by K. A. Poe
“I know that. I just thought ... it doesn’t matter what I thought. Are you going to help me or not?”
He sighed and glanced toward my house — no doubt looking through the window in search of Serena. “Come with me ...”
To my surprise, he led me through the freezing cold back to Haven. We walked through the dark and silent lobby and directly to his room. I stood hesitantly outside the doorway, peering into the place I briefly recalled visiting once before.
“Come on,” he said impatiently. “It’s not as bad in here as you think ... and contrary to popular belief, I don’t bite ... usually.” He grinned.
Stepping over the threshold and into the light, I was shocked to find that the mess that I’d seen before had been cleaned up. The room was actually quite tidy and the posters of swimsuit models had been torn down from the walls. My assumption had been that he’d done it to impress Serena. There was a bookcase up against one of the walls that I’d missed on my first visit to his room, probably because I’d been too focused on Mathias at the time. The shelves were loaded with books, most of them old and worn. I wondered briefly if any of them could have been the Codex but I seriously doubted it. From what Iris said, no one was allowed to see the book. I’d never taken Noah to be the reading type, either, but then again I’d been wrong about Hannah too. The more I looked around, the more I started to notice one thing in particular — on nearly every surface in the room there were framed pictures of a young girl beside a much younger Noah. She looked a little younger than him, but they shared the same gray eyes. Some of the pictures were fairly recent, while others were definitely older.
“Is that ... is that your sister?” I asked, reaching out and picking up one of the frames and wiping off a thin layer of dust. She had long waves of dark brown hair with gold highlights; I wondered what Noah would look like if he’d let his hair grow out — would it be the same color?
“It is.” Noah sounded sad when he answered, an emotion I’d never really heard in his voice before. He’d always been sarcastic or flirtatious, never sad.
I remembered the day we met and how he’d told me about showing his sister his gift — summoning a ball of fire in front of her — and his dad catching him in the act and throwing him out of the house for being some sort of monster.
“Chloe,” he choked out and I noted that his eyes were watering. “She was discovered by the Nefastus and inducted into their Clan. I’ve been ... secretly meeting with her over the past year or two, trying to convince her to renounce it and come to our side.”
I had a hard time believing that he was the good guy, that this wasn’t just some rouse to cover up that he was secretly a Nefastus — but I had no concrete evidence to prove that he’d done anything wrong or that he deserved to be judged like that. It was fishy that he knew of the Nefastus’s secret hiding place, but I supposed his sister could have told him where it was and described the people that lived there. Maybe he’d even gone to her with questions about Shimmerers for Mathias’s sake ... and he did genuinely seem like he loved and missed his sister.
“I would do anything for her and to be with her,” he said and slumped onto his bed.
“Anything?” I asked suspiciously, wishing I could get a glimpse at his Mark to see that it was still there.
He sighed and looked at me through dark eyes. “Anything reasonable, Madison. I know what you’re thinking ...”
“Do you think you could find out from her if they have Hannah?”
“If that’s where Hannah went, and she hasn’t been heard from for ... however many days it’s been ... then there’s no doubt that they have her … if she’s even still alive.”
I started pacing around the room anxiously, clueless yet again on what to do. “How long would it take for you to get in contact with her— with Chloe?”
He shrugged. “A few days or more, at least.”
“Hannah might not have a few days! If she isn’t dead already, like you said!” I’d been too hard on my aunt, regardless if she treated me and everyone else horribly — I knew she had a soft side. She wasn’t a complete and total bitch ... not all the time. She definitely didn’t deserve to be tortured or killed.
“I have an idea that might work, though,” he suggested and sat up.
“And what is that?”
“I take you in ...”
“Take me in? As what? Your prisoner?”
He shifted on the mattress and nodded. “That’s how it’d seem.”
“Are you crazy?! They’d kill me!”
Noah put his hand up and I stopped pacing. “Just listen. I think we can check on and maybe even free your aunt and find a cure for Mathias at the same time this way.”
I wasn’t buying it. There was no way I could just follow Noah to the enemy’s lair and let them have me. This was definitely some sort of scheme.
“They know that I’m Chloe’s brother. They would probably have me converted in a heartbeat if I was willing, but I’m not. Anyway, I can go up there and have you tied up or something, tell them I’ve caught you and am handing you over and want to convert. We can tell Constantine that you gave yourself up for a cure for Mathias. Hopefully he will agree, and then my sister can help us get out or something after that.”
“Or something? Yeah, no thanks. That would never work, Noah. It’s suicide!”
“Trust me, it’ll work.”
I threw my hands up in the air with frustration. “That’s the thing, I don’t trust you! How do I know you’re not tricking me and really are one of them?”
He sighed and looked hurt, then stood from the bed. “Look, I’ve never told anyone this ... not even my sister.” He approached the bedroom door, opened it, glanced around the corners to make sure no one was out there, then shut it and locked it.
Gulping, I turned my attention to the window by his bed and wondered what I’d do if he tried to attack me. I knew I could attack him and fight back with my powers, but I doubted I’d win.
“I’ve thought about it. I won’t lie. I was almost on the border of joining until ...”
“Until what? And the mere fact that you even considered it is making this sound even worse.”
Noah looked surprised at what I said, then shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand. And it wasn’t until she came along that I changed my mind.” He noticeably blushed and turned away.
“Are you serious ...? Serena?”
He nodded. “Not at first, though. Well, I mean, I liked her. I don’t know how to explain it. There is like ... some connection there. It wasn’t just that she’s pretty.” He looked down at the nightstand by his bed and picked up a picture frame of Chloe, running his fingers idly over the glass. “Anyway, when she moved in here it made me want to stay. I don’t mean just so that I could see her. It made me ... I don’t know ... it made me never want to be bad. Like, that if I was ... she would think less of me or something. I know that sounds stupid but ...” He set the frame back down. “And the only reason I ever even considered going to them was because of Chloe. Not because I wanted to be one of them.”
Noah had finally semi-convinced me that his story was true, and for the first time I was truly seeing him as a normal person, not just the kid who joked around and made failed attempts at flirting ... but a real person with feelings.
“I ... I understand,” I whispered, my gaze falling to my fidgeting hands. My thoughts went to Mathias and how I wanted to do anything I could to get him out of the place he was in, just like Noah wanted to rescue his sister. Although they were two completely different situations, they were also alike in so many ways.
“You’re sure this will work?”
Noah turned and smiled. “Fifty-one percent sure!”
I grimaced. “Funny.”
He came over and carefully put a hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be fine, trust me. If anyone can get you in and out, it’s me and my sister.”
While I may have started trusting Noah, I had no idea about his sister. This was a completel
y stupid idea but I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. I couldn’t go alone, and Artemis was still missing, Mathias was dying, and my aunt — who I thought of all this time as invincible and incredibly powerful — was gone too.
“I’ll think about. Okay?” I turned to leave the room.
“Okay,” Noah said. “But don’t think too long. I’ve heard the Nefastus do some pretty nasty things to other magical creatures.”
I shivered at the thought of them using Hannah for some sick gain or experiment just because she was a vampire. Just like the red-eyed boy’s — my brother’s — ‘master’ was torturing my dad in that vision. With another shudder, I left and went to my room.
Mom was absent again, but I wasn’t surprised. She had probably gotten lonely lying around the motel while everyone else was out celebrating. My thoughts changed when my eyes settled on a note in her familiar script on my bed. I unfolded the paper with shaky fingers and read it:
Madison,
I am out with Jason for a little while. He called me saying he had a fight with Eila after dinner, I’m not sure if you were there or aware or not ... but everything will be fine. I didn’t want you to worry.
Love, Mom
I crumpled up the paper in my fist and wondered what the hell could have happened in the short time since I’d left my adoptive parents’ house. With a furious yell, I tossed the balled up note and clenched my fists angrily at my side. That was it; it was time to go. I had nothing to lose.
I walked back to Noah’s room and slammed my fist hard against the wood. He opened it and looked me over. His phone was against his ear and he muttered apologetically into the receiver, saying he’d call the person back. I assumed he’d been talking to Serena, but part of me worried that it’d been his sister or another Nefastus who he was filling in on his plans. I shook the thought away and told him that I was ready.
He blinked in surprise and arched a brow. “Really? That was quick. What changed your mind?”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go.”
“Uh, now? Can’t you wait like, one —”
“Now!”
He tensed up and stashed his phone in his pocket before grabbing his coat and pulling it back on. “Geez, fine. Let’s go.”
Noah took me out to the parking lot and led me to a beat up 4x4 truck that I’d not really noticed before. I hadn’t really considered before which car belonged to whom any other time when I’d passed by the lot. Even under the layers of snow, I could tell that it was in bad shape. There was a dent in the bumper and the passenger side window was covered in plastic where the glass should have been. He unlocked the driver side door and had to lean across the seat and pop open my door from inside. I hesitantly climbed in and was relieved that the thing at least had working heat so I wouldn’t freeze to death. I had to keep reminding myself of why I was doing this — for Mathias and Hannah.
We headed out of the parking lot and I glanced through the barely see-through, makeshift window toward Haven and felt my heart sink. This could have been my last time ever seeing the building — and Mathias was still in there, probably unconscious. I hated myself for not taking just a few minutes to say goodbye.
“He’ll be okay,” Noah said quietly without turning his attention from the road.
The streets were empty, thanks to everyone being safely tucked indoors with their families and plates full of warm food. I acknowledged him with a smile that likely went unseen, then resumed peering out the window.
At some point during the near-conversationless seventy mile drive, a light snow began to fall again. Just my luck. Noah was taking me off to the Rocky Mountains in the dead of winter with a truck that barely ran and now it was starting to snow. I clamped tightly onto the handle of my door and inhaled a shaky, nervous breath. I hoped I wouldn’t die before I even made it to the Nefastus … I hoped I wouldn’t die at all.
It felt like we’d been putting along for hours. The moon was high in the sky, faintly peeking out from behind a mass of dark, puffy clouds. I wondered what my adoptive parents could possibly have fought over after dinner, and how had my friends reacted? Did they resent me for abandoning them there without explanation? Alan probably thought I left him there to go see Mathias ... and what about Serena? I’d essentially run off with her new boyfriend and didn’t tell anyone where I was going or when I’d be back ...
“Hold on,” Noah warned suddenly and I found myself gripping even tighter to the handle and the edge of my seat.
He swung the truck slowly off onto a semi-hidden dirt road. Even in the darkness, I could tell how steep and icy it was outside and that there were drops to one side that could end both our lives. The front of the truck neared the edge of a cliff and I screamed, holding on for dear life, certain that we would plummet over the side and die. The truck stopped abruptly and Noah was staring at me with large, concerned eyes. I exhaled shakily and my head fell back against my seat.
“Are you crazy?!” I shrieked, refusing to look out the windshield where I knew there was nothing but darkness.
He laughed. “We’re safe, I promise. Just get out.”
“N-no. I could fall off and —”
Noah rolled his eyes and stepped out of the truck, then came over to my side and waited outside my door until I pushed it open. I nervously glanced down and found that he was standing on solid ground several feet away from the drop.
“Come on.”
I took the hand he offered to me and pictured him swinging me out of the truck, over the edge of the cliff, and releasing me, but I knew that wasn’t going to be the case – or I hoped.
With a deep breath, I stepped down from the truck and looked around. “Is this where the hideout is?” I asked as he fumbled around for something in the truck bed.
“Not quite,” he answered and pulled out a rope.
Wide eyed, I asked, “Um, what exactly is that for? I sure as hell am not climbing down a cliff.”
He laughed. “They have to think I captured you, right? I’m tying you up.”
I huffed irritably and shivered — it was freezing cold out and somehow Noah was unaffected. I figured it probably had something to do with his gift. I was at least glad there would be no climbing involved.
He gently took my hands and placed them in front of me then began winding the rope around them; the material itched and scratched at my exposed skin.
“It’s too tight,” I said and tried moving my hands — it was no use.
“Has to look real,” he said and went back to the driver’s side of the truck, got something out, and cut the engine. I couldn’t see him or anything else around me now that the lights had gone out; I was temporarily afraid that he was going to leave me there for the Nefastus to find. I’d be the perfect bargaining chip to trade in for his sister. I gulped. How had I not thought of that before? It was obvious now. I struggled against the rope, but it was no use. For better or worse, I was Noah’s prisoner now.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Despite the situation, I almost laughed when a light turned on and I saw Noah wearing a headlamp.
“Alright, let’s go,” he said and lifted me up into his arms, with one hand on my back and the other under my knees.
He carried me into the darkness for what felt like forever, the light of the headlamp not helping me in any way — all I could see were rocks, snow, mountain and Noah’s face. I wondered why he didn’t just drive the truck the rest of the way over. Thankfully, Noah’s body seemed to radiate warmth and kept me from freezing. Dusk was on the verge of emerging from behind the clouds, casting a faint radiance around us, making it slightly easier to see. I couldn’t believe we had been driving and walking for so long. Noah lowered me onto the ground and clicked off the headlamp, then scanned the vicinity.
“Why’d we stop?” My teeth began to chatter now that I was no longer up against the walking-talking-radiator.
“Because we’re here.” He motioned his hand to my left and I turned my head.
My
mouth fell open in awe. There was a vast tower with a crumbling spired roof that had clearly been damaged by falling rocks and the pull of time. I knew that we were in a very remote area, but it seemed pretty odd that this tower — their lair, apparently — would be out in plain sight on the side of the mountain. It had to have been discovered before by hikers and other random passersby.
“How ... how has no one found this before?” I asked, continuing to examine the building in the distance. It seemed like it was almost carved into the side of the mountain itself. The more I looked the more detail I noticed — there were actually two spired towers, one shorter than the other, less damaged, and a little further back than the first. Both of them had three wide windows along the upper section with a wraparound balcony. Underneath them was a set of arches and another wraparound along the base that ended in a slope of gray stone stairs. Atop the stone railing was a row of black metal lanterns illuminated with flickering blue flames. Surrounding the base was a thick layer of rock that jutted out and upward, forming what almost looked like huge, stone teeth.
“Only those with magic in their blood can see it,” Noah explained and started walking toward it. “Same as Haven, like I told you.”
“Wait, you said people had to have something special to see it.”
“Yeah, magic blood.”
“Then why don’t the Nefastus see Haven? Isn’t that kind of stupid and ineffective?”
“Look, to be honest, I don’t know what all spells are around Haven. Believe it or not, Artemis doesn’t trust us all with that sort of information. Maybe he thinks one of us would, I don’t know, betray him.”
I shivered again, partially because of the cold, but also because the fear of still not being certain or not which side Noah was on.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Um, tied up … remember.”
