The Keeper

by David Baldacci

  I looked back in time to see Rubez and his blackened vessel drift past us.

  I locked gazes with the creature. After staring down Orco, I knew this bloke could hold no horrors for me. I pointed behind me at the Obolus.

  “Oi, Rubez, I think I’ve got it all sorted out. Thanks.”

  His face was a mask of loathing. And I didn’t care a jot.

  We continued on until our feet hit level ground.

  Then something leapt on me.

  It was Harry Two. He licked my face and pushed his snout against my cheek.

  Delph picked me up in his crushing embrace.

  “You made it,” he said quietly, his breath touching my cheek. His sense of relief was palpable.

  “I made it,” I said weakly. “Where are the others?”

  “Over by the fire.”

  As we started to walk toward the firelight, he said. “Was it bad swimming across?”

  I looked up at his wide, happy face.

  “Not that bad, Delph. Not that bad a’tall.”

  WE WERE IN the Fifth Circle now, the last. And it was not lost upon me that this would be our greatest and, hopefully, final challenge.

  Petra had offered to take the first watch. Lackland and Delph were asleep. I lay on my lumpy bed with Harry Two beside me.

  I had not told the others what happened to me back in the Obolus River. What would have been the point? And besides, what could I say?

  Right, so anyway I died from a bloody wound to my chest, but I’m back from the dead now and everything’s just smashing. Would you like to see the spot of my mortal wound? It was quite something!

  I groaned and put a hand over my face. Then I lowered my other hand to my chest. I had been terrified to do this before, but now I had to. I reached under my clothes until I could feel my skin. I knew exactly where the wound had been. I was scared that I would feel remnants of the awful spot, but my skin was as smooth there as it had always been.

  I withdrew my hand. But still, I felt unclean somehow, changed forever. And — the hardest part of all — I felt immeasurably different from my companions.

  Delph and I had faced so much in here, together. But we had not experienced this together. Only I had. And I thanked the holy Steeples for that.

  I pulled the parchment from my cloak and summoned Silenus. He appeared a moment later.

  “We made it across the Obolus and into the Fifth Circle,” I mumbled.

  “And Rubez’s payment?” he asked.

  I took a sliver to describe in detail what had happened to me.

  “I died, Silenus. I was becoming part of that wall.”

  “But you fought back and gained your freedom. That is a significant accomplishment, Vega. Never forget that.”

  “Astrea said she knew little of the Fifth Circle except that my ancestor, Jasper Jane, created it. Apparently, he was keen on dark sorcery. Anyway, she mentioned that it might be the circle of lost souls.”

  Silenus stared worriedly at me. “Lost souls are a tricky business, Vega. Very tricky.”

  “How can a soul be lost? Despite what Astrea said I thought if a body died, so did its soul.”

  “Oh, no. The soul is far more resilient than the body, which is actually quite fragile. The soul can live without the body. And, truth be known, the body can live without the soul, but I would never want to encounter a soulless body. I doubt the meeting would be pleasant. However, a bodyless soul can be quite nice and accommodating. In some ways, in fact, that might be an apt description of me.”

  “Well, that’s not so bad,” I said.

  “But do not, for one moment, believe that all souls disenfranchised from their bodies are like that, for they are not.”

  “How do you mean, exactly?”

  “An evil soul remains evil, regardless of whether it is wrapped in a foul body or not. Losing the physical does not change the soul. In some ways, it makes it even more evil. Thus it is a good idea to keep a healthy skepticism of all souls, Vega, until you can be sure on what side of the ledger they fall.”

  “And how does one tell that?” I asked, wide-eyed.

  “Well, a good indicator is whether they try and kill you or not.”

  I had a sudden idea and took out Petra’s wand.

  “You said you could tell if this is a Maladon’s wand?”

  “Tap it against the parchment,” said Silenus.

  I drew a long breath and did as he asked.

  Silenus instantly vanished from the page.

  I tapped my own wand against the parchment and he reappeared. We stared at each other.

  “A Maladon’s?” I said.

  “Without doubt.”

  I said good-bye to Silenus and put the parchment away, my thoughts now filled with dread.

  I walked over to Delph when it was my turn to take watch.

  “Delph, we need to talk.”

  “ ’Bout what, Vega Jane?”

  “Petra.”

  He suddenly looked sheepish. “We’re just friends. I told you I felt sorry for her.”

  “I don’t care if you like her, Delph. She’s pretty and tough, high-spirited and, well, sort of amazing.”

  “You mean she’s like you?” he interjected.

  I was about to say something else but had frozen at his words. “Wh-what?” I stammered.

  “She’s like you. You’re all those things. And more, Vega Jane. But you’re not alike in other ways.”

  I felt myself turn red and I couldn’t look at him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re always helping folks. Back in Wormwood, the way you visited your mum and dad and took care-a your brother. And you were the only friend I had while others made fun-a me. And back at the Obolus with that bloody Rubez, Petra was just fine with Lackland having to swim for it, because she knew she needed you to make it through the Quag. You never woulda done that.”

  We looked at each other for a long moment. And then we both reached out at the same time and gripped the other’s hand. I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to kiss him, but he said, “You wanted to tell me something about Petra?”

  I looked at him and then slowly let go of his hand. “It’ll keep. Get some sleep,” I added.

  After he left I sat there thinking.

  Petra could be as disconnected from her history as I had been from mine. But, to borrow Silenus’s phrase, on what side of the ledger would she eventually fall?

  I knew at some point I would have to answer that question. I only hoped it didn’t cost me my life.

  THE SUN ROSE, much to my relief. As soon as we cleared about a half mile of forest, we saw it.

  The mountain that Delph and I had seen on our very first night in the Quag — which seemed a century ago now — rose above us, far closer than it ever had been before. The land at the foot of the mountain rose swiftly, forming spiny ridges. These ridges, like the backs of serpents, with deep valleys in between, grew steeper and steeper until they ran smack into the face of the mountain.

  I eyed Delph. “Seems like we go over the mountain.”

  He nodded, his gaze taking in all points. While the mountain still looked blue and stripped of foliage, from our vantage point, we could see the ridges leading up to it were lushly encased in green. However, there was nothing beautiful about this place. After all we had been through, I saw only the stark possibility of death.

  We reached the spiny ridge in the middle and started to head up. The going was rough. The trees and other foliage were densely packed and the incline swiftly became steep. The footing was not so good either, and we each took tumbles several times. But we kept going.

  Lackland had to use his sword, and Delph his ax, to cut a way through. I finally ended up using my wand to blast a path. Then we arrived at the end and looked down into a broad, flat valley nearly a mile across. I glanced to my right and left. The path had just ended in a sheer rock cliff! There was no way to keep going up.

  Delph stood next to me and peered into the valley. H
e said, “Guess we go down, eh?”

  “I can use Destin to take you down one by one,” I said. “You first?” I asked Lackland. I knew he was not so keen on flying and would want to get it over with.

  He sheathed his sword and tightened the grip on his tuck. “Right,” he said, his face already turning gray and his brow sweaty.

  I had him hold on to the leather straps on my back. I counted to three and then we leapt. Well, I leapt and dragged a squirmy, heavy Lackland along with me. I had to dodge past tree canopies, but we landed safely and Lackland gratefully placed his feet back on solid ground.

  I flew back up for Petra and then Delph.

  Harry Two was the last to come down with me. When we alighted, I unhooked him from his harness and looked around.

  There was no one there.

  “Delph?”

  Harry Two yipped and started sniffing around.

  “Petra? Lackland? If this is some sort of jolly on your part …” But I knew it wasn’t. They would never do something like that. Harry Two and I raced here and there, exploring behind trees and dense foliage, but there was not one sign of them.

  My belly burned with anxiety. Then I had a sudden thought. I raised my wand and said, “Rejoinda, Delph.” I prepared to duck when his large body came flying at me, but it didn’t. Everything around us remained still and quiet.

  I attempted the same spell with Lackland and Petra. Nothing.

  “Crystilado magnifica.”

  All that got me was a close-up of trees with not one living thing in or around them. I looked down at Harry Two, cold dread invading every part of my body. We were alone. I had no idea what to do. I had never felt so frantic. I rushed around screaming their names. I was a mad female, all reason struck clean from me.

  Then another thought filled me with fresh panic.

  This was the place of lost souls. Silenus had said that the physical could be separated from the soul, though an evil person’s soul would remain evil, whether it had a body attached to it or not. Had they been taken and their souls removed? If so, where were their bodies?

  Stop it, Vega.

  I was acting as if it was certain they were dead. I couldn’t think that way. I had to find them. And I would.

  “Come on, Harry Two,” I screamed.

  He jumped into his harness and I sprang into the air. We soared along and I did long banking movements to the right and left as I kept my gaze below, looking for any sign of my companions. I saw nothing and my spirits plummeted and my nerves once more threatened to run away with me. The longer they were gone, the more it seemed they would be gone forever. I could barely breathe. I was so scared, I couldn’t even cry. It was like I had been struck by the same spell I had used to freeze the jabbit back at Astrea’s.

  As I looked up, I saw it materializing. At first I thought it was another storm blowing up because I had been flying for so long. Only it wasn’t a storm. I would have preferred a storm, actually.

  The sky was suddenly blackened with flying things. As one drew close to me, I could see that it looked like an inficio, only far smaller, about the size of Harry Two. But there must have been thousands of them. And they were all bearing down on us with clawed wings and screeching cries.

  I went into a dive. I could feel my canine’s rigid body against my chest. I could sense the things right behind me. I even felt the tugs on my cloak as one grabbed it with its claws. I sped up and disappeared through a canopy of leaves. I was praying the creatures would not follow us down here.

  My prayers were not answered.

  I zoomed along the ground with the swarms closing in.

  I pointed my wand behind me and cried out, “Engulfiado.”

  A surge of water shot out and as I looked back, I saw it slam into the wall of creatures, knocking many of them down and scattering the rest.

  But I knew they would regroup and be after us again.

  Up ahead I saw it. I had no other choice.

  I pointed my wand at the huge double doors of the massive stone building that had just appeared in my line of vision.

  “Ingressio.”

  The doors sprang open. I looked back. The swirl of foul creatures was feet from us. I could see their razor-sharp claws and beaks and the murderous looks in their eyes.

  Harry Two and I zipped through the doors. Pointing my wand behind me again, I cried out, “Securius.”

  The doors slammed shut and bolted.

  A split second later, I could hear hundreds of thuds against the thickened doors as the clawed creatures slammed into the wood. But, thankfully, the doors held.

  I landed and let Harry Two out of his harness. My chest heaving, I watched the doors just as I had back at Stacks in Wormwood when the pair of jabbits was after me. That door had not opened. It didn’t look like these would either.

  But those foul things out there, had they attacked Delph and the others? Had they carried them away somewhere to … to … I couldn’t think it. I felt the tears now rush to my eyes. It felt like my heart had been ripped clean from me.

  I managed to regain a bit of calm and looked around. The place reminded me of Stacks with its high ceilings, stone stairs, white marble balustrades and arched columns leading into other rooms. I started up the stairs to see what was on the second level, when I heard it.

  “May I help you?”

  Halfway up the stairs, I whirled around, trying to locate the source of the words. My gaze had passed over a corner on the first floor. But then I came back to it as the, well, whatever it was, moved out into the open where I could see it clearly.

  The figure was really just an outline. The light coming in through the high windows shone right through it, as with the wendigo.

  “May I help you?” the figure said again.

  I slowly walked back down the stairs and stopped as the thing glided over to me. Yes, it was gliding, not walking.

  When it drew close enough, I could see that it was the image of a tall male bent with age. He had on boots and a long robe open in the front. With a thrill I saw the image of the three hooks imprinted across the breastplate he wore.

  “I’m looking for my friends,” I said quickly. “There were three of them. They just vanished. I’m very worried. Please, can you help me?”

  “Three friends vanished?” he said. “Dear me, that is not good. I am sorry.”

  He looked me up and down and then gazed for a moment at Harry Two.

  “I haven’t seen a canine in ages,” he said. He reached down to pet Harry Two, but his hand passed right through my canine. I saw Harry Two shiver slightly.

  “Blast,” said the male. “I forgot about that. Oh, well.”

  “Who are you?” I asked. I also wanted to ask what was he.

  “My name is or was Jasper Jane.”

  I nearly fell over. And I would have but I was apparently frozen to the spot.

  “Well, I’m Vega Jane,” I managed to say.

  He looked at me curiously. “We share a surname. Do I know you?”

  “I doubt it.” I paused and then continued. “I saw your grave,” I said slowly. “At the Wolvercote Cemetery.”

  “My body is buried at Wolvercote. But my soul is not. My soul is right here in front of you. ’Tis all I have left.”

  My eyes widened. “How do you separate your soul from your body?”

  “There are two ways of doing so. For me, I did so because my body was dying but I did not want to fully perish. Thus, using magic I removed my soul before my physical self breathed its last.”

  “You said there was another way?”

  “Yes. But I do not wish to describe it. It is too horrible.”

  He suddenly saw the ring on my finger. “Where did you get that?” he exclaimed.

  “It belonged to my grandfather. What does it mean?” I asked. “The mark?”

  “It is our Trinity. Our mantra: Peace. Hope. Freedom. Precisely in that order.”

  “Look, I need to find my friends. Every sliver that passes —” I gulp
ed.

  “I’m not sure I can help you, not sure at all. You see, it’s really not my place to help those trying to pass through here.”

  “I know that! But Astrea changed her mind. She trained me up to escape here. To take up the fight once more against the Maladons.”

  This all came out in a torrent. He looked stricken.

  “Astrea? I … Helped you to leave here? Fight again? I can scarcely believe it.”

  In my mind I searched for something that would make him see that he had to help me. I held up my wand. “And this was given to me by another ancestor, Alice Adronis. She told me I had to survive. To fight. You have to see the truth, Jasper, don’t you?”

  Jasper was now staring at me, openmouthed. His hand ran up and down the symbol of the three hooks on his breastplate. “See what?” he said breathlessly.

  “Eight centuries is bloody long enough to hide. And the Maladons will find us. They will. If they’re truly as evil as everyone says, they will never stop looking. Well, I would rather come out of hiding and take the fight to them!”

  He looked down at my wand. “Alice … Alice gave you that?”

  “It was her Elemental. And now it’s my wand. It has a strand of her hair embedded in it.”

  “Alice was the most courageous of us all.” He slumped to the floor and sat there cross-legged. “This is quite astonishing,” he said. “Quite. We had our plan, you see. And …”

  “And you carried it out very well. But it’s over now. It’s over!”

  “How came you here, to my castle?” he said sharply.

  “I was chased by flocks of very lethal flying creatures.”

  “Oh, yes, the dreads,” he said absently.

  “The what?”

  “The dreads. My creation. If they followed you here, they’ll be waiting just outside. If you attempt to leave, they will cut you and your canine to pieces. They never give up once they have prey at hand. Dreadful things, hence the name.”

  My patience was exhausted. “Fine. If you won’t help me, I’ll find my friends by myself.” I turned and started to walk off.

  “But the dreads!”

  I turned and shouted, “I don’t care. I can fly, so I have a chance. And they’re my friends. I will die for them. And if you won’t help me, then go to bloody Hel!”