Fantasyland: Midnight Soul Part 13

Both Noc and Frey turned toward the feminine drawl, and they did this just in time to see the green smoke start to dissipate and Valentine lift her hand in an indifferent gesture. This movement caused the handsome but frightened-looking woman she'd brought with her to tumble back. She slammed into Nils Drakkar, taking them both into the shelves where more bottles fell and smashed on the ground.

"Pity, waste of good liquor," Valentine noted casually.

"Kristian and his family?" Frey asked.

Valentine looked to him. "Frightened, but no harm had been done. Though I arrived just in time."

"She's a witch," Frey informed Valentine.

"She was a witch," Valentine returned. "I've stripped her of her powers."

"What?" Nils whispered.

Noc looked to him. He was now holding his wife in a protective embrace Noc didn't think the man had in him.

"It's true, my love," his wife said in a trembling voice. "My magic, she took it." Her gaze wandered fearfully to Valentine. "Her power is...I've never felt anything like it."

"This is...it is...it's," Nils sputtered, "unspeakable." He speared Valentine with his eyes. "Return it immediately."

"If you don't cease speaking to me in this manner, you odious man, you'll find yourself without a tongue," Valentine retorted.

"Who do you think you are?" Nils demanded, pulling his wife behind him and taking a step toward Valentine.

When he did, the witch lifted her hand and snapped.

Nils stopped immediately. Both his hands shooting to his mouth, his eyes getting huge, his facing losing all color, he staggered back and Noc watched as his eyes got even more huge and he rolled his jaw around in a bizarre way that was also creepy as f.u.c.k.

"Valentine," Frey sighed.

"I'll give it back," she promised, but finished with, "eventually."

Noc stared at her. "You took his tongue?"

She tipped her head to the side. "I didn't fancy how he was using it."

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l," Frey muttered.

Frey's last man in the room, a guy named Ruben, chuckled.

"I a.s.sume you have plans for these two cretins that I'll approve of?" Valentine asked Frey.

"I'm uncertain you'll approve of them but I can a.s.sure you they'll be punished," Frey answered.

She shifted only her eyes Nils and Anneka's way. "Punished seems a tame word in this instance."

"They're going to be inhabiting a cell for the rest of their days," Frey shared. "Does that suffice?"

"You can't be serious." Anneka's words sounded forced out.

Frey looked to his aunt. "I can't?"

She took in his face and shrunk away.

"I suppose that'll do," Valentine murmured.

Having turned fully to them, she was eyeing them like she would eye a pesky rodent she intended to trap by breaking its back and then dispose of.

"I'm done here," Frey stated and looked to Ruben. "Keep an eye on them until Lund gets back with the constable."

"Right, Frey," Ruben answered.

He turned to Valentine. "Give him back his tongue."

She gave him a small smile. "Can't I keep it?"

"Give it back, Valentine."

"Just for a little while," she coaxed.

"Valentine, there's Franka to see to," Frey reminded her.

That took the witch's attention. She lifted her hand, snapped, and Nils instantly whispered a relieved yet horrified, "By the G.o.ds."

Frey wasted no time sweeping an arm out for Valentine to precede him, something she did. He glanced at Noc. Noc lifted his chin. Frey moved and Noc followed him.

They were through the kitchens and heading to the main stairs when Frey spoke.

"I've known her since she was a little girl. But you were right."

Noc stopped. Valentine stopped. And they both found that Frey had stopped.

His attention was to Noc.

"There's great substance to anyone who would endure what she did, doing it for decades to protect her brother," Frey continued.

Noc said nothing.

Valentine also remained silent.

"Kristian is not as Nils described him," Frey went on. "But his wit is not as sharp as his sister's. And his will definitely not as strong. I cannot imagine how he would cope even with the threat of the lash, much less feeling the bite of it. But Franka, what I saw, I don't even know how she remained standing."

"She remained standing so her brother would not fall," Noc pointed out.

Frey shook his head. "I would never think she had this in her."

"The two people who, from birth, were meant to love her, look after her, protect her, but for Franka they were those two f.u.c.kwads," Noc jerked his head in the direction they came, "it's no surprise she did everything she could to make certain no one got close. This guy, the one who died, had to be something to tear off the mask she'd been wearing for so long it's a wonder it didn't fuse with her skin."

"I see this now," Frey said softly, and it didn't take a cop who could read people to read he was kicking his own a.s.s for not seeing any of this earlier.

"Man, she was a master," Noc told him something he knew. "Twice, I've been around her, and she's always trying that s.h.i.t with me even though she knows I see right through it. Don't beat yourself up. You were feeling for her exactly what she wanted you to feel."

Frey continued to look into Noc's eyes as he nodded.

"You two should feel free to stand here in the hallway of a palace in the middle of the night and dissect how Franka Drakkar's childhood traumas have affected the woman she's become," Valentine drawled. "I, however, am going to go see to the woman herself."

With that, no other way to put it, she flounced away, but elegantly, as Noc was noticing was the only way that woman did anything.

Noc and Frey started moving after her a whole lot slower. Noc wanted to go a f.u.c.kuva lot faster but he felt Frey's mood, so he kept his strides in line with the other man's.

"Looking back," Frey started reflectively as they began to walk up the stairs, "outside, of course, what she did for her lover, and that's explainable considering he's the only person she's allowed to see behind her mask, she never did aught truly amiss, except be catty and forcefully unlikeable. She even came forward with helpful information when Finnie and I were having our troubles when my wee one came to me."

"Frey, brother, you can knock yourself out trying to find the signs you missed that'd lead you to her true character," Noc replied. "But that secret was a secret well kept. You didn't know what was happening to her so you couldn't do a d.a.m.ned thing about it. Just count yourself lucky you know now."

"Yes," Frey muttered. "Difficult to do. But wise."

When they made the top of the stairs, Noc started to move faster and thankfully Frey came out of his thoughts and moved with him.

They'd barely cleared the door before Finnie was at her husband.

"Frey-" she began.

"Not now, my wee wife," Frey said gently, his arm going around her waist but his eyes went to Franka. "I'll explain all later."

Noc just went to Franka.

She was out. Her eyes closed. Her breaths even. Her beautiful face peaceful. And he saw strips of gauze with some kind of milky gunk laid across her back.

He lifted his gaze to a man who was bending over a leather case sitting on one of the chairs by the fire.

"How is she?" he asked.

The man raised his head and caught Noc's gaze.

"Mutilated," he bit out and turned his attention to Frey. "I hope, sir, that whoever perpetrated this outrage has been detained."

"He has," Frey told him.

"What's this stuff on her back?" Noc asked, and the guy who was obviously the doctor looked back to him.

"Willow salt," he stated. "I've left a jar and clean dressings," he went on.

He dipped his chin to a variety of s.h.i.t that was sitting on the table beside the chair.

Then he closed his case with a p.i.s.sed-off snap and lifted it, ordering, "In the morning, if you can get her to eat, do so. But I've also left some willow tea to a.s.sist with the pain. It needs to be seeped until it's dark. And the dressings need to be changed as well. On the morrow, mix these jars." He pointed to the jars on table. "As the bleeding will be staunched, willow salt will no longer be needed. Simply mix the lavender oil with the honey salve and the willow paste." He glanced at Franka. "There's nothing to be done with st.i.tches, considering the extensive scar tissue she already has. But even if that were not the case, there's little skin left to st.i.tch. But the salve will be soothing and hasten healing."

He started marching to the door but stopped and looked up at Frey.

"I'll return late morning to check on her," he announced.

"That would be appreciated," Frey replied.

The doctor gave Frey a short nod, didn't look at anybody and stomped out the door.

"Can you do more, Valentine?" Finnie asked, she and Frey moving closer to the bed where Valentine was standing opposite it from Noc.

"I'm not a healer, my G.o.ddess of love," she stated, her gaze directed at Franka. She looked to Finnie. "I know some, but they would not be able to do much more than the doctor did. Even if we brought her to our world, outside of managing the pain, I'm not even certain a cosmetic surgeon could find results. Unfortunately, the damage has long been done."

Finnie looked up at Frey. "The elves?"

Frey nodded. "I'll call to Nillen."

"I caution you, my cheries, do not act in haste without Franka's input. Your kindness might not be considered the same to her," Valentine warned.

"I mean no offense, Valentine, but that's daft," Frey returned, jerking his head toward the bed. "I know her state has far from escaped you."

"There are many of us who find strength and even honor in our scars, those within," she dipped her head to Franka, "and those without."

"Begging all your pardons," a timid voice came at them and Noc turned his head in its direction to see that the girl who had woken him to tell him Franka was in danger was coming out of the shadows by the windows and toward the bed, "but Lady Franka should continue to rest and I fear, the lights on, conversation happening..." she trailed off but they all got her gist.

"I'm staying," Noc said, turning to the lamp by the bed and twisting it so the flame within died. "You all go."

"I can stay with my lady," the girl offered.

"You have a name, honey?" he asked.

"Josette."

"Right, Josette, you'll need to have it together to take care of her when she's up. So you should probably get some shuteye."

She bit her lip, looked to Franka, made her decision and nodded.

But she didn't leave. She started moving around, turning out the lamps.

Frey, Finnie and Valentine did move to leave.

"You need anything, you call," Finnie said as she paused at the door. "We're three rooms down, other side."

"Right, babe. Thanks," Noc muttered, gave her a smile, gave Frey a look and they moved out.

Valentine didn't say anything. She just smiled that small, weird smile of hers that he didn't know if it was cute, smirky or s.e.xy, but taking it in it was all three.

Noc went to the fire, threw a couple of logs on and settled in a chair.

"Goodnight, Lord Noctorno," Josette said quietly as she made her way to the side door.

"I'm not a lord, Josette, and everyone calls me Noc."

She made a shy, self-conscious noise, avoided his eyes and disappeared behind the door.