Tainted Choices

Chapter 7: Back To The Beginning

A knowing smile flashed across the dwarf's face. "'Course, I am. Yer my investment. I can't let ye do whate'er it is ye intend to do. Not until yoo've fulfilled our bargain."

"We have no bargain!" I cried.

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes at me. "Oh, but we do. We do. Ye have not forgotten, have ye? When I call ye, ye must come. Ye agreed to such when I set ye free from 'at wretched dungeon. Ye may not see thin's the way I do, but ye have agreed to doin' whatever is necessary when the time comes."

Despite the fact that I hadn't agreed to a set deal, he'd found a way to ensure I'd do his bidding, nonetheless. I growled with frustration and waved a fist in the air.

"What do you want?"

"Yoo'll finish the quest I've set ye upon. Once all the parameters have been met, then, and only then, will ye return to the palace and fulfill the goal yoo've set within yer mind."

I crossed my arms upon my chest. "If I agree to this, and I do what you ask, you'll take me home. Directly home, and no more of this sending me elsewhere crap."

The dwarf snorted and sighed. "Fine. I can agree to 'at. But ye will do everythin' I need done first. Is 'at understood?"

"It is."

Rumpelstiltskin grinned. "Good," he said. "'At's at, then," he said, and snapped his fingers.

A black swirling cloud appeared in front of me.

"What? No. That . . . I didn't . . ."

The cloud swooped toward me, whipping my hair back and forth.

"Rumpelstiltskin, you can't keep doing this to me!" I cried, wrapping my arms around me to keep myself from tumbling over.

"Relax, Deary. This'll just take a second. Yoo'll be exactly where I want ye to be soon enough."

"No! No, I didn't agree to whatever this is."

He laughed and clapped his hands with delight. "Oh, but ye did. Ye did. We have a deal. Ye cannot break it now."

The wind grew stronger, bombarding me from every direction. It pulled at my clothes and tugged at my hair, insistent on making me a part of it by whatever means necessary. In the blink of an eye, the cloud surrounded me.

Caught in the whirlwind, I bounced around, unsure of the direction it was headed. I could do nothing more than let it do what Rumpelstiltskin had meant it to do.

"Damn you, Rumpelstiltskin!" I said, moments before the whirlwind consumed every part of me.

***

Myrah landed on her knees in the middle of a large field. The force of the impact knocked the air out of her lungs.

Elba crumpled to the ground beside her. "Egads, 'at . . . 'e spinnin' never stops."

Curling her arms around her churning stomach, Myrah dry heaved. "Wh—Where did you get that thing?"

The cat-woman rolled onto her back and scrunched her eyes closed. "Won it from a dice game one night. Ne'ver knew it would come in 'andy."

"Thank the gods you did," Myrah replied once she stopped heaving. "H—How did you know Olson was around?"

Several minutes passed before Elba answered. "'E's been trailin' ye far and wide, Gel. Whate'er ye did to 'im, 'e's quite 'e angry man. Ye should 'ank me fer alertin' ye to 'e fact 'at 'e was 'ere."

Myrah blinked, pushing back the tears rising to the surface. "I'm ever grateful for that, believe me. If you hadn't . . ."

"Yoo'd be catnip right now."