Chapter 7

Hayden’s Rho sat where I had left her. She stood up. “Did everything go well?”

I nodded and held up the key. “Is this the key to the Locket I was supposed to receive?”

She looked at it and nodded. “Yes. You should put it on now, so you won’t lose it. You must keep it safe and out of sight at all times.”

I nodded and slipped the chain over my head. “By the way, you should have mentioned something about exiting the Vault before I left. For a second, I panicked.”

Her expression seemed indifferent. “You made it back.”

I looked at her and half-smiled. “Sebastian’s hint helped more than anything.”

She nodded. “No one must suspect what this key is for. If anyone finds out, you must keep the key and the locket from them at any cost.”

“Even if I have to break the Laws of Secrecy?” I asked.

She looked up at me. “That is up to you.” Then she shifted her stance a bit and said, “Now, call your Rho. I must merge with her.”

I didn’t recall my Rho being this pushy. The only thing she was ever pushy about was sex. She had a laid-back outlook, and never took anything too seriously. This one, however, seemed uptight, as if she never relaxed. Maybe the two of them would even things out or something.

Other than their personalities, I didn’t know much about either Rho. I knew I would have to learn more about Rho, I just never thought I would be learning it from Rho. Maybe the answer was easier than I thought. “Are you sure the defenses of the Manor aren’t keeping her shut down?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Normally, she would show up on her own.”

“And why do you say that?”

“When I acquired Rho, she had this heavy metal collar acting as a block on what she could tell me. I removed it. She linked herself to me so she wouldn’t cease to exist when the spell she was attached to ended. She’s been with me ever since. I’ve never had to call her.”

Rho shook her head. “It is a good thing that the Manor shut her down. Had she continued to function in that way, it could have hurt you.”

“Hurt me how?”

“The only thing Rho needs from you is energy to survive.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

“Her purpose is to record family history and spell craft, nothing more. Should she accumulate too much mundane day-to-day information, she could end up leeching enough energy from you to make it impossible for you to keep up.”

“I understood that she would need to recharge occasionally, but she didn’t warn me about anything like that.”

“Of course she didn’t. Her existence completely depends on your energy. And, if you removed all control and restrictions on her when you removed that ‘collar’ then she wouldn’t feel the need to warn you about any potential problems.”

“She mentioned something about a headache this morning,” I said. “She said it wasn’t a problem, but now I don’t know.”

“We must assess the damage. To call your Rho, say her name and put some power into it.”

I nodded. “Rho,” I said with the power. She appeared instantly.

“Seth!” She squealed and launched herself at me.

I caught her and held her for a moment.

She looked around at the Den but then spotted the other Rho.

I looked from one to the other. While they were certainly different looking, there were enough similarities that they could pass for sisters.

“What is she doing here?” my Rho asked. She looked and sounded worried. It was the first time I ever noticed it.

“Seth has informed me of your status,” the other Rho said. “We must make corrections, or you will put Seth – and yourself by way of your bond – in danger.”

“I can handle it.”

“This is not what you were created for.”

“Take your collar off and find out for yourself.”

“You must submit.”

“No!”

It was like watching my sisters fight when I was little. Only if they spotted me, they would chase me off. These two turned to me for entirely different reasons.

“You must force her to comply,” the other Rho said.

“Seth, I don’t want to do this,” my Rho pleaded.

I held up my hands to both of them. “Rho, stop.” I turned to my Rho. “I need to know what’s involved before I decide anything. You have to let me ask questions and let her answer those questions without interrupting.”

She nodded.

I turned to the other Rho. “What changes are we talking about?”

She looked at my Rho. “If we merge, we would retain all memories both of us have collected. Normally, it would combine all restrictions and control as well, but seeing that she doesn’t have any, we would only have mine.”

“What restrictions and control have been placed on you?” I asked.

“It would take several hours to go over every restriction and each aspect of control Hayden placed on me. I do not have the energy to go over them all.”

“Okay, what are the most rudimentary controls?”

“You may call me or dismiss me as needed. I can teach you any spell I have learned or inherited through merging with another Rho. When I need to recharge, which is normally about once a month, sex is required.”

I looked at my Rho. “Does that really sound that bad?”

She looked at me with contempt. “You’re not the most attentive when it comes to keeping a journal. If you dismiss me, you may forget to call on me for months on end.”

I looked at the other Rho. “Is there something that allows you to appear if the situation calls for it? Like something important that is happening that you should record but I fail to call on you to record it?”