Twisted Sister of Mine (Overworld Chronicles) Read online

  I headed toward the stable. Shelton headed toward the parking lot.

  We stopped, turned, and looked at each other.

  "Are you out of your mind, kid?" Shelton's forehead wrinkled with the kind of expression he probably reserved for the mentally insane.

  "I have to find out what they're up to," I said. "You go. Tell the others what I'm doing in case they catch me and kill me."

  He clenched his teeth and forced a storm of curses through them, swirling his long, leather duster as he spun a hundred eighty degrees and stalked my way. "If Elyssa and Bella find out I left you to do something this idiotic, they'd cut my tommy-knockers off and boil them in acid."

  For an instant, I felt bad for putting Shelton in the situation but remembered the time he'd tried to kidnap me and my dad, and the guilty feeling evaporated. Sometimes, a little coercion was the best way to make Shelton do the right thing. I looked toward the stable for a moment to be sure my murderous relatives hadn't reversed course and trotted toward it.

  "G'day, guvnah!" shouted the cheery looking pooper-scooper boy as he appeared from within the stalls.

  I almost screamed at the unexpected declaration of good cheer. My heart did its level best to implode through a black hole of its own creation. I choked back a shout, pressing a hand to my chest and glaring at the young boy whose only function in this place seemed to be cleaning animal dung from the stable.

  "Holy mother of beef burgers," Shelton said, giving the kid an affectionate pat on the head. "You about scared the crap out of me, Oliver."

  The boy grinned. "Can I be of service, Harry?"

  Shelton gave him a sly look. "Maybe." He produced a couple of silvery bills I recognized as tinsel, the official currency of the Overworld. "A woman and girl just went behind the stables. Do you know what's back there?"

  The boy gave Shelton an innocent look, though the proffered bills vanished so fast, I thought I might have imagined the boy's fingers snatching them. "Oh, sir, I wouldn't know anything about a hidden control room or anything like that."

  "What a shame," Shelton said. "Well, is there anything else you can't tell me about it?"

  "I wish I could tell you about an air vent with an illusion covering it so it looks like part of the cave wall." He walked behind the stable, leading us down the narrow alley between it and the smooth-hewn cave wall behind it, trailing his fingers along the rock at waist level until, at one point, they went through it. He pushed something. It clicked, and a thin, mesh-like spider web detached from inside. Oliver rolled it up and stowed it inside the fake wall.

  "What was that?" I said in a hushed voice.

  "It keeps out bugs and stuff," Shelton said. "Like an air filter."

  The boy pointed toward a section of wall several hundred feet away. "The main entrance."

  Shelton gave him a couple more bills. "Thanks, Oliver."

  The boy gave Shelton a grave look. "I don't mean to pry, but are you on another investigation?"

  "You two know each other?" I asked.

  Shelton shrugged. "Oliver assists me from time to time."

  "I helped him pull a bounty on a rogue fader a few months ago," the boy said proudly.

  "A what?" I asked.

  "A dream leecher," Shelton said. He regarded Oliver for a moment. "Ever been inside the control room?"

  "I've looked inside from the air passage a few times. It's quite large." Concern welled inside his large eyes. "They ward the floor against non-authorized personnel. I let a cat run loose in there once, and it set off an alarm."

  "Did the cat explode?" Shelton asked.

  The boy shook his head.

  Shelton ducked and poked his head through the illusionary wall. Pulled it out. "The duct is big enough for us," he told me. "Let's go see what there is to see."

  Taking a deep breath to allay the knot in my stomach, I followed Shelton through the fake wall. Invisible from the inside, I clearly saw Oliver and the back of the stable. The sounds of elephants, birds, and other creatures within the structure provided audio camouflage. Shelton squatted in the vent and duck-walked. I followed his lead. We arrived at a ninety-degree turn about ten feet away, turned, and stopped at the lip of the passage where it ended in another of the spider-web type filters. Shelton detached it and set it aside after rolling it up to reveal a massive room straight out of my memories.

  If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn I was back beneath Thunder Rock, an abandoned angel relic infested with all sorts of horrors that tried to kill me the first and only time I'd been there. I could almost see the oily black forms of infantile cherubs toddling from dark corners, arms outstretched, and rictus-shaped orifices crying, "Dah-nah" as they tried to suck the life out of me. I remembered running for my life. I remembered somehow activating one of the smaller arches and taking it for a terrifying ride which dropped me into the middle of El Dorado, another city of nightmares.

  A hand tightened on my bicep, and I snapped out of my trance.

  Shelton's concerned gaze greeted me. "Don't lose it now, kid," he said in a low hiss.

  I nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. He released a long sigh.

  Running my eyes across the room, I noted the familiar features. Arches just large enough to accommodate a person lined one side of the room, each one embedded on a platter of shiny onyx and ringed by silver—a safety measure I likened to the one around the much larger Obsidian Arch in the Grotto way station. The silver ring prevented the magical energy field from spilling outside and fracturing reality. Those cracks usually led to the Gloom, a place I didn't care to visit.

  These arches seemed intact, whereas the majority of the ones in Thunder Rock looked as though they'd been blasted with dynamite. But something else seemed different here. Something I couldn't quite place my finger on. I looked up and down the rows for a moment, before it occurred to me what was missing. In the center of the room beneath Thunder Rock stood a snowy-white arch veined with obsidian. I remembered that arch taking up far more real estate than the smaller arches—maybe three or four times more. This room didn't have that arch.

  Shelton nudged me and motioned toward the far side of the room.

  A map of the world towered over the bee-robed Arcane where he stood talking to Ivy and Eliza. Cyrinthian symbols lined the wall to the left of the map, each one linked to dozens of dully glowing stars dotting the map. The landmasses on the map only vaguely resembled the continents I knew. In my spare time, I'd looked over maps depicting the evolution of the world and realized whoever made the map in this room had most likely done so before humans had ever walked the earth.

  That simple fact stirred up a million questions, but a star in the approximate location of Atlanta began to brighten and fade in syncopation with a star in South Africa, distracting me like squirrel darting across a dog's path. The Arcane held up a finger to Eliza as a glowing white orb lifted from a pedestal centered before the map. He placed a hand atop it, and a steady hum rumbled through the room. Brilliant motes of light arced from one star to the other, alternating black and white as a klaxon blared from the Grotto way station housing the Obsidian Arch. A network of arches just like the one here spanned the globe, if the stars on the map were any indication.

  The crackling hum throbbed, building in volume, echoing in the huge cavern, and sending a vibration through my body. As the sound built, the light connecting the two stars pulsed faster and faster, until with a thunderous boom, it solidified into a sparkling beam of energy, no thicker than a pencil. Equal parts ultraviolet and brilliant white, it arched across the map from one point and down to meet the other.

  I watched in open-mouthed fascination as miniature silhouettes, some human-shaped, others much larger, streaked through the arced beam. They traversed it so quickly, only my supernatural sight allowed me to make them out. Once the last figure left the beam, the Arcane released the orb. The connecting beam flickered off, and the control sphere sank back onto the pedestal, looking like nothing more than head-sized gray marble. The stars in
South Africa and Atlanta dimmed to match the sullen glow of the other stars on the map.

  As my eyes readjusted to the relative dimness of the yellow glow illuminating the rest of the room, they turned upon Ivy and Eliza, who stood watching the operator. He turned back to them. His mouth moved. Turning my head ever so slightly and focusing my ear, I barely made out some of his words.

  "…will be dangerous even going there." He pointed toward a row of black arches, which stood marginally taller than the others in the room, and shook his head. Unfortunately, the bellows and brays of pack mules, horses, camels, and the rest of the noisy menagerie in the stable located across the narrow alley from the vent colluded with the distance between me and the speakers to block out what they were saying.

  Ivy stood on her tiptoes and fiddled with the symbols on the side of the map. One of the arches sparked to life, sending shards of black and white energy arcing on the silver circle around it. Eliza waggled a finger at her, and she stopped.

  "Damn shame what they did to that little girl's mind," Shelton said, his mouth curved down in distaste.

  "Wish I could hear what they were saying, but those stupid animals are making a ruckus," I said.

  Shelton took out his wand, made a circular motion toward the opposite end of the duct, and the sounds from the stable cut off, leaving only the ambient noises in the control room to deal with. "Can you hear them now?"

  Eliza Conroy spoke in a southern genteel drawl, her voice loud and pompous enough to carry across the distance. "Jeremiah won't be pleased to hear this. We plan for our associates to use this site as a staging ground." She crossed her arms. "We would take it rather badly if you and the other workers don't assist them with a smile and a spring in your step."

  The arch operator bobbed his head, a frightened look on his face. "I promise it won't be a problem."

  "A problem what?" Eliza said back, one eyebrow arching.

  "A problem, ma'am?" the Arcane replied, his tone more of a cautious question than a statement.

  "I do declare, nobody teaches young folks manners these days," she said, shaking her head. "Mr. Tuttle, our associates will declare themselves as Darkwater employees. You are not to interfere in any way, or I suwanee, I will tan your hide. Do you understand?"

  The man continued bowing and nodding affirmatively while Ivy quirked her mouth into an amused grin and waggled her finger while her poser grandmother's back was still to her.

  Eliza shook her head and threw up her hands. "Heavens to Betsy, but the Conclave must be out of their cotton-picking minds forcing Arcanes to pay these ridiculous gate fees!"

  Mr. Tuttle kept right on nodding. Magnifying the scene with my enhanced sight, I saw beads of sweat on his pale, gaunt face.

  Eliza took Ivy by the hand, as my sister squatted to peer underneath a console, and admonished her. "Young ladies do not squat in dresses." She made an exasperated noise. "I suwanee!" Then she and Ivy strode for the door to their right, while Mr. Tuttle stood wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his robe.

  "What the heck does 'suwanee' mean?" I whispered.

  "Some kind of crazy southern swear word," Shelton said.

  "I suwanee, those two scare the crap out of me," I said, testing out the new phrase.

  Shelton rolled his eyes. He put the web filter back in place, turned, and motioned me toward the stables. The animal sounds returned as his sound barrier dropped.

  I heard the clack of hard shoe soles on the polished rock floor and barred Shelton from taking another step with my arm. I saw Ivy and Eliza from the chest down as they started to pass the vent.

  About halfway across, Ivy gasped. Stopped and tugged her grandmother's arm. "Did you hear that, Bigmomma?"

  Shelton and I froze. Sweat dampened my armpits. If she saw us, it was over. My little sister had once executed a spell that would have killed hundreds of vampires in one fell swoop had I not altered it. In other words, she had skillz with a 'z' and could probably take the two of us out without much effort.

  "I do declare, child, you nearly pulled your poor Bigmomma's arm right out of the socket." She leaned over Ivy, her voice changing from strict, to doting and affectionate. "Now what did my little darlin' hear?"

  Ivy drew in a sharp breath as something trumpeted in the distance. "You hear that? It's an elephant! Someone must have just ridden one in through the arch. Can we go see it, please?" She hopped up and down, holding her hands together as if in prayer. "Please, please, please?"

  Eliza gave her an affectionate smile. "Oh, child, I'm afraid there isn't enough time. We need to get home."

  Ivy slumped, and her pretty but sad face appeared in profile at the end of the vent. "But I never get to do anything fun."

  "Once this is all over, we'll take you to the zoo. How's that?"

  My sister clapped her hands. "Really? Can I see a koala?"

  Eliza's hand straightened Ivy's golden locks. "We'll even take you to a zoo in Australia. Won't that be fun?"

  Ivy jumped. "Yes, yes, yes!" When she landed, I saw her face again. The big smile she wore reminded me so much of our mother, I felt a pang in my heart at how twisted and bent this little girl's mind was all thanks to the damned Conroys.

  "How long is it going to take, Bigmomma?" She sighed. "When is Bigdaddy finally gonna get that rune?"

  "Now, don't you worry, young lady. He knows what he's doing. In fact, he'll be at your school for a while." She pinched Ivy's cheek. "Won't that be wonderful?"

  Ivy straightened. "He'll be at my school? He can see how well I'm doing?"

  "You bet your pretty face, sugah. Now, let's get going. He'll be back later tonight, and I want to have a special dinner waiting for him." Eliza took the young girl's hand and led her away, the clomp of their shoes fading with distance.

  Shelton let out a long shuddering breath. "Holy crap, man. I almost lost it there for a second."

  "No lie," I replied, feeling the tension ease in my entire body. "I suwanee!"

  Shelton groaned. "Will you stop it with that heinous word?"

  We made our way out of the duct. I sneaked to the corner of the stable, peeked around it in time to watch Ivy and "Bigmomma" get into the back of a waiting black sedan. A part of me considered trying to follow them. I was probably fast enough to keep pace. But before I could work up the courage to enact my bold plan, the original sedan split, popping apart into two identical cars. The two cars split into four. As I watched, each replica divided into more. By then, I'd hopelessly lost track of the original car, and a stream of identical sedans were already filing out of the cavernous chamber and up the ramp to the exit.

  "Son of a monkey's third cousin," Shelton said, aiming his wand at the line of cars. "I can't even figure out which ones are the fakes."

  "They can't possibly know we're here," I said. "Why would they go through the trouble to create all those illusions?"

  "I've seen high-level diplomats who use that kind of illusion as a precaution." Shelton tucked his wand into the inside pocket on his leather duster. "I think I know why they have minders guarding this place."

  "Because of the Conroys?" I asked.

  "Because of this little side project they got going on here." A sly grin stretched his lips. "And I just figured out how we can get a five-fingered discount on arch travel."

  I gave him a blank look.

  "It means we can steal a ride—take the arch for free."

  I raised an eyebrow. "For free? Did I miss something?"

  He chuckled and motioned me toward the door leading into the control room. "Say hello to Darkwater's newest employees."

  Chapter 6

  I didn't have time to decide if Shelton's idea scared the padooky out of me or made me happy before he reached the part of the wall where Oliver had indicated the control room door should be. After running his hands along the seamless rock wall, Shelton said, "Aha!" and twisted his hand. A latch clicked, and he vanished through the rock. I followed, noting a thick, metal door which he'd opened into the control room. />
  Tuttle stood at a table, the holographic image of plain-dressed man hovering above the surface of an arctablet.

  "She said what?" the man said to Tuttle. "That's insane."

  Tuttle nodded, his eyes wide. "Yeah, and we have to bend over backwards to help. I swear, my union rep better have some advice. Working for the Conroys is going to give me a coronary."

  Shelton strode across the control room, and I followed, the global map towering to our right. He cleared his throat, and Tuttle shrieked, jumped back, and threw out his hands in a defensive gesture. The holographic image of the other man gave us a startled look and disappeared in a blink. Tuttle peered at us. Dropped his arms to his sides and coughed nervously.

  "Can I help you?" he asked, his face scrunched in almost comical confusion, the absurd worker-bee coloring of his cloak only adding to the comedy.

  "Tuttle, my associate and I are with Darkwater." Shelton said. "We need a connection to Queens Gate. Ms. Conroy said—"

  "Oh yes, of course!" Tuttle said. "One moment, please." He hurried to the large gray sphere and ran his finger across its surface. As he did, a trail of stars on the map brightened perceptibly. He stopped as a star in the southern part of Great Britain lit and made a flicking motion with his finger. The star dimmed and brightened in time with the star in Atlanta. Tuttle turned to us. "Queens Gate will confirm in a moment. Are there any others in your party?"

  Shelton shook his head. "Nah. Do the folks at Queens Gate know to accommodate us when we need to return?"

  "I'll be sure to notify them," Tuttle said.

  "Do you have to wait for confirmation from the other side before opening a connection?" I asked.

  The worker-bee Arcane shook his head. "No, not at all. If there's already an open connection the nodule blinks red to indicate it's busy. If I wanted, I could place my palm atop the modulus and raise it to open the connection."

  I walked up to the big gray orb—the modulus, I guessed—and looked at it. "You establish a connection by running your finger across it until the proper star—nodule—lights up, then flick it to establish a connection?"