Edith ran a hand over her face and sighed. "Remind me never to pick up any random keys again."
The grin she received from the Alaeshan almost made the trouble worth it. Almost.
Charles had his back to the door when it opened. Dust and smoke filtered through the ever increasing gap. He lunged at Edith, pressing her against the wall, keeping his body between her and the door as he took a fighter's stance: fists up, knees bent, snarl on his face. The haze broke as a portly body stepped through and rested its hands on its hips.
"Now none of that, lad. I nearly just blew my cover for ya and almost took out the whole block. The least you could do is show a little respect."
Charles's relief was audible and he stood straight, advancing quickly to the old man. The chef returned the younger man's brief hug before shooing him away. "Let me get a look at the young lass who seems to be causing such trouble in my quiet little corner of the world."
He stepped forward, appraising Edith with a critical eye. She felt like a slab of meat he was getting ready to butcher until he nodded. "She looks sturdy enough. Seems smart enough, too. Scared, I can sense the fear. But not falling apart with terror like some Keepers we've had." He shot a brief glance at Dana, who blushed and bowed her head. His eyes settled on Alex. "Who's that?"
"Dana's boyfriend." Charles offered no further information, but the distaste bled into his voice.
"Why's he here?"
"He was there when Edith found the key, and he insists that he won't let Dana out of his sight."
The chef cocked an eyebrow. "Chivalrous." He turned his attention back to Edith. "Come, lass. Time to get going."
They followed the balding head out into the freezer and beyond into the storage area. Items had fallen to the floor and some shelves were knocked askew or tipped over completely. A fine white powder covered everything.
"What happened?" Edith coughed as she breathed in some of the powder that had been kicked up by their shuffling feet.
"The war has officially started at last," the chef said. "They made the first move once they knew you had the key."
Edith frowned. "Why would they come after me? What about the other keys? The missing ones?"
Charles kicked a cracked can of stewed tomatoes. It spun across the floor, a trail of red juice marking its progress. "A Keeper is most vulnerable on their first day. It takes three full rotations of the planet for the protections to come fully into effect. Right now, you are the weakest you will ever be. When Dana lost the key, she lost the protection so she is mostly powerless as well. They need to get to you quickly if they want to take the key without too much trouble."
"How did they even know I have the key?"
Charles shook his head. "I don't know. I barely had time to tell the Council. Chef only knows because it's his job as Guardian of the Door to know who the Keeper is at all times."
"Guardian of the Door? Sounds very formal. And an odd job for a chef."
"Ah, no. It's a genius disguise. Came up with it myself. There's always folk coming and a'going in a diner, eh? So when someone comes in and disappears for awhile, who's really going to take notice?"
A thought occurred to Edith. "So this door leads to Alaesha?"
The chef nodded. "Yes, lass."
"Can you move the door where you want? So it opens anywhere in your world or ours?"
"No, absolutely not. It's been in this location since the beginning. The area around it has changed, but the door has remained the same. I think it's probably high time we show you the door, with Charles's approval, of course."
The adviser nodded thoughtfully. "Good idea. She needs to know where it is so she can get to it quickly when necessary. That may be sooner rather than later at the rate things are going." He stared at Edith a moment, his lips moving with unspoken words. Then he smiled and bobbed his head to the chef. “Lead on.”
The group left the storage room through a small side door that Edith hadn't noticed on their brief run through the area. It led to a tight hallway that circled around the building on the outer wall. She nodded in appreciation. The hallway was so thin, barely big enough for the chef to squeeze through, that it would hardly be noticeable from the outside unless one decided to look very closely, and she was sure there were magic wards in place to discourage that kind of curiosity.
As they reached what she assumed was the front of the diner, the hallway stopped suddenly at a set of stairs. They led down into the darkness and she couldn't see the bottom. She hesitated at the top. She didn't really like dark, cramped spaces. They had a habit of attracting spiders and mice. She shuddered at the thought of running into a multitude of creepy crawly things.
"There are no mice, and the spiders won't hurt you. I promise." Charles grinned at her and nodded toward the stairs.
With a resigned sigh, Edith focused Alex's bobbing head in front of her and started down the steps, trying desperately not to touch the walls that were pressing in on her. The darkness grew ever deeper until they were in near blackness. She could barely make out the shapes of the people in front of her and the stairs felt like they kept going for an eternity. Finally, the oppressing blackness broke into a soft, shimmering glow. The air at the bottom of the stairs was warm and comforting, like when she would sit by her grandmother's fireplace on cold winter days reading a book. It drew her into the small room and a sense of peace washed over her. Her eyes fell on the door on the opposite wall. It was simple with no adornments of any kind. Not even a door knob. The only mark anywhere on it was the keyhole, located in the exact middle of the door.
"That's an odd place to put the keyhole," she commented as she drifted toward the door. Her hand reached out of its own accord and she stroked the wood. It gave off heat, but it wasn't too hot to the touch.
Dana stepped up beside her, a far away look on her face. The corners of her lips drew up slightly as she examined the door. Her hand reached out slowly, hesitantly, until her fingers were mere millimeters from the surface. Her dazed expression broke into a hurt pout and she pulled her hand away quickly.
"Only you and the Alaeshans can touch it," she told Edith, heavy bitterness tainting her forced smile. "If Alex or I were to try, the skin on our hands would be burned to a crisp."
Edith jumped when Charles spoke at her opposite shoulder. "Not exactly a crisp, but close. More like third degree burns. You wouldn't be using your hands for awhile." His explanation earned him a glare from the cheerleader.
A shuffling noise echoed through the floor from upstairs, followed by a scream. "Go on then, lass. Use the key. Quickly now." The chef headed to the stairs, pausing momentarily to look up. "Poor Jen. I hope I'm not too late." With that, he took off up the steep steps faster than Edith would have thought possible.
A grim mood settled over the group of teenagers as they listened to the noises coming from the diner. A second battle was being waged, and it did not sound like it was going well. Another explosion shook the diner, causing dust and dirt to fall from the ceiling of the small room. A spider landed on Charles's upturned face, snapping him out of his reverie.
He brushed the multi-legged creature off, eliciting a squeal from the girls as it flew toward them before hitting the wall in between. He ignored their protests. "The key, Edith. Quickly now."
She pulled the key from its hiding place. Much to her surprise, it was no longer a shiny silver. Instead it glowed red, as if it had been left in burning coals for hours on end. She gasped and nearly dropped it until she realized that despite appearances, it wasn't at all hot. It was cool to the touch, almost cold, even. She put her hand on the door near the keyhole. In contrast, the door seemed to have grown hotter. She moved the key toward the door, baffled as the key grew still colder while the door became nearly untouchable.
"Hurry, Edith. We haven't much time." Charles had moved to the stairs. The look of fear on his face was all Edith needed. She inserted the key with conviction and turned. It wouldn't budge. She tried turning it again. Nothing happened.
"Other way." Dana snapped as she stared at the ceiling.
Edith frowned and turned the key in the other direction. It hissed and popped like an ice cube dropped into a hot cup of tea. Moments later, several loud clicks could be heard around the outside of the door and it slid inward, pulling the key from Edith's hand. She watched in alarm as the key disappeared into the hole and the door moved to the side. She peered through the new gap in the wall, but all she could see was a dirt tunnel that curved sharply a few feet in.
"Go now, quickly." Charles shooed the others into the tunnel, grabbing a flaming torch from a sconce on the inside of the door. Once they were all through, he turned the sconce ninety degrees and the door slid shut again with a loud clink. Much to Edith's relief, the key popped out again, this time on the inside of the door. She snatched it and shoved it in her pocket.
"How'd it do that? Flip the key around, I mean?" Charles just smiled in response to her question and disappeared around the corner. She trotted to catch up. "I thought this led to another dimension."
"Have faith, my dear one. Have faith." Charles ignored any further questions and Edith settled into gloomy silence.
They walked for what felt to Edith like ages in the cramped tunnel until they came upon another door similar to the last. The explosions faded behind them into nothingness.
"Key."
"Key, please?" mumbled Edith as she slid the object from her pocket and poked it into the hole. This door was not quite as fancy as the last. The keyhole was on the right hand side and the key turned in the direction she was expecting it to. It even had a door handle,which she twisted once the key clicked. The door creaked open, revealing an old-style sitting room beyond.
Charles stepped through first, setting the torch in another sconce. "Don't forget the key. This one isn't like the other."
Edith slipped the key from the lock. "I need to get a chain or something for this."
Dana nodded. "I kept mine on an Ibanese chain. Unbreakable. We'll have to get you one."
"Enough chatting, ladies."
Edith stepped into the other room. It was a pleasant little space with two small floral-covered two-seater couches and a couple old chairs tucked into the corners. A tiny coffee table sat in the middle of the room upon which lay some leather-bound books in a strange language Edith couldn't understand along with a Time magazine, People and Heat.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Charles said, bowing deeply as he spread his arms around the room.
Edith coughed. "'Your humble abode?' This is your house?"
He straightened with an irritated snort. "Yes, this is my house. This is where I entertain visitors from your world. What's wrong with it?"
Edith cleared her throat and looked away. "Nothing. It's nice. Lovely. Really." Inside, she was questioning his sense of taste and wondering why she followed him through such a strange journey only for it to end in an old-fashioned sitting room.
She caught Dana's eye who grinned and laughed. "I've heard from others that he has better taste with the rest of the house, but as I've never been out of this room, I can't speak to that."
Charles glared at Dana. "I have excellent taste, thank you very much. And anyway, since you lot can't go back there until we get this whole mess sorted, you'll be staying here. I have guest rooms. You girls will have to share, but there are two beds, so it shouldn't be bad. I'll send for Mags to get you clothes and whatnot. You'll have to give her a list of what you need. I'm not really familiar with girl stuff."
"What about me?"
Charles frowned as he remembered Alex. "You'll get your own room." He opened a door Edith hadn't noticed. "Come on, then."
They followed him down a plushly carpeted hallway to a long, twisty flight of stairs. The walls were covered with large, meticulously painted portraits of strange humanoids. Edith ran her fingers along dark banisters bannisters smoothed by centuries of hands as she examined the men and women from long ago. Doors of the same color and simple design as the banisters lined the matching hall upstairs. On both sides, they remained closed, refusing to reveal their purpose or contents to the intruders. No floral prints were visible anywhere. Charles opened a door along the right hand wall.
"This is you, ladies. Make yourselves at home and I'll send Mags up to chat with you and see that you have everything you need." He tossed them a quick smile and shut the door soundly behind them.
"I don't think he has guests very often." Dana plopped down onto one of the beds and started to take off her shoes. "My feet are killing me. I picked a bad day to wear new shoes." She poked at a couple of blisters that had formed under the patent leather straps and winced.
Edith looked around the room. It was simple, yet elegant, and by her standards, quite large. Two full size beds sat side by side along one wall with a night stand in between. A large ornate mahogany armoire stood along another wall, in addition to a worn captain's desk with swirling leaves carved along its outer edge. She opened the armoire first, enjoying the cool feel of the bronze handles against her skin. A crackled mirror was tacked to one door but it was empty otherwise. In the desk she found plenty of stationary, all very stylish and likely expensive. In one drawer she even found a quill and ink sitting alongside more modern pens.
She caught Dana watching her as she shuffled through the contents of the desk and closed the drawer quickly. Dana laughed. "Don't worry. Charles is smart. There won't be anything in here that he doesn't want us to see. Now, which one of these doors is the bathroom. I'm about to explode."
Dana stood up, a little wobbly at first on her wounded feet, and paused in front of two indiscriminate doors along the wall opposite the bed. She opened the right one first, finding an empty walk-in closet. She stepped inside and spun around, a glow on her face. "Look at this, Edith! It's huge." Shelves upon shelves and hangers galore, perfect for a wanna-be princess like Dana.
Edith smiled at her frenemy. "Maybe Mags will give us something to put in it."
"Oh, I hope so. This is great."
Dana shut the door behind her and opened the other. The bathroom wasn't quite as magnificent as the massive closet--by her standards, anyway--but it was impressive, nonetheless. After allowing Dana a few minutes of privacy, Edith went to inspect it. A large claw-footed tub that could easy hold a full-grown cow stood in the center of the marbled floor. In one corner was a standing shower with massage jets. Two large, free-standing sinks with gold trim sat beneath gilded mirrors that stretched to the ceiling.
Edith stepped in front of a mirror. At first she didn't recognize the face staring back at her. After all the running, her hair was a mess and her face was covered in dirt from the tunnel. She groaned and dug through the cabinet behind the door. Luckily it had been stocked with mint-scented soap, thick green towels, and other toiletries. She grabbed the tools she'd need and turned on the water. It warmed up quickly and she sighed with delight as she felt the grime of the day's craziness flow from her skin. She was in the middle of her makeshift bath when a bell chimed in the room.
Chapter 7
Edith emerged from the bathroom still wiping her face dry with a towel. Dana was standing just inside the doorway, chatting amiably with a middle-aged woman who reminded her a bit of a shorter, chubbier Michelle Pfeiffer. The woman beamed when she saw the girl and crossed the distance between them quickly, wrapping the confused Edith into a bear hug.
"I am oh-so-glad you made it here in one piece, darling. Charles told me all about the trying time you've had. I hope you are no worse for the wear. Let me look at you."
She pushed Edith back to arms' length, keeping a firm grip on her shoulders as she studied the girl closely from top to bottom, tutting and shaking her head the entire time. "I've always told my brother he's too hard on his Keepers. Just look at the sight of you. You poor things." She shifted her concerned gaze between the teenagers. "Well, you're here now. I'll look after you and you'll be right as rain in no time at all. Now let me just see what size you are..."
Her voice t
railed off as she pulled a tape measure from the pocket of the lavender apron she was wearing. Large green letters on the front asked the girls to “kiss the chef.” Grabbing Edith's hand, the woman pulled the girl's arm out straight. Mumbling to herself all the while, she measured every possible inch of both girls. More than one look of confused amusement passed between the displaced humans and Edith couldn't help but feel a surreal sense of dreaming. She also felt a real bond forming with Dana, something she found unsettling.
"There, that's done," the woman said as she stuffed the tape measure back into her pocket and dropped Dana's leg. "But we must do something about those feet. I simply can't believe that Charles would drag you all over in those shoes. Men, I tell you. They know nothing about women." She shook her head, an annoyed look burrowing into the crows' feet that were already evident at the corners of her eyes.
"To be fair, I don't think that was his intention to begin with." Dana's upbeat attitude disappeared quickly as she sank onto one of the beds. "If I hadn't lost the key..."
The woman scoffed. "You're not the first to lose a key, my darling. And don't let Charles tell you otherwise. I'm sure he told you about Genghis Khan and World War II, but it's happened other times, too. It just usually happens during a time of peace so it's not a big deal as long as the key is recovered quickly. This war has everyone on edge, including my dear brother."
Edith started. "You're Mags?"
The lady nodded smartly. "Indeed. Magdalene is my full name, but everyone calls me Mags."
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize. You and Charles look nothing alike."
The woman smiled. "Ah, no. No, we don't. Some siblings like to keep a family resemblance when they're in their human form, but we find it's more beneficial to seem unrelated. Charles tends to be a bit brash, and I'm more of a motherly type, you know. So after he's run someone ragged and forced them to put up their defenses, it's much easier for me to calm them down if they don't know I'm his older sister. Everyone is more willing to open up to the kindly maid, don't you know?" She winked at Edith, her toothy grin glowing white on her tanned face.
The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) Page 5