The Riddle (Keepers of the Key Book 1)

by L. M. Abbott

  Seamus waited for his friend and dragged him up the path. “Well, Cailean, what’s this about two wolves.”

  “Not so loud. Dad will overhear.”

  Josh munched on candy, the shape of at least two imprinted on his cheek. “Overhear what?” he said in a muffled voice.

  Cailean put a finger to her lips to silence him. “Dad’s coming.”

  Seamus tugged on her earlobe. “Super ears strike again. I don’t hear him.”

  Gramps came out dressed in a light jacket with a salt and pepper hat tipped to one side of his head.

  “Thought you were Dad,” Cailean said.

  “I was out back chopping wood and came in through the kitchen.” Gramps held out a brown paper bag. “Mellie’s low on flutes again.” He touched two fingers to his cap in salute to the children. “Don’t get into any mischief while I’m gone.”

  “Me!” Josh’s jaw dropped exposing the last remains of candy. “I-I mean we. We would never do anything wrong.”

  “I rely on you to keep these two out of trouble.” Gramps inclined his head towards Seamus and Cailean.

  “Where’s Dad?”

  “Working on a computer desk for Father Tim’s sister.”

  When Gramps was part way down the hill, Seamus smirked at Josh. “Maybe I should set him straight about you. Using Barlo to get Steve to talk was evil. What would happen to your halo then?”

  “Nothing,” Cailean said. “Gramps would think you were joking.”

  Josh turned to Barlo. “I have no idea what they’re talking about. Do you?”

  The dog put a paw over its mouth.

  Cailean jumped to the ground. “You’ve got to see this.”

  Josh listened, his eyes wide while she related the scene she witnessed between the wolves.

  “White wolves are very rare,” he said. “Where did it come from?”

  “How should we know?” Seamus said. “Maybe it came over on ice floes.”

  Josh gave him a long look. “At the end of the summer?”

  “I want to see if the white wolf is okay,” Cailean said.

  Josh stood his ground. “We need to think about the possible consequences. A wounded animal can be extremely dangerous.” He hastened to add. “And let’s not forget the dark wolf is somewhere in the forest as well.”

  “We’ll take Barlo along for protection.”

  Josh didn’t look convinced. “Humans are a wolf’s only predator. Barlo won’t scare it. Besides,” he sounded winded. “He’s the friendliest dog in the world and will probably lick both wolves to death.”

  “In that case,” Seamus said. “There’s nothing to be scared of.” He removed the leaves and twigs from the spot where the wolves had fought. “Whoa. That’s an awful lot of blood.”

  Cailean hurried to a pine tree a little further on. “There’s more blood over here. I’m going to follow the trail.” She headed into the woods. Barlo took the lead, his nose to the ground.

  They trudged through the foliage, splashes of dried blood spotted on rocks and fallen leaves. Barlo came to a small clearing and sniffed the area, going from end to end like he was following his tail. All traces of blood were gone.

  “The poor creature’s probably bled to death by now,” Josh said.

  “Then we should’ve come across it,” Cailean said. “I can’t stand the thought of the white wolf in pain.”

  Barlo sniffed the air, turned to the right, sniffed again, then trotted off to the left. He zoomed in on a silver spruce, his upper body lost in the lower branches.

  Seamus examined them. “They’re smeared with a lot of blood. It doesn’t look good.”

  Barlo yelped and broke into a run. The children tore after him. Blood seemed to be splattered everywhere. Cailean did her best to concentrate on finding the white wolf, not on its possible condition. The dog maintained a steady pace. The sky was heavy, threatening a downpour. A flock of birds burst into the air, travelled one way, then the other, changed direction yet again as if confused before flying out of sight.

  “The trees are getting denser,” Josh said, hoarse, like he had a sore throat. “We’ll get lost if we go much farther.”

  The skin on the back of Cailean’s neck tingled. “It’s spying on us.”

  Josh’s t-shirt stuck to his body. “Who is?” He moved closer to Seamus. “What should we do?”

  Cailean rose up on her toes and trotted to a bush.

  Seamus did a double take. “Why are you doing that?”

  Josh gulped. “The hairs are standing straight up on her arms and it’s not cold out.”

  The bush shivered like something crawled through it. Cailean leaned into it and sniffed. “It’s not an animal.” Her feet went flat to the ground. “Whatever was in there is gone.”

  Josh’s teeth chattered. “How does she know all that?”

  Barlo barked in the distance, a steady flow to signal there’s something you must all see. They found the dog in front of the cave with the pool.

  Seamus examined the ground around the entrance. “There’s more blood. The white wolf must’ve made it this far.”

  “We can’t go in,” Josh said. “It’s dangerous to corner a wounded animal.”

  “Stay here then,” Seamus said.

  “Wait.” Josh glared at his friends. “Have it your way, but if we die I’ll never speak to either of you again.”

  Seamus grinned. “Is that a promise?”

  Josh pulled out a pen-sized flashlight from his pocket. “Almost forgot about this.” They followed the drops of blood to the cavern.

  All three stood by the pool, transfixed. The crystal-clear water was a mass of scarlet red. Cailean stretched out her arms to dive in. “The wolf must’ve fallen in. I have to save it.”

  Seamus held her back. “You can’t go in there.”

  “Be sensible,” Josh said. “You’d get covered in blood. There’s no way to explain that to your father.” He ran the flashlight over the surface of the water. “There’s no sign of the wolf. You know as well as me it would float... dead or alive.”

  Cailean winced at the thought.

  “It must’ve gotten out and went somewhere to die,” Seamus said. “That’s what animals do.”

  “No. The wolf’s alive. It’s weak from blood loss, but hasn’t given up.”

  Josh shone the pen flashlight around the cavern. “Then the wolf should be somewhere in here and there’s no place to hide.”

  Cailean stared into the pool. Seamus and Josh stayed near her.

  “There’s nothing more we can do here,” Josh said to end the awkward silence.

  “Wait,” Cailean said. “Do you hear that?”

  “What?” Josh’s mouth closed as a low growl echoed all around them.

  “It’s the white wolf,” Cailean said. “It’s in pain.”

  The flashlight dangled from Josh’s fingers. “It seems to be coming from inside the walls. We gotta get out of here right now.”

  “Stevie boy’s behind this,” Seamus said. “He rigged this place to scare us.” He snatched the pen light from Josh and scanned the area once more. “There’s no doubt the howl’s coming from somewhere inside the cave.”

  Josh snatched his light back. “I don’t like it here. Please let’s go.” The howl faded away as if the animal had grown to weak to continue. “On second thought, maybe there’s a hidden passageway.”

  “Exactly,” Seamus said. “And that’s where Steve’s hidden the gadget making the wolf noises.”

  Cailean went to the flat rock by the water fall. “Forget about him. Come see this for yourselves. The holes are a perfect fit for my bracelet.”

  Josh didn’t move.

  Seamus shoved him towards the rock. “Don’t stand there like a lump on a log.”

  Cailean pulled up her sleeve. “No! No! My bracelet’s gone.”

  chapter 12

  Cailean groped the floor around the rock. “I have to find my bracelet.” She crawled to the pool. “What if it fell in the water?” />
  “I doubt that,” Josh said. “You would’ve noticed. Maybe you forgot it this morning.”

  “I always put it on the second I wake up.” Her fingers sifted through rocks and clay. “Help me look.”

  “That’ll take all day,” Seamus said.

  Josh got down beside Cailean. “Then we’d better get started.”

  Seamus whistled for Barlo. “Maybe he can find it.” The dog’s bark echoed into the cave. He remained outside. The three children searched the ground, side by side, moving through the cave. The flash light produced shadowy images which bobbed every which way on the walls.

  At the entrance, Cailean closed her eyes against the sun. “My bracelet’s gone for good. I won’t get back to the strange hillside city without it.”

  “Maybe you lost it on the way here,” Josh said. “Let’s go see.”

  “What’s the use? A squirrel or rabbit probably made off with it.”

  Seamus cleaned his hands on a thick patch of grass. “We’re bound to come across it. Barlo can lead us home the way we came.”

  Josh sucked on Bullseyes, inspecting the ground and bumped into Seamus. “Sorry, didn’t see you.” When they came out of the woods, he tripped over a log and landed on top of Barlo. The dog carried him a short distance before he fell off.

  Seamus hauled him to his feet. “We’re supposed to be looking for the bracelet, not watching out for you.”

  Hot and tired, they reached Cailean’s house. She kicked a bundle of leaves, sending them flying upwards.

  Josh tried to produce a reassuring smile. “It’s probably on your night table. I don’t think you were wearing it when we left.”

  Cailean bounded up the stairs to her bedroom with Seamus and Josh in pursuit. Everything was in its proper place on the night table; her mother’s photo, the alarm clock, the two books, the lamp. A half-eaten Kit Kat bar sat in the wrapper. The table looked empty without the bracelet. The desk held the lap top and nothing else. All three scoured the floor, looked under the bed and in the closet. “I should’ve been more careful,” Cailean said and plunked down in the wicker chair. She couldn’t bare to look at her mother’s photo.

  Seamus pulled out the desk chair. “It’s really no big deal. Maybe Mellie can make one just like it.”

  “Even if she could, it wouldn’t be Mom’s.”

  Josh sat at the foot of the bed. “We have to prevent Mr. Murphy from buying your land. We’ll have plenty of time after that to look for the bracelet.”

  Cailean rubbed blood shot eyes. “Nothing is working out. The poem said to follow the wolf. One almost got me killed and we couldn’t find the other one.”

  Seamus swung his legs up on the desk. “Maybe it wasn’t the dark wolf’s fault you almost died.”

  “How did you come up with that conclusion?” Josh said. “She followed it to the cliff and fell over.”

  “The wolf stopped in the clearing. Perhaps it was trying to warn Cailean about the cliff.”

  “The injured fox cub showed up and ran at the wolf before I fell over the cliff. Everything is getting weirder.”

  Josh posed a question. “Why did the dark wolf attack the white wolf?”

  “That’s easy,” Seamus said. “The white wolf is dangerous.”

  “Or,” Josh said. “Maybe it’s good. The riddle said to follow the wolf. The true-blue line. It’s possible the dark wolf tried to make sure Cailean wouldn’t follow the right wolf.”

  Cailean gazed at nothing in particular. “Maybe,” she sighed. “Maybe.”

  Seamus raised his hands, palms out. “Whoa, guys. This is real life not a fantasy story.” His eyes lingered on Cailean. “Why do you have that funny look on your face?”

  “I’m letting Mom down.”

  Gramps framed the doorway and smiled, a half-hearted attempt. “Love, I hope my tidbit of news excites you.”

  Cailean moaned. “Please don’t tell me Aunt Luperca is here.”

  “Yep. She wants to have lunch with you at the restaurant in half an hour.”

  “Why’s the Vampire Cow so interested in me all of a sudden?”

  “What was that, Love?”

  “Why’s Aunt Luperca hanging around Loon Cove.”

  “She’s visiting Mrs. Woodland.”

  “The librarian. I wasn’t aware they even knew each other.”

  “Oh yes. They’ve been friends since childhood.”

  “Then why is Aunt Luperca bothering with me?”

  “She wants to spend time with you.” Gramps took in all three children at once. “As you well know she missed out on the Corner Brook visit through no fault of her own.” His voice took on the tone her father used when not pleased with his daughter. “Cailean. Aunt Luperca is making an effort. You should as well.” He stroked the stubble on his chin, a twinkle in his eyes. “Why don’t you wear that lovely dress with the frills she gave you?” He chuckled all the way down the hall.

  “We’ll see you later,” Seamus said and wiggled his ears. “Don’t forget the pretty dress.”

  Cailean threw her basketball at him then sat with her doll. “Fergus, Maybe I’ll fall asleep and miss lunch.”

  “Love,” Gramps called. He sounded impatient. “Time you left for the restaurant.”

  Cailean mustered up a cheerful expression when she passed him on the way out of the house. She walked down Garver Street, dressed in the same clothes she’d worn all morning, she hadn’t even washed the dirt from under her fingernails. Aunt Luperca would be sure to comment on her untidy appearance. Of course, that would reflect on her father and grandfather. Would she use that as an excuse to take her away from Gramps whenever her father was away at craft fairs? No way the Vampire Crow’s here to see the librarian. Cailean turned up her nose. She’s here to make me miserable.

  A white Jaguar sped by and screeched to a stop in front of the restaurant. Mr. Murphy got out and went inside. Cailean looked through the window. The sun reflected off the glass and the owner, a short bulky man, drew the lace curtains to cut down on the glare. Cailean’s vision reduced to shadows, she saw Mr. Murphy walk to Luperca’s table. She spoke to him while withdrawing a large yellow envelope from her purse and passed it to him.

  Cailean nearly pulled the door off its hinges to get inside.

  “That was very kind of you,” she heard Luperca say.

  Mr. Murphy put the envelope in an inside jacket pocket. “You’ll be hearing from me again very soon.” He walked past Cailean without acknowledging her.

  “Hello, Dear,” Luperca said, her thin lips painted an awful shade of pink. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

  “What was that about?”

  “What, Dear?”

  “You gave Mr. Murphy a large envelope.”

  “Oh that. It was nothing at all.” Luperca opened her menu. “What would you like?”

  The truth, Vampire Crow.

  Luperca glanced over the top of her menu. “Why aren’t you wearing your mother’s bracelet?”

  Cailean’s throat constricted and she drank some water in order to speak. “I....My mouth is really dry.” She gulped down a little more water.

  “Well, my Dear. Where is the bracelet?”

  “I don’t wear it all the time, Aunt Luperca.”

  “I think your mother would want you to.”

  Lunch dragged on with Luperca complaining about the stale rolls, which Cailean knew were freshly baked by the owner’s wife every morning. The chicken was overcooked and the tea cold despite the steam rising from the cup. To get away early she refused dessert.

  “Luperca.” It was Cailean’s father walking towards the table. “I didn’t realize you’d be visiting so soon.”

  “Why hello, Sam. It was a spur of the moment decision. Your daughter’s at an age where she needs a woman’s influence.”

  He pulled out a chair. “Cailean, looks like you’ve finished lunch. Why don’t you run along home.”

  Great idea, Cailean thought, already on her feet. “Thanks, Aunt Luperca, I’
ll tell Gramps you said hello.” The Newfoundland dog was waiting for her outside the restaurant. “Barlo, do you think things will ever be normal again?”

  Cailean arrived home to an empty house. She searched every inch of the bedroom floor once more. The bracelet has to be here. It just has to be. She straightened her mother’s picture and was immediately drawn to her yellow-green eyes. We need you. The words seemed to be whispered deep inside her head, repeated over and over like a chorus of people speaking them one after the other. The voices familiar, yet unfamiliar. Don’t give up.

  We?” Cailean said.

  “Who are you talking to?” Josh said, coming into the room with Seamus.

  “I don’t know.”

  Seamus picked up Cailean’s basketball from the floor. “Tell me you’re joking.”

  “I wish I were.” She told them about the silent voices. “Ever since Mellie gave me Mom’s bracelet I feel different. It’s gotten stronger since the wolf bite.” She stared at her mother’s image. “It’s like Mom is with me but I can’t see her.”

  Seamus dunked the ball in the net. “Come on. You don’t expect us to believe your mother’s a ghost.”

  “That’s not what I mean.” Cailean tried without success to find the right words to explain. How could she make them understand something she herself couldn’t understand?

  Seamus dunked the ball again and dribbled it before making another shot. “How was lunch with the Vampire Crow?”

  “She gave Mr. Murphy a large envelope. I’m afraid it might’ve been the deed.”

  “Don’t think so,” Josh said. “Seamus and I saw Steve on the way over here. He said nothing.”

  “Why would he?”

  “Because,” Seamus said, ready to launch the ball. “The creep wouldn’t be able to keep from bragging about how his father won.”

  “I haven’t found my bracelet yet.”

  Barlo came into the room and pounced on Seamus, sending him flying to the bed. The ball hit the floor with a loud bonk and rolled under the bed. “Whoa, boy.” Seamus jerked his head to the side to prevent a saliva drenched tongue from licking the freckles off his nose. “What’s up with you?”

  Barlo barked softly and released his prisoner. Seamus felt under the bed for the ball then lifted the covers to get a better look. The ball lay against the wall in the far corner. He shimmed under the bed until only his feet were visible.