The Skeleton Key Guild (The Doorknob Society Saga Book 5)

by MJ Fletcher

  “Destination?” he croaked.

  Gran turned the levers to new locations, and then punched a series of levers into the opposite position. “Grey level, sub section twelve.”

  The old man put on a set of glasses and squinted down at something off screen. “Very well, destination accepted. Please hold on and prepare yourself for transport.”

  “Hold on?” I asked too late as the elevator shifted to one side throwing me against Nightshade. His arm went around me, while he reached out with the other and grabbed hold of the bar that ran around the middle of the elevator walls. Gran stood calmly, her hand already gripping the railing. She raised her finger and thumb and squeezed the bridge of her nose. She always did that when she was worried.

  “Why are you here?” Gran asked dropping her hand.

  Before I answered her, I had some inquires myself. “You already know about Mom. What else do you know Gran?”

  “I know about your sister.” She attempted a smile, but the corners of her mouth barely turned up.

  That’s when I noticed the wrinkles around her mouth and the spiderweb lines that had spread and deepened at the corner of her eyes. She had aged since I last saw her and it hadn’t been that long ago. But something more was wrong then what had recently passed. She was nervous and maybe even a little scared. I wanted to reach out, hug her, protect her.

  Her voice softened. “You’re not the only one looking for her.”

  I shook my head confused. “Why didn’t you tell me? All this time we could have been working together.”

  “When word leaked that it was Mr. Tower who was the traitor the Guild fractured. I didn’t know if the people around you could be trusted.” She shifted her view to Nightshade.

  “You think I’m still working for the First Kind?” Nightshade asked.

  “I don’t know, young man, but I’m sure hoping you aren’t and that you are everything my granddaughter believes you to be.”

  “What do you want from me?” he said.

  “The Guild is in disarray, it needs people who can change that. Things are about to move quickly, and you know what happens to non-Guilders in our territory. There is only one option, and I can’t do it.” She narrowed her gaze. “Do you understand?”

  Nightshade nodded. “Yes,”

  “What’re you talking about?” I asked as the elevator shifted again, and it felt as if we were moving up now.

  “Whatever you did in Storm Reach broke the hold the First Kind had over numerous senior members of the Guild.”

  “I destroyed a room full of Forget Me Nots.” One of my prouder moments.

  “Once that happened they fled and most of them came to the Dying Star Markets. I was contacted and we’ve been setting up a counter to Tower’s control of the Guild. He still has people under his control and some who follow him willingly. But his power is not absolute.”

  The elevator shuddered, slowing down, and the hum of portal energy surrounded us as we passed through it. Lines of crimson light lit every corner of the space and just as suddenly vanished.

  “Did we just….?”

  The door slid open and Gran released the railing and stepped out. “Yes, we passed through a portal, follow me.”

  We were no longer in the old building where we had found Gran. We had gone from a star-studded night sky to a place where the sun was shining brightly. We walked along a cobblestoned street that winded its way in front of us. On either side were small cottages each with a lamp post in front. Thatched rooftops and arched wooden doors made the scene idyllic. Birds chirped and the air was brisk, though not too cold.

  “Where are we?” Nightshade asked.

  “The Bones of the Earth,” Gran answered and Nightshade stopped moving, his mouth dropped open and he looked around mesmerized.

  “What?” I asked.

  “The Bones is a myth among the Guild. It’s the place where the Old Kind came to escape the First Kind during the Great War. I didn’t think it really existed.”

  “Yet here we are. I’ll explain everything soon.” Gran waved us after her as she preceded us down the cobblestone path. We turned a corner and standing in front of us was a line of men and women each holding a Skeleton Key that was already fully powered.

  A woman with golden skin and rolling dark hair stepped forward and smirked at Gran. Then she looked me and Nightshade up and down.

  “What is she doing here?” the woman asked.

  “She is here under my protection,” Gran said lifting her chin.

  I didn’t like this situation at all. Every nerve in my body was telling me to fight. But I had to keep calm, Gran was handling it.

  “She is your granddaughter, so very well, though does anyone second her protection?” The woman looked back and forth among the line of people and no one spoke.

  “I do,” Nightshade called out.

  The woman looked at Nightshade with a stare that could kill. “Who are you?”

  “I am James Nightshade of the Skeleton Key Guild,” he said taking out his Key, activating it, and holding it above his head.

  “Only a member of the Quorum may offer protection,” the woman smiled snidely.

  “I know, and as an upstanding member of the Guild I offer a challenge.” Nightshade’s voice sounded practiced, as if he had been taught to repeat the phrase over and over.

  “You.” The woman scowled, shook her head, and waved her hand toward us. “Take him.”

  The line of people moved toward us and I decided I’d had enough... no one was taking Nightshade anywhere. I pulled my Doorknob from my pocket and accessed my powers.

  Gran saw what I was doing and rushed toward me, her eyes wide. “Chloe, no!”

  She yelled, but too late. I accessed my powers and knew immediately it was a mistake. The power built up for a moment, and then fed back on me. Instead of projecting into my Doorknob it ran back through me like an electric shock. My Doorknob flew out of my hand and I sailed through the air. The last thing I saw was Gran running toward me and Nightshade being dragged off by the men as I descended into blackness.

  Chapter Seven

  Status: A Guild, what now?

  My head throbbed incessantly, and I pressed my fingers to my temples to try and stop it. When that didn’t work I traced circles over them repeatedly and slowly until I was finally able to think again. I was lying in a bed covered in a white sheet... that was wrong. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I was with Nightshade and we were… Nightshade.

  I was on my feet in an instant and ready to fight. I reached for my Doorknob and found that I didn’t have it... I was defenseless. Gran and Nightshade, I had no idea where they were. Suddenly, I felt the pain. It was like a few massive trucks had run over me. I took a deep breath. No pain was going to stop me. I needed to find them, and then figure out just what the hell was going on here.

  My hoodie was at the foot of the bed and so were my boots. I pulled them on quickly and tied the hoodie around my waist. The room was small with only the bed and a nightstand beside it. A simple wooden door with a rope handle was the only point of entrance or exit. I listened at the door but heard nothing. I slipped my fingers around the rope and pulled it open cautiously.

  The next room was the main room of the cottage and I realized I was most likely in one of the houses I had seen when we first arrived. The sun was shining through the windows so I figured that I hadn’t been out long. After a quick look around and finding no one, I made my way to the front door, opened it, and stepped out.

  If I was being kept prisoner, they weren’t doing a very good job. But then again I had no Doorknob or way of leaving wherever the hell I was. So maybe they didn’t need to keep me locked up. I didn’t know what was going on, but I sure as hell was going to find out.

  The sounds of people cheering floated down the cobblestone street and I followed the noise. It wasn’t a roar, but it was loud enough to keep me on a direct path. The street ended at a courtyard surrounded by bushes and flowers. The noise came from beyon
d it. I pushed through the dense bushes and stopped abruptly on the small rise as I came upon a group of people standing around a large, dirt rectangle that was fenced off with ropes. Inside the makeshift arena were DeAndre Morgan and two other men... the three moving in unison toward Nightshade.

  Nightshade was watching them as they approached, his Skeleton Key glowing brightly in his hand.

  Standing near the back of the crowd was Gran. The woman from earlier stood beside her. She was dressed sharply and kept her hands clasped behind her back as they spoke. Her hair hung past her shoulder in waves of chocolate brown complimenting her olive skin. I approached slowly, wanting to catch their conversation.

  “You know the rules,” she said.

  Gran shook her head and waved her hands dismissively. “Damn the rules, what else was I supposed to do?”

  “This place is secret for a reason. It is the only reason Tower was never able to discover it.”

  “I know that, but what would you have had me do?”

  “A law has been broken, punishment must be sought,” she said as if the matter was that simple.

  “I think we have other things to deal with right now.” She nodded toward the make shift arena.

  I cursed myself for not having a backup Doorknob and balled my hand into a fist. Not that it would matter. Whatever they had protecting this dimension obviously didn’t allow anything but Skeleton Key’s to be used here. I smiled and looked down at my metal hand. I might not have a Doorknob, but I did have a device that contained power. I concentrated on my Impossible Engineer created hand and felt a spark of recognition as my abilities activated. People always overlooked Impossible Engineer devices when they created blocks, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to use half of the things Old Kind used.

  Now I just needed to figure out what was going on with Nightshade and why Gran was talking to the woman who was obviously not a fan of ours. I kept my steps light as I neared the group intent on watching the fight. If I could take some of them by surprise, maybe we could make a break for it.

  “Stop, Chloe.” Gran’s voice came from behind me.

  I spun to face her, and she raised her hand trying to calm me. The woman she’d been talking with stood behind her, her face a solemn mask. I didn’t know why, but I felt like an intruder, as if I shouldn’t be there, as if somehow I violated a sacred place.

  “She shouldn’t be here or be seeing this,” the woman said.

  “She is my granddaughter and a Grimm in everything but name. She has a right.”

  “We will discuss this later,” the woman said as if the matter was settled and crossed her arms over her chest.

  I had a feeling that it would not be a pleasant conversation. I turned to my grandmother. “What the hell is going on here?”

  “This is the Guild way,” she replied.

  “I don’t care whose way it is, I’m not standing by and letting my boyfriend get attacked.”

  “He’s agreed to this,” she said solemnly.

  “What?”

  “This dimension is sacred to the Guild. Non Guilders are forbidden from entering. When you two came into the building in the Dying Star Markets it was already a violation. The only way it can be reconciled is if two members of the Guild Quorum offer their protection. I did and now Nightshade is offering to do the same.”

  “Yeah, he’s like that.” I didn’t care for this at all, though I had no choice but to try and figure out if Gran had lost it or if Nightshade really wanted to play gladiator. “What the hell is a Quorum?”

  “The Guild isn’t managed like DS, the lead Council member doesn’t rule us. We have a specific Quorum and from it we choose our Council members and the leader. But it is the Quorum who decides the laws of the Guild. Nightshade challenged for a seat on the Quorum.”

  “He’s trying to become one of your leaders?” I looked from Gran out to the makeshift arena where Nightshade was leaning over, taking deep breaths. He turned his head, caught my eye, and winked. I wanted to strangle him, but I had a feeling I knew what he was up to. We needed all the help we could and getting the fractured parts of the Skeleton Key Guild on our side was a smart play. Nightshade always did the smart thing.

  “He needs to defeat three members of the Quorum in the combat type of his choice to be assigned a place. I’ve chosen three of our strongest Guilders.” Gran nodded to me as if approving.

  I shook my head. I had always known Gran was well connected in the Guild, but I apparently didn’t know how well. “You’re one of the leaders of the Guild?”

  “I’ve been on the Quorum since you returned to us a few years ago. Tower is a member as well, as are the two Council members who side with him. Our Quorum consists of nine members. He has three; I and two others are against him.” She pointed to the woman beside her, and I assumed she was one of the Quorum. “The remaining members have either gone missing or have been killed.”

  “So what has to happen here?”

  Nightshade was standing tall once again as the three men circled him. I was itching to jump in and help him. I’d seen him fight once before and been unable to help him, and it killed me to stand helplessly by again.

  “He needs to defeat the men, and then we will hold a vote of all Guilders here. If it passes, he will be a part of the Quorum.”

  “That’s it?” I took a deep breath relieved. At least it wasn’t life and death this time.

  “Tell her,” the woman beside her said and my heart sunk.

  Gran slipped her hand over mine and squeezed. “We are at war, the Guild is fractured. If he loses the challenge, the penalty is death.”

  Of course it was. Why should it be simple? And why did my damn boyfriend have to face death yet again in an attempt to keep me safe? If he survived, I was going to kill him myself.

  “I take it if he fails I am slated for the same fate?”

  “That is the law,” the woman commented.

  Nightshade’s eyes scanned the three men as they approached. They spread out, their steps precise, well matched, and it was obvious that they were well practiced in working together. DeAndre stood to one side, his dread locks pulled back in a ponytail. The largest of the three stood in the middle and had a neck as thick as a gorilla. The one on the other end was unassuming, but if he was in there, he had to be up to the task. All three men stood, their Keys ready and anxiously humming.

  Nightshade didn’t move, he held his ground and I knew he was assessing the situation and calculating his opponents’ moves. The gorilla looking Guilder made the first move, rushing in with a mighty yell. Nightshade pointed his Key at the ground and twisted it. A portal opened and Nightshade dropped through it. The other end of the portal opened in mid-air right beside the gorilla and Nightshade’s feet shot out giving the Guilder’s face a sharp kick and knocking him out.

  Nightshade’s hand shot out gripping the edge of the portal. He swung around, weaving his Key out in front of him and opening yet another portal. He let go of the first and jumped into the next.

  “Form up,” DeAndre called out, and he and the other Guilder moved back to back.

  A series of crimson portals sprung up from the ground and encircled them. Nightshade rolled out of one of them and took one knee, his Skeleton Key gripped in his hand and tendrils of red energy flowing off of it.

  “He’s portal jumping,” the other Guilder shouted to DeAndre.

  “A dangerous choice,” Gran spoke behind me.

  She was right, but I’d be damned if I wouldn’t defend my crazy boyfriend. “He knows what he’s doing.” I sure hoped he did. Portal jumping was the art of moving in and out of portals to fight an opponent. Only the most skilled of Old Kind could use it. When you’re outnumbered it’s a great tool, but it also drains you quickly. He would need to finish this fast.

  “Stay on guard,” DeAndre said his eyes watching Nightshade’s every move. “Shield.”

  DeAndre twisted his wrist and the clicking sounds echoed around the arena, a shield took shape around the
two men. It served two purposes; first it stopped Nightshade from being able to portal jump into any position around them, and second and it would severely drain his energy each time he attempted to break through it.

  “Your move,” DeAndre called out as if confident victory was his.

  Nightshade smiled. “Gladly.”

  Nightshade rolled back into one of the portals, and silence settled over the crowd waiting anxiously for him to reappear. Each of the portals blinked out of existence one by one until only one remained. Nightshade rushed out of it right toward the shield, the two men braced for the attack, their flow of power increasing as he drew closer.

  Nightshade grinned as a new portal opened on the ground a foot or two in front of him. He dove for it, diving straight through into the shining crimson opening. It took everyone by surprise, as did the new portal that opened about ten feet directly above the pair.

  “Damn it!” DeAndre yelled and tried to reposition his power to strengthen the top of his shield, but it was too late.

  Nightshade flew out of the portal, his Key fully charged and he held it out in front of him. He sailed down slamming his Key into the top of the shield. It shattered with a deafening explosion. The pair had focused the main force of their powers to protect against a frontal assault. Nightshade had surprised and moved to attack their weakest point. The blast from the assault sent all three men flying in separate directions.

  Nightshade was the first to stumble to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. He quickly activated his Key, turning it into a curved blade and ran for the Guilder closest to him. The man was groggy and fumbling for his Key when Nightshade reached him. He snapped his blade across the man’s wrist sending the Key flipping in the opposite direction. Then he turned his arm and brought the broad end of his sword handle around and cracked the man in the jaw, knocking him out cold.