Page 192 of I Ran Away to Evil
Ria didn’t wait for the man to recover himself. She snapped her fingers in front of his face twice to get his attention. “How do we get Keith out of the trap?”
“I’m not amage.” Chadwick scoffed, summoning a health potion from somewhere and downing it. “How wouldIknow?”
“He really is useless,” Gerda said.
“You will rue the day—”
Ria didn’t let him finish speaking a second time, this time shoving a scrap of tattered green tapestry into his mouth. She walked back to Keith’s cell while Gerda tied up the marquess.
“What if I hit itwith[Void Damage]? Does [Void Damage] work on [Void Damage]?” Henrietta leaned closer to inspect the dome through the bars.
Keith nodded at her sword. “I would be more worried that the [Void Damage] would void the dimension itself. I’d rather not think about what that would do with me still inside.”
“I’m going to lock up the bad guys while we brainstorm,” Gerda said. “In case one of them has any tricks.”
“Good idea, Gerda.” Ria nodded.
Keith felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. “The keys on the ground are to the cell beside me … I should tell you now, your parents are in there.”
Henrietta glanced over at the cell, seeing the three bodies lying there. “Oh no …”
“Ria.” Keith didn’t know how his princess was going to react, and he was furious that he couldn’t give her a reassuring hug right then and there.
“Lieutenant Franni!” Ria continued, looking devastated. “What happened?”
Gerda opened the door and dragged the three victims out.
Ria pulled out her Resurrect potion and poured it down Franni’s throat without hesitation. The lizardkin came to quickly and with much better grace than the marquess had. Then again, a Resurrection potion was a better option that left her in the peak of health.
Franni was on her feet and asking for orders in very quick succession.
Henrietta nodded. “For now, Franni, there’s backup coming just behind us. Could you wait outside and show them where we are? We can catch up after this.”
“Right away, Princesss!”
“Speaking of catching up. What happened?” Keith inquired, knowing that he’d ask again for every last detail when they were safe. And after he’d had a calming bubbly bath. The entire affair was too much, and he was ready to be done with it all. Adventures were for adventurers and heroes—like his princess. He was supposed to stay home and greet her triumphant return with a warm castle and a cup of tea in the man-eating flower garden. “And how did he capture you in the first place?”
“I figured that we could ask the Continental Council tomorrow to cancel the contract, and when he poisoned me, it was going to be a perfect exhibit to our case! That was … until they shackled me with Veralyn’s Enchanted Restraint Manacles. Havork slipped us the key to the manacles so I could get free and summon Jacqueline. I defeated all of the slave traders except Jacques the whipper, who escaped.” She quickly corrected herself, “Oh, and the one Brownie hit on the head.”
“I see.” And he did see. She was brilliant as ever.
“Then, we made it back to Grand Duchess Calisto’s and found out you were missing.”
Keith sighed. “I was tricked into a trap by yourparents. I am utterly ashamed.”
“Andthen,” Henrietta continued after taking a breath, “it turned out that Gerda went to Marquess Dorset’s room at the start of the night, and he was meeting with a runner. She tracked the runner all over the city as they did errands and then the whole way here.”
“The catkin?”
“Yes,” Gerda replied, locking the cell door with their three prisoners inside. She walked up to start a full inspection of the pink trap encasing him.
“Yes,” Ria said at the same time. She continued. “We followed the trail here. It took a few hours to get here from Grand Duchess Calisto’s.”
“Really?” That piqued his interest. Henrietta could go a long way in one hour. “Where are we?”
“Almost to the Servalt border, in a small place called Colwood.”
“And you say Gerdatrackedthe catkin?” Keith frowned. “How did she do that? He wasquick.”
