The Marked Son (Keepers of Life) (24 page)

“Pop?” Leo says in a gentle voice. “You okay?”

Pop pushes past Leo and grabs my wrist. His eyes burn into mine. I pull back, and he finally lets go and waves his hands, signing.

Leo interprets in that deep, smooth voice of his. “He was afraid they’d gotten you.”

My body stiffens. “You saw them?”

His face tenses and his eyes grow large and frightened as he signs.

“Only shadows, but he knew who they were,” Leo says.

Pop’s eyes remain fixed on me as his hands speak and Leo interprets. “A long time ago, they were common. But then things got bad. A couple of kids disappeared. Taken by the
firsts
. He knew the gateway to their world was on your grandparents’ property, but not exactly where. He convinced your grandmother to put those iron sculptures in the woods, thought everything would be fine. Iron steals their power, makes them sick, but after a while, she stopped believing and pulled them all down. Not too long after that, strange things started happening again.”

“Like what?” I ask.

“Creepy feelings. Like being watched. That’s when your mom started behaving oddly. A boy appeared. She became obsessed. It lasted for a whole summer. And then he left. Your grandpa said he’d never seen anyone cry as much as your mother did.”

Leo’s interpreting grew slower. “Your grandmother feared the boy would come back for her daughter, so Pop told her to put the iron sculptures around the house to keep the boy away. The day she did was the day your mom left.”

Pop looks from Leo to me and drops his hands.

That’s it? At least I know why I always feel sick when I get too near those sculptures. I tap Pop on the shoulder to get his attention. “Okay, but what’s all this got to do with what happened last night?”

“Ever since you came here, the feeling of being watched has returned. Pop says he knew they were back, and it had to do with you. They won’t go away. Not now. Something about you—”

Leo stops and presses his lips together.

“What?” Jason asks.

Leo shakes his head. “Nothing.”

Pop’s jaw clamps and he stares heatedly at Leo.

“What did he say?” I press.

I can tell Leo doesn’t want to say it, but Pop urges his grandson until he finally stutters out, “Something about you has disturbed the natural order of things.”

I can’t bear the compassion in Leo’s eyes, and turn away. There it is again. I’m unnatural. That uneasy feeling in my stomach returns. It’s not like I don’t know it already, but to hear someone else say it makes it all that more real.

Jason’s voice lowers into a movie trailer commentator, rumbling intensely. “A young man struggles to belong in a world not made for him. A mysterious female calls from anoth—”

“Shut up, Jason,” Leo snaps. “This is serious.”

“Just trying to lighten the mood,” Jason says.

Leo ignores him and clamps a hand on my shoulder. “Pop doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

“You guys,” Jason says. “Pop’s hands are moving again.”

We turn, and Leo interprets for him. “Whatever is going to happen won’t be easy. The breach in the wall must be closed.”

Jason glances from me to Leo. “He knows about the wall?”

“H-he helped secure it, along with your grandmother,” Leo says in wonder. “He says it’ll take time to fix. He’s working on it.”

My heart freezes. “You can’t close it yet. I’ve got to get back. I need to get Kera out of there.”

Leo watches his grandfather’s hands closely and then sighs. “He says no. He’s got to fix it as soon as possible.”

“Screw that. It’s only a matter of time until they find out she’s like me. They’ll kill her. I’m going, and I’m bringing her back. It’s the only way to stop all this.” I get in the old guy’s face and use my height and anger to intimidate him. “Close the opening before then, and I swear I’ll do whatever I can to break it down. I’ve opened it before. I’ll do it again.”

The truth—that I didn’t open the path between the two worlds to begin with, and that I haven’t a clue how to do so if he actually succeeds in closing it—isn’t important. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him and can only help me.

Wouldn’t you know? He doesn’t scare. The old guy persists in shaking his head and signing out his warning: doom and gloom if the barrier remains damaged. Leo tries persuading him. He doesn’t budge. It’s hopeless. I can feel my frustration build. We don’t have time for this.

And then…

“I’m going with him,” Leo yells at his grandfather.

Pop’s eyes nearly bug from his head.

“Yeah,” Jason steps forward. “So am I. You gonna lock us in that world of fairy tale freaks for good?” He slants a glance at me. “No offense.”

I wave Jason back and give Pop my most earnest plea. “All I need is a day. That’s it. One day. I know where she is. It’ll be clean and easy, I swear. Then we can close all the openings for good.”

For all I know there are dozens of them. I don’t want to even think fixing it might be impossible.

Pop’s eyes nearly explode out of his head when he understands there’s more than one hole in the wall. The problem is clearly bigger than he imagined. He looks from one to the other of us, then shakes his head. His finger jabs at his chest, then his hands swipe away from his torso.

Leo groans. “He’s coming with us.”

Jason rolls his eyes. I nod. “Fine.” I take one of the guns from Jason and pitch it at Pop. He easily catches it. The old guy’s hovering around ancient, but he’s quick and wiry. And let’s face it: I’m desperate. At this point, I’d take a hundred-year-old, one-armed, peg-legged, toothless hag if she volunteered.

What Isn’t, Is

After I drag the swords from their hiding place and strap mine onto my back, we move to the opening where I first saw Kera disappear. The sun’s rays struggle through the thick forest canopy and shatter into tiny stripes of dim light when they hit the tree trunks.

I can feel the barrier’s strange energy without trying. I can see it, but Jason and Leo can’t. “Concentrate. Look harder.”

“Maybe if we squint?” Leo says, and narrows his eyes into tiny slits.

Jason, with his head tilted and his eyes scrunched, slowly bends toward Leo. “You see it yet?”

Leo shakes his head. “I want to see it.”

“Maybe it’s not really there?” Jason reaches out his hand, but where the wall should be, it isn’t. Not for him.

Leo taps Pop’s shoulder. When his grandfather looks up, Leo asks, “Do you see the wall?”

The old man nods.

“What’s it look like?” Jason asks me.

“Like a wall, but not. It goes on forever.”

It’s not made of stone or wood. Not anything I’ve ever seen before, but it’s real. I run my hand along the smooth surface. Sparks of energy tumble beneath my fingers, and Jason’s eyebrows shoot up. “Okay. I see that.”

Leo rubs his hands together. “Let’s do this.”

So this is what it’s like to have real friends, to have someone to rely on. No one has ever had my back before. I was a flash, a nobody who didn’t matter.

Nervous tension flickers inside of me. I’ve got power my friends don’t. Is it wise to pull them into this?

I hold up my hand, stopping them. “Wait, you guys. You don’t have to do this. It’s not your probl—”

“Like hell it’s not,” Jason says. “They burned down our barn. Killed our best dog. Don’t tell me this isn’t my problem. They think they’re so bad ass? We’ll show them bad ass.” Jason pats my cheek with his calloused palm and nudges me to get going. “Let’s go bust up their party.”

Jason’s enthusiasm is disturbing, but expected. He’s in this for the rush. He’s a wild card, which could be a problem. I’ll have to keep an eye on him.

I face Leo and Pop. The younger one shrugs. “I don’t say this often, but Jason’s right. If we don’t stop them, who knows what they’ll do? They think we’re not worth caring about. We’re disposable. And if you’re right, your girl won’t be alive much longer, either. This isn’t about you anymore. Their mistake was going after you through us.”

The thought of Kera dying makes me sick. “Okay, then. I know of three openings. One that opens into town, the main door, and this one, which is connected to their forest. The first two are too risky, so we’re going in here.” I move to where the opening is slowly repairing itself. “This part isn’t going to be pleasant.”

I pull the barrier apart. Mist rushes forward. Leo staggers into Jason, who’s just as unsteady on his feet. Jason groans. Pop grabs Leo, supporting his grandson with one wiry arm, and they step into the mist. I grab Jason, and together we move into the void. Moist air presses in on us. Jason struggles like he’s drowning. When we push through to the other side, he collapses to his hands and knees, his rifle swinging forward to dangle beneath his nose. Pop seems okay, but Leo’s pea green. He turns and throws up.

I’m worried about stopping here. After the first guard went missing, Navar could have found the weak spot and set a guard here, too. Memories flash in my mind’s eye, repeating the scene of the tree swallowing the guard. The horror on his face when the bark closed over him...

I push the thought away. I had to do it, and I’ll do it again if forced to defend myself. If forced to defend Kera.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” I quickly check out the area. Though I don’t see anything odd, I’m not reassured. Navar probably knows I’m coming, thanks to his seers, and I’ve got a feeling he’s not one to give up the chase. When I return, Jason is on his feet and Leo isn’t as sickly-looking.

“We’ve got to get moving. Ready?”

We take off.

Trust is a crazy thing. I don’t have only my life to protect, but four more. It’s an awesome responsibility—one I hope I can manage, but I fear I can’t. My mind keeps returning to Kera, telling me she’s all that matters. Faldon was right—my obsession is out of control. I only see Kera. Only want Kera. If I don’t free her from her realm, destroying anyone and anything that gets in my way, I’ll go crazy.

I don’t even recognize myself.

Our pace is fast, but easy. I’m reminded time and again they can’t move as quickly as I can. When we come to Bodog’s tunnel, I enlarge it. “There’s this—” How do you explain a creature like Bodog? “—guy down there. His name is Bodog. He’s different. Don’t freak, okay? I’ll do all the talking.”

Pop nods and slips into the tunnel. Leo follows, but Jason hesitates. “I’m
so
not into dark, tight places.”

With a dad like his, I can only imagine what he’s done to terrorize Jason, but I don’t have time for this. “Sorry. It’s the only way to get where we need to be without being seen. It gets bigger, if that helps.”

There’s a scuffling noise to our right. Someone’s near. “Get in,” I urge sharply.

Without waiting, I shove Jason into the hole, and as he makes his way down, cussing me out, I stay above ground and tighten the earth until the opening is camouflaged. I call on a nearby tree, and its limbs lift me high. The glow radiating from my body is a dead giveaway to where I am. I soften it and stand still. From this vantage point, I can see the woods stretch out in all directions.

The sun blazes on the horizon like it wants to light the world on fire. The trees shift and whisper, settling in for the night. A herd of deer prance through the woods, far off in the distance. Everything appears normal, if you can call
anything
in this place normal.

As I stare, taking in the majestic view, a shape appears. Big and hunkered, it sprints forward. I press close to the tree and track the creature, but it’s difficult. Whatever it is, it’s fast. Muffled snaps of twigs sound beneath me. Before I know it, the tunnel’s entrance is being torn apart, and all that’s visible is an arc of flying dirt.

I’ve got to stop it, or else it’ll break through, and no telling what it’ll do to the others when it reaches the main tunnel.

The tree soundlessly lowers me to the ground. The air is thick with debris, and I have a hard time seeing exactly what I’m about to confront. One thing’s for sure. It’s big. The height of its rounded back reaches my shoulder. The snuffles and grunts coming from the creature are so low, they make the ground shake. Spying a discarded tree limb, I scoop it up and test its heaviness. If I can take the creature by surprise, I might be able to do some damage.

Optimism always breeds confidence.

Silently creeping forward, I get within a few feet when the digging stops. I freeze.

Red glowing eyes snap toward me. My mind falters. This thing can’t be real. The low, rumble of growls warn me this is no illusion, but I can’t stop staring into its green eyes, something everyone says not to do when faced with a predator. I’m pretty confident even the most experienced biologist would be hypnotized by the appearance of a two-headed, monstrous, wolf-like creature.

Except, instead of fur, it has quills.

Its hackles rise, flexing the quills into lethal darts. The heads lower. I stand like a statue, unable to move for fear it’ll pounce, and I’ll become a pincushion. My breathing has become so shallow, I’m lightheaded.

The heads move and tilt. The eyes are tiny, set deep within its heads, and I begin to suspect it can’t see too well. The creature sniffs, and I’ve got a sinking feeling there’s nothing wrong with its sense of smell. One nose comes within an inch of my leg and the other sniffs at my hand. It snorts, and jerks back. Air whistles between its jagged teeth as it sucks in a deep breath.

Time just ran out. From statue to sprinter, I use my power to rocket me toward a tree as quills zip past. Sharp pain races up my leg as one hits, and another lances my shoulder before I duck behind a tree. My legs give way and I crash to my knees. My hands dig into the bark for support. Numbness spreads from each quill point.

Poisoned quills. Figures.

My heartbeat accelerates, driving the poison though me. My vision grows spotty. I can’t pass out. Not here on the ground in plain sight. Tree limbs bend and scoop me up, but they stop short of the high branches. My power begins to fade.

Without my full strength, the branches crack under my weight, and I tumble through the limbs. I hit the ground like a crash dummy, arms and legs splayed, face planted in an inch of earth. I’m dying. I’m positive I am. With the last of my strength, I draw the poison toward my stomach and spew it out again and again, until I’m shaking from the effort.

I roll onto my side. My head thuds to the ground, too heavy to hold up. A pile of moldy leaves cushions my cheek. I lay panting, watching the monster dig. Only it’s stubby tail shows and soon that disappears. My vision is blurring. I grit my teeth and reach out my hand. I squeeze my fingers into a tight fist. The beast lets out a sharp yelp and whine as the ground closes in, crushing it.

I exhale. My arm drops to the ground. Sprawled like some kid’s forgotten GI Joe action figure, I pass out. But not before a tiny light hovers above me, then darts away.