Steel Maiden (24 page)

A brute of a man from the Pit turned on Mad
Jack.

“This whole damn race was a waste of time,”
he growled, and took a menacing step forward. “We lost valuable men
and for what? All for nothing! We can’t even touch this damn
stone.”

Mad Jack didn’t flinch, but I saw his
knuckles turn white around the hilt of his sword.

“Get back, Mason. We all knew the risks when
we
volunteered
to come.”

Mason stood his ground, but he shook his
head.

“Well, it’s not a fair race. It’s a trick.
This whole damn thing is a hoax. The priests tricked us. They knew
we couldn’t win. They sent us all on a fool’s mission, another way
to toy with us. I’m sick of their games!”

“He’s right, they knew this would happen.”
Everyone turned and stared at me.

I was shocked that I’d actually spoken my
mind out loud, but it was too late to take it back now. I thought
Mad Jack would be the first to talk, and I was surprised when the
prince spoke first.

“What do you mean, Elena?” His voice,
although a little gaunt, still retained the royal quality I had
heard before. But there was something else in his look that I
didn’t understand.

I swallowed hard. “They knew. They knew all
along.”

Mad Jack leaned towards me and narrowed his
eyes. “Did
you
know this would happen?”

I understood his silent accusation and
denied it angrily. “Of course not! But they knew…they knew this was
going to happen.”

As I spoke, everything began to make sense.
Why I was here. Why the high priest had looked so triumphant when I
had healed myself. It was all for this very moment. Right now.

I knew that the high priest had sent
me
because he knew I was the only one who could touch the
stone and live.

Before I knew what I was doing, I walked
over to the stone and picked it up.

“Elena! No!” I heard Mad Jack’s voice behind
me.

The stone was warm, like it’d been sitting
in the sun all day. It was smooth and surprisingly heavy for its
size. It felt as though it should have been twice as large. I felt
its power reverberate in me. It pulsed like the beating of a heart.
I heard it in my ears and felt it pounding in my own chest.

All at once I felt a monstrous pain, and my
legs buckled. I lost my breath and couldn’t focus. I heard voices
call my name, but there were far away. A buzzing sensation shivered
through me from the top of my head to my feet. Hot. Cold. Hot.
Cold. I felt like I was being pulled in every direction. My body
burned from the inside, and then I felt as cold as death. And when
I thought I was going to explode like Otto, I felt a shift in the
power of the stone, and it released me, as though I had passed some
sort of test.

“She touched it, and she’s still alive!”

“How is that possible?”

I blinked as the chamber around me shifted
back into focus. My heart beat madly in my chest like I had just
run a mile.

Mad Jack stood next to me. He was breathing
heavily and sweat trickled down his face. His dark eyes were wide
with fear, and he shook his head in disbelief. His left hand was
slightly raised as if he half expected me to give him the stone but
was too frightened to take it.

I glanced at Landon, and he tensed. He was
watching the stone in my hands closely. No doubt he was wondering
if he would have survived, if he had picked it up instead of me.
Although he was expressionless, I felt the same unexplainable
shudder spiraling down my spine that I had felt when I had looked
at him before.

“Maybe the stone chooses who it wants, who
it thinks is worthy to wield it,” he said.

He looked at the stone and then back at
me.

“It seems to have chosen you, Elena,” he
said quietly.

I could tell that he felt
he
should
have the stone, not some peasant woman like me.

The others in the chamber shifted nervously
and cast the same envious glances in my direction. But there was
something else—like a pull. It was like everyone had gone mad for
the stone. They seemed compelled to possess it. They needed it. It
was like they were all under some sort of spell. The stone was
doing something to them, but somehow I wasn’t affected.

I caught a glance exchanged between Prince
Landon and his battle-proven wingman, and I shifted uneasily. Was
it frustration, arrogance, or greed? Whatever it was, it was
catching and spreading to the rest of the company fast. I knew with
certainty that they were going to
try
and take the stone
from me.

I swallowed hard and subconsciously rubbed
the tiny lines on the stone with my thumb. I couldn’t help but feel
a sense of pride.
I
had gotten the stone.

But the race wasn’t finished yet. I had to
find my way back to Soul City with the stone. Landon’s watchful
stare made me anxious now. The flirty man was gone, and in his
stead was a mighty prince.

Mad Jack cleared his throat. “Elena has the
stone now. She’s won.”

He motioned across the chamber to the exit.
“You should all leave and be thankful you’re all still alive.”

“The race isn’t over yet,” said
Philippe Touraine, the Duke of
Fransia.

He
pushed past his companions but stayed away from me.
His expression was just as
irritated as Landon’s.

“
She
needs to cross into Soul City
with
the stone to win the race.”

Mad Jack
turned towards the duke. I could see the tension across his
shoulders.

“
Is that
a threat?”

The duke sneered. “What are you? Her
bodyguard?”

He smiled lazily. “I’m just saying, do not
be too hasty.”

The duke looked at me and there was
something cold and foreign in his eyes. I had to force myself not
to look away.

“Elena, right? Well, there is still a
continent to cross and many days of travel. I’m sure we’ll all face
more
challenges
along the way. There could be new
developments. To win the race, you must have the stone in your
possession when you enter Soul City. And to quote the high priest,
there are no rules
. Anything can happen between now and
then.”

He was right of course. I knew that he had
just spoken aloud what everyone else in the chamber was thinking.
At some point on the way back, someone would take it from me, or at
least they would
try
. They’d all seen what had happened to
the late King Otto. Who would be reckless enough to try again?

I glanced around the room and met a few
determined faces who certainly looked as if they might. Someone
would try.

I sheathed my sword. I had to put the stone
inside its golden cage. I pulled out the cage and slipped the stone
inside. It fit perfectly, as though the cage had been designed
around the stone. I clamped it shut and dropped it safely back
inside my pouch. I supposed someone could just cut it off with a
blade, but it was close enough to my body that it was not easy to
get at, and I could defend myself. I adjusted the thick leather
belt slung low across my hips.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my thighs, hoping
no one had seen my trembling fingers, clenched my jaw so much it
hurt, and stood up straight.

They all wanted the stone. I could feel
it.

A little over twenty of them were left from
the original racing company. I was alone. The odds weren’t in my
favor. I felt like a cornered rabbit inside the wolf`s den. I only
realized I was trembling when I prepared to step back and flee as
fast as I could. The stone pulsed at my waist, sensing my fear, and
urging me to run. My mouth was dry. I took a step back.

“
Miss
Elena will leave the chamber
unharmed
,” Prince Landon announced suddenly.

His
regal voice
resonated around the chamber walls as a challenge to any who might
try to interfere with me. Though his features remained neutral, he
raised his chin, and I could see that his threat was not to be
taken lightly…

“
I can
promise that my company will not harm you, nor will the others.” He
stared at everyone else, challenging anyone to disagree. Nobody
moved.

Then he
looked at me and lowered his voice. “But I can’t promise anything
outside these walls.”

“
Fair
enough,” I said.

I felt a
little mesmerized
by
him. I struggled to keep my feelings at bay. I could still remember
his salty scent, and how he had gotten me so hot and bothered. I
swear I could see a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his
lips.

I
turned
away. I couldn’t
let myself be intimidated by this handsome man, prince or
not.

I pulled
out my sword and surveyed the room one last time. Mad Jack
was watching me closely, but I
didn’t look at him. I tried to memorize the faces in front of me. I
knew that any one of them could jump me at any moment.

Once I
was satisfied
I could
identify any of them if I saw them again, I spun around and made
for the exit.

Mad Jack
f
ell in line behind me,
and I felt my chest tighten. Could I really trust him? Was this
just a ruse? Was he waiting for me to let my guard down?

I walked
faster, and then a little faster, until I was practically jogging.
Mad Jack was right behind me. I felt his hand press on my lower
back, urging me to go faster.

I
flinched. I didn’t want him or anyone so close to me. The faster we
went, the faster my heart thumped against my ribcage until I
thought it might explode. The weird thing was the stone seemed to
feel my panic. As my heartbeat increased, I felt the stone’s pulse
increase, too. We seemed to be joined in some way. Our pulses beat
together as one.

I could
see light at the end of the tunnel. I was almost outside. I hurried
faster. Once I was out there would be lots of places to hide, and
then I could make my way home to Rose and freedom.

Mad
Jack
was still behind
me, so close that I could feel his breath on the back on my neck.
Would he try to take the stone from me? I was almost sure he would.
Why not? He wasn’t called
Mad Jack
because he was insane. He got his name because he stopped
at nothing to get what he wanted. He never passed up an opportunity
to make some gold. He was going to take it.

Almost there, don
’t panic and don’t trip down the
stairs.

My heart
leapt
when I reached the
threshold, and cool fresh air brushed my hot cheeks.

I felt a
w
ind at my back, and I
heard a shout. Then I heard what sounded like bodies hitting the
ground. But I couldn’t stop.

Just as
I reached the top of the stairs
something hit me hard on the back, and I pitched forward.
With a startled cry, I threw out my arms to break my fall and
immediately regretted it. My palms and elbows scraped on the hard
stone stairs, and my head hit a corner of sharp stone. Black spots
exploded behind my eyes, and the wind was knocked out of me. I
couldn’t believe that I hadn’t broken my neck in my fall down the
stairs. I rolled over on my hands and knees and looked
up.

My
breath caught in my throat. It was not Mad Jack standing above me
with a sword pointed at my neck. It was
Princess Isabella
Velasques.

CHAPTER 25

T
HE PRINCESS WAS TALLER than many of
the men she kept in her company and much taller than me. I could
see her thick muscled forearms through her sleeves. She held her
long sword steadily at my throat, as though it weighed nothing more
than a stick. While her face was plain, there was no mistaking the
nobility of her posture. She had probably trained as a warrior
since she could walk, and I had seen her take down those masked men
without breaking a sweat. Her dark eyes widened suddenly with
madness, and she lunged forward.

I moved, but not fast enough. Her blade
nicked the side of my neck, and warm blood trickled down my
shoulder.

I jumped to my feet just as she came at me
again. Her eyes were wild, and she was striking and slashing with
the strength of a man. I blocked a right, then crouched and spun,
knocking her blade out her hand. She was surprised at my skill.

“If you want to live, you better give me the
stone,” said the princess.

The others had made a ring around us, and I
felt like I was in one of the fighting rings back in the Pit. But
there was no cheering in this fight, only silence. The Espanian
guard stood with their swords drawn. Up close, their faces were
squashed and brutal. I couldn’t see Landon or Mad Jack anywhere,
and my heart thundered with fear and anger.