She froze, and the cell seemed to disappeararound her.
She was seeing, in her mind's eye, an equallydark and uncomfortable little cart. And her ownvoice was saying, Jeanne. It's got to stop.
Feeling very light-headed, she turned toward thebench. "Jeanne? Come over here."
Jeanne straightened and walked up doubtfully.She looked into Maggie's face.
Maggie looked at her and then at Delos.
"Now you show him," she said in a voice thatwas like her own voice, but older and much grimmer,
"what his Night People do to slaves who try to escape. Like you showed me."
Jeanne's expression was inscrutable. She went onstaring at Maggie for a moment, then she raisedher eyebrows and turned around.
She was wearing the same slave tunic she hadbeen wearing for the last four days. She lifted it upin the same way and showed Delos her back.
He took one look and reeled back as if she'd hit him.
Maggie was braced, but even so the backlash ofhis shock and horror nearly swamped her. Shegrabbed on to the iron bars of the cell and waitedit out, teeth gritted while her vision went fromblack to red to something like a normal gray.
"Who did this?"Delos managed finally, in a voice like ground glass. He was dead white, except forhis eyes, which looked black in contrast. "Who?"
Jeanne dropped her tunic. "I thought you didn't care about vermin." And she walked away without answering him, leaving him speechless.
Maggie watched her sit down, then turned back.
"Some things have got to be stopped," she saidto Delos. "Do you see what I mean? Some thingsyou just can't let go on."
And then she waited.
I knew he didn't know that kind of thing washappening, she thought, feeling vaguely glad in avery tired, sad, and distant way. But it's good to see it proved.
The silence stretched endlessly.
Delos was still staring at Jeanne. He had run ahand through his hair at some point; it was disheveled and falling over his forehead. The skin of hisface seemed to be stretched, very tight and his eyeswere burning gold.
He looked as if he'd completely lost his bearings,and he didn't know what to trust anymore. And then he looked at Maggie.
She was still standing there, waiting and watching. Their eyes met and she realized suddenly thatshe'd never seen him so vulnerable-or so open.
But if there was one thing Prince Delos had, it was resolution. After another moment of helplessness, she saw him straighten his shoulders and draw himself up.
And, as usual, he got directly to the point."You're right," he said simply. "And I was wrong.
There are some things that have got to be stopped."Maggie leanedagainst the bars and smiled."I'll get the key," he said, and then went on,briskly planning. "I want the three of you out ofthe castle, at least, before I confront Hunter.""You can't do it alone," Maggie began.Sheshould have known he'd immediately start arranging everybody's life again. "Especially not with yourpower blocked-"
"There's no reason for you to be in any moredanger than you have to be," he said. "I'll send youoff with some of my people who can be trusted-"
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," a voice saidfrom the corridor.
It gave Maggie a horrible jolt. They were all tired,and all caught up in the moment, and none of themhad seen the figure until it was almost behindDelos.
Hunter Redfern was standing there smiling. Sylvia was behind him. And behind them,crowdedtogether, were armed guards.
"We've had to dispose of the few idiots who insisted on remaining loyal to you," Hunter said amiably. His eyes were shining like the purest gold."The castle is now under our control. But do go onwith your plans, it's very sweet to hear you trying to save each other."
"And it's no use trying to pretend," Sylvia addedspitefully. "We heard everything. We knew you couldn't be trusted, so we let you come down here on purpose, to see what you'd say."
For someone who'd known Delos a while, shedidn't understand him very well, Maggie thought.Maggie could have told her that pretending was thelast thing that would occur to Delos. Instead he did what Maggie knew he would; he launched himself at Hunter Redfern's throat.
Delos was young and strong and very angry but it was no contest. After Sylvia had squeaked and withdrawn, the guards all came to help Hunter. After that it was over quickly.
"Put him in with his friends," Hunter said, brushing off his sleeves. "It's a real pity to see my onlysurviving heir come to this," he added, once Deloshad been kicked and thrown into the cell. For amoment there was that note of genuine feeling in his voice that Maggie had heard before. Then the golden eyes went cold and more bitter than ever. "I think tomorrow morning we'll have a very special hunt," he said. "And then there will be onlythree Wild Powers to worry about."
This time, when the guards left, they took all theflares with them.
"I'm sorry," Maggie whispered, trying to inspectDelos's bruises by touch alone. "Delos, I'm sorry...I didn't know ... "
"It doesn't matter," he said, holding her hands."It would have happened eventually anyway."
"For a vampire, you didn't put up much of afight," Jeanne's voice came from the back of the cell.
Maggie frowned, but Delos turned toward herand spoke without defensiveness. "That witch bound more than just the blue fire when she putthis spell on my arm," he said. "She took all myvampire powers. I'm essentially a human until she removes it."
"Aradia?" Maggie said. "Can you do anything? Imean, I know only Sylvia is supposed to be able totake the spell off, but ..."