(Please enjoy this excerpt from the revised and refreshed 2nd edition of The Iridian Dagger from my Fluents and Shadows series, coming Spring 2019!)
***
A few moments later, after picking up a few scattered papers that had drifted into the hallway and tossing them back into the office, James closed the door. Try as he may, he couldn’t keep himself from shaking. He leaned on the door handle for a moment to maintain his balance. How was he supposed to explain this? Because of his untimely visit, he was likely to be the number one suspect in the murder of Andrew Harris.
“What next, James? What next?” He mumbled to himself, only half aware of anything around him. “Let go of the door, take a deep breath, and move!”
“Hey, is everything okay?”
The voice made James look up with a start. Jared was standing just a few feet away. There was a quizzical look on his face. “Yeah, I’m fine.” James lied.
Jared obviously wasn’t falling for it. He took a few steps forward and placed a concerned hand on James’s shoulder, examining his most likely very pale face in the process. “Are you sure? Because you look like you're dying.”
James finally forced himself to let go of the door handle and somehow managed to put on a grim smile. “I’m just feeling kind of lightheaded. Do you know when my mom is supposed to come in today?”
“She just pulled into the parking lot, actually. Would you like me to send her this way?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Do you want anything for your head? Some pain meds? A peppermint maybe?”
James shook his head. At this point he didn’t think anything would help the sick feeling go away. “No, I think I’m good. Thank you, though.” James turned quickly to walk away, but Jared caught the top of his backpack to slow him down.
“Hey, by the way, I still want to read one of your short stories sometime if that’s okay. Your mom brags them up all the time.”
James stumbled over his words. “I’ll email one to you.”
“Great! I'm looking forward to it.”
With that, Jared left the office wing, and James regained the ability to breathe.
That is, until his mom arrived.
Worry was etched on her forehead. “James, Jared told me to rush in here and see you. Why aren’t you at your internship?”
“Mom… Andrew is…um…”
And it was here, at this moment, that James’s adrenaline was no longer enough to hold back his emotion. Tears began to escape their prison in the back of his throat. His head was swirling, so he sat down slowly and leaned up against the wall. He couldn’t speak anymore. The only reaction to her question he could manage was a long, sorrowful look in the direction of Andrew’s office door.
When he looked back at his mom, her expression had changed from question and worry to pure terror as her eyes darted to the door. James watched her closely. Suddenly he was even more afraid than he had been, if that was even possible. Something in her tense posture told him that there was much more to this situation. He didn’t know how yet, but his mom had known this would happen. Maybe not when. But that was a look of dread on her face, not surprise.
“Mom?”
She blinked, as though just remembering he was there. Then she stared for several moments, right through his eyes into his thoughts, scanning for emotional damage like mom’s so often do. A moment later she was kneeling in front of him, her hands squeezing the very life out of his own. “James, everything is going to be okay, but I need you to do something very important for me. Do you trust me?”
The oddly placed question on the end made him hesitate, but James wiped his eyes and nodded. He did trust her. Of course he did. But the fact that she felt the need to ask made him uneasy. What kind of situation had he walked into? “Mom, you’re freaking me out a little bit.”
“I know I am, and I promise I’ll explain everything later. But right now I need you to find Jared and ask him to drive you to your internship.”
Wait…what? His internship? How could he possibly function at an internship after this? That didn’t make any sense. “I don’t think I can, Mom.”
“You have to, James. Please, for your safety and mine, you have to go.” She stood and offered a hand. Her voice was still steady, but there was urgency in her eyes. “Quickly now, before we have unwelcome company.” Once he stood, she was practically shoving him toward the lobby.
“Unwelcome company? Mom, what the heck is going on?” He turned to face her when they reached the door and placed his hands forcefully on her shoulders. “Mom! Confused, scared, and impressionable teenage boy here. Talk to me, please!”
She took a few nervous breaths before answering. Her tone was much lower this time, and she didn’t blink once, which put James even more on edge. “I love you, kid. But if you insist on exercising your famous curiosity today I will knock you out with a tranquilizer and stuff you in Jared’s trunk myself.” Despite the sarcasm, there seemed to be a note of finality in her words that James tried extra hard to ignore.
“Noted.” He said, feeling his eyes grow wider.
“When you get to Jared, tell him to enact Code Omega. He’ll know what to do from there.”
Code Omega… James thought he recalled the meaning of that word from a Latin class he’d taken once, but he promptly ignored the nudge. “Got it. Anything else?”
“Yes, just one more thing.” She leaned forward.
The hug James received next was pretty much the worst thing he had ever experienced. It was tight, and tense, and nearly forced all the air from his lungs. It was the opposite of the typical mom hugs that he loved so much, and that was the final push that made him realize he needed to stop asking questions and obey her request. Something was seriously wrong, and something told James if he wanted to stay alive long enough to find out what he would just have to go along with this.
Jared popping Cheetos into his mouth in the lobby was the very next thing he saw.
“Jared.” James voice shook as he approached the desk.
“Hey, you’re back! Would you like a…um…” His snacking invitation trailed off as soon as he saw James’s face. “Talk to me. What happened?”
“My mom said you’re supposed to, uh, bring me to my internship and enact Code Omega.”
James had never seen a personality change so fast. It only took a moment of realization, and then the once bubbly college student stood up with a military-like straightness. Eyes still trained on James, Jared reached for something under the desk with direct precision.
With all that had happened in one morning James wasn’t sure how much of his own vision he could trust, so when the receptionist pulled out a pistol and tucked it in the back of his khakis, James barely reacted. Jared then grabbed a gray jacket, putting it on to cover the weapon, and stepped out from behind the desk.
“This way.” Jared placed a protective hand on James’s shoulder and began leading him toward the back employee exit. “We need to get you out of here.”
“What about my mom?”
“She’s more than a little capable of taking care of herself, James. More than you know. Trust me, she’ll be just fine.”
“Jared, what – ?”
“No more questions, please. The more we say out in the open, the more danger comes to those you care about.”
The amount of words begging to escape from James’s thoughts just then was at an all time high. Even so, he kept his mouth shut as requested, allowing himself to be swept along toward Jared’s car. James barely recalled even getting into the passenger seat before he and Jared were getting out again outside of the Minnesota Science Museum.
“Is there a name I need to know? A supervisor, someone you were supposed to meet when you got here?” Jared asked.
“Yes.”
“Do you have something with his name on it that you could show me?”
“Um…” James reached into the pockets of his jeans. The front two held a rubber band and a folded piece of paper (most likely containing a story idea or two). There were a couple paperclips as well. His back right pocket, however, held a business card. James passed it underhandedly to Jared.
“Perfect. Just the name I was hoping for.”
“You know him?”
“You bet. We go way back.” Jared held the door open for James. “He kind of hates me though, so when we get inside it would probably be best for you to do the talking.”
“Me? I have no idea what’s even going on!”
“Exactly! He hasn’t met you, and you’re clueless. Two very good reasons for me to keep my mouth shut.”
“Gee, thanks. Remind me to throw you under the bus next time the opportunity arises.”
“Will do, friend. Will do.”
Upon entering the lobby of the familiar museum, James sent his focus upward to look at the huge pterodactyl skeleton that was hanging overhead. Laughter echoed around the open room, coming from a group of kids that were happily staring at a wall near the far edge where several tubes of water ran from floor to ceiling. Bubbles floated up the tubes in a synchronized order to create varying shapes, a giant smiley face in this case. There was a map of the world covering the floor. Colors were everywhere. This would have been such a cool place for a summer internship.
Would have been.
James had received his staff lanyard the week prior, so he didn’t have to stop at the front desk this time. That was a relief. The ability to head straight for the less public staff offices without stopping was a blessing James would have normally taken for granted. But not today. Or it would have been a blessing, if a security guard hadn’t stopped him just a few feet from the door.
“I’m sorry.” The guard said gruffly. “I’m going to need to scan before you enter. It’s just a safety precaution.”
“Um, okay.” James said anxiously.
Jared gave James a curious, bent-eyebrow expression, as though asking if this was normal.
James shrugged, shaking his head. This was an unusual occurrence at the museum.
The guard extended his scanner. At first everything seemed just fine. James had to remove the paper clips from his pocket, but obviously that wasn’t a problem. Then the scanner reached his backpack. A crazy amount of beeping sounded.
“I need to ask you to remove your backpack.”
What could possibly be in there that would set off the scanner like that? The answer hit James like a pillowcase full of rocks. He gave Jared a worried look as the guard began unzipping the pack and mouthed, “Help me.”
Jared stepped forward. “Sir, may I ask why the museum is doing scans today? From my understanding this isn’t a normal thing around here.”
“The museum has had some problems with theft lately, and they believe it might be an inside job. I’m here to make sure that’s not the case.”
“Okay, but when did you start working here? For all I know you could be a guy off the street going through our personal possessions. Do you have a badge, or some sort of proof that you have clearance?”
There was the slightest shift in the guard’s expression. He zipped the backpack. “It doesn’t look like there’s anything of consequence in your bag. You’re free to enter.” He smiled with a stern brow. “Have a nice day.”
James turned swiftly away from the guard, and then he and Jared walked into the office portion of the building.
“Well, that wasn’t the least bit suspicious.” Jared stated after the door had closed.
“Not at all.” James agreed.
“What do you have in there that set off his scanner?”
James started sweating even harder than before. “That’s a difficult question to answer, and I probably shouldn’t until we’re someplace private.”
“Okay, temporarily ignoring your scarily vague statement, do you know where Samuel’s office is?”
“I do, actually. Right this way.”
They started off down the hall.
Meanwhile, James was trying to decide which he was more uneasy about. The unexplained circumstances that lay behind him, or the ones that lay ahead. They both seemed equally captivating, and both demanded his attention. However, the more he thought, the more anxious he became. By the time they reached Samuel’s office toward the end of the winding hallway, James’s stomach had managed to tie itself into so many knots he feared it would never unravel. Something deep inside was telling him that somehow his dad was the connecting factor, but in what way he didn’t have the slightest clue. All he could think to do was send up a short prayer.
Dear Lord, I don’t know who this Samuel guy is, but help him to have answers. And help me not to puke all over his office. Amen.
Maggie gradually made her way through the maze of towering bookshelves on her route to the kitchen. The library, which overtook the center of the large room, was her favorite place in the whole house. The window seat on the back wall was the perfect place for reading, and the high ceilings created space for her thoughts to take flight. Most people would find this many books intimidating, an army of parchment surrounding their next helpless victim. But to Maggie, they were a comfort, old friends that were always there. She had spent many rainy days in this room, reading book after book and experiencing adventures beyond her imagination. She had every shelf memorized, as well as its contents. She loved the smell of aged paper that filled the room. It was her favorite smell, and it made her feel at home. These were more than just books; they were her family.
But none of them were nearly as dear to her as Sam.
Sam had been her only family as far back as she could remember. She had no parents around, or siblings. None that she knew of. And she had figured out very early on that Samuel wasn’t her real brother. Sam had taken Maggie in when she was only three, and that was all he would ever tell her. All she knew of her family was based on a scar on her neck behind her left ear. She had never paid much attention to it, though. Her hair had always been kept long to keep it hidden. Sam had always told her it was to protect a valuable battle scar. She had never managed to work out what he meant by that.
Either way, it hadn’t been hard to figure out that she and Sam weren’t related. His straight blond hair had always stood out next to her brown curls. But no matter how many times she asked, Sam refused to talk about her parents. He had many secrets, which sometimes drove her crazy. Even so, he had been her dearest companion through the years, and she trusted him with all her heart. It was just her and Sam, and she was all right with that.
Maggie pushed open the door to the kitchen and stepped inside. The room still smelled like the pancakes and bacon they had devoured for breakfast. After a quick look around, she sighed happily. Her book was on the counter right where she had left it. The Day Boy and The Night Girl by George Macdonald, such a classic.
Book in hand, Maggie was just about to leave the kitchen in the direction of her reading nook in the loft. Before she could take more than two steps, however, Sam burst into the room with a worried expression creasing his brow.
“And you’re certain?”
Maggie sat down and watched him pace back and forth with a cell phone to his ear. Judging by his tone of voice, something very bad had happened at work in his absence.
“Hold on…you didn’t find him first? Oh, this is grave indeed. I feared this would happen. Are they on their way to my office? Very good. We will leave immediately. God be with you.” Sam ended the call and hurriedly stuffed the phone in his pocket. “It’s happened.”
He was trembling so badly that Maggie thought he might fall over. He ran the anxious fingers of one hand through his hair while supporting himself on the table with the other. Maggie didn’t even need to ask. She knew exactly what “it” indicated.
“Samuel, is he…” Maggie swallowed, trying not to let the fear show in her voice and failing miserably. “Is he dead?”
Samuel shook his head and took a deep breath. “I don’t think so.”
“If he’s not dead, then what…” Maggie couldn’t finish. Suddenly she didn’t want an answer to her question.
Samuel could guess what she was getting at. “I’m afraid the alternative is much worse.”
Sam straightened up with a breath of urgency. He stepped over to her, reaching down to take her hands into his. Maggie let him guide her to her feet, and they stood toe to toe. She could tell he was trying to keep his emotions in check.
“Maggie, the entire world has changed for us in the past ten minutes, and I’m going to ask that you pretend that’s not the case. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded shortly, putting on the bravest face she could muster despite her racing heart.
“They’ve blocked off Andrew’s office, the history center is closed down until further notice, and all the employees have been sent home. They’re honoring his wishes, and are transporting him to a safe facility. I’m going to give you a choice. You can come with me, or you can go with the agents who are transporting Andrew until I come for you.”
Was this even real? She had always wanted to go on a field mission with Samuel. But under the dire circumstances she tried not to let the anticipation show. “I’m going with you, of course. I wouldn’t even dream of doing anything else.”
“Okay. But, Maggie, that means if I tell you to do something, you have to do it. No questions. These people are dangerous, and they wouldn’t think twice about killing a seventeen-year-old girl. You need to promise me that you’ll be constantly on your guard, and heed every instruction.”
“I promise, Sam. I’ll do anything you ask of me. What can I do?”
“First, I need you to get your emergency bag and anything else you can gather in five minutes. Then meet me at the car.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
He nodded solemnly. “Pray, Maggie. Pray hard. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
Maggie bolted toward her room, still trying to keep her eagerness contained. What had happened to Andrew was definitely tragic, but she hadn’t known him very well. Right now the only thought on her mind was getting out of this house and going on a real, actual adventure for the first time in her life. She would be one step closer to proving herself as a real LK agent, just like Sam.
She had dreamed of going on a Light Keeper mission since she was little. Becoming a field agent had been her passion, her dream job, her every thought and daily prayer since she first learned about the organization. She wanted to help people. She wanted to serve God everyday and put her life on the line for those in need just like Sam had done for her since she was young.
“Now’s your chance.” Maggie whispered to herself as she dug her emergency bag out of her closet. “Rapunzel, it’s time to leave the tower. Finally!”
Moments later she was climbing into the passenger seat of Sam’s white Honda Prelude. He threw their bags in the trunk, and then they were off. Maggie had never felt her heart beat faster or louder in her entire life.
“Remember,” Sam broke the silence after they had been on the road for a few minutes, “when we get to the museum you are not to leave my side. Samyaza’s Pride will have agents all over this city after what happened today, and the last thing I want is a second casualty.”
“Samuel, you and I both know I’m stronger and smarter than that.” Maggie said.
The grave look that Samuel gave her in reply shook her confidence a bit. “I do know that, Maggie. I don’t doubt that in the slightest. But what we’re dealing with is worse than just man power. This is demonic, and you would be no match for it. At least not yet.”
Maggie turned to him with a start. His words hadn’t been entirely shocking to her. At least, not until the very last one. “Yet?”
“What?” Sam looked horrified.
“You said I would be no match ‘yet’. What do you mean by that?”
“Never mind. Tip of the slongue.” He wagged his head. “I meant slip of the tongue! It was a mistake, that’s all.”
“But why did you-?“
“Oh, good. We’re here!” He interrupted as they pulled into the underground parking, raising a knowing eye roll from Maggie.
She was no stranger to Sam’s odd way of keeping secrets while badly pretending he didn’t have them. It was annoying, but as they entered the parking garage next to the Science Museum she decided to humor him. Now was not the time to drown him in questions. That time would come later.
“Try your best to keep a brisk pace if you’re able.” Sam swung the car into an empty spot close to the elevator. He continued speaking quickly as they left the vehicle. “We’re meeting someone who needs protection. Someone who knows absolutely nothing about the LK or what we do. He might be here already, so I want to get to my office as quickly as I possibly can.”
The moment they left the elevator on the main floor, Sam hurried his walking pace. Maggie had to practically jog to keep up with his long-legged stride, but she didn’t ask him to slow down. She was determined not to give him any reason to regret bringing her along, and forcing him to slow his urgent gait might do just that. He was obviously extremely on edge about the whole situation, which just spiked Maggie’s curiosity about who they were meeting even more.
The name of the game today seemed to be “Look Straight Ahead And Ignore Everybody.” Goodie, my favorite game. Maggie thought sarcastically.
If it was a game, though, Sam was a professional. He rushed past several coworkers who didn’t even have the chance to give a subtle hello before Sam had already gotten beyond them. If Maggie wasn’t so anxious, she might have been impressed. Samuel was turning introversion into a major league sport.
They made it to Sam’s office door without any interruptions, thank goodness. When they entered his office, however, a whole other problem greeted them. Maggie shuffled into the room behind Sam with a breathless expression.
“It’s trashed.” She gasped. “Did the SP do this?”
“Step in and close the door,” was Sam’s only reply. Without a moment of hesitation he began picking up all the documents that had been carelessly thrown to the floor. Maggie helped him gather and sort everything into the proper filing cabinets. Everything else seemed to be in order. But there was no doubt that the place had been searched thoroughly. Once all the papers had been put back in place, he sat down at his desk and sighed. “The SP is missing something.”
“What do you think it is?” Maggie sat down in the seat across from him.
“I have a couple guesses. But, whatever it is, I don’t have it.”
“Did they steal anything?”
“Not that I could tell. But if they’re willing to get this close to my whereabouts, that missing item must be incredibly important.”
As Sam spoke, a small warning light in the back of Maggie’s mind turned red. She became suddenly aware that Sam had been shifting his eyes to the plant in the corner of the room ever since they’d arrived. Something was wrong. Even now he was watching it distractedly for several moments at a time.
“Sam?”
He blinked, seeming to wake from his thoughts. “Hmm?”
Maggie tilted her head and sent him a quizzical brow.
Sam replied to her silent question by mouthing one word. “Shadow.”
At first Maggie didn’t notice his meaning. The plant had a shadow. What about it? Then something felt…off slightly. At first she couldn’t put her finger on it. Then his meaning came over her like the ice cold eeriness of a foggy morning.
The shadow. The plant’s shadow was on the wrong side. Maggie’s breath froze in her lungs.
Sam mouthed one more word to her, and it was a word she happily complied to.
“Run.”
“Are you just going to stand there?” Jared asked calmly. “Or are you going to knock like a normal person? I can’t remember how the cool kids do it these days.”
“I’m not sure. The first time I knocked on a door this morning I ended up finding a corpse.” Even now, the thought sent a chill down James’s spine.
“Oh, come on now. What are the odds of that happening twice in one day?”
All James could find in the way of a response was a look of total terror. He turned to Jared. “Knowing my luck, pretty darn high.”
Jared straightened out and stared at him blankly for a moment before offering, “Would you like me to knock on the door, James?”
“Yes, please,” James said before Jared could even finish his sentence.
Jared stepped in front of the door. “Alright, here goes nothing.” Forming his lips into a line with a sigh, he raised a closed hand to the door and prepared to knock.
Neither of them had to knock, however, because in the next moment a screech -- sounding everything but earthly -- filled the air. Before James and Jared had the chance to even think about sprinting away in fright, the door opened with an explosion of black matter and sent the two flying backwards. James’s head received a heavy blow for the second time that day when it hit the floor. Vertigo kept him curled up on the carpet long enough afterwards that he missed getting a second look at the dementor-like creature.
The next thing that registered was a pair of gray eyes.
“Sam, I think this one might need medical attention.” A feminine voice said. “He’s looking a bit cross-eyed.”
A male voice answered her. “Check for bleeding, I’ve got Jared.”
A gentle hand brushed James’s hair away from his forehead and combed over his scalp.
“He’s not bleeding as far as I can tell. He’s a little out of it, though. It’s possible he could have a concussion.”
James’s tried to get a good look at the two speakers, but his vision was still blurring in and out. He barely took note of words leaving his mouth, sounding more like a bumbling infant than a 17 year old. A great first impression, he was sure.
“I can’t understand him.” The girl said.
“We don’t have time to figure that out right now. That Shadow could return any minute. We need to move.”
It was then that his vision grew more stable, and he finally regained control over his voice. He sat up slowly, blinking. “What the heck was that thing?”
The girl looked upward. “Oh, praise God, he’s okay. Can you stand?”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
“Here, I’ll help you.” She leaned down and wrapped one arm around his waist as James wrapped one arm around her shoulders. She helped him remain stable as he stood. “Do you feel dizzy? Anything broken?”
James shook his head. “The day is still young, though, so we might want to take it slow.”
Sam yelled from just ahead. “We might not have that option!” Jared was flung over his shoulder, apparently unconscious. One of the dark, scary, ghost-like creatures was blocking their way, hissing opposingly.
“Can you stand on your own?” the girl asked.
“Mm-hmm,” was the best James could do.
“Good, because we need to run. Now.”
Just then, the creature in the hallway screeched in a pitch that threatened the lives of their eardrums, which was odd, since it didn’t seem to have a mouth anywhere. None that James could see, anyway. It was just black matter that ebbed and flowed, until it didn’t. The “didn’t” part happened moments later. The matter slurped together and began to rise, forming arms and a featureless face in less than a minute. This time the screech had a mouth to come out of. A shallow, toothless maw in the smoothest head he’d ever seen.
“Get to the car!” Sam said.
“What about you?” Maggie stepped toward him, but he pointed toward the lobby.
“I’ll meet you there. Just run! Now!”
James didn’t argue. In fact, he was half way through the lobby before he’d even realized his legs were moving, before he’d realized his heart was bursting with adrenaline speed. He’d left everyone behind-- the weird guy in the lab coat, the strange girl, and Jared. James raced out the front doors of the museum toward the bustling traffic of downtown. He didn’t even look up at the skyscrapers standing in rows like soldiers. He just kept running.
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