Robin had no idea what Randall was talking about with this Key business, but he seemed very excited, and that made her nervous. Portals flared open all around the cavern, each one making her stomach clench tighter. She knew they would have to go through one to get home, but she hoped whatever Key he wanted her to meet was somewhere around them already.

As a portal opened in front of them, she knew she was out of luck.

“Just go through it. Don’t fight me.” Randall looked tired.

It wasn’t as if she had a choice. What was she going to do, stay behind in this cavern with no way out, no food, and no water? If she cooperated now, it might gain her some leeway in the future.

Stepping forward, Robin simply said, “Okay.”

She followed Randall as he took her hand and led them both to the destination. The same sensations hit her as before, making her want to scream and cry, but as soon as it started, it was over.

They were in an opulent house, standing at the opening of a staircase. Randall began descending, and when she didn’t immediately follow, he stopped and looked up at her.

“Everyone in this house works for me. So whatever you’re thinking, whatever plan of escape you are hastily trying to hatch, just give it up now. They won’t help you.”

Robin chastised herself for being so open with her body language. “I was actually just wondering where we are,” she lied.

“We are in a house.”

She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Fine!” Randall threw up his hands, clearly hitting his limit of things he would put up with today. “We’re on an estate in England. The Key is under the house.”

He sounded as if he was talking in some kind of code. The Key is under the house. The crow flies at midnight. It almost made her want to laugh. Almost.

She descended toward him, still a little unstable in her heels, and clutched the railing. The stairs just kept going, around and around and around. Finally, after what felt like forever, they arrived at the base of the stairs. They must have been at least a few floors underground. The air had become damp and smelled of moss. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine being outside in a forest just after it had rained. The smooth stone floor scuffed against her heels, and her eyes snapped open. She could hear water somewhere, a gentle lapping of waves on a beach.

“You won’t be able to enter immediately, so just stand at the door, and when I know it’s safe, I will open the wards to let you in.” He sounded so matter of fact as he spoke, as if she should understand what all this meant.

The pathway sloped downward as they walked. When they came to an archway, Robin could see a lake beyond it. There was a lake underground, under the house she had just been standing in. She’d never seen anything like it. Randall walked through the stone archway, and as Robin went to follow, it felt as if she’d smacked her face on a glass door of some kind. She stumbled backward and tripped on her own heels, twisting her ankle as she fell. A pained grunt escaped her as she landed.

“I warned you,” Randall called over his shoulder as he walked away from her.

“I didn’t realize it was right there! You never said where it was!” Anger and pain made her voice sharper than she intended.

He was in front of her in an instant.

“You need to pay more attention.” He spat the words at her as anger rolled off him. Standing over her like that, he looked huge. He was the Randall of her nightmares.

She shrunk away from him and tried to make herself small, avoid the punches and kicks that would come if he was anything like her father.

“Stand up and dust yourself off.” The words were low and quiet, all anger gone, just frustration now. That was at least something she could handle.

Pulling herself up using the edges of the rocks on the wall, Robin made herself stand, but she couldn’t put any weight on her ankle. At least, not yet. Her body healed faster than the average human’s, but it wasn’t as fast as some of her family. That was one thought that had always amused her. Randall had no idea that she was not the strongest banshee in her family, a fact for which she would be forever grateful. The last thing she needed was to involve anyone else in this mess.

Randall walked out toward the edge of the water, the rocky shore proving no problem for his sensible shoes. She sighed, envying the ease with which he crossed the terrain. If she had to go out there and her ankle still hurt, then she would probably fall on her ass again.

As she watched, the mist over the lake seemed to coalesce into a solid form. A woman walked forward, the water freezing under her feet with each step. She was beautiful. Power seemed to emanate from her even at Robin’s distance. It was as if the air was somehow laced with alcohol—it stung as she breathed in, but then she felt light and floaty.

“Brother Randall.” The woman inclined her head, her long silvery-gold hair slipping over her shoulders.

Her necklace winked in the light. It wasn’t just a necklace, though. The more Robin looked at it, the more she realized it was a chain that covered her entire body. It connected to a band around her neck, along with bands around her arms and wrists, and the chain went straight down her middle, connecting to the bands around her legs.

Random scraps of fabric made up a dress of some kind; the white material all seemed to go together but was many different pieces all at the same time. The top of the dress was connected to the band around her neck, with two strips coming down, covering her breasts but leaving the chain exposed. The material wrapped around her waist and hung from her hips, hiding everything that Robin hoped it would while still leaving the bands and chains that covered her body exposed.

Robin felt as though she shouldn’t be looking—it was almost as if the woman was in her intimates—but at the same time, her eyes were drawn to her. She was magnetic. Glancing at Randall’s face, she could tell he felt the same way. The goofy smile plastered to his face was one she’d never seen before and knew would vanish as soon as they left the woman’s vicinity.

“My lady.” He bowed low, sweeping his hands to either side of his body as if he was a bird spreading its wings.

“Why do you come here?” Her voice was musical in its rhythm, gentle and lilting.

“I have to make sure you are secure.”

Suddenly Robin’s mind connected the dots. She was the Key.

The woman spread her arms so the chains and bands were more visible than before. She looked like a prisoner, shackled and chained. It sent chills down Robin’s spine. Running his hands along the chains, Randall checked all the cuffs and bands around her arms, legs, and neck. When he was satisfied everything was secure, he looked over at the doorway and made some weird hand gestures. There was a slight pop, like a balloon bursting in the distance, but other than that, nothing happened.

“You can come in now,” he called to Robin.

She hobbled in through the doorway, and as she made it to the edge of the rocky beach, she stumbled and fell again.

“Brother Randall, would you allow me to assist her?”

“Of course, Nimue.”

The name ran through Robin. She knew it from somewhere but couldn’t put her finger on it at that moment. A delicate hand with long, elegant fingers appeared in her line of sight. As she placed her hand in Nimue’s, Robin felt a rush of power. She could smell roses and hear the birds calling as they flew over the lake, none of which was happening. The knowledge was intellectual, but the smells and sounds of a time she had never lived in overpowered her senses.

A banshee? Interesting choice of companion. Nimue’s voice flooded Robin’s mind.

I’m not his companion. More like his servant, she thought, not expecting Nimue to respond. When she did, Robin had to stifle a gasp.

Ah, I see. You have chains, but they are not visible like mine. He does not know that I can talk to you like this. I am his prisoner, and was a prisoner of his master before him and so on. I have been trapped in this cave for centuries. Can you help me regain my freedom?

I’m sorry, I don’t think I can. Robin’s mind flew for a moment, assessing possibilities as they picked their way across the beach, with Nimue supporting a lot of her weight. I may know someone who can help, but I have to achieve my own freedom in order to enlist their help.

I see. Is there any way I can help you achieve your freedom? I could distract him while you escape.

Everyone in the house above here works for him and would stop me, not to mention he would have my family killed.

I will remain hopeful for your escape once you are gone from this place. I would be in your debt if you could help me escape.

Robin’s heart broke at the disappointment in Nimue’s voice.

I will do everything I can. I promise. She truly wished that she could help and that they could both escape right now, but there was too much at risk for her to do that. Once she had a way out, she would do everything she could to help Nimue.

“Ladies.” Randall bowed his head, and as Robin was handed over into his care, she felt her connection with Nimue start to fade.

I won’t forget! I promise! she thought at Nimue. All she got back was the feeling of a smile as the connection was completely severed.

“Nimue, this is Robin. She is my ward. Robin, Nimue is our Key, the one whom we draw magic from.”

“You take her powers?” Robin couldn’t keep the horror from her voice. It was as if they were siphoning Nimue’s life force.

“Some, yes, but some is also just general power that I can channel into whatever I want, like a portal. Your first lesson as an initiate is the binding. Each Key has a binding collar and bands that are linked with a chain. All of them are enchanted in such a way as to confine them within a certain boundary and give us access to the power contained within the Key.”

“So she’s stuck in this room, and you take her power, her very essence?”

“Don’t look so horrified. It’s been going on longer than either of our families have been alive, and she’s still kicking, aren’t you, Nim?”

The woman glared at him, and Robin joined her. This was barbaric.

“So when you called for your power during the fight the other week, it drew from her life force?” She called out a specific example partially to see what Nimue’s reaction would be and partially to try to make Randall feel guilty.

Nimue’s eyes narrowed at him, as though she was trying to set him on fire with just her gaze.

“Yes. But she’s fine, see?” Randall waved his hands up and down, indicating at Nimue.

“So if she were to break the chain or a band, she would be able to leave or access her power?”

“No. Someone else would have to break it, and since the room is protected, no one can get in to do so. Plus, they are all individually enchanted. Clever, right?”

Robin shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Would you like me to heal her ankle?”

“That’d be great, Nim. Thanks.”

Nimue knelt, and Robin got an eyeful from the gaping fabric, but as the woman placed her hands on the painful area of her ankle, the burning pain receded. A cool numbness took its place, and Robin couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

“Thank you so much, Nimue,” she said, trying to let all the emotions she felt at that moment show through her eyes. There was no way she could let something like this go on, not to mention that if each of the people in that room had Keys, then there were magical beings trapped just like this all over the world. She would escape, make sure her family was safe, and then recruit whomever she could to help bring this organization down.

“One last thing before we go. You need to be marked so everyone knows you’re an initiate of the Order of Talos.”

“Marked?” Robin’s heart tried to climb her throat.

“Nimue?”

“I’m sorry, Robin. This is going to hurt.” Nimue’s hands wrapped around her wrists, and as Robin tried to pull free, the woman’s power rushed into her, but this time it hurt. Her whole body felt as if it were on fire, and all she could do was scream.

This will help when you come back.

The one thought made it through the searing pain that climbed Robin’s arms and crawled into her chest. She knew there had been more said, more to it than that, but everything else was drowned out by the white-hot pain.

When Nimue released her arms and the power vanished, it was as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over her. Robin sank to the ground, shaking. She felt a scar forming along her spine, running down her back. Her hand shook as she reached around to the back of her neck, tentatively feeling the area. The intricate symbol was full of curly ques and lines that meant nothing to her. Randall seemed happy with it as she looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.

“You could’ve warned me.”

“Nim did warn you.” He shrugged. “Come on, time to go.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Robin.” Nimue’s voice floated to her as the woman’s figure dispersed and became mist once more.

“You too.”

The portal that opened in front of her looked like hell, and she knew that was what it was going to feel like, but it would get her one step closer to freedom.