บท 14: "It's for your own good !" the stalker said
Wei Lin woke up with a start. She couldn't believe she had been so frightened that she fainted at the critical moment. Had she been conscious, she would have struggled, yelled and called for help. That was what she thought, anyway. Of course, she remembered she had been screaming non-stop at the top of her lungs for several minutes and nobody had come for her. She was all alone, abandoned and felt like crying.
She couldn't help but hope that her situation was just a misunderstanding, a bad joke or a little mistake easily forgiven. If it was some bullying, she felt it was truly over the top ! She would retaliate without a doubt. Even if she was currently powerless, she would bid her time to get her revenge. Now that she was back in the Inner Palace, she was aware that she had stepped right in the heart of the lion's den.
Zhou Xi left his other wives in the Orchid Palace, which was a relief, but the women of the Inner Palace were far worse. Being Zhou Xi's favorite wife, Lady Wei had power in the Orchid Palace but here in the Inner Palace, she was surrounded with foes and felt that the lionesses were lurking in the darkness, just waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on her and rip her apart.
Wei Lin knew that her child would be a threat to the wives of Zhou Xi's brothers and to his sisters as well. They all hoped for their husbands or children to gain power and her baby, even before being born, already stood in their ways. Everyone seemed to accept Zhou Xi as the next emperor but his brothers and nephews still had a chance for the throne if he remained childless. Killing Zhou Xi would bring turmoil and disaster to Selnan but preventing his wives from having a healthy boy, heir to the Empire, was a safe scheme and a better plan in preparation for the future.
Wei Lin didn't know who the culprit was. She needed some time to ponder and investigate but the most urgent matter was to go back to Zhou Xi. Her situation right now seemed dire, it looked more and more like a nightmare. She knew it was not a dream, however. She was definitely awake and at this moment, she regretted it. At least, when she had been unconscious, she had been oblivious of her situation and her pain. She gritted her teeth, she didn't like to feel scared and helpless. She didn't think she was a coward but realized that she had never faced danger alone. Now, she was just a weak pregnant woman without her usual protectors. What could she do all by herself ? She really wished to escape this reality, but knew it was impossible.
Even if she felt reluctant, her tears began to flow nonetheless. The canvas bag on her head, tied around her neck, was uncomfortable and wet. It had an unbearable rancid smell. She didn't know what had been its previous use but just hoped she somewhat could manage to avoid filling it with vomit. And it was not only due to her shame or her disgust at having her face and hair filthy. She would simply die, drowning or rather choking on her own vomit, in a meaningless, dirty and laughable death.
Once Wei Lin managed to overcome her nausea, which proved to be difficult since her pregnancy made her overly sensitive to any kind of strong odors, she started to assess her surroundings. She tried to determine if she had a chance to escape or call for help. Her hands and feet were bound and she was lying on her side on a cold and hard area. She wasn't sure if it was the ground but it was made of irregular stone. She didn't dare to move yet, so she could only surmise that she was outside, as she felt the wind on her hands, the only uncovered part of her body. To increase her awareness of her location, she closed her eyes. She couldn't see anything with her head in the bag anyway, but she tried to focus on her hearing. Maybe she could find some clues on where she was and where her abductor was.
Everything was silent. Feeling wary, she remained still. Only her chest movements showed that she was alive. If her enemy thought that she was still unconscious, he might let his guard down enough for her to find an opportunity.
Motionless, she felt time was dragging on, wearing her resolve away. It was hard for her to keep her breathing regular and smooth. She fought the need to gulp air as if she was already drowning, and unwillingly began to hyperventilate. Her control over her anxiety was slipping into nothingness. She feared her body would start shaking at any time and she couldn't do anything about it. In addition to her helplessness, she now felt betrayed by her own body, the one and last thing she thought she was in control of.
She repressed a sob, which came out as a pitiful whimper. Her hearing was muffled because of the bag but she could clearly hear the sound of water nearby, she seemed to be lying near the sea, probably on a flat boulder or a rock slab used as a platform of sort. She wished she could smell the refreshing scent of the sea instead of the rancid and sickening odor of the canvas bag. However, all her efforts were useless. Even worse, with her eyes closed, her sense of smell as well as her others senses seemed to be enhanced. Her nausea was threatening to come back in full force. But what increased her nervousness the most was the faint crunch indicating the footsteps of someone coming her way.
She didn't know how long she had waited tensely, listening to the water, the wind and her own breathing, but now she hoped her abductor would leave her alone a bit longer. She felt so scared that her tears rolled down more than ever, together with snot and saliva, dampening the cloth even more. Had she time to care about her face, she would have been horrified by her appearance and thankful for the canvas bag hiding her head.
Wei Lin hoped the man didn't intend to drown her in the sea. She had never fear water as much as at this minute. In her head, all her thoughts were jumbled and only one was clear : "Help me !". She didn't know if she was praying or calling Xian, Soon-Yi or anybody. She just didn't want to die yet.
But, thankfully, the man didn't notice any change in Wei Lin behavior. He probably assumed she was still unconscious as it had only been a few hours since they left the Inner Palace and the day was still young. He was a bit tired but he prided himself in his stamina. He felt he could still go on a couple of days without sleeping if needed. Adrenaline rushed freely in his veins, he was excited like a little kid and at the same time, he was aware of his responsibility, now that Lady Wei was in his care.
And he was sure he could do a better job at protecting his Lady than all her bodyguards. He definitely wouldn't have allowed her to go out to a party. He felt her husband First Prince Zhou Xi was irresponsible and didn't deserve her. And the Great Mage Soon-Yi, wasn't she utterly unqualified to protect Lady Wei, as even with all her magic she couldn't prevent the attack ?
When he had heard about the assault, he had been stunned. He was so mad with grief and worry that he'd believed his heart would stop. He only regained his senses when someone told him that his Lady was safe. The injured one had been the Great Mage and he couldn't care less about her well-being.
He gently removed the canvas bag and wiped her beautiful face with a wet cloth. Her eyes were still closed but her eyelids were fluttering a little. He hastily pressed on her nose and mouth the pad he had used to make her unconscious. The fabric had dried somewhat but he didn't have any fainting potion left. He had been so nervous before taking Lady Wei away that his hands had been shaking and he emptied the expensive vial instead of pouring only a little. Therefore, he thought she would remain unconscious for a long time.
Now that she was about to wake up, he felt both elated and nervous. In any case, he was not ready yet, so he hurriedly tried to make her unconscious again. He knew it was immature and that he should have been better prepared but now it was too late. He would have to make the best of the situation. His highest priority was to take her away from any kind of harm. He was truly the only one who could protect her and should thus be her only knight.
He waited until Lady Wei's limbs went soft, he hadn't realized that she had been so tense. But even if she had faked her sleep, now thanks to the fainting potion she was surely unconscious again. He then securely tied the canvas bag back on her head and carried her on his shoulder. He really needed to find a horse. They were truly not far enough from the Imperial capital. He didn't feel safe, his Lady had so many enemies !
But Wei Lin was still perfectly awake, she just pretended to faint again. She had been scared witless of being found out when the man removed the canvas bag but now she felt that he didn't want her dead. He had been so gentle when wiping her face. Unfortunately, she needed to keep her eyes closed, therefore she didn't see her abductor. She didn't recognize anything either. His masculine scent or his kind touch were unknown to her. Not that she knew the touch of many men, only Zhou Xi and most of the time he had been uncaring and absent-minded.
It had been for a fleeting moment but her face felt hot and flushed where the unknown man had wiped her with the wet cloth. She couldn't believe that such a simple, caring and intimate gesture could move her heart. She wasn't used to such tenderness. She even couldn't remember if she had ever felt this way before. But she had no time to dwell on the matter, the man had secured her on his left shoulder, he held her legs and her head was hanging down against his broad back. "So strong, just like Xian" Wei Lin thought just before the man started to walk.
The man wasn't out for a stroll, he walked briskly and quickly picked up the pace. With each stride, Wei Lin felt an excruciating pain. All thoughts of gentleness vanished. The movements of his steps created a swinging motion that couldn't be controlled by the helpless woman on his shoulder. Usually, the position would only induce a slight rocking that would, at most, knock the head of the captive on the back of the carrier. The defenseless prisoner would be unable to struggle and might even be unconscious for a long time due to the repetitive hit on the head or the blood going down and engorging the brain.
However, Wei Lin was six months pregnant and her swelled womb was crushed against the hard muscles of the man. She couldn't even find a more comfortable position since the walking motions gave momentum to her torso, squeezing her baby under her own weight each time the man took a step. It was all she could do to suppress her screams. In her mind, muddled with pain and fear, Wei Lin wondered if the contractions would be as painful or if she would give birth here and now. It was still too early, the baby would surely die.
If only her hands hadn't been tied, she would have been able to support her body or to grab the man's chest to stop the painful rocking. At this stage, she didn't care if he knew she was awake. She felt it was a matter of life and death for her baby and herself. She had to do something about these harmful thrusts. Everybody, even Xian, had deserted her. She could only rely on herself, helplessness definitely didn't suit her.
"Please stop !" she cried out, not sure why her voice sounded so strange.
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