David Baldacci - The Keeper

I passed cautiously by the statue, part of me sure that it would suddenly come to life and attack me, but it didn’t. Farther on was a pair of huge doors carved with the same malignant images that I had seen on the pews.

I drew a breath, pointed my wand and said, “ Ingressio .” I knew that just beyond this portal, there would be those who would try and part me from my soul.

I knew it would be bad. Only I didn’t know how bad.

The doors swung inward and we drew forward. I had achieved good results from not second-guessing myself and stepping boldly into a situation. Unpredictability can be a good thing when dealing with heinous, evil incarnates, I’d found.

So I stepped boldly into the room.

And screamed.

Delph, Petra and Lackland were immersed in three separate pools. The water was not clear, however, but foul, dark and bubbly, and there seemed to be things floating in their depths. Only my friends’ heads were visible and their eyes were closed. And while I stood there, they were turning more and more transparent. At the edge of each of the pools were robed and hooded figures who stirred the waters with long, slender silver rods. Yet as I drew closer I could see that the rods were actually clear and that the silver color was coming from the waters, like ink being swept up into an ink stick.

Their souls were being taken! This was the other way of stealing souls that Jasper had told me about.

My screams had alerted the robed figures. They all turned, dropped their hoods and revealed their hideously scarred and charred faces. As I turned to the right I saw another pool that was empty. I ventured that was meant to be mine.

Before I could move, a half dozen of them flew at me, leaping through the air with a speed and agility that was dazzling. Harry Two, though, was not nearly as slow as I was. He met one of them head-on and I saw his lethal jaws clamp around the fiend’s neck, and it went limp as my canine bit down. I raised my wand but was knocked backward by two of the Soul Takers smashing into me. Their clawed hands were immediately at my throat, ripping and cutting into me.

“ Impacto! ”

They blasted off me, flew across the room and careened into two of their fiendish brethren who were charging at me. They all fell into the pool containing Lackland.

Four more were at my side in a thrice. Harry Two launched at another and toppled him, tearing at the creature’s throat.

“ Jagada, ” I cried out, spinning around, and two of them immediately collapsed with cuts all over their bodies.

I didn’t wait for the fourth to launch itself at me. Pointing my wand at it, I simply said, “ Rigamorte .”

He fell dead at my feet.

I pointed my wand at Delph and said, “ Rejoinda, Delph .”

He flew from the waters and soared across the room, crashing into two other Soul Takers who had rushed into the room, knocking them out.

I grabbed at his arm. “Delph, Delph, wake up. Wake up, please!”

I heard Harry Two whine and I whipped around and shouted, “ Engulfiado .”

The powerful torrent of water hit a pair of Soul Takers — who were dragging Harry Two across the room — with such force that it smashed them into the stone and killed them.

“Delph, please. Rejoinda, Petra.”

Petra soared out of the waters as another pair of fiends attacked me with the long rods they had been using in the pools. One of the rods collided with my face and I felt blood spurt from my nose and cheek. “ Embattlemento .”

The rods shattered against the shield and suddenly Delph and Petra awoke.

“What the—” began Delph.

Petra slowly rose, gazing around, taking it all in, and then looked at me. Lackland was sinking deeper into the depths of his pool. The Soul Taker there had not left to attack me. He was still swirling the rod in the water. Lackland was nearly out of sight. His soul nearly separated.

From another doorway a dozen Soul Takers emerged, all armed with weapons, and charged us.

I looked at Petra. Our gazes locked for an instant, but in that short time, much was communicated. Her look was pleading. She knew I had taken her wand. She knew. Part of me didn’t want to, but the other part of me realized it was the only way. I fished in my pocket, found her wand, pulled it free and tossed it to her. She gripped it and turned to face the regiment of demons coming at us. I did likewise, raising my wand and shouting, “ Impacto .”

A moment later, Petra screamed the same incantation.

The combined spells produced a force of unparalleled power.

The Soul Takers were not merely blown off their feet.

They were disintegrated.

I turned to look at Petra and smiled. She returned it weakly.

Then she was hurled off her feet and back into her pool, where she immediately was pulled under.

Next I was being thrown through the air and landed in the fourth pool. And under I went as well. I opened my eyes and though the water was dark and foul, I found I could see clearly enough. That was not a good thing.

I knew who was facing me.

Bezil. The bloke from the statue. His cloak was bloodred and there was a heavy chain around his neck with a metal disc at the end of it. The symbol engraved on the disc was that of the body torn in half that was on top of his bloody temple. Now I knew it represented the separation of the soul from the body.

He held a knife in each hand, his expression murderous. I had lost my wand and was looking desperately in the water for it. Suddenly, a hand shot down into the pool, grabbed Bezil by the chain and wrenched him completely out of the water.

I found my wand and used Destin to soar upward and back into the room, coughing and sputtering as I flew.

It was quite a sight to behold.

Delph was slamming his fist into the side of Bezil’s head. But Bezil was far more powerful than he looked. He lashed out at Delph and knocked him heels over arse.

I aimed my wand at Bezil but never got the spell off. Two Soul Takers attacked me. As I fought them, I tried to keep Delph and Bezil in sight. They were having a titanic struggle, tossing each other across the room, raining blow after blow on the other.

As I fought off my remaining Soul Taker, Delph ripped one of Bezil’s knives free and slashed him with it. The demon sprang back as green blood surged from the wound. Delph did not wait a moment before pressing his attack. He was on Bezil like a garm on prey. Two enormous punches to the head, which I seemed to feel from across the room, and the bloke’s eyes closed and his head went limp. Delph picked him up and tossed him back into the pool of water, where he quickly sank.

“Yes, Delph!” I screamed in joy.

He looked at me, battered but grinning as I finished off the last Soul Taker.

Petra had gotten Lackland out of the pool and also smashed the rod that had been used to suck out his soul. Though he was staggering around and gagging, he looked otherwise unharmed.

We’ve won, I thought. Until I saw Delph.

“Uh, Vega Jane?” said Delph.

I looked at where he was staring.

Bezil had soared free of the pool. He was standing near a foul image on the stone wall. He raised his hands and spoke a stream of words. A moment later, the wall opened and out marched a hundred Soul Takers, with swords, lances, axes and knives, and bloodlust in their eyes.

There was no way we could beat them all, even with two wands.

“Harry Two,” I cried out, and patted my chest.

My canine leapt into his harness and I secured him. “Take my hand, Delph. Lackland, take Delph’s hand. Petra, Lackland’s.”

We were all linked together now, with Petra and me at the ends of the chain, our wand hands free. We would need them.