by Vered Ehsani
“Ouch,” Yao pouted. “That hurt.”
Father shook his head and clucked with sympathy. “She trusted me. Poor girl. She barely escaped the first time when her family gave her and a herd of goats to the god in exchange for an end to the drought. This time, I’m sure Le-Eyo will be more vigilant.”
“What family?” Jonas demanded as he fixed his gaze upon Father and transformed into the essence of attentiveness.
“She didn’t mention from where she came,” Father mused. “I did inquire as to her real name, but even that she was reluctant to provide.”
“But did she?” Jonas persisted.
Hesitating, Father nodded. “Yes, only after extracting my promise that I wouldn’t reveal it. She was concerned the name would be heard by Le-Eyo if others spoke of it outside the house.”
“Clearly, it’s irrelevant now,” I said as Jonas tensed beside me, his gaze still fixed upon Father.
“True,” Father admitted. “Well, I’m not sure how it will be of help. Likewise, there can be no harm in it.” Lowering his clasped hands between his knees, he said, “Her name is Wanjiru.”
Chapter 24
AT THE MENTION of his daughter’s name, Jonas thumped his hands on top of his head as he collapsed to the ground with a wail that was terrible and tragic. While I was the only observer who understood the reaction, Father was the first to respond.
“My dear man, whatever is the matter?” he cried as he knelt beside my writhing gardener. “Are you in pain?”
“Maybe he’s dying,” Yao said, his eyes twinkling with the prospect of an easy meal. “Yao can end his pain for him.”
Jonas ceased his groaning and flung his arms around his bended legs, rested his chin on his knees and clutched his hands together. Rocking back and forth, he refused to respond but instead stared into space as if witnessing a tragedy.
“Wanjiru is his daughter,” I whispered. “He’s been searching for her for ages.”
Koki snorted derisively, her eyebrows rising. Her tone rich with disdain, she said, “And why the abrupt change of heart, little man? After all, you exchanged her for rain, treating her with the same regard you would have provided to the goats.”
Howling, Jonas bounced up, his fists before him. Father took hold of his shoulders before he could launch himself at the she-demon. “We did no such thing!” Jonas yelled. “The village elders, they did this and would not allow us to interfere. I swore an oath I would find her and bring her home. And I shall!”
Shivering from the emotions racking his slim frame, he collapsed into Father’s arms, his eyes rolling like a wild creature.
Koki sniffed. “You see, Miss Knight, what we must endure,” she murmured as she gestured to Jonas, her narrowed eyes fixed on me. “They trade girls as they trade livestock. There is no place for a woman unless she takes it for herself.”
I could feel myself being lulled by her words for there was truth in them. Would Cilla have returned to London if social norms allowed a woman to be independent and her family had taught her how to remain so? Even I, employed in a modest if slightly secretive profession, had to reside within the household of relatives or husband while living in English society.
“Beatrice,” Father said in a low, warning voice just as Yao reached over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
Shaking my head, I focused on Jonas. “We’ll find her, Jonas. I’ll assist you however I may.”
“How?” he asked, sniffing back his tears. “Le-Eyo has her and he is not one to let go of what he possesses. Even entering his domain is impossible for the living without his approval.”
With a glance at Koki, I cleared my throat and said, “I may be able to find passage to his realm.” So saying, I provided an update on my training. As I explained about the World of Shadows, Mrs. Cricket’s world, Jonas’ countenance grew progressively, if not cautiously, hopeful.
Father bestowed upon me a frown. “I’m not at all comfortable about this suggestion, Beatrice,” he said. “Nor about the company you maintain.” He cast a meaningful glance at Koki. “The notion of entering the afterlife to steal back souls is absurd. One should not meddle with the forces of life and death.”
“So says the vampire,” Koki said, the sneer of her mouth matching the disdain in her voice.
“That was beyond my control,” he replied with unflappable calm, his gaze still fixed on me. “This on the other hand is very much in your control, Beatrice, and I’m reluctant to let you pursue this course of action. What would Mr. Timmons say?”
Indeed, how would he react if I informed him prior to embarking on this new and spontaneous adventure? And what lecture could I anticipate if I failed to consult with him beforehand? Either way, I’d be sure to receive an earful, particularly after our recent conversation on the matter. Deliberating over the options, I marveled how difficult decisions were now that I was married.
“I really should consult him,” I suggested tentatively, testing how those words sounded.
“Bah,” Koki scoffed. “Do you need a man’s permission now?”
Bristling at her words, I said, “I most certainly do not.”
Father coughed delicately. “Of course you don’t, but why not discuss the matter with him?”
“There’s no time,” Jonas said, his voice quivering.
His plaintive tone and Koki’s derision decided me. “Perhaps it’s best we proceed then, for Wanjiru’s sake.”
Koki’s expression was both surprised and delighted, and she laughed while clapping her hands. “Bravo, Miss Knight.”
Father appeared scandalized while Jonas exhaled with relief. Before I could alter my decision, Jonas scuttled forward and said, “Very wise, Miss Knight. He’d only delay us with his arguments. How do we begin?”
“There is no ‘us’ or ’we’, little man,” Koki said. “You shall not be joining us.”
At that pronouncement, the room erupted with protestations from the three men, all of whom swore that nothing could prevent them from accompanying me. Father added, “I cannot allow my daughter to sally forth without a suitable companion.”
Koki snorted a laugh. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were implying a slur against my character. Wouldn’t that be ironic coming from a vampire?”
For my part, I preferred to have someone I trusted with me, for who knew how Koki would behave? Rather than say so, I asked, “Would it require me to expend more energy and effort to usher them in?”
“No,” she replied curtly.
That decided me. “Jonas and Yao, you will join us. Father, I need someone to watch over our bodies, for we’ll be unable to respond or react should we need to. And there may be sunlight where we’re going.”
Not entirely satisfied, he agreed to the arrangement with some reluctance. Yao jumped up and down like a child on Christmas morning while Jonas nodded at me. Preparations for the journey were quite simple: Jonas, Yao, Koki and I lay down on the carpet, side by side, and did our best to sink into a restful state. Before the training, I’d only ever entered Mrs. Cricket’s world while sleeping or possessed, and never deliberately. Now, I bent my attention to my energy field and pushed it outward so that it mingled with Yao’s, Jonas’ and Koki’s. I then pulled them with me through a tunnel that I could only detect when I focused on it.
“Are we there yet?” Jonas asked as he opened his eyes into darkness.
Koki didn’t deign to respond so I replied in the affirmative. The only source of light was the glow emitted by my wolf energy that stood by my side. There was a sense of nothingness all around. Even the ground beneath our feet seemed an insubstantial blur. I could detect no sound apart from our breathing and, more disturbing for me, no smell.
Yao shuddered. “It’s cold.”
“Where do we go to now?” I asked. My words came out muffled as if the air smothered all attempts to interrupt the stillness.
“Nowhere and anywhere,” Koki replied.
I snorted. “Now that’s specific.”
&
nbsp; Yao scratched his chin. “No, it’s not,” he said, his head tilted to the side as if trying to make sense of the directions. “It’s not specific or helpful or—”
“Sarcasm, Yao,” I interrupted. “Sarcasm.”
“Huh?” he said as Jonas chuckled.
“Focus on finding the bridge to the Underworld,” Koki told me as she peered disdainfully at Yao. “This world will bend itself in conformity with your desire.”
“Yao desires to go home,” the Adze muttered.
“And I too desire you to go home,” Jonas said. “So I guess none of us is—”
“Her desire,” Koki said as she nodded at me, her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flaring. “This place doesn’t respond to the likes of you two.”
Before either man could reply, my wolf pricked up its ears and loped away, taking with it our globe of light. With no other option before me, I followed it, and the others trailed behind me, Yao muttering his disgruntlement at the manner in which he was being treated.
The dark world had a way of distorting time, and I didn’t know if a few minutes had passed or an hour before a darkly colored river was revealed in the wolf’s light. A narrow footbridge provided the only passage across, although I couldn’t see the other side of the river.
“That bridge,” I said, wagging a finger at the wooden structure. “That bridge looks very familiar.”
“Oh, no!” Yao wailed. “That’s the one that almost killed us!”
Chapter 25
I STUDIED THE bridge and came to a similar conclusion. “Yes, it looks remarkably like our bridge.”
Yao shivered, “Yao will wait here.”
“I had no idea that the Adze were so easily frightened,” Koki mocked him.
“Yao isn’t frightened,” he protested. “Yao just doesn’t like bridges. Or water. Or crossing rivers. Or getting wet.”
Jonas uttered a dismissive noise from the back of his throat and marched with great resolution onto the bridge. Koki strolled after him as casually as if meandering through an English garden after tea.
“Come on,” I said, linking my energy form to Yao’s. “We can’t very well drown as our bodies are back at the house. And I jolly well am not leaving you here. Who knows what mischief you’d create.”
Whimpering, he followed me across the bridge. As we passed the midpoint, the rest of the bridge appeared. Koki and Jonas were ahead of us, stepping onto the other shore.
“And don’t look down at the water, whatever you do,” Koki called out and waved, her smile bold against her dark skin.
Taken unaware, I of course glanced to one side as did Yao. “Oh, the horror,” he wailed. Even though we were without bodies, I could somehow feel his fingers sinking into my shoulders.
“What’s the issue now?” I demanded with little sympathy. All I saw was a river of dark water flowing lethargically beneath us. There were hints of red on the ripples that gathered around what I assumed were rocks jutting out from the surface.
“Those blobs,” he cried as he leaned his forehead against my neck and pointed at the objects I had mistaken for rocks. “They’re chunks of black ice. Ice! Cold, cold, unnaturally cold.” His shudder communicated itself through my shoulders.
“So now you’re afraid of the cold?” I asked, wondering how an African could know about ice. “Goodness, I’ve never heard a European vampire complain as you do.”
“They don’t like the sun,” he sniffed as he pushed me to move faster. “I love the sun and heat and fire and…”
I never did discover what else Yao might have loved. At that moment we both stumbled off the bridge into a small meadow. Gravity took hold of us while an overly bright sun burned my eyes.
“We’ve returned to our bodies,” I gasped as I touched one arm and felt flesh beneath my fingers. “What is this? My left hand is back!” I flexed the fingers of my left hand that was now made of flesh, not metal. A form materialized by my side and I assumed it was my wolf energy. When I glanced down, I barely restrained a yelp of astonishment.
“Drew?” I said, my voice cracking slightly. I hadn’t seen my brother since our conversation regarding Cilla’s departure. By now, he must have run off with the pack of Kerit or some other wild things, or so I’d assumed.
Jonas peered at me with a bewildered expression. I sniffed back a sigh, for it wasn’t Drew after all. Gazing up at me was my wolf energy in the form of a silver wolf that was almost as tall as I was. It wagged its tail, licked my hand and trotted ahead of me to sniff around the meadow that lay between the river and a jungle.
“The Underworld has physical dimensions,” Koki explained in a tone that suggested she was already bored with our ignorance. “Anything that was buried inside a body’s grave accompanies her: clothes, jewelry, any special items.” She gestured to the swirls of colorful material adorning her tall, graceful frame. “Once a soul passes across the river, she is provided with a suitable body to continue her journey. Normally, the afterlife body mirrors the original one she inhabited before death, but without the scars and other wrinkles of life.”
At the mention of special items, I wished I’d thought to lie down with my walking stick in hand. Before I could dwell on my lack of foresight, a shriek caused us to turn. Behind us, the entrance to the bridge was visible, as was the river, but a dark barrier cut through both, blocking our view of the shadowy land through which we had traversed. That however wasn’t what caught our attention.
“Yao?” I asked, incredulous at the transformation.
Laughing, Koki said, “Well, he was never normal to begin with.”
Whereas Yao was a tall, muscular and exceptionally well-proportioned man, the person before us was about my height and scrawny, his muscles non-existent, his chest caved in slightly, his shoulders narrow and his face pinched as if from hunger. While Koki continued laughing and a wrinkle-free Jonas grinned, I struggled to maintain my composure.
“It’s not permanent,” I reassured him before glancing at Koki. She didn’t offer any indication of the veracity of my statement. Repressing the urge to gulp, I added, “I’m certain you’ll be back in your usual body the moment we return.”
“Yao hates this place,” he gibbered in a squeaky voice.
Unsure how to console him, I patted his flabby arm and turned to face the dense jungle before us. As far as I could see, there were ancient trees towering far above us, in between which were giant ferns and large, leafy shrubs.
“So Wanjiru is somewhere in there?” Jonas asked, his tone resolute.
“Yes, somewhere,” Koki answered, her voice subdued and lacking her previous mirth.
“Why not search for the poet while we’re here?” I asked. “It would save us a trip.”
“While I admire your efficiency, we won’t find Liongo where Wanjiru is,” Koki said, her gaze fixed on the trees before us. “He’s been deceased for too long and has descended to one of the subterranean levels. Those will be harder to access.”
“Delightful,” I muttered as I followed her and my now-physical wolf into the jungle with Jonas and Yao jostling to walk by my side. “Jonas, didn’t you once tell me that the soul ascends to a place in the sky where they are greeted with beverages around a fireplace?”
Jonas didn’t reply but frowned up at the sky as if puzzled by this confrontation with a reality that differed from his beliefs. As we passed through the tree-line, the world shifted again. The blinding sunlight faded into a green haze while the humidity increased. Rather than provide cool shade, the trees and undergrowth prevented the muggy heat from evaporating. Within a few steps, my shirt clung to my chest and back while my skirt hung limply against my legs.
The ground was mushy with leaves and damp soil. Smells of decomposition and blooming flowers competed for attention, while all manner of insects and birds squeaked, squawked, hooted and buzzed on the branches. To my dismay, a mosquito did its best to latch onto me, and I smacked it flat while wondering how many more were hovering nearby. Despite the oppressive heat, I s
hivered and rubbed the back of my moist neck as hairs began to prickle there.
Something was watching us.
“Koki,” I said, forcing a calm casualness as I noticed in dismay that my new body hadn’t been provided with anything remotely resembling a weapon. “What resides in this place?”
Pushing back overgrown vegetation, she paused and cocked her head to the side. “The spirits of the dead and the not-so-dead,” she replied as cautiously as I had asked.
“Not-so-dead?” Jonas asked. “Either it’s dead or it’s not.”
She snorted, the sneer returning to her countenance. “Human minds are so linear.” With that, she transformed into an elephant-sized praying mantis.
“Oh, bother,” I said with the hint of a whimper just as Yao cowered behind me and Jonas stepped in front.
Koki either didn’t notice our reactions or wasn’t perturbed by them, for she pushed forward through the ferns, vines and leaves that blocked the path. Her five long, green limbs blended into the scenery. Her body cleared a passage for us to follow.
Exhaling heavily, I allowed my shoulders to slump momentarily with relief. Peering around, I couldn’t see much beyond the path, for the foliage absorbed whatever light might pass through the tree canopy. Only shadows and sounds could be discerned. My yellow werewolf eyes could normally pierce all but the densest of darkness, yet I was relatively blind here. Or were the eyes in my new body the human version? I shuddered at the limitations my body imposed on me and marveled how normal humans could possibly manage.
“How much farther?” Yao whined, giving voice to my own question.
Koki didn’t condescend to provide us an answer or perhaps she hadn’t heard us through the thick, muffling greenery. In either case, she was no longer in sight.
“Koki?” I called out, daring to raise my voice despite the persistent premonition that danger was lurking nearby.
The wolf growled and darted ahead, easily navigating the thick roots underfoot and the branches, leaves and vines that blocked our passage. Jonas and I began to run as best we could while Yao stumbled behind us, his graceful strength utterly absent.