Soul Riders (Book 1)

by Helena Dahlgren

  She patted the horse gently, and then she and Anne made the final push toward the stables.

  White walls surrounded the laboratory with the beeping machine where Starshine was cornered. He roused himself when he felt Tin-Can’s call. He tried to get to his feet and let out a drawn-out whinny, but was pushed back down onto the floor by rough, gloved hands. A syringe pricked his throat. Darkness engulfed the closed room, and with it, the island.

  Tin-Can continued to neigh drawn-out, shrill whinnies as they slowly headed toward the stables. They echoed down the quiet city streets.

  19

  The house was empty when Lisa unlocked the front door. This made sense, given that her dad wasn’t coming back until tomorrow night.

  She realized that she just wanted to sleep and wake up to a new day. A new day when Starshine had to come back. Her longing for Starshine was physically painful, almost as if she’d lost an arm. It hurt just as much.

  Before brushing her teeth, Lisa called Herman, who told her the police were taking the kidnapping seriously. They were at the stables, conducting a thorough investigation. But they didn’t have a lot to go on. No one got a good look at the perpetrators or the vehicle.

  Strange, Lisa mused. How could a big SUV and trailer like that just vanish on such a small island?

  There was a pile of unopened mail on the kitchen table, exactly where she’d left it yesterday afternoon. She flipped through the stack. It was filled with bills addressed to her dad, the local paper, a few advertisements, and a thick, cream-colored envelope with a handwritten address on it. It was for her dad, but something made Lisa open it anyway. A folded paper fell out of the envelope. Lisa picked it up from the floor and gasped. A logo consisting of two letters rose up like blocks of granite in the top left corner of the sheet.

  DC.

  Just looking at those two letters made it difficult to breathe. Lisa unfolded the paper and skimmed the text.

  Position: Machine Technician

  Project Section: Nox Nucleus

  Project Leader: John Sands

  Dark Core.

  Lisa shuddered. This couldn’t be possible.

  20

  Carl was completely exhausted as he prepared to finally head home after a long shift on Dark Core’s platform. The keys were already in his hand when he realized he didn’t have his phone. Had he put it down in the lunch room up at headquarters?

  Yes. That must have been it. He was in there during his break, trying to call his daughter, but she didn’t pick up. Probably out riding. He must have left his phone there. The lunch room was several minutes’ walk away. He sighed and turned back around.

  The work to repair the platform in order to make it seaworthy meant that he hadn’t been home for days. He had been informed that it was of utmost importance that the work wasn’t delayed, but he had been gone too long. He should have been with Lisa tonight. Maybe even gone to watch her ride. His little girl, who had been terrified ever since the accident. The thought of seeing her mount up and take off made him smile inwardly, though. He should have been there.

  The massive building was bathed in darkness. Only a handful of windows were lit.

  He punched in the code to access the lunch room. His footsteps echoed around the big room. There, on one of the tables, was his phone.

  He headed back out, thinking he was going to take the shortcut across the helipad when something caught his eye. What a strange machine, he thought to himself. Particularly that burning thing in the middle. It was like the eye of an enormous dragon. Or a cyclops.

  He was well aware that regular employees were not permitted to enter the helipad, but going this way would save him several minutes and he wouldn’t have to run up and down the steel staircases or cross the mesh bridges under the platform. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d taken this route at night.

  Just to be safe, he planned to keep to the shadows around the perimeter, even though the helipad appeared completely deserted.

  He didn’t know exactly why he was feeling so nervous. What did he think was going to happen? However, for some reason, he felt strangely like he was being watched. His mind traveled back to an osprey he once saw on a fishing trip. He recalled the way the bird soared above the mirror-smooth water in ever tighter circles until it suddenly plunged and snatched up its prey.

  Was he the prey now? Whose prey?

  A bolt of lightning flashed through the big machine, and Carl threw himself to the ground. He could hear voices now and pressed his eyes shut.

  “Welcome, general!” The raspy voice belonged to Dark Core’s eccentric and strikingly unpleasant CEO, John Sands. Carl stayed in the shadows, as though he were frozen in place. Could they see him? He was afraid to breathe. From his hiding place, he could hear a woman’s voice.

  “Thank you, chosen one,” the woman replied. “I am finally free to do Garnok’s bidding here on Jorvik.”

  “Which name have you assumed this time, general?”

  “Call me Katja.”

  Carl could see two long shadows. He was just about to get up when he was blinded by the harsh light of a flashlight. And then they were on top of him. Two burly men grabbed him by the arms and dragged him toward the ramp where Sands was standing by the machine. Carl recognized them as two of the masked, strangely silent employees who had been lurking around up at the headquarters on the oil platform. As always, they were wearing long, dark overcoats and baseball caps under their big hoods. I must have missed seeing them in the dark, Carl thought, cursing his carelessness. Run, Carl, his gut had told him. Run before it’s too late.

  Now, it was too late.

  Mr. Sands stared down at Carl as though he were looking at a speck of dirt.

  “Well, well. Who do we have here?”

  Next to Mr. Sands was a woman in white. Katja.

  “You shouldn’t have come here,” Mr. Sands hissed. “You really shouldn’t have come here.”

  The freezing cold air around Mr. Sands paralyzed Carl. It was so palpable he could barely breathe.

  “Take him away!” Mr. Sands commanded. “Let him have a long think about what he’s done. Long. Very long.”

  Everything went black.

  21

  When Linda arrived at school the next morning, Alex was leaning against the wall at the bottom of the front steps. She looked tired and Linda wasn’t sure what to say about everything that had happened the night before. Alex seemed happy to see Linda and waved to her. Linda was just about to say something when they were surprised by the flash of a camera.

  “Jorvik’s Next Top Model is holding court over there,” Alex said with a wry smile. She pointed up the flight of stone steps. On the top step, Anne was posing for a camera held by a good-looking guy with dark hair wearing a red sweater.

  “I’m guessing Derek’s eager to seize the opportunity for a photo shoot. Maybe even get a photograph in the paper now that it’s fashion week and all,” Linda said.

  “Do we have time to stay and watch? By the way, where’s Lisa?” Alex asked.

  “I think she had an appointment with the principal,” Linda replied. “I’m texting her now.”

  Linda’s phone dinged immediately.

  “She wants to meet up in the library later,” Linda said. “Sounds important.”

  At the top of the front steps, Anne put the finishing touches on her hair and then was ready. Her long arms and legs didn’t know how to move until the camera flash washed over her. She smiled and hoped it reached her eyes.

  “Amazing! Just like that! Just a bit longer! YES, delivering as always, Anne!”

  For most students at the school, the photo shoot was an exotic and glamorous break from the everyday. But not for Anne. She had worked as a part-time model for several years and had been put through the paces by her mother in countless beauty pageants since the day she turned three. There was a s
pecial shelf in her room where countless trophies and diplomas jostled for space. Jorvik’s Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Jorvik, Best Face, Most Talented, Most Beautiful Hair, Best in Show . . . Anne had them all. It was not always clear from the plaques whether they were awarded for her winning a beauty contest or for her horse winning a dressage competition. Anne thought that said a lot about how ridiculous it all was. Was there really such a big difference between her and Concorde? Between what was expected of them?

  Prance about and win.

  Ears forward, smile.

  Repeat as needed for desired effect.

  Yawn.

  She would have preferred to throw away all of her prizes, but she knew how deeply that would hurt her mother. You had to be proud of your achievements. Achievements were like fuel in Anne’s family. Anne couldn’t remember a time when her life wasn’t about keeping up a perfect appearance. She was never allowed to get dirty as a child. Her hair was always perfectly brushed; her clothes always looked freshly ironed. Sometimes, actually fairly often, she was jealous of the other children at the stables who were allowed to romp about in the hayloft, and get dirt under their fingernails and mud on their boots. Anne had been riding since she was seven, but she had yet to muck out her own horse’s stall. It had become a running joke.

  Anne yawned widely in front of the camera. Mom wouldn’t have liked that, she mused, with a certain degree of satisfaction. She smoothed down her skirt, hoping Derek didn’t notice. He didn’t seem to have. The camera flashed away.

  She wished she’d had a bigger breakfast.

  She wished she were at the stables with her horse.

  She wished it were warmer.

  Never show weakness: another family motto.

  “Thanks, Anne! Last few frames now! Jessica, you’re up next!”

  Anne suddenly heard her classmates, who had been watching the shoot, burst into laughter. She turned her eyes away from the camera and saw the new girl from her French class, Jessica, standing on the other side of the steps, making fun of her. Jessica craned her neck until she resembled a swan, fluttering her eyelashes and generally looking ridiculous.

  Jessica fixed on her intently. For a moment, her eyes looked like deep, black holes.

  “Look at me! I’m the prettiest and most important person in the whole world!” Jessica mocked, throwing the audience a kiss. “I’m Anne von Blyssen, such a noble name,” she said with a lisp. Everyone laughed. This caused Anne to lose her focus and she stumbled to the ground in her high heels.

  Her sheer tights ripped and she scraped her knee. Derek put his camera down and ran over.

  “Are you okay, Anne? Are you hurt?”

  Anne blinked back her tears and nodded through her gritted teeth. Where did they come from?

  “Do you have what you need?” she asked.

  “And then some,” Derek replied. “Great job, as always! Time for school now, right? I’ll see you soon. You’re still on for the shoot at Jorvik Stables this afternoon, I hope?”

  Anne hesitated for a second. Then she noticed how happy Derek seemed. She didn’t want to ruin it for him.

  “Of course,” she said. “See you there!”

  Anne moved aside. Before she could take a step further, Jessica swooped in and started smiling ingratiatingly for the camera.

  Linda and Alex were waiting for Lisa in the library. They were trying to study, but it was hard to focus. How were they supposed to think about schoolwork when Starshine was missing? It was impossible to think of anything else.

  “I had a thought last night in bed,” Linda said. “What if Sabine knows something about the kidnapping? She did try to harm Starshine before.” She fiddled with her thick braid. “I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if Sabine was somehow involved.”

  “It’s not like everyone on the island is suddenly wishing Star-shine harm,” Alex agreed.

  “Exactly!” Linda picked up her phone and returned to the photo of Mr. Sands in the SUV, talking to Sabine. “They’re up to something, those two . . . But what? I don’t get it.”

  Lisa burst into the library, panting and brandishing a piece of paper.

  “Your new schedule?” Linda asked, raising her eyebrows.

  “Nope . . . Something much more interesting!” Lisa exclaimed. “A clue that might lead us to Starshine!”

  Lisa placed her dad’s paystub on the table in front of them and sat down.

  “DC. Dark Core,” she said. “Didn’t it say DC on the SUV Mr. Sands was in when he was talking to Sabine?”

  “Wow, Lisa!” Alex and Linda exclaimed in unison and gave each other a high-five. “This is it!” Then they broke off and looked at Lisa as though they’d been caught doing something bad.

  “I mean, it totally sucks that your dad works for that company,” Alex added quickly. “But good for our investigation.”

  “So, is that what we’re doing now? Investigating?” Lisa asked.

  Her stomach sank when she thought about her dad working for such a creep. Her lovely dad, who always thought so highly of everyone.

  “Are you finding anything on Dark Core, Linda?” she said in an attempt to shake the thoughts about her dad.

  Linda frowned.

  “I think so,” she replied and kept reading. Then she looked up from her phone.

  “It looks like it’s a really big company,” she said. “It deals with oil, minerals, iron ore. Where there’s natural resources, there’s Dark Core. No environmentalism here. Dark Core’s been around for ages, but I’m having trouble finding any concrete info. Someone’s put a lot of effort into covering their tracks.”

  “And Sands is the head of it?” Alex asked.

  Linda nodded.

  “Yep, it says right here on this website I just found: the CEO of Dark Core is John Sands. Otherwise known as the creepy guy who doesn’t seem to age.”

  A shadow fell across the table. They looked up and saw that it was Anne.

  “Hi!” Lisa said and pulled up a chair for Anne. “Have a seat. We’re talking about all the weird things that have been happening at the stables.”

  Anne sat down next to Lisa and smiled faintly. Her eyes slid over to Linda’s phone. Lisa noticed Anne’s face drop.

  “What’s the matter?” Lisa asked.

  “I-I . . .” Anne stammered. Lisa held up her phone, so she could see the screen better.

  “That SUV,” Anne finally managed. Her face was ashen. “It tried to run Concorde and me over yesterday. Right before we met outside school last night.”

  Alex leaned in eagerly.

  “Oh my gosh, is that true? That sounds insane!”

  “Well, it said DC on it. Yes, I’m sure it was an SUV just like that one.”

  “Wow,” Linda and Lisa exclaimed in unison.

  “Nuts,” Alex said and shook her head.

  “I have to go,” Anne said suddenly. “Concorde and I have another photo shoot at the stables this afternoon.” She got up. “Maybe we can talk more then?” Anne suggested on her way out.

  “Seriously, I don’t get how she puts up with having her picture taken all the time,” said Alex. Everyone knew that Alex hated having her picture taken—she even used Tin-Can as her profile picture on social media.

  “So, we can assume Dark Core’s behind the kidnapping,” Lisa said. Her voice trembled. Could it really be true? Her dad’s employer, a kidnapper? She continued: “It must have been the same SUV and trailer containing Starshine that went after Anne. The timing checks out, right?”

  “Yeah,” Alex replied in a strangely empty voice. That impish spark in her eyes was gone. “But I still don’t get it. Are they trying to scare us? Threaten us? Or are they really after Starshine?”

  Lisa pictured Starshine’s shimmering blue mane and tail. His wise eyes that seemed to see right through her. It was painful just to
think about him.

  She was just about to say something when the bell rang. They had agreed to meet at the stables that afternoon, to watch Anne’s shoot and tell Herman what they had learned so he could relay the information to the police.

  “I’ll have to join you later,” Alex said, making a face. “Detention.”

  Linda grinned and shook her head.

  On her way to class, Lisa texted Herman to say they believed Dark Core was involved in Starshine’s kidnapping. She told him to let the police know. Important, she added in the text. Herman replied immediately with a thumbs-up.

  Lisa checked her watch. Two minutes until her next class. She shot off a quick text to her dad: You all right? Normally, he always replied instantly, but now the seconds ticked past, and eventually her screen turned black as the phone went to sleep. She put it in her bag, figuring he’d certainly reply later.

  The others rushed off to their classes, but Alex lingered in the hallway, absentmindedly toying with the lightning bolt pendant on her necklace. She always wore it around her neck, even at night and in the shower. She felt naked without it. But now, the pendant was suddenly scorching hot.

  “Ow!” she exclaimed, rubbing her throat. She took the necklace off and slipped it into her pocket. She felt the heat from the lightning bolt through the fabric of her pants pocket.

  22

  As the last bell of the day rang, Alex gathered her books and started heading over to detention. When she arrived, the principal was making an unusual guest appearance to talk to her about how seriously she took the destruction of other people’s property. Alex thought the prank she came up with—making the exhaust pipe on her math teacher’s car whistle—was pretty funny. It wasn’t like she destroyed anything. Not permanently, at least. She had just put a piece of metal in the pipe so that it made a funny noise when the car moved. Naturally, she refrained from saying any of that out loud. When the principal had finished scolding her, her eyes softened, and she said: