The Golden Lily Read Free Page B

more until morning. I don’t care how cold and hard it is.” don’t care how cold and hard it is.”
    Liam’s eyes narrowed. “What do I care about human food when soon I’ll be drinking the nectar of the gods? Your blood will be warm on my lips, yours and your pretty girl’s.” He began to laugh then, a sound far more disturbing than any of Keith’s screams.
    That laughter continued as Zeke led me out of the room. The door shut behind us, and I found myself standing in the hal, numbed. Zeke regarded me with concern.
    “I’m sorry … I probably shouldn’t have shown you that.” I shook my head slowly. “No … you were right. It’s good for us to see. To understand what we’re doing.
    I always knew … but I didn’t expect anything like that.” I tried to shift my thoughts back to everyday things and wipe that horror from my mind. I looked down at my coffee. It was untouched and had grown lukewarm. I grimaced.
    “Can I get more coffee before we go?” I needed something normal. Something human.
    “Sure.”
    Zeke led me back to the lounge. The pot I’d made was still hot. I dumped out my old coffee and poured some new. As I did, the door burst open, and a distraught Tom Darnel came in.
    He seemed surprised to see anyone here and pushed past us, sitting on the couch and burying his face in his hands. Zeke and I exchanged uncertain looks.
    “Mr. Darnel,” I began. “Are you okay?”
    He didn’t answer me right away. He kept his face covered, his body shaking with silent sobs. I was about to leave when he his body shaking with silent sobs. I was about to leave when he looked up at me, though I got the feeling he wasn’t actualy seeing me. “They decided,” he said. “They decided about Keith.”
    “Already?” I asked, startled. Zeke and I had only spent about five minutes with Liam.
    Tom nodded morosely. “They’re sending him back … back to Re-education.”
    I couldn’t believe it. “But I … but I told them! I told them he’s not in league with vampires. He believes what … the rest of us believe. It was his choices that were bad.”
    “I know. But they said we can’t take the risk. Even if Keith seems like he doesn’t care about them—even if believes he doesn’t—the fact remains he still set up a deal with one. They’re worried that wilingness to go into that kind of partnership might subconsciously influence him. Best to take care of things now.
    They’re … they’re probably right. This is for the best.” That image of Keith pounding on the glass and begging not to go back flashed through my mind. “I’m sorry, Mr. Darnel.” Tom’s distraught gaze focused on me a little bit more. “Don’t apologize, Sydney. You’ve done so much … so much for Keith.
    Because of what you told them, they’re going to reduce his time in Re-education. That means so much to me. Thank you.” My stomach twisted. Because of me, Keith had lost an eye.
    Because of me, Keith had gone to Re-education in the first place. Again, the sentiment came to me: he deserved to suffer in some way, but he didn’t deserve this.
    some way, but he didn’t deserve this.
    “They were right about you,” Tom added. He was trying to smile but failing. “What a stelar example you are. So dedicated.
    Your father must be so proud. I don’t know how you live with those creatures every day and still keep your head about you.
    Other Alchemists could learn a lot from you. You understand what responsibility and duty are.” Since I’d flown out of Palm Springs yesterday, I’d actualy been thinking a lot about the group I’d left behind—when the Alchemists weren’t distracting me with prisoners, of course. Jil, Adrian, Eddie, and even Angeline … frustrating at times, but in the end, they were people I’d grown to know and care about.
    Despite all the running around they made me do, I’d missed that motley group almost the instant I left California. Something inside me seemed empty when they weren’t