Button Hill (18 page)

“What's with all the bones?” Dekker asked the guard, then immediately realized how dumb that sounded here.

“Charnel House is a meditation on the fleeting nature of life. Its artwork honors the beauty to be found in death. When the governess continues her journey into the uncharted territories, her bones will be cleaned and added to these halls.” He stopped outside another lurid set of doors and turned to face them. “If you are here to ask for the heart, I must warn you—she has set great stock in acquiring an item such as this and will not part with it easily.”

“Actually, we had the winning bid for the heart,” said Riley.

“Shhh,” said Dekker.

The skeleton scrutinized them through his hollow sockets. “Indeed? And what did you bid? Some trinket from the Dayside lands?”

“Not exactly.” Riley glanced at her brother. “We said we would reopen August Key Station.”

The skeleton arched his back and threw open his jaws, making a sound like a handful of dice rattling in a metal cup. Dekker realized he was laughing.

“What's so funny, bone man? We know someone—or something—closed the station and shut down all the departures. The conductor said we needed to get the trains running again, and fast, if my sister's going to make it home.”

The skeleton composed himself. “I thank you for that information, little brother. My kind guard many things, including secrets. We all do.”

“And who are all your kind?” asked Riley suspiciously.

“You have had to travel a great deal to reach Understory. Perhaps you have encountered other sentries like myself along the way?”

“Sorta,” said Dekker, thinking of the agent at Tilted Station and the conductor. He showed the half-skull etched into his palm to the guard. “The conductor called me brother too, when he saw this.”

The guard unfurled his long finger bones, revealing a full black skull etched across his palm bones. When Dekker saw that it was a perfect match for the half-skull on his own hand, a jolt of fear ran up his arm. “You have been marked by the Nightclock, but you are missing the full seal,” the guard said. “Your fate yet hangs in the balance. Things grow more interesting.”

“The monster who stole my heart has the other half. My dog said one of us would have to die.”

The skeleton nodded. “This mark gives you both allies and enemies. Not all would care to see the clock awakened. But the Bone clan is bound to answer its call. When the trains still ran from August Key Station, I was a warden to those on a darker journey. Now I wait for things to change, like all my brethren do. If we may assist you in your quest, you have only to ask.” The skeleton pushed open the doors and ushered them into what Dekker guessed was a dining hall. The massive rib cage of some enormous creature supported a long burnished-wood table. Candlelight danced on the walls from a huge chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

Dekker craned his neck and stared up at it. “I bet that thing has at least one of every bone in the human body.”

“The governess bids you wait here until she can join you,” said their guide. “Dinner will be served shortly.” He bowed and turned to leave, then stopped. “A word of advice, brother. The governess cannot lie to you here, and she will know if you deceive her. But that does not mean you can't guard what belongs to you. Choose your words with care.”

“Thanks,” said Dekker. The skeleton bowed again and left the room. Dekker turned to his sister as soon as the door clicked shut. “Whatever she asks us, we can't blab and give away too much.”

“Okay…but we still have to be polite. She reminds me of Aunt Primrose, kind of old-school. Big on manners.”

“I'll remember.” Dekker tousled the short hair on one side of his sister's head. He frowned. “Something's wrong with your hair. It's like the color's leaked out of it. It's not as yellow as usual. This one side is kind of grayish.”

“Oh no!” Riley ran to a tall gilded mirror that sat in one corner of the dining hall. “You're right,” she called back. “The side where the governess cut off my pigtail is all faded. Dekker, what's happening to me?” She peered more closely into the glass. “Come here and tell me what you see.”

Dekker stood beside her and looked in the mirror at his sister's face. A pearly glow surrounded her reflection except on the side of her head where her hair had been cut. There it seemed as if the glow had been smudged, blurring her edges in the reflection, one side a ghost image of the other. She took Dekker's hand. “Do you see that?”

“I see it. I think she took more than we knew.” Dekker looked down at his sister and saw a small tear running down her cheek.

“What do we do?” she said.

A woman's voice responded from the far side of the dining hall. “A high price to pay, indeed. But perhaps we can find a way to make amends.” The governess glided across the room toward them, her velvet robe swishing against the floor.

Riley quickly stepped away from the mirror and wiped her eyes. “We were honored to receive your invitation to dinner, your royal—um—royalness.”

Narcissa arched an eyebrow imperiously and smiled. “And lucky, I hear. My valet says the Hirodu who encourage citizens to respect the curfew were positively fascinated with you.”

“They were sniffing around,” said Riley.

“Then my invitation was well timed. It seems you
are
in my debt, child.”

“We'll try to repay you,” said Dekker. “In the meantime, we were hoping you could tell us about this place.”

Narcissa pulled out a chair out at the head of the table and sat down. “Of course. But come, sit. You must be weary from your journey.” She motioned to either side of her. When Dekker sat down, he found he was sitting quite a bit lower than he was used to and had to tilt his head up to see Narcissa's face. She picked up a tiny bell between her finger and thumb and rang it. Its crisp chime cut the air. Another skeleton, a much shorter one this time, entered the room from the same side door through which the first had left. He bore a silver tray holding three crystal glasses and a tall silver pitcher. He filled the glasses with a clear liquid and set them on the table before retreating. “Water from Dayside. Safe for both of you.”

“Thanks,” said Riley, taking a large gulp. “I'm so thirsty.”

Narcissa surveyed Dekker with her violet eyes. “Why do you not drink also? Surely you are parched from your sojourn to our fair city?”

Dekker held up his left arm, which was missing bits of bone and fingertips. “As you can see, I'm beyond the need for water. In fact, my aunt says it's bad for me now.”

Narcissa laughed, a papery sound that made her seem older somehow. “A living girl and her undead brother. I was surprised when my daughter ventured here before her time, but three at once is unheard of.” She clasped her hands together and lounged back in her chair. “Tell me, children, what brings you this deep into Nightside? While you must have encountered many dangers on your way, surely you know how difficult it will be to go back. It must be something terribly important to you.”

“Yes, ma'am, it is,” said Dekker.

Silence stretched out as Dekker tried to think of what to say.

Riley stood up and took a shaky breath. “Oh forget it. The heart everyone was bidding on? It belongs to Dekker. He's only mostly dead. We need the heart to bring him back to life.”

Narcissa bared her gleaming white teeth. “Well, this changes everything. I wish you'd been more open with me at the auction. We could have avoided all this confusion.”

Riley tried to smile. “Well, we didn't really know who you were or anything. Plus, you cut off my hair.”

“Yeah,” added Dekker. “But we know now. If there's anything you can do to help us open the station, that would be great. Then we'll have to get going.”

The governess laughed again. “Nonsense. We shall complete your quest together. With your assistance, we shall rebuild this city to its former glory.”

“You mean you'll help me get my heart?” said Dekker.

“Yes, of course. But you have committed to providing the key to the station in order to complete your task. And I will help you.” Narcissa leaned forward. “Now, begin by telling me what you know.”

“Well, we know no one can enter the station from the city,” said Dekker.

The governess smiled, and her smile sucked the heat out of the room. “What I mean is, what exactly do you know about the lost key to the station?”

“We didn't know there was a key,” said Dekker. “The conductor told me it was crowded because the station had been locked up.”

Narcissa stood and stepped toward the mirror. She smoothed a loose strand of hair back into place. “That's difficult, since we can only enter the station if delivered by the train. And as you know, Understory has no access to the rail line. Though certainly lost souls have found my city.”

Riley furrowed her brow. “So what do we do then? That girl who got turned to stone at the auction said she tried to leave the city but couldn't.”

Narcissa sighed. “Alas, she spoke truly. The station closed long ago, at the end of my father's supervision here. Understory used to be a small rest stop for the dead. It was a place in which one could prepare to move on, to transfer, if needed, no matter what the destination. Those who make this city their home have always had the duty of ensuring the dead wanted for nothing before the Passage. Now, though, there are so many trapped here that Understory is overrun.”

“Isn't there any way to move on?” asked Dekker.

“There's the Wayward Bridge, of course. One of the oldest ways and in a state of terrible disrepair. No matter how often our crews try to remake it, other forces undo all their work. One never knows what one may find along its span these days. Those who go that way never return.”

“So, as governess, you must want the station to open again, right?” asked Riley.

“Clever, young lady, clever. Keep it up, and you might be running Understory yourself one day, once you're dead. I am overseeing a public-works program to solve this very problem. Since the old ways appear lost to us, we are trying to find a way to communicate with the realms beyond this one.”

“Is that why you had Harper's cell phone at the auction?” asked Riley. She covered her mouth as soon as she said it, but it was too late to take it back.

Narcissa's eyes narrowed. “What do you know of my daughter?”

“Uh, nothing, ma'am—I mean, your honorship,” Riley stuttered. “We just met her once in Dayside, that's all.”

The governess tensed like a cat watching a mouse. “You know more than you are sharing.” Her face was icy and white, as if it had been sculpted from snow, and two blood-red spots glittered harshly on her cheekbones. “The only way you can get back to Dayside is through me. You will tell me everything you think you know about August Key Station. And if you do exactly as I say, I may even share a bit of the heart with you. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” replied Dekker. “But I'm afraid there's no way we can accept. That heart is mine, and we're taking it back to Dayside.”

“Young man, it's the only choice you have,” she said.

Dekker stood up. “Come on, Riley, we're leaving.”

Narcissa picked up the little bell and rang it sharply. Immediately, several blood knights oozed into the room through a low door, led by the tall skeleton who had found them in the Bizarre. Dekker and Riley were trapped. “You misunderstand your situation,” Narcissa said. “If you choose not to work with me, then I must respect your wishes. However, you will remain here in the manor until such time as you become more cooperative. Guards—show my guests to their room.”

Anger rose inside Dekker. He clenched his fists and stepped back from the table.

Narcissa snapped her fingers, and the blood knights moved in, their oozing suckers straining for Dekker's chest. The skeleton guard blocked their way and drew a leather pouch from his coat, waving it in front of them. The creatures reared back, their suckers opening and closing hungrily.

“Go ahead, dead boy.” Narcissa chortled. “I'll have you hung in a barrel of brine until the flesh drips from your bones and you forget who you are.”

“Come on,” said Riley. “Let's just do what she says.”

The skeleton threatened the blood knights with the pouch again. They retreated reluctantly and disappeared through the low door, their scabby sides scraping against the doorframe. The guard closed the door and slid the bolt across, locking it.

Then he took Dekker and Riley by the arm and led them toward a door on the other side of the hall. As they left, Narcissa called, “Think about my offer, children, but not for too long. You're looking positively pale, Riley. I'm afraid a cut like that just won't heal down here. If you overstay your welcome, you may be a guest of Understory much longer than you'd planned.”

They were marched along a narrow corridor. Riley scowled. “We still didn't get dinner. I'm starving.”

The skeleton leading them spoke without turning his head. “If the Dayside princess requires sustenance, the Bone clan serves.” The lantern hanging inside his rib cage created grim shadows on the walls.

“Call it what you want, bone man, we're her prisoners, not her guests,” said Dekker.

“Little brother,” he clacked, “no one still tied to the Dayside world has been marked by the Nightclock in a thousand years, not since Understory was but a few hovels beside the timeless station.” He stopped and turned, his empty sockets pointed at Riley. “And no one like
you
has ever come before. You are here, and the city changes.
How
will depend on you.”

They passed through a hall lined with more skeletal remains set in lavish patterns on the walls. Dekker looked down; they were walking on bones, laid like brick pavers. “The governess will know if you leave the grounds. I can provide food for the young princess. Our lady said to show you to your chambers, and so I must. But if you are serious about completing your task, you require a more powerful ally. Someone who has influence over Narcissa that even she does not understand.”