Soulless

by Garr, Amber

  “Get out of here!” he yelled at us.

  Mazie pulled Sani forward, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in fear. “Come on!” she shouted at my Advisor. But he wasn’t moving, because someone else yanked on his other arm. Fallon smiled at me, her presence just as evil as it had been in the alley.

  “Hello,” she cooed, still fighting with Mazie and pulling Sani between them like a rag doll. “So good to see you again.”

  The pure malevolence in her voice frightened me to no end. But then…I got angry. No way would I let her get to me again. I lurched forward and jumped on her back. Wrapping my hands around her neck, I made sure to touch her cold, bare skin.

  She dropped Sani’s arm and screamed. But as soon as she did, two more Hunters materialized around him and pushed Sani to his knees. Mazie cried out, drawing attention to herself, as another Hunter appeared, snatching at her form just seconds before she attempted to fade into mist.

  So much for standing her ground.

  Ignoring my annoyance, I focused on the task at hand—sucking the evil out of Fallon. How that worked exactly I didn’t know, but where my hands had clutched her shoulders, the blue veins faded until white porcelain skin came through.

  “Stop. Doing. That.” She pushed out, trying desperately to release the tight hold I had on her neck.

  “Not until you stop attacking us.”

  “Too late,” she said, trying to rip my arms away. But I clasped my fingers together with no intention of letting go.

  “Nora!” Jason called out over the screams of the Wardens.

  I saw him jump over a pair of Hunters wrestling a Warden to the ground. With a heavy heart, I recognized the tights and worried that Charles may be outnumbered. Just as Jason reached Sani, the Hunter with the large silver knife materialized in his path and stopped him cold.

  Jason dropped, sliding on the ground like a soccer player, and plowed his body into the legs of the Hunter. He flew over Jason’s head, knife spinning through the air. It landed tip down in the dirt, just inches from Sani’s knee.

  Fallon chose that moment to show me her super-strength, and the next thing I knew I was laying on my back looking up at her half-Hunter/half-human face. I thought she was going to kick me, but instead she lunged forward and grabbed the knife.

  “Now you’ll be sorry,” she sneered.

  Focusing on Sani, she tilted her head. “What? Is he?” She carefully eyed the two Hunters holding Sani against the ground, and curiosity forced me to do the same. Just like I’d done with Fallon and Alex, Sani seemed to heal the darkness inside them. They almost looked…human now. One middle-aged and one no more than sixteen, the veins in both had almost completely disappeared.

  Jason cried out and I sat up to see what had happened. The large Hunter had captured Judith and was now sucking the power out of her. The gray of her skin intensified and her white eyes lost their glow. Jason crawled along the ground, dragging his leg and yelling at the Hunter. But it was too late. Judith collapsed in a heap and the Hunter wiped his mouth in triumph. He’d drained her dry in just a few seconds.

  A noise tore from my mouth but no one seemed to care. I pushed my body up off the ground, trying to figure out where to go next. Sani seemed to be handling his own, and Jason’s hands glowed with their healing touch on his broken leg. But Charles continued to struggle at the bottom of a huge Hunter pile, and I decided to help him first.

  Big mistake.

  “Hold him,” the large Hunter growled, stalking past Fallon and tearing the knife from her hand. Understanding more than I did, she ran ahead of him and knocked the nearly human-looking Hunters away from Sani. He tried to make a run for it, but she kicked him hard in the mouth. His head swung back, giving her enough time to yank his hands behind his torso.

  “Hurry up,” she shouted.

  The Hunter with the knife ran forward in a black cloud and solidified, on his knees and directly in front of Sani. “We don’t need your kind,” he said.

  And then…the silver blade sliced across Sani’s throat.

  “Sani!” I choked. Stopping my run toward Charles, I refocused on my Advisor. His eyes met mine ever so briefly before they dropped to the ground when Fallon pushed him forward.

  “Nora, don’t!” Jason shouted, still healing his leg as he tried to stand.

  The Hunter snapped his head to my ward. With a flick of his chin, Fallon and the two others jumped on top of Jason. Scared and confused, I screamed. The need to hurt something jolted through me, and the knife-wielding Hunter became locked in my sights.

  I ran forward, all thoughts of training consumed by the anger searing in my veins. The Hunter smirked and raised his knife, waiting for me.

  “We don’t need you either,” he growled, crouching low and preparing for my attack.

  Just as I was about to reach him, something slammed into the side of my body and knocked me to the ground. We rolled several times until I miraculously landed on my feet, and the man that had attacked me stood between me and the Hunter.

  “Run, Nora!” Theron yelled over his shoulder, eyes focused on the other Hunter. His black leather duster snapped in the air, his arms spread wide, and knees poised for a fight.

  “Theron,” the other Hunter snarled. “Aren’t you choosing the wrong side?”

  “You can’t have her, Keller.”

  “I don’t want her,” Keller replied. He pointed the knife at Jason. “He’s the one we need.” Flashing a glare at Nora, he added, “Her death is just a bonus.”

  Theron lurched forward and attacked with more speed than I knew he was capable of. Tendrils of black fog followed their fast punches, and silver glinted in the moonlight each time the hand holding the knife broke free.

  Sani made a gurgling noise nearby and I ran to his side. Falling to my knees, I leaned against the ground where I could see his face. “No, Sani. No,” I sobbed. “What did they do to you?” A warm presence slid over my back and I knew it was him saying goodbye. I cried and lifted my hand to see the blood covering my fingers. “Please don’t leave me, Sani.” The presence dissipated into the cold night air and emptiness filled the black hole growing in my chest.

  Theron suddenly shouted, pulling me back to the scene. Keller had thrown him a hundred feet away and was now running straight at Jason. “Let’s go,” he shouted at three of his crew hanging on to Jason and fighting against his struggles.

  “Jason!” I cried out. My feet slipped on the ground and I stumbled forward.

  “Nora!” he yelled, but it was too late. Keller thrust the silver knife into Jason’s stomach and the five of them shimmered out of existence.

  Bile surged in my throat and claws ripped at my chest. I landed in the spot Jason had been only a second before and screamed out in pain. The fighting around me continued, but I couldn’t force myself to care. Sani was gone. Jason was gone. And, Charles? I didn’t even know what had happened to him.

  Large, cold arms wrapped around my torso and lifted me off the ground. Theron ran through the battle and didn’t stop until we were on top of the hill, looking down over the macabre scene. Hundreds of motionless bodies littered the field; dozens more groaned and slowly crawled around, searching for a way to survive. Flashing in and out of existence, the Hunters stabbed those still alive with silver knives, taking just a handful of others away with them.

  “Are you okay?” Theron asked, turning my head from side to side and brushing the hair out of my face.

  I slapped his hands away. “Of course I’m not okay!” I screamed.

  “They didn’t kill him,” Theron said quietly.

  “Who? Sani? I felt him die his final death. They killed him,” I choked on a sob and tried to catch my breath.

  “No. I mean Jason.”

  A spark of hope danced in the abyss. “They didn’t?”

  Theron continued to pat my body, looking for wounds. “No. At least not yet—”

  “What do you mean, not yet?” Pushing against his chest, I forced him to step back. “How do you
know this?”

  He shook his head and pulled his jacket tighter over his shoulders. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

  I huffed. Tears blurred my vision. My response got stuck on the aching lump in my throat.

  “I know that’s asking a lot, but give me a few days and I’ll try to find out where they’ve taken him.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I whispered.

  “What?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I can’t go get him.”

  “But I can.” Theron’s gentle tone nearly broke me.

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “Of course,” he replied. “I would do anything for you.”

  “But what will they do to you if they find out?” I couldn’t even believe this conversation was really happening. I wondered if I was still somewhere in the field below, having a nightmare…a dream, as I died my own final death.

  Theron shrugged and stepped close enough to kiss me. “I’ll be careful.”

  The noise from the battle suddenly softened. Theron snapped his head around to see, but I stared at nothing. “I have to go,” he said. “Please be strong, Nora. He will need you.” Theron’s lips brushed the top of my head just before shimmering out of this realm.

  I collapsed to my knees, uncontrollable sobs fighting to break free. I knew that I should be stronger, but right now I just couldn’t. Unable to process Theron’s words, darkness filled my head and tendrils of despair killed every last bit of light inside.

  I don’t know how long I was curled up on the ground before Charles finally found me. “Come on, Nora. I’ll take you home.”

  “I can’t go back there,” I cried, thankful he’d made it out alive but too depressed to have any celebration in my soul.

  “Yes. You can.”

  Charles wrapped his arms tightly around me and transported us back to our world, far away from the horrible memories lying broken and battered in the field below.

  A day later I could barely make myself sit up. Two days later I was forced to sit through a memorial at the Elder headquarters, which crushed every piece of happiness I’d ever had. By the third day, I’d made a decision.

  And that decision now fueled my intentions.

  “You’re insane,” Charles snapped. “I won’t let you do this.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” I replied quietly. My thoughts weren’t really in this realm anymore, as I paced aimlessly around the backyard of my cottage.

  “Yes, I do.” Charles grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at him. “There has to be another way.” My old friend had accepted Theron’s declaration that Jason might still be alive, but he didn’t accept my plan on how to find him. “Why don’t you wait until Theron has news?”

  I shot him a glare. “I’m not waiting any longer. They drained Judith in less than a minute. What do you think they’ll do to someone who’s actually capable of fighting back?”

  Charles cringed and I knew he couldn’t argue with me on that point. Despite Theron’s promise to find out where they’d taken Jason, I needed to do something now.

  “But Nora…what if you can’t fight it?”

  “I have shaman blood in me. I’ll be able to control it.” Even as I said those words, I doubted my abilities. Yet I hoped, if I pulled on the strength of Sani and my other dead ancestors, that I’d be able to hold the darkness at bay.

  “Theron won’t let you do this.” Charles had already tried that argument and had failed miserably. I knew that I could convince him to help me. It would be the least he could do, after all. Besides…he had said he would do anything for me. It was time to see if that vow was true.

  “I’m leaving,” I announced, giving Charles a quick hug.

  “I really wish you’d reconsider,” he whispered against my neck. “You’re all I have left.”

  His words made what little emotion remained break free, and I silently cursed him for getting under my skin. I couldn’t afford to think about all of the reasons I should stay. Instead, I needed to focus on the one reason why I had to leave. “I’ll come back.”

  Charles shuddered. “You don’t even know if that’s possible.”

  Pushing him away so I could look into his pained eyes, I smiled the best I could. “That’s what I’m trusting you to figure out. I know you’ll find a way to bring me back.”

  “Don’t you think if that could be done, someone would have told us?”

  “Perhaps. But it’s all about who you know,” I said.

  “Nora—”

  “Goodbye, Charles.” I kissed him on the cheek and concentrated on the castle ruins in Croatia before he had a chance to argue anymore.

  Materializing in one piece on the top of the old guard tower, I tried to suppress the doubt racing through me. I was going to ask Theron to help me do the one thing I’d never thought possible, all with the hope of saving Jason and bringing him back to our home. I needed to act now, before I lost my nerve.

  “Theron!” I shouted out over the silent forest, my voice echoing through the mountain valley, as the setting sun quickly disappeared behind the peaks. “Please! I need to talk to you!”

  I had no idea if he would come or if he could even hear me. Pushing my request into my deepest thoughts, I tried to reach out through our broken bond. It had worked again, ever so briefly, during the attack in the alley. I didn’t know why, and he’d never answered that question, but I hoped there was still something left there. Something far more than the gaping hole left when they took Jason away.

  I hadn’t been able to sense him at all and I guessed it was because he’d probably been taken to a realm I couldn’t enter. Not unless I was a Soul Hunter.

  “Theron!” I screamed again.

  “You don’t need to shout,” a gruff voice said behind me.

  I whipped around so fast that I nearly fell over the edge of the tower. “You came,” I breathed, tears filling my eyes and hope beginning to spark. But when I took a closer look, I realized something was wrong. Dark circles painted the skin below Theron’s eyes, his blue veins more prominent than I’d ever seen them before. Pale and gaunt, he looked horrible.

  “What’s wrong with you?” I asked.

  He huffed. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Sure I looked just as miserable, if not worse, I ignored his retort. “I need your help.”

  Theron walked closer to me and peered out over the forest. “I’m trying to find out where he is, but they…” His voice trailed off for several seconds. “But they aren’t making it easy.”

  “That’s what I need your help with.”

  He looked down at me, the darkness in him frightening me to my very core. Could I really do this? “What do you mean?” he finally asked.

  “I need you to take me to him.”

  “But I can’t. You can’t cross that realm.” I stared at Theron until he fully understood my request. “Forget it, Nora. No way! You have no idea what you’re asking.”

  He tried to walk away, but I grabbed his wrist. “Yes, I do. I know exactly what I’m asking.”

  Jerking his hand back, he started to pace. “No, you don’t.”

  “You did it, Theron, and yet you’re still here talking to me! It didn’t change you completely. And I have this ability to control the darkness—”

  “No!” he shouted. “Do not even finish that sentence. You have no idea why I did what I did!”

  “Then explain it to me!” I screamed. “Explain why you left me after all that time we spent together! Explain why it is that you keep saving me from the very kind you chose to be with over me!” I knew my features had contorted into the hideous, morose face I hated, but I didn’t care. I had nothing left to lose.

  Theron stopped pacing and blew out a long breath. Rubbing his hands over his short black hair, I watched him struggle with a secret he didn’t want to tell. And I knew that whatever he was about to say to me would change everything between us.

  “I left you because they had my wife.”

  O
f all the things in the world he could have said, this had not been on the list. Sucker-punched in the gut, I gasped for air and tried not to throw up. “What?” I whispered, barely even making a sound. “You have a wife?”

  Theron rushed to my side a second before I collapsed to the ground. He lowered us onto the stone wall, and I tried to focus past the ringing in my ears. Had he been married the whole time we were together?

  “I had a wife. Before I died.”

  “But you were only nineteen.”

  “Times were different a hundred years ago. My family was very traditional. The marriage had been arranged since we were children.”

  I struggled to remember his stories about the village he’d grown up in, but I was fairly certain he’d never mentioned anything about a wife being part of his future.

  “How long?”

  “What?”

  I swallowed and tried to speak again. “How long were you married?”

  He hung his head. “Only a couple of months before I died.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  Silence stretched between us until my brain focused on the questions that needed to be asked. “I don’t understand. How did they have your…wife?” And why did you leave me for her?

  Theron rolled his shoulders as the muscles in his jaw tightened. “She died about ten years later, only her soul never had a chance to move on.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “She’s a healer. Like Jason.”

  “What?” I gasped. “But…” I couldn’t form a cohesive thought.

  “Yeah,” Theron said, guessing where my mind was going. “They’ve had her for a very long time.”

  Pain pounded behind my eyes as I tried to piece everything together. With the way I’d felt the last three days, I was having a really hard time concentrating right now.

  “I didn’t know any of this until Atley found me.”

  “Atley?” Why did that name sound so familiar?

  “The Soul Hunter who showed me the truth.”

  I blew out a frustrated breath. “But you said that the Elders had lied to you and you were tired of doing their bidding. That’s why you wanted to leave.”