by D. J. Dalton
“But it doesn’t mean she attacked anyone or is an arcanum.” Nadria rubbed Keren’s back.
“How did you know that spell?” Ordell reached over, running his fingers over the box.
“Dan used it before he let the cursed wolf out of the cage.” She set the box back on the ottoman. Silence filled the room. Pictures of Broden flashed in her mind. First, the picture they stole from Dan’s house. Then the lifeless body lying at the cursed wolf’s feet. By the looks on their faces, Keren guessed Ordell and Nadria must also be thinking about Broden.
After a few moments, she held out the fist, palm side up, containing the key. Then she opened her hand.
She felt numb. Her life was a lie. How many more lies could she take? How many more lies would the box reveal? She had to open it. No matter what was inside, it would bring her closer to the truth. The truth about Mom, the Dark Guild, and herself. And the truth, no matter how painful, was worth the price.
After slipping the key into the lock, a chill ran down her spine. What if the key didn’t open the box?
“Well, open it already. The suspense is killing me.” Ordell nudged her with his elbow.
She held her breath, then turned the key, hearing a faint click.
As Keren looked to the side, she saw Nadria had knitted her brows together. Her breathing was shallow. Then, turning to Ordell on the other side, she saw he chewed his lower lip. His eyes focused on the box like a kid waiting to open a Christmas present.
She hesitated, her trembling hands resting on top. “Do you think another golem is inside?”
Nadria’s body stiffened. She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I hope not. But if there were, it should have appeared when you cast the spell.”
Keren nodded. Just open it, she told herself, like tearing off a Band-Aid. They’d deal with the consequences. She opened the lid, bracing for something to pop out and attack them.
They breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw a pile of papers. On top was a fat envelope. She opened the envelope, pulling out a stack of fifty-dollar bills.
“Whoa! How much is that?” Ordell asked.
Keren counted the crisp bills. “Five thousand dollars.” Was this an emergency bug-out kit? Mom never mentioned hidden money, but that shouldn’t surprise her at this point. Mom forgot to mention a lot of things. Keren’s stomach dropped. She might find Mom’s guilt, not innocence, in this box.
She set the money on the table, then lifted the papers out of the box. A thumb drive fell on the floor.
“Score.” Ordell snatched it. He grabbed his laptop. While looking at Keren, he held up the drive. “Do you mind?”
“No, by all means.” She stood up, switching places with Ordell, allowing him to move to the middle so Nadria saw the screen. She placed the papers on her lap.
He hesitated. “Do you think there’s magic protecting this drive?”
Nadria shrugged. “I’ll ask around to see if anyone has heard of spells cast on thumb drives.” She pulled out her phone.
“No.” Keren jumped up, causing the papers to fall and scatter across the floor. “Don’t get anyone else involved.”
Nodding, she put the phone away.
“Here goes nothing.” Ordell plugged the drive into his laptop. His fingers danced across the keyboard.
While kneeling on the floor, Keren gathered the papers. A document caught her eye. The title said, ‘Certificate of Birth.’ She unfolded it and frowned. This had Mom’s and Dad’s names, but the child’s name was Katrina Louise Stewart. The birth date was the same as hers. She ran her fingers over the raised seal.
Ordell’s voice broke into her thoughts. “This looks like a Book of Shadows.”
She stuffed the birth certificate in her pocket, then sat next to Ordell.
“Only there're all kinds of notes scribbled on the sides.” He zoomed in on a page.
Keren’s eyes widened seeing her mother’s handwriting. This information proved her mom used magic. She took a deep breath, reminding herself of what Nadria said. Just because mom used magic doesn’t mean she attacked anyone.
“There are several other files.” He opened a dozen. “I don’t understand the writing.”
“There are news articles here, too.” Ordell and Nadria started reading through those.
Keren returned to the floor, picking up the scattered papers. Several pages had a strange language with scribbled translations on the side. The pages had tattered edges as if they had been torn from a book. Mom was a linguist. Translating old text was her job. Why did she have these locked in the box with a golem protecting them?
She picked up another paper. It had a Certificate of Death across the top. Her heart pounded in her chest. This must be Dad, Grandma, or Grandpa’s document.
Her eyes focused on the deceased’s name, Katrina Louise Stewart. This made little sense. According to this, Katrina died just over the age of three. They marked it as an accidental death. She ran her fingers over the raised seal. It appeared legitimate. Heat radiated in her body. She shifted through the rest of the papers, finding her birth certificate.
Did she have a twin sister who died at an early age? Mom never mentioned a twin. Her head pounded.
“Are you OK?” Ordell touched her shoulder. “You look pale.”
She crumpled the death certificate into her pocket. She didn’t want them to know. Not until she worked out the questions spinning in her head. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She grabbed her half-eaten danish and took a seat next to Ordell.
“Well, there’s more.” He looked back to the screen. “Twenty years ago, there was a similar crime spree involving shifters. They found them beaten to death, or they had gone missing.”
“Do you think it’s related to the arcanum’s crimes today?” asked Nadria.
“Several of these files make little sense.” Ordell turned to Keren. “Too bad your mom can’t help us figure this out.”
Her mouth went dry. After stuffing the rest of the papers in the box, she slammed the cover down.
“Anything important in there?” Both of them stared at her.
“Just family documents.” She put her hand in her pocket, running her fingers over the papers. Mom had the answers. But did she trust her to tell the truth?
She sighed. “I can’t get in to visit her. I’m still restricted.”
“But,” Ordell said, “I thought you said you visited her yesterday.”
Her heart jumped into her throat. She’d have to tell them something. Would she be violating Quinlin’s trust if she told them?
She motioned for Nadria to join them on the couch. “I arrived at the hospital first thing yesterday morning. The guards refused to let me in to see her. I was desperate. I knew Quinlin had access to the Restricted Ward, so…”
Nadria gasped. “You convinced him to sneak you into the ward.”
She nodded. “I dressed as a nurses’ assistant, and he helped me get into her room.” She hoped the flush on her face wasn’t noticeable. “But then the explosion, or rather magic attack, happened.”
“That’s why you were wearing scrubs. You didn’t have time to change back into your clothes.” Ordell sounded proud that he figured out the scrubs puzzle.
She decided there was no need to tell them about the embarrassing dress meets frozen drink episode. She ruffled his hair. “Yeah, that’s why.”
“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about asking him to help you again?” Nadria rubbed her temples. “You just met the man. How can you be sure he won’t turn you in to the inquisitors?”
“He won’t. I trust him.” She fought the giddy, girl-in-love smile and kept a stoic look on her face. “Besides, what choice do I have?” She pointed to the laptop. “We need her help to figure out what all this means.”
Nadria’s mouth moved, but no words came out. She furrowed her eyebrows.
“We’re out of options. I need to talk to Mom.” Even if Mom was a Dark Guild arcanum, Keren needed to hear her side of the story. There had to
be a logical explanation. She also needed to know about Katrina.
Nadria stood, pacing the room. She picked up her car keys from the side table, putting them in Keren’s hands. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Be careful.”
Standing, she pulled Nadria into a tight hug. “Thank you.”
After changing her clothes, she grabbed her backpack and headed to the hospital.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Quinlin
While pushing a medicine cart down the corridor, Quinlin made note of the security camera locations. Since he had destroyed the Restricted Ward, they moved that woman here, to the fourth floor, and doubled the guards outside her door. Not that they could stop him should he choose to kill her. The guards would be necessary casualties. But he didn’t want to kill her, not yet. Not until he understood what happened yesterday afternoon. How and why did that magnificent creature appear? Was Keren connected to it? His vibrating phone pulled him from his thoughts.
They didn’t allow hospital employees to use cell phones while working, and because he needed this cover for a while longer, he let the call go to voicemail. He stopped outside that woman’s door. Since his magic attack, they had allowed no nurses’ assistants into her room.
“Hey, Jack.” He gave a two-finger salute to the guard. “Anything new?”
Jack glanced at the other guard, who glared at him out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry, I can’t divulge any information.” He winked at Quinlin, giving a slight tip to his head.
“Right, of course.” Quinlin continued down the corridor, turning at the next corner two doors away. After a moment, he heard the approach of Jack’s heavy footsteps.
In a low, husky voice, Jack spoke, knowing Quinlin would overhear him. “She’s conscious and asking for her daughter. She won’t talk to anyone but her.” He dropped a piece of paper on the floor, turned, and went back to his post.
Jack had a crush on one of the ward nurses. But as long as Jack worked as a guard on the ward, policy restricted him from socializing with the nurses. So Quinlin offered to be the go-between to help the couple stoke their relationship fire.
He waited a few minutes before he pushed the cart back into the corridor. While stooping to pick up the paper, his stomach turned. It was bad enough to be dressed in scrubs pretending to be a nurses’ assistant but delivering love messages between Jack and his nurse crush Sally was almost too degrading. But if he wanted information on that woman, he had to play the game. He pushed the cart to the nurses’ station, then leaned on the counter.
“How’s it going today, Sally?” He dropped the note on her desk.
She gave him a sly smile, retrieving the note. “Things are quiet today now that Mr. Blake is under heavy sedation since his outburst yesterday.”
Quinlin laughed. “Seeing guards chase and tackle a naked man in the corridor was entertaining.”
Sally put a hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle. After opening the note, her cheeks flushed with color. A wide grin appeared on her face. While licking her lips, she picked up a pen and paper, writing her reply. She folded the paper into a neat square. Then, checking no one was watching, she put an imprint of her lipstick on it. She slid the paper onto the counter.
Quinlin plastered a smile on his face. He took the paper, then stepped away from the counter. “Have a great day, Sally.”
“You too, Quinlin.”
After glancing at the wall clock, Quinlin took his lunch break. Jack would have to wait for his beloved’s response. He tucked Sally’s note into his pocket and pulled out his phone to check for messages. Keren had left a voicemail.
Quinlin stopped as he neared the cafeteria, seeing Keren pacing outside. After walking to the window, he tapped on the glass to get her attention.
She turned. Her face lit up when she saw him. Those sparkling eyes shimmered in the bright Florida sunshine. She motioned for him to come outside.
“I’m glad you came.” Her long brown hair flowed freely. The breeze blew a few strands across her face. He fought the urge to brush them aside.
Her jeans and T-shirt hugged her skin. Normally, this style of dress put him off. But it fit Keren’s personality. She fidgeted, taking a deep breath.
“I need to see my mom again.”
Those glimmering eyes met his. He imagined the power that lay behind them. It had to have been her controlling the creature.
“Can you help me?”
Getting her in to see that woman was challenging the first time. Now, with heightened security, getting her in again without alerting her he could use magic seemed next to impossible. He also had the problem of being recognized by that woman. But if he got her in, maybe she would make that creature appear again. That alone was worth the risk.
“I realize you barely know me,” she took his hand, “but you’re my only way in.”
“I feel a connection to you.” His thumb rubbed the back of her hand, and his hand tingled at the touch of her soft skin. “But you’re asking me to not only risk my job but risk getting arrested.” He knew Keren had a sharp mind. While he had every intention of helping her, making this too easy would rouse her suspicions.
She squeezed his hand. Her stare dove straight into his soul as a warming sensation enveloped his chest.
“I think I can trust you.” She looked around. “Can we go somewhere more private?”
More private. He smirked, thinking a physical encounter with Keren would be extraordinary. Unfortunately, he knew that wasn’t what she meant. However, the look on his face gave away his thoughts. Her mouth fell open.
“Oh, no. I just want to talk. I mean, not that you’re not hot.” Her face turned crimson. “I want to tell you why I have to see to her. It’s a matter of life and death.”
Surprised by his disappointment, Quinlin nodded, then led her to a small courtyard with a few picnic tables. “Is this private enough?”
“Yes.” She slid onto a bench at one table. He sat across from her.
“I’m sorry I lied to you about my mom being my aunt.” She ran her hands across her face. “Mom was a victim of a magic attack. The inquisitors charged her with magic with the intent to kill, and they believe she’s an arcanum of the Dark Guild.” While leaning over the table, she folded her hands in front of her. Her face had a look of desperation while she waited for his reaction.
He had already known about the charges. But he also knew that woman had indeed, a long time ago, been a member of the Dark Guild. That’s how she got close enough to murder his father. While doing an Academy Award-worthy rendition of surprise and horror, he made his body language respond to her information.
“Yeah, I know. It’s a lot to take in.” She reached across the table.
He took her hands. “That’s terrible. But why won’t they let you in to see her?”
She let out a long breath. “I’m suspected of being an arcanum of the Dark Guild, too. If they convict Mom, they’ll probably arrest me and we’ll both be sent to prison. But we’re not guilty of the charges.”
While squeezing her hand, he pressed her for more information. After all, Keren had mentioned something she found regarding the Dark Guild.
He also grappled with the fact she had infiltrated his ranks, destroying the cursed wolf. His stomach clenched. His first successful attempt at controlling elemental magic had been destroyed. It was a catastrophic loss for the mission. What was supposed to have been a celebration had turned into a public spectacle. He had taken care of the loose ends within the Dark Guild, but he didn’t know the Guild’s extent of exposure to the public.
“I know you love your mom, and you want to see her,” he had no other way than being direct, “but why the urgency to see her now?” Trust me, he thought. Tell me all your secrets.
She sighed. “OK, please, keep this confidential. Do you promise?”
“I promise.” Quinlin leaned forward, his pulse quickened.
“I’ve been trying to find evidence to clear my mom’s name at the trial. But I’m runn
ing out of time. I’ve come across some information, but I need her help to understand what it means.”
Alarms went off in Quinlin’s head. What sort of information could Keren have that would clear that woman’s charges? If it was something about the Dark Guild, the mission could be in jeopardy. Whatever it was, Keren didn’t suspect him. After all, she had come here to get his help.
Without a doubt, he had to find out the details of this information and what that woman knew. He had thought he retrieved everything she stole from his father the night of the first attack. Apparently, he had overlooked something.
“This is a lot to take in.” He furrowed his brow.
“I know, but please.”
“I want to help, but I feel like I’m taking an enormous risk without knowing exactly why.”
“Your life could be in danger if I tell you.” Her voice hardened.
“My life will be in danger if you don’t.” He released her hands, sitting straight. “I have to know the details before I agree.”
Keren’s shoulders deflated as she looked down at her hands. He needed to get her to trust him. Pulling on her heart strings should do the trick.
“The Dark Guild killed my father.”
Her eyes snapped to his. Good, he had her attention. Now, he needed to spin a believable story.
“He had stopped at a grocery store on his way home from work. While he was inside, the Dark Guild attacked. I’m told the place went up in flames so fast the fire department had no chance of saving it.” He paused, lowering his head. “No one made it out. My mom said the police told her the Dark Guild had targeted the shifter owners. But apparently, they didn’t care who was inside the store.” He took a deep breath to emphasize his made-up pain and sorrow. “So, if this is about getting even with the Dark Guild, I want in.”
“I’m so sorry.” She scurried to his side of the table, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s not something I advertise.” He stiffened his body, trying to signal anger.
“When was he killed?” Her hand moved in circles on his back.