David Baldacci - The Keeper

“Who the Hel is that?” Lackland and Petra exclaimed together.

“Seamus the hob,” Delph answered. “We know the bloke.”

The truth struck me. I said, “Astrea’s been following us in the Seer-See, hasn’t she?”

“Well, of course she has,” said Seamus, as though that was the most obvious fact ever uttered. He hopped off the fallen tree and walked toward us.

“You made good use of the Finn.” Seamus scratched Harry Two behind the ears. “Canines are immune to the depression, you know.”

“Astrea sent you here?”

“Yes, but not to interfere. If you perished, I was instructed to give you proper burials in the Wolvercote Cemetery.”

“Well, that was ruddy nice of her,” I said sarcastically. I drew a deep breath. “How is Archie?”

“He no longer remembers anything about you.”

I looked at him curiously, taking in the new clothes. “You seem different.”

His eyes twinkled. “Hobs are actually quite a formal lot. But we are also quite good at playing other roles when circumstances require it.” He bent over and added in a croaky voice, “Seamus is a good hob he is, dearie, dearie.” This made me smile in spite of myself.

“Does this mean we’re at the end of the Second Circle?” asked Delph anxiously.

“I think you can presume that, yes,” said Seamus, eyeing Lackland curiously. “The Third Circle commences just beyond that rise in the dirt.” He added in an admonitory tone, “But the Third Circle, as you well know, has its own unique challenges.” He smoothed down his clothes and tipped his top hat. “And now it is time for me to depart. I doubt you will see me again. I wish you luck.”

“Wait, I have more questions,” I began.

But right before our eyes, Seamus vanished.

We picked up our tucks, and with our spirits greatly improved, we made good pace. We soon cleared the trees at the spot Seamus had indicated.

Then we all stopped. We had to, just to take it all in.

“Blimey,” exclaimed Lackland.

Blimey indeed , I thought.

If we were tired of trees, we had come to the right place, because there wasn’t a single one ahead of us. It was as flat and open as any piece of land I had ever seen in my life. In the distance was a huge block of what looked to be granite, miles wide and a mile high. But except for that, the land just stretched on past the horizon, flat.

And bright.

The forest had let in no light.

This place seemed incapable of leaving any out.

It had been cool though foreboding among the trees.

Here it was hot and glaring, the air seemingly seared with the heat from above. We had been used to the darkness for so long that all of us put a hand to our eyes to shield them from the harsh light.

I looked at the others. “I guess we best get a move on.”

I went first, with Harry Two at my side, Lackland and Petra following and Delph bringing up the rear. We had gone barely a mile when I took off my cloak and then my overshirt. The others did the same as the heat continued to build. Then I rolled up my trouser legs. My boots felt like blazing rocks around my feet.

On we trudged, mile after mile, as it became hotter and hotter. We stopped for water, but as soon as we finished our fill and started to walk again, we sweated it away. Harry Two was panting so hard I thought he might pass out.

Delph came up next to me after we had trudged what I calculated to be twenty miles. In a low voice he said, “Do you see that rocky outcrop over there?”

I nodded.

“Well, it’s as far away as when we started walking, Vega Jane.”

I stared at the thing and realized that he was exactly right.

I looked up to the sky and got another shock.

Though we had been walking for a long time and the light should have been well turning to night, the sun was in the same position it had been when we first stepped into the Third Circle.

“Delph, the sun.”

He nodded. “I know.”

I thought back to what Astrea had told us about this place.

A vast, flat expanse that stretches seemingly forever .

Forever. I shuddered. Maybe her meaning had been quite literal. And what did that bode for us?

After more trekking, we stopped and set up camp. If anything, it was even hotter. I looked up at the sun and then down at our little campsite.

I raised my wand directly over the camp and said, “ Embattlemento. ”

The large shield spell rose from my wand and hovered in the air over where we would be sleeping. It suddenly grew darker under the shield, and the air became much cooler.

“Thank you!” exclaimed Lackland as he rubbed the sweat off his face and let the cool air wash over him. Then he collapsed onto his back and just lay there.

Later, we made our meal, and sat around cross-legged on the ground. What worried me the most of course was what Delph had already observed: We weren’t getting anywhere. If Lackland and Petra hadn’t realized this yet, they soon would.

Delph took the first watch while the three of us slept. Well, Lackland and Petra slept. I tried for a long time but then gave it up as a bad job. I took out the parchment and summoned Silenus. We looked at each other over the span of several inches.

“You live,” he said in mild surprise.

“I live,” I said. “Barely. We’re now in the Third Circle.”

He nodded benignly. “I am glad.”

I cocked my head. “Why? You’re a remnant. I wouldn’t think a remnant would have emotions.”

“Well, very clearly, you do not know everything,” he said in an even tone.

I refocused on the matter at hand. “Do you mind if I show you to a friend of mine?”

“Is he a good friend?”

“He’s my best friend.”

Silenus nodded and I carried the parchment over to where Delph was keeping watch, sat down next to him and introduced him to Silenus. It took Delph a bit of time to get comfortable with seeing the face on the parchment, but he finally settled down after a few “Cor Blimeys!”

I said, “We have a problem, Silenus.”

“Just the one? I’m positively astonished.”

“We walked for most of the light, but the sun remains overhead bright and hot. I used a shield spell to give us some relief from it.”

“Very smart of you, Vega Jane.”

Delph added, “The thing is, we walked all that way and didn’t go anywhere. It’s like we’re not even moving.”

Silenus nodded. “I can see that that would be a problem.”

“You can say that again,” interjected Delph.

I said, “Astrea told me that the Quag moves. I mean, it really doesn’t. It’s just a hallucination spell.” I suddenly blurted out, “ Transdesa hypnotica .”

“Pardon?” said Silenus.

“It’s the incantation that makes the Quag appear to be moving. But it’s really not. It’s all in our heads. Astrea told me about it.” In a rush of panic I realized something else. She had never told me how to counter it. How could she have forgotten to do that? How could I have forgotten to ask her?

Then something else occurred to me. I looked wildly around.

I couldn’t see the mountains in the distance. Nor the ridges, nor anything else that Delph and I had seen before.

I looked back at Silenus.

“Bit of a pickle, eh?” he noted imperturbably.

“Yeah, a bit,” I mumbled, my spirits falling out through the bottoms of my boots. I stared down at my wand. “But I’ve got a wand.”

“Quite so. Then you know the reverse incantation?” asked Silenus.

“No, I bloody well don’t,” I admitted miserably.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Astrea never said.”

Delph spoke up. “But, Vega Jane, Astrea never told you how to summon this bloke Silenus. And remember when you knocked us all silly back at her cottage? You done that all on your own, eh?”