Dark Calling (48 page)

Why is she acting like this?  She doesn’t mean to.  She didn’t even mean those words she said.  This isn’t Keely.  Yes, she’s stressed.  Yes, she’s scared.  But she knows Nick is here for her
.  She knows he’
s trying to make her feel better.  “
Oh my God, Nick.
  I started to freak
and I let his emotions take over mine. 
He’s
worried and he’s pissed.  H
e’s blaming anyone he can.
  I didn’t mean any of that.  I’m sorry.
”

Nick’s eyes darken.  “Asmoday?”

Keely nods.  “I’
m sorry,” she says again.
 
“
Thank
you for being here for me.  I love you too.”  She takes his hand back.  Nick brings her fingers to his mouth and brushes a kiss across them.
  His movements are stiff, mechanical.  Keely knows he’s angry, but he isn’t going to say anything.  At least not right
now with higher hurdles to leap
at the moment.
 

The double doors open and the nine mem
bers of t
he Hierarchy enter as the room falls into a hushed silence.
  Keely
looks down at herself.  Wishes she had the foresight to bring a change of
cl
othes with her last night and
h
opes jean shorts an
d a tee shirt say something to t
he Hierarchy about her trustworthiness.   

Keely can see the lump of Nick’s Adam’s apple jump as he swallows nervously.  His hand tightens on hers
.  She leans over and kisses his cheek.  “Together,” she whispers.  He looks at her from the corner of his eye and gives a half smile.

“Princess Keely, will you please come forward?”

She and Nick stand together hand in hand.  They move through the maze as a united front.
  The doors open again and Keely glances back as she takes her seat in front of
the long table
.  Bryon and Lila sq
ueeze in the overly filled room followed by her dad.  She doesn’t see her mom.  Somehow, she isn’t too surprised by this.

“Princess,” the man Keely thinks is in charge says loudly as he bows his head.  “How are you today?”

“Scared.”

He smiles gently at her.  “I can assure you, you have no need to be.  Let me ease your mind right now.  No harm shall come to you by our hands.”

Keely stares back at the man waiting for him to continue.  From her peripheral, she notices Nick’s whole body relax like a deflating balloon.

“
However,” he goes on.

Isn’t there always a however?

“You
may be a wonderful asset to
the Hierarchy
o
r you could be a great threat.  We
don’t know you, Princess.  We’
re not convinced of your commitment.  We are unsure of your abilities.  The o
nly thing we are certain of is
your bravery.  You willingly told us of your part in the prophecy.  A prophecy we cannot read.  That also spoke of your honesty.  There are some of us that believe a higher calling sent you to us.  While there are some who believe the opposite.  I personally believe your character speaks for itself.  I also trust in the opinions of our Guardians.”  He looks at Nick.  Holds his gaze.

The pretty woman stands.  “Princes
s Keely,
we are decided that you are in fact Doyenne.  It would be irresponsible of
us to not offer you our aid, b
ut in return, we must ask something of you.  We
ask that you take the Doyenne O
ath.”

Keely nods.
  She doesn’t have a clue what the Doyenne Oath is, but assumes it must be similar to the Oath Nick took.
  “
Uh, sure. 
Of course.”

The pretty woman smiles patiently.  “There are other…conditions.  Because you are so powerful, and potentially dangerous, we will
need to keep eyes on you closely.  You will be given twenty-four hour security.  From here on out, your privacy is a luxury of the past.”

Keely takes a deep breath.  This sucks, but it’s better than the alternative.  And if she’s stuck with Nick all day, every day, well, that just doesn’t seem so bad.

“We also need the Demon Grimoire as a token of y
our allegiance
.  From this moment, you are not to read from it unless oth
erwise asked
and permitted by our
Hierarchy.”

O.k.  She didn’t realize s
he would need to make a list.  A
nd she kind of needed the Grimoire to find a way out of this mess with Asmoday.  But, again, this isn’t asking too much.  She’ll have
to
get the permission to do the research.  It’s more of an
inconvenience
than anything.

“You will need to begin training im
mediately.  You are very behind
so
you’
ll
need to
take classes here during the d
ay
and train in the evening.  You will also work with a tutor on weekends and any spare time you can find throughout the week.  You have a lot to learn and not a lot of time to learn it.”

So she’
ll be busy.  Extremely busy.  This is fine.  She wanted to go to school here anyway.  This is what she wanted.  This is what she
wants
. 
Yeah, it’s fine.
 
It’s fine
.
 

“We will be relieving Guardian Wallace of his leader
ship
duties effective today.”

Keely stands up in shock.  They can’t do this to her.  Not after all the demands they just placed on her.  They can’t take Nick. 

“Princess, please take your seat.  I am not yet finished.” 

Nick
tugs on Keely’s hand.  Tears sting her eyes as she looks at him helplessly.  “Sit down, please,” he whispers softly.  His hand guides her back into her chair and she wills her eyes to dry.

“Guardian Wallace will stay on as your Guardia
n because of the relationship
you share.  However, he is no longer in command.  This isn’t our typical protocol.  We aren’t in the habit of putting someone so young in charge of an assignment.  You will be given a new member of your security
contingent to t
ake lead and replace Watcher White.”

Nick’s hand tightens on Keely’s for a moment.  He’s happy with this judgment and Keely realizes she is too.  He may not have
a
say on how things will be handled, b
ut he still has a job
and he’
ll still be with her.

“There is one more thing, Princess.  From what you have explained to us, it appears that though the girl in the prophecy has changed from time to time, the one thing that remains the same is the Demon King.”  She gazes at Keely for confirmation.

“Yes, I believe so.”

“So what guarantee do we have that the prophecy will not change again and be fulfilled by someone else?”

Keely glances at Nick.  He shifts uncomfortably.  “I guess you don’t.  Especially if I’m not allowed to read the Grimoire to check.”

The pretty woman stares flatly at Keely for several seconds.  The man in charge leans over and whispers in the woman’s ear.  She nods, never taking her eyes from Keely.

“Is there anything you have not shared with us t
hat is pertinent to your case
?”

Keely feels herself shrink back.  “No.  I don’t think so.”

“Princess, we
are
all
given gifts when we come of age.  Accolades.  They are often similar from Guardian to Guardian, Watcher to Watcher.  But White Warriors, our accolades are typically unique.  Or
at least uncommon.  My most
valued a
cc
olade, and the reason I sit on this
Hierarchy, is a very special one.  When I ask you a direct question, I am able to identify wheth
er yo
u are telling me the truth…or not
.  Sometimes, people don’t even realize they’re lying.  But I
always
do.  I will ask you one more time.  Is there anything you
have not shared with us that we would find pertinent?”

Keely’s face grows warm.  Her head dizzy.  She tells herself it’s not betrayal.  She was going to have to tell them anyway if she was going to g
et their help.  “I am betrothed
and bonded to my brother, Prince Asmoday.”

Gasps spill through the air like a wave in the ocean.  Whispers tweak her ears as she tries to concentrate on the woman before her.

The man that reminds Keely of a principal wears an expression of repulsion and disgust.  She knew she didn’t like him.

“How are y
ou bonded to Prince Asmoday?” the p
re
tty woman asks.

“I feel his emotions and he feels mine.  But he’s not bad.  He’s not like our father.  He gave me the Grimoire.  He warned me about the prophecy.  He’s helped me.
”

“You trust him?”

Keely looks at her feet so she can’t see Nick.  “Yes.  I trust him.”

“Will this bond affect your loyalty to your brethren?”

“I don’t think so.  It hasn’t yet.  I don’t want it to.  I actually want out of it.”  As soon as the words leave her mouth, Keely knows it was the wrong thing to say.  Half of what she said
,
to the woman who can tell if she’s lying
,
wasn’t fully honest.

“I wish we could handle these things privately, but we do not.  I’m very sorry, but you know I mu
st ask.  Why do you want to preserve
the bond with your brother, Princess?”

Keely’s feet blur before her eyes.  Sweat runs down the back of her neck causing her hair to stick to her.  She can’t bear to look at Nick.  “Because I love him.” 

She looks up at the wom
an and by the sympathetic smile
Keely knows she understands her true meaning.

“Our Hierarchy is only one of several.  We have sister schools across the world.  After several confer
ences, we have determined precautions
must be t
aken against the Demon King to e
nsure the prophecy can never be fulfilled.  A plan of action has not yet been a
rranged, but I understood it to mean war against the Demons.  If Prince
Asmoday stands with your father
he will be terminated regardless of your bond.”

“He’
ll stand with me,
”
Keely says confidently.

“I know you mean what you say, but
you must understan
d this doesn’t assure me
.  I will need to speak with the Prince directly.”

Keely nods her head.

“One last thing, Princess.  Ar
e you prepared to go to war against
your father?”

A small smile parts Keely’s lips.  “Yes, I believe I am.”

The woman smiles back.  “I look forward to working with you, Princess.”

**
*

Nick doesn’t speak to Keely the entire way back to her house.  It isn’t until he turns off the ignition that he acknowledges her.  “You lie
d to me,” he says, his tone level
.  Lacks any emotion.

“I didn’t.  Not at the time.  I didn’t realize until I said it today.”

“How can you want to stay bonded?  You know what your father said.  You’ll be like one person.”

“My father isn’t the most honest guy, Nick.”

He looks her in the eye.  “I guess it runs in the family.”

She’s pretty sure she should have a big reaction here.  She should be offended
,
or angry
,
or hurt.  But she isn’t.  She’s as numb as Nick’s voice.  It’s been a very long time since she’s felt the nothingness of numb. 

“Would you like to call me names too?  Would it make you feel better?  I know I deserve it.  Go ahead.  Have at it.”

Nick looks shocked.  He stare
s at her like he doesn’t recognize her.  “I don’t know who I’d be talking to
,
so what’s the point?  You like this bond so much, but you don’t even realize how it’s changing you.  I don’t know when it’s you or it’s him.  It’s like dealing with someone who suffers from multiple personality disorder.”  He turns to her.  “Can I speak to Keely now?”

She glares at him.  “You really don’t want to right now.”

Nick pulls out his phone and sends a text.  “You can go in then.  Bryon will be here soon.  I’m suddenly not in the mood to baby sit you.”

“I don’t need a baby sitter.”

“Actually, you do.  Remember?  Part of your agreement.”