Key of Knowledge
Page 87
“I cut my arm on some glass, breaking into the Peak, or the Watch, I should say. And my knee feels about the size of a watermelon. As scary and weird as the whole thing was, I have to admit, it was also very cool. I was . . .”
She trailed off, looking down in surprise at the knee that had throbbed until Rowena laid hands on it. “Wow, that feels good. Better than usual.”
“Maybe so, but I bet you can still use this.” Brad pushed a snifter into her hand. “I remembered where you keep the brandy,” he told her, then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “Welcome back, baby.”
“Good to be back.” She downed a swallow of brandy, then passed the snifter to Jordan. “There’s a lot to tell.”
“Would you prefer to stay here and rest, or are you feeling well enough to come to the Peak tonight and use the key?”
Dana studied Rowena as the woman stroked her fingers over her bruised cheek. “You’d wait?”
“The choice is yours. It always has been.”
“Well, I’m up for it.” She glanced at the clock, nearly goggled. “Nine? How can it be only nine o’clock? I feel like I was out for days.”
“Sixty-eight of the longest minutes of my life,” Flynn told her. “If you want to do this tonight, we’ll go with you.”
“I have to call the baby-sitter.” Zoe flushed as all heads turned toward her. “I know that sounds silly considering, but—”
“There’s nothing silly about making certain your child is safe and well tended.” Rowena rose. “Pitte and I will take the key, and wait for you.”
“If there’s a problem with the sitter,” Brad began, “I’ll go stay with Simon. You should be with the others for this.”
“Oh, well.” Flustered, she backed out of the room. “I’m sure Mrs. Hanson won’t mind staying a bit later. But thanks. I’ll just go call.”
“We’ll start up as soon as Zoe’s ready.” Dana turned back to look at Rowena, but she and Pitte were gone. “Man, they sure do poof in and poof out, don’t they?”
“They’d have saved us an hour’s driving time round-trip if they’d poofed us with them.” Jordan danced his fingers lightly over her cheek, down the column of her throat. The bruise and scrapes were gone. “You sure you’re up to this?”
“Not only up for it, raring. We’ll fill you guys in on everything when we get to the Peak. I’ll feel better once the key’s in the lock.”
IN the portrait room they were served good, rich coffee and small sugary cakes while Dana and Jordan took turns filling in those sixty-eight minutes.
“You were so smart,” Zoe commented. “I don’t know how you kept your head.”
“There were moments when I lost it. I’d get confused, or I’d get scared, or he’d change the plot on me. It helped a lot when I realized that Jordan was either there or manipulating things, too. Getting rid of that maze Kane had created, pointing me toward the right door, made a big difference.”
“I didn’t care for his editorial input.” Jordan took her hand, kissed it just above the ruby. “And, in this case, I decided the hero should take a more active role in the denouement.”
“No complaints here.”
“Do you think you killed him?” Malory wanted to know. “When you pushed him over the wall of the parapet?”
“No, I don’t think so. He went, you know.” Dana wagged a thumb toward Rowena and Pitte. “Poof.”
“But we hurt him,” Jordan put in. “And not just his pride. He felt it when I punched him, just like he felt it when Dana tried to rip his face off. He bled. If he can bleed, he can be killed.”
“Not completely.” Rings sparkled on Rowena’s hands as she poured more coffee. “Death is different for us, and some part of what we are remains. In the trees, in the stones, in the earth or the water or wind.”
“But he can be defeated,” Jordan insisted. “He can be . . . vanquished.”
“It could be done,” she said quietly. “Perhaps it will be.”
“He retreated.” Brad lifted his coffee cup. “He ran because he wasn’t prepared to take you both on at once.”
“He might’ve done us both in with that sword he pulled out of thin air. I think we owe Rowena for that one,” Dana said.
“He was not to shed mortal blood, not to take mortal life. It should never have been allowed. We don’t know why it has been, but since it has, we’ll do whatever we can to prevent him from doing so again.”
“At what cost to you?” Brad wondered.
“The responsibility is ours,” Pitte said simply. “As is the cost.”
“You may not get back now, isn’t that it?” He’d worked it out while trying to keep his mind off his own fears for his friends. “You broke your vow, so even if all three keys are found and used, even if the souls of the Daughters of Glass are freed, you may not be able to go back. You’ll be trapped here, in this dimension. Forever.”
“That’s not fair.” Seeing the truth of it on Rowena’s face, Zoe stood up. “That’s not justice. That’s not right.”
“Gods are not always just, and often far from fair.” Touched by Zoe’s defense, Rowena rose. “This was our choice. One might say our moment of truth. And now, will you finish yours?”
She held out a hand, offering the key to Dana.
Odd, Dana thought, that she was wobbly in the knees now. But she stood, walked to Rowena. “Whatever promise or rule you broke, you did it to save lives. If you’re punished for that, if that’s the way your world works, maybe you’re better off in ours.”
“There would be no lock if we had guarded them more closely. They are the innocents, Dana, and they suffer because I was weak.”
“How long do you have to pay for that?”
“As long as they do, and longer if that is the law. Take this and open the second lock. You’ll give them hope, and give it to me as well.”
Pitte lifted the glass box, dancing with blue lights, out of the chest. He placed the Box of Souls with great care on a table, then stood at one side, warrior-straight, while Rowena stood on the other.
Watching those lights, Dana felt her heart ache.
She trailed off, looking down in surprise at the knee that had throbbed until Rowena laid hands on it. “Wow, that feels good. Better than usual.”
“Maybe so, but I bet you can still use this.” Brad pushed a snifter into her hand. “I remembered where you keep the brandy,” he told her, then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “Welcome back, baby.”
“Good to be back.” She downed a swallow of brandy, then passed the snifter to Jordan. “There’s a lot to tell.”
“Would you prefer to stay here and rest, or are you feeling well enough to come to the Peak tonight and use the key?”
Dana studied Rowena as the woman stroked her fingers over her bruised cheek. “You’d wait?”
“The choice is yours. It always has been.”
“Well, I’m up for it.” She glanced at the clock, nearly goggled. “Nine? How can it be only nine o’clock? I feel like I was out for days.”
“Sixty-eight of the longest minutes of my life,” Flynn told her. “If you want to do this tonight, we’ll go with you.”
“I have to call the baby-sitter.” Zoe flushed as all heads turned toward her. “I know that sounds silly considering, but—”
“There’s nothing silly about making certain your child is safe and well tended.” Rowena rose. “Pitte and I will take the key, and wait for you.”
“If there’s a problem with the sitter,” Brad began, “I’ll go stay with Simon. You should be with the others for this.”
“Oh, well.” Flustered, she backed out of the room. “I’m sure Mrs. Hanson won’t mind staying a bit later. But thanks. I’ll just go call.”
“We’ll start up as soon as Zoe’s ready.” Dana turned back to look at Rowena, but she and Pitte were gone. “Man, they sure do poof in and poof out, don’t they?”
“They’d have saved us an hour’s driving time round-trip if they’d poofed us with them.” Jordan danced his fingers lightly over her cheek, down the column of her throat. The bruise and scrapes were gone. “You sure you’re up to this?”
“Not only up for it, raring. We’ll fill you guys in on everything when we get to the Peak. I’ll feel better once the key’s in the lock.”
IN the portrait room they were served good, rich coffee and small sugary cakes while Dana and Jordan took turns filling in those sixty-eight minutes.
“You were so smart,” Zoe commented. “I don’t know how you kept your head.”
“There were moments when I lost it. I’d get confused, or I’d get scared, or he’d change the plot on me. It helped a lot when I realized that Jordan was either there or manipulating things, too. Getting rid of that maze Kane had created, pointing me toward the right door, made a big difference.”
“I didn’t care for his editorial input.” Jordan took her hand, kissed it just above the ruby. “And, in this case, I decided the hero should take a more active role in the denouement.”
“No complaints here.”
“Do you think you killed him?” Malory wanted to know. “When you pushed him over the wall of the parapet?”
“No, I don’t think so. He went, you know.” Dana wagged a thumb toward Rowena and Pitte. “Poof.”
“But we hurt him,” Jordan put in. “And not just his pride. He felt it when I punched him, just like he felt it when Dana tried to rip his face off. He bled. If he can bleed, he can be killed.”
“Not completely.” Rings sparkled on Rowena’s hands as she poured more coffee. “Death is different for us, and some part of what we are remains. In the trees, in the stones, in the earth or the water or wind.”
“But he can be defeated,” Jordan insisted. “He can be . . . vanquished.”
“It could be done,” she said quietly. “Perhaps it will be.”
“He retreated.” Brad lifted his coffee cup. “He ran because he wasn’t prepared to take you both on at once.”
“He might’ve done us both in with that sword he pulled out of thin air. I think we owe Rowena for that one,” Dana said.
“He was not to shed mortal blood, not to take mortal life. It should never have been allowed. We don’t know why it has been, but since it has, we’ll do whatever we can to prevent him from doing so again.”
“At what cost to you?” Brad wondered.
“The responsibility is ours,” Pitte said simply. “As is the cost.”
“You may not get back now, isn’t that it?” He’d worked it out while trying to keep his mind off his own fears for his friends. “You broke your vow, so even if all three keys are found and used, even if the souls of the Daughters of Glass are freed, you may not be able to go back. You’ll be trapped here, in this dimension. Forever.”
“That’s not fair.” Seeing the truth of it on Rowena’s face, Zoe stood up. “That’s not justice. That’s not right.”
“Gods are not always just, and often far from fair.” Touched by Zoe’s defense, Rowena rose. “This was our choice. One might say our moment of truth. And now, will you finish yours?”
She held out a hand, offering the key to Dana.
Odd, Dana thought, that she was wobbly in the knees now. But she stood, walked to Rowena. “Whatever promise or rule you broke, you did it to save lives. If you’re punished for that, if that’s the way your world works, maybe you’re better off in ours.”
“There would be no lock if we had guarded them more closely. They are the innocents, Dana, and they suffer because I was weak.”
“How long do you have to pay for that?”
“As long as they do, and longer if that is the law. Take this and open the second lock. You’ll give them hope, and give it to me as well.”
Pitte lifted the glass box, dancing with blue lights, out of the chest. He placed the Box of Souls with great care on a table, then stood at one side, warrior-straight, while Rowena stood on the other.
Watching those lights, Dana felt her heart ache.
