Page 44 of Stars May Fall

One brushed past me, its legs flicking my skirt. I started to count in my head, desperate for something else to concentrate on, anything that would ground me.

You are strong, Sophie. You are strong, you are strong, you are strong.

They weren’t attacking me. I could survive this. I straightened and made myself still, waiting for Gregane to be satisfied.

A high pitched squeal of metal on metal jarred in my ears, and the chains attached to the halfsouls’ collars suddenly jerked taut and started to retract. With enraged screeches, they were dragged back into their cells and the doors of bars lowered back down from their slits in the ceiling.

I was alone again. I collapsed to my knees on the filthy floor, panting. Gregane’s disembodied chuckle still echoed around me.

The wooden door opened on its rusty hinges, revealing the brighter kryalcomy lamp on the other side. I scrambled to my feet and ran for it, no longer caring about appearances. I never wanted to go to a dark underground place again. I needed fresh air and space so desperately, my limbs trembled.

As I rushed through the doorway, Gregane grabbed my arm and held me still. I realized, almost too late, that half the floor was missing between the door and the stairs. The man let go of me and closed and locked the door behind us. “I do apologize for the lack of warning before I released them. I just wanted to make sure my results were accurate. I’m sure you understand the need for robust experiments.”

I couldn’t reply. My mouth didn’t work, and my throat was constricted. My knees still felt weak, and I pressed on mynecklace to draw some of the strength from my reserve. When I trusted my legs to hold me, I leaned over the drop that had once been the rest of the floor. Two stories below, Callum and Meena were standing on a mound of something like hay. If it weren’t for their tiny blue lanterns, they would have been invisible. Meena was attempting to climb the wall when she saw me, her lantern held in her teeth.

Her eyes widened. “Lady Sophie! Are you all right?”

I nodded and waved weakly, still not trusting myself to speak.

Gregane leaned over beside me. “Sorry, I needed to make sure you wouldn’t interfere or kill me. She’s quite safe. I’ll open your door so you can come back up.”

He pulled one lever, and Callum and Meena ran out of view with panicked movements. Gregane pulled a second and the floor slid back from its slot in the wall.

He sighed. “These measures have all been put in place in case the halfsouls escape. I had always hoped they would come in handy one day after all the effort to install them. They’re quite fun, don’t you think? Maybe I should have guests more often.” He grinned. “Now let’s go back to the parlor, and I’ll give you your metal.” He looked up and down my soiled, stinking dress. “You might want to get cleaned up before you have to walk through the streets though. You look a state. Whatever did you kneel in all that filth for?” He shook his head with a scoff as if he couldn’t believe I had been so stupid.

The old feeling of smallness crept in around my consciousness, and I fought back. No, I had been brave. I wasn't what this man decided I was. I had been through a battle, and I had been victorious. Now I would gain my reward.

I should be proud of myself.

Gregane started back up the staircase as Meena and Callum appeared, not even panting from running up the stairs. In onesmooth motion, Meena picked up Gregane and slammed him into the wall. She held him by the lapels of his shirt with one hand and pressed a knife to his throat with the other.

“What was that!” she hissed in his face.

Gregane squirmed in discomfort and ignored my guard’s question, speaking to me over her shoulder instead. “Do you want your metal or not?”

I reached out to my guard’s back, not wanting her to undo what we’d been fighting for. “Meena, stop.”

Callum took my other arm, pulling me back and searching me for injuries. “Did they attack you or continue to ignore you? Did you get bitten?” His voice had more than an edge of panic.

“I’m fine,” I managed. I cleared my voice so I would sound more assertive and straightened my back to show I was in control of myself.

Meena slammed Gregane against the wall again. “If you ever, ever put her in danger again, I will cut you up into little pieces and throw you to your halfsouls. I’ll start with your toes so you can watch yourself get smaller and smaller.”

“Meena, stop!” I yanked on my guard’s arm with the last of my strength. She released Gregane who crumbled to the floor, rubbing his neck.

He scowled. “And here I was thinking we had reached a civil agreement.”

Meena sheathed her knife. “Don’t think you didn’t deserve that. You said she simply had to walk up and down a corridor.”

His dirty glare didn’t lessen. “She did.”

Meena gestured to the stairs, her rage still plain on her face and in the energy behind her actions. I had a feeling she’d give me a lecture later about taking risks, but all my concerns other than getting the metal and getting out of here felt far away. “Callum can go up first, then Lady Sophie, then you. I’ll bring up the rear. I won’t trust you again.”

Gregane blinked rapidly with half open eyes and sighed as if barely tolerating her theatrics. I followed Meena’s plan, my heartbeat far from calm. My hands still shook and my throat hadn’t loosened, but as I brought them under control, the expected dread and horror were not waiting for me. Instead, I began to feel warmed by triumph.

See, you’re not weak, Sophie. You are strong. You faced your fears and your weaknesses, and you overcame them.

I drew on more strength from my reserve as I continued up the stairs. I wasn’t sure what I would have done without it. My legs felt as if they had run ten miles, not just walked up and down one corridor.

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