Jack Staples and the City of Shadows (18 page)

The poet touched his shoulder, and Jack exploded backward through the door and high into the air. As he watched the small house shrink into the distance, Jack began to laugh. He had no idea where he was going, but he didn't care. He trusted the poet.

 

In the circus, Alexia had grown accustomed to large crowds cheering her on, but it had been nothing like this. The circus tent held five hundred people. The arena of Thaltorose held over a hundred thousand beasts, creatures, and humans—and it was filled to bursting!

This is what I was made for
, she thought. Alexia had forgotten what it felt like to have crowds cheering her every move. Without thinking, she sprang from her throne and vaulted over the fire, twisting her body into a spinning double flip. As she landed, the crowd shrieked its delight. Alexia rolled into a handspring and spun, kicking her legs out like a spinning top. She was about to leap into a front flip when she saw the furious look in her father's eyes.

She lost focus, stumbled, and fell flat. The crowd's roar turned to jeers. Her cheeks grew hot as she took a deep breath and walked stiffly back to her throne.

“What are you doing?” her father said. “I tell you to stop acting like a child and you do this? We never steal praise from the Shadow Lord, not ever!” Korah was shaking.

As she sat, Alexia stole a glance at Belial, and yes, there was the fire of jealousy in his eyes. It was gone in a flash, but Alexia shivered. She had been hoping to make Belial and her father proud.
How could Belial possibly be jealous of me?

“The games are about to begin,” her father said. “Do not shame me again!”

As Alexia's father stepped back from her throne, the silvery creature raised its arms, silencing the crowd. “Bring out the prisoners!” The catlike creature's purring voice echoed throughout the arena. Whispers of expectation rose.

What prisoners?
Alexia felt a growing sense of dread.

A small door slid open at the opposite end of the coliseum. Three men and two women dressed in rags were shoved into the arena by a Shadule carrying a barbed spear. Heavy chains fastened wrists and legs, causing them to crouch low as they walked. As they neared the center of the arena, a low-throated growl rose from the crowd.

“What's happening?” Alexia asked.

Her father smiled coldly and nodded at the approaching prisoners. “Watch,” he said.

The silvery creature quieted the assembly. “You stand accused of joining the rebel group who calls themselves ‘Awakened',” the creature rasped. Hisses and growls erupted from the crowd. “Yet the Shadow Lord is sympathetic to your plight. Today, in honor of the new High Princess of Thaltorose, he offers you … mercy.”

Astonished gasps rippled through the watching horde.

“Reject your allegiance to the rebels and bow to your new gods.” The creature motioned toward Belial and Alexia. “Vow to fight for the Lord of Shadows and the Princess of Thaltorose,” the creature hissed. “Vow to kill for them, and in their great mercy they will forgive your betrayal!”

A hushed silence spread through the mass of man, beast, and creature as they waited to see what would happen. Alexia wanted to scream. She didn't need these people to bow to her!
But if it will save their lives, surely they will do it!

One of the men shuffled forward, and when he looked at Belial, there was only pity in his eyes. “We follow the Author, the maker of story and creator of all things. And though you may take our lives, we will not bow before you, Assassin!”

The man looked at Alexia. “My lady, we have awaited your arrival since the beginning. I heard of your valor in the battle of Agartha. I do not know what this monster has told you, but he is a deceiver. He is the father of lies and—”

The man clutched his chest. Belial stood with his arm outstretched as the man dropped to his knees and gasped for breath. His skin turned a stony gray and began to crack. When the man's arms shattered, he grimaced. As the rest of his body turned to stone, he let out a final gasp and crashed to the ground.

The crowd hooted and howled. Alexia stood with arms outstretched, struggling to breathe. Belial had murdered the man for no reason.

Alexia's father was by her side. “Sit down!” he said. “This is your life now. This is what you have chosen. There can be no mercy in the Shadow Army.”

Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. She would not be a child! She would not let her father see her cry. She would do what had to be done!

Belial's eyes shone with a rapturous glow as he sat back down. The silvery creature quieted the crowd and fixed its attention on the remaining prisoners. “You are out of time,” it said grandly. “Will you bow before the Lord of Shadows?”

One by one the prisoners knelt, all but one woman who stood defiantly with fists clenched. As she looked at those kneeling beside her, she shook her head sadly. “Choosing to follow this monster is a fate far worse than death. Do not replace sight with blindness! Do not lose heart!”

Those kneeling didn't meet the woman's eyes. One by one they said the words. They rejected the Awakened and vowed to serve the Assassin and the High Princess of Thaltorose. Alexia watched, feeling both relief and sadness.
They did the right thing
, she thought.
They saved their lives!

The woman who was standing watched as her friends were led away. Desperation rose inside Alexia.
Why won't you just kneel?
You must bow!
She could stand it no longer. “Please, my lady!” As Belial stood, she leaped up beside him. “You must kneel! You must! It will save your life!”

“You are the Child of Prophecy,” the woman said. “And you are good. This”—she glanced around the arena—“is not who you are. You must not allow your light to die, my girl. And you must not fear for me. Death is not the end; it is merely a new beginning.” She smiled at Alexia just before she fell backward and shattered on the arena floor.

The crowd let out a guttural roar, and Belial basked in their praise. Alexia sat down hard. She struggled to see through the tears in her eyes. The woman's smile … it was the first real smile she'd received since coming to Thaltorose.

The silvery creature threw its arms wide and screamed, “And now for the main event!”

A large trapdoor in the arena floor slid open, and a platform began to rise. Hulking in the center of the platform was a Drogule holding a cable of electrified light. The cable sizzled and snapped, splitting into nine different directions to loop around nine captives. The cable wrapped their bodies, holding them stiffly in place.

The platform held all five members of her Gang of Rogues.

“No!” Alexia whispered.
No.

Standing stiffly beside her friends from Belfast stood a giant and three others—Wild, Aias, and Mrs. Dumphry. All watched Alexia with haunted eyes.

The eruption from the crowd was so frenzied Alexia wanted to tear at her ears. She wanted to hide; she hated the idea of Wild or the others seeing her sitting beside Belial, dressed in his colors. But she could feel her father's eyes on her back. She had made her decision, hadn't she?

Alexia wanted to scream at Mrs. Dumphry. All of this was her fault! She was the one who killed the poet! She was the one who dragged Alexia and Jack, Arthur, and even Wild into this whole mess. She was the reason Alexia was in this impossible situation!

“Before the sun sets,” the silvery creature said to the audience, “in honor of the new High Princess, these rebels will be put to death!” The crowd thundered its bloodthirsty glee. Then the creature turned to Alexia. “The end is near. The choice must be made. The child must bow!”

As the crowd roared, Alexia's father knelt and presented her cloak and sling. Alexia gaped when she saw them.

“You must reject the Awakened and bow before Belial,” her father said, handing her the cloak and sling. “You must vow to serve him always, and you must throw these in the fire as a sign that you have fully rejected your old life. And you must do these things now. Only when it is done will you truly be the High Princess of Thaltorose!”

Alexia felt hot tears running down her cheeks. She looked at the cloak and sling, then back at the prisoners.

“You must do this, Daughter. This is what you were born for … It is what your mother and I always wanted for you!”

Alexia couldn't stop crying. The last flicker of warmth faded inside her. “What did you used to call me, Father?” Her voice trembled.

“What?”

“You had a nickname for me when I was little. I used to sit on your lap and pull on your beard and you held me close and called me something. What was it?”

“This is not the time,” he said. “Everyone is waiting. We can talk of this later!”

“Tell me!” Alexia cried. “What did you call me?”

“It was a very long time ago. What does it matter now?” Her father grabbed her shoulders roughly and stood her up. “You have been nothing but a disappointment to me. Now do as I command!” Rage shone in his eyes.

“Yes, Father.” Alexia bit her lip, feeling the block of ice grow inside her chest.
You can do this!
she told herself.
Stop acting like a child and bow!

Except for the expectant whispers from the crowd, relative quiet had fallen. Belial smiled in anticipation, and this time the smile did reach his eyes.

As she stepped forward, Alexia felt something hard and cold between her fingers. She hadn't realized she'd placed her hand in her cloak pocket.
It's Father's Memory Stone!
She'd forgotten all about the small blue-veined stone she'd taken from his bedchamber. As she stepped toward Belial, she closed her hand around it and whispered, “Show me the memory of my parents.”

Belial gave Alexia a curious look. And as Alexia took another step toward the throne, the world shifted.

Chapter 22

THE CHILD BOWS

 

When Alexia opened her eyes, she was no longer in the arena. The Memory Stone had taken her to the kitchen of the house she'd grown up in. Her breath caught when she saw her mother standing at the kitchen table, spreading frosting on a strawberry cake. Her father stood behind, wrapping her in a loving embrace.

Tears sprang to Alexia's eyes. They were not tears of sadness but joy. These were her parents. These were the people she belonged to. The man who held her mother may have looked like Korah, but it was not him; she was sure of it. This man was loving and kind, and Alexia could never imagine him screaming at her.

Alexia began looking around the kitchen. If this was Korah's memory, surely he must be here somewhere.
There!
She spotted him. He was standing outside the kitchen window staring in.

The kitchen door shattered, a Shadule standing in the entry.

Her father grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter. “Go!” he yelled. “I'll find you both as soon as I can.”

Alexia screamed as the Shadule struck. Her mother ran from the room as her father wrestled the creature to the ground.

Alexia blinked. Now she was standing outside the house by the front door.
Korah must have left the window.
She could still hear the sounds of the battle coming from the kitchen, but Korah wasn't interested in her father. He snarled as he slammed his boot into the front door, splintering it off the hinges to reveal Alexia's mother darting down the stairs.

“You!” she cried.

Black fire shot from Korah's hands to explode against her mother's chest.

“No!” Alexia shrieked as Korah grabbed her mother roughly, pulling her to her feet.

A bloodcurdling scream sounded from the kitchen, and her father stormed through the door and spotted Korah holding his wife hostage.

“You!” he raged. “You are behind this?”

“Hello, Brother,” Korah snarled. His pale blade was pressed hard against her mother's neck.

“You dare come here? You bring the Shadow Souled into my house?”

Alexia watched numbly. She knew what would happen. This was only a memory and she could not change it.

“The great darkness is coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Yet you will not live to see the Last Battle.” Korah smiled coldly. “Your time has come, Brother!”

“You came here to … to kill me?” Her father seemed confused.

“Don't act so surprised. You must have known this day would come.” Korah pressed the blade deeper into Madeleine Dreager's neck as a slow trickle of blood dripped down. “I've been hunting the Awakened for years now, killing you off one by one. But I will enjoy this day more than most.”

“Where does your hatred come from?” Her father shook his head sadly. “Did I wrong you without knowing? Did I do something so unforgiveable?”

“I have hated you since the day we were born.” Korah seethed. “I've dreamed of this day for longer than you could imagine.”

Alexia's mother met her father's eyes and gave an almost imperceptible glance toward the window.

Her father's eyes flicked over and back again so quickly Alexia wondered if she'd imagined it. The tiniest smile spread his lips. There was a child stalking through the woods. The much younger Alexia wore her brand-new red dress and was creeping into the forest, stopping every few steps to examine a stone.

Alexia remembered the moment. She'd been searching for the perfect stones to use in her new sling.

“How could we be so different, you and I?” Her father took one step forward. “The only thing you have ever loved was power. You sat on the Council of Seven, and still it wasn't enough. But when you turned your back on us, I never dreamed you would join the Shadow Souled.”

“The Council of Seven!” Korah scoffed. “Fools, all of them. And I was a fool to want to be one of them. I—” Korah's eyes landed on Alexia's coat lying crumpled on the floor. A cold smile crept onto his lips. “Tell me, Brother, do I have a niece or a nephew?”

Korah didn't know I existed!

“You can threaten me,” her father said coldly, “but if you speak of my child again, I will end you.”

Alexia almost stepped back from the dangerous look in her father's eyes.

“You haven't changed a bit. You are not in command here; I am!” Korah snarled.

Korah barked a command at the wounded Shadule. “Find the child and bring it to me.”

The Shadule hissed excitedly and darted up the stairs. Alexia watched her younger self disappear into the woods.

“I love you, Madeleine Dreager,” her father said sadly. “Look after our little goat.”

Her mother nodded as a thin sliver of light flashed between them. In the blink of an eye, her mother had disappeared and her father stood in her place.

Korah screamed when he found himself holding the sword against his brother's neck. Alexia's father used the confusion to slam the back of his head into Korah's face. Korah stumbled back as blood burst from his nose. Yet even as her father turned to fight, Korah pierced him with the blade.

“No,” her father groaned as he dropped to the floor.

“No!” Alexia gasped in unison.

Just then the Shadule arrived at the bottom of the stairs. “There is no child here,” the creature rasped.

Korah grimaced as he looked at his dying brother. “I promise you this, I will find Madeleine, and I will find your child. And I will kill them.”

“You have always been blind.” Her father groaned. “And you will lose this war.” As his eyes began to glaze over, he turned and looked directly at Alexia. “I love you, my little goat.” Thick blood dripped from his chin. “I love you with all my heart.”

Alexia gasped. She didn't know if he was truly looking at her or was merely seeing things as he died, but his words were like life to her soul.

“Pathetic.” Korah grimaced. As he stalked from the house, he kicked over a lampstand; oil and fire exploded along the wall.

“Make sure he's dead,” Korah commanded the Shadule.

Alexia heard the creature's excited hiss as the world shifted once again.

 

Alexia blinked. Although minutes had passed in the memory, no time at all seemed to have passed in the real world. She took the final step toward the Assassin's throne and stopped. She was standing before him with her head bowed. Alexia hesitated only a moment before dropping to her knees at the feet of the Assassin. The mob howled.

She didn't feel like crying, and she didn't want to scream at Korah for deceiving her. She didn't even want to yell at the Assassin. She'd bowed so they wouldn't see her smile. After a moment, quiet fell once again as the assembly eagerly awaited what would come next. As she knelt before the creature Belial, warmth exploded in Alexia's chest. She was happier now than she'd been in ages.
Korah is not my father
, she thought.
The Assassin is pure evil.

Alexia didn't understand what had happened with the poet and what she'd seen in the Assassin's memory, but none of that mattered. Right now all she wanted to do was laugh.

My father was a good man!
The thought broadened her smile. And if she understood what she'd seen, there was a chance her mother was still alive!

“Child!” Korah knelt by her side. “Why are you waiting? You must say the words! Do you hear me? You must swear fealty to your new master!”

The stench from the wound in the Assassin's belly made Alexia want to retch, but she forced the feeling down. Instead, she turned to Korah and smiled as she dropped the Memory Stone onto the marble dais. Korah seemed confused by it; but after a moment his eyes widened.

“Alley Goat,” Alexia said quietly as she looked down at her red cloak and sling. “My father called me Alley Goat.” She couldn't help but laugh as a look of horror crossed Korah's face.

“My name is Alexia Dreager,” she said in a loud voice. “And I am one of the two Children of Prophecy.” The horde of humans, monsters, and beasts roared their approval. When Alexia met the Assassin's eyes, she offered a knowing smile. “I came here today to swear allegiance to your master.”

The Assassin watched her with uncertain eyes. He'd seen the Memory Stone and the look on Korah's face.

Alexia stood and began to laugh. The sound was so foreign that the throngs of Shadow Souled went abruptly silent. Her laughter pierced the arena like a ray of sunshine in an underground cavern.

“But I know now that this creature sitting before me is not worthy of my allegiance or yours.” When Alexia pointed at the Assassin, she raised her voice ever louder. “He is a liar and a murderer. He is the Assassin, and though it may be hard, we must stand against him. We must resist! Join me!” she shouted. “Join the Awakened!”

Silence engulfed the arena. Alexia turned to look at her friends, who still stood stiffly bound by the cables of electrified light. Wild raised his eyebrows as if to say, “Nice speech. Now what?”

Alexia turned to face the Assassin and took an involuntary step back. Darkness radiated from him, and his eyes were fiery. He stood before his throne with the Shadowfog boiling at his feet. It was a terrifying sight.

“Forget the games,” the Assassin screamed as he raised his arms to the gathered mob. “The Last Battle begins now! Kill them all!”

The tens of thousands of Shadow Souled suddenly became an army of darkness as beast, monster, and human swarmed the arena. In the sky above, the winged creatures plummeted downward in an attempt to be the first to tear the Awakened to pieces.

Alexia didn't waste a second. Even as Korah drew his sword, she leaped from the dais and sprinted toward the Drogule holding the cord of electrified light. At best she'd have a few seconds to defeat the Drogule and free her friends. There was no chance of escape. That had never been a possibility. But if she didn't free them from the Drogule, every one of her friends would be torn to shreds without even having a chance to fight back.

Even above the roar of the mob, the demonic laughter of the Assassin echoed.