Have No Mercy (6 page)

Blonde curls and a hesitant smile
remind me of a day long ago. That time, I'd opened the bathroom door after
Flynn humiliated me. But it wasn’t summer blue eyes or a faded surfer's tan
that stood before me.

A paler, cute but not handsome
guy with milk chocolates for eyes held my gaze. His hand bore the white towel
much like a peace flag. I was in a loop of déjà vu. I cocked my head over my
shoulder and noticed the towel was missing from the floor near the closed
doorway. But I didn't make the same mistake twice. I didn't reach for the hand.

His lips pursed in a tight smile.
"Sorry, Larrison can be a bastard." And I was struck by how human he
sounded. Larrison had to be the name of the Napoleon look alike. That boy had
sounded as aristocratic as his look. He hadn't said much, but it was enough to
get a sense of his superiority, authoritative tone and lack of humanity.

Tristrom, at least I was betting
my money it was him, set the towel down on the tiles that boarded around the
square bath. Again he offered a sad smile and began to walk away.

The time had come. What was I
doing? "Wait," I called out swiveling around, so I was facing him as
he progressed towards the door.

His steps stuttered to a stop.
His head tilted, but he said nothing.

"Thank you," I offered.
It would be far too obvious to say more. But maybe I'd created an opening for a
future conversation when I was more prepared to talk.

The water had gone tepid before a
solitary girl of indeterminate age entered bearing a garment of gold draped
over her forearm. I’d been sitting at the edge of the miniature pool, as I’d
begun to think of it, wrapped in the towel. After Tristrom’s departure, I’d
been quick to get into it before someone else came and played rat and cheese
with it and me.

The girl kept her eyes averted,
using the white bonnet on her head as an unlikely shield. I let my eyes fall to
the drab brown dress she wore that looked frayed around the edges. She had to
be a servant. And as if to prove my point, she placed the gown next to me and
gave a curtsy.

When she didn’t leave, I studied
the intricate detail as if the garment had been spun by gold. It was like
threaded fire from the sun, and I couldn't help but be brought back to a vision
of Luke in the sunlight staring at me like I was his everything. A grin on his
face and warmth in his heart would have been all for me and brought a tiny
smile to my face.

“Queen Mab wanted you to wear
this. She wasn’t sure if you would know how to dress yourself.” Caught up in my
thoughts, I couldn’t place the accent.

Replaying her words, I knew she
was right. As she held the dress up, I noticed all the layers of undergarments.
And with ties that would be at my back, I wouldn’t have been able to do this
alone.

She waited for me to stand, and I
did. As she began to help me into everything, I took a chance and asked a
question. “You call the Queen Mab, but I thought her name was Madeline?”

“Yes, mam. You can’t call her
Queen Mad can you? It’ll get your tongue cut out that’s for sure.” Her accent
reminded me of a movie I saw once. I think it was of a working class woman from
one of the Sherlock Holmes movies. One who was reluctant to get involved and be
called a snitch.  

By the time I figured that out, I
was thoroughly encased in the gown. The bodice gripped my ribcage like a boa
constrictor. I wanted to see myself and did a three-sixty in search of a
nonexistent mirror. After my fruitless turn, my helper had disappeared in a
whisper of air as if she'd never been.

On cue, emotions from the day and
past days held back by McKayla sprung free. It had only been a matter of time.
I wanted so badly to be strong, but a steady stream of tears fell from my eyes
unabashedly.

I hated the dress and the sun
that it reminded me of. I hated the memory of Luke’s eyes as the light died
from them. I hated I hadn’t been able to say goodbye. And I hated that I still
wanted Flynn despite it all. What kind of person was I?

Then, as if summoned by magic,
Flynn was there. He entered and closed the door upon seeing me. He didn’t ask
about my tears, for we shared the same pain, the same loss. I dissolved in
misery no longer hiding it. His hands were warm on my back in spite of the
layers of fabric.

His hand stroked my head while I
let him be strong for both of us. I couldn't tell you how long we stood before
I found my strength to stand on my own. As the pain lessened, I promised myself
I’d be stronger next time.

"Thank you," I said and
pulled away.

 But not far enough, he stroked
his thumbs across my cheeks to wipe away the last of my tears. “We should talk
about this.”

I wasn’t ready. “What is there to
say?” I backed away slowly knowing that I couldn’t face this conversation.

“You need to accept—”

Not that again. I shook my head
and cut him off not ready for him to complete that thought. “I don’t accept
anything.” I decided to fight with what I had. I flung his actions back at him.
“Why don’t you go back to your new girlfriend?”

He smirked even though I’d used a
callous tone. “Still jealous?”

“Am not,” I retorted like a
spoiled child, even going so far as to stamp one foot to prove it. I knew I was
being stupid. Yet, I couldn’t stop myself.

He moved forward, crowding me.
When he placed hands on my hips, his words were barely above a whisper. “If you
could only see the way your eyes grow soft when I touch you.”

Annoyed, I made clumsy attempts
to remove his hands. He dipped his head and I couldn’t. I turned from him, and
he ended up placing his lips at the juncture of my jaw and neck. I closed my
eyes because Flynn had a way of tempting me and others girls as well if I was
being honest. Hadn’t he just gone off with someone else?

Frustrated, I pushed him away,
succeeding where I’d failed a moment before. “Stop,” I protested, halfway
between anger and tears, yet no moisture left my eyes. I was grateful for the
slight distance between us because it was so wrong to want him. Luke hadn’t
been gone long enough.

Undeterred, he stepped back into
my personal bubble. His lips moved up my jaw, burning a trail to my earlobe,
where he whispered, “And you hate I left you for that girl earlier.”

My eyes felt hot, and I bet I had
the red eyes camera lenses captured. My face flushed to match the fury I felt
at the thought of that girl enjoying Flynn in a way I couldn’t.

“See. You can’t deny it. The
truth of my words is in your face.” He used his index finger at the base of my
chin to make me face him. His lips ghosted over mine before his forehead met my
own. Our breaths mingled as our mouths lingered only a kiss away. My traitorous
heart raced with anticipation. “Stop wasting time. Let me claim you.”

I sidestepped him putting
distance between us. I felt my face twist in disgust. “I can’t.” But never say
never. Flynn would die if I didn’t let him at some point. “Not now,” I added. I
had to find Luke. There were things I needed to say to him. Being with me had
only put his life in danger more than once.

“When?” Flynn pierced my heart
with his glare. “When my body is cold and dead? I guess I’ll be stiff then too
so that could work.”

I, more than, felt the sting of
his words. He didn’t give me a chance to respond.

His sneer cleared all the
tenderness and playfulness from earlier. “He kept things from you just like
your mom. Things I would have told you. I. Never. Lied. To. You. Ever.” He
paused in his rant. “I only hid Your actions when was for Your benefit!”

Confused and hurt, I pleaded for
answers. “What do you mean? What things? And what did Luke not tell me?”

His head shook in short burst
side to side. “I shouldn’t have said that.” His eyes were tormented, and he
looked sick. “I have to go.”

He gripped the base of his neck
before threw up his hands up as if washing me from his thoughts. He stormed out
the door before I had a clue he would leave. I tried to run after him, but the
door closed smartly before I reached it. I yanked it open only to find the
halls empty. Music flowed from somewhere and stepped back in the room and
closed the door to lean on it with my back. When I ventured to open my eyes
again, a ghost stood before me.

Tender eyes framed by the wild
curls met mine. "Can I help?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as
a startled gasped escaped me. I clamped hands tight over my mouth to cover my
scream. Where the heck had he come from? I blinked rapidly finally allowing my
hands to drop. He hadn’t pounced on me, and his eyes never left mine. There
wasn’t a sleazy vibe to him, but I was still curious how he seemed to know when
I was in need. I mean I was supposed to be finding him, yet he kept finding me.
I wasn't sure how I truly felt about it. Instead, I tried to focus on the
positive. Having him in front of me made my job easier.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I
didn’t expect you would still be here.”

I clasped my hands together. “It
seems I’m not expected anywhere, and I don’t have any place to go.”

He nodded and stood quiet for a
second. Just when I scrambled to think of something to fill the space, he
asked, “Would you like to see the grounds?”

Flynn mentioned that we should
get the lay of the land. What better way than to spend time with the guy I was
supposed to convince to come home.

It didn’t take me long to
realized that his mother was wrong. Flirting with him wasn’t the answer.

“Sure, I’m Mercy by the way.” I
held out a hand.

There was an awkward period where
it hung there, and I almost dropped it before he took several steps forward. He
only came close enough to reach my hand when extending his own. “I’m Tristrom.”

I was right. Had there ever been
any doubt? It was a quick shake, but contact was made. He was real and maybe we
could leave Fairy really soon.

He gestured me towards the door,
and I headed there. I opened it and stepped out in the hall and waited. I had a
moment to wonder about my clothes and phone which had been stripped from me.
But Tristrom soon closed the door and gestured to the left towards the music.

Although, I couldn’t see anything
other than the monochromatic nature of the hall, the music got louder with
every step. Tristrom stayed on my left but never once touched me. His eyes
stayed forward, and I scrambled for conversation topics.

Still grasping for ideas, a door
to our right came into view, and a boat load of activity was going on inside.
Servants, some with wings on their backs, worked to set tables, chairs, and
place settings.

A glance up and Tristrom and he
sputtered. “Ah, a um, dinner party.” Then he faced ahead quickly as if he were
afraid to look at me. What was that all about?

I decided not to push it for the
moment. I glanced forward at the french doors ahead. Bright white light poured
in, and I longed for the natural sun. He opened them, and we walked down
several marble stairs onto green grass that defied the crisp air. No fog
existed, and I had an unobstructed view of the grounds ahead. It was a
wonderland of evergreen trees and manicured lawns lightly dusted in white. And
it all made me think of Christmas.

I almost choke on emotions. I
missed my family, Mom, David, Flynn, Luke, Maggie and even Tom and Brent.
"It's beautiful out here,” I confessed.

One would think I was talking to
myself since the mysterious boy stayed silent next to me.

"Maggie would love
this," I added hoping my best friend was safe. Sebastian was out there. I
had to pray that he wouldn't take his anger out on the people I loved. Another
miscalculation. Had I been wrong to assume that he'd wanted Luke dead?

Stunning me, he spoke. “I come
out here sometimes when I want to think.”

He hadn’t asked a question, yet
his eyes held mine as if waiting for permission to step through the archway
ahead where the tall hedges lined the area in front of me.

I nodded, and he lightly placed a
hand on my back encouraging me forward. Once through, his hand dropped. It
seemed odd, but I went with it. The path was clear with no choice about where
to go, so it wasn’t like he needed to guide me.

 After a while, I began to trail
my fingers along the green leaves and white snow as we walked. I was curious
about this place, and since Tristrom wasn’t being talkative, touch was my
answers some of my questions.

Inches ahead of my fingertips, a
flawless white rose bloomed out of the bush with such brilliance, I ached to
touch it. A fraction away from impact, a stony finger gripped mine. Tristrom
shook his head before he showed me why he stopped me. Quickly, he flicked a
finger against the bud, then snatched his hand away. What happened next was
bizarre. A single drop of his blood soaked into the petals and immediately
turned the flower blood red. A second later the flower’s petals began to spin
furiously with sharp edges. It would have cut off my hand had I touch it. Like
a Venus Fly Trap, I’d been caught in its beauty, and it would have taken
advantage.

Keeping my hand in his, he pulled
me away from the hedges that walled us on either side. It was almost intimate.
I wasn't sure how to play this, so I allowed his touch.

"What do they call this
place?" I asked innocently trying to draw him out of the hard shell he had
erected around himself.

Our progress stopped and his gaze
landed heavy on mine. I couldn't decipher his thoughts but when his head bent
towards mine, I froze. Only, he used his lips to utter one word, not to kiss
me. "Trammel."

As close as he'd come, he
straightened back to his full height. I was left to puzzle out why the place
was called Trammel. I’d heard the word before yet its meaning was just out of
reach. He moved forward and I followed him deeper into the labyrinth as I
pondered his word.

It hit me. Thank goodness for the
SAT. It meant something that impeded progress... activity... or freedom.
Warning bells blared the word run in my head. And I could do it. The way back
was easy because so far, our turns had only been one way.

Had his utterance been a
cautionary tale? I glanced the three steps ahead and made my decision. I moved
a step towards him and danger because a deeper part of me that knew that he was
key to me getting back to Luke. And for that, I would do whatever necessary to
secure his cooperation.

By any means necessary, I
thought. No one would stand in my way of my task. I wouldn't whore myself, but
there were lines I was willing to cross to get what I wanted.

It felt odd realizing that was me
and not my demon other half. But that was the price of love. Luke deserved
everything I had including my own life if needed to rescue his.

The further we went, I readied
myself for battle. I didn't know this guy and lust might not be in his head. I
mean he hadn't kissed me. And I wasn't vain enough to believe I was desirable
to every guy I came across. But he could be Madeline's soldier and the means to
my death. It didn’t matter though. He would soon see I would fight and kill him
if I had to protect myself, the Elven queen be damned. I would find another way
into the veil of the between. Hopefully, I would make it on time, and they
would once again set Luke and me free. Otherwise, I would bargain for Luke's
life with my own. I exhaled a breath feeling relieved that I'd come to a
conclusion without hesitation. Luke would live again.

We rounded a corner into a lane
of ice sculptures. I didn’t have to wait for what would happen next. Larrison
matched in from the opposite end.

"Brother," Larrison
greeted joyfully.

I turned to see Tristrom bow. Had
this been a setup? The answer to that was easy.

Larrison wasn't alone. The girl
with silver hair and a glowing face to pretty for words bounced over to me with
energy so far, no one I'd seen, possessed.

"Hi," she said
extending a hand. "We haven’t met. I'm Morgana, Larrison and Tristrom
sister."

Reluctantly, I shook her icy hand
only to snatch it away when a jolt of cold pain like a burn shot up my arm.

"Oh, sorry about that. I
forgot you were mortal." She giggled again, but it didn’t hide her frosty
gaze. She'd meant to hurt me, whether to test or to warn, I wasn't sure.
"And where is that handsome young man you were with."

Possessiveness at epic levels
filled my gut. "My husband," I gritted. Even I heard the undercurrent
of a growl in my voice as she eyed me now like a worthy opponent instead of a
stupid child.

"Ah yes, he said that didn't
he."

I didn't remember seeing her at
the gathering we'd been led to upon arrival. Had he told her about me after he
left with her? And why wasn’t she there earlier? Did Madeline not think her
worthy since she hadn't been at the head table like either brother?

"I don't remember seeing you
at the table with your family." My backhand remark hit its target across
the face.

She flinched at my words.
"Mother had me handling important matters. But I was there when it
counted."

So much for a future friendship
between us. Clearly, she was just another one of Flynn’s groupies. She’d
learned though much like the rest. He wasn’t for sale nor was he buying. If
anything, he’d use and discard her when it was time for us to go.

"Morgana, it's obvious the
boy isn't here. Why don't you go find him and take our brother with you?"
Larrison’s autocratic tone would have made my neck bristle if he’d been talking
to me. Morgana however turned her smile up further before glancing back at him.

“Yes brother dear. I shall do
just that.”  Rolling her head back in my direction, I could feel her venomous
gaze with the desire to strike me down no less. She breezed closer to me
narrowing her eyes. “When I find him, I’ll be sure to tell him you are busy
with my brother.”

“Why don’t you do that. It will
only backfire when he comes to find me. And he will.”

She snarled before stalking off.
The gravel underfoot moved as two sets of footsteps left. Slowly, I turned to
see Larrison gaze on me. It was downright gross the way he stared at my chest
and finally back to my eyes. That had to be what it felt like for a diver who
went in without a cage into shark infested waters.