If this was a joke, he’d definitely just rammed the punchline into the ground.
Two pairs of rough hands grabbed obediently onto either of my arms.
“Let me go!” I struggled, but their grips crushed my arms even more tightly every time I tried to jerk away. I still had relatively free use of my legs, though, so I drew one of them back and kicked as hard as I could. I felt the guy on my right buckle as my foot hit his shin.
“You little—” I flinched as he raised one of his hands.
But just as he got ready to hit me, Kael appeared behind him, grabbed the hand and jerked it back down. “Can you honestly not handle one weak young girl without resorting to that?” he asked with a frown.
The man yanked his hand away with a disgruntled look on his face.
Kael turned to me. “Look,” he said. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way—it’s your choice.”
If my hands had been free, I would’ve slapped him without a second’s hesitation. But the men holding me back were gripping my arms more tightly than ever, so I just glared straight into Kael’s eyes instead.
Then I jerked my head back and spit directly into his face.
“You jerk,” I said, my voice shaking so much I could barely get the words out. “I trusted you.”
For a minute, Kael looked even more furious than I felt as he wiped his face clean. But then that face split with a crooked grin and he shook his head.
He was laughing as he turned and walked away from me.
17
trust
And this was why I didn’t like getting close to people.
If I thought I could’ve managed it given my currently restrained condition, I would’ve kicked myself.
I’m not sure how I made my feet move, but somehow I kept trudging along. It was either that, after all, or let those guys drag me—and I sure as hell wasn’t doing that.
The minutes stretched into hours, which then became several hours, but I stayed upright even once my feet starting cramping and I could feel the beginnings of blisters forming on the back of both my heels.
I desperately wanted to know where we were going.
Kael was walking several feet in front of me, side-by-side with Sera, and once or twice I almost called out to him. But in the end I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to risk the pain of being ignored on top of everything else.
We hadn’t been walking long before my thoughts strayed to Vanessa and Eli. And to Shane too—he was probably back at the campsite by now.
He had been right about Kael all along.
I could only hope they would still go after Emily and the others first, and not worry about me. I’d gotten myself into this mess all by myself, after all—so I’d be the one to get myself out of it.
Not counting Kael and Sera, there were at least twenty others, including the guys on either side of me. I’d threatened those two enough times that they’d taken their hands off me—probably because they were tired of listening to me.
But they were still close.
Close enough to grab me if I tried to make a run for it. And even if I managed to get past them, there were still a half-dozen others behind me to deal with.
There was one thing working in my favor, though: we were going up.
And ‘up’ meant more rock than forest, rock that in some places jutted up at steep angles and created narrow passageways that called for a bit of climbing. We’d had to climb through a few already, and a short distance ahead was another one. The ones at the front of our group were slowly single-filing their way through it.
I threw a quick glance over my shoulder. I’d counted right. There were only six behind me. My eyes darted back to the passageway. It was barely big enough for one person to fit into, and after about twenty feet or so it took a sharp bend—which meant the people at the very front couldn’t see us anymore. It was lined with a loose outcropping of rocks that looked terribly unstable, and would make turning around even more difficult.
I hoped.
We reached the passage, and the man on my left stepped forward and placed a hand against the wall of rock, testing his footing on a large, makeshift-step of stone.
And then, before I could further doubt what I was doing, I stopped.
I had to duck to avoid the hand that snatched out at me. I stayed low, searching the ground for something I could arm myself with.
“What are you doing?” demanded the man beside me.
“Nothing…I…I just dropped something.”
“Get up,” he growled, kicking me hard in the side.
“Alright, alright!” I said, just as my hand folded over a rock with a particularly sharp edge. I hesitated for another second. He tried to kick me again. I managed to roll out of the way this time, and then I jumped to my feet and swung up as hard as I could; the rock caught him just underneath the chin and he fell back, clutching his throat.
I dropped the rock abruptly.
For a second all I could do was stare at the damage, at the blood streaming over his hands and down his arms.
I seriously didn’t know my own strength.
It was unnerving.
The people behind us rushed forward. One of them tried to grab me. I jerked aside. They still managed to get a hold of my sleeve—but their grip on it was loose, and I managed to pull free.
And then I ran harder than I’d ever ran in my life.
I had to circle wide to avoid the rest of the ones who had been behind us, which meant abandoning the well-beaten path. Which meant scaling lots of rocks, which meant lots of falling. Footsteps and the scraping and sliding of rocks echoed behind me.
I ran until all I could feel of my movement was a vague burning sensation that shot up into my calves with every step. I bounced from rock to rock, slid down the pebble-strewn hills, and leapt the smaller crevices without stopping to think.
I couldn’t think about what I was doing.
I couldn’t think about what it would mean if those footsteps caught up with me.
All I could think about was the line of trees rising in the distance, and I pumped my aching legs toward it.
Thirty feet away.
If I could just reach the cover of the forest...
Twenty feet away.
I can make it...
Ten feet away.
I’m going to make it.
There was a sudden noise—almost like the whoosh of wind—and I couldn’t stop myself from looking back.
A blur of black was hurtling towards me.
The last thing I remember seeing were the claws, outstretched and aiming straight for my face.
* * *
“This isn’t real. This isn’t happening. I’ve just been dreaming.”
You know that isn’t true.
“…a very long dream…”
Open your eyes, and see for yourself it isn’t true.
“If I open them, I’ll just see my room. And Lora will be in hers, just down the hall…”
Open them.
The side of my head was throbbing. I tried to lift a finger to feel for the gash I was sure would be there.
But my hands were tied together behind my back.
The rope was so tight I couldn’t even pull my wrists apart.
My eyes opened. I was in a small, dark room that smelled a bit musty. It was sparsely furnished, with a few shelves in one corner and a twin bed against the wall directly behind me. The walls were blank. There were no windows. It looked like a guest bedroom of someone who didn’t care for guests.
I tried to sit up, but rope was binding my ankles, too, so I ended up toppling forward and getting a face full of the stone floor instead. I rolled over on my side, an inescapable feeling of defeat rising in my chest. My eyes fell on a closed door on the far side of the room. Bright light spilled in underneath. I stared at it for a long time, trying to find the strength to move.
It was at least ten minutes before I found it. And even then, it only came when a shadow moved across
the rectangle of light spreading in from under the door.
The shadow disappeared briefly, then came back and stood still for a few seconds.
I lifted my head. My eyes widened, refocused, and I tried sitting up again with more success this time; I managed to get my knees under me. I was working on trying to keep my balance when I heard the sound of a key being forced in, and the click as it unlocked the door.
I instinctively tried to scramble back, anticipating the worst. Of course, I didn’t manage to move far before losing my balance.
I fought my way upright again.
The door swung open.
Sera stood in the doorway, looking pale and ghostly in the bright light outside of the room. She stepped inside without a word and closed the door enough so that only a thin sliver of light shone in.
Then she started toward me, still not making a sound.
I tried to pull my hands free, but all I managed to do was dig the rope further into my skin. I kept struggling as Sera knelt down beside me.
She frowned. “Calm down, Alex,” she said. Then she cocked her head sideways, reached a thin finger out and touched it to the side of my head.
I drew back, letting out a painful hiss, and nearly lost my balance again.
Sera grinned. “Guess it still stings, huh?”
“Obviously,” I said through clenched teeth.
“If you would calm down, like I suggested, your body would be able to heal itself a lot better.”
“Did you come in here just to rub this in my face?” I demanded, still struggling against the binding ropes.
“Always with that strong tone of yours…You’ve got a bit of a temper, you know that?”
“You have no idea.”
“Still, I think it’s one of your more admirable qualities,” Sera said with a smirk. “Actually, I think that spunk of yours is pretty much your only admirable quality.”
“That’s nice,” I said. “But back to why you’re here?”
She raised an eyebrow. Then she shoved a hand into the pocket of her jacket and retrieved something long and thin, which glistened even in the dull light of the room.
“Is that a knife?”
“Mm-hmm,” she said as she side-stepped her way behind me.
I tried to twist myself around to face her, but she placed a firm hand on my shoulder.
“I’d hold still if I were you,” she said. “Unless you want this to hurt.”
“If you’re going to kill me, the least you could do is face me while you’re doing it. Or maybe you—” My breath caught in my throat as the blade brushed against my arm. I felt a sharp jerk on my wrists, followed by a shove.
Next thing I knew, I was face first on the floor again.
And then I lifted my hands off my back, and I felt the rope slide away.
“Kill you?” Sera repeated airily, shaking her head. “No. Not now, not like this.”
I sat up, and I crawled several feet away from her before focusing on the knot binding my ankles. For a few minutes I tried—unsuccessfully—to untie the knot without looking at it.
It didn’t take long for that to get frustrating, and I was about to chance taking my eyes off Sera for a second when she suddenly held up her hands. Her right hand unclenched, dropping the knife she was holding to the ground.
Then she kicked it close enough for me to reach.
Her expression was stony; there was none of her usual malice.
I still didn’t touch the knife. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” she asked. “I’m helping you.”
“But why? You’ve been trying to kill me since the day we met.”
“People change, Alex.”
“You expect me to believe that? Seriously?”
“What other choice do you have but to trust me?” she asked. And then her face split into a rather nasty grin. “You’re not going to get out of here without my help.”
I had a bad feeling she was right, as much as I hated to admit it.
I picked up the knife with tentative fingers and sawed the rope away. “So you’re going to get me out of here?” I asked.
“I’m going to do my part,” she said. “I already got rid of the guards outside your door for you. And I’ll tell you where to go from here.”
“But you’re not going with me?” I asked, growing more skeptical by the minute.
“You think I want to be seen helping you escape?” she snapped. “I’ve got my own reputation to protect—and I’m sticking my neck out enough for you as it is.”
“Why are you doing this for me?”
The stony expression settled back over her features. “Who said I was doing this for you?” she asked in a terribly empty voice. “Don’t misunderstand. I—” she pointed to her chest for emphasis “—would much rather see you dead. And don’t you ever forget it.”
“Oh, I get it now,” I said slowly. “See, before I only thought you were crazy. But now I know for a fact that you are absolutely insane—and that explains everything.”
“Spare me the cute commentary,” she growled. Then she grabbed my arm and yanked me roughly to me feet.
“Um, ow?”
“We need to hurry up,” she said. “Kael is waiting for you.”
“What?” I’d started following her as she headed toward the door, but those words stopped me cold.
“I said—”
“I heard what you said. But he can keep waiting. I never want to see that jerk again.”
Sera turned to me with an exasperated sigh. “I don’t really care what you want right now. All I know is that—for reasons I still don’t fully understand myself— I promised Kael I’d get you safely to him. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do. So come on, let’s move.”
But I didn’t move. “So that’s who you’re doing this for.”
There was the tiniest quiver in the corner of her lip—barely noticeable. I think it might’ve been the beginning of a snarl.
Still, something drove me to keep prying, even though that look on her face told me I’d probably be safer poking a rattlesnake with a stick.
“Why are you doing him favors?”
“Do you want me to kill you, little girl?”
“It’s not a hard question. And why did you come instead of him, anyway?”
She glared at me. “Because he had other things to take care of.”
“Like what?”
Her lips pursed, and her fists clenched so hard her knuckles started turning white. “Okay, you know what? I’m done with you. You want to stay here and rot, you do that.” She started back toward the door, and I almost just let her go. I didn’t want help from her, or Kael, or anybody else for that matter.
I never had.
And yet I couldn’t ignore the fact that Sera had helped me, and now I couldn’t help but think—what would I have done if she hadn’t come along?
“Wait,” I said quietly.
She stopped just as she reached the door and turned slowly back to me.
I swallowed hard, and when I spoke I tried to sound humble, and tried to hide the uncertainty in my voice. “Tell me where I need to go.”
* * *
To the left, down the hallway. Up the stairs and to the right.
Sera’s directions rang clearly in my head, but I was starting to doubt them.
For one thing, this had to have been the longest hallway I’d ever seen. And I’d yet to find any stairs. I was about to just start checking all these random rooms along the hall—I had a feeling that would be about as productive as following Sera’s directions.
With a frustrated sigh, I slowed to a stop.
This was probably her idea of a good time—giving me directions that got me nowhere. She was probably sitting somewhere, laughing her head off at the thought of me wandering around this place.
And Kael was probably sitting with her, equally amused by it all.
I was staring at the ceiling, wondering why in the world I
’d ever trusted Sera and thinking about how hard I was going to hit Kael if I ever saw him again, when footsteps echoed through the hall.
I looked down to see a shadow of a figure. He was still a good way off, and so at first I didn’t move, desperately hoping he somehow hadn’t seen me wandering aimlessly down here.
But then he broke into a sprint, racing directly at me.
My first instinct was to stand and fight, but I had a feeling reinforcements weren’t going to be far behind him. I’d be better off trying to make a run for it.
To my right was a door, and I lunged for the handle and tried to turn it.
Locked.
Of course it was.
I gave the door a swift kick and let out a string of words I was glad my mom wasn’t there to hear. Then I looked back and saw the figure—Markus, it turned out— was less than twenty feet away.
“Hey!” he called. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Somehow I didn’t think he’d believe me if I told him I was just out for a stroll.
So I turned and ran as hard as I could in the opposite direction.
“There’s only so far you can run, you know!” he shouted as he gave chase.
A terrifyingly accurate statement—because soon a dead end was looming straight ahead of me. There were doors on either side of the hallway’s end, but my guess was they were both locked. Because that’s just how my luck worked. Not that I would’ve had time to try and open them anyway; Markus was so close that the second I stopped he was going to be right on top of me.
The irony was that, for once, I really didn’t want to fight.
Yeah, I could be reckless—but I wasn’t stupid.
But all of a sudden, I’d reached the end of the hall, and then there was nothing to do but turn and face Markus head on.
He was a lot bigger than I’d remembered. His smile was triumphant as he closed the space left between us with confident strides. I braced myself and lifted my gaze to his.
“What are you running for?” he asked with a smirk. “Not quite as brave as you were the other day, huh?”
I didn’t say anything.
“You gave Sera a nasty black eye, you know that? Only lasted a couple of hours, but still— I don’t think it should go unpunished.”
Descendant Page 23
