Jack Staples and the City of Shadows (15 page)

Chapter 19

A DIMMING LIGHT

Six years earlier

 

Only one day after the successful pilfering of Belfast's central market, Alexia and her Gang of Rogues were back. This time their mission was far simpler—to steal a little hay and grain to feed the animals they'd taken the day before.

As they walked to the market, Alexia had been proud to see her “Wanted” poster stuck to every lamppost. Each time she saw her face on a poster, she smiled. It made her feel important and dangerous.

Someone inside the market started to scream. Alexia and her friends rose on tiptoes to see what was happening, but they were too short. There were more screams—something was happening on the other side of the market and people began to flee.

Josiah didn't hesitate. While the shopkeeper's attention was turned to the screams, he grabbed a large bale of hay from a nearby stall. Benaiah stole a bucket of grain. Both boys turned and walked quickly in the direction of a nearby alley. One by one the others also stole some hay or grain and slipped away. Alexia hesitated; whatever was happening had piqued her curiosity.

“We got what we came for!” Juno tugged her sleeve. “Let's go before someone catches us!”

Alexia shook her head. “I'm going to stay. You take the others back to the hideout. I'll join you in a few minutes. I want to see what's going on!”

Juno rolled her eyes before disappearing into the alley. Alexia darted toward the center of the market. All around her, men, women, and children sprinted in the opposite direction. It was chaos like nothing she'd seen before. Shopkeepers abandoned their wares and fled. Every last person was desperate to escape what was coming.

Alexia climbed onto a shopkeeper's table to get a better look. What she saw took her breath away—a large elephant pulling a covered wagon was galloping through the packed marketplace. And Alexia was the only one not screaming.

Excitement shone in her eyes as the mammoth beast galloped toward her, destroying everything in its path. Fruit and vegetable stands went flying, and hanging slabs of meat dropped to the dusty ground. Stalls filled with clothing, lamps, glassware, candles, chickens, goats, pastries, and almost everything imaginable were smashed aside by the elephant and the wagon. The elephant's eyes were rolled back, showing only the whites.

What on earth is an elephant doing here?
She hadn't been this excited since the day she'd learned how to skin a rabbit with one hand. Alexia had always had a way with animals. Whether wild or tame, they seemed to like her. So she had no doubt this elephant would be the same. She threw her crimson cloak over her shoulders and fully extended one arm with palm outstretched.

“Ha!” she yelled as loudly as she could. “Stop right there!”

If anything, the elephant sped up slightly.

“I said, Stop!” Alexia screamed as fear threatened to overcome her excitement. And still the beast crashed ever closer.

“Oh, no.” But it was too late. Before she could so much as turn around, the elephant was on her. The beast whipped its massive head to the side and slammed a tusk against her body. She felt at least three ribs crack as she hurtled over five stalls to land in the middle of a pigsty.

Bruised and angry, Alexia struggled to stand as she wiped mud from her eyes. When she turned to see where the elephant had gone, she froze. The covered wagon had upended and burst apart.

The stunned elephant and destroyed wagon were not what worried Alexia. It was the two dizzy and agitated lions that were struggling to rise. The beasts had been caged in the back of the wagon and both were now free, watching Alexia with hungry eyes.

The lions were identical except for the color of their manes; one was black and one golden. The golden-maned lion had a fresh cut on its shoulder and a wild look in its eyes. The terrified elephant stood a few paces away, still connected to the upended cart.

Lions and elephants roaming the streets of Belfast!
It's not possible!

The black-maned lion roared loudly, baring its teeth. The two beasts were now on opposite sides of Alexia, so she needed to move continuously to keep them in sight. But there was nowhere to go. When the golden lion behind her roared, the black-maned lion attacked.

In sheer panic, she squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, waiting for the beasts to collide with her. Yet besides the sudden burst of wind that ripped at her clothes, there was … nothing. Ever so slowly Alexia opened her eyes. Both lions were sprawled on the ground on either side of her, lying motionless, as if dead.

“What?” Alexia turned to see the elephant, goats, cows, pigs, and chickens all lying on the ground. Every animal she could see—

They're dead!
The thought made her want to cry.
What happened? How could all of them have died at the exact same time?
It was too horrible to imagine. She knelt and placed a hand on the head of the golden-maned lion. As her fingers touched its fur, the mighty beast let out a soft purr.

Alexia screamed as she jumped back. Though she was relieved it was alive, she didn't want to be too close. It was still a lion, after all. The second lion opened its eyes groggily, and when it looked at Alexia, it also began to purr.

After spotting a spool of twine in the wreckage of a nearby shop, Alexia quickly fashioned a leash around each beast's neck while they were still dazed. She took the end of the twine and tied it to the ruined wagon wheel. “There!” She smiled. “That should keep them from eating me.”

As the rest of the animals in the marketplace began to move, Alexia walked over to get a better look at the elephant. It was no longer panicked but seemed to be completely at peace. As she approached, an image formed unbidden in her mind—she saw herself standing before the elephant, shining as bright as the sun. The image was so clear it made her stop and gape. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

A number of men on horseback galloped into the marketplace, led by a man in a royal blue cloak whose clothes were made of hundreds of patches. Not the tattered patches of a poet, though—these patches were the color of gold, silver, copper, and iron, and each sparkled and shimmered as he moved. On the man's head was a ridiculously tall hat.

“What's this, then? What has happened here?” He leaped from his horse. “Who are you, child, and what have you done to my animals?” The man strutted to the lions, inspecting them closely as he pulled on the twine and examined the knots. Next he sauntered to the elephant and peered into its eyes.

“I didn't do anything!” Alexia hated being referred to as a child. “Your elephant nearly trampled the whole market before I stopped it!”

The man turned slowly, taking in the sight of the animals and the destroyed marketplace.

“You … stopped the elephant?” he asked. “You captured the lions?” He had an astonished look in his eyes as he glanced at her hand resting on the elephant's trunk.

Alexia wasn't sure what happened, but she would not allow this man to accuse her.

“Your lions didn't tie themselves up.” She made herself meet his eyes.

The man let out a thunderous laugh. “Girl, my name is Julius Argentine Samuelsson the Third, and I am the circus master of the most spectacular circus on earth. But you may call me Julius.”

Alexia stared at the circus master's outstretched hand. She'd not told anyone her real name for more than two years now. “My name is Blade,” she said coldly, “and if you call me ‘girl' or ‘child' again, you will regret it.”

The circus master bowed his head respectfully. “Blade, is it? What an interesting and, dare I say, dangerous name.”

He cleared his throat. “Well, Blade, if I am not mistaken you are quite the remarkable gir”—he stopped himself and tipped his hat—“quite the remarkable young woman. As we rode in, I saw your picture pinned on half the lampposts in Belfast. But whatever the police want with you is not my concern.” The circus master bent low to look her in the eyes. “What would you say if I offered you a job in my circus? You could spend your days with the elephants. You could clean up after them and help me keep them calm.”

Alexia didn't know what to say. She'd always dreamed of seeing the circus, and spending time with elephants whenever she wanted was too good to be true! For just a moment she thought of her Gang of Rogues. But Alexia knew she couldn't stay in Belfast, not with Korah still looking for her.

“Agreed,” she said, shaking the circus master's hand.

Present day

Alexia shivered as the Shadule led her into the dungeons below the coliseum. The creature didn't seem nearly so evil as it once had. In fact, there was something graceful about the way it moved.

No!
Alexia couldn't believe she'd just had the thought. It was a Shadule that had tried to kill her more than once. She'd almost died fighting—and killing—one of them in the battle of Agartha. It had been a Shadule that killed her parents.

Alexia stopped. Her father
wasn't
dead. True, he was nothing like she remembered, but he was alive. Why did she keep thinking of him as if he were dead? She might not like her father very much, but she finally had a family. She could finally belong to someone. It's all she'd wanted since her fifth birthday.

If that's true, why does it feel so terrible?
she wondered.

The Shadule stopped and looked back. “Why have you stopped, my lady?”

“No reason,” she said quickly. She had stopped in front of a large steel door bound by thick chains and a heavy lock. Over the door was an etching of a singing bird.

“My lady?” the Shadule said again.

She hurried to catch up. “Just take me to the prisoners,” she said.

A few minutes later the Shadule unlocked a large iron door and stepped aside. Alexia took a deep breath, lifted her torch high, and entered the dark cell. She was shocked to see not one but five pairs of eyes appear in the torchlight. As she walked in, Alexia heard someone gasp.

“Blade! Is that you?”

More gasps followed as she stepped deeper into the cell. She spotted Josiah immediately; he wore far more bruises than when she'd seen him on the street. And Juno, Benaiah, Summer, and Adeline were all there. Every member of the Gang of Rogues stared at Alexia in disbelief.

“Yes,” Alexia said after a moment. “Yes, it's me.”

“What on earth are you doing here? And dressed like one of them!” Josiah asked.

“She's with them,” Juno said. “Can't you see? She came here with the Shadule.”

Alexia turned to see the Shadule standing in the doorway. “No,” she said, “or, I guess … I don't know. Maybe I am. But it's not what you think!”

“Blade, what are you thinking?” Benaiah said. “Don't you know what they are?”

“Listen to me.” Alexia turned her gaze on Josiah. “Belial told me that you joined the Awakened. Is that true?”

“Yes,” Josiah said. “When you didn't come back, we went to the market to look for you. But we found Korah. He was with a Shadule and was also searching. That's when the scales fell off our eyes—when we saw the Shadule. We didn't have a chance. We were all as blind as babes when Korah captured us and brought us here. He's tortured us, Blade! And starved us. At first he was looking for information about you—but when he realized we didn't know anything, he didn't stop. He tortures us now because he likes it.”

Alexia felt sick to her stomach.
They came looking for me?
They were her friends and she'd left without a second thought. They had been captured and tortured because they were her friends.

“We've been here for years,” Josiah continued. “The other prisoners taught us about the Awakened and the Author. We've seen what these creatures do. They are evil, Blade! How could you be with them?”

Alexia shook her head, trying to dispel the choking guilt. “None of that matters now,” she said. “You need to listen to me! I was one of the Awakened for a while, but I was wrong!” She grabbed Josiah's hands. “Belial isn't all that bad. He said he would let you go if you promise to serve us.” She looked at the others. “He will let all of you go. You can stay with me and we can have anything we want! Food, clothing, money, it doesn't matter. We can have it all!”

Alexia imagined her entire gang leaping to their feet and cheering for her as they once had, but this time there was no reaction at all. None of them said a word. They just stared as if she'd grown a second head.

“Well, what do you say?” Alexia said. “You can be free! I can take you out of here right now!”

“Blade,” Josiah said. “Didn't you hear me? Korah has tortured us. He has starved us.”

Alexia felt a small stab in her heart. She squared her shoulders as if getting ready to take a punch. “The thing is …” She didn't know how to continue. “The thing is,” she said again, “Lord Korah is my father.”