Save Aether (The Trinity Key Trilogy Book 3) (5 page)

Dr. Lawless took the girls through a skywalk to a second, smaller tower. The three-story glass building held the white robes’ living chambers. The whole building was like a giant atrium with three levels of rooms surrounding a central corkscrew staircase. At their arrival, white robes looked over the railings and watched Theo, Julia, and Valera ascend the stairs to the last floor.

"Don't wander around the chambers tower without a guide. Things are in a state of chaos with the new leadership change. Not everyone agrees with the beliefs of the True Followers, and you may end up being a target of their discontent. I’ve taken the liberty of acquiring three rooms, which were recently vacated by deserters who found themselves on the wrong side of the coup and refused to accept the new authority.”

“In other words, they were tossed out along with Parmelia,” Julia muttered.

Dr. Lawless cleared his throat and ignored the gibe. “There is a communal bathroom at the end of the hall. You’ll find a change of clothes in the closet."

Julia walked into her worst nightmare. It was bad enough that she was in a strange city, but they put her in a room with pink flowers on the walls and frilly bedding. The goody-two-shoeness of it made her teeth ache. Worst yet, the room smelled like roses. She was a parrot in a fancy birdcage.

Her academy instincts kicked in. She rummaged through the drawers and closets, looking for anything useful. All she found were clean undergarments and a plain white robe in the dresser. If these were the clothes Dr. Lawless spoke of, she’d stay in her stinky old leathers.

“This is worse than the academy,” she spoke aloud to the empty room. “What I wouldn’t give for a cot and cold stone walls.” 

"I don't know. . . I kind of like it," Valera chirped, poking her head in the door. “It reminds me of home.”

"You would," Julia groaned. 

Theo walked in behind Valera and cringed. "I'm with Julia on this one. It's over the top. Mine is pretty much the same except in yellow.”

"I don't know why you are complaining. At least we are out of those nasty cells, and we’ve got all the necessities up here,” Valera huffed.

Julia shook her head. "I don’t know about you, but all I need is a shower and sleep.” 

She saluted the girls and marched to the communal bathroom. Copper pipes lined the sterile white tile walls between shower stalls. The room reminded her of the academy bathrooms. It seemed that ugly tile and tiny showers were a staple in all institutional dormitories – even the human high school had a similar looking locker room. Fresh white towels sat on shelves, so she took one and shed her clothes. She washed the last few days of grime from her body, spending a luxurious few extra minutes under the hot water. Wrapping the towel around herself, she went to get her clothes. The pile she’d left on the floor was gone.

“Hello?”

No one answered.

“Damnit, who took my clothes?”

Still no answer. She snuck out into the hall, wearing only the towel. Her own room was empty, so she knocked on Theo’s door.

“She just went to have a shower,” a white-robed Valera called from her doorway.

“Someone stole my clothes!” Julia growled.

“No one stole them. A nice woman came by and collected all our clothes. She said she would clean them and bring them back.”

Julia grumbled, “What am I supposed to wear then?”

Valera gave her a dubious look. “They gave us robes.”

Julia shook her head and grumbled, “No way! They’re trying to convert us, Valera. And you’re just going along with it?”

Valera put her hands on her hips. “You can go around naked if you prefer, but I’m going to clean up and stay comfortable. So if you’ll excuse me.”

Valera headed for the bathroom. Julia stood in the hallway wrapped in her now damp towel and shivered. A group of white robes walked past her hall and stared at her.

“What?” she huffed.

They whispered to each other and passed by laughing. Miffed, Julia slipped into her room and slammed her bedroom door.

“What a bunch of jerks,” she said to herself.

“You must be Julia,” a male voice said behind her.

She screamed and spun around. Julia suddenly felt like she’d eaten a spoonful of peanut butter. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, and she couldn’t speak. A strange guy looked at her up and down, tilted his head, and smirked. She stared at his soft brown eyes unable to look away. He crossed his well-muscled arms across his chest, and leaned against the wall, a white robe slung over his shoulder.

“Are… you… Julia?” he spoke very slowly, as if she didn’t understand English.

His sarcastic tone lit her fuse. The spell withered. She broke eye contact with him and scowled.

“Yes, I’m Julia. Who are you and what are you doing in here?”

His smirk never faltered. In one smooth motion, he stepped forward and held out a hand twice the size of hers. “Eli Jones, at your service.”

“Good for you. Now get out!”

She looked down at his hand, raised an eyebrow and turned away from him. She became very aware that she was wearing nothing but a towel. Keeping hold of the suddenly too-tiny cloth in one hand, she scrambled for the white robe with the other. He let her grab it, but didn’t leave.

“Do you mind?” She yelled.

“Not at all,” he quipped, still not leaving. “I won’t look.”

He turned around and faced the wall. She slid the robe over her head, then shimmied into the nearby undergarments, all while hiding in the tent-like muumuu. He turned back around and chuckled. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how annoyed and vulnerable she felt. The door was unlocked if she needed to make a quick getaway. She sat on a chair and assessed his physique, trying to ignore the soft brown eyes boring into her forehead.

“Not much of a talker, are you?” His voice sent a spark through her nerves.

He sat on the edge of the bed with his ever-present smirk. A loose strand of dark hair slipped from the leather thong tied at the base of his neck. Hanging close to his eye, that one strand of hair made her own eye twitch. She wanted him to do something about it, but loathed the idea of revealing anything about herself. Casually brushing her damp hair behind her ears, she pretended he wasn’t there. He leaned back against the headboard, stretching his long legs in front of him and crossing his black boots on a crisp duvet.

“Ugh.”

She eyed his dirty boots and rolled her eyes. He ignored her disgust and stretched his broad shoulders. The movement tugged at the unclasped collar of his shirt, giving a hint of the firm muscle underneath. She tried not to gawk, but his presence was intrusive and impossible to ignore. Questions flew through her mind. Why wasn’t he wearing a white robe like everyone else? Why was he here? What were his intentions? Why did he make her feel so self-conscious?

She settled for something simple. “Why are you still here?”

“Parmelia, the leader of the Elders, sent me.” He seemed pretty smitten with himself. “I’m supposed to keep an eye on you. You know, make sure you stay out of trouble.” He closed his eyes and murmured, “Although you hardly seem worth the trouble.”

“Excuse me?”

“This seems like a waste of my talents. I mean, come on, look at you. You’re what? Fourteen? You’re just a kid.”

Her jaw dropped. “Fourteen? Not even close.”

His eyes opened and he looked her over. “Oh, sorry. Twelve?”

“Ah… What? Uh… No. I’m almost seventeen, thank you very much.” She looked him over and determined he wasn’t much older than she was. “And who are you to call me a kid? How old are you? From the looks of you, I’d say no older than twenty.”

“Nineteen – next month.”

She didn’t know whether to be insulted that her grandmother sent a
boy
to look after her, or happy. He’d certainly be easy enough to slip if she needed to. Although, she had no idea why Parmelia had sent someone so… conceited.

There’s some guy in my room named Eli Jones, claiming that Parmelia sent him.
Julia reached out to Theo and Valera.

What? Oh, no! Ow!
Valera shrieked.

Are you all right, Valera? Valera…

No… no I’m okay. I just got soap in my eye.

Good grief, you sounded like someone was stabbing you to death,
Julia snapped
.

Theo chuckled.
Parmelia probably thought we could use a little help. Is this Eli person trustworthy?

I don’t know. He’s a sarcastic pretty boy, but harmless enough… I think. Get this. He’s only nineteen. And he’s one of the most arrogant, annoying, rude people I’ve ever met.

Valera chimed in
, Sounds like a perfect fit then.

Laugh it up, Valera.

Eli cleared his throat. “You’re weird. Do you always stare blankly at people or is it just me?”

His laugh disrupted the connection between the girls. Julia hadn’t realized she was staring straight at him as she spoke with Theo and Valera. Her cheeks burned. She hid her embarrassment behind her hands.

“You’re so… annoying… and I’m not weird,” she hissed.

“Touchy, aren’t we.”

“Shut up.”

“So what did you do anyway? I mean it must’ve been bad because the Elders split and the city is in complete pandemonium,” he quipped.

“Shut up.”

He sighed, “We might as well get to know each other since we’re stuck together.”

She glared at him. “Shut up.”

“Okay, fine. I’m going to check out the place. If you need anything—

“I won’t.”

Eli left the room, and Julia slammed the door behind him. He was undoubtedly the most insufferable person she’d ever met; and yet she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Chapter Five

Valera

Julia? Are you still there?
Valera asked.

When Julia didn’t respond, Valera decided to sneak over to her room. In the hall she ran into an over-sized mass of muscles. He smiled down at her and bowed. His manners didn’t seem so horrible to Valera.

“Well hello, I’m—

“Eli Jones, I know.” Valera tapped her bottom lip with her finger. “Hmm, I don’t see why she was complaining. You seem nice enough to me. You’ll have to excuse Julia’s behavior. She can be a little prickly. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Valera waved to the confused looking man and skipped over to Julia’s door. He wandered down the hall shaking his head. Poking her head into Julia’s room, Valera inched her way in.

“What do you want?” Julia hissed.

“I’m just checking on you. I saw Eli in the hall. He’s kind of cute,” she chirped.

Julia glared at her. “Traitor.”

“Who’s a traitor?” Theo walked in and plopped onto Julia’s bed.

“I am, because I think Eli is cute.”

“Oh, is he?” Theo asked Julia.

Julia huffed and ignored both of them. Valera sat next to Theo and winked. Julia paced the room. Her face hardened, then softened several times over, and Valera deduced that Eli had something to do with it. Although, she was surprised that someone could affect Julia in such a way. Theo elbowed Valera in the ribs, and they both giggled.

“Will you two stop acting like children. This isn’t a sweet sixteen slumber party you know. We’re in a serious situation,” Julia ranted.

Valera’s cheeks hurt from forcing the smile off her face. Julia was right. They were in a precarious predicament, albeit an amusing one. She clasped her hands around her knees. Julia stopped pacing.

“So… I found out that the Elders have the artifacts from my father’s vault,” she spouted.

Valera figured it was a tactic to change the conversation. She would go along with it – for now. It was nice to see Julia so befuddled for once.

“That means they have Danu’s relics. I’d love to get my hands on Aeda’s Sextant.”

Julia seemed to ease up. Valera grinned.

“Dr. Lawless said he’d let us take a look at them after he
assessed
our abilities.”

“I’m guessing it’s my turn tomorrow,” Valera mused.

“Put on a good show.” Julia rubbed the back of her neck and muttered, “I… uh, struggled today.”

Valera stood up and stretched. “I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks,” she yawned. “If I’m going to make an impression on the doc then I need rest. Night, Theo… and sweet dreams, Julia.” Valera waggled her brows.
Of Eli,
she said in their telepathic link.

Julia threw a chair pillow at her, hitting Theo instead. Theo screeched and threw it back at Julia before slipping out of the room. Valera could hear Julia ranting behind the closed door. Served her right for all the times, she teased Valera. Crawling under her covers, she luxuriated in the soft, warm bed. Within minutes, she drifted to sleep.

*

Daughter… help me…

Valera sat up and peered into the pitch black of night. The hour hand of the alarm clock inched past three. She’d been asleep for hours, and yet she felt like she’d just lain down. She swore she’d just heard her mother’s voice. For a second, she thought her mother had come back for her.

“Hello? Mom is that you?”

She waited for a response. The clock ticked. Water rushed through pipes in the walls. Prowling night owls echoed through the halls. Her mother wasn’t there. She lay back down and pulled the covers under her chin. The room felt cold and lonely. Closing her eyes, she tried to find sleep.

A woman screamed, and Valera’s head erupted in pain. She grabbed her temples and curled into a ball. Behind her eyelids, she saw a woman suspended in air. Metallic snakes wrapped around her and squeezed the life from her. Something moved at the end of Valera’s bed. Her blanket rippled, and she felt the cold, scaly beast wrap itself around her legs. Every muscle in Valera’s body trembled. She slipped free, and threw her legs over the side of her bed. The floor writhed in the darkness, hissing. Hovering above the pit of snakes, a woman reached out to her.

Daughter, help me. Please. Hurry.

Valera screamed. The vision disappeared. Her headache ebbed. She threw her blankets back and found the bed empty. The floor was clear. She stood up, but the movement made her queasy. Her legs shook beneath her weight. The image had made her feel as if she’d just run a marathon. Her heart thumped in her chest and her muscles burned, leaving her breathless. She stumbled down the hall to the bathroom. After splashing water on her face, she reached out for the only people who would understand her strange vision.

Theo, Julia, are you there?
  Even in her mind, she sounded breathless.

I just had the worst nightmare
, Theo responded.

I did too, only I wasn’t sleeping.
Valera sucked back the tears in her eyes
. It was Danu.

I have the same dream every night, and they’re getting worse,
Julia added.

Should we tell Dr. Lawless about them?
Valera asked.

Theo sighed
. It couldn’t hurt.

I don’t care one way or the other,
Julia said
. I’d just like to get a good night’s sleep.

Valera slunk back to her room. In the back of her mind, she could still see the snakes on her floor. She took a deep breath and hopped across her room, leaping onto her bed.  Pulling the covers over her face, she closed her eyes. Sleep evaded her. All night long the distant cries of Danu haunted her. Even the warmth of aether couldn’t drown out the goddess’ torment. Valera spent the night churning under her blankets.

The morning came with a knock at her door. An Elder servant brought in a fresh white robe and slippers. Valera groaned and begrudgingly got out of bed. Shortly after dressing, Dr. Lawless appeared.

“Good morning,” he chirped.

“Ugh.”

The man was far too chipper for Valera’s liking. He led her to the ballroom that Theo and Julia had described from the day before. She plopped into the chair and put her forehead on the table.

“Is everything all right, Valera. You seem fatigued,” he asked.

She groaned, “Bad dreams.”

“I see. Could you describe these dreams?” He pulled out a notebook and quill.

She looked up at him and yawned. “Danu is surrounded by snakes, begging for help. Last night was the worst one yet, though.”

“She comes to all of you?”

“Yes, Julia, Theo, and I have the same nightmares. She calls out to us for help, but there’s nothing we can do.”

His face morphed into a twisted smile that alarmed Valera. He’d always seemed so composed, but the way his teeth gleamed made her think of a wolf baring his fangs. The grin disappeared, and he cleared his throat. Valera wondered if she imagined it all.

“Interesting, she actually speaks to you.” He scribbled in his book. “We will delve into these dreams another day. Right now, I’d like to see your abilities.”

Valera shrugged and pulled on aether. Tired as she was, controlling it was difficult. She formed flames on her palms and held them up. Dr. Lawless oohed and put the tip of the quill in the flame. The end of the feather shriveled, and a burnt hair smell wafted up to Valera’s nose. She merged the two flames in her hands together. Julia said to create a show, so she did. The fire curled into a ring and swooshed around in a circle above his head. His eyes widened, and he shrunk away.

She extinguished the flame. “Sorry. I got carried away.”

“No, no. It’s just a little overwhelming. I should have known since you melted those shackles without much effort. Are there any other… powers that you’ve discovered?”

Valera wasn’t sure what exactly the other two had told him. They had agreed to trust him, so she figured he may as well know all of it.

“The three of us can talk to each other… telepathically. We can also use aether as a kind of shield. Theo and I once combined our powers and it created a barrier. That’s all I know… so far.”

Dr. Lawless’ hand flew across his page. “This is amazing… absolutely amazing. And you can hear Danu herself!”

“I don’t know if it’s Danu. We just have vivid dreams about her.”

He looked up from his writing. His eyes ripped into her. His lips again split into that twisted grin. He lifted a finger and pointed between her eyes. He licked his lips. She surrounded herself in aether, wishing she could leave.

“Danu is
inside
of you. You are a very lucky girl, Valera.” He inhaled sharply. “What I would give to bathe in her essence.”

Valera flinched. The way he looked at her made her think he wanted to crack her open like a melon. He smoothed down his hair and tugged on his collar. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if his change was all in her head. She was exhausted, so maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. When she opened her eyes, he was back to normal.

“I think it’s time for you three to meet Professor Scrod. I know she’s been looking forward to speaking with you. Shall we?”

He held his arm out. She reluctantly took it. They went back to the chambers tower and found Theo and Julia in the lobby. Eli lingered nearby, and Julia watched him from the corner of her eye. When he moved, she moved away. Theo was in the middle of this dance and seemed amused by it.

“Good morning, girls. I’ve got something rather exciting to show you.” Dr. Lawless frowned when he saw Eli paying close attention. “Excuse me young man, but who are you?”

Valera frowned. Dr. Lawless didn’t know about Eli, which meant Dr. Lawless hadn’t spoken to Parmelia. Eli looked the doctor up and down. He smirked and put an arm on a startled Julia.

“Hey, Doc. I’m a friend of the girls.” He winked.

Julia shrugged him off and brushed her arm as if an insect had been on her. Eli chuckled. Dr. Lawless’ eye twitched. He cleared his throat.

“Well, I suggest you find something else to do. The girls have an important and
busy
day ahead of them.” He stepped between Eli and the girls. “Follow me, ladies.”

They left Eli in the lobby. As they neared a stairwell, Eli called back to them.

“See you later.”

Theo giggled.
I don’t know why you don’t like him Julia. I think he’s charming.

Julia rolled her eyes
.

Dr. Lawless is taking us to the relics. Guys, I am not sure about him. He kind of scares me. He was acting… weird earlier,
Valera blurted
.

He is a little weird. But he got us out of the cells, and he’s helping us. Don’t be such a yellow belly, Valera,
Julia hissed.

Valera huffed at her. She crossed her arms and sulked all the way to the basement. On the lowest level of the building, they walked down a long dark corridor to a swinging double door that opened into a massive room. Dark splotches covered the peeling paint where water seeped through deep cracks. Puddles of water dotted the floors. A musty, briny smell filled the space. Rows of tables held equipment and the artifacts from
the Vault
. Several lab-coated researchers looked up from their work as the group entered. From the very back of the room a crazy-haired petite woman in a stained lab coat that was five sizes too large shuffled toward them. She pulled bright red glasses over her aqua-colored eyes. They covered half her face.

“Professor Scrod, I’m pleased to introduce you to the three sisters of the Trinity- Theo, Julia, and Valera,” Dr. Lawless gushed and bowed to the woman.

“Oh, my, we weren’t expecting you till much later. Ellwood, you naughty boy. You should have told me
they
were coming.” The woman performed an awkward curtsy. “Welcome to our labs, oh, wondrous descendants of Danu. I am Professor Rowan Darmody Scrod, lead director of archeology.”

She pulled her glasses to the edge of her nose. Her bright aqua eyes shone. A block of curled hair fell in front of her face, and she blew it out of the way. Her outstretched hand peeked out from under her ink blotched lab coat. Valera took it and the tiny woman shook the life out of Valera’s arm.