The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) (18 page)

Charles glanced at Edith once, then pulled a small vile from his pocket. He stepped toward the woman.

"No." Boxy was standing in the doorway, her thin sword drawn. "Do not heal her."

Tears streamed down her face as she strode forward and knelt in front of her sister. "You have betrayed us all. You know the punishment."

"Please, dear sister. Do not let me die like this." The woman slid down the wall, unable to support herself any long. "I am so sorry, Boxy. Please."

“Where is the key?” The adviser's voice was hard and cold. It held no love for her sibling.

“Boxy...”

Boxy reached out, her fingers slipping around her sister's throat. “The key.”

The woman on the floor raised her chin, a bitter smile spreading across her face. “It's not here. You'll never find it. You'll all die.” She tried to cackle, but all she could manage was a cough.

Charles took Edith by the elbow and tipped his head toward the door. “Let's go. Boxy can handle this.”

Edith nodded and started to follow him out. As she placed her foot down on a board, it creaked softly. Stepping back, she peered closer at it, then used her fingernails to pry at the edge. It came up easily and she tossed it away. In the little hole beneath lay a small box. She picked it up and opened the top. A silver key very similar to her own lay on a silk cloth. Edith glanced at Boxy, who nodded at her once. Charles slipped his arm around Edith's waist and together they left the house, using each other for support.

The guards had all been killed or captured quickly once the wall fell. They put up little resistance, their resolve gone once they realized their leader had fallen. Boxy came up beside the group, the dirt on her face streaked with tears. She turned and waved a hand. Flames licked up the side of the farmhouse and they all watched quietly until it was nothing but a pile of burned timbers and black ash.

Chapter 20

Edith pulled the small parcel from her pocket as they stood by the cars and held it out to Boxy. The woman reached her hand out for it tentatively, then pulled away. "No, you hold onto it for now."

Edith's head ached something fierce, her skull throbbing as if a hundred raging bulls ran through it. She fought to keep her eyes open, but her body refused to listen. She fell asleep on the drive  back to the city, nestled against Charles.

"Wake up, my love," he whispered, kissing her temple.

She yawned and stretched her aching muscles, trying to clear her foggy brain. Veth was climbing out of the car.  "Where are we?"

Charles scooted outside and held out a hand for her. "We're going to wake up the queen."

Edith's jaw dropped slightly. "The queen?"

They followed Boxy from the underground garage through a series of tunnels. They twisted on themselves too much and there were so many doors and key codes along the way that Edith was sure she would never find her way out again if they left her there. Finally, they came upon a very unassuming door. It was painted gray, the same as the rest of the place. Boxy pressed her finger against a thumb pad and typed in a code. Then she leaned over and let a laser scan her eye. After a series of knocks exchanged with the people inside, the door finally opened.

An older man held the door for them. The room was large and sparsely furnished. It held three beds. One was near the door, pressed into a corner and vacant. The other two were on the wall opposite the door. Boxy walked toward one and sat in the chair beside it.

"The key," she said, not taking her eyes off the queen's face.

Edith held the box out to Boxy. This time, the woman took it and pulled the top off. She lifted the key out carefully and placed it in the outstretched hand of the queen. Nothing happened. They waited, no one breathing. Time stretched on. Then a finger moved. It was followed by another. And soon the queen took a deep breath, gasping for air. She coughed and Boxy helped her sit up. As soon as she was under control, her husband started to wake. The spell was broken.

The queen's voice was soft when she spoke, but still powerful. "Nigel, go get Dr. Hughes, please. I would like to speak with him." The man by the door nodded and turned to leave. "Oh, and will you bring me my favorite pistol? I may have a need for it." She received an odd look, but he bowed once more and shut the door behind him.

"Dr. Hughes?" Boxy asked. 

The queen sighed with irritation. "Yes, unfortunately. I quite liked him too."

Edith was standing near the door, fidgeting uncomfortably. She had no idea how to act in the presence of royalty. The queen noticed. "Come here, my dear." Edith did as she was told. "I have never seen you before."

Boxy smiled at Edith. "This is the girl who found the key. She is the Keeper of the Third Key."

The queen gripped Edith's hand. "You have saved my life, child. I cannot thank you enough."

Edith blushed and mumbled, "It was nothing."

"On the contrary, I shall have to find some way to reward you." Before she could continue, the door opened and Nigel entered. He had a man in tow who was pale and shaken.

The queen rose, her long nightgown trailing across the floor as she walked on unsteady feet toward the doctor. "Dr. Hughes, you have betrayed me. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

He stuttered a couple times, but nothing came out.

"Very well." She held out her hand and Nigel pulled a small gun no bigger than a deck of cards from his pocket. The queen checked the chamber and made sure a round was loaded. "Turn around, please."

Edith's eyes went wide. This was not at all what she expected from the Queen of England. She glanced at Charles. He had his arms crossed and a small smirk on his face. Edith's eyes narrowed. How could he be okay with this? Why wasn't he stopping it?

The doctor was shaking as he spun, putting his back to the queen. She pointed the gun at his head. "You have put my country, my family, in danger, Dr. Hughes. For that, I simply cannot forgive you. You are hereby fired as my personal physician."

She lowered the gun and pulled the trigger. Edith screamed. Dr. Hughes yelped and jumped, slapping both hands to his behind. Blood spurted through his fingers as he pressed against the wound and stared at her with eyes wide with fear. The queen handed the gun back to Nigel and wobbled back to bed, chuckling to herself.

"He will not be able to sit comfortably for weeks," she explained to the baffled girl. "You did not think I would actually kill him, did you?"

Edith gaped at the queen, but her racing heart began to slow and the tension began to seep from her shoulders. Charles looked at her and laughed, earning himself a slap in the arm. Edith glared at him but she was relieved.

The duke reached out his hand and the queen slipped her fingers through his as they reclined back onto their pillows.

Charles laughed and slipped his arm around Edith. "Come on. They need to rest now."

The Alaeshans took the wounded doctor with them. He groaned the entire way to the airport, getting blood all over the seat as he shifted and flopped around, trying to find a position that did not aggravate his wound. The same guard was on duty and raised an eyebrow when he saw the doctor, but he ignored the man's pleas for help and waved the cars on through. On the plane, Boxy relented and threw the first aid kit at him, hoping he would shut up.

The flight back to the States was fairly quiet. Most of the Alaeshans slept. Boxy had given the doctor some extremely strong sleeping pills and he snored loudly in the back. Edith stared out the window, her mind playing over the events of the last several days. She was afraid. There was only one key still missing, the Seventh Key. And it was surrounded by Reformers. Charles had restrung her bow, but would it be enough? After the last two keys were retrieved, the bad guys would be ready for them. They knew the Alaeshans had to be coming, didn't they?

Edith felt a hand on hers and glanced over. Charles had his head against the back of the seat, looking at her. "All right, love?" He kept his voice quiet.

She sighed and leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

She shook her head. "Just everything that's happened. It's all been so crazy."

He nodded and pressed his lips to her hair. "Yeah, but it's almost over."

They were quiet for a few minutes.

"What will the next fight be like?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He tensed noticeably. "Hard. Dangerous." He tilted his head so his lips were by her ear. "I'm afraid, Edith. Very afraid."

She leaned back and looked up at him, her forehead creased with worry. She stroked his cheek with her thumb and kissed him.

He smiled. "I have to tell you something before..." He cut himself off, biting his lip.

"What is it?"

He placed a hand on her cheek. "Since you came into my life, Edith, things have been so different. Before, it was all about the keys. Keeping them safe, protecting your world, making sure nothing really bad happened."

She frowned a bit. "Some really bad things have happened in the past..."

"
Well
Wel
, yeah, but nothing
really
bad. It could be so much worse than you could ever imagine." He waved a hand. "Anyway, I wanted to say that you've made me rethink my priorities. All I want now is to be with you, to keep you safe, to..."

She stared at him expectantly, her heart beating so fast it made her chest hurt. She bit her lip, hoping against all hope.

"I love you, Edith. I know that's weird, considering we just met, but I do. I love you. I've never loved anyone like this before and it scares me, but I don't want to lose it. I don't want to lose you."

Color crept into her face and her heart thumped in her chest. "I love you, too," she whispered. He grinned and pressed his lips to hers.

"It's about damn time." Nach wobbled by with a drink in his hand and punched Charles on the shoulder.

Edith looked around the cabin. Boxy was watching them, a sly smirk on her face. Veth was feigning sleep, but she could see the grin beneath his beard as well. She blushed and hid her head in Charles chest, snuggling close to him, safe in his arms for the rest of the trip.

Chapter 21

They took two cars directly to the diner from the airport. No one seemed to notice nine people piling out of two big black vehicles in the middle of the street. As Edith started to climb out, Charles stepped in front of her. She sat back, looking up at him with narrowed eyes.

His lips were pressed tightly together and worry lined his face. He cupped her cheek in his hand and knelt down so he was face to face with her. "You can't come with us this time, Edith."

She stared at him, her lips moving but her brain refusing to tell them what words to form. "But, you said..." she started, unable to finish.

He nodded and leaned his forehead against hers. "I know. I planned on taking you with me everywhere, but it's just too dangerous now, love. I can't risk losing you. When you were on the floor in that house... I thought I could protect you better if you were with me, but I know that when we go after that last key, I just can't have you there. I need to know you're here, safe."

Indignant anger surged up from somewhere inside her. "And what if they attack again? What am I supposed to do? Maybe I should just give them the key." She crossed her arms and looked away, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.

He pulled her arms open and took her hands in his. "Come, now. . You're being silly."

She glared at him. "No, I'm not. This is outside of everything I've ever known. This is war!" But she really didn't want to be in another battle. Her heart raced just at the thought of it. She sighed. "I just don't want to lose you, Charles. I just found you. I can't lose you already.” She pursed her lips and her shoulders slumped with defeat. She slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

He gripped her tightly. "I know. I wish this was different. I wish we could just be together and not worry about anything else."

Edith sighed. "Where do you want me to go? Adam's?"

Charles shook his head, his hair tickling her ear. "No. Well, yes, sort of. I want you to go to Adam's and get Dana. Then I want you both to go home. We've assigned guards to you. You'll be safe, as safe as you can be, anyway. It's the best we can do right now."

A tear slipped from the corner of Edith's eye and trickled down the crease in her nose. "When will you come back?" she whispered. Her heart clenched at the thought of him never coming back.

"I promise I'll return as soon as this is all over. Once we have the keys, once the Reformers are dealt with, I'll be back." He pulled away a bit, taking her face in both of his hands. "Edith, I promise you, I will see you again. I will not abandon you."

Tears flowed unchecked down her face now and she sniffed. "What if something happens to you?"

He shook his head fiercely. "It won't. I'll be fine."

She frowned at him. "You can't know that. You can't be that certain that everything will work out the way you want it to."

He smiled and she could feel his love wash over her. "There is one thing that I know for certain, and it is that we will be together again somehow. Of that I have no doubt."

A throat cleared behind them. Veth was standing there with his arms crossed, tapping a big booted foot. "We don't have all day, you know." Despite his gruff demeanor, his eyes were soft and understanding.

Charles looked back at Edith and ran a thumb across her cheek. "Be safe," he whispered. "And wait for me." Then he kissed her once deeply and followed the others into the diner.

She sat in the back of the car, sobbing until she realized she still had the key. She raced toward the door. "Wait, miss!" The driver of the car called out after her, but she took off inside, bolting toward the stairs. They could not have gotten through without her help, she thought as she pounded down the steps. She saw no one as she neared the bottom. The door was closed. She frowned and stuck her key in the hole. Nothing happened. She tried to turn it, but it wouldn't budge. The door had shut her out, leaving her behind. She kicked it and screamed. Then she screamed again, loud and long.

When her throat began hurt, she stumbled back up the stairs. The driver was pacing by the car and looked up with relief as she walked out. He held the door for her and she climbed in, curling up in the fetal position on the back seat. He gave her a pitying look before slamming the door shut. She stared into space as the car drove slowly through the streets until it reached Adam's house.

Her door opened and the driver held out a hand. Reluctantly, she took it. He waited while she walked up the crumbling steps and knocked. She didn't ring the doorbell. She didn't want to be reminded of Ollie or his master. She didn't want to think about what could happen to either. The door opened. The short man on the other side squeaked and called for his guests. Mags and Dana raced outside, wrapping their arms around Edith in turns, tossing her back and forth as they both hugged her excessively.

"Edith, what's wrong?" Mags finally noticed the girl's mood. She looked around. "Where's Charles?"

Edith met the woman's worried gaze. "He went to get the last key. He told me to go home."

"Oh, I see." Mags's face relaxed a bit and she slipped an arm around Edith. "Why don't you come inside and have some tea?" She beckoned to the driver and he joined them after shutting off the car.

Edith numbly replayed the scene at the farmhouse for the group over steaming cups of tea. Dana, Mags and Adam were the perfect audience, gasping and cheering at the right moments, but Edith's heart wasn't in it. Her heart was far away with the man she loved, risking it all to save two worlds.

When the others were finally satisfied with the tale and realized they wouldn't be getting much else from her, Edith and Dana headed to the car. The driver was a very nice young man who had much respect for the Keepers and Alaeshans and flirted with Dana the entire way home. They dropped Edith off near the end of her road. She didn't want to be seen driving up to the ramshackle apartment building in a black sedan. She gave Dana a hug and promised to talk to her later.

As she trudged down the sidewalk, it all seemed so surreal. The world went on as usual, oblivious to all Edith had been through in the last few days. Old Lady Warfall wasn't on the step, and Edith felt a small pang of regret. She had been so mean to the woman. Would she ever get a chance to apologize?

Edith sighed when she reached her door. She didn't want to go in, but she knew she had no choice. She looked at the key. It was plain, dull, as unmagical as it could possibly be. She frowned and shoved it into the door, wiggling it in the lock. The door flew open. Her mother stood on the other side, eyes wide.

"Edith," she breathed. Her arms wobbled at her side as if she didn't know what to do with them. Finally she decided and threw them around her daughter, pulling her in for a hug. Edith returned it, enjoying the rare affection until her mother pushed her away and held her at arms length.

"Where have you been?" she scolded. Her face held a mixture of anger, fear, and love.

"I was hanging out with a friend." Edith mumbled her response and she knew that it sounded as unbelievable to her mother as it did to her.

"Edith, you've been gone over a month!"

A pile of papers caught Edith's eye. On the kitchen counter lay fliers with her face on them. An empty tissue box stuck out of the trash can.

"You wouldn't understand," Edith said as she pushed past her mother to move to the living room.

The woman stopped in the door and put her hands on her hips. Her face was hard. "Try me."

Edith snorted. "Now you pretend to be a real mother? Fine." she spat as she spun toward her mother. Her lip curled into a sneer. "I was in another world."

Her mother's face dropped and her hands dangled at her side. "You were in Alaesha?" she breathed. She walked over to the couch and sank onto it.

Edith's brow furrowed. "You... how do you..." Her mouth worked, trying to form a complete sentence. Her mother knew about Alaesha? How? Why? She sank down next to the woman she rarely got along with.

"Edith," her mother began. "You must tell me what happened."

For a moment, Edith considered refusing her mother's request, but she was so confused about her mother's apparent knowledge of the other world and she really wanted to tell someone what had happened. "Well, I found a key," she began and then found herself spilling the rest of her story before she could stop herself.

When she was finished, her mother gripped her hand. "Edith, there's something I need to tell you." The woman blinked and looked away. Her eyes were red with unshed tears. "I should have told you this so long ago," she whispered, almost to herself. "I had no right to keep you in the dark. I thought it would keep you safe." She inhaled and looked at Edith. "Your father was Alaeshan."

Edith froze. "What?" Her mind was blank. It wasn't even the last thing she expected her mother to say. It was nothing at all that she could have even pretended to expect.

Her mother nodded. "It's true. I met him when I was much younger. I know you hate that we move so much and that I'm not around, but it's for a good reason. Partly, it's to keep you safe. And part of it is because I'm working. I'm a liaison of sorts for the Alaeshans. I handle certain aspects of Alaeshan business that can't be handled by the Alaeshans themselves. There's a lot to it and I can't go into it, but that's why I make the choices I make."

Edith swallowed the lump in her throat. "And my father?"

"I met him on one of my trips to Alaesha. He was so wonderful. His name was Dornin Gathle. And I fell in love with him. He was my world." She smiled sadly. "When I got pregnant, we were both so happy. But bad things were starting to happen and he had to go on a trip. He was killed by the Reformers before you were born. He never got to see you. But he would have been so proud to see what you've become."

"The Gathle bow..." Edith breathed.

"Yes, that was your grandfather's bow. He created it and it reacts to his bloodline. Your bloodline."

"I... I don't know what to say."

Her mother squeezed her hand gently. "I know. It's almost unbelievable, but that's the truth."

"Does Charles know?"

"He does. I'm glad he gave me the opportunity to tell you."

"Is he a good man?"

Her mother smiled. "He is. He'll treat you well."

Edith yawned. "I'm a little tired," she said. "I think I'll head to bed."

Her mother nodded and stood. "Yes, you must be exhausted." She watched Edith walk to the door. "Edith," she called.

Edith turned back.

"I hope this will change things between us, now that everything is in the open."

Edith gave her mother a quick smile before shutting herself away in her bedroom. She collapsed on her bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.