“So, in theory,” Penny mused, “could Anti-Magic be the thing that’s making Nestor weak?”
“In theory. Perhaps.”
Penny pressed the topic, but Argent soon grew distracted, his eyes fixing again on the fireplace. Penny left him and bumped straight into Simon.
“Good to see you, too,” Penny muttered as he strode by without saying hello. As she moved toward the foyer, Wendy bustled up Penny and caught Penny by her shoulder.
“Little Miss Penny, there’s someone waiting for you at the door. It seems urgent.”
Oh no. Noah, Penny thought, her heart rate increasing. The walk to the door seemed too short and she pulled open the front door with dread. She stopped short, surprised.
“Armonie!”
“Shhh, big sister. You must be quiet,” Armonie urged, grasping her hands.
“What are you doing here? I thought it was a huge risk for you to be anywhere near this place.” Penny went outside and shut the door behind her.
“It is―but there’s something you must come see. Right away. Please, follow me and I’ll take you there.” She tugged Penny’s hands and led her toward the road.
“What is it? Where are we going?” Penny asked, pulling back.
“It’s by the bridge. But we have to move quickly. There’s a chance we’re already too late,” Armonie replied, pulling Penny after her and through the neighborhood, the bells on the priestess’s bonnet jingling madly.
“The bridge that leads to the Royal District? Armonie, wait!”
“Just hurry, please, Penny.” Armonie sounded pained as they stepped out of the safety of the upper class residences and into the mouth of the Business District. A heavy feeling grew in the pit of Penny’s stomach as she was led farther and farther from Annette’s. The street traffic was dwindling, and the dark alleys and roads looked threatening.
Penny stopped abruptly. “I’m not going any farther until you tell me what’s going on.”
“Penny, I am begging you. Just come and you’ll understand,” pleaded Armonie, squeezing Penny’s hands for emphasis.
Her friend’s huge eyes lessened Penny’s resolve. “All right. Just to the bridge.”
The others don’t even know where I am. Penny’s unease increased as Armonie’s pace did not let up. She was out of breath and almost to the bridge connecting the two grand Districts. The river beneath it was swollen and filthy from the recent rainfall, and making a cacophonous roar.
“What are we looking for?” Penny called over the roar of the water. “I don’t see anything.” She stepped onto the bridge, trailing behind Armonie until the priestess stopped and hung her head, her breathing aggravated. “Armonie? What is it?” She leaned closer, and was shocked to see Armonie wasn’t panting, but sobbing.
“I’m—I’m so sorry,” she gasped, touching her forehead to Penny’s shoulder and Penny felt her entire body go numb.
“Sorry for what?” Penny’s grave voice was barely audible over the river’s rushing.
“Good work, child. You can step aside now.”
Penny looked up with dread to see a squat goblin priestess standing at the end of the bridge. Her hair was long and white and grew all over her face so that her eyes were barely visible, but her wicked smile still glinted in the dark. Penny took a step back from her, looking at Armonie with horrorstruck bewilderment.
“P-Penny, they found out that I came to see you. I was forced to do this―they wanted t-to turn me into a-a—”
“Quiet, Armonie. You already said too much during your little indiscretion.” It was a voice Penny knew this time, and one she had not heard in a very long time. She whipped around to see Elise poised at the other end of the bridge. Beside her was a tall, fierce-looking faerie priestess with thick black hair and white and crimson makeup covering her face.
“Madame, please be merciful,” Armonie breathed as Elise and the faerie priestess drew nearer. As Penny turned to run, the goblin priestess from the other side of the bridge closed in, digging around in her pockets. Penny looked at Armonie again, who turned away in shame.
“How could you do this?” Penny asked, her heart racing faster by the moment, and with a cringe of shame, Armonie gave a shuddering sob and turned her face away.
Don’t let the witch touch you, Ondera,” the tall faerie told the goblin priestess as she approached Penny. In a swift movement the goblin priestess tossed something she was clutching in her pocket and it caught Penny around the neck. It was a black snake.
The serpent grew in size, wrapping its way around her body, binding her arms to her sides. Once she was bound tight, the serpent grew cold and ceased movement, and Penny watched its scales turn into cords.
“Got her. See, I knew she wouldn’t be much to deal with. Deimos made her sound positively vicious. You’re just a pathetic little twig of a girl, aren’t you?” Ondera cackled, flicking Penny on the nose. Penny recoiled as a pair of hands gripped both of her shoulders.
“Enough, let’s get her below. Someone might see us up here,” the faerie murmured, and she and Elise picked her up and began to walk as Penny struggled.
“Let me go! Where are you taking me?” Penny screamed, trying to make as much noise as she could as the three of them carried her down a set of steps on the other side of the giant bridge. Penny made every effort to ensure that the task of getting down the steps was difficult, but eventually the three priestesses succeeded.
They brought her down to a riverside dock where several boats were tethered, dragging her under the bridge where the sound of the river would drown out any of her cries. The cords weren’t letting up any despite her struggles, and Penny tried desperately to stay focused through the sharp alarm of her panic. The faerie tossed her to the ground, and Penny’s head smashed against the stone bridge. A hot, thick substance began to trickle down Penny’s neck and soak into her jacket.
“Perfect. Cardinal Rhea will be pleased when she returns,” said the faerie priestess, her steely eyes fixed on Penny like an owl watching a mouse.
“Patience, Holeen. We can breathe easy once we’ve got her locked away in the Cathedral. Armonie, the potion,” Elise mumbled. She gave Armonie a stern look when she gazed back with confused, doe eyes.
“The potion, girl, and be quick,” insisted Holeen. “Once we get her out of the way, picking off her friends and the King will be easy. She’ll pose as an example to the rest of the ingrates who oppose the Angelic Lord.”
“But,” interjected Armonie, “you said you only wanted to talk to her, madam. To put the fear of the wrath of Nestor into her! You lied to me!”
“Don’t you dare disobey High Priestess Holeen,” Elise flared, picking up the heavy alchemist’s case from the ground and shoving it into Armonie’s hands. The younger woman stumbled.
“But Cardinal Rhea will kill her! You can’t possibly allow this, madam, you yourself always preached the preservation of life so adamantly, and now you―”
“Armonie, this has gone far enough! Wipe the stain from your honor and prove what side you’re on! You’ve trained all your life to get to your position; don’t throw it all away for a hopeless sinner.” Elise sounded as if she were desperately trying to keep an emotional breakdown at bay.
“Your apprentice is in dire need of training, Elise,” Ondera grumbled.
“I am aware!” Elise screamed back at the goblin, who bore her teeth in response.
The priestesses all looked at Armonie, who regarded them before undoing the latch on her case with shaking fingers. Penny tried to catch her eye, but Armonie would not look at her. Elise’s breathing grew rapid as Armonie fumbled with glass bottles and vials, packets and bags, until she at last pulled out a slender vial filled with murky green liquid. Penny could imagine the horrid taste and thought she would be sick.
“Good, good. Now give it to her.”
Armonie turned to Penny, her head bowed. Her hesitation made Holeen impatient
“Idiot girl, we saved you from a fate that our other, more este
emed sisters have suffered for lesser crimes,” she said, grasping Armonie’s thin arm. With a quivering jaw, Armonie shut her eyes and mumbled something.
“What did you say to me?”
“It’s wrong,” Armonie said louder, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. Elise looked mortified. “It’s wrong, and you know it!”
“What nerve,” Ondera snorted.
Armonie was indignant now, her hands clenching into fists. “You think of yourselves as healers and saints—saviors to all who suffer in our world, and you were one time—but now everything has fallen apart! Your minds are clouded by fear and a self-preserving attitude that will bring about the downfall of our Nation, if not our world.
“It’s true that we have taken an oath to serve our Lord and do whatever he may ask, but there is something very wrong with him at present. Lord Nestor would never wish harm upon his children, and he would never beseech a single soul to create those abominations out of my beloved sisters and friends! You all follow him blindly, refusing to question the brutal plans he has for our people, forgetting the promises you have made to protect life and love all forms of creation. Perhaps you three are satisfied with these cowardly actions, but I will not be so easily swayed. I made a promise to the people of this world on the day I was sworn in as a Junior High Priestess, and I will never falter from those words―those words that you taught me, Madam.”
“You selfish, spoiled brat,” Elise seethed, stepping forward and seizing Armonie by the wrist. “This is how you thank me? I took you in. I raised you as my own. I sacrificed so much to teach you everything I knew so that one day you might take over my position. Do you know how many others had to give up on their dreams because I chose you? Do you have any idea what I’ve given up to see you made into a fine young lady? And this is how you repay me?”
“You’ve been deluded by them, madam! You’re justifying evil in the name of something sacred for your own personal gain! Look at yourselves! You’re all murderers, you―” Armonie was cut off as Elise began striking her in a blind rage. Penny screamed as the cracks of Elise’s mighty blows echoed under the bridge.
“Traitor!” Elise gasped, throwing Armonie to the ground. “I hereby disown you as my protégée and as my daughter! I shall have you excommunicated for this.”
“No! No, you can’t!” Armonie threw herself onto her knees and grasped at Elise’s skirts, but Elise kicked her sharply in the mouth. Armonie fell into a shivering, sobbing heap as blood stained her robes. With vicious intent in her every movement, Elise knelt down and ripped the belled bonnet from Armonie’s head and tossed it into the river. Penny watched through stinging eyes as the golden bells floated on the top of churning, snaking river, singing softly at first as the water rocked them, and then finally falling into silence when the current drew them under.
“How shameful,” Ondera remarked, creeping over and gazing with repugnance at Armonie struggling. Holeen stepped forward and spat on Armonie’s forehead, then kicked her shoulder so that she collapsed again.
“Leave her alone!” Penny gasped, wheezing under the tightness of her bonds.
The priestesses turned their attention back to her. “Don’t waste your breath, little witch. She’ll be a wraith by this time tomorrow. And you—you will be in the care of your old friends Phobos and Deimos Geller in the Cathedral while we wait for the Cardinal to arrive. I’m sure you remember those two. They have been waiting so long to show you how much they appreciate your actions last autumn.”
“Go to hell,” Penny snarled.
Holeen rushed toward her, and behind her Armonie got to her feet, her hair askew and face bloody. Elise noticed a moment too late. Armonie threw a tiny vial at the ground, and from it burst a cloud of thick, purple smoke.
“Dammit, Elise! Don’t let them get away!” came Ondera’s sputtering voice through the haze. Penny then felt a hand grab at her jacket and tug her to her feet. It pulled at Penny and she stumbled to follow it, trusting it to be Armonie. They cleared the smoke and Penny hurried after the blood-soaked priestess, the cries of the others ringing in her ears.
“This way!” Armonie sputtered, gesturing with her head to a carriage that was parked on the street beside a tavern some forty feet away. Once they reached it she threw open the door and Penny flopped inside. Armonie hid beside her, and the girls lay in shaking silence for several minutes.
“Armonie…I can’t…br-breathe…” Penny coughed, no longer able to contend with the pain of her bonds.
Armonie’s eyes were dazed, and she still clutched her alchemy case like a shield. She blinked at Penny for a full minute before comprehending, then jumped into action. Removing a chopping knife from her case, she began to cut the ropes that bound Penny. Halfway through the job she dropped the knife and burst into tears.
“Shh! Armonie, please not now! What if one of them hears?” Penny begged, using the last of her strength to break through the remaining bonds and take Armonie in her arms.
“No, no, no. This can’t happen, this isn’t happening,” Armonie blubbered into Penny’s shoulder.
“Keep it together, please. You can cry your eyes out later, but now we’ve got to get away from here,” Penny told her in a gentle-but-firm manner. Armonie pulled her face away from Penny’s shoulder and stared at her with wide eyes.
“We?” she repeated in confusion.
“Yes?”
“You mean you’re still going to help me? Even after this terrible mess I’ve made?” Armonie seemed completely shocked, and Penny scoffed.
“I’m not going to leave you in this state with those maniacs after you. Not after what you had to give up to save me.” It was the wrong thing to have said. Armonie dissolved into a fresh wave of tears. “No, no! This is not the time for raging emotions!”
“Oh, big sister! You’re too merciful. You should just leave me here to die, it would only be―oh no, where will we go? I’ve lost everything, everything is―”
“Shush!” Penny hissed a bit more harshly and Armonie stifled her sobs as best she could. “We’ll go back to Annette’s house. Now, keep quiet, or we’ll both be in danger.”
THE GIRLS DID not let down their guard until they were safely inside Penny’s room, where Armonie was escorted to the bathroom so she could clean up. The girl was worked up and couldn’t seem to get her mind to relax. Penny passed out from pure exhaustion, awakening several hours later to Armonie crying into a pillow. The night continued in this miserable fashion, with brief periods of sleep followed by many tears and consoling.
“I’ve lost everything. I’ve been cast out. I’m nobody, now. I have nowhere to go,” Armonie would say each time she woke, and while Penny did her best to refute these claims, the girl didn’t seem to hear her.
This cycle continued until late morning, when Penny finally got fed up and decided it was time to alert the others. She escorted Armonie to the dining room where Hector was reading like he did most mornings.
“Good morning,” he said offhandedly, then did a double take when he saw Armonie cowering behind her. “My word, if it isn’t—” His bewilderment shifted to vexation as he took in their cuts, bruises and red-rimmed eyes. “Penelope…what in the world have you done now?”
Penny didn’t know how to begin. Argent walked into the room, looking curious. Armonie gasped at the sight of him. A wicked grin spread across Argent’s face and before Penny could protest, one of his puppets was sailing over to the girl.
“Oh, look. A friend has come to play,” he said in a vaguely sing-song tone and Armonie shuddered.
“D-don’t you come over here! Stay back!” Armonie squeaked, and Argent laughed.
Noct charged into the room, holding a sheet of paper in his hands and laughing. Mia appeared behind him, gasping for breath and enraged.
“Give it back right now!”
“No, I’ve got to show it off. I know of someone in particular who will want to read it!”
“Quit it, Victor!” Mia screamed, reaching for the paper. Noct wres
tled her, but when she punched him in the side, Noct grew upset and fire began to flicker from the crown of his head. Armonie screamed louder and backed into the nearest wall.
“Hey, a priestess! Penny, you captured one? What are we going to do with her? Hold her ransom? Roast her?”
“Armonie! Bon matín, mademoiselle!” cried Simon, entering the room and identifying the source of the commotion. It was the last straw. The priestess ran from the room, wailing, and collided full-force with Gavin.
They stumbled, caught their balance and stared wide-eyed at each other. Then Armonie shot past him and up the stairs, leaving a very ruffled Gavin behind.
“Who was that?” he asked in a thin voice.
We’re just going to let her stay here?”
“Well, we can’t just kick her out. She saved my life, Hector, and those priestesses were out for blood,” Penny combated as they stood in the hallway outside of their rooms.
“Don’t forget she also endangered your life, you don’t have Annette’s permission, and we’re running out of guest rooms. Besides that, do you think Wendy wants to feed one more mouth? The poor woman is going to keel over!” Hector argued.
“I don’t know, I can’t think right now. She kept me up all night crying,” Penny sighed and walked over to her bedroom door. “And judging from the sobbing in there, she’s still crying. I’ll never sleep again.”
“Oh, for goodness sake, just come in here and rest,” Hector scoffed, gesturing for Penny to follow him inside his own room. She hesitated for a split second, decided rest was a priority, and followed him.
Eden Undone (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 2) Page 17
