The Mapmakers Union (The Doorknob Society Saga Book 3) (28 page)

He turned, his eyes meeting hers and smiled. “Okay.”

“Now that it’s settled,” Jeremiah said, “give me a few minutes to change out the guards and then move. You’ll need to get out the same way you came in. Can you remember how to get back there?”

“Yes, but what about the stone wall, I can’t open that?”

“I can,” Edgar said.

“Good, once you are safely away contact your father and have him let me know. I will deal with the Union and attempt to garner support to reclaim the truces and ask the other Societies for help repelling any attacks by the First Kind.”

“You got it.” I let my hand slide into my bag and wrap around my doorknob, mentally preparing myself for what was coming.

“Good luck.” Jeremiah smiled and exited the room.

“How did you get here?” Edgar’s eyes were still wide with disbelief.

“
Her
.” I pointed to Val and she laughed.

“The bag you left at my house,” Val explained, “I showed it to Chloe and she found us a way here.”

Edgar beamed proudly at Val as if she had done the most brilliant thing in the world. “Where are we going to go?”

“The Reliquary for now and from there we can decide our next move,” I said.

Edgar lowered his head, a habit of his when he needed to think something over. His eyes met mine when he raised his head up and there was a hardness in them that had me worried at what he would say next.

“Was it him?”

I didn’t need to ask who he was talking about, it was Nightshade.  I couldn’t bring myself to say it so I nodded.

“He’s alive?”

I nodded again.

Edgar shook his head.  “That’s crazy. Nightshade would never betray us... never. “He didn’t, not on his own anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

I had to be brief and quick or else the images would invade my mind once again.    “The First Kind tortured him and then used a Forget Me Not on him to turn him into their lapdog.”

 Val let out a gasp, her hand covering her mouth as Edgar’s head drooped once again. Nightshade and he had been friends a lot longer than I had known either of them and his death had affected Edgar nearly as badly as it had me.

His voice was so low that we could barely hear him. “We have to help him.” “And we’re going to if it’s the last thing I do.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure something out.”

“I won’t, I can’t... leave him like that.”

“Either will I, Edgar, I promise.” We locked eyes sealing a silent pact that meant we would rescue Nightshade no matter what.

“How long until the guards leave?” Val asked as she crossed the room and looked out the window.

“Any minute now,” Edgar said.

“Good, since I don’t like the look of that.” She pointed out the window to a massive black crack that shot up from one of the mazes into the sky. Waves of portal energy rolled out from it and Edgar and I looked at each other and shook our heads.

“Damn it, the First Kind is here.”

Status: Time for a fight!

“Crap this isn’t good.” I ran my hands through my hair and yanked it back wrapping it in a ponytail. It wouldn’t do any good getting in my eyes during a fight.

“What’s the plan?” Edgar’s eyes never left the crack as it spread across the sky of the Mapmaker dimension.

“We stick to the plan; we need to get the hell out of here,” I said determined to get Edgar to safety.

Outside the room screams erupted as did the distinct sound of people running. Jeremiah didn’t have nearly enough time to set up any kind of defense and people panicked as they often do in times of chaos.

I hurried to the door and opened it to see that the guards had deserted their post. Most likely assuming a full on attack took precedence over guarding a prisoner.

“Let’s go.” I waved Val and Edgar to follow me and we slipped cautiously out of the room. I didn’t waste any time, I activated my doorknob. Its energy sent shivers running up my arm as my energy whip slithered to life.

“Hope you don’t need that,” Edgar said from behind me and I hoped the same. At least that had been my plan, to make it out without a lick of trouble. Unfortunately, my plans seemed to have an abysmal success rate, though one could always hope.

The hallways of the Union Hall were filled with people rushing about either trying to shore up defenses or in a state of justified panic. Not that it would help or do any good. We quickly reached the spot where we had entered and Edgar hurried to draw a symbol on the stones. The stones creaked like rusty old door hinges that needed oiling as they slide open revealing the outside.

As soon as we stepped through I felt the energy crackling around us and the sounds of battle were not far off. Some of the Mapmakers were trying to defend the Union Hall but from the distinct scent of different Society energies that I got a whiff of, they weren’t succeeding.

“This way.” I lead our ragtag trio up the cobblestone path and over the hill toward the hedgerows.

The air around us sizzled with a multitude of energies and I tighten my grip on my doorknob. Damn, if I didn’t have a dreadful feeling that we weren’t going to make it. We stopped abruptly sensing danger behind us and I spun around bringing my whip up and snapping it out in one fluid motion.

The man on a dead-run toward us had no time to react, my whip sliced into his chest slamming him to the ground and knocking him out. But he wasn’t alone and the next attacker approached with more caution.

“
Jasper.
” I gritted my teeth at the sight of Faith’s boyfriend and the man who had kidnapped Val.

“Look what I found,” he said grinning with glee as if he’d just won a big prize. He glanced at each of us before settling on Val. “Hello there, Val, long time no see.”

She smiled sweetly. “Hi there, jerk-face.”

 I stifled a laugh. After witnessing Val’s encounter with her mother I didn’t think there would be anyone she’d let intimidate her. And I was right.

He snarled at Val, like that would do anything, and then he brought out his Doorknob and saturated it with energy. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

I circled around and positioned myself as a shield in front of Val and Edgar. This really was no time for a fight; we needed to make our escape before reinforcements showed up or we’d be captured.  It would be a challenge to protect the two of them, but there was no way in hell that I was going to lose another friend.

Jasper wielded his Doorknob like a swordsman, slashing out and letting loose with a sharp blast of energy. I could play at the same game and much better. I spun my whip with skills born from practice, then cracked it hard. Easily deflecting his blast, though cursed myself for delaying in getting the hell out of Dodge fast enough.

I needed to end this fast and going on the offense was the only option. I twirled my whip in front of me as I stepped hastily toward Jasper, forcing him to back up. Then just as quickly, I shattered the ground on either side of him and fear instantly registered in his eyes as he realized my intentions... I was boxing him in. He brought his doorknob up to attack, but I was a quicker draw.  With a snap of my wrist my whip cracked across his hand forcing him to drop it.

Another spin and snap of my whip and I shattered his doorknob into pieces. Energy shot out in all directions as the device released the last of its power.

Jasper’s voice lost all confidence and quivered, though he still tried to intimidate. “You’ll never win.”

“We’ll see about that.” I had my whip ready for one last shot, while Jasper’s eyes darted franticly around searching for any avenue of escape.

“Hey, jackass,” Edgar called out and Jasper turned to him just in time to catch a right hook in the jaw that spun him around and dropped him to the ground unconscious. “That’s for kidnapping Val.”

“Let’s go.” I grabbed Edgar’s arm and pulled him away as the three of us ran along the cobblestones toward the exit. Energy from the exact spot where we had entered hit me full blast and I skidded to a stop and activated my Doorknob rushing to open a portal.

“Hurry up,” Val urged as she stepped through first and Edgar was about to follow.

Crimson light smacked me like a solid hand across the face and I was thrown to the ground as everything around me took on a red hue. The portal shimmered in front of me and Val stood on the other side banging on some invisible barrier. Edgar was beside me on the ground rubbing his arm that he had landed on.

“Oh, no, run,” Val screamed.

 I turned my head to see what had caused her to shout out in warning, though I had already figured I wasn’t going to like it. And sure enough the hedges behind us had been blown to pieces by the shot of energy that had sealed my portal. And walking toward us was Nightshade.

Status: Nightshade.

I scrambled to my feet and infused my doorknob with energy. Edgar was moaning as he struggled to his feet holding his arm.

“Edgar, you’re coming with me.” Nightshade was adamant. He intended to have it no other way and that was obvious from the way his Skeleton Key glowed crimson in his hand.

“No,” Edgar said quietly and just as adamantly.

I couldn’t believe Nightshade was standing here in front of me alive, though not well. I wanted to go to him and feel him against me again until the world melted away and left only the two of us. That, however, wasn’t about to happen. Instead I said softly, “Nightshade,” —his eyes turned to me with burning anger— “do you know me?”

“Of course I do, Masters, and the only reason you’re not dead is because of the control you hold over Edgar.”

“She doesn’t have any control over me,” Edgar said. “She’s my friend and yours too.”

“
No.
She’s lying to you and you don’t even know it. If you knew the things she has done, you wouldn’t say that, Edgar.” His voice trembled and his eyes blinked rapidly.

“Your head hurts doesn’t it?” I asked remembering what it was like to be under the control of the Forget Me Not. His eyes darted to me and for a moment the anger was gone replaced by confusion. Somewhere in there was the Nightshade I knew and this time I was going to make sure that he wasn’t get left behind.

“Shut up.” The anger flared in his eyes again. “If you don’t come willingly, I’ll make you come with me.”

“Nightshade, we’re friends. Please don’t do this,” Edgar pleaded.

“You found them.” Faith came up behind Nightshade, followed quickly by Mary, Hitch, and to my surprise Jackson. I thought he’d died when he went off the ledge at the Tavern at the End of Time. I guess I was wrong.

“What’re we waiting for?” Faith smiled at me and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to smash her face in.

“We’re doing this my way,” Nightshade said his eyes narrowing and I could almost feel the stabbing pain in his head.

“Of course we are,” Faith placed her hand on his arm and he looked down at it. “But shouldn’t we end this quickly?”

She was trying to keep control of him but with me being here it made it more difficult. There was a better chance of him breaking through and remembering. So I figured it was time that I helped him along.

“Yeah, Nightshade, go ahead and do what the lady tells you?”

Faith glanced at me like I had three heads.

“What did you say?” Nightshade snapped.

I laughed. “That’s your big comeback, I thought you were better than that?”

“Shut up.” Nightshade reached back grabbing his neck and I knew his head must be exploding like mine used to when I was fighting to regain control.

“Oooo, shut up. WOW. I’m impressed, Nightshade. I should write that one down.”

“I’m surprised you know how to write, Masters.” Nightshade shot back and I saw a gleam in his eyes as he looked at me. I’d never been so excited to be insulted by Nightshade.

Faith’s eyes darted between us, realizing what I was up too. She swung her Doorknob up and sent a blast of energy at me. I raised a shield just in time to block it.

“She’s trying to trick you,” Faith yelled at Nightshade and he shook his head and without hesitation lifted his Skeleton Key turning it into a crimson blade.

“Get them,” Nightshade grumbled.

I kept my shield raised and gave Edgar’s shoulder a shove. “Run!” Missiles of portal energy repeatedly slammed into my shield and I wasn’t sure how long it would hold with that kind of onslaught. We had to lose our attackers. “The maze,” I shouted to Edgar.

“It almost worked,” Edgar got out as he turned a corner. ”For a moment he seemed like himself.”

“Almost doesn’t help us, Edgar,” I said breathing hard and wondering how the hell I could help Nightshade when all he wanted was to see me dead. We need to get out of here, Faith and her team are bad enough, but Nightshade is dangerous. “I don’t know what the hell we’re going to do.”

“Just like old times.” I didn’t need to see his face to know he was smiling.

 We ran at full speed and I knew they were close behind but we kept cutting around corners and I followed along hoping Edgar knew just where the hell he was going.

We popped out of the maze on the other side and we stopped for a moment. The crack in the sky was spreading and the sounds of battle had grown more intense. We were in an open field surrounded by topiary bushes of dragons and giants.

“How can we get out of here?”

Edgar dropped to the ground pulling a map out of his satchel. He unrolled it quickly and starting going through calculations. “This isn’t good.”

“What?”

“That crack, or whatever it is, it’s affecting the entire dimension. I can’t see an exit anywhere. We would need an already existing portal coming from the outside to escape... we’re stuck here.”

“Great.” I kicked the ground and tried to think of anything that could possibly get us out of this quicksand.

“I found them,” Jackson yelled having burst through the edge of the maze.

“I thought you were dead.” I stepped forward and activated my whip.

“I fell to the next level. It hurt like hell but I survived and now I get another shot at you.” He smiled and rushed at me.

“This time I’ll make it quick.” I swung my whip wide and aimed at his side. He dropped down, rolling under it and came up on the other side. I tried to compensate, twisting my wrist to bring the whip back but his Doorknob had formed a hammer, and he slammed it into my side knocking me off my feet.