|
The inside of Bert and Martha's house was as cozy a place as you could ask for. There were comfortable chairs sharing space with plush couches thankfully void of any plastic coverings found in most grandmotherly living rooms. Martha hadn't stopped smiling since inviting them inside, and Bert would occasionally just click his tongue and sigh.
"Never thought we'd get to meet this fine nephew of Frank's, to be honest with you," Bert explained for the second time since his wife had poured the tea. "I'm so sorry to hear he's gone."
"Yes, lovely man," Martha added. "Simply lovely. Though we hadn't seen him in, what's it been Bert, eight, nine years?"
"Ten, I'd say," Bert corrected. "Since King Frederick's death."
"Yes, that'd be right," Martha agreed. "Your uncle quite liked King Frederick, but we all knew if his son took the throne, visiting Ether would be more dangerous for him. Well, for anyone visiting from Otherworld, actually. Not your uncle in particular."
"Stefan's not a believer, you see," Bert said with a shrug. "Which is pretty odd, considering he really does believe in Otherworld."
"Nothing Stefan does makes a lot of sense," Ian added.
"So you knew my uncle pretty well then?" Daniel asked. They'd shown him a photograph Frank left behind, of him and his nephews, and Martha had no trouble picking Daniel out from his cousins.
"He'd visit here about once a year, stay for a few weeks. Lovely man," Martha said with a nod. "Spoke highly of you, too. Said you were going to study to be a healer."
"He didn't call it that, Martha," Bert corrected. "Said it was a . . . Oh what was the word?"
Daniel opened his mouth, but Martha spoke up.
"It was healer. He said Daniel was going to be a healer and save lives," she insisted.
"No, no, it was another name." Bert turned to face his wife. "Yes, a healer, but a different name."
"Well what other name is there?"
Daniel looked at Ian, who shrugged and smiled. The couple were debating the subject now as if the two of them weren't in the house.
"Well it was a name, anyway. Some word, but not healer. Only it was healer that he was learnin'." Bert asserted. "Said the boy was going to learn and save lives, and be important."
Martha suddenly snapped her fingers. "Doctor!" she declared proudly. "The word was doctor."
"Yes, I'm a doctor," Daniel interjected. "Same profession, different name, from what I understand."
They turned to him, a little surprised, then both nodded happily.
"Yes, your uncle was very proud. Said you were going to learn to be a doctor and save lives. That was why he never brought you here."
"Excuse me?" Daniel blinked. "He said that?"
Martha sat back in her chair and rested her teacup on one knee. "Did he not explain everything when he gave you the key?"
"He didn't actually . . ." Daniel set his cup on the table beside the couch and cleared his throat. "My uncle didn't actually give me the key, technically."
"What's that?" Bert looked to his wife, then back to Daniel. "Then how did you manage to find your way to Ether?"
"I used the key," Daniel explained. "But I found it on his key ring. Since I inherited the house, I got all of his keys, and that one was just there, alongside the house and garage."
"And the damn fool left it there," Ian added with a snort. "It's in the door to some cellar or something as we speak."
"Oh goodness!" Martha put a hand to her chest. "That doesn't sound like Frank at all." She turned to her husband. "Bert, does that sound right to you?"
"Not one bit," he replied. "What's a cellar?"
"That's not the point, Bert," Martha chastised, then turned to Daniel. "What is a cellar, dear?"
"A basement," Daniel replied. "A room beneath the house, where you store things."
"It's a room beneath the house," Martha explained to Bert with a slightly raised voice. "Where you store things."
"I heard the man, you old coot!" Bert insisted.
"One more old coot out of you today and you'll be sleeping in our basement," Martha quipped. She turned back to Daniel. "Are you sure your uncle didn't tell you about the key? I really can't see that man not meaning for you to have it. He always said, of all his nephews, he believed you'd be the one to use the key someday."
Daniel took a deep breath and let it out slowly, waiting for things to settle down inside. Finally he shrugged. "He always told us stories about his travels, but let us go on thinking he'd made them all up."
"Probably thought you'd never believe him," Bert said. "He told us he didn't want bring you here because it would influence you."
"Influence me?" Daniel shook his head. "In what way?"
Martha sat up and set her cup down. "Now don't be thinking ill of your uncle, young man. If you had any children yourself, you'd see his position. Do you, have any children, that is?"
"No, I never married."
"It comes down to trying to do what's best for their future," Bert explained. "Frank worried that showing you Ether would keep you from becoming that, doctor, is it? Then you wouldn't be saving lives and all that. Which is a noble profession, mind you." He waggled a finger in the air. "Who knows what you would have done if you'd come here, instead of going to that school of doctor stuff. The lives you saved wouldn't have been saved, eh? Something to consider before you think ill of your good uncle."
"Oh, I don't think ill of him," Daniel assured them. "I just wish I'd had time to talk to him about all of this. If I'd known it was real, I might have been able to come here without leaving the key behind."
"About that," Ian set his cup on the coffee table. "Murphy tells us there's a key, somewhere in the castle. That's how we're hoping to get Daniel back to Otherworld. Unless either of you happen to know of anyone visiting right now?"
Martha and Bert exchanged looks.
"I don't recall anyone visiting from Otherworld in such a long while," Martha said. "In fact, the last person we saw was Frank."
"Not many folk want to come around with Stefan on the throne," Bert added. "It's well known how he feels about visitors."
"Which adds to my own distrust of his rule," Martha said. "That and the disappearance of his sister, Princess Marabeth. There's no way a child that age could make the decision to join the cloistered on her own."
Bert jerked a thumb toward his wife. "Martha here believes Marabeth was sent there against her will."
"Well she must have been," Martha insisted. She looked at Daniel. "Tell me, what ten year old girl is going to decide she'd rather join a cult of hermits rather than remain Royal Princess of all Ether?"
Daniel shrugged, eyebrows raised. "Well I don't know, I've never been particularly religious myself."
"Oh, the cloister has nothing to do with religion," Martha scoffed.
Ian cleared his throat. "It's a place in the mountains, behind the castle, where people go who have no desire to be around other people. Folk who can't tolerate socializing, rules, or regular life in general. They go up to the cloister and just hole up there for the rest of their lives." He shook his head. "I've never believed she went there, but where else is she? Even that jackass of a brother wouldn't brave killing her."
"This is the guy who you think murdered his father? Why wouldn't he do the same to his sister?" Daniel asked. "Most people willing to murder don't have limits."
"Because if he were found out, the people would bring an end to him," Bert explained. "This way he can claim she's up there in the mountains, and folk can't prove otherwise."
Daniel didn't want to point out the obvious, so he nodded in agreement.
"So, down to business," Ian said. "We have to find out if there's a key, and where it might be."
"Oh it's in the castle, to be sure. Stefan pretends Otherworld doesn't exist, but he's got a key, I'm sure of it," Martha huffed.
"How could he have a key?" Ian asked. "Only people from Otherworld have keys."
"I don't know how he got one, but he's gone one," she insisted. "Now, Ian, help me set the table." With that, Martha stood and collected the empty tea cups. "We can muse over King Stefan and keys all night long, but not on empty stomachs."
Bert chuckled. "That woman would feed this entire village if they said they were hungry."
Daniel sat back with a sigh and accepted the slow pace of the evening. He'd already heard more than he could mentally digest in one sitting, about Frank and keys, and people who'd known about him as a boy. People he never would have imagined existed. He glanced around the spacious living room and noted a common theme among those he'd been meeting. There were polished stones of every color and pattern he could think of, beside lovely crystal sculptures and beautifully framed photos. Bookcases brimmed with old leather editions of authors he'd never heard of sitting next to paperbacks matching many in his own collection.
He stood, forcing tired leg muscles to move before they could become solid pillars of cement, and wandered to the nearest book shelf.
"Clive Barker," he read, scanning the spines. "Stephen King, Anne Rice." He turned to Bert with a grin. "You like the darker stuff?"
"Those are all gifts, some from your uncle, some from other visitors," Bert explained. "I read them aloud to the wife in the evenings." He glanced back toward the dining room where Martha and Ian were laying out plates, then leaned forward with a wink. "Gives the woman a case of the shivers after dark. Perfect for keepin' me warm a spell when she's in need of comfortin' and all."
Daniel laughed shortly and returned the wink. "I've used that trick a time or two on dates myself."
Bert nodded knowingly and sat back with a smile.
Dinner was a shameful indulgence, made all the more guilty by Martha's constant insistence that neither of them were eating enough and they'd never find a good woman looking that skinny. By dessert, Daniel had run out of complimentary adjectives.
"I can see now why Ian said your bakery was the best in the entire village," he said as he sat back, hoping he could get through coffee and conversation without unbuttoning his pants.
"Oh that Ian, such a flatterer," Martha replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's true, though."
"Now that brat of mine is running things," Bert sighed. "He doesn't have a love of the old ways, that's his problem."
"Is the shop in trouble?" Ian asked.
"No, his profits are up," Bert replied with a huff. "He's been experimenting, trying new recipes, expanding into other areas." He shook his head. "Seems to think a bakery isn't good enough. No, he wants to run a café, he says. Serve meals, even cater."
"Let it go, dear," Martha sighed as she stood to clear the table. "It's his shop now to do with as he sees fit. We had our time."
"Look at it this way, Bert," Ian said as he helped Martha clear the dishes. "If the kid makes a go of it, everyone will remember you as the foundation."
Bert let out a grunt and picked at his teeth.
"Do you have other children?" Daniel asked.
"Oh my, yes." Martha detoured from the kitchen to a cabinet, where she retrieved a photo album. She sat down next to Daniel and opened it up with the wide smile of a proud grandparent and proceeded to point out her three children, their spouses, and their combined eight little offspring.
Daniel made the appropriate remarks, and was enjoying the photographs, but his day's exertions were catching up to his overly filled and immensely satisfied stomach.
"Now you've bored him to yawning, ya old coot." Bert scolded as Daniel stifled another one.
"No, she hasn't," he apologized. "It's just been a long day."
Martha closed the photo album and glared at her husband. "Have I mentioned where you'll be sleeping if you called me a coot one more time?"
Bert grinned and flashed a wink at Daniel. "I've got one word for you," he said, leaning toward his wife. "Cujo!"
"Oh, you evil man!" Martha tossed a napkin at Bert. "You know that gave me nightmares for a week!"
"Where will I be sleepin' now, eh?"
"You kids should get a room," Ian quipped.
Martha huffed and stood, pushing her chair back. "It's late, and you two must be exhausted after climbing that wall. You go get yourselves a good night's sleep. Tomorrow you can ponder finding that key."
"Thank you again for the meal," Daniel said as he stood. "I don't think I'll be able to eat for a week."
"You'll change your mind when you smell breakfast." Martha shooed them both toward the stairs where they'd already been given guest rooms for their stay. "Now off with you both."
The guestroom was so average-American, Daniel could have easily convinced himself he was in Kansas, spending an evening in a bed and breakfast. The only hint he wasn't where he should be was the crystal of fire set in the light fixture next to the overstuffed bed. There was a quilt covering the thick mattress and soft sheets, and the pillow had the heavy feel of goose down. A dresser sat against one wall, empty except for the contents of his backpack, and a night table next to the bed where the light fixture shared space with a small clock.
As Daniel settled in and felt sleep rapidly approach, it occurred to him he'd never actually been to Kansas.
__________________
Inexplicably, Daniel's stomach actually did rumble when he came down the stairs in the morning to the smells of pastries and sausage. Martha greeted him with a smile and a full plate, and he joined Ian and Bert at the table with only the slightest twinge of guilt.
"Now, about that key," Bert said as he pushed his empty plate aside. "Keep in mind, young man, no one actually knows for certain whether or not the king has one."
"Murphy seems to," Ian replied.
Bert held up a hand. "I'm of no doubt, myself. But I'm basing that on a dislike of my current king, and rumors I've heard nattered about here and there. Folk whisper about King Stefan's new fangled trinkets and some of the security devices he's been tinkering with. Some say the royal accounts have increased without special taxing, and there's talk he's been going to Otherworld and stealing their gold."
"I'm not sure how he'd manage that," Daniel said. "Then again, I'm not really one to say at this point."
Ian unfolded a map and spread it out over the table. It was a blueprint of sorts, showing a myriad of rooms and hallways on multiple levels. He pointed to a large room nestled in the center of several smaller ones.
"This is the king's private office, but it's surrounded by offices of each member of the royal court. If he's doing something he wants to keep quiet about, I can't see it happening here. The court officers are in and out all the time, delivering papers and messages and going about their own work." He then pointed to another room, two levels higher. "This is the king's bed chamber, and there's a room back here with a secret entrance through a portrait on this wall." He pointed to the far north side, and Daniel saw where another room had been outlined lightly, roughly a quarter the size of the large bed chamber. "There's another door, at the far end of this room, leading down through the walls of the castle all the way to the dungeons. It was built as an escape route for the king and queen if anyone tried to attack, and it's never been used."
"Who exactly would attack?" Daniel asked, surprised. "There's no other kingdom around."
Ian huffed. "That's the thing. This tunnel was constructed more to protect the ruling party from his siblings, or heirs, I suspect. Unfortunately King Frederick didn't use it when Stefan came to murder him, but it's assumed the king was murdered while he slept."
"So how is this chamber different from the royal office? If other people know it's there?"
"They don't," Ian replied. "At least, in theory. I was told by King Frederick that the tunnel is kept secret from the royal court and all heirs, until such time as a new ruler is crowned. Only the king's personal guard know it's there. The captain of the guard passes on the information to any new ruler after their coronation." He sat back and shrugged. "So, if I were a betting man, I'd say anything the king's doing that he doesn't want the court to know about, he's doing in that chamber, behind the panel."
"How can he get anything done in that room?" Daniel asked.
Bert suddenly snapped his fingers and pointed to Ian. "Because there's a door!" He looked at Daniel, proud that he'd figured out the puzzle, but willing to share the answer. "If he's got a key to Otherworld, all he needs is a door to put it in."
Daniel blinked.
"That's right," Ian replied. "He could bring up any guards he wanted through the tunnel, then into that chamber. From there, he could easily take them to Otherworld."
Daniel sat back and pondered what little he understood about the keys. "So, he can go through that door to anywhere in my world? Then come back again through that door?"
Ian nodded, then raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at Daniel. "So long as he takes the key with him."
"Right, yes, I know. The cellar door," he huffed. "What if he opened the door and sent someone through, but didn't take the key. Can he get back?"
"No more than you can without using a key."
Bert snapped his fingers again. "Mathew!"
"Pardon?" Ian turned to the older man. "What does your son have to do with this?"
"He's won a chance to present to the king's court tonight, in the kitchens, anyway." Bert replied. "He and five other bakers will be serving their best pastries to a gathering where King Stefan is going to be making some new proclamation of some such." He looked over toward the kitchen. "Martha! What's that to-do at the palace about tonight? The one where Mathew gets to send his cakes?"
"What?" Martha came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on the ever-present apron.
"You heard me, woman."
"Tonight? Oh, that." She shook her head and looked at Ian. "Our lord and master Stefan is going to make an announcement about new taxes and laws."
"New laws?" Ian looked from Martha to Bert. "I heard a rumor he was going to tighten security and spread further out to the city."
She nodded. "Yes, that's what we hear. He's been arresting more and more people who speak out, even casually." She sighed heavily and turned to her husband. "Gone are the days of King Frederick, or his father, Edward."
Bert reached out a hand and gave his wife's arm a pat. "New rulers bring new changes. We'll adapt. We all will."
Ian shook his head and folded up his map. "If that's true, I'm not sure how much longer I can stay off his radar." He looked at Daniel. "We'd better make a try for the castle tonight then. Get in with Mathew and his employees and find that key."
Daniel found himself suddenly reluctant to find the exit to this strange adventure. Part of him feared discovering Ether was a dream, while another part feared learning it was all true.
"Will he help?"
Bert slapped the table with a palm. "He'll help you or be out on the streets finding himself a new bakery to reinvent!"
|
