The ender, p.16
The Ender, page 16
Thinking about putting Nick in any kind of danger worried Laney. It was enough that she dragged him into her supernatural world and gave him an actual role. Now, to warn the Librarian, he’d face possible death. She sighed, drawing small circles on the paper, trying to process her thoughts.
A man passing the window caught Laney’s attention. His dark hair and build gave him away. She stood up and pressed her head against the window, watching him as he continued down the sidewalk.
“I’ve got to go. Thanks for the info.”
“No problem. And, Laney, don’t get yourself, or anyone I love, killed.”
She shoved her phone back into her bag as a knock on the door a minute later confirmed her suspicions. Brian said she should trust Jonas, but he had helped the Wanderer one too many times.
Chapter 18
Strings of garland and twinkle lights were strung along the hallway in a zigzag pattern, swooping so low in some places that Jonas had to duck. He half wanted to reach up and yank them all down, but he was working on being good. Searching the dining hall, he couldn’t find Brian. If he had come up here to see his girlfriend, he’d give him a piece of his mind—a guy’s got to eat.
Reaching Missy’s door, he banged on it with his fist. Brian would know he was ticked. Leaving his parents and grandfather in that basement unprotected made him very uncomfortable. The door opened.
“Jonas.” Delaney’s mouth held a frown, but her eyes gleamed with the same curiosity. His sister turned away from him and walked back into the room.
They had not left on good terms, as hard as he tried to convince her.
He stepped in and closed the door behind him. “Have you seen Brian?”
Her face paled, and her hand reached for the chair by her desk to steady herself. This was not good.
“Are you all right?” He reached out a hand to catch her as her knees buckled.
Delaney’s eyes were still open, but her body went limp. He wrapped his arm around her and half carried her to one of the beds, helping to prop her body up on one of the pillows.
Her breath hitched, and her eyelids fluttered before she spoke. “Brian’s dead.”
“What do you mean he’s dead? He just went to the dining hall to get pizza.” His mind spun. In a world where the Wanderer existed, no one was safe.
Slamming his fist into the wall, the pain radiated through his knuckles and then to the extremities of his fingers. Why’d he let him go alone?
Delaney stared at him wide-eyed, clutching a blanket around her. “The Wanderer had William. We went to find him, and Brian exchanged his life for ours.” A tear ran down his sister’s cheek. “I don’t know why he’d ever trust her word.”
“Because he’s a stupid ass.” His own emotions rose in his chest. He couldn’t let his sister see him cry, not if he had any image to uphold. “Where’s William?”
“He’s taking Missy, and I’m sure Nick, someplace safe. I’d assume Taylor Hall. He’s going to call me when they get there.” She picked up her phone, lighting the screen to check for any messages.
They sat on the bed in silence. His sister thumbed through her phone, keeping her eyes off him. How could he make her believe that he was ready to start over? He pulled his knees to his chest. Jason, and now Brian, were dead because of the story of the two people sitting on this bed. But how could it be their fault? Well, Jason was his fault, but for his whole life, Jonas had been manipulated. He was the Wanderer’s pawn because he was born a Weaver. And whose fault was that? This Librarian?
“Do you really want my forgiveness?” Delaney kept her eyes on her phone.
“More than anything.” Jonas wasn’t sure the words came out, but he knew she understood.
“Help us find the Librarian and kill the Wanderer.” Her attention never left the phone.
He smiled. “Let’s kill the witch.”
The darkness of the moonless night helped William and Nick hide Missy in the shadows. Her incessant need to talk made it a little more difficult to remain incognito.
Passing one of the dorms, she waved to a couple of friends. “Hey, girls! You going to Frank’s party?”
William grabbed her arm and dragged her around the corner of the dorm, his hand on her mouth. His heart beat out of his chest. “You’re going to get us all killed. It’s not a joke. Someone wants us dead.”
With her blue eyes wide, she pushed him off with her hands. She glared at Nick, who stood a few feet away. “Are you going to let him manhandle me like that? I’m a pregnant woman, after all.”
Stepping closer, Nick placed his hands on Missy’s shoulders. “The woman who murdered those students wants us dead. She’ll stop at nothing. We need to get you someplace safe to protect both you and your baby. If she knows that baby belongs to Brian, there’s nothing she won’t do to kill it.”
“What? Why?” Her voice bordered on hysterics. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“You’ve just got to trust us.” William sighed and held out his arm to her. “When we get you to safety, we’ll explain everything.”
Inside Taylor Hall, Missy stared in speechless wonder at the macabre world of the endless tunnels and flickering torches. Every few feet, she complained about the rocks poking through her slippers, and William wished he’d made her put on real shoes. When they reached the giant door with the dog handle, she stopped.
She shook her head with her hands on her hips. “I’m not going in there.”
“It’s the safe house.” Nick placed a hand on her lower back to try to keep her moving. “We can protect you here.”
“You pull me through the quad, telling me I have to be quiet, which by the way is a huge feat. Then you continue to drag me through this tunnel, ripping up my feet on the sharp rocks. And now you want me to go through some creepy door to be murdered by Freddy Krueger or worse. No way.” She whipped around and started storming off in the opposite direction.
The massive door creaked open, stopping Missy’s retreat. Standing in the opening, gun in hand, was Laney’s father.
“William? Missy? What are you doing here?” Tim stepped out of the room and closed the door. “Where’s Delaney?”
“She’s in her room, making a phone call.” William took Missy’s hand and led her back. “I need to borrow someone’s phone to let her know where we are.”
Tim handed him his phone. “Have you seen Jonas or Brian? Brian must’ve left here an hour ago to get pizza, and Jonas went out looking for him.”
Nick shot William a look. Now they had to worry about Jonas’s safety. If they knew where the Wanderer was located, it would put them all at ease, but she could be anywhere. And now that Brian was dead, would she even bother to come after them or go directly to the Librarian?
“No, we haven’t seen them,” Nick lied.
Tim opened the door wider into the cavernous lair. “Jonas wants us to stay here because of the woman who tied us up. Gave me his gun to protect Shelly and Grady.” He produced a crooked grin. “It’s a good thing it’s an antique because that’s all I’ve ever shot.”
William thought about asking him more about the manuscripts, but the Wanderer had entered Natalie’s book and attempted to kill them multiple times, which wouldn’t be possible without the story.
Seeing them, the others rushed over, but Shelly stopped before she reached them; the smile on her face disappeared. “Where’s Laney?”
Leading Missy into the room, William assured Shelly. “Nick and I want to make sure Missy’s safe.” Digging into his backpack, he removed a knife and handed it to Grady. “There’s a murderer out there, and you can’t leave this room until we get back.”
“They know the truth.” Grady held the knife in his hand. It shook beside his pant leg. “Don’t sugarcoat what’s going on.”
He admired Grady’s intuition throughout the time he’d lived in this world. The older man reminded William of his own father, and he knew why Laney loved him so much. He sighed and set down his backpack. Providing them enough information to keep them satisfied was the goal right now.
“The Wanderer is trying to take over the book world.”
“Taking over the book world?” Tim scratched his head. “Isn’t that Amazon’s job?”
“He’s not trying to be funny, Mr. Holden.” Nick held out his Gate Keeper ring. “Our goal is to find the Librarian by jumping into whatever book he might currently be occupying, kill the Wanderer, and restore the natural order to the Weaver world.”
“Sounds like a lot to do by five o’clock.” For some reason, Tim wasn’t taking them seriously. “The two of you are going to do this all by yourselves?”
“No. Jonas and Laney are going with us.” William watched Tim’s eyes as they turned from jovial to petrified.
“Oh, no, she’s not.” His face turned purple, his hand clenched around the antique gun. “I’ve had enough of this nonsense. Delaney stays with me.”
William bent down to zip up his bag. Although leaving Laney with her parents and grandfather would settle his heart, even this short time apart made him beyond nervous. The Wanderer was out there, and her eyes were now set on the Librarian, but she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to kill Laney if she had the chance.
“Nick and I will get Laney and bring her back.” William slung his bag on his shoulder. “Use that gun if you have to because she won’t give you a second shot.”
Tim nodded. “I’ll give you a half hour before I come looking for my daughter.”
“Do not leave this room.” He wasn’t sure how to get Tim to understand the danger.
Tim’s face turned purple again, and William backed away slightly, fearing he might get slugged, but Shelly placed her hand on her husband’s arm, pulling him away from the door.
Missy stood by Grady, looking like a teenager ready for a slumber party. “Make sure you bring Brian back, too. And you can tell him I’m pissed.”
Outside the large door, William and Nick found two large beams that had broken loose from the ceiling over the years. Heaving them towards the door, they braced the beams between the wood and the floor, trapping the occupants inside. When they reached the top of the stairs, William turned on Missy’s cellphone and found Laney’s number.
“We’ve got to go tonight,” William said. Laney would understand the urgency of the situation.
“Jonas is here. He wants to come. Meet us in the lobby,” she replied.
Exiting into the night air onto the quad, something in his gut told him that somebody wouldn’t make it out of the Librarian’s book alive.
“Have you thought about how we’re going to reach the Librarian?” Nick walked beside him, more than likely working through the same situations in his own thoughts.
“I kind of hoped it would come to you intuitively. When you brought us into the other Weaver’s books, how did you know where to take us?”
Nick shrugged his shoulders. “I just thought about the name of the book, and it brought us there. Not too complicated.”
“Then maybe you need to think about the Librarian, and it will take us to him.” It unsettled him to think that wherever they found the Librarian, they would also find the Wanderer, but his military instincts were beginning to kick in, and it was time to finish this once and for all.
Laney locked the door once William and Nick were inside the room. The shades were already drawn to provide the privacy they needed for the jump. Jonas removed a sapphire ring from the pocket of his coat and placed it on his finger, the spider clearly defined in the center of the ring.
“When did you get that? You didn’t?” If her brother had spilled more blood, she was done with him, and she definitely didn’t want him coming with them.
Shaking his head, Jonas stuck his hands in his pockets, possibly embarrassed that he had a Weaver ring. “It found me. Just like yours and just like Grady’s. I guess I’m supposed to be a Weaver… it’s who I am. I got sorted into the wrong house.”
She reached over and took Jonas’s hand in hers. His calloused skin felt strange against hers, but in other ways it felt right. William took her other hand and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Laney gazed across the room at Nick, who seemed so much more grown up than when she first met him earlier in the school year. With his bag on his back, his Gore-Tex coat and beanie, he looked ready to trek through the wilderness for weeks. He’d really taken on his role as the Gate Keeper. Along with her father and Grady, these were the men in her life, and she’d fight to the death to protect any one of them.
Chapter 19
A gurgling sound woke Laney as a drop of water hit her forehead. She opened her eyes to a threatening, gray sky while another drop of rain landed on her cheek. When she sat up, Nick and William were a little ways off, engaged in a conversation. Jonas lay by the tiny stream that meandered through the field of lush, green grass. Up a hill from the stream stood a castle, looming like a guardian over the barren landscape. Crawling over to Jonas, she shook his shoulder. He didn’t respond. She bent down over the stream and cupped as much water as she could gather into her hands, splashing the contents onto her brother’s face. Still no response.
Panic swept through her. No. After all they’d been through—after finally attempting reconciliation, she wasn’t going to lose him so easily. This couldn’t be happening. She lifted his sleeve and checked his pulse. Slow, steady beats reverberated through her fingertips. He was alive but weak.
William and Nick made their way back over to the spot where her brother still lay. Nick looked like he held on to some secret. She could always read him like a book, but there were more pressing matters than his conversation with William.
“I think the jumps are weakening him.” She still knelt beside Jonas as she ran her fingers through the tendrils of hair on his forehead. “Maybe there’s someone in the castle who can help.”
It took a good half hour for Nick and Laney to drag Jonas up the hill to the structure. Still working through his own injury, William carried everyone’s bags, three slung over his shoulders and one in his arms.
A massive wooden door blocked their entrance. Laney knocked on it as hard as she could, hoping someone might answer. Several minutes later, the door creaked open, revealing a short, plump woman carrying a broom. The frown on her face made it apparent she didn’t want visitors. Setting the broom against the doorframe, the woman ran her hand through her short brown hair.
“And I suppose you’d like me to care for your injured friend here?” She placed her hands on her hips. “This isn’t an infirmary, you know.”
“We’d like a place for him to rest while he recovers.” Laney smiled, hoping to cheer the eternally grumpy woman.
“And how do I know I can trust ya?” But instead of waiting for a reply, she picked up her broom and headed back into the castle, leaving the front door wide open.
Entering the massive entrance hall, Laney and Nick half dragged Jonas across the floor. It had taken a lot out of them to get the bigger man up the hill. Laney took in the stone walls with floor-to-ceiling curtains, massive paintings of some unknown royal, and tapestries covering large sections of the walls and floor. Candles burned throughout the room, lighting their way. It suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea where they were. They trusted Nick to bring them to the Librarian.
“Excuse me.” Laney called after the woman, who swept a grand staircase leading to an unknown world above. “Can you tell me where we are?”
She stopped her work again to raise an eyebrow at the younger girl. “Are you stark-raving mad? Perhaps we should prepare a bed for you in the infirmary instead of for ye friend here. We’re in Wales. Where else would we be?” The woman huffed before climbing the remainder of the stairs. “There’s a room to lay that young man down, first door on the right at the top.”
Nick collapsed into a burgundy, velvet-lined chair. “Of course, it’s at the top of the stairs. That woman wants to kill us before the Wanderer even has a chance.” He yanked his beanie off his head and stuck it in his coat pocket.
“I’ll bring the bags up and then come back down to help you.”
When Laney descended the stairs, Jonas began to rouse. His eyelids fluttered, but he still appeared extremely weak.
William crouched down and checked his pulse again. “Give him a few more minutes, and then maybe he can assist you in the climb so you’re not carrying dead weight.”
A long hallway stretched out in front of them with more of the enormous paintings and candelabras lining the walls. The stone floor continued, lined with a carpet in a similar burgundy color as the velvet-lined chair.
“Do you think the Librarian lives here?” Laney spoke in a hushed voice. “I mean, how do you know you brought us to the right place?”
“That’s just it—I don’t know. I thought about him, so hopefully it worked.” Dark circles had formed under Nick’s eyes, and she knew he was completely worn out from more than carrying Jonas up a hill. He deserved a long rest away from her supernatural world.
Jonas helped more than Laney expected in the ascent up the stairs, but he let them know he wasn’t happy about it through his grumbling and cursing.
When they finally laid him down on the giant four-poster bed, he growled, “Can you be a little more careful with the merchandise? I know you all love me to pieces, so maybe you could start showing it.”
The sarcasm was back. He must be feeling better.
“I’m going to take Laney and scout out the castle. Nick, you stay here with Jonas so he has time to recover.” William stared out the window at the emerald countryside. The grass was the same color as his eyes.
“Oh, no.” Nick and Jonas both protested at the same time.
“We won’t be long.” William turned from the window and picked up an antique book from a shelf along the wall. “Here.” He tossed the book to Nick. “Enrich your mind.”
Outside the room, William took Laney’s hand and led her down the staircase. His hand felt warm on hers, and the reassurance of his love energized her to accomplish the task in front of them. He must have been feeling the same way because he suddenly drew her into a dark alcove, lifting his other hand to her face, his lips pressing against hers. The heat between their bodies was intense, and her legs grew weak as she melted into his warmth.
