Jar of Souls

by Bradford Bates

  He wasn’t kidding about the gift; I had sent him one hundred thousand dollars, as well as a set of custom-crafted armor for his son. The armor should protect him from magical attacks and give him an advantage in physical combat. It was a gift no other Lycan could claim to have received, at least not in almost one hundred years.

  “I need your help with a situation that has come up with the Fallen.” Nicholas let out a low growl at the mention of their oldest enemy. “They have come under several attacks, attacks from Lycans.” I waited to see what he had to say about that. If he had ordered the attacks, there was nothing further I could do and we would be caught in the middle of a supernatural war, something we had managed to avoid for the last three hundred years.

  “I have heard of the attacks on the nests. It was not something that I sanctioned. What is more disturbing for us is we have also faced several attacks recently. The members of my pack that have been attacked have gone missing. What we haven’t been able to figure out is if they are alive or not when they are taken.”

  “That is something that I think I may have the answer to, and why I need your help.”

  “Continue,” he said with a hint of impatience.

  “I believe that the members of your pack that have gone missing are the ones attacking the nests.”

  This time it was a full growl. It was so loud that if a human had done it, it would have been considered a bellow of rage. “You dare accuse me of attacking the Fallen when I already told you it wasn’t sanctioned?”

  “I haven’t accused you of anything; we know it was your wolves.” Another growl followed. “What you don’t know is why, but I believe that I do. If I am right, we can end a war before it starts, and I could use your help to do it.”

  “Explain why you think members of one of my packs would attack without receiving my blessing.”

  “Because they are dead when they do, with no will left to act on their own.”

  A rough laughter filled the line. “Now you are just messing with me. No one can reanimate the dead.”

  “They can and have.” I let that thought sink in. “Sarafina has provided me with video footage of one of the attacks. I sent you a copy.”

  “One second, let me get it.” I could hear him snapping his fingers. All of the Lycans in the room had most likely heard our entire conversation, so they would know what he was looking for. I waited and heard a low growl as he saw members of his pack attacking the nest. Then I heard the video play again and again. “How is this possible?”

  “Let me ask you just one last question. Where were your people attacked and did you find blood, enough that would lead you to believe they had been grievously hurt or killed?”

  “We did.”

  “I will not lie to you, old friend. The danger we face from this new evil is not a small one. He knows exactly what these kind of attacks could trigger. Am I right to think that maybe a Fallen or two were left at each of the crime scenes, bodies shredded by claws?”

  “Something like that, yes.”

  “And were you already preparing for a battle with the Fallen?”

  “I have to be ready to protect our people.”

  “You do, but in this case that means standing together so we can find this person and destroy him.”

  “Tell me your plan.”

  “I have the promise of Sarafina that she will do all that she can to ensure that the Fallen do not attack your people. Have them be prepared anyway; she is not the only elder on this continent that would take action. One of the others might take the initiative to attack. What I need from you is even more, a few trained warriors to help us in our task. Not only would your help restore relations with the Fallen, but it could end this madness before it grows out of proportion.”

  “So you would ask me to contribute more than the Fallen, to send men and women to die while they sit in their nests and reap the benefits?”

  “I have a long history with the pack, a certain level of trust. I know what it is I am asking of you. I also know that I wouldn’t trust anyone else to stand beside my people.”

  “I will send you a team of the best to be led by my son, Julian. You will make sure that he comes back to me in one piece, or you will have more than the dead to worry about.”

  “Thank you for your help.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t seen who he is bringing with him.”

  The phone clicked in my ear. There was only one person he could mean, and if that was the case, then it was going to be an interesting week. The call had gone better than I had expected. With the help of the Lycans and my team, we would be able to bring Gaston to his knees. I was sure of it.

  The next order of business was to get the reports from Jackson and Marcus about what happened at the nest. During my call with Nicholas, a few messages had come across the bottom of my computer screen. It seemed that Marcus and Jackson had returned and there was some commotion. Jackson was waiting outside to speak with me, and Marcus was in the infirmary. So it seemed that a little babysitting mission had turned into much more. I buzzed my assistant to let him know it was ok to send Jackson in.

  Jackson came in and his clothes were torn and he had dried blood on his hands. He looked disheveled but otherwise appeared unharmed. The blood must have been Marcus’s, although it looked like Jackson could have spent a few hours with one of the healers. His eyes burned with intensity, like he couldn’t wait to start talking. I made a motion with my hand to let him know it was ok to jump into whatever he wanted to ask or needed to tell me.

  “Gaston says hello.”

  “Wait, you two ran into Gaston? How is it you’re still alive?” I didn’t mean for it to come out as harsh sounding as it did, but after hearing the inspector’s report on events and how handily he had been beaten, I was too shocked to say anything else.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” He gave me a little bit of a glare. “We wouldn’t be without Marcus. He fought him to a standstill while I took on the Lycans he sent at the nest. After I killed the last one, Marcus landed on the ground next to me bleeding from a wound on his chest. I thought he was going to die, but I didn’t have time to check on him. Gaston brought the fight to me.”

  “Tell me, Jackson, how did you know it was him? How did you manage to win?”

  “Dumb luck really. My magic was running low from my battles with the Lycans, and Gaston was super-fast and powerful, but he didn’t have any weapons. I thought all it would take was one good blow from my sword and he would be dead. He blocked the damn thing with his arm. He didn’t even bleed more than a few drops, and what did drop didn’t look much like blood. Then he healed himself somehow by licking the wound.”

  “You say he licked it?”

  “Yep, and man, was it gross. The guy’s tongue isn’t normal, not to mention all of those teeth. Something is seriously wrong with him, Adam. I don’t think he is human anymore.”

  “You still haven’t told me how you got away and how Marcus isn’t dead.”

  “Well, here’s the thing, I don’t know how Marcus was healed. The Fallen did something to him, and well, by the time we left, he wasn’t bleeding anymore.”

  “Ok, so how did you get away?”

  “Believe it or not, Sarafina was there. She stepped forward to have my back, and her nest came out as well. Gaston took one look at the combined numbers and he left. I did tell you he was freaky fast right?”

  “You did. I wonder if he would have even attacked there had he known Sarafina was in town. She would be a formidable opponent for any of the gifted.”

  “Wait, you’re saying this guy is one of us? Tell me I heard that wrong.”

  Mixed emotions flooded me; Gaston had been one of our best and brightest researchers. His depth of understanding of death magic was something I had been so proud of, until it twisted him. “He used to be, a long time ago. Once you could have even called us friends.”

  “What happened?”

  “The short version is he was seduce
d by a magic none of us understood. What you saw today, well, I have little doubt that there is almost nothing left of the man I once knew.”

  “Adam, I don’t know what he is doing, but we have to stop him.”

  “I think we will. I have a plan that I am working on, but nothing more can be done today. Go and check up on your friend and get healed yourself if you need it. It won’t be more than a few days; at least, I hope it won’t take longer before we get the chance to end this.”

  “Before I go, tell me, how did the Fallen heal Marcus?”

  “I assume they fed him some of their blood. It would have had to be someone very powerful for it to heal that kind of damage that quickly.”

  “Do you think Sarafina did it herself?”

  “I can only wonder if that was the case. Marcus will hate it, but he should count himself blessed. The blood will add healing and strength to him for some time.”

  “I want to be there when we go after Gaston. He almost killed Marcus. I want to be there to see him answer for it.”

  “That can be arranged.”

  “Thank you, Adam.”

  I gave Jackson a nod and watched him as he left. I wondered just what kind of man he was becoming. Dealing out justice was one thing, but how far would he go to make sure that he got his revenge? Jackson needed to be reminded of all the good he could accomplish, that he would accomplish if the prophecy was right. This inner turmoil he was feeling had to be the work of the prophecy, two sides pulling at him, trying to win. If we lost him to the dark, it would be a world none of us wanted to see.

  12

  Jackson

  The door to our medical unit was right in front of me when it opened outward. I had to take a quick step back to avoid being hit. The inspector came shuffling into the hallway, looking a little worse for wear. “What happened to you?”

  “Oh, you know, your standard run-in with someone you thought was already dead.”

  “So you ran into Gaston too?”

  “Wait, you were attacked by Gaston? How are you still alive?”

  I gave him a little bit of an angry look, but I was willing to chalk it up to his near-dead state. “Why does everyone keep saying that? It’s not like we are going out there totally unprepared. It’s a longer story than I have time for now, but Adam can share the details with you.”

  “I might just stop by and grab a copy of the report. So I take it Gaston didn’t bite you.”

  “Nope, is that what happened to you?”

  “It sure is. The bastard has a nasty set of teeth.”

  “I noticed. I hate to say it, but better you than me, Inspector.”

  “Next time it might be better if no one had to be bitten.”

  He shuffled past me; he wasn’t going to be getting anywhere fast, but I took it as a good sign that he was up and on his feet. I could tell right where Marcus was located because there was a bright red glow coming through the curtains. Nope, it wasn’t magical, just a fussy redheaded friend.

  As I got closer, I could hear April asking, “Are you comfortable? Need a pillow? What about some food?”

  Marcus was doing his best to reassure her he wasn’t falling apart. If anything, he was doing ok, better than ok. “I am a little hungry,” he managed to get out.

  As soon as he spoke the words, April popped out from behind the curtain and was on a mission to get him some food. She stopped when she saw me before bursting into tears and running straight at me. She wrapped me up in a hug, banging her head into my chest as her tears dotted the fabric. I pulled away almost instantly, and I could see the hurt in her eyes. It went away as the sharp hiss of breath escaped my lungs.

  I had been so worried about Marcus and reaching Adam, I had forgotten about all the injuries that I had sustained. I pulled up my shirt only to find my chest covered in dark purple and yellow bruises. Damn, that Gaston really packed a punch.

  April looked at my chest. The tears were still on her face, but I couldn’t hug her again, so I pulled her into a side hug. “Hey, what’s wrong? I’m ok. I promise.”

  She looked up at me. “You don’t look ok, and the first thing I did was hurt you. I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

  “Hey, you never hurt me, unless you count the three or four times a week you beat me into the ground out in the arena.” She slugged me in the chest, and I winced before laughing. “See, good as new.”

  “Jackson, I just don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. Next time you go anywhere, I’m coming with you.”

  “It’s a done deal. I can’t think of anyone I would rather have watching my back.”

  “You do know I can hear you guys, right?” Marcus said from the other side of the curtain.

  April and I laughed before she ducked under my arm and took off to get Marcus’s food. “Hey, man, you know what I meant. I like to toss you in front of me to take the brunt of the magical damage.”

  “Yeah, yeah. At least you and April made up. I was getting tired of her moping around.”

  “Me too. I still don’t even know what it was all about.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Nope, totally in the dark, man.”

  “Ok, well, I am going to let you figure that one out on your own,” he said with a mischievous grin.

  “So I heard you tell April that you are doing ok.”

  Now his smile turned genuine. “Man, better than ok I feel like I could run a marathon or lift a car.”

  “Marcus running anywhere, well, that would be something new.”

  “Whatever, dude. I still don’t know what happened or why they are holding me here for observation.”

  “Try not to freak out, ok?”

  “Why would I freak out?” His grin disappeared.

  “I talked with Adam, and we are pretty sure you ingested some vampire blood.”

  “What? How could that have happened? How could you have let that happen?”

  “Remember the monster with magic and a whole lot of teeth? I was busy keeping him from killing you.”

  “All right, I’ll give you that one, but that still doesn’t explain how it happened. I hate those things, man. I’d almost rather be dead than owe one of them a favor.”

  “I know you hate them, and frankly I was pretty sure you were going to die when I was fighting him. Shit, I thought I was going to die. Sarafina scared him off. Apparently an elder and an entire nest of vampires was too much for him to take on alone.”

  “So what’s the deal with the blood swap?”

  “I’m not sure. I was fighting when it happened. Adam told me to heal that kind of damage, it had to be from an older vamp, maybe even Sarafina herself.”

  “Damn, but I won’t turn into one of them, will I?”

  “It didn’t even occur to me to ask Adam that. He seemed to think you would be fine in a few weeks. Until then, he thought the blood might actually give you some additional benefits.”

  “You mean like mega healing and the endless energy thing.”

  “I guess so.”

  “I still hate the Fallen.”

  “I know, Marcus, and one of these days you are going to have to tell me about it.”

  “One of these days I will.”

  Two arms wrapped around my chest and pulled me tight against a figure that I knew very well. Britta had finally made an appearance. That same hiss of air escaped my lips, and she let go of my chest immediately.

  She stepped in front of me and pulled up my shirt. “Oh my God, Jackson, what happened to you?”

  “I just got in a little tangle with something I’m pretty sure wasn’t human.”

  “Well, what was it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She looked at Marcus. “Don’t look at me,” he said. “I don’t know what he was either.”

  “Well, this won’t do at all,” she said, turning back toward me. “You’re coming back to my room right now and I am going to heal you.”

  Marcus gave me an exaggerated wink over
her back. “Don’t let me stop you. I’m feeling fine.”

  Britta turned back around and gave Marcus a quick hug. He seemed surprised at the extra display of affection. “I was actually coming to see you. I heard you were hurt. I figured this big lug wouldn’t be leaving your side until you were better. Instead I come down here to see you in bed but looking ok, and this guy bruised like a truck ran over him and walking around.”

  “Tell me about it. I’ve been trying to get him out of here for ages.”

  Britta gave me an expectant look, hands firmly planted on her hips. “Seriously, I just got here,” I managed to mumble.

  “And now you are coming with me.” She grabbed my hand and started to lead me away.

  I looked back over my shoulder and saw Marcus covering his laughter with his hand, that bastard. On our way out, April was heading back in with a huge slice of chocolate cake. Man, she really knew how to take care of someone on bedrest. I gave her a smile as Britta dragged me past. She smiled back, but I still caught a sense of weariness when she looked at Britta.

  It had to be what Sarafina had told her. I still wasn’t sure what I believed. Both Sarafina and Britta had proved themselves to be loyal so far. Since I was sleeping with one of them, I had to give her the benefit of the doubt. I hoped that she wouldn’t let me down.

  Britta pulled me into her rooms; I was surprised at how different ours looked. We had the exact same layout, but while I enjoyed all the rough stone and uncovered pipes in mine, she had covered most of it up. Her rooms felt more like an actual house, and the furniture had all the little accents of a professional designer. I didn’t get to look at it for too long before she had pulled me into her bedroom and dragged me toward the bathroom.

  She turned on the water in the shower, and I could see it steaming against the glass. Even here she had added little touches; there was a bench in the shower for her to shave her legs, extra lights behind the vanity. I won’t even tell you about the amount of bottles there were in the shower and outside of it.