David Baldacci - The Keeper

“There’s four of us,” added Lackland forcefully. “Better we all fight.”

Harry Two immediately let out a bark.

Lackland looked down at him and said with an amused expression, “All right, five, then.”

“I’ve got a wand,” I pointed out.

“And I’ve got me sword,” countered Lackland.

“And me my crossbow,” added Petra.

Delph hefted the ax and said, “And in a dark cave, you need someone good with directions and that’s me.”

I started to protest, but looking at their faces, I knew it would do no good. I would have to knock them all unconscious to keep them out of the blasted cave. And then another emotion hit me: gratitude. They were willing to risk their lives to help me do this. I should appreciate that, and I bloody well did.

“Okay, but when we run into these alectos, don’t forget what Micha said.” We headed to the cave.

“ Illumina. ” The inside of the cave instantly became lighted and I went first, looking in all directions for evil creatures with vipers for hair and blood for eyes.

“Stay close,” I said over my shoulder. “And stay ready.”

“What does this Finn thing look like?” Delph whispered. Still, it sounded like he had shouted as his words echoed through the confined space.

“I don’t know. Micha didn’t say. But I assume it will be pretty obvious what these alectos are guarding when we get—”

I couldn’t finish because we were tumbling downward; the once level floor had now become sharply angled. I hit something hard and stopped. Then the others crashed into me. We lay there for a few moments in a mass of arms, legs and torsos.

And then we heard it. I leapt up, my wand in hand.

The others scrambled to recover their weapons.

“ Illumina ,” I said again. When I saw what was there, my lungs seized.

A dozen figures surrounded us. They were all clad in black rags. But I didn’t really focus on that because of the swaying serpents astride their heads. And, as Micha had said, the creatures’ eyes were dripping blood.

Over their shoulders in a small niche in the rock wall, illuminated by a light source not readily apparent, was a tiny wooden peg with a loop of twine wound around it. The twine was knotted in places.

Was that the Finn? I wondered. The thing we had risked our lives coming down here for? A peg and string! For the love of Steeples. Had Micha deliberately led us on a fool’s errand to our doom?

“Vega Jane!” cried out Delph.

I came around in time to see an alecto launch at me. At the very last moment, I remembered Micha’s words of caution.

Don’t look at the serpents. Look at the alecto’s eyes.

“Impacto!” I cried, making the motion with my wand.

The alecto that had nearly reached me was thrown backward against the wall, where it slumped to the ground, its serpents dangling limply.

I turned in time to see Delph swing his ax and behead another alecto that had attacked him.

Petra fired an arrow into the chest of another. It fell dead at her feet.

Lackland swung his sword with surprising skill, taking out two more alectos with deft thrusts into their torsos.

“Delph, no!”

It was Petra screaming.

I whipped around, even though I had two alectos bearing down on me, to find Delph — his eyes full on the swaying serpents perched on another alecto’s head — raise his ax with the clear intent of plunging it against himself.

“ Lassado! ” I exclaimed. A rope shot from the end of my wand, spun around the ax handle, and I gave a tremendous pull. I ripped the ax from Delph’s hand and guided it smack against the neck of the alecto that had duped him.

The head of serpents fell neatly to the ground.

Then I felt the impact with my shoulder, turned and saw the serpent prepare for another strike against me.

An arrow hit the alecto square in the face and dropped it dead.

I flashed Petra a grateful look and then checked where the serpent had bitten into me. It had struck the leather harness, but fortunately its fangs had not penetrated my skin.

I spun around and leapt over three alectos who were at that moment charging me. As I somersaulted over them, I aimed my wand at their backs and said three times, “ Severus .”

Their torsos separated from their legs and they all fell dead.

I looked around for something else to attack but found that the others had finished off the remaining alectos.

I ran to the niche and cautiously looked at the Finn. It glowed brightly under the light. Delph joined me and said, “You figger that’s it?”

“Has to be.”

I reached up and gripped the thing, half expecting something bad to happen to me. But nothing did.

I grinned at Delph. “We did it.”

“Vega!” screamed Petra.

I turned around. A section of wall had opened up. And charging through it were at least a hundred alectos.

Delph yelled, “We’re goners!”

I gaped. I had no idea what to do. I looked at the Finn. My hand was trembling so badly that I nearly dropped it.

Petra raced over and snatched the Finn from me. She undid one of the knots.

The next moment, I was hit by a force of wind so powerful that it lifted me off my feet and knocked the senses clean out of me. I closed my eyes and saw nothing but a swirl of darkness.

I thought I must be dead. Because this must be what death looks like.

Nothing.

“Vega Jane? Vega Jane?”

I heard my name and slowly opened my eyes.

I had expected to see the darkness of the cave or the black of death, but I saw neither. Instead I saw light.

I looked up at Delph, who hovered over me with such a look of fear that my heart went out to him. I gripped his hand.

“I’m okay, Delph.”

I sat up and looked around.

Petra was tending to Lackland, who had a gash on his head.

Then I saw with a rush of fear that Harry Two was covered in blood.

“Harry Two!” I cried out and tried to jump up.

“ ’Tis okay, Vega Jane,” said Delph, pushing me back down.

“It’s not okay. He’s covered in blood.”

“Used the Stone on him. He’s fine. His chest got caught on some rock when we got blown from that place. But he’s all healed up.” He looked over at Petra and Lackland. “Tried to use the Stone on him, but Pet wouldn’t let me. Don’t trust it, I guess.”

I rose gingerly. “How did we get out of that place?”

In answer, Delph held up the Finn and handed it to me. I could see that the twine was once more tightly looped around the peg, but the first knot was still undone.

“I ’spect it has something to do with this.”

I looked down at the Finn and thought back. “The wind that blew us out of there and saved our lives. It came from this?” Then I remembered something else. I stared over at Petra.

“You undid the knot and that caused the wind. How did you know to do that?”

She looked at each of us nervously. “I don’t know. I was just fumbling with it. To make it do something. I was just lucky.”

I glanced at Delph. He was nodding. “Right glad you did, or else we’d be dead.”

Lackland too was nodding and grinning. “Pet keeps her head when things get rough, I know that.”

But I wasn’t smiling. I didn’t believe her. Even if Delph and Lackland hadn’t seen it, I had. Petra wasn’t “fumbling” with the Finn. She knew exactly what she was doing. But how? I was still staring at her when she glanced at me. She could easily read the suspicion in my eyes. And I didn’t care if she did. Because I was suspicious.

“Yeah... lucky,” I said slowly, before putting the Finn away in my cloak pocket.