Soul Reaper

by Kate Keir

  “Impressive.”

  I jolted with shock at the unexpected voice behind me. Standing quickly and whirling around, I came face to face with Lyall. I realised he must have been hiding in the tree line when I heard him stand on the twig.

  “Why are you following me?” I should have been kinder to him, but I hadn’t wanted my Dion to witness my new found abilities just yet.

  “So, you do remember how to speak? Flora, what the hell’s going on? You haven’t said a word in over a month, you haven’t done anything except go to the library every day, then suddenly you’re on a rogue soul and Draugur vigilante mission.

  “Lyall, I was going to tell you all, but I needed to test it out first. I had to be sure I could do it. All I’ve done is train myself instead of waiting for one of you to do it. I know you’ve all been busy.” It sounded lame to me, even as I said it.

  “You put yourself at risk stalking that Draugur like it was a bloody deer. It could have taken you to Sluag, Flora, and we would have been none the wiser.”

  I smiled triumphantly. “But it didn’t, though, did it?”

  “You were lucky.”

  “I was skilful.”

  “What’s going on with you, love? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  I paused. His eyes looked so sad as he spoke, and I felt a twinge of guilt, knowing I wasn’t the only one who was hurting. I spoke more softly this time. “I need to hit back and hurt him, Lyall. I was trying to find a way to kill him, but I don’t think there is one, so I have to do something.”

  “I don’t think risking your life and going behind your Dion’s backs is the right way to do that, Flora. If you had told us, we could have backed you up while you tested your skills.”

  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

  “I know how much it hurts that we lost Mara, Flora. We all feel that pain as keenly as you do, and I know your heart has been broken by what Finlay did.” He curled his lip as he said Finlay’s name.

  “I don’t want to talk about him.” I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready for that yet.

  “Okay,” he soothed. “It’s amazing that you managed to learn how to send the Draugur souls back to the Endwood, love. Picking that up from just reading a book shows a great natural aptitude for your job.”

  I shrugged. “Thanks. I was quite surprised by how easy it actually was. I guess I really was born to do this.”

  “Pen’s working on finding a way to take him out permanently, you know.”

  “And what if there isn’t a way, Lyall? What if he’s going to be there for eternity? What if he outlives us all? How do we know the next bunch of incompetent idiots like us won’t let him kill their Soul Keeper and ruin the world?”

  He laughed a little at that. “I know what we’ve been through, but you have to be a little more optimistic than that, Flora. We will find a way to defeat Sluag. It’s just going to take some time.”

  “Has Pen done any more work on finding the new host for Mara’s soul?” Despite my sadness over the last few weeks, I was curious if the ritual Pen had completed at the Standing Stones of Broca had been successful.

  “Actually, she has. She thinks the new animal Soul Keeper may be in London somewhere. She’s still working to pinpoint an accurate location.”

  My interest sparked a little more at the knowledge that someone would have to go and retrieve the new person from Lyall’s hometown. “Are you going to be the one who goes to bring them back?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Apart from the fact that I’m the only one who’s been doing any work around here this last few weeks, I am the best candidate since I know the place better than anyone else. So yeah, I probably will.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been useless since…everything, Lyall.” I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.

  “You haven’t been useless, love. You’ve taught yourself a lot more than I could have taught you.” He gestured at the abandoned body as he spoke.

  “You’re going to make me tell Pen, aren’t you?”

  “She needs to know what you’re capable of, Flora, and this is good news. We need a bit of that these days. Don’t you think?”

  “I suppose we do,” I murmured as I took the hand he offered me, and we both willed ourselves out of the Everwood and back to the castle.

  Chapter Two

  Once we were back at the castle, we went straight to Pen’s room and asked to speak with her. She met with us in the great hall almost immediately, and Lyall sat patiently while I told her everything I had learned.

  I cringed a little when I told her about my encounter with the rogue and the Draugur, expecting a telling off. But she didn’t speak until I had finished relaying the day’s events.

  “Firstly, I want to thank you both for telling me about today. It’s wonderful to hear what you have achieved over the last few weeks, Flora. I knew you were up to something.” She winked at me.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Pen.” I spoke quietly.

  She held up a hand to stop me speaking. “We must focus on the future and not the past. You have acquired some formidable new skills, and we will undoubtedly be grateful for them soon enough.”

  Lyall interjected. “What about you, Pen? Have you located Mara’s replacement yet?”

  The pain that dulled Pen’s eyes was quickly replaced with a steely determination. I wondered, not for the first time, how she ever grew to be so strong and in control of her feelings.

  “I think I have. Her name is Enid, and she seems to spend a great deal of time at the city zoo. It should be extremely easy for you to find her there, Lyall.”

  “I’d like to go too, Pen? I think a break away from here might do me some good.” I hadn’t realised I was going to speak, until I did.

  Pen took a moment to really consider my request. She glanced at Lyall, as though asking him an unspoken question. Lyall gave the tiniest nod in response. I narrowed my eyes, promising myself I would question him about it later.

  “I think it’s a good idea for you both to travel to London. It will put my mind at rest knowing there are two of you, especially with your new abilities, Flora.” Pen smiled.

  “Thank you, Pen, and I’m sorry I kept this from you both.”

  “Just try to be honest with us, Flora. We have to be able to trust each other. I know that’s a difficult thing to ask of you after everything.”

  I nodded but stayed silent. I still didn’t trust myself to speak when Finlay’s betrayal was brought up in conversation. I had finally accepted my best friend was a traitor, who had tried to kill me. But I hadn’t found a way to cope with the knowledge yet, and every time I thought of him, I felt as if a knife was twisting deep in my chest.

  “How soon should we leave?” Lyall asked.

  “I see no reason to wait. The poor girl will be able to sense that something is different within her. I suspect the reason she makes a pilgrimage to the zoo almost every day is because she has an uncontrollable attachment to the animals.”

  “But she won’t understand why,” I finished.

  “Exactly. She’s probably feeling very disorientated right now. The sooner we can get to her, the sooner we can help her,” Pen agreed.

  “Will Mara’s soul completely dislodge this girl’s own soul?” Lyall asked curiously.

  Pen shook her head. “I don’t think so. From what I read about the ritual, Enid will retain all of the memories that she has built in her life. She will still be Enid, but she will somehow absorb Mara’s soul into her own, and she will begin to realise that she is no longer just herself.”

  “That must be terrifying.” I felt so sorry for this poor girl.

  “I imagine it will be. That’s why I’m happy for you to leave as soon as you are ready.”

  Lyall was, as ever, the voice of reason. “If we go, that will leave you and Freya pretty much alone. Artair isn’t really up to being able to help protect you guys.”

  “It’s not ideal, Lyall. We will be split down the middle again, just li
ke before. But we would be crazy to try and drag Artair along for the ride in his current state. Anyway, even if he could be persuaded, we would likely come home to find Castle Dion overrun by Draugur.”

  I shuddered at that. “How many Draugur does he have, Pen? Can’t I just hunt each and every one and send them back?”

  “I don’t know how many exactly. You probably could hunt them down, but you would be risking your life every time. Sluag would eventually wise up to what you were up to, and he would begin laying traps.”

  “And we can’t have our Soul Keeper risking her life every day, love.” Lyall said firmly.

  I shot him a warm smile and wrapped my fingers through his under the table. Inside my head, I cursed myself for shutting him out for so long. In just a few hours he had made me feel more confident that I could get through this than I had felt in weeks.

  “So, when do we leave?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow?” Lyall suggested.

  “Tomorrow sounds good. I will use the time you are away to try and help Freya put Artair back together again.” Pen spoke sadly.

  “I wish there was something else we could do to help him.” I unconsciously tightened my grip on Lyall’s hand as I spoke.

  “Time is the only thing that will help Artair to recover, and perhaps it will help him to be near Mara’s soul again, despite it not truly being his Mara,” Pen suggested.

  “I hope it doesn’t hurt him even more,” Lyall said.

  Pen stood up. “I don’t think there is much that could hurt him more right now. May I suggest you two take the form of wolves during the majority of your journey. You have a lot of ground to cover, and you will do it much more quickly and stealthily as your shifter selves.”

  My lips twitched in pleasure at the thought of running the length of the country as a white wolf, with Lyall at my side.

  Lyall was a little more practical. “Pen, if we’re spotted, we’ll be hunted. Wolves haven’t been seen in the UK for hundreds of years.”

  “Yet if Sluag or his Draugur get wind of you, then you’ll be hunted by them. I’d prefer to have mere humans on my trail, don’t you think?” Pen spoke with confidence.

  “She’s got a good point, Lyall.” I was sold on Pen’s logic. Plus, I felt excited and alive for the first time in a long time.

  Lyall contemplated our options for a moment longer before replying. “If we’re going to travel as wolves, we need to plan a route that will keep us concealed by forests and woods for as much of the journey as possible.”

  “That makes good sense,” Pen agreed.

  “I’ll spend tonight looking over some maps and trying to plan a good route.” Lyall stood to leave.

  Pen shot me a concerned look. “Are you certain you’re up to this, Flora?”

  Fighting the urge to answer with a straight yes, I paused and thought about how I felt before I responded.

  “I think I need this, Pen. Some time t–to,” I faltered.

  “To heal,” she finished for me.

  My eyes shone with tears as I nodded. “Yes.”

  Pen stood up alongside Lyall. “Well in that case, I believe it’s very much the right course of action. I will leave you both to lay your plans. I’ll come to see you off in the morning.”

  After Pen left, Lyall came to stand behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders comfortingly. I closed my eyes and enjoyed his company, it had been too long since I’d had this.

  “I didn’t think you were going to come out of it, Flora. I had genuinely begun to think you’d never speak again.” His grip on my shoulders tightened, almost imperceptibly as he spoke.

  “I needed time, Lyall. I was hurting—I still am.” I stood up and turned to face him. “I know I didn’t even acknowledge you when you spent every day trying to get through to me, and I’m so sorry.”

  He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

  Resting my head against his chest, I breathed deeply and slowly. “If you hadn’t come every day, if you hadn’t been there like you were, then I don’t know if I would have ever woken up. Thank you, Lyall.”

  He bent his head and kissed my hair gently. “You’re welcome, love.”

  Chapter Three

  Going to bed that night was a completely different experience to the last few weeks. Over that time, I had gone to bed and lain in the dark for hours without sleep. Tonight, I had purpose and a desire to wake tomorrow. Despite everything I knew, spending time with Lyall as a wolf would be just the sanctuary I needed from my mind’s constant revision of Finlay’s betrayal.

  Within seconds of falling to sleep, I felt a spear of ice down my spine as I found myself standing within the dark landscape of the Endwood. It came as a shock because I hadn’t been summoned by Sluag for weeks. Not since, Finlay.

  Oh, God, Finlay. He’d be here.

  I started to look around frantically. I couldn’t see him. I wasn’t ready for that confrontation. I needed to get out of the Endwood.

  “Yet you know that you can’t leave unless I let you go, Flora,” Sluag’s voice rasped as he emerged from the cover of the charred black trees.

  I whirled around and looked at him. My eyes ran across his grey skin and the disorganised wisps of hair that scattered across his scaly skull. I met his sickly orange eyes and I trembled.

  “Are you finally afraid of me now, Little Dreamer?” He took a step toward me and smiled, revealing his hideous rows of yellow teeth.

  I was afraid. He’d taken more from me than I had ever imagined he could. He’d stolen my oldest and closest friend, somehow making Finlay hate me enough to offer to sacrifice my life. He had almost destroyed me by breaking my heart. It was a struggle to find even a flicker of the bravado I had used during my previous interactions with Sluag.

  “No, I’m not.” It wasn’t the wittiest comeback I’d ever used, but I was proud I’d managed anything at all. I scanned the tree line again, looking for a tell-tale flash of white hair. There was nothing.

  “He’s not here, Little Dreamer.”

  “Where is he?” I asked without thinking. Something about the way Sluag spoke had set me on edge.

  “I’ll take you to him if you like. But first we need to have a little chat, you and I.”

  I sighed. I knew better than to think I had an option. Sluag wouldn’t let me leave until he was ready, and if he wanted to talk, then he definitely wasn’t ready. I found two rocks nearby that sat just a few feet apart and gestured that he should take a seat.

  He raised his sparse eyebrows in surprise at my suggestion that we sit together, but he complied and sat down on the nearest rock.

  Smiling contemptuously, I walked past him and approached a completely different rock, which was about six feet away from the one Sluag had just chosen. As I took a seat, I raised my chin defiantly. I wouldn’t let him gloat over what he had taken from me.

  His laugh was like a hiss of cold air. “Oh, Flora. Is that the best retaliation you have after all I have caused you to endure?”

  I felt the familiar fire rise within my stomach, and I was grateful for my anger. “This isn’t even close to being retaliation for what you’ve done. I am working on finding a way to end you forever, Sluag. You might have noticed I’ve already gained a few new skills.”

  “Ahh, yes the parlour tricks you used on my Draugur and the rogue souls. I admit you do show signs of improvement, Little Dreamer. Yet, you are no closer to finding a way to destroy me, are you?”

  “Everything I do brings me a step closer to finishing you, Sluag. I’m sure you thought I’d given up for a while. Maybe I even did give up. But in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m still fighting.”

  He heaved a theatrical sigh. “I’m sure Mara West will be eternally grateful that you’re fighting for her, Flora.”

  I didn’t give thought to my next move. Before I knew what I was doing, I was on my feet and had launched myself across the space between the rocks. My aim had been to shift into a wolf and tear the
throat from beneath Sluag’s grinning face. Instead, I crashed headlong into the empty rock and rolled to my still very human feet with the sound of his mirthless laughter ringing in my ears.

  He was behind me, sitting on the rock I had just vacated. His smile became broader as his laughter tapered off and he spoke. “You can’t shift in my world, Little Dreamer. I do wonder how many times I will humiliate you before I finally end your pathetic life.”

  Breathing heavily, I stood my ground, refusing to sit back down. I was filled with despair and anger. His mention of Mara only compounded the guilt I felt over my part in her death. If I hadn’t been so stupid, if I hadn’t followed Finlay to the Endwood, Mara would still be alive and Artair wouldn’t be broken.

  “I don’t know.” I managed.

  He looked at me questioningly.

  “I don’t know how many times you’ll humiliate me. I’m not very good at this. I haven’t been doing it for very long. But I am learning, and every time you strike out at me or take away something or someone I love, you give me the drive to carry on getting better and better.”

  “You’re a child, Flora. I’ve always thought it unfair to pit a child against an immortal being. It’s no wonder none of your line have lived beyond thirty-five really.” He finished with an air of melancholy.

  I felt his words like a punch to my stomach. If what he said was true, then Pen’s husband was the longest-lived Soul Keeper. A fact that Pen hadn’t shared with me when she had told me how old Aiden Williams was when he died.

  “I’m sure she was only trying to protect you from the truth, Little Dreamer.” He smirked.

  “Get out of my head,” I snarled.

  “Had you been a little more studious, you might have found a way to keep me out by now, Flora. Or you might have found a way to stop me from summoning you altogether.” He shrugged.

  “That’s on the cards, Sluag. It’s just a matter of time. That’ll be step one. Then step two will be to destroy you and your Draugur army.” I had regained a little composure.