Reckoning (9 page)

“This is the end of the road,” Emma said.

“Wait for it.” Rock scraped against rock and a portion fell from the top of the Void to fit neatly into the gaping hole like it was a perfect match. I looked at each of them. “You only have seconds. Run and don’t stop for anything. If anything lands on you, keep going.”

“What about Juliet?” Emma’s brows drew into a V of concern as she looked at my bad leg.

“I’m taking her across,” I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.

Emma nodded, squaring her shoulders. She whispered what sounded like a prayer and took off.

I watched the ground behind her, memorizing the places where it suddenly gave way. I’d been in nasty areas of the Void before but never experienced this. I exhaled and turned to Juliet. “Ready?” I lifted her up. “Close your eyes,” I ordered.

I ran and the ground dropped, taking my breath with it, but I managed to leap onto the next part of the trail each time. It felt as if I’d run forever, but it couldn’t have been longer than a few seconds. Once we were clear, the three of us turned to watch Stone run across. The determination mixed with fear was easy to read on his face.

He was almost to us when the path beneath him gave way and he tumbled sideways toward the ledge. Because he was important to Juliet, and I couldn’t watch someone die, I dove for him and grabbed Stone’s flailing arm. He held on, digging in his heels. The weight of Stone’s body threatened to pull me over too.

Juliet dropped to the ground beside me, and Emma next to her, holding onto her. Juliet inched forward to dangle her hands over the edge. “Reach for me.”

Stone latched on to her arm. Juliet and I backed up slowly, pulling until Stone was with us on the path. Breathing hard, he scooted up against the wall. Juliet sat beside him and held his hand. Though I was glad we’d saved Stone, seeing the girl I loved holding hands with another guy made my stomach feel tight.

“We’re going to sleep here tonight and get a fresh start tomorrow,” I said, trying not to let my dislike leak into my voice.

“Spend the night in the Terrors? That’s safe,” Emma protested sarcastically, then cast her gaze downward when I glanced at her.

Stone rubbed his arm where the skin had scraped off during his fall. “She has a point.”

I could have said it was Stone’s fault we’d entered the Terrors, but I didn’t. What was done was done.

“It would be better for me to wait until tomorrow,” Juliet said, no doubt wanting to stop any arguments from breaking out. She was barely functioning, and from the way she swayed, it was becoming more difficult for her to stay upright. At this moment, I would gladly trade the kingdom to get her out of here. I hated feeling helpless.

Emma made her way to me. “There’s a hollow space in the wall. Maybe we could all fit inside there. It would give us protection if nothing else.”

“I’ll check it out.” I moved down the trail, carefully testing each area before I put my weight on it. At the hollow space, I put my arms on the edge and hauled myself up into the hole. Seconds later, I leaned out and waved the others forward. “It’s clear. No room to stand and it’ll be cramped, but it’ll do for sleeping.”

Stone and I helped Juliet into the space. She stretched out, but the shaking made it hard for her to fall asleep. “I need a blanket,” she said, moaning with a strange high-pitched noise. Emma and Stone shot me a worried look.

“She’s delirious,” Stone said.

Juliet squinted, trying to focus on him before closing her eyes and moaning again.

I couldn’t take the pitiful sound. “Shh…” I sat beside her and put her head in my lap, smoothing her hair away from the sides of her face. I pressed a kiss to her forehead. She was burning up with fever.

Her eyelids flew open. “Is this a Judas kiss from the king?” she murmured.

Had she guessed I would have to leave her behind in order to prevent Ide from killing her? “Go to sleep, Juliet.”

She licked her cracked lips. “You have to take my leg off. Save my life. Stone has a knife.”

I let out a curse at the thought. “You’re not going to lose your leg, and I’m sure as hell not going to do a hatchet job on you.”

“The light hurts my eyes.” She squinted and turned her head away from the fire-rock. “Everything is fractured in my head.” She frowned. “I keep trying to recall memories that seem far away. Whenever I close my eyes, stars explode behind my eyelids.” She reached up to touch the side of my face. “We were lovers. Did I imagine that?”

I clenched my jaw and put my finger across her lips. More than anything, I wanted us to get out of here. I wanted to know she was going to be okay, and I wanted to make love to her until everything righted itself again. “Will you
please
go to sleep?”

“I’m too cold. I can’t take the cold.” She shivered violently.

I didn’t know if I could take the torture, but my other option was to watch Juliet suffer. “All right. Hang on.” I lay flat on my back, slipped a hand beneath her, and rolled her body until she lay on top of my bare chest. I wrapped my arms around her to share body heat.

Her shaking subsided as warmth flowed through both of us. “Perfect,” she whispered.

“Hell,” I said as she snuggled against me.

“What if we leave them here and the humans don’t find Juliet in time?” Stone whispered after Emma and Juliet were asleep.

“They will. Mallen gave them the location.”

He nodded but didn’t look any more reassured than I felt. Though I didn’t particularly like Stone or how close he was with Juliet, I knew he’d take care of her if I wasn’t able to.

I would rather stay by Juliet’s side all the way to the end, whatever that might be, but I knew Ide. He was coming for Juliet. The only way she had a chance of surviving was for me to abandon her. If I told her my plan, she’d only insist on taking her chances. Not because she wouldn’t agree with me that Ide wanted her dead, but because she feared for my safety against Ide more than she did her own. I couldn’t take the chance that she might try to fight Ide for my sake. In her weakened condition, he’d kill her.

My fingers tightened reflexively around her shoulders. She stirred slightly, and I forced myself to relax my grip. The last thing I needed right now was for her to wake up and look at me with those mesmerizing eyes of hers. I’d never be able to follow through with the plan.

Juliet slept fitfully and woke in the middle of the night. As she stirred, she splayed her hand out across my bare chest.

“Hurting?” I asked, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

“A little, but the wound isn’t bleeding anymore.”

I rubbed her back, and we were both lost in our thoughts for a second.

“What one thing do you love most about me?” she whispered and yawned.

I ran my fingers lightly over her face down to her lips. “I couldn’t choose. I love too many things about you.”

“Like what?”

“Like how you always stand up for anyone who’s weaker than you are. How you find ways to laugh even when things are hard. I love your smile. I love how you smell.”

“I smell?” Her nose wrinkled.

“Yeah.” I ducked my head slowly and lightly grazed her lips. “Like sunshine and hope.”

Her eyes drifted shut, and she forced them open. “It’s amazing. I’m surrounded by all these things that could kill me, and yet I’ve never felt safer because I’m with you.”

A twinge of guilt ran through me. “Everything I do will always be with your safety in mind.”

She frowned. “What’s wrong? You’re worried.”

I forced myself to smile. “Go back to sleep and dream about how much I love you.”

“If I do that, I won’t be able to sleep at all.” Her lips parted, and the tip of her tongue touched her upper lip.

I groaned. “As soon as we’re out of here and you’re well again…”

“That definitely motives me to hope for a fast healing.”

I gently pressed her head against my chest. Loving Juliet scared me. I’d grown up never needing anyone. Never knowing it was possible to need someone as much as I did her. I used to think of myself in terms of how my life defined me as future King Riley. Now I saw myself as simply Riley, the guy who loved Juliet. If I lost her, I would lose me.

Chapter 7

JULIET

A nightmare about the crocogon attack woke me. I gasped, breathing hard and fast until it dawned on me it wasn’t real. The silence unnerved me. I was cold and alone. The hard ground pressed into my aching leg. I rose up on my elbows. “Riley?” No answer. I scooted toward the opening and peered out. “Stone?” Nothing. “Emma!” I called, louder this time, wondering what happened to everyone.

She appeared holding the fire-rock. Along one side of her face was a nasty lump already bruising.

I slid down from the hollow space where I’d slept, careful not to land on my bad leg. The weakness in my body scared me. I had to force myself to concentrate, and it was an effort to speak. “What happened to you?”

“A Guard hit me.”

I looked around. “Where are Riley and Stone? Did they fight the Guard?” Maybe they were dragging his body away like they had the crocogon’s.

“No, they didn’t fight the Guard.” Emma sank to the ground as if her legs couldn’t hold her up any more. She seemed out of it.

I clapped my hands together to get her attention. “Emma!”

“They left willingly. Riley acted like he knew the Guard who hit me. Mally might have been his name.”

“
Mallen
hit you?”

“That’s it.”

It was my turn to sink to the ground. I wrapped my arms around myself.
They’d left me?

“Riley said he had to leave you behind to die.” Her voice was high. She was practically squeaking.

I gasped. “Are you sure that’s what you heard?”

She nodded and the pity on her face made me turn away from her. My stomach lurched, and I fought the urge to dry heave. She’d misunderstood. There was no doubt in my mind about that. I trusted Riley. There was no way he’d do that to me, even if he had discovered what I needed to do. He would at least give me a chance to explain even if I couldn’t. I pushed the thoughts aside. I had to find a way to make it out of here. I wasn’t strong enough. I was—I inhaled, counting slowly to three, then exhaled to calm myself.

“What are we going to do?”

I turned back to Emma and slowly rose, wishing my body didn’t ache all over like I had the flu. “We’re going to get through the Terrors and find a way out.”

“But how? It’s the third area where people give up. That’s what Riley said.”

“I don’t know how, Emma, but what’s our other choice? Stay here and die? Let my sister down? Make up your mind because I’m leaving.”

She stood reluctantly. “I don’t want to stay here by myself.”

I had to hold on to Emma to be able to walk, but I made myself move. Each step would take me closer to Riley, closer to finding out what was going on. He would have an explanation. I knew I mattered to him. Whatever had happened, whatever he’d done, was for my benefit. I’d only taken a few steps when a premonition swept over me, giving me the jitters. I bit down on my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. Someone was watching me. I whipped my head quickly to one side, then the other, trying to see who it was. Who was after me? Why? I needed to run. No, not run. Hide.

The walls sprouted eyes, and the rocks became gaping mouths with razor teeth waiting to devour us. Howls tore the silence in two, and terrified screams filled the air. Screams? The sound pulled me back to reality. Emma had her hands over her ears, screaming at the top of her voice.

I tried to get her attention, but it was as if she couldn’t see or hear me. Finally, I gave her a hard shake. “Tune it out. Focus on what’s real.”

“They’re all dying. Don’t you see them?” She extended her arm and opened her hand like she was trying to reach for someone.

“They’re hallucinations,” I said before I noticed Riley. I smiled, joy bubbling over. He stepped from a crevice in the wall. Dressed from head to toe in the royal robes his father had once worn, he was magnificent. Handsome. It hurt to look at him. On his head rested the jeweled crown, and the jewels sparkled with inner light. “Riley.” I tried to go to him, to tell him how glad I was to see him. I knew he hadn’t left me to die. He held out one hand in a stop gesture when I drew closer.

“Betrayer! To save the humans, you have betrayed your people as your father did before you. I loved you. How could you kill me? Juliet Sawyer, you and your sister are hereby sentenced to death for your treason.”

What? No
… Riley yanked Maisy in front of him and nodded into the distance. The laser beam from a Guard’s weapon centered on Maisy’s forehead.

“Maisy!” I screamed and hurried to my sister as fast as I could. My outstretched hands rammed into the hard, cold stonewall of the Void, and the image disappeared. I moaned and tucked my aching hands under my arms. A hallucination.
Get a grip. Hold on to the truth. What is the truth? I’m Juliet Sawyer. My destiny is to stop the war. Save the humans. I’m Juliet Sawyer. My destiny—