Arcadia : The Hidden Child

Chapter 17

My comm's device was glowing in the dark.  I rolled over to look at it and shot straight up in bed. 
Damian.
What did he want at this hour?  I looked outside and there was no sign of light.   I punched the button and his image appeared.
"I didn't wake you did I?"
"What do you want?"
"You really should be nicer to me, especially when I hold all of the cards."
I threw my feet off the edge of the bed.  "What do you mean?"
"Your friends."
"What have you done with them?" Panic started to race through my veins.  Should I get Cash and Mars? Did they know?
"Don't you hurt them!"
"Or what?" His words were icy smooth. He laughed, "Nothing, nothing at all."
"What do you want?" I repeated again, this time trying to keep the edge out of my voice.
"That's better."
He was getting off on the control he thought he had over me.  I didn't say anything but just waited for him to speak again.
"Your friends, I have them and I will kill them."
"But..."
He nodded, "But," he said simply.  "But I will not if you give me something in return, a trade of sorts."
"A trade? I thought you held all the cards."
He raised his brows.
"What do you want to trade?"
"A union."
"A union?" I didn't know what this was.
"Yes.  I will give your friends back to you," he added, "Alive... and in turn you will union with me."
I had a feeling I knew what he was talking about but I had to be certain.
"You want me to marry you?"
"Yes, I believe that is what they call it on Earth."
"No." I shook my head emphatically.
"Araleigh," his voice was silky smooth, but I could hear the hatred coursing through it.  "That is not the decision I was hoping you would make.  I think I may put her head on my wall." He reached off camera and I heard a painful scream.
"Araleigh!" She cried out.
It felt like a thousand daggers were stabbing my gut right now.
"Stop! Stop hurting her!"
"Your friends shouldn't be so reckless."
I had to find Mars, I had to let him know.  I had to save her, if I let that creep kill her, I would never forgive myself and neither would Mars.
"Fine."
"Fine?" He cocked his head and smiled.  "Say the words."
"I will union with you!" I choked the words out.
"Get them out of here!" He said off camera.
"Perfect.  I will hope to see you here tomorrow."
"Where is here?"
"The compound of course, isn't that why you sent your people?"
"They aren't my people."
"Not yet anyways...."
I ended the call and he disappeared. I walked to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face.  I felt like I needed a shower to rid my skin of the filth.
I needed to find Cash and Mars.  I grabbed my comm's device and told them to meet me in the workout room and them promptly made my way there.
Ten minutes later both Cash and Mars walked in at almost the same time wearing a set of silky looking light gray pants and no shirt.
"What's going on Araleigh," Cash said rubbing his face, sounding a little irritated.
"Damian called again."
They both were awake instantly, "Yea I thought that would grab your attention."
"What did he want?"
"I don't know how to say this," I hesitated.
"Just say it." Mars pressed.
I looked at him, "He has Venus and Micah."
Mars punched the wall we were standing beside, leaving a sizable dent.  "I don't believe it."
"I"-
"Did you see them?"
"Not really."
"So then how to you know it is Venus."
"He was taunting me, saying how he had all of the cards and he knew they were surveilling him.  There was a woman there he grabbed off camera and she screamed out my name to help her." I felt a tear start to form on my lower lid.
"What do you want to do Mars?" Cash asked, looking sullen.
"I want to kill that asshole!"
"Kill who?" I heard a melodic voice behind me say.
I turned and saw Venus and Micah standing there looking tired but unharmed.
"What are you guys doing up this late, or early I guess??  We didn't expect anyone to be up and heard all of this commotion going on in here." Venus said.
I ran up to her and gave her a hug.  "You're ok!" I looked her over, a classic Franz move I thought.
"Yes we are fine.  Everything went smoothly." She said stifling a laugh.
I rubbed my head.  "If he doesn't have you then who does he have?"
"Who has what where?" Venus said confused.
I quickly filled her in on the call and everything that he said.
"He never had me, but we did see him with a young girl and a guy with her."
"A younger girl?"
"Yea, maybe thirteen or so, short brown hair. Feisty."
I racked my brain and the only person I could come up with was..."Marley?"  It couldn't be, how would she have ended up here?  "Marley," I said more confident this time.
"You think he has Marley and Hub?" Cash asked.
"I don't know... it doesn't make sense.  The girl cried out for me, but I never saw her.  It could be, that combined with Venus's description of her."
"He went to get her?" Cash asked trying to put the puzzle together.
"I don't think so, even though he would know where to get her, or at least the Director would... but he said she was snooping around."
"So you think she came looking for you and found the portal and came through and then got caught?"
"Seems like the only logical explanation..." I couldn't wrap my mind around it and I was pained with a since of guilt that her, Lisa, and Hub never crossed my mind of once needing protection.
"Well we need to figure out a way to get them back." Cash said.
I tried to keep my voice steady as the next words tumbled out of my mouth, "I have fixed it already."
His gaze narrowed on my face, "Araleigh, what did you do?"
I rubbed my hands, but no amount of self soothing was going to prepare me for the verbal onslaught I knew was coming," He promised to keep them safe and return them to me alive."
"Araleigh." He spoke my name slowly, prompting for more information.
I turned to Mars, he would hopefully be an ally, "I thought he had Venus, he said he was going to hang her head on his wall..." just say the words Araleigh, "I agreed to union with him."
I heard a gasp from behind me, but didn't need to turn to tell it was from Venus.
"Not going to happen!" Cash took a step towards me, his voice was urgent, "You are not going to union with that lunatic! Not going to happen," he repeated.
"Cash," I reached out to grab his hand, but he pulled it away.
"No Araleigh.  That is not an option, end of discussion."
"You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do," I said defensively.
"Araleigh, he will hurt you.  He only wants a union to become King.  He has always wanted power, but he could never find the leverage over mom, which is why she kept you hidden away."
"I."
"I don't want to hear it!" He was angry, "He will complete the union and then kill mom and leave you locked away somewhere."
"Well we can't let him kill Hub and Marley."
He made an impatient gesture, "I know that," he was calming down.
I looked around the room and noticed that Mars, Venus and Micah were huddled together talking amongst themselves, trying not to listen to our argument.
"If I may," Micah said interjecting, but didn't wait for a response. "How long did he give you?"
"Tomorrow."
"Perfect," he said excitedly.
We all looked at him confused.
"We will go after them tonight, if it doesn't work then your union will be plan B... but hopefully it won't come to that." He looked at Mars for approval.
Mars hesitated, "Yes, I think with the circumstances, it's the only logical option."
I smiled, "Let's hope this works."

o o o o o o