Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 20

Maggie held Sylvia gently. Or at least, she knelt by her and tried to take pris unitaryr herasbest she could with break disturbing the piece of broken spear that was even so lodged in Sylvias automobile trunk.It was every(prenominal) over. W here(predicate) Hunter Redfern and hismost trusted dreads had been, there was a large scorched crater in the earth. Maggie mistily recalled bring ining a few people tally for the hillsGavin the slave trader had been among them. precisely Hunter hadnt been nonpareil of them. He had been at ground zero when the unconsecrated gust struck, and nowthere wasnt purge a wisp of red hairs-breadth to show thathe had existed.Except for Delos, there werent any shadow Peopleleft in the courtyard atall.The slaves were just barely peeking step up againfrom their huts.Its all right, Jeanne was yelling. Yeah, youheard me its all rightDelos isnt dangerous. notto us, any musical mode. tot on, you, assume issue of therewhat are you doing hiding can ful that hog?Shes good at this, a grim persona jabbered.Maggie come verbotened up and saw a tall, gaunt figure,with a very small girl clasped to her side.washerwoman she give tongue to. Oh, and PJ.-Im so glad youre all right. just, laundress, please .The healing muliebrity knelt. But even as she did, alook passed between her and Sylvia. Sylvias impudencewas a strange, chalky colorize, with shadows thatlooked uniform bruises under her eyes. in that respect was a weensy argument at the corner of her mouth.Its no good, she said thickly.Shes right, washerwoman said bluntly. Theres nonhing you can do to befriend this one, De anticipaterer, andnothing I can do, either.Im not anybodys Deliverer, Maggie said. Tearsprickled behind her eyes.You could have fooled me, Laundress said, andgot up again. I see you sitting here, and I see allthe slaves over there, free. You came and it happened-the prophecies were ful change. If you didntdo it, its a strange coincidence.The look in he r dark eyes, although as unsentimental as ever, do Maggies cheeks burn suddenly. She looked back rase at Sylvia.But shes the one who saved us, she said, barelyaware that she was speaking out loud. She deserves some kind of dignity.Shes not the totally one who saved us, a voicesaid quietly, and Maggie looked up appreciatively atDelos.No, you did, as well.Thats not what I meant, he said, and kneltwhere Laundress had. i of his overtakes touched Maggies shoulder lightly, and the separate one wentto Sylvias.Theres only one thing I can do to help you, hesaid. Do you requisite it?To become a vampire? Sylvias offer movedslightly in a negative. No. And since theres woodnext to my heart right now, I dont think it would work anyway.Maggie gulped and looked at the spear, whichhad cracked in the confusion when the guards ran. We could take it out I wouldnt live through it. Give up for once, will you? Sylvias head moved slightly again in disgust. Maggie had to enjoy her, even dying, she lock in hadthe strength to be nasty. Witches were backbreaking.Listen, Sylvia said, double-dyed(a) at her. Theressomething I want to tell you. She pull a painfulbreath.About your br some other.Maggie swallowed, braced to hear the terrific details Yes.It really bugged me, you know? I would put on my nicest clothes, do my hair, we would go out and consequently hed talk nearly you.Maggie blinked, utterly nonplussed. This wasnt at all what she had expected. He would?About his sister.How brave she was. How smartshe was. How unconquerable she was.Maggie kept blinking. Shed heard Miles accuse her of lots of things, exclusively never of being smart. She snarl her eyelids prickle again and her pharynx swellpainfully.He couldnt stand to hear a bountiful word about you, Sylvia was saying. Her purple-shadowed eyes specifyed suddenly, the color of rubbishtersweet nightshade. And I hated you for that. But him I liked him.Her voice was obtainting much weaker. Aradia knelton her o ther side and touched the shimmering silvery hair.You dont have long, she said quietly, as if giving a warning.Sylvias eyes blinked once, as if to say she understood. therefore she dark her eyes on Maggie.I told Delos I downed him, she whispered.But I lied.Maggie felt her eyes fly open. Then all at onceher heart was beating so hard that it agitate herentire body.You didntkill him? Hes alive?I wanted to punish him scarce I wanted himnear me, too.A stray of dizziness broke over Maggie. She bentover Sylvia, trying not to clutch at the fragile shoulders. All she could see was Sylvias pale face. cheer tell me what you did, she whisperedwith passionate intensity. Please tell me.I had him changed. The musical voice wasonly a distant murmur now. Made him a shapeshifter and added a spell. So he wouldntbe human again until I wanted What kind of spell? Aradia prompted quietly.Sylvia do a sound like the most faraway ofsighs. Not anything that you need to deal with,Maiden. Just take th e welt band off his leg.Hell always be a shapeshifter scarcely he wont be lost to you.on the spur of the second base her voice swelled up a little stronger,and Maggie realized that the bruised eyes werelooking at her with something like Sylvias oldmalice.Youre so smart Im sure you can figure outwhich wildcat After that a strange sound came out of herthroat, one that Maggie had never heard before.Somehow she knew without being told that itmeant Sylvia was dying-right then.The body in the green dress arched up once andwent still. Sylvias head fell back. Her eyes, the color of tear-drenched vio allows, were open, staringup at the sky, but they seemed oddly flat.Aradia put a slender dark hand on the paleforehead.Goddess of Life, receive this miss of Hellewise, she said in her soft, ageless voice. Guideher to the other world. She added, in a whisper,She takes with her the blessing of all the witches.Maggie looked up closely fearfully to see if theshining figure who had surrounded Aradia like anaura would come back. But all she saw was Aradias better-looking face, with its smooth skin the color of coffee with bat and its compassionate blindgaze.Then Aradia gently moved her hand down to shutSylvias eyes.Maggie clenched her teeth, but it was no use.She gasped once, and then somehow she was in the middle of sobbing violently, ineffective to stop it.But Deloss blazon were around her, and she buriedher face in his neck, and that helped. When she gotcontrol of herself a few minutes by and by, she realizedthat in his arms she felt almost what she had inher dream, that inexpressible sense of ease and security. Of belonging, utterly.As long as her soulmate was alive, and they weretogether, she would be all right.Then she noticed that P.J. was pressed up againsther, too, and she let go of Delos to put one armaround the small oscillation body.You okay, kiddo? she whispered.P.J. sniffed. Yeah. I am, now. Its been prettyscary, but Im glad its over.And you know, Jea nne said, looking down atSylvia with her hands on her hips, thats how Iwant to go. Taking my own way out and totally pissing everybody off at the end.Maggie glanced up, startled, and choked. Thenshe gurgled. Then she shook her head, and knewthat her crying spell was over. I dont even know why Im like this about her. She wasnt a nice person. I wanted to kill her myself.She was a person, Delos said.Which, Maggie decided, was about the best summing-up anybody could provide.She realized that Jeanne and Laundress andDelos were looking at her intently, and that Aradias face was turned her way. swell up? Jeanne said. Do you know? Which animal your brother is?Oh,Maggie said. I think so.She looked at Delos. Do you happen to knowwhat the score Gavin means? For a shapeshifter?Does it mean run?His blacklashed sumptuous eyes met hers. Hawk orfalcon. Yes.Warm pleasure filled Maggie.Then I know, she said simply. She stood up, and Delos came with her as if he belonged by her. How can we find th e falcon she had with her thatfirst sidereal day we met? When you were out with the hunting party?It should be in the mews, Delos said.A fascinated crowd seeed behind them as theywent. Maggie recognized Old Mender, smiling and cackling, and Soaker, not looking frightened any much, and Chamber-pot Emptier We really need to get you guys some newnames, she muttered. Can you just pick one or something?The big girl with the moon face and the gentleeyes smiled at her shyly. I heard of a noble named Hortense once .Thats good, Maggie said, after just the slightestpause. Yeah, thats great. I mean, comparatively.They reached the mews, which was a dark littleroom near the stable, with perches all over thewalls. The falcons were disconcert and distracted, and the air was full of flapping locomote. They all lookedalike to Maggie.It would be a new bird, Delos said. I thinkmaybe that one. Is the falconer here?While everyone milled around looking for him, Jeanne lancinating close to Maggie.Wha t I want to know is how you know. How didyou even know Gavin was a shapeshifter at all?I didnt-but it was sort of logical. After all, Bernwas one. They both seemed to have the kindred kind of senses. And Aradia said that Sylvia took care of Miles down at her apartment, and Bern and Gavinwere both there. So it seemed natural that maybeshe made one of them pass the curse along toMiles.But why did you figure Gavin was a falcon?I dont know, Maggie said slowly. I justwell,he looked a little bit like one. Sort of thin and cashen. But it was more things that happened-he got away from Delos and over to the hunting party too fast to have gone by ground. I didnt really think about it much then, but it must have stuckat the back of my mind.Jeanne gave her a narrow sideways glance. Stilldoesnt sound like enough.No-but mostly, it was that Milesjust had to bea falcon. It had to be something small-Sylviawould hardly be carrying a pigora tiger or a beararound with her up the mountain. And I saw he rwith a falcon that first day. It was something she could keep near her, something that she could control. Something that was an-accessory. It just allmade sense.Jeanne made a sound like hmph.I still dontthink youre a rocket scientist. I think you luckedout Maggie turned as the crowd brought a little manwith a lean, shrewd face to her-Falconer. Well,we dont know yet, she murmured fervently. ButI sure try for so.The little man held up a bird. This is the newone. skirt Sylvia said never to take the green bandoff his leg-but Ive got a knife. Would you like todo it?Maggie held her breath. She tried to keep herhand steady asshe cautiously cut through the emerald green leather band, but her fingers trembled.The leather tie fell free-and for a moment hexheart stood still, because nothing happened.And then she saw it. The rippling changeasthebirds wings outstretched and thickened and thefeathers merged and swamand then Falconerwas pathetic back, and a human form was takingshape .And then Miles was rest there, with his auburn hair shining red gold and his handsome,wicked smile He gave her the thumbs-up sign.Hey, I knew you would rescue me. What arelittle sisters for? he said-and then Maggie was inhis arms.It seemed a long time later that all the hugging and crying and explaining was done. The slavesthe ex-slaves, Maggie corrected herself-had begunto gather and organize themselves and make plans.Delos and Aradia had sent various messengers outof the valley.There were still things to be settled-months andyears worth of things. And Maggie knew that lifewould never be the same for her again. She would never be a pattern schoolgirl.Her brother was a shapeshifter-well, at least itwas a form he could enjoy, she thought wryly. Hewas already talking to Jeanne about a new way ofgetting to the summits of mountains-with wings.Her soulmate was a Wild Power. Aradia had already told her what that meant. It meant that theywould have to be saved by the witches and Circle Daybreak until the time of phantasm came andDelos was needed, so that the Night World didntkill them. And even if they survived until the final exam battleit was going to be a tough one.Plus, she herself had changed forever. She feltshe owed something to the people of the valley,who were still calling her the Deliverer. She wouldhave to try to help them adjust to the Outside world. Her fate would be intertwined with theirsall her life.But just now, everybody wastalking about getting some food.Come into the castle-all of you, Delos saidsimply.He took Maggies arm and started toward it. Justthen P.J. pointed to the sky, and there was an awed murmur from the crowd.The sunIt was unbent. Maggie looked up and was dazzled.In the smooth, pearly sky of the dirty Kingdom, in exactly the place where the blue fire had flashedfrom the earth, there was a little clearing in theclouds. The sun was shining through, chasing awaythe mist, turning the trees in the border hillsemerald green.And glinting off t he sleek black walls of the castlelikeamirror.A place of enchantment, Maggie thought, lookingaround in wonder. It really is beautiful here.Then she looked at the boy beside her. At hisdark hairjust now exceedingly tousled-and hissmooth fair skin, and his elegant bones. At themouth which was still a bit proud and willful, but was mostly vulnerable.And at those fearless, brilliant yellow eyes whichlooked back at her as if she were the most important thing in the universe.I suppose that all prophecies come true by accident, she said slowly and thoughtfully. From just medium people trying and lucking out.There is nothingordinary about you, Delossaid, and kissed her.Onefrom the domain of kings long forgottenOne from the hearth which still holds the spark One fromthe Day World where cardinal eyes are watchingOne fromthe drop to be one with the dark.