by MJ Fletcher
“We need to get Edgar,” he said and I nodded wanting to kick myself for not giving him time to remember what he had once felt for me.
Jackson had Edgar thrown over his shoulder and the others were surrounding him trying to block any attacks. We came in quick and hard, hitting them with everything we had. Mary fell quickly and Hitch wasn’t doing much better. Faith was alternating between keeping her shield up and stopping the stem of blood from her broken nose.
“Let him go,” I yelled and Faith stumbled backward her hands shaking as I continued to advance on her, repeatedly snapping my whip against her shields.
An explosion rocked the entire area throwing us all off our feet. I struggled to get up when I spotted my parents standing in the middle of where the blast had occurred. They were bruised and bleeding and I felt a wrench to my gut that the two people who I loved the most and who had once loved each other beyond reason were locked in a battle to the death. I was stuck in a nightmare and I desperately wanted to wake up.
“I loved you, I would have done anything for you,” Dad yelled and I thought I saw tears in his eyes as he shattered Mom’s shields one after another. She was kneeling on one leg, the hit she had taken from Nightshade obviously having done damage.
“Liar,” she hissed and reformed her shields.
“I never lied to you, Talia.” Dad hesitated briefly, and then brought his Doorknob down with such force that Mom’s last shield exploded in all directions and she collapsed. He went down on his knees beside her and gently lifted her head “Why would I lie to you? You and Chloe were my whole world. Without you and her I had nothing.”
Mom shook her head and blinked staring at Dad “Eli?” Her eyes welled with tears and she reached out her hand to tenderly caress his cheek. “Why?” She squeezed her eyes shut.
I was mesmerized watching the heartfelt scene unfold as if in slow motion.
“Talia?” Dad said quietly as if searching for the woman he had loved.
Mom’s hand dropped away from his face and my heart lurched. Was she dead? I wanted to go to my dad but hesitated, thinking he needed a moment alone with Mom, and then not one moment later, I regretted my foolish thought and hesitation. Mom grabbed her Skeleton Key, lifted it and released a bolt of crimson energy right against my Dad’s chest. It blew him backwards flipping him end over end.
“NO!” The word ripped form my lungs and I raced toward my Dad. Mom had already scrambled to her feet and was running. All around me fighting surged and I felt the singe of power as attacks flew past me, some rebounding. Nightshade came up behind me protecting my back as I ran. Tears welled in my eyes when I saw Dad lying on the ground smoke pouring out of his chest. I skidded to a stop and dropped down beside him my Doorknob falling from my hand as I reached out to gently cradle his head in my lap.
Please. Please let him be alright, I prayed, but one look at the wound warned that it didn’t look good. “Dad?”
“It’s okay,” he said softly, but I knew it wasn’t.
“I’m going to get you help.” Tears were streaming down my face as I frantically looked around for someone, anyone, who could help. Nightshade was standing over me his red shields protecting us from the battle that continued around us.
“No time for that.” Dad reached up, his hand covered in blood, and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. His face was ashen and his lips trembled.
“Dad, no,” I begged.
“Listen to me, Chloe, you’re strong. You survive this and live the life we should have had. Be happy, please, for me.” He struggled for a breath and his body shook.
“Please don’t leave me, Dad, I can’t lose you, I love you.”
“You’ll never lose me, kiddo, I’ll always be with you. I’ll always love you.”
“You have to stay with me,” I pleaded. “Who is going to keep me in line when I’m being crazy?”
“You’ll do fine, Chloe, I love yo—” His hand slid from my face and fell to his chest.
“Dad. NO!” I leaned over pressing my cheek to his. “I love you, Daddy.” I’d give anything for him to wrap his arms around me and give me one of his stupid Dad hugs that I loved so much. But that wasn’t going to happen... my dad was gone and I was alone.
Chapter Forty-two
Status: Alone.
“They took Edgar.” Nightshade was talking to Jess, tears still streaming down her cheeks from finding out about my dad. His hand was on the back of his neck, his knuckles bright white from squeezing it as hard as he could.
I was sitting cross-legged in the field a few steps away. After Mom had run off the fight ended quickly with the rest of the First Kind retreating. The Mapmakers were collecting the dead and wounded. They had already taken Dad assuring me they would have him sent home for burial.
My father was dead and my mother had killed him. There would be time to deal with my sorrow but at the moment all that consumed me was anger and more than anything, I wanted revenge.
“Now what?” Slade asked looking from Jess to me.
“Now everyone goes home,” Jeremiah said as he approached. ”It was a very bad day for the Old Kind.” He stopped to stand beside me and offered his hand as I stood up. “I’m sorry about your father.”
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“That’s it, we just leave?” Jess asked stunned and angry. “What about Edgar?”
“He’ll be safe for the moment; they need him to access the Legend.” Jeremiah ran his hand over his mouth and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.
“After that they won’t need him anymore,” I said, not able to keep the anger out of my voice. “Then they’ll use a Forget Me Not on him and they’ll have access to any dimension they want using the Legend.”
“No, they won’t,” Nightshade spoke up, his hand still grasping the back of his neck.
“Why?” I asked.
“When I hit Edgar with my key it wasn’t a regular bolt of power, I hit him with a lock. His mind is effectively shut out to them.”
“Really?” I hadn’t realized that could be done and was glad for one bit of good news.
“I didn’t know who to believe or what was going on,” Nightshade said still seeming confused. “But I figured if they were on the wrong side that would sure as hell slow them down.”
“How long before they can break the lock?” I asked knowing that any lock could be picked eventually.
“Once they figure it out, maybe two months. It’s one of my best,” he said without the arrogance that had once been his trademark.
“How the hell are we going to find him?” Slade chimed in.
“We?” I questioned.
“I’m not leaving Edgar with those animals, look what they did to this one.” He jerked his thumb at Nightshade.
A smile crept up at the corners of my mouth and Dad’s words came back to me. Be happy, please, for me. I could do that for him—eventually—but not just yet. My anger kept my tears at bay, though I could feel them choking me.
“At least I have an excuse, Slade.” Nightshade shot back, as if he was his old self and I hoped that he might really be back with us.
“I’ll see if I can trace any of their portals and let you know if I find a destination,” Jeremiah offered and I nodded in thanks.
“Chloe,” Dante the head of the Doorknob Society called out as he walked across the field toward me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but my Dad is dead,” I said bluntly as if I needed to hear myself say it to confirm that my dad really was dead.
“I’m so very sorry for your loss. Your father was a good man,” he said and gave my arm a conciliatory pat, then turned to Jeremiah.” “I’m here to offer any help the Doorknob Society can give.”
“The Doorknob Society’s assistance is greatly appreciated. Mr. Tower of the Skeleton Key Guild has done the same. I think it’s time that we all put our differences aside and admit that the true threat is the First Kind.”
“Agreed,” Dante said. “I’m c
alling a council meeting to formalize the truces once again and to determine our strategy to deal with our enemy.”
“There is one thing that I would like from the Doorknob Society,” Jeremiah said
“What’s that?” Dante asked.
Jeremiah pointed to me. “I want Miss Masters here to lead the team tasked with finding Edgar Magnus.”
“Agreed,” Dante glanced in my direction, “that’s if you’re willing?”
“Since I intended to do it anyway that works fine for me.”
“Very well, we’ll call it to vote at the Council meeting tonight. You’ll have to attend,” Dante said and I began walking away.
“Fine but I have things to do now.”
“What?”
“I have to bury my father.”
Chapter Forty-three
Status: Funeral.
Mission Way in Cape May was bursting with people, but I never felt more alone in my life. Levi Miller and DI Emory stood in a corner both dressed in suits and talking low. Mr. Miller had been in tears throughout his entire eulogy for Dad and now his eyes were red rimmed.
Lots of people I didn’t know were roaming around the house. Gran told me that’s the way it was at funerals, but I didn’t like it. Dad’s parents, my other grandparents, had finally come home and were sitting out back by themselves. I thought they had the right idea; I’d rather be alone too.
Jess was walking around offering people food and drinks and Slade and his family were standing talking quietly in the hallway. Mr. Slade stopped me and shook my hand telling me how sorry he was and giving me the sad facial expression I had been getting the last three days from just about everyone.
DeAndré’ ’ Morgan was sitting on the stairs showing a group of kid’s tricks with his Skeleton Key. He had told me earlier he was still looking for the person he had been tracking but that it had been put on the backburner by the Guild since the attacks by the First Kind. One less thing to worry about I suppose, for now anyway.
I heard the front door open and in my zombie-like state I went to greet whoever it was, another thing Gran told me I was supposed to do. I stopped when I saw Gavin with Rosalita on his arm. Both were dressed in black and they smiled at me.
“I’m sorry dear,” Rosalita said as she hugged me.
“You doing okay?” Gavin asked.
“Great, besides all these people eating all my food and not leaving,” I said only half joking.
“Rituals are how people cope,” Rosalita said
“There are still a few seats in the living room if you’d like,” I offered and extended my hand, “this way.”
Rosalita smiled and walked ahead of us into the living room. “This is such a lovely house.”
Gavin excused himself as he saw someone he knew and walked off to talk with him. I followed Rosalita into the living room.
“It’s been in the family for generations,” I said.
“I know dear.”
“You know a lot of things, I know.”
“More than you can imagine,” she whispered conspiratorially.
“Care to share?”
“I will share that you’ll learn to deal with loss, trust me.”
“Yeah, so everyone keeps saying.” I rolled my eyes.
Rosalita walked to the wall of family photos and began looking over them. She smiled at some and chuckled at others.
“Loss is how we mark moments in time; you’ll learn that as you age.”
“If you say so, I just don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”
“I never said you’ll get used to it,” The tone of her voice took on a harder edge and I glanced at her sideways. “Use your anger, don’t let it use you. If you do they’ll beat you and you need to be at your best to win the fight that’s coming.”
“You heard that the Council appointed me to find Edgar?”
“Yes, it’s the worst kept secret among the Old Kind. My advice, choose the best team you can to help you, it’ll make all the difference,” She smiled and tapped a photo on the wall. “A good team, even if you lose them, means everything.”
She straightened up and smiled at me. “Now where are the hors d’oeuvres? I’m famished.”
She strolled off and I shook my head. She was an odd one who seemed to know everything about everything. I walked over and looked at the photo she had tapped. It was old, cracked, and yellowing.
A wedding photo of Ichibod Masters and his wife, I gulped when I saw the woman’s eyes staring back at me. I twisted my neck to see Rosalita looking at me from across the room and she winked with one of those very same eyes. She had been Ichibod Masters wife, which would make her my... I shook my head at the thought.
I needed some fresh air to clear my head. I went to the front door, pushed it open, stepped out on the porch, and took a deep breath. So now I’m somehow related to Rosalita and I didn’t know what the hell that meant. And if that was the case why hadn’t I ever heard about her? My mind was reeling and I just didn’t know what to think anymore. Here we were doing a funeral for Dad while Edgar was being held captive somewhere out there. Everything was a mess and more so than usual.
“Chloe?” Slade stepped out onto the porch.
“Hi, Slade, thanks for coming.”
“No problem, I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
“Thanks, I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m not just sorry about your dad. I’m sorry about everything, the way I acted and treated you. It was stupid, I shouldn’t have done it.”
“You were mad, I understand.”
“I want you to know that if you need me, I’ll be here for you.”
“Thanks.” I took another deep breath. This was the most I had let myself talk to someone since Dad had died and it was having an effect on me. My eyes were filling with tears and I was trying my best to hold them back.
“Are you okay?” Slade asked with concern.
“No, not at all.” I shook my head and the tears tore loose streaming down my cheeks.
Slade reached out wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him. I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting him hold me. I needed this right now, someone to hold me and remind me that I was still alive, even though I felt totally numb. “It’s going to be okay,” he said quietly.
“I hope that’s true.”
The roar of an engine echoed down the street as a car pulled up in front of the house. I craned my neck from under Slade’s arm and saw the old fashioned blue car with flames painted across its hood and recognized it immediately.
Nightshade was here.
The door opened and he stepped out. He was in jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his body. He looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days, the scruff a fine shadow along his jawline. He walked toward the porch and Slade released me.
“You want me to stay?” Slade asked.
“We need a moment.”
“I’ll be inside if you need me,” Slade offered and walked inside.
I hadn’t seen Nightshade since the day Dad died. Jess had tried to visit him and talk with him, but she had no luck and no one else had been able to reach him. Some people even questioned if he had returned to the First Kind.
“Hi,” I said nervously as I wiped away the last of the tears from my face, “you came.”
“Yeah, sorry, I know everyone’s been looking for me, but I had some stuff to deal with.” He slid his hand through his hair and over the back of his neck.
“Are you okay?”
“Not really. “I saw a fixer and even though I broke the First Kind’s hold on me, the Forget Me Not they used remains whole and active and makes it that much harder to keep things straight.”
I was afraid of the answer but I had to know. “So you don’t remember everything?”
“No, my memories are all confused, nothing seems real to me right now. I barely remember the fight in the Mapmakers dimension. That’s why I needed to keep my distance from everyone for a bit and try to sort things out.�
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“Did it help?”
“I know I’m not a First Kind, if that’s what you mean.”
“It’s not.” I stepped toward him and his eyes roamed over me. “I meant do you remember me?”
“Yeah, Masters, I remember you.”
“You do?”
“Yes, you’re the annoying DS member who drives me nuts and is dating the Boy Scout who just went inside.”
My stomach sank and I lowered my head choking out the words. “Yup, that’s me.” I wanted him so badly to grab me, kiss me, hold me tight, and tell me that everything was going to be okay. If he told me, I’d believe it.
“Look, I don’t know what good I’ll be to you like this, so I’m going to take a break and go away for a while. But when you’re ready to find Edgar, I’ll be there to help you.”
My eyes welled again and I kept my head down so that he wouldn’t see. “Where will you go?”
“I don’t know, but I need to go.”
“Okay.” I nodded and he walked off the porch. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and finally looked up. He stopped half way to his car and turned back to me.
“Masters?”
“Yeah, Nightshade?”
“Everything’s going to be okay.” He smiled and turned away and tears rolled down my face once again.
Chapter Forty-four
Status: What now?
I sat swinging in the porch swing. I was enjoying the silence the guests had finally left behind. Family and some close friends still lingered inside, but I wanted to be by myself.
The swing creaked as I pushed myself back and forth. I stretched my neck back and looked at the night stars and listened to the roar of the ocean a couple of blocks away, the sight and sound of both reminding me of memories I sooner not think of right now.
“Mind if I join you?” Val walked onto the porch a bag slung over her shoulder.
“Anytime.” I patted the seat next to me and she dropped her bag and sat beside me. “What’s with the bag?”
“My mom kicked me out.” She laughed and I slid my arm around her shoulder.
“Sorry.”
“I don’t care; I am leaving for college in two months anyway. All that really matters to me is finding Edgar.”