Kidnapping the Prince

Kidnapping the Prince Installment XXI

Kidnapping the Prince Installment XXI

“Lucas,” I breathed, gaping at him. His clothes were filthy (filthier than my own, which was saying something), he had many cuts and bruises on his face and arms, and he was leaning heavily on a long piece of wood that seemed to have been torn off of something. He turned his angry stare onto me and opened his mouth to say something, but before he had, he winced in pain fell on his knees with a gasp.

“You okay?” I asked from where I sat after briefly entertaining the idea of going over to him. If I had to be honest with myself, I wasn’t exactly overly pleased at his appearance. Somehow the thought didn’t surprise me though. Ryan and Marse, however, rushed to his aid.

“What’s wrong?” Marse asked gently while helping him to get in a more comfortable position.

“My leg,” Lucas groaned, clutching the area above his calf. Marse and Ryan both bent over the slightly green and oozing wound, and after a second or two, Marse diagnosed it as infected.

“Really?” I gasped with a roll of my eyes. “That’s impossible!”

“I don’t need your attitude right now, Lynn, thank you,” Marse said firmly. “If you would be so kind, please go to my room and get the white box sitting on top of the wardrobe.” I got up and retrieved the box, which was revealed to be a medical kit. I watched, clueless, as Marse and Ryan cleaned and bound the wound.

“How is it,” I asked aloud once they were finished, “that everyone here is practically a qualified doctor except me?”

“An Info must have many skills,” Marse said, “and strictly speaking so should a thief. I don’t know how Ryan knows what to do though as there’s no way you could’ve taught him anything useful.”

“Someone taught me when I was –” Ryan cut off abruptly, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Nothing.”

“Well, now that Lucas is taken care of,” Marse placed her hands on her hips, “I think we should get back to business.”

“How bout we do that tomorrow?” I suggested. “I’m tired.” Marse ignored me and began to explain as she walked around the room, putting away supplies and pulling out more.

“You’ve been gone for five days,” she said as she closed the medical box, “which is five days too many for Duke Slewin. He’s been expecting you, and so far he’s cut five thousand from our pay because of it. If we don’t get to him by tomorrow night, he says he’ll go ahead and have our heads.”

“I like him already,” I said sarcastically as I jumped onto Marse’s desk, which was more comfortable than her chairs. Picking up a quill from her desk, I dipped it into her ink well and began to draw swirls on my arm.

“Stop wasting ink,” Marse sighed, taking the quill from me. I pouted but let her take it.

“Before we go on,” Ryan cut in, “could we let Lucas explain exactly how he managed to get out of those tunnels?

“Right. I think we’re all very interested to hear what he has to say about that,” Marse agreed as the attention in the room shifted to Lucas. Scowling, he began his recount.

“After Lynx so kindly left me,” he growled with a glare in my direction, “I followed the sound of her yelling, but then it got really quiet. I tried to call after them a few times, but every time I yelled something they would be calling for me at the same time, so they never heard me. Then, at some point I must have passed out because when I woke up I couldn’t hear you guys at all. So I started wandering. I was sure I was gonna die down there, but then I felt water running down the side of the tunnel, so I thought I should go towards the source of the water. After a really long time, I thought I heard Lynx shouting, but I thought that was just my mind playing tricks on me. But then, I saw light, or at least I thought I did. So I followed it and just as I turned a corner I saw Marse pull you three out of the tunnels.”