Page 70 of The Spirit Key
She smiled. “In a manner of speaking.”
“What do I do if I meet another like you?”
“Whatever you think is right. That’s all you can ever do.”
She began to fade, and I could feel myself waking up.
“But I have more questions!”
“And with Timbo’s aid, you will find your answers.”
“How do I help him?”
“The best way is to know that sometimes we have to help ourselves.” She was little more than a whisper now. “I’ve waited a very long time to meet you as an adult, Scott. I want you to know, I’m impressed with the person you are. Care for Timbo, and both of you be well….”
I opened my eyes to find Tim standing over me, his arms crossed over his broad chest and a piercing glare aimed at me. He was peeved.
“I learned things.”
“Eight years.”
Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to argue with him. At least not about that.
Chapter Seventeen
GEORGE PUTa cup of tea in front of me. After I finished my story, he’d asked all kinds of questions.
Tim just sat there, his hands wrapped tightly around his cup, staring at me, his expression like granite. I could sense his anger, barely contained, just below the surface.
George fluttered his hands, his eyes wide. “That’s… I have no words for it. And you saw this?”
“No, I lived it. Somehow when I deal with spirits, I sort of become them. I can see what they do. Generally it’s how their life ends, but in this case it was more that Sofia showed me her life.”
“Remarkable.”
Tim pushed back from the table and leaped up. “Remarkable? Bullshit!” He turned a withering glare on me. “No, this is over. We’re not doing this.”
I was pissed. “What do you mean? You don’t get to decide for me.”
“The hell I don’t! If you’re going to do something stupid like, say, risking your life for dead people, I sure as hell can put a stop to it. You said both of us had to agree, right? Well, I don’t, and I never will.”
He stormed out of the room, and I stood to follow. I turned to George and found him frowning.
“You need to understand. Lock and key are revered positions for the people. We honor the sacrifices of those who give so much to those who no longer have anything. But quite often a lock wants more than what he’s got. In this case, I think he wants you more than he wants to assume his role.”
And I got that. Really, I did. But…. “He has to understand. This? It’s more than just a whim on my part, because it’s the only way I can help him and others. The thing that’s inside of him is slowly warping his mind. I think that’s part of why he’s so angry. Tim has always had a strong will, but with the spirit forcing itself into his mind, it’s slowly stripping away bits of what makes him special. I think it’s getting close to assuming his body and forcing him to kill for it.”
George paled. “What do you do?”
“Well, Sofia, in her frustratingly vague way, said the two of us would have to figure it out. I don’t know why she couldn’t tell me.”
As he picked up the cups, George hummed. “As I understand it—and believe me, most of what I know is conjecture based on myths and rumors—both lock and key are given very rudimentary training. It’s expected that they’ll learn together, mostly because people—and their needs—change from generation to generation. What might have worked for Sofia could have disastrous effects now. It was a simpler time then. People lately seem edgy most of the time. They’re always in such a hurry, needing instant gratification. How could she show you something that might make things worse?”
“I don’t follow.” Well, I did but wanted to be sure I was getting the full impact.
“You say there’s a spirit inside Scott. When you told the story of Silvanus and his desire to enact revenge on his brother for stealing his life, what did Sofia do?”
“She touched him and he said it bled away his anger.”
