Page 80 of Box of Frogs
I blinked, pain juddering through me and reverberating through my bones. It felt as if the marrow itself was disintegrating. ‘Stop,’ I gasped, ‘them.’
The good Samaritan tilted his head as if confused. ‘Why? Who are they?’
His face swam in front of my eyes and I forced myself to focus on his features. When green eyes and a face even more ruggedly handsome than Morgan’s, but with the same swarthiness and a similar jawline, blurred into view, I knew immediately who I was looking at. I didn’t even have the energy to be scared.
‘Rubus,’ I whispered.
He didn’t react; he simply watched me with a studied lack of expression. ‘If you really want those two men stopped, Madrona, you simply have to say the word.’
If there had been any alternative, I’d have taken it but I was out of options – we all were. ‘Please,’ I said, my voice barely a croak. ‘Stop them.’
‘Your wish is my command,’ Rubus answered. He gestured to the group of faeries and humans standing at his back, whose presence was only just registering in my painful brain. Five of them immediately peeled off.
Rubus didn’t watch them go; his gaze remained trained on me. ‘Lunaria told me you had amnesia. Begonius said the same. Is it true? Can you really not remember?’
‘Yes,’ I said, wetting my lips. I didn’t know which way to turn. Fear for Julie, Finn, Jinn and Morgan clawed at me from all directions. ‘I really can’t remember.’
‘And yet,’ Rubus murmured, his voice silky smooth, ‘you are with my brother. You found him. You remember him.’
I shook my head. ‘No. It’s not like that.’
Rubus leaned forward until his lips were at my ear. ‘What oily lies has he been pouring into you?’ he asked. ‘You can’t trust him, you know.’
I didn’t know the right answer. I had to keep Morgan safe from Rubus but I didn’t know how. My thoughts were too sluggish and I simply couldn’t think straight. Still, if I’d learnt one thing about myself it was that I didn’t take anything lying down.
Rubus terrified me but I was tired of being a meek little ex-minion and I could tell he was already growing irritated with my mild-mannered responses. If I acted like the bitch I was supposed to be – the bitch Iwas– maybe he’d relax. And that scenario would be to my benefit – and to the others’.
‘Well,’ I drawled, ‘I’ll try to see things from your point of view but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get my head that far up my arse.’ For a moment the silence was deafening. Not one of his minions so much as dared to breathe.
Rubus didn’t move for at least ten seconds then he threw back his head and gave a loud laugh. ‘Amnesia or not, you’ve certainly not forgotten how to charm, Madrona.’
I exhaled. The line of his body was less tense than before. That was something. Even so, as if afraid to give me the freedom to speak again and show him up, Rubus snapped his fingers. The tall Amazonian Fey, who I took to be Lunaria, sent me a quick, apologetic glance. Then she handed Rubus a small box.
‘Do you know what this is, Madrona? Do you remember?’ Rubus asked.
Confused, I shook my head. What was he doing? There wasn’t time for any of this shit, not with those hunters still on the loose. A ghost of a smile crossed Rubus’s lips. He flipped open the lid and, despite myself, I peered inside. When I saw what it was, I hissed and drew back. Spider. Giant spider.
‘Amellus worked to create this.’ He held the box up to his eyes as if in admiration. ‘An entire species designed to do just one thing.’ He looked at me, gauging my reaction. When I just stared at him, he shrugged. ‘It’s a Truth Spider. It senses changes in a person’s physiology and reacts to them appropriately. More specifically, if you lie to me, it can tell. It will bite in return and flood your system with venom. One bite won’t kill you – it takes at least three or four to achieve that sort of release.’ He bared his teeth in what I supposed was a smile. ‘I’m told the pain is quite extraordinary. Making use of this beautiful little creature doesn’t affect the truce because the choice about whether to lie or tell the truth is entirely yours. You don’t have to be hurt. It’s exactly the same as a Truth Draw, except this is about a hundred times more powerful.’
I took a step backwards but suddenly there were Fey at my back, holding of my upper arms and forcing me to stay where I was.
‘This hurts me more than it hurts you, Madrona,’ Rubus murmured. ‘Believe me.’ He tipped the box towards me so that the spider fell onto the bare skin of my arm. I flinched and let out a tiny squeak of fear. Rubus didn’t give me any respite. ‘Do you have amnesia?’ he asked.
I couldn’t answer. My tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth and I could feel my heart rate rising.
‘Let’s try that again. You have to answer, Madrona. I won’t accept silence.’ He leaned forward. ‘Do you have amnesia?’
Thankfully, my voice returned. Barely. ‘Yes. I don’t remember from before the weekend. Not who I am, not who you are. Not anything.’
The spider scuttled a few inches up my arm.
‘What is the first thing you remember?’
‘Waking up on a golf course,’ I whispered.
Rubus raised an eyebrow. ‘Golf? Is that a new hobby?’ he enquired. Then he waved his hand. ‘Don’t answer that one. Do you know what caused the amnesia?’
I shook my head.
