Christmas music. ” Issachar ’ s wicked laugh sent chills down her spine. “ Bet you ’ re sorry you betrayed us now. ”
“ I didn ’ t betray you, ” she wheezed. “ I was never part of the Dominion. ”
“ Doesn ’ t matter. You ’ re going to help us now. ”
“ The Dominion is dead. ” She wanted to believe that, but knew it wasn ’ t true. Maddock had learned a few things during his trek into the Amazon – enough to know that the Dominion ’s reach was much more expansive than they ’ d previously believed.
“ The Deseret Dominion is dead, or close to it, but there ’ s more to us than that. Much more. How do you think I found out about this town and the icefall? I even have a pretty good idea what this does. ” He held up a crowned skull. “ I got to the well first. ”
No ice could have been as frozen as Jade ’ s insides at that moment. “ Adler told you? No way. ” She couldn ’ t believe the kind old man was part of the Dominion. Then again, she ’ d misjudged people before on that score.
Issachar barked a laugh. “ Heilig Herrschaft has plenty of eyes and ears. ”
Jade squeezed her eyes closed. Her head was throbbing and she still felt woozy from her lapse into unconsciousness.
“ What do you want with me, Issachar? If you know about Adler, you know everything I know. ” Issachar was vicious enough to kill her out of revenge for what he considered a betrayal of the Dominion, but instinct told her he had a scheme and she was to be a part of it. Either possibility made her want to throw up.
“ Let ’ s just say you ’ re going to be a litmus test. I was going to use one of those Herrschaft idiots, but this will be much more satisfying. ” He smiled. “ Santa came early this year. It ’ s Christmas Eve and I ’ ve already gotten a present. ”
Chapter 14- The Well
It was gone. Dane looked down at the stone etched with the three hares, lying on the frozen bottom where someone had dropped it. The space it had once filled was set at eye level. It was easily large enough to have held one of the skulls of the Magi . He took one last look, then reached inside and felt around just to make certain he had not missed anything, but he knew it was futile. Someone had beaten them to it.
Cold and angry, he made the climb back out, the frozen stones slick under his fingers. He lost his grip a few times, but ma naged to catch himself. Come on , he chided himself. You can ’ t escape armed bad guys only to die falling down a well. When he finally hauled himself out, he was in a foul mood. Were the skulls essential to finding the secret that lay beneath the icefall? If so, would they need all three? He supposed it did not matter now. They would have to proceed with what they had.
“ Put your hands in the air. ” He knew that voice. He ’ d heard it just a few days earlier in Paderborn.
He looked up to see Ulrich and Niklas standing there, weapons drawn, grinning. Warily, he held his hands away from his body to show he was unarmed. They had taken the skull and then set a trap for him, and he ’ d walked right into it.
“ Give us the skull. ” Niklas held out his hand.
“ What? ” Dane was genuinely surprised. “ You already have it. ”
“ Let us have it! ” Ulrich shouted. He trembled with rage . Perhaps his battered and bruised face, which was probably a handsome one under ordinary circumstances, and the memory of the two whippings he ’ d already suffered at the hands of Dane ’ s group, was the sourc e of his anger. Dane looked into his dark eyes, and saw something more; there was a deeper cause for his rage. “ We must have it. Time is almost up. ”
“ What do you want with it? ”
A wiser man would not have wasted time bandying words with Dane, but Ulrich had already proved himself reckless, and his agitated state only amplified that trait.
“ We must find the Magi ! They left the key to resurrection . ”
“ Ulrich , n ein! ” Niklas snapped, but
“ I didn ’ t betray you, ” she wheezed. “ I was never part of the Dominion. ”
“ Doesn ’ t matter. You ’ re going to help us now. ”
“ The Dominion is dead. ” She wanted to believe that, but knew it wasn ’ t true. Maddock had learned a few things during his trek into the Amazon – enough to know that the Dominion ’s reach was much more expansive than they ’ d previously believed.
“ The Deseret Dominion is dead, or close to it, but there ’ s more to us than that. Much more. How do you think I found out about this town and the icefall? I even have a pretty good idea what this does. ” He held up a crowned skull. “ I got to the well first. ”
No ice could have been as frozen as Jade ’ s insides at that moment. “ Adler told you? No way. ” She couldn ’ t believe the kind old man was part of the Dominion. Then again, she ’ d misjudged people before on that score.
Issachar barked a laugh. “ Heilig Herrschaft has plenty of eyes and ears. ”
Jade squeezed her eyes closed. Her head was throbbing and she still felt woozy from her lapse into unconsciousness.
“ What do you want with me, Issachar? If you know about Adler, you know everything I know. ” Issachar was vicious enough to kill her out of revenge for what he considered a betrayal of the Dominion, but instinct told her he had a scheme and she was to be a part of it. Either possibility made her want to throw up.
“ Let ’ s just say you ’ re going to be a litmus test. I was going to use one of those Herrschaft idiots, but this will be much more satisfying. ” He smiled. “ Santa came early this year. It ’ s Christmas Eve and I ’ ve already gotten a present. ”
Chapter 14- The Well
It was gone. Dane looked down at the stone etched with the three hares, lying on the frozen bottom where someone had dropped it. The space it had once filled was set at eye level. It was easily large enough to have held one of the skulls of the Magi . He took one last look, then reached inside and felt around just to make certain he had not missed anything, but he knew it was futile. Someone had beaten them to it.
Cold and angry, he made the climb back out, the frozen stones slick under his fingers. He lost his grip a few times, but ma naged to catch himself. Come on , he chided himself. You can ’ t escape armed bad guys only to die falling down a well. When he finally hauled himself out, he was in a foul mood. Were the skulls essential to finding the secret that lay beneath the icefall? If so, would they need all three? He supposed it did not matter now. They would have to proceed with what they had.
“ Put your hands in the air. ” He knew that voice. He ’ d heard it just a few days earlier in Paderborn.
He looked up to see Ulrich and Niklas standing there, weapons drawn, grinning. Warily, he held his hands away from his body to show he was unarmed. They had taken the skull and then set a trap for him, and he ’ d walked right into it.
“ Give us the skull. ” Niklas held out his hand.
“ What? ” Dane was genuinely surprised. “ You already have it. ”
“ Let us have it! ” Ulrich shouted. He trembled with rage . Perhaps his battered and bruised face, which was probably a handsome one under ordinary circumstances, and the memory of the two whippings he ’ d already suffered at the hands of Dane ’ s group, was the sourc e of his anger. Dane looked into his dark eyes, and saw something more; there was a deeper cause for his rage. “ We must have it. Time is almost up. ”
“ What do you want with it? ”
A wiser man would not have wasted time bandying words with Dane, but Ulrich had already proved himself reckless, and his agitated state only amplified that trait.
“ We must find the Magi ! They left the key to resurrection . ”
“ Ulrich , n ein! ” Niklas snapped, but
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