The Stone Key (The Novel Adventures of Nimrod Vale Book 2) Read online

  “You’re related to Frederick Stone?” she breathed out, clearly impressed.

  He lifted his chest and ventured a glance her way. “My name’s Bardrick Stone, and I’m not embarrassed of my name.”

  “Why should you be embarrassed about this amazing city that your grandfather helped build?” Kyrah said, “I think we’re here for the same thing.”

  I shrugged, ignoring the dumbfounded expression on Bardrick’s face. “Doesn’t matter. There’s no point—no easy way in. We tried.”

  She held up a dark shape, an iron finger, and said, “Unless you have the key.”

  I was almost disappointed I didn’t get to go home yet. I watched them center around her in excitement. Pepper asked, “How’d you get that? I’m guessing your mother and father wouldn’t like that either—”

  It was clear that Pepper found Kyrah’s untamable qualities admirable while she looked at her with wide doe-like eyes. Her aviator hat seemed to be equally interesting to the young duchess, who was returning a fascinated gaze. Two peas in a pod. Just what I needed—two wildly passionate trailblazers by my side.

  Kyrah walked past them to the door and leaned down. She squinted through the keyhole before putting in the iron key. I could barely hear her whisper, “They wouldn’t like any of this, but what’s a girl to do when everyone has gone completely claptrap? So, really, they were the ones who forced me to be the sane one. I slipped it from old Obo’s pocket when I stopped by earlier to return some books.”

  “The girl’s got sound logic,” Pepper said to no one in particular.

  The wooden door creaked open. Kyrah flashed a smile over her shoulder, and I happened to notice Bardrick blush. Nothing could have suppressed my eye roll in response.

  “This way,” Kyrah whispered and stepped inside.

  I let Bardrick and Pepper go ahead of me as they followed her in. I wondered if I should get out my lantern so we could see in the dark, but debated if it was smart to light a candle in a room filled with paper.

  Through the front entry, I heard Pepper gasp. “It’s so beautiful!”

  Curious, I hurried to catch up. A soft aqua glow illuminated the book-filled crates that were stacked throughout the circular space. Empty bookcases gaped like mouths without teeth. Pepper’s head was tilted back, looking up, so I followed her gaze.

  Above us a large crystal chandelier glimmered. An impressive length of chain suspended it from the tall ceiling. Lichen patches grew around the crown of the fixture, flooding it with a magical green light. Small bowls set around the room were glowing similarly. One was beside a large padded chair. In it was Obo, his mouth opened wide in a silent snore.

  I think my pulse stopped for a good ten seconds before it restarted again. My hand shot out to grab Pepper, who was standing only a foot away from me. When her head whipped around in annoyance, I lifted my finger to my lips, then pointed to the old record keeper. Her eyes widened and she passed the silent message forward. I turned to leave when Bardrick reached around, planting his hand on my shoulder.

  He shook his head at me. I took a deep breath, then joined the others, who’d formed a tight circle to ask the obvious. “Why aren’t we leaving right now?”

  Kyrah leaned in to whisper, “I’ve seen him sleep through many rowdy banquets without blinking an eye. We’ll be fine as long as we don’t fall into his lap.”

  “I have no plans to do that. But it doesn’t matter—all the books are in boxes. How’re we supposed to find the one we’re looking for without unpacking everything?” I hissed.

  Kyrah shook her head and pointed across the room. “Only the first level is packed. The city records are held on the top level.”

  Where she was pointing I saw a ladder extend to a second story filled with books. Like the floor before it, another ladder rose to yet another story of bookcases. I wished I had my watch, because every minute more we spent there, I imagined Aunt Holly calling the cops again.

  “Fine,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  One by one, we climbed the ladder to the second level. I looked over the balcony at the sleeping record keeper. He sat slumped and motionless. Kyrah led us up the next ladder to the third floor. From there, I was able to look down on the crystal chandelier from above. Water filled an opening in its center chamber, where more brilliant moss grew. I could have stood and stared at its bioluminescence all night, but then I would have looked like a total tool—and I’m already losing that battle, so why tip the scales?

  Kyrah and Bardrick fanned out to check the spines of the books. I looked at Pepper, then the rows of books. What exactly were we looking for?

  “Bardrick,” I whispered. He turned around and walked over to us so I could ask, “What will they look like?”

  “Well, his most prized journal should be with other building records. It may not be labeled, but it would have information about the aqueducts. My grandfather’s name might be on it.”

  We split up, pulling books from their shelves, flipping through pages only to put them back where we’d found them. Minutes slipped by, and just when I was tempted to grab Pepper against her will and head home, I found something familiar.

  The same symbol I’d seen carved into the stone above Bardrick’s doorway was stamped into the spine of a tall leather-bound book. I promised myself that if it wasn’t the one we were looking for I’d go with Plan B—drag Pepper home and try again some other time.

  I flipped open the first page. On the inside a name was scrawled in thick, splotchy ink—F. Stone, master mason. My breath caught in my throat as I leafed through its inner pages. Sketches of the aqueducts, two and three dimensionally laid out, filled the book. Various notes that were hard to read crowded out pictures of maps, which was what I was really interested in.

  “Hey, guys,” I whispered, “check this out.”

  They crowded around me. Pepper gripped my arm tight. “Is this really it?”

  “Stop.” Kyrah put her hand in between the pages as I thumbed through them. On the one her finger rested on, a map filled both sides. “Does that label say, ‘Crystal Cavern’s entrance’?”

  “Sure does,” Bardrick said, sharing a look with her.

  “Well, let’s not test my luck and stick around. We can look at this outside.” I closed it and walked to the ladder, ready to get going. It was easy to get them to follow, since I had the book.

  After Kyrah left the key beside Obo and closed the door quietly behind us, we gathered under the moonlight to look at our prize. We flipped through page after page, only confirming that we’d found the right book. Kyrah and Bardrick muttered about recognizing landmarks, getting more and more excited. I handed the journal to Bardrick and muttered to Pepper, “We found it, but it’s getting late. We need to get back. Luck’s been on our side so far, but—”

  Kyrah overheard me and said, “Of course. This isn’t your problem, and it is getting late. Thank you for helping find it.”

  Perfect. An easy way out.

  “No, but we want to help you find the springs too.”

  I looked at Pepper in stunned silence. We had talked about the sequence of events. We’d go in to find the book first, and then go adventuring some other day if we considered it safe. At least, that was the way I saw it going.

  “It’s dark out,” I said not expecting to need any further explanation.

  She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “But caves are dark anyhow.”

  “Hey, guys,” Bardrick interrupted. “We aren’t going tonight. I need to look this book over. My grandfather wrote in shorthand, and I’ll need a little time to figure it out.”

  “Finally, someone speaking reason.” I gripped my backpack strap, avoiding Pepper’s glare.

  “Don’t you mean we need time to look at the book?” Kyrah slipped it from Bardrick’s grasp. His head dipped down, but it couldn’t hide his smile.

  “Well,” Pepper said, “we have school tomorrow, but the next day’s open. We could meet early and take the whole day. Would that give yo
u enough time?”

  Bardrick and Kyrah exchanged a look. “School?” they asked.

  “Oh, I mean we’re busy with work,” Pepper tried to explain it away hastily.

  The duchess spoke up, answering the original question. “That should be enough time to read through it, but we can’t wait too long. More and more people are leaving the city every day.”

  “Where should we meet?” Pepper asked not waiting a minute to finalize plans. There had always been an intensity to her, but tonight, she was more so.

  I felt like I wasn’t even there as she made plans for us. I knew that she’d come without me, she’d already proven she would. I might as well let her make the arrangements. It would have been easier to stop a raging bull than it would have been to stop Pepper from getting what she wanted.

  Bardrick shuffled his feet. “Maybe the end of my street at sunrise? I live at the edge of Old Towne on Vale Court. If you follow it all the way to its end, it meets the boundary wall of the city.”

  “Oh, I know where that is.” Kyrah’s voice raised in excitement.

  She and Bardrick said in unison, “You can climb it and follow it into the forests.”

  I had the feeling I was interrupting a private conversation, and I was more than ready to get out of there before something awful happened. Without a watch I had no way of telling time. It had to be getting late. I pulled on Pepper’s sleeve before walking to the aqueduct wall. “We’ll be there,” I said over my shoulder and waved.

  Without wasting a minute, I was back on top of the stone canal, waving at Pepper to follow me. My feet moved slowly alongside the trough. If she wanted to stay, that was fine, but I was going home before Aunt Holly discovered I wasn’t there.

  After a few minutes I heard Pepper’s voice hiss at me from behind, “You don’t care if they have to move or not.”

  I slowed to turn around, careful not to step into the trickling flow of water. Pepper’s dark eyes glared at me from beneath her aviator hat. Her hair, a black wave around her shoulders, was as dark as her mood.

  “What are you talking about?” I answered in exasperation.

  She panted while standing in place. “Are you only helping to find information about your grandpa? Is that all you care about?”

  “No,” I answered defensively. I was doing it because Pepper was making me, but I wasn’t about to admit it.

  “Whatever,” she mumbled. “Let’s hurry up so you can get home.”

  I shrugged and began walking toward the city again. The entire way back to the reservoir, we traveled in silence. We were out of breath, and it’s hard to have a conversation when you’re panting, I told myself.

  After we were transported through the blinding tunnel of light, and I stood in my grandpa’s attic study, I took a deep breath, comforted that I was home again. Beside me, Pepper pulled off my oversized sweatshirt and dropped it on the comfy padded chair. I picked up my phone from the rolltop desk to check the time. It was just past nine thirty.

  Before I could say anything to her, she was already moving downstairs. I set my backpack on the floor, put the golden pen back into its resting place and ran after her. When I caught up, she was standing in Aunt Holly’s art studio doorway.

  “Do you have any new work for me to see?” Holly’s voice wafted into the hall.

  Pepper shrugged. “I’ve been drawing a lot lately, but I haven’t shown anyone. It’s private.”

  “Well, the gallery I work at is having a show for amateurs. If you change your mind, I’d love to see it—your work’s certainly good enough to be shown. But I understand if you don’t want to share. Art can be revealing.”

  “Thanks for thinking of me, but I don’t think I’ll be able to,” Pepper answered with a forced smile. “Well, I should really get home, it’s getting late.”

  I peered in through the doorway at Aunt Holly who checked her watch. “Oh, you’re not kidding! I’ll drive you home—it’s too late for you to walk on your own.”

  Both women breezed their way downstairs. Pepper didn’t say a word to me as she followed Aunt Holly out the front door. I could tell she was mad at me, or at least that’s what I assumed. So, I was confused when she looked at me, and the expression on her face wasn’t filled with smoldering anger, but contained pain and sadness.

  I was raised by a woman. In some ways I felt as if it prepared me to understand them better. Although, in that moment I was confident I wasn’t any closer to figuring them out. After a long day, that was okay with me, because we were alive. And that is all you can really ask for, right?

  Pointing North

  I’d felt Aunt Holly’s eyes on me throughout the morning. It was beginning to get really annoying. If I could take it just a little bit longer, then I’d escape whatever she wanted to talk about, and I’d be safe at school. I stared out the passenger window, carefully avoiding her gaze.

  “You didn’t tell me Pepper was moving.”

  Bummer. I’d been so close.

  “Sorry,” I answered, hoping that would be the end of it.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aunt Holly turn to face me. “Pepper seemed pretty sad last night when I took her home.”

  I’d noticed the same thing, but I didn’t want to talk about feelings with my aunt. Or anyone for that matter.

  “I’d imagine she wouldn’t want to move from the only home she’s known. Starting over and trying to find new friends can be pretty hard. But you know all about that, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  The car pulled up to the stop sign beside my school. I considered jumping out before I was subjected to any more of this conversation. I rested my fingers on the door handle.

  Aunt Holly must have sensed I was ready to eject myself from the vehicle, because she rested her hand on my elbow. “I know you’ll miss her, but you can stay in touch.”

  I imagined myself laying on my bed with my phone to my ear, listening to Pepper talking away at me and frowned. That was unlikely. I wasn’t a talker. The only reason I had a phone was so I could have the internet at my fingertips. It wasn’t so I could waste my time having useless conversations.

  After a long pause, Aunt Holly said with a sigh, “I love our talks.”

  She pulled up to the front sidewalk of my middle school. I glanced her way before jumping out. Her forehead wrinkled into a frown.

  “See you after school,” I answered.

  “I won’t be around until tonight,” she said, pressing some of her curls behind her ear. “We’re prepping the gallery for the opening next week. I won’t be around much tomorrow either, so you’ll be on your own.”

  I gave a nod and let myself out of the car. I couldn’t have planned it better. If Pepper and I were going back into Grandpa’s story to help Kyrah and Bardrick, we wouldn’t want Aunt Holly checking on us while we were gone.

  The school day went by slowly. In the library, Pepper remained quiet as I tried to make plans with her for the following day. I didn’t like the idea of us being unprepared, because that would naturally lead to injuries or worse. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but I was pretty confident that our luck held inside the story because of the picture she drew on the last page of the book. I already knew she didn’t believe in luck, but she was dead wrong.

  “You coming over after school?” I asked as we walked into the halls after the bell rang.

  Pepper rubbed her worn black scarf against her cheek and shook her head. “No, I’ve got something else to do, but I’ll come over early, before sunrise. I’ll call you when I get to your house so we don’t wake up Holly.”

  “Oh, okay.” I walked away feeling confused. I didn’t know what else she had to do. She didn’t have any other friends that I knew of.

  After school I jogged home for the exercise. When I walked inside, it felt quieter than usual. Aunt Holly wasn’t in the kitchen prepping coffee or dinner, and she wasn’t in her studio with the radio on, painting. I wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking for a s
nack.

  The rest of my evening was spent in front of the television. Bored out of my mind and lonely, I couldn’t help but think this would become my new normal. If Pepper was moving away soon, then I’d go back to being a friendless loser. Maybe I was meant to be alone. It was easier that way anyhow. Then I wouldn’t be forced to feel so horrible when something bad happened. And something bad always happened.

  That starless night I dreamed of Kyrah and Bardrick. All four of us were trapped in a dark room, and there was no way out. I’m not fond of enclosed spaces or the pitch dark, so I was relieved when the journal, something Bardrick had been holding, began to glow. The symbol on its spine lit up like it was electrified. The mallet and chisel burned through my dream, waking me from my sleep.

  It was then that I realized where I’d seen it before.

  I lifted my phone and saw that it was almost time for my alarm to go off. As quietly as I could, I got dressed in warm clothes, slipped on my tennis shoes and threw an extra pair of socks into my backpack. Last night before bed, I’d packed a bottled water, food and a first aid kit. They jostled around in the bag that hung over my shoulder as I shoved two pillows under my blankets. If Aunt Holly checked on me before she left for the gallery, I wanted it to look like I was in bed. Satisfied with my efforts, I closed my door, careful not to make a noise and went to the attic.

  I flipped on the lamp and began opening all of the tiny drawers to the rolltop desk until my hands fumbled with the leather cord. When I lifted it up, the pointed stone hung free and spun for a moment before stopping. I focused on the design etched onto its face—the same symbol that had marked Bardrick’s home and journal.

  My throat went dry as I realized what it meant. This was proof that Grandpa had traveled into Crystal Springs and had possibly met Frederick Stone. While I stared at the pendant, my phone began to ring. I picked it up before the second ring finished. “Hello?”

  A whispered voice answered, “Let me in.”