Chapter 238: Keeper Of The Gate
Liam sank back into his chair, all the pink in his cheeks draining away until I could count his freckles. "This can't be happening."
"Well, it is." Galleytrot returned to his place between us, sticking his huge head in Liam's space. "And you must listen now, Liam O'Dane. The fate of the world is in your hands."
Liam shook, but too his credit he didn't pull away. And as Galleytrot breathed on him I understood why. His hand reached out, slowly, fingers sliding into the silky, thick fur on the top of the dog's head. The moment he touched him, a ribbon of green magic slid between them, winding around Liam's wrist. I heard him sigh, saw him relax, slump really, into the wooden chair, his eyes locked on the dog's.
"Mom is going to kill me," he said. "She warned me to stay away from you." Guilty, he looked up at me. "I told her you wanted to meet Daddo and she lost it. Dragged me out of town. I finally convinced her to turn around, take me back. But she's afraid of something, Syd. And it has to have to do with what I am."
"We don't have a lot of time," I said, softening my tone. Galleytrot had won Liam over where my browbeating failed. I quickly filled him in on what the dog told me, about the Gate, his family, how his grandfather was supposed to pass the torch on to his father.
"But Dad died." Liam nodded now, both hands deep in Galleytrot's fur, scratching his ears. "I barely remember. I was pretty little, Mom and Daddo fought over her taking me away. He said something about my responsibility, my destiny. That he needed me." Liam straightened a little. "Mom wouldn't listen and we moved the next day."
"Leaving your grandfather the last Keeper of the Gate," Galleytrot said. "But why then didn't he seal it?"
"Pure stubborn probably," Liam said, lips twisting. "Then he got sick... maybe he still thinks he can answer it." He shrugged. "They've been keeping him drugged lately. Mom says he's acting funny, won't let me visit." Liam smacked himself in the forehead with the palm of one hand. "The Gate."
"The Gate." Galleytrot turned to me. "We need to talk to this man. Unless your grandfather shared with you the secret to finding the Gate and answering the knock?"
Liam shook his head. "No such luck." He looked very troubled, guilty even. "All these years I thought he was nutty, you know? Mom told me he was crazy. Convinced me. That the whole power thing was my imagination." He stopped petting Galleytrot, hands falling to his lap. "If only I'd believed in him." Hazel eyes snapped with anger. "Mom knows, she has to."
"But why keep this from you?" And how was his mother involved?
"I have no idea," he snapped, "but she's tried very hard my whole life to convince me none of this was true. She'd only do that if she knew it was."
"Can we get in to see him?" I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 10:00 a.m. and the final knock came tonight.
Liam was on his feet and heading for the door. "Are you coming or not?"
The drive was a quiet one, with Galleytrot hanging his big head through the front seats, panting in my ear while Liam stared out the window. It was pretty clear he struggled with his past and was trying to come to terms with everything we'd told him.
I let him be, accepting his terse directions until we pulled into a long, narrow lane, shadowed on both sides by thick banks of trees, only to emerge a moment later into a parking lot. Sunlight warmed the red brick building, a tall, wide box punctuated by many old windows. It reminded me of an insane asylum, the kind you might see in a horror movie and I suddenly dreaded going inside.
Hospitals were bad enough with the fresh soul echoes of the dead assaulting me. Places like this could hold onto those echoes for years, especially if the owners of those spirits died insane.
Liam didn't notice my reluctance, but Galleytrot swiped the side of my face with his tongue in comfort. I scowled at him, wiping away the slobber as I left the car and went after Liam.
He paused only once, fingers wrapped around the door handle. "He's nuts, okay? Totally loony. Don't freak." Then he pulled the door open and strode inside, leaving me to follow.
I found myself giggling at the thought of my grandmother. Once upon a time, she had the corner market on crazy. Liam turned and stared at me and I shrugged. "I know exactly how you feel," I said. "Exactly." His brows came together, head tilting sideways. "Ask me again sometime."
Better yet, I'd just let him meet Gram. Once she came back.
If she came back.
That thought was a mood killer.
Liam kept walking, ignored the front desk and went right to the elevator. He pressed "Up", the peeling paint on the doors not instilling me with a whole lot of confidence, especially when they parted in little jerks.
I followed him on board and held my breath as the old lift creaked and clanked its way to the third floor. The moment we stepped off, I let out the stale air in my lungs, swearing when I left it would be by the stairs.
We were stopped by a heavy wooden door, flanked by a glass nurse's station. Liam smiled at the woman in the white uniform behind the counter like he knew her.
"Just here to see Daddo," he said.
She glanced at me, sharp nose wiggling. "You're not supposed to have guests." How pleasant.
Liam smiled wider, pouring on the charm. I had to admit, he was very charming when he wanted to be.
"Daddo's so lonely," he said. "We just wanted to keep him company for a while."
She hesitated another second then smiled back. "How sweet of you, dear." Her hand reached out, sounding a buzzer. "Come on in."
Liam led me through the wooden door. I glanced into the nurse's office, seeing the woman watch us go, caught her lifting the phone receiver and dialing a number.
That couldn't be good. "We'd better hurry," I said. I reached for Galleytrot at the same moment but, to my shock, couldn't feel him. A thin barrier of Sidhe magic blocked the way.
No wonder we hadn't been able to find him. Someone was hiding Fergus from us.
"I know," Liam shot back through gritted teeth, unaware of my discovery. "That nurse is friends with my mom."
Perfect.
I refused to swat at the ghost who popped out of one of the rooms and wailed in my face. It was hard, but I did it. The next one made me gasp, as she flashed me and cackled her way straight through me. Ew. She wasn't young. Liam glanced at me like I belonged here and I just shot him a scowl.
One of these times I was going to scream out loud. Though chances are my shriek would be lost in the heavy madness of this place. It was hard to pick out the moans and yelling of the residents from the ghosts who roamed the halls. I was so grateful we'd never had to put Gram in a horror show like this.
Liam paused near a door, real worry on his face. "He's in here," he said, and pushed his way inside.
I followed, a million questions on the tip of my tongue, still trying to puncture the shielding around the place. No amount of searching would have helped Galleytrot find the old man, not when he was hiding behind a carefully constructed Sidhe wall meant to feel like nothing at all.
But thanks to Liam, the barrier and whoever created it-a particular Sidhe lordling came to mind-no longer mattered. I was so ready to find the answers I needed and end the threat before it was too late.
A thin old man in a rumpled blue sweater and pajama bottoms hummed and rocked in a rickety chair, green eyes locked on the wall. For a moment I was afraid we were too late. He was already gone, empty. Until he looked up and saw Liam and a slow smile appeared.
This might work out after all.
Yeah, not so much.
Fergus O'Dane's gaze drifted past his grandson and landed on me. He instantly surged to his feet, mouth gaping open, reaching for me, staggering forward.
"NO!" He began to weep, trying to grab me while Liam held him back. "You're early! It's too early! You're not supposed to be here!"
***
