Spirits

Chapter 23

We had been in the boxcar for what felt like an eon when the wheels finally squealed and the car shook with the sudden decrease in speed. The cart jarred side to side, protesting the strain on its metal limbs.

I sat up, knocking around in the dark. I could feel Jax next to me, a cloak haphazardly draped over us. My hair scratched at my face, the straw stuck in the greasy locks.

"As soon as the doors are opened, we make a run for it." I could hear Jax moving across the car. "For now, stay silent."

I followed Jax's voice. The metal cages guided me down the car until my face met Jax's back. He stumbled, a dull thud and curse mixing in with the animal's protests. They weren't the only ones anxious to breathe fresh air.

I started to apologize, but Jax's hand found my mouth as the door slid open, the light shining inches from our faces. I held my breath as the shadow of a man disappeared.

"Follow me," Jax ordered, moving to the doorframe to listen for movement.

Sticking my head out, I found we were on the outskirts of a large city surrounded by farms with thousands of acres of crops. The lights burning along the hills in the dark. The warm grass and wooded breeze were heavenly and I sighed into it. The air flowed down to my lungs, cleaning them of the stale, dirty air I had been breathing.

"We should be close." I turned to Jax who was listening to me while enjoying the fresh air. "A few hours of walking and we should be at her estate. I have never been though, so we might need help."

"I did bring a map, Maurea," Jax teases, pulling the paper out of his sachet. It was wrinkled, but the ink looked intact for the most part. "For now, let's get out of here unnoticed."

He slipped out of the car, boots connecting with the ground with a thump. He looked around and motioned for me to follow.

I copied his actions, skidding my legs over and jumping, the folds of my cloak folding around me as I connected with the ground, knees bending to support my weight.

"If I wasn't a Spirits, that would have hurt," I regarded my intact legs with care.

I looked up to find Jax shaking his head at me. "What's the estate called?"

I joined him walking away from the train, the workers still resting along the tracks. We must have traveled all night because the moon was just setting in the distance.

"Look for Bartne. He resided north of Madrid," I paused, looking at the tall buildings and expensive city to my left," if this is Madrid."

I had been to the capital when I was younger, but I barely remembered it. The sweet vanilla pastry I had eaten as we waited for my father to finish a meeting was one of the good memories I had with my mother, but I was too young to remember the city, at least the poorer areas.

"It is and, if I'm reading this right, Lord Bartne has a large expansion of land three miles north." Jax used the rolled-up paper to gesture to the distance. "If we follow that road, it should take us there?"

"I'll follow your lead." We picked up our pace, the beating of my heart growing with each moment.

The train station faded behind us, the darkness clouding the figure illuminated by nothing but flame and moonlight.

Jax seemed to sense my nerves and didn't say anything, instead of matching my pace quietly. Each step brought me closer to Isabella and the answers I desperately needed.

At the same time, I couldn't help but study Jax out of the corner of my eye. If my family saw him, they might harm him and I couldn't let that happen. I was more likely to encounter my father when I entered his domain and I didn't know what would happen. I was already emotionally invested with Jax and Intutum. I couldn't afford to lose him.