The noise of the door opening behind him cut into his thoughts. He turned and the others stood to see Gwen charging into the room. She looked thoroughly flustered—about how Nate might feel when losing an expensive bet in a card game. Yes, he knew the look. Gwen hadn’t come bearing good news and her words confirmed this.
“I’m sorry to tell you that the Sentinels don’t see things your way,” she said, looking at Nate. “I do, but I have a majority against me.”
“All of them?” Nate asked.
Gwen nodded. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t believe you.” She looked at the others in the room, taking note of their faces, seemingly evaluating each one.
“So, what are we supposed to do?” Nate asked.
“The Sentinels have granted permission for you to stay the night here, then be on your way.”
“That’s it then?” Alban said. “There is no help to be offered?”
“None officially,” Gwen said.
Nate took a step toward her. She looked at his eyes, though apprehensively. Nate didn’t know what it was, but she didn’t look at the others as she looked at him. The others, she would stare down confidently, but with Nate, her eyes quickly darted away like she was embarrassed or afraid for some reason.
“What do you mean none officially?” Nate asked.
“I mean don’t sleep too soundly tonight,” she said with a whisper. “I’m going to help you. I don’t know how yet, but I will think of a way in the next few hours.” She turned to the others in the room. “I need to know what your plans are. Do any of you wish to help Nathaniel further?”
Alban looked at Rachel and Marum, neither of whom gave him any nod of affirmation nor a shake of denial. He looked back at Gwen. “We haven’t really talked about it.”
“Then you need to have a serious discussion about what you wish to do next,” she said. “I know where The Book of Life is, and I’m willing to take Nathaniel to it. It’s near Lorne. Decide by tonight.”
Nate couldn’t help but show his surprise at this, and he wasn’t so sure he was ready to go after this book. If it was true that no one who had entered it had ever come back, why would he be so willing to jump in?
“And tell no one of your plans,” Gwen said. She looked at Nate. “I have to know that you’re ready for this.”
“I don’t know if I am,” he said.
“I suppose I should clarify,” she said. “I have to know if you’re willing to go through with this. One can never be ready for what he doesn’t understand.”
The statement made sense, and Nate had to agree with her. There was no other way to get back home. There was little to no chance of finding Tyler Montgomery to get any answers. This was just about the best chance he had.
Finally, he nodded. “I ain’t sure I’m ready. But I’m willing.”
“That is good enough for me,” Gwen said. She turned from them and left the room.
The day drew on without so much as a peep from anyone outside of their group other than Hilda who had brought them lunch and supper. None of them left the library at the end of the hall, mostly because there was nowhere else they were allowed to go, but also because they needed to figure out a plan.
“I don’t know what Gwen plans to do,” Rachel said at some point, “but I for one am ready to go with you.”
This surprised Nate, and more so surprised Alban. “Are you sure?” Alban asked.
Rachel shrugged. “It’s not like we can go anywhere else. I’m still not comfortable with going back home since we helped Nate and Marum escape.”
“What about you?” Nate said, looking at Marum. “You’re good in a fight. I wouldn’t mind having you around a little longer.”
The gray elf shook her head. “It’s a strange business getting involved with The Ancient Books. And where did she say The Book of Life was?”
“Lorne,” Alban answered.
Marum shook her head. “That’s the opposite direction of where I need to go.”
“And why do you need to go back to your brother?” Alban asked. “What is there for you?”
“My people,” Marum answered.
“We’re your people,” Alban said. “You grew up with us, not the gray elves.”
“Does it bother you that I wish to go there?”
“It bothers me that you’re so determined to get there,” Alban said.
“You seem to forget that I’m a wanted criminal,” she answered. “No gray elf will turn me in to the government.”
“She’s got a point there,” Nate said. “Still, I think we could use you.”
“Do you trust her?” Marum asked. “Sentinel Gwen, I mean.”
Nate shrugged. “I don’t see any other choice. I either trust her and have a chance of getting back home, or I don’t and I wander Galamore aimlessly until I’m old or dead.”
Marum looked at Alban and Rachel. “Do you two think she’s telling the truth? Do you think she will lead us to The Book of Life?”
“I don’t see why she would lie,” Rachel said. “What would it gain her?”
“I agree,” Alban said. “The other Sentinels are afraid of exploring this option because if Nate does get the relic key from The Book of Life, it is the beginning of the end.”
“Another thing that’s got me a little confused,” Nate said. “Why do any of you want to help me with that? That part makes the least sense to me.”
Alban smiled. “We will get to witness history firsthand. But to be honest, it’s difficult to see that far ahead. In a way, I don’t believe you can accomplish the task.”
“Oh, that’s great,” Nate said. “Your confidence is overwhelming.”
“I don’t think you understand the odds you’re up against,” Alban said. “Still, I am of the firm belief that if you can obtain the relic key from The Book of Life then you are the one who is meant to write the ending. Since no one else has been able to do it, I should think it would make you a worthy writer of the ending.”
“I don’t even know what that means,” Nate said. “To write the ending.”
“Nor do any of us,” Alban said. “That’s what is so terrifying about it. But it is meant to happen at some point. And I truly believe the only person who can write the ending is the one who was always meant to write it.”
“And you think that’s me.”
Alban shrugged. “I suppose we will find out. If you survive The Book of Life, then I will be more convinced and I will fight for you the rest of the way.”
“What about you?” Nate said, looking at Rachel.
She shook her head and looked away. “I’m not sure I hold the same thoughts. There is no true prophecy saying there will be a specific person to write the ending.”
Alban tried to interject. “But the poem—”
“Is just a poem,” Rachel said. “Nothing more. That’s my opinion, though.”
Nate looked at Marum. “And you?”
Marum swallowed. “I think anyone can write it. I think the moment you start collecting relic keys, I won’t be such a wanted criminal anymore. Everyone is going to want to find you. People will kill to find you. Then, when they do, they will kill you. And they will write their own ending to all this. There are a lot of people out there who would do anything to get their hands on a relic key. Powerful people. The two things that have stopped them are the fear of never coming back from one of The Ancient Books, and the fact that they are nearly impossible to find.”
“That’s true,” Alban said. “I don’t agree with everything Marum just said, but it is certain that you will have a hard time finding the other books, even if you can obtain the relic key from The Book of Life.”
This was pretty much the end of the conversation. It ended with each of them deciding that they would journey farther to see how all this played out. Nate wasn’t so surprised by Rachel and Alban. Alban’s thirst for adventure and Rachel’s assumption that it was too dangerous to go back home worked in his favor. He was, however, surprised by Marum’s decision s
ince she’d planned to split from the group a long time ago.
Maybe it was his instinct as an outlaw, maybe it was that he’d met too many scoundrels in his lifetime, but he didn’t really like Marum’s switch decision. He was glad she would be helping, and he had even pushed her to stay, but her last minute decision was almost too quick. However, Nate wasn’t going to let his natural suspicion get to him. They needed all the help they could get because there was no telling what kind of enemies they might face on the road.
So, it seemed that Nate had a company to journey with him just a little while longer, now with the addition of a Sentinel. For the first time, he truly felt like he was heading in the right direction.
Nate wondered how many sleepless night’s he’d had on this journey so far. Tonight was one of those nights, but this time it was by choice. The others slept soundly in their rooms, not nervous, not anxious. Nate found himself alone in the library at the end of the hall. It didn’t matter how big the window was in the room, it wasn’t enough to stop the walls from closing in around him, choking him, imprisoning him. He needed to get out of this keep. But he couldn’t simply wander the halls. The guards would have none of that.
There he remained listless and tired. How late was it? It had to be well past midnight.
An hour had passed and he found himself on the floor, back against the window, staring at the door across the room. He occasionally went back and forth from his room to the library.
He set his hat on the floor next to him and closed his eyes briefly as he rested his back against the side of his bed. It was about the moment sleep started to take over that the door rushed open and jerked Nate to attention. He was on his feet instantly, instinctively reaching for his gun, but it wasn’t there.
He was surprised to see Jesse. He was no longer dressed in his uniform, rather he carried a six-shooter on his belt and a sword on his back, wearing the same garb he’d been wearing when they first met. The man looked like he was ready to go.
“What are you doing here?” Nate asked.
“We need to get the others ready to go,” Jesse said.
“For what exactly?” Nate said.
“We’ve got to get out of here quickly and quietly,” he answered. “Kellen’s on the war path.”
“Kellen?”
“He’s going to kill you.”
“What?”
“I said, he’s going to kill you.”
“I heard that part, but—”
“Help me get the others out of bed.”
Nate didn’t hesitate. This was the second time Jesse had warned them of attack in the middle of the night, the second time Nate had to push open their doors uninvited to yell for them to get ready. Each of them was out and ready to follow Jesse within a couple of minutes. The wood elf looked frantic, his cheeks glistening with sweat.
“What’s happening?” Rachel called out.
Jesse turned to them, breathing heavily. “We’ll go to the holding room where they stored your weapons, then we are to meet Gwen on the other side of the keep.”
“What’s happening?” Rachel said again.
“Kellen wants us dead,” Nate said.
There was no more time for explanation. They followed Jesse with every quick step, forming a line down the hallway. When they reached the end of it and turned into another corridor, they saw two guards on the floor, unconscious and sprawled out.
“Did you do that?” Alban called out, but Jesse didn’t answer. He was concentrating, keeping his eyes focused ahead.
Nate didn’t forget that they were running through a large maze that only those who lived here the longest would be able to navigate. If Nate and his party had been running alone, they would have been lost in seconds. But Jesse was superb in his ability to get them to the holding room where they found another guard who hadn’t been expecting them.
Confusion creased the man’s face. Then when Jesse brought his pistol up in the air and slammed it against the man’s head, he was out.
“Find your weapons,” Jesse said. “Grab some extra ammunition if you need it.”
Nate and the others complied. Nate found his belt with plenty of cartridges, his six-shooter, and rifle. He pulled the six-shooter from his belt and held it steadily in his right hand. He started to follow Jesse back out of the room when the wood elf turned on them quickly, holding up a finger.
“I don’t want any casualties,” he said. “If we come across guards, I don’t want you shooting at them unless you’re about to die. Even then, aim to disarm. Any man coming after you is just doing his job—a job ordered by Kellen. They are not the enemy.”
Nate shook his head. “Any man that wants to kill me is the enemy.”
Jesse looked at him briefly, but just pursed his lips and started for the hallway. He led them to a large stone staircase and through a door that opened to a gigantic room which seemed to have no ceiling. They ran across a narrow pathway with no railings and the fall below seemed as empty and far away as what stood above them. Nate kept his eyes ahead, running just behind Jesse. Alban brought up the rear, calling out for the others to be careful as they ran.
Finally, they reached another door, climbed another stairwell, and found themselves in another maze of corridors and hallways. This time, Elise and Gwen were waiting for them.
“Did you encounter any guards?” Gwen asked as they approached.
“Just the two outside their hallway and the one in the storeroom,” Jesse said.
“We haven’t got much time,” Gwen said. “Follow me.”
“Wait just a minute,” Nate said. “What’s happening? He said Kellen wanted us dead.”
Gwen spun around wildly. Her stare burned into Nate and he almost felt the need to back away slowly. “You are a threat, Nathaniel Cole. Kellen wants to eliminate that threat. You have no idea what it means to have a Sentinel wanting to destroy you. So, we can either stand here and discuss it with Kellen and get his perspective on the matter, or we can run and discuss questions later. Your choice.”
He was stunned into submission. He hadn’t expected Gwen to be so intense, so worried. She didn’t wait for him to answer and she spun around to lead the way. For a second, he caught a glimpse of Elise who looked at Nate with raised eyebrows.
Then they were off again.
For a second time, Nate lost count of how many corridors they went through. He briefly wondered why there were so many and what purpose such a large place could serve for so few people, but he brushed the thought aside when he saw an oncoming mob of guards, swords in their hands.
The hallway broke to the left, but Gwen stayed straight, motioning Elise to take the lead as she stepped in front of the guards. The group moved onward and Nate looked behind him to see a brilliant blue light followed by a loud explosion that nearly knocked them all to the ground.
“She killed them!” Alban yelled. “She killed them!”
“No,” Elise called out from the front. “She collapsed the corridor.”
They turned and turned, ever running, though slowing with fatigue. Finally, they reached another door, most of them doubled over as they tried to catch their breath.
“Where do we go now?” Nate asked to Elise who stood in front of the door.
“There is a lift past this door,” she said. “Leads straight to the bottom of the mountain. But we wait for Gwen.”
Nate didn’t have to ask why. The woman had just taken care of a large group of trained soldiers using some kind of magic he didn’t understand. He wished he could have seen it more clearly. The thought was fascinating but it also drove a fear deep within him. If Kellen wanted him dead, that meant his only protection was Gwen. He had a feeling his guns wouldn’t be so effective against a Sentinel.
“I’m not too worried about the guards,” Alban said. “They aren’t carrying guns.” He held up his pistol. “Doesn’t even seem fair.”
“Men run out of bullets, but not out of sword.” The group looked at Elise as she spoke the words, nodd
ing in agreement.
Nate still thought that if he had to choose between a sword and his guns, he’d choose his guns every time.
In a moment, Gwen was beside them. She moved to the front of the group and stood next to the door. “I don’t know what’s on the other side of this, but I do know there are more guards coming. I could hear them.” She shook her head. “This is a most terrible night.”
“Just another night to me,” Nate said to himself.
“It won’t be just another night if you’re dead,” Gwen answered.
She turned to the door and took a deep breath as her hand rested on the handle. She then pulled slowly to reveal a large empty chamber as vast as the room where the bridge had been, though here there was a wide open floor with no place to fall down into the abyss.
They moved into the room as a group. Jesse sprinted to the far side wall and placed a hand on it. The spot glowed a bright green color and they could hear the lift start to move.
The door crashed closed behind them. Rachel immediately declared that they needed to barricade it with something, but the stone room was completely empty.
“We will have to be patient and not be careless,” Gwen said. “We may be out of this yet.”
Nate wasn’t so sure. The lift seemed to move at a gruelingly slow pace, though he couldn’t see it. Perhaps it just had a long way to get to them.
“Where will the lift bring us out?” Alban asked.
The Outlaw's Quest (Keeper of the Books, Book 2) Page 10