Haven: Revenge of the Viper (23 page)

Sam opened one eye at a time to see Holly beaming.

“Sorry about that,” he said reluctantly. “That happens every time I say that word. I don’t know why, it just does,” he looked down to the ground, embarrassed.

Holly cleared her voice and took Sam’s chin, lifting his head so she could see his eyes.

“There is no need to apologize, Sam, it’s who you are. It’s who we are,” she said calmly as her eyes met his.

“Who
I
am,” Sam repeated. He wasn’t sure if he was asking a question or making a statement. He didn’t feel sure of anything anymore. Was he like them? Like his mother? Did Sarah have the same abilities too? He remembered his mother telling her that she must suppress her fear, that she needed to remain calm; that being calm places you in control. But he had no idea what she meant.

“Sam,” Holly said, breaking him from his train of thought. She looked over at Demetrius again but Demetrius never moved or said a word. Holly turned to look back at Sam again and pursed her lips. “Well, never mind. All in good time. There will be plenty of time for all of that.”

“Holly, it’s time,” Vallen said.

Holly did not respond but continued to stare at Sam. “You have a gift Sam, one that you cannot possibly imagine, and in time you will come to understand all of this, I promise. But for now you will have to go on blind faith and trust what your heart is telling you, okay?”

Sam looked at her, unsure of what to say. He didn’t want her to leave. He trusted her and there was not much he felt he could trust in this world anymore. But Holly had promised she would be back and if he trusted her, it would have to be enough.

“Yes,” he said hesitantly.

“Good,” she said, smiling. “Good”

“So, where am
I
going?” he asked, his eyes now searching her face for the answer.

“You will be going with Demetrius. He’s a Keeper like me, but he is a very powerful Keeper. There is none better, nor wiser” she said with a wink.

Holly placed her other hand on top on Sam’s. It was then that Sam noticed her ring; it was the same ring with the red ruby that he had found in his mother’s Quarrem. The same ring that belonged to his father.

“Be strong, young Samuel.” She squeezed his hand one last time, then reached for her staff before standing and returning to Vallen’s side.

“I’m ready” she told Demetrius.

“Very well, I’ll contact you when we’re settled in,” Demetrius said.

Holly looked back at Sam and gave him one last smile before turning to walk into the foyer with Vallen. They stood next to one another in their long cloaks, tall boots, and gray armor. Sam thought they looked intimidating but no longer out of the scope of reality—not his reality anyway. His perception of what was possible had been changed forever. It had changed the night Xavier walked into his life. Looking straight ahead, the two Keepers raised their staffs simultaneously and brought them to the ground. Flashes of purple and blue light engulfed their bodies, leaving only a trace of a fine mist in their wake. Sam stared into the empty space, his eyes following the last remnants of the purple and blue haze as it swayed in the air before finally disappearing.

Chapter 20

“D
emetrius, it’s time,” Lyra said. “Jacob and I should be leaving as well. I’m sure Coppertop will be here any moment and well, no offense, but I would rather not be here when he arrives.”

Sam and Travis peered at one another from the corners of their eyes.

Demetrius raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement. “None taken—I completely understand.”

Lyra looked down at Sam. “Unpleasant man, long story,” she said, rolling her eyes. Sam gave a fait smile and nodded his head as if he understood. He didn’t really understand but he didn’t know what else to do. He and Travis both stood and Lyra placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I wish you the best, Sam, I truly do. I know if there is anyone who can help you save your sister it is Demetrius.” She looked at Demetrius and smiled. “He’s not an elf, mind you, but as far as Keepers go, there really is none better. You’re in good hands.” Demetrius shook his head, slightly embarrassed.

“Sam, Travis,” Jacob said hurriedly, “best of luck. Be safe.” Sam and Travis took turns shaking his hand. Jacob seemed eager to leave—the man had been on edge since he had walked into the house, but with good reason, Sam thought.

Lyra finally turned to Demetrius, her emerald eyes aglow and her smile gleaming white. “Again, it was really good to see you, Demetrius. I wish it could have been under better circumstances.”

“As do I,” Demetrius said, smiling back. “Will you be returning to Haven?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps in a few months unless I hear otherwise. There is a lot Jacob and I need to attend to, but who knows, after what happened here? There is no telling what effect this will have on the Majesty and its constituents.”

Demetrius glanced at Sam and Travis, who were both listening but not looking in his direction. But Sam’s flushed face and red ears were a dead giveaway, and Travis fiddling with his shirt didn’t help either.

“Come, I’ll walk you out,” Demetrius said.

Lyra smiled at the two boys one last time as she, Jacob, and Demetrius made their way to the front door.

“Dude,” Travis said under his breath, “I wonder what she meant by that?”

“Not sure,” Sam said, “but I’m thinking that’s the least of our problems now.”

Travis turned to Sam, nodded, and pursed his lips. “Yeah.”

As Demetrius said his final goodbyes and turned back to Sam and Travis, Sam noticed a small white sphere appear by the crumpled staircase. Just like before, the small ball of light began to grow, sending out thin tentacles of light into the dimly lit room. A crack rang out followed by a small pop and there, standing amongst the debris, was a tall wiry man with a scrawny black cat perched on his shoulder.

Dressed in a frayed burgundy vest, a pea green shirt, and tattered black pants, he hobbled into the light. His head was mostly bald except for patches of fuzzy gray hair that protruded from the sides so that it looked like the stuffing was coming out of his head. He had one bushy gray eyebrow that ran the width of his withered, pale forehead. His deep-set eyes were a muddy brown color and he had dark liver spots near the corners of his mouth and on the sides of his cheeks. The more Sam looked at the man, the more he thought he resembled a clown without all the elaborate makeup.

“Wow, does Dirty Ernie have a brother?” Travis whispered.

“No kidding,” Sam groaned. He stared at the odd man who was looking around at his new surroundings like he was disgusted at what he saw. He sniffed the air and wrinkled his flat, crooked nose like he smelled something foul. He was frowning so hard that his one eyebrow was touching the bridge of his nose.

“Yes, Poppy, in shambles, always in shambles,” he croaked, turning to the cat who was now staring at Sam and Travis. Sam did a double take when he saw the cat’s eyes. They were the same eerie saffron color as the white wolves’.

“The cat’s eyes look familiar,” Sam whispered.

“Yeah, creepy familiar,” Travis replied.

Coppertop scanned the room until he caught sight of Demetrius. His scowling face slowly curled into a malicious grin, revealing teeth the color of mold.

“Lore,” he grunted. “I might have known. Made a mess of things, have you?”

Demetrius stepped forward with his staff in one hand. “Hello, Coppertop, how nice to see you again.” His voice was so flat that it sounded like he was falling asleep.

Coppertop's grin slowly faded back into a look of disgust. “Yes, I’m sure it is. Enough with the pleasantries, Lore.” He waved his hand dismissively, startling the black cat, which moved across his back to his other shoulder. “You know I’m a busy man. What have you done now? Fill me in. What’s the damage and who are your friends there?” He pointed a long dirty finger in Sam’s and Travis’s direction. “You know the rules, Lore—no witnesses. I don’t like an audience,” he said in a raspy English accent. He wheezed after each sentence to catch his breath as if it might be his last.

Demetrius ignored the man’s line of questioning and went straight into the introductions. “Samuel, Travis, this is Everest Coppertop. He is from the department of Magical Sterilization. He is the one we have been waiting on for so long.” The snide comment did not go unnoticed by Coppertop, who chewed on his bottom lip and grumbled something underneath his breath. Poppy the cat hissed in Demetrius’s direction, mimicking her master’s frustration.

“Coppertop, meet Samuel Dalcome and his friend, Travis …”

“Martin. Travis Martin,” Travis said timidly.

“Yes, Travis Martin,” Demetrius added.

Coppertop narrowed his eyes and scratched his pointed chin with a long yellow fingernail, making his dangling jowls wiggle. It looked like he was using every last brain cell to comprehend what he had just heard.

“Daaaalcome,” he sneered. The name rolled off his tongue like it tasted awful to say. “Rylan and Alisa’s child?”

Travis nudged Sam. “Man, you must be really popular over there.”

Sam nudged Travis back. “Shut up.”

Demetrius looked back at Sam and gave him a quick wink. “Yes, that would be the one.”

“Well, well, what do you know? Those old gypsies at the Lazy Lizard were telling the truth. You know, I never believed a word those old bats said, much less anyone else at that Tavern. All a bunch of drunken fairies they are. But here you be … a living, breathing Dalcome.” Poppy hissed again and Coppertop wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “I heard stories about you, boy, but I thought it was just hearsay, myths, or flat-out lies.” Coppertop’s gaze cut to Demetrius. “I also heard there were two. What of the other, Lore? Is there another child?”

“Yes,” Sam snapped. He had already made up his mind—he didn’t like Coppertop or his cat. “I have a sister.”

“Ssssister” Coppertop hissed, looking back at Sam. His eyes were wider now, his interested peaked. “Where is she, boy? Where is this sister you speak of?”

“She—” Sam began.

“She is safe, Coppertop,” Demetrius interrupted. “Please, don’t let us keep you from your work. I am quite sure you have plenty to do.”

Coppertop’s shifty eyes moved from Sam to Demetrius. He was scowling now, which caused his bushy eyebrow to obscure his dark eyes. “Yes, well … I will need you to leave then, wont I?” he growled, his stained teeth reappearing in an unpleasant sneer.

“Poppy, off, off you go, and stay close. Daddy has work to do.”

The black cat leapt from Coppertop’s shoulder and landed gracefully on the ground next to him. Her bottlebrush tail wrapped whimsically around his leg as she circled beneath him. Coppertop looked around the house again in utter disgust, and he gave a slight jolt, like he had been slapped in the back of the head. His eyes grew wide and his thin, cracked lips curled into a greedy grin as he noticed the Vipers on the floor.

“And there they are,” he said, brimming with delight. He made his way across the room until he was standing dead center between the remains of the two beasts.

”Yes, a bit of bad business here,” he said in a surly tone. “I see the gypsies were right about you buggers, too.” Poppy, who had lagged behind Coppertop, eased her way between his bowed legs and craned her neck to sniff the Vipers’ corpses. Her nose began to twitch the closer she came to the Viper’s hands. She was there only seconds before she sprang back, her tail up and body arched. Coppertop looked down, startled, as the cat hissed and ran behind the broken coffee table. “Yes, Poppy, a bit of bad business,” he sneered as he reached into his vest pocket and withdrew his wand. “Always a mess, always,” he mumbled to himself as he stepped over the Vipers’ bodies. “And what do we have here?”

Sam watched as the creepy old man moved his wand closer to the Viper’s sword lying on the ground.

“A new relic for the Majesty, I think,” he said as he touched the tip of his wand to the ominous black blade. As soon as it touched the blade, Coppertop’s wand began to glow like a hot ember, sending silver ribbons of smoke swirling into the air.

“Great goblins!” Coppertop cried as he jumped back, shaking his wand in the air. The wand became brighter and the smoke darker the faster he moved it through the air.

Both boys began to smile.
Serves him right,
Sam thought.

Travis could barely contain himself as he leaned over to Sam. “Welcome to the nightmare, pal,” he whispered.

Coppertop hopped and skipped about, waving his wand around until the bright orange glow was finally extinguished.

Breathing hard, he turned with a sneer just in time to catch a glimpse of Demetrius’s broad grin.

“You!” Coppertop roared, pointing his long gnarly finger in Demetrius’s direction. “You knew that was going to happen, didn’t you?”

Demetrius had momentarily managed to stifle his grin. “But of course not,” he said calmly.

Coppertop’s eyes launched daggers at Demetrius as he moved the tip of his wand to his mouth and blew on it, sending tendrils of black smoke into the air again.

“I will need you to make the sword ready for transport, and the staff too.” Demetrius pointed to Nara, who was lying on the kitchen counter next to the Quarrem and the rucksack. “They will be coming with me.”