Free Jack Staples and the City of Shadows by Mark Batterson

leader here, but I warn you, do not fail me again.” His voice was as cold as the grave.
    Korah had been pacing, but he stopped suddenly. “What is that?”
    Alexia couldn’t see what he was looking at.
    Petrus groaned and held his ribs as he stood. “Just the girl’s things, m’lord—a dress and sling. Nothing important.” Alexia’s heart leaped—then sank. She’d found them, but now what?
    â€œGive them to me.” Korah’s voice was tight.
    Petrus scrambled over and handed them to Korah. He hissed the moment his fingers touched the dress. After a moment he began inspecting it, looking closely at the seams and running his fingers along the material. “I don’t believe it,” he whispered. “Could it be? After so long, to find her here?”
    â€œI’m sorry, m’lord, are you speaking to me?” Petrus asked.
    Korah ignored Petrus as he moved on to inspect the sling. After a moment he brought both sling and dress to his nose and inhaled deeply. After a moment, he screamed and tore Alexia’s dress, ripping it in two. But he didn’t stop there—he tore it over and over again until it was shredded beyond recognition. Alexia gasped, but Josiah grabbed her and placed a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming.
    Alexia shoved Josiah off and glared at him. But she stayed put. Although she hated to admit it, he was right. To attack now would only ensure they were captured again.
    â€œTake me to her!” Korah raged. “This child escaped me once. Tonight I will finish what was started years ago!” He turned to the others. “Come with me and I will teach you how to make someone truly suffer.”
    â€œYes, m’lord.” Petrus whimpered and darted toward the tunnel where Alexia and Josiah were hiding. Both children scrambled into one of the side tunnels, doing their best to stay hidden in the shadows. Korah dropped the sling and the ruined dress as he followed Petrus and the others out of the chamber. As he stalked past, Alexia once again had the nagging feeling that she knew the man from somewhere. And he acted like he knew me! It didn’t make a lick of sense. As they darted across the chamber to snatch the sling and shredded dress, Alexia began to weep. Her dress was ruined. It had been a present from her mother and now it was gone.
    Present day
    As Alexia crept along the dark caverns below Buckingham Palace, she took a stone from the inside pocket of her crimson cloak and dropped it into the fold of her sling. She still wore the Atherial Cloak and was sure the captain and his men had no idea she was following.
    They were far enough from the Gang of Terror for Alexia to try to save Wild without being heard. She had to do it before he was taken to Korah. Whatever happened, she could not allow that! As she spun the sling, the captain stopped abruptly and knocked on a large steel door.
    The door swung open and Alexia almost gasped when she saw Miel standing on the other side. Alexia had barely spoken to her in Agartha, but she had liked the woman. Could Miel be the betrayer Mrs. Dumphry had spoken of?
    â€œWho is it now?” a harsh voice growled from somewhere inside the chamber.
    Alexia felt something cold wrap around her heart. She recognized that voice from when she’d heard it in the tunnels more than six years earlier. Korah was on the other side of the steel door.
    Miel looked from the captain to Wild. “They have brought the old woman’s pup. The boy, Wild.”
    â€œExcellent,” Korah said. “Bring him to me.”
    As the men carried Wild into the chamber, Alexia took a deep breath. It was too late to turn back now. She slung a stone against a nearby wall, and as Miel turned to look, Alexia darted through the door. Though her trick had worked on Petrus, as she passed Miel, the woman looked directly at her and gasped. “The witch has come!”
    Alexia sent a stone flying