Jar of Souls

by Bradford Bates

  April looked down at my hand on her arm and then into my eyes. I couldn’t hide from her what I was feeling. She was my best friend, and I had hurt her, not only that but now I was thinking of her as more than a friend. How had that even happened? She gave me a sad smile and placed her hand over mine. She let it linger there for a moment. When she removed her hand, I let mine stay for a second before I did the same.

  “Guess our workout is over for the day,” I said.

  “Yeah, but I’ll still be here on our next off day to whip your lazy ass into shape.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  April slid out of the ring and bent to grab her gear. I couldn’t help but watch her as she left, for the first time seeing her as the amazing woman she was. What in the hell was I going to do? I was with Britta. Loved Britta, at least I thought I did. Damn. When did this relationship thing become so complicated, and why had it taken me so long to realize what was right in front of me?

  Maybe my meeting with Adam would be just the distraction I needed to take my mind off of it. I slipped out of the ring and packed my gear. There would be time to worry about what just happened between me and April later. For now I needed to focus on the task at hand. That was Gaston. I wanted to know just why he was so important, not to mention how in the hell he had become so powerful. The most important question was how did we stop him?

  This time when I got to Adam’s office, the door was already open as if he had been expecting me. He smiled as I sat down, and it was hard for me not to return it. Adam had the bearing of a friendly grandfather most of the time. The only time I had truly seen him angry was when he thought April had been taken by the Fallen. That was when I started to understand why he ran things. People respected him, and he had the power to back up his decisions.

  “I am happy you came early, Jackson. It will give us some time to talk before the inspector gets here,” he said while putting down a book on his desk.

  “I was hoping to catch you alone; I had another dream last night.” He made a motion in the air with his hand, telling me to go on. “It wasn’t the same as before. Well, it kind of was. I killed the man who killed my parents, but this time I saw my reflection.”

  “What did it look like?”

  “I looked a lot like myself but different. My eyes were glowing red, and my skin had grown pale. I had a hood on, so I couldn’t see the rest.”

  “How did you feel when you saw it?”

  “Disgusted and powerful. At the end of my dream, I flew toward the center of a city. I had a feeling that whatever was going to happen next wouldn’t be good.”

  “Your dreams are concerning, Jackson, but I have faith that when the time comes, you will make the right choices. Always remember we are here for you, and that many wrongs can be set right.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “One more question, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” This time it was my turn to tell him to keep going. “These dreams seem to center around the deaths of your adopted parents, by getting revenge on their killer.”

  Tell me something I don’t know, I thought.

  “You haven’t talked about them with me since you have been here. Have you had a chance to talk with anyone about their deaths, about how you feel?”

  I had to seriously think about it. I had told Marcus, April, and Britta about it, but we hadn’t really spoken about it in depth. They could tell I wanted space and I didn’t want to relive the gory details. Since then, I had thrown myself into my training and the missions I had been assigned. I hadn’t let myself even think about it. Was I grieving? Had I even grieved for them? I didn’t even know what happened to their bodies. Did they get buried somewhere or cremated? I guess I had more questions about it than I cared to admit.

  “I guess I really haven’t, sir. I was pulled out of my home in a rather awkward manner, and I haven’t had time to think about it, or I just didn’t make time.”

  “It seems to me like we should make the time to talk about it. How about after we catch Gaston, we sit down and talk.”

  “That sounds horrible, but I think it would help. I have to ask, do you know what happened to them, to their bodies, I mean?”

  “I don’t, but I will find out where they are interred and we can go there together. I should have spent more time finding out information on what happened to them since you came here. I met them once very briefly. They seemed like wonderful people, and they had the trust of your real parents. Not many people did.”

  “You met my adoptive parents?”

  “I did, once at a Christmas party your birth parents were having for their neighbors. It wasn’t something we often did—for the most part we try to stay out of human events—but I think your mother knew that she was pregnant by then and wanted to give you a chance at a normal life. You have to understand, because of the unique circumstances of your birth, there was no way to know if you would be one of the gifted or not.”

  The inspector knocked on the open door behind us, and Adam waved him into the office.

  “We will have to continue this conversation later,” Adam said.

  He looked like his mind was still buried in the past, and I wished for a moment that the inspector hadn’t joined us yet. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Sorry to interrupt, gentleman,” Lapointe said, taking a seat.

  I was happy to see him moving around like normal. I was afraid the bite might have done something more permanent to him. He looked to be back in good health, if not in good cheer. Adam turned his gaze from me and fixed it onto the inspector.

  “I have good news and bad news.”

  “Let’s start with the bad,” Adam said.

  “As you know from our last meeting, all five of our research sites had been targeted by Gaston. Three of them unfortunately were completely destroyed with full casualties. The other two I reached in time, and those personnel are here now and safe. The bad news is that Gaston was probably working with the man we have in custody. That means he sold out the rest of the teams and set Gaston free. I should have just killed him. He is still refusing to talk.”

  “Since he only attacked three, how do you know he knew about all five?” Adam asked.

  “I think it’s safe to assume that he did. Knowing the precise location of three would already point to an inside job. We know for sure that at least one asset has been corrupted by Gaston. I think it’s time we considered a harsher form of interrogation. I have people cataloging the body parts at the scenes to ensure all of the scientists are accounted for. We also need to question those who weren’t attacked and anyone else you can think of.”

  “Ok, so that is the bad news, but it’s manageable. What is the good news?”

  “The good news is I found something for you. Something we thought Gaston might already have.”

  He pulled a chain from around his neck. At the bottom of the chain was a small hourglass figurine. It would have been considered plain if not for the crystals set around the edge of the top and bottom. Adam let out a low whistle at the sight of it. It must be a powerful object for these two men to treat it with such respect. The inspector sat the necklace on the desk, and I watched with wonder as the chain retracted into the hourglass and somehow grew in size.

  When it stopped, it was nearly a foot and half tall and eight inches around. The blue jewels at the top and bottom of the glass glowed faintly, and instead of sand, it seemed that a swirling mist filled the inside. When I stared hard enough into the mist, I swore it turned into faces, but I couldn’t be sure. It was like seeing things in the clouds. It was there and then it was gone.

  “So you found it. I thought it was lost to us,” Adam said.

  “I did indeed. In one of the bases that I sent a cleanup crew to. It was stored in a secret compartment. I went back after one of the site leaders reached out to me asking if I had brought the Jar. Thank God for the fireproof safe because I torched the entire place. It was also smart of them to hide
it in such a normal place. Gaston would have passed right over it without any indication something was there.”

  “Well, now we have our way to lure Gaston out into the light.”

  “You mean, all of this was so he could get that?” I asked.

  “Yes,” both of them said at once.

  I looked between the two men, wondering just what was so special about this object. I wanted to reach out and touch it, but I kept getting an uneasy feeling. It kind of felt like the object was cursed and to touch it would have some devastating effect. It didn’t help that the two most powerful people I knew looked at it in open awe.

  “Just what is this thing called?”

  “Jackson, you are one of very few people who has ever seen this object, let alone heard of it. It is of the upmost importance that this remains secret. This is the Jar of Souls.” Adam gave me a stern look as he finished talking.

  “You mean like in the video game? If I touch it, will the undead rise from all around and try to kill me?”

  “I’m not sure about any video game, but no, in this case the undead would rise and you would control them,” Adam said.

  “You see,” the inspector intoned, “inside of this Jar are the souls of people who have been imprisoned. There is a ritual that takes place, and the Jar can strip the souls of those its master commands. Then those souls can be forced back into the bodies of the dead.”

  “So, what, you could make zombies?”

  “Well, a normal necromancer can make zombies. Someone with the Jar can animate corpses that will fight just as they would have when alive. Although we have yet to see one of the risen be able to call on the gift.”

  Adam nodded in agreement with what the inspector just said. “Not only that, but in the wrong hands, the Jar could be deadly. Imagine an army of the undead, all able to act and move as if they were alive. All one would need to replace a broken or decaying body is a new victim.”

  “I’m still trying to wrap my head around members of the gifted being able to raise the dead. I thought that wasn’t possible.”

  “Well, we like to encourage people to think that it is impossible,” Adam said.

  So they were telling me that the dead could rise, but they were more of the Walking Dead variety, unless of course you had control of the Jar. Something didn’t quite make sense to me, then. “But the Lycans Gaston controlled moved with a purpose.”

  “Hence why we thought he already had the Jar,” the inspector said.

  “It is disturbing to think he found a way to control the dead like he does without the use of the Jar. It must have something to do with his transformation. If what I have been reading is right, we might also have another problem. If Gaston truly is a lich, then he can have at least three ghouls under his command,” Adam said

  “Wait, a lich, like from Dungeons and Dragons? And what do you mean by ghouls?”

  “I’m not sure about the Dungeons and Dragons version, but a lich would be a strong magic-user who found a way to bind himself with death. There would be little of the man left, but he would become extremely powerful. He would be able to take a small amount of his soul and bind it to someone else, making them more powerful but still human for all intents and purposes, a human slave with more power than your average necromancer.”

  “Sounds to me like the sooner we can get him into the open and end this, the better.”

  “I would have to agree,” the inspector said.

  “I will have to think about the best way to lure him out. When I have come up with something, I will let you know. We should have the support of the Lycans. In fact, they are sending a few representatives to help us contain the situation. If Sarafina is also an ally, then we may stand a very real chance of defeating this enemy.”

  “Do you need anything else from us?” the inspector asked.

  “Not at the moment. Take the rest of the day and do as you will.”

  I had learned a while ago when I had been dismissed from Adam’s office, it didn’t always come with a goodbye. He was already deep in thought trying to work out a strategy we could use to beat Gaston. I didn’t envy his job at all. Coming up with that plan and then committing people’s lives to it didn’t seem like all that great of a job. When people died, you had to carry that with you, and I doubt the centuries made it any easier for him.

  14

  Adam

  It was time to put my plan into motion, but I needed to know all of the pieces on the board before I got started. That meant reaching out to Sarafina to find out if she would be willing to help. I wasn’t sure just what kind of help I could expect, but any would be better than none. Our last meeting hadn’t gone incredibly well, but she had taken steps to save Jackson and Marcus, so that could be a good sign.

  The phone rang three times before she picked it up. The fact that she picked it up at all was a positive indicator.

  Her soft and cultured voice said, “Hello?”

  As if she didn’t know who it was already. “Hello, Sarafina.”

  “Ah, Adam,” she intoned sardonically, “What can I help you with today? Did you call to thank me for saving one of yours?”

  “Actually I didn’t, but it does remind me that thanks are in order. From what Jackson has told me, Marcus would have been dead without your help. Maybe even both of them. For that I owe you a debt.”

  “Well, it is always nice to be appreciated, and I’ll keep that favor in mind. I’m sure it will be of use someday. Now tell me the real reason for your call.”

  “I wanted to find out if you would have any interest in helping us end this matter once and for all. Nicholas has been so kind as to grace us with a small contingent of his people. I wondered if you would do the same.”

  “Oh, Adam, I wish you hadn’t mentioned the use of those nasty beasts in your plan. With the current state of things, I can’t risk sending my people to help.”

  “But you helped us before.”

  “Oh, I can pass that off as defending my nest from attackers and ensuring that we didn’t bring down the wrath of the Ascendancy on our heads. But joining with you and the wolves openly? Well, that is another thing entirely.”

  “With your resources, this conflict would come to a much easier conclusion, and we can all go back to eyeing each other with suspicion afterward.”

  “I just can’t do it. Adam, you know my position on the ruling council has always been tenuous at best. They seem to feel that my relationship with you might impair my judgement on certain issues. The best I can do for you this time is to ensure that my people stay out of it.”

  “Well, that is something; at least we won’t have to worry about watching for an attack.”

  “See, now you’re looking at the bright side of things.”

  I could almost see her smiling at my displeasure. “It has been a pleasure speaking with you as always.”

  “Adam, how you wound me.”

  This time I could hear the genuine laughter as it poured from her lips. The phone easily found its way back into the cradle on my desk. Well, that could have gone better. I guess I should be happy that it ended as well as it did. Her help probably would have made her look weak, especially after I stormed into her club and killed part of her family. New vampires were like cockroaches, though. She would get over it in time.

  Henry popped his head inside of my door. “Adam, the Lycan contingent has arrived.”

  “Thank you, Henry. See that whoever is leading them is shown to my office. For the others, let’s get them into a room and bring them some food. Hopefully that will keep them calm for a while.”

  “I’ll see to it.”

  I didn’t have long to wait before they would be here, and the fact that the Fallen had chosen to sit this one out made what I was going to ask them to do somewhat easier. I had a feeling about who might be joining Nicholas’s son for this meeting, and it still filled me with unease. I had thought that she was dead, and then I heard rumors of a silver-haired Lycan. I had never allowed myself to hope
that it was true. Looking for her would have only brought unwanted questions and put a bigger target on her back. If it was her, it wouldn’t only be me who was in for a shock.

  The door to my office opened, and I felt my chest get tight as she walked in. It really was her; it was Sarah. I hadn’t seen her in eighteen years, not since the day I thought she died. She looked the same as she had that day, beautiful black hair flowing to the middle of her back. She was just as beautiful as the day I had introduced her to John. Maybe even more so now, as her Native American heritage made her more unique in this time.

  We had always had a rocky relationship, and if not for John, I’m sure we would have fallen out much sooner than we did. Still, it was a shock to see her here today. My chest finally came back to grips with reality, and the breath I had held in finally escaped my lungs. I sucked in new air greedily as I made my way to my feet.

  Her partner stepped in front of her, obviously concerned by my reaction. I made a motion for them to sit. “Thank you for coming, Julian. I’m in your father’s debt once again.”

  “I am honored to have been chosen to come.” His eyes flashed with intensity. Apparently coming to work with me was not the honor he had been hoping for.

  I waited for him to settle into a chair before addressing the other person in the room. “Sarah, it is wonderful to see you again.”

  “I wish I could say the same.” Her eyes watched me like any predator. Her words dripped with cool disdain.

  “What? How do you two already know each other?” Julian asked.

  Sarah’s eyes flicked to mine and then back to her Alpha’s son. “We have history.”

  His eyes moved to meet mine, questions burning behind them. “Apparently our history is our own.”

  That didn’t do anything to assuage Julian’s curiosity. He looked at Sarah and simply commanded her, “Tell me.”

  She looked at him for a moment, clearly trying to decide just how much she needed to tell him. She was gauging the response Nicholas might have if she refused. “Adam and I used to work together; he introduced me to my husband.”