Page 248 of Alchemised
A human eye encased in glass stared down at her. When Helena moved to the side, it rotated, following her.
A shiver ran down her spine. She hadn’t even known that it was possible to animate only a part of a body, but it was undeniably animated. Perfectly preserved. Angled to see the entire landing from the shadows.
That was how Kaine always knew when she was there.
She sat on the steps for half an hour before Crowther emerged from the room. She knew he probably wouldn’t tell her the terms, but she hoped that after having her wait, he’d tell her something.
He merely paused, studying her. “Good work, Marino.”
CHAPTER 49
Februa 1787
THE MOOD IN HEADQUARTERS GREW SOMBRE AS the winter crawled on. The days felt endlessly dark, the air so cold and damp that even quick walks across the commons were bone-chilling.
After months of largely successful defence and fortification, the Resistance was hit hard and sudden. One of the walls along the East Island was blown up by a bomb blast so large, it took down several buildings. Then more blasts, and before they’d even begun to evacuate the survivors, the necrothralls and chimaeras poured in.
The Resistance lost a battalion and an entire swath of the East Island.
Luc’s battalion was trapped inside a building, pursued down to the river level where they ended up cornered for more than a day until the Resistance assembled a large enough force to get them out. The casualties were terrible. Half of them were badly injured. One medic was killed in the retreat, and another died from injuries during the siege. Luc had held back the chimaeras and necrothralls by maintaining a wall of flame for hours on end. He and Lila had been coated in smoke and grime, too exhausted to even speak when they were brought back. Soren sustained a shattered right arm when the floor collapsed under him and several others. He’d been held back from defence during the siege, caring for the injured and watching them die one by one.
He refused to talk about it.
BEFORE HELENA COULD RETURN TO the Outpost, Crowther informed her that she would see Kaine only once a week now. No explanation about why; those were simply the new terms of the deal. When Martiday came, she didn’t know what to expect, how different things might be, but when Kaine arrived, he wordlessly kicked the padding cloths across the floor and began training her as if nothing had changed, except he didn’t look at her anymore. His eyes seemed to go through her.
“How do you know all this?” she asked when he paused in attacking her to show her several techniques for breaking arms in ways that would shatter the bone or pierce the skin, slowing regeneration.
“The same way I know any of it,” he said, staring across the room. “When you can’t die, people keep hurting you until you can hurt them more.”
“I’m sorry.”
He looked at her sharply, fury in his eyes. “I’m sure you are.”
There was no more conversation. He attacked and she had to fend him off. She managed to get a jab in under his arm but experienced only a moment of triumph before his fingers were wrapped around her throat, dragging her close.
They both froze, eyes meeting, and it was as if time stopped.
He snatched his hand back with a scathing glare. “Unless you start thinking faster than you move, you’re going to be killed.”
She failed twice more.
“That’s enough for today.” He finally turned away from her, reaching into his cloak, and pulled out an envelope, setting it on the table.
Helena’s chest clenched in dread as she went over to her satchel and pulled out an envelope of her own, fidgeting with it as she turned to face him.
“Crowther said to give you this.”
A sort of deadness filled his eyes as he looked over. “Right … My orders for the week.”
He pulled it from her fingers with a listless jerk.
“Kaine—”
“Run along, Marino. I have work to do.”
IT WAS HELENA’S JOB TO examine Luc to ensure he was healthy before he was allowed to leave Headquarters. He was still so shattered he scarcely seemed to notice her, which was for the best, as they hadn’t spoken since the solstice.
He and Lila watched each other with a fervent intensity, as though the other person were their only touchstone.
