Hatred and rage rose like a red wall around him. What had they done with Keeley?
He vaguely remembered that he had told her to run. It had been the last thing he had said to her before the transformation overwhelmed him. Had she done it, and escaped? With a sinking heart he was forced to acknowledge that it wasn’t likely. If they had been able to subdue him and imprison him, they would have had little difficulty with her. She had already been exhausted, and they were quick.
Where was she?
He tried to raise his head and look around, outside the bars of the cage. The cage was in a dungeon of some kind. He turned his head to the right and saw other cages next to his. Most were empty, but at the far end, he thought he could discern movement. A flash of brown.
“Hello?” he croaked. “Is anyone here besides me?”
At first there was no answer. He strained his ears. Yes, he could hear someone chuckling. What on earth would anyone have to laugh about in here?
“Save your breath,” said a voice once the laughter had died down. “No one is coming to rescue you.”
Thad tried to sit up slightly, wincing as he banged his head on the top of the cage. That wasn’t going to help his headache at all.
“Who are you?” he called into the room, hearing his voice bounce around the space.
There was silence for a moment. Then the voice rose again. It sounded like an old man’s voice: low and thready. Weary, as well.
“My name doesn’t matter,” said the voice. “And neither does yours, now.”
“Where are we?” Thad could hear the thickness in his own voice, and the slight crack. He could barely speak. He needed water badly.
A pause. “How did they get you? Did you get too close?”
Thad took a deep breath. “I was in the desert,” he said slowly. “With a friend.” His voice caught a bit as he thought of Keeley. “We heard dogs. They pursued us, and that’s all that I remember before waking up here.”
“Unlucky,” drawled the man’s voice. “Wrong place, wrong time.”
“Have you seen my friend?” Thad tried to keep the need out of his voice. “A woman. A young woman with blonde hair.”
The man sighed. “No, and you aren’t likely to see her again either. If she’s not in here, then they’ve decided she is worthy.” He hesitated. “Valid. She’ll have been taken into the main building to prove herself.”
“Valid?” Thad’s heart dropped. “What do you mean?”
The man chuckled again. “It’s how they categorise people who they bring here. You are either valid or invalid.” The laughter stopped. “You don’t want to know what happens to you if they decide once and for all you are invalid. Believe me, I know.”
Thad’s heart plummeted. He had to get out of this cage and try to find her. Immediately. But how?
“How are you here?” he called out into the darkness.
The man sighed. “I have been here for a long time,” he said slowly. “I always take a chance if I can. But they found me fairly easily this time.” He paused. “It will be the end of the road this time. They won’t let me live after this, or they will toss me out in the desert after they have fried my brain.” He sounded resigned to his fate.
“Tell me,” whispered Thad. “Tell me what happened to you.”
There was silence for a minute. Then he started speaking in a low voice.
“I was just like you. I wasn’t even from around here. I was in the desert, looking for gold mines, when I saw this place in the distance.” His breath caught. “It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t believe it was here. How was it even possible? I’d never heard of it. It wasn’t on any tourist brochure about the area.”
He was silent again for a moment. Then his voice resumed.
“I had to go to it,” he continued. “It was like it was luring me. At first, they were welcoming. Kind. Gave me food and water.” He took a long, shuddering breath. “But I realised quickly there was something off about it. They are like a cult. As soon as they realised I wasn’t swallowing their stories, it started.”
Thad shuddered. His wrists and ankles were starting to ache with the weight of the iron cuffs. He didn’t want to hear the man’s story, as much as he wanted to.
Demons. The bane of his life. And all this time while he had been fighting them back in Covenester, they had been here, spinning a giant web. He was so weary of it all. How was he going to defeat them this time?
And yet he knew he had to. For Keeley’s sake. His heart twisted at the thought of her. He should never have let her come out here. He had been negligent in his duties, again. Heath and Finn and Noah had died because of his mistakes, and now he had put another person in mortal danger.
“I still don’t know what they are,” whispered the old man. “Even after all this time. I have seen what they really look like, though. The disgusting creatures they are.” He suppressed a sob. “I feel sorry for your friend. Especially because she is a young woman. She is going to have the worst of it, if they decide she is valid.”
Thad felt a chill go through him. “What do you mean?”
But at that moment there was the sound of a door creaking open. Someone was coming in. He turned his head to the side, desperately trying to see. But whoever had entered was out of his line of vision.
“No!” screamed the old man. “No!”
There was the sound of a cage being unlocked. And then he could hear the man’s legs dragging on the ground. They were taking him out of his cage. Were they going to take him, as well?
But then there was the sound of the door closing again. He could just hear the screams of the man as he was dragged away.
Thad shuddered, again. What were they going to do to him? Were they going to kill him or fry his brain, as he predicted? Toss him out into the desert to wander like a mad man?
This is what happened to Old Fairley, he thought darkly. It was all true, just as he thought. And this is what had happened to Keeley’s father.
He lay his head on the floor of the dirty cage. The headache had intensified, and there was no way he could get rid of it. They hadn’t even brought him water or food. There was no way they would give him painkillers.
They wanted him to rot here, he thought suddenly. At least for a while. Maybe slowly starve him to death or drag him out to do some unspeakable thing to him.
They wanted him weak.
Why hadn’t they just killed him when they had the chance? They knew what he was. He had been in the shape of the wolf when they had thrown him in this cage, and they must have noticed that he was now a man. Just as they had seen the transformation in the desert.
He shuddered again, yearning for Keeley. He had to think of a way to get out of here. He just had to. Her life depended on it.
He thought of the old man in the cage again. He hadn’t even known his name.
***
Keeley gazed around at the people, trying to be discreet. They had all congregated in a large room that had an enormous low-hanging chandelier as its centrepiece. Her eyes flickered towards it. Its droplets seemed to be made from the same compound that Sister Valeria had told her the building itself was made from. What had she called it again? That’s right. Cyanmar. It gleamed so brightly she eventually had to drop her eyes, dazzled.
Sister Valeria was by her side, staring towards the front of the room, as everyone else was doing. It was so silent she wouldn’t have been able to hear a pin drop. Keeley gazed in the same direction, puzzled. There was nothing there. What were they staring at?
But then there was a whirring noise, and she jumped a little as a wide projection screen slowly started descending. It was going to be a presentation, she thought, frowning slightly. Who were these strange people?
No one had even acknowledged her, even though Sister Valeria had said they were all keen to meet her. Their faces were as blank as the white screen that had just fallen. Her eyes flickered to the left, staring at a row of five women who were slightly
separate from the rest. They were also dressed differently than the others as well. Instead of the white suit, these women wore voluminous white dresses with long sleeves and a high neck.
Keeley gazed at the women. It was then that she noticed that they were all pregnant. Some were so far advanced into their pregnancies that they looked like they were just about to deliver. How were they able to stand in their condition? Surely they should be seated? But the women looked as calm and blank as the rest of the people, staring at the screen. Waiting.
Keeley felt a frission of unease. Why were the pregnant women standing together? And why were all of them so blank and dazed looking?
Suddenly, music started blaring, and the screen flickered to life. Keeley forced her eyes to the front.
A symbol appeared on the screen, and then some strange writing, in an alphabet that she didn’t recognise. Was it Russian, or Arabic? But just as she was trying to place it, it vanished, and a man’s face filled the screen.
Everyone gasped. “The Glory!”
Keeley stared at the man. He wasn’t dressed in white like the others. Instead, his suit was black, with the same high mandarin-style collar. He sat behind a desk with his hands clasped together in front of him. She frowned, trying to place his age, but it was almost impossible. He could have been thirty years old or sixty years old. Almost ageless. He had a broad face with high cheekbones and the blackest eyes she had ever seen.
“Brother Damon,” whispered Sister Valeria reverently, clutching her arm tightly. “Our leader.”
“Brothers and sisters,” intoned the man, smiling. “We welcome you all. You are all part of the Glory.”
The people all spoke as one. “Our glorious leader. We beseech you.”
Keeley felt a prickle at the back of her neck. This place was not just strange, it was downright frightening. Was it a religious cult of some sort? She had never heard of the Glory before. But the way that they were all staring at the screen, in rapture, was scary. She had been taken to the headquarters of a cult that had isolated itself in the desert.
Her eyes flickered to Sister Valeria, who was staring at the screen in rapture just like the others. The woman had been kind to her, there was no doubt about that. In fact, she had probably saved her life. She frowned, trying desperately to remember why she had been wandering the desert.
As soon as she thought it, another thought automatically popped into her mind. That’s right. She had been looking for gold mines.
The man on the screen was speaking again.
“Brothers and sisters,” he said in a low voice. “Our time is near. For years we have been waiting for the moment when the stars would align, and our power would reach its zenith. In a few days, it will happen. We must all prepare for this glorious moment when we shall go forth into the world as the rulers we have always meant to be.”
Keeley gazed at the people. They were nodding excitedly, turning to each other and clasping their arms together. Sister Valeria’s hand on her arm tightened, and she could hear the swift intake of the woman’s breath.
“You have been patient and brave,” he continued. “You have proven yourselves above all others worthy of this task. You are the valid. Many have failed, but you have not. Now, the stars tell us that all your hard work has not been in vain. All the sacrifice, and pain, has been worth it.” A single tear fell down his cheek. “I honour the pain that you have given to our glorious cause.”
There was an audible sob from the crowd. The five pregnant women linked arms, tears rolling down their faces.
Brother Damon took a deep breath. “You will all receive instructions for the great event. You must be ready. Until then, you must chant to remain worthy. Even though the time is fast approaching, your valid status can be revoked at any moment. To reap the rewards of all your pain, you must remain pure and strong.” His voice trembled. “Glorious.”
The crowd nodded excitedly.
Brother Damon smiled benevolently. “And to my Blessed Mothers, stay strong. Your children shall one day be the mighty rulers of this new world order.” He paused. “You are the mothers of the future.”
The pregnant women collapsed onto their knees, weeping and clutching their bellies. Keeley stared at them, appalled. What on earth was the man talking about? Was he saying that the babies of these women were going to rule the world? And what was the bizarre reference to stars aligning and the time coming?
She felt sweat trickling down her neck. This place was crazy. She had to get out of here as soon as she could. But how?
Realisation slowly dawned on her. Sister Valeria had told her that she could leave any time that she liked, but she knew now that it was a lie. If the woman had taken her here to hear this, she would not want her to leave and tell anyone about the strange practises and talk that was occurring here. Especially if they thought that something big was about to happen. They would want to keep everyone here close.
She was a prisoner. A prisoner who was well fed and whose jail was beautiful, but a prisoner nonetheless.
And that was when she noticed the books that everyone was clutching.
Her eyes widened, staring at Sister Valeria’s copy in her hands. A thin book with a plain brown cover. There was no way of knowing what the book was. But a cold shiver of recognition fell through her.
She knew that book.
She stared at it, trying to remember. The book. It had been important to her. So important that it had been the reason. She twisted her mouth, trying to isolate the thought. The reason for what? And why would she have had a copy of the same book that all these mad people were clutching?
Suddenly, the screen flickered off and started whirring upwards. The show was over. She breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps she could scurry away to the room she was being held in before anyone noticed. She needed to think deeply about how she was going to get out of here. She could just tell Sister Valeria that she was going, of course, and try to march out the front door. In theory, she shouldn’t stop her.
But Keeley knew in her heart that would not be the case.
No one was moving. Instead, they opened their books to a certain page. Her heart sank. Sister Valeria had said there would be stories. Is this what she had been talking about? Would she have to stand through a round of their sacred tales before she could retreat?
Their voices rose into the air as one. But they weren’t speaking in English. It was a strange, guttural language, the sound of which chilled her to the bone.
She could feel her eyes growing heavier as the strange words filled the air. Was it her imagination, or were they repeating the same ones, over and over? They sounded similar. But then she could hardly tell. She had never heard this language before and all the words were starting to slide together in her mind.
Their voices grew louder, almost feverish. Faster. So fast that they were almost tripping over the syllables.
Her head was staring to spin again, and she fell forward a little. She could feel Sister Valeria’s fingernails pressing into her arm, trying to keep her upright.
But it was all too late. The words melted into her head. She was drowning in the strange sounds. They were water, she thought groggily, and she was slowly going under…
***
Her eyes fluttered open, then closed again. She wanted desperately to go back to sleep. As soon as consciousness started to filter into her mind, she knew that she wasn’t safe.
She squeezed them shut, but sleep had fled. She had to open her eyes.
She wasn’t in the assembly room anymore. And she wasn’t in the room that she had been taken to when she had been found wandering the desert.
This room was as ornately furnished, but it was dark. She blinked, staring around. Long black drapes shrouded the windows, but she could see glimpses of bright sunlight through them. Strangely, a small fire was burning in the fireplace, its flames flickering orange and yellow around the space.
She was sitting upright in a chair. Had she been taken here as soon as she had co
llapsed? Because she knew that’s what must have happened. One minute she had been listening to that strange language, and the next she had been dissolving onto the floor.
She wasn’t safe.
She tried to rise, then realised that she couldn’t. Why couldn’t she? She stared down at herself. She was still dressed in the odd white suit, and she wasn’t tied to the chair. Why couldn’t she find the strength to get to her feet? Was she ill?
At that moment a door opened, and a man walked into the room. A man dressed in a black suit.
Brother Damon. She remembered his name from the presentation on the projector screen. But now he was here in the flesh.
She gazed at him. He was a commanding figure. Tall and strong. A man that she could picture leading armies into battle, or in charge of a fleet of ships. But she still couldn’t work out how old he was. His skin seemed to have the texture of plastic.
He smiled slowly. “Keeley. Do you know who I am?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes. You are Brother Damon, from the presentation.”
He nodded quickly, as if she were a bright student who had just delighted him with a smart answer. He walked towards her, stopping just before he got to the chair. He stared down at her, his head leaning to the side, as if he was classifying her in some way.
“Sister Valeria was correct,” he said in a low voice. “You are very beautiful. How old are you?”
She stared at him. Wasn’t it rude to ask a woman her age? But she had no reason to antagonise him by not replying. Not yet, anyway. She didn’t know what was going on, or what he intended, but she needed to be careful. Very, very careful.
And part of that was pretending that she had no idea that she was in a dangerous place.
She raised her chin. “Twenty-two,” she replied crisply. “I’m a journalist, by the way.”
He laughed. “Those titles have no meaning here,” he said. “None of us are known by the jobs we used to hold in the outside world. It is as if you have been born again, when you come into the Glory.”
Wild Keepers Page 113