The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) (16 page)

Chapter 17

Mags set a swift pace through the town, cutting through back alleys and side streets. Knocked over trash cans littered their contents across their path, getting muck on their shoes.

"Are you sure we should be here? This part of town is really shady." Dana was trying to get gum off her shoe without touching it as they paused in front of a rundown house. The front porch was sagging, the paint peeling. The screens over the front windows had large tears in them that were sealed with duct tape. Weeds grew up around the crumbling stone steps and the grass was patchy and dying. It reminded Edith a lot of her apartment building, but not as nice.

"Nonsense. We'll be fine." Mags marched up the stairs.

A loud boom nearby made both of the younger girls jump and duck for cover behind the porch wall. Charles laughed as a rusty old Chevy drove by, its engine clanking noisily. "Just a car backfiring, ladies. Nothing to be worried about."

Mags sighed  and rolled her eyes. "Stop being silly. I told you, we'll be fine." She straightened her dress and smoothed her hair before ringing the doorbell. It chimed once before a dog went nuts inside.

Edith's eyes grew big and she looked at her equally terrified friend. "That dog sounds Ollie-sized."

Charles placed a comforting hand on the small of her back as the door opened a crack. "Just the doorbell. He doesn't have a dog. They scare the living daylights out of him."

A purple eye peeked through a crack in the door, squinting against the sun. "Eh? Who's there?" His voice was soft and gentle despite his attempts to sound harsh and demanding.

Mags put her head in front of the door and smiled. "Hello, Adam."

The door slammed shut, nearly pinching Mags's nose. She straightened quickly, her mouth agape as she stared at the closed door. Edith and Dana looked at each other with amused expressions.

Seconds later, the door flew open, this time all the way. A short middle-aged man with shaggy blond hair stood in the doorway. He propped his hands on his hips and grinned. "Magdalene Drifton, is that really you?"

Before she could answer, he bounced forward and wrapped his arms around her. They remained in an embrace until Charles cleared his throat.

"Oh, oh my. So sorry, Charles. I, uh, I didn't see you there." Adam straightened and held out a hand. Charles took it, grinning.

"No worries, ol' chap," he said. "I understand completely." He gave Adam a wink even as he nodded in Edith's direction.

The older man turned his attention to the two young girls. "Ah, I see. And who might these lovely young ladies be?"

Charles let his grin drop. "It may be best to discuss this inside if you don't mind."

Adam let out a small laugh that tinkled like a dozen sleigh bells. "Of course. I knew this wasn't likely to be a social call. So rarely do I get the pleasure of seeing my Mags, and only in the most dire of situations. Come in, come in. I'll make us some tea, then you can tell me all about it."

They followed him into the foyer, but Charles stopped him before he could retreat to the kitchen."We only have a few minutes. Edith and I need to be going."

"Oh." He looked crestfallen until he really understood what Charles said. "Oh? Just you and Edith?" His eyes flitted over to Mags for just a brief moment.

"Yes. We were hoping you could keep Mags and Dana here until we get back. They were attacked at my home yesterday. It isn't safe for them to be alone there anymore. And I can't stay with them right now."

Adam nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, yes. I heard there was some trouble brewing through the doors. Keys missing and such. Is this true?"

Charles's mouth pressed in a thin line. He nodded. Adam leaned in closer to him, whispering in a not-so-quiet voice, "It wasn't your key, was it?" He eyed Dana sideways. "Did you lose the key, girl?"

She blushed, her face going red from her neck to the top of her ears. She found something interesting to stare at on the floor and kicked at an invisible rock.

"Leave her be. She did lose the key but Edith here found it before it could fall into the wrong hands."

"Good, good. We don't need their kind here."

Mags scoffed. "It's a little too late for that, pet. Have you been so out of touch you've missed all that's going on?"

Adam frowned at her harsh tone. "I've been busy, you know. Working on... things... and stuff." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and hunched a bit. "Besides, I heard about the diner. Burnt to the ground, they say. Looks all boarded up from the outside. I didn't want to do no digging around and get myself caught where I shouldn't be, you know. So I left it alone. Figured if something really bad was happening, I'd hear about it. And I am, so I was right."

He perked up at his smart idea until a loud banging noise came from under the floor. "Whoops," he said as he scurried toward a door in the hall. "I left my newest invention running." He opened the door and headed down the stairs. A couple steps in and he turned around and headed back up. "Come, come. Mags, Dana, come with me. Charles, it was a pleasure seeing you. I hope you don't mind showing yourself out. Edith, good luck as Keeper."

Smoke began to pour out of the door behind him and he turned back, racing down the stairs. Mags sighed and picked up her pack. "Come on, Dana. We better go see what he's on about this time. Looks like it's a good thing we're here or he'll likely lose a finger or two."

She gave her brother a quick hug. "You better come back. I'm not sure we can survive  long around his inventions." Her voice was harsh, but her eyes were glistening with fearful tears.

Dana shuffled her feet for a moment before embracing Edith. "I'm sorry. For everything. Be careful, okay? Come back in one piece."

Edith nodded. "I will. Be safe."

Dana disappeared into the black cloud and Charles shut the door behind her. He held out his hand to Edith. "We should get going or we'll be late."

She slipped her fingers in his and they headed back out onto the porch. The noises couldn't be heard out there, but a small wisp of black smoke curled out through a window in the foundation. Charles grinned and shook his head. "Good ol' Adam," he mumbled as he led Edith along the sidewalk.

They walked for fifteen minutes or so until they reached a busy street. Charles stuck his hand out and a yellow taxi whipped over to the side of the road. The young man opened the door and Edith climbed in. He ducked in behind her and directed the driver to take them to the airport.

"Take a right here," Charles said as they stopped at a light on airport property.

"Here? But the terminal is up there." The driver looked a little baffled, but at Charles's insistence, he turned right. The road led to a gate with a keypad. The driver pulled up far enough for Charles to enter the code. He had to lean over Edith to do it and a blush crept up her skin at his closeness. He winked at her as he sat back down and the car started moving again. After several minutes, the taxi pulled onto an airstrip. Two small planes sat there: one black, one silver.

"Pull up next to the silver one, please."

When the car stopped, Charles paid the driver, giving him more than triple what he was owed. "You never saw us, right?"

The driver coughed before pressing a button on his meter. It beeped twice and reset itself to zero. "Never saw anything," he said, stuffing the cash in his pocket. He turned around and drove away as quickly as he could. His screaming tires threw up a cloud of smoke. When the vehicle was out of sight, the ramp on the silver airplane began to lower.

"Come on," Charles said. He led the way up into the plane and the ramp closed behind them as soon as Edith was aboard. The others were already seated, some reading books, some chatting quietly. The plane started moving while they walked down the aisle.

"You're late." Boxy glanced up from the newspaper in her hands briefly, making eye contact with them both before returning her attention to the print.

"Sorry, we got tied up." Charles took a seat in front of Veth and patted the spot beside him. Edith plopped down, stuffing her pack under the seat in front of her before buckling her seat belt. She could see a small runway out the window. The plane was angling for it, picking up speed in a hurry.

"Everyone best be seated and fasten your seat belts. We'll be taking off in about a two minutes."

Edith glanced around for whoever was making the announcement but saw no one.

"Sorry darling, no stewardesses on this flight." Charles winked at her as the plane sped up, its engines humming loudly. "Once we're in the air, if you get hungry or thirsty, we'll hit up the galley."

Edith watched out the window as the trees whipped by faster and faster. They were a blur when she felt that familiar sinking feeling in her stomach. Her body pressed back into the seat and the ground fell away. The little plane moved quickly and they were above the clouds in no time at all. She was staring at the sea of white, imagining a city buried in snow, when the pilot came over the speaker.

"You folks can move around if you like. Just don't do anything stupid." He paused for a moment. "Nach, stay away from the liquor cabinet or I'll lock you down."

Nach laughed heartily as he unhooked his seat belt and stood, stretching oddly in the small space.

Charles stood too, pressing his back against the bulkhead that sloped down toward the window. "Need anything while I'm up?"

She started to shake her head, then changed her mind. "Maybe a bottle of water?"

He winked. "You got it." Then he headed down the aisle and disappeared behind a curtain.

Though the plane was fairly small, the seats were large and comfortable. Edith reclined it back, careful not to hit Veth's companion and relaxed. She looked around, hoping for a built-in television or something to keep her entertained. There weren't even any pamphlets in the pocket in the back of the seat in front of her. She sighed and rolled her head to the side, staring out the window at the endless white.

"Here," Charles said as he sat down next to her. He flipped down her tray and set a bottle of water on it, along with a fat book. She looked at it and smiled.

"You know, you're kinda sorta awesome," she said as she picked up the book. "This is one of my favorites."

He snorted a laugh. "I just picked up the fattest book I could find in the little library we have."

"You have a library on the plane?"

He gave her a sideways glance. "Of course. Do you know how long the trip to England is? Or Nepal when we need to go there? Or even Antarctica? That trip is horrid. We have to have something to keep us busy or we'd go mad."

Edith glanced up as Nach walked by. He gave her a sly wink as he wiggled a little bottle of clear liquid in one hand and a glass of ice in the other. He had some sort of wi-fi tablet stuffed under his arm.

"Wait, you have computers on this plane?" Edith sat up and looked at Charles.

"And wireless access. Again, you do not seem to understand how long this flight will be. People have work to do." He grinned at her as she swatted him. "If you get bored with your book, I'll go commandeer one of the tablets for you and you can watch a movie. We'll have supper in a couple of hours." He stretched as he leaned his seat back. "Until then, I'm going to get a little sleep. Wake me if you need anything, okay?"

She smiled at him as he curled up. "All right." She picked up the book and thumbed it open to the first chapter.
Concerning Hobbits,
she began to read...

Chapter 18

Edith was deeply immersed in the battle of Helm's Deep when the captain came over the loudspeaker. "Settle in, ladies and gents. We're about to head down. There's a storm brewing so make sure you're buckled and put away anything that could possibly stab you in the face."

The girl cocked an eyebrow at Charles who was stuffing a filled spongecake into his mouth. "He makes the ride a little more interesting," he mumbled around a mouthful of yellow cake and creamy white heaven. She eyed the tasty treat's double still sitting in the wrapper on his tray table. He smiled and handed it to her before stuffing the wrapper into the pocket in front of him and folding up the table.

"He may be a bit gruff, but he's the best damn pilot around. He'll get us in safely in any kind of weather. Always has."

Edith nodded thoughtfully, staring out into the dark as rain lashed the window. As she took a bite of her treat, the first turbulence hit. It bounced the little plane roughly and the creamy guts smeared across her face.

Charles snorted, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth as his eyes danced in merriment. "Sorry, love, but that's just funny."

He leaned over and wiped the goo from her chin. Edith's face heated up and her lips parted of their own accord. Charles gave her a wink and settled back, licking the cream from his finger.

They rode out the rest of the journey in eerie silence. Edith abandoned the Twinkie and stuffed it back in the crumpled wrapper before tucking it into her bag. Better to save it for later than die choking on it. She kept her eyes locked on the window, searching for any sign of a break in the storm. The lack of any light outside made it a difficult task. Finally, after what felt like a rough ride  on a very unpleasant, cheaply built
roller coaster
rollercoaster
, she saw lights below the plane. There were only a few at first, scattered here and there in small clumps. They grew more frequent until finally they filled the window. She felt the corners of her mouth stretch across her face. She loved landing at night. City lights were spectacular from that angle.

"London," Charles said, his breath warm on her neck.

She glanced back and smiled. "I've never been to London."

He winked. "I know."

They circled the city once before coming in to land on a small runway. The plane bounced and jostled, skidded to the left, then back to the right and finally settled into a straight line. Edith relaxed her grip on the armrests. There were deep divots where her fingernails had been. The pilot rolled the plane across the tarmac, bringing it to a stop beside two black cars. Before he  even parked, everyone was up and moving. Packs were pulled from under seats and overhead storage compartments. Nach knocked back the last of the glass he'd been holding and set it on his seat before sauntering down the aisle. He gripped the handle and heaved, unlocking the door easily. The wind caught it and the door slammed outward, banging against the side of the aircraft.

"Hey!" The pilot's angry voice drifted through the curtain. "You damage her, I'm coming after you."

Nach rolled his eyes and grinned as he pressed a button. A faint whirring noise sounded in the floor and the ramp descended. Nach was walking down it before the ramp touched the ground. The others followed him quickly, ducking their heads against the lashing rain. They raced to the idling vehicles. Charles grabbed Edith by the elbow and steered her to the left car. He opened the door and she slid in. There were two seats, facing each other. She sat at the back so she was facing forward. Charles was right beside her. Veth and his companion joined them and took the backward seats. The burly little man pounded on the wall behind him and a small gap slid open.

"We're ready," he said.

The person on the other side mumbled something Edith couldn't hear over the rain beating on the roof and the window slid shut again. Silence fell. She fidgeted with her pack until they started moving. They reached the gate and stopped. The tinted window rolled down and a young man in a security uniform leaned in.

"Passports," he said in a thick British accent.

Edith fumbled in her bag as the others handed theirs over. She handed hers to him, shaking. He raised an eyebrow. "Nervous, little lady?"

Charles patted her leg. "It was a rough ride down," he said in way of explanation but the man ignored him, staring at her.

She met his eyes, hers growing a bit bigger. She was terrified. Would he know she wasn't legally supposed to be here? Her brain searched for a response, something, anything. "We almost died!" she blurted out, throwing her hands up into the air.

He was quiet for a moment, then laughed. He skimmed the documents before handing them back. "Yeah, probably not the best time to land, but I hear Eddie was in charge. He's never one to take no for an answer. I think they've stopped trying. You folks have a good night, and stay out of the rain."

He stepped away and smacked his hand on the top of the car twice. The window rolled up and the car started moving again. Edith blew out the breath she had been holding and leaned back to stare out into the black rainy night. Veth cleared his throat and Edith glanced at him. He was holding out her bow, eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Where'd you get that?" she exclaimed as she reached out to grab it. The wood felt smooth in her hand and she stroked it softly. A slight frown crossed her face. When had she become so attached to this weapon?

"From my pack, obviously." He reached back into the large duffel bag and pulled out her double quiver and her dagger. She set the quiver on the floor and strapped the dagger to her leg, feeling less tense and more prepared for whatever they were about to face.

Charles nudged her with his elbow, a smirk on his face. "You like your weapons now, eh?"

She nodded grudgingly. "They make me feel safer."

For the rest of the ride, they discussed strategy with Boxy's car via a small video screen in one of the doors. According to intelligence reports from Reformers who switched sides, the key was being held in an old farmhouse just outside the city.  It was small with lots of land surrounding it.

"The area itself is fairly unsecured. They're bound to have a
lithrai
there." The strange word curled off Boxy's tongue.

"A what?" Edith was leaning forward, listening intently to the conversation.

"A
lithrai
. Someone who's proficient in magic use. All Alaeshans can use magic. Heck, even some humans can use magic. But a
lithrai
has trained and refined the art. They don't use physical weapons and they can take some place as normal as a farmhouse and turn it into a fortress. We'll have to take him out before we can get the key back."

Charles nodded. "This is going to be a bit more dangerous than the last one."

Edith felt her jaw drop slightly and snapped it shut. "More dangerous than being trapped in a cave with a crazy lady?" she said, her voice coming out a bit harsher and higher than she would have liked.

Veth narrowed his eyes at her. "That wasn't dangerous, lass. That was easy. Nethia was weak compared to a
lithrai,
and her minions weren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed if you know what I mean."

The video of Boxy disappeared, replaced by a shot of the farmhouse. "We'll come in from here," Veth said, pointing to the edge of the screen. As his finger touched it, a blue dot appeared. Edith assumed that the other car saw the same blue dot. "We'll set up in two teams, here."

A white dot.

"And here."

An orange dot.

"Edith, you'll be over here with Boxy." A purple dot showed itself beside a clump of trees. "We'll try to draw the
lithrai
out. It's your responsibility to take him down."

She nodded, studying the tiny picture and where she would be stationed while he gave the others their instructions.

"Once he's out, we'll head inside. Boxy, you and Nach will cover. Edith will come in with us. I don't want her exposed any longer than necessary."

"Got it." Boxy's voice echoed through the small speaker.

"Any questions?"

The interior of the car was silent as the vehicle made a turn. It slowed noticeably, bumping along what Edith  imagined was a dirt road.

"Everyone get ready. Almost there."

Veth rolled down the window and peered out into the rain. It had calmed somewhat, but still whipped around in the ferocious wind. Edith frowned. She had never shot her bow in a storm before. Would the arrow still fly straight? She didn't know how to adjust for the weather like that.

“Charles, how do I shoot in the rain?” She turned to him, her eyebrows furrowed.

He smiled and squeezed her knee. “Just trust the bow, love. Trust the bow.”

The car stopped. They all filed out and gathered under a large pine. After a few more brief instructions, Veth headed off into the woods, the rain muffling the sounds of his heavy footsteps. The forest was very dark and Edith slipped her hand through Charles's before following. They trudged on for several minutes before Edith could see a light through the trees. It was tiny at first, but grew ever bigger as they approached. When they reached the edge of the woods, Edith saw a small house with a rundown barn nearby. It had a bright white light over its front door and a man stood on either side. They both carried swords.

Veth beckoned with his hand and Boxy stepped forward. She raised her bow, sighting down the shaft of the arrow before letting it fly. It headed straight for the man on the left and Edith waited for him to fall. He never did. The arrow stopped halfway there, bouncing like it had hit a brick wall and tumbling head over shaft to the mud below.

"Bloody hell. I was afraid of that." Veth paced back and forth, mumbling under his breath before stopping in front of Edith. He looked at her, his eyes narrowed and thoughtful.

"No." Charles was beside her, his hand on her elbow. His voice was hard as he glared at Veth.

"We can't get in with that wall up."

"I'm not risking her like that. There has to be another way."

Veth threw his hands up in the air. "If you have some great plan, boy, then let's hear it. Only half a dozen people can make a wall that big, and those are the only people who can bring it down. Unfortunately, the only one here is inside that building."

Charles growled and joined Veth in pacing, running a gloved hand through his wet hair. Edith watched him, her heart pounding. It felt like a racehorse was going nuts inside her chest. Fingers of dread crept up her spine and she clenched her teeth tightly.

"Fine." Charles crossed his arms over his chest. "But I'm going with her."

Edlaner laughed. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

Charles slipped an arm around Edith's waist. "If I'm close enough, the key should protect us both."

"You assume a lot, lad. What if it's elemental?"

Charles pressed his lips together before answering. "I can't let her go alone."

Edith held up a hand. "Can someone please explain what is going on to the stupid human?"

Boxy stepped up. "There are four types of magic: air, earth, elemental and mind. Air is the lightest, easiest to wield. Earth is a bit tougher, but still not too hard. That wall is obviously not earth. Elemental is vicious. When used on a scale like this, it can be deadly. If any of us try to go through, it will kill us, probably through painful electrocution. The key will protect you because you are human, and if Charles stays in contact with you, it will protect him from air and earth. But it cannot protect him from elemental. It is too powerful."

Edith pressed her hand against the key that rested warmly on her skin. "And mind magic?"

Boxy shook her head. "Nothing can stop it aside from other mind magic. Not even the key can protect you. But Charles can fight it for a little if he can get through the wall with you."

Edith's eyes went wide. This would be the most dangerous thing she had ever done. Her heart raced in her chest and thumped against the key.

Boxy turned to look at Veth. "He has to try."

"Fine," the furry man grumbled as he sauntered forward. He pulled his sword from its sheath as he broke the treeline. "Hey! Over here you big ugly buggers. Come and get me."