Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) (26 page)

burnt into her flesh. She’s hysterical, jumping from foot to foot.

She makes a dash for a sink of water and sticks her arm in. I can

hear the sizzling of her flesh.

I look at my hands. What am I?

“You!” The stout man is back. No time. I need to get out, so I

run. “Stop her!” he roars, but nobody tries. Instead, they stand

out of my way.

I push through the door. The fresh air brushes my skin. I

gulp it down, erasing the stench of burning skin. I keep going,

not even sure where I am, but I can’t afford to move slowly.

The man will more than likely pursue me. Nobody pays any

attention as I make my way through the halls. I keep my head

down and stay close to the wall without getting in anyone’s way.

I look over my shoulder, but the man never follows me.

“Watch where you are going.” I smack into a young girl. She’s

walking beside a beautiful blond lady that’s dressed differently.

Wealth radiates from her. Another simply dressed girl stands on

the opposite side, staring at me with disgust.

“Sorry,” I mumble and try to pass. Outrage passes over the

blond woman’s face.

The girl I smacked into looks at me with disbelief. “You bow

to Princess Luna, you stupid girl.” Princess Luna? Oh God, this

must be Clive’s sister, my half-sister.

I push that complication aside and bow. “I apologise, Princess

Luna.”

“Servant, what are you doing walking down the corridors

without looking?” Oh Christ, this couldn’t get worse.

“Sorry, but my boss asked me to get clean cloths for the

kitchen, Princess Luna.” I bow again, hoping I’m not overdoing

it.

“I hope you were not preparing my food in that array?”

I look up at her as she takes in my appearance with distaste.

“No, I just wash pots, Princess Luna.” I try to pass again, still

bowing, but she just stands there.

“Wait.” I freeze. I am sprung. “Tie your lace before you fall.”

She flips her blond hair over her shoulder and walks off. “She

smells like rat poop.” The two girls on either side of her laugh,

but it is forced.

Rats’ poop, bitch. I think.

When she moves around a bend, I get up and move faster

through the halls, this time looking where I’m going. I don’t

know what to look for along the way. There are several doors

on either side of me so I start peeking in as I pass, making sure

no one sees me, but they are all bedrooms. I come to a stairway

and climb. I end up on the main floor. There are no servants

around and the corridor is wide and quiet. I can hear voices

coming from a room farther down, but they’re muffled through

the heavy wooden door. I press my ear against the door and fall

flat on my face onto a marble floor. I look up and smile at two

guards.

One grabs me and drags me off the floor. “What were you

doing, listening for information?”

I shake my head. He drags me into the room. I dig my heels

into the marble floor, but they just squeak the whole way until

he throws me back onto the floor. “It seems we have found a

traitor, my lady.” I look up and into the hard white face of the

queen. She sits upon a large gold throne at the top of the room.

She wears a blood-red dress that flows all over the marble floor.

Her hair is pinned back severely, making her face look stretched.

“Are you a traitor?” she asks, tilting her head to the side.

“No, my lady.”

“Of course not.” She gives me a frightening grin and then

flicks her hand towards me. My breath catches. It feels like my

soul is being touched. It’s the most unnatural feeling I’ve ever

felt. I push it away with all my strength and it stops. The queen

stands up, her pale blue eyes fixated on me. She walks towards

me. Her dress is like a pool of blood flowing after her. “What

did you just do?” She seems horrified yet excited at the same

time

“Nothing.” I lower my eyes to the floor. She slides a dagger

out from her sleeve. My hand rests on my boot, not that I’ll get

away if I harm her.

“Tell me now and I will not hurt you.” Her voice is like a

thousand snakes squirming around me.

“I did nothing.”

She gives me a pleasurable look. “We will see.” She stretches

out the knife towards my neck. “Are you sure?”

I swallow; panic and fear start to rise. I really don’t know

what happened. “I pushed you away.”

She looks at me, studying my features.

“Do I know you?” I drop my head.

“No, my lady.” I say. “

Look at me while I speak to you.”

I look at her ice-cold eyes and recognition flashes across

her face. She strikes out with the dagger but freezes just as it

is a hair’s breadth away from my neck. Sweat drips from my

forehead onto my cheek. She pushes the dagger with all her

force, but it won’t move. The dagger goes sliding across the

floor and she starts laughing.

“Sarajane, welcome,” she says with a psychotic smile on her

face. “I should have known it was you.” Her face turns into a

snarl and then she returns to her throne. “I have been waiting

for you,” she says.

“Where is my sister?”

She ignores my question. The guards around the room are

closing in on me slowly, but Bellona holds up her hand and they

stop. “Life is full of hard decisions. Sometimes they are made

for us.” She shrugs her shoulders slightly. If I’d blinked, I would

have missed the motion. “And sometimes we must make them

ourselves. Would you not agree, Sarajane?”

I don’t know where she’s going with this so I just remain

silent. She takes my silence as whatever answer she wanted.

“My son was struck down too young.” Her eyes grow colder,

which I didn’t think was possible. “A life, what is it worth?”

I squirm under her stare but straighten my shoulders. I can’t

show fear or she will eat me up.

“Bellona, your son tried to kill me,” I say in the strongest

voice I can muster.

Her roar silences the room. “Enough. I will not listen to

your lies.” She composes herself into a statue-like stance while

wiping spit from her chin. “It does not matter. He is dead. I

would kill you if I could, but I gave an oath not to harm you.”

Relief fills me. “So you are free to go.”

My muscles tense. She will kill Jessica.

Her lip rises ever so slightly and then falls back into its hard,

straight line. Fear rushes through me. “Do you like games,

Sarajane?”

I answer with an abrupt no. The queen moves towards me.

“Pity, because I have one for you, but you don’t have to play

it.” She circles me, making the tension in my body increase.

My palms are slick with sweat. “In the forest of Eden, south

of the Amour Caves, there is a small hut where two guards

hold a young lady.” My heart rate quickens. “You have two

days and then your time is up. The thread of life shall be

cut.”

I want to kill her and my voice makes it clear how I feel. “If

you harm my sister…”

Bellona stares at me and her guards move closer. “What will

you do, Sarajane? Your time has started; you have two days to

rescue her, so I suggest you leave.” I don’t understand why she

is giving me time.

I tell my feet to move and they obeyed.

“But you also have another choice.” I turn back to her. “It

will take two days to leave Saskia and cross to the mortal world

where your father John is being held by guards. So you choose

who lives and who dies.”

Angry tears leave my eyes. “Why? They’ve done nothing

wrong.” My nails dig into my palms as I try and control my

anger. “

Life is not fair. I realised that when you took my innocent

son’s life. So I am being rather kind telling you in advance. You

must show up to the forest or the mortal realm. No one else can

stop this. The guards must see you.” This time the queen leaves

with her guards trailing behind her.

I stand frozen only for a second and then my limbs catch up

with my brain and I run from the room out the main doors of

the castle. Nobody stops me as I run back through the village.

Just on the outskirts beside what looks like a memorial garden

stands a man with a horse. I slow down as I pass him.

“Sarajane,” he whispers. I stop. “I am Dominic, a friend

of your mother. The horse has water and food in the side

packs.” This seems a little too convenient. “Corrona, my wife,

works in the castle and she overhead you and the queen.” He

stretches out the reins towards me. I take them and he helps

me up. “Tell Marta that we said hi.” Then he lowers his head.

“And sorry.”

I don’t ask why. “Thank you, Dominic.” I kick the horse and

make my way towards the mountains. I stop before entering,

retrieving my cloak that still lays under the rock and tying it

around my neck. My body shakes with adrenaline. I have no

idea how to get to Eden Forest, but I have to try.

I take a steady breath and make my way through the passage

in the mountain. I’m not far in when I can hear the hooves

of horses coming in my direction. I pull on the horse’s reins,

directing him into an indent in the mountainside, hoping the

shadows will give me enough cover.

As the voices get closer, they become clearer. A smile breaks

across my face at Neve’s and Kiar’s voices. It isn’t their usual

banter; if anything, they sound worried. I pull the reins,

gesturing for the horse to move out. Mirium, Morrick, Tristan,

Liber, Neve and Kiar stare back at me. Big, relieved grins appear

on Neve’s and Kiar’s faces.

“Did you miss me?” I can’t help but ask.

Tristan rides up alongside my horse. He is livid and trying

hard to control his face, but his eyes tell the truth. “You.” He

clenches his jaw, unable to find any words that can match how

outraged he his.

“She has my sister,” I tell him, my own anger rising. He knew

this but didn’t care.

“Then where is she?” Tristan questions, but his words are

uncaring, his annoyance still too high.

I turn from him and face Morrick. “She has her in the forest

of Eden, held by two guards. I have two days to rescue her.”

Morrick tuts. “Her stupid games.” He lets out a heavy breath.

“Fine. Liber, escort Sarajane back to Aquaterra.” Morrick cuts

off my protests. “We will get her.” As if he cares, but I rein in

my anger.

“You can’t. I have to show my face to the guards or they kill

her.”

Morrick looks to Mirium for inspiration. “I do not know the

outcome, but I feel the truth in her words.”

Morrick’s face darkens. “It is too dangerous.”

“She’s my sister; I will save her. I’m not asking for your

permission, Morrick”

Neve and Kiar look alarmed at my tone toward their king.

I know I’ve maybe gone too far, so I soften my voice. “I need

your help, please.”

Morrick doesn’t reply. I look at Tristan now. He hasn’t moved