by Morgana Best
Julie glared at me intently, her cheeks flushing as her eyes sparkled with ferocity. “Craig? That slob? He’s nothing but a nobody who sits around wasting my hard-earned money on video games and wine. Have I ever told you that his family doesn’t like me? Why? And even if he were a part of this, what would it matter? We can’t be stopped, and you’re about to learn that firsthand,” she said, grabbing my arm once more.
I yelped at the pain as her fingernails dug into my arms. “Ouch! Can you please let me go?” I asked her. “It’s not like I can just escape.”
Julie shook her head and laughed. “Don’t worry. We’ll let you go, just not until it’s ready.”
“Until what’s ready?” I asked, my heart sinking to my stomach as I realized the answer to my own question. “What are you going to do to me? Where are you going to send me?”
“Misty, this isn’t as bad as it looks. Just relax and stay calm and it’ll all be over soon,” Douglas said, walking back toward the center of the room. He bent down and picked up the journal, opening it up and touching the page with his index finger. “Se dissolvant circumstantia falsa!” he read from the journal.
“Wait, you can’t!” I said, even while I was trying to translate the Latin and wondering why the verb wasn’t last in the sentence.
Douglas looked down at me and sighed. He continued reciting words from the journal as the room quaked and darkness slowly discolored the walls. I looked around frantically, my heart beating faster than ever as the white walls turned a dark purplish haze. For good measure, I tried to elbow Julie hard in the ribs, but to no avail.
I looked back up to see Douglas holding the book in one hand. In the center of the discolored wall behind him, a small whirlpool came to life. Bolts of light shot through the room as the whirling portal finally began to take shape. Julie stood up and pulled me to my feet.
“Please, just let me go. I won’t say anything,” I said.
As Julie slowly pushed me, I struggled to free my arms from her. Douglas stood beside the portal, closing the book once he was finished with the incantation. “Let’s hope it worked,” he said to Julie.
“All you had to do was leave us be for just a few more minutes and none of this would have come to pass,” Julie said to me.
I sighed deeply as the realization that I was about to be thrown through the portal struck me. There was nobody around to save me, only two villains: Douglas and Julie. But where was Jamie? Had they lured him away from my room as well? Was he safe? As the hand on my back pushed harder, I came face to face with the large portal.
Despite the windows being closed, fierce gusts of wind beat against my face, blowing my hair all around it. “This is it,” Julie said. “Goodbye!”
Just then, Douglas pulled me backward and grabbed Julie’s arm. “Goodbye to you!” he said, tossing her through the portal.
“You betrayed me! Why, you little…” she said, her voice fading away as the portal devoured her. After Douglas recited several more words, the portal imploded on itself, causing a small explosion of white to erupt from the remnants of the passage and return the walls to the way they previously looked.
Chapter 15
I gasped as I watched the portal close behind Julie. I turned to Douglas. “She could die in there!” I said.
Douglas shrugged. “Don’t lose any sleep over her. She was just a means to an end, nothing more.”
I couldn’t detect a single shred of remorse in his voice as he spoke. How could someone be so wicked? Unperturbed, Douglas continued to skim through the pages of the journal, seemingly uncaring of my presence. While I had never trusted him, his charisma and charm had worked well to mask just how truly ruthless and evil he was. I had always known that Douglas was working for the bad guys, but not once had I ever really considered him to be one of them. “How can you show such disregard for human life?” I said.
Douglas smiled. “It’s not that I have no regard for life. It’s the exact opposite, actually. There are just some things that mean more to the big picture than you or I do,” he explained. “I have my job, and Julie had hers. When I’m finished with my part, I imagine I might meet a similar fate. Survival of the fittest, after all,” he chuckled.
“You really are rotten to the core,” I said. “So, what exactly is the point of all this? What are you and the Black Lodge trying to do?”
“What we are trying to do involves something that has proven rather elusive until today,” he said, pointing at the journal. “This is something I’ve needed to get my hands on for quite some time. Luckily, I finally have, thanks in part to you and your mail lady friend.”
The smug look on his face filled me with anger. My lips quivered and my hands shook with frustration. As I was thinking of what to do next, something dawned on me. “Did you kill Lucas Wallace?” I asked. “Was it to get his journal?”
“I did kill him, but it wasn’t solely for the book,” Douglas said. “He was a leading member of an occultist group that’s been trying to open the portal for years. Once he discovered the ritual for opening the portals, I was sent to stop him and retrieve the information he had. If we’d allowed him to share these secrets, who knows what danger that could’ve unleashed on the world?”
I could feel my chest tightening as his confession sank in. “You’re nothing but a murderer,” I said. “Wait, but there were scratches all over the body. It looked like…”
“Like he had been attacked and killed while inside the portal?” Douglas asked, a smile creasing his lips. “That was part of my job.”
I tried to make sense of what he was saying. “So, you killed Lucas Wallace and then faked the scratches on his body to cover it up?”
“Yes, and it worked splendidly, didn’t it?” he said smugly.
He was right. If the scratch marks were meant to make The Orpheans and the British Government think that Wallace was killed inside the portal, it was definitely likely to work. Was that all there was to the story, though? Was he solely trying to stop an occultist group from unleashing something dangerous on the world? Surely that was way too altruistic for the Black Lodge. There had to be more. “If your job was to protect the portal ritual from getting into the hands of others, what exactly is your next step?”
Douglas gazed at me intently. “Do you really want to know? There’s something inside that portal that just waits to be recovered,” he said, wagging his finger at me.
“What?” I said.
“There’s gold to be found inside there,” he said, pointing toward the wall where the portal had appeared. “Very few know about it, which is a good thing for me. I’m in no rush really, but I just don’t want anyone else to get their hands on it before I do. It’s mine to discover.”
I shook my head. “You do know how dangerous it is inside there? I was nearly killed.”
“And that is precisely why I have no intention of going in alone,” he said, extending his hand toward mine. “Besides, once you know how to navigate the portal, the dangers become obsolete.”
I stared at Douglas in disbelief. “Are you out of your mind?”
“We can share the gold. I’ve always liked you, Misty. We could be a great team. Forget about Jamie and let’s grow rich together,” he said, smiling at me.
I backed slowly toward the door. “You really are crazy!”
His cold fingers reached for my wrist and tightened. He pulled me toward him with one swift movement and flashed a wicked grin. “I was only asking to be polite. Should I ask once more, or is it pointless? Plan B is to take you, anyway,” he added.
A single tear trickled down my cheek as the fear became all too real. “Please, I’ve already been in there once! Don’t make me return!”
“Sorry, but you’re the key to finding my gold. I need you, and you’re going to need me too,” he said, dragging me closer to the wall. I opened my mouth to scream, but his hand clamped over it. “Hush now. The time is nearly upon us,” he said. “I’m not going to hurt you, but I can’t have you yelling an
d drawing attention to the room, can I?” With his free hand, he opened the journal once more.
Hope was fading away fast. I was being held by an evil man who wanted to take me back into the portal of terror from which I had only recently escaped. The thought of such a thing was too much to bear. “Wait, please. I’ll do anything you want me to, except go back in there,” I pleaded. “Douglas, you can get the gold on your own. Why do you need me?”
Douglas paused in the middle of his incantation. “You would have better sight within the portal than most do. An extra sense, if you will. That’s probably why you escaped it unscathed the first time. Bringing you along simply multiplies my chances of surviving in one piece.”
“And what about me?” I asked. “Am I just going to be a means to an end, too?”
Douglas chuckled at the thought. “You very well could be. Or perhaps something more, but we won’t exactly know for quite some time, will we? That all depends on you. Enough stalling, though, we have a portal to catch!”
As he turned his attention back to the journal, I tried to think of a way to stop him. I could not. The room flooded with energy and the walls turned dark. I watched the portal as it spun back to life, blowing wind around the room.
I looked at the book as it sat in his hand. Should I try to grab it and throw it into the portal? If he dived in after it and took me with him, all it would have done was expedite the trip. If only there were some way to get Douglas into the portal without the journal.
“Let’s go find my gold,” he said, pulling me toward the portal. The wind grew in intensity.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No!” I did my best to pull away, but Douglas was just too strong.
“It’s nice and breezy in here,” he said with a chuckle. “Come and join your new partner!”
Time seemed to slow as Douglas partially jutted out from the swirling hole in the wall. He had one hand around my arm and he clung to the journal with his other. I waited for my opportunity.
Just as the blackness was beckoning, I snatched the journal with all my might, and threw it out of the portal. It landed near the bed. “Are you insane?” Douglas screamed. “We can’t open the portal back up without that book!”
I tried to throw myself after the book and to safety, but Douglas tightened his grip on me. He was now entirely sucked in, and the hotel room faded from view as he dragged me into the portal behind him. Reality began to disappear right before my eyes.
Just then, Skinny burst into the room.
Chapter 16
Skinny rushed toward the portal, all the while uttering an incantation. The pulling sensation eased. I looked back at Douglas. His face was contorted with fear and he appeared to be screaming, but no sounds escaped the rift.
The portal slowly dissolved around me. The winds died down and the whirlpool ceased spinning. Skinny reached for me and yanked me hard back into the hotel room.
To say I was shocked was the understatement of all understatements. Skinny? And in my hotel room, and what was more, actually uttering an incantation? “Err, err, what are you doing here?” I stammered.
“There’ll be plenty of time for questions later. Shut your mouth. You look like a goldfish. I have to close this portal before he escapes,” she barked at me.
“Will he ever be able to get out of there?” I asked.
Skinny ignored me and continued her incantation. I watched in silence as Douglas and the portal faded from the walls of my hotel suite.
After the portal closed, taking Douglas and his evil ambitions with it, I stared at Skinny, blinking rapidly and rubbing at my eyes in order to wipe away what seemed to be an illusion. I watched the woman intently as she picked up the journal and then flipped through the pages. I was beside myself with shock.
“What are you doing here?” I asked for the second time, looking around the room, hoping to make sense of everything.
Skinny turned to me and shook her head. “I came here to save you, obviously,” she snapped. “Where’s the other one?”
I was confused. “What other one?”
“The mail lady, obviously,” Skinny replied.
I was sick and confused. Was I in an alternate universe now? Or was I dreaming? None of it made any sense. Julie and Douglas had been working together. Skinny had appeared and saved me from the portal. “Julie?” I gasped. “Douglas threw her inside the portal, but how did you know about her?”
Again, Skinny ignored my question. “Oh well, at least that’s one less problem we’ll have to worry about,” she said.
“One less problem? She was a person! Just like Douglas. Even though they worked for the Black Lodge,” I said. “They didn’t deserve to be cast off into some dark portal. It’s pretty scary inside those things, if you weren’t aware!”
Skinny shook her head. “You do realize why I’m here? I know much more about the Black Lodge than you do, my dear,” she said in her usual, demeaning tone. “Have you ever heard of a little group called The Orpheans?”
My jaw dropped. I stepped backward until my legs touched the bed and then I let myself fall onto it. I looked up at my boss with a blank stare. Words could not describe the emotions that surged within me as my mind tried to figure out how my boss knew about The Orpheans.
“For the first time since we met, I think you’re speechless,” Skinny sneered. “Yes, I know all about The Orpheans and your role in it.”
“But how? But how?” I said. My head was reeling.
Skinny picked up the journal and clutched it to her. “Have you ever wondered who the Leader of The Orpheans was? Have you ever wondered who the blocked sender was, sending you all those nice warnings? You might be the Keeper, but have you not even questioned who else might be working with you?”
I bit my lip. What was she saying? Surely not! “There’s no way…”
“Of course there’s a way,” Skinny snapped, but she was forestalled from insulting me by a loud knock at the door. “Go see who it is,” she said. “I’ll stay behind the door in case it’s another one of Douglas’s goons.”
“Okay,” I said. I opened the door to see Jamie, a look of weariness plastered all over his usually gorgeous features. I threw my arms around him. “Where have you been?”
“Ouch,” he said, wincing in pain as I hugged him tightly.
I loosened my grip at once. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s all right. I’m just a little sore,” Jamie said.
“Where have you been?” I said again, examining his arms and face for injuries, but all I found were random leaves and patches of dirt. “You’re a mess, but other than that, you look okay. Those marks on your wrists don’t look too good, though.”
Jamie lifted his hands and looked at his wrists. “Ah, they’re fine, just some rope burns. Your mail lady, Julie, came to my room this morning and said that you were in trouble. Something about finding a journal and reading from it. She told me that you were waiting for us outside, so I followed her out. A knock on my head ended the conversation. I’m not too sure what happened after that. I just know that I woke up tied to a tree and struggled to free myself for some time. Luckily two hikers spotted me and untied me.”
“Oh no,” I said, looking deep into his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor or something?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” he said, a slight smile creasing his lips. Then, his demeanor quickly changed and he gasped. I followed his eyes to see Skinny sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. “What’s she doing here?”
“Get a room, you two,” she said. “Oh wait! This is a room.” Skinny chuckled at her own joke.
“Skinny is actually the Leader of The Orpheans,” I said. Jamie’s mouth fell open. I pushed on. “Douglas and Julie were in on it together. I went to look for you after I got sucked into the portal. Julie knocked me over in the hallway, and then I noticed the journal was missing from my bag. When I went back to my room to look for it, I walked in to find them both sitting on the floor right there, r
eciting an incantation from the journal.” I paused for breath and pointed to the spot where the two Black Lodge members had tried to open the portal.
A look of pure bewilderment crossed Jamie’s face. He appeared to be as confused and disbelieving as I was. “Well, I’m glad that you’re okay, but I didn’t expect all of this to happen. Where are Douglas and Julie now?” he asked, looking around the room.
“They are both somewhere quite isolated,” Skinny answered, a pompous smile forming at the corners of her pursed lips. “Misty, I need to speak with you in private.”
Jamie nodded. “I should probably take a shower and wash up anyway. After I clean up, I’ll come back and check on you.”
I smiled in return and then he was gone, through the door, I mean, not the portal, thank goodness.
Skinny walked toward me, holding out Lucas Wallace’s journal. “We’ll have to burn this in order to protect the incantation from getting out to the public. Lucas Wallace was part of a powerful occult group, and they surely won’t give up finding answers just because one of their own is deceased. As the Leader of The Orpheans, and with you as the Keeper, the duty to protect others from the supernatural world is ours,” she explained.
“I guess all of that makes sense, except for the part about you being Leader. How is that even possible?”
Skinny smiled thinly and turned toward the window. She spoke quietly. “Do you remember the advertisement that you answered for the position at the magazine?”
A feeling of astonishment washed over me. “Uh, yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, we just happened to tailor that ad specifically to you. Getting you to apply and work for the magazine gave me the added benefit of being able to watch you closely. As Leader of The Orpheans, it was my job to ensure your safety and understanding of your future role. At that time, you were just the next-in-line, but your aunt’s early demise changed everything,” Skinny said.
