Jack Staples and the City of Shadows

by Mark Batterson

  “I did explore the city, and it is wonderful; truly it is.” Alexia took a deep breath. “But when I was out, I saw something I didn’t understand.”

  “What is it, my lady? What did you see?”

  “It looked like an arena, and—” Alexia halted at the cold look in Belial’s eyes.

  “The coliseum is off limits.” He dabbed at the bead of sweat dangling from his chin. “You were not meant to see it yet.”

  “I didn’t know it was off limits or I never would have gone,” Alexia lied. “But I did go, and when I was there, I saw something …” She hesitated.

  “It is all right; I am not angry with you. I just didn’t want you to see the coliseum for a few more days yet. I had planned to take you there myself. It was meant to be a surprise.” Belial smiled. “Tell me what you saw and I will see if I can explain it to you.”

  A surprise for me? Alexia kept waiting for Belial to act like the Assassin she’d heard so much about. She expected horns to grow out of his head and fire to explode from his eyes, but he was always kind, and she rarely saw fire in his eyes anymore.

  Alexia swallowed hard before continuing. “I saw a boy dressed in rags running from a Shadule and four Oriax. His name is Josiah and he was my friend when I lived in Belfast.” For a moment Belial’s eyes did become caverns of fire, but they shifted back to an icy blue so quickly Alexia wondered if she’d imagined it.

  “The Shadule took him prisoner and took him back into the coliseum,” Alexia said hastily. “I don’t know what they want with him, but I know he’s not bad. He does steal sometimes, but that’s only because he doesn’t have anything and his parents are gone. But he is good, I promise you!”

  Belial stood, grimacing as he turned away from Alexia, and spoke in a careful tone. “And what would you have me do with this boy?”

  “The thing is, you said I could ask anything I wanted and you would give it to me,” Alexia said. “I want you to release him! I ask that you set Josiah free and let him come stay with me.” Her voice quavered.

  Belial turned, and Alexia was shocked to see tears in his eyes. He dropped to his knees and took her hands. It was the first time she didn’t feel the need to shiver when he touched her. It was the first time she didn’t notice his frigid, sweaty fingers or the putrid smell.

  “My darling Alexia, my sweet, sweet lady, you could ask me anything, up to half my kingdom, and it would be yours—riches beyond your imagination, fame and power that would make kings quake in fear. Ask any of these things and I will gladly give them to you! But I cannot do this.”

  Alexia opened her mouth, ready to protest, but before she could speak, Belial continued. “My darling, it is not that I don’t want to do this thing. It is that I cannot. Your friend Josiah now calls himself one of the Awakened. If he truly wants to be free, all he needs do is embrace me as king and you as the High Princess of Thaltorose. If he would bend his knee and bow before us, I would release him immediately. But the boy refuses!”

  Belial stood, and this time he didn’t try to hide the cavernous fire in his eyes. “Do you remember when I told you why they named me Assassin?”

  Alexia nodded fearfully.

  “I killed a poet because he tried to overthrow my kingdom. These creatures who call themselves Awakened have the same goal. All I have built here, all I am, they wish to destroy. My dear lady, how can I be expected to free someone who would destroy me if he had the chance? How could you ask me to do such a thing?”

  Alexia shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. Nothing made sense anymore. “I know he wouldn’t try to hurt you if you let him go,” she said. “I’m sure of it!”

  “Your father follows me,” Belial said. “Is that not enough? It was the Awakened who killed your mother; it was the Awakened who stole your father from you for all those years. I am the one who returned him to you. My dear lady, I will give you more power than you could possibly imagine. Together, we will rule this world! How could you ask me to free those who would stand in the way of what you want?”

  “It’s not that, Belial. I promise, I didn’t mean that,” Alexia said. “But let me talk to Josiah! I know I could change his mind if you give me the chance.”

  Belial sighed gratefully. “Of course you may see him! My darling, you are the High Princess of Thaltorose. You can do anything your heart desires! And if you can convince this boy to kneel before us and reject our enemies, I will embrace him with open arms. But if you cannot change his mind, then you must allow me to do with him as I wish. You must trust me wholly in this. Will you give me your word?”

  “Of course!” Alexia threw her arms around Belial and hugged him fiercely. He tensed and patted her back stiffly as if she were a dog. “Enough of this for now,” he said awkwardly. “I will have a servant take you to him. But first I must show you something. It will only take a few minutes.” This time the smile did reach his eyes.

  Six years earlier

  Alexia allowed herself a small smile. She’d picked the roof at Fibber McGees because it gave her the best view of Belfast’s market district. It was midday and the market was full to bursting.

  The market didn’t have a roof, only a wooden framework of beams dividing the merchant stalls. Thick vines and crawling plants wound up wooden posts and sprawled across the beams, offering shade to the shoppers below.

  You could buy absolutely anything in the market, from horses to honey, from pastry to pots and pans. The market covered two acres and was never empty.

  Perfect, Alexia thought as she hopped from the roof onto the beams that crisscrossed the market. Her crimson cloak spread out behind her as she ran, making her feel like she was flying. Alexia moved quickly, easily keeping her balance. At the very center of the market, the wooden framework fell away. A thick post stood impressively tall, and the sprawling vines rose upward, forming a canopy, like a large tent.

  Alexia carefully stepped from her beam and tested the vines. They felt solid enough, so she put her full weight on them and climbed upward. As she reached the top of the canopy, she pushed the vines aside and wriggled her body through so she was hanging upside down.

  Hundreds of men, women, and children shopped just a few spans below without ever noticing the girl hanging above them. She giggled, then scanned the crowd and spotted Josiah near one of the bakers’ stalls. He was perfectly positioned.

  A short distance away, Juno stood close to an older woman who was buying a pendant at one of the jewelers’ shops. Juno wore a fancy dress she’d stolen the day before so she wouldn’t look like an urchin. She’d even combed her hair and taken a bath for the occasion. The shopkeeper would probably think her the daughter of one of his customers.

  Benaiah was a master at concealing himself. It took Alexia a minute before she spotted him hunched in the shadows of the butcher’s shop. Summer was stationed near the fruit stall, and Adeline lurked next to the blanket seller. All of Alexia’s Gang of Rogues stood ready, awaiting her signal.

  Alexia smiled. Even if Korah and his Gang of Terror were trying to capture her, she hadn’t been this happy in years. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a friend.

  It’s time! She dropped her arms to let them dangle. “Help!” Alexia shrieked. “Please help me!” she cried.

  Men and women looked up and began pointing and shouting. Alexia unhooked one of her legs and dropped a bit more, catching the vines above with her ankle and twisting her foot so she wouldn’t fall. “Please help me!” she screamed.

  Men ran beneath, cradling arms as if to catch her. Women shrieked, “Someone help that poor girl!” As she hung upside down, Alexia turned slowly, scanning the market. Every member of her gang was working. Juno was stuffing necklaces into her satchel, and Josiah was already retreating with a bag filled to bursting with bread. Benaiah was leading three goats through the crowd, and Summer’s and Addie’s arms were filled to overflowing. All of the shopke
epers were focused on the girl hanging above them.

  Alexia yanked a vine free and straightened her leg. She dropped like a stone, savoring every gasp from the crowd below. As the vine went taut and swung her into the pole, the crowd gasped again. Alexia quickly shimmied back to the top and began to laugh. The gasps turned to confused cries as the watchers realized something was amiss.

  “It’s the girl from the posters!” a woman shouted.

  “It’s the one they’re offering the reward for!” a young man yelled.

  “Get her!” another man screamed.

  Just that quickly, the crowd of concerned bystanders transformed into an angry mob. Alexia wriggled through the vines and ran down the canopy.

  “I’ve been robbed!” the jeweler shouted.

  “Me too!” screamed the baker.

  Alexia was so frantic that she placed a foot wrong and fell through the vines, catching herself at the waist. Her legs dangled within reach of her pursuers, but she quickly pulled herself up and leaped for the wooden beams.

  She sprinted toward the rooftop of Fibber McGees. But the people below had seen where she was headed, and a few of the men were climbing the wooden structure to try to block her.

  Alexia ran even faster, leaping over the head of a man who appeared beneath. She landed on the roof of the large pub and darted up its steep peak, not slowing for a second. And as she raced back to her hideout to meet her friends, Alexia’s heart tried to beat out of her chest. That was too close!

  When Alexia arrived, the others were already there. Her jaw dropped as she reviewed their impressive pile of loot. The heist was a success! Juno had fifteen pendants, four bracelets, and a number of earrings. Josiah upended a bag of bread, while Benaiah grinned as he showed Alexia the three goats and two chickens he’d managed to steal. Adeline unfurled six thick blankets as Summer offered Alexia an apple from her basket of fruit.

  Alexia laughed as the children whooped and hollered, dancing about like wild banshees.

  Chapter 16

  A MOMENT WITH TIME

  Jack swam the last strokes toward the tiny island in absolute darkness. The log cabin covered every last inch of the island, so he barely had room to stand on the stoop.

  This is it. I came all this way to enter this cabin! He wondered if he should knock. He didn’t want to be rude. Taking a deep breath, he knocked loudly on the wooden door and waited.

  “Who is it?” A child’s voice giggled from inside.

  “It’s me, Jack Staples,” Jack said, trying to sound natural. “May I come in?”

  “Of course, silly!” the child replied. “You answered the riddle, didn’t you?”

  Jack pushed on the door. Inside a fire burned in a hearth that took up an entire wall. Curled up in a large padded chair was a little girl, grinning widely.

  “Can you hear it?” she said, giggling as she pulled her feet beneath her. “It’s quite wondrous. Please say you can hear it!”

  The girl couldn’t have been older than five, and her emerald eyes sparkled. She had curly auburn hair and olive skin, and her voice had a dreamlike quality to it.

  “Hear what?” Jack asked.

  “Your note, of course!” She was wide-eyed with excitement. “It’s so beautiful I can barely stand it.” She giggled again.

  “I can’t hear anything,” Jack said. “Who are you? I’m here to meet with Time. Do you know her?”

  “Yes, I know her.” The girl smiled mischievously. “You are funny! I like you a lot. I’m glad the guardians didn’t eat you.”

  “That makes two of us,” Jack said. He didn’t know why, but this child annoyed him. “Where is Time?” He glanced around the small cabin. They were the only people inside. “Can you take me to her?”

  “Of course I can. But first I want to show you something.”

  “I don’t have time,” Jack complained. “My friends are waiting, and they need me to hurry.”

  The little girl laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair. “You’re so funny!” she cried, slapping her palms against the armrests. “Why are you always in such a hurry to be somewhere else?” she asked. “Isn’t it more fun to be right where you are?”

  Jack ignored her, taking in the tiny cabin. “Why do they call this the Forbidden Garden? It’s just a room. You don’t even have a plant in here.”

  The little girl jumped up and smoothed out her frilly blue dress. “You’ll need to run fast so the fire doesn’t burn you!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  The girl winked, then darted into the fireplace and disappeared through the back wall.

  “Wait!” Jack called after her. “Come back!” He stared at the fireplace, dumbfounded. She obviously wanted him to follow. He waited a moment, sighed irritably, then closed his eyes and screamed as he sprinted into the fire. There was a flash of heat and he braced himself to hit the back wall. But the flames didn’t burn, and there was no wall. Jack staggered to a stop and opened his eyes.

  Wherever he was, it was daytime and it was extraordinary. Rolling hills of lush grass went on for as far as he could see. He was surrounded by wildflowers, and when he walked, the flowers moved aside so he wouldn’t crush them. The place was utterly wild, but at the same time it looked as if every flower, plant, and tree was exactly where it was meant to be. The sky was impossibly blue and the air so clean his lungs almost burned to breathe it.

  The little girl was in front of him, standing on her toes. “Do you like it?” she said, sounding both nervous and hopeful.

  “It’s amazing!” Jack was breathless. “Where are we?”

  “We’re in the garden, of course!” the girl said happily.

  “This is the Forbidden Garden?” Jack asked.

  “You aren’t forbidden anymore, silly! You are here. So it’s just the garden now!”

  Jack stared at the rolling hills. It was perfect.

  “Can you hear it now?” the girl asked.

  “I can’t hear anything,” Jack said self-consciously.

  “It’s so beautiful! How do you make it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I can’t hear anything. I just need to meet with Time so I can get back to my friends. They need my help.”

  “I know!” The little girl nodded. “Especially Alexia; she needs you more than ever—you and Arthur and Mrs. Dumphry and all of them! I’m really afraid for her, Jack.”

  “How do you know about Alexia?” Jack asked. “How do you know about any of them?”

  “Look.” The girl pointed at the sky. Jack looked up and the sky became a swirl of colors. As he watched, Alexia appeared in the colors.

  Jack gasped. Alexia was with the Assassin and she was … hugging him! They were standing in a room of shadows and monsters. Jack wanted to ask the little girl what he was seeing, but the sky changed. Arthur Greaves was alone on an empty street in a city of shadows. He was wearing a black-and-silver cloak and he was … dancing!

  Next, the sky revealed a battle … No, Jack thought, it’s hundreds of battles, thousands of them! The entire world was at war; every tree, every blade of grass, every creature and human fought for survival. Mountains trembled as oceans boiled and stars fell from the sky. The Awakened fought dark servants, and at first Jack thought the Awakened might be winning. But then something exploded and a shadow ripped across the sky. Within seconds all the earth was covered in darkness and there were no more images to see.

  Jack stared at the sky for a long time, trying to understand. When he finally tore his eyes away, he saw the little girl sitting on an ocean of wildflowers, watching the sky with a look of immense sadness.

  “Was that the future?” Jack asked. “Was that what’s going to happen?”

  “It was a future,” she said sadly. “The story is still being written, but unless we can help Alexia, it is the most likely ending,
I think.”

  Jack sat beside her and spoke without thinking. “You are Time.”

  The girl leaned forward. “I am!” she said. “Everyone always thinks they will meet someone who looks older than Mrs. Dumphry! Isn’t that crazy?” She laughed. “Why would I be old? What a funny thought!” She bounced up, turned, and ran. Somehow the shifting wildflowers seemed natural in this place.

  “Wait!” Jack yelled. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to take you somewhere, silly!” Time called. “Follow me!”

  Jack chased after her. The earth and sky, the air itself radiated energy, each breath flooding him with life. It was hard to stay depressed in a place like this. I know this place! Jack realized. It feels the same as when I went through the Masc Tinneas and saw the Assassin singing that song. The land and air are the same!

  Jack didn’t grow tired as he ran; each step brought more energy. He began to laugh as he ran even faster. Time had disappeared into a small copse of trees, and as Jack darted in, he skidded to a stop, almost knocking her over. Time stood beside a small pond.

  “Can you hear it now?” she asked.

  Jack stopped and listened. He was surprised to find he wasn’t breathing heavily at all. “I can’t—” Jack stopped. He did hear something. It was the ringing of a single note. It was faint, but coming from somewhere nearby. “What is it?” he whispered.

  “It’s your note!” Time whispered back, her emerald eyes sparkling with delight.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Everyone has a note,” Time said, seriously. “This is yours. No one else can make this sound but you. Isn’t it wonderful?”

  “It is.” The music grew stronger as he listened. It was a single note, but it sounded like a symphony. “This is the ringing I hear each time I go back,” he said. “It’s what takes me back in time!”

  “Yes,” Time said, “that’s right! Your note is very special, Jack. It’s one of my favorites! And when you are both together, I can barely stand it!”