Eve of Redemption (27 page)

S
ara gasped as her back slammed against the hard-packed dirt. She managed to roll out of the way and jump back to her feet a split second before Kyle’s foot slammed down on the spot she had just vacated. Tossing a stray strand of hair from her face, she resumed fight position and circled her opponent. Kyle smiled down at her, which annoyed her to no end.

“You’re off your game today, Sara.”

She shrugged, trying to look unconcerned as she fought to catch her breath. “Just letting you get overconfident.”

“Yeah, right.” His right hand lashed out at her, and she deflected it with her left. She spun, lashing out with one foot, but Kyle leapt over it. She had to duck low to complete the spin in order to avoid his return kick. “Not bad. I would have taken anyone else’s head off with that kick.”

“Is that a compliment?”

Kyle tipped his head. “Sure, you earned it.”

Sara knew she needed to keep her focus on her opponent. Practice or not, Kyle would not hesitate to hurt her just to prove he could. Still, she struggled to concentrate. Master Eleazar’s words rattled through her head.

I think I can help with that.

Sara had been certain Master Eleazar’s discovery of their plot would end it. But instead of punishing them, he had herded the three students into one of the weapons rooms and closed the door behind them. He had held up a hand for silence as he listened for any indication they might not be alone. Once satisfied, he’d turned his scarred face to them.

“What yer plannin’ is foolish, I’ll give ya that. But Casius and me, we go way back, and I don’t be likin’ what’s goin’ on around here of late.”

The intensity of the rugged man’s words was not lost on the teens. They held great respect for this man who had taught them so much, and all of them knew that if he was truly on their side, they had a chance.

When none of them spoke, he continued, “Something ain’t right, that’s for sure. What happened to Casius—that was dark magic it was.”

The sting of Kyle’s foot on her thigh brought Sara back to the training arena.
That’s going to leave a bruise
, she thought as she hobbled away from her opponent. She chided herself for letting her concentration slip, especially against someone like Kyle. Not only could he best her every time, but he seemed to get some sort of perverse thrill out of causing her pain. He was the best fighter among the students in the Keep, and he knew it. While she and Ryan were both close seconds, neither of them had ever beaten Kyle.

“You should have seen what I did to your boyfriend this morning,” Kyle said. The smirk on his face told Sara all she needed to know.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Sara said, trying not to let his taunts get to her. Feigning a step back, she lunged forward, catching Kyle by surprise. Her fist caught the tall young man square in the abdomen as her left leg swept around his and nearly toppled him. But Kyle was not so easily beaten. He blocked her next attack while dancing backward on one foot. Sara thought she still had a chance to take him down, but his arm shot out and the tips of his iron fingers hit her chest right in the middle of the burn. She grimaced and fell back, both hands covering the tender spot.

Kyle recovered and resumed a defensive stance. “That was pretty good. Not good enough, but pretty good.” He stared at her for a moment. “What’s wrong with your chest? I didn’t hit you that hard. You aren’t turning wimp like those losers you hang out with, are you?”

Sara’s face contorted with pain and anger. Kyle thought he was so special. He treated the rest of the students in the Keep like servants he could boss around. Just because he was stronger and faster than the rest of them didn’t give him the right to treat them like dirt.

“You know,” he continued, “you need to ditch Ryan and come hang out with me. We’d make a great team. You know we would. No one could beat us.”

Sara was surprised by the sudden tenderness in his voice. He was serious! How could he ever think she would be interested in him after the way he had treated her and her friends? She shook her head. “Life isn’t about beating others. It’s not one big competition.”

“Really? And who told you that? You do know why we’re here, don’t you? There’s a war going on out there, in case you’d forgotten.” Kyle’s voice grew louder, more passionate. “People are dying. Every day more people are dying.” He stood panting, staring at her. “Your parents died out there. How can you of all people say it’s not a competition? That’s all it is.”

Sara waved a hand at him and turned away. She was in no mood to argue. “We’re too different. We think too differently. We’d probably kill each other within a week if we were alone together.”

“Yeah, well, it would be an unforgettable week. You could count on that.”

Sara scowled at the thought. Her chest stung from the burn and her thigh began to cramp as she made her way back to the changing room. Again, her mind wandered to Master Eleazar’s words.

“I can get ya into the library, that I can,” Master Eleazar had said. Still, Sara and her friends had remained frozen, afraid to say anything. “Well? Yer tongues be lame er what?”

Ryan spoke. “We were just tossing things out, Master,” he said. “We know the library is off-limits right now.”

“Oh, come now,” the master scoffed. “I heard enough to know what you was planning. And I can help ya get in. Like I was sayin’, there be some strange goings on around here, and I don’t like the feel of it. A master attacked within Keep walls? Ain’t never heard the like. The place should be up in arms. But the Holy Father’s got himself locked away, not saying nothing. Strange goings on.”

Sara wasn’t sure what to think. That one of the masters would risk serious punishment, perhaps even banishment from the Keep, to help her seemed like a preposterous idea. Still, she truly trusted Master Eleazar, and she didn’t trust many people. Could he really be willing to help her get into the library? Finally, she sighed and shrugged. He had already heard them talking, they might as well go all the way.

“Well, Battle Master. What’s your plan?”

SARA CREPT THROUGH the dark, her hands trailing along the walls on either side. She still didn’t understand why they couldn’t bring a lantern, but Master Eleazar had promised that, as long as they went slowly, they would come across nothing dangerous. “Besides,” the scarred man had muttered, “some things is better not seen.” Sara had chosen not to question him on that. She really didn’t think she wanted to know.

“Doesn’t the Bishop know about the tunnel? Won’t it be watched?”

“Course he does,” Master Eleazar had said. “But he’s got no reason to think anyone else does. The tunnel don’t come out close to Casius’s office, so I doubt they be thinking whoever attacked him came from there. They seem right sure it was a portal, so I’m guessing they ain’t even thought about the tunnel.”

Sara hoped the battle master was right. She felt the reassuring presence of Dana behind her, and she knew Ryan brought up the rear. Though she’d initially insisted on coming alone, she had to admit she was glad her friends had talked her into letting them come with her. Something tickled Sara’s face, and she wiped away yet another spiderweb. If nothing else, they knew that whoever had attacked Master Casius had not come through this tunnel. Judging by the webs, no one had used this passage in years. Sara was still trying to clear the web from her face when her foot struck something, nearly tripping her. Dana ran into her back, and this time Sara teetered forward. She managed to get her hands out in front of her and caught hold of something.

“We found the staircase,” she said. “Master Eleazar said we go roughly thirty paces from the top of this staircase, and the ladder should be on the right side.”

“I hope he knows what he’s talking about,” Dana mumbled. “This place gives me the creeps. What if this isn’t even the right staircase? We could have missed a turn in the dark.”

“Chill, little sister,” said Ryan. “Master Eleazar was certain about this, and I have every faith that Sara led us just as he instructed. No one could bring us through this any better than she could.”

Sara felt the heat in her face as she blushed at the unexpected compliment. “Careful on the steps,” she said. Keeping both hands on the walls on either side, she climbed the narrow stone staircase. Though she couldn’t see them, based on the varying height and depth of each stair, she guessed they had been chiseled from the rock. She soon lost track of how many steps they climbed. It took much longer than she would have expected. The tunnel reminded her of the one Bishop Joshua had led her down that went on and on, seemingly beyond what should have been the limits of the Keep. Finally, she reached the top.

“About time,” Dana said. “There’s no way we didn’t go up past the library.”

“Well,” Sara said, “the next thing we look for is a wooden ladder that will take us even higher.”

“That makes no sense at all. How can we go higher? We’ll be in Lord’s tower if we go any higher.”

“We’ve always known there was magic to this place,” Ryan said. “Ash-Shaytan’s ways are not our ways, and we can’t always understand him. Just keep going. If Battle Master Eleazar says we’ll end up in the library, that’s where we’ll end up.”

Sara wished she possessed Ryan’s confidence. They had gone much too far to still be in the Keep, let alone anywhere near the library. She shrugged in the darkness. There was no turning back now. She continued down the narrow tunnel, one hand on the wall, counting her steps as she went. Sure enough, at thirty-three paces she felt the rough wood of a ladder.

“It’s here,” she said.

“The ladder? You’ve found it?” Dana whispered.

“Yeah, right where he said it would be.”

“I still can’t believe he’s helping us,” Dana said.

“Neither can I, but I’ll take all the help I can get to find out what really happened to my parents.” Sara grabbed hold of the ladder with both hands and tried to shake it, but it was mounted to the wall. At least that was a good sign. “You two wait here while I climb up and take a look.”

“Hey Sara, why don’t you let me go first now?” Ryan’s steady voice showed no sign of fear.

“Yeah, let the big strong man take the lead now that you’ve cleared out all the spiderwebs for him,” Dana teased.

Sara smiled at Ryan’s offer. She knew he hated the feeling of letting a girl take all the risk, but she couldn’t give up the lead now. “Just wait here. I’ll call down when I get through.”

She started up the ladder. Though it was sturdy enough, a cool slippery substance coated some of the rings. She had no idea what it might be and found herself recoiling with an unexplained dread each time her hand encountered the slime. This time the climb wasn’t long, and soon her head clunked against something solid above her. She let out a curse and pressed a hand over the tender spot on top of her head.

“Did you say something?” came Dana’s whispered voice from below.

“No, but I’m at the top. Hold on.”

Master Eleazar had said the trap door would open into one of the broom closets in the upper library, the same level on which Master Casius’s office was located. What he could not guarantee was that nothing would be on top of it. Sara prayed she wouldn’t tip something over and announce their presence before they even got into the library. She pressed on the trap. Nothing. She could be pushing against a solid ceiling for all she knew. She shoved again, harder this time, but still it remained sealed.

“Ryan, can you come up here?”

“Sure.”

“What? And leave me down here by myself? I don’t think so.” Dana was no longer whispering.

“Quiet down, sis. I don’t know if that ladder will hold all three of us. It might not even hold two of us. You sure it’ll hold, Sara?”

“It’ll hold. Just be careful. Some of the rungs are kind of slick.” Sara waited as Ryan made the climb, wondering again if they were doing the right thing. She really didn’t know just what she thought she would find in Master Casius’s office, or why she thought she had to be the one to find it. Something strange was going on, she had no doubt. The discovery of her parents’ murders, the message from Manasseh, and the attack on Master Casius all in the same day couldn’t be ignored. Of course, she hadn’t told the Holy Father or Bishop Joshua about the message Master Casius had uttered, so she might not know everything they could have told her. Then again, she doubted they had told her all they knew in the first place.