Chapter 9
NINE
margaret
The creepy underground hatch became even creepier as we descended the metal ladder to a very long, very dark, very wet and stinky tunnel.
Joy oh joy.
A shiver worked its way through me. “Are you sure you can’t jump us there?” I whispered to Benedict, though even my whisper echoed off the dripping walls surrounding us. “If you’ve been lying to me, it’s okay. I’ll forgive you.” I panted a few times. “Just come clean. I can handle the truth.”
One of the women leading us called over her shoulder, “We’re almost there.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. They’d been saying that for the last thirty minutes. I was also pretty sure these tunnels were getting smaller with every step we took.
Was there even enough oxygen down here? The thought made my lungs tighten. Surely those men in the group were sucking up all the fresh air.
Okay, Margaret. Don’t panic. They wouldn’t have brought us all this way if there wasn’t enough air.
“You’re spazzing,” Benedict said from beside me.
“She’s always spazzing.” Katherine tromped through the wet tunnel behind me, bringing up the rear of the group. “That’s just who she is.”
“Please.” I tossed my ratty dark hair over my shoulder, though half of it stuck to the sweat now coating my neck. “I don’t like to label myself.”
Katherine scoffed.
I did, however, have a few choice words I’d label her with.
“Listen up!” the leader of the group yelled.
I peered around the line of bodies ahead of me, searching for a light at the end of the tunnel—literally and figuratively—and, thank god, noticed a door. It was steel and dirty and nearly hidden in the walls of the dark underground.
The woman standing in front of it wore an intense look as she spoke.
“There are a few rules you need to know now. You’ll get the whole rundown later.
For now, please remember: don’t use your magic unless you’re explicitly helping us.
And no fighting. We don’t put up with it, so get that out of your system right now.
” She scanned us all, then went on. “Third, you don’t leave the valley unless you have permission.
This isn’t a damn hotel. Last—and most importantly—do not speak to Gideon. ”
“Who the hell is Gideon?” Carter asked.
The woman gave him a sideways glance. “You’ll know when you see him.”
I bit back a huff. Great. Avoid speaking to a person we’ve never met and have no idea how to identify. Sounds reasonable.
For a few awkward moments, nothing happened. Were they waiting for us to ask questions? Make rebuttals? Or were they just trying to build tension before opening that damn door?
As that last thought crossed my mind, the woman turned to the rusty hunk of metal in the wall and pulled it open. It was working!
“Here we are,” she said as sunlight flooded in.
I squinted, adjusting to the brightness, and when my sight returned and what lay beyond came into focus, I gasped.
Outside this door was a beautiful open canal in mountains.
A subtle flow of water trickled down the valley, and beautiful, towering green trees glittered—literally glittered in the setting sun.
Near the bottom of the valley, a small town had been built, and it was bustling.
“Holy shit,” Benedict mumbled. “This is it?”
For a whole two seconds, I felt guilty for considering that he’d believed a bunch of fairy tales about this place. But could anyone really blame me?
I couldn’t believe it. This whole group had existed right here, hidden in the mountains.
It wasn’t some sketchy underground hideout. They were here in plain daylight.
Despite the way my sore feet screamed at me, I marched after them anyway, eagerly. Sleep was close. Hallelujah. I could feel it like I could feel the incoming rain.
By the time we’d reached the base of the village, we were all effectively awestruck.
“Ladies, you’ll sleep in this building,” the woman said, pointing to what looked like the largest building in the village.
Fresh stones and beautiful blooming flowers lined the perimeter.
The doors were reinforced with gold emblems and iridescent moonstones, creating a magical illusion.
It was easily the prettiest building I’d ever seen.
“There are plenty of beds for everyone. You have your own bathrooms inside as well, fully stocked with anything you might need.”
Our own bathroom?
God has heard my prayers.
“Men, you’ll bunk together in the building across the street.” She pointed to the plain, wooden building.
It was a shack compared to our housing. Damn, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“Claimed pairs will get new housing when private villas become available, but unfortunately we’re full at the moment.”
“Seriously?” Carter moaned, waving at the larger building. “The women get this luxury and we get that shithole?”
The wind blew the door to the men’s quarters open as he complained, and it smacked the building with a loud thud, revealing metal bunk beds lining the dark walls.
A giddy squeal escaped me. I liked this place. I liked it a whole lot.
The woman smirked. “Get some sleep. You’ll need it. We’ll meet tomorrow to assign each of you roles.”
Without wasting another second, Katherine and I darted into our quarters. The moment we crossed the threshold, we both groaned. It even smelled good inside the princess-esque space.
The bed was just as comfy as it looked.
And sleep, I did.
The following morning, a woman, Valerea—a leader of sorts—stood on a makeshift, wooden stage in the center of the village. There were somewhere between one to two hundred people living here and everyone had gathered around to listen to the morning assembly.
“I’ve called this meeting to discuss some news,” she started. “As many of you have probably noticed, we’ve been joined by a new group of people. They escaped the dungeons of the Ministry and came a long way here to find us, and they’ll be an excellent resource in our purpose.”
I supposed I’d expected a little bit of excitement. Cheering, maybe, or even a few smiles. Instead, we got a plethora of strange looks and sideways glances.
I inched closer to the others. It was strange, being here with them. The men from the dungeon, plus Benedict and Katherine. I’d never made friends with any of them. In fact, my brother made sure I never got close to them.
Yet I felt connected to them now. Maybe because of what we’d been through together.
“They’re to be treated with respect and welcomed with open arms, as we welcomed all of you when you arrived.”
I cringed. Yikes. I wasn’t expecting hugs from these nice folks anytime soon.
They assigned roles next, splitting us up based on which areas of the village needed help. Some were sent to the kitchen, some to the perimeter, and some to strategy. I wasn’t an expert, but that last one sounded like the most important.
And it made sense that they wanted our input and to know what we’d learned about the Ministry. Honestly, I figured they’d want to test our gifts.
Wait…what gifts did they have? They were mystics, too, right?
Katherine and I were sent to help with harvesting the crops in the valley.
Yeah, they really should have at least inquired about our gifts. I didn’t think we’d be a whole lot of good to them, being the girl who hates grass and the girl who probably secretly wanted to kill everyone here.
As we worked, Katherine silently dug in the dirt, cursing under her breath every few seconds. Her hair was plastered to her sweaty forehead, and she looked like an absolute disaster.
When she saw me staring, she huffed. “What are you looking at?”
“I’m trying really hard to be nice to you right now,” I started, “but you kind of suck at this.”
She glared at me from where she knelt, doing her best to plant tomato seeds. “They told us to plant the seeds, and I’m planting them. What more do you want from me?”
“You’re going too fast,” I warned her. “Take your time, the seeds need to be planted deeper, and it would help if you actually use your shovel instead of just rummaging in the dirt with those long nails of yours.”
She sighed, then wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. We’d only been at it for thirty minutes, maybe forty, and she was drenched. “You’re not fucking helping, Margaret.”
Yikes. “Fine.” I winced. “Figure it out yourself.”
She dug in the dirt again, then fumbled with her hair, a few seeds spilling from her pouch. “I just don’t even understand why we’re here,” she muttered. “That’s all. So, what, we’re part of the resistance now? We just waltz in here and join their cause?”
“To be fair, some of us have always been involved with their cause. We just didn’t know there was a whole group gathered here.” I sprinkled a few seeds into a hole and covered them with dirt.
I brushed my hands off, grimacing. Ugh. Here I was, expected to work the land, when, personally, I’d had enough contact with nature on our march over here. I’d prefer to connect with a few other things instead. Like a hot meal. A large glass of wine. Maybe even some chocolate. And that bed again.
But I’d power through for now.
“Have you forgotten that I was pretty much kidnapped and forced here against my will?” she asked, lowering her voice so only I could hear her.
“Trust me, none of us are forgetting that.” I buried a few more seeds.
It was probably a bit dangerous to bring her along with us to the defiance when she clearly still thought the Ministry was doing the right thing by kidnapping mystics and forcing them to join their little army.
I still had a hard time understanding her mindset. Then there was her connection with Benedict, who was so…normal. Kind.
While Katherine was—Elijah forgive me once again—a bitch.
“You could have left me there, you know,” she went on.