by MJ Fletcher
That’s how Gran knew Morgan, I remembered she had been some kind of teacher but I had never given it much thought. “That’s why you’re here?”
“That... and you.” There was that stare again, I could swear the man was trying to dig into my soul.
“What about me?”
“You’re powerful, Chloe, more powerful then you realize. You could have really hurt someone if I hadn’t stepped in at the Factories.”
“I was in control.”
“No, you weren’t. I’ve only seen someone draw that much energy when they are close to losing control. Your grandmother is a dear friend of mine. She’s already lost her daughter; I don’t want to see her lose a granddaughter as well.”
The words stung and I had to bite my lip before I made one of my trademark stupid comments. Was he suggesting that I was going off the deep end like my mother had? I didn’t like anyone comparing me to my mom, in anyway, not after what she had done to me. But I worried that he might be right.
Ever since Nightshade’s death I had pushed myself harder and harder as if trying to right the wrong I felt I had done. But it seemed that I had forced all those I loved to suffer my penance along with me. Jess was getting into fights and not talking to me. I had strung Slade along, not letting him know how I felt. Dad was more concerned than ever and now it seemed that I had aged Gran with worry. Maybe I was out of control?
“I can handle myself,” I said but not with my usual self-confidence.
“Chloe, you’re not a Guild member. There is only so much I can do to help you if you get into trouble. I’m asking you to be careful, if not for yourself, then for the people who care about you.”
“I get it.” I actually did and it bothered me.
“I hope you do.” He stood and walked down the porch steps.
My mind was reeling with guilt for hurting those I loved and annoyance at my own foolishness.
“One more thing,” I glanced over at Morgan who was standing on the stone path leading to the house. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the incident that caused the truces to fail.”
“Who hasn’t,” I said trying my best to remain nonchalant.
“Would you happen to know anything about that?”
There was the look again, as if he peered into me searching for the truth. I kept my voice steady and stared him right in the eyes as I lied through my teeth. “Nope, not a thing.” “Well if you hear anything let me know.” He turned and walked off without another word.
I let out a long sigh and dropped my head back against the chair. Man that was just way too close for comfort. I needed to be careful with Morgan; I got the feeling he wasn’t going to let it go. Nothing was going to stop him from hunting down the person he was after. And sooner or later he’d discover that person was... me.
I shivered, the cold having settled in my legs. I grabbed my school bag and went into the house. The smell of food wafted down the hallway and I walked into the kitchen to find my friends at the island and Gran feeding them.
“Everything okay?” Slade asked over his shoulder.
“Yeah, fine.” I pulled open the fridge, pulled out a water bottle, threw my school bag on the counter, and leaned against it taking a drink.
“Do you know where the book is?” Edgar asked between mouthfuls of food and I shook my head having completely forgotten why we’d come to my house in the first place.
“Let me go look for it,” I said and headed up to my room. I passed Jess’ room on the second floor, the door was closed and I wasn’t even sure she was home. With her being finished with school, it wasn’t exactly easy to keep up with what she was doing. I hesitated for a moment and considered knocking, but thought better of it. I continued up the stairs to the attic taking them two at a time. My room was a mess as usual. I yanked off Nightshade’s leather jacket, tossed it on the bed, and looked around trying to remember where I had stuffed my DS Handbook.
I went to work searching through my drawers or anyplace else I thought I may have put it. After a few minutes I leaned back on my bed and let my thoughts drift to where I had last left the book. I glanced around the room and realized that after spending so many years traveling the world with Dad, living out of hotel rooms in one city after another, I’d finally found a home here and the mess confirmed that I had really settled in. I was completely clueless as to where I might have left my damn handbook.
I rested back against the headboard, pulling my knees up to my chest, and looked over at my dresser. The picture of Nightshade and me at last year’s school dance stuck out from the edge of the mirror. I smiled at the image of us happy, him looking down at me with such intense emotion and me completely oblivious. I closed my eyes and imagined his face near mine, his smile crooked as always.
Maybe I was going off the rails, but what else was I to do? How could I explain to anyone that in a weird way Nightshade had been one of the few people who had totally understood me? Maybe it was because we were both overloaded with issues, my mom deserting me and him losing his dad and girlfriend so violently. I’d come to rely on our arguments and his annoying habit of calling me on my bull. Nobody else but him had the guts to do that or even recognize it.
How was I supposed to live without him? Someone who loved me in spite of it all. Someone who didn’t mind all the broken pieces that were me. What scared me more than anything was that the already broken pieces had shattered yet again and I worried that I would never be able to piece any of them back together. I rested my head on my knees and rocked back and forth.
“I miss him too.” Edgar’s voice startled me and I lifted my head to see him standing at the foot of my bed. He was looking at the picture tucked in the mirror.
“Sorry,” —I sat ups and crossed my legs— “I just have a hard time every now and then.”
“Nightshade and I were in school together since we were little, before any of us declared. We all used to be friends.” Edgar slid onto the bed and sighed. “Until they broke everyone up and put us in our specific Societies. But Nightshade never stopped talking to me, even if he did come off as bossy, I didn’t mind. We were friends.”
“He did like to tell people what to do,” I chuckled.
“I was the youngest one in school and used to get picked on a lot. Nightshade would always put a stop to it, even if the kids were bigger than him. I remember this one time; three older kids took all my maps. Nightshade walked right up to them and didn’t say a word, he just punched one of them right in the nose.” Edgar laughed at the memory and I joined in. It made me happy to hear about a younger Nightshade, but it also made me sad at the same time. It was yet another thing I would never get to share with him, stories of when he and I were younger.
“That sounds like him alright,” I said.
“If you ever want to talk about it,” Edgar nodded.
I returned his nod, understanding that he missed his friend as much as I did.
Not wanting to dwell on Nightshade, I changed the subject. “I haven’t had any luck finding my handbook.”
“I can help.”
“Sure, you take the closet and I’ll try my desk.” I hopped off the bed and headed over to my desk that sat near the window facing the ocean. The waves crashing on the beach caught my attention and I took a moment to appreciate the view before pushing aside the paper I was working on for my Quantum Mechanics class. I pulled open the drawer and grabbed a handful of papers and right beneath them I spotted the edge of a book. I grabbed it and pulled it out.
“Found it!”
Edgar rushed over as I flipped through the pages to find what we were looking for. Sure enough there was the Tale of the Darkwatch and opposite the title was a map. I handed it over to Edgar.
“This is it! This is the map we need to get to the Tavern at the End of Time.”
Chapter Ten
Status: Things are getting complicated.
“Do you really think this is a good idea?” Val was on a break chatting with me as I waited for Faith. She to
ok a sip from her coffee. Her red felt Santa hat hanging off her curly hair like some animal trying to escape.
The Cape Beanery was covered in tinsel and twinkling lights, a Christmas tree sat in the corner with numerous presents under it like Santa Claus had just been there. The shop was nearly empty on a Friday this close to the holidays, everyone out doing their last minute shopping.
A fine layer of snow covered the street outside and people tramped along bundled against the cold and wind. Cape May streets acted like a wind tunnel with cold blasts of air pushing off the ocean and up through the streets like a sharp weapon.
“Edgar was finally able to make a good copy of the map from the story, now all we need is the Legend.” It had taken Edgar a month to reconstruct the map from the Doorknob Society Handbook.
“He told me the Mapmakers Union won’t let anyone in to see the map.” Val chewed worrisomely at her lower lip. She had disapproved of my plan from when she had first heard about it and she obviously hadn’t changed her mind.
“That’s why we need to do it this way.” I smiled and leaned back in the chair taking another sip of my coffee.
Val leaned forward. “Explain it to me again.”
Even though I had detailed the plan to her numerous times, I figured she was once again looking for reassurance so I launched into it once more. “The Mapmakers Union is having a party at the Bronze Compass Club. Since it’s an open club, we’re going to attend. I’ll use the time to get close to one of the guards who protects the Legend. Edgar was able to learn the names of at least two of the men assigned to the task. When I do, I’ll use the Coordinate Catcher that Slade created to capture the coordinates of all the places the guard has traveled in the past few days. From that Edgar should be able to learn the exact location of the Legend, then we make a move. We only need a few minutes with the map and we’ll have what we need,” I finished and took another sip of coffee.
“But it’ll still be guarded, won’t it?”
“Yes, but we need to do it now. Edgar says that the First Kind tried unsuccessfully to remotely activate the map again. The Mapmakers Union is already talking about taking further precautions to protect it. We have to make our move before they do.”
“How dangerous is this going to be, honestly?” Val tapped the rim of her cup waiting on my answer.
I wasn’t about to lie to Val. “It’s going to be dangerous.” But I wasn’t about to make it worse for her by telling her that a lot of things could go very wrong with the plan. There was just no other way. We needed to get a copy of that book to stop whatever it was the First Kind was planning. Edgar knew that it was why he was willing to go against his own Mapmaker Union’s wishes.
“I knew it. Edgar keeps telling me it’s no big deal so that I won’t worry, but I’d rather know the truth.”
“That’s Edgar for you, protecting you all he can.”
“I worry about him too; he’s so sweet and thoughtful.” Val beamed with pride. “I told you how terrific he was at my school dance, everyone loved him.”
Val had been so nervous about her dance and whether Edgar would get along with everyone. It turned out that she had nothing to worry about. Her quirky, weird boyfriend had done more for her social life than she could ever have imagined. Apparently, Edgar had talked to everyone, be it jock or outcast, they had all loved him. Val had suddenly found herself being invited to hang out with people she barely knew.
“Edgar’s gifted. I’ve seen full-fledged Mapmakers who can’t do what he can. He’ll do great.” It was the truth. I knew so many people at school who were envious of my friendship with Edgar simply because of how talented he was, they of course assuming I could get any map I wanted from him. That would probably be true if I asked him for any, but I usually didn’t have to; he had the uncanny ability to know what maps I needed and gave them to me.
“What about this Bronze Compass Club?”
I had a feeling Val was asking about a completely different worry this time. One which I didn’t think she had to be concerned with at all.
“I haven’t been there but I hear it’s popular. It’s open, so a member of any organization can go there, which helps us. But also makes this a bit tricky since we don’t know who we’ll be running into.
“It’s just you three?”
“Yup, I get close to the guard. Slade is there for back up and distraction if I need it, then Edgar gets the info and we jump right to the Legend.” I finished my coffee and stepped up to the counter and Val’s co-worker Kirstie poured me a new cup. I sat back down and could see Val was mentally working through the plan.
“What about Jess?” Val asked.
I lowered my head and took a sip of my drink. I didn’t want to think about Jess at the moment. We hadn’t been talking and I knew once the holidays were over she was planning on leaving for college. The only reason I knew about that was because Gran had told me.
“She isn’t coming.”
“Have you two talked?”
“No.”
“Chloe, you guys need to resolve this.” Val leaned forward placing her elbows on the table, her Santa hat tipping even more ridiculously to the side.
“That’s a little hard when she won’t even talk to me.”
“You need to make her talk to you. She’s hurting and needs you.” Val started chewing at her lip again.
Val and Jess had become unlikely friends and I knew they still talked. “Why, what’s going on?”
“I’m not getting in the middle of this, you two need to talk.” Val stood and checked her apron cinching the tie tightly and pushing her hat back into position.
“We will, soon.”
“You better and one more thing, Edgar told me that you were thinking of bringing Faith along on this mission.” She squinted at me and I shook my head.
I’d considered it but Edgar had been adamant about not involving her. “No, Edgar’s right, we’re keeping this as small a group as possible.”
Val smiled and nodded. “Good, what are you and Faith doing tonight?”
“We’ve got shopping to do.” Everyone had issues with Faith, but she was a good friend and I needed a night of normalcy so she and I were going to get our last minute holiday shopping done together.
“Sounds nice,” Val said with little enthusiasm and walked off.
I glanced out the large window of the Beanery waiting for Faith and thinking over possible scenarios that my plan might default to, considering I didn’t have the best track record.
The first step was getting access to the Legend, then I could worry about the really dangerous part. I hadn’t given much thought to the Tavern at the End of Time until recently. Now that I was researching it, I could see why everyone was so concerned. The legends regarding the Tavern were many and most of them were intense and very scary. If you weren’t careful in the Tavern you could end up wiping your family from existence or worse.
People were also said to get trapped in the Tavern never able to find an exit or worse exiting into the wrong time or place. Quantum Mechanics was not my best subject but I was aware of the endlessly horrific things that could happen in a place that existed outside of normal time space. It was one thing travelling between dimensions; it was another entirely crossing timelines.
At least Edgar would be with me. He was more knowledgeable about these things than anyone I knew and that had me feeling more confident that we just might be successful in pulling off this mission. First though, we needed to block the First Kind. I wanted them stopped no matter what.
“Ready for holiday shopping?” Faith pulled off her gloves and dropped into the seat opposite of me.
My head swam for a moment, throwing my balance off. I had all I could do to keep myself steady. Then a hot, shooting pain stabbed at the back of my neck. I reached around to rub it half expecting to find a knife had been jabbed into the base of my skull.
“You okay?” Faith’s eyes were wide with worry.
“Yeah, fine just another one of my h
eadaches that I can’t seem to shake.” I grabbed my cup and took a deep gulp of coffee, letting the rush wash over me and the pain quickly subsided.
“Are you going to be able to power-shop?” Faith laughed, though it was obvious that she continued to worry, her eyes too wide and her focus on me too intent. I thought it funny that she was so concerned over a little headache.
“You know me, I can work through it.”
Val brought Faith a cup of her favorite coffee. “Thanks Val.”
“No problem, I heard that you guys are doing holiday shopping,” she said as she checked to see if I needed a refill.
“Yeah, I waited until the last minute just like Chloe. Now I need to get everything in one night.”
“Sounds like you two have a busy night ahead.”
“It’s too bad you can’t come along.” Faith smiled and Val smirked and walked back to the counter.
“How goes the training?” I asked.
“Good, I was thinking of taking the team out this weekend. You should come meet everyone.”
“No, I already have plans.” I left it at that not wanting to get into what it was that I would be doing.
“Cryptic, is this another one of those things you can’t talk about?” Faith leaned in closer, a wicked smile on her face.
I felt guilty not being able to tell her everything. But my friends and I had made a pact to keep it amongst ourselves. I waved my hand dismissively. “It’s nothing.”
She wasn’t giving up. “I know you’ve been up to something. Are you on a mission for DS? I heard the Council had something planned, is that what this is?”
I hadn’t heard anything about the Council making a move other than fighting with one another. “What did you hear?”
“Well, since the truces fell apart they’ve been trying to come to some accord to prevent more chaos. They’re worried about the First Kind but they don’t want to cause a panic.”
“What kind of accord?”
“Supposedly, they’re talking about locking up suspected traitors in Storm Reach Prison. Is that what you’re doing for them, helping find traitors?” Faith’s eyes lit up like the Christmas bulbs strung around the Beanery. I couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or fear.