I watched the blood slowly drip down my finger as the branches edged closer for me. In the distance, I heard the creatures approaching. I felt myself sinking and laid my head on a pile of forest leaves.
12
The Key
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in Noah’s arms. He was carrying me upstairs to my room. He laid me down on my bed and smoothed my hair away from my face.
“You okay?” he said.
“We were attacked. I don’t know where the rest of you went. I was alone with all of those … things after me. Where is everyone?”
He looked at me strangely. “Miles is recovering.”
“What happened? One of those things got him?”
“Leigh. You attacked him.”
“What do you mean? I didn’t even see him! I was running from those monsters—”
“You were running from us. That was what the witches did. They made you hallucinate so that you’d turn against us. You took off into the forest. We went after you. You tried to attack me first because I was in the lead, but Miles stepped in and took the bullet, so to speak. I lost your trail.” He grinned. “You run really fast. Charmagne put Danielle in a safe room in the house and then came out to see about Miles. While she was gone, the house was ransacked. They were looking for the grimoire.”
“Oh, God. Is he okay?”
“Charmagne’s with him now.”
“He was right. I’m dangerous to be around. I should go home.”
“He’ll be okay. He’s a tough guy.”
“Are you okay? From last night? I’m really sorry about what happened between us.”
He grinned. “Well, I have to say that was the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to me in bed with a woman, but I’m fine.”
I felt blood rushing to my cheeks and looked away. “It’s not funny. I almost killed you. I can’t be with anyone ever again. I’ll just get everyone killed.”
“Can I ask you another personal question?”
“No.”
“I’ll ask anyway. Is that why you don’t want to be with Lucas? Because you’re afraid you’ll hurt him?”
“I didn’t know about all this draining life stuff until I came here. I don’t want to be with him or around anyone in my family because of all of this! This fighting the Dark Side with monsters and God knows what else. It’s too dangerous for them.”
He nodded, understanding. “That really shouldn’t stop you. They know who you are, and they still want to be with you. Nadia … she was pure light and goodness. I don’t regret one second I spent with her.”
I was silent for a while, thinking about what he said. I found myself agreeing with him.
“Miles and Ridge and I are going to the witches’ lair tomorrow. We’ll try to get a couple more pallys to help us. I’m sure Felix will, and some of the others will be back from their trips. We’re going to put a stop to this. You’re staying here. Miles’ orders.”
***
They managed to get a hold of Felix, Olivia, Alex, Oscar, and Saul. Aimee wanted to help, too, but her flight from London was delayed. Sonja was headed back to Ireland to take care of some family business. Casper couldn’t be reached. By the time they all arrived at Charmagne’s, it was late afternoon. I offered to go with them, but Miles pulled me aside and insisted that I stay put until I’ve had more training.
After they left, I checked my phone and was surprised to see that, in the hour or so I was downstairs with everyone, I had seven missed calls, some from Carrie and the rest from Lucas. The last call was from Lucas about ten minutes earlier, so I decided to call him first. Before I could press the call button, the phone rang again, and it was him.
“Hello?”
“Christ, Leigh! I’ve been trying to reach you for the last few hours.” His voice was strained, like he had been crying.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your maw maw’s back in the hospital.”
My heart stopped momentarily. “What is it? What’s—”
“It’s not good. One of her lungs collapsed. The doc said they can’t do anymore surgery on her. Said she’s too old and wouldn’t make it though. They have her hooked up to machines right now. She’s conscious, but wants to go back home. She said she didn’t want to die in a hospital.” He had tears in his voice. “This is it, Leigh. She only has a couple of days left.”
I sank to the bed, my legs betraying me, not knowing what to say, tears welling up in my eyes.
“Leigh?”
“Yeah. I’m going to get my things and get the next flight out.” I heard the words I said, but it didn’t feel like they came out of my mouth. Just before we hung up, I said, “Lyla.”
“She and Jon are spending the night at Carrie’s. Miss Clo doesn’t want Lyla to know. She’s afraid that she’ll try to heal her and that she’ll … you know. Turn into what you are now.”
I realized that was a very wise thing for Clothilde to do. I would not wish this life on Lyla. “I’m going to pack now. Thanks, Luke.”
After I packed, I took my luggage downstairs and set it by the door. I wondered how to call a cab. I didn’t even know the address of the house. While I wracked my brain, trying to figure out what to do, I started to cry, wondering if I was going to see my grandmother again.
Charmagne came up behind me. “I thought I heard someone—” she started, but stopped when she saw the tears in my eyes. Her face changed to worry. “My dear, whatever is the matter?”
“I need to get to the airport,” I said, sniffling. “My grandmother … It doesn’t look good. I need to be there.”
She put her arm around me and said, “Of course, darling. I’ll drive you to the airport myself. Just let me grab a couple of things first.”
I sniffled again and nodded. “I should tell Miles.”
She shook her head. “I will tell him when they return. I’ll be right back. And Leigh? It will all be okay.” She smiled sympathetically and went upstairs.
I waited in the living area, sitting on the chaise lounge and nervously shaking my leg. She seemed to be taking an eternity, though I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Charmagne finally came downstairs with her purse hanging from her shoulder. “Ready to go?”
I nodded. She put her hand on my shoulder. “You know, with our line of work, the battle against evil takes its toll on the body and the mind. From what Miles has told me, your grandmother is a great healer. When my father passed, I was unable to do anything about it because of that grim rule about keeping souls from the Guardians. I was already a dark paladin at the time, so I could not heal him, or I would have become one of the very dark entities we strive to rid the world from.”
I looked at her, wondering why she was telling me this.
“What if I told you that there was a way to save your grandmother and preserve the light you have left so that you do not fall to the Dark Side?” There was anticipation, almost hunger in her eyes as she awaited my answer.
“I don’t understand,” I said slowly. “If you know of a way to do this, why didn’t you use it with your father? And why not use it with Danielle?”
“Because I did not know it at the time. But since then, I have discovered a key, of sorts, that would work. The only problem is it is hidden in a very difficult place. I knew the general location, but could not pin point where it was. Until recently.
“Then why don’t you just go get it?”
Her mouth curved up into a smile, but her eyes were dead serious. “It is quite dangerous.”
“Where is it?”
Her features softened, and she projected an air of coyness and hidden knowledge. “When Charlemagne died, the granddaughter of Anseis took his heart and hid it away. Only a pure descendant of Charlemagne can retrieve it, and only a descendant of Anseis can perform the spell for the heart to work.”
“What does it do?”
“The Heart of Charlemagne can return life to the body.”
“You mean like a zombie or something?�
��
She laughed softly. “No, my dear. This is about life force and souls, not the reanimation of dead tissue. This is returning to the body the very thing that makes us human, and they will be as they were before.”
“Where is the Heart?”
“The Paris underground.”
“Why haven’t you tried to get it?”
“I only have the bloodline on my father’s side, and only a pure descendant of Charlemagne can retrieve the heart. You are a pure descendant.”
“Have you told Miles about this?”
She resoundingly shook her head. “He would not understand. He was a good student of mine, but he was afraid to delve too deeply into the dark arts. I have exquisite control, however. If you tell him, he would never permit you to use it. I’m afraid you must go alone.”
After a couple of moments of contemplation on my part, she said, “Since you’ve been here, you’ve no idea how many times I wanted to ask you for your help. But you were not strong yet. Now, you are. And now I see that it is something you also need. If you really want to save your grandmother, and at the same time help me save Danielle, this is the only way.”
My desperation to save Clothilde trumped my fear and common sense. “So, how do I get there?”
“Come. I will draw you a map.”
13
Tunnel Vision
Charmagne let me use her car. Before I left, I called Lucas to tell him I would be late.
“Hey, how’s she doing?” I asked.
“She’s stable, but why the hell aren’t you on a plane right now?”
“I’m still in Paris. But I think I can help her, Luke. Charmagne knows a way to help her without me turning to the Dark Side.” I chose not to tell him about the dangerous mission I was about to undertake.
He breathed hard on the other end of the phone, and I knew he was wrestling with a decision. “Do what you have to,” he said at last.
“Did you, um, just give me your blessing?”
“Yes. I don’t want to lose her, either.”
I felt tears pricking my eyes. “Okay. As soon as I get what I need, I’ll be on the next flight out.”
“Okay. Love you. Bye.”
Before I could respond, he hung up. Truth is, I almost said “I love you” back.
***
When I finally got to the abandoned park, it was five-thirteen. An old, rusted iron gate, fastened with a large padlock, barred the public from entering, but it didn’t look like it did any good. The left side of the gate hung partially off its hinge, creating a big enough gap for me to slip in. Not far from the gate were broken wine and beer bottles, cigarette butts and condom wrappers. Charmagne wasn’t kidding about the city letting the place go. It was little more than an abandoned lot surrounded by a deteriorated stone wall.
Originally part of the famous Jardin des Plantes botanical garden started by Louis XIII’s doctor, the area caught fire nearly a century ago, and the borders of the garden were moved. A wall was built to separate this side from the renovated side which was to house museums, a zoo, and even a labyrinth. After all that time, the botanical life grew back on this side, but, as Charmagne said, it was never the same. The fire had unearthed a very old cave entrance that hadn’t been used since the aqueduct was built over the quarry in the sixteen hundreds.
Once I got a few yards past the gate, the area was maybe a quarter mile wide and twenty yards deep, nothing but a huge, knotted mess of thick, dead vines. I thought briefly that they looked like stretched-out bones, all twisted together.
I promised myself an hour, because that’s when the sun would set. Looking over my shoulder to make sure no one had followed me, I pushed through the tangles of dead vines for about eighteen feet. My hair kept getting caught, and it was hard to move at times, but the vines were easy to cut with my knife.
About ten minutes later, I saw the opening to the tunnel. The smell of dank earth wafted from deep inside. I cut away the mesh of vines from the opening and then checked the map once more. My route seemed simple enough, and I was confident that I would not get lost.
Taking a deep breath, I turned on my flashlight and entered the tunnel. Forty-three feet in, I came to a dead end wall. At my feet, there was a large opening with a fixed ladder made of rusted iron rungs. Charmagne said that I would be entering the oldest part of the underground, that it was a series of tunnels carved centuries before the quarries and aqueducts were put in. “A simple climb down, about nineteen meters, roughly sixty-two feet,” she had told me. What she hadn’t told me was how terrifying it looked to descend into a dark, gaping maw. I leaned over and shined my flashlight at the bottom, but the light didn’t even reach that far.
To save Clothilde, I reminded myself, trying to drum up more courage. Checking the map again, I took another deep breath, folded it into my jacket pocket and put the flashlight into the back pocket of my jeans.
I slowly, carefully, descended the ladder. With each rung, the air seemed colder, and the smell of damp earth intensified. The light from the opening of the tunnel dimmed the further I went, until it was near total darkness. I pulled my flashlight out, turned it on, and put the base in my mouth, keeping my head down to see the rungs.
Half way down, something faint tickled one of my fingers. I jerked my hand away, holding onto the rung with my other hand, and almost dropped the flashlight. Stuck to the bolt in the rung were several strands of long, brown hair. Someone else had been here. I shined the light downward again, and this time the light reached bottom, but showed nothing except dimly lit earth.
The second I reached the ground, I took the flashlight from my mouth with a shaking hand and looked in each direction. It was a wide tunnel that stretched into darkness on either side. The rough limestone wall in front of me looked like it had been scorched, and the soil … something had been dragged. Something tiny and white caught my eye. I bent down near the base of the ladder and picked it up to see it was part of a fingernail.
Everything in my gut told me to go back up the ladder and run. I took out a switchblade I packed, holding it at the ready, and reminded myself, for Clothilde. That didn’t calm my fears, but it made me more determined.
Following the map, and being as quiet as possible, I went right, following the tunnel for fifteen yards until it came to a split. The map showed to go left. Another ten yards, and then I went left again, and then right and another left, all the while feeling a downward sloping, deeper underground. This world was deathly quiet and, unlike the graffiti and signs of the more popular parts of the catacombs, this place was largely undisturbed.
After nearly twenty minutes, I came to the room Charmagne had marked off on the map. It was a small chamber, barren, except for a make-shift altar in the center. I cautiously approached, following the beam of my flashlight and the particles of dust that danced lazily in its path.
There was nothing on the altar.
I looked around the chamber but saw nothing. No heart.
Sudden anger ripped through my body. “DAMNIT!” My voice echoed. Tears welled up, and I bit my lip. It wasn’t fair. To come all this way, to get my hopes so high that I could save Clothilde. And nothing here. I kicked the altar in frustration.
That’s when I heard the faint rustling.
I froze, flashlight in hand, aiming it at the entrance of the chamber. The rustling came from the tunnel. It was a slow, dragging sound, and it was coming closer. Soon I heard heavy breathing as the rustling approached. With it was a soft, flickering glow. I turned off the flashlight and crouched behind the altar.
The glow intensified along with the breathing, but the dragging sound stopped. Whatever was making that noise, it was at the entrance of the chamber.
I did my best to quiet my breath, to make as little noise as possible as I pulled out my knife. My hand shook terribly as the adrenaline of panic crept from my gut through my sternum and threatened to escape my lips in a horrific scream.
The shuffling started again, coming closer to the altar,
and now I could see that the flickering glow came from a torch, and that torch was being held by a monstrous hand that looked like a thin layer of fleshy mud interwoven between dull, yellowed bones. And the smell … rotten earth, dank and soured … the scent of a sanctuary for death.
Holding my hand over my mouth and nose to keep from gagging, I silently scooted backward around the other side of the altar, trying to be unnoticed by the creature. Just then, it let out a guttural groan and slammed its ruddy fist on top of the altar. In one quick burst of anger, it swiped at it, sending it crashing against the wall.
My eyes widened in terror at the hulking beast before me. The rest of its body was covered in that same muddy flesh that seemed to melt in between its ancient bones. Its eyes were just two pools of ink, no irises or whites. It had to hunch over because it was too tall for the ceiling. Its right foot curved at an awkward angle.
When it saw me, it let out another deep groan and lurched for me with its other hand. I pushed back and rolled over, getting to my feet, and took off down the tunnel. I turned on my flashlight as I ran and heard it follow me, groaning and shuffling in my direction, the light from its torch glowing only yards behind me.
Before I realized what I was doing, I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. I ducked into a small alcove and checked the map. It looked like I had passed up the tunnel where I should have turned left. I couldn’t go back, though. The monster would be there by now. Going by the map, it looked like I could take another tunnel that would lead me around in a circle.
I took the other tunnel and got no more than thirty feet when my batteries started to die. Cursing, I knocked the base of the flashlight against my hand. It rattled to life for a few more seconds before dimming again. I stooped down and dug through my back pack, frantically feeling for the extra batteries as I still heard the creature in the near distance. Panicked, I grabbed a glow stick from the bottom of the pack, threw the flashlight in and zipped it up.
Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 03 - Dark Legacy Page 21
