by MJ Fletcher
“You mean Erin?” he asked raising his head.
My breath caught in my throat and all I could do was nod.
“She mentioned her. It’s one of the reasons I thought it might all be a lie. She was worried that they would use her like they wanted to use me.”
“Use you how?”
“They wanted to kill me to get to the curse.”
Gran shuddered.
I tilted my head. “Curse?” I’d heard Gran say on several occasions that the Grimm’s were cursed, but I thought she meant they always had bad luck.
“This—” Thomas stood and pulled back the sleeves on his arms, revealing two perfectly tattooed Skeleton Keys, one on each forearm. “—is the curse.”
They weren’t normal tattoos, energy flowed from them. They were actually Skeleton Keys bonded to his body. “What the hell is that?”
“That is the Grimm family curse, passed from one generation to the next,” Gran sighed. “I honestly had thought it died with Thomas. Or I should say, I prayed it died with him.”
“What is it?”
“A set of Skeleton Keys. The tattoos are bonded to a member of the Grimm family in every generation. The reason why the Grimms are cursed with it is lost to antiquity. The catch is that it is so powerful that it burns you up very quickly. If they hadn’t put me in a timelock I would have died fairly young.”
“So it’s finishes off one Grimm in each generation?”
“My grandfather had a locket that was created by the Impossible Engineers years ago that was a timelock on a small scale, allowing for the wearers to sustain the power inside themselves. You could live a normal life as long as you wore the locket.”
“Where is it?” I asked.
“It was lost when the curse passed to me. I was attempting to find a replacement when I was attacked by the Polymorphs.”
“Couldn’t the Engineers just make you another one?”
“No, the skill it took to make it has been lost. The timelocks that still exist are all ancient and can only be maintained. A new one hasn’t been created since the Great War.”
“There must be something we can do?”
“I’m afraid there isn’t.” Gran forced a smile as her hands closed over Thomas’s and squeezed them tightly.
She’d found him again only to realize that she would lose him again just as quickly.
“How were they going to use you and how does Erin fit in?” I couldn’t accept that there wasn’t anything we could do to save him, giving up wasn’t an option to me. But I also needed to figure out what the First Kind was up to now.
“The power I generate is on a higher scale than any Guilder can create. They want to use that power for something—what—I do not know. But whatever it was scared Talia,” Thomas said his eyes intent on mine.
If it had scared my mom I could only imagine the horror of what it was. Somehow this had to be connected to Tower’s plan to get to Accadia and free the true First Kind.
“What about Erin?” I asked.
“Don’t you see? If I didn’t help them, they were going to kill me and pass the curse onto the next generation of Grimms.”
“Erin could be in danger.”
“Exactly.”
Chapter Eleven
Status: Just the start of the crazy.
“This is not good.” Gavin paced back and forth nervously.
Nightshade stood off to the side flipping his Skeleton Key in the air as he watched me from afar. He knew I was hatching a plan, and I gathered from his silence that he was ready for the worst.
“If we’d known they wanted him this badly, we would have hid him at the Reliquary,” I said trying to ease Gavin’s concerns. As soon as I’d left Gran alone with my uncle I informed everyone what I’d learned. We had Henna out now checking the perimeter. It was only a matter of time before they came for him. We were going to have to move him quickly.
The thing that was making me crazy was that they didn’t need to take him from us. They only needed to move the curse to the next generation, meaning Erin was in danger. The way to do that would be to kill Uncle Thomas. I wasn’t going to let either of those things happen. An idea was brewing, though I didn’t think Nightshade or any of my friends would like it.
“I’m not sure we should move him yet. This place has been secure for us and if we jump the gun we could walk right into what we’re trying to avoid.” Gavin said.
He made a good point, but I had a feeling the First Kind had been more on top of this situation than we had first thought. Besides, my gut had a very bad feeling.
“I think we need to get him to the Reliquary, it’s our most defensible position. What do you think, Nightshade?” I nodded in his direction, and he snatched his Key out of the air one last time.
“If he’s that important nothing is going to stop them from coming after him. We need to get him to the safest place we can, and right away.” Nightshade never took his eyes off of me.
“Henna is taking too long. I’m going to check on her.” Gavin raced past me to the entrance of the warehouse.
Nightshade wasted no time sliding up beside me.
“What are you planning?” he whispered as if he already new I had a secret.
I did everything I could to avoid his gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit.” He grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. “You’ve got some crazy plan formed already to save your sister and your uncle, and it probably involves you doing something incredibly stupid.”
“I won’t let Erin get wrapped up in this, Nightshade.” I shook my head finally meeting his gaze.
“She already is; we all are.”
“She’s a kid. Her life doesn’t suck yet, and I don’t want it to.”
“So your life sucks instead?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, you’re a jackass who still can’t accept the fact that you have people who care about you and will do anything to protect you.”
“I didn’t ask to be protected.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Then you wouldn’t be you, and I damn well wouldn’t love you as much as I do.”
“I love you too, but don’t think you’ll distract me with your sweet talk.” I smiled, though it faded fast enough. “I won’t let them use and abuse Erin like they’ve done to me.”
“It seems to me that as long as we keep your uncle above ground, then we’re in pretty good shape. Does that sound about right?”
“Sounds good.” My mind flashed to the last time a Nightshade had tried to save my uncle and a cold shiver ran up my spine.
“Then I know what I need to do.”
He let go of my hand and stepped back, a horrible sensation rushed through me. I reached out grabbing him and pulling him against me, I kissed him as if our lives depended on it.
I didn’t want the kiss to end or give thought to what Nightshade might do, though I warned, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Haven’t you realized yet all our plans are stupid?” He chuckled as he brushed his hand along my cheek.
A concussive wave of energy blasted through the warehouse knocking us off our feet and slamming us into nearby crates. Nightshade ended upside down and scrambled to his feet while I pulled myself to my knees and tried to assess the damage. I ran my hands over my side, feeling a welt or two, nothing more.
I readied my Doorknob prepared for what was coming next. I stood and kicked the surrounding debris away from me.
“First Kind!” Gavin yelled, running backwards, his Skeleton Key in the form of a shield in front of him. One eye was blackened and already swelling and his one hand was turned at an odd angle.
I rushed toward him, activating my Doorknob and creating a shield behind his. As soon as I did he dropped his arm and tossed his head back trying to control his breathing that came in great ragged gasps.
“How many?” Nightshade run up to us and slipped his arm under Gavin’s shoulder and helped him to ba
ck off.
“Too many to count,” he said anxiously and frantically grabbed Nightshade’s arm. “I couldn’t find Henna.”
“I’ll find her,” Nightshade assured him.
Gran came out of the room, her own Skeleton Key dripping with crimson energy. “What’s going on?”
“First Kind. Help Gavin and get back and protect Thomas. We’ll deal with this.” I grabbed my phone from my pocket with my free hand and typed out a quick text, hit send, and then clicked the beacon button that Slade had installed on it and tossed it aside.
“You ready?” Nightshade asked.
I leaned over and kissed him once more, and then broke away with a smile. “Always.”
“Well, what have we here?”
The slightly accented voice made my skin crawl as Ms.True entered the warehouse through the gaping hole that had been blown in the wall. Her high heels clicked on the concrete floor and her perfectly coifed hair seemed entirely out of place amongst such devastation.
“They’re still letting you out, True?” I smirked.
“Someone had to clean up after the death of your incompetent mother.” She sneered causing the ugly scar I had given her several years ago to appear even uglier.
“You’re looking as pretty as ever.”
True’s hand slid across the scar and her eyes narrowed in hatred. “Where is the prisoner?”
“You’re doing the HVO’s job now?” Nightshade chimed in.
“Nightshade,” —she looked him up and down— “you’re looking better than the last time I saw you.”
“You mean when we were busy kicking your ass at Storm Reach?” He winked.
Her brow wrinkled and she smiled. “Oh, I was thinking of when you were under the influence of the Forget Me Not and followed me around like a puppy. I bet you didn’t tell your little friend about that.” She waved her hand in my direction.
My body tensed and I wanted so badly to shut off my shield and go knock her on her ass. But I knew better than that, she was just trying to goad me into a fight. She wanted me off balance, and I wasn’t about to let that happen.
Nightshade retaliated to my delight. “Sorry, I don’t remember ever desiring a skank, but you keep dreaming, sweetheart.”
“I’m going to enjoy watching the both of you die.” She laughed as a group of First Kind walked in to stand behind her. She pointed to us. “Kill them, now.” The men rushed forward at her command.
Nightshade slid closer to my side to create two points of defense. We needed to hold out until we could get some help. What made this a good place to hide also made it a place for a trap since it was a no portal area, making escape difficult.
Two men came at me and two at Nightshade while Ms. True hung back and watched. Nightshade lifted his Skeleton Key, the crimson energy sparking to life and forming his familiar scimitar. He twirled it in the air, and then held it still over his head.
“Come and get it, boys.” He laughed as the approaching men looked at each other warily. Nightshade didn’t wait, he leapt forward and swung the blade toward the man on the right, but at the last moment he twisted his wrist and slashed it back the other way. The man to the left was lunging, his crimson dagger glistened and sparked as Nightshade’s scimitar cut through it and into his chest. He screamed in pain and stumbled backward falling to the floor.
The second man twisted his hand shooting a bolt of blue energy at Nightshade. He brought his blade up just in time to deflect it, and then took a defensive stance.
The two coming at me were a man and a woman. Both raised their hands and shot focused bolts of portal energy at my shield. With that power, it wouldn’t take long to break it. I set my feet wide apart and concentrated, closing my shield and creating my energy whip simultaneously.
I spun my shield sending the last bolt of energy shooting off it, and then smiled as they started toward me. The woman held back, her body tensing at my grin but the man rushed in. With my whip fully formed, I snapped it at the floor and he laughed as he ran past it, thinking he had avoided my weapon... then he saw me smile.
I yanked my arm back snapping the whip around and catching his ankle and pulled. His leg flipped in the air and his face slammed into the hard floor with a cracking sound echoing all around.
“You won’t get me that easily.” The woman smirked and her hand glowed silver... she was HVO.
They were spectacular at creating chains and any number of ways of locking you up. If you let them get too close, you would wind up in a prison with no way of opening a portal to escape.
“We’ll see about that.” I twirled my whip beside me and kept an eye on Ms. True. I didn’t like the way she was simply standing back and watching. Something else was going on and I was too damn occupied to figure it out just now.
The HVO woman moved in, trying to get as close to me as possible, but as soon as she reached arm’s length I cracked my whip forcing her backward. She was smarter than the first one that was for sure. I couldn’t find any opening to attack. She kept moving and feinting attack only to pull back.
Whatever Ms. True was planning I had to stop it and quick. Plus I still had one ace up my sleeve that I hoped was going to get played very soon.
Nightshade was in his own standoff as he traded blows with his foe, neither gaining a clear advantage.
I smiled and pivoted to my side, bringing myself in closer to Nightshade. “Let’s switch,” I called out and snapped my whip at his opponent who barely had time to react. He jerked backwards, but the tail of the whip caught his lip slicing it open.
Nightshade didn’t miss a beat, he swung past me cleaving his scimitar through a set of chains the woman directed at me. He charged ahead, forcing her to create a shield and go on the defensive.
The atmosphere in the room sizzled and the smell of ozone burning assailed my nostrils. My foe scrambled away but I kept up my attack, my whip cracking all around him.
The hair on my neck stood on end and the entire building began to hum with energy. I’d felt this power before, and I didn’t think I was going to like what came next.
A burning crimson light beamed through the gaping hole in the wall and in the center stood a lone figure. He walked forward, his tall lean shape perfectly silhouetted in the light.
Mr. Tower, the head of the Skeleton Key Guild and Paladin Academy, stood before us. “Haven’t you learned by now that you can’t defeat me?”
I glared at him with such heated anger that I thought I’d burst into flames. This man was one of the original true First Kind from the time of the Great War. I wasn’t even sure how old he was. What I did know was that he was dangerous, and he was also the man responsible for all my family’s suffering and loss.
“I don’t give up!” I yelled at him.
“Then you die.”
Chapter Twelve
Status: Now we’re in trouble, again.
“Crap.” I dove to one side as a blast of pure portal energy seared the spot where I had been standing. Apparently Tower wasn’t kidding. If I’d stayed there I would be a smoking cinder right now.
“Give me what I came for,” Tower demanded, crimson energy flowing from the corners of his eyes like some evil wizard from legend and lore. “Now!”
I was stranded behind some wooden crates. If Tower were to take another shot at me, I didn’t have much of a chance of surviving it. I needed to move, but with him right in the open, I didn’t have many places to run.
“Not going to happen, chumpy!” Nightshade bellowed as he rushed off to one side, shooting repeated blasts at Tower.
I grinned and jumped from my hiding spot, making a run for the back of the warehouse. Blistering bolts of energy fired through the air tearing apart crates as Nightshade ran in the opposite direction. Tower was no joke when it came to ability. I stopped when I thought I’d put enough distance between myself and him.
“That all you got, old man?”
I had to give Nightshade credit, he was nearing my level of taking a bad situation a
nd making it worse.
“Enough games, bring me the prisoner or I kill both of you.” His voice rose to thunderous levels, shaking the crates I was hiding behind.
“You mean my uncle?” I figured I might be able to buy us some time by getting him talking. So I played the only card I had left.
“Finally figured it out, did you, Chloe?”
“You have a real issue with my family, don’t you?”
“You have no idea,” —it came out like a growl— “and you’ll never find out. Your time is up.”
My senses tingled throughout my body as Tower sucked all the power in the room toward him like a black hole. He was drawing in everything and it wouldn’t be a good thing when he released it. I needed to make a move now or we weren’t going to get another chance.
“Screw it,” I said and jumped from behind the crate and ran forward. I pulled my arm back and focused all my thoughts on my energy whip, and then snapped my wrist forward. Tower was concentrating, his head thrown back and his arms outstretched. I had a wide open shot.
My whip snapped out across the distance and raced toward his chest. Just before it made contact, Ms. True jumped in front of it creating a shield to block my attack. My whip was hyper-powered at this point with every crackle of power I could pull out. It smashed through her shield like a battering ram and crashed into True, tossing her across the warehouse like a butterfly caught in the wind.
I dropped to my knees, drained from using that much power in one shot, my breathing rapid and deep. Nightshade rushed to my side, slipping his arm under my arm and hefting me off the floor.
“Too late.” Tower’s head shot forward, his glare cutting into us.
“No, it’s not, Polymorph.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Uncle Thomas entering the room.
“You will answer for my wife.”
Tower exuded energy, but Thomas was like an open conduit of electricity, the room emanating with power by his mere presence. His eyes glowed crimson, with no hint of anything else.
