“How will we get out of the palace in a quarter of an hour?” Genevieve face held a look of concern.
“I’m not sure yet. But we wait until later.”
She poked me. “After dinner. When it’s dark.” She brushed her hands over the fine silk dress she wore. “I can change after dinner, and then be hidden under the covers when they come to check. That will give use the maximum amount of time to get away.”
“Brilliant. Sounds like you’ve done this before.”
“I might have snuck past Mrs. Henderson once or twice.” Her coy smile lit up her face.
“It’s a plan,” I said with a nod.
We heard heavy footsteps outside in the hall. Genevieve motioned for us to hide. Lianhua grabbed her owl and ran into the adjoining room. Mr. Singh followed her. I grabbed Rodin, who didn’t want to leave Genevieve and clung to her dress. Genevieve plucked off his claws and handed him to me. The door opened and it was too late to run into the next room. I dove under her bed. I barely fit between the bed frame and the floor. I sucked in a deeply. I could see a little from under here, and clutched Rodin close.
The two soldiers walked in, their boots thudding against the wooden floor. Genevieve said, “Hello, again. Is this really necessary?”
“General Hendrix’s orders, Miss.” The soldiers said in a southern American accent.
Without another word or an extensive search, they left. As their footsteps faded into the distance, I scooted out from under the bed with Rodin. He immediately flew up and landed back in Genevieve’s lap.
Mr. Singh and Lianhua came back into the room and quickly said their goodbye’s and snuck back out of the palace. I sat down beside Genevieve and took her hand. “We have fifteen minutes until they come back.”
“We should work on our plan.”
“We will.” I intertwined my fingers with hers. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Yes.” She leaned in, resting her head against my chest. “Is the Sparrowhawk nearby?”
“They’re on their way, and I can signal them; but it will be a few days.”
“Hendrix didn’t trust me after your escape. They went on to wherever they’re building their machines and left us here.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find them, and when we do we’ll call in the Sparrowhawk and an army of Sikhs.”
“An army?”
“What can I say? Mr. Singh and I are very convincing.” “Yes, you are.” She squeezed my hand.
“I have rope. We’ll use it to scale down the side of the palace.”
“Better yet, there is a zipline in another room. If you could get it during dinner, we could use it to get away.”
“A zipline? An excellent idea.” I brushed her hair out of her face. “See, the team’s back together, and destiny is just laying the answers before us.”
She chuckled, and I soared inside seeing her light up.
“What did I miss?” she asked. “Anything good?”
“We passed over the spot where Alexander the Great turned back. So, I’ve gone further than he ever did.”
She chuckled again and shook her head. “That’s wonderful. What about my father?”
“He’s on the Sparrowhawk.”
We sat against each other for a few minutes I told her about my journey and she told me about the Milli-train. I loved sitting with her, and could have stayed there all night, but she had to get ready for dinner.
Genevieve stood and pointed to the other room. “I have to prepare for dinner. When they come for me, you go for the zipline. Last I saw, they had it stored three doors down. On the left.”
“Will do,” I gave her a thumbs-up. “When you get done with dinner we’ll get out of here.” I rushed into the next room and Rodin landed beside me. My stomach growled and I realized I hadn’t eaten in a while. I knocked lightly on Genevieve’s door.
“What is it?” She whispered.
I stepped into her room and froze. Genevieve stood wrapped in a red silk sari with small flowers made from what shone like real gold thread. My mouth fell open, and all the words that I’d wanted to say evaporated into thin air. Her hair lay over one shoulder in a long braid. Every finger held a gold ring, and a series of bangles ran up both arms. She was more beautiful than I’d ever seen her.
“What?”
“I... you look... are beautiful.”
She smiled. “Thank you. The Inner Circle insisted we all dress for dinner, every night, and my mother—who loves the formal traditions more than I remember—insisted we continue even after they left.”
“Stunning. You look like royalty,” I stammered. “I mean you are royalty, and you always look great, but now you really look like a princess.”
She bit her red lip and a shudder ran through me. She shook her head. “You have to get back in that room. They’ll be here any minute.”
I quickly blurted out, “Try and get something to eat for Rodin and me.”
She motioned to me as a noise from the hall made me run. The door whipped open and Genevieve’s mother, said, “Everything all right?”
“Everything is fine. For some reason, I’m starving.”
CHAPTER 26
ESCAPE
As Genevieve stepped out of her room, her mother paused. She turned toward the door I hid behind. I watched through a crack, but pulled away as she studied the room.
Genevieve said, “Is something wrong?”
The baroness shook her head, and left the room, “No. Come, I hear dinner will be wonderful tonight. You look lovely.”
They walked down the hall, and eventually their voices trailed off. I ran out of her room and searched for the zipline gun. I found the device right where she said it would be, and I maneuvered it into position by the window. Turning the knobs, I adjusted the two axis until the brass sight was lined up with the mountain pass outside. I checked the coiled line and the large spearhead hook making certain nothing was broken or worn.
I didn’t fire yet. The guards might see. We’d launch the line when we were ready to leave. After everything was set, I slipped back to Genevieve’s room to wait for her.
An hour later, Genevieve was escorted back to her room by two soldiers. She entered with her head lowered, as if defeated. I hid behind her bed. The moment the door shut she snapped up with a fire burning in her eyes. I popped up and she smiled.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“I am. I gave my mother a chance to turn away. Begged her to leave the Golden Circle, but she is heading to their secret location in two weeks.”
“That means we have time to find them. Good.”
“She refuses to give up on the dream... and of having all that power. Now she is a member of the Inner Circle, and a Horseman.” Her fists were clenched tight, but after a moment, she relaxed them and covered her face with her hands. “I wasn’t important enough to change her mind.”
I rushed over. “You can’t blame yourself. I’ve been reading about the corrupting influence of the Horsemen’s Hearts. It can be difficult to give up such intoxicating power.”
She leaned into me. The smell of rose petals enveloped me, and I wrapped my arms around her. I didn’t want to let go. I wanted to take her pain into me, but I knew I couldn’t. I could be here for her. Comfort her when she needed it, but I couldn’t bear her pain for her. But together, we could stop the Golden Circle. Whatever devious plan they’d concocted, we would be there to thwart it—together.
“Thank you, Alexander.” She squeezed me tighter. “Knowing you’re here and that we’re going after them makes it easier to deal with her.”
“Always.”
“I need to get changed. This is not a good outfit to travel through the mountains.”
I chuckled. “Too bad. You look amazing.” No words passed between us. We just remained in each other’s arms. Then I said, “You have to let me go.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Neither do I.” I exhaled. “But we can’t stay here.”
She
nodded and pulled back, but when I saw her eyes, my hands tightened around her waist. She leaned in and lightly kissed me. I melted and she was able to slip out of my arms. I stepped back toward the room adjoining hers, and leaned against the wall. I could hear her moving around, opening a chest in her room.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes, zipline is prepped. Mr. Singh and Lianhua are waiting for us in the pass. Your father and an army of Sikhs are on their way.”
“Excellent.” I heard some shuffling, and then she asked, “Where have you been reading about the power of the hearts?”
“I found a journal written by one of my ancestors. That led to a vision of my ancestor. He hid the Hearts all over the world.”
“It is, but he succumbed to its power and found it hard to give up the last heart.”
“That will work.” She picked up her long blue coat and slipped it on. She grabbed her silver-hilted saber with the belt wrapped around the sheath. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s go.”
“Not yet,” she paused and pointed to a clock. “They’ll be checking on me soon. We’ll wait until they’ve come and then flee.”
I nodded. She climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over herself. I blew out some of the candles to dim the lights and then slipped into the next room. I sat on the floor with my back against the wall and waited. Within a few minutes two soldiers opened Genevieve’s door.
They stepped in, and one said to the other, “You check that room, I’ll check sleeping beauty.”
The door beside me opened. I sat behind it, but if the door went too far, it would hit my foot. My fingers slipped over my Thumper and I held my breath so I wouldn’t make a sound. I could see the barrel of his rifle, but he never stepped inside. I heard him say, “Nothing,” and I quietly exhaled, relieved I hadn’t been spotted.
“She’s asleep, let’s go.”
They left and I stood up. When I entered her room, she had popped out from under her covers and was wrapping her sword belt around her waist. I opened the door to the hall slowly and checked both directions.
“They’re gone.” I turned around and saw her standing defiant with Rodin on her shoulder. “Good to have you back.”
She nodded. “I feel right again.”
“Come on, I set the zipline up just down the hall.” We slipped out into the hall and moved by hugging the walls. Once at the correct room, we entered and I made last minute checks that the zipline gun was still on target. “It’s all set.”
“Fire at will, Mr. Armitage,” she said with a coy smile.
“Right away, milady.” I paused, listening for anyone coming and then pulled the string. It released the valve and burst of air vented out of the cylinder as the spearhead grappler shot out unfurling the coiled cable. It arched across the open expanse and sank deep into the rock. I bowed. “Ladies first.”
Genevieve took one of the metal handles already secured to the cable and gave Rodin a scritch behind his horned nubs. “Follow me, Rodin.” The little dragon nodded and she leapt off the balcony.
I ran to the edge and watched as she sped down the line. She moved with perfect grace, as if she’d made the run a hundred times. At the end she dropped off, landing on her feet, and without even a second step. I grabbed the next handle and jumped off. I swung back and forth, whipped about by the wind. My hand slipped, and I gripped the lower half of the handle even tighter. Thoughts of falling raced through my mind, and would mean certain death. But I held tight as my knuckled turned white. At the end, I let go and slammed into the rocks, tumbling until I hit a small boulder.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“We can’t all have your grace.” I rubbed my back and stood up. “But I’m not eager to repeat that landing.
Genevieve drew her saber and cut the cable. It whipped back toward the palace and dangled against the rock. I motioned for her to follow and we walked up the mountain pass.
I heard the hoot of an owl, and saw Mr. Singh and Lianhua perched on a rock. They hopped down and Mr. Singh hugged Genevieve.
“It is good to see you free,” Mr. Singh said.
“Thank you, Indihar.” Genevieve said with a large smile. “I’m thrilled to be back.”
Lianhua looked at Genevieve and said, “I am now known by my real name, Lianhua.”
Genevieve glanced at me and Indihar and then back and Lianhua. She stuck out her hand and Lianhua took it. “I am very glad to meet you.”
“Now,” Lianhua said, pointing at the pass ahead of us. “We should be moving.”
“Yes, of course,” Genevieve said as Rodin landed on her shoulder. “Let’s get far from here before my absence is noticed.”
CHAPTER 27
THE CENTER OF THE WORLD
We traveled throughout the night without stopping. If they’d discovered Genevieve’s absence, we saw no signs of it. Not one airship, horse, or soldier entered the pass. We’d rescued Genevieve successfully. Still... I wondered why it had been so easy. I thought of a hundred different reasons, but as the sun rose through the mountain peaks I said, “We did it. We got away.”
Mr. Singh nodded. “Yes, but I fear the reason.”
“My mother isn’t worried,” Genevieve said. “She knows where we’re going. That she’ll see me again.”
Lianhua gestured toward Genevieve, “Yes, it was too easy. They let us go.”
“How could they know?” I stopped.
“She told me last night at dinner. She knew you’d come back, granted, she expected the Sparrowhawk.”
I kicked myself for not thinking of this possibility. We continued on, moving deeper into the mountains. Eventually we found a road, and merchants moving along the mountain trails. Once again, Lianhua was able to get us passage. We climbed into two different carts, Genevieve and I sat on bolts of fabric, while Lianhua and Mr. Singh rested on burlap sacks.
“I’m worried about seeing my father again,” Genevieve said after a long period of comfortable silence. “I’m certain he’ll be angry.”
“No, he’s worried about you, but he knew you were with your mother. He believed she would protect you from the worst of the Golden Circle. I scolded him for not telling us more.”
“You did?” She sat up and turned toward me.
“He should have told us his wife had been an assassin. Not just a noblewoman.”
“She’s... interesting.”
“Of course; she’s your mother.”
Genevieve leaned back against me. “I don’t know how I feel, even now. It’s all so confusing.”
“She disappeared for years. You thought she was dead, only to reappear and murder those Eton professors.”
“I’m so torn. She’s nice to me, but she isn’t the best person. She is under the influence of—even controlled by— Hendrix and the Inner Circle. They have something on her. I know they’re manipulating her.”
I sighed. “Our next meeting with them is going to be complicated.”
“Most definitely,” she wrapped her fingers around mine. “They want you to be a horseman. My mother is a horseman. And we must stop them.”
The cart stopped and we looked around. A huge foursided pyramid-shaped mountain rose up before us. Snow-capped at the top, but with perfect horizontal-lined ridges marking the sides. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I was staring at a pyramid in Egypt. The driver said something to us, but I couldn’t understand him. He and the others jumped off and walked away.
We climbed out and joined Lianhua and Mr. Singh.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“They are going no further,” Lianhua said. She pointed at the mountain. “They will be worshiping here for several days.”
“Where are we?” Genevieve asked.
“The center of the world.” Lianhua cocked her head as she looked at the three of us. “This is Mount Kailash.” She looked stunned when we shrugged our shoulders. “Gangs Rin-po-che, or Kangri Rinpoche?”
“The name sounds familiar.”
My mind flipped over the spellings until it locked on the hand-written word. “The journal! This is where Armand Armitage was able to regain control over his life.”
“This is the mountain of four rivers. From its peak, the four most sacred rivers in Asia flow. The Hindu God Shiva lives on this mountain.” She stroked the feathers of her owl. “When Kō’ilā and I fled China, this is where we came.”
The merchants joined a long precession of people prostrating themselves on the ground. “What are they doing?” I asked.
“Praying. To show their faith in the gods, they must circle the mountain while performing this ritual.”
I watched as men and women slid forward on their hands and knees until flat on the ground and then shuffled forward to perform the ritual again. “They go around the whole mountain like this?”
“Several times.”
“Whoa.” I’d never seen such devotion to a religion before. “And I thought listening to the priest every Sunday was hard enough.”
Genevieve looked back toward the palace. “I don’t think we have the time to wait.”
“No. We must get moving, but we should honor this place.” We followed Lianhua to a shrine on the side of the path. We knelt and prayed, each in our own way. I even made the sign of the cross over my chest.
I don’t know what the others asked for, but I prayed for success. Not money, or glory, or power, but to save this world from the Horsemen’s evil. After taking a moment to say thank you for reuniting me with Genevieve, I stood and brushed off my pants. The others finished and we continued on to the southwest.
We soon encountered two large lakes. Walking along the shoreline, we passed several shrines. All were lovingly cared for, but some looked older than the ruins I’d seen in Greece. For the rest of the day Mount Kailash was ever present, always just a glance over my shoulder. Smaller peaks stacked up in front of it the further we traveled, but the holy mountain remained like a beacon in this land.
In the fading light, we traveled into a valley on a trail that looked as if it had been untraveled for many years. We’d intentionally turned off the main path to head on a more western course, but now we found ourselves alone. I heard a rumble, like thunder in the distance, or rocks sliding in another valley. I assumed it was nothing to worry about, but Rodin lifted off of Genevieve’s shoulder and flitted around us, darting from one direction to the next.
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