Guardian of the Gate (6 page)

“There is another reason we’ve come, Lia, though those I’ve given are certainly enough.”

“What do you mean? What is it?” I cannot imagine anything else that would drive Aunt Virginia across the sea at a moment’s
notice.

Aunt Virginia sighs, setting her teacup back on its dainty saucer. “It is your aunt Abigail. She’s very sick and asks that
you come to Altus immediately.”

“I had planned to go soon anyway. I had a… feeling.” I continue without explanation. “But I didn’t realize Aunt Abigail was
ill. Will she be all right?”

Aunt Virginia’s eyes are sad. “I don’t know, Lia. She’s very old. She has ruled Altus for many years. It may simply be her
time. In any case, it is time you go, especially given the developments with Alice. Aunt Abigail is the keeper of the pages.
Only she knows where they are hidden. If she passes without telling you where to find them…”

She does not have to finish.

“I understand. But how will I find my way?”

“Edmund will be your guide,” Aunt Virginia says. “You will leave within the next few days.”

“A few days!” Sonia’s voice is incredulous. “How will we prepare for such a journey with so little time?”

Surprise touches Aunt Virginia’s face. “Oh! I… Lady Abigail only requested Lia’s presence.”

Sonia holds out her wrist so that Aunt Virginia can see the medallion. “I am entrusted with the medallion. I have been Lia’s
closest confidant for the past eight months. With all due respect, I will not just sit here while Lia faces the danger on
her own. She needs every ally, and there is none more loyal than I.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far!” Luisa is indignant. “I may have been in New York while you have been here, but I am as much
a part of the prophecy as you, Sonia.”

I look at Aunt Virginia with a shrug. “They are two of the four keys. If we cannot trust them with the location of Altus,
whom can we trust? Besides, I should like the company. Surely Aunt Abigail would not deny me that.”

Aunt Virginia sighs, looking from me to Sonia to Luisa and back again. “Very well. I have the distinct feeling it would be
useless to argue the point.” She rubs her brow, tiredness seeping into her eyes. “Besides, I must confess the long journey
has taken its toll. Let us sit by the comfort of the fire and speak of something more mundane, shall we?”

I nod, and Luisa deftly changes the subject, asking Sonia and me questions about our time together in London. We pass another
hour filling Luisa in while Aunt Virginia only half listens. Watching her stare into the fire, I feel a surge of guilt. Speaking
of Alice and the prophecy makes discussion of social scandal and fashion faux pas seem pointless and petty.

But we cannot live in the world of the prophecy every minute of every day. Speaking of other things is a reminder that another
world still exists — one in which we might someday live. If we are very, very lucky.

“I think it’s time you tell me how much you know.”

My voice echoes across the floor of the carriage house as Edmund wipes down the carriage by the dim lantern light. He
pauses
for a moment before lifting his eyes to mine and nodding in agreement.

If Edmund knows enough to be our guide to Altus, his place in my life and in the lives of my family has obviously been more
than that of a family friend and attendant.

“Would you like to sit?” He gestures to a chair against the wall.

I nod, walking across the room and lowering myself to the chair.

Edmund does not join me. He walks to the workbench a few feet away, picking up a large metal tool and wiping it down with
the rag. I don’t know if it is a necessary task or if he seeks simply to keep his hands busy, but I bite my tongue against
the questions swirling in my mind. I know Edmund well. He will begin when he is ready.

When he speaks his voice is low and calm, as if he is reciting a fairy tale. “I knew something was different about Thomas,
about your father, from the beginning. He was a man of secrets, and though it was not uncommon for men of his stature to travel
widely, he kept close the reasons for his frequent absences.”

“But you traveled with him.” Father often took Edmund with him, leaving us in the care of Aunt Virginia, sometimes for months,
while he journeyed to vaguely referenced, exotic places.

Edmund nods. “That was later. In the beginning, I was like any member of the household staff. I drove for Thomas, managed
the workers on the grounds, and saw that the more
laborious upkeep of the house was assigned to appropriate workmen. It was
only after your mother became…
different
that your father came to trust me with the prophecy.”

I remember my mother’s letter and her description of her descent into near-madness at the hands of the Souls.

“Did he tell you everything then?” I ask.

Edmund nods. “I think he had to. It was a burden, carrying it alone. Even Virginia, whom he trusted implicitly with those
dearest to his heart — you, your sister, and your brother — was not privy to the secrets of the book and his destinations
when traveling. I expect he would have gone mad had he not told someone the rest of it.”

“What was the rest of it?” I imagine my father all alone and trying to keep his secrets and feel a flash of frustration when
Edmund hesitates. “My father is dead now, Edmund. The task of ending the prophecy is up to me. I believe he would want you
to tell me everything, don’t you?”

He sighs wearily. “After your father hired Philip to find the keys, he took it upon himself to travel each time Philip believed
he had found one of them. Thomas wanted to be sure that nothing was overlooked, so he met each potential key himself to either
eliminate or confirm them. When he was able to confirm their mark as authentic, as he did with Miss Sorrensen and Miss Torelli,
he created situations to see them brought to New York.”

I think of Sonia and her sad tale of being sent to Mrs. Millburn’s because her parents didn’t understand her otherworldly
gifts. And Luisa. Luisa who was sent to school at Wycliffe in
New York instead of to England as originally planned. Edmund
continues. “By that time, the Souls were already tormenting him with visions of your mother. He wanted to ensure that you
had every resource possible should he not be there to help you.”

“So you went with him to locate the keys.” It is not a question.

He nods, looking at his hands.

“Did you know about Henry? That he was hiding the list of keys from Alice?”

“No. Your father never told me where he kept the list. I always thought it was in the book. If I’d known…” He looks up, his
eyes haunted. “If I’d known Henry had it, I would have done more to protect him.”

We sit in the silence of the carriage house, each of us trapped in the prison of our own memories. Finally I stand, placing
a hand on his shoulder.

“It wasn’t your fault, Edmund.”

It was mine,
I think.
I couldn’t save him.

I start toward the door of the carriage house.

I am halfway there when I think of something. Something I cannot yet answer.

Turning around, I call to Edmund, now sitting in the chair with his head in his hands.

“Edmund?”

He looks up. “Yes?”

“Even with everything my father told you, how is it possible that you can be our guide to Altus? Its location is a closely
guarded secret. How is it that you know the way?”

He shrugs. “I’ve been there many times with your father.”

I did not think it possible to be further surprised. Yet I am. “But… why would my father go to Altus?” I laugh wryly. “Obviously
he was not a member of the Sisterhood.”

Edmund shakes his head slowly, meeting my eyes. “No. He was a member of the Grigori.”

“Everything is packed and ready to go.” Edmund stands near the horses at the front of the carriage, hat in hand.

It has been only a week since Aunt Virginia, Edmund, and Luisa arrived from New York, but it seems like a year. The trip to
Altus is no small undertaking. It is a journey that requires horses, supplies, and assistance. When we first discussed the
necessary details, I thought it impossible to arrange everything so quickly, but somehow, everything has fallen into place.
Philip will continue to search for the keys in our absence, though he is none too happy about my traveling with only Edmund
for protection.

I am still reeling from the discovery that my father was a member of the Grigori, but there has been no time for further questions.
Clearly there is much I did not know about my parents. Perhaps the journey to Altus will help me find more than the missing
pages.

As I descend the steps at the front of Milthorpe Manor, I notice the single carriage and wonder what has happened to the other
arrangements made over the past week. “Edmund? Where is the rest of our party? Did we not arrange for additional horses and
supplies?”

Edmund’s nod is slow. “We did indeed. But there’s no reason to make a fuss on our way out of the city proper. Everything has
been arranged and the rest of our assemblage will join us at the required time.” He pulls a pocket watch from his trousers.
“Speaking of which, we ought to get moving.”

I look over at Luisa, supervising the loading of the final bags into the carriage, and stifle a laugh. Sonia and I had no
trouble packing lightly as suggested by Edmund, but Luisa has not been a part of the preparations Sonia and I have undertaken
over the past year. As she watches Edmund load one of her bags, I can almost hear her running down a mental list of packed
hats and gloves, though she surely will not wear either after this morning.

I roll my eyes and spot Sonia speaking in hushed tones to Aunt Virginia by the steps leading to the house. Luisa joins me
as I make my way to them both, and soon we are all standing in a huddle, each wondering how to begin the difficult task of
saying goodbye when we have only just come together again.

As always, Aunt Virginia does everything possible to make the moment easier.

“All right, then, girls. Be on your way.” She leans in to kiss Luisa’s cheeks, pulling back to look into her eyes. “I enjoyed
traveling with you from New York, my dear. I shall miss your
spirit; just remember to tame it when safety or prudence requires,
hmmm?”

Luisa nods, leaning back in for another quick embrace before turning and making her way to the carriage.

Sonia does not wait for Aunt Virginia. She steps toward my aunt, reaching for her hands. “I’m so sorry to be leaving. We haven’t
even become properly reacquainted!”

Aunt Virginia’s smile is sad. “There’s nothing to be done about it. The prophecy will not wait.” She casts a glance at Edmund,
who looks once again at his pocket watch. “And neither, I imagine, will Edmund!”

Sonia giggles. “I suppose you’re right. Goodbye, Virginia.”

Having grown up not in a home of her own, but with Mrs. Millburn as her guardian, Sonia is still uncomfortable showing affection
to any but me. She does not embrace my aunt, but looks into her eyes with a smile before turning to leave.

Then it is just Aunt Virginia and me. Already it seems everyone from my past is gone, and the prospect of saying goodbye to
my aunt brings a lump to my throat. I swallow around it to speak.

“I wish you were coming with us, Aunt Virginia. I am never as sure of myself as when you are with me.” I do not fully realize
the truth of it until it is said.

Her smile is small and sad. “My time has passed, but yours is just beginning. You are stronger since leaving New York — a
Sister in your own right. It is time for you to take hold of your place, my dear. I shall be right here waiting to see the
story unfold.”

Wrapping my arms around her, I am surprised at how small and frail she feels. I cannot speak for a moment, so swift and powerful
are the emotions that crowd my heart.

I pull back, trying to compose myself as I look in her eyes. “Thank you, Aunt Virginia.”

She gives my shoulders one last squeeze before I turn to go. “Be strong, child, as I know you are.”

I step up and into the carriage as Edmund climbs onto the driver’s seat. Once settled next to Sonia with Luisa across from
us both, I lean my head out the window, looking to the front of the carriage.

“Shall we, Edmund?”

Edmund is a man of action, and I am not surprised when, instead of answering, he simply flicks the reins. The carriage rolls
forward, and without another word our journey begins.