“How noble of you,” Rhea mocked, her sickening eyes flaring. Penny refocused on her forehead. “However, I appreciate what you’ve done for the people of this city and I bear them no grudge. I will try not to harm them since you’ve done this. However, I still intend to take control of this city and its castle, so I cannot make any promises that no one will be hurt.”
“Oh, you’re too kind, Madam Cardinal.”
“Enough of this. Listen well, wretch. The Angelic Lord will arrive when I call to him, but for now I wish you would be so civil as to answer some questions for me. Surely you even have that amount of decency?” Rhea stood and began to pace.
“What can I tell you that you would possibly want to know?” Penny taunted, but kept her eyes fixed on the Cardinal. Rhea held the silver flute in her palms and absentmindedly swung it about.
I’ve just got to wait for the right moment… If I can stun her, I can grab it. She was stupid enough to dismiss her lackeys. I might even be able to take her out. Surely the Cardinal must have at least one dark memory that I can resurrect. I just have to be fast enough.
“You jest and you mock, little beast, and my patience grows thin,” Rhea growled. “I think you know exactly what I want you to tell me.”
“I have no idea where Seival hid his stupid spear thing,” Penny shot back, shifting her legs to test their strength.
Rhea looked disgusted. “That is Lord Nestor’s concern, not mine. What I want to know is how…how did it happen? What was their secret? How did they accomplish what I could not?”
“How did what happen?”
“You, idiot girl. Tell me everything, about how it was accomplished. You must know,” Rhea insisted, gaping at her.
“I think you’ve made some mistake,” Penny replied slowly, feeling as if she was the one caught off guard now instead of Rhea.
Rhea’s eyes bugged. “No, that’s impossible. It is you, I can feel it. You’re the one, I’m sure of it! Do you dare lie to me?” she screamed, shoving her face so close to Penny’s she couldn’t look away from the revolting orange orbs. Her hair curled through the air, stroking Penny’s face. Penny couldn’t hide her shiver.
“No, you’re not lying. You’re…you’re not.” She pulled away, her hair falling down as if it had suddenly decided to adhere to the laws of gravity.
“I’m not who you think I am, lady. I’m not who anybody thinks I am.”
“No, it cannot end like this,” whimpered Rhea, tearing at her own hair as she stared at Penny with wild eyes. “I was so sure you’d be able to tell me. But now I see. They kept you unaware on purpose. They did it to hurt us―to hurt me. They did it on purpose. You were supposed to be the key to everything, you were supposed to―wait.”
Fear consumed Penny anew.
“Perhaps you do know, after all,” the Cardinal whispered to herself. “Adrielle put that seal on your magic to hide you from us, but it was removed. She could have just as easily put a seal on your memories….”
“What are you talking about?” Penny had forgotten about the flute altogether now and was concerned with what Rhea was blathering about. “What are you trying to say happened? That I have memories Adrielle hid away? Who do you think I’m supposed to be?”
“Yes, of course―Lord Nestor keeps that girl, the one who removed your first seal. Perhaps there was another that she missed. Perhaps if I can call him now, he will arrange it. Yes, of course. There is still hope.” Rhea was beside herself, tears welling in her horrible eyes.
She lifted the flute to her lips and took a deep breath. Penny exploded into action, her instincts taking over. Before she had gotten halfway to the Cardinal, a deafening boom sounded from the innards of the Cathedral. Rhea and Penny stopped and looked toward the door. There came the sounds of muffled shooting, another boom, and then everything fell silent.
“What is that?” Rhea whispered.
Then with the force of a small-scale explosion, the door flew open and slammed against the walls in a deafening crash. A cloud of pink glittering smoke rolled in, and a dark silhouette approached through the haze.
“Ladies, have you ever witnessed,” murmured the figure, “anything quite so astounding, as the extraordinary, the mysterious, and, of course, who could forget irresistibly handsome…”
He stepped forth from the cloud and into the room with a swagger, tipping his top hat forward with his wand as he winked alluringly at both Rhea and Penny.
“…Simon Shaw.”
Penny’s heart filled with relief and fear at his appearance. Rhea sprang into action, blowing a hard note on the flute that sent Simon shooting back through the pink fog. A flash of light blinked within the fog, and something like a firework exploded forth, hitting Rhea square in the face.
“What are you doing here?” Penny shouted, limping forward on her ailing legs to assist Simon as he hurried back through the fog.
“Saving your ass! Look out!” Simon tackled Penny as Rhea piped on her flute. A force of invisible energy disturbed the air, splitting the wall behind where they had stood.
From the hall behind them, the two therion priestesses charged in, holding flasks of volatile liquid and sharp daggers in their claws. With the quickness only a stage magician could possess, Simon produced a deck of playing cards, tossed them high into the air and used his wand to send them shooting at the priestesses.
Rhea continued to play on her flute, summoning up several more blasts of razor sharp wind, one of which hit Penny square on the arm and tore right through the sleeve, serrating her flesh. She screamed as blood splattered the walls.
Rhea was advancing on the two of them. Simon pulled a long scarf out of his sleeve and, with a flourish of his wand, it blew over Rhea’s hands. As it fell down over her flute, the instrument completely disappeared. She stopped dead, threw aside the scarf and froze.
“Where is it?” Rhea bellowed, racing at Simon, who had his hands full with the oncoming priestesses throwing flasks of liquid. Penny leapt between the two, reached out both hands for Rhea’s face and felt sweaty skin. The white flash came instantaneously.
Agony covered her body from the chest down as she lay paralyzed on the stone slab, but what tormented her even more was the crippling disappointment. She was worse than useless.
Rhea gasped and lost her footing as the memory overcame her. Penny let go and made a quick turn, feeling the Cardinal grasping blindly for the hem of her skirt.
“Simon, we need to run!” Penny screamed.
“Hold on!” he answered, throwing his hand around her waist and pointing his wand at the ground. A cloud blossomed beneath their feet and they were lifted into the air, narrowly missing a bottle thrown by a goblin priestess.
“No! They cannot escape! This cannot happen!”
With a burst of energy, the cloud shot forward. All Simon and Penny could do was hold tightly to each other as it bashed its way painfully through the sea of bodies, enchanted flames, and sharp edges. The thick of the battle passed by in a blur, and Simon navigated the runaway cloud through the hall, dodging several more robed women and sending it careening toward an open window.
“Oh God no Simon, you can’t be serious!” Penny shrieked as they shot out of the window and into the open sky. They both screamed, the sound resonating in their bodies as they clutched each other like it was the only safety left in the world. The lofty heights at which they flew made Penny’s stomach twist. “Ferchrissakes-land-this-thing-land it-land it-land it!”
“I’m trying, okay?! It’s harder than it looks!” Simon waved the wand with an agitated flick and the cloud blinked out of existence beneath them. They began plummeting toward the steeples of the Royal District. Simon cursed and flicked his wand frantically as Penny gaped. At last the cloud congealed several feet below them, and they landed on the surface with a small bounce. Penny stared at Simon and they shared a nervous laugh.
Five minutes later when they were setting foot on the solid streets with violently shaking legs, Penny had regained her
voice.
“I-I don’t believe it. W-we’re alive, we just laughed death in the fa-face, and now we’re on the ground, a-and you’re here and…you went in there and risked your life for me, even after all those terrible things I said to you.” She felt tears gather in her eyes.
“And I did it with style, too,” he joked, looking uncomfortable.
“Oh, God. Simon I’m…I’m so sorry.”
“No need to say it―I know. I am too. We can have a nice long chat when we’re not being hunted down by a group of bloodthirsty maniacs. Where can we hide that’s close and safe?” Simon asked nervously, looking in the direction of the Cathedral less than a mile away.
“The castle, it’s just over there!”
“Fantastic. Just wait here a second. I’ve got to go get Lydia.” Simon darted off as Penny’s jaw dropped.
“What the―you brought Lydia?”
He disappeared around a corner, and Penny stood still, feeling very exposed as she heard a ruckus coming from the Cathedral area. Simon was back quicker than she expected, holding Lydia’s hand in his own as he dragged her behind him. She gave Penny a meaningful look as they approached. Her massive pet spider rode on her shoulder. Penny turned and ran toward the castle, then stopped when Simon began fumbling in his coat. He pulled out Rhea’s flute and dropped it on the stone.
“How did you get that?” Penny skidded to a halt and doubled back to pick it up off the ground.
Simon looked bewildered. “Just a sleight of hand trick. I thought it would confuse her―you know, a ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ kind of thing?” He shrugged. “Is it important?”
“More than you can ever know,” Penny breathed as she stowed it away, very aware that Lydia was watching her every move.
You cannot go in there, Miss! The Court is in session, no―”
Penny, covered from head to toe in cuts and blood, burst through the doors and marched in. The members of the Royal Court gasped, some leapt to their feet, and others cried for Penny to be apprehended. At the end of the splendid hall sat Noah on his throne, wearing his crown and clutching his scepter. He rose to his feet, his face portraying disbelief.
He came toward Penny as if pushed forward by a gust of wind. The angry shouting and threats were too much for Penny in her current condition, and she ran to him, needing protection more than anything at this moment. Noah threw his arms around her, dropping to his knees as he pulled her close and wrapped the cape he wore around them like a shield.
“This is an outrage!”
“Never in all my years!”
“Remove this creature from our sight at once, guards!”
Noah stood, still clutching Penny under one arm as he turned to face the outraged crowd and shouted for silence. He opened his mouth to speak, but Penny beat him to it.
“Everyone, please listen to me! The Cardinal is coming, and she means to destroy everything in the city until she gains complete control. You’ve got to hurry! Get ready for the worst, she―”
Her voice was drowned out as the court went into an uproar. Some people back away, others rushed toward Penny. Noah gripped her tighter.
“Damari!” Noah called over the noise, and Captain Baldera appeared beside them. Noah pushed Penny over to him with a nod that Damari seemed to understand. He whisked Penny through the chaotic mess and back out into the castle halls.
Simon and Lydia followed, and Damari led them to an out-of-the-way sitting room that overlooked the city. Damari turned to leave with the promise that Noah would be back to see them soon. Penny stopped him.
“Please…” she faltered, not knowing exactly how to address him, “please, big brother…my friends don’t know we’re here or what’s happening.” Penny felt strange using the Elydrian phrase, but Damari raised his eyebrows as if amused.
“I’ll have someone contact them at once,” he said, then left, closing the doors behind him. Penny let out a long sigh, set the flute down on the table, and stumbled over to the sofa, where she collapsed in a shivering mess. The pain from her injuries and still-bleeding arm were beginning to grow more acute as the shock wore off.
Lydia, her eyes fixed on Rhea’s flute, drew away when Simon reached for her. She went to the windows. “It’s already starting out there,” she murmured, not sounding particularly concerned.
Penny did not want to see any more ugliness. She turned on her side and sighed. Simon sat beside her and touched her wounded arm.
“This looks pretty bad. Maybe I can do something?” he offered, but the pain stung under his touch and she lightly pushed his hand away. He went silent for a moment, cast a glance at Lydia as if to see if she was paying attention, then murmured to Penny, “How…how is everyone? You’re not all still mad, right?”
“No, of course not. They were really worried about you.”
“Really?” he breathed, then cleared his throat. “I mean, of course they were. I was sure that you needed my help again once that crazy Rhea put up her message. Such a short time without me and you’re already in shambles. It’s why I persuaded Lydia to move the caravan back, you know. I thought that if we, you know, bumped into each other or something….”
Penny smiled at his fumbled attempt at an apology, and he gave her a sheepish grin.
“Oh, all right. You know what I mean. To put it bluntly, it only took a few days away from all of you to realize where I truly needed to be. Now, maybe that had something to do with the fact that I was living down among thieves, murderers, and fugitives.” He hung his head slightly. “You wouldn’t be opposed to letting me come back, would you?”
“Simon, you’ll always be one of us. You’re…you’re family. But I don’t think there’s going to be a ‘back’ to go to anymore. Not after tonight.” Her own words scared her, and she fell quiet. Simon patted her shoulder as he thought this over.
Soon after, the door opened again and Noah reappeared, holding a variety of items under his arm. He shooed Simon away from Penny’s side and in a hurry stripped off her ruined jacket and began to dress her wound. Tears welled in her eyes when he stitched up the gash and put a stinging balm on it, but by the time he had wrapped it up in a bandage, the worst of the pain had passed. He then sat his tools aside and looked into Penny’s eyes. Simon shuffled away uncomfortably to stand beside Lydia.
“I’m sorry, Penny. I must seem so rude staring like this, but I just can’t believe you’re safe. I honestly thought when Rhea called out for your capture like that that you were already lost. I was so frightened that I would never see you alive again. I went to Miss Annette’s house and you weren’t there. I was sure you’d already been killed. Heaven, I can’t tell you what that was like. Just knowing that you’d died and that the last things I’d said to you were so harsh. I’ve never known such anguish.”
“Noah, let’s just forget it all happened. There are more important things to worry about.”
Noah closed his eyes, a relieved smile spreading across his face. “That’s by far the best idea I’ve heard in weeks.” He pulled her close to him again, and Penny allowed it, being too tired to object and needing any form of comfort. “I’ll never let this happen again. I’ll keep you safe from this moment on.”
With a crash the door swung open and a squall of voices flooded in. The serenity of the moment was broken, and Penny drew away from Noah as she faced Hector. He lunged forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, cleaving to her with such fury in his face that she almost started to cry.
“How could you, Penelope?” he demanded with one rough shake. “How could you do such a thing? What about your promise? Answer me! Don’t just sit there looking vacant!” Hector’s voice had nothing of its usual gentleness or formality, and it scared Penny more than Rhea and all her minions combined had. “You broke your word―flagrantly! You―”
“Get off of her! Can’t you see that she’s hurt?” Noah tore Penny away from Hector.
Hector’s fury seemed to diminish just a little. “I specifically asked you not to go there.
Of all the reckless, thoughtless things you’ve done, this is by far the worst. Why you felt the need to risk everything we’ve achieved―”
“Who do you think you are, Arlington?” Noah bellowed at Hector. “She’s been through hell, and this is how you greet her? And you’re supposed to be who she thinks of as, how did she say it―‘the one who looks out for her?’ Looks to me like you’re falling grievously short of that.”
“Your Majesty,” Annette cried from the doorway, “forgive me, but this is no way to act right now. We have to figure out what to do.”
Hector turned away from Penny, his glasses in one hand and the other covering his face.
“Well, I should think that would be obvious. You’ll all stay here in the castle while the army and the rangers pacify the Cardinal’s revolt. This is the safest place in all of the Nation of Men. It’s the only sensible option, and if all your lives are actually as vital to stopping this madness as you’re always hinting they are, then this is the best course of action.”
“I’m sorry, but I beg to differ,” Argent interjected, looking grim. “We shouldn’t be anywhere near Iverton, if you ask me. We’ve got to get out while we still can because―no offense, Your Majesty—this place isn’t going to last long. They’ve got more power than you can handle and that’s that. Does anyone know a place we can hide out at for a while?”
“Oh,” Armonie said suddenly, and Penny noticed for the first time the girl was tucked under Gavin’s arm. “Well, this may be a bad idea, but my old Sanctuary has been deserted since Rhea called for all the Priestesses to join her in the capital. I’ve still got the key. There are lots of beds, medicine, and food, and the walls are strong.”
“That’ll have to do.” Argent nodded. “Come on, then. Penny, I see you’ve got your bag. Our things are in the carriages outside, so we can leave from here. We’ve got to go now.”
“Fire from Heaven, don’t tell me she’s coming too?” Annette shot a dirty look at Lydia, who sneered.
“Are you all insane?” Noah’s face went pale and he confronted Argent. “They’re rioting in the streets right now for Penny’s blood and you’re going to take her out there in that mess?”
Eden Undone (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 2) Page 26