The woman watched me with pity.
Watched, and did nothing.
Finn gave her some BS grand parting words of thanks and kicked the horse’s sides, taking us from a dead stop to a gallop I was unprepared for. I had nothing to cling to, so my hands found their way into the horse’s mane. My gritted teeth let out a tiny squeak of fear, but I didn’t utter a word beyond that. Though Terence the Taurus was far faster, I had doors, a seatbelt and a windshield to keep me from feeling the speed. This horse had no safety net for me, other than Finn’s arms, which were not a safe place anymore.
I had no choice but to lean back against Finn when the horse’s pace picked up yet again. “That’s the way,” he cooed in my ear. “Just relax. We’ll be there before you know it.”
I didn’t pull away for fear of flying off the horse, but I didn’t answer him. He wanted a silent slave, so that’s what he’d get. I wouldn’t slip up again. I’d been knocked around too many times as a kid. I knew how to play the game and lay low. I knew how to be invisible while standing right in front of a person. I was the amazing insignificant woman whose friends called her Bait. I’d thought Finn and I were starting to become friends. I saw the danger more clearly now, felt the bite of the back of his hand and knew that no matter how hard I tried to be a person to the people around me, I would always be Bait.
I don’t know why this made me miss Von. Aside from our last encounter where I’d been short with him and he’d unloaded a crap-ton of venom onto me, we’d been good to each other. We’d been friends, and despite our opposite genders, we’d managed to hold onto each other even when we weren’t pretty. It felt like this was the story of my life. As soon as I let myself get comfortable and allowed my guard to drop, I got popped in the gut. That Finn turned on me wasn’t a giant shocker; we didn’t know each other all that well. But it was the cherry on top of the avalanche that threatened to bury me alive, if I was still, in fact, alive.
I didn’t feel alive.
I zoned out as Finn drove us forward, feeling nothing and hearing none of the words I could tell he was trying to soothe me with.
8
Stone in the Well, Eyes on the Ground
My body felt like a limp noodle when the horse came to a stop so many hours later at a grim and forboding stone palace. I didn’t recall much of the ride, only that the barrier in my mind that kept me from feeling the sting of my fight with Von, Bev’s deranged apology, Finn’s backhand, or any of the other heart-wrenching things was starting to crumble. I was grateful I had a good excuse to be silent. I didn’t want to spill all my dysfunction in a trail across Kabayo’s land.
When suddenly we were at the castle that looked more evil kingdom than fairytale fun, I was still no more a person than I’d been when we started the ride. Finn leaned me forward so I didn’t fall when he dismounted. When he reached up for me, I didn’t understand what I was supposed to do. I kept my head down and refused to respond, melting off the horse when Finn gently pulled me down. I stood next to the horse, hugging the bowling ball inside the backpack. I wanted to chuck it into the ocean just to have done with it all.
Finn clicked his fingers, so I went where he led, hating myself on a level I couldn’t reconcile. Finn led us past stone gargoyles who stood sentry with scowls. They wore expressions that were mid-yowl, telling me I super didn’t belong here. Next to the gargoyles were rows of dozens of stone Goblins, frozen in various states of confusion and horror. If I thought I couldn’t feel any lower, I’d been wrong on that point.
Finn led the way through the gate and into the castle, conversing with different guards and officials that let us through gateway after gateway. We finally reached an inner room that was guarded by a horseman who wouldn’t let us pass until after a thorough pat-down and a demand that I open my backpack to show him the contents. I didn’t know if I was allowed to obey this command, or if I’d get backhanded for trying to preserve the secret we’d been guarding. I started unzipping the backpack, hoping the plastic wrap hadn’t ripped through.
Finn’s command was sharp. “That gift is for no one but King Kabayo. Tell him I’m here with the girl and a grand gift. He’ll come out, and I promise on my life he’ll come to no harm.”
The guard scoffed, but disappeared into the room to deliver the message. He came out with wide eyes and a grudging offer for us to pass through. “King Kabayo will see you now.”
Finn muttered some disparaging comment about the guard’s intelligence at keeping him waiting and brushed past with me following behind, my eyes on his boots. As soon as the door locked behind us, I heard Finn running forward. “We’ve got it! We did it, Kabayo! We brought the stone, and she’s ready to put a portion into your well.”
“I thought your journey hadn’t begun yet! Really? It’s here?” Kabayo’s elation threatened to draw my eyes upward, but I remembered the sting of Finn’s hand on my face and kept my head down, lingering toward the back of the room. “This one’s supposed to be missing, so the mission was delayed until Ezra found her. Did you come in secret because one of us is a mole?” Kabayo snorted through his long snout. “Who is it?”
“No, no. We knew it would be a risk, so we thought we’d endanger fewer people this way. Sama’s army is coming behind us. We’ve got to do it now and run. If Sama finds her here, it’ll be over for us, and the stone will be lost.”
“I heard word Sama was marching on our city. It’s why I have so many security checkpoints to get to me now. I’m afraid my men aren’t strong enough to fight against Sama’s army, but I’ll rest well knowing the sagrado stone fights for my people even after I close my eyes when Sama finishes with me.”
Finn made a fist and pushed it to his own chest. “Don’t give up hope. We’re here. We’re here and we’ve got the best help there is.”
Kabayo’s voice turned toward me. “Lady October? Come here, kid. What do you need to split the rock?”
I kept my head down and turned it from side to side. I wouldn’t be a person when it was convenient. I didn’t want to play that game of being friends only in secret when it served everyone’s best interest. My face was a little tender still, and I hoped it didn’t bruise up on me, announcing to the world that I was small, and my fake master was big. Bruce Campbell would never have been so cruel. He fought zombies, not women who asked simple questions. Finn was no Bruce Campbell, and that thought sunk in me like a brick.
Finn sighed. “She’s mad at me. We don’t have time to get into it. She needs tools, so grab them quick.”
Kabayo ran to the door, unlocked it and gave instructions on what we needed to the guard. He closed the doors and clapped me on the shoulder. “You brought me the grandest gift of all, and you won’t even greet me? Must’ve been some fight you two got into.”
I moved away from him and went to the corner, sinking down to sit on the floor where I didn’t have to stand awkwardly and be the topic of conversation. To get them to both back up and leave me alone, I took the stone out of the bag and started unwrapping it, relaxing a little when they fell back at the big, bad weapon that they couldn’t control.
When the guard returned with the tools, I set to work chipping off a piece of the stone, not caring if it was an even fifth or not. It was good enough. Maybe I’d grown, or maybe I was too devastated to care anymore. I had my medication in me, so that was helping me fake being normal easy enough.
I wrapped the remaining rock up again and zipped it inside the two backpacks, pulling it over my arms to hang off my front. I moved the other pack with my supplies to hang off my back. I stood without a word, holding the baseball-sized portion of the stone in my hands, waiting for them to direct me where to go.
Kabayo opened the door, calling out to his guards, “We need an escort to take us to the well in the main village. Be sure no one touches the girl, or even breathes near her.”
I kept my head down, hoping I didn’t trip and let the stone go flying. Knowing my luck I’d turn the one decent guard to stone or something. Whispers of
, “Is that… It’s the stone! She’s got the sagrado stone! It’s the Omen!”
Finn held up his hands. “Don’t look on her face! She carries freedom from your famine in her hands. If Sama learns who she is, she’ll never escape him. She has work to do, so forget who she is. Forget you saw her. Don’t look on her face.”
More horsemen joined the caravan, giving me a wide and reverent berth as we marched out of the palace and into the village. The soldiers flanked me on either side and shielded the way before and behind me, ensuring that passersby wouldn’t see me and be subject to giving up my identity if tortured. I didn’t like all this torture business. I wanted to go home and take a shower. Wash my hands. Lay in bed for a whole day, with no hint of riding a horse or sleeping on the dirt. You know, the good life when a day off actually meant a whole twenty-four hours where you didn’t see your coworkers.
We marched through the village lit only by the moon, the blaze of stars, and the few torches the guards carried. They led us to the well outside of the castle. It was located in the middle of the gated inner city. The soldiers gathered around, their eyes glued to my hands as they waited for the stone to save them from famine and certain death. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to toss the stone inside, and waited for some sort of signal.
“Throw it in, Lady October. End the drought for us all,” Kabayo instructed, tense with trepidation. The wind caught his mane, lifting it and showing off the three long braids he wore interspersed through his thick, black locks. Everyone was watching now, waiting with bated breath and balled fists.
I don’t know what I expected when I dropped the one-fifth of the stone into the well. With all the buildup and running and secrecy, I guess I expected light beams to shoot up from the ground or something. Maybe I’d seen too many X-Files episodes (if such a thing were possible).
The men around me exhaled audibly and cheered with so much enthusiasm that before I knew it, I was swept up in Kabayo’s arms, hoisted into the air on his shoulders for the soldiers to rally around. So much for the whole not seeing my face thing. Swords were thrust into the air too close to my body for my liking.
Finn’s voice broke through the din. “I’m going to take her Topside now. She really shouldn’t be here when Sama’s army comes.”
As if on cue, we heard marching in the distance, and the celebration mutated to alarm and duty. Kabayo ignored Finn and shouted to his men, “Sound the alarm and man your posts! If Sama wants a fight, then we’ll give his dead a battle to remember! He won’t take our land the moment it’s been given back to us. Go! We have something grand to fight for now!”
The guards scattered, running with their king to the city gates to reinforce them and form a line that kept growing as more soldiers were summoned.
“I’ve got the Omen,” Finn called to Kabayo. “She can’t be near the battle.”
“Take her to my safe room. Just don’t port her out of here yet. If we end up needing you, you’ll never make it back to us if you port her out,” Kabayo ruled. Then he turned back to his men to give them further instructions on how best to fend off the undead army.
Finn placed his hand on my shoulder. “Come on, kid. Into the palace with you. I didn’t work this hard to get here only to see you hit by a stray arrow.”
I turned and followed him only because I knew I had no other choice. I kept my head down and my mouth shut like a good little slave. We walked up many flights of stairs, taking the wind out of my sails as I carried too many burdens on my shoulders. They’d already been weighted enough for a lifetime of therapy and regret. We went into a smaller, windowless room that locked, and Finn seemed satisfied with the mini fortress’ protection. He drew his sword, and I sank to the floor, waiting out my doom in silence.
9
Hit me or Kiss me
“Look, I know you’re mad at me, but I told you not to talk.” Finn’s borrowed sword hung at his side as he paced the room. We couldn’t hear any sounds of a battle being fought below outside the castle walls, but we knew they were coming. When I didn’t answer, Finn kept going as if I’d argued back. “I laid it out for you, and you couldn’t follow the simplest instructions. When I shadowed you Topside, I had to fall in line. I had to wear clothes like Ezra. I couldn’t bring a sword. I had to follow along where you three led.”
I pulled my knees to my chest, both packs beside me as I gave my body a much needed break. I was sitting in the corner, my head resting on the cool stone wall. It did wonders to relax me from the overwhelming heat I hadn’t been able to escape for days.
“Okay, fine. I shouldn’t have hit you. Are you happy now?”
I never understood how people could literally or figuratively hit you and then be frustrated when you stayed hurt longer than was convenient for their conscience to brush off. I didn’t want to fight with Finn, who clearly saw himself as the dominant one. I didn’t need him to repent or be wrong. I wanted to go home. I fished through my backpack for a portion of the baga root and swallowed it down, grimacing at the rancid licorice and lemon rind flavor that sat in my hollow stomach and threatened to vomit itself back up. It had been since breakfast that we’d eaten, though I didn’t complain. I learned that lesson when I was little, and had to watch Allie cry when she told me there just plain wasn’t any food. I’d watch Ollie disappear for hours and come back with enough scraps to scrape a meal together; I knew better than to ask where they came from. My tears hurt them, so I learned not to cry out loud. I sucked it all in and gouged my hands up when I was hungry or in need, burying deep the scars everyone could see, but no one could touch.
Finn was kneeling before me, and I didn’t know how long he’d been there talking. Finally he put down his sword, reached forward and cupped my cheeks, tilting my head up to face him. I watched him wince at what he saw, and then I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at him. He leaned in and kissed my cheeks softly, a gentle brush of thick lips on dirty skin. “I’m sorry, October. I shouldn’t have hit you, no matter what the circumstance. Your cheek’s starting to swell. I didn’t realize I hit you that hard.” He kissed my face again, so I pulled away, shrinking into the corner and covering my head with my forearms. I had no need or desire to talk to him, or to talk at all.
Sama’s army was coming, his zombies marching on Kabayo’s land. Bruce Campbell would’ve known what to do, but I was at a loss. Had we waited that extra half a day, we never would’ve made it. Now Silo had a chance to repair itself. No matter what, I couldn’t regret the decisions that led me to duck out of the group and go rogue with the jackhole from Dagat.
The army’s steps grew closer, pounding the earth with purpose they didn’t need to understand. Sama knew what he wanted, and his mindless army would obey, like good little girls who came when their master snapped his fingers.
Finn sat on the floor next to me and wrapped his arm around my back, leaning me in to rest my head on his shoulder. I don’t know why Finn was trying to be nice now, and though I wished he was anyone else, I didn’t have the wherewithal to pull away. Sama wanted the sagrado stone. He wanted Kabayo’s head on a platter. He wanted to win and didn’t tolerate disappointment. I’d never been this close to a war before, and my nerves were nearing their peak.
“I’ll protect you with my life, little Omen. You’ve got a lot more work to do before you can really, truly rest. Until that day comes, I’ll be here to make sure you have a path. Even if you do hate me.”
I nodded, which I figured was just as good as speaking. I didn’t know how we were going to get out of this, and I wished a thousand times over for Allie and Ollie. Allie would know the perfect thing to say, and Ollie would know the perfect thing to do. Somehow they would broker peace with Sama, or they’d get me the flip outta Terraway before I got too hurt.
Finn held me, his sword on the ground at his side as he pressed my head to his chest beneath his chin. He seemed relieved that I was near him, which made little sense to me. “I don’t like hiding,” he confessed. “I’m more anxious in here than I w
ould be on the front lines. I wasn’t meant for ducking while others fight. I want to stay with you, but I have to go stand with Kabayo’s men.”
I didn’t know what to say to this, so I kept quiet.
“Sama wants Terraway under his thumb. That you have the sagrado stone means you’re his number one target, though no one knows we’re here. I don’t get it. Maybe Sama’s marching on Silo because he knows Kabayo’s a member of the council, so he must know you. If he’s targeting kings, we’re all in trouble.”
“I don’t care why,” I murmured. “I just want to go home.”
Finn exhaled his relief that I was speaking again. “We’ll go home just as soon as the battle’s settled. It’ll be alright.”
“You shouldn’t have hit me like that,” I said quietly. “You kissed my eyelashes last night, and then you hit me today. Lowest of the low, Finn. I told you I didn’t know how to ride horses. You put me in a situation where I had to talk, and then you knocked me around when I did. It’s mean.”
Finn kissed my hair, brushing my cheek with his knuckles. “Oh, kendi. Don’t you know by now? I am mean. But you’re on the council, so no matter the setting, I shouldn’t have hit you. I’m sorry.”
“How many women’s faces have you banged up?”
Tempt (Terraway Book 4) Page 5