The Haunted Sultan (Skeleton Key) Read Free Page B

whoever called for help looked sketchy, she would say she didn’t hear them.
    “A woman in my position, un vendeur d' articles de fantaisie et de magie , knows things. I hear things. The city speaks and I listen.”
    “How can you know what is going to happen to her, though? You can’t possibly know that.” Cecilia finally spoke up, on the same train of thought as Sierra. Thinking it might be a scam. Sierra was relieved that her friend finally spoke up. She had begun to wonder if Cecilia had gone daft or just didn't care.
    “ Fais gaffe à la marche, jeune fille . From the past springs the present and subsequently the future. One with un esprit ouvert knows things, even things that have to do with two silly girls,” she smiled benignly and looked down at the two girls in question, who both frowned at the insult.
    Sierra hadn’t notice before, but the woman was so much taller than the two of them. She towered over the two petite girls like a giant. Before she had seemed elegant and a beauty, now she loomed like an Amazon warrior. That feeling of unease crept over Sierra again.
    She felt like she was a few steps from center, but this whole costume experience was confusing and unsettling. She wanted to get the hell out of here. She hadn’t been thrilled about the ghost tour, but now she was dying to get there. Anything to get her away from this woman that raised the hair on the back of her neck. She loved the costume, but she didn’t want the price to be too high.
    “Now, run along. I’ll have your clothes sent to your hotel. You two have a tour to catch.”
    Before Sierra could ask how she knew they were going on a ghost tour, or how she knew what hotel they were staying in, the woman was pushing them out of the store and into the alley.
    Right before Sierra crossed the threshold there was a hand on her arm and she turned to look at the woman.
    “ Un moment, s’il te plaît. ” The woman slipped a necklace over her head and touched Sierra’s face lightly.
    “You’ll need this to succeed. If all goes right, you shall find your c oup de foudre. ” Then she pushed Sierra out of the shop with a light shove from the back.
    Sierra stumbled out of the store, her thin new sandals making her unsteady on her feet as she turned to say thank you. As soon as she faced the door, the gentle whoosh of wind in her face was the only indication that anything had happened. The door was closed. The sign on the door now read, Closed.
    “That was so odd,” Sierra said.
    “Bizarre with a capitol B,” Cecilia agreed. “What is that?” She reached out to touch the necklace draped around Sierra’s neck but pulled her hand back at the last moment as if stung.
    “I don’t know.” Sierra lifted the heavy object off her chest and peered down at it. From the light of the flickering gas lamps the object twinkled between her fingers. It was a skeleton key, long and old fashion, with two keys fashioned at the end of it to open a door. The bow of the key was actually fashioned into the shape of a skull and was made of a heavy crystal or glass. The skull grinned at her, the lights glinting off the teeth making it look as if it were alive. It looked old and there was something about it that made her shiver.
    She dropped the key, letting it fall between her breasts, not wanting to touch it. She had the urge to pull it off, to throw it aside, but a niggling in her gut cautioned her against that. The key felt important. Very important.
    “Well, it looks cool and goes with the costume in a weird way. By the way, chick, that costume is hot, you are on fire. And you got it for free, so cool.”
    “For a favor,” Sierra frowned.
    “Whatever that means, it’ll probably be nothing. Oh shit,” Cecilia glanced down at her phone and looked up with panicked eyes at Sierra.
    “What?” Sierra asked worried.
    “We’ve got fifteen minutes to get our ass to the bar and pick up our tour tickets! It’s five blocks away. Get your butt in gear!”