Keeper: Chapter 18

Thought for the day: Expensive hotels that charge you an hourly rate for the internet make themselves look cheap.  Sorry for last weeks outage.  I was traveling without regular internet access.

Chapter 18

Jamie flipped through the pages of the book with one ear listening for Del’s footsteps. His ears strained and all he could hear was the beat of his own heart. His wondered what he would do if Del didn’t come back, if there were something nasty in the basement that Del couldn’t handle. Not much of what Jamie saw in the book processed and he shut it with a sigh realizing he would have to read it later if any information would have been taken from it. He looked at his half eaten plate and pushed it away, his appetite gone. Finally he heard footsteps heading back towards the kitchen. He braced, on the off chance it was something nasty from the basement, but relaxed when he recognized Del. The tension came back full force when he caught sight of Del’s expression.



“You found something,” Jamie said. It was more of a statement than a question.



“Yes,” Del confirmed. Jamie noticed Del had something in his hand. It was wrapped up in what appeared to be a handkerchief.



“Is that it?” Jamie asked, surprised at how ominous the small bundle seemed.



“It is,” Del said. “I found it in a crack in the basement floor, half buried in what would have been the old basement. It has one of the architect’s signatures on it.”



“Really?” Jamie said. “He signed it?”



“It is a delicate piece of work. He might have been proud of it,” Del said with a shrug. “And he also might not have realized how it was to be used.” Del thought about it for a second. “Or it could be that someone else signed his name.”



“Which architect?” Jamie asked.



“Burr Alverson.”



“Wasn’t that one of the business cards in the dish?”



“It was.”



“Perhaps we should have Mr. Alverson over for tea,” Jamie said.



“Might not be a bad idea.” Both of them looked at the wrapped parcel in Del’s hand. “Perhaps I’ll just put this somewhere safe until Mr. Alverson can have a look at it.” Del walked over to the sink and pulled a metal box out from the cabinet beneath. One handedly he opened the box and Jamie could see old rags stuffed inside. Del placed the bundle in with the rags, shit the lid and put it back under the sink.



“That should do for now,” Del said. He straightened, turned on the tap water and began to vigorously wash his hands.



“What exactly was it?” Jamie asked.



“No clue,” Del said. He squirted more dish soap on his hands and lemon scented bubbles coated his arms up to the elbows. “I’m not one for any of the high magic and that,” Del tilted his head, indicating the hidden bundle. “That is some high magic indeed.”



“That should make tea fun,” Jamie said. “I’ll send out the invitation tonight. You mentioned that the High Talbot sent word that he found something?”



“I did,” Del said, finally rinsing off the bubbles, turning off the water and reaching for the towel. “Apparently our earlier visitor was found although he was apparently in a less…pristine condition.”



“Oh?” Jamie said thinking of the High Talbot and his need for cleanliness. “His cross country run didn’t suit him?” Del snorted.



“Obviously not. The man was dead.”



“Dead?” Jamie repeated, all humor draining out of him. He sat back down in his chair at the table and Del resumed his own seat in front of his half eaten dinner. Neither of them looked at the plates.



“Apparently that green snakelike thing managed to catch up with him.” Del began. “The thing appears to have strangled him.” Jamie swallowed hard. “There is good news though.”



“Good news?”



“Yes,” Del said. “There are signs that after the deed was done the magic dissipated.”



“That’s the good news?”



“Well it means it isn’t going to double back here and come after you in the night.”



“That is very good news,” Jamie said. He had the feeling he was in for a few nights of nightmares featuring strangulation by green snakes made of smoke. It was not a pleasant thought.



“There is more.” Del looked to Jamie as if wondering if he was up to more. Jamie nodded.



“Might as well tell me,” Jamie said. “It’s not like I can get out of it.”



“Upon examination apparently the man wasn’t really a man. Or at least not a human one.”



“He looked human,” Jamie said. Del nodded.



“Of course he did. He’d have to if he expected to pass as Keeper even for a little while. The Keeper is always human.”



“Why?” Jamie asked.



“What?”



“Why is the Keeper always human?”



“Dunno,” Del replied. “Maybe so you don’t pick sides.”



“So if he wasn’t human what was he?” Jamie asked letting the question of the Keeper’s humanity slide for the moment.



“Some sort of goblin with a fake shell over him.”



“Some sort of goblin?”



“The High Talbot had never seen that particular type before. He had no clan markings or house delineation. His features were strange. Might have been some kind of half breed but no one could make out what kind.” Jamie caught the thread of worry running through Del’s voice.



“I take it this is unusual?”



“Unusual?” Del snorted. “As it has never happened before you could say that.”



“And the human like shell?”



“Also something the High Talbot had never seen before.”



“I see,”



“No you probably don’t,” Del corrected. “The High Talbot sees nearly everyone in nearly every cross section of every community. He is up on the spells and who is experimenting with what as there are permits for things like this. And he has never seen anything of this nature.”



“Oh,” Jamie said. “There are permits?” Del frowned at the question.



“Of course,” Del said “There are rules.”



“Is anyone working on something that would be similar to one of the permits but not quite?”



“What do you mean?”



“Well if you were going to make a type of human suit then you would probably need a certain set of supplies right?” Jamie said, his own brain trying to reject the idea of making a human suit in a backyard workshop.”



“Yes,” Del said.



“Well if I were going to do something like that and I knew that I needed a permit for any experimentation but didn’t want to let anyone know what I was making I would apply for a permit for something that used more or less the same components so it would still look like I was making what I told everyone I was making. That way I could do what I wanted but no one would know.”



“That is a very sneaky thought,” Del said after a moment of silent contemplation.



“I had to learn to be sneaky as a kid,” Jamie said. “Not that I know how to make a human suit of course.”



“Of course not,” Del said. “It would take high magic as well as a lot of medical knowledge and someone who would have probably used something stronger than rubbing alcohol when torturing someone for information.”



“Don’t knock the rubbing alcohol, it got results.”



“True,” Del replied. “And come to think of it, that was pretty sneaky too.”



“I try.”



“I’m sure the High Talbot will be looking through permits as well.”



“Because he is sneaky too?” Jamie asked.



“Very. He is sending the image of the goblin kin to all of the clans to see if he can be identified or if any other information can be found. I don’t think he likes the thought of not knowing something.”



“I can sympathize with that,” Jamie told him. He looked at the cold remains of dinner. His appetite still had not returned. “I think I’m going to see if any of the journals date around the time the last house was destroyed and then spend some time going through the book on the House.”



“Don’t forget to send the invitation to tea,” Del reminded him.



“I’ll do that before I head to the storage room. I shouldn’t be on that floor more than an hour or two. Then I’ll probably just be in the library after that.” Jamie replied. He didn’t want to worry Del too much in one evening.