The Key

by Marianne Curley

  I quickly reassure her. ‘She’s well and is being looked after. You don’t have to worry about her.’

  ‘Are you just saying that so I will return with you?’

  ‘I’m not lying, Neriah. Your mother is back on the island where you were raised. It’s the safest place for her right now. So you don’t have to stay here any more. I swear this is the truth.’

  She nods, believing me. Then asks, ‘Aysher and Silos? Are they all right too?’

  For a moment I don’t know who she’s talking about, but a mental image of her dogs sweeps into my head. Unconsciously my eyes flutter closed as I gather my thoughts together to give her the news. She catches on that something is wrong.

  ‘Tell me, Matt. Hurry! I can’t stand being apart from them. I feel as if both my arms have been ripped from my body. Tell me they’re all right. Please.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Neriah. They’re gone.’

  ‘Gone? How? What do you mean?’

  ‘When Marduke drew you out of our world, the dogs went through too – but I’m told they disappeared the moment they made it to the other side. They haven’t been seen since.’

  With a soft cry of pain Neriah turns her back on me and grips the mesh with her fingers until they turn bone-white. I lay my hand on her shoulder. She straightens her back and sniffs away her tears. ‘I’m all right.’ A moment later she turns and looks up at me. ‘I didn’t want you to come here.’

  ‘With your mother safe, there’s no reason for you to stay.’

  She glances around the fine mesh surrounding us. ‘Not all of us can turn into moths small enough to escape this prison.’

  ‘No, but there is another way to get you out. I have Arkarian and Dillon waiting on the hill outside the palace walls to help me. I have to return to them now to show them the way to this tower, and then all three of us will use our wings to get in here. Then I’m going to create an invisibility screen. For it to conceal us entirely, we have to be careful not to utter a single sound. But first, I have to ask, who put you up here? I know Marduke is a monster, but … he’s also your father.’

  ‘At first he prepared a beautiful room for me and we spent hours and hours together. I felt as if I was getting to really know him.’

  ‘So what happened?’

  ‘While Lathenia was watching, I came into one of my powers. It surprised her and she locked me in here so that I couldn’t escape.’

  ‘And Marduke agreed to this?’ I wave my hand around at her harsh cold surroundings.

  ‘They argued all night. At one stage I thought I heard him … plead,’ she whispers and falls silent.

  I don’t push for more information. It’s obviously painful for her to continue. And besides, time is passing too quickly. Arkarian will wait twenty minutes and not a second more.

  ‘I have to go now, but I will be back soon.’ I produce a protective silver cloak the same as my own. ‘Here.’ I hold it out to her, but just as she reaches for it, I shake it out, deciding to place it around her shoulders myself. As I do so, I feel her warm breath flutter across my throat. It unsettles me and when I go to secure the cord beneath her neck, I fumble, my fingers feeling suddenly more like twenty than ten, and twice the size.

  She brings her hands up to secure the cords herself, but her fingers brush against mine and the next thing I know our hands are clasped together. I look into her face; she looks up into mine.

  ‘Matt,’ she whispers. ‘Do you know me yet?’

  It’s a strange thing to say. I have no idea how to answer her question. Instead, I stare, mesmerised, at her angelic upturned face. Her mouth, so rich and red, draws me towards it and I lean down. Now I am so close that the heat from her body entwines with the heat from mine. It would be so easy to go that one more step.

  What am I doing?

  But it’s there in her eyes, uninhibited acceptance of who I am, who she is, what we could be together.

  As I stare into her eyes I feel myself falling. It’s a good feeling, as if the fall is something I should be doing. I get the sense that at the bottom of this drop there is only freedom. A kind of freedom that I have never felt before. I step closer and the need to become one with her is compelling. Urgent. I think about doing it – right here on this cold crystal floor.

  Her hand comes up to the side of my face. Her touch is soft and warm, but it is this very touch that brings me back to reality. Love will make me weak. So before I make a huge mistake I jerk my head away. ‘Don’t do that.’

  A look of sorrow fills her face and I turn from her.

  She says, ‘What’s wrong, Matt?’

  There is only one way to make sure I don’t become attached to this girl. ‘I’m not interested. OK?’

  Her eyes flicker briefly as if in shock.

  Just to make sure she understands, in the moment before I change into the shape of the moth again, I add, ‘I never will be.’

  In a flutter of powdery-soft wings I fly out of the cage, quickly turning into the eagle; and without glancing back, lift high above the palace yards and head for the safety of the boulders.

  Arkarian and Dillon are glad to see me. Dillon jumps in first. ‘Did you find her?’

  I nod, but before I explain anything, Arkarian fills me in. ‘The hounds have become restless, which has alerted the guards. We have to hurry, Matt.’

  Quickly I explain where the cage is, and moments later the three of us materialise inside it. Neriah acknowledges our presence without making a sound. Dillon embraces her. She returns it stiffly while staring over his shoulder at me. Dillon senses something and pulls back. He sees her looking at me and his eyes narrow. But everyone knows not to speak, not a word, and wherever his thoughts have taken him, he keeps them to himself.

  Silently Arkarian and I start searching for the exit to the cage. Neriah shakes her head. She doesn’t think there is one. But there has to be – all we have to do is find it.

  Arkarian does so quickly. With one thought I will the trapdoor in the cage’s glass base to open. It springs up, revealing a shimmering crystal stairwell, descending in a spiral all the way to the ground.

  Dillon urges Neriah down first. I grab her arm to stop her. I haven’t created the invisibility screen yet. Arkarian understands and motions with his hands for everyone to stand still. Closing my eyes I bring stillness to my mind, then, with one thought, make us all invisible. It works. I can’t see the others, but I’m conscious of them beside me. And of course, when I reach out, their touch is real enough.

  We start descending the steps. It takes us a long time – there are just so many. It’s very tempting to use our wings and get the hell out of here, but Neriah doesn’t have this skill, and if we run into trouble, we’ll need all our powers to protect each other.

  We make it to the bottom and find ourselves facing a thick glass door. Through it everything is blurred. From my recollections of the position of the cage, the outside of this door should be shrouded in grey mist, and hopefully not under strict surveillance. Carefully I turn the handle. The door opens and I peer outside. No one is looking in this direction. Only two hounds are prowling the yard nearby. I hope this invisibility screen lasts longer than any of my previous attempts.

  One by one we file out of the tower and make our way across the paved courtyard, and, as agreed, Dillon takes the lead. We almost make it to a second set of glass doors, when two hounds appear at the edge of the courtyard, looking strangely confused. They sniff the air and walk slowly around us in an arc. They sense something, but our invisible presence has their reasoning powers in a spin.

  Keep walking, I will the others. But the hounds are clever; they start sniffing the invisible footprints we’re leaving behind. One suddenly lifts its head and howls. It’s a sign. The turrets come alive and beams of light start criss-crossing over us.

  ‘Halt! Who goes there?’

  Other voices call out, ‘Show yourselves or we’ll shoot!’

  At least they still can’t see us. And that means neither can these h
ounds, no matter how clever they are. We keep walking, quickly, crossing the last few metres to the shadows of a deep alcove.

  When we’re out of sight of the searchlights, Dillon finds a door and opens it very slowly. We pass through and away from the sniffing hounds. Once inside Dillon touches my arm. He’s making sure I’m following. It’s in this moment I see him as Lady Arabella must, and my confidence in him strengthens.

  Suddenly he has us all pull to a stop. And then I understand why. There are voices nearby. I soon realise the voices are coming from the corridor we need to pass through to get to the great hall. Standing still, we wait, huddling together in a doorway. It soon becomes apparent who owns one of the voices. Lathenia. Arkarian grips my forearm and squeezes it tightly. He’s identified the other voice and it has shaken him badly. Then I see Lathenia walking towards us, and beside her, a man with a jovial laugh. There is an intimacy between the two, as if they are very close. The man is wearing a long red robe. I see his face and the sight makes me lose concentration. For a moment the invisibility screen weakens. Quickly I work at restoring it.

  As they pass in front of us Arkarian’s grip on my arm tightens. He’s in shock. We both are. We are watching our long-awaited King walk arm-in-arm with our greatest enemy. Richard turns his head, and for a moment it’s as if he is staring straight at me. But he can’t see me, and soon his eyes return to give Lathenia his full attention.

  For now, Matt, we keep this to ourselves. I hear Arkarian’s thoughts thunder into my head.

  As soon as the door closes behind the pair, Dillon gets us moving. Arkarian and I can’t seem to drag our eyes away from the door that now conceals our King. The door to Lathenia’s bedroom.

  The inside of the palace is quiet, with only a few servants lingering, and so we make it without incident to the front brass doors and down the glass tunnel. Still reeling from seeing King Richard with Lathenia, it takes me a moment too long to realise what’s about to happen. Dillon has his hand on the door handle, ready to turn it. But this door is completely exposed to the courtyard and the guards in the turrets. And while we are still invisible, an opening door is sure to attract attention.

  Dillon’s hand starts turning the handle, and both Arkarian and Neriah are between me and him. I can’t call out and give away our position. No! My thoughts push through to Arkarian. He reaches forward, but too late. The door swings open.

  Almost instantly a guard in the watchtower notices. Searchlights shine directly in our faces. But we’re not far from the outer courtyard walls. As long as the invisibility screen lasts, all we have to do is make a run for it, and stay ahead of the hounds.

  But the hounds are too quick. They chase after us, and though they still look a little confused, they run straight in our direction. While running I keep my eyes on them. I soon notice their eyes growing more focused. Saliva gathers as they pull back their gums and snarl. The invisibility screen is disintegrating! Darts slice the air around us. There’s no point in maintaining silence now.

  ‘Run hard!’ I call out, while the hounds come bounding after us, and darts from above become more accurate.

  As the invisibility screen completely disappears, I grab Neriah’s hand and put it in Dillon’s. ‘Take her and run for the gates. I will protect you from here and make sure the gates open. Keep the coats wrapped tightly around you to protect you from the darts. When you get to the hill, call Marcus. Remember, because of the protective enchantments surrounding the palace, you can’t call him until you are outside the palace walls. Don’t wait for us. You got that?’ He nods and grips Neriah’s hand hard. She looks at me for a moment, reluctant to leave. ‘Go!’

  They turn and run.

  ‘I’ll deal with the hounds,’ Arkarian volunteers.

  But the first two hounds are fast, and before Arkarian harnesses his power over them, they leap over the top of us, and just keep going.

  ‘They’re going for Neriah!’ Arkarian hisses.

  By the time we spin around the hounds have already attacked. Dillon quickly pushes away the one on top of him, but the one over Neriah takes a vicious swipe at her throat.

  Between the two of us we manage to get the hound off her and Arkarian uses his powers to contain all seven that have gathered. But his grip is tentative. They stand back, but only just, snarling and ready to attack again.

  Dillon tries to help Neriah up. ‘Quick! She’s bleeding from the throat. Look what it’s done!’

  She’s hurt, but there’s nothing I can do here in this courtyard with darts showering down on us from the turrets, and footsteps coming quickly. Any moment we will be surrounded by guards and Neriah will have no chance of escape.

  ‘Dillon, Arkarian, use your wings and get out of here!’

  Dillon shakes his head. Neriah is weakening fast in his arms. ‘No way. You just want her for yourself. You want to be the hero.’

  I grab his shoulders from behind, lifting him, and hiss into his ear, ‘Do you hear that sound?’ I point to the cobbled path. ‘They’re soldiers’ footsteps and they’re coming fast. Do you want to get caught in Lathenia’s palace? Tell me, Dillon, what do you think she would do to you, her once trusted soldier? We’ve both seen her dungeon. You don’t want to go there.’

  His eyes flick briefly to Neriah. ‘OK. I’ll go.’

  Arkarian hisses over my shoulder. ‘Don’t make me leave you.’

  ‘You said that from now on I give the orders. I’m ordering you to go.’

  He glances away briefly, then nods, clearly uncomfortable with my decision. But thankfully the two of them disappear. At least they will return home safely. I lean down to help Neriah to her feet. A dart whips between us, so close that Neriah’s hair lifts with the wind.

  I yank her hood back over her head. ‘Keep the cloak around you tight.’

  ‘Use your wings,’ she mutters weakly.

  I grab her hand and thrust it over the top of her wound. ‘Keep it there and hold it tight against your wound.’

  ‘Matt, please go!’

  With Arkarian gone, the hounds grow restless. Retreat! I force the thought at them. They whimper and cower, dropping their heads to the ground.

  The pounding footsteps arrive in the form of a dozen guards. They lift their crossbows and aim them directly at the two of us, poison darts ready to fire. Marduke is one of them, and when he sees Neriah, her neck and shoulders soaked with blood, colour draining from her face as fast as the blood that oozes between her fingers, he snarls and grunts an unpleasant sound.

  ‘Give her to me!’

  At the sound of Marduke’s harsh voice, the hounds regain their courage. Like the guards they look to their Master for direction.

  ‘Hold your fire!’

  ‘She needs a healer, and quickly,’ I tell him.

  ‘We have a healer here.’

  ‘And then what? Are you going to let Lathenia keep her imprisoned in that bird cage again? It’s freezing up there. How long do you think she will last?’

  His one good eye glows and swells, his half-mouth draws into a straight line.

  A light flashes from a balcony on the inner courtyard wall and Lathenia appears – alone. ‘Is there a problem, my pet?’

  Marduke heaves, a loathsome sound, then turns slightly. ‘None that I can’t handle, Mistress.’

  Neriah almost passes out, and Marduke makes to run to her. I help her steady herself, and she opens her eyes. ‘Father …’

  Marduke seems to hesitate, whether on purpose or not I may never know. But it’s the one moment I need to work some magic of my own. Thinking quickly I peer into the freezing, sleet-filled air.

  ‘Watch him!’ I hear Lathenia call out.

  Too late, Goddess. Even the guards don’t stand a chance. With one thought I change the sleet into fire. Suddenly the air is thick and alive and impossible to breathe. The hounds whimper and run for cover from the burning air. The guards are thrown into confusion.

  ‘The air is on fire!’

  ‘What magic is this?
’

  ‘Run!’

  From the balcony Lathenia screams, and the wail is heard far into the surrounding valleys. Fire is her one fear; she will do anything to avoid it. And in all the chaos I lift Neriah into my arms and run for the front gates. Operating the series of handles with my mind, the gates unlock and swing open. Then we are out and I am calling Mr Carter’s name.

  As we begin to shift back to the Citadel, I take one last look at the palace. Guards are running around trying to put fires out everywhere. Many are on fire themselves. The watchtowers, mostly made of timber, are ablaze. Lathenia is nowhere to be seen. Nor is her new lover, King Richard. Only Marduke is standing still. He hasn’t moved. He’s still in the same spot, buried deep within his protective cloak, staring with one fiercely glowing eye. But there is a difference. Drool is seeping from his snout-like mouth and nostrils, and his yellow teeth are bared.

  In this moment I understand that here is a creature that has lost too much.

  The look on his face will stay with me for a long time.

  It is the look of madness.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rochelle

  The sphere is still spinning. And while Arkarian watches it, growing more distressed as each hour passes, the rest of us have to go on with our normal lives, whatever that is these days. That’s why I’m sitting on the bus this Monday morning going to school. In a way I’m glad for this ‘normal’ part of my life. So much is happening lately in my other worldly life, it’s almost a relief to have something ordinary to do. And since returning from Athens, everyone knows about my new power that tests loyalty and the curse Lorian has set in motion. A curse, for heaven’s sake! He may as well have marked my forehead with a hot iron brand; I couldn’t feel any more isolated.

  At least our mission to Athens was successful. The key is now in Matt’s hands.

  The bus pulls up to the school front gates, and even before getting off, I see them – Matt, Ethan and Isabel in a little group. By the time I get off the bus and through the security guards, Neriah is with them too. She looks paler than usual, but then, I’ve heard what happened to her.