Pledged

by Gwynneth White

  He pushed her hand away. “You don’t even know me. You have some romantic notion about soul mates based on nothing more than one event that may or may not have happened before we were born.”

  Erin swallowed hard, fighting to control her temper. “Well, Seth, like it or not Gideon has chosen us to be Custodians of–”

  “Gideon! What a genius.” Seth’s face reddened and his nostrils flared. “Pitting me against my soul mate. Forcing me to choose her and that stupid Stone, while my brother, who means everything to me, is probably going crazy with worry because I’m stuck here.”

  Erin folded her arms to stop herself from slapping him. “Apart from the fact that your inconsistencies about soul mates are giving me whiplash, you heard what Gideon said. Every other Custodian of this diamond died trying to defend it. We’ll only survive if we work together.”

  “All the more reason to dump the damn thing at the first opportunity.”

  “Dump it? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Get rid of it. Trash it. What else?”

  “And how do you intend to do that?”

  “Simple. We give it to Kyle.”

  “And how does that help?”

  Seth ran his hands through his hair, thinking carefully. He had one shot at this explanation and he knew he had to get it right. “Erin, when Kyle emailed me my plane ticket, which he paid for, by the way, he told me that he’d been speaking to some guy, I presume Vukani, about Lebanese diamond buyers working in–”

  “Southern Africa. I read the newspapers, Seth. I know all about the Lebanese smugglers who cruise around like sharks, looking for uncut blood diamonds.” Erin put her hands on her hips. “You do know that they buy diamonds cheap here, and then sell them in Tel Aviv or Surat for a small fortune? And that the money goes to funding terrorism.”

  Seth’s eyes widened and sweat broke out on his hands. Did Kyle know this?

  Before he could explore the thought, Erin said scathingly, “And I suppose you get a cut of the sale too?”

  He wiped his hands on his jeans. “I wouldn’t touch a dime of it. My spirit would never allow it. Yours neither, I would think. So Kyle gets the diamond, and does whatever he wants with it. And you and I go home. And get on with our lives like nothing happened.”

  Erin pounced on Seth. She grabbed one of the backpack straps and swung her slight body around Seth’s back. Her weight was enough to wrench the bag off his shoulders. She fell back, hitting her coccyx on the ground, but hardly felt the stab of pain that shot up her spine. Before Seth could react, she leapt to her feet, clutching the backpack to her chest. “Forget it! You’re not giving Kyle and his blood diamond dealer our Stone. We promised to guard it, and people are counting on us.”

  Seth stumbled, trying to regain his footing. “People? What people? A bunch of dead guys who mean nothing to us?”

  “They’re our friends. And not just any friends – they’re our best friends. I felt it the moment we arrived in the Mists of Time. Then it was confirmed to us, even if you were being so dense that it passed you by.”

  “Friends!” Seth snorted. “And now they’re on the pan trying to kill me! How does that work?”

  “They’re doing it because they’ve been cursed. I think that’s what Jared and Caleb were trying to tell you.”

  “Great. And that’s my problem because?”

  Erin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, struggling to control herself. Finally she whispered, “Seth, what’s happened? Where’s the guy I met at the airport?”

  He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “I’m still the same guy. But I promised Kyle that if the dreams led me to the diamond I would give it to him.” One look at the thunder darkening her face, and he knew he wasn’t winning. “I owe him everything, Erin. More than I can ever explain to someone who wasn’t there. And I’ve already let him down once by not coming with him to Botswana when he asked me.”

  “You let him down! What about your exams, and Art School? Don’t they matter?”

  He ran his hands across his face. “Erin, please try and understand.”

  “Seth, the only thing I understand is that you made the wrong promise to the wrong guy.”

  “Ahem,” Nathan interjected. They had forgotten about him. He was watching their argument with more dismay than amusement. “I hate to interrupt this fascinating discussion between soul mates, but someone is coming.” He leaned forward and made an exaggerated listening gesture. “It’s Caleb, and right on time too. Now I suggest you two kiss and make-up – you’ll need each other in Shenaya.”

  With a brilliant flash, Nathan vanished into the unseen Fourth Dimension, where the dead dwell.

  Chapter 6

  WHAT’S DONE IS DONE

  Erin and Seth heard the rustle of approaching feet. A boy of about seventeen, dressed in a soft leather tunic, leather trousers and boots, stepped out from the undergrowth, stopping a few paces from them. But, as Nathan had said, they were invisible to him. Seth’s spirit jumped with recognition, as if he were seeing an old friend, which, Seth admitted reluctantly, was exactly what was happening. It was Caleb. He knew it without doubt.

  “Wow,” Erin said. “He’s hot.”

  “He’s been walking fast in the heat. What do you expect?”

  “Don’t be a dork, Seth,” Erin said, still smarting at him. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” She took a step closer to admire Caleb.

  It wasn’t so much his tall, muscular frame or shoulder length, sable-dark hair that made his appearance exceptional. It was his face. As if crafted by the finest sculptor, it was a perfect blend of ruggedness and artistic sensitivity, brooded over by a pair of amber eyes.

  Lion eyes, Erin thought. To taunt Seth she said, “He has got to be the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen.”

  Seth frowned, more at himself than at her, unpleasantly surprised by the jealousy that stabbed him. “He’s dead. Or have you forgotten that? And your pretty boy was probably out on the pan – trying to kill me.”

  Erin recoiled. “True. And if so, he sure didn’t look this good back there.”

  “Keep that in mind. And I wouldn’t mind seeing what these Gefallen look like, seeing as I still have to fight them.”

  Erin’s breath caught in her throat; she took a quick step back, bumping into Seth.

  “Look. There. That thing floating next to Caleb. It’s what I saw coming out of the crows. Only this one’s dressed in red.”

  The wraith swirled in front of them. They tried to see its face, but its cloak, pulled close around its head, masked its features. It hissed, a low, feral sound, turned its back on them, and enveloped Caleb briefly in its blood-redness. It was hard to imagine it had once been an ordinary human being.

  Caleb started walking, and the Gefallen floated off behind him.

  “We don’t seem to have much choice but to follow them,” Erin said, feeling a tug, pulling her along with Caleb as he weaved his way through the trees.

  “The Stone must have linked us to him.” Seth stumbled over a log just as a branch swung back and hit him in the face. “Does every damn bush in this jungle have to come with barbs?”

  Erin ignored his outburst. “I wonder where he’s going?” As if to answer her question, the Seer-Stone threw open Caleb’s thoughts. She immediately began to report to Seth what she was hearing. “He’s in love . . . with Talitha. So they meet in mortality! That’s fantastic.”

  Seth ducked under a low hanging branch, saying nothing.

  Too enthralled with mind-reading, Erin didn’t notice his silence. “But . . . oh, this means trouble.” The excitement on her face turned to worry. “And Caleb knows it. But he’s still going to her . . . even though he knows it’s forbidden. But why–”

  “I’m catching his transmission loud and clear,” Seth interrupted.

  “She comes from the Ammarod Family.”

  “And she’s been here in Shenaya for two weeks. But Caleb feels like he’s known her for a lifetime. I
told you, I’m getting the transmission.”

  “Yes. I know that feeling of déjà vu when you first see your soul mate in mortality.” Erin’s green eyes challenged Seth to admit that on some level he had recognised her too.

  He looked away, refusing to be drawn into another discussion that could only lead to an argument.

  Erin decided to let him off the hook. “What’s a Cosmic Predictor?”

  “A what?”

  “I thought you were getting the transmission.”

  “I changed channels,” he admitted, smiling. “I was thinking how incredible it would be to take these mind-reading skills back to the real world.”

  “It would be amazing. But I still need to know what a Cosmic Predictor is.”

  “I haven’t a clue. Why’s it important? Or is this just your insatiable need to know everything?”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment. Talitha’s father invented a Cosmic Predictor. That’s why she and her family are in Shenaya. Or so Caleb was thinking.”

  “Maybe if we both shut up and listen we’ll find out.”

  But Caleb offered no further insight. They had reached a wooden hut hidden in the shadows of a giant fig tree. A boy of about sixteen, holding a blue-grey African Harrier Hawk on his wrist, was waiting for him.

  “Daniel,” Caleb said in greeting.

  Daniel smiled. “She’s inside. I got her here without anyone seeing.”

  “You’re getting good at this sneaking around, brother.”

  “Yes. And you’re making a habit of asking.”

  “Today’s the last time.” Caleb looked miserable. “She goes home tomorrow, and I’m dreading it.”

  “I know.” Daniel thumped Caleb on the shoulder. “It’s tough for both of you, so make the most of it.”

  “You’ll keep watch from up on the hill?”

  “Of course. I’ll blow my hunting horn if I see anyone coming near the hut. Find time to listen for it amid all that romance.” Daniel bounded away.

  “See, Erin?” Seth said in triumph. “Brothers stick together.”

  Erin flicked her hair behind her ear and watched Caleb straighten his clothing. He took a deep breath and entered the hut. They followed right after him, drifting through the closed door as if it didn’t exist. Seth laughed, holding his hand up to Erin for a high-five – until he noticed that Caleb’s Gefallen had also wafted into the cabin with them. Even though he had no idea how to defend Erin from a ghost, he stepped in front of her to protect her. But the wraith ignored them and sailed over to Caleb.

  A tall, blonde-haired girl with almond-shaped brown eyes was waiting for Caleb. For Erin, the recognition was instantaneous; it was Talitha. “She’s so beautiful!”

  “She’s okay,” Seth replied, looking her over critically. “But I don’t think Caleb’s here for her looks.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You said yourself that Caleb’s a good-looking guy. I bet he could have any girl he wants around here.”

  Erin frowned; then she smiled as understanding dawned. “So, in guy-talk, you’re saying he loves her?”

  Seth chuckled as he picked up Erin’s hand and put it on his heart. “Tell me what you’re feeling?”

  Erin gasped at a disconcerting pulse thrumming in Seth’s chest, over-riding his own heartbeat. “It’s . . . no . . . It’s not possible.”

  “I’ll bet it is. It’s Caleb’s heart beating.”

  “How do you know it’s him? It could be Talitha.”

  “It started the moment I saw him. It’s like it’s there to stop me denying that he and I were once friends. And I was watching Talitha when he walked in. She smiled, and it felt as if someone had just shot a thousand volts through him.”

  “It’s amazing you’re so connected that you can feel him.”

  Seth wasn’t so sure he agreed; it made being here just a little too real.

  Erin felt her own heart and could faintly discern Talitha’s heartbeat; it was nowhere near as strong as the thump in Seth’s chest, but then, she figured, she wasn’t in denial the way he was.

  They fell into silence as Caleb opened his arms to embrace Talitha. She draped her arms around his neck, twisting the dark curls tumbling onto his shoulders. He kissed the nape of her throat and ran his lips up her neck, over her chin to her mouth.

  “This is awkward,” Erin murmured, looking away.

  “You don’t say. All this way just to watch them making out.”

  “I’ve been telling her for the last two weeks that meeting in secret with Caleb is dangerous,” a strange voice replied. Erin and Seth turned in surprise. A girl of about fourteen stepped through the wall. Although she gleamed like a Guardian, she had an impish face that was no stranger to mischief. Her reddish-brown hair was cut into short spikes that sparked like lighted matches. “Hi, my name’s Kate. Not Katie – Kate,” she said, smiling.

  Erin smiled back. “I recognise you. I mean your spirit. And your name, from the Mists of Time. Were we friends too, before we were born?”

  “Of course,” Kate replied in a matter-of-fact voice.

  Seth said nothing, not wanting to connect with more friends who came with more demands for commitment from him.

  “So how did you die?” Erin asked.

  “I was hacked to pieces by Reuel’s thugs on the night of his coronation. He had all the wives and children of all the men who fought in Gideon’s army murdered.” She pointed at Talitha, swaying in Caleb’s arms. “Now I’m her Guardian. It’s my job to speak into her mind, inspiring her to make good choices.” Kate rolled huge green eyes. “Not that it helps much. She hardly ever listens to me.”

  “But can’t they see you?” Erin asked.

  “Of course not. Mortals never see their Guardians or Gefallen unless we choose to show ourselves to them.” Kate grinned mischievously. “Did you see yours before you arrived here?”

  “I guess that’s what you call a rhetorical question,” Seth said.

  “And most people don’t believe we exist, even when we speak in their minds. As I’m about to do with Talitha.” Kate floated over to Talitha and whispered: “How many times must I tell you, Talitha? Shenayan Shadow Lords don’t marry commoners from Ammarod. And, like it or not, Caleb is the Shadow Lord, heir to the Shenayan throne.”

  The warning only drove Talitha deeper into Caleb’s arms.

  “But, Kate,” Erin said, “I don’t understand. They’re soul mates, why can’t they be together?”

  “That’s what you’re here to find out.” Kate turned her back on Erin to stop further questions.

  Caleb pulled Talitha over to a straw mattress and lay down with her. “So, my Talitha, did I hear you right today at that boring lunch? I was sure I heard you mutter that you want to marry me and be my Shadow Lady?”

  “Marry him? Who in their right mind gets married at seventeen?” Seth asked in an indignant voice.

  Both Erin and Kate jabbed him in the ribs to shut him up. At the same time Erin hissed, “In ancient times people married at puberty. Seventeen was probably already considered old. And most people were dead by forty.”

  “Okay, okay. I get it,” Seth replied, elbowing them both out of his personal space.

  On the mattress, Talitha looked Caleb straight in the eyes. “Yes, Caleb. I know you Shenayans have some very strange marriage customs, but that’s exactly what I want.”

  Caleb kissed her; and then asked, “So you know a bit about Shenayan marriage customs?”

  “Yes. My mother told me that each Shenayan boy has an animal or bird carved into a wooden emblem, which he gives to the girl he’s going to marry.”

  “Not quite. We never give our emblems away. They’re way too precious for that. We’ve all had them since we were six. That’s when we choose an animal or bird to inspire us in our hunting and fighting. Our choice sets us apart, telling every other male in Shenaya how we see ourselves.”

  “What’s yours?”

  Caleb chuckled, stroking her face
. “If you were a Shenayan girl, you’d never know that – until after you’d chosen to marry me.”

  Talitha pulled herself closer into him. “I am choosing to marry you. No, not just choosing. Agreeing.”

  Caleb laughed. “I think I just walked into that.”

  “You did. Now tell me.”

  It took a few moments before Caleb replied. “A honey badger.” Then he stared at her, trying to read her reaction to what was a very telling description of his character.

  “Hmm . . . interesting choice. Fearless. Aggressive. Attacks the underbelly. Not afraid of lions. Not afraid of much, in fact.” She tugged on Caleb’s hair, pulling his face closer to kiss him. “I like it. So now what happens?”

  “Well, assuming you were a Shenayan girl and I was an ordinary Shenayan boy, we’d both attend the Emblem Picking. That’s a kind of parade where our Lord of the Household displays the emblems of all the seventeen-year-olds you’d be eligible to marry. You, and all the other girls of marriageable age, would twirl and preen and flirt at all the watching boys. Then you’d get to pick the emblem that appeals to you most.”

  “And then?”

  “The boy who owns it would have to marry you.”

  Talitha pulled a face. “Before I even know who he is? That’s cruel. What if we can’t stand each other?”

  “That’s unlikely, given that you’d be total strangers. Likes and dislikes come in later. After the wedding.”

  Talitha lay back on the bed, studying Caleb’s face. “So it’s true. Boys and girls are separated from each other at age six. Sent to special camps until puberty. Then the boys join the military. And girls are sent to the marriage market. I didn’t really believe it when my mother told me how it works here.”