Quest for the Secret Keeper

by Victoria Laurie

  Adrastus sighed as if he was terribly weary. “Carl,” he said. “Would you have your friend Mr. Goodwyn’s efforts go to waste? Further, would you place his life in even more jeopardy by attempting a rescue when he very well may not need one?”

  “What are you talking about?” Ian shouted, his anger and fear for the well-being of his schoolmaster getting the better of him. “Van Schuft’s taken him away! He’ll probably shoot him before the evening is over!”

  Adrastus stepped up to the road and began walking purposely across it. Over his shoulder he said, “Mr. Goodwyn went willingly, Ian. Dressed in that uniform, he’s no doubt fooled Van Schuft, at least for now.”

  “But we can’t leave him here!” Ian insisted, refusing to walk after the general, and he was grateful that Carl stood next to him in silent objection.

  With another audible sigh, Adrastus turned to face them. “All right,” he said, relenting. “Allow me to get you three through the portal to safety and I give you my word that I will go after Mr. Goodwyn and send him back through as well. Then I will see to my wife and Iyoclease.”

  Ian winced at the particularly harsh tone to the general’s speech. He seemed thoroughly out of patience with them all.

  As if to confirm that, the general whirled around and barked, “Come! We must make haste and see this mission over and all of you to safety!”

  Ian looked at Carl, who nodded. They would both cooperate now that the general had agreed to help their friend.

  The pair trotted across the road and followed Adrastus up the slope to another set of trees. They had nearly caught up to him, in fact, when a piercing howl cut through the drizzling haze and sent goose pimples all along Ian’s arms. “A hellhound!” he cried just before a second howl drowned out his voice.

  When it ended, Carl turned his pale face to Ian and said, “Make that two.”

  THE RUSE IS UP

  “Thank you for stopping,” the drenched officer said, offering a small salute and a “Heil Hitler” as the motorcar came to a stop.

  Dieter Van Schuft returned the salute impatiently. He’d thought about not stopping when he’d spotted the officer in his rearview mirror, but Berchtesgaden was a small town and word might travel among the rank and file that he’d left a fellow officer stranded. “Whatever are you doing out here in the rain?” Dieter demanded, noting that the storm leader was one rank below him.

  The officer pointed down the road away from the school. “I was driving in from Berlin when my motorcar broke down,” he explained. “A young boy walking along the road told me there was an abbey in this direction and that I might find assistance there.”

  Dieter focused on the man’s words. When he’d insisted on seeing his son, a priest had been sent to bring Wolfie to him, and it was only then that they’d all learned that his son had indeed run away. He’d even taken most of his clothes with him. “A young boy, you say?”

  The officer nodded. “Yes.” Holding his hand just above his waist, the officer said, “About this high and no older than eleven or twelve. Small for his age, I suspect, but most helpful.”

  Dieter peered at the long stretch of road in front of him. “I’m in search of a young boy of that description,” he said. “Did he tell you his name?”

  “He did indeed, sir, as I demanded he tell it to me. He said his name was Wolfgang Van Schuft. Do you know him?”

  Dieter gripped the steering wheel with steely fingers. “I do indeed. I am Herr Van Schuft, Wolfgang’s father, and you must show me where you discovered him,” he said. “And in exchange, I will drive you to headquarters and ensure a guard is sent for your motorcar.”

  But the officer begged off. “Oh, Herr Van Schuft, that is most kind of you, but I am sure you will find your son by simply following this road a few kilometers. Wolfgang appears to be walking his way to Vienna.”

  Dieter clamped his jaws together and struggled to rein in his temper. Something about the young officer disturbed him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “What is your name, Storm Leader?”

  “Goodwyn, sir. I am Otto Goodwyn.”

  “Well, Herr Goodwyn,” Dieter said, his voice only slightly better than a snarl. “I must insist that you get in. Now.”

  The officer didn’t answer him right away, but finally he said, “Yes, sir. As you wish.”

  After Herr Goodwyn was settled, Dieter drove away. He had to reach Wolfie and retrieve the whistle. The sorceresses were waiting, and he knew from experience that Demogorgon’s brood were not long on patience.

  They drove along in silence for a bit, Dieter scanning the sides of the road for any sign of his son, the man beside him watchful too.

  After speeding along for at least two kilometers, Dieter slowed the car, his eyes darting left and right. “Where did you say you spotted my son?” he asked, slowing the car even more.

  “There!” Herr Goodwyn said, pointing to a large crevice in the side of the rock to Dieter’s right. “I remember I had just come upon that section there. I believe your son was not far from here.”

  Dieter pressed on the gas again, his heart racing. He had to find Wolfie, and do so quickly. Still there was no sign of him. Dieter pulled over and looked behind him, through the glass pane, at the rear of the car.

  “Perhaps he’s hiding,” the officer said, and for the first time, Dieter detected the nervous undertones to his voice. He’d been specifically trained by his master to detect such signs in people, and he realized what he hadn’t fully noticed at first: the man was jittery, as if he was trying very hard to conceal something.

  Dieter turned his shrewd eyes on the officer. “Or,” he said easily, “perhaps this weather has got the better of him and he has sought shelter after all.”

  The officer seemed to jump at the conclusion. “Yes, yes!” he said. “As I recall, the boy did mention something about wanting to get out of the rain. In fact, now that I think on it, Herr Van Schuft, I believe the boy may have returned home. He lives nearby, am I right?”

  Something inside Dieter shifted, and he knew, without a doubt, that this officer not only knew what had happened to his son, but had something to do with his disappearance. He was careful to keep his suspicions guarded. “Yes,” he said. “Our home is not far from here. Back two kilometers and up the mountain a bit.”

  The officer smiled and seemed to relax. “Well, there you are!” he said. Moving to open his door, he added, “And I shall not keep you from your son a moment longer. I will find my own assistance, Herr Van Schuft, thank you very much.” The man then turned away to step out of the car but was halted by the click of Dieter’s Luger pistol.

  “Not so fast,” he ordered, and the officer complied, raising his hands above his head. “Where is my son?”

  “Herr Van Schuft,” the officer pleaded. “I have no idea where your son is. I told you, I saw him on the road and he directed me toward the abbey.”

  Dieter didn’t believe him for a moment. He considered shooting him there and then, but someone might hear the noise and ask questions, and he wouldn’t learn where his son was that way either. Instead, Dieter considered taking the man somewhere and torturing the truth out of him. He couldn’t bring him home—the sorceresses were still hovering in his yard—but he thought of a bluff near his house with a cave built into the side. Dieter would take the man there and get the truth out.

  Tucking the gun low in his lap, he shifted the car into drive and with some difficulty managed to turn it around. “I think we will have a chat about what you know and what you don’t,” Dieter told him. “I’m sure it will be quite revealing.”

  They’d gone no farther than a kilometer back the way they’d come, when the first howl rang out from the hilly terrain above them. Dieter’s blood ran cold and he nearly lost his focus. Wolfie had somehow managed to blow the whistle, which meant that he was possibly still alive, but also now a primary target for the beasts. When he glanced sideways at the officer to make sure he wasn’t trying any tricks, he noticed how starkly pale the
man had turned, and his pallor became even more blanched when the second howl rang out. If Dieter hadn’t known better, he’d have guessed that the man sitting next to him knew exactly what beast was creating the sound.

  Dieter pressed the pedal all the way to the floor and drove as fast as he could, hoping only to reach his son ahead of the hellhounds.

  THE SECRET KEEPER’S BETRAYAL

  Adrastus moved like a panther through the woods, seemingly mindless of the hilly and difficult terrain. As Ian struggled alongside Carl to keep up with the general, he noted how much easier it had been to come down than it was to move up it. And this was the source of his mounting fear; the hellhounds would have no such difficulties. They were built to traverse such lands quickly and efficiently. The beasts were certain to catch up with them if they didn’t reach the portal very, very soon.

  “Hurry!” Adrastus called over his shoulder when he looked back and saw the young men lagging behind.

  Beside Ian, Carl slipped and fell. His sides heaving, Ian reached back and gripped his friend by the arm, hauling him up and pushing Carl in front of him. It was then that he heard the sound again, that piercing cry and hollow howl lingering in the air like smoke above the bluff.

  Carl grunted as he grabbed at the trees around him, pulling himself as much as pushing with his legs. Ian took his lead and did the same, using all his limbs to help keep ahead of them. “Not much farther!” Adrastus called, his lead up the slope even wider now. Ian watched his back with frustration. The man was impossible to keep up with. But then, after a few more meters, Adrastus came to an abrupt halt, ducked low, and edged back down toward Ian and Carl.

  It took Ian a moment to realize that Adrastus was waving his free hand at them and mouthing, “Down!”

  Ian grabbed hold of Carl, who was still hauling himself up the slope. “Wha …?” Carl wheezed.

  Ian pointed to the general, coming quickly to their side. When he was directly in front of Ian, he whispered, “The beasts are at the portal.”

  Ian could feel the blood drain from his face. How had they found it so quickly? “They’re surveying the terrain from there,” the general added. “We must seek shelter until they pass!”

  Carl attempted to speak, but he was panting too strenuously. He settled for pointing down the slope and over to the right. “Van Schuft’s house,” Ian managed to say, knowing exactly what Carl was thinking.

  Adrastus nodded. “Quickly and quietly,” he ordered.

  Ian nodded and saw Wolfie, white with fear, his eyes large and round as he gazed back up the slope toward where the beasts were waiting. He knew without a doubt that Wolfie had seen the beasts.

  With great care the three of them made their way through the forest, edging closer and closer to the safety of Van Schuft’s home. Ian was certain that Carl would have no difficulties gaining entrance again. He only hoped they could find a suitable hiding place away from the monstrous curs.

  Only as they closed in on the premises did it occur to Ian that Dieter Van Schuft might be home, but then, he knew that the brave and powerful general Adrastus was more than a match for him.

  There was one other thought niggling at the back of Ian’s mind, and that was that the appearance of the beasts might signal their master’s return. When he’d last seen Magus the Black, he’d been with his sister Lachestia the Wicked. The pair had been so formidable and deadly that Ian had long wondered why they hadn’t joined Caphiera and Atroposa in coming after the other Oracles.

  And Dieter was the servant of Magus, so were they about to walk into a trap by entering Dieter’s house?

  He was about to voice his concerns when a howl from the slope above him made it clear that Ian and the others had little choice but to hurry into the home and hope for the best.

  “They’re coming!” Carl cried.

  “There!” Adrastus said. “The house is there!”

  The general began to run toward the house, and Ian and Carl ran too. Behind them they could hear foliage breaking and the sounds of large beasts tearing their way through the forest. Ian’s legs felt rubbery and weak, but he willed himself forward with every ounce of remaining strength he had.

  Several more strides brought them into Dieter’s yard. They raced for the back door, but as they drew near it, a motorcar pulled up the winding drive and stopped sharply right in front of them.

  Ian, Carl, and Adrastus stopped short when the door of the vehicle burst open and out leapt Dieter Van Schuft, a pistol in his hand and hatred in his eyes. “Unhand my son!” he shouted, leveling his weapon right at the general.

  Adrastus stepped carefully in front of Ian and Carl, sweeping his arm back to block them from both Dieter and the approaching beasts. “Point that thing at the forest!” Adrastus demanded. “The beasts approach!”

  And with that a thunderous noise filled the yard and two massive beasts stepped forward, their greasy black hackles raised. They snarled to expose wickedly sharp fangs.

  Dieter paled when he saw them, and Ian watched him take several steps back, but up behind him came Perry, who snapped the gun out of his hands and pointed it directly at the approaching menaces. “Run!” he told them, but before Ian could even take a step, a great wind gusted through the yard and blew poor Perry straight into the trunk of a tree.

  For a moment, Ian was too stunned to speak. A chilling voice called from behind him, which quickly brought him back to his senses. “Dieter Van Schuft!” said the voice. “I had perhaps underestimated your value! Not only have you summoned our brother’s beasts for us, but you have also delivered us the Secret Keeper!”

  Adrastus turned to face the new threat, his sword raised high with one hand and Wolfie still clutched in his other. “Step back, Caphiera!” he shouted. “Or I shall kill the boy!”

  Ian went rigid with shock. Would the general really kill an innocent boy?

  “Oh, by all means,” said another voice, hollow and cold, “kill the boy and provide us with a bit of sport too!”

  The two sorceresses laughed evilly, and Ian felt sick to the core. “No!” shouted Dieter, running straight for his son, but another gust of wind blew him backward. He landed next to the unconscious Perry. “Ah, ah, ah,” Caphiera warned. “Don’t spoil the fun, Dieter. Now, go on, Keeper, kill the boy!”

  Adrastus hesitated for only a moment before he lowered his sword and set Wolfie down. “I shall not kill an innocent,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Ian stared at Atroposa. He was afraid to look too closely at Caphiera, lest he be frozen by her stare, so he only heard her when she said, “Well then, Keeper. Allow me to do your dirty work for you. Young boy, come look into my eye, won’t you?”

  “No!” Ian shouted. Darting out from behind Adrastus, he dove on top of Wolfie, covering the boy’s head with his arms.

  A cackling of laughter filled the yard again. “Dieter,” Caphiera called tauntingly. “It looks as if your son has befriended a … Is that the Guardian?”

  Ian shuddered. Now they knew, and he could only imagine what they’d do next. “Why, Sister!” said Atroposa. “Dieter has indeed delivered more than he promised!”

  “Shall we spare his son, then?” Caphiera asked.

  Atroposa paused before answering. “It would spoil our fun, but I suppose we can allow one of them to live. Dieter, we will spare your son.”

  Ian eyed the dreadful man across the lawn as he got unsteadily to his feet. “Thank you, mistresses,” he said, motioning to his son to come to him, but Wolfie did something unexpected: he refused to move away from Ian’s side.

  “Come here, my son,” Dieter said.

  Wolfie shook his head.

  “Come here this instant!” Dieter snapped.

  Again Wolfie shook his head. Meanwhile, the growling beasts, which had stayed at the edge of the yard, began to creep forward. Dieter seemed to sense the increasing danger and he begged his son: “Wolfie, if you won’t come to me, then give me the whistle!”

  “I don’t have it!” Wolfie yelled
at his father.

  Dieter’s voice was tinged with panic as the hellhounds took another step toward them. “Wolfie, you don’t understand! I need that whistle!” But Wolfie shook his head earnestly, his eyes volleying back and forth between the approaching beasts and his father.

  Dieter too watched them creeping forward, crouching low when Adrastus raised his sword. One of the hellhounds moved off from their group then and eyed Dieter while it edged menacingly forward. “Wolfie!” Dieter shouted at the top of his lungs. “I know you took the whistle and called the beasts! It gives you the power to command them! Blow it again and order them away!”

  Carl and Ian exchanged looks and then Carl stepped boldly out from behind Adrastus, blew the whistle, and yelled, “Away from us!”

  A shriek went out from both Caphiera and Atroposa, who covered their ears with their hands as if the sound caused them pain, but Ian could hear nothing. Still, he knew some kind of sound came out from the whistle, because the hounds laid down their own ears and growled, but both of them stopped their advance and even began to inch back. At the sight of the retreating hellhounds, everyone fell silent. Ian was stunned down to his toes, but perhaps even he wasn’t as shocked as Carl. “Crikey!” Carl shouted when he realized what he could do. Blowing on the whistle again, he said, “Roll over and play dead!”

  Ian gasped anew when he saw the two ferocious beasts drop down and roll over onto their backs. The scene was so horrible and so outrageous that he actually laughed. But his good humor didn’t last long.

  “Enough of these games!” shouted Atroposa, still covering one ear with her hand; but as her other arm made a sweeping motion, an arrow hit her in the side.

  The sorceress screeched, crumpling to the earth, while a figure stepped out from the trees and came charging forward. As if in a dream, Ian watched Iyoclease raise his sword and swing it at the other sorceress’s head.

  Unfortunately, the Phoenician soldier had approached Caphiera on the side she could still see from, and at the last second she rushed forward and blocked the blow with a shield of ice, sending him hurtling backward. Adrastus charged Caphiera while her back was turned, but she must have sensed his approach, because she swung around and let loose the ice shield. It struck him in the chest and knocked the wind right out of him. He dropped to his knees, gasping for air.