David Baldacci - The Keeper

Luc grunted once. Harry Two gave a bark in reply. Apparently satisfied that we understood, Luc turned and walked through the passageway. We hurried after the creature with grass for skin and grunts for words.

Delph whispered, “Are you sure ’bout all this?”

“I’m sure of nothing, Delph. Absolutely nothing.”

I had never spoken truer words.

We were led to a chamber that was cold and filled with shadows that seemed to flicker and move about. There was one torch on the wall and a lit candle on a wooden box next to a hard pallet on which lay a blanket and a pillow.

I looked at Delph, who stood in the doorway.

“Is it just the one, then, for the both of us?” he said, eyeing me nervously.

When I shot him a glance, I had to hide a smile because his face turned scarlet and the big Wug quickly glanced away.

Males.

However, Luc was already pulling on his arm and pointing farther down the passage and grunting quite madly.

“Guess not,” I said with a tiny wave. “Suppose these are just my digs.”

I thought I saw Delph let out a sigh of relief, which I wasn’t quite happy about for some reason.

He said, “Look, anything comes up, just give a holler. I’ll be here faster than... well, pretty bloody fast, I can tell you that,” said Delph, somewhat anticlimactically.

“Brilliant, you do the same,” I said, feeling uneasy even as I said the words.

Delph disappeared with Luc, and Harry Two came over and settled down next to the wooden pallet. I dropped my tuck in the corner, sat on the rude bed and took off my cloak. Underneath was my chain, which I would not be taking off. In the pocket of my cloak was the Adder Stone, which healed pretty much anything. Along with the Stone was the glove. My shrunken Elemental was in my other pocket.

I pulled from my cloak the ring Thansius had sent me before I escaped into the Quag. It had belonged to my grandfather. It had been found at Quentin Herms’s cottage. I was told my grandfather had suffered an Event, which basically meant that one vanished into, well, nothing. But that had been a lie. I had learned that my grandfather had left Wormwood of his own accord.

On the ring was the symbol of the three hooks. I had no idea what it meant. I thought I might find out in the Quag. I thought I might learn a lot in the Quag. If the place didn’t kill me first.

I lay back on the bed and held the ring up to the flickering candle. The hooks glistened and glowed in the soft, bluish light. My grandfather had the very same symbol on the back of his hand. I had also seen this exact same ring on the finger of the dying female warrior who had given me the Elemental.

I put the ring on. It was too large for any of my fingers except my thumb, where it rode snugly. As I looked at it on me, I couldn’t help but think that I had just made some sort of unconscious decision committing me to something.

I felt my eyes close, the rise and fall of my chest started to slow and I collapsed into a deep sleep. But right before I completely drifted off, I could hear Harry Two’s contented snores as he lay beside me on the floor.

My dreams were not pleasant ones. In every crevice of my mind, I seemed to encounter danger. Time passed and I slept on. When I finally awoke, I started to rise, but something held me back. I opened my eyes. And gasped.

I was in a cage!

I sat up and looked around. Delph was lying next to me, still asleep. What had been keeping me from rising was Harry Two. His paw was still protectively on my shoulder. The bars of the cage were stark white. As I drew closer to them, I could see why. They were made of bones.

I instantly drew back when I heard a laugh, a familiar one.

I looked to the right and there sat Thorne on a huge chair carved from still more bones. And all around the cage were ekos bearing weapons.

He pointed at the cage bars. “As you can see, we do make use of our little, uh, trophies here in the Kingdom of Cataphile.”

With a thrill of horror, I saw four items resting on a slab of rock next to his seat. Destin, my chain, the Adder Stone, my grandfather’s ring and the glove I had to use when holding the Elemental. I touched my cloak and felt the small outline of the shrunken Elemental still in my pocket. They must not have noticed it or else thought it of no importance.

I spoke loudly. “Why are we in here? And why did you take my things?”

This roused Delph, who slowly sat up and then leapt to his feet.

“What the—” he began, but I shushed him and then turned back to Thorne.

“Why are you doing this to fellow Wugmorts?”

Thorne pointed in turn to the Adder Stone, the chain, the ring and the glove.

“What are these things, Vega Jane? I would dearly like to know.”

“Why?”

“Well, how else can I make use of them?”

“You’re not to make use of them. They’re mine,” I said heatedly. I felt woozy in the head and I suddenly knew why. “You put something in our water to make us fall asleep,” I said accusingly.

He picked up the ring. “I have seen this before. On your grandfather’s finger.”

I grabbed the bars of bones and shook them. “Let us out of here! Now!”

“You are in no position to make demands, my silly little female.”

“I’m not silly and I’m definitely not little,” I shot back.

“To me, you’re nearly invisible, so insignificant are you.”

“Well, then I guess you don’t need me to tell you what they are, if I’m so bloody insignificant.”

He stood up and strolled over to the cage, stopping a foot away, and smiled maliciously.

“You must think things through a little better.”

He pointed at Luc, who held a bow with an arrow perched on the string.

He grunted and Luc came forward.

Thorne said, “I just ordered Luc to kill the canine.”

“No!” I screamed and immediately thrust myself between Luc and Harry Two as Luc began to take aim.

“Move out of the way, Vega, it’s only a blasted canine,” said Thorne.

“He’s my canine and I’m not moving. So you can just go to Hel!”

He grunted again and four more ekos came forward with their bows and surrounded the cage. They all took aim at Harry Two. I couldn’t be in four different places at once, so I ended up covering him entirely with my body.

“Vega Jane!” shouted Delph, and he put his big body over both of us.

Thorne drew closer to the bones, a dangerous smile playing over his lips. “There is a mile-long drop from a cliff when entering the Quag to get to my kingdom. How did you manage it?”

My glance betrayed me. I looked past him, to the objects he’d taken.

“I see,” he said. “Now, which one?” When I didn’t answer, he pointed at Luc while keeping his gaze directly upon me. “One grunt from me, Vega, and Delph is no more. I will add his bones to your cage. With his size, they’ll fill all the bloody gaps. Now, which one?”

“Vega Jane, don’t,” shouted Delph.

Thinking quickly, and already having sized up Thorne as vain and arrogant, I said, “I’m sure your secrets are far more amazing than my pitiful ones.”

Thorne appraised me for about a sliver. “You know, I think you’ve hit on something there. I actually think it appropriate to show you how my mind works. Then you will understand that it is futile to resist me.”

He grunted in rapid succession and the ekos sprang into action.

The bone cage was opened, and with pokes and prods from swords and spears, we were herded out of it.

Delph grew close to me and whispered, “He’s a mad ’un, Vega Jane.”

“I know he is.”

“We got to get out of here.”