Read Online The Keeper by David Baldacci - Free Book Online Page B

him.”
    “Can you at least show us where he sleeps, Luc?” I asked.
    We passed through quite a few corridors until I was hopelessly lost, but I knew Delph probably wasn’t. I looked back at him to confirm that he could find this place again if need be. He gave a quick nod.
    Luc stopped at the beginning of a passage and pointed down the corridor of stone. It was well lighted and thus I could easily see the massive door at the end, set directly into the rock wall. There were no guards posted outside the door, yet it looked impenetrable.
    On the return journey, I spoke to Luc in a low voice. At first he was not receptive to my ideas, but I could sense that the courage and spirit Thorne had taken from him was slowly returning to the head ekos.
    As soon as we got back to our little chamber, Luc left us.
    “We have to get into Thorne’s sleeping chamber,” I said. As I said it, I felt the collywobbles in my stomach, like a million moths were flying around in there.
    Delph nodded. “Thorne’s become quite a dab hand at flying. Which means he won’t need us much longer, will he? Then we’ll be bones on a wall.”
    “Luc will help, but I need a way to get into his room while Thorne isn’t there.”
    “Then what you need is to get him outta his room.”
    I frowned. “Brilliant, Delph. I wish I would have thought of that. Well done,” I added sarcastically.
    “No, I mean you need a distraction.”
    “What sort?” I asked curiously.
    “He’s afraid of grubbs, right?”
    “Well, yeah, they want to kill him. So?”
    “So we start with that and build our plan.”
    “You got some grubbs that’ll do your bidding?” I asked skeptically.
    My cloak was hanging on a peg on the wall. He reached in one of its pockets, put on my glove, pulled out the Elemental and willed it to full size.
    “The Elemental?” I said, completely puzzled.
    He nodded. “With this I get to pretend I’m something that I’m not.”
    I smiled as I finally understood what he meant. “A grubb,” I said.

    T HIRTY SLIVERS LATER , Delph and I peered around the corner of the passageway leading to Thorne’s chamber. Delph was holding the Elemental.
    “Luc is all ready to go,” I said.
    Delph nodded, exhaled a long breath and said, “You best be getting on, then.”
    I hurried down the passageway and secreted myself in a niche that would keep me hidden from view. I leaned out, looked back down the passage at Delph and nodded. Then I squeezed myself back into the niche.
    I saw the Elemental blast past me, its turbulent wake snuffing out the torches on the wall as it sailed by. Then it struck the door a terrific blow, knocking it down. Moments later, in the near darkness now, I saw it zoom back toward Delph.
    There were screams and shouts and I knew Luc had done his task as well. Ekos up and down passages were crying out that the grubbs were attacking.
    The next sliver, I heard him.
    It was Thorne shouting orders, and I shrunk back as far as I could in the niche when he raced past me in the now darkened passage, a short-barreled morta in one hand and a flickering candle in the other. He was in his sleeping clothes, his hair wild and flying around his face. He had Destin around his waist.
    As soon as he was well past me, I turned and ran toward his chamber. I didn’t know how long I would have, but I doubted it would be long.
    The illumination from the candle I had brought and just now lighted showed that the chamber had few furnishings. A bed, a nightstand, and an old wardrobe set against one wall. There was nothing on the bed except a pile of sheets and blankets; a pillow was lying on the floor.
    I looked at the narrow crevice between the floor and the bed — nothing. Then I hefted the mattress.
    Yes!
    Wedged in among the ropes that supported the mattress was a book.
    I snatched it free and put the mattress back in place. I looked down at the book.
    Log of Experiments ?
    I opened it to the first page. There was neat handwriting that I knew to be