Steel Maiden (30 page)

I
LAY IN BED for about an hour after
Ada and Jon had left me to recover and rest. But I couldn’t rest. I
was haunted by the idea that
I
had damned the world with my
own stupidity. I’d always known that the high priests were evil,
but hearing it from the witch’s mouth just made everything clearer.
The high priests were planning to destroy the world, and I had
helped them.

They wanted to use the stone to summon some
great army of demons to destroy us all. I had only once run across
demons, those that had sprung from the mist at the edge of Death’s
Arm, and I never wanted to face them again. I didn’t know how Jon
had made it unscathed all the way to Gray Havens with me in his
arms. I would have to ask him about that later.

Ada had mentioned that the high priests were
unnatural.
What did that mean? Were they men or not? Were they
men with corrupted souls?

I already knew the answer to that, but what
if they weren’t men at all, but something more sinister and evil? I
had a feeling the old witch was keeping information from me, and I
was going to find out what.

In the meantime, I was haunted with images
of death. Death. Death, and more death. Ada’s words haunted me — a
burning world, dying children, Rose…

I had to get the stone back before Landon
reached Soul City. I needed to leave now.

If my calculations were correct, I’d been
here about half a day. That meant he was one day ahead of us. If we
left while there was still light today, we might even catch up to
him tomorrow or the day after. My memories of Landon made my
stomach muscles tighten until they hurt. I had been such a fool to
fall for his bright eyes and winning smile.

I swung my legs off the bed and moved to the
dresser. I was dressed in a matter of two minutes. The young
witches had done a remarkable job on my tunic and cloak. Only an
expert eye could see where they had stitched it back together
nearly seamlessly. Apart from the pain of the red monk’s poison on
the back of my neck, I felt fine. More than fine. I was ready.

I smelled food and found a platter with
bread, cheese, grapes, apples, cold meats, and a pitcher of water.
I didn’t realize how ravenous I had been until the only evidence of
the food was crumbs on the silver platter. I washed everything down
with a cold glass of water.

I pulled open the bedroom door and peered
down a hallway that resembled the bedroom with pine wood paneling,
wood floors, and wood trim. It smelled curiously like a forest, and
it was like stepping into a woodland tunnel. I made my way down the
corridor and had passed a number of closed doors when I came to a
landing.

My breath caught in my throat.

I stood on the second floor of a grand
mezzanine. A massive fireplace centerpiece rose at least fifty feet
from the bottom floor to a roof of soaring log rafters. Wooden
moldings and wildlife were carved into the red cedar logs. I leaned
over a wooden railing that had been carved with leaves, bears,
wolves, and birds, and I peered out at another four wings that
fanned out from the rotunda. I saw a dining room and another large
room that might have been used for ceremonies. The whole place felt
like a castle with its massive size and grandiose ornaments, but it
was built with logs instead of stone. I had never seen anything
like it before, and I beamed at its beauty.

I could see through the windows that this
enormous structure sat in a forested wildlife sanctuary and on the
shore of a sparkling lake. It was a secluded paradise. It’s no
wonder the witches wanted to live here. It was a spectacular
setting. Rose would love it here.

Energy rippled through the building, the
wood beams, the floor, and even in the air. The light in the room
pulsed with it, and my skin tingled. I couldn’t see it, but I felt
it course through me, too. It was magic. And for the first time in
my life I felt like I had come home.

Women of every shape, size, and ethnicity
moved about the building, busying themselves with chores, carrying
books and potted plants, even a few cats, but mostly just walking
and chatting amongst themselves. They all wore the same shapeless
linen gowns that Ada and the other girls wore, but their colors
were different. Some were dark green, and others were brown or red.
The girls all wore white. Maybe you had to graduate to earn a
colored robe.

I moved closer to a window where a group of
girls were staring at something outside. The girls stiffened at the
sight of me, bowed their heads, and hurried off. I was a little put
off. I would have liked to have spoken with them, to see how they
liked living here.

But when I moved to the window, I forgot all
about that. Down by the lake, Jon was sprawled on the lawn with his
head resting on his arms. Even from here, I could see his tanned
skin and his open shirt ruffling in the wind. It was obvious that
the women and the girls here didn’t get a lot of male visitors.

I couldn’t help but smile as I made my way
down the stairs. I received a few nods and bobs from the witches I
passed, with lots of
good afternoons,
and
Miss
Elenas.
Their good humor was contagious, and I was smiling so
much my cheeks hurt by the time I made it downstairs. I wondered
about what magic they could do. Was it learned? Could they do magic
just by wishing it?

I’d never been this relaxed before, and I
didn’t know what to do with myself. I felt better when I pushed
open the two grand doors and crossed the plush lawn to find
Jon.

He turned at the sound of my approach, and
his face beamed. He jumped up gracefully, and it was hard not to
stare at his chest. His face was even more beautiful in the
sunlight. And when he came closer and smiled, my legs were like
water.

“Up already?” he said.

I looked over to the lake.

“Yeah. I feel much better. I felt useless
just lying there in that bed. And after what Ada had said, well, I
couldn’t sleep, could I? If we want to catch Landon before he makes
it to Soul City we should leave now.”

Jon eyed me suspiciously. “He won’t make it
before we do. Trust me, we still have time.”

I frowned. “But we don’t. He’s at least one
full day ahead, maybe more. If we don’t leave now, we’ll never
catch up to him.”

“We can’t leave yet, not until tomorrow.
Ada’s orders.”

“Since when do you listen to anyone’s
orders?” I asked skeptically.

“Since they involve your well-being, that’s
when. Ada said that this place heals, too, that it’s healing you,
and that we need to stay until tomorrow.”

I sighed, but I knew that Ada was right. I
had felt the healing power the moment I had opened my eyes and
realized that my migraine had gone.

“Fine.”

Jon took my hand. “Come with me. I want to
show you something.”

It was really easy being led by him. His
warm hand was rough and callused, and I felt secure with him.

“Where are we going?”

Jon’s smile widened, but he didn’t look at
me.

“You’ll see,” he said.

I tried to fight down the warmth on my
cheeks.

Mountains soared up and away from the edge
of the lake. We crossed the grounds and moved towards a meadow of
tall swaying grasses, orange lilies, and buttercups. Showers of
blossoms fell over us from the Crabapple trees and covered the
grass in a carpet of reds and pinks. The air smelled like expensive
perfume. It was very different from the hot piss and sewer smells
that I had grown up with in the Pit.

It was a shame that people didn’t know about
this place, but maybe it was better that they didn’t know. I’m sure
the high priests didn’t know because if they did they would have
taken it like they’d taken everything else.

Jon stopped at the edge of an open field. A
breeze set his hair rustling. His eyes met mine, and he gave me a
lazy smile.

“What are we waiting for?” I asked.

“Just wait.”

I heard the rustling of thunder and felt it
rumble below my feet, but when I looked up into the bright blue
sky, I couldn’t find the source of the rumbling. And then from the
opposite side of the meadow, I heard a
loud
bugling call that sounded oddly familiar.

And then they came.

Hundreds of horses galloped towards us
through the open fields. They moved together in a giant wave, like
a school of fish. They were reddish brown, chestnut, tan and brown,
white and black. There were even some with patches and spots that
I’d never seen before, like the coloring of cows. I spotted foals
running alongside their mothers. But one stood out among the throng
of horses.

A tall stallion, the color of midnight,
stood out from the rest, grand and prince like. My heart jumped. I
would have recognized him anywhere.

“Torak!” I yelled.

But when I started to move, Jon grabbed me
by the arm.

“Do you want to get trampled to death?”

I stared at Jon, then back at Torak.

“But? How? How did he get here?” I was
excited and relieved to see that he was fine.

Jon smiled and let go of my arm.

“I asked the witches the same thing.
Apparently, all the horses from the race came here after we were
ambushed by the mist. The witches told me that all animals have a
sixth sense. They sense danger, and they can sense safety. They
knew to come here.”

“Clever beasts.” My smile grew. “Beautiful
and gracious. I could stand here all day just to watch them all.
They look so happy here.”

I laughed at one of the foals that
head-butted its twin.

“We can make real progress tomorrow with
horses,” said Jon. “Prince Landon and his company are on foot. If
we leave early enough tomorrow and ride hard, we may be able to
snatch the stone right from under his nose.”

“That is good news.” My shoulders relaxed,
and I took a breath. I felt that we had a real chance to get the
stone. I couldn’t wait to see the shocked look on Landon’s face
when I punched him. Prince or not, I hated him for leaving me to
die.

“I’m assuming Will and Leo are part of the
rebellion, too?”

Jon nodded. “They are. We all joined
together.”

“How many rebels do we have in the Pit?”

Even in the sun, a shadow crossed Jon’s
face. “Nearly every able man and a few women.”

“Seriously? That many?”

Jon looked out over the meadow.

“You’d be surprised how many people were
willing to join. The folks in the Pit are starving. They’re slaves
to the priests, and they don’t want to be anymore. They’re
desperate and angry, and we’ll need that anger and passion to take
down the Empire.”

I thought of a life without the priests.
Take down the Empire of the Sun
. I played the words in my
head. “Sounds like a dream.”

“And some dreams do come true.” Jon’s eyes
sparkled, and I felt his fingers interlace with mine again. The
gleam in his eye made my heart race.

“So we have the rest of the day to relax.
Ada’s orders. Come.”

He pulled me along to a thicket of trees and
bushes. I was almost drunk I was so lightheaded. Finally, we sat
under a great crab apple tree with leaves the color of wine.

I sat next to him but not too close. I was
sweating, and I could feel my fingers trembling.
Why was I so
nervous?
I’d been alone with Jon before, well, with Mad Jack,
and I’d never been nervous because there was only room for my
anger. I looked at him again, really looked at him. His chiseled
cheekbones, jaw, the framing of his eyes below his eyebrows, the
strong muscles that peeked through the open neckline of his shirt,
he was perfection. Even his scar gave him a dangerous edge, and I
hardly even noticed it anymore. My skin tingled at his nearness. I
realized then that my feelings for Jon had changed. It wasn’t
simply a crush. It went deeper than that. And it scared the hell
out of me.

“So what will you do now?” I tried to appear
calm and collected.

Jon pulled out some grass with his fingers.
“What do you mean?”

“Does it change your plans now that you
understand the power of the stone? I mean, I’m sure you had plans
to sell it once you had it, right? I’m sorry you won’t make a
killing with it now. I’m sorry about all of it.”

“I never planned on getting the stone.”

I turned to look at him. “So why did you
join the race then?”

He turned his face to me. The intensity in
his eyes took my breath away.

“For you, Elena.”

My heart beat so fast I feared it might
explode. “I joined the race the moment I heard what the high
priest’s intentions were with you. I wanted to protect you, to keep
you safe. I couldn’t give a shit about the stone.”

He traced my fingers with his index finger,
slowly.

It hit me then how stupid and foolish I’d
been all these years. Jon had been in front of me all this time,
and I’d never truly
seen
him. He’d joined the race for me,
to keep me safe. Although he’d spoken to me very little during all
those years in the Pit, I realized now that he was a man of few
words. His actions spoke volumes.

“How long?” I asked.

His eyes narrowed. “How long what?”

“How long have you been in love with
me?”

He looked away and was silent for a long
moment. His expression was a mixture of a smile and a wince. And
for a long time I thought he wouldn’t answer.

“Since the first time you came to me. You
wanted to trade a gold necklace you had stolen for some books,” he
said quietly.

He laughed. “You were so proud and fierce.
You didn’t fear me like the rest of the girls, and you never ever
tried to flirt with me. You were good with a blade, and you made
sure we all knew so we wouldn’t take advantage of you. You didn’t
care about me. You didn’t care who I was, or what I stood for in
the Pit. I think that’s why I was so drawn towards you.”