by MJ Fletcher
“I’m so sorry about that.” He dropped his head as he spoke. “It was stupid and selfish and I regret it every day. The funny thing is that I could never stand Nightshade and yet he stood there and faced down an army for you. All I did was run; I thought I was better than that.” He let out a slow breath and his shoulders sagged under the weight of his own revelation.
I hadn’t thought about it until now, but this had affected him too. I wanted to comfort him but I also had thought better of him. Anything I said now would ring hollow. Until you face the situation, you don’t know how you’ll react; heroically or cowardly. After losing Nightshade, I judged all against his reaction and Slade failed to measure up.
“Slade,” I sighed.
He raised his head. “We’re through, aren’t we?” He shrugged and frowned not needing me to answer.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered not so much that we were over but for having it end the way it did.
“It’s okay. I kind of figured that was the case, since I’ve barely seen you for months. I guess I was hoping that maybe by some miracle we could work it out.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I understand if you don’t want me around the Reliquary anymore.”
“No, it’s not like that. We may not be a couple but that doesn’t mean we’re not friends.” I extended my hand to him.
“Friends,” he confirmed and shook my hand.
I smiled hoping that just maybe this could be a new start for us. As much as Slade had upset me, he had still been a friend to me in times that I needed one. And while we weren’t good when it came to a relationship, we weren’t bad when it came to being friends and I didn’t want to lose that, I’d lost too much already.
“Nice coat by the way.” He pointed to Nightshade’s leather jacket I wore.
“Thanks.”
He nodded as if approving. “I think he’d like that you were the one to have it.” Slade’s voice wavered a bit, but other than that it was the only emotion, other than anger, that I’d ever heard him display when it came to Nightshade.
“I found it.” Edgar came rushing back to the table holding a large leather bound book and dropped it on the table with a loud enough thump that every head in the library turned to look at us. Edgar paid no attention, flipping through the pages until he stopped on one and pointed. “This book shows different maps of the Great Expanse over the years. If you look at the notations in the margins you can see that one of the Mapmakers noted that this particular one was the most common in existence during the Darkwatch saga. I can use these calculations to make a more accurate map to get us to the Tavern.”
“Great.” Slade said, he and I both smiling at Edgar.
He beamed with utter excitement, and then startled a moment turning his head to look wide-eyed at Slade and then at me only to repeat his surprised reaction several times.
“Slade, have you been here the whole time?”
I chuckled and so did Slade at Edgar’ revelation.
A librarian robot sped toward the table and skidded to a stop right beside us, the screen that acted as her head flickered. The image of a prim and proper woman popped onto the screen.
“Ms. Masters, you’ve been summoned to the Principal’s office,” the robot chirped as her mechanical arm lifted and pointed the way.
Chapter Eight
Status: What did I do now?
I’d been to Principal Tower’s office before. It was during my first year at Paladin Academy and after my fight with Jess in the library. But I didn’t think I’d done anything that warranted a new visit.
“He’s expecting you.” The secretary didn’t bother to look up from typing as she nodded toward his door. My fingers closed around the knob and I felt a rush of power as I turned it and entered.
The office was much as I remembered it with a large fireplace dominating one wall, though it sat cold and unlit. His massive mahogany desk was covered in neatly stacked papers.
Principal Tower stood beside one of the floor to ceiling windows looking out over the school grounds. He was dressed in a dark blue three piece suit. His glasses hung on the tip of his crooked nose, never failing to give the impression that he looked down on whoever he spoke to.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Masters.” He didn’t look in my direction; his attention remained firmly fixed beyond the window.
“Sir.”
“I heard you had a run in with Darla from the Skeleton Key Guild.” It was a statement not a question.
“Yes, at the Diesel Factories.” I purposely pointed out wanting to remind him that it hadn’t happened at the Paladin Academy.
“Yes, I heard all about it. It would seem you’ve made quite a few enemies in your time with the Old Kind.”
“Plenty of friends as well.”
“Yes, you do partner with a rather eclectic bunch.” He turned from the window and walked back to his desk. He slid a finger down over a sheet of paper “Michael Slade, Edgar Magnus and even your cousin Jessica Grimm. I’d thought you two didn’t get along.” He finally looked my way, his eyes burrowing into me with an intensity that actually disturbed me.
“Is there something wrong with having friends?”
“No, but it is unusual for Old Kind to almost exclusively be friends with people outside of their own Society.”
“I have friends from DS, but I don’t see how this is any of your business.” I was glad that I had remained standing. There was always a sense of power when you were on your feet face to face with another person rather than being seated and glancing up at someone. I crossed my arms over my chest. If he thought he was going to pry into my life, he was in for a surprise.
“Ms. Masters, as you well know I am not only the Principal of this school I am also the head of the Council. Even you must admit that your track record since joining the Old Kind has been rather impressive.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’ve not only brought down a sitting member of the Council, you’ve also fought against what could be a very difficult enemy. But since the death of young Nightshade, it seems things are heading in a bad direction for you.”
“Is that so?”
“As far as I see, yes. I will not tolerate fights at my school and I will not allow your personal issues to affect the Old Kind.” He leaned against his desk glaring at me.
I hadn’t dealt with Mr. Tower very often, though it was obvious that being the principal he was used to getting his way... but then again so was I.
“My personal issues are none of your damn business. If you called me down here to tell me to stop hanging out with my friends, you can forget it. And as for what path I’m on... well that’s none of your business either.” I spun on my heels and headed for the door.
“You remind me of your mother.” The words stopped me in my tracks.
“What did you say?” My voice trembled. I didn’t want to think about her let alone be compared to her.
“I knew your mother. I trained her and was her superior in the Guild.”
“Guess you knew her better than I did then.”
“I would say I did.” He walked past me and inserted a skeleton key into the doorknob twisting it. Energy crackled and he pushed the door open. “Come with me.”
I kept my mouth shut and did as he said. He might be a blowhard but he knew my mom and this was a chance for me to learn more about her. The more I knew the more it would help me to figure out a way to beat her and make her and all the First Kind pay for what they had done to Nightshade.
Tower waited on the other side of the portal as I stepped out to face a stone wall. A skull- shaped skeleton key hung on the wall from floor to ceiling. The large ominous shape stared at me, its empty black eyes making me shiver.
“This is the hall of the Skeleton Key Guild here at Paladin Academy. DS members are not allowed, but you are a unique case.”
One side of the room was top to bottom bookshelves, every shelf packed tightly with books. Along the other wall was a
glass display case. It contained trophies, medals, awards, and photos of student teams.
He walked to the display case and pointed at one of the pictures. “That is your mother.”
I walked over to stand by his side and peered at the picture. It was framed in silver and showed a group of students holding up a trophy. Mom was on the right side, her hand wrapped around the trophy and a big smile on her face. Behind her loomed Mr. Tower looking exactly the same as he did now.
“So what, she was a kid once like me. It doesn’t change what she is now.” Not that it didn’t hurt seeing her as a normal kid, not that much different than me. I almost laughed. I suspected no one considered me normal so maybe I was more like my mother than I wanted to admit. Bite your tongue. I was nothing like her.
“When you first came here and activated the Skeleton Key trap that Ms. True had been demonstrating to your class, I assumed you would become a member of the Guild just like your mother. When you declared for DS, I was rather surprised.” He turned silent as if he was waiting for me to reply, but I kept my mouth shut. I could hear Gavin’s warning voice in my head reminding me that Old Kind were always suspicious of Polymorphs and I wasn’t going to give Mr. Tower anymore ammunition.
“Guess I’m more like my dad after all.”
“Perhaps.” He didn’t seem convinced. “What I am trying to tell you is that your mother was much like you when she was younger. She was bright and had many friends, even those among other Societies such as your father. But her path led her to where she is now.”
“You think being friends with people other than her own Society made my mom a nutter?”
“No, I am trying to impress on you that people always assume that their point of view is correct. Your mother, whatever her reason, feels that she is doing the right thing. Just as you do when you start fights and act out.”
“Sorry, I don’t see the correlation between fighting with a twit like Darla and my mom trying to kill my friends and me.”
“Be that as it may, I think it would be best if you and your friends left dealing with the dire situation to the more experienced and skillful Council.”
“Yeah, cause you guys have done such a bang up job so far.”
“Ms. Masters—” He paused a moment and energy surged like a coiling snake around him and I balled my hands into fists activating my own powers. “This is not a request, but a command from the head of the Council.”
“Is that a threat?”
“An order, you will do nothing regarding the First Kind without the permission of the Council. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Very well, then we are done. You can show yourself out.” He waved me off like someone brushing away a gnat and I bit my tongue. I wanted to tell him off but it wouldn’t do me any good. It really didn’t matter since I intended to do whatever I wanted to anyway, no matter what he said.
I reached the portal door he had left open and reached out to grab the handle. He’d left his Skeleton Key in the door and my fingers brushed against it. My abilities flared and the doorway pulsed with crimson energy before I yanked my hand away.
I snatched hold of the Doorknob, twisted it and rushed through the portal. When I looked back I saw that Mr. Tower had been watching me, his eyes narrowed and followed my every move.
He’d seen me activate the Skeleton Key.
Chapter Nine
Status: I’m great at wrecking things.
After my meeting with Mr. Tower I found Edgar and Slade and we left school and headed down Washington Street. We passed through the pedestrian Mall and cut across Beach Avenue to make our way towards my house on Mission Way. I peeked into the Cape Beanery to see if Val had started her shift and continued on when I didn’t see her behind the counter. When we turned onto Mission my eyes went to the peak of my house where the sun glinted off the window of my attic room. Somewhere up there I had stashed my DS Handbook and it was going to take some serious digging to find it.
Edgar and Slade were having an in depth conversation about the latest stats on the Old Kind racing circuit, while I found myself worrying about just what Mr. Tower had seen me do. I wanted to call Gavin and tell him what had happened but I couldn’t do that with my friends around. Plus, I was still beating myself up over Jess. She hadn’t talked to me in some time and I was worried that maybe I had screwed things up beyond repair. I figured I should talk to Gran about it again and see if maybe she could help. Dad was busy getting ready for a new tour of his magic act, leaving me with Jess and Gran. That didn’t seem like a good idea if Jess actually hated me, Gran would constantly have to be a buffer between us.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Masters.” The melodic voice made my back stiffen as it drifted down off the porch at our approach. I looked up to see DeAndré’ ’ Morgan leaning against the column at the top of the stairs. His dreadlocks were pulled back in a ponytail and his size seemed even more impressive, his arms appearing as thick as tree trunks. I had thought Slade had thick muscles, but he paled in comparison.
My eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?” That was supposed to be a thought but it sought of slipped out. I worried that he had found a way to track me and finally realized that I was the one he has been searching for.
Gran pushed the door open and walked out onto the porch a mug in her hand. She extended it to DeAndré’ ’ and he took it with a smile and sipped the hot liquid. “Chloe, this is DeAndré’ ’ Morgan he’s from the Skeleton Key Guild.”
“We’ve met.” My eyes remained fixed on him and he smirked at me and stepped aside as the three of us climbed the steps to the porch.
“Boys, why don’t you go grab a snack; I need to talk with Chloe.” Gran opened the door waving my friends inside. Slade looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I nodded that it was okay.
“Yes, we’ve met but not properly. I thought it was about time with all the trouble that you’ve had with the Guild that I formally introduce myself.” Morgan placed his mug on the bistro table.
“Did you now?” I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth. I hated not knowing if that was the real reason he was here. It seemed as if the Skeleton Key Guild was all about getting in my face today.
“Chloe, it was my idea.” Gran placed her hand on my shoulder and with a chance that he might not be lying, I relaxed... a little.
“With the truces called off and after what happened at the Diesel Factories, I thought it would be wise to meet with someone from the Guild. It would be best for all of us.” Gran titled her head at me and I knew she was referring to Jess.
I could still recall the look on Jess’ face when fellow Guilders had shouted at her that she was a traitor. I took a deep breath and sat across from Morgan. If this could possibly help my cousin, then I could handle it.
“Sorry about all that stuff at the Diesel Factories.” I pulled my school bag off my shoulder and let it slide to the ground beside my feet. My hand instinctively slid over my doorknob in the pocket of my jacket and the feel of it reassured me.
“After talking with everyone it seemed you were only defending yourself. You can see why some people might be offended that you were wearing a Guild member’s jacket. You aren’t exactly known as a friend to the Guild,” Morgan said as if he had just acquitted me of a crime.
Annoyance bubbled in my gut and while I certainly didn’t feel that I owed him an explanation, I wanted to make sure he understood one important thing. “Nightshade and I were friends. His mother gave me the jacket and I intend to wear it.” Morgan nodded and leaned back in his seat. “I understand; it’s hard to lose someone you’ve been close with. Your grandmother is right though. With the truces called off, you have no protection if an argument with a Guilder escalates into something much worse.”
“I don’t need protection.” It was difficult getting a handle on Morgan. It might appear that he was trying to help but I had my doubts. There was something else going on, though I couldn’t pinpoint it and I prayed that it had nothing to d
o with the other day when he was chasing me.
“I could see that,” Morgan chuckled, “but a spark like that could set off a much larger conflict and no one wants that, Chloe.”
“He’s right, dear.” Gran smile, though her shoulders were slumped as if weighted with concern and she kept wringing her hands. How was it that I always managed to make the people that I cared about the most, worry? “It makes it difficult on others as well.” Her smile had faded and I knew that I wasn’t getting the whole picture.
“What do you mean?”
“Your cousin has been having some problems,” Morgan said.
“What kind of problems?” My hand squeezed my doorknob tighter.
“She’s gotten into a few fights with other Guild members. Apparently, they haven’t taken too well to her siding with you at the Diesel Factories.”
I stood, my anger boiling and rushing up to flush my face. “Fights, with whom?”
“Sit down, Chloe. There is nothing you can do about it now.” Morgan was all matter-of-fact and I hated to admit that he was right, which of course I didn’t verbally, though I did sit down.
I turned to Gran, her face suddenly looking older to me. Had I been the cause of those added wrinkles and worry lines? I felt contrite, something I very rarely felt. “What can I do?”
“Well for one thing, no more fighting with Guild members, or at least not antagonizing them,” Morgan said.
“Fine but I’m not taking off the jacket.”
“Fair enough,”—Morgan turned to Gran with a smile—“Mrs. Grimm, may I have a moment alone with Chloe?”
“Certainly, and thank you for coming Morgan.” She stood and patted his hand before going to the door “I’ll be right inside, Chloe.”
I kept my eyes on Morgan as I heard the door close behind me. Was he truly concerned about me or was he setting a trap and waiting to spring it?
“Your grandmother was one of my trainers when I first joined the Guild. She was a wonderful instructor, I owe her a lot.”