Gods From the Machine (4 page)

“
What do you think?”

“
It’s beautiful,” Quinn murmured, feeling the intricate details and patterns on the surface. She brushed her fingers along the fangs of the hilt. “Thornish steel. It possesses a herringbone pattern down the middle of the blade. The angular waves give off almost a mesmerizing effect, don’t you think? Such impressive craftsmanship. It has to be a late Avon. I wonder how Matthew got hold of something this rare.”

Nick raised a brow.
“I’m pretty surprised you could tell just by looking. Not many civilians know much about our weapons, much less the famous whitesmiths that craft them. Do you know a lot of whitesmiths where you’re from?”

“
Sort of, I just believe when you’re living in a crazy world like ours, it pays to stay a little informed, right? But where I’m from the people—even civilians—eat and breathe this stuff. I guess you can say it’s in our blood.”

“
Then I take it you’re from Thorne,” Nick said. Thorne was the city with the largest, most powerful Garrison in the world. It was also the first Garrison established as well as the battlegrounds for the Great War’s final showdown.

“
Very close. I lived in a small town outside of it, but I guess when you live so close to such a holy ground it becomes hard to avoid its history,” she said.

As Nick watched her, he couldn
’t help but become completely and utterly fascinated with her. There was something about her presence or the way she spoke that was just so enamoring, entrancing the way she seemed to call to him as if putting him under a spell. He’d never felt like this before, not with any other girl.

“
So Quinn…”

“
Hmm?” she responded, her attention still wrapped up in the brilliance of the sword.

“
We should be getting back inside,” he said.

She took her gaze off the blade for a moment and tilted her
head to face him. “Right.” Quinn smiled. “We should probably take it back to Matthew, just in case right?”

He placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her outside the room a
s he closed the door. As they walked down the stairs, the loud and obnoxious music shifted into a soft, slow song. The crowd of people that had been shaking wildly to the beat now broke into pairs, and swayed gently against the smooth vocals of some teenage pop sensation.

“
Would you like to dance?” Quinn asked. Her tapping foot and bright eyes beckoned him.

“
I’m not very graceful on my feet,” Nick admitted.

She laughed heartily.
“I thought members of the Garrison were trained in everything. Don’t tell me that doesn’t include dancing?”

“
We are, but trust me you don’t want to see me on the dance floor,” Nick said.

Quinn
put out her hand. “Try me.”

She
didn’t wait for his response and pulled him onto the floor. It was weird for a girl to be so forward and in control, but soon he found himself actually enjoying being led by her. As they swayed side to side, he became lost in the motions. The personality she displayed this far, had been light and breezy, playful, with no sign of seriousness at all. Nick was mystified. Never before had he dealt with someone he could not read. Trying to unravel her, trying to break her down was like solving a riddle wrapped in an enigma.

“
Your friend Matt did a good job trying to covering it up,” Quinn said.

“
What do you mean?” Nick asked.

“
Don’t worry, I thought that whole balcony set-up was cute,” Quinn said.

“
Much like my dancing, I’m not usually very good at this kind of thing,” Nick said sheepishly, playing it off as best he could.

“
You’re very honest. I find that attractive.”

Nick was taken aback once again as he twirled her with the music. It was at this point he thanked the Heralds for making dance training a required course.

“You’re the first person to say that. I mean, I’m sure you can see how everyone feels about me,” Nick said. There was a very distinct space of separation between them and the other dancers.

Quinn
laughed. “They hate you, is that it? Look, when I first met you I had this feeling about you. It screamed different, as if there was something not quite right about you. If I was anything like one of these girls here, I probably would have stayed away.” She leaned in close, so close he could almost feel her lips on his ear. “But I’m not like all the other girls.”

Nick couldn
’t help but grin. “I’ve never met a girl like you before. You
have
to know how intimidating you are.”

“
Intimidating? Really, I don’t think so.” Quinn smiled innocently. “I think I give tests though, to root out the boys from the men.” She had to be kidding. There was no way she couldn’t see the effect she had on people. The way everyone looked at her, the way she could part the room with just the flick of her hair. This fair maiden could send a soldier into battle armed with the strength of her smile alone.

“
Did I pass?” Nick said.

“
I think so. You intrigue me, Nick Emberson. Usually all guys I meet I can tell what their intentions are from the start, but you took a little more work. It’s almost like there are two sides to you.”

“
Most guys would have a hard time talking to a girl with such confidence. Not many people are like you, they can’t just open themselves up like a book and get the same results,” Nick said.

“
Life’s too short to always beat around the bush. I find I enjoy things more when I get to be myself,” Quinn said.

“
That’s a good answer.”

“
My turn. Why is a guy like you hanging around a bunch of over-privileged snobs? You obviously must know how out of place you look around them,” Quinn said.

“
Well I wouldn’t if I had a choice, but I promised Matt I would celebrate my birthday with him.”

“
It’s your birthday? Well, happy birthday.”

“
Thanks, but it’s tomorrow actually,” Nick said.

“
Wow, what are the chances? Being born on the New Year has to be some kind of good luck,” Quinn said.

“
It must be good luck because I got the chance to meet you tonight.”

“
You’re getting better at this,” Quinn said.

Their eyes locked and Nick realized his cheeks were blazing hot. H
e must look like chili pepper at this point. He could never hide his feelings very well, but Quinn kept her brilliant white smile on him, as if she didn’t notice at all. At that exact moment everyone was staring at the clock, chanting as the countdown began.

Ten…

What to do? They’re already doing the New Year’s countdown and he was aching to kiss her, but maybe now wasn’t the time. When was there ever a time for these things? Situations like this only come once in a lifetime. The best time would be now!

Nine…

She brushed her hair behind her ear. Obviously, if he was going to make a move, it had to be now. No holding back!

Eigh
t...

H
er arms wrapped around his neck as he was being pulled closer into her space.

Seven…

“Wha-what are you doing?” Nick stammered.

Six…

“You talk too much sometimes,” Quinn whispered as she pressed her index finger to his lips. His heart was racing wildly.

Five…

“Poor Nick, everyone deserves a present on their birthday,” she cooed.

Four…

“Having just met you, I’m not really sure what you like…”

Three…

Nick was practically on fire.

Two…

“I hope this’ll do…”

One…

She pressed her lips into his the same time the party poppers and horns blared around them. Screams of excitement echoed in the large room. Nick wrapped his arms around her waist and put forth every emotion he was feeling into his lips. It was everything he imagined it would be and more, like kissing a goddess. The sound of cheers seemed to drown out, as if the whole purpose of his life was fixated on this one moment. When they finally stopped, Nick was left in a daze.

“
Happy birthday, Mister Emberson,” Quinn smiled.

“
That was some present,” Nick replied.

Holding her in his arms in the center of that dance floor, Nick felt that not
hing else mattered at that moment. This girl he just met seemed to erase every bad feeling he felt in his entire eighteen years of living. It wasn’t like him to fall so hard so fast. He barely even knew her, and yet he already knew that letting her go would be the biggest mistake of his life.

3. Angel Feather

The celebration died down after that. The ballroom that was once packed with lively, obnoxious kids was now almost cleared. Everyone was partied out, and either retired for the night or left to roam the city. The floor was littered with colorful party favors and confetti like it was painted a multifaceted rainbow. However, the night was still young, and Nick was in no mood for sleep.

“
What would you like to do now?” Nick asked once they were outside. “Do you have a curfew or anything?”

Quinn
shook her head. “Let’s go somewhere! it’s still too early to call it a night.”

Nick gave her a curious look.
“Anywhere you had in mind?”

She
thought for a split second. “Heaven’s Peak! I’ve heard people talk about it. It sounds magical.”

Nick nodded.
“Sure.” Thankfully, he had borrowed one of the more durable Garrison vehicles.

Nick
had lived in Glenhaven his entire life. Heaven’s Peak was the tallest mountain in the city. It was a famous landmark and a natural monument that helped the city attract the bulk of its tourism. Since it was a rite of passage, everyone who lived here had visited Heaven’s Peak at least once in their lives. In his case, it was also like a second home—a quiet place where he went to think, where he could enjoy the stillness of nature that hadn’t been touched by growing industrial renovations.

During the drive up, he remembered Peter once told him of a legend surrounding the peak when he was very young, but like all kids, he wasn
’t really interested in listening to what he said, and just let it go through one ear and out the other. Now that Quinn suggested going, it was a missed opportunity he could have used to impress her.

As they approached the peak, snow began to fal
l. Traveling deeper and deeper, the combined darkness and stillness made the forest seem eerie. Nick looked from the corner of his eye at Quinn, but she seemed enthralled. They passed a small lake, up a singular road leading to places higher along the mountain. The trees seemed to grow in groups as they crept silently uphill, as if they were traveling into an endless wood.

At the peak, there was a big clearing but it was hard to see anything i
n front of them due to the snowfall. Nick parked under a tree. When they got out, they were quickly enveloped by a veil of light snow.

“
It makes sense now doesn’t it?” Quinn said.

“
What does?” Nick asked.

“
The name Heaven’s Peak, I mean. We’re up so high it’s almost as if we can touch the sky itself.”

“
Yeah, I can barely see a thing though.”

No response. Nick squinted over the hood of t
he car to the passenger side. She was nowhere to be found. What just happened, he thought, worried at the same time. She couldn’t have traveled too far. Could she have fallen off?

“
Um, Quinn?” Nick asked loudly, “Where are you? I can’t see you at all.” He waved his arms in front of him, hoping to reach out to her.

“
I’m right here.” Quinn emerged from behind him. She looked like a goddess molded by the Heralds above.

“
You’re doing that again,” she said.

“
What?”

“
Gawking.” She laughed.

“
I wasn’t gawking. I just couldn’t find you, that’s all. I thought you got lost, or worse.”

She laughed.
“Oh is that right? There’s nothing to be afraid of, I’m right here.”

H
er hand reached over and clasped his, interlocking to form a tight bond. Her soft hands were warm as she led him through the snowy trail, further until they reached a side of the peak where the snowfall couldn’t reach.

There, Nick could see the foliage and massive rocks at the foot of the cliff and the bright city
lights in the distance. The edge of the cliff was the perfect spot for a view of everything this town had to offer, and it was breathtaking.