The Keeper

by David Baldacci

  He kept barking out directions and I followed them. But the wendigo was still behind us and I intended to do something about that right now.

  “Hang on, Delph,” I said, lifting up his hand until he was able to clutch part of the harness that was keeping Harry Two affixed to my chest.

  I pointed my wand behind me and cried out, “Embattlemento.”

  Then I went into a dive. The wendigo managed to avoid the spell shield by veering to the left, but it had allowed me separation. I flipped over so that I was flying on my back, made the mark of the X in the air with my wand and shouted, “Omniall.”

  The light hit the wendigo directly on its transparent chest and then it literally went berserk. It immediately spun out of control and slammed into a wall of the maze. I watched it plummet and crash into another section of the wall. It kept doing this over and over, its mind and thus sense of direction gone, until it fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, dead.

  I turned back around and soared off.

  Twenty slivers later, following Delph’s directions, we shot free of the maze and into the open air. I quickly landed and detached Harry Two from his harness. I immediately hugged my canine and gingerly touched the spot where part of his left ear had once been. It pained me as much as Delph’s arm.

  But when I looked over at Delph, he was grinning broadly. And when I focused on Harry Two’s features, I could see the mirth in his mismatched eyes.

  “We did it, Vega Jane,” exulted Delph. “We made it through the First Circle.”

  Suddenly, my wand was snatched from me.

  “But it’ll be the last thing you do,” said a deep voice. “Or me name’s not Lackland Cyphers.”

  THE LARGE BLOKE who had taken my wand was holding an old rusted but still deadly sword. His companion, a female, held a crossbow loaded with an arrow pointed at us.

  Lackland Cyphers had a short black beard and long hair the same color, but his eyes were a bewitching shade of green. He was dressed in old clothes and a pair of dirty, calf-high boots. His features were handsome, but also haggard. He looked to be about twenty sessions old.

  The female was around Delph’s age. Like me, she was tall and thin, with wiry forearms revealed because her shirtsleeves were short and ragged. Her face was lovely but dirty. She had on muddy canvas trousers and lumpy, torn boots that were near the end of their useful life. Her hair was the color of corn and wildly pitched in the swirling wind. She held her wooden crossbow with a practiced hand.

  “Who are you?” I asked, eyeing my wand in Lackland’s hand.

  “Now, I should be asking you that,” he blustered.

  “I’m Vega Jane. This is Delph and my canine, Harry Two.”

  Lackland nodded in turn at the other two and then looked back at me.

  “Now tell me who you are,” I said.

  “I told you me name, Lackland Cyphers.” He pointed to the female and said, “And this is me fellow Furina, Petra Sonnet.”

  Delph said, “What’s a Furina?”

  “I just told you,” said Lackland sharply. “Us. Where do you come from? Another part of this place, no doubt? Eh?”

  “You mean the Quag?” I said, mostly to get his reaction to the term.

  “Where else?” He held up my wand. “What is this thing?”

  “What does it look like? It’s a stick.”

  “Liar!” snarled Petra.

  I glanced at her curiously. She seemed awfully sure of herself. But maybe she was always so disagreeable.

  Lackland barked, “And does this stick allow you to fly, then? Eh? Because we saw you up there.”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  “What, then?”

  “I just can. Can’t you?”

  Petra said, “Lack, we shouldn’t be out in the open this long. Let’s just take what we can and get on.”

  “Did you see the wendigo?” I asked.

  Both of them stiffened. Lackland said, “A bloody wendigo?”

  “It was after us. We had to kill it.”

  “You … you killed a wendigo?” said Petra. Her hands trembled.

  “It was either kill it or let it kill us,” I said. I looked around. “This is the Withering Heath, the Second Circle.”

  “Heaths and circles? Gibberish,” said Lackland.

  “Maybe to you, but not to us,” barked Delph.

  “Where are you headed, then?” he asked.

  “Out of here,” Delph said back.

  Lackland looked at him cross-eyed. “Er you daft? There’s no such thing.”

  “There is such a thing and we intend to find it,” I chimed in.

  When I glanced at Delph, he was staring fixedly at the pretty Petra.

  I felt my face instantly flush.

  Petra looked at our tucks on the ground. “What do you have in there? Food?” She took a step toward them.

  In a flash, Harry Two leapt in front of our tucks and started growling, his long fangs bared.

  “Call that thing off,” ordered Lackland.

  “Why, so you can nick our stuff?” I shot back.

  “We’re Furinas; that’s what we do, steal,” said Lackland.

  “Why?” Delph asked.

  Lackland looked him up and down. “Why do we steal? Well, it’s a bit of a bloody nightmare surviving round here, mate, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “How did you get here?” I asked.

  “Born to it,” said Petra.

  “Don’t tell ’em nothin’,” snapped Lackland.

  “Why? Are you ashamed or something, Lack?” she retorted.

  Before Lackland could reply, Delph said in a calm voice, “We were born in Wormwood, which is surrounded by this place. It’s a little village. Very poor. I worked at the Mill lifting stuff. Vega Jane worked at Stacks making things.”

  Petra scoffed, “Poor, eh? You look fed and cleaned proper to me.” She wasn’t looking at Delph when she said this. She was gazing directly at me!

  I stared right back and said icily, “That’s because we spent time with Astrea Prine at her cottage back there.” I added in a more neutral tone, “Do you know her?”

  They both shook their heads, and I believed them.

  “Are there others like you?” Delph asked.

  Lackland’s gaze fell, but Petra said sternly, “Used to be. We’re all that’s left.”

  I said, “But you’re not that old. Where are your parents?”

  “Dead,” barked Lackland. “Dead and gone.”

  “It was beasts,” said Petra. “A while back. We lived in a village too, a proper one, not that far from here. Furinas have lived here for, well, forever, I guess. Used to be a lot more of us. A lot more. But over time, the beasts round here just … just …”

  “I’m sorry, Petra,” said Delph earnestly. This drew a surprised glance from Petra. I think she might have even blushed! For some reason, my hand curled to a fist.

  Petra continued. “The last time they attacked us, they killed everyone. Except us. We’ve been on our own since then.”

  “Petra,” snapped Lackland. “What did I say about telling her stuff?”

  “She’s not a beast, Lack! Does she look like a lycan to you? Use your eyes. They’re like us.” She gave me a withering look. “Well, in looks maybe. Can’t speak to how tough she is.”

  I felt my face burn before glancing away. I looked in the near distance and saw confronting us a vast forest of dense, towering trees. The Withering Heath, as Astrea had called it. A place full of depression. We had barely survived the First Circle and Delph and Harry Two had been injured. We needed a place to rest and feel safe for a while, if there was such a place to be had in here.

  “We need to find shelter,” I said, turning back to them.

  “You’re not giving orders,” said Lackland. “And who says we want you coming with us anyway? I say we take what you got in them bags and then you can be on your way. How’s that for a plan, eh?”

  Right at that moment, the ground shook under our feet.


  “Bloody Hel!” cried out Petra and Delph together.

  We could see the thick trees shake. And then the trees on the fringe burst apart. And there it stood.

  I whirled around and looked at Lackland. “You have colossals here?”

  His face was pale, but I saw determination in his green eyes.

  “We got lots of things here. But they’re slow, so’s we can get away from ’em. We just have —”

  “A colossal?” exclaimed Delph. I’d forgotten he had never seen one.

  I had confronted one of these giants on the battlefield in the past. It had almost crushed me then. I hoped never to face another. But this colossal was only about half the size of the ones I had seen before, about thirty feet tall and broad as a cottage. Which, to my mind, was plenty huge enough!

  “Lack!” screamed Petra. “Behind us.”

  We all turned to see another colossal within twenty yards of us. How a creature that enormous was able to get that close without us knowing was unthinkable.

  “Give me my wand!” I screamed.

  “What?” said Lackland, clearly stunned by the second colossal.

  “The stick. Give it to me.”

  “Why, what can you do with —”

  “Oh, for the love of Steeples.” I snatched my wand from his hand, turned to Delph and said, “Get them out of here.” I pointed to my right. “Toward the tree line.”

  Delph grabbed our tucks and shoved them at Lackland. “Take these and get to the tree line,” he shouted. He snatched the crossbow and satchel of arrows from Petra before she could stop him.

  “What the Hel are you doing?” she screamed.

  “Delph,” I cried out.

  “I’m not leaving you, Vega Jane,” he said in a voice that brooked no opposition.

  “But,” spluttered Lackland, before Delph grabbed him by the collar and nearly threw him in the direction I’d indicated. “You heard her, now go!” Petra gazed stubbornly at Delph. “Please,” he added. “Please go.”

  She paled and her stubborn expression vanished. I saw her put a hand on Delph’s shoulder. “Good luck,” she said. Then she ran after Lackland.

  My teeth gnashing at what she had done, I had almost forgotten we were facing two colossals. I heard a bark and looked down. Harry Two was right next to me. I knew my canine would stay and fight with me. And die most likely.

  I looked ahead and behind me. The colossals had not been waiting while we dithered. They had been moving, and despite what Lackland had said, they moved pretty fast simply because their legs were so long.

  Delph called out, “Vega Jane, you take to the air. I’ll stay on the ground with Harry Two.”

  “What are you going to do?” I asked breathlessly.

  He held up the crossbow. “Like Thorne. Another distraction.”

  I kicked off and soared into the air. I looked down and saw that Lackland and Petra had reached the tree line about a hundred yards distant. They were now crouched there watching me flying through the air with the greatest of unease because I had not one but two colossals to face. My mind went back to the great battlefield where I had seen these horrors crush large men and steeds in their hands. But I had also seen colossals defeated. All it took was strength, skill and, I imagined, a good dose of luck.

  I flew as high as I could, well above the tallest trees because I knew what would happen when I did.

  The mighty storm blew in because I had taken to the air. Skylight spears hit and thunder-thrusts deafened me. And then the rain started. All of this was good because the colossals were high up in the air too. And the rain and storm was blinding them, I was sure, as it was me. But not for long. My goggles were in my tuck, but I didn’t need them.

  I held my wand in front of my face and said, “Pristino.”

  Instantly my field of vision cleared.

  I looked down. The colossals were within ten feet of each other, looking all around for their prey.

  Then one of them cried out in pain.

  Delph had just shot it in the leg with an arrow.

  The next instant, Harry Two was dancing around the legs of both colossals. The second colossal saw him and started to spin around, trying to catch my far more nimble canine, and bumping into the other colossal as he did so.

  My plan came together in a moment. I pointed my head and shoulders downward and raced toward the ground. Then I leveled out, swooped to my left, turned and zipped forward. Lined up directly in my sights was the back of one of the colossals.

  Well, here goes, Vega.

  Ten feet from the two giants, I pointed my wand, made a whipping motion and exclaimed, “Impacto!”

  A light shot out from the tip of my wand and hit the first colossal directly in the back. He grunted from the punishing blow and fell forward. And, just as I hoped, he smacked right into the second colossal, knocking the thing off its feet. When both of them hit the ground, it was as if the heavens had opened, releasing a thunder-thrust.

  When I looked down, I saw the colossal on top slowly rise. Underneath him the other colossal was lying quite dead, crushed by the sheer weight of his companion.

  And then something hit me a glancing blow in the shoulder, nearly knocking me out of the air. I felt sickened when I saw what the object was.

  It was the head of the dead colossal, which his brethren had ripped off his body and flung at me. Covered in the thing’s blood, I soared upward as the remaining colossal reached a great hand up and tried to snatch me out of the air. I felt a bit of my cloak being tugged, and then a piece of it was ripped off.

  The colossal howled again. Delph had managed to shoot the thing in the eye. Quite a feat, considering how tall the creature was. His hand over his bloody face, he started to chase after Delph and Harry Two, who were sprinting for their lives.

  The colossal reached down to a belt around its waist and pulled out the largest ax I had ever seen.

  It threw the ax and the vicious weapon whirled at Delph with blinding speed. It was stunning to see something that large move that fast. Mesmerized for a moment, I regained my senses, pointed my wand and shouted, “Embattlemento.”

  The ax struck my shield spell and there was a mighty explosion. The shield held and the shattered ax fell to the ground in pieces.

  The colossal seemed stunned by this development and I aimed to take advantage of his momentary confusion.

  “Jagada!” I cried out, and made the proper motion with my wand.

  The light hit the enormous creature and small wounds sprouted over his gigantic chest. But it seemed only to irritate rather than incapacitate him. I looked down at my wand. What spell would work against this thing? One spell had knocked it down. The other spell had cut it. But neither had stopped it. I didn’t want to try the Rigamorte spell. If it didn’t work, I knew I couldn’t beat the thing.

  “Look out, Vega Jane,” Delph cried out.

  I glanced at him and then looked at the colossal. He had picked up a boulder like it was a pebble and hurled it directly at me. I was so surprised by this that I barely ducked in time. As it was, I could feel my hair being whipped back by the wake of the projectile.

  Then he picked up a handful of large rocks and chucked them at me.

  I had to dodge, dive and cast spells in order to survive this attack. My Impacto spell exploded a hurled stone that was so close to me that a part of it broke off and hit me in the thigh, cutting it deeply.

  With my wound and being exhausted from dodging death, I knew I had to finish this as fast as possible. While the colossal looked around for something else to throw at me, I glanced at a towering tree about thirty feet away. Gauging all necessary details in my head, I pointed my wand at the base of the tree and screamed over the storm, “Withero!”

  A light from my wand hit the tree right where it met the ground and the base and roots weakened and then crumpled under the weight. It teetered for a few moments and then fell forward, all hundred-odd feet of it. I flew far away from its reach. By the time the colossal rea
lized what was happening, it was too late.

  The massive trunk hit him directly on the head with such force that it drove him ten feet into the ground before the enormous tree collapsed on top of him.

  It was such a bloody awful sight that I could only look for a second to make sure the thing was dead before I flew toward Delph and Harry Two and landed.

  I took the Adder Stone out, waved it over my bloody thigh and thought good thoughts. I could feel the wound healing up, and the pain vanished.

  “Are you okay, Delph?” I asked.

  “Yeah, right nice flying.” He grinned.

  “Nice shooting.” I patted Harry Two. “Good job, Harry Two.”

  As we hurried toward Lackland and Petra, I tried to use my cloak to wipe the blood and gore off my face and shoulders where the slain colossal’s head had splattered me.

  Then I stopped dead.

  Lackland was on his knees and was, well, bowing to me.

  He gazed up at me with a look of awe. He said breathlessly, “Will you take us with you, Vega Jane? Please?”

  Petra wasn’t bowing. She looked disgusted by this show of adoration.

  When Delph handed back her bow and quiver, she gave him a radiant smile, rubbed his arm and said, “That was amazing, Delph. Truly.” She slowly let her hand drop and then looked back at me with a defiant expression.

  I took a deep breath and then let it go.

  I think I would have taken ten more colossals over her.

  WE FOLLOWED THEM back to their camp, which was about a mile away. We had to wend our way through a forest that became so dense that we could barely squeeze between the trees. At least, I thought, there was no way a colossal could attack us in here. They were simply too big!

  Unlike the woods around Wormwood, these trees were not all tall and straight. Many of them were twisted and warped and shrouded in dreary colors. There was not a bright green leaf to be seen on any of them. And their bark reeked of smells that were not fresh or sweet. Indeed, I could detect only fear and death in the air somehow. Every sound made could be predators coming. Every step we took might be our last. The end of our lives seemed to lurk beyond every shadow of every grotesque tree. Every branch seemed to bend toward us, wanting to strike.