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

by MJ Fletcher

  I lifted my head, as far as I was concerned he was already done in the Collapsing Expanse and was in the Hollow. At least that was my story and I was sticking to it.

  Chapter Twenty

  Status: Time for something new.

  “Do you really think this is going to work?” I stared at myself in the mirror and didn’t recognize the person looking back at me. I still had the bruises, but my hair was pulled back into a tight braid and was an inky black color.

  My hoodie, which was like a second skin to me, was gone and in its place was a short jacket over a plain shirt and jeans. My combat boots had been switched to a pair of old sneakers.

  “Here, try these on.” Rosalita handed me a pair of black rimmed glasses.

  I slipped them on. They didn’t look too bad, but I still wasn’t sure about any of this. “I look different, but if I run into someone I know, I doubt it will fool them.”

  “Well, it works for Superman, so we can only hope.”

  “I was always more of a Spider-Man fan.” I smiled as I ran my hand over my now black hair and took a deep breath.

  “That’s because you have good taste, it runs in the family after all.” She winked at me and stepped back, looking me over once again.

  “Do I look like a Guilder?” I placed my hands on my hips and tried to look the part.

  “You’re missing one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  Rosalita slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a Skeleton Key. It was old and worn but had been well cared for, she stepped up and held it out to me. “This was my first Key, it’ll serve you well.”

  I reached out, my hand hovering over the Key. All these years I had been fighting my true nature, not wanting to be a Polymorph or for that matter a Guilder. But now I realized the truth, I was both... and much more. I had chosen to join the Skeleton Key Guild and become a Guilder like my mother before me.

  Sparks of crimson energy shot from the Key and tickled my fingertips. I closed my eyes and sensed its power calling out to me. I’d always felt a pull around Keys, but now I let myself go and wrapped my fingers around it. A warm current ran through my hand and swirled throughout my body. The power was foreign, yet familiar at the same time.

  “It suits you,” Rosalita said.

  I opened my eyes and found myself engulfed by crimson light. I lifted my mechanical hand, now covered by a glove, and turned it over. The lights sparkled and jumped around me.

  “This feels so odd.”

  “You’ll get used to it. The abilities of the Guild and DS are very similar. You’ll have to learn how to differentiate them and utilize them both to their maximum potential. It’ll come naturally in time.”

  “Thank you,” I said. I contained my power, the light around me snuffed out, and I slipped the key into my pocket.

  Rosalita smiled and patted my shoulder. “The Key should be with family. I haven’t had cause to use that one in sometime.”

  “What did you learn about the Hollow?”

  “The Hollow is a strange place these days. Actually, I should say stranger than usual. No one knows who they can trust. Everyone seems tense and walks around as if on eggshells. Some people are openly supporting Tower and his plans with the First Kind, others aren’t so sure. So we should have, at least, some allies.”

  “What’s the Hollow like?”

  “Nothing like the other home dimensions, a good deal of Guilders live in the Hollow. It is much more like a city. They also have designated places that you’re allowed to open portals so they can track them. We’ll need to be cautious.”

  “Caution is my middle name.”

  Rosalita tilted her head and gave me what can only be described as the stink eye. “Have you heard from Nightshade?”

  “No, he’s attempting to contact some Guild members in the Collapsing Expanse, and then he’ll be coming to the Hollow, at least as far as I know.”

  “The Expanse?”

  “Yes, you know it?”

  “I was there once it is,” —her voice trailed off for a moment—“an experience.”

  “Great,” I said.

  “It’s your call. Do we go to the Hollow?”

  “We go now. We have no idea if they’ll try and move Erin quickly.”

  “Agreed.” Rosalita slipped her fingers around the Skeleton Key that hung around her neck and activated it.

  A crimson doorway sprang to life before us. I balled my hands into fists as she opened it and we stepped through. The transition was quick like stepping through a strong DS portal, and we walked out onto a street.

  Art Deco inspired with spires and steel buildings that rose up around us on both sides stretched into the sky. People walked along the street. They eyed us suspiciously, some huddling together whispering while glancing our way for the merest of seconds before quickly looking away. Cars buzzed past us with such speed that gusts of wind whipped at our clothes.

  My hand hovered near the Doorknob in my pocket as the constant hum of Guild energy kept me on edge, though I should have thought of using the Skeleton Key in my other pocket.

  “That wouldn’t be advisable here.”

  The deep melodic voice carried across the street and I flinched as I recognized it.

  “I see you left the Boneyard.”

  I turned to find DeAndre Morgan leaning casually against a building. His dreadlocks hung long and he looked as if he had lost weight. His usual smile wasn’t present, though his stance, arms folded across his chest, was at least familiar. He waved us over to him, and we moved in closer so no one could hear us talking.

  “These are dark times. The Quorum decided I could better serve trying to help build up the resistance here in the Hollow.”

  “I should have known you’d be one of Rosalita’s contacts.” I smirked and waved at my crazy ancestor who only smiled in return.

  “The old girl has been helping me out since my earliest days in the Guild,” De Andre confirmed.

  “I know talent when I see it, my boy.” Rosalita patted him on the shoulder, and then waved for both of us to follow her. We fell in step as she walked off deeper into the Hollow.

  “Where are we going?” DeAndre asked.

  “Chloe has coordinates to a place that just might help us.”

  “Good, we can talk when we get there. The streets of the Hollow are no place to discuss things these days,” DeAndre warned.

  I figured Tower had spies everywhere. I would have loved to ask DeAndre about Erin, Uncle Thomas, or Nightshade. But it would have to wait until we reached our destination.

  Rosalita moved with purpose, her multitude of bracelets jangled like a bell for us to follow. As we proceeded further into the Hollow, the streets went from smoothly paved to cobblestone and the buildings grew smaller and more gothic, almost sinister. The street lamps were no longer tall and bright but shorter and gave off only the barest of light to illuminate the pathway. Less people crowded the streets and no vehicles moved along the roads. The occasional sound of a hissing cat or a jetpack in the distance was the only sounds heard. This was not an area I would want to be caught alone in or unprepared.

  We crossed from one block to the next and when we finally came to the end of one street, there sat an old building surrounded by a stone wall. Untended bushes appeared to have swallowed a portion of the structure while ivy had taken over the face of the building long ago. It definitely looked as if it belonged in a gothic fairy tale.

  We came to a stop in front of the wall and Rosalita glanced up and down the block, and then slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out a long thin Skeleton Key. She brushed aside the foliage creeping up the wall, revealing a keyhole and slipped the key in. She turned it with a click and the door opened.

  She ushered me in and I stepped over the threshold, my senses screamed at me that something was wrong and my hand reflexively went for my Doorknob. But I eased back and took a deep breath.

  “What is this place?” I asked.

  “This was
one of the first buildings built in the Hollow. Most people have forgotten about it and don’t bother with it anymore.” She ran her hand along the wall as we approached the structure. “But in its day this was the meeting place of some of the greatest Guilders ever.”

  “You’re familiar with this place?” I asked brushing away the cobwebs that dangled in front of my path.

  “Yes, even in my youth it was ancient and rarely used.”

  “This is where the coordinates end?” I wanted to be sure Hawk hadn’t sent us on some wild goose chase.

  “Yes, and I can see why,” Rosalita replied.

  She stopped in front of a set of wooden double doors and grabbed the handles pushing them inward. They creaked and groaned and squealed under the weight of finally being used once again. The room beyond was dark, but I could make out large shapes in the shadows.

  Rosalita rustled about searching for something, a short grunt of approval let me know she’d found it. She shook her hand like a gambler looking to throw dice and tossed something in the air. Popping sounds like firecrackers echoed all around us as the device exploded and small globes of light floated into the dark room, illuminating it.

  Stack after stack of books and Skeleton Keys were laid out before us. Rosalita turned to us and smiled as she waved us forward.

  “Welcome to the library of the Skeleton Key Guild.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Status: Most Guilders REALLY don’t like me.

  “You think we’ll find the Skeleton key Guild Artifact here?” I asked my fingers tracing the spines of a line of dusty old books. I imagined Edgar would have had a heart attack if we let him loose in this place. I liked the idea myself, but it wasn’t like we had time to read... I needed to find Erin.

  “I doubt the Artifact is here, but information on it is and that’s what we need. We each have a mission here. I’ll search for the information we need while you try to find your sister.” Rosalita started flipping through a set of books she had pulled from the shelves.

  I wasn’t happy with that suggestion. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”

  “We each must accept the risks, Chloe. I will be fine, and you need to act quickly on the information you have. If this place will help me discover the location of the Guild or DS Artifact, then this is where I need to be.”

  “Doesn’t that mean Tower will come here looking as well?”

  “This place was wiped from Guild maps over a hundred years ago. When the new library was built, everyone assumed everything was moved from the old library to the new one. Even if Tower knows about this building, he thinks it’s an empty shell.”

  “I don’t like the risk,” I insisted.

  “We all risk something, Chloe. This is mine and yours is finding your sister.”

  DeAndre finally chimed in. “She’s right.”

  “I know she is, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it, damn it.” Rosalita patted my hand, and then returned to searching through the books.

  “I take it she didn’t ask you here for your company?” I turned to DeAndre.

  “No, we’ve heard rumors of a girl being seen with True. She matches the description of your sister.”

  “Where is she?”

  “You’re not going to like it.”

  “I hate when people say that. Where?”

  “Grimm Hall.”

  Memories of Jess and I running around long hallways and getting lost as children rushed into my mind.

  “What?”

  “Grimm Hall.”

  “I remember something about that.” It was so familiar like a word on the tip of your tongue you can’t quite recall.

  “Grimm Hall is the family residence of all members of the Grimm family. It has been in your mother’s family for untold generations. When your mother reappeared, it’s where we suspected she was hiding. With Tower coming out in support of a deal with First Kind, it’s openly being used by First Kind.”

  “Do these people just like pissing me off?”

  “They do seem to have an issue with you and your family as a whole.” DeAndre stretched out his long languid arms and rolled his shoulders.

  “Any word on Uncle Thomas?” I was as anxious about him as I was Erin. It had been my fault he’d been caught in the first place, even if everyone kept telling me otherwise.

  “Nothing. Wherever they have him locked up, no one is talking about it.”

  “Damn it, what about Nightshade?” I dreaded the answer, but I needed to know if he had left the Expanse and come to the Hollow. He still hadn’t replied to any of my texts or calls.

  “Nothing, though I did hear he was coming to the Hollow, but that was just a rumor. Once I heard it though, I did notice an uptick in patrols.”

  My mind raced, Nightshade could be in the Hollow. Was he nearby now? I would certainly feel a lot better if I knew. I pulled my phone out and checked for messages yet again. But there was nothing.

  “Patrols?” I asked.

  “Tower has instituted random checks on people in the Hollow, to catch anyone who might be helping our enemies.”

  “You mean like me.”

  “Exactly.”

  Rosalita was right. We were all taking risks in our own way, some willing to risk all to help us. “Thanks,” I said. I didn’t feel like it was enough, but I had to say something.

  DeAndre only nodded in response.

  “We need to find a way into Grimm Hall if we’re going to have a chance of getting your sister.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” I said and pulled my phone from pocket. I tapped out a text quickly and sent it off. The phone dinged almost immediately with a reply. I read it over and smiled glancing up at DeAndre. “I think I have a way in.”

  “Care to share?”

  “Get us close to the Hall and I’ll explain there.”

  “Why do I have a feeling that I’m going to hate this?” He groaned as I waved to Rosalita and we made our way back out onto the streets of the Hollow.

  We moved deeper into the older section of the city. We kept to alleys and lesser used paths as much as possible. The buildings were close together leaving only narrow and claustrophobic paths to travel between. Every few buildings the paths would empty into small courtyards surrounded on all sides. The entire area was a maze of tunnels and paths that only those who lived here would be able to navigate. I doubted even Edgar could find his way through here.

  I followed DeAndre’s lead and knew there was no chance I would be able to find my way back without his help. It was a labyrinth, you would pass through one street and pop up on another one all together. When I could see above the buildings surrounding us, I saw we’d gotten further away from the tall spires where I had first entered the Hollow.

  We stepped out into an open courtyard and started across for another opening when two men entered from the side and walked toward us.

  “Where are you two going?” the taller of the men asked.

  “What business is it of yours?” DeAndre said his hand slipping around his Skeleton Key.

  “By order of Mr. Tower, we’re enforcing movement restrictions within the Hollow.” The man stepped up to DeAndre and leaned in close.

  “You might want to back up.” DeAndre’s voice dropped the melodic tone and took on an edge that made my skin crawl.

  “What about you, girl, are you going to play tough like your friend here?”

  The second man was closer to my height and moved swiftly toward me. My nerves were already on fire, so I reacted instinctively, bracing my back heel and shifting my weight to the side preparing for a fight.

  “He said back off,” I warned.

  “It looks like we got us a couple of troublemakers. You’re both coming with us.”

  The man closest to me reached his hand out to grab my shoulder. I shot my hand out jabbing him in the face so quickly that his head snapped back, and he dropped his Skeleton Key and grasped at his now broken and bleeding nose.

  “What the hell?” The oth
er guard turned to me.

  DeAndre took advantage of the guard’s foolish move and brought his arm around and punched him in the back of the neck, knocking him off his feet and dropping him to the ground.

  The broken-nosed guard backed away, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of us.

  “Help!” he yelled.

  The sounds of rushing feet forced me to turn. A group of Guilders ran into the courtyard and stopped when they saw us.

  “They attacked us,” the guard said pointing a condemning finger our way.

  “Is that so?” a female voice asked from the back of the group.

  The others parted and she walked forward, my breath catching. I recognized Darla as soon as I saw her. The last time we’d seen each other was when she had been dating Nightshade before he had regained his memory. It hadn’t ended well then or any other time we’d ever met.

  “Yes, they attacked us,” the man reiterated more confidently now that we were surrounded by his comrades.

  “Any decent Guilder should be willing to help you guys out then, shouldn’t they?” Darla smiled at him, and then glanced from me to DeAndre. Her eyes lingered over me for a moment and I knew she was trying to place me. The hair and glasses seemed to be doing their job.

  “You’ll all be rewarded for helping bring these two Guilders to justice.” His voice cracked as his confidence slipped with the way the Guilders were staring at him.

  “Would that be First Kind justice?” Darla asked.

  “What?” he gulped at the question.

  “Boys, show this guy a little Skeleton Key Guild justice.” Darla laughed as the men yelped when those around her rushed toward him, sending them running in fright down one of the alleyways.

  “Hello, Darla.” DeAndre stepped forward.

  She laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “DeAndre, you know you can’t be running around the Hollow like this nowadays.”