“Have I?” Simon laughed quietly. “I can’t think of it.”
“Look at me.” Kate gripped his hand. “Me. Malcolm. Penny. You’ve taken those separate things and made them into something stronger and more resilient than any of us could’ve imagined. We did an amazing thing. Together. You did that. No one else did. No one else could have.” She dipped a finger into her collar and pulled out a chain with the gold key. She looped it off over her head. “And we have this.”
Simon laughed. “Ah yes. The key. What did White say it was, a device for instantaneous translocation? That’s grand, and there it is. And what does it do? Nothing. I’m suspicious of that thing, Kate. Magic is full of philosopher’s stones that turn out to be merely stones.”
Kate ignored his bitterness. She dangled the key from her finger, letting it swing back and forth.
His intense eyes tracked the object. “Really, Kate, we have no idea about that key. White was obviously insane; why should we believe anything he said?” However, a glimmer of begrudging interest replaced the anger in his gaze.
Malcolm abruptly returned, carrying three pints. He settled into a seat and slid ales to the others. “So, why did Barker run off? He hated Kate?”
“What?” Kate snapped, dropping the key to the table.
“No,” Simon replied casually. “Well yes, but that’s not why he left.”
She scowled. “Not that I care now, but do tell.”
“He was frightened.”
Kate and Malcolm exchanged glances. She asked, “Frightened of what?”
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me.” Simon looked at the two with concern. “If there’s something that has Nick scared, it’s certain to be unpleasant.”
Malcolm drank. “That’s too bad because what we’ve seen so far has been delightful.” He set the glass down heavily. “I’ve something to say, and I’d best do it now or it won’t happen.”
Simon and Kate regarded the Scotsman, whose quiet frown was the only betrayal of his troubled emotions. Finally Malcolm said, “Thank you.”
Simon raised a confused eyebrow. “Are you talking to me? It’s difficult to know.”
“I am talking to you, you ass.” The Scotsman stared at the table. “You saved my life at Hartley Hall. Gretta pulled half the house down on me and I would have been crushed to death had you not saved me.”
“Hardly half the house. A bit of a wall, part of the upper floor. And recall, I saved myself too.”
“Aye, but you could have done so without including me. I’m grateful to you. I can tell you that once I thought little of you, but I was wrong. You are an honorable man, and while there are times I would as soon throw you through that window, I’d stand with you if you need me. And let’s say no more about it.”
Kate drank and slammed her glass down like a sailor. “Yes, these maudlin scenes are so emasculating.”
Simon smiled. “Thank you, Malcolm. I appreciate your words.”
The Scotsman grunted and drank.
Simon looked at Kate’s fingers. Her knuckles were still raw from the battle. Her usually flawless face was marred by bruises and scratches. He winced at her unconsciously. “Kate, I’m bound to say that you should think about your safety, and that of Imogen. I have no idea what I’ll be involved with in the future. There’s no reason you should put yourself in danger.”
“No reason?” She yanked her hand free. “You’re the one always standing in the line of fire, like some stalwart knight of old. I learn from your bloody example. I will do all I can for Imogen, and I damn well need your help for that. I don’t care how dangerous you think the world will become, we are connected now. Do I make myself clear?”
“You do,” Simon whispered, caught up in Kate’s passion. She was extraordinary.
She recovered her demeanor with a slight clearing of her throat. Then she pushed the key across the rough table. “Here. I want you to have this. It was your mother’s.”
“No. I suspect your father gave it to her to hide it. Anyone who was chasing your father or my father to find this key would’ve had no idea my mother was connected to them. It doesn’t truly belong to either of us.”
“Then it belongs to both of us.”
Simon touched the key reverently and nodded at her. He then regarded the Scotsman. “Malcolm, will you be staying with us?”
The Scotsman gestured toward the ale. “Well, almost certainly until I finish my drink. Then I’ll decide about a second one.”
Simon grinned and lifted his pint. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” Kate and Malcolm replied.
The glasses clinked together as the key glittered in the candlelight, casting sharp reflections on the three faces.
If you loved Shadow Revolution, be sure not to miss the next book in the thrilling Crown & Key trilogy:
The Undying Legion by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith Here’s a special preview And stay tuned for the final book in the Crown & Key trilogy—The Conquering Dark—which will follow next month!
Chapter One