The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 9

Alex stopped struggling against the branches restraining him and raised his eyes to Charles's. They were full of rage and fire. As Edith watched, his human face shifted. His cheekbones grew sharp and his nose more elongated. His skin became dark as night and his hair flowed out from his skull, turning white as snow. His black lips pulled up into a sneer.

"You know who I am, stupid boy. You've always known. But you allowed yourself to be fooled by these women." Alex's voice was haunting and sent shivers down Edith's spine. With a snarl, he spat in Charles face before letting out a horrible, evil cackle.

Dana cowered in a corner,  a look of pure betrayal etched into her young features. Edith scooted around the bound creature and put her arm around her friend, gently pulling her into an embrace.

Charles growled and lifted a hand, balling his fingers into a fist. Only Boxy's swift intervention kept Alex from receiving a dented nose. Charles pulled his hand away from Boxy, turning his angry gaze on her. He shouted and began pacing the room, his rage palpable. His fists were clenched so tight, Edith could see blood dripping onto the floor from holes he ripped into the palm of his hand. He stopped in front of the humans, his eyes intent on the cheerleader.

"You." His voice was low and cold, his face a strange mask after the ranting from moments before. "This thing..." He straightened and pointed a finger at Alex as a sneer spread across his face. "This thing was your boyfriend? Excellent taste in men, I must say. You--"

"Stop." Edith stepped forward, positioning herself between Charles and Dana, a tough feat considering how close Charles had stepped to her. She placed a hand on Charles's chest and pushed gently. He yielded, his face softening slightly, and took a step back. "Leave her alone. Please. This isn't the right time to deal with this." Edith did not issue a demand. It was a plea. She met his eyes, begging him silently. Dana was already hurting. She couldn't bear to see her ripped apart twice in just a few minutes, no matter how cruel the girl had been to her before.

He pursed his lips and shook his head before turning away from the girls. "Take her," he said, waving a hand. "Get her out of my sight."

Edith did not hesitate. She grabbed Dana by the hand and dragged her out into the hallway. The door vibrated on its hinges as it slammed behind them. Edith turned back to stare at the foreboding carved wood until Mags touched her shoulder.

"Come, Edith, we must go."

As they reached the staircase, faint screaming echoed off the walls. Dana turned back. Tears streamed down her face. She made a break for the meeting room, trying to duck around Mags and Edith, but Mags was quick and had Dana slung over her shoulder in no time flat. The cheerleader screamed, cried and pleaded as she beat her hands against the Alaeshan's back and kicked her feet, but Mags ignored all of it and lugged her load up the stairs and to the girls' room without visible effort. Edith opened the door for her and Mags went through, dumping Dana unceremoniously on the bed.

Dana jumped off, turning on her friends. "Let me out," she screamed. "They're going to kill him."

Mags stood with her back against the door, arms crossed. Edith thought she seemed to have gained a few extra pounds and inches in the walk. That was one woman she definitely did not want to tussle with.

She put a hand on Dana's shoulder and pulled her close. As Dana cried, smearing her makeup and ruining Edith's lovely dress, Edith turned her attention to Mags.

"What exactly is going on? Who is he and what does he want with us?"

Mags's face scrunched up and her voice oozed with bitter hatred. "That, my dear child, is a Reformer. They are the vile creatures who are stealing the keys and trying to take over your world to make it their own. That particular thing is one of their leaders, one of their generals, you could say. His name is Nethoil. Son of Athenin, King of Ibania. Athenin has always been a dissenter. Always causing trouble. This is his war. All of this is his fault. And his spawn is in my house!"

She turned and punched the wall, releasing a warrior cry as she did. The sound brought Dana out of her fit and she stared at Mags.

"He's... I... I kissed him... He..." Dana fumbled for words that would not come and instead settled for sinking to the floor into a heap. "I'm so sorry," she muttered over and over.

Edith sat beside her friend, stroking the girl's messy hair. When Dana had calmed a bit, Mags helped Edith get her into her nightclothes and they tucked the girl into bed. Once she heard Dana's breathing slow, Edith went to the window and sank to the bench. The sky was black outside, dark clouds pregnant with rain blocking out the sun. Huge drops of water pelted the windows and she could see the trees lashing back and forth in the wind. The weather mimicked her mood very well.

She felt the cushion move and turned to look at Mags. "This might be a good thing, you know. In a way, anyway." The older woman's voice was soft, the small hope she offered crushed by the disbelief in her voice.

"How could any of this be a good thing?" Edith asked with a sob, running a hand over her face and rubbing her stinging eyes. She pressed her face against the cool window, her own tears matching the falling drops outside. "I'm in another world, supposedly, witnessing things I've only ever read about in books. Somehow I ended up in the middle of some other dimension's freaking mess just because I picked up a stupid key and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. The guy I had a crush on is downstairs looking like something out of a horror movie. The other guy who's supposed to keep me safe, dragged me into the middle of a war, and I'm stuck in a room with a girl who hates my guts." She tried hard to keep her voice quiet so as not to wake Dana and her whisper turned into a nasty hiss by the time she was done.

Mags reached out and pulled the younger woman close. She brushed away the dark clumps of hair that stuck to Edith's face and cupped her cheeks in her hands. "The Reformer's magic is strong,” she said, forcing a smile across her lips. “As strong as Charles's. There is no way Dana could have known. Even with her training and charms, someone skilled enough can get close as he did. It is easy to fool someone once you have their trust. He likely stole the key from her."

“But how could he touch it? I thought only humans could touch the key?”

“There are unspoken loopholes built into each key. Most of them are unknown, but he may have found one. If she took it off or gave it to him for some reason, he could have gained possession somehow.”

"And then he lost it." Edith remembered her first day of school when she saw Alex frantically searching around the benches. She remembered the way he reacted when she found the key, how he had asked for it, how he looked suspicious.

"Lucky for us he did. Who knows where the war would be if he hadn't?" Mags patted Edith on the arm and stood, leaving the girls to their
new-found
newfound
misery. 

Edith leaned against the window, staring out into the rain, her mind racing over the past few days. The world she had known, the world she had trusted was all a lie. The false security she had always counted on was gone. Now she was thrust into the middle of an encroaching war. She was a key player against her will and the safety of not only one, but two worlds rested with her. She sighed and leaned back against the wall. A large black shape appeared from somewhere below, loping across the lawn and into the woods. She watched Ollie disappear into the forest at random intervals, usually returning with a log or some other inanimate object, though once he was carrying a whole deer in his large maw. He was unconcerned with the fate of the world, just a big puppy who trusted Charles to keep him safe. Edith smiled. She wanted to be that puppy, to put all her faith in the man downstairs, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't trust him. Not completely. There was still too much he hadn't told her, too much she didn't know. So why had she let him drag her to his house, to his world? Edith was Ollie play and tried to answer that question without success.

Dana slept for several hours, tossing and turning fitfully, waking only when Mags returned with food. She set the tray she carried down on the table. It was a simple fare -- turkey sandwiches, fruit, and sodas. Dana picked at the food, her heart not in it. Her face was puffy and stained with tears. The corners of her mouth remained pointing toward the ground and she had a listless look on her face. She glanced up once, her eyes meeting Edith's. What Edith saw there, or didn't see, made her heart break in two. Dana's typically defiant pride was gone, replaced by an utter hopelessness that no one should have to endure.

The cheerleader beseeched her friend wordlessly, but Edith had nothing to offer but a weak smile. Dana dropped her eyes back to the table and picked up a grape. She lifted it to her mouth, but before it touched her lips, she sighed and set it back down. She wandered to the window, where she lay down on the bench facing the world outside.

A gentle knock on the door startled them both. "Come in," Edith called. She heard the key click in the lock and the door slowly moved inward. Charles poked his head in, apprehension knit across his mouth and forehead. He looked at both girls briefly before entering the room. Dana didn't move and Edith didn't stand. He bit his lip, his eyes locking on Edith's. She wasn't sure how to feel about this man anymore. She wasn't sure about anything.

He moved across the room quietly, his gaze shifting to Dana occasionally. He took the seat across from Edith, where Dana had been sitting, and pushed aside the girl's plate. He picked up a sandwich, but didn't put it to his mouth. He simply held it, staring at it for a long time as if he were hoping it would provide some sort of inspiration.

"I am sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"What was that?" Edith had heard him. And he knew full well that she did, but Dana needed to hear it too.

He cleared his throat and straightened, setting the sandwich back down. "I said, I am sorry. You should not have had to witness that. I lost my temper and it will not happen again." He paused for a moment, his head cocking slightly to one side. "At least not when you lovely ladies are around." The corner of his mouth quirked up in a hopeful smile and his eyes begged for forgiveness.

Edith glared at him, her arms crossed, but her heart melted quickly and she was forced to relinquish her anger.

"So what now?"

"We know where the missing keys are," he said, tearing a chunk from an apple and chewing noisily.

Edith sat up straight. "You do? All of them?"

"Yeah, we know where the keys are. The tra--." Charles stopped himself when Dana twitched on the window seat. "Now the trick is to get them back."

Edith frowned. "Where are they?"

"Various places, all near their respective doors, but heavily guarded. It's going to be a job to get close to them, much less get them back." He sighed and rested his forehead on his hands. "I'm..." His voice trailed off and he looked up. Edith saw fear and worry plastered across his brow.

"You're what?" She reached a hand out, resting it on his. Heat raced up her arm and her cheeks flushed. She had reacted on instinct, and now her doubt was telling her to pull her hand back, but she pushed aside the fear and left her hand where it was.

Charles stared at it a moment, then he gripped her fingers gently, giving them a squeeze. "Walk with me?" He stood and nodded toward the door. She followed him out and he locked it behind them, slipping the key into his pocket. 

"You still don't trust her?"

Charles frowned. "There are very few I trust right now, honestly. But that's not why. The Reformer is still alive, being held for trial in the dungeon below. I doubt he will, but if he somehow manages to escape, she needs to be protected. That door cannot be opened without the key. It is sealed. No magic can open it. The lock cannot be picked. There is no safer place for her to be right now."

Edith nodded and they walked in silence until they reached the patio. Ollie bounded up the stairs, nearly knocking Edith over. She laughed and bent slightly to wrap her arms around the beast's neck.

"He likes you." Charles was smiling when she looked up, a smile that warmed her soul and made her heart beat faster.

She blushed and coughed. "He seems to like everyone," she commented as she stood.

Charles shook his head and descended the steps. "Not so. In fact, he tends to be leery of people. He's a very sensitive fellow, very in tune to my guests' thoughts and feelings. I like to keep him around when I'm not sure who I'm dealing with. Maybe I should have let Alex come to dinner. Ollie would have spotted him for what he was straight away."

A frown settled across his face as Edith joined him on the lawn. "It's probably better that he didn't then. What would have happened if he had been called out in the open like that? With Dana and me right there and you alone?"

Charles turned to her, an odd look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and settled for a small laugh. "You're an interesting one, Edith Myers. Has anyone told you that?"

He held out his elbow to her and she took it. "No. I've been called weird, strange, odd,  crazy, but never interesting."

He placed his free hand on hers. "Well, I'm sure they all meant interesting, because that is exactly what you are. Now, shall I give you a tour of the grounds while we discuss our next move?"