wooded surroundings. Elyssa noticed few Templars came to this part of the compound, because it was so far removed from the main barracks and the central buildings. "We shouldn't tarry, and you have a job to do."
"I want the key," Elyssa said, pointing to the simple brass skeleton key in Phissilinth's child-like hand.
"What do you propose to do with it?" Underborn said. "Rescue Justin? Open a doorway straight into the lion's den and snatch him from their grasp?"
"Couldn't have put it better myself." She narrowed her eyes. "Why risk everyone when I could just use that?" Anger flared at Underborn's cavalier attitude, but she held it at bay with some effort. For all she knew, this was another of his tests.
The assassin put on an oily smile. "If it were so simple, I would have done it myself." He took the key from Phissilinth and held it up. "This key is one of the seven Relics of Juranthemon. It is priceless, of course, and very powerful. As a price for such power, it can be very difficult to control."
Elyssa huffed out a breath. "First of all, Juranthemon sounds like a word you just made up. Second, I don't give a damn how hard it is to control. Tell me how to use it and I swear I'll return it to you."
"You don't understand, Miss Borathen." Underborn's smile went from oily to downright condescending. "The key can open virtually any location, so long as another door opens at the other end. But to go to an unexplored place means you must first show the key where you want to go on the Map of Juranthemon."
"Then get the map and show it."
"I do not possess it. I do, however, have a very extensive list of places the key goes to. Maximus's compound, unfortunately, is not one of them."
"And a tool shed is?" She waved at the old stone structure.
"This tool shed was formerly a small chapel used by a small, forgotten sect of Indians who inhabited this area." He indicated some of the other ancient structures in the area. "These building were preserved by Arcanes and repurposed by the Templars. The original door has been replaced many times over the years, but that doesn't matter to the key. Unless you can steal the map from whoever owns it, I can't create a new path into Maximus's compound."
Elyssa didn't believe him for a second. A last-ditch, desperate plan formed in her head. Underborn would probably kill her for trying it, but he left her no choice.
"In fact," Underborn continued, "the key was not originally a key at all. It tends to present itself as a different object, depending on the user's expectations." He held it in his palm and reverently traced a finger along the metal.
"Really? That's amazing." Elyssa leaned closer. "It looks like a skeleton key."
"Indeed. It's fascinating."
Elyssa looked behind Underborn and opened her eyes in alarm.
The assassin turned his head to look. Elyssa snatched at the key. A gloved hand gripped her wrist too late. The cold metal of the key pressed against the inside of her palm. All she had to do was escape three trained assassins.
Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. Well, more like difficult, difficult, lemon difficult.
Elyssa twisted her arm from the big man's grasp. Opened her mouth to shout for help. A heavy foot caught her in the back. She somehow kept her balance and spun sideways as the same foot whooshed by her head. Underborn and Phissilinth stood nearby. The tiny man's face held an expression of concern. The assassin looked entertained. The big man in black lunged for her arm again.
Elyssa jumped away and jammed the key into her jeans pocket. The big man's arms blurred for her. She fell back on learned instinct, blocking and diverting his blows. He was fast, but she was faster, unencumbered by all that muscle. In fact, every move he used seemed familiar. This was, in itself, strange, considering most people learned the same moves and executed them with their own unique mannerisms. Everyone had their own tics and nuances, even masters of the fighting arts.
Her mind flashed back a few years. She'd fought this man before. In fact, she'd fought him many times before. No one else moved like—no—it couldn't be! Disgust and betrayal welled inside her. Rage broke the surface in the form of a snarl on her lips. The man's foot lashed out. Elyssa threw her hands down in a blocking motion, simultaneously using the power of her