Eternal Faith - Book 4 (The Ruby Ring Saga) (16 page)

L
eaning
up against the wall, I held my breath as they passed us by. I knew I was
invisible, but that didn’t make me feel any better. My shirt clung to my
sweat-slickened skin as I pressed myself as close as to the wall I could get. I
ran the tip of my tongue across my chaffed lips and clenched my hands. I took
several breaths to slow my racing heart, and I listened intently to make sure
we weren’t being followed.

Della
gripped my hand in victory, and I breathed out, relieved. We headed down the
stairs and made our way to the main exit. It was as simple as following a
security guard, and we were outside the gates in no time.

I
continued to grip Della’s hand tightly as we scurried deep into the scattered
trees. My senses were on full alert, so I immediately saw the flash of cameras
mounted in the trees. My grasp on Della’s hand tightened; without her gift of
invisibility, we never would have made it out of there alive.

I
stopped to catch my breath. “I think we’re safe for a minute.”

The
deep furrows between Della’s eyebrows smoothed, and her shoulders relaxed as
she drew in a deep breath. “We’re free.”

With
my heart racing, I quickly scoped out the area. I waited a moment before I
dared to start breathing again and realized that was becoming a bit of a habit.
My jaw tightened. “Hear that?”

“It’s
only the trees whispering among themselves.”

“The
wind,” I said. “Right.” I knew I was being paranoid, but I couldn’t help it. “Let’s
keep moving.”

“My
shoulder’s not healing,” she said. “It should’ve been better by now.”

“It’s
that shot that gave us.”

“I’ll
be okay,” she said, trying to sound brave. 

I
walked over the blanket of green moss and deeper into the towering trees. I was
thankful the Immortals thought they’d blown us to bits. Otherwise, we wouldn’t
have made it out of there without them on our trail. Setting my jaw, I bolted through
the plants and vegetation, and we didn’t stop until we came to a steep drop.

Della’s
jaw dropped, and all she could do was stare back at me, with a blank look on
her face. “We’re above the clouds, at a very high elevation, and there are so
many trees. I thought you said they’d taken us to a desert.”

I
inclined my head, just as confused as she was. “We’re...on a mountain?” I
squinted against the brightness as my eyes tried to take in the fantastic array
of colors. I glanced down past the fog and saw a breathtaking view of pine
forests, meadows, and tons of granite formations. The panoramic view was
breathtaking, but I wasn’t there on vacation. I was running for my life, and I
knew if they spotted us, we were as good as captured. My heart thumped harder.
The Immortals thought we were dead, and we had to get out of there before we
were spotted. If Della got any weaker, she wouldn’t be able to keep us
invisible. I spun in a circle, slowly taking in detail after detail, hoping and
praying there was a way out. “I think we’re on a mountain in the California
desert.”

“What
do you suggest we do now?” Della asked.

“We
get the hell off this mountain. There has to be a way down to the desert floor.”

She
fidgeted with her hands. “The terrain is much too dangerous, especially for
you, in your condition.”

I
swallowed hard as realization kicked in. We had no equipment or gear for
mountain-climbing. We didn’t even have any food or water. I’d been on enough
research expeditions to know that things could become very precarious without
proper nourishment and supplies, and I feared that mountain was going to be our
doom. “Well, it’s not exactly going to be a leisurely stroll downhill, but what
goes up must come down, right?”

She
heaved a sigh. “Impossible, Sarah. They brought us up here in one of those
flying machines.”

“A
helicopter.”

“Yes,
and that is the only safe way down.” She glanced down through the fog. “We
cannot continue on foot. Not in our condition.”

“Look,
Della, I appreciate your help getting us this far, but I don’t believe in
fairytales or acting like some helpless damsel in distress. We can’t just sit
around here waiting for Prince Charming to ride in on his white stallion and
rescue us. We have to rescue ourselves! We might not have the proper equipment,
but we have no other choice.” Gripping her arm, I pulled her. “C’mon. We need
to find the best way down.” I scooted to a ledge and jumped three feet to the
dirt floor. “At least it’s better than going up.”

“I
hope we can do this without our abilities,” Della said. “I feel so...human. We
have no advantage whatsoever.”

“Just
be thankful we have our excellent hearing and eyesight...and consider yourself
lucky that you’re not pregnant,” I said, huffing and puffing. My voice came low
and raspy, barely audible in my throbbing ears.

As
we hiked down the mountain, I briefly told Della about my unstable energy and
how I found Dr. Meyers.

“That
doctor saved your life,” she said.

I
smiled. “She’s my guardian angel.”

Walking
down the steep slope, I pressed through the tangle of weeds and tried not to
slip on the gravel. Every time we tried a different way, we ran into impassable
boulders. Since we didn’t have the strength to jump over or climb them, we had
to backtrack the way we’d come and try a different way. I knew the journey was
going to test my courage as well as the tread of my shoes.  

The
merciless sun beat down on my neck and shoulders, heating my skin to unbearable
temperatures as we traversed the mountainous descent. I gasped for air, partly
because of the climb and partly because of the thinning oxygen. I rested for a
minute and leaned back against a giant rock slab. My throat was parched, and I
longed for a drink of water.

Della
heaved herself through a narrow opening in the leafy ferns and bent
over, bracing her hands on her knees as she fought to catch her breath. “This is
much more difficult than sitting on my royal throne all day.”

I
laughed. “You’re doing fantastic,” I said between breaths. “Maybe you should
think twice before you world-hop.”

“Your
California has been quite the experience, Sarah. Of course, I believe this
treacherous journey would not be so difficult if those madmen had not poked and
prodded me and injured me with one of their projectile weapons.” She touched
her shoulder. “This is so very painful.”

“I’m
so sorry for all those horrors you faced and everything this place has put you
through.”

“I’m
just glad to be free.”

“But
what about the others?” I managed to squeak, my stomach in a tangled mess of
knots. “We have to help them.”

“Perhaps
this doctor friend of yours will know someone who can help. We cannot rescue
the captured ones ourselves. I’m far too weak and injured, and you are pregnant
and suffering from unstable energy,” Della said. “We will get them help though.
I have suffered great miseries at the hands of those monsters, and I will not
knowingly allow others to suffer the same cruel fate.” The determination in her
voice was so convincing that I believed she wanted to help them as much as I
did.

“I’m
surprised they didn’t keep you in one of those capsules,” I said.

“They
did not want me anywhere near the humans. I have no idea why.”

Alexander
kicked me, and I smiled, happy to know that he was doing well.

“What
is there to smile about?” Della asked, arching a suspicious brow at me. “Did I
accidentally say something humorous?”

I
laughed. “No. It’s just the baby. He’s kicking.”

Della’s
hand hovered over my stomach. “May I?”

“Sure.”

She
touched my stomach and grinned as she felt the kick. “It must be amazing to
carry a life inside of you.”

“It
is, and I’ll do anything to protect him, now and for the rest of his life.”

“Me
too. ‘Tis the least we can do for Victor, to keep a mindful eye on his little
one.”

I
was growing a bit tired of her blatant lingering crush on my husband, but there
was no use arguing with her on top of that mountain, when we were both
struggling just to survive. “Let’s go,” I said sternly. “I know you’re tired,
but we can’t afford to stop. We’re losing daylight, and this mountain is going
to become very dangerous at night.”

She
nodded, her black hair damp with sweat.

As
I hiked down the mountain, I glanced at Della.

“What
is it?” she asked.

“Tell
me something nice and romantic Victor has done for you,” I asked, my curiosity
getting the best of me and chewing me up from the inside out.

She
smiled. “I know I often speak of his horrible moments, but there were reasons I
stayed with him. He always made me feel like the most special woman in the
world.”

“If
this is too awkward, we don’t have to talk about it,” I said, even though I’d
brought it up.

“Victor
and I got into this awful fight, and we both said some horrible things that we
would regret.” She pondered for a moment, then continued. “He lit a million
candles in the banquet hall and cooked dinner for me, all by himself.”

“Victor
cooked?” I said, walking briskly through the vegetation.

She
pushed a branch aside and stepped past it. “The turkey was tough as leather. I
tried to pretend I loved it, though, because I was so touched by his attempt.”

“That’s
beautiful.”

“At
the end of dinner, he handed me the deed to Malore Island.”

“He
bought you an
island
?” I asked in surprise. “Wow.”

“Yes,
and it was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“That’s
amazing.”

“Victor
is an amazing man.” She then smirked. “And he’s an amazing lover, is he not?”

“The
best I’ve ever had,” I declared.

We
both grinned at each other. While we had our differences, our love for Victor
and our will to survive were two things we had in common.

W
e
climbed down a steep slope, sending rocks and pebbles tumbling down the hill. I
stopped at a drop-off and tried to gauge how far of a jump it was. I assumed it
was about twenty feet, but there were vines we could climb down.

I
gripped a vine tightly, till my knuckles turned white. I gave it a hard yank, then
turned to face Della. “If this thing will hold my pregnant self, it’ll surely
hold your skinny little butt,” I assured her with a smile. When her lips
pressed together in a grim line, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “You can
do this, Della.”

“If
I was Immortal I could—”

“You
are
Immortal. Your powers are just paralyzed.”

“I
suppose you’re right.” She gripped the vine and gave it a tug. “We just climb
down these like ropes?”

I
took a few steps forward, peering downward. “That’s the plan.”

She
took a deep breath. “I have never done such a thing.”

I
was starting to find Della tolerable, but some things about her still drove me
crazy, and it was time to give the royal pain in the butt a modern-day reality
check. “Look, Highness, I know you’ve been pampered for hundreds of centuries
in a comfy castle, but we’re not royalty in this world. Queen or not, right
now, this is all about survival.”

A
slow rumble echoed all around me, a noise that didn’t sound good at all.

“Sarah!”
her voice boomed off the rock walls.

I
could hear the panic in Della’s voice even through my racing heart drumming in
my ears. As I glanced up, I saw a huge boulder rolling down toward us. “Jump!”
I shouted.

In
one fluid movement, I clutched the vine, jumped off, and swung through the air.
Cool gusts of wind rushed against my face and whooshed in my ears. The rubbing
of the vine and the creaking of the branch from the stress of my weight made me
groan.
If this thing breaks...

Della
swung next to me just as the boulder tumbled past us, crashing at the bottom
with a loud
boom
.

“I
can’t do this as a mere human!” she said, hanging on with a death grip as she
dangled in the air.

Sweat
dripped from my brow as I caught my breath and shot her an exasperated glance. “You
can, Della. You have to!”

She
glanced down. “I’m petrified, Sarah! I am a queen, not at all used to this sort
of...nightmare.”

“You
have been pampered and spoiled and have forgotten how to fight for yourself,
Your Majesty. Now, it’s all up to you to fend for yourself. Hold on!”

She
clutched the vine with every ounce of her limited strength. “I am so ill
prepared. How can I ever outrun the Immortals? If they find out we’re alive...
Sarah, I do not want to die! Not here and not now!”

“You
aren’t going to, Della. We
can
do this.” My voice held more confidence
than I actually felt, but I put on a good show.

She
nodded and started to climb down. I hung on as tightly as I could to the
cluster of wet, tangled leaves. The scent of moss and damp earth hung in the
thick air all around me. Throwing Della a last glance, I started to gingerly
ease my left foot down, followed by my right. We made our way down the tangle
of vines, and I was relieved when my feet struck solid rock once again. By the
time I reached the bottom, my breath was coming in ragged gasps, and my hands
were trembling something awful.

Della
pulled back her sweaty hair. “Thank you, Sarah.”

I
nodded and gave her a shrug and a smile. “That’s what friends are for.”

She
lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sun. “I didn’t know we were
friends.”

Her
voice still had a sarcastic ring to it, even after all we’d been through. “We’re
both in the same predicament,” I said. “Ethano wants us dead, and the blue-ringed
Immortals hate us.”

“And
that is why you have declared us friends? Because we share common enemies?”

“Gosh,
Della, you really are a pain in the butt...but I have to admit that I kind of
like you.”

Her
brows furrowed above her intense eyes, and the wind whipped through her long
hair. “I cannot say the same, but I will tolerate you for the sake of Liz and
Victor.”

I
snorted. “Wow. That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

She
smirked as her black hair was tossed around in the wind.

I
glanced up at the sky. “It’ll be nighttime soon. We need to find a place to
sleep.”

“Only
for a few hours, to rest our weary muscles and bones. We can still hike during
the night with our vision.”

“How’s
your shoulder?” I asked.

She
winced as she touched it. “The pain is horrible, but I’ll survive.”

Bursts
of energy surged through me, and spots flooded my vision. Sweat poured from my
forehead, and I knew the temperature on the mountain had nothing to do with it.
A fever was coming on, my unbalanced energies struggling to take control within
me.

“Are
you okay?” Della asked.

“No.
I need my pills. The energy is out of whack, and I can feel it bouncing all
around my body.”

“The
quicker we get down this mountain, the quicker we can get more medicine for
you. Perhaps we should forego the sleep and keep going.”

Blinking,
I studied the cracks, gaps, and holes in the rock. “No, I’m getting too weak. I
need a little rest.”

She
pointed to a jagged opening in the rock. “How about there? It seems the perfect
spot for a nap.”

“We
could hide behind that huge boulder, and nobody would see us. Let’s go.”

We
climbed behind the rock and nestled into the hiding place, an excellent shelter
from enemies and the furious wind.

As
Della made a resting spot for us in the dirt, pushing twigs and pebbles and
leaves away, she observed, “If anyone saw us out here, they would never guess
we are queens from another world, another dimension.”

I
chucked at the thought. “You’re right about that.”

She
wiped the dried mud off her face. “Back home, people obey my every command. I
eat the best meals and live in the most beautiful castle. Yet here I am, about
to sleep on a stone, freezing, in the middle of nowhere. It’s quite ironic,
isn’t it?”

“Yes.
Here, we’re nobody special. I know that must be very hard on you, since you’ve
been a queen for centuries. In the blink of an eye, you went from high royalty
to no one in particular.”

“At
the moment, I don’t even have my powers,” Della said. “Nobody calls me Highness,
bows at my feet, or treats me special. I once ruled a great kingdom, but now I’m
just a regular person, with no power or authority.”

“Now
you know how your peasants feel, though most of them are poor and starving, watching
their children die from malnutrition.”

“I
have to admit I was impressed when you sent food to not only your kingdom but also
to mine.”

“Della,
if you ever go back, you must take better care of your subjects. The people in
Lato are especially in need of help.”

“That
tears at my heart,” she said, her voice quivering after I told her about the
horrible things I’d seen there.

“You
are the queen of Dornia. While you’re enjoying the privileged life of royalty,
you mustn’t forget to take care of the people who need help. That is the true
measure of a good queen, you know.”

“Our
world was truly amazed by your humanitarian act. No other queen has ever been
mindful of the peasants. Everywhere I went, people talked about your kindness
and generosity. Then, when Victor joined your campaign of compassion, the
people forgave him and embraced him as their king, so much so that they dubbed
him king of the Immortals. Everyone loved the two of you so much. Did you even realize
the impact you made?”

“I
was just doing what was right.”

“You
must go back to Tastia when you are able, Sarah. Our world is in dire need of
someone like you. You taught all of us across the lands that peace is possible,
and you even managed to convince that stubborn Victor to put an end to his insane
war and reunite the lands and people. Sarah, your name will go down through the
archives of history in our world.”

“We
just have to squish Ethano under our boots, and then we can have that world
once again,” I said.

A
twig snapped, and my heart thundered. All my senses were on high alert.
Breathing hard, I flattened myself against the rock and peeked out.

Della
continued to stare at me, her gaze intense. “See anything?”

“No.”
I reached for a stick. I knew something or someone was definitely out there,
and I worried that we were being tracked. I clenched my teeth as heat rose into
my cheeks. My shirt stuck to my back from my sweaty, damp skin that even the
cool mountain breeze could not relieve. I aimed the gun with steady arms, my
legs in a wide stance, and a doe bolted into the vegetation. My shoulders
shrugged in relief. “It’s only a deer.”

“Oh,
thank goodness.” She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, pearls
of sweat shimmering on her pale face.

I
felt her hot forehead. “You’re running a temperature too,” I surmised.

“I’ll
survive. I’m Immortal, remember? The shot they gave me will not allow me to
heal because it is inhibiting most of my Immortal powers. I would love to get
my hands on that potion and give them a taste of their own vile medicine!”

“I’d
love to use it on Ethano if I ever have to face him again.” I felt my blood
boiling, anger rushing through me at the memory.

She
stared at me hard. “Don’t even mention him. I need go get my beauty sleep
tonight.”

I
blew out a breath. “Sorry.”

It
was difficult to get comfortable on the hard rock, not to mention that the
weather was freezing. I flexed and contracted my numb fingers as the cold
continued to bite into me. I couldn’t take another minute in that horribly
place. I just wanted to be home, snuggled next to Victor. It was springtime,
and cuddling by a cozy fire was more of a winter thing, but at that moment, I
would have killed to be near my fireplace. It was chilly in the mountains, no
matter the time of year. I rubbed my hands together to take advantage of the
friction, then blew into them. “Maybe if we huddle together, we can stay warm.”

She
rolled her eyes.

Goosebumps
pimpled my skin as ice-cold wind beat across my body. “Hey, I’m freezing here,
and I know you are.”

Shivering,
she huddled next to me. “No one is to find out about this.”

“Got
it, but tell me something, Della.”

“What?”

“Why
are you so mean to me?” I asked. “I’ve done nothing but try to be nice to you.”

“Do
you want me to lie and give you the more polite answer?”

My
cheeks grew hot, but my gaze didn’t waver. “No! I want the truth.”

“Well,
I’ve thought long and hard and have finally decided that I’ll never be truly
happy if I don’t be honest with myself.”

“And
what does that mean, Della?”

She
met my gaze dead on and let the words out slowly. “I want your husband.”

My
stomach churned as my rival verbalized her true intentions. “You think you can
just come in and steal my life? What’s your problem?”

“You,”
she said. “You are my problem. You are...in the way.”

A
surge of anger flooded through me. I’d given her a chance to make amends, to
prove me wrong about her, but she’d blown it. Victor had fought a war against
her new husband and had begged her to come back for hundreds of years. She
could have had Victor anytime she wanted, but she decided to wait until he was
mine, until I was about to give birth to his firstborn child, and I had no idea
how someone could be so selfish and malicious. “I don’t deserve that, Della. I’ve
never done anything to you.”

“You
have the life I was supposed to have.”

I
gaped at her. “I don’t get it.”

“Of
course you wouldn’t.”

I
took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You left Victor hundreds of years
ago, when you broke your engagement and married another man.”

“Sarah,
I loved Victor with everything in me, but he wasn’t the man he is today. Back
then, he was a monster. If he were still the same, you’d be running from him
now, for he was ruthless and heartless. It isn’t fair.”

I
tried to keep my teeth from chattering, but something about the words she was
saying was warming me up. “What’s not fair?”

“He
finally settled down—for
you
.
You
were able to tame him. I keep
asking myself where I went wrong. Why wouldn’t Victor change for me? Damn it, I
loved that man.”

“Wow.
What queenly language you have.”

She
shrugged. “I’ve been in your filthy world long enough for it to corrupt my
tongue, I suppose. Besides, I’ve watched lots of television in my holding cell.”

I
couldn’t believe Della was so quick to admit to me that she was in love with my
husband. Even though her words stung, I felt for the woman; I knew from
experience how hard breakups and broken hearts and disappointments in love
could be. “It’s hard for me to admit this, but I know how much you two loved
each other.”

“Victor
wasn’t the man you know today,” she said. “He was a tyrant then, just like his
father.”

“Those
days are long gone,” I said softly.

“I
know.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “When I see the man Victor is today,
my heart melts.” Her voice wavered. “Now he’s the man I wanted all along, the
man
I
was supposed to marry.
I
was supposed to be his queen, the
one who would birth his heir. The life I was supposed to have now belongs to
you.”

I
shook my head, not sure what to say. By the emotion in her voice, I could tell how
much she genuinely loved Victor. She didn’t want to give him up back then, but
she couldn’t stand by and watch Victor destroy everyone and everything around
him. She refused to be married to a monster, no matter how much she loved him.
She chose to break free, and knowing Victor as I now did, I realized just how
difficult that must have been.