Glory Alley and the Star Riders (The Glory Alley Series) (77 page)

“The Bamboozle
br
ought
to life
the things you fear the most.
Since that experience didn’t open your eyes, perhaps you need to be shown what you
ough
t to fear
the most.”

The
star riders
wrung their hats nervously between their fingers
, making
Glory
feel weak in the knees
.
She had
no idea what
the lady
was talking about, but it sounded bad in the
scariest of ways
.
Her knees slightly buckled, so she leaned on the nearest Wybbil for support
.
Glory closed her eyes, wanting
to
block out everything that was happening.

“
I am sending y
ou
to
Where
Elboni
Is Not
,
a place better known as
the
Wein
.
” Gasps steamed across the cathedral. “
Perhaps y
ou
will be more cooperative after
seeing
the fate of thieves
,
liars
,
a
nd those with murder in their hearts
.
”
Glory opened one eye
.
Lady
Gost
was pointing
to the floor with a stiff arm
.
“To the
Wein
with h
er
.”

Things were moving too fast
.
She
needed the
star riders
to take h
er
back to
Tullah
so
s
he could bind them
.
This
Wein
place wasn’t part of the plan.

“Isn’t
there another way?” Needle asked, wringing
his hat.

“I d
id
not write
t
he
Book of
Law
s
, I
interpret
it
,” she said sternly
.
“The situation seems bleak indee
d
.
Mercy has been ex
tended,
but it’s up to
the
Tullah
n
to take it.”

Lady
Gost
looked
at
Glory
.

"I
take no pleasure in
ordering your death,
but better one of
the
e
than all of we.
”
Then she turned to the emissaries. “As the appointed Guardian of Sacred Things, I decree
upon return from the
Wein
s
he will be turned over to the extractors.
Unless, of course, she confesses the whereabouts of the Great Elboni.
”

G
lory
turned to Needle,
voice came out shaky and hoarse. “
Y
ou wouldn’t
let them
do that to me—would you?
”

“
Obedience requires it
,” Needle said
.

“In order to access your memories,
” Lady
Gost
explained. “You will
be placed in
an
extraction pool until
your
mind and body are emptied
.
Your essence will separate from
tissue to go onto live with the
Weinling
forever
.
A
ll that will be left of ye
here on Wybb will be
dry bones and
a
crusted
hide
.”

Glory
gripped Needle's hand.

"Please, don’t suck me dry
.
I don’t want to be a crusted
hide
.
And whatever my essence is I want it to stay right where it
belongs
.
And
I sure don’t want to
live with a
Weinling
, whatever that is
.
Tell me it’ll be okay
, star rider
.
Tell me not
to be afraid.
”

“’Tis right to be afraid.
”
N
eedle patted h
er
hand
.
"I’d rather face a hundred
Hoogula
s than a single
Weinling
."

Glory
pulled her hand away.
“Not helpful
.
”
Her
breaths c
ame in rapid succession.

“Please, Your
Ladyship
,” Needle pleaded.
“Find another way.”

“
A
s the Guardian of Sacred Things, I have taken an oath not to usurp the authority of the Law."

"
She
's not a bad sort.”

"
No? Her
crimes are numerous
.
First, s
he
stole the
Elboni
.
She has
repeatedly
demonstrated a blatant disregard for the truth
, placing
her own selfish
wants
ahead of everything and everybody
.
The indifference she has shown toward the fate of the millions on Wybb is criminal.
This one’s hands
are
soiled
.
If seeing the
Wein
does not
stir
her
to re
pentance
, then
nothing will.

“
I am
the
Guardian Of Sacred Things
and I have spoken
.
”

“In submission,” the
star riders
said,
bowing in unison
.
“We obey.”

White Feather got to work
.
He went down on one knee
,
took the white feather from his cap
,
and drew a rectangle on the floor.

A rectangle be for death
,
Glory
remembered with a shiver.

“Issatti!” said White Feather.

Darkness mixed with gray fog began to swirl inside the rectangle and a howling sound escaped from it. Lady
Gost
stepped back a pace
, apparently
to stare down at the void from a safer distance.

Glory
bolted for the nearest exit, but the guards blocked h
er
way
.
They dragged h
er
kicking and screaming to Bone, who took h
er
arm
in his iron
grip.

She peered
into the
hole in the floor, horridly mesmerized by a
twirling
t
opsy-turvy tornado
that had formed
below the floor
.
Lady
Gost
’s hand went to her white hair to stop it from
whipping in the wind
.

“Tell me,”
Lady
Gost
shouted over the tempest
.
“Where
is
the
Elboni
?!”

The words stuck to the tip of Glory’s tongue, she was about to tell her everything.

“Halt,”
Lady
Gost
said
, gliding over
to h
er
, face so close to
she
caught a whiff of apple blossom perfume. She brought her face to
Glory
’s, whispering
, “If ye turn over
the
Elboni
, ye may go home with my blessing.”

Glory
took a deep breath
.
“It’s
...
it’s
...
”
She
wanted nothing more than to please her, but the words
were glued in place.