He felt her before he saw the massive structure with its revolving hoops. He sensed her desperate need for him. The magnitude of it mirrored his own. The strength of her emotions crushed him. He wanted to be there for her, to take away all the pain she was feeling, but they couldn’t be further apart than at that very moment.
He also felt her determination to return to him. She was on a mission. But how would she know he’d returned? He wasn’t in Oldwilde and trapped inside the oak anymore. He called out with every part of his being. Wait for me, Fate. Stay where you are. I’ll find you.
She suddenly radiated a mixture of fear and hopeful anticipation, as if she’d just parachuted from a plane. And then she was gone. The connection severed, like a door slamming in his face.
Finn’s eyes flashed open. He yelled at the world, a growl of garbled pain he barely recognized. He tore clumps of grass from the ground, chucking them as far as he could. He knew without a doubt that she’d found another gateway into Oldwilde other than the Book of Fables. She’d accomplished what she’d set out to do.
Finn jumped to his feet and stormed back inside the bookstore.
Sithias waved a sheet of paper at him. “I found her address. This is a record of all the books Fate’s grandmother ever mailed her,” he announced proudly. “Who needs Sherlock Holmes when you’ve got me?”
“Nice work, but keep your sleuthing hat on. Her address is useless now.”
Sithias dropped the paper and slumped against the countertop. “Really?”
“Fate’s long gone. I tracked her to someplace in a galaxy far, far away.” Finn felt ridiculous repeating the famous line, but it fit in this case. He smiled–more of a grimace–knowing Fate would’ve loved hearing him talk like the fantasy geek she was.
“What could she possibly be doing that far away?”
“I suppose it’s wherever Gerdie said she could find a gateway back to Oldwilde. Except we don’t know where that is.” Finn gripped the edge of the counter and leaned toward Sithias. “You’ve got to think back to what Gerdie told you about this place. What did she call it? Did she say how they’d get there? I’m assuming it wasn’t in a spaceship.”
Sithias shrank from Finn’s intensity. “I swear, sir. I don’t remember much.”
“I saw it.” Finn stared into space. “It’s some sort of manmade planet. The thing is enormous and it’s surrounded by gigantic turning rings.”
“Oh! That sounds familiar. I remember Gerdie saying something about a big city closed in by a cage of turning hoops.” Sithias gave him a sheepish grin. “I thought it sounded absurd at the time.”
“Did she say what it was?”
Sithias tapped his chin. “I can’t recall exactly. She did say it was a big family secret. They’ve been guarding it because it’s some sort of storage place for magical objects and whatnot.”
“That’s good. What else?”
Sithias strained as he tried to remember. His face lit up as if something had come to mind, but then he shook his head. “No. Nothing. That’s about it.”
Finn barely resisted the urge to grab Sithias by his bow tie and shake him into remembering. “Did she happen to say how her family got to the big city of hoops?”
“Hmm…nope, I don’t think so.”
The squeeze of Finn’s hands on the counter made the wood squeak.
Sithias glanced down at Finn’s coiled muscles and gulped. “Come to think of it, she may’ve mentioned something about a door. Here in the bookstore, if I’m not mistaken.”
Finn let go of the counter and paced. “No, that can’t be. I checked every room when I got here. None of them led anywhere but here.”
“Are you sure? Were there any armoires upstairs? Fate gave me a wonderful book about a magical portal through a wardrobe. Maybe the bookstore has one too.”
“No, I didn’t see any, but there was one door I didn’t bother looking inside.” He raced across the room, brushed past the green velvet curtains of the storage room and stopped in front of the janitor closet.
Sithias hurried in after him.
“Flip the switch,” Finn told him. When the lights came on, he noticed the lock on the door. There was nothing extraordinary about it, other than its obvious age and the starburst screws keeping it fastened to the wood, but he sensed an aura of magic around it. “This is it.”
“But we don’t have the key to unlock it.”
Running his fingers along the edge of the doorframe, Finn kneeled down until he saw the matchbook at the very bottom keeping the door from fully closing. Relief washed away the tension bunching muscles into tight bands. “We don’t need it.” Smiling, he stood and opened the door wide. He gestured for Sithias to enter. “After you.”
Sithias peered nervously into the long dark corridor and the strange light glowing off in the distance. “I don’t think so. Definitely after you, sssir.”
43
Bad Timing
A FORCE UNLIKE ANYTHING Finn had ever experienced grabbed hold, hurtling him through a circular tunnel of churning energy. Jagged ribbons of lightning struck from every side, searing his skin. The G-forces increased, pulling his body through unbelievable pain. He was being stretched across space and time, growing thinner and thinner. Fear streaked through every nerve. He wasn’t made for this. He was a construct of magic and Fate’s imagination. If anything existed that could reduce him to nothing but stardust, surely this was it.
The jump ended as fast as it began. Finn catapulted through the air and slammed into stone. He curled into a ball, skidding on his side across a flat surface until he hit the sharp edge of something big and solid. He took a second to feel his arms and legs. His skin wasn’t burned and he was still in one piece.
And sore. Very sore.
He raised his head to look around, seeing an enormous table hovering just a foot off the floor beside him when something crashed into him and flattened him. Whatever it was, coiled inward, slithering across his legs and back. Finn brought his arm around, jamming the thing between the point of his elbow and the table.
“Oomph, watch the wingsss!” Sithias hissed.
Finn scrambled back, eyeing the disturbingly large ivory snake with distaste. “What’s with the snake outfit? You know I how I feel about that,” he growled.
Sithias flapped his feathered wings and proceeded to coil into an upright position. “I’m sssorry, sir. Whatever ability I had to shapeshift, appears to have been left behind on Earth. I’m back to being me.” He swayed in place, turning his head this way and that as he took in the domed ceiling and circular walls lined with tall bookcases. “My, what wonderful sort of place is thisss?”
Finn stood, more interested in the shimmering light, which moved and made the bronze walls translucent. He walked over, staring in awe at the massive structure just outside the room and the enormous gears moving in slow rotation. The sweep of gigantic revolving hoops confirmed this was the same manmade planet he’d seen in his vision when he’d searched for Fate.
His pulse raced. He was in the right place, but was it the right time? He reached out with his senses, feeling for Fate’s presence. His chest burned with disappointment. Fate was no longer there. He shoved the heartache aside. He wouldn’t give up. Not when he was closer than ever to finding her. Nothing would stop him now.
“Don’t move, hold it right there. Hands behind your head,” a girl’s voice said from behind him.
Finn moved to turn around.
“Down on your knees!” she yelled.
Finn charged the girl. Closing the gap faster than she could take the shot, Finn lunged and took her down. They tumbled to the floor, rolling over each other, each fighting to gain leverage. Her strength almost matched his and she was in full on armor, which made her harder to hurt. Finn twisted out from under her, grabbed her wrist and wrenched. Grunting with pain, she paused for one second too long. Finn slammed her to the floor and stood straight.
He checked to see what was happening with Sithias, when her boot shot in
to view and met with the side of his head. His skull filled with a bone-crunching sound. Sparks flashed across his vision, followed by a swarm of black.
•
Laughter roused Finn from a dreamless sleep. Struggling to wake, he touched the grating ache in his temple and winced. His brain was fogged, and when he tried opening his eyes, everything was blurry.
Carefully, he raised himself on one elbow and rubbed his eyes. The world tipped and spun around him, finally settling on the girl soldier he’d fought with. She had her back to him and had Sithias cornered.
“So, there I was, Dr. Benjamin Weathersby, to the rescue. Did I have to look into a few too many unsightly orifices to get the job done? Well, yesss, but I was willing to take half a dozen for the team.”
When she laughed, Finn realized her stance was relaxed and her gun was holstered.
Thoroughly confused and wondering if he was hallucinating after being thumped on the head, Finn rose to his feet.
Sithias leaned around the girl and grinned. “Oh look who’s awake.”
The girl soldier turned to look at him. The dark-haired girl looked to be Fate’s age. She was a fine-boned Asian beauty, and judging from her size, Finn couldn’t see how she’d bested him the way she had. Normally, his extraoridinary strength gave him an advantage over most others. But then on closer inspection, he noticed her armor had some sort of mechanical enhancements. No wonder she’d been so strong.
Sithias slithered over to him. “Finn, meet Jessie.”
She nodded and smiled.
“Jessie here is Fate’s bessst friend since kindergarten.”
Jessie’s wide hazel eyes roved over Finn’s face. “Wow, you look exactly like she described you in all her stories.”
Finn did his best to keep his expression neutral, but it was a struggle. He hated having the painful reminder of his origins open for discussion.
Her expression of awe turned to embarrassment. “Sorry, for staring…and for booting you in the melon. Fate’s going to have my head for putting a bruise on that gorgeous face of yours, but I didn’t know what to think when I found you here in the sanctuary.”
Finn tried to smile but fell short. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” He glanced around. “Where is she?”
“Gone to find you.”
Finn looked at Sithias. “More bad timing. Has that become my specialty?”
“I think so, sir.”
Finn turned back to Jessie. “Tell me where she went. I’ll bring her back.”
“No way, Jose.” Her tone suddenly filled with surprising authority. “You’re staying, even if I have to put you in lockup.”
Finn tensed. “Listen, lass, you’re off your nut if you think I’m going to sit around while Fate’s out there looking for me.”
“Always the hero.” She wore a warning in her smile. “That’s how Fate wrote you.”
“Sir, I have to agree it’s best you stay,” Sithias cut in before Finn completely lost his temper. “The last thing Fate needs is you going off in what could possibly be the wrong direction.”
“Listen to the snake, Finn. You’ve got no idea what Fate’s gone through to be able to actually leave here and go after you. We’ve had one catastrophe after the other to deal with.”
They were making sense, especially Sithias, but that didn’t stop Finn from wanting to take action. He had to do something. “Just tell me where she went.”
“She used the Druidic standing stones to access Oldwilde,” a man’s voice interjected.
Finn turned to see a distinguished, well-dressed man entering the room. A girl with jet-black hair, cut severely around her heavily made-up face, and a guy wearing a top hat with the same amount of eye-makeup strode in after him. If that wasn’t enough, a small fox-faced creature in a bizarre moving cage clambered in behind them.
The older man strode over with his hand extended. “You must be Finn. I’m Fate’s father, Eustace.”
Finn recognized the family connection immediately. Fate had the same shaped eyes as her father, though hers were brown where his were gray. He shook the man’s hand and gulped. “Good to meet you, sir.”
Eustace held the shake a second longer as he studied Finn. The smallest hint of a shadow crossed his face before he let go. “This is incredible. Fate never expected you to come to her.” Concern hardened his features as he shook his head. “I can’t believe you missed her by a few hours.”
Frustration and rage flared in Finn’s chest. He wanted to destroy something. “Me either.” He smiled but it felt stiff.
“Well, we have much to discuss concerning the matter of my daughter.”
“Aye, I look forward to it, sir.”
“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted while I fetch Fate.” Jessie hoisted some sort of pack with wiry wings the shape of dragonflies onto her back.
“How about I go with you?” Finn offered. “I can help.”
Jessie buckled the straps and cinched them tight. “Sorry, only Keep Guardians can jump through the vault portals. Besides, there’s plenty to keep you busy here.” Giving him a wink, she walked over to the round hatch and slammed the button to open it.
“Be careful,” Eustace said. “And hurry.”
Jessie gave him the thumbs up. “Adios,” she yelled, before dropping backwards through the door.
Eustace shook his head. “If it’s not Fate giving me concern, it’s Jessie. I swear those girls will be the death of me someday.”
“I know what you mean,” Finn agreed.
They both smiled knowingly.
Sithias stuck his head between them. “Hi, Sithias at your service.”
Eustace moved to shake his hand, then withdrew it upon realizing Sithias didn’t have hands. “Nice to meet you.” He gestured at the others. “This is Darcy, Steve and Farouk.”
Sithias acknowledged them with a nod as he slithered over to Farouk. “And what would you be, little guy?”
Farouk’s ears slanted back. “I could ask the same of you, big scaly thing.”
Sithias weaved away from the cage. “Someone’s testy. And rude,” he muttered to Finn.
“What about Gerdie?” Finn asked. “She’s here, isn’t she?”
“Yes, of course.” Eustace glanced at the others. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her since Fate left a few hours ago. Has anyone else seen her?”
Darcy ran a black polished fingernail along the edge of her cropped bangs. “Nope. I think Steve was the last to see her.”
Steve frowned at her. “What makes you think that?”
“I saw you talking in the residence quarters before we all went back to the library.”
“Is she feeling ill?” Eustace asked. “Perhaps I should look in on her.”
“No need, she was fine.” Steve’s jaw clenched and then eased when he caught Finn eyeing him.
Eustace turned to leave. “Nonetheless, I’ll check on her. Come with me, Finn. I’m sure Gerdie will be quite pleased to see you.”
“What about me?” Sithias asked. “I know Gerdie too.”
Eustace tilted his head, surveying the snake over his scholarly glasses. “Come along then.”
“What is this place?” Finn asked as he followed Eustace through several long corridors.
“We call it the Keep, though it was originally named the Obiectis by its builders,” Eustace explained. “It’s a rather long story, of which I’m happy to tell you another time. Suffice to say, this is a storehouse for magical objects.”
Sithias hurried to keep up. “Sounds fascinating! The sanctuary had some interesting books. Might I look at them later?”
“Certainly, though that’s a mere stack compared to what’s in the main library.”
Sithias shivered with excitement. “Ooh, can we go there?”
Eustace smiled. “Ah, I see you’re a man…erh…snake after my own heart.” He cleared his throat. “Uh, yes, we’ll drop by the library next.”
They stopped in front of one of the many doors lining the cor
ridor. Strange symbols marked a panel off to one side, most likely some sort of identifying mark to tell one door from the other. Eustace placed his palm over the center of the panel, where it glowed with gold light. He leaned in and spoke into what appeared to be an alien version of an intercom. “Gerdie? It’s Eustace here. I have some guests with me, whom I know you’ll be pleased to see.”
They waited for the door to open.
Eustace frowned at the door with concern. “Hmm, I wonder if we just missed her. Possibly she’s gone to the library. That’s where she spends the majority of her time, after all.”
Sithias held his head high. “I’m the one who taught Gerdie to read.”
Eustace raised his eyebrows. “Well done. She’s got quite the curious mind and has become our best researcher.”
“Now there’s a job I could take to.” Sithias fluttered his wings.
“We’re always open to more help.” Eustace gave a sigh of confusion. “Sorry I dragged you all the way here. I thought surely Gerdie would be in her room. Though I’m surprised her chamber robot didn’t answer.”
“This place has robots?” Finn asked.
Eustace nodded. “Everywhere, and thousands of them. Basically, there’s some sort of maintenance robot for every part of the Keep, even ones to tend to room cleaning. It’s rather nice, really.” He paused for a moment. “Well, she’s not here, so I suppose we’ll shove off to the library now.”
Sithias was the first to make a move back down the corridor. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Finn didn’t move. “Wait. Was this scorch mark always here?”
Eustace bent to examine the dark flare burned into the wood around the door handle. “No, I don’t think so.” He tried turning the handle. “It’s locked.”
“Do you want me to unlock it?” Finn asked.
Eustace frowned at the door with concern. “By all means, if you have some sort of trick to–”
Finn kicked the door in.
“–unlock it. With your foot.”
The room was dark when they entered.
“Lights on.” Eustace stopped in his tracks as the room brightened. “Oh dear god.”
Fate's Keep (Fate's Journey Book 2) Page 33
