Glory Alley and the Star Riders (The Glory Alley Series) (77 page)

BOOK: Glory Alley and the Star Riders (The Glory Alley Series)
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“The Bamboozle
br
ought
to life
the things you fear the most.
Since that experience didn’t open your eyes, perhaps you need to be shown what you
ough
t to fear
the most.”

The
star riders
wrung their hats nervously between their fingers
, making
Glory
feel weak in the knees
.
She had
no idea what
the lady
was talking about, but it sounded bad in the
scariest of ways
.
Her knees slightly buckled, so she leaned on the nearest Wybbil for support
.
Glory closed her eyes, wanting
to
block out everything that was happening.


I am sending y
ou
to
Where
Elboni
Is Not
,
a place better known as
the
Wein
.
” Gasps steamed across the cathedral. “
Perhaps y
ou
will be more cooperative after
seeing
the fate of thieves
,
liars
,
a
nd those with murder in their hearts
.

Glory opened one eye
.
Lady
Gost
was pointing
to the floor with a stiff arm
.
“To the
Wein
with h
er
.”

Things were moving too fast
.
She
needed the
star riders
to take h
er
back to
Tullah
so
s
he could bind them
.
This
Wein
place wasn’t part of the plan.

“Isn’t
there another way?” Needle asked, wringing
his hat.

“I d
id
not write
t
he
Book of
Law
s
, I
interpret
it
,” she said sternly
.
“The situation seems bleak indee
d
.
Mercy has been ex
tended,
but it’s up to
the
Tullah
n
to take it.”

Lady
Gost
looked
at
Glory
.

"I
take no pleasure in
ordering your death,
but better one of
the
e
than all of we.

Then she turned to the emissaries. “As the appointed Guardian of Sacred Things, I decree
upon return from the
Wein
s
he will be turned over to the extractors.
Unless, of course, she confesses the whereabouts of the Great Elboni.

G
lory
turned to Needle,
voice came out shaky and hoarse. “
Y
ou wouldn’t
let them
do that to me—would you?


Obedience requires it
,” Needle said
.

“In order to access your memories,
” Lady
Gost
explained. “You will
be placed in
an
extraction pool until
your
mind and body are emptied
.
Your essence will separate from
tissue to go onto live with the
Weinling
forever
.
A
ll that will be left of ye
here on Wybb will be
dry bones and
a
crusted
hide
.”

Glory
gripped Needle's hand.

"Please, don’t suck me dry
.
I don’t want to be a crusted
hide
.
And whatever my essence is I want it to stay right where it
belongs
.
And
I sure don’t want to
live with a
Weinling
, whatever that is
.
Tell me it’ll be okay
, star rider
.
Tell me not
to be afraid.

“’Tis right to be afraid.

N
eedle patted h
er
hand
.
"I’d rather face a hundred
Hoogula
s than a single
Weinling
."

Glory
pulled her hand away.
“Not helpful
.

Her
breaths c
ame in rapid succession.

“Please, Your
Ladyship
,” Needle pleaded.
“Find another way.”


A
s the Guardian of Sacred Things, I have taken an oath not to usurp the authority of the Law."

"
She
's not a bad sort.”

"
No? Her
crimes are numerous
.
First, s
he
stole the
Elboni
.
She has
repeatedly
demonstrated a blatant disregard for the truth
, placing
her own selfish
wants
ahead of everything and everybody
.
The indifference she has shown toward the fate of the millions on Wybb is criminal.
This one’s hands
are
soiled
.
If seeing the
Wein
does not
stir
her
to re
pentance
, then
nothing will.


I am
the
Guardian Of Sacred Things
and I have spoken
.

“In submission,” the
star riders
said,
bowing in unison
.
“We obey.”

White Feather got to work
.
He went down on one knee
,
took the white feather from his cap
,
and drew a rectangle on the floor.

A rectangle be for death
,
Glory
remembered with a shiver.

“Issatti!” said White Feather.

Darkness mixed with gray fog began to swirl inside the rectangle and a howling sound escaped from it. Lady
Gost
stepped back a pace
, apparently
to stare down at the void from a safer distance.

Glory
bolted for the nearest exit, but the guards blocked h
er
way
.
They dragged h
er
kicking and screaming to Bone, who took h
er
arm
in his iron
grip.

She peered
into the
hole in the floor, horridly mesmerized by a
twirling
t
opsy-turvy tornado
that had formed
below the floor
.
Lady
Gost
’s hand went to her white hair to stop it from
whipping in the wind
.

“Tell me,”
Lady
Gost
shouted over the tempest
.
“Where
is
the
Elboni
?!”

The words stuck to the tip of Glory’s tongue, she was about to tell her everything.

“Halt,”
Lady
Gost
said
, gliding over
to h
er
, face so close to
she
caught a whiff of apple blossom perfume. She brought her face to
Glory
’s, whispering
, “If ye turn over
the
Elboni
, ye may go home with my blessing.”

Glory
took a deep breath
.
“It’s
...
it’s
...

She
wanted nothing more than to please her, but the words
were glued in place.

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