Maylin's Gate (Book 3) (29 page)

Jo sighed. “You’re beautiful. Trust me.”

No one had done half so much for her. Not ever. She nodded. “Twenty minutes?”

Jo scooted across the room toward the door. “Twenty minutes. Wash. You smell like a horse.”

A smile stretched across her face and her hands moved to the buttons on her shirt.

Jo left and the door clicked shut.

She stared at the closed door for a long moment and a sense of emptiness filled her. A week ago she would’ve taken the girl’s life without giving it a second thought. Now, the thought made her ill. She’d rather die than harm Jo.

She undressed and slipped into the steaming water.

Heat spread through her body melting away months of built-up tension. She closed her eyes and relaxed while the hot water loosened her muscles.

A week’s worth of dirt, soot, and ash floated from her body turning the water cloudy. She scooped up a bar of soap and lathered her body from head to toe. The clean scent of spearmint and lemon filled her nostrils. She worked the soap into her hair washing away layers of black ash.

Her thoughts drifted to General Demos. If she could track down the general, would Andreas and Pietro allow him back? No, they would try to silence them both. But, General Demos held the common trooper’s allegiance. They would rally around Gregor.

Where had Connal Deveaux taken General Demos? Was Gregor in Freehold? She could snoop around the village after dark. She might even capture fresh pets and leave this place behind.

The thought of leaving Jo turned her stomach. How long could she survive without feeding? Three months? Maybe four? She tried to stop once before, but the attempt had left her ill for months.

No, she would find a way to feed if only to maintain her sanity. But, Jo could never find out. Despite the warm water, a shudder ran along her spine.

In the adjoining room, the doorknob turned.

She stiffened and reached inside taking hold of the blackness polluting her soul.

The door opened and Jo appeared holding a knapsack filled to the brim.

She released the black magic and pushed herself higher in the tub. “You’re back.”

“I am.” Jo smiled from the next room. “I’ve brought gifts.” Jo’s eyes gleamed.

“What gifts?”

“Get out of the tub and see for yourself.”

She stood and water dripped from her naked body. Minty suds slid down her legs and back into the tub’s brackish water. She grabbed a white towel from a short stack perched on a nearby table and wrapped her body.

Jo appeared in the doorway smiling. “Hungry?” Jo held a basket filled with steaming cornbread and butter.

Her stomach growled and she stepped from the tub. “That food smells delicious.”

Jo bit into a muffin before crossing into the adjoining room. “That’s not even the half of it. I’ve brought roast chicken, fresh potatoes, and warm apple pie.”

“I would’ve gone downstairs to meet you. You didn’t need to trouble yourself.” The words rang empty in her ear, and she doubted Jo believed them either.

“Wait until you see what I found at the store next to the inn.”

“Where did you get the money?”

“Lady Rika,” Jo said. “She told me to buy whatever I needed.”

She dried her hair and toweled the water from her body before slipping on a plush robe. “What did you buy?”

“Come out here and I’ll show you.”

She cinched a knot in the robe and wandered into the bedroom. The scent of roast chicken hung heavy in the air and her stomach growled.

Jo hovered over the water basin unpacking an odd assortment of jars, bottles, and tubes.

“What’s all that?”

Jo pointed to the food piled atop a desk. “Eat and I’ll tell you.”

She grabbed a wooden plate beside the cornbread muffins. “You found plates and cutlery?” Was there anything Jo couldn’t do?

Jo’s cheeks reddened. “Nathan gave them to me.”

“Ah yes.” She smiled. “It’s all coming clear.”

She piled roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and cornbread onto her plate. Like a condemned prisoner, she settled into the desk chair and gobbled down the feast.

Jo arranged the bottles and jars in an ordered line. With brow furrowed, the girl studied each one like an alchemist preparing to transmute gold.

“What are you doing?”

“Double checking. I need to make sure I have everything.”

“Everything for what?” She grinned. “You’re being so mysterious.”

“Growing up I learned some…tricks.”

“Go on.” She bit into a chicken leg.

“A friend of mine taught me how to apply cosmetics.”

“Oh?” She’d never had any use for cosmetics. Her path led her in a far different direction.

“My friend taught me how to change a woman’s hair color.”

She perked up. “Really? What sort of friend would teach you such things?” She scooped a bite of potato from her plate.

Jo’s gaze lingered on the label of a cobalt-blue bottle. “She worked with my mother.” Jo’s voice drifted as if tripping over unpleasant memories. “But, she was kind to me.”

She’d not meant to dredge up painful memories. “What color did you have in mind?”

Jo shook free from the trance and stared at her. “Color?”

“For my hair. What color did you want to dye my hair?”

“Blond of course,” Jo smiled.

“Blond?” The idea of running around with blond hair seemed laughable.

“Everyone has blond hair. You’ll blend right in.”

“I can’t argue your logic.”

“Good.” Jo took the half-finished plate from her hands and set it on the desk.

Her eyes tracked the plate while her stomach filed a protest.

“You can finish eating later. We have to get started.”

She sighed. “Okay. Let’s get this over with.”

Jo fetched a towel from the water closet and pointed to the chair near the basin. “Sit.”

She sat and for the next hour Jo applied creams, ointments, and salves to her hair, face, and eyes. The girl plucked and tweezed in areas she’d not known grew hair. Jo applied the cosmetics with a maestro’s touch and an artist’s concentration.

After what seemed hours, Jo stepped back flashing a wide grin. “You look beautiful.”

Beautiful? Her stomach flip-flopped. She’d never heard that word applied to her. “Can I look now?” She reached for the mirror.

“No.” Jo leaped for the mirror and shoved it away. “I have one last surprise.”

“Do you promise it’s the last one?”

“Shush.” Jo’s hands slipped inside the pack and pulled something free. “I bought these too.” In each hand Jo held a dress. One pale blue and the other a muted yellow. “I like the blue one for you.”

Her insides turned to butter. “Why are you being nice to me?”

“Because we’re friends. Aren’t we?” Jo’s eyes searched hers.

“Of course we are. Thank you.” Tears welled in her eyes.

“No. You can’t cry. You’ll ruin the cosmetics.”

She smiled and dabbed the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry. It’s just…nobody has ever treated me like this.”

Jo reached inside the satchel. “These are for you too.” Jo handed her the dress and fresh underclothes. “Go try it on.” Jo gestured toward the water closet. “Nathan will be back soon to fill the tub with fresh water.”

She disappeared into the water closet and emerged a few minutes later wearing the blue dress.

Jo glanced up from a half-eaten plate of food.

“Well, what do you think?” She felt fresh and clean in a way she couldn’t ever remember.

Jaw hanging open, Jo leaned back in the chair and stared. “I don’t think I would recognize you. Amazing. You’re stunning.”

Her face flushed and her gaze drifted to the floor. “Now you’re just making things up.”

Jo stood, took her hand, and dragged her to the full-length mirror. “Don’t believe me?” Jo turned the mirror so she could see. “Look for yourself.”

She gasped. She didn’t recognize the woman standing before her.

With golden hair, long dark eye lashes, and an unblemished complexion, she appeared a real Meranthian lady.

Jo’s smile widened. “See? I told you.”

“How…?” She choked on the words and tears welled in her eyes. “I can never repay this.” She shook her head and dabbed at her eyes.

“Never mind that,” Jo said. “Just don’t cry. You’ll ruin your face.”

She stared into the mirror. Could she find a new life in this new world? Could she put her sins behind her? An ember of hope sparked deep inside her.

Jo moved in behind her and gazed into the mirror smiling. “I’d say you’ll turn more than a few heads. Maybe Nathan will like you more than me.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “I doubt that.”

“I just wish he’d refill the tub. I smell like an outhouse.” Jo sat at the table and picked up a piece of roast chicken. “When I was downstairs, I heard them talking.”

“Who did you hear talking?”

“Lady Rika and the Prime Guardian.”

Her stomach fluttered. “About what?” She sat at the table and pushed away her food.

“Harlech isn’t safe and neither are the southern villages and towns near the coast. Meranthian forces are gathering at Prynesse. The Prime Guardian is marching at daybreak.” Jo’s face soured.

“What’s the matter?” She said.

Jo’s gazed drifted to the table. “Certain people in Prynesse might know me.”

“What sort of people?”

Jo’s eyes flickered upward and touched hers before darting away. “People that would bring me trouble.”

Leaving the safety of the army might bring them more trouble. She didn’t have an easy answer. “When we get to Prynesse we’ll leave.”

Jo’s expression brightened. “You promise?”

“Of course.”

“That’s not all I overheard. They were talking about the king.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “Oh?”

“He’s not in Harlech,” Jo said. “He’s not with the army at all.”

Her heart pounded. “What’s wrong with the king?”

“I don’t know, but he’s been gone for weeks and Lady Rika is worried. The Prime Guardian tried to comfort her, but I don’t think he helped.” Jo’s glance shifted toward the ceiling. “She said, ’I’ll not sit by idly while he throws his life away.’”

“That sounds like trouble.”

“I almost forgot. Lady Rika said that the knights captured some baerinese soldiers. They are holding them prisoner in Harlech.” Jo bit into a slice of cornbread and crumbs tumbled onto the tabletop.

The room spun. “Where?” The word came off harsh and coarse as it tripped from her throat.

“Where what?” Jo said spitting bits of cornbread across the table.

She wanted to leap across the table and pry the words from Jo’s throat. “Where are they holding the baerinese captive?”

Jo nodded. “There’s an army camp east of town. They have them locked behind shields.”

With the army marching at dawn, she might find General Demos among the army and set him free.

“Are you okay? You look like you might sick up.”

She snapped her head toward Jo. “I’m sorry. Bad memories.” She picked up her fork. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Sanctuary

The seed’s kernel contained enough power to level a village. At least in Danielle’s capable hands it did. She rolled the seed between her fingertips and surveyed the electric field.

The strange seed and the fruit it bore held properties she'd never encountered. The desert had infused the seed with powerful secrets. Secrets she’d kept to herself.

She placed the seed on the polished marble floor near the electrical field. Tapping into her warden’s magic, she opened her mind to the seed’s essence. With a slight mental nudge, she pushed.

A green vine bearing ripe yellow fruit shot outward. Wrapping in tight spirals, the vine circled the cell sprouting two dozen pieces of fruit.

She nodded to herself and tracked the vine around the room. “That’s better.” She knelt beside the largest piece of fruit. “You’ll do fine.” With a gentle tug, she plucked the fruit from the vine and inspected her palm-sized prize.

She strode toward the crystal door taking care to step over the vines. She placed the fruit near the energy curtain and stepped away. “Let’s see how powerful you really are.”

She opened her mind to the fruit’s seeds. Drawing on her power, she infused the seeds with nature’s gift. She added resistance to fire and electricity. With a push, she sent flows of nature energy into the fruit causing rapid growth.

The fruit expanded and touched the electrical field. Sparks bounced from the waxen surface and wisps of white smoked curled into the air. But, the skin held under the assault.

She released the magic and surveyed her work.