Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)(3)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Annoyed at Marcus, I wasn’t paying attention to anything around us. I zoned out as he rambled on about some girl he met. We started around a corner, and I heard heavy footsteps. Before I could turn around, someone had my arms pinned behind me. The streetlights did little to illuminate the attackers, and I felt the sting of a needle just before a bag was shoved over my head. Disoriented, I fell down to the concrete sidewalk. I struggled in the abrupt darkness, thrashing in an attempt to get free. My heart pounded in my chest. Consciousness ebbed away, and everything went black.

***

I woke up in a small room lit only by a couple of candles. My first thought was that I was back in Energo. When I looked around, I discovered we were still in the “real world.” There were boxes of food products lining the walls, and the room smelled like barley or some kind of grain. I realized it was the smell of beer and figured we were in the storage room of a restaurant.

Marcus took a few minutes longer than I did to wake up from whatever drug we had been given. “What the hell is going on? The last thing I remember is someone grabbing me from behind and injecting me with something.” Marcus struggled to get up, but his arms and legs were bound like mine.

“Same here.” I tried to keep my voice calm, but I was worried. Gradually, my strength returned as the drug wore off, but I knew we were still in trouble. The hard metal chair I was tied to was uncomfortable, but that was the least of my concerns. I couldn’t help but assume that our situation had something to do with Energo, but I didn’t understand what our captors wanted from me. For all appearances, I had walked away from my role on the Guard. I had even moved about three hundred miles from my sister. That should have reassured them I wasn’t a threat. Evidently, someone knew otherwise.

“It appears the Winthrop bloodline is no longer as strong as it once was.”

My eyes immediately moved toward the doorway where a tall and lanky man stood staring at us. He was dressed in a simple black cotton uniform with black boots. Even in the dim light, I recognized the man as Norman, one of my mother’s former Guardians who had turned against her. My last name was Calloway and not Winthrop, but I didn’t bother to argue about him calling me by my mother’s maiden name.

I caught Marcus’s eye as he peered over at me with confusion. I wordlessly tried to send him a message to keep his mouth shut, but I failed.

“Winthrop? I have no idea who or what you’re talking about, but the joke’s over. Let us out of here.” Marcus glared at Norman, and I hoped the older man would keep his cool.

“Your friend here knows exactly what I am talking about. Right Kevin?” Norman smirked as I continued to fight against the restraints. My wrists were getting sore as they rubbed against the rope. The first time I met Norman, Monty had left him tied to a tree. The tables had turned.

“At least let my friend go. He has nothing to do with any of this.” I had no idea how I was going to explain things to Marcus, but my immediate concern was getting him out unscathed.

“No, I think I will let him listen.”

“Listen to what?” I asked.

“My warning.” Norman walked further into the room, followed by four men all dressed similar to him.

“Let’s hear it, then.” I realized I should have been nervous, but I was more annoyed than anything.

“Stay out of the affairs of Energo, Winthrop. It is not your fight.” Norman moved closer, and I could see that his eyes were red with large circles under them. Evidently, he wasn’t sleeping. If he was going to be such a jerk, at least he was suffering.

“I wasn’t aware that I was involved in any affairs of Energo. I only went in to get my sister. I have her, end of story.” I hoped my lie was convincing.

“You expect me to believe that you have nothing to do with the resistance your uncle is building?”

“The only uncle I speak to is Monty, and last time I checked, the only thing he was building is a high school basketball team.” Part of me wanted to go off on Norman and give him my own warning about how the Resistance was growing stronger, but I didn’t think that would be a good idea.

“Spin whatever tales you want. My message is the same. No matter how strong you think you are, we can crush you. You saw how easily we took you tonight. Have no illusions that next time we will be as nice.”

“I still think it would be easier to kill him,” one of the nameless guys said.

“That would only give the Resistance another cause to rally behind. Besides, Winthrop is not even a threat.” Norman walked back out into the hallway, slamming the door behind him.

“Hey! Where are you going?” I called after him. I probably should have been relieved Norman didn’t want me dead, but I still didn’t want to be left tied up.

“So, think you want to tell me what the hell is going on, Kevin?” Marcus had been silent for a while, and I had momentarily forgotten about him.

“Long story, man.”

“Well, as we’re tied up, I think I have time to hear it.”

“You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Try me. I’m already weirded out enough about being threatened by men dressed like characters from Lord of the Rings.”

I laughed. I would have felt the same way if I hadn’t already been to Energo. “My sister and I are really part of this royal family in a different world, and we’re trying to push out this guy who isn’t the real leader so we can restore peace.”

“Seriously?” Marcus’s face revealed nothing.

“Yes.”

“That’s awesome. So does that mean your sister is a princess or something? That makes her even hotter.” Marcus grinned. He was lucky my hands were still tied because I would have socked him.

I fought against the restraints anyway, but all I accomplished was to dig the bindings deeper into my wrists.

“I’d give it up. If you cut your wrists too much you’re going to be no use for the game on Saturday.”

I couldn’t believe that he was calm enough to be practical. “So what? We sit here and wait?”

“Yeah, someone will find us eventually, no point making it worse.”

He was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. I hoped someone found us soon. My stomach grumbled loudly, the sound echoing off the confining walls.

Marcus laughed. “You starting to regret those extra hot peppers?”

***

At some point, we must have fallen asleep because I woke up to high-pitched screaming. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust, but the first thing I saw was a guy running in after a tiny redhead who I assumed was the source of the scream.