Dark Heart Rising (32 page)

I
 felt my way through the bushes, sharp thorns pricking at my hands. Out of nowhere, it had started to rain hard. Rubbing at the drops on my cheeks, I knew my only hope of getting home was to find Dalya, but it was so late and I had run straight into the woods behind the palace – the opposite direction to where she and Luca lived. And then I had run out of steam, just stopped and slid to my knees where I hoped I would be hidden, undiscovered, until daylight … But after an hour or so the sounds of people had me up and on the move again.

‘Soren!’ I heard someone shout – a throaty female voice. ‘Don’t waste your time. She is long gone by now.’

Vanya and Soren? Where was Luca? Had they done something to him?

I shut my eyes in the darkness, and my breath came thick and heavy. But the voice was fading. Opening my eyes again, I peered through some leaves and saw Vanya’s white cape as she disappeared in pursuit of Soren.

I had thought Vanya was on my side. I had actually thought she and Soren were my friends. But they were keeping things from me. All these lies.

As I started walking again, I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. I must have knocked it and not felt it. All that adrenaline masking the pain. I winced as an agonising twinge hit me again, and tried to take the weight off one foot, limping a little, slowly this time, and then there above me, a small patch of sky through the trees.

As I pushed forward, I heard voices – far away, and shouting but there all the same. Who knew who they belonged to? Raphael and his crew? Lowe?

Panicking, I turned as quickly as I could in the other direction, lamely kicking away the raspy thorns, before something, flying through the trees ahead, stopped me in my tracks.

A crossbow quivered in the trunk of the tree to my left, and then my breath seemed to stop. Putting my hand to my mouth, I stared wide-eyed at the weapon, swallowing back fear.

‘There’s someone there.’

A voice, familiar somehow, came through the dark. I shut my eyes trying to place it.

‘Over there somewhere.’

The voice was closer now. I stepped back, drawing some foliage in front of my face. I was shaking.

As I watched, two figures moved into my line of vision. One I didn’t recognise walked over to the arrow in the tree and plucked it. He turned to his companion, whose back was to me now.

‘No need to waste a good piece of weaponry.’ The boy with the arrow spoke.

‘Indeed not.’ His companion, taller, dark-haired, took the weapon from him, sticking it in a holder on his back. In one hand I saw he carried a crossbow. But my attention was drawn to something else now.

Lowe?

I pushed myself back and met with a tree. I sank to my knees as noiselessly as possible. The beating of my heart seemed impossibly loud to me.

‘She is somewhere out here.’

Lowe’s voice was crisp now, imperious. Dangerous.

Wrapping my arms about my body, I crouched hidden, listening.

‘She is not our target …’ the other boy was saying. ‘Raphael said—’

‘Raphael is taking care of the vampire,’ growled Lowe. ‘I want the girl.’

Even through the bushes I saw the other boy frown.

‘The girl? What crime has the girl committed? She is no one.’

‘She is poison. She flaunted herself here with Soren. She was just using him. And while she’s still here, she will have her sights on Luca. To take him from his wife, from his family. You saw her—’

‘Lowe!’ The boy’s voice was steady, humouring. ‘This is madness. What harm can the mortal girl do? Luca is perfectly safe and happily engaged. Why would he go to her?’

Lowe was silent, kicking at the undergrowth with his boot.

I was aware of exhaustion taking me over, but I couldn’t afford to give in to it.

Nonetheless I pushed one leg, which threatened to cramp, out from underneath me, rustling the leaves as I did so.

The boys’ heads both jerked in my direction.

‘Who’s there?’

Lowe stepped roughly, closer to where I was. He couldn’t yet see me. I held my breath, a light sweat covering my body.

‘It is no one.’ The boy took hold of Lowe’s arm, gently pulling him back. ‘Just the wind.’

From my position I could see Lowe glowering straight at me. But he couldn’t see me. His eyes didn’t find mine.

‘Come,’ said the boy, still holding on to him, his eyes wary. ‘You are weary, Lowe. Let me take you back to the palace.’

‘Don’t patronise me.’ Lowe hissed. ‘I meant what I said, you know.’

‘I know.’ The boy’s voice was soft, coaxing … He stopped, and all three of us saw another body approaching through the trees. As the moon moved to become visible above us, the newcomer’s inky-black hair was unmistakeable.

Soren
. I hated him, but I couldn’t deny the relief I felt seeing him.

‘Well, well.’ He stopped, putting his hands in his pockets.

Lowe’s face twisted with hostility.

‘You?’ he said icily. ‘You are not a werewolf. I have never heard of you. Nobody has. Lila doesn’t know who you are either – whatever fantasies you have fed her.’

He drew an arrow from its case on his back and stepped boldly in front of Soren, who looked utterly unfazed.

Soren ignored the crossbow. ‘But since you are so desperate to know …’

Both boys straightened defensively.

‘I … I am whoever I want to be.’ Soren went on just loudly enough for me to hear.

Lowe was gripping his crossbow, his body was rigid, tense. He glanced quickly at his companion. From where I was positioned I could see he was afraid.

‘I don’t understand.’

‘It doesn’t matter whose blood runs through me,’ Soren went on. ‘Unlike you, I don’t allow my ancestry to dictate who I am.’ He paused, watching their incomprehension. ‘And neither does Raphael. Somebody you admire, I think?’

‘What are you talking about? You’re insane!’ Lowe snorted. His friend, however, looked shocked as he stared hard at Soren.

‘No need to be afraid,’ Soren continued calmly. ‘Raphael may have grown tired of the angelic philosophy, but he seems to quite like you.’

‘Don’t speak of him. You are nothing. A fool. A fantasist.’

Soren smiled broadly in answer, infuriating Lowe even further.

‘Jane used you.’ Lowe lifted his chin defiantly. ‘To get to my brother.’

‘Is that so?’ asked Soren.

‘She just can’t take no for an answer. Hanging around here, trying to make him jealous and regret his decision.’

The smile stayed fixed on Soren’s face. It was starting to bug me, God knew what effect it was having on Lowe.

‘She’s the only person on Nissilum whose agenda is pure,’ Soren said. He couldn’t see me, didn’t know I was hiding … I held my breath. Had I misjudged him?

‘But what’s your game?’ Lowe insisted. ‘Lila has never met you before in her life.’

‘Don’t speak of her again,’ Soren told him icily. ‘Lila deserves better than to have you as part of her family. I would not have believed what a poisonous little fool you were until I witnessed your malice with my own eyes. But now that I have seen it, I know for sure she is better off with me.’

‘Nonsense! She and my brother are in love,’ snarled Lowe.

‘Oh, grow up!’ Soren finally snapped. ‘Stop meddling in the happiness of others. It is not Lila that Luca loves. There is nothing you can do about that.’

Lowe was silenced, but I saw his hand tighten on his crossbow.

Slowly I eased myself up on to my feet. My breath was coming more evenly now. There was a good chance Lowe would aim his weapon at me if he saw me, but Soren’s presence emboldened me. When I was upright, I leaned carefully up against the tree behind me.

‘I will do what it takes to protect my family.’ Lowe said weakly, anxious to have the last word.

Soren sighed, and I watched as his eyes roamed about him, until finally he settled on me.

‘Jane?’

I moved forward, keeping my eyes on the crossbow still in Lowe’s hand. His face was set angrily. ‘Lucky for you that your little lapdog is here to protect you,’ he said nastily.

‘I don’t need protection,’ I said. ‘And I am trying to get home.’ I glared at him. ‘So, you will get what you want … Please, stop your whining about it!’

Lowe’s eyes widened.

‘And finally we see the real girl,’ he said smoothly. ‘Not so nice, are you?’ He shook his head. ‘If my brother could see you now!’

The snap of a twig startled us all.

‘I can see her perfectly well,’ came a voice behind Soren and I felt my heart crash to the ground. Luca, soaking wet from the rain, walked past Soren and towards his brother. ‘It’s you who disgusts me right now.’

‘Me?’ Lowe snarled. ‘All the games she has played, and it is I who disgusts you?’

‘You have always been impetuous,’ Luca said, his eyes flickering briefly over to me as he spoke. ‘But you have grown malicious. Clumsy …’ His voice trailed off. I knew it pained him to talk that way. About his own flesh and blood.

Watching his tall, almost too skinny body, his hair a little wild from the rain, I wanted to walk up to him and put my arms around him. I wanted to look into his sad green eyes, the eyes that had looked at me with love, only months before.

But he turned away from me, refusing to catch my eye. He now faced Soren.

‘I appreciate you taking care of Jane,’ I heard him say, ‘but there is no need any longer.’

I saw Soren’s eyes, black as coal, flashing in something like confusion, though I couldn’t read his response properly.

‘I don’t think she wants to leave, Luca,’ he said. ‘She hasn’t got what she came for.’

I winced, cursing Soren’s directness. I wanted to explain, but I had run out of words. It seemed I had nothing left in me to convince Luca. I didn’t want to convince him. I wanted him to come to me of his own accord.

But Luca didn’t respond to Soren’s words.

‘Brother, this boy is dangerous,’ Lowe cut in. ‘A demon.’

‘Lowe, be quiet.’ Luca spoke with authority.

‘I’m going.’ I said. ‘I’m going home.’

‘Jane,’ Soren said, ‘don’t be foolish. Let me help you.’

‘I told you,’ Luca said, silencing him with his tone, ‘she no longer needs your help.’ Taking his eyes off Soren, he settled them on me. ‘She’s got me.’

‘Luca?’ I didn’t dare read any meaning into what he had said. ‘Go and find Lila. She needs you more than I do.’

He shook his head. ‘I know now that Soren was telling the truth. Lila was there the day he murdered her family … And she has spent the last twelve years in a state of denial.’

‘But I thought you didn’t believe him?’ I said. ‘What changed your mind?’

‘Because Henora and Ulfred have just had a monumental argument. In fact the reason I did not get here sooner was because Henora stormed out into the night in tears. Ulfred told her she had to tell me the truth.’ He hesitated. ‘That she and Hanni both knew about Lila’s family … But Henora couldn’t bring herself to spoil everything by telling her about Soren … Saul.’

Lowe looked like a petulant child about to stamp his foot.

‘I think you should go to Lila,’ Luca said quietly to Soren. ‘She is waiting for you at my home.’

As Lowe started to protest, Luca cut him short with a wave of his hand. ‘Keep out of it, brother. I’m warning you.’

Scowling, Lowe shoved his crossbow into his companion’s hands and they stomped after Soren. Soon all three boys had disappeared out of the woods.

Luca moved through the undergrowth towards me until he stood inches away. Lifting his hand, he touched my cheek gently, tracing up and down it as he used to and I leaned my head against his hand like a cat.

‘I’m so sorry,’ he whispered. ‘You’ve been through too much.’

‘It’s been … an adventure,’ I said, managing a smile. ‘My mother would call it “character building”.’

‘She’s a wise woman, your mother,’ he said, a hint of sadness in his voice. ‘How I wish I could run from all this and—’

‘But you can’t.’ I said, enjoying being able to examine his face at such close proximity. Taking in his soft green eyes.

He hesitated before speaking. ‘Everything I thought I believed in has proved a little flimsy.’ He moved closer and took hold of my hands. ‘The only thing that has stood firm – like a rock in troubled waters – is you.’

R
aphael’s horse was waiting for him, patiently. Stroking the animal’s soft coat, he lay his head against it.

‘I’m tired,’ he said out loud, ‘but it’s not over yet … Not for me.’ He lifted his head, looking around the sweet-smelling stable. He would saddle up the horse and go for one last ride. Dawn was breaking, the Celestial grounds were beautiful at this time. The last time.

‘Running away?’ A voice in the stable doorway cut into his thoughts.

He turned. ‘He’s free,’ he told her. ‘Soren. He is free to do as he likes.’