Elsewhere [boyxboy]

*Chapter Three*

'Nota...' Loki tried again, but I turned and shot him a glance so full of potent anger that he flinched and gave up. 'Start taking them to the bathroom,' he muttered instead, addressing the four other soldiers in the room, and I was finally granted the commotion of repeated comings and goings I'd been looking for to carry out an escape plan I was now too numb to implement.

                'You turn,' a voice said roughly as one of the other soldiers grabbed me by the arm. In a split second I had him by the throat, hissing as my eyes flashed and he dropped his sword in fright.

                'Idiot,' Loki muttered, approaching us slowly as I dug my fingers more and more tightly into the soldier's throat. He put his hand on my wrist gently and slowly separated us before turning back to the soldier. 'Have you taken leave of your senses?' he demanded angrily. 'You never lay your hands on royalty without permission. He could have removed your head.'

                I cracked my neck to relieve some of the swelling tension in my body and hoisted myself back up on the teacher's desk.

                'They need me downstairs,' Loki said quietly, turning to me. 'Do you need anything?'

                'Your absence is all I currently require,' I said coolly, turning to look out the window again, effectively dismissing him. I heard him sigh before turning to leave.

                There was a beat of silence once the door clicked shut behind him and I noticed Dom and Adrian twitching with questions at the opposite side of the room, Ana peeking over their shoulders warily. I nodded at them, indicating they should come closer, but one of the soldiers stepped in front of me warningly.

                'Listen up,' I snarled, my voice taking on its full royal authority. 'Don't forget for a moment that I could kill each one of you with little effort before you could draw your sword. The only reason I haven't is because of the fifty other traitors downstairs, but don't believe that reason will hold my reigns forever. You'll all be paying Charon before they can so much as restrain me.'

                There was a moment of unrest before the soldier stepped aside and I nodded to my friends again; haltingly, they made their way over, carefully sidestepping anybody in their path bearing arms.

                'At the risk of being redundant,' Dom muttered, pulling himself up to sit beside me, 'who the hell are you?'

                I smiled wryly. 'I guess I deserve that. My full title is His Royal Highness, Nota Alexander Aedan Lydeard, Crown Prince of Elsewhere. But you can still call me Nota.'

                'Shit,' Dom whispered, shaking his head. 'And I though Lydia was exotic, coming from Abu Dhabi.'

                'Where exactly is "Elsewhere"?' Adrian demanded, folding his arms.

                I raised an eyebrow. 'Hint is in the name,' I told him. 'It's elsewhere. It's not here.'

                Adrian rolled his eyes. 'And I was so hoping to visit you this summer,' he muttered sarcastically. 'But if you can't even give me directions...'

                'I'm not trying to be glib,' I told him, a little sharply. 'It's the truth. You need all the necessary spells and incantations and abilities to get from here to Elsewhere, and likewise vice versa.' I paused. 'And a horse. You can't get there on foot.'

                'I swear to god until I see you sitting on a throne I'll half belief this is all an elaborate joke,' Adrian muttered, but dropped it.