Steel Maiden (20 page)

I never imagined that I’d ever find a worse
place to sleep than in my cubbyhole under the floor, but this
bitter cold and icy rain was much worse.

We were drawing nearer to Goth, and I began
to ponder seriously what my plan of action would be once we had
arrived there. There were a lot fewer of us now, and we were all
solemn and wet, but I was not about to underestimate the capacity
for greed of this lot. They were warriors, and if they were
anything like Landon, the stone meant a great deal to them. They
would do anything to get their hands on it.

I knew there was eventually going to be a
great battle between us all, and that the victor would come out
with the stone. Battles weren’t my forte. I wasn’t as strong as the
Girmanian women, or even as clever or a swift as the Espanians. My
best chance would be to steal the stone. I would lie low, hide in
the shadows and wait. When my chance came, I would sneak up and
pinch it from whoever had it. No one would see me.

It was a horrible plan. But it was the only
one I could come up with.

That night I lay staring up at a starless
sky. I tried not to think about Thea, but her slights never left
me. I had always longed to be something more than just a peasant
woman from the Pit. I had always wanted to make something of
myself, to own property and make my own living. Her words
resonated, and they hurt. I wasn’t sure if they hurt more because
Landon had been there, or simply because my pride had been hurt as
well. I wanted Landon to think I was more than just a peasant
woman. I could be so much more if I were given the chance.

And when finally sleep came, it was a sleep
of bitter disappointment.

CHAPTER 20

W
E ARRIVED AT GOTH on the eighth day
of the race. I wasn’t even sure I’d call this a race anymore. No
one was rushing to the finish line or towards the stone. Well, not
yet. I was sure that things would begin to change the closer we got
to the Hollowmere. And although I had thought to keep the location
of the stone a secret, I had overheard Hollowmere mentioned by name
on more than on one occasion, first by the Espanians, and then by
the Fransians. The whereabouts of the stone was not a great secret
now. Everyone knew.

I had half expected the clouds to clear up
as we left Death’s Arm behind us, but I was sadly mistaken.

A perpetual gloom hung over the realm of
Goth like a dark shadow. While the land was gray and lightless, the
trees were so tall that I had to lean back just to see the tops of
some of them. I had no idea that trees could reach such a height.
It was like they were trying to reach God. Aside from the woodlands
and patches of desert, there were a few areas of sparse dry
shrubbery with long, black, thorns. Goth was a mountainous realm of
gray sand, rock, thorny bushes, and giant, creepy trees. It
couldn’t be more unwelcoming.

The rain had stopped, and I took comfort in
that.

We were all too tired and too wet to start
the long journey north into Hollowmere. I found a comfortable spot
next to one of those colossal trees and unloaded my pack and
bedroll. I was blessed to find dry kindling and some moss that I
peeled off the rocks. I had a fire within a minute.

I nearly sobbed in relief as the warmth of
my little fire brushed my face. I heard the sparkling of a nearby
fire and saw that most of the other groups had settled happily to
warm themselves by their fires, too. I made a rack with sticks and
laid my spare clothes over the fire to dry. Without a sun it would
take a while, but the stale air was better than rain. And yet I
still couldn’t shake off the coldness I felt inside. I realized it
was this place. Its coolness clung to my very bones.

A distant screech cut through the silent
night air. The long grating
cak-cak-cak
call was one I
recognized as belonging to a bird of prey. I found it odd that any
such birds would find themselves here in Goth. I hadn’t seen any
signs of food like squirrels or field mice. Come to think of it, I
hadn’t even seen a bird for days.

I was half-asleep on my bedroll when Landon
came strolling towards me carrying a silver flask. His golden locks
bounced, and his red cape rose and fell in a crimson wave as he
walked. His crisp white shirt was snug across his broad, muscular
chest. With his tall leather boots, he did look quite regal, and
too handsome.

I pulled myself up from my bedroll and
rested my back against the tree trunk. He eyed my undergarments
that hung on crooked sticks over my fire and smiled. Although I was
slightly embarrassed, I kept my gaze as steady as possible. I was
thankful that the redness of my cheeks was masked with the darkness
of night.

He settled himself down next to me and added
a few more sticks to the red embers of my little fire. We sat there
staring at the fire without speaking for a little while. My heart
beat so loudly, I was certain he could hear it.

Finally, he handed me the flask. “My
family’s wine. I was saving the last of it for a special
occasion.”

I took the flask hesitantly. “And you
figured
this
was that special occasion.”

Fire danced in his eyes. “Well, we’re both
still alive, aren’t we? And we’ve got maybe another few days until
we reach Hollowmere. I’d say this does call for a celebration.”

He tilted his head. “Try it. I think you’ll
like it.”

I was tempted to ask where Thea was, but
then changed my mind.

“Why are you here, Landon? This is a
competition. We should be at each other’s throats, not sharing
drink.”

He shrugged. “I’m not really sure.”

I stared at the flask.

“It’s because you don’t think I can win,
isn’t it? I’m not a threat to you, so why not toast to my failure?
I’m in this to win, too, you know.”

“I never said that you weren’t,” he said,
shaking his head. “I just wanted to come over and chat.”

His eyes met mine, and I felt my heartbeat
increase again.

“If you want me to leave, say the word, and
I’m gone.”

It pissed me off a little that he thought I
wasn’t good enough to be a real threat. But I also didn’t want him
to leave.

“It’s fine,” I shrugged.

I sipped some of the wine, and my throat
burned a little as the liquid trickled down. I swished the liquid
around in my mouth and tasted the sweetness of honey and
grapes.

“I’ve never tasted anything like it before,”
I said and handed him back the flask. “It’s better than anything
I’ve ever had.”

He smiled proudly at the compliment and took
another mouthful himself. I knew that poor quality wines like the
ones I’d had in the past tasted of alcohol. This one didn’t. I
could already feel the effects of the drink on me, however, and its
warmth spread through my body. The wine relaxed me, and I started
to feel a little giddy. I started to smile, and I caught Landon’s
complicit smile as he handed me back his flask. I took it gladly
and sipped some more.

“If by chance
you
get the stone,” I
said as I handed him back the flask. “Do you know what you’re going
to do with it? I mean, you’re already rich. You have your own wine
and all. Why would someone like you want more? Isn’t what you have
enough?”

His smile faded a little, and I knew I’d
gone too far. This was a little too personal.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted. “None of my
business.”

But I was surprised when he answered.

“It’s not about the riches for me. And yes,
I do have enough, more than enough. But it’s more than just
riches.”

He opened his mouth as though he was going
to add something more, but then closed it, like he thought he
better not reveal too much.

There was something more to Landon than he
was letting on. I could tell that his secret, whatever it was, was
weighing on him, just like mine. Was it his family? Had they
pressured him to retrieve the stone for some family heirloom?

As I wondered about his secret, I stared at
his lips, unable to look away. The wine was making me bold. I had
to be careful. But Landon caught me staring at his lips again, and
his eyes gleamed in the half-dark.

I smiled at him. I couldn’t believe I did
that.

The next thing I knew he’d pulled me onto
his lap. He leaned forward and kissed me lightly. His soft lips
pressed tenderly on mine, slow at first, but then harder. And when
his tongue entered my mouth, I gave a little moan. The taste of the
wine was still sharp in my mouth, and I lost all sense of
propriety. My head spun a little, but I didn’t want to stop. I
didn’t want him to stop. His tongue was restless against mine, and
he kissed me long and deep.

He pulled away and slid his hands up my
body to cradle my face with his hands.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered and
kissed me again.

He pulled his lips from my mouth and trailed
his kisses down my neck. Every kiss sent a jolt of desire pulsing
through my veins. I pulled him closer, my arms around his tousled
mane and broad shoulders. The intensity increased. He growled in
anticipation, and I trembled with desire. He kissed me, and I was
overwhelmed with my need for him.

“Elena,” he breathed as he kissed my neck.
His tongue lingered on a delicate spot, and one of his hands
slipped under my tunic and began to explore the soft skin of my
chest and the slope of my breast.

I pulled his mouth to mine again and slipped
my fingers into the soft hair on his chest. Then I moved my hands
over his back. In the cold night, his hot body was intoxicating. I
hadn’t realized how much I had missed the feeling of a man’s strong
arms around me and the crushing weight of a body on top of mine. I
needed to feel his touch and I luxuriated in his warm hands as they
continued to explore my body.

Suddenly, Landon grabbed my hands and pulled
me away.

“What?”

His face was serious. He looked behind my
shoulder.

I turned around in his lap.

Mad Jack was standing behind me. He held a
small cup and a plate with assorted cheeses and dried meats. But he
wasn’t glaring at me; he was glaring at Landon and at the empty
flask on the ground next to us.

“Thought you’d get her drunk and take
advantage of her,” he growled.

His knuckles had turned white on his
fists.

“Don’t you have your own women to do that
to? Or do you think you own our women, too, Your
Highness
?”

It took a few seconds for me to compose
myself and register what was happening.

I giggled. Clearly he had lost his mind.

“Go away,
Jack
,” I slurred. Trying to
focus on one Mad Jack was proving a difficult task. I laughed
again.

“Is that the kind of man you are?” accused
Mad Jack.

Landon was quiet for a while. I tried to
focus on his beautiful face, but it kept slipping away in a foggy
haze. The desire was gone from his eyes, and he looked serious. He
grabbed me, lifted me up, and gently settled me on my bedroll.

“I’m sorry, Elena. But your friend is right.
This was a mistake. I’m sorry.”

He stood up, and the two men exchanged a
silent look. And then he walked away.

My face burned as I watched him go, and I
tried to control my anger and embarrassment at being disturbed.

I glowered at Mad Jack.

“What is your problem? Can’t you just leave
me alone? Why do you have to ruin everything? You’ve already ruined
my life. Why? Why are you doing this?”

He looked at me, and I didn’t understand the
look that flashed into his eyes. He shook his head.

“What are
you
doing, Elena?”

I cringed at the blame in his voice.

“What am
I
doing?” I barked, angry at
his accusing tone. “None of your damn business! Who the hell do you
think you are? My father? Mind your own damn business. What I do
with my life is of no concern to you.”

Mad Jack shook his head and looked stunned.
“You’re drunk.”

He said it accusingly, his expression hard.
“You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I’m
not
drunk.” But I knew I was.
“Why don’t you stay the hell out of my life?”

He looked a little surprised at my tone, but
at this point I didn’t care what he thought of me.

He scratched the back of his neck. “You
don’t understand—”

“I do understand,” I hissed, the blood was
hot in my cheeks, and I could feel my ears burning.

“I understand that you’re doing this on
purpose!” I yelled. “Like in some sick twisted way you’re enjoying
ruining my life.”

I felt all my bitterness at his complicity
with the priests rushing out of me. His betrayal had made me
abandon Rose and had ruined my life.

“That’s not true,” he said. I could see that
his face had darkened.