Avenger

by Su Halfwerk

I’m glad you’re more confident poking around my head, Luke said sarcastically as he inched toward the door.

  Andrew chose that moment to enter the suite. He glanced between his wife’s defensive stance and Luke, then dropped his jacket on the floor—having summed up the situation—and faced Luke.

  “Adoria, are you hurt?” Andrew asked, a nerve twitched in his jaw.

  “No. Watch out, he might have a weapon,” Adoria said.

  “I don’t care,” Andrew said.

  They circled him like predators bent on saving their babe.

  Andrew came fast at him, dispatching a hard blow to the face. Luke deflected the hit and side-stepped the one that followed, except a coffee table blocked his way and he stumbled down. He wasn’t clumsy, usually, but he was trying hard not to harm Pru’s family. With Andrew’s entry, that seemed to be harder to attain.

  As Andrew reached to grab him, his shirt tightened on his biceps. These muscles were earned through use and practice.

  If you finish admiring him before he strikes you, perhaps you can call on the spirit within you, Celestine said.

  I won’t hurt them, Luke said and crab-crawled backwards, desperate to maintain distance between them, and rose.

  Adoria surprised him then with a jab aimed at his jaw. He jumped back, scantily eluding the deadly assault.

  You will not hurt anyone. Please call on the spirit within you, Luke, before it is too late, Celestine said, his usually detached voice shaking with emotion.

  Luke called on the spirit within and hopped to the side, out of their reach. Adoria was about to deliver a kick to his torso but shifted her weight last minute and kicked the table next to him. Andrew’s fisted hand froze in midair. Both, husband and wife froze and stared at him. It was hardly the effect he’d anticipated. His paled appearance confused others, these two, however, studied him, glanced at each other, and relaxed their stances.

  Finally, Andrew asked, “Who are you here for?” There was resignation in his voice.

  Luke’s shock at Andrew’s question was intensified when Adoria said, “He was by Matilda’s crib when I walked in.”

  Andrew squeezed his eyes shut and sighed as he went to the bedroom and brought Matilda back with him. He hugged his sleeping daughter to his chest only to have Adoria snatch her and move to a corner, Matilda hidden from view. Where there was despair in Andrew’s eyes, Adoria had defiance written all over her face. No one was going to touch her baby.

  Andrew put an arm around his wife’s shoulders, he was on her side whatever she decided. Luke wasn’t sure what to make of their actions.

  “Is Celestine here?” Andrew asked.

  Say yes, Luke, Celestine said.

  Luke nodded. “How do you know of him?”

  Andrew sighed. “I didn’t know of him, I knew him. I was the hunter before you.”

  He was, Celestine confirmed.

  Luke maintained a blank expression. If Andrew was the spirit hunter before him, then he knew what Luke was about to do to Matilda.

  “You’ll understand if I don’t go by your words despite the angelic effect,” Adoria said. “What was Andrew’s nickname for Celestine?”

  They waited, their gaze trained on Luke, for an answer he didn’t have.

  “Well, Celestine?” Luke said. His spirit guide remained silent and Luke worried he’d left him alone with two devoted parents. Herbert was willing to leave the room with his daughter as she was, and not have her harmed. The Taylors wouldn’t be different.

  “Gruesome,” said Celestine.

  “What’s gruesome?” Luke asked, confused.

  “My nickname.”

  Already, at the utterance of his question, Adoria’s shoulders slouched and she kissed the top of Matilda’s head. Defeat was evident in her bearing.

  Luke asked Andrew, “Why Gruesome?”

  “For the type of news he brought.” Andrew cleared his throat and took a step that positioned him between Luke and his family. “What’s the color of Matilda’s aura?”

  At that moment, Luke understood something about Andrew. If her aura was gray, her father was willing to fight for her life. She was his daughter and he wouldn’t give her up even if it meant nurturing a rogue spirit in her. “Yellow.”

  “He could be lying,” Adoria whispered.

  Andrew stared at Luke long and hard then nodded as though he’d reached a decision. “I don’t think you’re lying, Luke, but understand this. Since yellow means she’ll live, I expect her to live. If she dies, you die with her. I have a capable partner who’ll be more than willing to help me kill you.”

  Adoria hitched a sob and squeezed her daughter to her chest even more. Matilda stirred and opened her eyes. Her innocent gaze took in her mother, and then she glanced at the rest of the room. At seeing Luke’s paled appearance Matilda wiggled to free herself from Adoria. “Shush, baby. Everything is going to be okay.”

  A loud scream erupted out of Matilda’s mouth, her now red eyes fixed on Luke, her lips pulled in a ferocious snarl.

  Andrew said, “Honey, we need to give him a chance to free Matilda. If there’s a slim chance our baby will be back to normal, I’m willing to take it.” He stretched his hands. “Give her to me. You don’t have to be here.”

  Matilda kicked Adoria in the ribs and pulled on her hair. Calmly, Adoria went to the sofa and sat. “I’m not leaving her. If he’s doing it then not only will I be present but Matilda will be in my arms.”

  She laid the kicking and screaming baby in her lap and held on to her, nodding to Luke. He went down on one knee in front her and pulled the dagger. Andrew positioned himself behind him.

  Luke glanced up at him, “Open the balcony, I will need to—”

  Without answering, Andrew reached the door in two strides and opened it. He glanced at the sky and said, “No clouds.”

  Luke reached out and held Matilda’s head with one hand, with the other he brought the dagger down. A strong hand circled his wrist, stopping him.

  “Be gentle,” Andrew croaked.

  With a nod, Luke tightened his resolve. He would exorcise Matilda, for her possession was an insult to spirit hunting and a stab in Pru’s soul, not to mention a catastrophe to the Taylors.

  His hand now free, he tabbed once in the middle of Matilda’s forehead. He leaned down and inhaled the spirit. Only his heartbeats were audible in the silence that had settled on the room. After what felt like years, he lifted his head, dashed to the balcony, faced the Northern star, and exhaled the spirit. He remained outside, leaning on the banister, waiting for his heart to slowdown.

  Andrew and Adoria stepped outside and stood by him. All three remained silent for a long while. Adoria’s eyes brimmed with silent tears while Andrew’s gaze was focused on the horizon. All of a sudden, Adoria wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck. She remained like that for some time, filling his chest with familiar belonging, a family bonding. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear.

  After she released him, Luke waved away her gratitude. “She’s asleep now?”

  Andrew said, “Yes, and her breathing is normal. We can never thank you enough for what you did.”

  Luke turned to him. “I have many shortcomings but lying isn’t one of them. My inability to lie with a straight face is what got me into spirit hunting.”

  “I’m glad you’re the spirit hunter. Despite the downsides, you’re helping people.” Andrew lowered his head. “I’m sorry for not trusting you, here and earlier in the hospital.”

  Luke shrugged. “Think nothing of it. I kind of understand your situation, however, just so you know, if Matilda’s aura was gray, I would’ve never come after her. You’ll have a psychopath on your hands, but you’ll manage.”

  Andrew’s eyes softened at hearing that, he smiled.

  You would not do that, Celestine said.

  “I would’ve done that,” Luke said and added for good measures, “Gruesome.” Luke smiled when he was rewarded with silence.

  Andrew grinned. “Serves him rig
ht.”

  Adoria seemed to have something on her mind and she hesitated before she asked, “Is Pru possessed?”

  “Right now she isn’t, and no, I didn’t exorcise her but someone did force her into this coma and I’m going to find out why.”

  ****

  Luke spent the rest of the evening with the Taylors. He found out that he’d helped Andrew spirit-hunt without knowing so. Lightheartedly, they shared anecdotes of how Celestine did what he deemed necessary to help humanity, even against the spirit hunter’s wishes. Luke warned them to keep a closer eye on Pru now that they knew her life was in danger.

  Before Luke left, Andrew offered his help, whenever needed. Luke would never call him on it, but it was an uplifting gesture. It was also great to discover that being a spirit hunter put him in Andrew and Adoria’s good books. Even if Pru woke up without any memory of him, he had the Taylors on his side. Things were looking up.

  He left the Royal Tulip just after two in the morning, his hands in his pockets, a cheerful whistle on his lips, and a spring in his steps.

  Someone is behind you, Celestine screamed in his head. Luke didn’t have the chance to turn. Something heavy slammed the back of his head and everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The Laymour, as a plane of existence, dictated deliberation in thought, gesture, and speech. It was as though time slowed everything surrounding it. It was a manner of existence, a way of life. Every time Celestine returned to the Laymour, he breathed a sigh to expel the hastiness and befoulment of Earth. This was where his brethren dwelt.

  Today, however, he could feel all eyes on him, his presence unannounced and unexpected. He was nothing but a blur that shot through the levee, only slowing down when he neared the Dome. For the first time, the serenity of the Laymour didn’t calm him down.

  Naiten, seated by the Watching Point, welcomed him with a tranquil smile. “Ah, you have returned. I was just discussing your ascension with the Domines. As you know, your term is—” Naiten cut off his sentence and stared at Celestine, noting his distress. “What is it?”

  “Luke has been captured,” Celestine said, his voice louder than he intended.

  “By whom?”

  “By the same people who are interested in Pru. They are also the ones who had shot him the night we recruited him.”

  Naiten was silent, his pale eyes on Celestine. He couldn’t figure out what went through the Pit Keeper’s mind. For emphasis, Celestine added, “He needs our help.”

  “How did this happen?”

  “Earlier, Luke visited a friend of Pru’s to find out more information about the drug dealers working with the spirits. When Luke left, I noticed a bald man standing across the street, watching him. His men attacked and kidnapped Luke. This bald man is the one who shot him years back.”

  “The Spirit Hunter is resourceful, he will free himself.”

  Celestine shook his head. “He is shackled with layers of chains that literally sealed his arms by his side. Although he is endowed with powers through Lidwien, none of them involve breaking free from metal.”

  “Hmm.” Naiten ran a hand over his beard and lowered his head in thought.

  Celestine had been looking forward to his ascension, to becoming a Domine. Part of him wanted to discuss it, but a bigger part worried for Luke’s safety. He believed in his ward, in his goodness and strength, only the situation Luke was in was hopeless. After binding him, he was hauled into a black van.

  “This is a result of Luke’s ill-dealings in unspeakable substances,” Naiten said.

  “He has given up on all that since his recruitment. I have confronted him and confirmed it. I am certain these people mean him fatal harm.”

  Naiten searched around him, and for the first time Celestine noticed that the judgment was over. “Let me speak to the Domines about this, perhaps we can guide other humans into helping him.”

  Guiding meant taking over good people’s will to help in overcoming the possessed. Celestine shook his head. “The people who kidnapped Luke are not possessed.”

  Naiten frowned. “Then there is nothing we can do. We are prohibited from overcoming unpossessed people, even if they are evil. This is not a Laymour matter if there is no possession.”

  Celestine existed as a vapor on Earth, it was his decision to repress his feelings in preparation for his ascension, which would require the purging of all emotions. So far he’d been successful. Now, however, emotions boiled up in him, almost reaching the surface. “We cannot abandon him.”

  Naiten rose. “Being a spirit hunter involves discipline and devotion to the cause. On several occasions, Luke risked his life for nothing. I am confident he will find a way out, otherwise, what use is he as a spirit hunter?”

  Celestine was already withdrawing from the Dome, his thoughts wisely locked in his head. Still, he had a feeling Naiten had heard his thought of, “What use are we to him then?”

  He chose to leave before he uttered regrettable statements. Naiten had no solution to the problem, which meant Luke was on his own. The least Celestine could do was be with him in his time of need.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “We’ll be out here,” Uncle Emanuel said.

  Pru nodded. Uncle Emanuel, Andrew’s head of security, hadn’t changed much over the years. Perhaps the white has increased a bit in his hair and there were a couple of extra wrinkles around his eyes, otherwise, he remained the same detached uncle whose passive exterior hid a soft heart. He’d stood by her mother and aunt over the years.

  “Aren’t you due for retirement, Uncle Emanuel?”

  His eyes sparkled and maybe there was a small twitch in his lips, his version of a smile. “No.”

  Might as well, he would flip out if he had free time.

  “You go on, honey. Our meeting with Mrs. Lancaster and the hospital’s management will be over by the time you finish,” Carla said.

  “You don’t have to be here,” Pru said. She’d meant the whole entourage, Andrew, her mother, Uncle Emanuel, and Steve, Andrew’s other security guard.

  As though in agreement, they ignored her. With a huff, Pru entered the MRI room.

  She removed her accessories and clothing and shrugged on the gown left for her in the changing room. The technician handed her small rubber earplugs and murmured words of assurance as she stretched on the slab. When she was rolled into the device, she understood why the technician was trying to set your mind at rest. It was like being entombed, the whole thing pressed on her from all sides and the off-white ceiling played tricks on her vision. She felt it inching closer and closer to her face.

  “Close your eyes if you feel discomfort. Think of something else or sleep if you feel like it,” the technician said over a mike.

  Pru took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was much easier when she used to go through objects, lighter even. She’d been awake for four days now, and the first time she attempted to walk, gravity pulled on her, as though she’d gained weight. According to the doctors, she was lucky her coma hadn’t lasted longer, otherwise she would have had to deal with muscle weakness and rigidity among other unpleasant side effects.

  Upon waking up, and after hugging and kissing her family, Pru had asked for Luke. No one knew why he hadn’t come. When Carla went to pick up junk food to satiate Pru’s cravings, Tía Adoria asked her if she knew Luke’s address. One thing led to another and she’d let slip her bodiless existence during the coma.

  Tía Adoria asked, “You followed him everywhere he went?”

  “It might have been a dream, Tía Adoria, nothing more.” Pru was embarrassed, she felt like a stalker.

  “It’s good that we’re alone. Don’t mention to anyone that you had an out of body experience. The hospital will insist you stay longer, which will make Andrew blow a gasket.”

  They’d both laughed about it at the time, but a feeling of aloneness had been growing in Pru. Where was Luke? Why hadn’t he come to see her? Since the hospital reluctantly released h
er to her family, she’d been coming daily for tests and scans. It was a decision Dr. Sebastian agreed with since it would give him a detailed status of her physical progress. He hadn’t excused the hospital for treating her as a diabetic patient.

  “We’re done, Ms. Hall. You may change now.”

  Pru opened her eyes and accepted the technician’s proffered hand. When did the machine stop and the slap rolled out?

  She changed and went out to find only Steve and Uncle Emanuel waiting for her. “Where’s Mom and Andrew?”

  “Their meeting with Mrs. Lancaster is taking longer than expected. Andrew called, we should return to the hotel,” Uncle Emanuel said.

  Since Andrew had fought for her release even before she gained consciousness, Mrs. Lancaster and the hospital’s feathers were ruffled. Stroking all those egos would take time. Sheesh!

  “Okay then,” Pru said. Steve and Uncle Emanuel fell into step on either side of her.

  As they neared the SUV, Pru heard running steps drawing near. She was slammed against the SUV with force, breath knocked out of her. Uncle Emanuel and Steve blocked her view, but she recognized Jason’s voice. “Pru! Pru, it’s me, Jason.”

  She touched Uncle Emanuel’s arm. “Relax, Uncle, he’s a friend.” A friend who hadn’t visited.

  Both men eased up but kept her behind them. Jason, looking hassled and apologetic, said, “You’re pissed, I know, I swear to God I didn’t know where you were. I asked Carmen about you, and she knew nothing.”

  His brown hair was tussled, his blue eyes beseeched her to believe him. His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know what. Pru held her tongue, no need to ruin Carmen’s name. Saying anything would lengthen the meeting and she didn’t want that. “I’m tired, Jason and it’s really hot out here. What do you want?”

  He looked confused. “I-I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I am now. We better get going. See you around.” She didn’t plan to.

  Uncle Emanuel and Steve shifted to unlock the car, which allowed her better examination of Jason. He had both hands in his pockets and was drawing circles on the tarmac with his foot, looking lost. He wasn’t lost though, he knew exactly where to find her.