This was completely weird.
One day, Eliot was a social zero at school, practically invisible. And here? He was treated like royalty.
He tried to smooth out his scorched and ripped school jacket, but it didn’t work.
Their escorts led them to the tallest tower on the plateau. It was as large as a skyscraper and bone white, which Eliot saw was actually made from bones: dinosaur; elephant; whale; and countless grinning human skulls. Upon the top of the tower sat the three largest skulls, something Eliot had only seen in books, the teeth-filled fossilized remains of
As they mounted the hundreds of steps, a lone figure appeared at the top to greet them. Jezebel.
Eliot halted in his tracks.
It felt like he’d been struck in the head.
Part of him had thought he’d never see her again. . thinking her dead, or captured. . or a million other things that could have happened to her that would have kept them apart. They seemed fated never to be together.
Seeing her now. Here. Finally. He didn’t know what to do but stare.
Her face was unblemished and luminescent, and her lips parted as she saw him. She was different from when he’d last seen her on the Night Train. Her features were too smooth and perfect. . almost otherworldly. It was as if her face had been recast and fired and ground to a mirror finish, like that of a porcelain doll.
While her face was enchanting, the way she was dressed was anything but inviting. She wore a platinum breastplate the same color as her hair, and it was enameled with roses and orchids, and covered in black metal thorns. A chain mail skirt the color of dried blood hung about her hips and covered high studded combat boots.
She took a step toward him.
Eliot couldn’t resist; he started toward her again. His heart beat so hard, he thought it would explode in his chest. All he wanted to do was take her by the hand, turn around, and get out of here.
With every step, his blood warmed, heated. . burned.
He felt intoxicated. Yes. He wanted to taste her again-even if her kisses were poisoned. He was addicted to how he felt when she was around.
Their escort knights halted on the steps ahead of Eliot. They bowed before Jezebel, and she, in turn, inclined her head to recognize them.
“You are dismissed, Captain,” Jezebel said, her tone icy.
The knights retreated down the steps.
Eliot jogged up to Jezebel. He would have thrown his arms about her or taken her hand at least, but with her in that thorned armor, he’d get impaled if he tried.
Jezebel hovered near him; her gauntleted hand reached out for him, and then pulled back.
Her gaze darted past Eliot to take in Fiona, Robert, and Mr. Welmann as they walked up. Her eyes narrowed a bit-and then softened again as she looked back to Eliot.
“You came,” she whispered to him, voice trembling. “After I tried so hard to push you away. Eliot, you will never know what that means to me.” In an even lower voice, she said, “But there is more danger here than you can imagine.”
Fiona was close enough to hear to this. “We’re not getting involved in any Infernal thing, if that’s what you mean. We just came to get you out of here.”
Jezebel snorted and dismissed Fiona with a single glance.
“I’d show a little gratitude,” Robert muttered, moving alongside Fiona. “We lost Amanda getting here.”
That got her attention.
Jezebel blinked. “The little girl? Lost? You mean-?”
“She died,” Fiona told her flatly. “Burned.”
“A human sacrificed in Hell. . I am sorry for her.” Jezebel looked away and took a deep breath, appearing for a split second like normal, flawed Julie Marks-then her features hardened. “But there is nothing to be done. We must see to our own lives now.”
“You want to save lives?” Fiona stepped forward, clenching her fists. “Then get back to the train station and help us find a way back to school.”
Eliot held up a hand to calm her.
“We came to get you,” Eliot told Jezebel. “We need you back at school. . gym class and finals.” He faltered. “No. . it’s not that. . well, only a small part.
Jezebel took a tiny step closer so they were almost touching.
He felt her heat and their mutual magnetic attraction. He wanted to take her in his arms-even if it cut him to ribbons.
“My hero,” Jezebel whispered, a slight edge of sarcasm to her honeyed voice. “If only things were so simple.”
Fiona set a hand on Eliot’s shoulder and pulled him back. “Okay, you tried. She said no. We’re out of here. We had a deal, remember?”
Eliot shrugged her off. He couldn’t leave. How could he after Amanda had died so he could get here? And how could he now that he stood before Jezebel?
But he
He couldn’t have it both ways. He had to decide.
Eliot had had to make this choice before. Back in Del Sombra, he had impulsively decided to go with the then Julie Marks-run away to Hollywood (which had been part of an Infernal trap).
And he’d made the wrong choice then, saved only because Julie hadn’t followed through with the plan.
As he looked at Jezebel, Eliot knew he
Jezebel stepped back three paces, before he could tell her anything, though. “I cannot help you. . and none of you can leave.”
A hundred knights in the courtyard moved to encircle the steps. A dozen more knights appeared behind Jezebel, their rifle-lances at the ready.
Robert reached for his gun.
Mr. Welmann set a restraining hand on Robert’s arm and stepped between them. “I believe, young lady, you were going to take us to your Queen?” He glanced back at Fiona, giving her a warning shake of his head. “Might as well hear what she had to say, after coming all this way, right?”
“That’s just wonderful,” Fiona said through gritted teeth.
“Don’t do this,” Eliot told Jezebel.
With a gesture, she indicated that they come with her. The guards aimed their lances at them.
Eliot marched forward and Jezebel walked by his side.
“There is no choice,” she whispered to him, “for any of us. Be careful. Your next words may kill us all.”
62. A universal symbol of beauty and romance, the rose has also been associated with power and secret societies formed to wield that power. Ancient Romans placed a rose on the door where secret societies would meet (the phrase
63. The Tower Grave is said to be built from the bones of those who offended the Queen of the Poppies. Even for an Infernal, this seems unlikely, due to the sheer volume of materials required and the prehistoric, fossilized nature of the larger specimens. Rough calculations indicate construction began prior to the War in Heaven, and may have been started by entities older than the fallen angels. It must also be noted that the size of Sealiah’s Twelve Towers varies by account, seeming to swell and strengthen in times of conflict and constricting to modest dimensions in peaceful times (see also the mutable nature of the Infernal Realms, section 6).
