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“Stop doing that!” She cried, wincing in pain and shuddering at the violating feeling of cold influence in her mind.
A few gasps echoed throughout the room. “She throws off your influence, Father. How can that be?” A man stepped forward from her right, one of two identical twins who were dressed in full warrior gear, looking like they came straight out of a Robin Hood movie. At his approach, and after getting a full view of the eight-inch hunting knife strapped to his thigh, Nayome’s instincts took over. She leaped over the back of the couch, putting as much distance, and furniture between herself and the people as possible.
“We are frightening you, understandably.” Gabe said, trying for a gentle tone. Unfortunately there was nothing gentle about him, with his over six feet of muscle and harsh jawline, so his words did nothing to alleviate the tension in the room.
“What. Do. You. Want?” Nayome gritted out, not understanding any of this. Why didn’t they just get to the point and get it over with?
“You trespassed on sacred ground, we are trying to figure out how that might have been possible and what to do about it.” Balfor said from behind the crowd of men, and Wynn, staring Nayome down.
Nayome blinked in surprise at the frank answer. Sacred ground? This was beginning to sound a bit cult-like…and she had sworn someone used the word ‘human’ earlier, as if they thought they were something other than.
“Listen,” Nayome said, attempting reason, “I don’t know anything about your sacred ground, and I’m not interested either—just let me go, and we can forget this ever happened.”
Reasoning clearly wasn’t going to cut it with these people, though, as she saw a few of them shake their heads.
“Everyone except for Balfor, I think it’s time you returned to your homes. We will commune upon the morrow, but until then our guest needs rest. We have been terribly inhospitable in our surprise at her arrival.”
“Please—” Nayome interjected.
“Guest?” Wynn exploded, cutting Nayome off “You can’t keep her here among the—”
“Silence” Gabe didn’t raise his voice this time, but the look he leveled at Wynn was enough to quiet the rest of her outburst.
“The old rules are clear. She wandered into our midst freely, and I felt no ill will in her intentions. She will be treated as an honored guest until a formal charge is levied.”
“But we made those rules before—”
“They are our law, and we will abide by them. That is my final word.” Gabe spoke clearly, and Nayome thought he must have some kind of authority, because the protests died on the woman’s lips.
The twins were the first to rise and head for the large, solid wood door. Nayome watched them depart, knuckles white from gripping the back of the sofa. As the large wood door opened, she glimpsed treetops. They must be a few stories off the ground, and were surrounded by canopy. Maybe she hadn’t been brought so far from the forest, after all. The twins stepped out without another word.
A redheaded woman was the next to rise. Nayome had taken little note of her during the meeting since she had remained silent, and was smaller in stature than the others. As she rose and headed for the angry warrior with the dark braid—Wynn, her hair bounced pleasantly as though reflecting rays of sunshine as she moved, even though the window shades were all drawn shut. “Come along Wynnie,” she lilted, her voice something straight out of a Gaelic fairy tale.
Wynn scowled, but followed suit, heading towards the exit. Nayome was taken aback when the redhead turned, flashing her a quick smile and a wink on her way out the door.
As the heavy door shut behind them, Nayome turned to face her two remaining captors. She needed to figure out how to address these two and figure out a way out of this mess. But if this was some kind of cult, she needed to find a way to reason with them on their level.
“So…this sacred ground. I apologize if I offended you—my only interest was in gathering samples for my research. Everything I did was disclosed and vetted ahead of time with the park office.” Nayome said, relieved to hear that the quaver had mostly left her voice. She sounded almost steady.
Gabe flashed a gleaming smile at her, as if pleased she was ready to have a conversation.
“Yes, you deserve an explanation. Please, have a seat and Balfor will get you some refreshments. Water?”
Nayome tensed, expecting some kind of compulsion at the sound of his voice. This was crazy. This situation was making her think this man could control her mind or something. She was just freaked out and overly susceptible in her off-balance state.
Gabe must have seen the hesitation flash in her eyes. “I will not try to force you, or influence your mind any more—I imagine that was not comfortable. I would erase the memory for you, but your natural defenses, I fear, would cause some injury to your mind if I attempt it.”
“Gabe, that isn’t helping.” Balfor said. “I think it would be best if you let me do the talking.”
Gabe looked thoughtful for a second before he agreed. “You might be right, it’s been so long since I left the Glen, I have become too far removed from huma—”
Balfor cleared his throat loudly, interrupting “Please, Gabe, allow me.”
“Yes. I will return shortly. I am going to have Fitz prepare a meal for our guest in the meantime. Call for me if the need arises.”
Nayome watched Gabe, easily one of the most fearsome individuals she had ever encountered, depart into another room. Breathing a small sigh of relief, as if the walls had just stopped closing in on her, she turned to face her remaining obstacle.
“Balfor, is it?” She asked, chin held high as she made her way back to take a seat on the couch.
