A while back, she worked with a hearing-impaired client from whom she learned to sign the alphabet. God, did she still remember all that? Wait. She shook her head. She had forgotten where she was. Sign language in a foreign dimension probably wouldn’t work. Then a thought hit her.
“Blink once for yes, twice for no. Are you working down here because you aren’t able to talk to others?”
The lady’s eyes widened and blinked once.
“Would you rather be in the kitchen than down here?”
The sad eyes returned, but they glanced toward the other side where the small boys were bringing out more dust.
Well, she’d wondered where the boys were. She got her answer. Which, of course, pissed her off even more. Their lungs must’ve been damaged to the point of breathing problems. Why didn’t these people see this? Hello? Mesothelioma, lung cancer, anyone?
Just more inequalities and discrimination to put on the growing list. Taking off her brown sheet, she wiped her face and went back to where Daph stood with Mr. Sexy and some other man. Both guys’ eyes were wide. What? Had they never seen a woman before? The older man with shock and her guy (where had her come from?), were checking her out, head to toe. She didn’t even want to know what he thought about her body.
She’d heard it plenty of times in the past. You’re pretty but too big. Your ass is too fat for me. Can’t you go to the gym? Instead, she asked the question she had for the woman. “Why are you making so many swords? There aren’t this many men here, are there?”
The older man had his mouth hanging open still, so she looked to Hotstuff. “We’re going to war,” he said.
Lilah rolled her eyes. “Fabulous, let me guess. You want someone else’s land, so instead of negotiating, you kill others.”
The elder man gasped. “You can’t speak to the prin—”
“It’s fine, Smit. I have given her special permission,” he said.
Hell, she didn’t even know who her guy was. “What’s your name, anyway?”
He made a proper bow to her. “I am Ferrus Ironback, my lady.”
She scowled even though butterflies swarmed in her stomach. “You’re breaking about every child labor law that exists, you know that, right?”
Ferrus drew his brows down. “We have no child labor rules.”
“Of course not,” she said. “There is no one here to stand up to the powers that would exploit them. Neither do the women for that matter.” The thought that she could be that person, that she could be the one to bring justice to these unfairly treated people, intrigued her. First, they needed to get Wren and Zee out of their cell.
“Why are Daphne and I not in the holding tank with the other two? Why can’t our friend and her mate come out too?”
Ferrus stared at her for a minute, then turned and started up the slope.
“Hey,” Lilah called out, “don’t walk away and not answer me. That’s rude.” She jogged to catch up to his long strides. “Why can’t they be released too? In fact, if you release them, we will be on our way, and you’ll never see us again.”
Ferrus stopped. His eyes held anger. He backed her against the tunnel wall, not touching her, but damn close. “I am never letting you go. Get used to that right now. You are mine.” He stared into her eyes, making her breathless and speechless. Wait. Was he hitting on her? Was this his way of asking a woman on a date? Pretty piss poor if it was.
Why would someone as gorgeous as he was want to be with someone like her? She was far from perfect, and he deserved nothing less.
This was a situation she’d never been in. In school, the boys wanted just one thing, and when they became too demanding, she dumped them for someone else. That was the only reason she had a “new boyfriend every week,” according to Wren and Daph. If they knew the truth, they would’ve known how hurt she was by their comment.
He grinned. “Nothing to say for once?”
Bastard. She shoved him away. Her anger rose fast. “I belong to no one. You get used to that.” She stomped down the tunnel to where Daphne stood, watching the two of them with eyes wide and a huge smile on her face. “What?” she griped when reaching her cousin.
Daph’s smile faded. “He just said he wants you. Hello?”
Lilah crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I don’t want him. He’s an arrogant ass who is too good-looking.” She heard him chuckling from up the tunnel.
“Oh,” he said without turning back, “your friends are staying where they are. I will not allow the enemy to roam freely through our home.”
Lilah locked eyes with Daph. Lilah asked, “Did he just say, enemy?”
Daphne replied, “He said they’re going to war.”
“Oh my god,” Lilah breathed.
“They are going to kill everyone in Zee’s village.”
Lilah spun around and ran. “Come on, Daph. We have to stop them.”
“How?”
“We’re going to talk to the king again.”
Hopefully, it would go better this time.
Chapter Nine
Lilah and her cousin dashed past a walking Ferrus. They didn’t have time to debate with some warrior about not going to war over…
“Hey,” Lilah stopped in the middle of the tunnel, “why are you going to fight the gnoleon? What did they do to you?”
His surprised expression stupefied her. He answered, “You came from the village, did you not? Surely you know of their plans to take over the mountain.”
Again, she was almost speechless. Almost. “Are you crazy? Why in the world would they give up living in the forest to move into a big-ass hole in the ground where there’s no sunshine or fresh air.”
“Not to mention,” Daphne added, “their magic works on dirt and growing plants. Don’t see too much of that here.”
He stopped in front of her, feet set shoulder-width apart. “Then tell me why they suddenly show up not far from here?”
“Because their forest burned down.” Lilah and Daph said together, then grinned at each other.
He sighed. “That’s what the female gnoleon said.”
Was he talking about Wren? “Have you spoken to Wren and Zee?”
“Briefly. They said the same thing about their forest. But who would do such a thing? The qhasant have been wiped out for hundreds of years.”
Oh shit. They didn’t know about the kappy army trying to get their hands on her, Daphne, and Wren for their portal rocks. Her hand slid over her pocket and felt a bump. Still there.
She spun around, hurrying up the tunnel. “We have to speak with the king now. There is something he doesn’t know. Something new.”
“What?” He moved up to her side.
“Daph,” Lilah said, “is your gemstone in your pocket?” Her cousin slapped fingers over her hip and nodded.
“That is what their leader wants, isn’t it? We need to talk to Wren too. She knows more than we do.”
Lilah gasped. “Yes, she does.” She turned to the hunk beside her. “The two in prison have details about this guy who has an army or something.” He stumbled but kept up. “If you want to know it all, then they need to be there too.”