Gateway (The Gateway Trilogy, Book 1) (10 page)

“I see. Well, the more the merrier,” Mae said. “We certainly have the extra beds. Why don't you wait in my office? I'm sure they'll be wanting privacy. I'll take Callie to her room.”

Kat went with them, offering to show Callie around the rest of the grounds. I followed Taren to Mae's office.

Once seated I asked, “So these two people who are coming, Annys and Master Dogan, those are the ones I can trust? I can show them the tattoo and they'll explain to me what I have to do with all of this?”

Taren nodded. “Both are members of the Elder's Circle, and Annys is their leader.”

“Sounds like they're pretty important. All of that just for me?” The thought made me squirm.

“I told you, Ember, you're special. And more powerful than you know. Don't let Annys intimidate you. It'll be easier said than done, but show them you can stand up for yourself. Someone with your talents is going to need to be strong, and it's important you prove that you are.”

My talents?

Before I could ask what he meant, the door opened and in strode an imposing woman with dark blonde hair and eyes like a falcon. Behind her was a man with a closely shaved head. His face was still, a pond filled with clear water, not even a ripple to mar its surface. I couldn't put an age to him.

After the introductions, Annys took a seat behind the desk. “Taren, you may leave us now, but wait outside. We'll have need of you when we're done with her.”

When they were done with me?  Taren spared me a regretful glance before doing as he was told. Annys turned her intense gaze to me.

“Show us this marking of yours.”

I stiffened at the abrupt command but complied, turning away and revealing my tattooed shoulder.

Master Dogan gasped and I turned back to see shock on his face. Annys masked her emotions, instead saying, “And how did you come to be marked this way?

“I brought the completed design to a tattoo artist.” I knew she wanted more, but her interrogation style had me on the defensive, fearing to say too much.

“I see. And you claim to have come up with the design on your own? You never saw it anywhere? Were never shown a part of it by someone else?”

The arrogance of her tone eased my fear. I returned her gaze, hoping mine was as harsh. “I don't claim it, it's the truth.”

“How do you propose to prove this?” she asked, unfazed.

“I don't. Look, I didn't come here to be called a liar,” I said, unable to soften the edge of my tone. “Taren said the two of you would give me some answers. If that symbol is supposed to be some big secret, why don't
you tell me how it's possible that I would start drawing it
.
Or why the nuthouse was attacked by demons. Or how it is that demons actually even exist.”

Annys indulged my tirade. When I had finished, she leaned forward on the desk.

“Young woman, you do not know what is at stake here—”

“Annys, if I may,” Master Dogan's voice was soothing. Annys' jaw tightened at being interrupted, but allowed him to continue. “Ember makes a point. She's been through quite an ordeal in the past twenty-four hours and we are asking her to take a lot on faith. Perhaps if we are a little more forthcoming, she would be inspired to be as well.”

“And what information do you suggest we share, Dogan? Which of our secrets do you feel safe in revealing?” She gave him a warning look.

Master Dogan turned his serene gaze to me. “What has Taren told you about the symbol?”

“That it's broken into nine segments, and those segments are born on certain people, who then either go crazy or help you keep the Gateway closed somehow.”

“All true. Would you like to know how the Gateway came to be?”

I nodded. My anger at being doubted by Annys melted at the kindness in Master Dogan's eyes, the soothing tone in his voice.

“Many millennia ago, there existed not only humans, but Daemons. Daemons then were different from what we think of as demons now. While physically they were indistinguishable from their human counterparts, they possessed abilities far beyond that of man. Their origin has been lost to time—were they just a much older species than man and therefore more evolved, or were they terrestrial in nature? Or even angels of some sort, sent to guide man? Whatever their history, man and Daemon lived in harmony for centuries. Some pose it was Daemons that were responsible for the leaps forward in man's development—the societies of Atlantis, Lemuria, even the ancient Mayans.

“As humans advanced, they begin to intermarry with the Daemons, creating hybrid offspring. Many Daemons looked down upon this joining of races—considering themselves above humans. Though evolving as a species, humans were still well behind Daemons, who had such control over their minds they were both telekinetic and telepathic. They saw mankind as a sort of pet, a dog to be put to work and occasionally rewarded, but not with whom to mate.

“This difference in attitude caused a huge rift within the Daemon society and eventually resulted in a war. Countless lives were lost, and both races were threatened with extinction, for the powers of the Daemons made battle about more than just physical weaponry. Psychic attacks were common, and caused the victims to become insane, comatose or worse, lead them to kill their own people.

“The Daemons who sided with the humans knew something drastic needed to be done or both societies would be lost forever. They devised a scheme to confine the enemy Daemons in a separate yet identical reality. It was a planned attack across continents and required the participation of every available Daemon, even their hybrid offspring. Over the course of three days a battle raged. To the humans it looked as though the Daemons were simply sitting, sometimes moaning or blacking out, but to the Daemons on both sides it was agonizing. On the third day, the enemy Daemons simply vanished, and in the nine places where the others had gathered were Gateways—access points to the alternate dimension they had sent the Daemons to.

“The remaining Daemons were the first Keepers. Knowing they would be susceptible to telepathic attack by the enemy, they made the Gateway a living organism, equipped with a self-preservation instinct. It only took one generation to wipe out all of the remaining Daemons. The imprisoned demons, as they came to be called, launched wave after wave of mental attack, driving the Daemons to suicide or to kill scores of their own. But by then, Marked ones had been born—humans that were linked with the Gate. The first of the human Keepers were trained by the remaining Daemons. Once they were gone, the Institute was created to continue guarding the Gateway and protect mankind from being overrun by demon hordes.”

When Master Dogan finished his story, the room was still. I sat in stunned silence while he and Annys studied my reaction. I was torn between belief and incredulity. I knew it was crazy, and yet…

Why couldn't it be true? I probed further.

“But I wasn't born with a Mark,” I said. “Even if believe you, which I'm not sure I do, what do I have to do with any of this? And why…” I paused and took a deep breath. “Why did I start drawing that symbol?”

The two exchanged a long look and then Annys faced me, her eyes boring into mine.

“Because,” she said, “we believe you are part Daemon.”

My eyes bulged. It seemed an appropriate response. It took a moment for the power of speech to return.

“You think I'm not human? That I'm a demon, or Daemon, or whatever? That's insane.”

“Not long ago I would have agreed,” Annys said, “but there are too many signs pointing in that direction not to explore the idea. You claim to have channeled the Gateway symbol of your own accord, you've been involved in altercations with both a demon and a Red, Callie was compelled to attack you, and you hear a voice. And I would bet the arrival of that voice coincides almost exactly with you getting that tattoo.”

I stiffened. Was it true? A demonic presence had access to my thoughts? The possibility terrified me even more than the idea I might be crazy had. Annys could tell by my reaction that she was right. The two events had been almost simultaneous.

“So, the question becomes, how do we proceed?” I waited for her answer, as I had none. “What I propose is that you remain here at the Institute. You will be enrolled in classes and treated like any other new student. We can smooth things over with your mother. Given where we generally find our students, the Institute is recognized by the state as alternative schooling for troubled youth, and we have a generous scholarship program. Here you will be safe and receive an excellent education while we determine whether or not you are equipped to aid in our fight to keep the Gateway closed.”

My thoughts raced. I didn't see that I had a choice. I still wasn't buying the idea that I wasn't human, but there was no denying I was in danger. But would I really be safer here?

“What about the other students?” I asked. “Like you said, Callie tried to kill me. What if the voices tell her—or even a group of others—to finish the job?”

The look Annys gave me was meant to be reassuring, but seemed incongruous on her harsh features.

“Most of your studies will take place in the sanctuary region of the property where the demons cannot infiltrate. You will be perfectly safe.”

“And my mother?” I said. “If she knows where I am, won't she be in danger, too?”

“That has already been taken care of. Taren dispatched a security detail to her last night.”

I nodded, grateful for his foresight but annoyed he hadn't told me. How much of this had he known all along?

“Aside from the rules that all new students must follow, you will need to be absolutely vigilant about two additional. You must reveal to no one that you know the entire symbol until such time as you are taught it, and you must never, under any circumstances, show anyone your tattoo. Dogan, Taren and myself will be the only ones who know of your possible lineage. Even the slightest violation of either of these rules will mean your immediate expulsion. Should others ask, you will tell them your birthmark looks like this.” She sketched briefly and passed the paper across the desk. It was the center design of my tattoo. “It is not unusual for Keepers to have their marking on, say, an inner thigh, or their very low back and not show it to others.”

Again I nodded, my thoughts moving faster than my mouth.

“Good, it's settled then. Mae will show you to a room. Send Taren in on your way out.”

I started to protest the dismissal—I still had so many questions—but I wasn't sure how much more I could process. I left without a word.

Taren sat in the common room chatting with Mae. His face took on a relieved expression at the sight of me.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said. “They want to see you now, Taren. And Mae, I guess I'll be needing a room.”

Mae balked. “A room or a bed? New students—”

“She'll be needing her own room. She's as old as most third years,” Taren said.

Mae looked perplexed but said, “Alright, then. I've got something on the third floor.”

“I'll find you when I'm done,” Taren said before slipping into the office.

I followed Mae down the hall. We passed a doorway and I peered in to see a small room with two neatly made bunk beds and a desk. So it was usually four to a room for new students? I was grateful I was being afforded my own. Each doorway held a similar site—the color of bedding, the style of the desk—all the same except for some personal touches: a poster on the wall, an extra blanket.

Mae led me up the stairs, past the second floor and up to the third. Partway down the hall she opened a polished wood door to reveal a small but nicely furnished bedroom. It held a twin sized bed, a nightstand, desk, and a tall wardrobe. As tiny as it was, it didn’t feel cramped due to the window that overlooked the grounds. I took in the bright green grass and majestic trees that lined the landscape. The main house stood farthest up the hill, its marble gleaming in the sun.

“The bathroom is just down the hall on the right.”

I pulled my eyes away from the view. I had to share a bathroom with strangers? A whole floor of them? A frightening thought occurred to me.

“The bathroom, is it… coed?”

Mae laughed. “Oh, no, hon. Don't worry. There are no boys on this floor. They have the second floor, and there is no visiting between the two. The first floor is coed, but the living room and kitchen divide the facilities.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Never having met my father, nor having a brother, I was not ready to share a bathroom with a boy. Not by a long shot.

As the tour continued Mae gave me what I assumed was helpful information about life at the Institute, but I wasn't listening. Instead I was wondering, what's a Red? Annys had used the term in reference to the attacks aimed at me. I had to assume it was the man with the red eyes. Was he a demon? I had thought demons looked like the creature I'd seen at the nuthouse, but if Daemons had started out looking like humans, how had they evolved into that horrifying creature? And how were they going to determine if I was, in fact, part Daemon? Was I signing up for weird biological tests?

We passed a window and movement caught my eye. It was Taren, his face a thunderhead, storming off in the direction of the woods that bordered the property. I felt a mix of concern and disappointment. He'd promised to find me. I wondered what had upset him so much.