by J E Mueller
“As bad as things are, the odds don’t seem too terribly out of our favor,” I replied, adding a silent prayer I was right.
“Can I offer a bad idea?” Lydia asked as we gathered our packs.
“What’s life without them?” I asked, curious to hear what she would suggest.
“Let’s have someone else take the horses and walk,” she stated simply.
My pack already felt heavy from all the traveling we’d done recently. “Going to need some convincing on that one, dear.”
“So, the demons are aware we have horses and they aren’t all stupid, as much as we wished most of them were,” Lydia explained. “So, they’ll start searching with a radius based on our rate of travel with horses once they’re able to gather forces together. Without the horses, yes, it’s a long walk, but they’ll be looking for us in the wrong places. That’ll give us a shot at finding what's-her-face and hopefully give us time to get answers, or at least come up with a better plan.”
“You can’t outrun the demons, though,” I said tiredly. It was my only argument. The horses gave her the speed she needed in case we were ambushed.
“Unless they’re going to attempt to use me as bait, they really don’t care enough about me right now.” Lydia shook her head. “Let’s go, I know we’re only about a day away from the perfect town. Unless you have a better plan?”
I sighed. What better plan was there? She had a point about the demons not expecting us to walk. Though at least with the horses we could get to wherever faster… But then the horses would be stranded if something happened.
“Fine,” I agreed with some reluctance. I was already mentally tired of walking and camping. An extra long journey home didn’t sound fun. If we even made it back.
“I’ll be right back then. I’m sure someone could use the horses,” Lydia said as she disappeared from view.
“Well, this isn’t the worst plan I’ve heard,” Lliam said.
I spun around to face him, both startled by his voice and grateful. “What happened to Gentry?”
“He’s fine. Adjusting to his new unlife. Now that he’s more stable he’s not in any danger of demons harming him,” Lliam replied as if it was nothing.
“That’s it? You vanished and suddenly he’s fine?” It seemed too simple.
“Actually, yes,” Lliam confirmed calmly. “When you first die, if you’re going to go somewhere for certain, somehow that side knows and is there. Damned angels won’t explain that bit, so we’re stuck accepting that is just how it is. Anyway, the ones not ready, or in this case, not able to go anywhere, are stuck in a crucial spot for about five minutes while they adjust to being just a wandering soul. Once they adjust, nothing can take them. They need a guide to bring them where they are supposed to go.”
It still seemed much too simple, but I didn’t have the energy to question it further. “Fine, as long as he’s all right.”
“Well enough, all things considered. He’s certainly mad about what’s going on, but there is several of us stuck in this limbo to help him,” Lliam explained.
“And yet you’re the first Blessed spirit I’ve seen.” I watched him curiously as I considered that fact. If this had been a problem for years now, how was that possible?
“To be fair, none of us knew to look for you. When I finally learned about your kind of magic I started looking. Spirits all look the same. Humans look weird, sort of gray scale. The colors aren’t as vibrant as they should be… but you, you’re just a bit brighter. Not enough to cause attention, but once it’s noticed it cannot be unnoticed,” Lliam elaborated.
That would explain why not every spirit bothered me. Not everyone noticed me. They were just able to overlook me, but only just. “What made you look for me?” I asked curiously.
“Someone was looking for volunteers to find everyone like of you. She was certain there were plenty, ones that weren’t trained or didn’t know enough and therefore were not on any demon’s radar. I can’t remember her name though…” Lliam thought for a moment, shrugged, and continued. “Anyway, it sounded a bit far-fetched but I wasn’t going to sit around any longer waiting on angels who didn’t have answers and who didn’t look like they were uncovering anything, so I took my fate in my own hands.
“There were about eight of us who started the search. She said the best place to start was where we were most familiar and then make our way out towards the small villages. Anyone with dark secrets that no one wanted to mention. Kids that somehow defied all odds and survived death. How you look for that as a spirit is beyond me, but it seemed to work out quickly enough. A few weeks and suddenly you were by the guild. Seemed strange you’d show up out of nowhere, but I decided to hang back and follow a bit just to be sure. Sure enough Kegan gave you something to confirm my guess. It was great timing. None of the others have had any luck.”
That was a lot more information than I was expecting. “Wait… Are you just hoping some of us can figure this out? I might be the only one with material to learn from.”
He nodded. “In a sense. Actually the goal now is to find anyone like you, help you figure out how to visit the spirit side, since you can do that somehow, and take you to this person who can apparently teach you. I don’t think she was expecting anyone to come across Kegan. Actually, I should find and mention that to her. Maybe she knew Kegan and knows what book would help.”
Excited by the idea, Lliam disappeared.
“But wai-” I felt the frustration mount and the exhaustion settled in deeper.
“What’s going on?” Lydia asked.
I turned to look at her and shook my head. “I’ll explain on the way.”
Confused, but willing to accept the delay, Lydia led the way.
Chapter 11
As we traveled away from the few remaining at the camp, I started to explain what Lliam had told me. It was just enough information to be excited, but not enough to get me very far.
“So, if he was supposed to bring you somewhere, why didn’t he mention that before?” Lydia asked the obvious question.
“Not really sure.” I glanced around. “He was too excited to ask this mystery spirit something and just left. Then again, it’s not like I’d just follow some random spirit. Blessed or not. I have no idea how being dead can change a person.”
Lydia was about to argue, but stopped. “You know, you might be right. We were promised a lot of things, and suddenly dying for your cause and having all of it denied with a vague we’re working on it... I could see it getting to someone. Not right away, but didn’t they say it’s been years?”
“Yes, years with no answers,” I confirmed with a nod. “But why didn’t this person, this spirit looking for people like me do the looking? Or is she and was just gathering extra help? Damn it Lliam, we need answers, not more questions,” I grumbled and looked around once again for him.
Lydia set a strong pace to follow as we marched in silence for a ways. Finally, she growled out in frustration. “Ugh! I hate every last bit of this! I get sent on a stupid mission that almost destroyed everyone and now we’re on a quest we have even less information on. Can anything go right?”
“Well, everything can’t go wrong,” I commented, thought twice of it, and retracted that statement. “You know everything can go wrong. Everything has just been going so oddly and it all feels connected.”
“I doubt it can all be connected, but maybe,” Lydia replied, not seeming to know what to think.
Something caught my ear and I stopped in my tracks. Worried, Lydia stopped a step ahead of me.
“What do you hear?” she asked. Too many times I had heard demons just a moment before she did. Too many times I had heard things that sent chills down her spine.
“Sorrow,” I replied simply as I changed direction, “Maybe a forgotten graveyard. How long ago did this area become so infested with demons?”
“Centuries.” Lydia shrugged. “I can’t imagine one being just a few miles away from that portal opening.”
&nbs
p; “Could be an old Blessed grave site, a graveyard forgotten before all this nonsense, or a recent unmarked burial site,” I mumbled as I strained to listen to the voices. They were still much too far away to make out.
“Careful, let’s not rush into a possible trap,” Lydia cautioned.
Nodding, I slowed my pace. Not because of what Lydia had said, but because I finally started catching some words. It sounded like two different individuals talking. One was younger and had a sweet voice, but there was fear in it. The other was deep and scratchy. It grated on my brain as I realized quickly what I was about to get into. I motioned to Lydia to slow down and held up two fingers and then just one.
Without a word, I felt Lydia’s hand on my shoulder and a rush of Blessed energy. Grabbing my sword, I let the magic flow into it, hoping I wouldn’t need it, but knowing I would.
The words were all too clear now.
Carefully we crept forward as I listened, my heart breaking as the conversation went on.
“But where is Mommy?” I heard a small child's voice ask.
“They’ve abandoned you. Left forever,” the grittier voice replied. I could tell effort was being made to sound nice, but it was still nails on concrete to my ears.
“Mommy promised. Mommy wouldn’t leave,” the voice replied with confidence.
“Then where is Mommy?” the gritty voice taunted the child.
The answer pained my heart. The child’s spirit hadn’t crossed and was now lost, searching. I could only guess they were traveling when the child got ill. Now it’s soul was lost, confused, and wanting to be comforted.
Of course, ever the opportunist, the demon wanted to bargain. It couldn’t just take away such an innocent soul. It needed to trick it. Over my dead body. Without hesitation, I sprang forward from hiding at the demon and thrust my sword into the upper half of its body. Lydia was quickly behind me and dealt the final blow. In a burst of smoke and ash, the demon was gone.
The small child, a very disheveled looking boy, peered up at me. Tears lit his eyes as fear and confusion became too much and he cried.
“It’s going to be okay,” I reassured him. Lydia looked at me and nodded, understanding I was talking to someone she couldn’t see and was not just going mad.
“Where’s Mommy?” he sobbed.
“Mommy had to go,” I explained tiredly, not even sure how to begin. “Things got bad, and she had to leave.”
Finally, I took in where we were. There were several recent unmarked graves here. Maybe my guess about his death was wrong.
Taking a deep breath, I looked back at the child. “What is the last thing you remember?”
The child sobbed, a cry I knew from my reading that should echo to angels. It likely reached demons’ ears as well.
“Please, let me help you. What do you remember?” I begged.
“Sasha got really sick, and… and…” He shook his head. “I don't know. It was loud. I fell off the wagon. Where is Mommy?” His cries grew louder and louder.
“Mommy had to leave,” I explained again, but this time added, “because you died.”
The child stopped crying for a moment and stared at me confused. A few smaller sobs escaped his lips before he repeated, “Died?”
“Yes. You will see Mommy again, but it will be a while. We just need to get you to heaven and you can meet her there, okay?” What was I doing? No one could get anywhere but hell right now.
“Died?” He cried for a moment. “Heaven? How do I get there? Where are the angels? Why did I get left here?”
I thought fast, not sure of all the answers myself. “They are busy. There are many demons for the angels to face and defeat. It may take them a little while, but we’ll get you there, okay?”
“You’re not an angel?”
“No, I am not,” I clarified, “but I will do what I can do help you until an angel can help you.” My heart was breaking. What was happening to the other children's souls who were stuck in this world?
“What do I do to get to the angels?”
Great question, kid. I looked around unsure how to answer.
“You can follow me,” I heard Lliam chime in from behind me.
I turned to face him, relieved for once to see him. “Lliam, perfect timing.” I glanced over at the child. “He can help you. He knows a lot about the spirit world,” I added.
Lliam nodded as he approached the child. “I’ll take you somewhere safe. Promise.” Lliam held out his hand.
The small child looked up at me, confused, and I nodded encouragingly. After a moment, and a few more broken sobs, he took Lliam’s hand.
Lliam glanced at me. “You need to go to Reawakening.” With that he vanished, child in tow.
“Damn it, Lliam. Why?” I cried out, and crumbled to the ground, frustrated.
Lydia raised an eyebrow at me. “What even just happened.” Her expression demanded answers.
“I don’t even know.” I sighed and shook my head, letting the events process for a moment. “We slew the demon that was trying to steal the soul of a small child.” I motioned to the area around us. “Not sure exactly what fate they met. Bandits? Sickness? All of the above? I do know Lliam helped to calm the child, took him somewhere safe, and then told me I need to go to Reawakening. I have no idea why.” Part of me felt like someone had mentioned Reawakening before.
Lydia offered me a hand up. “It’s a safe zone, so that’s a good start.”
“What do you mean?” I accepted her hand up and tried to brush off my clothes – to no avail.
“There are safe zones for us created by the divine beings of old. Demons cannot get near Reawakening. There’s a barrier of sorts. Of course, if any follow us there, you may not be able to leave.” Lydia sighed. “It was a long shot hoping Marella would show up again and explain things, anyway.”
“I think she might be busy for a while.” I remembered that other demon pursuing the fire creature. If it was her, she didn’t even seem bothered by it, but he was livid.
“It would help if I knew her real name,” Lydia mused. “Then I’d at least have an idea of exactly how strong she is.”
“Too strong for you, that’s for sure,” Lliam chimed in.
I spun around, hating that he had snuck up on me again. “What is going on!” I demanded.
Lliam raised an eyebrow at me. “Really? After I just helped you, that’s how you greet me?”
I’d curse him into oblivion if I knew how. Instead, I let out a frustrated groan before replying, “I keep getting parts of what's going on. The mystery is building but nothing is resolved! Of course, I’m tired of it all!”
Lliam leaned against a tree and folded his arms. “All right, here’s what I’ve got so far. You need to go to Reawakening because there is someone there who can teach you how to access the Spirit Realm. After that, Mist is looking to help get you into shape so you can be an actual…” Lliam motioned vaguely. “I don’t remember what she said exactly, but you’ll be able to help fix things.”
“What about all the demons that actively want me dead now? More so than normal.” That did put a damper on our travel plans. “I don’t even know where Reawakening is from here.”
Lliam thought for a moment. “That does make it much harder, doesn’t it? It’d probably take two weeks to get there from here, but if you’re fighting at all, I’d guess closer to three... “
Lydia came and rested her arm on my shoulder. “So what’s going on with ghost boy?”
“She’s lucky I don’t have an easy way to smack that smirk off her face,” Lliam grumbled but continued on, “I bet she doesn’t even know where Reawakening is from here.”
I glanced at Lydia. “He thinks you don’t know where Reawakening is from here. You going to show him up?”
Lydia gave a sly smile as she thought and looked around at the land and sky for markers.
“Are you familiar with Marella?” I asked curiously while Lydia did her thing. “It’s not her real name, and technically she’s v
ery much a demon, but she’s helped a lot recently.”
“I might be,” he admitted. “If she’s not using her real name, it’s likely she goes by many aliases. Plenty of angels and demons have been stealthy and undercover with this whole not crossing over mess so they can stay hidden and either figure out what's going on or mess with others depending on which side they are on.”
“Why would they want to do that?” I asked, confused.
“Because the more souls on the demon's side, the better for whatever they’re plotting. Assuming a less demonic presence and luring people to you is a good way to build a following. Want someone like a trapped Blessed soul to join you? Getting on their side helps. Unless they would rather stick with threats. We still have friends and family that are alive. Many of us have non-Blessed family that could be hurt. If you join them, there’s no turning back, but it would save loved ones so…” Lliam shrugged.
“All right…” Lydia pointed slightly southwest. “I’m guessing it would take close to three weeks to get there with our luck, but maybe if we can find some good help…” She sighed. “No, it’s better not to pull others into this mess. I don’t even know what our goal is other than to survive.”
“Once we reach Reawakening we will find you a way back to the Order,” I replied. “I need to learn how to fix this spirit problem. There’s nothing more here you can do.” I hated to admit it, but it was true.
“Like that’ll make me leave.” She rolled her eyes. “Look, this is caused by demons. Demon hunting is my job, my life, and eventually, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was my undoing. I’m not going to just bugger off and leave because I’m at a disadvantage here. You’re stuck with me.”
“Won’t the Order be upset you’re missing?” I asked. Eventually, Lydia would be ignoring a direct order to return at this rate.
“So?” Lydia nodded toward where we needed to go and started leading the way, leaving us to follow. “If they want to find me, they’ll ask an angel. Now, sooner or later they will track me down and give me the message which will result in a great conversation about why I’m pursuing this matter instead. Since it goes directly with fixing demon messes, no one can exactly tell me to stop. My contract won’t be violated.” She smirked at me before concentrating on the path once more. “If I violated the contract, my extra gifts would be gone in an instant so they can’t even argue I was just doing what I wanted. Having my gifts intact proves I was on the right path all along.”