The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) (7 page)

"I don't think he has guests very often." Dana plopped down onto one of the beds and started to take off her shoes. "My feet are killing me. I picked a bad day to wear new shoes." She poked at a couple of blisters that had formed under the patent leather straps and winced.

Edith looked around the room. It was simple, yet elegant, and by her standards, quite large. Two full size beds sat side by side along one wall with a night stand in between. A large ornate mahogany armoire stood along another wall, in addition to a worn captain's desk with swirling leaves carved along its outer edge. She opened the armoire first, enjoying the cool feel of the bronze handles against her skin. A crackled mirror was tacked to one door but it was empty otherwise. In the desk she found plenty of stationary, all very stylish and likely expensive. In one drawer she even found a quill and ink sitting alongside more modern pens.

She caught Dana watching her as she shuffled through the contents of the desk and closed the drawer quickly. Dana laughed. "Don't worry. Charles is smart. There won't be anything in here that he doesn't want us to see. Now, which one of these doors is the bathroom. I'm about to explode."

Dana stood up, a little wobbly at first on her wounded feet, and paused in front of two indiscriminate doors along the wall opposite the bed. She opened the right one first, finding an empty walk-in closet. She stepped inside and spun around, a glow on her face. "Look at this, Edith! It's huge." Shelves upon shelves and hangers galore, perfect for a wanna-be princess like Dana.

Edith smiled at her frenemy. "Maybe Mags will give us something to put in it."

"Oh, I hope so. This is great."

Dana shut the door behind her and opened the other. The bathroom wasn't quite as magnificent as the massive closet--by her standards, anyway--but it was impressive, nonetheless. After allowing Dana a few minutes of privacy, Edith went to inspect it. A large claw-footed tub that could easy hold a full-grown cow stood in the center of the marbled floor. In one corner was a standing shower with massage jets. Two large, free-standing sinks with gold trim sat beneath gilded mirrors that stretched to the ceiling.

Edith stepped in front of a mirror. At first she didn't recognize the face staring back at her. After all the running, her hair was a mess and her face was covered in dirt from the tunnel. She groaned and dug through the cabinet behind the door. Luckily it had been stocked with mint-scented soap, thick green towels, and other toiletries. She grabbed the tools she'd need and turned on the water. It warmed up quickly and she sighed with delight as she felt the grime of the day's craziness flow from her skin. She was in the middle of her makeshift bath when a bell chimed in the room.

Chapter 7

Edith emerged from the bathroom still wiping her face dry with a towel. Dana was standing just inside the doorway, chatting amiably with a middle-aged woman who reminded her a bit of a shorter, chubbier Michelle Pfeiffer. The woman beamed when she saw the girl and crossed the distance between them quickly, wrapping the confused Edith into a bear hug.

"I am oh-so-glad you made it here in one piece, darling. Charles told me all about the trying time you've had. I hope you are no worse for the wear. Let me look at you."

She pushed Edith back to arms' length, keeping a firm grip on her shoulders as she studied the girl closely from top to bottom, tutting and shaking her head the entire time. "I've always told my brother he's too hard on his Keepers. Just look at the sight of you. You poor things." She shifted her concerned gaze between the teenagers. "Well, you're here now. I'll look after you and you'll be right as rain in no time at all. Now let me just see what size you are..."

Her voice trailed off as she pulled a tape measure from the pocket of the lavender apron she was wearing. Large green letters on the front asked the girls to “kiss the chef.” Grabbing Edith's hand, the woman pulled the girl's arm out straight. Mumbling to herself all the while, she measured every possible inch of both girls. More than one look of confused amusement passed between the displaced humans and Edith couldn't help but feel a surreal sense of dreaming. She also felt a real bond forming with Dana, something she found unsettling.

"There, that's done," the woman said as she stuffed the tape measure back into her pocket and dropped Dana's leg. "But we must do something about those feet. I simply can't believe that Charles would drag you all over in those shoes. Men, I tell you. They know nothing about women." She shook her head, an annoyed look burrowing into the crows' feet that were already evident at the corners of her eyes.

"To be fair, I don't think that was his intention to begin with." Dana's upbeat attitude disappeared quickly as she sank onto one of the beds. "If I hadn't lost the key..."

The woman scoffed. "You're not the first to lose a key, my darling. And don't let Charles tell you otherwise. I'm sure he told you about Genghis Khan and World War II, but it's happened other times, too. It just usually happens during a time of peace so it's not a big deal as long as the key is recovered quickly. This war has everyone on edge, including my dear brother."

Edith started. "You're Mags?"

The lady nodded smartly. "Indeed. Magdalene is my full name, but everyone calls me Mags."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize. You and Charles look nothing alike."

The woman smiled. "Ah, no. No, we don't. Some siblings like to keep a family resemblance when they're in their human form, but we find it's more beneficial to seem unrelated. Charles tends to be a bit brash, and I'm more of a motherly type, you know. So after he's run someone ragged and forced them to put up their defenses, it's much easier for me to calm them down if they don't know I'm his older sister. Everyone is more willing to open up to the kindly maid, don't you know?" She winked at Edith, her toothy grin glowing white on her tanned face.

"That makes sense," Edith conceded. "I already like you better."

Mags chuckled, tossing her head back and placing a hand on her stomach. It reminded Edith very much of Santa Clause.

"Are you lovely ladies hungry? I bet you're starved. Let me grab some vittles for you and then I'll work on clothing." She pursed her lips for a moment, frowning as she eyed them both. "I think you'll need several styles. Obviously you'll want modern clothes for regular stuff, but you'll need some gowns for the meeting later. Maybe a blue. Yes, that will do. And..." She left the room, still chatting away as she shut the door behind her.

The girls stood staring at the door for a full minute before Dana broke down into laughter. "I like her. She's nuts."

Edith grinned and nodded, feeling safe and somewhat relaxed for the first time that day. "Yeah, I think she'll be fun."

A heavy curtain hung along the wall opposite the main door and Edith found herself drawn to it. After locating the pull-string in the middle, she opened the curtains. The view that greeted her took her breath away. Huge, blue snow-capped mountains spanned the horizon beneath an amber sky. The forest that led up to their base was thick, green, and lush. The open lawn beneath the windows stretched a good quarter of a mile before hitting the treeline. She could see animals darting across the grass to and fro and spotted movement in the trees.

"Wow." Dana stood beside Edith, her eyes wide and her mouth partially open.

"I know. It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

"Maybe after supper we can go for a walk, if you're up to it," a voice said from behind them.

Both girls spun at the voice, Dana clutching her chest briefly. "You scared us," she chided.

Charles smirked from the doorway before dropping his eyes as his cheeks reddened. "Sorry, I should've knocked. I didn't think." He cleared his throat, his momentary embarrassment gone. "Anyway, I saw Mags. She said she should have clothes for you soon. Then we'll head down to eat. I cajoled Niatha into making an early meal for us. He wasn't happy, but he never is, the crotchety old bugger. I swear I'd starve if I didn't have Mags to convince him to cook once in awhile."

"Maybe if you weren't such a bossy boss he wouldn't be so abrasive toward you." Mags pushed Charles out of the doorway, her arms loaded to her chin with clothing. "Here you go, ladies. This should last you until I can get some more made. I included some nightclothes, too, so you won't have to sleep in your dirty scraps." After setting the bundles on the bed, she shooed Charles out. "Give the girls some peace, would you?" She turned back at the door. "I'll be back in an hour to show you to the dining room." She winked and was gone.

Dana moved to the pile of clothes, shuffling through the lot of them. Most ended up discarded in a pile on the other bed. She picked up the few she deemed worthy and took them into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Edith rummaged through the discarded garments. Without much trouble, she found a pair of jeans and a soft, plain t-shirt, along with a few other necessary garments. They were all exactly her size and she sent up a silent thanks to Mags.

Edith settled on a cloth-covered bench in the bay window while she waited for Dana to finish in the shower. She rested her head against the wall and surveyed the landscape set out before her. She became so lost in its beauty that she almost missed the strange blue birds darting up from inside the wooded area. Something was moving in the forest. Something big enough to startle anything that could take flight. Edith stood up and pressed her forehead against the window, watching the movement of the birds and other animals that were darting out of the forest. Whatever it was was coming closer at a very fast pace.

Her heart began racing as the thing neared the edge of the woods. Whatever it was would be breaking through soon, and she was certain it was headed straight for her. A big black shape about the size of a horse appeared, shooting out through the trees like an arrow from a bow. It made a beeline for the house, moving quicker than she would have thought possible. As it drew near, it took on a noticeable form.

"A dog?" she whispered to herself. Its features resembled a typical canine for the most part, excluding its massive size, satellite dish ears, and spiked tail. Halfway across the lawn it slowed, tongue hanging out and club-like tail wagging furiously. Edith looked down, closer to the house. Charles trotted across the lawn, arms out. The creature barreled into him, knocking him to the ground and slobbering all over his face as he embraced the beast.

"That's Ollie, Charles's baby," Mags said.

Edith squeaked, slapping a hand to her mouth as she jumped a foot in the air. "You scared me," she chided before changing topics. "Ollie? Kind of a mild name for something so ginormous, don't you think?"

The older woman smiled. "Charles is very fond of his humans, and one of his favorite Keepers was named Oliver. When he found that little pup abandoned in an old mine shaft one day, it was no bigger than a squirrel. Tiny thing. His Keeper was here that day, a boy no more than eight at the time. Charles named the dog Ollie after him. The beast has been with us for nearly a century now, and I swear he hasn't stopped growing. Eats us out of house and home, he does. And don't get near him when he's been swimming. Smells simply horrid and soaks everything in reach when he shakes. The little rat."

The woman's tone was annoyed, but the affection she felt for the massive beast showed in the unrestrained smile as she watched her brother frolic with the creature who could easily tear him in half in one bite. It was strangely surreal and only added to the weirdness of her day.

When Dana finished with her shower, Edith stepped in, thankful for the hot water. She finished quickly, loathe to keep Mags waiting longer than necessary, and was still putting her wet hair up in a pony tail as they were escorted to the patio. Charles was sitting on the stone steps leading down to the lawn, scratching his hairy friend between the ears. As the girls approached, the dog sneezed violently, causing an ear bigger than a dinner plate to smack Charles square in the face. The man tumbled backward in an overly exaggerated fashion, playfully swatting the dog until he saw that his guests had arrived.

Clearing his throat, he stood and straightened his jacket and shoulders, trying to appear moody and aloof. "All right then?" he asked the teenagers.

Edith bit her lip, fighting back a smile. "Yeah, just fine. Mags has been more than helpful."

"Good, good."

Awkward silence ensued momentarily until Ollie had enough of the boring situation and bounded up the steps, launching himself at Edith. She pulled back, wondering how she would fair against the dog if he actually tried to bite her with those clamp-like jaws, but he stopped his forward momentum before he reached her and simply bumped into her as he licked her hand furiously. The impact was still enough to send her stumbling back a step or two, but she remained upright. She scratched his head with her other hand until he pulled away to sniff Dana. The cheerleader backed away, putting her hands up defensively.

"Come, sit." Charles waved at the table.

Four places were set at the table on the patio. Edith sank into the thick cushion of one of the chairs and Charles and Dana sat on either side of her. With the help of an older man and what Edith assumed to be a child, Mags laid several trays before the guests. She dismissed the servants and took the remaining seat before serving the food.

"Eat up," Charles said before digging into the meal.

Edith took a couple bites. She wasn't super hungry, but it was possibly more delicious than the food she had had at the diner. She wondered if any charms were hidden nearby, making her want to eat more than she meant to.

"Where's Alex?" Dana sat with a frown on her face, poking at her food.

"He said he was tired. I had a tray sent up for him."

The cheerleader nodded, but the frown didn't fade.

Edith heard a huff beside her, followed by a thump against her leg and pressure on her foot. Ollie had somehow managed to sprawl under the table between Charles and Edith. His head lay on his master's shoe and his leg pressed into her big toe. Edith raised an eyebrow at the dog, but got no response from the creature.

"He seems to be attuned to Keepers." Charles had seen her questioning expression. "Every time I've brought one back here, even with other people around, he always knows who it is. And he protects them as he does me. This old man has been in more than one battle and he hasn't failed me yet." Charles smiled fondly at the dog as he scratched his head.

While they ate, Mags asked them questions about their lives back home. She seemed particularly interested in the advances in technology and giggled with excitement when Dana pulled out her fancy cell phone. Charles seemed quite eager for dinner to be over so he could shoo his sister off to the kitchen. The remaining three sank back into their chairs, stuffed to the gills, but happy as clams. Picking up a huge stick by his chair, Charles chucked it and they watched Ollie chase after it. Before it hit the ground, the stick grew wings and zipped off across the lawn with the dog not far behind.

Charles laughed at Edith's shocked expression. "Dog toys in Alaesha are a bit more advanced than those in your world." He gave her a wink and she rolled her eyes.

"So now what do we do? We can't stay here forever. My mom will be looking for me." She wondered for a moment if that statement was true, then dismissed it. She was enjoying herself and she wouldn't let negative thoughts depress her.

"Well, we need to find the missing keys. The other advisers will be here tomorrow and we'll discuss how to go about doing that. Well, further discuss it. We have been for awhile now. Then we'll figure out what to do with you."

"Which other keys are missing?"

Charles leaned forward, sighing as he rested his head in his hands. "You saw the news about the Queen of England, right? She's a Keeper. As far as we know, she had the key until she fell ill. Now it's gone. We don't know where or how. And the Keeper in Nepal has disappeared, taking the key with her. We're not even sure she's still alive."