my arm away, but the count won't let go. Gideon is walking behind us, but the count tells him to go away:

"Gideon, please go to the dragon hall, you'll have more information there", he says and gives him an arrogant smile. Gideon doesn't say anything, just goes away according to the count's orders. Before the count pushes me against the door, Gideon glances at me: Be careful. I don't answer to his gaze, he doesn't deserve my attention at this moment.
The room in which the count has pushed me is small and cozy. There are rose-pink sofas in the middle of the room (still not blue), and big windows that let a huge amount of light inside.

"Please, don't mind sitting on the sofa", the count says and takes a seat on the another one. I look over my shoulders and around the room, but nothing seems to be dangerous. Of course you could smash a flower vase to one's head or take that curtain and use it to choke the other. And did I mention the count already? I glance at him and to his hands that could choke me literally without moving at all.
I sit to the other sofa and look to the eyes of the count. They reveal nothing, just pure emptiness. He shows me a bowl of fruits. Wait, this sounds familiar...

"Take some", the count orders and takes a bunch of grapes for himself. I hesitate for a second but relax when the grapes don't seem to have any reaction on the count. This time - just to be sure - I take an orange instead of cherries. I think I couldn't even eat cherries after my nightmare anymore.

"I knew you would like oranges", the count says when I'm peeling the fruit. He gives me again that awful and freezing smile and moves on to another subject.

"So", he says, "the Lodge sent you here, right?"

"That's right, and I would like to hear why they did it." I say and take a bite of an orange slice.

The count laughs. "You want to know why you are here? Sure, I'll tell you. As soon as you're unconscious."

A horrible taste spreads in my mouth. Or is it a smell in the air? A gross mixture of putrid apples, sour, oversweet...

"If you ever smell oversweet, bitter-" Gideon's letter! This is the secret mixture of the count!
At the same time everything starts fading in my eyes, like the surroundings were behind a window covered by fog. The awful smell is sticking to my nose and my brains, taking me to the pretty land of dreams. The last thing I can see is the count's arrogant smile.

*

When I wake up, nothing has changed. Except the clothes that the count is wearing. Now they are purple, shining with all kinds of jewellery. His fingers are filled with rings, chains hanging from his shoulders.

"What is this?", I ask. The taste of the poisoned orange is still so strong I want to throw up. But I think it might not be decent in front of the count of Saint Germain.

"Let me explain you", the count says and rubs his hands together. "You are in a different time than where you were eating my oranges", the count says. It's obvious that he's enjoying this situation.

"Umm... Where am I now then?"

"You're still in the year 1773, but more forward in it. You see , your little time travel partner somehow found out about my plans and gave information about them to you. And as he probably has already told you, I am going to kill you -"

"To be immortal? Are you, ordinary old man, scared of death? What a coward you are."

The count laughs. "I'm far from an ordinary man, you fool. In the future, I'm going to be one of the most famous people in the whole human history, so you should be proud to help me in order to achieve that. "

Apparently he thinks too much of himself too. What else is there that I don't know about him?

"And the best idea I've had in a while was kidnapping your little love interest: you are following him everywhere, darling. And now you are here. " At this point the count's smile has got even bigger. I didn't know that was possible.

"The only little problem was getting you here. But the solution was easier than I thought. As a ruby, this all is already past to you. So, everything I had to do was to change the direction of your lever in the chronograf, and you're able to elapse in my future. The people who invented the chronograf were such clever people."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Why? Are you really asking me why, child? Because now you know my reasons, and the mission is ready to be started." Then he jumps up from his chair and comes to me with long steps, taking something out from his pocket. I get up too and rush behind my sofa. When the light meets the count's hand I see the thing he unpocketed: a dagger. The count approaches me and lifts the knife to my throat faster than I have seen Leslie running to the school bus.

"Bye bye, Ruby. See you again in heaven", he says and the knife cuts my skin a bit. "But oh, I forgot I'm never coming to heaven."

"That's right, because you will end up in hell", I say. I feel how blood is running down my throat and messing the blade of the count's knife.

"Ooh, you're trying to make your last words remarkable. You're making this a little too easy for me, aren't you?"

At the same time Gideon walks in from the door. He freezes to the door, unmoving.

"What are you doing?!", he exclaims and closes the door behind him. I don't know whom he asked the question, but I refuse to speak because I don't know what the count would do if I'd act more rebelliously.

The count doesn't look up to Gideon. "I'm finishing my mission, at last", he says and gives me a smile that is probably meant for Gideon. Gideon doesn't answer. I don't know why he does it, but suddenly the count rises his eyes and I see my chance. I swing the knife off of his hand and punch him to the jaw with my elbow. The count takes couple steps backwards, but that time is all I need to run to Gideon and to take his hand. And I'm not letting go of that hand before we have elapsed back, maybe not even after that.

"I'm sorry, I know I should've believed you", Gideon says to my ear while we're rushing to the door. And by those simple words, every piece of anger has melted away.

The count has got his nerves back: "I'm not letting you go and destroy all my hard work", he says and walks to the table. I see the knife, laying on the mat in a little puddle of blood. While he gets down to get it, I hear Gideon saying, so quietly I can't almost hear it: "Come". We open the door and run away. I can hear the count coming behind us, and I force myself to run faster, so fast that I think my lungs will explode. I look over my shoulder and see how the count has stretched his arm back and is about to throw the knife. I look how it flies through the air and is about to land on Gideon's back, so I jump in front of it and wait for the pain to come, but instead I feel nothing.

I turn around to see Gideon's eyes. They're full of relieve.

***

HEEEEYYY!!

I don't have anything weird to tell or to ask you this week (except I'm sooooo tired XD), so all I'm going to say is HAVE A GOOD WEEK :3

Don't forget to elapse daily,

See you next weekend, I suppose :)