Destiny's Quest - Chapter 8
Summary: DG and Cain travel to the Red Jinn and things do not go well
Author: dmr2158
Pairing: DG/Cain
Warnings: none yet
Rating: PG for now
Word count: 2140
Disclaimer: I do not own TinMan.
I would like to thank The Cricket for beta-ing this piece for me. She has been indispensible in correcting logical errors, and plot problems. This chapter especially benefitted from her suggestions and comments. Any mistakes, problems,etc. are mine.
Chapter One - DG confronts her parents about her role in the OZ
Chapter Two - Ahamo and the Queen try to reconnect & DG meets her mother half way
Chapter Three - Enter Wyatt and Jeb Cain
Chapter Four - Cain goes to the castle
Chapter Five: The Queen meets with Cain and DG
Chapter Six: The Queen is confronted by Ahamo
Chapter Seven: DG talks to the Queen, and Cain discovers what life is like inside the palace
New Chapter:
Chapter Eight:
The storm deposited DG and Cain a few miles from the castle of the Red Jinn. If not for Cain’s hold on her elbow, DG would have tumbled to the ground. As it was, his touch burned her skin where he made contact. She could feel the imprint of his fingers through her shirt and her stomach contracted at the feeling. She shrugged off his hands and reached for her luggage and Cain’s pack. With a wave of her hands the luggage disappeared from sight. Cain looked at her expectantly.
“I sent it on to the castle. I am not that strong with magic yet, but I can send small objects short distances away.” She paused to collect her thoughts. “So, what is our, I mean, your game plan?”
Cain gave her a puzzled look. “Game plan?”
“Yeah, you know, what’s the plan of attack? How do you want to handle things?”
“Well, I haven’t really thought about it since I hadn’t planned on going,” Cain said.
“Sorry about that, by the way. I haven’t been all that welcoming since you arrived. It’s just," DG took a deep breath, “I kinda thought I would be the one to go by myself.”
Cain’s eyes widened in understanding. “I didn’t know. I am sorry, but one doesn’t turn down the Queen. If it’s any consolation, I think you would have done a fine job.”
DG smiled at him. For a moment Cain smiled back, entranced by her beauty; however, he soon remembered that this was the royal princess. He stepped back and bowed slightly. “After you, your highness.”
DG’s smile fell at the formality in Cain’s voice. For a moment she had forgotten her royal position and she had been just DG again. She turned and started the short trek to the Red Jinn’s Castle. The rolling hills were dotted with stunted trees and large stones. A few patches of green relieved the starkness of the area. Overall, DG was not impressed. The loneliness of the terrain echoed through her.
She walked in silence for a bit before she couldn’t take it anymore. “So, what do you remember about the Red Jinn?”
Cain took a moment to collect his thoughts, which had been on the swaying, skirted woman ahead of him. “They're a peaceful people. They have a system of laws similar to ours. I thought they may have had some trouble for a while. We think it had to do with a change in leadership. But I’m not too sure. We lost communication with the other Realms after the Sorceress took over.”
DG nodded. “The books I read didn’t offer much current information, just history and royal lineage.”
A noise ahead had Cain grabbing DG’s arm and pulling her behind him. Two red-clad soldiers walked into view.
“Halt, in the name of the Red Jinn. You are entering the Castle Grounds of the Red Jinn. All must be detained for questioning.”
Cain reached back and pushed DG further behind him. Leaning into his back, DG peeked at the guards. The stern visage of the guards made the normally fearless DG cling a bit to Cain. There was something almost sinister about the way they had appeared and were closing in on them.
Cain gave a short bow. “We are emissaries from the Outer Zone. We have come at the request of the Red Jinn.”
The taller soldier spoke. “You will come with me now. Afterwards, you will be delivered to Oman Kalif, leader of the Red Jinn.”
Cain backed up a step or two, placing his hand on DG’s hip to push her even further behind him. The guards made Cain aware of his and DG’s vulnerability He wanted to focus their attention solely on him and not the princess. The tall soldier noted the gesture
“We are royal emissaries for Queen Lavender Eyes. We have been invited by your leader.” Cain spoke forcefully.
The soldier narrowed his eyes at Cain. “You may either come with us peacefully, or you may be forcefully brought to the detaining center. The choice is yours, but I am sure your companion would not enjoy being forced.”
DG dug her nails into Cain’s shoulder and hissed in his ear. “Just go. If we stay together, things should be all right. You have the royal seal and, if necessary, I can prove my identity through magic.”
Keeping his eyes on the soldiers, Cain spoke out of the side of his mouth. “All right, but…you stay with me at all times. Don’t take a step without me. I don’t trust them yet.”
He nodded to the soldiers. “Fine. We will follow you. However, I must insist we,” he said as he gestured to DG, “be allowed to stay together.”
“Of course. This way, please.” The soldier motioned for DG and Cain to precede him.
Cain swept DG up beside him and placed a hand on her lower back. Normally, he would never be so presumptuous toward a member of the royal family, but this was an unknown situation and Cain was not about to take chances with DG’s safety.
DG and Cain walked in silence. She was a bit frightened by the tense set of Cain’s shoulders and the glowering looks the guards bestowed on them. She darted her eyes toward Cain. He smiled reassuringly, but DG noted that assurance did not reach his eyes. Too soon, the group arrived at the detaining center where DG and Cain were escorted inside a building. A tall, hulking figure stood guard as they entered.
“Who is this?” the voice boomed from a massive barrel chest. DG’s eyes followed up to a towering figure that loomed above her and Cain. Cold dark emotionless eyes stared back at her. She had only seen eyes like that once before staring back at her in the possessed face of her sister. DG shuddered slightly, but she refused to show how intimidated she felt.
“These are the emissaries from the OZ, sir,” one of the soldiers responded.
The leader eyed DG first. His gaze raked up and down her figure in an impersonal way. He then turned his attention to Cain. His coal black eyes narrowed on Cain’s white blond hair and ice blue eyes.
As the leader sized up Cain, DG felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. Something was not right. The leader had barely given DG a glance, but he studied Cain like a criminal. She felt Cain tense beside her; he realized that something was definitely wrong too, and he was in the middle of it. A faint, cruel smile appeared on the leader’s face.
“Well, well, well! Do you know what we have here, boys?” The leader smirked as he walked around the silent Cain.
The leader reached DG and caressed a strand of her hair. DG felt Cain’s hand spasm at her back. To prevent him from reacting, she quickly placed a hand on his arm as she pulled her hair free from the leader’s grasp.
“Excuse me?” she said as she glared at the leader. “I am a member of the Royal House of Gale, and I expected to be treated as such.” It was time to put all those royal lessons to use.
The leader’s lip twitched as he sarcastically responded, “Oh, excuse me, your royal highness. However, I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about your friend here.”
Cain felt the danger escalate in the room and he stepped away from DG. Having the leader touching DG enraged him. He wanted to draw the men’s attention away from his princess and back to him. He hadn’t brought a gun with him, but he could still fight with his fists. Fear gripped him. He wasn’t sure if he could subdue all three men, but the princess’s life was at stake.
DG looked bewildered at the leader. “What are you talking about? This is Wyatt Cain. He was chosen by the Queen to be the official emissary to the Red Jinn.”
The leader sidled up to DG while keeping his eyes on Cain. He spoke to Cain. “This ain’t the first time you been here is it, boy?”
Cain gritted in teeth. “No.” He did not elaborate.
DG whirled on Cain. “What is going on?” she asked him. The situation alarmed her, but she couldn’t exactly say why. Though nothing bad had happened, the air was heavy and oppressive with tension.
Cain shook his head to silence her. He did not need the distraction of DG right now.
Anger burned through her. How dare he just ignore her!
She turned to the leader. “What exactly is your problem? I have told you. I am Princess DG from the Outer Zone, and this is Wyatt Cain, the Royal Emissary to the Red Jinn. I demand you take us to your leader, now!”
“We will, but first we need to have a discussion with Mr. Cain. Take him to the interrogation room,” the leader ordered his soldiers.
Before Cain could whirl around to face the soldiers, they roughly grabbed him by each arm, and jerked them behind his back. The leader captured DG’s arm and held her in place.
“You will come with me,” he told the squirming princess. He then turned to Cain, “One false move on your part, and she will pay the price.”
The soldiers began dragging Cain deeper into the building as DG started screaming, “Cain! Cain!” But he did not answer.
The leader threw DG into a room and quickly locked the door behind her. She stood alone in the small room, terror filling her mind. What was happening to Cain? Why were they being treated like this?
She thought about using her magic to open the door, but realistically knew that she did not have the ability to fight her way out of the building. And, of course, she couldn’t leave Mr. Cain.
Cain used supreme effort to suppress his emotional response to DG’s calls. The threat made by the leader had not been an idle one. He had been in enough dangerous situations to realize that he had to play along for now, or risk something happening to the princess.
He didn’t know why the guards had taken him prisoner, or why the leader had focused such hate on him. It was possibly an elaborate plot to overtake the OZ now that the witch had been overthrown.
The guards holding him abruptly threw him into a small room with chains hanging from the wall. Cain looked around the familiar room. It was a typical interrogation room used to break prisoners. One guard advanced towards him with a malicious glint in his eye.
“Once we get you taken care of, we can see to the comforts of your princess.” The guard smirked.
Cain glanced around looking for a way to escape. The situation had gotten a lot more dangerous. He needed to get DG out of here, now. If he could overpower the two guards, he could at least gain a weapon and then find DG. The smirking guard cautiously moved toward him. The man’s partner glanced away to look in the hall. Cain threw a fist at one guard, catching him the jaw. The man’s head snapped back. He then turned to the other guard only to catch the butt of a rifle directly on his temple. Cain crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Pain was the first thing to enter his mind. His skull felt like it had been slammed repeatedly into a wall. Slowly, Cain opened his eyes. The surroundings blurred, then slowly came into focus. He tried to move his arms, but found them chained to the wall.
“Ah! You have finally awakened.” The sound of the leader’s voice cut through the silence. “We were getting bored waiting for you. I guess I will have to rethink my plans for your lovely companion.”
Cain growled. “Leave her alone. She is the Princess DG of the Outer Zone. You touch one hair on her head, and I, along with the rest of the OZ, will burn this place to the ground.”
The leader shook his dark hair. “Oh, how amusing. A protector.” The smirk on his face fell instantly. He hissed at Cain, “I know who you are and what you did. I will have my revenge on you. I care nothing about your precocious princess. She is only a tool to make you suffer like you have made the people of this country suffer.”
Cain looked at the man confusedly. However, before he could say anything, the leader swung his fist at Cain’s face. Blood sprayed across the room from Cain’s mouth. The leader walked up to him and wiped one thumb across his bloody face.
“I shall enjoy watching you suffer.”
Author: dmr2158
Pairing: DG/Cain
Warnings: none yet
Rating: PG for now
Word count: 2140
Disclaimer: I do not own TinMan.
I would like to thank The Cricket for beta-ing this piece for me. She has been indispensible in correcting logical errors, and plot problems. This chapter especially benefitted from her suggestions and comments. Any mistakes, problems,etc. are mine.
Chapter One - DG confronts her parents about her role in the OZ
Chapter Two - Ahamo and the Queen try to reconnect & DG meets her mother half way
Chapter Three - Enter Wyatt and Jeb Cain
Chapter Four - Cain goes to the castle
Chapter Five: The Queen meets with Cain and DG
Chapter Six: The Queen is confronted by Ahamo
Chapter Seven: DG talks to the Queen, and Cain discovers what life is like inside the palace
New Chapter:
Chapter Eight:
The storm deposited DG and Cain a few miles from the castle of the Red Jinn. If not for Cain’s hold on her elbow, DG would have tumbled to the ground. As it was, his touch burned her skin where he made contact. She could feel the imprint of his fingers through her shirt and her stomach contracted at the feeling. She shrugged off his hands and reached for her luggage and Cain’s pack. With a wave of her hands the luggage disappeared from sight. Cain looked at her expectantly.
“I sent it on to the castle. I am not that strong with magic yet, but I can send small objects short distances away.” She paused to collect her thoughts. “So, what is our, I mean, your game plan?”
Cain gave her a puzzled look. “Game plan?”
“Yeah, you know, what’s the plan of attack? How do you want to handle things?”
“Well, I haven’t really thought about it since I hadn’t planned on going,” Cain said.
“Sorry about that, by the way. I haven’t been all that welcoming since you arrived. It’s just," DG took a deep breath, “I kinda thought I would be the one to go by myself.”
Cain’s eyes widened in understanding. “I didn’t know. I am sorry, but one doesn’t turn down the Queen. If it’s any consolation, I think you would have done a fine job.”
DG smiled at him. For a moment Cain smiled back, entranced by her beauty; however, he soon remembered that this was the royal princess. He stepped back and bowed slightly. “After you, your highness.”
DG’s smile fell at the formality in Cain’s voice. For a moment she had forgotten her royal position and she had been just DG again. She turned and started the short trek to the Red Jinn’s Castle. The rolling hills were dotted with stunted trees and large stones. A few patches of green relieved the starkness of the area. Overall, DG was not impressed. The loneliness of the terrain echoed through her.
She walked in silence for a bit before she couldn’t take it anymore. “So, what do you remember about the Red Jinn?”
Cain took a moment to collect his thoughts, which had been on the swaying, skirted woman ahead of him. “They're a peaceful people. They have a system of laws similar to ours. I thought they may have had some trouble for a while. We think it had to do with a change in leadership. But I’m not too sure. We lost communication with the other Realms after the Sorceress took over.”
DG nodded. “The books I read didn’t offer much current information, just history and royal lineage.”
A noise ahead had Cain grabbing DG’s arm and pulling her behind him. Two red-clad soldiers walked into view.
“Halt, in the name of the Red Jinn. You are entering the Castle Grounds of the Red Jinn. All must be detained for questioning.”
Cain reached back and pushed DG further behind him. Leaning into his back, DG peeked at the guards. The stern visage of the guards made the normally fearless DG cling a bit to Cain. There was something almost sinister about the way they had appeared and were closing in on them.
Cain gave a short bow. “We are emissaries from the Outer Zone. We have come at the request of the Red Jinn.”
The taller soldier spoke. “You will come with me now. Afterwards, you will be delivered to Oman Kalif, leader of the Red Jinn.”
Cain backed up a step or two, placing his hand on DG’s hip to push her even further behind him. The guards made Cain aware of his and DG’s vulnerability He wanted to focus their attention solely on him and not the princess. The tall soldier noted the gesture
“We are royal emissaries for Queen Lavender Eyes. We have been invited by your leader.” Cain spoke forcefully.
The soldier narrowed his eyes at Cain. “You may either come with us peacefully, or you may be forcefully brought to the detaining center. The choice is yours, but I am sure your companion would not enjoy being forced.”
DG dug her nails into Cain’s shoulder and hissed in his ear. “Just go. If we stay together, things should be all right. You have the royal seal and, if necessary, I can prove my identity through magic.”
Keeping his eyes on the soldiers, Cain spoke out of the side of his mouth. “All right, but…you stay with me at all times. Don’t take a step without me. I don’t trust them yet.”
He nodded to the soldiers. “Fine. We will follow you. However, I must insist we,” he said as he gestured to DG, “be allowed to stay together.”
“Of course. This way, please.” The soldier motioned for DG and Cain to precede him.
Cain swept DG up beside him and placed a hand on her lower back. Normally, he would never be so presumptuous toward a member of the royal family, but this was an unknown situation and Cain was not about to take chances with DG’s safety.
DG and Cain walked in silence. She was a bit frightened by the tense set of Cain’s shoulders and the glowering looks the guards bestowed on them. She darted her eyes toward Cain. He smiled reassuringly, but DG noted that assurance did not reach his eyes. Too soon, the group arrived at the detaining center where DG and Cain were escorted inside a building. A tall, hulking figure stood guard as they entered.
“Who is this?” the voice boomed from a massive barrel chest. DG’s eyes followed up to a towering figure that loomed above her and Cain. Cold dark emotionless eyes stared back at her. She had only seen eyes like that once before staring back at her in the possessed face of her sister. DG shuddered slightly, but she refused to show how intimidated she felt.
“These are the emissaries from the OZ, sir,” one of the soldiers responded.
The leader eyed DG first. His gaze raked up and down her figure in an impersonal way. He then turned his attention to Cain. His coal black eyes narrowed on Cain’s white blond hair and ice blue eyes.
As the leader sized up Cain, DG felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. Something was not right. The leader had barely given DG a glance, but he studied Cain like a criminal. She felt Cain tense beside her; he realized that something was definitely wrong too, and he was in the middle of it. A faint, cruel smile appeared on the leader’s face.
“Well, well, well! Do you know what we have here, boys?” The leader smirked as he walked around the silent Cain.
The leader reached DG and caressed a strand of her hair. DG felt Cain’s hand spasm at her back. To prevent him from reacting, she quickly placed a hand on his arm as she pulled her hair free from the leader’s grasp.
“Excuse me?” she said as she glared at the leader. “I am a member of the Royal House of Gale, and I expected to be treated as such.” It was time to put all those royal lessons to use.
The leader’s lip twitched as he sarcastically responded, “Oh, excuse me, your royal highness. However, I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about your friend here.”
Cain felt the danger escalate in the room and he stepped away from DG. Having the leader touching DG enraged him. He wanted to draw the men’s attention away from his princess and back to him. He hadn’t brought a gun with him, but he could still fight with his fists. Fear gripped him. He wasn’t sure if he could subdue all three men, but the princess’s life was at stake.
DG looked bewildered at the leader. “What are you talking about? This is Wyatt Cain. He was chosen by the Queen to be the official emissary to the Red Jinn.”
The leader sidled up to DG while keeping his eyes on Cain. He spoke to Cain. “This ain’t the first time you been here is it, boy?”
Cain gritted in teeth. “No.” He did not elaborate.
DG whirled on Cain. “What is going on?” she asked him. The situation alarmed her, but she couldn’t exactly say why. Though nothing bad had happened, the air was heavy and oppressive with tension.
Cain shook his head to silence her. He did not need the distraction of DG right now.
Anger burned through her. How dare he just ignore her!
She turned to the leader. “What exactly is your problem? I have told you. I am Princess DG from the Outer Zone, and this is Wyatt Cain, the Royal Emissary to the Red Jinn. I demand you take us to your leader, now!”
“We will, but first we need to have a discussion with Mr. Cain. Take him to the interrogation room,” the leader ordered his soldiers.
Before Cain could whirl around to face the soldiers, they roughly grabbed him by each arm, and jerked them behind his back. The leader captured DG’s arm and held her in place.
“You will come with me,” he told the squirming princess. He then turned to Cain, “One false move on your part, and she will pay the price.”
The soldiers began dragging Cain deeper into the building as DG started screaming, “Cain! Cain!” But he did not answer.
The leader threw DG into a room and quickly locked the door behind her. She stood alone in the small room, terror filling her mind. What was happening to Cain? Why were they being treated like this?
She thought about using her magic to open the door, but realistically knew that she did not have the ability to fight her way out of the building. And, of course, she couldn’t leave Mr. Cain.
Cain used supreme effort to suppress his emotional response to DG’s calls. The threat made by the leader had not been an idle one. He had been in enough dangerous situations to realize that he had to play along for now, or risk something happening to the princess.
He didn’t know why the guards had taken him prisoner, or why the leader had focused such hate on him. It was possibly an elaborate plot to overtake the OZ now that the witch had been overthrown.
The guards holding him abruptly threw him into a small room with chains hanging from the wall. Cain looked around the familiar room. It was a typical interrogation room used to break prisoners. One guard advanced towards him with a malicious glint in his eye.
“Once we get you taken care of, we can see to the comforts of your princess.” The guard smirked.
Cain glanced around looking for a way to escape. The situation had gotten a lot more dangerous. He needed to get DG out of here, now. If he could overpower the two guards, he could at least gain a weapon and then find DG. The smirking guard cautiously moved toward him. The man’s partner glanced away to look in the hall. Cain threw a fist at one guard, catching him the jaw. The man’s head snapped back. He then turned to the other guard only to catch the butt of a rifle directly on his temple. Cain crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Pain was the first thing to enter his mind. His skull felt like it had been slammed repeatedly into a wall. Slowly, Cain opened his eyes. The surroundings blurred, then slowly came into focus. He tried to move his arms, but found them chained to the wall.
“Ah! You have finally awakened.” The sound of the leader’s voice cut through the silence. “We were getting bored waiting for you. I guess I will have to rethink my plans for your lovely companion.”
Cain growled. “Leave her alone. She is the Princess DG of the Outer Zone. You touch one hair on her head, and I, along with the rest of the OZ, will burn this place to the ground.”
The leader shook his dark hair. “Oh, how amusing. A protector.” The smirk on his face fell instantly. He hissed at Cain, “I know who you are and what you did. I will have my revenge on you. I care nothing about your precocious princess. She is only a tool to make you suffer like you have made the people of this country suffer.”
Cain looked at the man confusedly. However, before he could say anything, the leader swung his fist at Cain’s face. Blood sprayed across the room from Cain’s mouth. The leader walked up to him and wiped one thumb across his bloody face.
“I shall enjoy watching you suffer.”