The Maiden Medallions: Beastkeeper

by Edward Shawn

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring it to school. We’ll swing by after and pick it up on the way back to your place.”

  “Sure, whatever you want. And I agree–it’s not a good idea. We can’t have you seizing up and leaking green light everywhere during Mr. Ashcroft’s class,” Danny said with a smile, although his eyes shined with concern.

  “We should go.” James gazed at Castle. If he wanted answers to what just occurred, he needed to see Micah as soon as possible. If only he knew of a way to contact him.

  16

  Jeremiah acknowledged his granddaughter as he gazed through a large bay window overlooking the front of the estate. Watching her climb into the backseat of a black luxury SUV, he waited as the vehicle followed the wide circular driveway towards the front entrance. The spiked metal gate drew back, splitting down the middle. Turning right, the Range Rover eventually disappeared from view.

  Evelynn and Sandra as well as the tracking dog were on their way to Gainesville Regional Airport. From there they would board a private jet and eventually land at Vancouver International. Jeremiah made arrangements to have them met by an American diplomat to get them through without delay or scrutiny.

  The morning briefing was short; both women knew what they were supposed to do. Evelynn had an issue with bringing a dog along, but after some convincing, she grudgingly accepted the situation. If it could do what it was supposed to, the tracker would make her mission all the more easier and that was something she could readily accept, although she certainly rejected the idea of taking responsibility for the animal. Sandra, on the other hand, had developed a rapport with the retriever and willingly accepted the task of looking after it.

  Leaving the window, Jeremiah returned to the offices and wandered the hall towards his own. The lights came on as he entered the windowless room. The message saved indicator of his desk phone blinked and he paused a moment to listen to the recording.

  Interesting.

  “Yes, it is. Let’s see what they’ve got.” Stepping into the elevator, Jeremiah rode it down to the second floor beneath the mansion where the W.A.R. room was housed.

  One floor beneath the science labs, the World Analytics and Research department–better known as the W.A.R. room–provided the estate with a steady stream of information that was constantly being sifted through, categorized and then analyzed.

  A state-of-the-art division with the latest in hardware, software, and surveillance capabilities as well as data-gathering technology, only those with the highest security clearance gained access into this underground complex. Employing a team of data miners, hackers, computer techs and analysts, they all worked in unison to forward Jeremiah’s agendas while simultaneously planting disinformation to keep governments and their agencies–along with the curious–from discovering any truths regarding himself and his organization. Since the creation of the W.A.R. room, Jeremiah always had up-to-the-minute information at his fingertips. From finance and world politics to global trends and policies, he had both hands grasped firmly around the pulse of the world.

  The door slid open and he stepped out into a small, well lit alcove. Reaching the metal double doors opposite the elevator, he glanced up at the security camera before gazing into the retinal scanner on the wall.

  “Access granted,” said a mechanical female voice. Unhinging, the doors spread apart and allowed him through. Sealing shut behind him, Jeremiah faced a second set of identical metal doors. Placing a hand on the fingerprint scanner, the doors opened into a large and noisy chamber.

  A lone security officer nodded at him from behind a heavy wooden desk. Greeting the heavyset man, Jeremiah turned his attention to the huge, high-definition display screen covering the entire far wall. The screen was divided into three sections, the largest of these depicting a satellite image of a town. The smaller segments contained an overhead view of the coast of British Columbia and a map tracking the movements of Evelynn and her team.

  The area was full of people in lab coats and the occasional person wearing a suit. A steady hum originated from the numerous servers inside a temperature regulated, glass enclosed corridor on the left side of the long room. The computer lab and a monitor room adjoined the glass walled area.

  Jeremiah glanced at the offices along the right side of the chamber. Carl sat at his desk in his spacious office and was speaking with Alvarez, the young guard from last night. Noticing Jeremiah, Carl stood up and escorted Alvarez to his office door. Finishing up their conversation with a handshake, Alvarez left the area through the employee entrance.

  Most of the workers within the W.A.R. room were stationed within a lowered section considered the heart of the underground complex. Rows of desks with people typing on keyboards in front of flat screen monitors covered most of this area christened The Pit by the employees that worked in it. The department heads resided across a makeshift aisle within spacious cubicles, but a few also had offices on the main level like Carl, though, not as spacious as his.

  The sunken portion of the chamber was located in the center of the W.A.R. room. The only way down was by stairs positioned at both the north and south ends. A glass barrier topped by a silver metal hand rail encircled The Pit to prevent people from falling in.

  Jeremiah descended the stairs, peeked into the first cubicle and saw a man sitting with his back towards him. Preoccupied with his laptop, the man failed to see his employer until catching sight of him reflected on his computer screen. Spinning around in his swivel chair, he smiled meekly at Jeremiah. “Mr. Bone, I-I didn’t see you come in.”

  “Obviously,” Jeremiah replied. “You left a message for me, Mr. Darrell. Elaborate if you would.”

  “Yes, sir.” The man turned back and shut down the game he was playing. Typing briefly on his keyboard, the large screen on the wall zoomed in on the image of the town until only a street was displayed.

  “What am I looking at?” Jeremiah asked. Leaving the cubicle, he mounted the steps and strode towards the image.

  Carl joined him in front of the massive display screen.

  “The satellite picked up another energy reading,” Mr. Darrell said as he climbed the stairs. “This burst lasted much longer so we were able to pinpoint the reading to a specific address.”

  “That’s music to my ears, Mr. Darrell. If this pans out, you’ll receive a bonus with your next deposit.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Jeremiah stared at the address highlighted in red across the top of the screen. “Access any databases pertaining to Charmington. I want to see who lives at that address.”

  “I’m on it.” Mr. Darrell returned to The Pit leaving Jeremiah and Carl gazing up at the screen.

  “Select a minimal crew from Omega Team,” Jeremiah said. “I have an assignment I want you to personally handle.”

  Carl nodded, then returned to his office as Jeremiah continued staring at the satellite image of a quiet townhouse complex.

  ***

  Folding up the front seat, James stepped aside and gave Castle room to climb out of the cramped Mustang. “Thanks again,” he said.

  Danny closed the driver side door. “Not a problem, buddy. Poor guy was home all alone. At least here he has wide open spaces to run around in.” Danny patted Castle’s head as the dog paused in front of him before running off.

  “Hello, Danny,” a heavily accented voice called out from inside the spacious garage. Neither boy had noticed the man standing inside.

  “Hi, Mr. Kwan,” Danny said as the man strolled out, a grease smeared rag hanging from his pocket. Removing it, he cleaned off his hands, then tucked it back into his dungarees.

  Mr. Kwan, hired by the Tai family when they moved in years ago, looked after the exterior of the property. His wife tended to the household chores and most of the cooking.

  “Hello, James. I haven’t seen you in a while. “How are you?”

  “I’m good,” James answered. He knew Mr. Kwan was close to fifty years old, yet he looked much younger tha
n his true age. James glanced towards the interior of the garage. “Whatcha doin’ in there?”

  “Cleaning the lawnmower. That’s a beautiful dog you have,” he said as Castle came over and eyed Mr. Kwan. “Nice doggy.”

  “His name’s Castle,” Danny said.

  “Hello, Castle.” Mr. Kwan looked at James, his eyes revealing his nervousness from the presence of the big dog.

  “He doesn’t bite,” James said, trying to reassure him.

  Castle sat back as the groundskeeper hesitantly touched his head. Petting him a few times, he removed his hand and smiled at the boys. “I like him. By the way, my wife has made some food if you’re hungry.”

  “Yeah, I am,” Danny said. “I’ll catch up with you.”

  James nodded as Danny headed for the backdoor into the kitchen.

  “That boy can eat,” Mr. Kwan said.

  “Yep. You should’ve seen what he had for lunch,” James said with a smirk. “Well, I’m heading up to the guesthouse. See ya later, Mr. Kwan.”

  “Bye-bye.” Smiling, the handyman strolled back into the garage.

  Sauntering to his owner’s side, James and Castle followed the path. Along the way, James patted the medallion he carried in his jacket to reassure himself it was still there.

  Passing through the grove, James stopped and looked around. “Galen? Micah, are you here? I need to speak with you,” he said in hopes of seeing either man. He wanted answers regarding what happened earlier in the day between him, Castle and the medallion, but no one appeared from behind a tree unlike the night before.

  “C’mon! It’s important!”

  Shadows moved along the ground. James gazed at the sky and spotted a number of crows skimming over the treetops. “I knew he’d be around,” he whispered before running off to keep the birds in sight.

  Castle caught up to him as James broke through the far end of the tree grove. Staring at the edge of the Tai property, he saw the crows land in one of the Maple trees lining the sides of a seldom used dirt road some yards beyond the perimeter fence. With Castle by his side, they sprinted towards the tall chain-link fencing. Upon reaching it, the dog whined and retreated a few steps.

  James looked back at Castle, then gazed across the road and counted six crows perched in a row on a tree branch. One cawed loudly before flying away; the remaining black birds launched themselves into the air and trailed after it.

  “Where are you, Galen?” James demanded, looking around for the strange old man.

  A movement of red and blue encroached into his line of sight from the opposite side of the dirt road. Making eye contact, Galen retreated behind a Maple tree. James was hardly surprised to find him wearing the same shirt and jeans; it was quickly becoming his trademark.

  Opening the gate in the fence, he crossed the slick dirt road, Castle not far behind him.

  “You have the medallion,” Galen said as James reached the tree he stood behind.

  “Yes, I have it.” He paused a moment. “Something weird happened this morning.”

  Galen didn’t respond.

  “Did you hear me? I said something happened this morning. The medallion glowed and did something to me. This is the second time now!”

  “It is not a matter I can help you with,” Galen said. “When Micah returns, he will guide you.”

  His eyes narrowing, James couldn’t believe what he just heard. “Where’s he gone? When will he be back?” Finding out Micah was away and Galen unable or unwilling to help only increased his frustration. If the medallion should flare up again and he was injured or someone else was hurt during the next occurrence, where would that leave him?

  “He will return soon. I will come for you when he does,” Galen said. “Keep the medallion close.”

  “It’s dangerous, you know that?” Feeling ill-equipped to deal with the object others wanted him to keep, he withdrew it from his pocket and held it out. “Take it. I don’t want it.”

  “I cannot.”

  “Why not?”

  “It is not my destiny. It is yours.”

  “And you know that for a fact, do you?”

  Galen stayed silent.

  “Fine, then. I know you don’t have any answers. You’re just Micah’s errand boy.”

  “I will return for you. Then you will have the answers you seek.”

  James slipped the medallion back into his pocket. “I guess that’ll have to do. But please, don’t take too long.”

  His phone buzzed as a text arrived from his mother. She was going home tomorrow to talk things over with his father and wanted to know what his plans were. After letting her know he planned on staying at Danny’s place for a while longer, he looked up and saw that Galen was no longer there.

  “What a surprise,” he muttered sarcastically. “C’mon. Let’s go, boy.”

  Crossing back over the road, James closed the gate behind him. Traversing the yard of the Tai property, James and Castle returned to the guesthouse and found the front door opened.

  “Danny! You in here?”

  “Yeah. Grab some food if you want.”

  The aroma of Chinese food filled the kitchen. Castle sniffed the sealed container on the table before wandering into the living room.

  “Hiya, doggy,” Danny said from his seat in front of the television.

  James opened the container as Castle returned to the kitchen. Picking up a large helping with a pair of tongs, he dropped the beef noodle stir-fry onto a plate, then grabbed a bottled water from the fridge.

  “Want a drink?” James asked.

  “Sure.”

  Entering the living room, he plopped down on the beanbag chair next to Danny.

  “Where’d you go?” Danny asked, taking the bottle James offered. “Don’t tell me it was Galen again.”

  “Yeah, it was. I wanted someone to explain what the heck happened this morning, but he was absolutely no help at all.”

  “He just showed up when you asked?” Danny gulped back some of the water.

  “Seems like it. It could be a coincidence or–”

  “Or he could be watching you. Man, I hope you know what you’re doing. All this stuff–Galen and those horses, Micah and his wild stories, it’s only gonna get crazier the more you play along.”

  “I don’t think I have a choice, Danny.”

  “Of course you do.”

  “If that’s true, then tell me why this thing was in my house,” James said, taking the medallion out and tossing it onto the nearby couch.

  Castle watched it land, then retrieved it and brought it back to him.

  “See what I mean?” Removing it from the canine’s mouth, James wiped the spittle off with his sleeve. “Even my dog won’t let me be.”

  Danny stared at Castle stretching out on the floor. “Just be careful is all I’m saying. I think you might be heading down a dangerous road.”

  The living room darkened as the sun dipped behind the trees. James heard Danny’s words but felt powerless to change the direction of his life. The medallion contained power, and that being the case, maybe everything Micah said was true; perhaps there was a destiny that he needed to accept.

  17

  Raising a hand, Evelynn shielded her eyes from the sunset’s glare. Donning mirrored glasses, she adjusted the bag strap across her shoulder before descending the stairs to the tarmac below.

  She didn’t recognize the man waiting for her next to a black and tinted SUV. Wearing a full-length coat over his dark suit and tie, a brisk breeze tousled his hair as he stood in front of a pale orange and pink streaked sky. Evelynn sized him up as she stepped off the stairs. It was instinctive; years of training didn’t allow for much else in the company of a stranger.

  The man’s stance was passive and quiet. Smiling politely, he stood with his hands clasped in front, his legs shoulder width apart. His gaze drifting towards Sandra disembarking the jet, his polite smile turned into a wide grin at the sight of her.

  With the tracking dog attached to a leash and lea
ding the way, Sandra walked past Evelynn and held out her hand. “Mr. Prescott. Good to see you again.”

  He took her hand and kissed it gently. “Miss Sebastian. You look as radiant as ever. Did you have a good flight?”

  “Yes, I did. Jeremiah always provides the best.”

  “He does indeed. How is the old man?”

  “Still burning the candle at both ends,” she answered.

  “Yet I’m sure he suffers no ill effects from doing so.”

  “None at all.”

  Evelynn watched the two of them engage in banter she deemed unnecessary. She didn’t appreciate having to wait while they renewed their acquaintance.

  “Jeremiah has made me aware of your needs during your visit,” Mr. Prescott said. “I have a vehicle for you not far from here.”

  Having enough of being ignored, Evelynn spoke up. “Thank you, Mr. Prescott.”

  “Oh! How rude of me,” Sandra said, the women glaring at each other for a moment.

  Evelynn saw the mischievous glint in Sandra’s eyes. She neglected to introduce her on purpose.

  “This is Evelynn,” Sandra continued.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your grandfather has spoken of you on many occasions.”

  “How wonderful. Can we leave now?”

  “Yes, yes of course.” Opening the rear of the SUV, Mr. Prescott waited as the women placed their bags inside.

  “In you go,” Sandra said, removing the leash. Jumping into the back, the tracker sat down beside the bags.

  Closing the hatch, Mr. Prescott opened the rear door. Evelynn followed Sandra into the back of the SUV. A man sat in the driver’s seat but failed to acknowledge them as they put their seatbelts on. Retrieving a compact from her purse, Sandra checked her face in the mirror.

  “Let’s go,” Mr. Prescott said, closing his door.

  The SUV drove off leaving the private jet and eventually the airport behind. Turning onto Grant McConachie Way, the driver followed the highway into the city.

  Evelynn absorbed the sights of Vancouver. In all her travels, she had never been to this city before. She found it picturesque as cities nestled close to the ocean usually are. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time for a visit. She was only passing through on the way to Charmington.