by Stuart Jaffe
When the last piece of flesh slipped into Gram’s book she slammed it shut. Elliot and Sully followed suit, and Rocky helped close Roni’s book. The sudden silence rang in her ears. Only three drops of blood dappled the old chair.
Chapter 25
A week later, Roni sat in her car parked in the lot outside of Belmont Behavioral Hospital. She could still see the hellspider’s final moments. After it had been killed and the last book closed, Elliot sprang across the room to fix Roni’s ankles. He succeeded. Though sharp stings still shot up her legs now and then, it felt wonderful to be able to drive once more. Heck, walking felt like a privilege.
Elliot promised to give her another healing treatment in a few days which, he guaranteed, would clean up the last of the fixable damage. But he also warned — there were limits. Some damage could not be undone. Some would remain always.
Roni agreed with that — the mental damage alone might take forever to be rid of. And not just for her. The whole gang had barely spoken during the trip back.
Using Rocky as a movable walker, Roni had followed the gang back through the long tunnels to their raft. They launched onto the lake and paddled their way to the Isle. Elliot explained that inside the Book on the Isle they had their way home. He led them through the desolate town, towards Dorarnosk’s house. They were all on edge, eyes searching for any sign or movement of the smaller hellspiders. But none were found.
Roni limped as well as she could manage. Her newly healed ankles sparked fierce flames if she walked too fast. Plus, they had to leave Rocky back on the Isle. She had already stepped through the book when she realized her golem savior would not be coming. Sully must have pulled the paper from Rocky because, after all, the golem was formed with stones from the cavern. It could not come back with them. It would be a relic. So, Rocky was no more.
“Over here,” Elliot said, leading them to the ruins of a large home. Inside what might have been a private office, Elliot found the book he sought. “It will take us to a different part of the cavern. One close to home. And I know the rest of the way from there.”
He opened the book and they each stepped through. That was why Waterfield never provided a map with a non-river path leading to the Isle. The way back started in the middle of an empty tunnel. From there they had a long hike, but within a day they were back at the bookstore.
Roni spent the last several days cooped up in her apartment. Resting. Though each member of the gang created excuses to stop by and check on her, she had mostly spent the time alone. Fine by her. She had too many thoughts to deal with — she didn’t need more.
That was behind her now. She had finally managed to sleep through the night without seeing the frightening hairy face with those red eyes bearing down on her, ready to devour her. Driving to the mental hospital gave her something different to focus on, and for that, if nothing else, she was grateful.
Waiting outside would not make any of the day easier or better, though. She knew it. Didn’t want to admit it, but she knew it.
Making sure not to take her ankles for granted, she eased out of the car and hobbled slowly to the building’s lobby. She went through the process of checking in, chatting with the attendants, and eventually ending up in the visitor’s room.
Less than five minutes later, a nurse entered with Roni’s father on her arm. She walked the man over to Roni, helped him sit in a plastic folding chair, and smiled. Her father gazed off into the distance, his body thinner than before.
“He said he could do without the wheelchair today, but don’t hesitate to call if he needs it.” The nurse walked away.
For a few minutes, Roni said nothing. At first, she thought she dwelled in the peacefulness and comfort of simply sitting with her father. But her mind could be tricky, and she soon recognized that she had lulled herself into stalling.
“Dad,” she said, the unmistakable tremors in her voice echoing in her head. “I faced the hellspider.”
His eyes took a sharp turn towards her.
“It’s okay. I’m okay. I wasn’t alone. Gram and Elliot and Sully all were with me. The Parallel Society — you know it? Of course you do. Well, we had to go into the caverns on a mission, and we came across that creature. But it’s gone. You don’t have to worry anymore. We killed it.”
He dropped his head to the side and his eyes welled. Pulling in his lips, he exhaled a long breath. With a scratchy, distant voice, he said, “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I told you. We’re fine.” The sound of his voice fluttered her heart. She wanted to reach across the table and wrap her arms around his head, but she held off — he was speaking now, and she didn’t want to frighten him back into wherever he hid within himself.
“You shed blood. It’s the first step.”
“Do you know what you’re talking about? Do you understand what I’m saying? You don’t have to be afraid for me. I’m part of the Society, and we were able to defeat a terrible monster.”
“No. You have begun the destruction of the caverns.”
“You’ve got it all backwards. We saved the caverns.”
Her father’s arm flashed out and gripped Roni’s forearm. His eyes opened wide, and in both tone and word, Roni could see that he was momentarily lucid.
“Get me out of here,” he said. “It’s not too late. I can help you.”
Roni twisted as she tried to free her arm. “You’re hurting me.”
Rising to his feet, her father inhaled sharply and thrust her aside. As loud as a warrior on a noisy battlefield, he said, “You have done a terrible thing. There will be more. There’s always more. They will come and they will destroy.” He paced around the room, gesticulating toward the other patients, grabbing papers and throwing them in the air. “It’s all meaningless. How can we be expected to know the right thing to do? We are lied to, we are manipulated, and in the end, we nearly die trying to do the right thing which is the wrong thing. Unless it isn’t which we never really know.”
Two burly orderlies rushed in and wrestled her father into submission. He kept yelling about being betrayed, lied to, and yet knowing the truth. They carted him off toward his room.
Roni did not move. Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried to absorb and decipher his meaning. At what point did his words fall away from truth and into his own dementia? The only thing she could be sure of, the first words — There will be more. That rang true because she had thought it herself. The hellspiders would not be the last.
Chapter 26
Two hours later, Roni slid into the booth at the Olburg Chestnut. She tried to eavesdrop on conversations going on around her — anything to keep her mind away from the strange words her father had spoken. She checked her watch. A few minutes early. With a wave of her hand, she called over a waitress and ordered a hamburger.
That had yet to get old. After only a short time spent in the caverns, each bite of real food overwhelmed her senses with ecstasy. The simple pleasures. If nothing else, she had gained great appreciation for the nuances of life — like the succulent flavors of an old-fashioned hamburger.
“It is amazing,” Kenneth Bay said. He wore another fine suit but had no cane — apparently it was for show. “One always yearns for the basic flavors of their home.”
Roni glanced up at the annoying man. “Do I really want to know what Yal-hara eats?”
“Probably not.” He settled in opposite her, smoothing his tie with one hand while drumming his fingers on the table with the other. “On behalf of Yal-hara, I thank you for your service. Now, if you would please complete our agreement and hand over the kyolo stones.” His drumming fingers stopped as he turned his hand over.
Roni hesitated.
Before she could speak, Kenneth Bay leaned in. “I understand that you went through a difficult time in acquiring the stones. The caverns have never been the most friendly place. But we cannot help you, if you don’t help us. Without Yal-hara, those stones are nothing but rocks to you. And if you are thinking about renegot
iating our deal, I strongly advise you not to do so. I have been in this game a long time. You have barely begun. You are nothing but a baby, and I can crush a baby.”
“Sheesh. No need to get all dark.” She set the bag of stones on the table. As he scooped them up and stood, she said, “Hey!”
Running a finger across his mustache, he gazed down at her. “This isn’t hardly enough for Yal-hara or you to get what you desire. Traveling to other universes isn’t easy — not when you’re alone, not part of a group like the Parallel Society. Don’t worry, though. Once Yal-hara has all the ingredients she needs, she’ll have everything she also needs for you.”
Roni clenched her jaw. She felt her emotions competing — on one side, she was like a teenage girl stood up for the prom, but on the other side, she enjoyed the relief of knowing she did not have to show up at the prom at all. “I suppose I already knew you wouldn’t deliver.”
“Oh, we will. But there are more items in more worlds that we’ll need your help acquiring. This is a good start. Soon, we will call upon you again, and when we do, you can be assured that your efforts will be fully rewarded.” He turned to leave, stopped, and looked back. He rested his hands on the table, and brought his mouth close to her ear. “No matter what, do not share any of this with anyone. It must remain secret. Especially from your friends in the Parallel Society. You failed us before in this regard — blabbing to your team about us. But they will destroy us if given a chance. And, to be clear, when I say destroy, I mean kill. If you don’t want Yal-hara’s blood on your hands — or mine, for that matter — then say nothing.”
He left Roni to sit alone.
Chapter 27
The streets of Olburg were congested this particular day, and Roni circled the bookstore block four times before she snagged a parking space. Walking toward In The Bind, her jumbled thoughts and conflicted heart duked it out within her. After everything the team had been through, it seemed wrong to hide information from them. But she had already started working on how to free her father — something Gram was against. Plus, she wanted her memories back — another thing Gram resisted. Perhaps, if she kept quiet for now, it would be best.
Turning the corner, she shelved the debate for a later time when she would have privacy. She entered the bookstore and noted the lack of customers. Gram, Elliot, and Sully sat at the big table.
“Don’t look so distraught,” Gram said. They had a bottle of gin and a bottle of brandy sitting in the center of the table. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had to close up the store for over a week so we could go save the universe. We always reopen and eventually the customers come back.”
Sully tilted back a glass of brandy. “Yes, yes. We’ve been at this for a long time. You can learn a thing or two from your elders about how to run this place.”
“I’m sure,” Roni said.
With a wave of his hand, Elliot said, “Come. Join us.”
Roni shook her head. The way the three of them sat so comfortably at the table reminded her that there newly formed team had only been temporary. “I have a lot of work to do in the Grand Library.”
Sully banged his glass on the table. “Says who?”
Gram raised her hands, palms out. “Don’t look at me. I’m not leader anymore — and I don’t want the job back.”
“Then I guess I’m still the leader.” Sully pushed back his chair and stood. “This is the New Gang and you, young lady, are part of it. We’re a team and it’s time that you acted like part of us. Now get over here and drink some alcohol.”
Trying to hide her enthusiasm, Roni sauntered over to the table. Sully gently rocked from side to side — a little drunk, apparently. He slid an empty glass toward Roni.
“We have gin, and we have brandy. Or you can make a disgusting mixture of both.”
Roni chuckled. “I guess I’ll opt for the gin.”
Elliot jingled the ice in his glass. “Smart choice. I find it quite delicious.”
“I didn’t think you drank.”
“There are always occasions which permit one to bend rules.”
Gram lifted her glass. “I’ll drink to that.” After tossing it back, she reached for the gin and filled half her glass with it. Then she poured in the brandy to top it off. “Never mind what these boys say. It’s delicious.”
Before Roni could pick up her glass, Gram sloshed brandy into her gin. The liquids swirled around each other resembling a weak tea. Sully lifted his glass and tapped it with a pencil until everybody raised their glasses as well.
“While we have much to celebrate including the formation of this latest chapter of the Parallel Society, now that the four of us are assembled together, we should take a moment to recognize those not with us. To Rocky and all of the golems past and future — fallen heroes, each and every one. May they forgive me for the tasks I ask of them and may they always be remembered as partners and teammates of our group.”
“Here, here,” Elliot said.
“And,” Gram said, “let us not forget to toast Sully for taking on the thankless and difficult job of herding us cats.”
“Here, here,” Sully said.
“Also,” Roni said, surprising herself as much as the New Gang, “let’s toast to a new level of honesty between us. Secrets kept from me throughout my life led to unfortunate outcomes. And to me being a bit stubborn.”
“A bit?” Gram said, and the boys laughed.
“Perhaps more than a bit. But we can’t be a solid team unless we build trust. That comes from sharing information, not hiding it.”
“To honesty,” Sully said, lifting his glass higher and dribbling a little gin onto his hand in the process.
“To honesty.” Elliot knocked back his drink, as did Gram.
Roni took a short swig from her glass. She thought of her father and Yal-hara. And secrets.
The drink burned down her throat.
Acknowledgements
There are always people to mention. Some know exactly how they contributed to a book. Some have no idea they were involved at all. But regardless, these are a few of the many people deserving a mention: Natania Barron, thanks for another great cover; Lisa Gall, Randy Miller, and the entire Launch Team; the folks who created Dragon Naturally Speaking; and of course, my wife and son.
Last, but most importantly, a big thanks to you, my readers. If you’re enjoying this series, please spread the word. I would love to keep writing about Roni and the New Gang.
THE PARALLEL SOCIETY WILL RETURN SOON!
In the meantime, check out this awesome tale from Stuart Jaffe
If you liked Roni’s mix of the real world with magic, The Max Porter Paranormal Mysteries is for you!
Start with Southern Bound!
When Max Porter discovers his office is haunted by the ghost of a 1940s detective,
he does the only thing he can -
he starts a detective agency!
Real Southern history meets the paranormal in this exciting mystery series!
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About the Author
Stuart Jaffe is the madman behind the Nathan K thrillers, The Max Porter Paranormal Mysteries, the Parallel Society novels, The Malja Chronicles, The Bluesman, Founders, Real Magic, and much more. He trained in martial arts for over a decade until a knee injury ended that practice. Now, he plays lead guitar in a local blues band, The Bootleggers, and enjoys life on a small farm in rural North Carolina. For those who continue to keep count, the animal list is as follows: one dog, two cats, three aquatic turtles, nine chickens, and a horse. As best as he’s been able to manage, Stuart has made sure that the chickens and the horse do not live in the house.
Copyright Inform
ation
Book on the Isle is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
BOOK ON THE ISLE
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2018 by Stuart Jaffe
Cover art by Natania Barron
First Edition: March, 2018