Thanks so much for all your comments and encouragement. It's good to be back and I am so excited to be sharing another chapter with you. I want to give a big thanks to ACTX for being a thoughtful, no-nonsense beta reader for multiple chapters, including this one. Also thanks to audreydarling (check out her story, Identities, in this category!!) and ESK for pre-reading. Anything that works is due to their awesome support--the mistakes and mis-steps are my own.
The rest of "The Mountain" is written and I'm working on edits for the final three chapters. A warning--it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I think the arc of the first story is resolved. And I'm working on a sequel!
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Persephone insisted on cleaning the room before they left. She explained, with the tone of someone speaking to a small and somewhat stupid child, that this would create plausible deniability. "If Warder finds out, I can tell him you talked me into taking you for another bath. That's not as bad as going outside. He'll probably only kill us."
Lucy let out a feeble laugh, but it died when Persephone just put a hand on her hip and studied her disdainfully.
Lucy swallowed her laughter. "How long do we have? Do you know when he's coming back?"
It was something she had wondered about. How well-informed Persephone actually was of Warder's movements.
"We have time," said Persephone, not elaborating.
Persephone's housework was more meticulous than usual, but finally, there was nothing else to be folded or swept or shined. She nodded to Lucy, who jumped to her feet.
Persephone didn't tie Lucy's hands: "You'd be completely vulnerable, stupid."
She did, however, take her shoes as Lucy had suggested.
Persephone also forced her to wear several layers topped off by one of Warder's jackets and a hat. Despite her lack of footwear, Lucy was actually sweating as Persephone surveyed her.
"Anyone who took more than a glance would know it was you," she said.
"Let's avoid running into anyone then."
Persephone snorted. "I am certainly going to try to do that. If we do see anyone, keep your mouth shut."
Lucy nodded. She wasn't going to risk saying anything now to keep the outing from happening. Luckily, Lucy had been able to slip the antenna into her pocket while Persephone was searching for the right clothes for the journey. It was buried now under several more layers, but Lucy knew she would have to ditch or distract Persephone anyways to do what she needed to do. She would deal with that problem once they were outdoors.
The hallways were fairly deserted, but not completely. Persephone had hidden her own hair, too, for fear that people would see her and discern the identity of her companion.
The halls narrowed and Lucy began to feel tired. She was out of shape after weeks of being trapped inside the mountain. They started to ascend and the slight but persistent incline added to her fatigue. The lights in the hallway became less frequent so that Lucy had to squint to see. At least the dim light meant they were more easily hidden. Persephone seemed to think so, too, because she picked up the pace and she actually spoke to Lucy.
"We're close. Stay to the right."
Lucy stopped short when Persephone led her straight into a dead end. The confinement put her on instant alert and she resisted the urge to look backwards in search of a clear escape route. It was possible that Persephone had only agreed to this plan as a safe way to get rid of Lucy. Lucy had believed that Persephone's loyalty to Warder protected her, but she didn't really know what the mountain people were like.
"Relax," said Persephone, seeming to read her thoughts. "It's a door."
She reached for the wall and a lighted panel came to life, casting the hallway in a bluish glow. This time, Lucy did glance behind her, hoping that no one would see them.
"No one comes up here usually," said Persephone. She pressed her palm into the panel. There was a whirring noise and the wall ahead of them--which appeared to be solid stone--slid slowly open. It was dark on the other side, but a friendly, familiar kind of dark. And Lucy could feel actual wind on her face.
"I know you said you wanted to see the sun," said Persephone. "But it's too late. It was now or never."
For a moment, Lucy wasn't thinking about her mission at all. She took a few tentative steps past Persephone, emerging onto a small stone balcony. Stars--real stars--glowed above her.
"You can't go back on our deal," said Persephone from behind her. "It's still outside."
"It's perfect," said Lucy.
It was cold on the mountaintop--especially barefoot. She hugged herself and leaned into the wind grateful to feel cold on her own terms. Far in the distance, she could see the faintest lights--like stars, but softer. Lanterns, lighting the homes of the islanders. Beyond those lights, hidden by darkness, was the sea. She closed her eyes and wondered if the very faint rushing she could hear was more wind or, through some miracle, the waves.
"We should go back."
Lucy snapped her eyes open and saw that Persephone was still standing in the doorway, arms crossed. She was tapping her foot impatiently.
"I need a little more time."
Persephone sighed but Lucy could tell that she wasn't yet at the point of forcing her. She knew that she should start looking for a way to set up the antenna, but she was still overwhelmed by the sensation of having sky overhead. She leaned her head back and looked at the stars, amazed by how close and how many they seemed from high up. Unbidden, the memory of standing with Warder in the empty Great Hall came to mind.
He had kissed her.
No
, she reminded herself.
You kissed him.
She understood now that Warder had somehow been trying to hurry their mating. Kissing him had sealed her fate. But why had she really done it? To placate him, certainly. To try to regain some semblance of control. To answer his challenge because he thought that she was too afraid to do it.
Because she had wanted to. Because he was beautiful. Because he had shown her the stars.
Lucy realized that her eyes were watering in the wind. She looked down, trying to get her bearings, but the tears kept coming. She sniffled and was surprised when a sob escaped her lips. She looked at Persephone in horror, swiping at her face with one bulky sleeve.
Persephone looked uncomfortable. "I'll give you a minute," she said. "Two minutes. Then we have to go." With that, Persephone turned her back and walked a few feet past the door and back into the hall, giving Lucy some semblance of privacy.
Persephone pitied her. The realization made Lucy want to cry harder. Worse, she realized that in her sadness, she longed for Warder. She could almost feel his strong arms encircling her, his large hands brushing away her tears. He would laugh at her for crying. He would reason with her, maybe, and then--
Despite the cold, Lucy was starting to feel uncomfortably warm. She shook herself and checked on Persephone. She had said that Lucy could have two minutes, but it was just as likely that she could turn around at any moment. Lucy stepped a few feet away, just barely out of Persephone's view. She and Sheera had practiced setting up the antenna over and over again back home. They had trained to be able to do the job as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. They had never allowed themselves to really believe that they would be caught, much less so quickly. And their practice sessions had all taken place in sunlight as the intention had never been to try to sneak onto the mountain at night.
That, Lucy thought, choking back a laugh, had been deemed too risky.
Lucy unbuttoned Warder's coat and retrieved the antenna. She fit the pieces together quickly, relying more on feel that sight, praying that all those hours of practice would be enough. Sheera's father had long insisted that the trickiest part of the operation was to find a way to hide the antenna without allowing the signal to be completely blocked by the mountain. It helped that they were so high, but outside the balcony area that had obviously been carved into the stone, the mountain here was rocky, with a large peak jutting up to either side. It might not be the best place for the antenna, but it was the best chance Lucy was likely to get. Gently, she leaned over the front of the balcony and nestled the assembled antenna between some rocks. She was considering moving it when she felt a sharp tug on the back of her jacket.
"What are you doing?" hissed Persephone.
Lucy whirled around, praying that Persephone could not see the antenna glinting softly in the moonlight.
"I was trying to see my town," said Lucy. "I thought I could make out some of the lights."
"You're an idiot," said Persephone. Whatever pity she had felt for Lucy over her tears had obviously fled. "Warder is going to struggle to keep you alive."
"A few more minutes?" asked Lucy, taking in deep breaths of the mountain air.
"No. We have to get back before he does."
Lucy allowed Persephone to lead her back into the mountain. When the panel in the wall slid shut behind them, leaving the antenna safely on the other side, she almost sighed with relief.
Now, she had to find a way to escape.
#
Warder watched on a small screen as Persephone led his mate down a deserted hallway. He had been waiting for something like this ever since he found the contraption that Lucy had hidden on the mountain on the day of her capture. What surprised him was that she had managed to rope Persephone into her plans.
He had made an unusual miscalculation when it came to Persephone. He had understood the the girl felt something for him, but he had believed it to be harmless, childish love--something that would fade when another man captured her attention. He hadn't minded her possessiveness because he knew her to be loyal.
But she had put his intended mate in danger. Tried to keep them apart when Lucy needed him--called for him.
He hadn't known if he would be able to master his anger. But Persephone seemed to have learned her lesson. And even now, her actions showed temperance and recklessness in almost equal measure. She should not have taken Lucy from his rooms by herself. But they were safe enough. And he had little doubt that the excursion had been his mate's idea. If Persephone was allowing herself to be influenced, perhaps she would content herself to the situation as it was.
The women slipped out of sight on the screen and Warder's fingers moved swiftly over the control panel as he changed the view. Persephone was hurrying Lucy back towards his rooms, pausing only when she heard footsteps in adjoining corridors. She had been smart enough to wait until dinner, when the majority of the mountain's denizens were ensconced in the Great Hall. He was almost grateful. Now that Lucy had made her move, he could confront her. She would learn that she could not keep her plans secret from him. They were mated--he knew her, understood her. He would have to punish her for sneaking away, but he would also show her that he could be merciful. And eventually, with time and proximity, she would reach for him again across their bond. Ask him--beg him--to take her to bed. With time, she would seek to earn his trust, like any member of his household, his army.
If he didn't feel patient--that was his weakness. An enjoyable one, even, coaxed into life by his desire for his mate. He could endure.
The image on the camera flickered and Warder frowned, adjusting the controls. The cameras weren't used frequently--they took a large amount of resources to run and there were other methods used to ensure that the mountain was secure. But something about the sudden disconnect between himself and his mate made him nervous. He fiddled with the controls again and blinked at the screen. Then, as realization dawned, he bit out a command, calling for his second.
"Rader, with me."
