A Familiar Problem

by Sam Cheever

  As I dressed in jean cutoffs and a light blue tank top that fit me surprisingly well, I thought of the danger Deg and I had faced fighting the breach monsters and I frowned. “We could have been killed, Auntie.”

  She flipped a dismissive hand. “Clearly I have a better opinion of your abilities than you do. I doubt you and your handsome Witch were ever in any real danger. Besides, I happen to know the creatures were only on a scouting mission. They had no instruction to harm anyone.”

  “No instruction, maybe. But I assure you they tried really hard to harm us,” Deg said angrily. He’d dressed in long jeans and a plain white tee shirt and looked much more comfortable.

  Trudy shrugged. “I assure you that you were safe. Anyway, that’s all in the past. You must listen carefully now because this is very important. In fact, it’s dire. Your world is in terrible danger. In fact, all the worlds are being threatened.”

  She glanced toward Mabel and I realized, for the first time that the Nephilim hadn’t spoken since entering the castle. “You and your brothers have done well, child.”

  Mabel pinched her gown between her fingers and curtsied. “I live to serve, Majesty.”

  Trudy frowned. “You needn’t continue the sham, child. We’re alone.”

  Mabel glanced to her bound hands and the bindings fell away, falling to a pile on the lush carpets. “Ralph and Mack have already gone on to their destinations. I will go now that I have delivered LA and Deg to you.”

  I struggled to wrap my mind around what I was hearing. “You’ve been working together this whole time?”

  Mabel inclined her head. “I am sorry for not being completely honest with you, LA. But it was necessary for you to remain ignorant of our plans.”

  “What plans?” Deg asked, his brows lowered in anger. “What have you involved us in?”

  Trudy’s gaze locked on his for a long moment and tension danced on the air between them. I fought an impulse to step in on Deg’s behalf. Despite my worry that he might have overstepped, I realized he would need to earn Trudy’s respect…and apparently her trust too.

  Finally, she inclined her chin. “I understand that I have badly used you and for that you have my most heartfelt apology. But when you hear what I have to say I hope you will understand the secrecy. There are those in my kingdom who can pull thoughts from the minds of their enemies. I couldn’t risk you having the wrong thought at the wrong time.”

  I shuddered. “I’m really glad I didn’t know that before. It would have totally squigged me out.”

  Trudy stared blankly at me for a moment and then seemed to dismiss my statement as unworthy of more consideration. She took another sip from her glass. Color had returned to her pale cheeks and she seemed a bit livelier from her rest. “I want you to know that I would never knowingly harm you, child.”

  Her assurance sounded sincere but I wasn’t sure if I could trust it. “Tell us what’s going on.”

  She looked at Deg and, after the briefest hesitation, he nodded. He was willing to listen but from the frown on his handsome face I gathered there were no guarantees he would sign onto whatever Trudy had in mind.

  “I admit I don’t quite know where to begin.” She pushed at the pillows behind her back and I hurried to help her sit up higher. “Thank you, LA.”

  She drank more of the pink liquid and then handed it to me. I settled it on the table and Deg and I lowered ourselves into a couple of dainty chairs.

  Mabel dropped fluidly to the carpet, folding herself into a seated position with the flexibility of a child…or a magical creature. Her gowns spread around her like a shimmery puddle. She fixed a rapt expression on Trudy as if anxious to hear what Auntie had to say. Making me wonder why she didn’t already know.

  “I have an enemy in Axismundi. Someone who wants my throne.” Her lovely mouth twisted slightly with distaste and I wondered at the cause. “As with any kingdom, Mundala has its intrigues. At first, I thought nothing of it. But my loyal friends have been reporting back to me with rumors that sounded all too plausible. Then I began to see the results of some of the intrigues set into practice. The breach into the human realm was a turning point for me. I realized I could no longer ignore the rumors. Someone intends to rip aside the barriers between all the dimensions and the chaos will be laid in my lap.”

  “Mother told us that was your plan,” I objected softly.

  “Yes, that is the rumor that’s being spread. I assure you it isn’t true.”

  Looking at her too-slender, slightly slumped form, I realized it would be too much of an undertaking for her in her present state. Unless she had a lot of help and stood to gain much from it.

  As if reading my mind, Deg asked, “What is the goal of ripping down barriers between worlds?”

  “Power of course. Once chaos explodes I will be removed forcibly from my throne. Most likely assassinated. And whomever is left standing with the strongest following will pick up the pieces and slide into power.”

  “You must have some idea who it is,” I said. I couldn’t believe Aunt Trudy would allow herself to be completely blindsided.

  “I have my suspicions. But without proof they will buy me nothing.”

  “Who?” Deg demanded.

  Trudy shook her head. “I won’t cloud your judgement. I want you to have clear minds when you tackle this.”

  I frowned. “Say what?”

  “I brought you here because of your previous skill in discovering the cause of the missing Familiars. You’ve proven yourselves adept at solving mysteries. I have a mystery I need solved. And we don’t have much time. Whomever is plotting to destroy the barriers is moving forward very quickly.”

  I shook my head. “We just got lucky with the missing Familiar thing. We’re hardly experienced investigators.”

  She leaned slightly forward, fixing an intense gaze on first me and then Deg. “But I trust you. That is the most important thing in this. I have only a handful of people I can trust. It is imperative that you do this for me.”

  Deg and I shared a look and a flood of unhappiness swamped me. “We didn’t do it alone. Our friends were important in solving that case. And they’re…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. Deg reached out and squeezed my shoulder.

  “Brock and Mandy didn’t survive the trip here,” Deg finished for me.

  Trudy glanced at Mabel and the Nephilim rose, gliding quickly from the room. “We have someone whom you can work with. I think you’ll do well together.”

  I started to argue but decided against it. My friends had been difficult but I had grown to love and trust them each in my own way. I didn’t have the energy…nor did we have the time it seemed…to develop that trust and love with new people.

  But I couldn’t bear to explain that to Trudy.

  As it turned out, I didn’t have the opportunity anyway.

  The doors to Trudy’s rooms burst open, slamming against the wall, and two lines of soldiers in full battle gear marched through. The guard with the red slash on his armor moved through the lines, his handsome face hard. His gaze sought Trudy and he gave her a long look before he stepped to the side and stood, hands clasped behind his back and staring blankly ahead.

  Trudy barely reacted, in fact she settled back on her divan as if she’d been expecting the interruption.

  The soldiers filed in and slipped sideways, creating an impenetrable wall between us and the door. A moment later they split apart in the center and a tall man walked through the breach. It slipped silently closed behind him.

  He strode toward Trudy, barely offering us a glance, and gave her a cursory bow. The newcomer was handsome in a refined way, with sharp cheekbones and a wide brow and mouth. He had a thick mane of white hair that he wore in a man-bun at the top of his head and a piercing pale blue gaze. His nose was long and narrow, the nostrils flaring with irritation as Trudy met his gaze with a haughty one of her own. “Your Grace.”

  Trudy smiled coldly. “Reginald. What is the meaning of this?”

&
nbsp; He pretended surprise. “I was told we had intruders. I came to remove them to the catacombs.”

  I might not have seen the tightening of the skin around her eyes if I hadn’t been watching Trudy closely. It wasn’t all that noticeable, really. Unless you were looking for it. What I didn’t know was whether she was upset about his intrusion in her plans or about where he wanted to take us. I might be persnickety, but something called the catacombs didn’t exactly sound like a day at the park.

  “You overstep yourself, Reginald.”

  He skimmed a look my way, smiling meanly. The pale blue gaze was glacial. “I’m only doing my sworn duty, Your Grace. It is my job to keep you safe.”

  “I assure you, I’m perfectly safe. This is my niece from the human realm, come to be part of the new order.”

  His regard of me didn’t warm even a smidgeon. In fact, as the icy gaze locked on mine, I read hostility in its depths, and suppressed a shudder. “I’m LeeAnn Mapes, sir. I’ve come to help my aunt with her plans for the new order. I assure you I’d never harm her. This is my friend Deg. He’s here to help too.”

  Reginald addressed Trudy without acknowledging that I’d spoken. “All due respect, my Queen…” He all but sneered the address, clearly unhappy with her having the title.

  I found that fascinating.

  “…you have not spoken to this creature for decades. You have no idea what her intentions truly are. I have intelligence that lays the charge of spying at her feet.” His lips curved with distaste as he glanced toward Deg. “Along with her travel companion.”

  Deg stood tall, his chin high. He returned the man’s disdain tenfold. I nearly smiled. I’d been on the receiving end of Deg’s stubborn streak and I knew for a fact it was nearly impermeable. The haughty Reginald would be disappointed if he hoped to intimidate the Witch.

  “Who gave you that intelligence?” Trudy demanded.

  Reginald shrugged narrow shoulders. “That is not important. I do not wish to reveal my informants.” His smile was cruel. “For their own safety, of course.”

  His implication was clear. He was accusing Trudy of retribution.

  “My niece and her companions are not spies,” Trudy began.

  “Companions?” Reginald asked, skimming a very deliberate glance around the room. “There are others?”

  “My friends and I…” I started to explain.

  Reginald ignored me. “If there are others they must be rounded up, Trudy.”

  “The others are…” Trudy glanced at me.

  “They were killed on the way,” Deg said in a cool tone. “Two lives lost trying to save the worlds. Almost immeasurable talent gone. And yet their loss apparently is going to be wasted, their reputations befouled.”

  To my horror, Reginald laughed. “I can assure you that nobody gives a rat demon’s whiskers about their reputation or yours. When you practice villainy, the result is sometimes not to your liking.”

  Deg’s hands fisted, his jaw turned to stone. I reached out and clutched his hand in silent warning. Until we knew what we were up against we had to keep our tempers in check.

  A whisper of sound behind me drew my attention. I suddenly remembered the Nephilim. Why hadn’t Reginald threatened her?

  Glancing to the spot where she’d been sitting, I quickly saw why. She wasn’t there.

  I fought the ugly suspicion my mind had conjured. It wasn’t possible that Mabel was Reginald’s spy. Was it? Mabel was part of the world we found ourselves in. Her very survival depended on her staying out of the limelight. What if she had traded us to keep her own activities off Reginald’s radar? She had mentioned going somewhere for Trudy. Her brothers had already left.

  A flash of striped tail caught my eye near the door and I saw the tiny kitten slip past the guards unnoticed. She disappeared through the door, making her escape.

  I hoped my suspicions about her were wrong. It wouldn’t hurt to have someone on the outside who could help if the catacombs lived up to their formidable name.

  “Take them!” Reginald suddenly barked.

  I jumped, ripped from my thoughts as two of the guards grabbed me. Two others grabbed Deg. I willed him not to struggle. If we didn’t cause any trouble they might put us both in the same cell. Then we could hopefully escape.

  A cold, metal bracelet was slapped onto each of our wrists. To my surprise that was all the restraint they used. The bracelets weren’t even attached.

  Hope surged.

  But Reginald quickly squelched it. “I wouldn’t advise you try to use any magic.” He jerked his head toward the bracelets. “You won’t like what happens if you do.”

  “If you harm them, I swear you’ll regret it,” Trudy said.

  Reginald shook his head. “You are being overly dramatic, as usual, Trudy.” He jerked his head toward the door and the guards holding my arms jerked me forward.

  I tried to glance toward my aunt but they shoved me roughly toward the door.

  “It will be all right, LA,” Trudy called out.

  I would’ve loved to have believed her. If it weren’t for the fact that she sounded terrified.

  That didn’t exactly give me the warm and fuzzies.

  Chapter Eleven

  The catacombs were everything I feared and worse. We splashed through oily water that chilled and stained my feet in muck. The walls oozed a foul-smelling discharge that could have been rotted vegetation or some kind of oil. Judging by the slimy slickness on the rocky floor of the place, it was probably a mixture of both.

  At some point Deg was yanked away, pulled down an unlit passage and disappearing from sight.

  Deep throated screams of pain sliced through the icy cold, sounding muffled against the thick, gooey walls. Fear-filled bellows throbbed along the passageways and ripped at my nerves.

  Something that didn’t sound human screamed. All the hair on my body stood on end at the sound.

  By the time the guards dragged me to a stop in front of a narrow, metal grate in the floor, my heart was beating so hard I saw stars.

  I suddenly knew I couldn’t go into that hole. The stench alone was like a fist to the nose. The total absence of light made my body shrink away.

  I shook my head, trying to backtrack. “No, no, no, no…”

  I hit an unmovable object and rough hands wrapped around my arms, squeezing painfully. “Don’t cause me no trouble now, girl. I don’t want ta hurt ye but I will.”

  The voice had the deep, gravel quality of a demon’s and my terrified gaze shot to his. The eyes were black, not glowing, but I saw the curved tips of horns sticking out just above each ear.

  “I can’t go in there. I didn’t do anything.”

  His smile was mean. His breath fetid. “I don’t remember askin’ ya if ya wanted it, girl.”

  There was a grinding screech of metal against metal and, before I knew what was happening, the guard gave me a hard shove.

  I stumbled forward several steps, arms flailing, until my feet found air.

  With a shriek of sheer terror, I fell into nothingness, and smashed hard into an unforgiving ground. The wet thwuck of slimy mud was a counterpoint to the painful thud of my flesh hitting the bottom of the hole.

  As the guards slid the heavy grate back over the hole, I glanced up in terror. The opening was eight feet away. I realized I’d never be able to reach it. I slowly slid my gaze around the space, seeing only darkness. The only light was a small circle just beneath the hole above my head.

  There could be something else in that pit with me and I’d never know it. The thought made my blood roar in my ears, and I felt suddenly dizzy. I lay very still, trying not to breath too hard for fear it would make me a target.

  Forcing my mind to calm, I listened carefully to the darkness, trying to discern the tiniest movement or smallest soughing of air through lungs.

  I didn’t hear anybody…or anything…in the pit with me. But I had no way of knowing if that meant anything.

  For all I knew there were creatures in Ax
ismundi that didn’t breathe and could lie perfectly still…stalking their prey with deadly focus.

  I spent a few moments just pulling air into my lungs, focusing on a mental inventory of my working parts. I’d had the breath knocked out of me when I landed, and nausea threatened, both from the smack to my kidneys and the stench.

  The smell was like a living force, crawling up my nostrils and into my mouth.

  I pinched my lips closed and breathed shallowly, but that only made me feel like I was suffocating.

  I had an almost uncontrollable desire to try to contact Deg through our mutual channel. But Reginald’s warning rung in my ears. I didn’t dare try using my magic until I knew what would happen. The thought made me remember the hardware on my wrists.

  When I’d landed I’d sprawled, my arms out to my sides. They were covered in a couple inches of icy muck but I thought I saw a soft glow down near my hands.

  Very slowly, I lifted one arm. The soft slurp of muck releasing my limb made me blink and go still.

  Nothing came for me out of the darkness.

  Nothing moved.

  I finally decided I was alone and shoved to a seated position with a soft groan of pain. My whole body ached. I felt as if I’d been beaten with a baseball bat.

  I stood up, wet mud falling off me with soft plopping sounds. Then the cold hit. My teeth began to chatter and I shivered so violently they clanked painfully together.

  On the positive side, the bangles on my wrists gave off a soft light that I could use to see the space. I scraped as much muck as I could off of them and walked slowly around, illuminating the small area.

  There wasn’t much to see.

  I guessed the circular room to be about ten feet across, with smooth, straight rock walls that offered no foothold for climbing.

  The wall farthest from the opening had a two-foot-wide rock ledge at about knee height. The flat pad and rough looking blanket covering the ledge informed me of its purpose.

  I stood in the center of the space, listening to the screams of the catacomb’s inhabitants. The screams were accompanied by the clanking of grates and the rhythmic thud of something meaty hitting something hard.