While Waiting to Wake

The trouble is, I’m not that clever. Not like protagonists in stories.

It was about three weeks after her illness and she still hadn’t thought of anything else.

Moodily, she spun a pencil in her fingers and stared at the window. She was in the library today, the depressingly empty shelves surrounding her like guards. The window she was staring at, though, was high up the wall and tucked into the farthest corner from the floor.

It was the only window that still had stained glass.

She only noticed the window because she'd once seen it cast colorful patterns on the floor. Usually, it was hidden under an outside overhang, shielded from the sun's rays. So the pattern appeared only at certain times of the day.

It was just like the rest of the Lycan kingdom.

Lots of dull glass or wooden boards replaced the colorful panes because they’d been broken.

How was Prince doing? Was he still alive?

She spun the pencil faster and faster in her fingers, chewing her bottom lip. That gladiator had almost killed Prince when she last saw him. How long could he last in a place like that?

The noise of a window moving startled her and she dropped her pencil.

After the space widened, head popped inside and for an instant, the two children stared solemnly at each other.

“Did you climb all the way up here?!”

Em jumped to her feet and raced to the window. Today, she’d chosen a chair on the second floor walkway, making the climb at least a story. If not a story and a half.

The squirrel Lycan gave her a cheeky smile and pulled himself the rest of the way inside. Then tumbled on his face when he didn’t catch himself in time. Em pulled the window closed with a clunk. Glaring at him.

“What if you’d fallen outside instead of in here, huh?”

“You worry too much.”

“I admire his ability to get under your skin.”

“Shut up!”

She cast a glare at Loki, who was sunning himself on the table.

“It’s true.” Todd arranged himself to sit cross-legged, tail swishing behind him. “You worry like an old woman. You should join Granny’s sewing group.”

That made Em pause.

“Granny has a sewing group? But I thought she was the only Lycan here.”

Todd gave her a cold look. “There’s a village outside the walls, you know.”

Em raised her hands. In her defense, the village wasn’t just ‘outside the walls’. It was almost three miles away. Flint would never let her walk there by herself.

She plopped down on the floor in front of Todd.

“What’s up?”

“Uh.”

Looking thoroughly confused, Todd hesitantly pointed upward. Em laughed.

“No, I mean, what can I do for you?”

“Oh. Nothing. I was just bored and I saw the window was open.” He crossed his arms, pretending nonchalance. “I wanted to see why. Well, now I know. A dumb human girl was hot.”

Em stuck her tongue out at him.

“How’s Grandpa today? I heard he wasn’t feeling well.”

Confused, Todd tilted his head. “Grandpa’s not sick.”

“But I heard he was!”

“Well, they’re wrong.”

“Then why hasn’t he come out in a couple days?”

Todd shrugged. “Probably cuz Uncle Ben is visiting.”

Uncle Ben? Em scrunched up her forehead. Visitors always had to check in at the main building, so this must be a secret meeting. A secret meeting between Lycans. Either that was good… or it wasn’t good at all.

While Em inwardly fretted, Todd fidgeted.

“Uncle Ben wanted to see you,” he muttered.

“You said you didn’t have a reason for coming!” Todd scrunched his nose at her and Em smirked. Then his words sunk in and she wrinkled her forehead. “Why does your Uncle Ben want to see me?”

“I don’t know. But he said to keep it a secret.”

Em pouted and shook her head. “I can’t just go see a stranger. What if he’s a bad guy?”

Todd jumped to his feet, glaring.

“Uncle Ben’s not a bad guy!”

“I don’t know that! What if he wants to kidnap me? You do know who my brother is, right?”

Todd put his hands on his hips. “I told him you’re stubborn.”

“Did you tell him you’re rude?”

They glared at each other. Then Todd spun on his heel.

“Fine, I’ll tell him you won’t come cuz you think he’s a kidnapper.”

“Good!”

Todd pulled the window open all the way. With a squeak, Em jumped to her feet and ran to him. Intending to yank him back. But he was too quick for her, so all she could do was lean out the window and watch helplessly as he climbed down the wall.

The boy even did it upside down like a squirrel. It made her nauseous to watch.

“You should go.”

“What?”

Em looked at the slime. He was still sunning himself. Next to him was the arm basket Flint came home with one day. It was like a holster that Loki could ride around in. It worked well… except the times it occasionally oozed, even when Loki wasn’t hungry.

He did it to annoy her, she was sure.

“I said, you should go.”

The slime said it slowly. Emphasizing each word.

“Why?”

He sighed dramatically.

“Think about it.”

Em frowned and tapped the window sill.

“Because they might be planning something that could hurt Flint?”

It was a gathering of Lycan, after all. Well, a small meeting of Lycan. Then she flushed. Or it could just be a family reunion. When had she gotten so paranoid?

“Perhaps.”

She glared at the slime. Then slammed the window, gathered Loki up, and raced down the stairs.

The gardeners’ cottage was tucked into a corner at the back end of the kitchen gardens.

Not that there was much distinction between the gardens. Normally, there’d also be pleasure gardens, but since the castle was struggling to stay ahead of their financial difficulties, every garden space had been uprooted and turned into food production.

She didn’t know how, but the old couple (with Todd’s small help) was taking care of all of it themselves.

Compared to the gardens, the cottage was a mess. Complete with overgrown ivy a foot deep against the walls. The only reason she could tell a building was there was because she could see where the door and windows peeked out.

She chose a window and squirmed carefully through the ivy to get closer.

“... in the market. It would never sell.”

“Then what about rope? It sold well before the war.”

“Who’d make it? Let’s face it. Most of our craftsmen were packed up as soon as the bastards could get their hands on them. All we have left are laborers.”

“We still have craftsmen.”

“Who have the skills capable of producing the price of slaves?”

Em wrinkled her forehead. What in the world were they talking about?

“Hey! You said you weren’t coming.”

Em squawked and stumbled. Which resulted in her getting caught in the ivy and unable to twist around. But she knew who it was, even as she struggled to get herself loose.

“That’s what you get for spying,” Todd smirked. Arms crossed.

“I wasn’t spying!”

“Yes, you were.”

“Fine. I was. Help me out!”

No matter how she moved, the vines seemed to tighten around her. Loki snickered and she shot a glare at her shoulder.

“Nope. You got yourself in there, you get yourself out.”

As the children bickered, the adults abruptly stopped talking. Then Granny and the visitor stepped outside to observe what was going on.

“You’re so mean, Todd!”

“And you’re a liar.”

“Am not! I told the truth. I was spying. Spying, spying, spying! There, happy?!”

“Enough.”

Both children jumped as the visitor abruptly cut in. The man pulled out a knife and with few movements, cut Em free of the vines. She stumbled and fell to her knees. Then jumped up as quickly as she could and brushed herself off.

Trying to appear dignified even as her ears burned.

“So.” The man resheathed his knife. “You’re Emmaline Grimshaw, yes?”

“Yes.”

Em watched him warily. Ready to bolt if she needed to. Crap! This was an isolated part of the grounds. Would anyone hear if she screamed?

You better help me out if I get into trouble, she thought at Loki.

The man lowered himself to one knee, bringing himself to Em’s height. And from there bowed to her, though he didn’t drop his eyes as a servant would. This was an ‘I’m equal to you’ bow.

She bowed back, also keeping her eyes locked on his.

The man smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you, miss Emmaline. I’m Ben.”

“Em,” she corrected. “Only Flint calls me Emmaline anymore. And that’s only if he’s annoyed with me.”

The stranger chuckled. “Miss Em, then. Can we talk, Miss Em?”

Em crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously. His eyes crinkled in amusement.

“I promise, I’m not a kidnapper.”

“Why do you want to talk to me? I don’t know anything important.”

The stranger exchanged a look with Granny. Who was fidgeting in the background and casting worried glances toward the garden entrance.

“I was wondering if you have any more news about the Prince.”

Em stiffened.

“Did mister Jay tell you?!”

She hadn’t expected that. How many people had he told?! Well, on consideration, it made sense he’d tell other people. But only if he believed she was telling the truth and Prince Asher was alive somewhere.

… Alive as of when she talked to mister Jay, anyway.

“He did. Can we talk?”

Em bit her lip, her stomach curling with guilt.

What could she tell him? That Prince might be dead now? Would that be too cruel? Give them hope only to snatch it away?

Would it be more cruel to pretend otherwise?

She cast a glance at Loki. Maybe she should ask him first? But she couldn’t. Not with them watching. And he might not answer, anyway. After telling her once, ‘Yes, Prince is alive,’ he’d refused to do it again.

He really meant he couldn’t tell her more.

What was the point of having a god on your side if he won’t answer questions?

“Ok,” she said weakly.

She kept at least a body length space between her and the stranger as she walked into the cottage. Staying closer to Granny and the curious Todd than to him. Not that she was particularly close to Granny, but she at least knew Granny.

Granny stopped in the doorway, leaving it open to keep watch.

The open door made Em feel a little better as she sat on a stool by the cold fireplace.

Grandpa was sitting at a table, which tilted on a badly fixed leg. The stranger calmly also took a seat next to him, both of them facing her.

Em didn’t wait to be questioned. After all, he’d already told her what he wanted.

Cautiously, watching his face, she told him about her last vision of Prince. Except the part where her connection to her other body broke. Skimming over it by explaining that her sickness had made it so she could no longer go see him.

Uncle Ben pressed his lips together, tapping the table.

“It sounds like a hopeless cause.”

Grandpa tiredly rubbed his face and Em winced.

“We still need to check.” Ben tapped, tapped, tapped the table. “Unfortunately, there are a dozen gladiatorial arenas in the Empire. And hundreds of contestants. With our limited resources it’ll be difficult to check them all, much less retrieve him if… if he’s still alive.”

Obviously, mister Uncle Ben had informed the gardeners of Em’s visions before she got there.

Oh!

Em straightened up, eyes brightening.

“I can narrow it down for you.”

Ben, who seemed to have forgotten she was there for a moment, flinched and looked at her. “Oh?”

“His mistress is a Lady Arnold. Will that help?”

“Do you have a given name?”

“No. But she’s important enough or rich enough to have a knightage.”

Ben tapped the table and nodded slowly. “That should help. The more information I have to give to the guild, the easier it’ll be for them to find what we’re looking for.”

“He’s been going by Gray in the arena.”

“That will also help.”

Em hesitated. “Aren’t information guilds expensive?”

Every adult in the room flinched.

“That’s for us to worry about.”

Em hesitated, watching them as they exchanged grim looks. An idea hit her and she squirmed on her seat. They weren’t mister Jay, but… maybe… She could tell them instead of him?

She fidgeted.

“Mister Ben?”

“Yes?”

“If you need funds, why don’t you sell azuremere?”