The Protector of Memories (The Veil of Death Book 1)

by D. K. Manning

  Her expression grew serious. “A miracle happened to me on the day of April’s 1st. As you can see, I suffered no injuries in that fatal car accident. Not a scratch. Not a bruise. Not a broken bone in my arm or upon my face, as Mr Herringbone had led you all to believe.”

  She stopped talking, put on an expression of compassion. “I have a gift and I intend to share it with you all. Visit YoungSkin and you will receive sets of my creams and lotions. You will also be given a book of vouchers that offer great discounts on my next invention. Out of something very sinister there has arisen something very miraculous. I was visited by inspiration in the early hours of this morning and my next gift to you all will be a cream capable of regeneration_.”

  Faith turned the television off.

  She stared at the darkness of the television screen and was reminded of Sir Walter Scott’s poem; ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive’.

  “What is it?” Hope asked as she walked into the room and sighted so much angst surrounding her sister’s body.

  Faith pointed toward the blank television screen.

  “Charity has sculptured her image back to that of youth and beauty.” Faith explained briefly. “Mr Herringbone has been arrested for kidnapping Charity and for having made false claims to her injuries. All signs of her aged skin have gone. The broken bone in her arm is mended.”

  Hope listened, frowned and stating the obvious said “Charity has the ability to regenerate?”

  “It seems that she has regained more than that. I saw threads from Reality and Perception woven into Charity’s body image.”

  “By the stars…” Hope faltered.

  “Indeed.” Faith stated. “And what did Charity possess that allows the empty ghosts to journey into the living body?”

  “Stardust…” Hope rubbed her hands over her mouth. “Hera,” and wondered how Hera had managed to give Charity such a gift whilst trapped within the Void of Emptiness. “Charity’s empty ghosts must have been some sort of link… channel_?”

  “Good Morning,” Sam whispered but after yesterday’s events she felt as if she would never be able to attach the word ‘good’ to anything ever again.

  She glanced between Faith and Hope. “Stardust is powerful stuff isn’t it?”

  Faith stared at Sam. “Yes Sam. With stardust you can cross over into all dimensions, worlds and realms within the Universe.”

  “Sounds wonderful… and dangerous.” Sam said.

  Hope stared into Sam’s eyes, brushed her fingers gently across the ugly bruise that was on Sam’s jaw line. She wanted to take away her pain… brush away the colour of black that circled her eyes; Sam’s night had been filled with nightmares and terrors which the art of making love could not chase away.

  “Hope?” Sam said hesitantly. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” Hope smiled tenderly and explained what the stardust had done for Faith. “Faith’s stardust provided her mortal mind with the space as vast as the Universe. Many a mortal would envy what Faith now possesses. But it was the only way to ensure that Madness could never reach Faith’s sanity.”

  “Mine could do with that right now.” Sam whispered and looked to the floor.

  Faith whispered softly to Sam, “Give to yourself time Sam.”

  “Time,” Sam said and shook her head in dismay, “time fades the pain but it does not heal it.” She pushed her fingers through her hair. “So what has stardust protected Charity from…” she faltered, widened her eyes in horror and whispered, “Please don’t tell me that she is protected from the empty ghosts?”

  “Our mother,” Hope explained. “Sprinkled Charity with stardust so that she would have the ability to feel the pain that she gives unto another living being…” She paused, looked over toward the window and continued. “She knew not then that one of her daughters had chosen to become a killer of Souls.”

  Faith joined into the conversation and said with sadness, “Charity has made a trade with Hera… stardust for regeneration.”

  Sam stared between the two of them and asked. “How on earth can any of us fight an enemy that is already dead_?”

  A single beating of a drum sounded out into Faith’s apartment and its echo reverberated within the airwaves for what seemed an eternity before it eventually faded out.

  Sam was reminded of Apollo’s fate and stared in amazement at the sculpture of the drummer man because he now stood facing them. “That did just actually happen?” she asked. “I imagined it not…” and continued to look between Hope and Faith, “That was for real wasn’t it?”

  Faith placed her hand gently onto Sam’s arm. “Yes Sam,” she said. “That was for real and you need to start preparing yourself. It is not only the ghosts of your dead who need to be seen to be believed. When Hera arrives the immortals will awaken.”

  Sam pushed her fingers through her hair and remained quiet.

  Faith’s attention turned now upon the time.

  She read the digits on the clock atop the television; 07.45. “I will take my shower…” she walked toward the archway. “We need to leave before the hour is eight thirty. We must not be late to meet the woman called Katherine. Destiny brought her to us yesterday and we missed that opportunity. We cannot afford to do so again.”

  Sam stared after Faith and when she had disappeared through the archway, she started to panic. “Is Faith to be arrested today?” Sam asked, but another thought had just occurred to her. “Faith will talk of the ghost called David and how he had used her body. She will continue to warn the world about the empty ghosts.” Sam’s mind raced ahead of her words as she began to imagine all sorts of scenarios. Fear now joined her panic.

  “Hope. Nobody is going to believe her. Charity trading stardust and…” she raised her voice, “it’s too late. The ghost called David is right. We only learn after it is all too late…” she took a gulp of air, “Nobody is going to believe her? Faith is trying to help us and what will she get in return? A body full of drugs and a long list of mental conditions. I can’t bear it…”

  “Sam.” Hope embraced Sam into her arms. “Calm your mind.”

  But Sam’s body tensed within her embrace.

  “Please Sam,” she insisted. “You need to calm your thoughts for they are creating within you your panic.”

  Sam stepped away from Hope. “This is why I am so scared. Look at me I’m shaking…” she held out her hands to prove her point. “Of what use will I be to any of you?”

  She turned away from Hope and traced the pattern of musicals notes with her fingertips.

  Hope stood behind Sam and wrapped her arms around her waist and they both remained quiet for a couple of moments, lost within their own world of thoughts.

  Hope’s thoughts were upon the suspicion that her mother had not given her stardust to protect her inner Self… but her Soul for when it journeyed into her next life-time. Tightening her embrace around Sam’s waist at the thought of leaving Sam – Hope knew not when that time was to be, but she knew it to be soon.

  Sam’s thoughts in the meantime were on what people would fear the most; the sighting of ghosts or immortal beings… aliens? And this led her to wonder about Hope’s mother. What would she look like? But this thought then triggered another. “Where is the small silver ball?” She asked Hope but that question immediately led into more questions. “Why haven’t you or Faith got it? Found it? Something of great significance and neither of you have it?” Panic filled Sam as another thought shot through her mind. “Charity hasn’t got it has she? Your mother is in that small silver ball and Charity has it.”

  Hope kissed the top of Sam’s head and tasted the saltiness from the tear-drops that were rolling down her own face and dropping onto Sam’s hair. “My mother was within it.” Hope realised that that statement would evoke more questions within Sam’s mind and she quickly added. “Remember that my mother turned herself into echoes. Echoes cannot be encased within anything.”

  Sam placed her hands over Hope�
�s hands and when the silence lengthened, Hope eventually broke it. “Imagine yourself walking along the coastline of a sandy beach. Those are the times when your body’s imprint is visible. You can see the mark that you etch deep unto your Earth.” Hope paused to see if Sam wanted to say anything.

  “Okay.” Sam said, “I’ve got that image.”

  “The imprints that my mother leaves behind are not footprints but words… echoes. When she moves forward, backward, upwards or spirals up and up and up…” Hope lowered her voice and whispered. “Echoes and words are what my mother etches behind her. The small silver ball was moulded to keep safe our stardust but now that we have our stardust the silver ball is but a silver ball.”

  Sam sighed aloud, shook her head in confusion, “you all have your stardust?”

  “Yes,” she stroked Sam’s hair and added, “All who had been claimed were visited by our mother. But I suspect that only Charity, Faith and I are truly aware of the dream. We live our first mortal life but so many before us have forgotten who they are.”

  “Like Linda.” Sam interjected and repeated. “So why release the stardust?”

  “I don’t know,” Hope answered honestly. “Our mother took a great risk with something as valuable as stardust but I’m guessing it was to weaken the links of those who are so strongly bound to the Earth.

  Sam nodded and veered the conversation back to the risk that Hope had just spoken of. “The risk being that Charity has used hers as a bargaining chip?”

  “Yes and…” Hope paused and using Linda as an example continued, “We know that Linda’s attachment has weakened because she can see ghosts and auras but if the other children’s attachment does not weaken before they die then their stardust will crumble when their body does. This life-time is the only chance of becoming free from the Earth… beyond that they will never escape her cycle of reincarnation.”

  But now Hope’s sadness plunged deeper at the thought of what her parents had unleashed. “How can I speak about the risks placed upon the value of stardust when our parents have endangered the value of life?”

  Sam squeezed Hope’s hand. “Hope,” she said. “Your parents are not responsible for endangering the existence of life. Mankind is…” Sam paused, shook her head, “The entire race of all immortal beings are on this earth because they are willing to sacrifice their freedom to help us fight for ours.” Another thought occurred to Sam. “I don’t know how to say this without it sounding selfish but I’m going to say it anyway. If Hera had not done what she had, I would never have met you.”

  Sam turned her body around so that she could face Hope but she was momentarily taken aback when she realised that Hope was crying. “Hope…”

  “Do you remember reading about my mother saying to Zeus that ‘there are no energies at Thalia’s disposal that can protect the mortal body from within’?”

  “Yes.” Sam said very quietly.

  “Well there is one energy Sam. It is your love that protects me from within.” Hope brushed her fingertips down Sam’s face, bent her head and kissed tenderly the bruise on Sam’s jaw before kissing the softness of Sam’s neck. “We need to go and get ready.” Hope said regretfully.

  Sam’s body had responded to Hope’s kisses. “If we showered together that would save us some time.” And she led Hope toward the archway and into the bedroom.

  Chapter 24

  Faith, Hope and Sam reached the top of the West End Library a little before eight forty-five.

  “There’s Linda.” Sam said and waved over toward the main doors. She glanced at the woman who stood next to Linda and asked, “Is that Katherine?”

  Hope looked across to where Linda and Katherine were standing but she was momentarily startled; why have we not seen her before now?

  “Faith do you see her? Katherine is Shadow and Light_?”

  A noise sounded out from behind Hope.

  She swung around to face the sound and watched the tiny fire-ball slicing through the element of air.

  The energies around it crackled and fizzled as if a party-popper had been popped.

  And it was heading straight toward Faith.

  Hope quickly pushed her sister out of the way but within that same moment, Sam stepped forward and filled now the very same air-space.

  “No!” Hope shouted and pushed Sam away so forcefully it caused Sam to fall and tumble down the concrete steps.

  Faith rushed down the steps to try and reach Sam.

  Katherine and Linda ran toward Hope at the sight of her dropping to her knees.

  They tried to reach her before she also tumbled down the steps.

  But they were too late.

  Sam landed on the pavement and was back on her feet in an instant. She and Faith rushed toward Hope and when they reached her, they tried to get Hope to stand.

  “Please…” Hope said. “Leave me.” And she sat down onto the bottom step, “just give me a moment…” but her words were slurred. Her body felt as if it were not quite her own anymore.

  Sam manoeuvred her own body so that it acted as a cushion for Hope to lean against. Her elbow hurt like hell but her attention was focussed on Hope’s hand; covered in blood.

  “Hope…” Sam held Hope’s hand to find out where the blood was coming from and realised that the blood was soaking through Hope’s brown coloured t-shirt. Lifting up the material, she gasped at the sight of the small hole in her stomach, “What on earth_?”

  Hope reached up and touched Sam’s face.

  She stroked her fingers down her cheek. “Soul- mates…” she whispered. “Remember that life is a continuation. I love you Sam and I will find you… listen out for me.”

  “No!” Sam yelled as she watched the eyelid that wasn’t concealed underneath the eye patch flickering; the fresh, clean cotton wadding that Sam had covered the swollen eye with; the eye that Sam had not that long ago cleaned, treated and kissed better - in the belief that her kisses had the power to heal it better. “Hope you stay with me. Stay awake. Keep looking at me. You are not going anywhere do you hear me.”

  Hope continued to keep her focus directly onto Sam’s eyes but her vision was now fuzzy… blurry. Sam was diminishing – the outline of her body was fading – further and further away.

  Reaching out her hand, she wanted to touch Sam’s face one last time. “Sam. You are my life…” her words trailed away and the light faded in her eyes.

  “No!” Sam screamed loud, long and deep. “Hope wake up,” she whispered. “Please wake up.”

  Katherine knelt down beside Hope and put her fingers against her neck to feel for a pulse but she could not feel one. “No…”

  “No…” Sam said. “No she can’t be. This isn’t fair. This isn’t fair!” She shouted. “You cannot do this. Hope you cannot do this. Please wake up. You will wake up.” Sam leant forward and placed her hand over Hope’s heart. She wanted to feel its beat… the beat she had not that long ago been listening to as she had lain in Hope’s arms after they had made love. “Please do something… somebody do something.” Sam’s tears blurred her vision but she refused to wipe them away. “She can’t be dead…”

  Linda took her jacket off and placed it gently over Hope’s torso to conceal the sight of the blood.

  Sam’s world felt as if it had just crashed down and into her all at the same time. Looking down at Hope’s face she stroked the skin. “This can’t be happening Faith. What is happening?” She said and leant over and kissed Hope’s forehead, her nose, her cheeks and her mouth. “Hope has died.” Sam whispered over and over again. “She is dead. Hope is dead.”

  * * *

  [i]

  CHaritē aka Charity: The voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need.

  [ii]

  FāTH aka Faith: Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

  [iii]

  Hōp aka Hope: A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

  [iv]

  Roman lyric poet
Quintus Horatius Flaccus: 65 BC-8BC.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century.

  Website references

  www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki

  www.theoi.com

  www.reference.com

  www.goodreads.com – more quotes of Ralph Waldo Emerson