Jane Doe and the Key of All Souls

by Jeremy Lachlan

  ‘You are the one he wants, Jane. The one he needs. I had to be patient.’

  I glance at Violet and Hickory, still gagged and bound. Elsa’s standing beside them, but I’m not gonna get any help from her. Something’s snapped inside her. It’s like she’s had a run-in with a Spectre, been Gripped. We’re outnumbered. Surrounded. Trapped.

  ‘Look,’ I say, ‘if you hand me and the keys to Roth, everyone in this world’s gonna die. He’ll unleash the Cradle Sea. I know it. I’ve seen it. Trust me, you don’t want that. Help us. Please. We cannot let Roth anywhere near the Cradle. We can’t let him win.’

  ‘He already has won, Jane. His power is too great. You know this. Why fight it?’

  ‘What makes you so sure Roth isn’t gonna kill you, first chance he gets?’

  ‘Because you and the keys are not the only gifts I will present to him, Jane.’ Masaru gazes at the ceiling, clutching the medallion dangling from his neck like it’s his own goddamn heart. ‘Roth will peer into my soul and see only faith, reverence and sacrifice. The people of Arakaan will be spared, the dune sea gateway sealed, and I?’ Cue that maniacal gleam again. ‘I will stand by his side in the timeless space of the Cradle, guiding him, serving him, shaping the futures of all worlds forevermore. It is my right – nay, my destiny.’

  Ugh, I really hate this guy.

  ‘He’ll gaze into your soul and see a bag of cats, Masaru. The Makers left me behind to protect the Manor, and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do. Tell your goons to give me the keys and let us go, or I’ll … I’ll –’

  ‘What?’ Masaru says. ‘Hmm? Cause a quake? Bring down the mountain? Elsa just told me how you froze at the Mulu Pass. Fear is holding you back. Good for us, I think. Not so good for you.’ He sighs. ‘You should be thanking me. I am offering you safe passage back to the Manor. An armed escort. I am offering you immortal life!’

  ‘Trapped inside the Cradle with Roth in my head? That isn’t a life.’ I raise the machete a little higher, nod at Violet and Hickory. My hand starts to shake. ‘Let them go. Let us all go.’

  ‘Easy, my child,’ Masaru says. ‘Your companions are quite safe. For now.’ Masaru strolls over to Hickory. ‘Especially this one. Elsa told me you served Roth for many years, my son.’

  Hickory looks at me, at Violet, at Elsa.

  Masaru runs a hand down Hickory’s cheek and plucks the gag from his mouth. ‘You knelt before him. He deemed you worthy.’ A shadow passes over Masaru’s face. His lip quivers. ‘And now you travel with these … these heretics! You betrayed him. How could you?’

  Hickory grits his teeth. ‘Back off, old man. You don’t know me.’

  ‘Oh, but I do, my son,’ Masaru says, resting a hand on Hickory’s shorn head. ‘Or at least, I know your type. You are scared. Weak. I am guessing you wanted to claim the Cradle for yourself and tear the Manor apart. Just like our old friend Elsa here.’

  ‘Sorry,’ I say, butting in, ‘what was that?’

  ‘Jane, Jane, Jane.’ Masaru straightens up and smiles. ‘Don’t you understand? Can you not see? The Boboki may be ruthless, but they were not trying to kill you at Orin-kin, my child. They were trying to take you from us.’ Masaru nods at Elsa. ‘And save you from her.’

  ‘Save us?’ I say. ‘From … no, they attacked us.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  They didn’t use their weapons, Violet said in our room.

  I see the tattooed Boboki girl reaching out to me in the stables. I see the look on Yaku’s face when we fled. Hear him screaming Elsa’s name.

  ‘Elsa?’ My voice cracks. ‘What’s he talking about?’

  Hickory stares at her, confused. Violet yells into her gag, struggles against the rope around her wrists. Because Elsa isn’t even trying to prove Masaru wrong. She’s just standing there, utterly still, head bowed as if caught mid-prayer. And it hits me. Sits heavy in my gut.

  Masaru’s telling the truth.

  I step back. My knees buckle. Aki stops me from falling.

  ‘Elsa genuinely believed the Boboki were coming to kill you, Jane,’ Masaru says, ‘but it was not so much your life she was worried about; rather, the downfall of her own nefarious plan. She has been lying to you from the beginning. I do not blame you for believing her.’ He gestures at the Elders lashed to their thrones. ‘They believed her for years. “We must help her,” she would tell them. “We must help the one with amber eyes.” And they wanted to, Jane. Why, up until this morning, they thought they were.’ He chuckles to himself. ‘I knew, though. I heard her whispers in the night. You think Roth is evil? No, no, no. This’ – he wags a crooked finger at Elsa – ‘is evil. She is no friend to you.’

  I wish the old man was just messing with my head, but Elsa isn’t denying a thing.

  I clench my fists. Feel that familiar jolt of pain up my left arm. ‘Elsa … why?’

  ‘I’ve already told you,’ she says at last. ‘Together, we can make things right.’ And she turns to me, looks me dead in the eye. Cold. Detached. I saw the darkness in you the moment we met, Masaru said. I think I can finally see it, too. ‘I’m sorry, Jane. It’s the only way to make him pay for everything he’s done. The only way to stop him, once and for all.’

  Aki snarls. I’m sure Violet’s holding her breath, just like me.

  ‘What are you saying?’ I ask, although I have a bad feeling I already know.

  ‘In your blood lies the power of the gods, Jane,’ Masaru says. ‘The power to heal the Manor … or destroy it.’ He slips both Cradle keys into his pocket. ‘Elsa’s plan was – is – has always been – to take you into the Cradle, and spill your life upon the foundation stone. Her plan is for you to die.’

  THE DUNGEON

  ‘So let’s get this straight,’ Violet says. ‘Roth wants to possess you, claim the Cradle, conquer the Manor and cover every Otherworld in infinite darkness.’

  ‘Mm-hm.’

  ‘The Elders were going to help you stop him.’

  ‘Apparently.’

  ‘But Masaru lost his mind, took them hostage and plans to hand you over to Roth because he actually thinks they’ll become best buddies or something.’

  ‘Pretty much.’

  ‘And Elsa wants to –’

  ‘Sacrifice me inside the Cradle, unleash the Sea and tear the Manor apart, obliterating Roth and his army, killing my dad and every other prisoner still stuck in there, plunging the Otherworlds into absolute chaos and quite possibly ending life as we know it.’

  ‘So … not the best scenario.’

  ‘No,’ I say. ‘Not quite.’

  We’re in separate cells, somewhere underground. It’s stuffy and dark, smells like stale pee. We’re the only ones down here, except for a couple of guards out in the tunnel who keep telling us to shut up. Aki was shot with a sedative dart as soon as the council meeting ended. Maybe they’ve already taken him to the plane. Hickory was marched off somewhere with Masaru. We have no idea where Elsa is. To be honest, I don’t care.

  My cell’s tiny, clad in sheets of rusted metal from floor to ceiling to make sure I have no contact with stone. Even the door’s made of metal. There’s a little barred window near the top, but my shackles are bolted to the floor. I can barely kneel, let alone stand. A bit over-cautious on Masaru’s part, but you can’t blame him. He was expecting a grown woman, after all. A true avatar of the Makers. Aris reborn.

  ‘I’m sorry, Jane,’ Violet says from her cell. ‘I still can’t believe it.’

  Unfortunately, I can.

  I have no doubt you’ll shine when the time comes.

  Their power lies within you, and it will awaken.

  I’ll be right beside you. I won’t stop fighting, not until we’re standing atop the foundation stone. We’ll make Roth pay for what he’s done. We’ll make everything right, once and for all.

  ‘Together,’ I whisper to myself.

  Elsa was talking about my sacrifice all along. I clasp my hands in my lap. They haven’t stopped shaking since the council
chamber. I feel like I’m gonna throw up.

  ‘She said it herself,’ I tell Violet, ‘out on the flats: she isn’t the woman she used to be.’

  ‘What about the Boboki?’ Violet rattles her chains for the hundredth time, trying to break free. ‘Do you think they’re still coming for us? Coming to help us?’

  ‘I guess we’ll find out soon enough.’

  ‘Shh!’ one of the guards says.

  ‘Shush yourself,’ Violet snaps at him. ‘Well, they’d better hurry.’ She grunts and strains against her chains. ‘Damn it.’ I hear her plonk herself down. ‘I feel bad we beat them up. The Boboki, I mean. Gods, Aki kicked one of them off the balcony. Hickory stabbed one with a spoon. And the wagon! I hope we didn’t blow any of them up. Yaku will understand, though, right? They came in the middle of the night. One of them put his hand over my mouth, and –’

  ‘Shh!’ the guard says again, thumping his fist on her door. ‘Kalanthai!’

  ‘How about you come in here and say that to my face?’ Violet yells.

  ‘Cut it out,’ Elsa says.

  She’s marching down the tunnel with two guards, by the sound of it. I can hear their boots. Weapons clanking around their belts. They mutter something, our guards mutter back, and they all march off.

  ‘Are you both all right?’ Elsa asks once we’re alone.

  ‘Like you care,’ Violet says.

  ‘I care very much, actually.’ Elsa seems more with it than she was in the council chamber. I guess the shock of Masaru’s deception has worn off. ‘I need you alive.’

  ‘So you can kill me later?’ I say. ‘Thanks.’

  Shuffled footsteps. A jangle of chain outside my door. ‘We don’t have time to argue. Turns out Masaru’s been brainwashing the guards of Asmadin for years, convincing them to swear allegiance to Roth. Most have been turned, but not all. I managed to convince mine to take a quick detour on our way to the airstrip. They want to help us. Well, I should say, they want to help me.’

  ‘You came here just to tell us that?’

  ‘No.’ Another step closer. Another jangle of chain. Elsa peers through the barred window of my cell, backlit by the torches in the tunnel. ‘I wanted to see you before I start prepping for take-off. I don’t blame you for being angry, Jane. I know you’ll never forgive me, but I assure you, the Boboki are coming. When Yaku attacks Asmadin – and he will attack – you mustn’t try to escape with him. You hate me? Fine. But you need me. I meant what I said at the council. I’m the only one who can fly us safely across the dune sea.’

  ‘Cool,’ I say. ‘That it?’

  ‘Not quite,’ Elsa says. ‘I want you to know why.’

  ‘Why you want to kill me? Save your breath. I know. You want revenge.’

  ‘He killed my boy! Roth pinned Charlie to the wall and watched as … as my baby …’ She can’t say it.

  I close my eyes and see Elsa in the shipwreck, etching her baby boy on the wall. I see her crying, wailing, screaming at the suns, moon and stars.

  But all I feel is anger.

  ‘I’m sorry that happened to you, Elsa,’ Violet says. ‘I’m not even going to pretend I understand how terrible it was. But John does. Charlie. Jane’s dad. He lost a son, too, and you don’t see him trying to –’

  ‘Charlie left me,’ Elsa says. ‘We made it out of the Cradle. Got away from the two Guardians that escaped and led Roth far from the entrance so he’d never know where it was. He almost caught us again. Came so close to grabbing you, Jane. But I saved us. I found the trap that let us get away. And after all that – everything we’d been through – Charlie abandoned me.’ She grips the bars of my window with her shackled hands. ‘For you.’

  ‘He didn’t abandon you, Elsa, he –’

  ‘You got out, Jane. You were free, but I was trapped inside that hell-scape for fifty-odd years. Half a century of running and hiding from Roth’s army and the Cradle Guardian.’

  ‘Spectre,’ Violet says.

  ‘What?’

  ‘The Cradle Guardians. We call them Spectres.’

  ‘Well, I call ’em Guardians, and I saw ’em first.’

  ‘Okay, okay,’ Violet mutters. ‘Tetchy.’

  ‘As I was saying,’ Elsa continues, ‘it was hell. I forgot the taste of food, the sound of laughter. I wasn’t Roth’s prisoner anymore, I was the Manor’s.’ She unfurls her hands between the bars of the window, catching invisible rain. ‘Then, one day, I heard water …’

  ‘The river,’ I whisper. The hall of waterfalls.

  Elsa nods. ‘I crawled out of my hiding space. Hadn’t felt or tasted water in so long. It was … beautiful.’ Elsa’s voice trembles. ‘That was when the Guardian found me. It filled the hall with that bright white light. Caught me. Took me to the nightmare realm.’

  ‘We call that the Grip,’ Violet says.

  Elsa clenches her fists, but keeps staring down at me. ‘You know what it does, then. What it shows you. Can you guess what I saw in there? Which moment I was forced to relive?’ I nod. ‘That’s right. I was back in that cell, choking on Roth’s stench, watching my sweet baby boy die over and over again. I can still see it, feel it, feel him, Jane, whenever I close my eyes.’

  I remember Hickory saying the same thing.

  The Grip never really lets you go.

  ‘The Spectres are connected through the Grip,’ I say, barely managing to keep my voice steady. ‘You saw Dad in there, too. He said you were together for a while.’

  ‘A very short while, but yes. I told him about the waterfalls. Charlie held me. Said he’d come for me. Promised he’d find a way.’ She shakes her head, as if disgusted by the idea. ‘Then … I woke up.’

  She vanished from the Grip, Dad told me on the train, before we could say goodbye. The Spectre spared her, just as it spared Hickory. Just as it spared me.

  ‘It hovered over me for a moment,’ Elsa says, ‘then floated along a corridor, through a door I’d never been able to open before. It led me to a gateway. I’d found others in my time – none of them let me out, obviously, but this one did.’ Elsa shakes her head. ‘I actually thanked the Guardian as it disappeared back down the corridor. I thought the Manor was taking pity on me at last, leading me to safety, leading me home. But no. I stepped onto the salt with shaking legs, and by the time my eyes adjusted to the glare, the gateway had shut. I was trapped, here in Arakaan, right back where I started. That was the moment that truly broke me. The final twist of the knife.’ She wipes a tear from her cheek. ‘Roth ruined my life, Jane – because of the Manor, because of the Makers, because of you. I don’t want revenge. I want justice.’

  ‘Justice?’ Violet says. ‘You’re talking about killing a child, Elsa.’

  ‘Not a child,’ she says, looking down her nose at me. ‘A vessel. Believe me, I wish there was another way, Jane. You know I tried to find one. I nearly died searching for the Dahaari weapons. But it was thanks to that struggle, that failure, that I finally understood.’

  The desert showed me, she said in the watchtower. The desert made me see.

  The woman with glowing amber eyes and footsteps like thunder.

  ‘The Makers didn’t just pour their life force into the foundation stone,’ Elsa says, ‘they poured it into you. You are the weapon I need. I was the one who took you from the Cradle in the first place. Feels only right that I should be the one to take you back.’

  I pluck at the bandage around my hand. I can feel it now, despite the fear and doubt still clawing away at my insides. In my palm, an itch. In my gut, the first ebb of the furious tide.

  ‘Believe it or not,’ I say, ‘someone’s already tried to sacrifice me to the Manor this week. Didn’t turn out too well for the other guy.’

  The edges of Elsa’s face crease with a smile. ‘Violet told me, your first night here. The mayor of Bluehaven, yes? I must admit, I was relieved when I heard you nearly levelled the island. Tell me, was it really fear for Charlie’s life that drove the destruction, or fear for your own?’ She doesn’
t wait for an answer. ‘I guess we’ll see. Charlie won’t be joining us in the Cradle, of course, but’ – she nods at Violet’s cell – ‘I’m sure I’ll find a suitable substitute.’

  That does it. Anger flushes through my veins, swirling the furious tide. I spring to my knees, straining against the chains.

  ‘Atta girl,’ Elsa says, delighted. ‘My, my, imagine the damage you’ll cause on the foundation stone when your powers are amplified a hundred-fold. And don’t worry. Unlike the mayor, I will finish the job.’

  ‘Mighty confident for a woman with shackles round her wrists,’ Violet says.

  ‘Masaru’s betrayal is unfortunate, yes,’ Elsa says. ‘I was so busy playing everyone, I never stopped to wonder if anyone was playing me. He’s been ahead of me every step of the way, this is true, but the tables are about to turn. All this?’ She glances around at the dungeon, jangles the chain binding her wrists. ‘It’s a complication, nothing more.’

  ‘Well, I hate to complicate things further,’ Violet says, ‘but Masaru isn’t the only one who fooled you. Hali-gabera isn’t buried in that tomb, Elsa. The body you saw was a decoy, just like the dummy keys. Hali wasn’t born of the sands. She came from across the sands, from Bluehaven. Her real name’s Winifred Robin, and she’s very much alive.’

  I guess we’re not keeping it a secret anymore.

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Elsa scoffs. ‘Hali-gabera died over a thousand years ago.’

  ‘Time does strange things in the Manor,’ Violet replies. ‘Roth didn’t kill her. Didn’t destroy the arrowhead. Winifred fled back to the Manor to draw him away from Asmadin, and she gave it to Inigo before she left, to keep it safe. It’s hidden in her tomb, I’m sure of it.’

  ‘Nonsense. I checked every inch of the tomb.’

  ‘Check it again. You say killing Jane in the Cradle is the only way to defeat Roth. I’m telling you it isn’t. This is why the Manor brought you back here, Elsa. This is why we’re here, too. It’s all because of the arrowhead. If you just –’

  ‘Enough!’ Elsa cries. ‘We have to unleash the Sea. There is no other way.’