The Keeper by David Baldacci

clambered up on the edge of the carriage and leapt.
    Another round of mortas fired off, blasting into the carriage.
    I looked behind us and saw that the aero ship was starting to fall.
    Right before we were about to hit the ground, I straightened out and we zoomed along just above it. I looked back again and saw the aero ship hit the ground with a tremendous crash, and as the remnants of the bladder fell on top of the carriage, there was a mighty explosion. The flash of light and geyser of smoke towered above us.
    Well, I thought, that was the end of Thorne’s chance to attack Wormwood. Even if he somehow managed to escape Luc and the other ekos, he would never be able to build another aero ship.
    When the smoke cleared away, Delph called out, “Vega Jane, look!”
    I turned and saw a sight I will never forget.
    Hundreds of armed ekos were racing toward Thorne and his much smaller band. And leading them was Luc. And held aloft in his hand was … the book — the proof of Thorne’s crimes against the ekos, unmistakably written out in the miserable bloke’s own hand.
    I turned to Delph, a smile a mile wide on my face.
    He gazed back. “I think this is the end of old King Thorne.”
    “Bloody well overdue,” I said firmly.
    I turned back around and flew along as fast as I could. About three miles farther on, I was exhausted from toting Delph and Harry Two and our bags of supplies. I aimed my head and shoulders down and we landed a sliver later.
    I unhooked Harry Two from the harness and we all sank to the ground and just lay there. I was astonished that we were actually alive. As I looked over at Delph, I could tell he was thinking the exact same thing.
    He said, “Well, we done it, didn’t we? All the things coulda gone wrong with our plan and we done it.” He looked down. “ ’Cept for Sieve gettin’ killed.”
    “I know, Delph. We never would have made it out except for him. But he died fighting against Thorne. He was very brave.”
    “Suppose you’re right, Vega Jane.”
    Harry Two gave a sharp bark and we both jumped. But my canine was grinning. It was like he was agreeing with me.
    I touched my cheek. “You kissed me right there, before we jumped.”
    He glanced down, his eyes half-shut. “I … I …”
    I reached over and kissed him on his cheek in the exact same place he’d kissed me.
    “Thank you, Delph.”
    He opened his eyes fully and gazed at me. “For what?”
    “Just for being you. Which is pretty bloody wonderful.”
    And then it happened. From nowhere a dark cloud descended upon us. I could see nothing. I heard Harry Two bark. I heard someone gasp. And then the cloud was gone.
    And so was Delph.

I JUMPED TO MY feet and screamed. “Delph? DELPH!”
    I looked frantically around. He was nowhere. He … he was gone. The cloud! I looked to the sky. There was nothing up there except the storm. I rushed around in all directions. I looked behind trees and rocks, and raced over little knolls with Harry Two right behind me. I kept calling out for Delph until my lungs were exhausted. I collapsed to the dirt, my mind racing so fast I couldn’t think clearly. Then, as the slivers passed and there was still no Delph, I started to weep, and then cry and then sob. I sobbed so hard I vomited.
    I lay there in the dirt, Harry Two curled protectively around me.
    I just kept mumbling over and over, “Delph, Delph, Delph. Please come back. Please come back. Please.”
    But Delph did not come back. He was gone.
    I slowly rose from the ground and picked up my tuck. That’s when I realized that Delph’s tuck was gone. How could that cloud? How could … ?
    The vile Thorne had told me that nothing was impossible in the Quag. Thorne! Could he have … ? But if it had been Thorne, he surely would have taken me too.
    As Harry Two and I walked slowly along, I looked down at my feet. I focused on placing one foot in front of the other. I was trying to block out everything else. Most of all, I was trying to not