by MJ Fletcher
DeAndre was up, rolling the kinks out of his neck and shoulders. He raised his arm, wrapping his fingers around his Skeleton Key. Crimson coils dripped off it and took the shape of a whip, not unlike my own. He cracked it and moved toward Nightshade, who stood his ground waiting.
“Seems like it’s down to you and me, Nightshade.”
DeAndre Morgan had been trained by my grandmother and was training my cousin Jess. He’d chased me once and though I hated admitting it, he was one of the best trackers I’d ever seen. I was not happy about that in the least.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Nightshade smirked and raised his scimitar, then dipped it towards DeAndre in a show of respect.
DeAndre slowed as he approached, using his whip to keep a reasonably safe distance between them, and probably in case more portals opened. He cracked his whip sending it directly at Nightshade. He easily blocked it with his scimitar, though the two energies reacted, sending arcs of crimson energy shooting in all directions.
The two circled each other, taking the other’s measure. Nightshade rolled his shoulders and spun his scimitar in front of him.
“Even if you win, who would vote to have someone who had worked with the First Kind and a Polymorph to boot as part of the Quorum?” DeAndre laughed, as if it was a joke that Nightshade even gave the idea thought, though it was obvious that he was trying to get into Nightshade’s head and throw him off his game.
Nightshade played his own head games. “At least I’ve fought the First Kind. What have you been doing, DeAndre, except failing to catch those you hunt?”
I wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea, though I now had firsthand experience in how everyone else felt when I was the one saying stupid things during a fight.
“Big talk, Nightshade. Can you back it up?”
“I’m willing to die for those I love, are you?”
My breath caught in my throat, he was talking about me. He’d faced down the First Kind alone for me. Even though it had been a death sentence, he’d done it and there had been nothing I had been able to do to stop him. I loved him before that moment, but afterwards I loved him more than humanly possible and I knew without a doubt that I could never love another man like I loved Nightshade.
DeAndre flicked his wrist and the energy whip snuck out licking at Nightshade’s scimitar. Nightshade swung his blade up blocking the whip and turned, rolling in closer to DeAndre, and closed the distance between them in two steps. He brought his blade around and sliced at DeAndre, forcing him to jump back. Nightshade pressed his attack, thrusting his sword over and over.
The whip was my preferred weapon, but in close quarters was problematic. DeAndre was on the defensive and his whip disappeared to be replaced by a crimson shielding that shimmered and glowed in front of him, blocking Nightshade’s blade.
DeAndre changed tactics and stepped in close, dropping his shield and swung a right hook that caught Nightshade off guard and knocked him sideways. He stumbled but remained on his feet.
I let out a yell and stepped forward. Gran’s hand grabbed my arm and held me back. My mechanical right hand clenched and I wanted to rush in, but I couldn’t interfere. I had to let him finish this on his own.
Nightshade turned and DeAndre caught him with another blow, this time to his stomach, and it doubled him over.
“Not talking so much now are you?” DeAndre chuckled as he stood over Nightshade and lifted his Key, activating it once again.
“Screw you.” Nightshade swung and caught DeAndre with an uppercut to the chin, flipping him over. He slammed to the ground with a thud and a moan. Nightshade’s breath came in deep gulps and he gave a quick look around at the cheering crowd. He glanced down, his eyes lingering on the Skeleton Key in his hand. He tossed it to the ground, as if he wanted no part of it and turned to DeAndre who was pulling himself up and activating his own Key.
“This is over,” Nightshade yelled above the cheers of the people, and they grew silent. “People are fighting and dying out there. And what do we do? We fight one another, no more... this ends now. Most of you know me and those who don’t, know my family. They say a Nightshade is always willing to give everything for the Guild. They’re right, my family has bled and died for the Skeleton Key Guild. You want me to fight for my right to be a part of the Quorum, well I’ve fought. But I won’t fight other Guilders, not anymore. I’ve fought the real enemy, I’ve fought the First Kind and if you’re all too foolish to see that what we do here is wrong, then the Guild isn’t what I thought it was.”
“You’re a Polymorph. Who are you to lecture us on Guild matters?” the woman beside Gran yelled out.
I wanted to punch her in her damn mouth, but I didn’t. Instead I pulled away from Gran, walked out into the arena, and locked my hand with Nightshade’s, letting everyone know I stood beside him.
“Who am I? I’m James Nightshade. My father gave his life for the Guild, and I nearly gave mine to save the woman I love, Chloe Masters. And you’re right, I’m a Polymorph. I had no choice in the matter... I was born that way. But I choose,” —he stopped and scanned the crowd, forcing each of them to look at him— “I choose to be a member of the Skeleton Key Guild. I seek to be a member of the Quorum and end the threat of the First Kind. What say you?” The crowd remained silent when he finished speaking.
DeAndre walked up beside us, deactivating his Key and held out his hand to Nightshade. He grabbed it and shook it.
“I vote for Nightshade as a member of the Quorum,” DeAndre called out for everyone to hear.
“As do I,” Gran said as she crossed the arena to join us.
“Nightshade! Nightshade!” The people shouted in unison, echoing all around us.
“It would seem you passed.” DeAndre laughed.
“Now what?” I asked leaning against Nightshade.
The woman who had stood beside Gran walked toward us, her face a mask of annoyance. “Now we need to talk about the punishment for a non-Guilder,” —she pointed to me— “being brought here.”
Chapter Eight
Status: The Guild.
“It’s not as if I had a choice in the matter,” I said frustrated that I wasn’t getting a chance to talk with Gran about why we had come for her.
“Regardless.” The woman didn’t look at me as she spoke, she kept her eyes on Gran. “The infraction is still real.”
“What would you have me do?” Gran asked.
“She is under both our protection now,” Nightshade countered.
The woman shook her head. “It makes no difference, the violation must be answered.”
I was done with being talked around. I stepped up, cutting in front of her and faced Gran. “Okay, enough of this, who is this jackass?”
“This is LaReina Graves. She’s a member of the Quorum and leader of the League of Skull & Bones. I’ll deal with this.”
Gran wore her don’t-start-with-me face, but I was too far gone. I didn’t have time to deal with this now. I spun around facing LaReina. I needed to be done with this and get us out of here quickly. “It’s not like I can go back in time and not come here. Plus you brought me in, it’s not like I broke into the place.”
“That can be debated another time. But right now we must deal with the problem at hand. A non-Guilder cannot be allowed to enter the Boneyard,” LaReina said.
“What do you propose then?” Gran asked.
“I'm not heartless, we could use a Forget Me Not on her.” She shrugged her shoulders, as if it was the perfect solution.
I’m sure she thought she was being entirely reasonable. She probably had no clue I had been controlled by a Forget Me Not, and I wasn’t about to let someone muck about in my head again. “Not going to happen.”
“No one is using a Forget Me Not on her,” Nightshade chimed in beside me.
“You speak as part of the Quorum now, Nightshade,” DeAndre said. “You know this must be resolved.”
I shook my head. “No one is getting inside my head.”
“There is another solution,” Nightshade said.
“What?” LaReina asked.
“No DS member has ever been allowed here, but Guilders may come by invitation correct?” Nightshade asked.
“Yes, that’s why it has been held secret for so many generations. Only a select few have ever been allowed here. Tower was never even offered an invitation, hence why we remain safe,” LaReina explained.
“Maura Grimm brought both of us here, in effect, inviting us,” Nightshade said and a slight smile played across Gran’s face. “So we can resolve this easily.”
“How?” I was lost now.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” LaReina asked.
I looked around between all of them, my nose scrunching up in annoyance. “What am I missing now?’
“She is a Polymorph, after all.” DeAndre pulled his dreadlocks back and tied them in a pony-tail.
“It should work,” Nightshade agreed.
“What the hell should work?” My voice rose above them, and they all stopped and turned to face me.
“You need to become a Guilder,” Gran said.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Not at all,” she replied.
“How is that even possible? I’m a DS member.”
“She is correct, this is an awkward request.” LaReina was just as shocked as I was, her hands busy worrying.
“There is nothing that says she can’t,” DeAndre said.
“The ancient laws still apply. Any person who shows Skeleton Key ability is allowed to apply for membership, and it never mentions Polymorph or not.” It was Gran’s turn to smile.
“We should bring this to the Quorum,” LaReina suggested firmly.
“We have three Quorum members here. All we need is to allow her to apply. Let her Bones decide the rest,” Gran said confidently.
“Agreed,” Nightshade said staring across at LaReina.
She shifted unhappily from one foot to the other. “Very well, we’ll let her bones decide.” She turned then and walked off in a huff.
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.
“It’s an expression we use in the Guild. It means you decide whether or not you’re a Guilder by your actions,” Gran explained.
“Okay, but before we do anything else we need to talk, Gran.”
“It can wait, this needs to be resolved now.”
“No, Gran, it can’t.” I placed my hand on Nightshade’s arm and squeezed lightly. “Can you give us a moment?”
He nodded and waved for DeAndre to follow him. “Let’s give them a moment, plus we can talk about how I kicked your ass.”
“Is that what you think happened?” DeAndre laughed as they strode away giving us some privacy.
“What is it, Chloe?”
“Something’s happened, Gran. Someone’s turned up looking for you.” I bit the inside of my lip trying to figure out the best way to tell her that her long dead son might be alive after all.
Gran crossed to me and slipped her arm around my shoulder. “Just spit it out, sweetie.”
“We found someone at Storm Reach, a prisoner,” —I took a deep breath and pushed forward— “He seemed familiar and recently he’s been asking for you. He says his name is Thomas Grimm.” Her hand squeezed my shoulder so tight that I thought she’d crush my bones.
“That can’t be possible.” She shook her head, her mouth turning into a tight line of concern.
“I’ve talked to him, Gran.” I glanced at her and swallowed hard. “He recognized me.”
“No,” Gran trembled. “What did they do?”
“Who?”
“The Council, they assured me that he had died, that the curse had been too much for him to handle.”
“What curse? What are you talking about?”
Gran looked at me, the corners of her mouth turning down and a sadness coming over her face that I had seen on her too often of late. There was more going on here than she wanted to tell me.
“I will tell you everything, but not right now. We have to resolve the issues with you and the Skeleton Key Guild once and for all. Then we can find out if this man is really my son.”
“Gran.” I was about to protest when the hand that had been on my shoulder squeezed, warning me to stop. I knew there was no point in arguing with her. When Gran made up her mind, there wasn’t anything you could do to change it.
“I want this resolved, then we can talk.”
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “Now what?”
“Now you need to apply.”
“Just how do I do that?”
“By asking.”
“Okay, I want to be a Guilder.”
“Very good, now let’s begin, follow me.”
“Can I even join the Guild,” I asked curiously. “I mean I’m a member of DS and a Polymorph.”
“There is no rule against it. Polymorphs can join as many Societies as they are able to. Most don’t because the Societies frown on Polymorphs being anything but a member of one. That is why most eventually leave and go out on their own,” Gran explained as we walked down the cobblestone street.
We passed rows of small cottages, the path turning and looping behind them. The ground rose at a slight incline, and we moved up until I could see the tops of the cottages and the makeshift arena where Nightshade had fought.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Gran stopped at the top of the hill and pointed down. “There.”
The cobblestone path wound down into a field, stopping at a shelf-like stone object that sat alone in the middle of waves of green grass and wild flowers. The rolling hills could have been mistaken for Ireland if not for the violet sky and constant rush of falling stars overhead. It was gorgeous and if it were any other time, I would have sat down and enjoyed the endless beauty of the place.
“What do I have to do?”
“It’s simple really. Three members, in good standing with the Guild, must assess your abilities using a Skeleton Key.”
“That’s all?” I half expected to have to crawl through a maze with Gremlins attacking me at every corner.
“Do not take this lightly,” Gran cautioned.
“I know that, I just figured there would be more to it.”
“It may not be as simple as you assume.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, but I didn’t have many other options. We walked down the path curving around the hill and leading up to the shelf-like stone.
“How much skill do I need to show with a Key?” I hadn’t had a ton of practice with my Skeleton Key abilities yet, and I was worried about what I would be required to do. I should have been working on it every day, but I didn’t have much chance while looking for Erin. I hated to admit it, but I was also enjoying spending time with Nightshade, probably more than we should have.
“You’ll see.” Gran stopped before the stone shelf that rose out of the cobblestones. On its surface was an ornate brass panel with a key hole directly in the center. Gran slid her Skeleton Key into it. She twisted it and a clicking noise echoed around the grassy clearing.
The ground beneath me rumbled and I reached out, grabbing the edge of the stone to hold myself steady. The grass in front of the stone shelf cracked and rippled like gentle waves along a beach, then dropped away to form a series of grass stairs leading down into darkness.
Gran spread her arm out theatrically, waving at the now massive staircase. “Welcome to the Boneyard.”
Chapter Nine
Status: The Boneyard.
I looked down the stairwell into the deep pocket of darkness and shuddered. The stairs were made of stone and grass as if they were a part of this dimension. “What do I do?”
“Enter and follow the path. Most who apply do so in the Hollow. It is rare for someone to become a Guilder at The Boneyard. This is the Old Way. You will see our history and learn what it means to be a Guilder.” Gran held her hand out, offering me her Skeleton Key. “Tak
e it.”
“But it’s yours.”
“You’ll need it to light your way.”
I reached out, wrapping my fingers around the cold metal Key. A shock ran up my arm as the flow of power rushed from the device into me.
I lifted the Key as a crimson glow encircled it. I turned and took the first step on the staircase. I didn’t look back as I made my way down. The light from the violet sky soon disappeared and the crimson glow of my Skeleton Key was the only light I had to guide me.
The stone and grass steps ended at a pathway that led to—yet—more darkness. I stepped onto the path, the light from my Key shimmered, leapt off, and danced in midair. The place crackled with power as the formless crimson glow suddenly began to take on a shape. The temperature of the room dropped, and I could see my own breath as the atmosphere chilled around me.
A man took shape, taller than me and thickly built, with dark hair that hung past his shoulders. The crimson ghost turned to face me, and it took all my resolve not to run on the spot.
His eyes glowed with power and he looked me up and down with a smirk. He didn’t appear much older than me, and he was dressed in boots, leggings, and a loose fitting shirt.
“You want to be a Guilder?” he asked.
I lifted my chin defiantly. “Yes.”
He circled around me, a trail of crimson light floating behind him as he went. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Polymorph. Then again it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone.” He chuckled and stopped in front of me.
I didn’t know how he knew that I was a Polymorph or even what he was, but he had me on edge. “What are you?
“Who.”
“Excuse me?”
“The polite question is who, not what.”
I titled my head and stared. This was by far the strangest ghost I’d ever met, then again I’d never met one. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“Apology accepted and as for who I am... my name is Hawk.”
“What’re you the token dead guy around here?”
Hawk threw his head back and laughed, an eerie cackle that rebounded off the walls and back at me. “I like you.”
