I turned, making for the door, nearly battered to one side by the elite guard rushing past me. I screamed when someone grabbed my arm and propelled me forward, and Asher shouted from behind, “It’s just me! Go!”

A high shriek of pain from the center of the room made me freeze, turning to see Charlotte being dragged across the room by some invisible force. Juku’s smile was ugly. He didn’t even flinch as Charlotte crashed into the wall, striking her head. She hit the ground with a sickening crunch and lay still. “No!” Lettisha’s scream was nearly as loud, and she launched herself forward, eyes clouded with tears. She skittered across the floor for a moment, turning this way and that, caught between going to Charlotte or throwing herself at Juku.

The elite guard was moving, I could see them out of the corner of my eye, spreading around Juku in a loose circle, hemming him in on all sides. One of the guards sprang forward, charging the sorcerer with his sword raised. Juku simply flicked one hand at the man, expression disdainful, and the guard was sent sprawling backwards into his companions.

Lettisha had made up her mind, I could see her heading for Juku, expression murderous.

“No!” I tore my arm out of Asher’s grip. “Lettisha, no!”

Juku was already turning towards her, smiling, lifting one hand. Somehow I knew he was going to kill her, and the thought sent a jolt of adrenaline through my system. Surging forward I shouted at him, “Hey! Stop!”

It was me he wanted. Or, it was me Kari wanted. So this was my fight. I flung myself at him, in that second I had no idea what I was doing, it was just blind animal rage and fear. I felt his body go rigid as my fists connected, striking him in the face and chest. He stumbled backwards, grabbing at me. His grip was like iron, locking around both my wrists. At last he held me still, and I was about to get my knee up for a groin shot when he said,

“You’re an idiot.”

The room was spinning, slowly at first. The corners of the ceiling were blurring, melting like wax. I blinked furiously. Was I having a mental breakdown?

The stone walls were suddenly gone, ripped away and replaced by a huge green blur. Were Juku and I moving, or was it just our surroundings? My stomach was churning.

Reality snapped back into place so suddenly that I found myself on my hands and knees. My stomach lurched, and the acid burning in my throat told me I was going to lose my lunch.

Someone was laughing. I was vaguely aware of it, even though every muscle was screaming and I was being sick into the grass, head spinning. I could still hear someone faintly. Juku. Juku thought this was funny. What had he done to me?

My fingers curled convulsively and I found myself with handfuls of dirt.  After a minute I shook my hands out and wiped my mouth, feeling sick and weak. I looked up and my stomach lurched again. We weren’t in the dining hall anymore. We weren’t even in the castle anymore.

There was nobody in sight. We were surrounded by thick pine trees. Far off in the distance I could see the tops of the blue mountains, capped with snow. I remembered thinking they were beautiful when I’d first arrived. Like sleeping giants. Now, when I looked at them I felt terrified. They were closer than they should be. Closer then they’d looked from my bedroom window in the castle. Where were we? Where had Juku taken me?

I glanced over at him warily. He was leaning against the nearest tree, arms folded over his broad chest. His bright blue eyes were fixed on my face and when I looked at him a smirk twisted one side of his mouth. “Welcome home.”

“What…where are we? What did you just do?”

“We simply traveled in a more convenient fashion.” Juku glanced past me, eyes searching the forest. “Not many people have experienced that, you know. It’s difficult bringing someone along with you. If you don’t do it right it can go terribly bad.” He chuckled. “You know, body parts left behind. That sort of thing.”

My eyes went huge, picturing me being here and my foot being left back at the castle or something. It was gruesome.

“Your mother wouldn’t have been happy with me if I’d ripped you into tiny pieces.” Juku grinned. “I think she wants to do that herself now.”

I glared at him. “She can’t have the link if I’m dead.”

“Clearly you won’t cooperate, so now you’re expendable. But we can’t have you in the hands of the enemy. You’re much too dangerous.”

“So I hear.” I noticed that Juku was distracted, scanning the landscape again. Did I have time to make a break for it? I would at least get a head start…

“Don’t think about running,” Juku said casually. “I’m much faster than you.”

“You can read minds too?” I tried to make it sound like I was joking, but I was genuinely freaked out. He apparently could travel miles away with his magic. For all I knew, maybe he could read minds. What else didn’t I know about him?

“Sadly that’s not in my power yet,” Juku said dryly. “But you’re completely obvious, eyeing me like that.”

My cheeks flushed and I glared at him again. If looks could kill he’d be dead several times over. But as it was, I had no weapon, I had no magic. What was I supposed to do? How far away was the castle? Asher had to be coming for me. He probably had the entire elite guard coming for me. But who knew how long they would take. Juku might kill me before they got here.

“What now?” I finally said, trying to keep my voice even. “What happens at this point?”

            “Now we wait for your mother. She won’t be long.”

As if his words had summoned her, a shape emerged from the forest in front of us. She was walking from the directions of the mountains. Kari was bundled in a long white fur coat, and there was a swath of bandages covering her forehead. I couldn’t hold back a smile when I saw that. Asher had got her good.

“How’s your head, mother?” I said it as sweetly as I could, and was rewarded with the furious expression that slid across Kari’s face before she got control of herself.

Her expression turned as blank as marble, and she ignored my question, turning to Juku. “They’ll be behind you fast, and what of the witch?”

“She’s out cold,” Juku reported, “but she brought the wolves back with her earlier. They’ll find us.” He darted a look at me. “I can’t fight an entire army by myself. I’m good, but not that good. We don’t stand a chance unless you use her.”

Annoyance flashed over my mother’s face. “She’s become more of a thorn in my side than a useable tool, Juku.”

“I’m right here,” I snapped. “And this thorn is about to get a lot pokier if you don’t stop talking about me like I’m not.”

She gave me a cool look. “You’re right. It’s your choice. Are you going to use the link for me, or are you going to let Juku kill you?”

“How about option C,” I shot back. “Why don’t you just give up. You can start your own little kingdom in the human world and call yourself queen of Canada if you want. Everyone will be happy. Well…except for the Canadians…”

“You think you’re funny…” Kari started toward me, and instantly two more people melted out of the forest and stood on either side of her. Trent was one, Louis the other. Trent leaned forward and hissed, “Remember we need her.”

Juku made an annoyed gesture at her. “Come on, stop letting her bait you. We need to get her back to the caves before they track our scent.” He strode toward me and seized my arm roughly. I let him drag me forward, stomach twisting in panic. There was no point struggling, he was too strong. And even though I felt that familiar tingling in my arms, I knew that my fire would have no effect on him.

It turned out that just beyond the stretch of trees they had a pair of horses standing in the clearing. Trent grabbed the reins of the nearest one, a big white horse with a black patch on its nose.

“I’ll take that,” Juku told him, “You take hold of little miss thing while I climb on.”

Trent moved to grab me from him, and I stepped backwards so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet. “Don’t touch me.”

Trent actually had the nerve to look offended. He tried to grab me again, but Juku was already on the horse. He leaned down and grabbed my waist, hauling me up into the saddle in front of him. The feeling of his arms on either side of me was sickening, but not as sickening as the thought of Trent touching me.

Juku’s laughter behind me was low and mocking. “Sorry, Trent old boy. Seems she likes me better.”

“You can both go to hell,” I muttered, and felt him poke me in the back.

“That’s not anyway to speak to a sorcerer, sweetheart. I’ll have to teach you some manners later.”

My fingers were white on the pommel of the saddle as the horse lurched forward, my entire body went stiff automatically when Juku leaned forward, pressing his chest into my back. What exactly did he mean by that?

I told myself that if he tried anything funny, I would attempt to poke both his eyes out.

Riding a horse wasn’t something I was familiar with, and it was a bruising, jolting feeling. The only thing that kept me from falling off was Juku, unfortunately. I would rather have fallen off. After what seemed like hours, the mountains loomed closer. They were so tall that I had to crane my neck back to see them. As I did so I felt something brush my hair, tickle the back of my neck. My spine stiffened, and I growled out between clenched teeth, “Juku, I swear to God, I will do unspeakable, painful things to your man parts if you so much as breathe on the back of my neck again.”

He actually moved back a bit as we continued on, and I could have sworn I heard Trent chuckling as he walked behind us.