The big one swung his weapon down toward Jamie’s head, and I pressed the palm of my hand to my mouth to keep from crying out as Jamie blocked using the flat of his sword. With a mighty heave, he pushed his brother off balance and then punched him in the kidney. As the crowd went wild, I blew out a long breath and extricated Kenna’s fingers from the flesh of my arm.
The dark-haired boy straightened and retaliated by smashing his ham-sized fist into Jamie’s gut.
“Yes!” Kenna bounced on the balls of her feet. “That’s how you do it.”
She turned to me and, noticing my hands curled into tight fists, patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Vee. This is so choreographed, faked for maximum entertainment, like world wrestling.”
For a brief second, the brothers seemed frozen, their swords locked together. Then Jamie lifted the hilt of his weapon perpendicular above his head. The motion elevated his brother’s sword, and the resulting momentum flung him past Jamie in an ungainly stumble.
Jamie spun, his blade slicing towards his brother’s ribcage in a powerful arch. I sucked in a sharp breath. He would kill him! At the last second, the brother dropped and avoided Jamie’s sword by what looked like centimeters.
At the end of his summersault, the boy Kenna kept referring to as the ogre sprang to his feet. With a smile, he winked at Jamie, and then bellowing “Ho!” shoved him halfway across the ring. As Jamie stumbled backward, his brother paused to lift his arm above his head and incite the crowd to its feet. He even blew kisses to a group of fawning girls on the opposite side of the stands.
Kenna scoffed. “What a jerk. I changed my mind. I’m rooting for Surfer Dude.”
Reluctantly, I pointed to Surfer Dude. “The blond one with the long hair … uh … that’s Jamie. The guy who’s been appearing to me in the real world.”
“Kilt Boy?” For once in her life, Kenna was speechless. She stared at me, mouth open and twitching until it transformed into a smile. Then she laughed—not in hysterics, but with real honest-to-goodness joy. “So that’s what all this was about?”
From our cramped position, Kenna drew me into a bear hug. I pulled away and closed my mouth with an audible click, stunned that my confession hadn’t set off my best friend’s hypersensitive psycho meter. “What do you mean?”
She continued to grin as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. “After we ended up over the rainbow, or whatever, I worried … being Gracie’s niece … that I was here to do something. That I’d have to battle flying monkeys or drop a house on the white witch. But this is all about you, sweetie. I just need to figure out how to get us home.”
I didn’t know whether to hug her again or punch her. All I knew was the boy of my dreams was real, and as long as he didn’t get himself killed in the next few minutes, I—
A hand like iron clamped down on my arm, followed by something cold and wickedly sharp against the side of my throat. A breath, close and stale, assaulted my senses as its owner growled, “Don’t ye dare move, lassie, or I’ll run this knife through yer gullet.”
CHAPTER 8
Veronica
Although unable to see the threat, I clearly felt it on my bicep and the tender skin of my neck. I froze. If I cried out, would Jamie hear?
A second masculine voice cautioned, “I wouldna try anything if I were ye.” Kenna’s soft yelp confirmed she was also at some thug’s mercy. My courage sank as I realized any resistance on my part would put her in danger.
Forced out from under the risers, I stumbled back through the stone wall and down the hill. Shuffling sounds behind me indicated that Kenna and her captor followed close behind.
As the boisterous cheers of the coliseum faded, so did my hopes Jamie would come galloping to the rescue on his big war-horse. Then again, we’d only been walking a few minutes. Maybe he would sense I was in danger and leave the tournament. I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to project my thoughts into his head, like he’d done with me. Jamie, it’s me, Veronica. I’m here in Doon. I need you!
I opened my eyes, and waited expectantly.
Nothing.