Debra L. Rollins - Revenge For the Huntsman

“Stuck on the park foot patrol…third shift, too,” Officer Jones complained. “I hate this shift. All the wackos come out on third shift. How in the hell did that woman convince us to let her take our cruiser? One moment, we were driving to the station…the next moment we were watching the tail lights tearing off down the street waving bye-bye like two complete idiots. It doesn’t make sense!”

“Maybe they slipped us some kind of drug?” Officer Shelly suggested. “Stranger things have happened before. Remember that guy we were taking in that swore he could give us anything we wanted if we set him free? We laughed about that, but the minute he wished to be set free, what happened?”

“Yeah…yeah. Our brakes went out and he escaped in the crash. So what, Julie?” His partner scoffed. “That was a fluke…a coincidence. We’re having a run of bad luck…that’s all. Happens to the best of us sometimes.”

“Never found that guy again either…” Officer Shelly frowned, “And quite calling me Julie. You know I hate that!”

“You know what?” Officer Jones said, “You don’t know how to take a joke.”

“The lieutenant didn’t either when we reported our car stolen from under our noses and two more escaped prisoners. We’re lucky we weren’t kicked off the force instead of walking the graveyard shift.”

Jones stopped suddenly, grabbing hold of Shelly’s shoulder, forcing his partner to do the same.

“Hey, what gives?”

“Check it out!” The officer pointed to the familiar vehicle parked cockeyed in the park zoo lot. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Hey! That’s our cruiser, isn’t it?” Shelly asked. “Say that’s our cruiser.”

“That’s our cruiser.”

Both men pulled their guns and slowly crept up to the vehicle, circling wide then closed in quickly.

“No one inside,” Shelly whispered. “What do you think?”

“I’ll radio for backup…you go check out the vicinity, then I’ll be right behind you. They’re probably long gone by now, but you can never tell. Be careful.”

“Affirmative!” Shelly agreed. Then he was gone.

Tony hopped back into the van after talking to a few people from the nightclub.

“Well?” Marjorie asked impatiently. “Are they okay? What did they say?”

“The doorman saw both Wolf and Virginia leave, but not with each other.”

“Not with…” Marjorie frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. Did they quarrel?”

“I’m not sure…one of the waiters said that Virginia looked upset because Wolf was dancing with some platinum blonde and that he left with the woman. He didn’t see what became of Virginia. He got tied up with other patrons. The guy at the front door swore a woman in a red dress was talking to the police a few minutes later and may have left with them.”

“Well, let’s go down to the police station and see if she’s there. If not, maybe they can help find them. I’ve got connections you know. Sergeant Kinnard is still with the police, maybe he can…”

“NO!” Tony exclaimed, a bit forcefully. “I’m still a wanted man. All that will accomplish is myself getting thrown in jail for a crime I didn’t commit. There must be another way…”

“WAIT! The mirror!” He slapped himself on the forehead. “What am I thinking? Those two rejects from “Alice in Wonderland” will need to get back to their own dimension if they have already captured Virginia and Wolf. I need to get to the mirror and make sure they can’t return…that is, if they haven’t done so already.”

“Good idea…let’s get going.”

“What?” Who said anything about you coming along?”

“I did!” Marjorie sniffed disdainfully. “She’s my granddaughter. I have every right to go.”

“You wouldn’t last five minutes over there, Margie!” Tony reasoned. “There are nut cases and freaks of all kinds living there…not to mention those crazy Trolls! It’s dangerous in the Nine Kingdoms…you could be killed! It’s not New York, you know!”

“Sounds just like New York to me, Anthony! No…I’m coming or else!”

Tony groaned at the stubborn look in the old woman’s eyes. Now he knew where Virginia got her stubbornness from and it certainly wasn’t from him!

“Or else what, Marjorie?” He asked.

“Or else I’ll turn you in to the police on that bank robbery.”

“You wouldn’t dare! I didn’t even do the job!”

“Oh, yes I would…just try me.” She said smugly. “I’m sure after a few days you may be able to convince them it wasn’t you who did it, but you did flee police custody. I do believe that is unlawful also. So…what do you say?”

“Say? What can I say? I don’t have much of a choice now do I?”

“No, you don’t.”

“Dammit! Oh, all right…” agreed Tony, grinding his teeth in irritation. He turned the van into a deserted Central Park parking lot, turned off the engine and helped the old woman down. “But you have to promise to do what I say once we’re through the mirror, otherwise you could get hurt…really.”

“I can defend myself, Anthony.” Marjorie said proudly. “I took lessons in self-defense.”

Tony looked over at his tiny mother-in-law and laughed.

“Funny, Margie. You just don’t know what you’re up against. These guys could make mince meat out of a frail, little thing like you. Just look at what one Troll was able to do. What could you do that would possibly…”

He didn’t finish his sentence. A second later he was upside down, landing on his back…the air knocked forcibly from his lungs…totally incapacitating him. It took almost three minutes for him to catch his breath and not see triple before he admitted to himself that the woman was probably more adept at defending herself than he was.

“You proved your point,” he gasped, rubbing his sore back after she helped him unsteadily to his feet.

“Good.” She smiled without humor. “Let’s go get my granddaughter.”

The wolves blew past Burly as soon as the gate to their pen opened to set them free. A moment later Cierce also exited the moat bound den, pushing the plank into the water to hide it in case someone became curious. Only the old female walked with her, eyeing the Troll with suspicion and distrust. She sensed Cierce’s true nature, but the Troll was unknown to her and even though he had a part in freeing her and the others, she stayed on her guard.

“We need leave this kingdom now…” demanded Burly. “I must return to claim my rightful place on the Troll throne before my brother and sister and the Troll council think me dead.”

Cierce turned toward him, her cool, blue eyes sweeping the semi-darkened figure, lit partially by the light columns nearby. He stood there, looking down at her, the shadows hiding any emotion in his gray eyes. Their journey was nearly complete. They had what they came here for…the girl and the half-wolf. Now they must leave…to return to their world… to return to their true selves. Forever. It was what she had yearned for. So why then, did she feel so hollow inside?

The old wolf ran ahead, following her sisters along the trail Cierce had marked for them. They would meet them where they had left their prisoners, then enter the Nine Kingdoms dimension together.

“Yes…” she agreed quietly. “I too, am looking forward to returning to my natural homeland. To run free with a pack once more is what I have dreamed of for so long now. I can hardly believe I shall be doing just that very soon.”

A soft breeze blew a long strand of silver hair gently across her face, blocking her view of the transformed Troll prince. She raised her hand to brush it away, but not before he himself caught the wayward lock and tucked it tenderly behind her ear.

“Cierce…” he groaned huskily. Her scent wafted on the same soft breeze, enticing his senses, muddying his thoughts until the only thoughts he had were of her.

“We must…hurry back,” she whispered. Her stomach clenched as he stepped closer, capturing her in his arms before she realized how close he really was. She caught her breath as he slid his lips over her sensitive neck, causing her hairs to stand on end and her skin to flush with a desire she'd never known before.

He picked her up, holding her firmly as he sought her lips with his own. She heard a low moaning but was unable to discern whether the sound came from her or him. It mattered not…what did matter was the ecstasy she was experiencing at this very moment in time. So unbelievable, so heart pounding, so…human. NO! This should not be happening.

“Burly!” she gasped, wrenching her mouth away.

“Hmmm?” he murmured. He captured her lips one more time before moving back to the hollow of her throat.

“We must return to our prisoners and leave this world now, like you said…before anything bad can befall us.”

She pulled firmly away from him, loosening his hold and dropped to the ground, putting a good two yards between them.

“Why do you pull away, Cierce?” he panted harshly, frustration in his voice as he caught his breath. “I can feel your heart as it beats against my chest. Your passion equals my own! Is it because I am a Troll under this human skin? Or it is because I don’t have fancy manners like King Wendell? Perhaps you feel the urge to be with one of your own kind. Is the half-wolf more to your liking? You seemed to enjoy his attentions well enough!”

“Stop!” she cried, desperately trying to shut out the vision of him standing before her by closing her eyes tightly. How could she dare to pretend that what he was feeling was anything real? Her pheromones were to blame for his actions…nothing more. It was up to her to keep them in check. Burly was not to blame. Burly was…she opened her eyes to his presence once more. Tall and slim he stood, with a surprising strength for he had lifted her as if she weighed no more than a feather. If only things were different…but they weren’t. It truly was time to leave.

As she turned toward the path leading back to their prisoners a loud crack reverberated through the forest, bringing both of them to a surprised halt. Cierce attuned her sharp hearing in the direction of the noise and cried in dismay.

“Hounds tooth! Someone has found the wolves!” She shouted to Burly, fear and concern for her cousin’s safety splaying their emotions across her face. Quickly they dashed back towards the spot they had left Virginia and Wolf, neither caring how much noise they made in the process.

Forty feet out, they slowed to access the situation. Clearly their prisoners were still handcuffed to the tree, unusually quiet until Cierce realized that the old one sat guard on them, forcing their silence. But what had become of the other two wolves? She listened hard, picking through distant sounds to happen upon two male human voices talking to one another.

“Did you see the size of that dog? Nearly took my leg off!”

“That wasn’t a dog…couldn’t be. Wait until the lieutenant finds out you squeezed a shot off though. Bet he won’t be none too happy”

“Yeah…I know.”

The man didn’t sound too thrilled.

“Come on. We still need to check out the park for that man and woman to see if they’re still around. We may be able to save some face if we can bring them and our car back at the same time.”

“Okay…” agreed the other man although he sounded unsure of himself. “But I’m shooting the first animal that comes towards me…dog or no dog! I don’t want to get rabies.”

The only other thing Cierce could hear after that was the two scrambling through the brush in their general direction.

“Quick!” she warned the Troll. “The humans we took the carriage from are on their way. We have to go back now!” Burly nodded in agreement and bent to unlock Virginia and Wolf from the tree where they were cuffed.

“Either of you yell out,” he warned them. “And I will slit the throat of the other.” Burly produced his leather knife to show them he meant business. Wolf squeezed Virginia’s hand as she shuddered. They both nodded that they understood.

Cierce knelt down to the old female wolf, looking directly into her yellow eyes.

“Go find you sisters and bring them back if you wish to keep your freedom. Hurry! We have little time to spare!” With that, the old one ran off to find the missing wolves as the foursome made their way toward the location of the traveling mirror.

“Did you hear that?” Tony stopped Marjorie near one of the park’s tinkling fountains. “It sounded like gunfire!”

“It could have been a car backfiring for all we know, Anthony,” she answered, straining to hear above the water. “Besides, this fountain is so loud, I can’t hear hardly anything else.”

“You couldn’t hear the gunfire? It must have been not two hundred feet away. You’re getting older, Marjorie…maybe you need your hearing checked.”

“Hardly!” she sniffed haughtily. “Besides…sounds at night carry far. That could be from the other side of the park.”

“No…” he corrected her. “I know I’m right.”

“Do you think they have a gun? Oh my God! Virginer…Wolf! Would they really kill them?” she fretted.

“I don’t know for sure, but one thing is for certain…I can feel that my daughter is in danger. If that Troll and his girlfriend get Wolf and Virginia to the other side before we enter the mirror they’ll be able to turn it off and we won’t be able to get through!”

“Which way do we go?”

Tony looked around to get his bearings. The park was different at night. Going out was easier than coming back and Marjorie was right…sounds did carry at night; although he knew the gunshot was close, it was hard to tell from which direction it had come. He had to make a decision.

“This way.”

He just hoped it was the right one.