Steel Maiden (13 page)

I
DISCOVERED VERY QUICKLY that riding
did
not
come naturally to me.

After the first few hours of riding, I had
chafed my inner thighs against the saddle. And if it weren’t for my
supernatural healing abilities, I probably wouldn’t have had any
ass to sit on at all.

I kept sliding off to the side of my saddle,
cursing into the wind and pulling myself back up. At first my pride
had been hurt. How many people had seen my disastrous beginning? I
wondered if Landon had seen and had regretted helping me. I was
truly the worst prepared competitor. But instead of feeling sorry
for myself, I got angry.

I had been left behind and was breathing the
others’ damn dust. It didn’t seem to bother Torak, but I couldn’t
breathe without coughing up a lung. I made a temporary mask with my
cloak in order to breathe, but the dust tapered off, and I could
breathe again without it. I wiped my eyes and peered down the road
before me.

It was empty. The dust had disappeared and
so had the other racers. They were gone.

It wasn’t that Torak lacked speed; his
strong, lean legs were like a great machine. But I had felt him
slow down a few minutes into the race. I realized after a while
that he was trying his best not to throw me off. He was trying to
keep me on his back. I liked him immediately after that.

I hadn’t seen any of the others for at least
two hours now. I was already trailing behind.

“Why did I have to steal that damn
crown!”

I had to believe that there was still a
chance to save Rose and my village. I had never doubted for one
second that the high priest would murder thousands of peasants,
farmers, and children if I didn’t bring back that stone.

Damn him. Damn the Temple of the Sun Empire.
Damn them all to hell.

I rode on with a heavy heart. How was I
going to catch up now? Let alone win?

Even though riding didn’t come easily for
me, I figured every day would get a little better. I felt a little
progress as we galloped on through Anglia. I thrust my body forward
and tried to ride with the rhythms of horse. The wind in my face
and my hair overwhelmed me with a feeling of freedom. I felt like a
bird in flight. I felt the beast’s great power under me, and it
became my power as we started to move as one.

Torak’s thick, black mane flowed around my
hands, and eventually I began to enjoy myself a little more and
even to take in the scenery.

In the beginning I’d passed tall stone
buildings and cross streets, large villas and acres of beautiful
manicured lands. I’d never ventured farther than Soul City, and I’d
never thought I’d ever be going west. East was where I’d set my
sights. East was where I wanted to start a new life with Rose.

My chest tightened at the thought of
something happening to Rose. Mad Jack had promised that he would
care for her, that he would see to it that she had food and
protection. He had obviously felt guilty about handing me over to
the priests we hated.

Did he think I’d forgive him? No. I didn’t
think so. His betrayal still made me furious.

Going west wasn’t as bad as I thought it
would be. Anglia was beautiful country. And as time went on, the
buildings decreased in size, lots became smaller, and the great
stone buildings were replaced by smaller dwellings with colored
roofs and smaller windows. They were still mansions compared to the
thatched huts in the Pit. Even the worst areas of Anglia were
characterized by beautiful homes and lavish gardens. The inequality
made me furious.

Passersby looked a little baffled as we
galloped by, so far behind the rest of the pack.

“You’re last!” a stupid fat man with no neck
shouted. I couldn’t place his accent.

“Thanks for the tip,” I yelled back, fuming.
Like I didn’t know. I ignored the pig-like man as I passed him in a
blur.

Golden fields and farms with large ponds
dominated the countryside for another few miles and then ended
abruptly at the edge of a forest.

Without breaking stride, we plunged into a
stand of pine and spruce and hemlock trees. The road narrowed, and
tall evergreen trees surrounded us on both sides. As soon as we
entered the forest, the cool air brushed my face, and I was glad
for it. The trees offered us welcome shade.

Torak’s back was covered in sweat. He needed
a well-deserved break. And I knew the other competitors would
eventually need to rest their animals as well. It would be dark
soon, and I wouldn’t chance breaking the horse’s legs in the dark.
It wasn’t fair to him. The tall trees on all sides would most
probably hide most of the light from the moon. It was stupid to
travel at night, especially in a strange land.

“Whoa, big guy,” I said and pulled gently on
the reins.

Torak slowed to a stop, and I swung my legs
over and dismounted, grateful to be on solid ground once again. My
thighs burned as I shook my legs and tried to get the blood flowing
again. Although my legs felt like wood planks, I thought I’d be in
worse condition than I was. My healing abilities were still
effective.

I straightened up and sighed.

“Right. You need water. You’re thirsty
aren’t you, Torak?”

Torak watched me with big brown eyes. I
thought I saw his eyes widen at the mention of water, so I took
that as a yes.

“I saw a creek next to the road. Come on.
Let’s get you some water.”

I took the reins and led Torak along the
edge of the road where I’d spotted a creek and hoped I hadn’t
dreamed it. I heard the sound of trickling water and eased Torak
towards the sparkling creek. He went to the water and began
drinking. After I had helped myself to some deliciously cold water,
I figured this was a good time to have a look inside the large
saddlebag. I moved next to Torak and peered inside.

It was packed. I had dried meats, breads,
cheese, a container of water, and apples. I even had spare clothes
and undergarments. I pulled out an apple.

Torak stopped drinking and turned his big
eyes to the apple in my hand.

I cut the apple in half with my hunting
knife and fed Torak one half. He gobbled it up and eyed the other
piece hopefully.

“Forget it,” I said, and sheathed my
knife.

“It’s not like we have a lot to go around.
We need to share. You had your piece already, this one’s mine.”

But as I watched him, tired and sweaty after
all that running, I realized he deserved an entire apple tree. I
gave him the other piece. “You’re welcome.”

I laughed, glad of his silent company.
Without the distractions of wicked priests and handsome men, I
could figure out a plan to get me back into this race. I tied the
reins around a branch from a pine tree, broke off a piece of bread,
lifted a flap from the bag and pulled out the map. I didn’t like
going into unknown territory. I needed to study the map.

Maybe I could find a shortcut to Goth. With
that idea in mind, I felt a new sense of hope and moved to a soft
spot under a large pine tree. I sat down and unfolded the map on
the soft pine needles. It was good quality parchment, and I was
surprised to see how much care had been taken in the details. Only
the temple could afford maps like this.

Although I might have been poor, my mother
had taught me to read, and it saddened me to think that most of the
people in the Pit were illiterate. The priests preferred to keep
their cattle in ignorance, the better to rule them.

The map showed the boundaries of Anglia that
bordered the West Sea. I stared at a small strip of land that
connected Anglia to the small island of Goth to the west.
Death’s Arm
was written in bold black letters. It was the
only way in or out of Goth.

“Inviting,” I said. “It’s no wonder nobody
wants to go there.”

I moved my finger along the narrow passage
into Goth and studied the many paths that led into Hollowmere. Even
shortcuts and secret passageways were marked on this map. Had the
priests been to the Hollowmere? It was obvious that whoever had
conjured up this map had taken great care with the details.

If my map was more detailed than the maps of
the other racers, then it was clear that the high priest really did
expect me to win. If he really had given me a special map and a
strong horse, maybe I could win.

I wondered about the golden cage. Was there
a connection between the Anglian crown I had stolen and the golden
cage? Why was the stone so important to the high priest? What would
he gain from having it? The other competitors wanted to win to
bring joy to their communities and experience the glory of victory,
but what would the temple gain if I captured the stone? What was
their true purpose? I would have to think about that later.

As I studied the map, I remembered the
handsome man with sparkling blues eyes who had made the gesture of
helping me, even though I was a competitor. The memory of his warm
mouth on the skin of my hand sent a jolt rippling through me. A man
hadn’t had that effect on me for years…

I was still haunted by Mad Jack’s apparent
look of disappointment and anger at my conversation with Landon
Battenberg. Why should he care if I’d enjoyed being treated like a
lady by a handsome stranger?

I realized the truth. This was a
competition. Sooner or later we’d all face each other. We might
have to fight or even kill to get to the stone. What if Landon was
playing me? Could he have been charming his way into my heart so I
wouldn’t see the blade of his sword until it was too late?

I’d been seduced in less than a minute, my
new record for stupidity. I’d let my feelings overwhelm me. It was
with my brain I needed to race with, not my heart. My face burned
with shame and humiliation. I swallowed my nausea. I was weak. But
I wouldn’t be fooled twice. I wouldn’t let some pretty face deter
me.

Suddenly, I was all too aware of how dark it
had become, as though the trees had purposely hidden the last of
the sunlight from me. I could hardly see the map. It was getting
late. There was no way I’d ride on in the dark. I needed to make
camp.

Torak seemed happy and rested. Perhaps with
a good night’s sleep, we could ride hard at sunrise and catch up to
the others. Yes. That was definitely a good plan.

Feeling more optimistic, I folded up the map
and stuffed it back into the bag. I picked out a small pot and, to
my surprise, tea. Tea sounded like a dream.

I went in search of kindling for a fire and
threw a look back at my horse to make sure he hadn’t run off. He
was still where I had tied him. Technically he wasn’t
my
horse, but he was mine for the duration of the race. I’d never had
a pet before. It’s not like we could afford to feed a dog or a cat
… or even a bird. This was as close to owning a pet as I’d ever
come. I smiled.

Tomorrow I’d catch up, maybe even lead, if
the Creator were on my side.

I had a small meal of dried meat and tea and
settled on my back in the pine leaves. It only took a few seconds
before my eyelids were so heavy that I couldn’t keep them open. I
fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I didn’t know how long I’d slept when the
snapping of a branch woke me.

I froze. My heart fell to my stomach. I
jumped to my feet and went for my daggers. But it was already too
late.

A dark cloak swept past my eyes, metal rang,
and a blade pierced my throat.

CHAPTER 13

W
ARM BLOOD WELLED INSIDE my throat. I
gasped as the metallic liquid poured from the corners of my lips. I
was choking on my own blood.

I reached up, wrapped my fingers around
something cold and hard, and pulled. I tossed the knife to the
ground and instinctively covered the cut in my throat with my hand.
The blade had struck deep. I felt the blood pump between my
fingers, and I knew it had hit an artery.

I spotted my assailant through my tears.
Even in the dark there was no mistaking that it was a man. He wore
a golden mask fashioned with the face of a skull, and he was
covered from head to toe in a black cloak. He held two curved
daggers, and his soulless dark eyes spied me from the holes in the
mask.

I hadn’t even arrived in Goth, and yet I
stood before a demon, or a man disguised as one.

My attacker watched me gurgle and choke on
my own blood. He almost looked carefree. He watched me patiently,
like he was waiting for something.

“The priests are liars, and they can
never
possess the stone. You should never have agreed to
this race,” he said. His heavy accent sounded Fransian.

“I do not rejoice in the killing of a woman,
but I will do what I must to protect the stone. We know what you
are, and what you can do. You must die tonight before you murder us
all.”