Nash knew instantly that he couldn’t live with killing her. He put his knife away and pulled her out of the time stream. She immediately began struggling with him and yelling for help. He grabbed her shoulder firmly to let her know he was in charge. “No one is coming to help you, little one,” he said kneeling down and looking into her eyes from her level. “I know you are scared, and you have no reason to believe me, but I’m not going to hurt you.”
“You killed Adriana!” she screamed with tears streaming down her cheek.
He held her eyes, “Aye,” he said. “I killed her, she was my target, and you are not, but I cannot let you tell anyone that you saw me.”
She stared at him, she was young, but she wasn’t stupid. “What are you going to do with me?” she asked, getting her tears under control a bit.
“You are an unexpected problem for me,” he said and reached into his cloak to an inside pocket. He pulled out a very small flask and popped the cork with his thumb. “Drink this, it will put you to sleep for a bit,” he said as he held it up to her lips.
“I don’t want to sleep! I don’t trust you,” she said petulantly.
Nash grabbed the hair on the back of her head and pulled back. Her head tipped up, and she screamed again. When she did, he poured the clear liquid into her mouth. He pushed her jaw shut and waited for her to swallow before releasing her. She was already starting to sway back and forth by the time he let go.
“You bastard!” she said sleepily before collapsing.
He lifted her up easily onto his shoulder and carried her out of the castle. She would be out for at least forty-eight hours, the liquid the Kheozian witch made for him was very potent.
Lilly was almost exactly as he had left her, she had only moved a little when his power lapsed. Nash opened the armoire and carefully set the young Princess inside. Closing the door, he moved to the washbasin and wet his hands. He slipped back into the time-stream and began to undress. It had been an exciting evening, and he had some energy left in him. Lilly held the sheets open for him as he slid into the bed with her, and they embraced.
Nash woke at his usual time. The sun had not risen yet, but he had to go. He froze time for a moment so he could untangle from Lilly and the sheets without waking her. Once free, he took a few minutes to himself and stretched before dressing.
The Princess was still sound asleep in the armoire when he looked in on her. He hefted her up onto his shoulder again and made his way to the kitchen. He was looking for a sack that he could put her in, maybe two, as she was kind of tall for her age.
Rummaging around in the pantry, he found two potato sacks that would work nicely. He put one over her head and her legs in the other and tied a rope around the middle to hold them on. It looked like a body in a bag, but not like a princess, at least.
Nash took his parcel out to the stable. He was pleased to see his horse tied up outside, waiting and ready to go. He put his hand on the steed’s cheek. “Good to see you, old friend,” he said as the horse was pulled out of the time-stream. Nash draped the princess across his horse’s back and untied the bridle from the post it was attached to. He mounted the saddle in one swift motion, and the three of them quickly exited the city.
Once they were clear of the city, Nash let the three of them slip back into the time-stream. He was very relieved that his ability had held without any complications. He was pretty sure he now knew what was causing his lapses, but he wasn’t sure how he could prevent it.
The Princess woke a few hours before they arrived at Kheozia, and her mood was ugly, even for a hungry, thirteen-year-old girl. He at least managed to get her name while she was still groggy as she rode in the saddle in front of him.
“What is this garbage you gave me to eat!” she yelled at him. “It’s rock solid.”
“It’s called hardtack,” he answered. “It’s made to last forever, so it can be taken on and eaten on long trips when fresh food might not be available.”
“I bet it lasts forever; no one in their right mind would eat this,” she said holding it up in front of her face for emphasis.
“Hold a corner of it in your mouth and let your saliva soften it,” he recommended. “It will dissolve, and you will be able to eat it. It grows on you after a while.”
“I doubt it,” she said before sticking a corner of the bland, rock-like cracker in her mouth.
The Castle could be seen in the distance on the next rise. “Your new home awaits,” Nash announced to Saria.
She scowled at him in defiance. “You know the first chance I get, I’m going to kill you,” she said.
Nash laughed at her openly. “Then, I will have to remain vigilant and not give you a chance,” he answered her.
“Stop laughing,” she commanded like a princess and banged the back of her head into his chest like a child.
“I hate to inform you, Saria,” Nash said. “Due to circumstances beyond your control, you are no longer a princess, and you don’t get to boss people around anymore.
“I will always be a princess,” she said haughtily.
At that moment, with the pose she struck, Nash wasn’t sure she would ever accept or could ever accept that she was never going home. He was impressed with her mental strength. She would need it, the probability of her spending the rest of her life alone was very high.
Saria quietly took in the view while Nash navigated his way through town. She had given up trying to escape while in such close proximity to Nash. In the two days they had ridden together, he had adequately demonstrated to her that he was not adverse to causing her extreme discomfort as punishment for disobeying him. She still had tender bruises on her arms, where he grabbed her the last time she had tried to escape. Saria was a little bit surprised when they stopped at a little shop on the outskirts of town. Nash and Saria went into the store and he bought some cotton and some peppermint oil.
She had already tested Nash’s grip on her when they were off of the horse as well. He tended to hold the back of her neck and control her movements. What she didn’t realize until she tried to run was, he also had some of her hair wrapped around a finger. That hold brought her up short quickly and again she had screamed at him for laughing at her as she backed up into his hand. He used that hold on her now in the store.
Saria had no idea what nash was doing behind her with the items he had purchased, but she was curious. He had everything put away before they reached the castle.
Once they reached the castle courtyard, the two of them dismounted. Word of their approach had reached the castle before they did, and Agamen was waiting with a few soldiers outside.
“Quickly,” he said with urgency as he looked around suspiciously, “Get inside.”
The group moved past the entrance and towards the throne room. “What’s the matter, Agamen?” Nash asked. Nash’s voice sounded a bit odd to Agamen. It sounded like he had a cold.
“Stuffy nose?” Agamen asked.
“Stuffed full,” Nash said, breathing through his mouth.
In the throne room Nash spotted what he had suspected he might find. In vases, there were cuttings of a local plant that bloomed at night. That’s what he smelled last time he was here, but now he could not. He tested his ability, and everyone around him froze. He inspected the cuttings to be sure. They were Jasmine. This was going to require more testing.
Nash moved back into the midst of the group and slipped back into the time-stream. As they approached King Sargus, Nash could tell that he was not pleased.
“What have you done, Nash?” King Sargus asked exasperatedly.
“The Princess is dead, there will be no wedding,” Nash said.
“Not that, you damn fool. This!” he said pointing at Saria. “She cannot be here!” he declared.
“There was a problem, and she witnessed the assassination,” Nash tried to explain.
“And you couldn’t kill her,” King Sargus finished for him.
“Correct,” Nash confirmed.
“If there were any spies in town, news of her being here is already on their way to Praetha,” Sargus said with a pained expression on his face.
“I had not considered that,” Nash said, suddenly feeling foolish.
“Obviously not,” Agamen admonished Nash. “Take her to the dungeon to be disposed of,” he directed one of the guards.
The guard stepped forward, took her arm, and began to lead her away.
“Nash?” Saria probed fearfully as she was led away. “Nash?”
“Please make her dungeon stay as comfortable as possible,” Nash pleaded with Sargus. “None of this is her fault.”
“She cannot live, Nash,” King Sargus said to him sternly. “She is to be executed, and her body burned. There can be no evidence she was ever here.”
“But my King? Please reconsider,” Nash asked guilt-ridden.
“You are a good assassin, Nash,” the King said. “Let it go.”
Can you let it go?