According to Legend

by Gerri Brousseau

  Just as we were about to cross the perimeter of the light cast from the single bulb, we bumped into the shelf. David felt around and found a flashlight. He flipped it on and there on the shelf were a few more flashlights and a large key ring full of old skeleton keys. He handed me a flashlight and then picked up the key ring.

  “I guess we better take these, just in case. They probably wouldn’t be here with the lights unless they are necessary further down,” he said.

  “Good thinking. I wonder where all this leads and what’s so important or valuable that it’s kept under lock and key.”

  “We’re about to find out,” he said and proceeded down the tunnel. The cold damp air seemed thick and a shiver ran through me.

  Get a grip, focus.

  We traveled down the twisting path of the tunnel for what seemed like hours. Following it around a curve, we came to a fork in the path where the trail split into three paths, one straight ahead, one to the left, and one to the right.

  “Now what?” I asked.

  “Now, we consult the blueprint,” David said as he laid the map out flat on the ground. We all moved in closer to get a better look at it.

  “I think we’re here,” he said, resting his finger on a spot on the map. It did show a tunnel with a three-way fork. The path that went straight seemed to lead to a large chamber while the other two didn’t seem to lead anywhere, but just ran off the map, apparently off the museum property.

  “I think we should check out the one that leads to this room first. If there’s nothing there, we can come back and explore the others,” David said.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  Wait, Half-Breed said, I don’t like this. I feel we’re being led toward a trap. Why don’t you make him let me go first?

  “David, why don’t we let Half-Breed go first?” I asked. “He has a keen sense of smell and I’m sure—”

  “No, I’ll go ahead and he can protect you if someone should come up behind us.”

  As you wish, Half-Breed’s thoughts answered me, but I still don’t like this.

  We proceeded down the central tunnel and Half-Breed continued to mumble under his breath. Finally, we came to a huge metal door.

  “Lucky we took those keys after all,” David said as he produced the key ring and started fumbling with them, trying to find which one would open the lock. Finally, he put one in, and the ancient lock clicked. He looked at me and then at Half-Breed. “I think we’re in.”

  He started to push the old, rusty, metal door, which creaked and groaned. It seemed that this door had not been opened in a very long time, but in the split second that David started to push the door open, my mind flashed back and was filled with a vision of the tunnel we had just come down. There were no cobwebs. It did not look like a passageway that was long forgotten by time, but more like a path still in use.

  “Stop,” I whispered.

  David faced me. “What is it?”

  “Can you close that door?”

  He slowly pulled the door back and closed it. “What’s wrong? What are you thinking?”

  “David, think about this tunnel. Does it look to you like a tunnel forgotten by time or one in use? There are no cobwebs, nothing that would indicate that it is a forgotten passage. Someone uses this on a regular basis. Even the flashlights, they should have been covered with a thick coating of dust, but they weren’t and they work just like they have new batteries.”

  You’re right, Princess. I don’t like this. I think it’s a trap, Half-Breed agreed.

  “Well, we’re here now. Do you want to go forward, or back?” David asked. “I’ll do whatever you want, Pam, but we’ve come this far, I think we should press on.”

  “Let’s take a look at the blueprint and see what’s on the other side of this door and, more importantly, if there is a way out on the other side.”

  David laid the map out on the dirt floor and we took another look at it. There was a door on the other side of the cavern that led to another tunnel, and it also showed a staircase leading up and out through the museum. We had walked so long, how could we still be beneath the museum? Had we just walked around in one big circle?

  “I think we should continue,” David said.

  I didn’t know what to do. “Fine,” I said. “Let’s move on. I’m curious to see where it goes.”

  Princess, I really don’t like this. Something doesn’t smell right down here, Half-Breed said.

  I know, Half-Breed, but what do you suggest? I looked at him, pleading. Half-Breed was silent. I really didn’t know if I could totally trust David. He seemed sincere, but would I ever really be sure until it was too late?

  The hair on the back of my neck prickled at the thought. I was torn between wanting to go back and needing to go forward to find out where this tunnel went. The catcher vibrated. My stomach churned. Moments ticked by and the only sound in the gloomy tunnel was that of our breathing.

  David placed both hands back on the door to push it open again.

  The catcher vibrated and I couldn’t swallow as the creak and groans of rusted hinges filled the silence.

  He took my arm and guided me into a dark cavern beyond the open door.

  The beam of our flashlights skimmed across a long table with benches rather than chairs. Even in the beam of the flashlights, it looked very old and was covered in a thick layer of dust. Then as the beam of our flashlights skimmed the wall, I saw the one thing that struck me as totally out of place. Chains bolted to the wall, as if it were a dungeon. New chains, not covered in dust. A chill ran through me.

  “What is this place?” I said.

  Half-Breed’s fierce grow rumbled from deep in his chest.

  “What is it, Half-Breed?” That was when the sickening smell of overpowering cologne filled my nostrils and I felt the cold barrel of a gun against the back of my neck.

  “Nice to see you again, Miss Hastings,” Mr. Harvey hissed next to my ear.

  The icy hand of fear gripped me and the hair on the back of my neck prickled.

  Half-Breed was snarling and baring his teeth. I was sure he would bite David or Mr. Harvey, but he didn’t have a chance because David slipped a clip onto the wolf’s collar and was attaching the other end to a chain in the wall.

  “Nicely done, David,” Mr. Harvey said as he shoved me forward into the room. “Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “You question my allegiance?” David answered.

  “No, I just figured you for a wimp. Glad to see you prove me wrong, my boy.”

  David made no comment. He looked at me.

  I glared back at him.

  “How could you?” I spat the words at him with loathing.

  “Look, it’s nothing personal. We all want the same thing here,” he said, sauntering over to me and leaning close. “Now if you cooperate, maybe we’ll let you live. I would really like that. We sort of have some unfinished business,” he said and he leaned even closer as if to nuzzle my neck. He whispered in my ear, “Please trust me.”

  “That’s enough, Romeo!” Mr. Harvey snapped at David. Then, turning to me, he barked, “Do you or do you not know the location of the cave?”

  “No, I don’t know where it is,” I answered.

  “You don’t expect me to believe that rubbish,” he said, his voice dripping with disgust.

  “Believe what you wish. I don’t know where it is and even if I did, I would never tell you,” I said, raising my chin.

  “We shall see. You know, Miss Hastings, this was once a holding area where runaway slaves stayed on their journey further north to freedom, used in the days of the underground railroad, but since my area of expertise is Medieval torture, I’ve made a few, shall we say, modifications by adding the shackles. But I’m afraid your journey will not lead to freedom. I hope you and your pet enjoy your stay.” He looked from me to David and said, “Chain her to the wall.”

  David did as he was told. “Now what, Harvey?” he asked.

  “Now we le
ave them here while we wait for further instructions from the true Princess.”

  Mr. Harvey started toward the stairs at the other end of the cavern. David put his flashlight and the key ring onto the table and shot a glance toward me before following Mr. Harvey up the stairs. A chill ran through me as the cold hard sound of the door locking behind them echoed into the cavern. Sitting in the dark and the damp dungeon, a chill crept into my bones and my teeth chattered.

  “Half-Breed, I’m never going to ignore your warnings again.”

  Did he leave the keys?

  I don’t know, Half-Breed. I’m so afraid I can’t think.

  Focus Princess.

  Yes, yes, I think he did. I think they are on the table. Did he leave a flashlight?

  I think so. I thought I saw him put one on the table before he left.

  Neither will do us much good, though. I’m chained to the wall and so are you.

  The rattling of the chain and the clink of the metal as it hit the floor echoed in the chamber.

  “Not anymore.”

  This was not the voice of Half-Breed in my mind, but a man’s voice. A familiar voice echoed in the cold dark chamber. But for some reason, I was not afraid.

  A shuffling sound and the jingle of the key ring filled the darkness. Then, the flashlight went on. Standing there before me was a man clothed in a coat of gray and white wolf fur with what looked like the head of a wolf upon his head. I was shocked to realize that he looked exactly like Half-Breed, standing on two legs. The man looked at me. He had one blue eye and one brown one. It was Emanudeck!

  “Father?” I murmured in disbelief. My gaze shot to the wall where Half-Breed had been chained. The empty collar was lying there on the floor, with the chain still attached to the wall.

  “Father. All this time, you are Half-Breed?”

  “Yes, I came to you as Half-Breed. I was performing a duty born of love, my first duty—to protect my only child,” he said as he knelt beside me and unlocked the shackles.

  I threw my arms around him in an embrace of welcome and relief.

  “Oh, Father, I can’t believe it is truly you.” Warm tears ran down my cheeks.

  “Yes, my child, it truly is.” He reached up and dried my tears.

  “How could I not have realized? I should have known.”

  “I could not tell you and for that I am sorry, but now is not the time to speak of this,” he said as he moved to retrieve the dog collar from the chain, “We should never have come here, never stepped out of our inner circle, and now it is the time for us to leave this place.”

  Chapter 28

  As we hurriedly made our way back up the passage I asked, “Father, how is it you can be Half-Breed?”

  “I have taken this form to come to this time only to protect you. The wolf who guards Moheeladeck is the rightful Half-Breed. He is the true Spirit of the Wolf, I merely took his form as I knew it was one you know and trust, but we can take the form of any creature under the sun, my daughter.”

  “How is this possible?”

  “Daughter, when you are in full control of the powers you possess you will understand.”

  My legs ached from walking on the uphill slant of the path, but finally we approached the door back into the museum.

  “Let us go quickly and be away from here,” he said. “But once you open this door, I will again assume the form of the wolf.”

  “Why?”

  “Our enemies do not know who I really am. They think I am a wolf and as the wolf, I can remain by your side to protect you and can change form when necessary. This knowledge will help us maintain an element of surprise when danger again comes to us.”

  “Do you really think David is one of them?”

  “He delivered you into the hands of our enemies.”

  “But he whispered—”

  “I heard what he whispered. I do not know if you can trust him. What does your heart tell you, my daughter?”

  “My heart tells me to trust him but his actions have proven otherwise.”

  “Trust your heart for it will never lead you astray,” he said. “Now, child, open the door.”

  Everything Emanudeck said made sense to me. But as much as I loved and trusted my father, I was starting to miss my friend and faithful companion Half-Breed, the wolf who made me laugh and protected me.

  I reached for the knob and nudged the door open. All was quiet as we exited out into the darkened hallway. We crept back to the side door where we had come in, and I opened it. It wasn’t until I heard the soft buzz that it occurred to me that as a museum, all the doors would have been connected to an alarm system, all exits would have surveillance and our presence in the museum never was unnoticed. I expected an alarm to go off but nothing happened. Our enemies were either getting overly confident and sloppy, or they were allowing us to escape, but why? The two of us found ourselves back out on the street along the side of the museum.

  Do you not wonder why they have not tried to take the stone from you? Half-Breed asked.

  I never gave it a thought. Why do you think they haven’t taken it?

  I do not believe that they know the full extent of the power it possesses and I believe that they wait for you to lead them to the cave.

  David made his way back to the door at the top of the stairs, heading back down into the cavern to help Pam. It was a risky move and there would be serious retribution if he helped her escape, but he had to. He was torn between a sense of duty and the feelings he had for the girl being held prisoner down in the bowels of the museum.

  He held a flashlight in one hand and with the other he opened the door leading down the rickety stairs into the dungeon. He stomach lurched at the thought of Pam being chained down there in the dark. He turned the flashlight on and shined it down into the cavern, expecting to see Pam sitting on the dirt floor chained to the wall, looking small, scared, and angry. He had mentally prepared himself for the sight that would sicken him to his core, but was shocked to see the empty chains and shackles lying on the floor where the prisoners had been restrained.

  “They’re gone? How?” he said aloud.

  Had Mr. Harvey doubled back and taken them somewhere else? How could he find out without tipping his hand to Harvey? He flashed the light to the table where he had left the keys and another flashlight. They were gone. Suppose Mr. Harvey hadn’t moved them. Suppose Pam was in the process of making an escape. He couldn’t call any attention to that and thwart her efforts. The only thing he could do was keep quiet and try to contact Pam later on. Would she still trust him? She had to. She had to understand he was trapped. He had no choice. I will make her understand, he thought as he turned off the flashlight and closed the door behind him.

  Mr. Harvey spoke into his cell phone. “You were right, he did go back to check on her, but you will be pleased to know that he didn’t go down into the cavern to rescue her as we feared he might. He’s proven to be more of a man than I ever thought he was. I never thought he would live up to his destiny. I’m impressed. Now what? Okay, we’ll let it play out and watch him for the time being. Do you think she’s bluffing, or do you believe that she doesn’t know the location of that cave? Yeah, I don’t believe it either. Let her stay down there for a while and maybe she’ll be more willing to talk.” He laughed. “I’ll check on her in the morning and get back to you. Until then.” He hung up and stuffed the cell phone into the pocket of his jacket. It was then that he noticed the surveillance light go on indicating that the side door had been opened. The girl must have escaped, and although he didn’t know how she could have, there wasn’t any other explanation.

  “Well, well, there is much more to you than I anticipated. I have underestimated you my dear, but rest assured, I will never make that mistake again.”

  Chapter 29

  It was dark when we got back home. I pulled the car into the garage and with a heavy sigh, closed the door behind us.

  “Half-Breed I don’t think it’s a good idea to turn on any lights.
We don’t know who may be watching us.” I grabbed the flashlight from the glove box and we made our way into the kitchen.

  We should have a look around to be sure no one is waiting to ambush us.

  Ambush us? But, Half-Breed, we have a great alarm system.

  Do not underestimate your enemies. They have ways to sneak under your security.

  My stomach knotted at his suggestion. You’re probably right, Half-Breed. We better have that look around then.

  We crept through the house checking one room at a time. A deep snarl came from Half-Breed and the hair along his back stood rigid. I jumped at the sound and gripped the flashlight.

  “What is it?”

  Nothing. I am practicing my fiercest growl in case we meet with danger.

  He certainly looks fierce. I wouldn’t want to tangle with him.

  I did not mean to frighten you, Princess. He smiled then, that wolfish grin that showed so many teeth.

  “Oh, Half-Breed?” I sighed, longing for the safety and comfort of Moheeladeck’s arms.

  I know, Princess, you wish to be with him.

  Yes, I know that is my true place and somehow at the end of all of this, I will find a way to remain there. But I can’t think about that now.

  As we made our way upstairs to the bedroom, my cell phone rang. David. I didn’t answer. He had betrayed me and I didn’t know if I could ever trust him now. But I knew I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet.

  The damp mustiness of the dungeon clung to my skin. “Half-Breed, I’m going to take a hot shower. You can go to bed, but please try to stay alert.”

  Yes, Princess, I will keep watch. He headed back toward the bedroom door.

  “Where are you going?”

  Downstairs to guard the door. He turned and with a swish of his bushy tail, romped down the stairs.

  I left my clothes on the bathroom floor and climbed into the shower. The hot water ran over my body and rinsed away the stench of the dungeon, washing away the stress of the day. Scenes of the day played through my mind. I was deep in thought and had not realized that my hand rested upon the dream catcher when my thoughts drifted to Moheeladeck once again and how much I wish he were standing here with me in the shower. Oh, if only he could be here now, I thought. A light flashed, startling me from my reverie. I opened my eyes and gazed at my tan body, the curve of my belly, my hands, but not my hands, her hands, and there he stood, naked, real, and everything that I wanted. How was I to know I could summon the man I longed for with a mere thought?