Souled Out

by Blakely Chorpenning

  “There’s a reason why you usually ‘miss the fun.’ You have a tendency to escalate a situation. And you and Gideon together make the end of the world seem like a church meeting.”

  “And we do it without breaking a sweat.”

  “This is serious. We’re in the very place you shouldn’t be.”

  “I know that, but it was either show up willingly and try to stop it or hide for the rest of eternity. Which would you choose? Oh wait, you were too busy sleeping in an underground dungeon room to make any decisions. I forgot.”

  Lying back in the grass, he covered his face with his arms, letting out a long breath. “You’re exasperating.”

  “No, I’m right, and that pisses you off.”

  “It does not piss me off.” He removed his arms to show the expression on his face. “I’m frustrated that you’re right.” There was that thousand-dollar smile I hadn’t thought I’d get to see.

  “Well, look at that. You always talk about my demeanor, but I think a drug cocktail has done more than a little good for yours.”

  Sitting up, he countered, “A temporary fix, possibly, but I don’t think either of us need to commit to bad habits.”

  “What’s bad? A little comatose time between friends.”

  Of course I was joking, but somewhere in my mind it was starting to sound like a pretty good idea. Maybe I could sleep through this turmoil, and when I woke up I would find out that everything had turned out just dandy without me. No more sister issues, no more Cypher interventions, no more creepy meetings, and no more Mass. Or I could drug them and ship them to China before they all woke up. But first I’d leave my sister soulless and give the Mass a sunbath. And the Members? I would burn down their homes, vacation homes, retreats, timeshares, outhouses, birdhouses. It would be a fun day when they woke up and realized they’d been duped just like I had. Karma really is a bitch sometimes, but it’s also the sweetest revenge.

  Gabriel noticed my dreamy glaze and commented dryly, “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?” I retired my evil smile and played stupid.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.”

  “What do you think I’m thinking?”

  “Most likely, the next thing you’ll burn down if this evening doesn’t go the way you want. So don’t.”

  Wow. That was almost totally accurate, although I didn’t think Gabriel was a mind-reader. Still, it was a little too close to home. He knew me a lot better than I was giving him credit for.

  “Fine,” I mumbled. “But just for the record, I would never burn down a birdhouse.”

  Okay, he definitely wasn’t a mind-reader. He looked at me quizzically but decided not to ask. Instead he offered, “You are a strange woman.”

  Sitting under the moonlight listening to Gabriel refer to me as a woman instead of a Cypher really marked how times were-a-changing. My mind was in wow overdrive. But I couldn’t ponder the whole Gabriel vs. Seth thing again. These two men were already responsible for my mind not being tip-top in the face of impending doom. I should have worried more about the threats on my life than being sidetracked by a choice I might not live to make.

  Gabriel eyed me sympathetically as I closed my own to regroup. We sat quietly and waited for the rest of the pony show to arrive. After about twenty-five minutes, Alexi and Drew appeared.

  “You’re awake.” Alexi sounded disappointed as she stood over Gabriel, straddling his legs. He seemed unfazed, though I guessed he was less than enthusiastic about her looming stance than he led on.

  “I am.” His voice was smooth and low. Not a hint of embarrassment.

  “Too bad. I was hoping to do this the easy way.”

  My brows scrunched. “Do what?” Ask a stupid question...

  She simultaneously collapsed onto Gabriel and unsheathed a knife from the top of her boot. As I jumped to my feet to help, Drew pounced with so much force our entangled bodies landed a good ten feet from Gabriel and Alexi. My lungs struggled to open again, but he pinned me to the ground with his body. I tried to wiggle free. He purposely squeezed my bandaged shoulder. I fought every bit of will not to scream in pain. It worked.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Cypher.” He dropped his head so our noses touched. “Too bad we can’t do this naked.” Drew’s hips ground down on mine.

  “You know what? You may be dragging me to a soulless afterlife, but you don’t have to be a perv about it.” I didn’t know if it was his laughter or that he hadn’t moved yet that disturbed me more.

  “Lex, I wanna keep this one!”

  “She’s not yours to keep, Drew! Keep it in your pants, damn it, and get her to the circle.” Alexi’s sounded tense, probably because she was exerting all her strength trying to keep Gabriel on the ground. The knife was stuck partially in his side. At least it was a good distance from his heart. His pain wasn’t apparent right away, but there was a tension around his eyes that most people wouldn’t have noticed.

  As we both lay on the ground staring into each other’s eyes, I decided that I could sell my soul if I had reassurance that Gabriel would make it through this alive. Animated, anyway. What could I say? The bastard had grown on me.

  “What’s with the two-timing? You made a deal with Gideon. We go to the site on our own.”

  Alexi shifted impatiently. “Gideon ain’t here, and I’m not risking my hide.”

  “Your hide?”

  She spoke slowly for my benefit. “If you escape when we could have stopped you, that’s my hide.”

  Gabriel tried to relax under the woman. “You’re making this more difficult than it should be.”

  “Don’t talk to me, boy.” And then she twisted the knife enough to make him flinch.

  “Hey, Alexi! If you call off your dog, I’ll go willingly. No tricks, no fights. But you have to leave Gabriel out of this. He’s just doing his job.”

  Gabriel looked at me and said one word: “Don’t.”

  I chose to ignore the pleading in his eyes and the warning in his voice. “What do you say, Alexi?”

  She eyed me suspiciously. “And why would you go willingly? To save your sweetie pie here?”

  “He’s not my sweetie pie. Gabriel’s got a lot of girls, but I’ve never been one of them.”

  Her gaze shifted from me to Gabriel, who was still lodged between her and the ground. “If you ain’t doing her, why do you want to save her?”

  He fought to answer without showing the wear from her knife still piercing his internal organs. “I was appointed by the Members as her bodyguard. Nothing more.”

  Finally he made a smart move. And though it was a really good thing to leave out the part where he volunteered, it still kind of hurt to hear the “nothing more” part. Don’t ask why I made my life more difficult. I knew he would have said anything to keep the situation from growing worse, but the nonchalant tone felt like the knife was in my chest.

  Alexi peered through squinted eyes. After a few moments, I guess she was satisfied because she ordered Drew off. “Fine. But Gabriel stays with us until you’re safe in the circle.”

  I couldn’t help but snort “I don’t think ‘safe’ is the best description.”

  “Secured, then. When you’re secured in the circle, I’ll let him go.”

  “Promise?” I asked as I stood and dusted off my pants.

  She smiled. “On my mama’s best mock apple pie.”

  “That’s reassuring,” I replied sarcastically.

  “Take it or leave it, honey.”

  “I think I just bought a bunch of crackers and a pie shell.”

  Alexi pulled Gabriel up when she stood. Though she removed the knife, she stroked it restlessly in her hand. “That way,” she ordered, pointing to a narrow trail through some bushes.

  I didn’t like how close Drew walked as I was herded down the path. It wasn’t like I could run anywhere but forward anyway: the path was thin and the bushes thick around us. I was walking to my doom and had to put up with a pervert, too. The universe really was la
ughing at me.

  After walking for a short eternity, the bushes ended and I stood in a moderately large clearing. There was an honest-to-God circle, complete with candles, incense, and pentagram. How trite. I was sure blood-letting would be involved, too. I looked around for the animal sacrifice before realizing it would probably be my blood splattered all over the grass. I was the chicken.

  “Get in!” Alexi balked.

  “Shut up. I’m going.” I may have sounded tough: however, I was starting to wish for feathers and wings. My nerve had quickly vanished from the reality of the situation.

  As I crossed the line into the circle, a small hum vibrated over my body. It was worse than the feel of goose bumps on freshly shaved legs. And soon the feeling of bugs crawling over my skin grew more intense.

  “I’m in. Let him go.”

  “Fine, but if he tries anything, he’s dead.”

  “I’m sure he’ll take your warning seriously.”

  I had.

  She removed her grip. “Go,” she demanded like she was shooing a nosy dog.

  “I want to watch,” he said calmly.

  “Gabriel, go. You can’t do anything else. I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I don’t expect you to risk your life one more time, especially when this is all kind of inevitable.” I cursed myself silently as I fought back tears. This was really it, and I was rejecting the only help I had. The only hope... In a lower tone, I said, “Just go. Whatever happens, I’ll be fine.” A lie, but I wasn’t sure what was going to happen in the span of time to follow and didn’t want him to watch if it was something awful.

  Gabriel was almost arrogant, if you could believe, when he said, “I may not be able to help you, but I won’t abandon you.” Go figure. He was able to make a sweet pledge sound like a sentiment from a spoiled brat sent to the corner for timeout.

  “Fine! It’s not like I can kick you out. It’s not my little soiree.”

  “No, it’s mine.” Ellenore appeared out of the brush.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  She wore a dress that caressed her body from shoulder to ankle. The neckline plunged slightly without being overly revealing. The dress was color-blocked. It changed from yellow to orange to a stark line of red at the bottom hem. And the whole ensemble seemed alive. No, really. It whipped and curled around her body like flames licking the air as she gracefully moved toward me. That wasn’t quite how my sister used to walk. She always had a strut that would make guys notice, but never one like this. It was downright sensual, and that was not a label I’d ever used for my sister.

  She stopped mere feet from the circle. The dress swayed but never crossed the barrier. It was like a true wall separated us, one that could physically stop anything from entering if the circle did not wish it.

  Ellenore smiled, head tilting to the side. “Hello, sister. You’re looking well...for now.” There was a new, unfamiliar layer in her voice.

  “And you’re looking especially sinister. Nice dress.”

  “A gift from a friend.”

  “It makes quite a statement.”

  “Oh, more than that. It was blessed to aid in the finalization of my permanent soul.”

  “So it’s not couture?”

  “Sister, sister.” She paced around the circle. “You will not ruin my mood this evening. In just a few minutes I’ll be whole.” She turned back to face where she’d entered the clearing. “Priestess, the time has come. I’m ready.” She turned to watch me, satisfaction coloring her rosy cheeks. “We’re ready.”

  Humorless and flat, I asked, “Why wouldn’t I be ready? I’ve dreamed of a moment like this, when my wench of a sister would steal my soul as easily as my lipstick. I couldn’t be more proud.”

  The smile vanished from her overly painted red lips as she stalked closer, still on the opposite side of the parameter. Her whimsy was lost as a more bitter side emerged. “You will not ruin this for me! Do you understand? You have failed and I have won!” Her voice shifted to a low snarl. “I’m warning you. Get over it.” As I stared into her venomous gaze, I noticed the color of her eyes. They were blue. We had brown eyes. What the hell?

  Gabriel looked around and asked Ellenore, “Where’s Gideon?”

  She spoke like the thought of him made her mouth dry. “He declined the invite. I’m not very happy with the way he treated me. It’s for the best.”

  “Oh, Miss Princess didn’t like her time in the trunk?” I pouted my lips.

  “Shut up!”

  “Mistress?” The voice belonged to an older woman, possibly eighty or so. The priestess. She wore a simple red robe, of course. Softly, she reminded Ellenore, “Do not let your own temper dampen this event. She is powerless, and that is a great victory. You have won. Be at ease.” Something laced her voice that made everyone in ear’s shot physically relax. There was power in it, like an electrical charge. I used that awareness to hold on to the reality that she was a creepy old hag.

  In my head, I told myself over and over that she had no power over me. But her presence made my heart slow a few beats. As she drew closer, the panic began to fade. This was a kind woman, a woman who would never harm me. She could never be evil. What she was about to do was simply a remolding of nature for the greater good. She would ease my misery, removing the burdens that bound me to a life I didn’t want.

  She wanted to help steal my soul, but it was okay because her essence whispered in my ear. It promised things. Laughter without the pain of wondering when it would end, companionship without fear of being called a monster, knowledge that freedom was real. Serenity. She promised a life different from this one, and my tears flowed into the circle before I realized I was crying from the hope that she’d remove the burden that was my soul... But none of that made sense.

  I blinked, startled, and immediately broke eye contact with the old woman. How could the permanent removal of my soul give me freedom? How could I find serenity if my soul was gone forever? It wouldn’t free me. If anything, it would bind me closer as the Cypher forever.

  I searched for Gabriel in the small crowd that had gathered. More conspirators, I figured. When I found him, he mouthed the word “witch.” The old woman was a witch. Panic immediately returned, and I dared not look at her again.

  Ellenore’s concern broke the silence. “She fought the trance. What did you do?”

  The priestess was flustered at first but composed herself. “Nothing. Her will is strong. She would not allow me to console the situation.”

  I ventured to gaze at the woman. “Yeah, real sorry your bedside manner can’t cheer me up.” I stared at the ground again, scared. I’d heard of how much power witches had, yes. But hearing about them and being controlled by one were two very different things.

  Not every witch is evil. I’d heard of some very nice ones. But the one standing in front of me trying to impose her will on mine was a scary, evil witch I wanted no part of. How had Ellenore become so entangled with her?

  The priestess glared at me. “You are right, Ellenore. She does have a strong will and quite the mouth, though it changes nothing. The ceremony is not lost, dear. Cheer up. We will proceed the hard way since she cannot make it simple.”

  Ellenore smiled brightly before I added, “Peachy.” Her smile wavered, though it returned when the priestess moved her back from the circle, signaling that she was beginning the ceremony.

  I stared my sister down as the witch began an incantation. The language was unfamiliar and at first I thought it to be nothing more than grandstanding for the crowd. However, upon finishing the incantation, she removed a jacket from a bag. The one the Mass had taken from me.

  The tingling throughout my body grew worse. Dropping to her knees, she held the jacket skyward. More words brushed between her chapped lips. My heart began beating faster as a small film of sweat enveloped my body. Each word turned into tiny needles jabbing my skin. It hurt, but the pain was bearable.

  I started to tell her just where she and her little sideshow could go whe
n she ripped a hole through my jacket, which brought a gasp from my throat. As she pierced it, I felt my flesh rip. Each tear the jacket suffered brought swells of blood running from open wounds on my arms and face. It was soaking through my clothes, across my stomach and legs as well.

  I heard a deep breath that wasn’t my own. Gabriel was horrified. But it was from my sister’s throat that the ragged breath had escaped. I had a moment to think, How odd that she would care now, before my flesh tore again.

  The small noise of ripping skin could be heard like a foghorn through the clearing. No one dared move or breathe as the old woman tore me apart one piece at a time with her magic.

  Suddenly her incantation died.

  “How do you feel now, Cypher?”

  I didn’t look down at my arms as I answered. “Oh, did you start already?”

  Everyone was right. I had a smart-ass mouth, and in situations such as this, it helped remind me to be strong. Use what you got, right?

  The priestess smiled. “I enjoy your kind. It gives me a chance to spread my wings, so to speak. The weak break so soon I barely have a chance to express with my art how much I should be feared.” Yes, the nice old lady act was completely gone. This one knew how to cause pain and wanted to show off her talent.

  “I always get stuck with the overachievers.”

  Without warning, she rose to her feet and spoke loud into the night sky. “Spill forth your essence. Use this offering as a vessel. Fill her with your fear, your spite, your torment, your guilt. Be light as she becomes lead from your wrath. Let her sink so you may soar.”

  I was thrown to the ground in the middle of the circle, my body hit by...nothing visible. I searched, wide-eyed, to find my attacker. Crouching on my knees, a devastating pain doubled me over. My head rested on the ground so I could feel the grass brush my face while my knees and shins tucked closely beneath me. My hands were at my side, and when the pain escalated and multiplied, I dug into the earth, ripping the grass. All the while, the turmoil of so many emotions expanded within me until my skin felt tight from the pressure. These emotions were not my own. They belonged to something greater, larger. It felt like a million souls sought to fill my body with their sins so they could be free.