The Keepers (The Alchemy Series) (25 page)

“I don’t think so.” As much as I didn’t want to let him just walk away, there was no way I was going somewhere with him willingly. There were three of them, but I still had a good shot of taking them down.

“Boys.”

“Really
, Tracker? Can’t handle little old me yourself?” I asked as I watched Tracker’s men step forward.

“I have a long memory.”

As soon as one of his men got within range, I lashed out, and punched him squarely in the face, throwing all the energy I had into it. He was clearly hurt by the punch, but not as effected as he should have been. He was a Keeper. They both probably were.

“I wouldn’t piss them off too bad
ly, Josephine. I told your father you would be uninjured, but I can’t make any promises if you carry on like this.”

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, and I hadn’t even been touched. The blood drained from my face
, as I stood frozen. The words on the page rang in my head. The one who’s sought is suddenly found, it will come time to stand their ground. My father. I’d been seeking him since the day I was born. Goosebumps broke out across my skin. Shit. Did this mean it was time for me to stand my ground? Stupid prophecy made it sound like
They
were all tough. It could have added a line or two in there with some instructions on what the hell I was supposed to do. Considering that Tracker’s two thugs were ready to grab me and my skills were useless on them, it didn’t really matter how I felt. It had been a long time coming, but a family reunion was about to finally take place and I would go stand my ground and probably be pulverized. I was guessing I’d be among the fallen, too. Real nice prophecy. Screwed again!

I nodded my head at Tracker in acquiescence.

“Get your hands off me, you slug,” I said, as I pulled my arm out of the grasp of the man I hadn’t hit. To give the guy credit, he didn’t try to grab me, again.

“Where are we headed?” I asked once I saw the beautiful white stretch limo that sat waiting for us around the corner.

“The mountains,” he replied as he held the door open for me.

“Don’t you want your men back here to protect you?”

“I think I’ll be fine, for now.”

It irked me because he was right. Now that I’d taken the first steps toward discovering who my father was, I knew I wouldn’t turn back. I’d see this out to the end.

“Since we have some time to kill, want to tell me what’s going on?”

“I think what I have to tell you might make things not so black and white. Are you prepared for that?”

“Save the dramatics, will you?”

“Fine, cut and dry. You don’t realize how easy the people on Earth have it. The living conditions on Romad, where I’m from,
aren’t as nice. I have kin who are suffering who don’t need to. All I want is to be able to bring them over. That is all Vitor wants as well.”

“Is Vitor part of this
?”

“No, Vitor is too soft to do what
’s needed.”

“Soft or moral?”

“Let me ask you a question. Is it moral to deny refuge to people who are suffering?”

“W
here would it stop? Would you just bring a couple thousand over and play nice, or would you try to take everything?”

“
Does your fear of a possible domination, that might never happen, justify not allowing people who are struggling, a chance?”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s not my choice.”

“But it is, isn’t it? Without you, they wouldn’t have been able to keep it going as long as they have. You need to choose a side and quickly. And just a warning, if you choose the wrong side, you might not ever be leaving this mountain. Those are my people; I’m not leaving them to suffer when I have options.”

“No matter who
m you take out in the process?”

“Doesn’t matter who or how many. Keep that in mind.”

I believed him. He was a killer. Loyal, but still a killer.

The black of the interior of the mountain enveloped the limo as a steel garage door slid shut behind us. Within a few minutes, we slowed to a stop. I followed Tracker out of the limo into complete darkness. Even though I couldn’t see a thing, the echo of our footsteps betrayed the enormity of t
he area. The air was cool, with lingering moisture that smelled a bit like a cellar.

Just as I was about to ask why we were in total darkness, the area
was flooded with light. It was more immense than I imagined. It would put the
S
s
uperdome to shame.

“How did you do this with nobody knowing?” As much as I didn’t want to admire anything to do with him, I was in awe.

“It wasn’t easy.”

Tracker walked forward and I followed him
, out of curiosity. His two men hung back but were never completely out of reach. When I saw two large monoliths similar to the ones in the portal room gleaming against the backdrop of the mountain wall, it became clear where he we were headed. They had been camouflaged, initially, by the mountains own gleaming interior, but now that I saw them, they dominated even this massive space.

“Why are they so large?
”

“It makes it easier to open a portal. They aren’t really needed for someone very strong, but their presence aids in the ability. The larger they are, the more they aid.” He looked to me in an appraising way. “My guess is if you were in full control of your abilities, you wouldn’t need them at all.”

“How do you know so much about this?”

“Unlike the Keepers
, my race kept records.”

“Records of someone else’s secrets?”

“You think that is unusual? Come on now, Josephine. You aren’t that naïve.”

“What else do you know?”

“I know many things.” He paused, as if he was unsure of himself. It was the first time I’d seen him show any vulnerability at all. “If we were friends, I might be willing to share.”

“I don’t have friends.”

“Maybe we could be other things,” he said in a voice just soft enough to reach me, but not his men. “Regardless of what you think, I’m not a bad person. I’m a survivor like you. Life isn’t easy where I come from. Is it so wrong to take care of my people?”

As much as I wanted to scream at him and say he was wrong, I understood. I knew what it was like to have a tough life. Just because I didn’t have a family, didn’t
mean I couldn’t understand it.

“Ah, here’s your father now.”

I turned to see a tanned man with black hair who looked my age walk into the room. “Where?”

“Him,” Tracker replied pointing at the man approaching.

“That guy is my age.”

“I guess Cormac didn’t explain the aging thing to you
, yet.”

“The aging thing?”

“You do know all the tales about Alchemists searching for the fountain of youth, correct?”

I nodded, realization hitting me.

“Like everything else, it doesn’t always work consistently. Some of you age. I doubt you will though. Even being a half-breed, you’re stronger than most. Do you know how old Cormac is?”

I was embarrassed to admit I had no idea, so I remained silent.

“I don’t have an exact age, but we’ve got him at over two hundred.”

“And how do I know you aren’t a complete liar?”

“Don’t you know?”

Unfortunately I did. He was telling me the truth.

“It’s not an uncanny ability you have. That’s a little of the Fae in you.”

“Doesn’t the A
lchemist gene counteract the Fae?”

“Usually, but not always
. There have been a few cases like yours, where instead of canceling out the other, it amplifies it.”

“So
, I guess you have my mother hidden somewhere in here too?”

“No
, can’t help you there. I have no idea where she is, neither does Hammond.”

“Hammond?”

“Yes, your father.”

And the surprises just kept coming.

As Hammond neared the final few steps and closed the distance between us, we eyed each other up. He was dark, surprisingly so, with black hair, tan skin, and near black eyes. I wondered if he was truly my father. Tracker believed he was, but I had my doubts.

“Hello.” He spoke first. He voice was deep and gravelly and his teeth were brilliantly white against his tan skin as he gave me a hesitant smile.

“You are Hammond?”

“Yes. I’m sure you have some questions.”

“I do. Why do you think you are my father?”

“You’re certainly not shy. Cormac had tests run on you a while back. When you started to create a problem for Tracker, he managed to get a sample and asked me to look at them. As soon as I saw, I knew.”

“And that’s all you needed? Just to look at my blood?”

“I’ll show you.” He pul
led out a knife and made a slice across his skin, light enough for just the smallest sliver of blood to pool to the surface.

My fingers tingled immediately, wanting to reach toward it. My arm acted on its own before I realized what I was doing. I caught myself and dropped it back to my side quickly.

“No, go ahead.”

             
Too curious not to, I raised my hand back toward it, and the small stream of blood lifted and the few drops flew to my fingers.

“Neat
, right?”

It wasn’t exactly the term I would have used, freaky was more like it. The drops tingled on my skin.

“Here,” he said as he handed me a handkerchief he had withdrawn from the inside pocket of his suit. I had a feeling he didn’t use a handkerchief to appear old school, he was old school.

“Tracker said you don’t know where my mother i
s?”

“No, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I believe she’s dead.”

“Why?”

“Because Malora loved me. I loved her as well. She wouldn’t have disappeared like this for years if she was alive. I looked for her for a long time before I finally had to come to terms with it.”

“And me?”

“I never knew you existed. I thought you died unborn with her.”

“Why are you here? And with him?” I tilted my head in Tracker’s direction.

“Would you walk with me?”

It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, but I followed him. He spoke once we were out of ear-shot. “Tracker isn’t bad.”

“What he’s been doing has killed people.”

“Not exactly.”

“I saw his brother die
from radiation poisoning because of what he was doing.”

“He volunteered
.”

“T
o die?” I asked, my voice laden with sarcasm.

“No, he was dying already. He only had a few months left. He o
ffered himself up in order to help his brother, Tracker. You don’t understand the existence some of them have over there. Their planet isn’t anywhere near as lush as ours. I’ve been there. Every day is a struggle for them.”

“But why do it by forc
e? Why undermine Cormac?”

“I know Cormac better than you. When he took control, he swore to uphold the original agreement. The biggest part of that
agreement is that they are only allotted a certain number of visas. One person comes, another must go.

“I understand what you are saying, I feel for his people, but this isn’t the way to go about it. I don’t trust him.”

“I’ve secured your safety because you are my daughter, but that’s all I can guarantee. Tracker wants you to join us. I want you to as well, but in the end, he will do what has to be done for his people. I respect that.”

“And what about doing what is right for your people? You were Cormac’s mentor, how can you go behind his back like this?”

“I’m doing what I feel is morally right.”

“But
, it’s not.
Both
sides struck a deal. You can’t decide you don’t like the deal anymore, and make that choice unilaterally. What about the fact that it isn’t Tracker’s, Cormac’s, or your choice whether to do this? How about the fact that Earth belongs to humans?”

“Hammond.” Tracker’s voice echoed through the cavernous area. “We are ready.”

Hammond turned back to me. “I wish we could talk more, but it’s time.”

“Time for what?”

“To open up a new portal. Will you help?”

“You can’t! If you open one up here, the whole strip could explode!”

“The other one has been shut down for a while so it’s only a small likelihood.”

“A small likelihood? That’s okay with you?”

“We believe in our cause. Cormac is on our heels. It’s now or never. It has to be done.”

“No, it doesn’t! You can’t do this!”

“It’s already in motion. The others are waiting for us to open the portal as we speak. These are good people. You’ll see that it was right.”