by Helen Scott
“Be that as it may, my comment still stands.” The woman sniffed at Randall, turned on her heel, and faded into the sea of onlookers.
“Does anyone have any objections to me moving forward?”
“What is her parentage?” The old lady called from her place in the crowd.
“Drunken father and absentee mother.” Randall waved his hand. “They aren’t important. She’s been mine for a while now.”
He seemed to wait for further questions. When none arrived, he seemed stuck.
Robin glanced around. Everyone stared at her as though they were trying to see into her very soul. It felt as if they could sense there was something supernatural about her, but they couldn’t put their finger on it. The tension in the room increased with every breath she drew.
“I don’t trust her. She doesn’t belong.” A young man walked toward them, his three-piece suit mostly hidden by an overcoat that came down to his knees, flapping behind him. When he arrived in front of her, his gray eyes studied her face. “You can see the fear in her. She’s tense. Scared. Yearns for her freedom.”
Randall sighed as murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“She is simply nervous. This is a big day for her; meeting all of you can be quite intimidating.” He chuckled, and the tension dissipated slightly.
“And where are Brothers Norman and Leonard? Usually they accompany you, no?”
“They are indisposed,” Randall said as he looked back at the crowd.
“Brother Randall, you know lying in the circle is frowned upon.”
“I am not lying.” He ground out each word, his fingers digging into Robin’s back. As she looked away from her boss, she realized that they were in fact standing on a large mosaic circle. The crowd obscured the image, but it looked like the tattoos she had seen on Randall’s arms at The Farm.
“Well, you are withholding something, then. You’re easy to read, Brother, especially for those of us who know you.”
His fingers clenched, pulling her dress even tighter, his nails digging into her skin through the fabric. She tried to lean slightly away from his hand, but it didn’t work. He had her locked in place.
“You are hurting your ward,” Gray Eyes said in low tones.
Randall’s hand immediately loosened as he glanced at her. She hadn’t felt a kind touch since she started working for Randall Fields, yet it still surprised her when he managed to bring tears to her eyes.
“Tell us what’s going on.”
“Leonard has been taken, and Norman is looking for him but has been unable to locate him so far.” He sounded like a sullen child.
She was surprised Gray Eyes had been able to extract a confession. It must have shown on her face, because Randall scowled at her.
“And?”
She looked at the man speaking. He was younger than Randall, or at least appeared that way, so why was Randall giving in to his questioning?
“The Farm has been destroyed. All the data has been lost. Leonard was not prepared for the eventuality of a fire.” Gasps of horror sounded all around them, as though the data was more important than the torture and the loss of life that occurred at the facility.
“There it is. That’s what’s been eating at you since you walked in.” Gray Eyes sighed. “How was it destroyed?”
“We were attacked by supernatural forces, who kidnapped one of the test subjects. During the attack, a fire was started. I’m not sure what caused it, but it destroyed the building and everything inside, including at least two security officers.”
Gray Eyes nodded thoughtfully. “Do we know who exactly attacked us?”
“Not yet. However, I have people looking into it.”
“And were you going to tell us any of this voluntarily?”
“Of-of course. I simply wanted to get the matter of Robin out of the way first.”
She had never seen him stumble over words before. Gray Eyes threw Randall off his game. The only question was, why?
“The Farm is gone. There is no more we can do about that. How do you plan on correcting the problem?”
“We will rebuild. Expand our facilities and keep them more secure. Maybe somewhere underground like this? I haven’t decided yet. The plan is in motion, though.”
Robin scoffed in her head at the idea. There was no plan in motion. He was simply trying to survive this meeting. The meeting may have been about her to begin with, but now it was all about Randall and his screw-up.
“We will need to see plans for the new facility as soon as they are ready. At least three of us must approve the proposed location. And you will bring Brother Leonard to us as soon as he is found. We will advise him appropriately on how to back up data in the future.”
Something about the way Gray Eyes said “advise” made Robin’s skin break out in goosebumps. She knew Leonard would be punished.
“Yes, High Brother.”
Now it all made sense. Gray Eyes was the leader, or at least higher ranking than Randall within the group. She hadn’t seen anyone outrank him since she had started working for him. It felt as if the world had tilted on its axis.
“Brother Randall, you and your initiates will need to make these losses up to the group. We cannot overcome the threat of the supernatural without the resources The Farm had provided.”
Panic flooded Robin’s system. They were against the supernatural, yet they used magic. What would happen if they found out she was a banshee? Nothing good was probably the answer. She needed to escape. Soon. As soon as they got back to the office, she would send out a second message. It was her only hope of finding anyone who could take on Randall Fields and stand a chance of winning.
“I have no objections to your ward becoming an initiate. Does anyone else?”
Gray Eyes looked around the room. When all the other guests remained silent, he nodded at Randall.
“Thank you, High Brother. Your benevolence is always appreciated. I will contact you as soon as the plans are drafted.”
“Do that.” As he walked away, he addressed the group. “With the news of the attack on The Farm, I want you all to check in on your Keys. Make sure they are still contained and stable. I expect a report from each of you by the end of the day.”
He opened a portal in the middle of his path and disappeared in an instant. The tension in the room vanished with him, and people began to chatter all around them.
“That went well,” Randall said as he exhaled. He smiled at Robin. “Time for you to meet our Key.”
Chapter 5
Robin had no idea what Randall was talking about with this Key business, but he seemed very excited, and that made her nervous. Portals flared open all around the cavern, each one making her stomach clench tighter. She knew they would have to go through one to get home, but she hoped whatever Key he wanted her to meet was somewhere around them already.
As a portal opened in front of them, she knew she was out of luck.
“Just go through it. Don’t fight me.” Randall looked tired.
It wasn’t as if she had a choice. What was she going to do, stay behind in this cavern with no way out, no food, and no water? If she cooperated now, it might gain her some leeway in the future.
Stepping forward, Robin simply said, “Okay.”
She followed Randall as he took her hand and led them both to the destination. The same sensations hit her as before, making her want to scream and cry, but as soon as it started, it was over.
They were in an opulent house, standing at the opening of a staircase. Randall began descending, and when she didn’t immediately follow, he stopped and looked up at her.
“Everyone in this house works for me. So whatever you’re thinking, whatever plan of escape you are hastily trying to hatch, just give it up now. They won’t help you.”
Robin chastised herself for being so open with her body language. “I was actually just wondering where we are,” she lied.
“We are in a house.”
She crossed her arms over her c
hest.
“Fine!” Randall threw up his hands, clearly hitting his limit of things he would put up with today. “We’re on an estate in England. The Key is under the house.”
He sounded as if he was talking in some kind of code. The Key is under the house. The crow flies at midnight. It almost made her want to laugh. Almost.
She descended toward him, still a little unstable in her heels, and clutched the railing. The stairs just kept going, around and around and around. Finally, after what felt like forever, they arrived at the base of the stairs. They must have been at least a few floors underground. The air had become damp and smelled of moss. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine being outside in a forest just after it had rained. The smooth stone floor scuffed against her heels, and her eyes snapped open. She could hear water somewhere, a gentle lapping of waves on a beach.
“You won’t be able to enter immediately, so just stand at the door, and when I know it’s safe, I will open the wards to let you in.” He sounded so matter of fact as he spoke, as if she should understand what all this meant.
The pathway sloped downward as they walked. When they came to an archway, Robin could see a lake beyond it. There was a lake underground, under the house she had just been standing in. She’d never seen anything like it. Randall walked through the stone archway, and as Robin went to follow, it felt as if she’d smacked her face on a glass door of some kind. She stumbled backward and tripped on her own heels, twisting her ankle as she fell. A pained grunt escaped her as she landed.
“I warned you,” Randall called over his shoulder as he walked away from her.
“I didn’t realize it was right there! You never said where it was!” Anger and pain made her voice sharper than she intended.
He was in front of her in an instant.
“You need to pay more attention.” He spat the words at her as anger rolled off him. Standing over her like that, he looked huge. He was the Randall of her nightmares.
She shrunk away from him and tried to make herself small, avoid the punches and kicks that would come if he was anything like her father.
“Stand up and dust yourself off.” The words were low and quiet, all anger gone, just frustration now. That was at least something she could handle.
Pulling herself up using the edges of the rocks on the wall, Robin made herself stand, but she couldn’t put any weight on her ankle. At least, not yet. Her body healed faster than the average human’s, but it wasn’t as fast as some of her family. That was one thought that had always amused her. Randall had no idea that she was not the strongest banshee in her family, a fact for which she would be forever grateful. The last thing she needed was to involve anyone else in this mess.
Randall walked out toward the edge of the water, the rocky shore proving no problem for his sensible shoes. She sighed, envying the ease with which he crossed the terrain. If she had to go out there and her ankle still hurt, then she would probably fall on her ass again.
As she watched, the mist over the lake seemed to coalesce into a solid form. A woman walked forward, the water freezing under her feet with each step. She was beautiful. Power seemed to emanate from her even at Robin’s distance. It was as if the air was somehow laced with alcohol—it stung as she breathed in, but then she felt light and floaty.
“Brother Randall.” The woman inclined her head, her long silvery-gold hair slipping over her shoulders.
Her necklace winked in the light. It wasn’t just a necklace, though. The more Robin looked at it, the more she realized it was a chain that covered her entire body. It connected to a band around her neck, along with bands around her arms and wrists, and the chain went straight down her middle, connecting to the bands around her legs.
Random scraps of fabric made up a dress of some kind; the white material all seemed to go together but was many different pieces all at the same time. The top of the dress was connected to the band around her neck, with two strips coming down, covering her breasts but leaving the chain exposed. The material wrapped around her waist and hung from her hips, hiding everything that Robin hoped it would while still leaving the bands and chains that covered her body exposed.
Robin felt as though she shouldn’t be looking—it was almost as if the woman was in her intimates—but at the same time, her eyes were drawn to her. She was magnetic. Glancing at Randall’s face, she could tell he felt the same way. The goofy smile plastered to his face was one she’d never seen before and knew would vanish as soon as they left the woman’s vicinity.
“My lady.” He bowed low, sweeping his hands to either side of his body as if he was a bird spreading its wings.
“Why do you come here?” Her voice was musical in its rhythm, gentle and lilting.
“I have to make sure you are secure.”
Suddenly Robin’s mind connected the dots. She was the Key.
The woman spread her arms so the chains and bands were more visible than before. She looked like a prisoner, shackled and chained. It sent chills down Robin’s spine. Running his hands along the chains, Randall checked all the cuffs and bands around her arms, legs, and neck. When he was satisfied everything was secure, he looked over at the doorway and made some weird hand gestures. There was a slight pop, like a balloon bursting in the distance, but other than that, nothing happened.
“You can come in now,” he called to Robin.
She hobbled in through the doorway, and as she made it to the edge of the rocky beach, she stumbled and fell again.
“Brother Randall, would you allow me to assist her?”
“Of course, Nimue.”
The name ran through Robin. She knew it from somewhere but couldn’t put her finger on it at that moment. A delicate hand with long, elegant fingers appeared in her line of sight. As she placed her hand in Nimue’s, Robin felt a rush of power. She could smell roses and hear the birds calling as they flew over the lake, none of which was happening. The knowledge was intellectual, but the smells and sounds of a time she had never lived in overpowered her senses.
A banshee? Interesting choice of companion. Nimue’s voice flooded Robin’s mind.
I’m not his companion. More like his servant, she thought, not expecting Nimue to respond. When she did, Robin had to stifle a gasp.
Ah, I see. You have chains, but they are not visible like mine. He does not know that I can talk to you like this. I am his prisoner, and was a prisoner of his master before him and so on. I have been trapped in this cave for centuries. Can you help me regain my freedom?
I’m sorry, I don’t think I can. Robin’s mind flew for a moment, assessing possibilities as they picked their way across the beach, with Nimue supporting a lot of her weight. I may know someone who can help, but I have to achieve my own freedom in order to enlist their help.
I see. Is there any way I can help you achieve your freedom? I could distract him while you escape.
Everyone in the house above here works for him and would stop me, not to mention he would have my family killed.
I will remain hopeful for your escape once you are gone from this place. I would be in your debt if you could help me escape.
Robin’s heart broke at the disappointment in Nimue’s voice.
I will do everything I can. I promise. She truly wished that she could help and that they could both escape right now, but there was too much at risk for her to do that. Once she had a way out, she would do everything she could to help Nimue.
“Ladies.” Randall bowed his head, and as Robin was handed over into his care, she felt her connection with Nimue start to fade.
I won’t forget! I promise! she thought at Nimue. All she got back was the feeling of a smile as the connection was completely severed.
“Nimue, this is Robin. She is my ward. Robin, Nimue is our Key, the one whom we draw magic from.”
“You take her powers?” Robin couldn’t keep the horror from her voice. It was as if they were siphoning Nimue’s life force.
“Some, yes, but some is also j
ust general power that I can channel into whatever I want, like a portal. Your first lesson as an initiate is the binding. Each Key has a binding collar and bands that are linked with a chain. All of them are enchanted in such a way as to confine them within a certain boundary and give us access to the power contained within the Key.”
“So she’s stuck in this room, and you take her power, her very essence?”
“Don’t look so horrified. It’s been going on longer than either of our families have been alive, and she’s still kicking, aren’t you, Nim?”
The woman glared at him, and Robin joined her. This was barbaric.
“So when you called for your power during the fight the other week, it drew from her life force?” She called out a specific example partially to see what Nimue’s reaction would be and partially to try to make Randall feel guilty.
Nimue’s eyes narrowed at him, as though she was trying to set him on fire with just her gaze.
“Yes. But she’s fine, see?” Randall waved his hands up and down, indicating at Nimue.
“So if she were to break the chain or a band, she would be able to leave or access her power?”
“No. Someone else would have to break it, and since the room is protected, no one can get in to do so. Plus, they are all individually enchanted. Clever, right?”
Robin shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself.
“Would you like me to heal her ankle?”
“That’d be great, Nim. Thanks.”
Nimue knelt, and Robin got an eyeful from the gaping fabric, but as the woman placed her hands on the painful area of her ankle, the burning pain receded. A cool numbness took its place, and Robin couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
“Thank you so much, Nimue,” she said, trying to let all the emotions she felt at that moment show through her eyes. There was no way she could let something like this go on, not to mention that if each of the people in that room had Keys, then there were magical beings trapped just like this all over the world. She would escape, make sure her family was safe, and then recruit whomever she could to help bring this organization down.