Chain of Iron

Chapter Forty-Three

Cordelia climbed up the thin vines of the tower, trying not to look at how far she was from the ground. She could hear Matthew, right behind her, swear as one of the vines snapped underneath his foot. They had been climbing for a good five minutes and Cordelia feared that they would not return to James in time. In the distance, she could see the small figure of James speaking to a man, who Cordelia figured was Belial. James was certainly brave for facing a Prince of Hell all on his own but anxiety washed throughout her body at the thought of something happening to him.

On instinct, Cordelia began to climb up the vines quicker and then, with a yelp, she felt one of her feet lose its footing and braced herself for the long fall to the ground. It never came though, as Matthew's hand shot out and grabbed Cordelia's ankle, steadying her. She looked down at him and gave Matthew a relieved smile and he placed her ankle on a sturdy part of a vine.

"What if Lucie and Jesse are not at the top of this tower?" She heard herself ask, the possibility only now coming into her mind.

"They are. James looked sure of it." Matthew spoke from below her. "Otherwise, it seems as if we have climbed this enormous tower for nothing."

An amused smile came onto Cordelia's face at his words; Matthew had the talent of making one feel entertained even when they were in the middle of a dire situation. She looked back at James who seemed to still be speaking with Belial and then her eyes focused on the ground. Cordelia felt her palms begin to sweat at just how far from the ground she and Matthew were. Cordelia had never particularly liked heights and it was making her feel lightheaded.

"Stop looking down." Matthew seemed to sense her slight panic. "Just keep your eyes on the window and block out everything else."

"How could you tell I was panicking?" Cordelia asked she continued to climb the tower.

"You get this odd glint in your eyes when something distresses you, I have noticed." He replied in a low voice. "You also bite down on your lip."

She blushed and realized that Matthew must observe her quite regularly for him to notice such things about her. They then finally reached the top of the tower and Cordelia laid eyes upon the medium sized window. She could not see anything when she looked into it and felt anxiety wash through her; maybe Lucie and Jesse really weren't there.

"Here." Matthew held out his Stele to Cordelia. "Use an unlocking rune. I will hold you steady as you do it so that you do not fall."

Cordelia took it from him and felt as one of Matthew's arms circled her waist, holding her in place as she began to draw the rune on the window. She tried her best to ignore the feeling of his arm holding her but could not help the slight shake of her hand as she drew the rune. Cordelia pulled away when she finished and watched as the latch on the window snapped open. Matthew let go of her and then he and Cordelia crawled through the window. She landed inside of the room on her feet and felt herself drown in relief at the sight before her. Lucie and Jesse were sitting against the opposite wall of the room; Lucie shot up as soon as she laid eyes on Cordelia.

"Daisy!" Lucie exclaimed as she embraced her. "Oh, Daisy, I knew you would come for us."

Matthew cleared his throat. "I also came to save you."

Lucie giggled and hugged Matthew after pulling away from Cordelia.

"Are either of you hurt?" Cordelia looked between Lucie and Jesse.

Jesse shook his head. "No, we are not. Belial did not hurt us, he only took us hostage."

"We must go." Matthew started. "James is facing Belial by himself. We must go help him."