Soraya nodded, and then she bit her bottom lip and looked down at her hands, her dark brows pulled tight over her golden eyes, and I could tell she was trying to work up the nerve or find the words to say something. I waited. After a long moment she took a deep breath and let it out. She looked up at me, the only person on earth that I knew of that had the exact same eye color as Kayden. Her voice was years beyond a child’s when she spoke, still sweet and childlike, but serious in a way that was most common to adults.
“I had to tell you that I’m happy about the decision you made today,” she said. “I wanted you to know that I would have done the same thing if it had been left up to me, that I don’t blame you for waiting to go after the King.” She paused, her shoulders lifting a fraction. “I just thought it would mean more from me, since I was a prisoner in the village, since I know how horrible that life is.”
I felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room and I couldn’t breathe. It was too much hearing these words coming from her little mouth. But Soraya continued on undeterred. “I know it must be awful for you. I can see your pain as clearly as firelight in a dark sky. I want you to know that I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for your sister.” Tears were streaking down Soraya’s face now, but the girl made no attempt to hide them. I guess crying was a thing you got used to doing when you’d lived a life like hers.
“If it weren’t for Nelly,” Soraya said. “I wouldn’t be sitting here wearing this stupid dress and chasing Pixies and smiling so damn much.” Soraya cast a quick glance at her mother, but Catherine said nothing about the curse word. She continued on. “I want you to do whatever it is you have to do to save her, even if that means other people have to die in the process.”
My mouth fell open. The gesture was enormously touching, but the words coming from the mouth of such a little girl were horrifying as well. “You-you can’t mean that, Soraya,” I said.
Soraya’s teeth clenched. She shook her head, frustrated. “You don’t understand,” she said. “I felt her soul, Alexa. I felt all the things that make Nelly who she is. I’m half Searcher myself you know, so I’d thought I’d had at least a basic understanding of Searching. But Nelly showed me true Soul Searching. She rescued me from that terrible place and opened my eyes. I got to see the world how she sees it, and I just don’t know the words to describe that to you, to make you understand. I’m not even sure there are words that can describe it. She’s special, Alexa. To all of us that she’s touched. I’m telling you that we don’t blame you. That saving Nelly is the greater good. And that we won’t betray her to the cause.”
I couldn’t for the life of me think of a single thing to say to all of that. I wasn’t sure I had ever sat through such a speech. It was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful things anyone had ever said to me. It broke my heart and lifted my spirits at the same time. I opened my arms to the little girl after I’d opened my mouth and realized that nothing was going to come out. Soraya came forward and hugged me tight, the scent of strawberry shampoo floating up from her hair. My eyes burned, but no salt water fell from them.
Soraya pulled back, looking up at me with big, round eyes. “It’s going to be okay,” she said.
I nodded, felt my breath hitch and reached up, cupping her little face in my hand. “Thank you,” I said, and that was all.
Catherine stood, smoothing down her own dress with her hands. It was a pale blue color with soft yellow stripes. “She’s right,” said Catherine. “I know it may not have been easy to hear that, but if it weren’t for your sister we would still be trapped there.” Her eyes grew shimmery with unshed tears, but she blinked them away. “As far as I’m concerned, I owe her the world. She saved my little girl. We just thought you should know that.” She took Soraya’s hand, and they headed over to the door. “We’ll let you rest now.”
Soraya ran back to me again and gave me one more hug. Her head tilted up and she looked at me, her arms still wrapped around me. “Are you going to the celebration tonight?” she asked. “I hope you do. They said there’s going to be games and food and music. I’ve never been to a party before. I’m excited. Please, come?”
I nodded. I didn’t think there was anything in the world I would refuse this little girl. “I’ll be there,” I said.
They left. I sat down on the bed and knew that there was no point in attempting sleep. I looked over at the dress that Sasha had brought me. It really was pretty; all silver silky material with short, loose sleeves made of some see-through shimmery stuff. It would match the lilies on my arm perfectly and would fall all the way down to the floor, hiding at least some of the injuries on my legs. But when I thought about putting it on and walking around in it, I felt stupid. I never really understood why people, humans and supernaturals alike, loved to celebrate every damned thing that happened in their lives. I guess I could see it from their side. They thought that the thing they had long been waiting for had finally arrived. They thought an end to a dark time was near, while I felt like a dark time was just beginning.
King William
He stood before the entirety of the people that lived in Two Rivers, in the enormous auditorium that was housed in the Council building. He placed his hands on the podium that stood before him, looking out at the crowd. Vampires and Wolves occupied every seat in the house, and more were standing in the aisles and at the back. His Warriors surrounded the perimeter of the room, like huge statues dressed in all black. The large room was silent. It was rare that he addressed a crowd like this. He knew that even here in this room, he had enemies. He had weeded out as many of the traitors’ friends and associates as well as he could, and they were not here now. He had other plans for them.
He could feel little waves of fear and confusion radiating from the silent crowd, and now he smiled. Fear was an excellent motivator, maybe the best. It was so powerful that despite the magic he had his people consuming to keep them in the dark about his more…unappealing actions, something instinctual made them still fear him. That was good.
This part of the plan was important, a sort of fail-safe. He very much believed that the key to reaching most people was reaching them first. Letting them know what happened to traitors and planting the seeds of doubt in their minds. He would not make the mistake of underestimating the Sun Warrior, or her sister, and if they did somehow manage to live through the morning, this would ensure that they had nowhere to go.
The King leaned forward, the diamonds and rubies that hung from him glittering in the harsh lights of the auditorium, the people staring up at him with anticipation, and he spoke, his voice was as smooth as fresh cream. “Thank you for coming, my good people. It has been a very long time since I have seen many of you.” He paused. “It is my deep regret that I must see you now and bring you unfortunate news.”
A low murmur ran through the crowd, people whispering and muttering under their breaths. The King had to stop himself from slamming his hand down on the podium to silence them. The fear pulsing out of them had kicked up a notch, and he would let that boil for a moment within them. He leaned forward into the microphone on the podium again, his face drawn in lines of sympathy and regret. “Andre, bring the Sorcerer,” he said.
Andre disappeared behind the enormous red curtain that lined the back of the stage as the crowd erupted in another drone of low voices. Some of the children among them looked delighted at the prospect of seeing a Sorcerer, having only ever heard of them in stories from their parents. But the adults did not look so pleased. Some of the women had placed their hands over their mouths or at their throats, their eyes wide and their arms going around their children. Most of the men had their mouths hanging agape or their jaws set tight. Appropriate reactions, the King thought. Perfect.
Andre emerged, pushing a large upraised wooden platform on wheels. He rolled it out to the center of the stage, and a hush fell over the crowd once more. Slowly, as if he were enjoying the anticipation, he spun the platform around so that the people could see what wai
ted on the other side.
It was Syris. He was held to the platform by thick iron chains around his wrists, across his waist, over his ankles. His top hat had been removed, along with his glasses, and his long black hair fell forward where his head was bent down between his shoulders, his arms held up and out across the platform that held him, like the wings of crane. Blood stained the black clothes he wore, looking only like darker patches of black where it had seeped through his shirt and jacket, but it was visible clearly against the pallid skin of his face, his hands, rolling in scarlet rivers down his neck. He was dead.
Someone in the crowd let out a hoarse cry, and that seemed to open the flood gates. There were shouts of anger and gasps of horror and women wrapping their hands around their children’s eyes, shielding them from the bloody scene. Thousands of wide, fear-filled eyes stared up at the Sorcerer on his slab of wood and at King William standing beside him in his glittering suit. His head was lowered, his eyes downcast, his jeweled hands clasped loosely in front of him. His head came up, and his gray eyes fell over the people. He leaned forward, gripping the podium now lightly.
“It is most unfortunate, I know,” he said, and the crowd said nothing. They hardly breathed. “This Sorcerer was captured by my Warriors after sneaking into the city and making an attempt at my life.”
More gasps, more barely-whispers, more flashes of fear. King William continued. “You needn’t fear, my people. Before the Sorcerer was brought to justice he revealed to me who he was working for, what his plans were.” He paused. He could sense the confusion edged with a touch of disbelief in certain souls in the crowd. But they were still afraid. Mostly just afraid. Good. “These things I have to tell you will come as a shock to you, but the threat is too big, too serious for me to go on concealing it from you. I believe the people have the right to know, so that you may be better prepared.
“This man was hired by the Sun Warrior. I believe some of you know her by Alexa Montgomery,” he said, and now the wave of incredulity and fear hit him so strongly that he had to grip the podium a little harder so that he wouldn’t sway at its potency. “I can see that some of you don’t want to believe what I am saying, but the Sun Warrior has a reason for what she has done, and this is the important part, and alas it is even harder to believe than the traitorous actions of the Sun Warrior, but it is true. I have seen it with my own eyes as have several of my Warriors.” He paused, staring out at them. “The Sun Warrior’s sister is one of the Accursed.”
Now there were outright shouts and more cries of terror, and questions. Too many questions. King William held up his hand. After a moment, the crowd quieted again.
“A lot to take in, I know. We don’t know how the girl was turned or when, but she is Lamia now, and her sister is guilty of murder and treason. The Sun Warrior has broken into the prison known as Dangeon and helped a convicted murderer escape. She has taken Queen Camillia hostage, as well as others. And there is more. Just last night Nelliana went into a human nightclub and slaughtered three hundred people, and a Luprachan as well. I managed to get a team over there to clean up before we could be discovered by the humans, and have kept the Luprachan’s death from spreading around to the other races’ Territories. But you must see, my people, you must be aware of the danger they pose. Together, the Sun Warrior and her sister are threatening our secrecy, our much needed peace between the races that holds together our world. They must be stopped!” Now he did slam his hand down on the podium. It made a cracking sound like thunder.
At first, there was no response from the crowd. No response at all. No one moved or shifted or whispered or blinked, just a mass of faces staring up at a King behind a podium and a man who had allegedly betrayed him lying dead to his left. Then someone in the crowd cheered out their agreement, a Wolf-woman with a high clear voice, and three small pups huddled around her.
“Yes!” she cried. “For the sake of our children, the Sun Warrior and her Accursed sister must be stopped!”
The King had to stop himself from letting a smile pull up his old lips. More and more people joined in the discussion, calling out their agreement and shouting their anger at the Sun Warrior and her damned sister. He nodded slowly, letting the people have their words. The auditorium was buzzing like a beehive, only the Warriors along the edges of the room silent and still, as indifferent as fence posts.
“Do not fear, my people,” he said, his voice loud and commanding for the first time since he’d begun this speech. He waved his left arm to the side sharply, the rings on his fingers throwing shards of light out at the crowd. “This is what happens to traitors!”
Now the people cheered. Men, women and children.
And, of course, they were terrified. Very, very good.
Alexa
I stared at myself in the long mirror on the inside of the bathroom’s door, feeling ridiculous. But I had to admit that I didn’t look half-bad. The long silver dress shimmered very slightly, its material softer than silk against my skin. The top part of it seemed to have been fitted for my shape precisely, and the bottom loosened beneath my small waist and flowed down in a silver river that just barely dragged along the floor when I moved. Instead of overshadowing it, the dress made the silver on my arm seem to shine more brilliantly. I stared at it now. The marks had spread like, well, vines since it had first appeared. The silver lilies crawled up my right arm from wrist to shoulder where they disappeared to climb down my back. I hadn’t counted how many lilies there were, but as I twisted now, I saw there were a lot of them.
The back of the dress opened in a wide V down to my waist, and the lilies wound down my back like a silver snake. Row after row of them. I turned back around, no longer wanting to examine them. I had promised Soraya that I would go to the stupid celebration tonight, and getting all worked up again was not going to help anything. I looked in the mirror again. At least I didn’t have to do my hair. The braid that Sasha had put it in still looked good enough for me.
I turned off the light in the bathroom and went into the bedroom. Snatching up the shoes that went with the dress, I sat down on the bed. The shoes were sandals, silver, with flat soles and thin straps that had to be strapped up from my ankles to just below my knees. I was grateful that they weren’t heels, but as I bent over and began lacing up the straps I wondered why the hell people bothered with something that took so long to put on.
I tied off the ends and stood up, glad that my dress covered them. I sighed. I felt like a wannabe princess in a fake fairytale. I hoped everyone else was going to be dressed like this. If not, I would quite literally kick the crap out of Sasha. I glanced around, looking for my Gladius. Then I realized I had nowhere to put it.
“Shit,” I said, snatching it off the dresser anyway. I’d learned my lesson about going anywhere without it.
I moved toward the door and stopped. Looking down at the ring on my finger that Kayden had given me, I knew I was stalling because I was waiting for him. I hadn’t seen him since he walked out of the sitting room earlier. Admittedly, I didn’t go looking for him, and I had refused to let myself worry about him these past couple hours. Whatever was going to happen between me and Kayden was going to happen anyway, but I couldn’t help but wonder where he could be, and what he could be doing.
Frolicking with the faeries, perhaps.
Reaching for the door knob, I rolled my eyes. “Would you just put a sock in it already?” I told my Monster. I opened the door. “I really don’t need your sh—”
My mouth snapped shut, my face going red. “Oh, um. Hi Tommy.”
Tommy smirked. “You know, that is the second time I’ve found you talking to yourself.”
I scoffed, then sputtered. “I wasn’t talking to myself.”
Tommy chuckled. “Sure,” he said. His blue eyes ran the length of my body. Then he leaned forward as if he were about to share a secret. “I’ll believe anything you tell me in that dress.”
I slapped his arm, smiling. “You look pretty good yourself,” I said, an
d it was true. Tommy wore a black suit that fit him as perfectly as all of his clothes, and a silver dress shirt underneath, the top two buttons open below his neck. His blond hair was stylishly messy again, instead of just messy, and the confidence in his smirk was back.
“Don’t I always?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, you do, actually. It’s kind of annoying.”
“Jealousy is an ugly green monster, Alexa. I think silver is more your color.”
I gestured down at myself. “Yeah, well, apparently you’re not alone.”
Tommy leaned his shoulder against the doorframe in that lazy way of his. “Is Wallace here?”
I shook my head.
He didn’t say anything to that, he just straightened up and held his elbow out to me. I smiled at him and slipped my arm through his. I didn’t feel like my relationship with Tommy was a betrayal to Kayden, who had left me to go to this stupid party alone. Tommy was just one of the only real friends I had. Since I’d known him I’d trusted him, and that is rare with me, but even so he had never given me a reason not to trust him. And, I knew that he was in love with Nelly. I had come to the conclusion that of all the people she had “touched”, she’d touched Tommy the deepest.
The Rise (The Alexa Montgomery Saga) Page 18
