The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) (14 page)

Aim for her stomach.

Edith's eyes went wide and she looked at Charles. She was sure it was his voice, but he was in exactly the same position as before, his lips pressed tightly together.

Do it.
His voice in her head commanded.

Composing herself, Edith aimed for the kidnapper again, this time lowering the arrow a bit. The woman was distracted, scratching at the spot on her chest vigorously. Hearing the bow release, she raised her head, a hand coming up to deflect the deadly object. Just as she raised her fingers, the old woman kicked out with a foot, the strings binding her legs falling apart like old ropes. She connected with the back of the woman's leg, dropping her to a knee. The kidnapper's hand fell as she tried to catch herself and the arrow slid through her defenses with ease, sinking into her eye socket. Her mouth dropped open, whether in surprise or pain, Edith couldn't tell, and her one remaining eye found the girl. They stared at each other until the light went out of the woman's eye and she tumbled to the side.

Charles took a deep breath as if shaking himself from a trance. He raced to the body and pressed a finger to her neck, then he rose and sheathed his weapon. As he untied the captive, Edith helped Boxy and Nach to stand. The old Keeper was too weak to walk, so Charles lifted her into his arms.

"Those things are still out there. We can't fight like this." Nach was leaning against the wall, his arm pressed tight against his ribs. Pain was evident on his face and he winced whenever he tried to move.

"Edith, your bow." Boxy drew hers as well. "On the count of three."

When Boxy reached three, Nach threw open the door. Edith fired, striking down one of the creatures while Boxy took out the other. Edith watched in amazement as Boxy quickly nocked another arrow and let it fly. It sank into a man who was rounding the corner and he tumbled to the ground.

The woman nodded her head at the door and they followed her out. Bodies littered the floor, including the two gray beings Edith had seen before. Standing atop the pile was a stout furry man who proudly hefted a large mace.

“Got her?” Veth's white eyes searched the group until they settled on the old woman. Edlaner pushed past him. Despite his small size, he took the Keeper from Charles easily, cradling her gently in his strong arms. He nodded once to Veth. “Good. Let's go before reinforcements come.” They met no more resistance on their way out of the cave and into the clearing where Boxy called for the carriages. Once they were inside and safely in the air, Edith sank onto a couch, weariness settling into her bones. She was asleep in no time.

Chapter 15

Edith woke feeling stiff and groggy. Her mouth was dry and did not taste all that pleasant. She yawned, stretching her sore muscles before opening her eyes. They felt gritty as if someone had poured a bag of sand in them. She rubbed them fiercely with her fists, trying to wake up as she looked around. She was in her room on the carriage. She remembered falling asleep on the couch. Someone must have carried her up to bed and removed her equipment.

Groaning, she pushed herself to her feet and slipped them into her shoes. Her body protested, her muscles screaming with every movement, but she forced them to take her to the door. Charles was in the small sitting room, reclining on the couch with a book in hand. He looked up when she shut the door behind her.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "You look like you've had a rough day."

"Mmm." She tried to form a more coherent response, but gave up and settled for plopping down next to him.

He reached out and draped an arm around her shoulder. They sat there quietly for a bit. She was lost in her thoughts, her mind playing over the events of the day.

"Edith? Are you okay?" His soft voice broke the quiet.

She nodded briefly. "Just trying to wrap my head around it, you know?" Her voice broke and she felt herself shaking.

He gripped her hands tightly in his, bringing one up to kiss the knuckles. "I know. It gets easier, I promise."

Edith turned herself so she could look him in the eyes. She shook her head. "I don't want
that
to get easier. I don't want to be able to kill without feeling a thing."

He smiled weakly. "I understand. I hope it won't get to that point for you."

She was quiet for a moment. "What did you do back there? When you went all still and didn't say anything?"

"I, uh..." He stuttered for a moment. "I can read minds. And project my own thoughts into someone else's. And move things a bit. I was talking to the Keeper, making a plan and breaking the ropes binding her."

"Oh," Edith said, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.

“I don't usually use it, I swear. It's powerful magic and requires a lot of energy. I promise I will never use it on you unless I absolutely have to.”

She nodded but looked away. They fell into an uncomfortable silence until a knock at the door broke the awkwardness.

"Come in," Charles called.

Boxy poked her head in. "Nach made some dinner, if you are hungry."

He nodded at her. "We'll be down in a minute, thank you."

Boxy bowed slightly and shut the door behind her.

"You hungry?" Charles brushed a stray lock of hair from Edith's eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah, let me just clean up a bit first."

"All right." He kissed her forehead and stood up, glancing at her nervously for a second before leaving.

Edith walked into the bathroom and touched the lamp beside the mirror. Her face was immediately bathed in a soft yellow glow. She examined her image. She looked different somehow. Harder, less innocent. She stared at the girl who stared back at her until she grew blurry. The full scale of what she had done slammed into her. The guard's face swam in the mirror and mingled with that of Alex's sister. Edith gasped, trying to breathe. Tears poured down her face, dripping onto the ceramic surface below. She had killed people. Several of them in one day like it was nothing at all to take a life. She sank to the floor and sobbed quietly, wrapping her arms around her knees and pulling them close to her chest. "What have you done?" she whispered as she rocked back and forth, choking on her tears.

She forced herself to breath, inhaling deeply as she cleared her mind. She reminded herself that she had done what she did willingly to save both Alaesha and her own world. To save the ones she cared about. The panic attack subsided and she stood to washed her face and brushed her teeth. Her eyes were still red. Leftover tears glistened in her eyes, but she had been gone too long. Someone would come looking for her. Squaring her shoulders, she took another deep breath. Imagining peaceful streams and the quiet calming chirp of birds in the woods, she headed downstairs.

The others were gathered around the small table in the main room. The old woman lay on one of the couches in the corner, apparently asleep. A spread had been laid out with sandwiches, fruit and something red in a clear pitcher that was sparkling. Edith sat down next to Charles, who gave her a smile and a wink. She picked up the pitcher and made to pour some of the liquid in her glass.

"Uh, you don't want to do that." Charles reached out and took the pitcher from her. He placed it in front of Nach, who gave her a little smirk as his eyes glistened with mischief.

Boxy shook her head. "It is one of Nach's 'special concoctions'," she said, using her fingers for air quotes. "That means it will knock you flat in no time. He has a much higher tolerance level for drugs than humans."

"And most Alaeshans," quipped Charles from behind the bar. He retrieved a clear bottle from the cooler and returned to the couch to set it in front of Edith. "Water is much safer."

"And it probably tastes better."

Nach feigned shock at his leader. "Not bloody likely," he cried, clasping his hand to his chest. "I make the best red rum sparklers this side of the mountain, I'll have you know." He downed the rest of his glass and filled it back up again. "And I'm a damn good chef even if I do say so myself."

Boxy raised her bottle of water. "To that, I will drink. You are an excellent chef as long as you don't put liquor in it."

"Here here." Charles grinned and raised his bottle, too. He nudged Edith, giving her a wink.

She cracked the cap on her bottle and raised it. "Uh, to sandwiches?"

"Damn right to sandwiches. Bottoms up!" Nach clicked his glass against Edith's bottle and tossed back half the red liquid in one gulp, some drizzling out of his mouth and down his chin.

Edith took a long swig from her bottle before setting it back down. Once her thirst was quenched, she realized how hungry she was. She picked up a sandwich and took a bite.

"By the way, great job out there, little lady. You did us proud. Quite the deadly shot you have," Nach mumbled around half a sandwich stuck between his jaws. "You do your family proud."

Edith set down the rest of her food. "Thanks," she mumbled, suddenly not very hungry. She stared at the table, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Her family? The only family she had was a mother who couldn't care less what she did. Did the woman even know she was gone?

Boxy placed a hand on Edith's knee and squeezed. "I know it is hard, but you did do a great job. Killing is never easy, but you did what you must. If we do not retrieve those keys, things will get very nasty very quickly for both of our worlds. We have a job to do, even if that job is unpleasant."

Edith sighed. "I know." She didn't know what else to say. She was in a situation she had never imagined she would be in, and she was at a complete loss. She didn't know how to react. She only hoped with time she would be able to forget.

The carriage jerked and started to descend quickly, throwing Edith against Charles. He righted her and raced to the window. The others followed, all but the old Keeper who had tumbled from the couch and sat on the floor, dazed.

The scene below made Edith's chest clench. They were above Charles's home, but it looked much different than it had when they left. The unicorn barn was fully ablaze, the elegant beasts milling around outside, terrified and distressed. Edith could see the unicorns attached to the carriage making a beeline for their brethren. The house wasn't visible from that angle and Edith feared the worst. As soon as the carriage touched down, she was at the door. Charles was right on her heels.

Smoke billowed from several windows, the roof burned on the far parts of the house and the door lay in the courtyard, ripped from its hinges. The artfully carved wood was splintered and strewn across the drive. Charles ran at a dead sprint across the courtyard. Edith started to follow, then thought better of it and jumped back into the carriage. She retrieved her bow and dagger before running to the house. Veth and Edlaner joined her and together they entered cautiously as Boxy stood in the courtyard. They could hear her chanting as rain started falling.

The spacious entryway was in complete chaos. Statues, tapestries, paintings, bodies, and furniture littered the floor, all smashed and torn. Smoke wafted from a far door. She covered her arm with her sleeve and stepped over a shattered sculpture of a beautiful satyr to move to the stairs. She could hear shouts coming from below in the kitchens and above near the bedrooms. Veth and Edlaner peeled off, heading toward the stairs that would lead downward. After a moment's hesitation, she went up. She knew that was where Dana would be, and where Dana was, Mags would be also. The smoke burned her nose when she dropped her arm. As she ascended, she pulled an arrow from the quiver and set it in the bow, drawing the string back. She held the point at an angle downward so  she wouldn't accidentally shoot an ally.

She reached the landing at the top of the stairs and turned the corner toward her bedroom. Beside three unmoving bodies, two figures were grappling on the floor, one pale and beautiful, the other dark and deadly. Edith's heart seized as Alex knelt on top of Charles, his sharp teeth locked in an expression that was half snarl, half smirk. His hands were wrapped around Charles's neck, pressing so tightly that the color drained from the long, black fingers. Charles struggled feebly, throwing curses at his attacker with what little breath he could muster. His nails dug at the midnight skin, but he could not dislodge the fatal grip.

Edith stepped forward as Charles's face went from red to almost purple. Her jaw set in a hard line as she raised the bow and took a breath.

"Get off him," she yelled as she let the arrow fly. Alex looked up, surprise evident on his face. The arrow flew straight and true, as always, and it sank deep into the space between his eyes. His appearance flickered. For a brief second, Edith saw the boy she had met in high school, the one who had made her knees quake and her hands shake, and she began to question her decision. Her eyes dropped to Charles, who was shoving the dead man off him and gasping for air. Her doubts disappeared and she ran to him. She dropped to her knees beside Charles, pulling him partly onto her lap.

“The others?” He was still struggling for breath and it came out as a wheezing gasp.

“Ed and Veth went to help. They'll be all right.”

“The fires?”

“Boxy was doing some sort of magic outside. She was making it rain.”

He nodded and sank back into her embrace, his breathing slowly becoming regular.

She stroked his hair. "Are you okay?" she whispered as she pressed a hand to his cheek.

He smiled weakly. "I am now, thanks. Isn't the knight supposed to save the damsel? I think we may have this backward."

She laughed and brushed a lock of hair from his face. "You have saved me more than you know."

He smiled and shoving himself into a fully seated position. "Help me up, will you, love? I'm still a bit out of breath."

Once he was on his feet, they found the door to Edith and Dana's bedroom. It was locked. He knocked twice.

"I told you, you're not coming in, you filthy wretch! You can burn the house down around us, but we're never coming out!"

Edith grinned at Mags's feisty response. Charles smiled and shook his head. "That is why I love my sister to death." To Mags, he shouted, "I would prefer my house stay in one piece and not be destroyed anymore than it already has, if you don't mind. Now don't shoot me, I'm coming in."

He pulled out a ring of keys and found one that looked exactly like the one Mags had used. It fit perfectly and the lock clicked open. Charles waved Edith to the side of the door. She happily stepped out of the line of fire. He turned the knob and pushed. Before he could move, an arrow whistled by his head, slamming into the wall behind him. He turned to stare at it, eyes wide momentarily before narrowing.

"You'll be the one to fix that, Mags. You're lucky you didn't hit the portrait of Analiese Whiteclef. I'd have had you flogged."

Charles took a step forward but was immediately pushed back. He landed on his backside as a large, black fuzzball exfoliated his face with a sandpaper tongue.

"Get off me, Ollie. Get off." But he was laughing as his dog accosted him.

By the time he could get up, Edith had stepped around the pair and into the room. Dana sat on the bed. Her face was white as a sheet. She leapt to her feet when she saw her friend and wrapped Edith in a hug so tight the girl couldn't breathe. But Edith didn't mind. For the first time in her life, she had found people who really, truly needed her. She slipped her arms around Dana and squeezed her back.

"Well, this is a bit awkward, eh?" Charles had somehow managed to slip away from his exuberant pet and was standing beside the girls. They broke apart and Edith swatted him playfully on the arm.

"All right, Dana?"

She nodded meekly. "I thought we were going to die in here."

"When you're in my house, you're under my protection. We wouldn't let anything happen to you." He reached out and squeezed her shoulder before turning to his sister. "What happened?"