The Unknown Thief

Part 29

Chapter 29

Aubrey ignored the stares of the dead.  They were not there; they were not real, just as the man who had once been her husband was not there.  They were part of their imaginations, but Aubrey had to admit, finally banishing the guilt she had felt was a relief.  She no longer had a weight bearing down on her, feeling as if it would crush her.   Her hand was snug into Nathaniel’s as they walked down the sandy pathway.  Whoever this woman was, she did not live a life of poverty.  With a home as hers, the woman had to be rich beyond belief.

“Have we been here before?” Luther asked, causing them to halt in their tracks. 

She ran her hand across the wall, feeling for the notch she had made earlier.  Sure enough, as she felt around, her fingers slid over one.  She had put them every five feet, knowing that they would need to escape and would need guides to free themselves from this maze.  “We are going in a circle,” Aubrey mumbled.

Nathaniel let out a chuckle.  “We realized.  The real question is where do we go?  We followed the path, and there are no other paths to take.  If we keep doing as we are, we will be here for the rest of our lives.”

“There has to be another way,” Ainsely mumbled while scanning the area around him.  “Father has this latch a person can pull.  Maybe there is the same here.”

“Maybe,” Alin agreed, “or maybe we should go into there.”

While Alin pointed forward, everyone glanced in that direction.  As far as Aubrey’s eyes could see, there was a large, stone wall where Alin pointed.  There was nothing there, no pathway, no secret lever that brought them to another room. 

“Daisy is hissing,” Aubrey said as she shook her head at Alin.  “I do not think we should go that way if Daisy does not like it.”

Alin nodded at Aubrey.  “Usually, your point would be a solid one, but this time, I have to disagree.  Daisy hisses at things she does not like or that may cause harm to you.  Is that not the exact thing that we wished to find, the thing that wishes you harm?”

“I see nothing, Alin.  There is nothing there.”

“Aubrey,” Alin started while taking a step towards her, “trust me.”

She closed her eyes as if she needed to think.  Hearing Alin take a step towards her, he took her free hand into his.  “Listen to me Aubrey.  I would never do anything to harm you; you have been my dearest friend in a long while.  Why would I put you in danger now when I could have done the same throughout the years?”

“My presence in your life was not meant to be,” Aubrey said.

“Open your eyes,” Alin demanded, not saying another word until Aubrey stared at her friend.  “If you were not meant to be in my life, you would not have been in it.  Every part of my life is being controlled.  Please, Aubrey, you have to listen to me, trust me.”

Luther let out a sigh, bringing the attention to him.  “What if it is a trap?”

Aubrey shook her head.  “Alin would never do that,” she blurted, before understanding crossed her face.  Turning towards Alin, she smiled.  “You never would do anything that would harm me.  You are my friend, the closest one I have had in many years.”

Alin smiled at her, and squeezed the grip he had on her hand.  “And you are the only woman who I have chosen to love, whether it was in a sisterly manor or not.” He dropped her hand before moving away from her.  The group of women with him glared at her momentarily before looking back towards Alin.  It was all in her head, she had to remind herself.  Those women were not real.

“Lead away,” Luther said, motioning for Alin to lead.

He shook his head.  “Aubrey must go first.”

Ainsely took a step forward, putting himself in the middle of the conversation.  “I will go first.  My sister will wait to see if it is safe before she proceeds.”

“No,” Alin said in a calm voice, and Aubrey could practically see the magic radiating off him, spreading towards the men in the group.  He was using his soothsayer magic to calm them down, to allow her to go into a path, which she could not even see, by herself.

Nathaniel leaned towards her, pressing his lips to her ear, he whispered, “We will both go first.  I do not trust Alin as you do.”

She nodded at him.  To her, the idea sounded brilliant.  They would go in together, hopefully as the rest of her life would be, him and her together.  Squeezing his hand, she took a step forward.  “I shall go first, and that is nonnegotiable.”

“I will go behind her,” Nathaniel said before anyone could claim the spot.  The truth of the matter was that Aubrey wouldn’t let go of the man’s hand.  She didn’t want to be separated from him, didn’t want to feel as if she were completely on her own. 

“I will go last,” Alin whispered, sending Aubrey’s nerves on end.  Why would he want to go last?  Was this indeed a trap, and she had fooled herself into thinking it was not?

Taking a deep breath, she began walking towards the wall Alin was pointing out moments before.  As they got closer, her unease rose as did the volume of Daisy’s hissing.  Whatever was close, the dragon did not like it.  She stopped, facing the wall.  This was her last chance.  Should she trust Alin and walk into the path that no others saw, or did she retreat, never to know how to end the curse she was born with?

The choice was simple.  She did not come all this way to turn and run.  Taking a step forward, she expected to run into the wall, but when she walked right through it, she let out a small sigh of relief.  Alin was right; there was another path here.

The only problem was that instead of standing in another large, open area, she stood inside of a cage.  Turning, she tried to pull her hand from Nathaniel’s, tried to warn him, but the man had already entered with her.  He looked at the bars that surrounded them before letting out a sigh.  “I wish your life were boring for a moment, just long enough for me to collect my bearings.”

No matter how hard she banged on the pathway they had just entered, she could not escape.  As she yelled at the others, they stood there as if they could not hear a word she sad.  Giving up, she stared at where they had entered and was able to see the three men standing there.  Ainsely took a step towards the wall, Luther not far from behind him.  Before Ainsely could step into the secret path, Alin blasted Luther with his magic.  As Luther fell to the ground, Ainsely turned towards Alin, but Alin had surprise on his side.  As Ainsely fell to the ground, Alin looked at them through the pathway.

“I am sorry,” he mumbled.

Aubrey shook her head.  “Why?” she asked, but knew he would not be able to hear her. 

He could read her lips though.  “I love her,” he said with a shrug.  “I cannot chose who I love, but I cannot let you kill her either.”

“Who?”

“Me,” a voice called out.

Aubrey turned, putting her back towards Alin and facing the woman head on.  This was the one who had caused her all her pain in her life, all the misery, and now; she was the woman who had caused her dearest friend to turn against her.