by Eliza Tilton
“She’s lovely, isn’t she?”
I jumped at Mr. Barnum’s voice suddenly behind me. “Don’t creep up on someone.”
Arabella said something to her father, and they both looked this way.
I ducked.
I don’t even know why.
“Get yourself up, Leonardo.” Mr. Barnum nudged my side with his boot. “Go open the door for her.”
While I busied scrambling to my feet, Mr. Barnum went back to his quill to finish writing. I fixed my shirt and stepped over to the door as the single bell above it jingled. Arabella walked in, hands clasped in front of her.
“Good afternoon, Leo.”
I tipped my head. “Good day.”
She leaned to the side and waved. “Hello, Mr. Barnum.”
Mr. Barnum smiled, though I could barely tell with his bushy mustache blocking his mouth. “How are you, Miss Grace?”
“Very well. Leo had something special he wanted to show me.”
“Did he?” Mr. Barnum eyed me over the rim of his glasses.
I rolled back my shoulders, giving myself a minute to think. “Arabella is a horticulturist.”
“Oh!” Mr. Barnum’s eyebrows rose with excitement. “I have just the thing to show you. I’ll be right back.”
When he disappeared into the back, Arabella poked my arm. “Horticulturist?”
I shrugged. “You seem really interested in flowers.”
She laughed and began perusing the store. I followed her, watching her investigate every jar of eyes and bottles of tonics. She leaned over to inspect a massive mason jar of rose oil. I stood on the other side, peering through the reddish liquid.
Two big eyes stared back, and I jumped.
“Boo!” She laughed and swung around the jar.
Her laugh brightened the room and made her perfect freckles sparkle with warmth. It was foolish to think we could be more than friends, but boy did I wish it.
“Here we are.” Mr. Barnum returned with a box.
Though I already knew what was inside, I couldn’t wait to see Arabella’s reaction. We both met Mr. Barnum at the counter.
“This is a very special flower. One of the rarest.” He opened the box and took out the case. “Meet the flowers from the Queen Andes.”
He held the jar containing the tiny white-green flowers.
“They’re beautiful,” Arabella said, leaning closer. “Do they have any special properties?”
Mr. Barnum smiled. “It’s said this flower can heal any ailment.”
“You’ll make a fortune once you sell it,” I added.
“No!” Arabella gasped. “You mustn’t.”
“He has to. What else is he going to do with it?”
Arabella glared at me. “Some things are meant to be protected.”
“I think Arabella is right,” Mr. Barnum said, ending the discussion. “I’ll keep this safe.”
When Mr. Barnum went to put his flower away, Arabella twisted toward me. “Your turn.”
“We can talk later. Are you thirsty? Mr. Barnum makes one heck of a lemonade.”
She followed as I headed toward the front window where Mr. Barnum kept out refreshments. “Oh, no you don’t. We had a deal.”
“Okay, but have something to drink. It really is good.” I grabbed the pitcher and poured her a glass, ignoring her pretty pout just as a loud boom rattled the store. Arabella and I stared at one another.
Another boom, this one closer.
“Father!” Arabella turned and ran out the door.
“Wait!” I screamed as I hauled after her.
People shouted, but I didn’t see anything other than everyone around us running and screaming. Nothing that could send the whole port into a frenzy.
Arabella was running to her carriage as I caught up to her.
“What was that noise?” she asked, her eyes wide with terror.
An explosion shattered the sky. Instinctively, I hugged Arabella to my chest and flipped her toward the carriage to cover her body with mine. Fire and smoke blocked out the sun, followed by loud screams and rumbling that vibrated the road. Another blast, and the nearby store windows shattered. I pushed Arabella to the ground, protecting her from whatever danger descended on us. Ringing filled my ears and I shook my head, trying to clear the noise.
“Leo! What’s happening? I need to find my father!” She twisted around to face me, gripping my shoulders. “Let me go!”
A boom erupted behind us, and she flinched. She held onto my neck as tears streamed her frightened face. When I glanced back, a cloud of smoke began rolling toward us, and fast.
“I don’t know, but we need to get to safety. We’ll come back. I promise.” Unraveling myself from her, I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. I had no idea where we were going, but we ran fast and far away from the smoke.
People were crying, bloodied, pointing behind us, and shouting. I didn’t know what caused the explosion, so we ran until the screams faded and we were on the outskirts of the port.
My calves and thighs burned, every muscle aching for me to stop. Sweat beaded around my face and dripped down my neck.
“Stop. Stop,” Arabella cried beside me, and we finally stopped.
We plopped to the grass, panting.
“Are you okay?”
She shook her head and cried into her hands. I crawled into a sitting position and pried her hands away from her to examine her face. A cut above her brow spilled blood into her swollen eye.
“Damn it.” I ripped off my sleeve, folded it into a square, clean side up, and then pressed it against her head. “You’ve got a nasty cut.”
“What was that?” She ignored my question and stared past me.
“I don’t know. I don’t know which direction it came from.”
“It was northeast, near the mines.”
I stopped moving as my deepest fear surfaced. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I saw when we left. There were multiple explosions and so much smoke.”
I didn’t want to turn around, but I needed to see.
Black clouds filled the northeast sky, right where the mines were—and my father.
“No.” Dread filled me until I couldn’t speak another word.
“What is it? What’ s wrong?”
No. You can’t be in there. You can’t be.
“Leo. Leo!” Arabella shook my shoulders.
But he went to work this morning. He never missed a day, not even when he had a bad cold.
The baby.
My poor mother. What would she do?
“Leo! Please!” Arabella tugged on my arms.
“My father works in the mines.” I turned back to her, knowing I had to leave her here. “I need to go back.”
She wiped her sleeve across her nose and sniffled. “I’m going with you.”
“Arabella.” I shook my head, my voice cracking. “You can’t. Stay here where it’s safe.”
She stood. Dirt and blood covered the front of her once-white dress. The bonnet had flown off, lost in the dust, and her auburn hair flew wild and free. “I will not be left behind.”
She spoke with such finality I couldn’t refuse her, but how could I take her? I met her fiery gaze. My body shook with emotion and turmoil. If I didn’t leave now, I’d start sobbing. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Please, stay.”
With an eerie clam, she righted herself and placed a hand on my cheek. “I’m not afraid.”
I steeled the emotion rolling through me with her touch. “If anything happens to you, I don’t know what I’ll do. I . . . I . . .” I stammered through words, unable to tell her the truth. How the sun lived in her presence. How the first time we met was not the first time I’d drawn her. How I would do anything to take the scars from her body and place them on mine.
As if she could read my thoughts, she stepped onto her toes and whispered, “I know.”
Her face was inches from mine, and I didn’t dare move any closer.
“I know, Leo. I know.”
My chest heaved up and down. She pressed her fingers firmly on the back of my neck, and everything in me wanted to kiss those pretty lips.
“You stay close,” I told her, touching my forehead to hers. “But once we hit the mines, you have to stay back. I can’t take you near there. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
It took all my willpower to break away from her, but I did. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
I gripped her left hand. “If you can’t run anymore, you say the word and I’ll stop.”
“We make sure your father is okay, and then we find mine. I’m with you.” Covered in blood and grime, she was an angel, ready to go to the pits of hell with me.
Those three words pumped adrenaline through me, fueling me forward.
With her hand in mine, we ran.
Back to the port and into the fire.
Chapter 11
Arabella
Fire bloomed in the southern skies. As we ran hand in hand, my heart skipped wildly. I’d experienced fear beyond understanding, but that was when my life was in danger . . . This was a panicked fear.
Is my father okay?
Is he searching for me?
Guilt encompassed my thoughts. I shouldn’t have run off, though I didn’t think Leo would’ve let me stay after the last explosion.
Red blotches covered his cheeks and nose. His brow knit together in deep concentration. Though we ran side by side, I wondered if he wasn’t running as fast as he could because of me.
I didn’t want to hold him back.
I broke away and he turned to look at me, probably wondering why I let go.
“I’m right behind you,” I reassured him, and he nodded, facing back toward the destruction.
We breached the port, and amidst the dust and chaos, screams and cries echoed around us. There were horses galloping past with empty carriages, couples coughing and scrambling in every direction. Ash coated the street, and beautiful seagulls who hadn’t flown away in time fluttered their last breaths on the ground.
“Father! Father,” I screamed, hoping that if he was near, he would hear. When I didn’t see him, I continued after Leo. With my dress hiked up, I ran faster, keeping just behind him.
Dust and smoke billowed out from the mine opening. Men, holding one another, stumbled out or were already lying on the ground, covered in soot and blood.
“Has anyone seen Henry?” Leo screamed as he ran to the nearest miners. “Where’s my father?”
One of them coughed and leaned on another man. “I don’t know. He was working the second level. The blast happened in the southern tunnels. Far enough not to kill all of us. He may be just stuck.”
Leo took off, and I screamed after him. “Leo, no!”
There were too many people concerned with their own injuries to care about what we were doing. The cloud of dust enveloped the mine entrance, and he disappeared. My heart hammered. My mind whirled.
Lord, keep us safe.
I ran into the mine, covering my nose from the smoke.
“Leo!” I called out, holding one hand in front of me as I navigated the dark tunnel. My eyes adjusted, and with the torches and lanterns on the cavern walls, I had enough light to guide my shaky steps.
Father would be furious if he knew I planned to go into the mines, but how could I let Leo go in alone? If it were my father trapped in here, no one could stop me. We would find Leo’s father then go find mine.
The pathway curved, and I stumbled over a broken rock. Pain exploded in my right knee as I crashed onto something sharp. Tears blinded my vision. After moving into a sitting position, I pulled back the layers of my dress and saw a jagged piece of metal stuck right above my knee.
Oh no.
“What are you doing here?” Leo appeared out of the smoke, skidding to the ground in front of me. “I told you to stay outside of the mines.”
I bit my lip, unable to talk. The metal had wedged in an area that any movement sent a ripple of pain through my leg.
Leo cupped one hand to my cheek. “I need to pull this out. It’s going to hurt.”
I nodded and gripped his arm, preparing for the worst.
“You hold me as tight as you need to,” he added.
He ripped the metal out, and stars sprinkled my vision. The ability to move my leg sent a wave of relief through me. Though the wound throbbed and gushed blood.
“Damn, Arabella, you’re a mess.” He shook his head and took off his shirt.
Sweat slicked his skin and slid across his corded muscles. He ripped apart his shirt and tied it around my thigh to staunch the bleeding.
“It’s not a deep cut, and you should be able to walk.” He stood and held out his hand. I gripped it, and he pulled me up beside him, wrapping his other arm around my waist. “I have to find my father.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No.” He dug his fingers into my side. “It’s too dangerous. Please, go.”
A rumble shook the ground, and we clung onto each other.
“Let’s go, now!” I grabbed his arm and nudged him forward. Realizing I was too stubborn to obey him, he pulled me alongside, farther into the mines.
“Pa!” We followed a trail of lanterns that shook when the ground rumbled.
Dust and bits of rock crumbled from the ceiling. Mining carts packed with coal bumped against each other on the track which wound around the corner, deeper. My thigh throbbed, but surprisingly I could walk without too much difficulty.
Ignoring the discomfort, I focused on the darkness before us, searching for any signs of life. I coughed and covered my nose from the smoke.
Leo screamed his father’s name more than thirty times before someone responded with a soft yell.
“It’s him!” Leo ran forward, and I hopped along after him. He dashed around the corner, screaming his father’s name in desperation.
I breathed heavy and used the rocky wall for guidance. The tracks curved into a slanted area with crumbled rock, a smashed cart, and a man trapped under it all.
“Oh no.” I held my hand to my mouth to stifle the sob that wanted to rip out of me.
“Just hold on.” Leo dug out the rocks and tossed them to the side . . . but there were too many. The whole ceiling in this corner had collapsed.
The man lay on his back, pale, eyelids fluttering. His moppy, dark hair matched Leo’s exactly. “Leonardo.”
Leo stopped and clutched his father’s raised hand. My heart shattered at the scene. I stood in silence, not knowing how to help or what to say.
“I’ll get you out.” Tears ran down Leo’s dust-covered face. They left patterns that shined under the bouncing lantern light. “Don’t give up.”
“You keep working at the post. You take care of the family . . . I wish . . .” His father’s voice cracked, and he pulled Leo closer. “I wish I could’ve seen her. Take care of the baby. Your mother will need you more than ever.”
Leo fell against his father, weeping. Before closing his eyes, Leo’s father kissed Leo on the head.
“No! No!” A curdling scream ripped out of Leo’s mouth. “Shifty! Shifty!”
My body trembled with each sob from Leo. His father is dead. Oh, Lord, no. Don’t let this be. I moved to Leo and crumbled beside him. He shook his father, crying, calling out, demanding he open his eyes, and I didn’t know what to do.
“Don’t take him! Please!”
The desperation and rawness in Leo’s voice stabbed into my heart. I wrapped my arms around him. He twisted within my grasp, refusing to settle.
“Shhh.” I cradled his hea
d to my chest, hoping to comfort him.
“He can’t be gone. He can’t . . . He . . .” His words trailed off into moans, and I rocked him like I would have a young child. He clutched the front of my dress and buried his face within it, sobbing.
There were no words for this moment. The paleness of death filled his father’s face, all color draining away into the shadows surrounding us. The misery emanating from Leo encompassed my soul until my heart hurt so much it pained me to breathe.
A deep rumble shook the earth, reminding me of our own danger.
“We have to go.” With Leo shuddering in my arms, I gently pulled him up as I stood.
“I can’t leave him here like this.” He wiped his face with his hands. “I can’t do it.”
Another rumble, and rocks broke free from the ceiling. I shouted, and Leo pushed me aside, out of the way of the falling debris.
“It’s not stable. We’ll come back. I promise.” I tugged on his arm, trying to get his attention.
He stared at his father with a sadness I understood too well. It was the same emptiness that encompassed me when I thought the occultists had killed Edgard. I hated forcing Leo to leave, but the ground rumbled under our feet, and if we didn’t go now, we could be trapped—or worse.
Leo held my hand and, without turning to face me, said, “I know.”
I tugged him closer, and when he finally looked at me, his eyes were red with tears, the brokenness so palpable it took all my strength not to start sobbing. I touched his cheeks, gently caressing the sides of his face.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
He nodded with understanding and took my hand.
The ground quaked as we hobbled back toward the entrance, followed by a boom that echoed through the mines. Leo covered me with his body as a billow of dust clouded the area. We coughed, and when the dust settled, all my hope fled.
Massive rocks blocked the exit.
“What are we going to do?” I limped over to the rock pile and peeked around them. “How are we going to get out?”
I hit the boulders and screamed out my frustration and fear. My knuckles bled, and I hit the stones again, pushing on the rocks in a failed attempt to move the rubble. Panic caused my breaths to come too fast, making me dizzy.