her focused. ‘Is that the problem? Is that why Robert can’t wake up?’
‘I don’t know!’ Jenn snapped, taking a deep breath. She looked up in apology, but he waved it away. ‘I can’t even work out what he’s doing. He’s stopped trying to separate the Key and Calyx at least. But it’s projecting in some way, and that’s how Nash can see him – us. I think he’s trying to break that connection, between the Key and Nash.’
‘What’s the point? If Nash already knows where we are?’
‘Oh, Finn! Are we going to leave the Key here? We’ll take it with us. If Robert can’t break the connection, then no matter where we go, Nash will follow, and with Robert in this condition, we will have no means to fight him. I don’t know what to do.’
As Andrew came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, Jenn leaned back into his strength for a moment, giving Finnlay time to think.
This had all begun because Robert had finally found the Calyx. It had been hidden in the shape of a book, but when Robert and Jenn had touched it together, the shape had shifted and changed, revealing the Calyx, bowl-shaped, glittering and ancient. He’d thought – they’d all thought – that the Calyx would give them answers, would show them how they could live outside the Enclave in peace. But it hadn’t had enough power to work for more than a few moments, so Jenn had said they should take it to the Key, because everything they knew suggested the two were supposed to work together.
But the moment Robert had approached with the Calyx, the Key had taken over, driving him forward until the two had joined, and tragedy had struck, bringing the wrath of Nash down on them all.
Finnlay knew what the answer was; he just wished he didn’t. He met Jenn’s gaze. ‘I think the only way to get it away from Robert is if you take it.’
‘He’d never let me.’
‘No. But you might be able to help him break the connection.’
‘How?’
‘By touching the Key. By going to wherever Robert is. He can’t do it on his own, can he?’
Jenn shook her head slowly, her gaze going back to Robert.
Finnlay pressed her. ‘Do you know what he’s trying to do?’
‘Make some kind of mask, as though he can recreate what the Key did to protect us. I don’t know that he can do it, and not in time. I just wish—’
‘You have to intervene, Jenn. There’s no other option.’
‘Mother.’ Andrew knelt beside her. ‘If the connection is with Nash, what if you can’t break it? What if you get trapped like Robert?’
Jenn didn’t seem to hear him. Her hand moved out, reaching to the glistening surface of the Key, held so close against Robert’s chest.
It never got there. Andrew snatched her hand away, pulling her around to face him. His voice was harsh and urgent, sounding much older than normal. ‘Mother! Listen to me! Robert said … he said he couldn’t trust you, because you were joined to the Key and he couldn’t trust it. He said you weren’t on the same side. What if … ?’
Jenn touched the side of his face gently. ‘I can’t leave him there. Finnlay’s right. Even if we know nothing about this, the one thing of which we can be certain is that everything here must be done by Robert and me. Please, love, move back.’
Andrew began to shake his head, but a hand appeared on his shoulder and Finnlay looked up. His mother, Lady Margaret, was urging Andrew to his feet, her face worried, her lips moving as if in prayer.
Finnlay looked around. They were almost alone now, but he could hear noise coming from all directions as people began the awesome task of evacuating a home the Salti had had for almost six hundred years.
‘Finn,’ Jenn whispered, dragging his gaze back to hers. ‘If this doesn’t work—’
‘It will.’ He said with a finality he dredged up from somewhere. ‘It has to.’
She nodded slightly, her eyes fathomless. ‘I’ll make sure it does.’ With that, she closed her eyes, reached
‘I don’t know!’ Jenn snapped, taking a deep breath. She looked up in apology, but he waved it away. ‘I can’t even work out what he’s doing. He’s stopped trying to separate the Key and Calyx at least. But it’s projecting in some way, and that’s how Nash can see him – us. I think he’s trying to break that connection, between the Key and Nash.’
‘What’s the point? If Nash already knows where we are?’
‘Oh, Finn! Are we going to leave the Key here? We’ll take it with us. If Robert can’t break the connection, then no matter where we go, Nash will follow, and with Robert in this condition, we will have no means to fight him. I don’t know what to do.’
As Andrew came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, Jenn leaned back into his strength for a moment, giving Finnlay time to think.
This had all begun because Robert had finally found the Calyx. It had been hidden in the shape of a book, but when Robert and Jenn had touched it together, the shape had shifted and changed, revealing the Calyx, bowl-shaped, glittering and ancient. He’d thought – they’d all thought – that the Calyx would give them answers, would show them how they could live outside the Enclave in peace. But it hadn’t had enough power to work for more than a few moments, so Jenn had said they should take it to the Key, because everything they knew suggested the two were supposed to work together.
But the moment Robert had approached with the Calyx, the Key had taken over, driving him forward until the two had joined, and tragedy had struck, bringing the wrath of Nash down on them all.
Finnlay knew what the answer was; he just wished he didn’t. He met Jenn’s gaze. ‘I think the only way to get it away from Robert is if you take it.’
‘He’d never let me.’
‘No. But you might be able to help him break the connection.’
‘How?’
‘By touching the Key. By going to wherever Robert is. He can’t do it on his own, can he?’
Jenn shook her head slowly, her gaze going back to Robert.
Finnlay pressed her. ‘Do you know what he’s trying to do?’
‘Make some kind of mask, as though he can recreate what the Key did to protect us. I don’t know that he can do it, and not in time. I just wish—’
‘You have to intervene, Jenn. There’s no other option.’
‘Mother.’ Andrew knelt beside her. ‘If the connection is with Nash, what if you can’t break it? What if you get trapped like Robert?’
Jenn didn’t seem to hear him. Her hand moved out, reaching to the glistening surface of the Key, held so close against Robert’s chest.
It never got there. Andrew snatched her hand away, pulling her around to face him. His voice was harsh and urgent, sounding much older than normal. ‘Mother! Listen to me! Robert said … he said he couldn’t trust you, because you were joined to the Key and he couldn’t trust it. He said you weren’t on the same side. What if … ?’
Jenn touched the side of his face gently. ‘I can’t leave him there. Finnlay’s right. Even if we know nothing about this, the one thing of which we can be certain is that everything here must be done by Robert and me. Please, love, move back.’
Andrew began to shake his head, but a hand appeared on his shoulder and Finnlay looked up. His mother, Lady Margaret, was urging Andrew to his feet, her face worried, her lips moving as if in prayer.
Finnlay looked around. They were almost alone now, but he could hear noise coming from all directions as people began the awesome task of evacuating a home the Salti had had for almost six hundred years.
‘Finn,’ Jenn whispered, dragging his gaze back to hers. ‘If this doesn’t work—’
‘It will.’ He said with a finality he dredged up from somewhere. ‘It has to.’
She nodded slightly, her eyes fathomless. ‘I’ll make sure it does.’ With that, she closed her eyes, reached
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