Steel Maiden (35 page)

Brother Edgar leaped. I ducked, but I wasn’t
fast enough. The creature’s fingernails cut the side of my throat,
and it burned like hot wax had been poured over my skin. I whirled
around, but something hard hit me from behind with such force that
it knocked the air from my lungs.

My skin sizzled where I’d been cut, and I
could feel an icy burn in my blood. I jerked backward and nearly
dropped my sword. The creature hesitated, waiting to see if I’d
been infected so that I’d be weakened and easier to kill. But I
wasn’t.

My father came at me yet again. I ducked and
lunged up with as much force as I could.

I severed his head. Brother Edgar toppled
over, and his bloodied head thumped to the ground.

I looked up. Jon plunged his sword into the
chest of the guards. He pulled out his sword, and our eyes met. I
could see his terror. I loved him in that moment. I knew it wasn’t
the time to come to terms with my emotions. But I knew I would
crumble should anything happen to him.

“Run,” he snarled, more a plea than a
command. “Get out of here.”

“The stone. We need to get it back.”

“It’s too late for that now,” he said
breathing hard. “You need to get out, Elena. Now.”

“Not without you.”

He was about to argue but then his eyes
widened suddenly at something behind me.

I gripped my sword, ducked and spun,
bringing my blade up into the belly of another demon priest. But
just as soon as it keeled over, another one replaced it.

It was fast and strong despite its gangly
limbs, and thrashed violently as it launched another attack. I
deflected the blow, but it knocked me down. A flash of blinding
pain hit me as I tried to stand, but it shook me out of my
stupor.

“I’ve had enough of you, Steel Maiden.” I
could hear the anger in the high priest’s voice as he ranted
on.

“I thought you might be useful. But you are
as wild and unpredictable as all the others of your kind. I could
never trust you. And if I cannot trust you, then I cannot bend you
to my will. I have no use for someone like you.”

I raised my head. “Lucky for me. But I am
going to kill you, priest.”

I could barely make out his face, but I saw
it contract in fury.

With a flick of his fingers, another shot of
black filaments caught me in the chest and sent me sailing
backwards. I slammed into a wall hard enough to crack my ribs. My
skin burned like ice as the dark magic pulsed through me. I
couldn’t breathe.

Just as I started to see black spots, heat
bloomed inside my chest, and my own magic started to build again.
It resonated through me and pushed the dark magic away.

And then I was back on my feet.

The high priest, sorcerer, whatever he was,
sneered at me. He was angry that I was partly immune to his dark
magic. I was just as surprised as he was. I felt a bloom of
confidence well in my chest, but it quickly deflated.

“Kill the witch whore,” bellowed the high
priest. “Bring me her head!”

I saw red move in the corner of my eye, and
I knew we were in real trouble.

The red monks came at me. The priests and
the guards that we had killed were nothing compared to the killing
machines that were the red monks. I had defeated only one, and I
had nearly died.

I planted my feet in a defensive stance, but
I knew there was no way I could defeat this new threat.

“Elena!”

Jon eyed the red monks that pushed their way
towards us.

“Listen to me. We can’t defeat these red
devils. There’re too many of them.”

He stepped in front of me, shielding me.
“Go. I’ll distract them.”

“What are you saying?” I felt the lump in my
throat. “You can’t defeat them either.”

“No I can’t.”

His eyes flashed with urgency. “But I can
keep them off long enough for you to get away.”

“What about you?”

He winked. “You know me. I can disappear in
the blink of an eye.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry. Right now, you’re
more important. I promised the high witch that I’d keep you alive
if things went badly.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“You’re the only one who can touch that
goddamn stone. We need you
alive
. And that’s what I’m doing.
Now get. Meet me back at the Dirty Habit. Just go. I’ll be right
behind you.”

I gauged the distance between the red monks
and the exit.

“Fine,” I said. The need to feel him, to
feel his lips on mine took control, and I reached out and kissed
him fiercely. I couldn’t kiss him enough. I didn’t realize I was
crying until I felt the wetness trickle down my hot face. This
might be the last time we kissed.

I pulled away, fighting the sob that
threatened to escape from my throat. “For luck.”

Jon grinned. “I’m going to need it. Go. Run
hard.” He nudged me roughly.

I gripped my sword. “Be safe.”

I turned on my heel and ran.

CHAPTER 36

I
BOLTED DOWN A hallway and out
through the front entrance. I met no one. I wondered if Thea had
managed to slip away. I didn’t like the woman, but I didn’t want
her to become one of the high priest’s new pets either.

I suspected that the other high priests were
sorcerers as well. There were six of them in total and that
realization only made me feel worse. While they were probably
powerful, too, only
one
of them had the stone. I had to take
comfort in that.

The stone clearly amplified the powers of
the sorcerer who possessed it. The others weren’t so lucky. There
had to be a chance to stop the sorcerers and get the stone
back.

Men and women jumped out of the way as I
barreled past them and headed towards the west gate. Their eyes and
skin were still normal, but I wondered how long it would take the
black magic to infect them. Would it spread through contact? Or
were they already infected?

The Black Blight had already caused the
trees and grasses to sicken and wither. And it was spreading. I
thought of Torak and ran faster.

I searched for a sign of Jon, but he wasn’t
behind me.

I caught a glimpse of a red cloak, and a red
monk came into view. His eyes locked onto mine, and he smiled.

“Shit.”

I spun and ran through the gate. I cried at
the sight of Torak still tied at the tree where I’d left him. The
Goddess had kept him safe. He looked up as I approached and his
nostrils flared in readiness.

“Hello, my sweet, beautiful boy,” I gasped,
out of breath.

I untied the reins and was up on his back in
no time. I kicked my heels, and we flew away. I could see the look
of fury on the red monk’s face.

We galloped out of Soul City and kept
to the only real road that led into the
Pit.
What would happen to the people of Anglia when the
Black Blight reached them?
I had seen how fast it had infected
the people in the temple. It would probably infect thousands within
a week.

The Pit came into view, and I had to slow
Torak to a trot. The roads were narrower here, and I couldn’t take
a chance of injuring him. We rode through the dreary streets in
silence until we arrived in Bleak Town.

The Dirty Habit loomed into view, and I slid
off Torak’s back. I immediately felt uneasy about leaving him out
here. I’d bet my life he’d get stolen. I’d kill anyone who tried,
but I couldn’t keep him out in the streets. I had called too much
attention to myself already by waltzing in on a horse. I had to
wait for Jon inside.

I recognized one of Jon’s men.

“Hey,” I yelled and got his attention. “This
is Mad Jack’s horse. He asked me to bring him here, but I need to
wait inside. Keep an eye on him, will you?”

The man perked up at the mention of his
boss’ name and made his way over.

“No problem. I’ll watch him for you.” I knew
I could trust him, and I immediately felt more at ease. I sighed
with relief and tied Torak’s reins around a post.

“Thank you. He’ll be here soon.”

I pushed my way through the overcrowded inn
and made my way to Jon’s office in the back. Only then did I stop
to catch my breath.

I paced the room waiting. I wanted to see
Jon’s face through the door. I wanted to know that he was safe. I’d
never wanted anything so badly. I began fantasizing of the life Jon
and I could have after all of this dark magic business was settled.
I’d get the stone back, kill the sorcerer priest, and then maybe we
could all move to Gray Havens together. Rose would love it there.
The thought of it almost made me smile.

An hour went by, and then another. I rubbed
my clammy palms on my breeches. I hated the feeling of
helplessness. I paced around the room pulling at my hair and
yelling at the whores who kept asking me about what was happening
and where Jon was.

Footfalls sounded outside. My heart hammered
out of control, and I turned towards the door.

The door opened, and my face fell.

Will and Leo hurried in. Their faces and
clothes covered in blood and other fleshy parts I didn’t want to
think about.

“Where’s Jon?” My throat was dry.

Will and Leo looked cold.

“They took him,” said Leo.

“Who took him?” But I already knew the
answer.

“The high priest. The sorcerer.”

The ground wavered under my feet. I fought
the nausea, and my eyes burned. I wouldn’t let them see me cry.

“Is he alive?” My voice trembled.

Will shifted uncomfortably from foot to
foot, looking more like a teenager than a man.

“He was, the last I saw of him.”

“I heard them say they were taking him to
the prison cells,” said Leo. “They’re keeping him alive.”

I rushed over to the desk to steady myself.
I was going to be sick.

Why would he keep Jon alive? Why not just
kill him like he’d killed Landon?

I couldn’t think, and I fought against the
sob in my throat.

“So, what are we going to do about Jon?”
came Will’s tense voice.

The question brought me out of my shock.

I turned and looked up at both men. They
were both looking me straight in the face for the first time.

And for the first time in my life, I knew
how it felt to be loved. To be loved unconditionally. I’d be damned
if I left Jon in the hands of the sorcerers.

“So?” said Will and Leo together. They both
trusted me now and looked to me for leadership. That, in itself,
was magic.

I lifted my head and looked both men
straight in the eyes.

“We’re going to get him back,” I whispered,
“if it’s the last thing I ever do.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Dear reader,

Thank you for reading
Steel Maiden
. I
hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know the heroes and villains and the
world I’ve created for them. If you enjoyed this book, please visit
the site where you purchased it and write a brief review. Your
feedback is important to me and will help other readers decide
whether to read the book too.

Again, thank you for coming on this ride
with me, and I hope we’ll take many more together. The adventures
are just beginning. Happy reading!

Kim Richardson

WITCH QUEEN COMING SOON!