The Keeper (The Endless Chronicles Book 1)

by Nikki Mccormack

  Settek stared at the two walking ahead of them, his mane changing to a dark dull bronze. “I don’t know that I have any more than I’ve forgiven her for asking him to do it. I’m not sure I know how to.”

  Deynas watched Kaira’s feet. Her boots had two-inch heels. They were the shortest heels he’d seen her in yet. Impractical as hell in the underground passages, but they did keep an attractive sway in her hips. “I suppose that’s one of those things that fades over time.”

  Settek’s chuckle had a bitter edge. “Good thing both demons and Endless tend to live a long time.”

  “Indeed.” Deynas smiled wryly. If things didn’t go poorly down here beneath the ruins then maybe they could be friends someday. Fifty years or so would take away some of the sting of the lives lost between them.

  The steel pillars and the brick lining the corridor ended abruptly and they moved onto bare stone. The floor curved down and the ceiling rose up. The walls spread away to either side. They had come to a massive natural chamber. Great limestone columns spotted the room, set out randomly as if arranged by a mad architect amidst hundreds of stalactites and stalagmites spearing up and down like the misaligned fangs of some deformed beast. To one side of the room, seven glowing silver forms swayed back and forth around a deep pool. They didn’t acknowledge the intruders in any way.

  Kaira disengaged from Naago and slowed enough for them to catch up. She indicated the forms with a quick glance and spoke in a hushed voice. “Water spirits. They’re very private creatures. If not for the spirit sight, you wouldn’t see them at all. You’ll be doing them a kindness if you simply pretend they aren’t there.”

  Deynas nodded, though it was harder not to look at them now that he wasn’t supposed to than it would have been otherwise.

  Settek leaned down closer to him and murmured. “You ever notice how being told not to do something makes you really want to do it?”

  Deynas exhaled a soft laugh and kept his eyes on the path ahead.

  They left the room through a smaller passage and moved on into another chamber much like the last, only the formations here had been largely destroyed, pieces of them strewn over the floor all around. A closer inspection showed that many were reattached where they lay by new rock formation growing slowly over the top. It had been a long while since the original destruction took place.

  “What happened here?”

  Kaira glanced back at him. “There are claw marks on many of the stones. Father says some demon probably threw a tantrum down here. A couple of the adjacent corridors are also significantly damaged.”

  The large corridor they turned down then smelled powerfully of wet dog. The new stench made Deynas realize that the smells of blood and waste from the city had faded. This odor was familiar somehow, though he couldn’t quite place it.

  Settek leaned close to him again and murmured, “The beast that attacked me earlier smelled like this.”

  Kaira glanced back at them and put a finger to her lips.

  They navigated the uneven terrain around a high wall of stone draperies. The sound of growling reached them, coming from somewhere within an opening just past the drapery wall. They crept forward. As Deynas moved past the opening, he could see five of the scaled white canines tearing at a corpse. He caught a glimpse of toes sticking out under the belly of one beast and looked away, barely breathing for fear of alerting them. A lone darro was something they could deal with. A whole pack of them would test their collective combat ability.

  They had cleared the opening and were moving on when a huge, oddly patterned boulder to one side of the corridor shifted. The beast had been lying curled away from them so that its scaled form appeared, at a glance, to be nothing more than another limestone coated rock. Now it swung its long snout around and started to rise, a deep growl vibrating through the air around them.

  The growling in the adjacent chamber cut off abruptly. The pack’s, or rather, the litter’s mother had woken and was not happy about having company. She was at least three times the size of her offspring that were now emerging from the opening behind them, creeping out in a low hunting stance.

  Settek caught Kaira’s arm as she started to back away from the agitated mother. There was nowhere to back away to. They were caught between the mother and her offspring.

  “What now?” Kaira’s voice was steadier than Deynas would have expected under the circumstances.

  Naago glanced at him and Settek. They all dropped their hands to their weapons. He nodded faintly. They stepped apart enough to give each other fighting space and drew.

  Deynas armed the staff with a sharp flick of his wrist. “Now we survive. We’re no good to the Keeper dead.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  The Keeper had never worn a sword before, not that she could recall, but Argus insisted they find one before going beneath the ruin level. The weapon they were drawn to in the fighter’s quarters beneath The Firelight felt unexpectedly comfortable sheathed at her side. It was an Endless blade, light and strong and the Endless woman delighted in the weapon’s presence the same way she delighted in piloting a flyer.

  For her part, the Keeper didn’t think they would have need of a physical weapon with the cloak hiding them, but she didn’t see where it would hurt anything to carry it. What interested her most was that the decision to obtain the weapon had been a conscious compromise between her and the host. Whatever Kato might be to her, whatever his motives, taking his advice to work together with Argus instead of fighting her felt right. Even with the weight of the towering city bearing down from above, she felt lighter and stronger from the first moment she gave up the fight to keep the Endless woman’s mind in submission.

  Now, with her own memories lost to her, she took pleasure in wandering through Argus’s memories, feeling what she felt and taking in the Endless woman’s motivations and emotions as if they were her own. Argus welcomed her, accepting their union and facing the possibility of her death with strength of character the Keeper admired.

  It was not hard to see now why Deynas loved this woman, and the memories of their time together made it easy to see why she loved him too. The only shame was that he might never truly know how Argus felt or how she felt, for she could no longer help feeling the Endless woman’s love for him whenever he crossed their mind.

  The caverns beneath the ruins fascinated Argus. The Keeper had been there before. She remembered keeping several spirits in those dark depths. Despite how dark it was, she had no trouble seeing there. The changes the Keeper’s presence wrought upon her host gave her eyes a spirit’s ability to see in the darkness. Maybe, if they succeeded, she would finally understand her nature and what place she held among the creatures that shared this world.

  There was much life in the caverns, from the microscopic life forms she could sense, but not see, to the serpentine demon she spotted filling an entire side chamber with is almost translucent coils. Water spirits abounded, gathering around the many pools. When she approached them, they bowed respectfully, but any attempt to communicate sent them diving down to disappear in the water’s depths. She would get no guidance from them. Without help, she followed her instincts and hoped they would be enough to lead her to what she sought. If not, then a call to keep would eventually drag her out of this place – that or hunger.

  She knelt beside a large pool and brushed the tips of the roots on her right hand through the water, gazing down at the formations deep within that blurred with the ripples she created. There was no telling if all of her fascination with the uniqueness of this underground realm came from Argus or if some of it came from her, though she suspected the former. Either way, she took pleasure in seeing the dark underworld through the Endless woman’s perspective.

  The harmony they’d found in their relationship had its down side. Her anger gradually faded to the background and reluctance to risk losing this peace overpowered her sense of urgency. If they failed and Argus died, the Blooded Women would erase all of this and things would go back th
e way they had been. She wouldn’t know it was wrong. Kato said this host was strong. Without such a host, would she ever get another chance to fix what he said was broken?

  Two of the darro that roamed the caverns raced through the chamber. They were just pups, bounding about and snapping playfully at one another as they ran. Their mother would have a den somewhere close by, but the Keeper wasn’t concerned. Such beasts could not see her unless she wished them to. She watched the pups for a while, brushing her fingers absently through the water and smiling at their antics.

  A few water spirits lifted their heads from one of the other pools and the darro pups stopped their play to investigate, inching close then leaping away when one silvery form reached toward them. Water spirits shied away from the more sentient beings, but they appeared to enjoy tempting the pups. They splashed water at the two and one jumped up to snap his teeth on the spray. It soon became a game, with the water spirits kicking up sprays of water and the pups forgetting their caution to leap after the water in the air.

  She enjoyed watching the game until a call tugged at her awareness. It came from both Naago and Deynas. The call wasn’t direct. They weren’t intentionally summoning her to them, but they were both thinking of her and there was an edge of distress in their thoughts. More importantly, the call came from somewhere very close.

  The Keeper disappeared and reappeared in another corridor of the caverns. Deynas, Naago, Settek and Kaira were there, blocked in front by a full-grown female darro and behind by five juveniles, her litter. They had weapons drawn and the female was poised to attack. Deynas was stepping forward, bringing his staff around for a strike, when the Keeper appeared.

  Argus drew the sword and tossed it into her left hand, bringing it up in a quick motion to block Deynas’ strike when the Keeper stepped in front of him. She placed her right hand on the beast’s nose. Metal clashed and Deynas froze. The beast also froze in place, calming at her touch the way simple creatures tended to. The juveniles shifted, restless and confused by the sudden change in their mother’s temperament.

  “You will not harm this creature,” she stated. “Go around behind me and move on. When you are safe, I will follow.”

  Deynas hesitated, staring at her with a peculiar expression, then he lowered his staff and led the others around behind her and past the mother. The Keeper let the sword sink to her side and stroked the beast’s muzzle. It settled, sinking down to curl on the ground beside her. The juveniles approached, inching near, and the mother began to groom the first one that ventured within reach. When Deynas and the others had gone around a bend in the corridor, the Keeper went unseen. The juveniles started at her disappearance, but their mother’s lack of concern soothed them.

  She found the others waiting for her in a small side chamber well away from the mother and her pups. They were all staring at her with an odd fascination when she entered and fingers of dread crept slowly up her spine. Naago took a step toward her then stopped when Deynas, who was closer to begin with, cut him off.

  “You’re okay.” There was relief in his voice along with a breathy enthrallment.

  The Keeper looked into his blue eyes and saw herself reflected there. She placed her right hand on his cheek and closed her eyes to see what he was seeing. Then she understood. Her hair and the tendril at her temple gleamed with silvery light that also speared out through the narrow slit between her closed eyelids. A dark violet aura flickered around her. He was seeing her the way a spirit would see her. They all were. That could only mean one thing.

  She opened her eyes and jerked her hand away, taking a step back from him. Her glare encompassed all of them. “You’ve taken spirit essence,” she hissed. “You realize that no less than two elemental spirits must die to create a single ounce of that.” Understanding clicked within Argus at her words and the Endless woman suddenly shared her anger.

  “Argus… I mean…” Deynas faltered, his words failing as he stared at her with tormented longing.

  Naago spoke in the awkward silence. “Kato said it was the only way we could pass into the Halls of the Blooded with you.”

  The Keeper felt a stinging in her eyes as she looked around at them. Settek and Kaira nodded in support of Naago’s words.

  “We’re here to help you get back your umahk-ra,” Deynas stated, his tone daring her to try disputing the idea.

  “You would help me? Even if it means putting your lives at risk?” Her gaze moved inexorably back to Deynas. “Even if it means putting Argus at risk?”

  He nodded, holding her gaze, his resolve unshaking. “Yes. The Blooded Women can’t be allowed to hold you prisoner any longer.”

  Pride welled in Argus, but it was the Keeper herself who yearned to embrace him. This was the part of him Argus loved most, defiant, confident, and willing to face whatever life threw at him, but now wasn’t the time or place for indulging their feelings. “I appreciate your intentions more than I can possibly express, but must insist that all of you go back. This is my battle.”

  Settek shook his head, his mane, shot through with defiant crimson, snapped back and forth with the vigorous dissent. “Not anymore.”

  Their set expressions told her all she needed to know. Fighting with them over this would be a waste of valuable time. “I don’t suppose you know the way then?”

  Kaira, who’d been hanging back behind the others, finally stepped forward. “I do.”

  The Keeper exhaled a mix of frustration and relief as the manipulations of Warlord Kato became apparent. He had known all along where to find the Halls. He never intended for her to face this alone. Whatever their history, it appeared that he was trying to protect her. “We will follow you then.”

  Kaira walked ahead of the group to lead them on. Both Naago and Deynas appeared inclined to watch her as she moved and it wasn’t hard to see why. Argus might be a lovely woman, but Kaira’s every curve spoke of intimate pleasures, her movement overflowing with sexual promise. It was almost as if she had been manufactured for seduction. Did she ever get weary of being an object of lust for any male that looked at her?

  When Deynas finally moved to follow, the Keeper fell naturally into step beside him.

  Naago deliberately moved around to her other side. “That was a skilled block you made back there. I didn’t know you could even wield a blade.”

  “Argus is quite adept with a sword. I let her handle Deynas-ra while I took care of the mother.”

  “If we get through this, perhaps she’d be up for a friendly duel.”

  There was a suggestive tone in Naago’s voice and Deynas tensed beside her. He gave Naago a cross look. “If you’re so eager to duel, perhaps you’d be willing to try me first.”

  “We have a common goal for now. Let us focus on that, please.” The Keeper maintained a soothing tone and she discreetly touched Deynas’ arm.

  Argus found their rivalry over her amusing and even a little flattering, but she agreed with the Keeper’s inclination to keep them from each other’s throats. Argus also savored the brief contact with Deynas and they were both pleased that he didn’t pull away. They still cared for Naago, but the intimacy they shared with him didn’t supplant the preexisting connection Argus had to Deynas. At some point, if they all lived, she would have to speak with both men about those things. For now, retrieving her spirit and surviving the process in this flesh were the priorities. If that failed, none of the rest mattered.

  The path they followed, weaving through the complex maze of the cave, took them ever downward. Other life appeared deeper in. Centipede creatures, like the hypnotists only with translucent white flesh, crawled on the walls and ceiling. They paused now and then to reach out with their antennae, seeing the intruders through delicate sensors that picked up vibrations in the air. Rock spirits, disturbed by their passage, faded in and out of the walls, glowing a blue so dark and rich it was hard to look upon in the blackness of the caverns.

  The passage they followed ended, the floor dropping away into darkness below, the
walls and ceiling opening out so dramatically that they couldn’t make out the dimensions of the chamber beyond that point. Water could be heard flowing, a distant rumble somewhere below them. To the right of the passage, before it dropped off, a stone door was set deep into the rock with symbols etched around its perimeter in the language of the spirits. Only spirits could see those symbols normally, spirits and the Keeper. With the aid of the essence they had consumed, the other four would also see those symbols, shining like starlight in the dark.

  They stopped, facing the door with the solemn look of those attending death rites. Rock spirits moved in and out of the walls around the door, curious about them.

  Kaira hugged her arms around herself. “This is it,” she announced into the silence, perhaps seeking comfort through the familiar sound of her own voice. “I’ll wait here for you.”

  Naago cleared his throat. The sound echoed around them. “Before we go in there, I’d like to ask a favor of you all.”

  They turned to him. He continued to stare at the door and the Keeper felt an itch of apprehension building.

  “If I die, assuming the rest of you don’t share my fate, someone must take the violin out of my flyer and return it to my daughter Maro in Valaya.”

  “You have a daughter?”

  Naago offered Deynas a solemn nod. “Yes.”

  “I don’t suppose it would do any good to tell you not to go on for her sake.”

  “No.”

  Deynas nodded and turned to the door. “It will be done.”

  “Thank you.”

  A civil exchange for the two men. Perhaps there was hope for this situation.

  The Keeper stepped forward and closed her eyes. The symbols shone brighter still, painful to look upon. The space between them revealed an opening with a long corridor stretching beyond. The entrance was only passable by those who could see the symbols. For now, they were all capable of entering, but what would happen when it came time to leave?