Descent (22 page)

‘Jane, stay down!’ Altor called, dodging a set of talons. Jane started to shake, but not out of fear. She could feel something buzzing inside her, like a small electric current. She looked at Fern and saw a glimpse of flames in his eyes, and this made the thing inside her grow even more. Her hands trembled as she stepped away from the other two. Exposing herself to the creatures.

‘Jane, what are you—?’ Fern cried, his eyes widening, the fire licking at the sockets. The terror of his eyes caught her in the stomach, but she could not focus on that now, because something was heightening inside her. Like every bit of her strength and fear and anger was running across her skin to meet her centre, growing and throbbing like a giant ball of energy. It pulsed violently, frighteningly, and Jane has the sense that she might not be able to control this thing inside her.

She looked up at the swarming creatures of shadow and nightmare, and she sent that energy out through her fingers.

The power, or energy, or whatever it was, slammed into one of the Valkyries and sent it crashing to the ground, its body disappearing instantly. But Jane had no time for shock, because as she watched, another beast swooped down and slashed its talons into Altor’s shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain. Using the fury inside her, she directed the energy, sending another creature into the ground, killing it with sheer force.

The air, she realised, was moving to her will. Something was allowing her to control the sky around her, allowing her to strike the Valkyries with nothing but rage. But it was so hard to hold onto—so hard to contain. The power inside her wanted to be unleashed, but Jane knew with deep certainty that if she let go, she would no longer have control of it.

So together the three of them dispatched the remaining Valkyries. Fern and Altor killed another pair with arrows, leaving the last to Jane. Then the sky was empty again.

With a groan of effort, Jane reined in her coil of power, forcing it back down inside her. In an instant it was gone, disappearing somewhere inside her so that she could no longer feel it. Jane sank to her knees, her
legs like jelly, her mind numb. The absence of power left her feeling utterly drained. Fern was at her side in an instant and his eyes were back to normal, making her think that maybe she’d imagined the flames in her delirium of power.

Altor came to her side too, holding his wound to stop the blood.

‘What the hell just happened?’ Fern asked breathlessly. ‘Are you all right?’

Jane nodded. ‘I’m fine. Just a little...’ she trailed off, too exhausted to finish her sentence.

‘How did you do that?’ Altor asked.

She shook her head. ‘I don’t know. But I think we should go home. Now.’

Fern lifted her onto his horse and then climbed on behind her, kicking it into a fast walk. Sinking back against his warm chest, and feeling his arms around her, Jane drifted into sleep.

‘Is she okay?’ Altor asked, holding onto Jane’s horse as well as his own. Fern looked down at the sleeping girl in front of him and grimaced.

‘I think she’s just very tired.’

‘Do you have any idea...?’

Fern shook his head. ‘I don’t know how she did it. But Altor, it would do you well to realise that she’s been gone from this existence, for a very long time. I think it’s better if we don’t bombard her with questions.’

Altor nodded, turning his eyes ahead. They were going as fast as they could, Altor having to control two horses with one arm. The wound in his shoulder was not too bad. It was the thought of what would happen next that was worrying him. Fern, clearly, didn’t know that part of the story, and Altor was glad that the other man wouldn’t be worrying about him too.

‘I can’t believe how foolish I was,’ Fern muttered.

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Dallying on the way home. Joking as if we had all the time in the world when we should have been riding hard the whole time. It was unthinkably stupid.’

‘Fern, it’s hardly your fault. Plus, no one got hurt.’

‘Your shoulder is wounded,’ he said bluntly. ‘Who knows what’s wrong with Jane after what she did. I should have known better.’

Altor stared at him, realising that he’d never met someone so unwaveringly self-punishing. Shaking his head, he shut his mouth with a snap. He looked at the girl on Fern’s horse, and the way he encircled her perfectly, their bodies fitting together as if they’d been made that way.

A tendril of the old anger flared in Altor’s stomach. But it felt different this time. Or, at least, it was spurred on by something different—the warm stickiness of envy. He wished, quite ridiculously, that she was sitting on
his
horse, but knew, with the same kind of certainty that he knew his own name, that she would not fit into his arms like she did in Fern’s.

‘We need to do something about this,’ Fern said.

Altor looked at this man, his new friend, and thinking of something entirely different to the prince, he agreed.

‘Yes. We do.’

Jane awoke the next morning, having slept for a full fourteen hours. Miraculously, she felt great. She yawned and stretched in the sun that was streaming through the window. Her good mood, however, waned in the light of figuring out how she was going to get through yet another day in this place.

Perhaps it was time to move on. Her friends needed her, she knew that much. Maybe it would be more
productive to head for Amalia and see what Accolon thought about the situation. Something needed to be done, but she wasn’t exactly experienced in war strategy. Jane had come to realise something about herself since arriving in Paragor though; she would always try her best to help in any way she could. Gone were the days when she resented expectations—she still feared them, but was no longer angered by them.

Maybe her friends would have an idea about what to do. Jane decided to check in on them. First she did a quick sweep of all five of them without actually making contact.

Anna was planning to make her way here to see her. Harry and Jack were still in Amalia—Harry was helping in the watch-tower while Jack remained at the palace. Mia was in Samaraq, and Jane was astonished to realise that she was aware of her past life, even if she didn’t remember it. A wave of warmth washed over Jane—she’d never been so proud of Mia. Lastly Luca—who was not far away at all.

It occurred to Jane that she should have gone to see him. Torr was only a few hours ride from the Elvish city. If she hadn’t been so wrapped up in her own problems, she might have given a thought to how he was. Because it was clear, just from the contact of their minds, that he was not okay. There was something so dark about him that she had shuddered upon contact. She had been frightened of what she might find if she went to see him. Frightened that her best friend might not be there anymore.

Like a coward, the thought made her pull her mind back without talking to any of them. In truth, she was worried what her friends would think when they realised she was staying in Fern’s palace. Two years ago she’d arrogantly told them all that he loved her, that
he was going to leave his fiancé for her, and they’d all tried to warn her that he wouldn’t. She couldn’t bare the thought of what they would say when they found out. Especially Luca, who’d warned her so many times that it would end in tears.

On top of all that, Jane had another, entirely different problem to think about. How in hell had she managed to do what she did last night? Kill those flying creatures with nothing but her mind? What did it mean that she could do something like that? A long time ago, Freyja had told her that she was only just discovering her power, and that she had so much more potential. Jane shook her head. It was way too freaky.

She wondered with a giggle what her friends from school would say if they could see her do what she did last night. Or her mother. A pang of longing swept over her at the thought of her poor mother, left all alone with her father. But Jane had been pushing thoughts like those to the bottom of her mind for her whole life, and now was not the time to start dredging them up.

Jane dressed and decided to go in search of Altor. He was the perfect distraction from another dreary day. Tomorrow she would figure out a plan of action. She rounded several palace corners and went through a few different rooms before she realised she was lost. Shivering and wishing she’d put on more clothing, she turned back to try and retrace her steps, stumbling upon something she very much regretted.

Fern and Athena exited a room, laughing, and Jane saw with hard clarity that he had his arm around his wife, holding her tightly. Jane froze, hoping they would turn the other way and not spot her, but alas, no luck.

Fern dropped his hands so abruptly that Athena had to right herself against the wall. Her face brightened when she spotted Jane.

‘How are you, dearest?’ she asked warmly, moving quickly to kiss Jane on the cheek. ‘Fern said you were very tired last night.’

‘Yeah, I was a bit. But I’m fine now, thanks. I slept like the dead.’

‘Good. You’re certainly having a tough time of it, aren’t you?’

Jane flushed, hating how fragile she was. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said softly. ‘I hate being an imposition.’

Athena laughed. ‘Jane! That’s not what I meant! We love having you here, don’t we Fern?’

Fern’s eyes, which had never left Jane’s face, widened fractionally as he realised he was being addressed. ‘Of course,’ he said woodenly. ‘Of course we do.’

‘There now. Would you like to come for a walk with us?’ Athena offered.

‘No! Uh, no thanks. I was looking for Altor. Do you know where I could find him?’

‘He’s outside,’ Fern said. ‘Training. We were on our way there so we’ll show you the way.’

Jane opened her mouth to decline, but Fern shot her a look, so she fell into step behind the couple and walked with her eyes on her feet. Every time she glanced up at Athena’s back, her eyes burned with guilt and jealousy.

They walked out of the palace and through the city, winding through streets and over to the enormous arena on the east side. Jane sighed as she felt the soft grass under her feet. All the ice of the palace was a bit depressing. The arena was empty of spectators, but on the far side next to the jousting bar were a group of men and women. Altor was among them, and she smiled to see how small he looked next to the tall Elves. As usual, when among them, she, too, felt like a dwarf.

The Elvish people were practicing their archery. There were several targets located at the other end of
the arena, so far away that Jane could barely see them. She realised why when she spotted one of the bows—it was enormous.

‘It’s called a long bow,’ Fern told her, moving next to her while Athena greeted some of the women. ‘It’s used for long-distance archery.’

‘Like firing into the sky?’

He nodded. ‘We have to find a better way to start beating these things.’

Jane shifted a little further away from him, watching an Elf pull the long strings of the bow until it was taut, his bicep straining with the effort.

‘I don’t think shooting them with arrows is going to help much in the scheme of things,’ she muttered.

Fern glanced at her, shrugging. ‘Every little bit helps. Even if this only works to make the people feel safer, then we’ll practice out here for as long as it takes.’

‘Can you fire that thing?’

He nodded wordlessly. His focus had moved—he was now watching as Altor was passed the bow and stepped up to the mark. The boy notched an arrow and aimed, pulling it as tight as he could.

‘How far away is it?’ Jane asked, watching closely.

‘Two hundred metres.’

Altor’s arrow fell onto the grass short of the target. He looked over at where Jane and Fern were standing and offered them a wry smile. ‘Apparently I’m not as good as I thought I was,’ he said.

Fern strode over to the boy and Jane, curious, followed.

‘Hold it higher,’ Fern said. Fern helped him to reposition his trajectory and pull the strings even tighter. This time Altor hit the target on the outer edge. ‘Your strength will grow with practice and soon you’ll be able to do that on your own,’ Fern assured him.

Altor nodded and passed the bow to the older man. Fern grinned and passed it on to the woman next to him.

Altor eyed the prince. ‘Scared you won’t match up?’

Fern shrugged. ‘I’ve had enough practice for one man. Give the others a chance.’

Altor folded his arms, watching the action. His eyes started to wander and then came to focus on Jane.

‘Pretty lady,’ he murmured, kissing her hand.

‘Hi,’ Jane said, smiling. ‘I came looking for you.’

‘You did?’ he asked, smiling dangerously. ‘Lucky me. Shall we go for a walk?’

She nodded and the two of them walked from the arena, all the while aware of Fern’s eyes following.

‘How are the tear ducts this morning?’ Altor asked.

‘Still unused!’ she answered brightly. ‘I promised I wouldn’t cry, remember? There’s no reason to—I’m fine.’

‘That’s my girl.’

They walked onto the street and headed down the hill. ‘Let me show you a place I found the other day,’ she said, smiling and taking his hand to lead him along.

Altor faltered briefly as he felt her skin against his. She took him into a courtyard and over to the other side where a staircase wound up onto the roof of a building.

‘Nice view, huh?’ Jane said.

It was one of the watch-towers that were built into the city walls. There was no one there at this time of morning, so the two of them could look out over the city in front of them, the plains behind, and down into the arena where the Elves were training.

The Elves lined up in a row and fired together at the same target. Every arrow landed as dead centre as it could with so many vying for the bullseye.

‘Wow,’ Jane breathed.

Altor nodded. ‘I’ve been down there with them all morning, and those people are like none I’ve ever come across. They’re trained a hundred times more thoroughly than any human in Paragor.’

‘They’re probably a lot older than anyone else in the world,’ she said.

Altor’s face was carefully expressionless. ‘Will Fern age like a human? Or like them?’