The keys to the kingdom

The Keys to the Kingdom The Keys to the Kingdom is a fantasy–adventure book series written by Garth Nix, published in seven books between 2003 and 2010. The series chronicles the adventures of Arthur Penhaligon, an asthmatic 12-year-old boy who is chosen to become the Rightful Heir of the House, the center of the universe. The core story line involves Arthur attempting to defeat the Morrow Days, the criminal Trustees of the House. The series takes place over a span of three weeks (time moves at different speeds at different locations in the series).

The Keys to the Kingdom are seven objects of power given to the Trustees along with command over their demesnes. It is unknown whether, but implied that, control of the

Key is that which gives one control over a demesne and its namesake day in the Secondary Realms. The Key will bond to the rightful owner of a Key, and protect him or her from harm, somewhat from pain but not at all from discomfort. A rightful owner of a Key is an Heir, the Trustee to whom it was originally entrusted, or a Steward. Over time, the use of a Key will irreparably turn a mortal into a Denizen, though it is mentioned that after a few centuries, this process may reverse a little. Because the presence of a Denizen in the Secondary Realms is inimical to mortal life, Arthur attempted to use the Keys as little as possible, as he wishes to remain mortal and return to his family; however, he later realizes that without the keys he would not be alive, and used the powers to protect the Lower House and his home town.

The Keys hold sovereign power in their own demesne and their day. All other Keys are of equal power when they are not in their realm. The exception to this is Sunday's Key, which is paramount over the others. They can do much of what is asked of them, such as opening, locking, manipulating, and freezing items. The full powers of the Keys are not known, as of Lady Friday. According to Arthur, the Keys have the ability to kill anything they wish, be it Denizen, mortal, or Nettling. Beings that are none of these, such as the Architect, her consort the Old One, their three sons, and possibly Arthur in later books, may be immune.

The First Key can be separated into two Keys, taking the forms of the minute and hour hands of a clock. The Hour Hand is more powerful than the Minute Hand, but the Minute Hand is quicker and can be used more often. When combined, they make the First Key and take the form of a sword which bears some resemblance to the clock hands, having a silver and golden blade. It gives dominion over the Lower House and Monday.

• The Second Key takes the form of two large silver gauntlets (gloves when Dame Primus wears it), laced with gold, which were used by Grim Tuesday to form objects and creatures from Nothing. It gives dominion over the Far Reaches and Tuesday.

• The Third Key takes the form of a trident that is capable of increasing and decreasing its size. Drowned Wednesday once used it as a fork. Wednesday's use of the Key was limited keeping her from becoming any bigger than the massive 126 mile long Leviathanesque whale she has become after her failed attempt to fulfill the Will and the subsequent betrayal by the Morrow Days (with the exception of Monday, who was incapacitated by his sloth). It was used by the Will to control the borders of the Border Sea that were spilling out into the Secondary (mortal) Realms and in battle to remove the inherent water from others' bodies. It gives dominion over the Border Sea and Wednesday.

• The Fourth Key takes the form of a Marshal's baton, white and glowing green, and wrapped in gold laurel leaves, but it can take on the form of any weapon depending on its wielder, notably abroad sword when used by Sir Thursday, and a rapier for when Arthur fights. It gives dominion over the Great Maze, the Glorious Army of the Architect and Thursday.

• The Fifth Key takes the form of a bright silver mirror. Using it, one can travel to any reflective surface in existence, provided the owner of the Fifth Key has been •

there before by other means. So far, it is the only Key that has been used in a way other than to accomplish a mundane task; it is able to drain the experiences from mortals, which Friday can then absorb, enabling her to experience mortal emotions for a short time. Experiences can also be returned to mortals (as shown in Lady Friday, wherein Arthur does so), within a time limit, by one who can control the Key's power. It gives dominion over the Middle House and Friday. • The Sixth Key takes the form of a quill pen. It can be used to write extremely powerful spells that are capable of creating illusions and wiping out large numbers of the creatures of the Incomparable Gardens, among other things. Saturday is also seen combining the power of the Key with ordinary sorcery. It gives dominion over the Upper House and Saturday. • The Seventh Key takes the form of a small, golden key. Unlike the other Keys, this Key is paramount, retaining its full, sovereign power anywhere in the House or Secondary Realms. Among its powers seem to be the ability to suppress the powers of other keys, and confer a greater power upon the wielder. It gives dominion over the Incomparable Gardens and Sunday.

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