Pledged

by Gwynneth White

  She held up her thumb. She was living alone.

  Caleb frowned, and then looked around the room. She seemed to own nothing apart from the springbok skin. No extra clothes. No sign of food or cooking utensils, although a fire burned in the hearth. “You can’t stay here alone. It’s not safe. The Pledged will find you. They’ll hurt you. Maybe even kill you. And there are lions too.” He looked around for weapons, but, as he suspected, there were none. He hesitated. “Come to the Fortress with me. I’ll find a place for you where you’ll be safe.” He held out his hand to her. “I give you my word.”

  But she skipped away from him towards the fireplace. There, she snatched up the end of a palm branch, which she used to scoop up a pile glowing coals. Quick as a bird, she darted past Caleb, spilling the coals across the doorway.

  “What are you doing?” Caleb leapt forward to kick the coals outside before the wooden floor started burning.

  She flew at him, shoving him away. Then she zigzagged around him to a stack of thatching grass in a corner of the hut. Within seconds she had scooped up an armful, which she thrust onto the coals. The dry grass immediately began to smoulder.

  “Are you mad! You’ll burn the place down!”

  As Caleb kicked at the grass she raced to the fireplace. He grabbed for her, but again she eluded him, scooping up yet more coals, which she flung into the grass.

  “Fine. If you don’t want to come to the Fortress, I won’t make you. But for heaven’s sake, stop trying to kill us.” Caleb lunged for the shovel in her hand.

  With a deft flick of the wrist, she flung it at him, hitting him in the face, opening a small gash above his eyebrow.

  “Enough, child. It is not our intention to kill the new Overlord of Shenaya. Merely to detain him.”

  Caleb spun round. An old crone with wispy, snow-white hair was perched on the edge of the mattress, watching him through rheumy eyes. Her wizened face had collapsed around her mouth, telling Caleb that she had few teeth left in her head. He was about to demand where she had appeared from when he heard the roar of fire. The floor and wall around the door were engulfed in huge tongues of orange and blue flames. The window was now their only escape. Caleb dived for the girl. This time he caught her around the waist. Ignoring her struggles, he flung her over his shoulder and ran for the window, intending to fling her out. Then he would rescue the old woman.

  “As noble as your efforts are, Caleb, they will do you no good.” Again the woman had spoken.

  “So I’m supposed to let us all burn to death?” Caleb shouted, gasping against the searing heat.

  The girl suddenly bit him hard on the back of his neck. She followed it up by punching him with both hands in the kidneys. Caleb yelped in surprise. As he dropped her he saw the old woman’s face. She was smiling a broad, toothless grin, as if the girl had just done something heroic.

  And then Caleb understood.

  This was no ordinary girl. No ordinary fire. And no ordinary old woman. Even though they looked nothing like Gefallen or Guardians, clearly they were not of this dimension.

  Although he had no idea what they were, Caleb took a chance and shouted, “Damn you. I thought I made it clear that dead people are not welcome in my life!”

  Neither denying nor confirming Caleb’s accusation, the old woman eased her frail body off the bed and waved a stick-thin arm in the air, as if gesturing to someone Caleb couldn’t see. Then she spoke in an unwavering voice that brooked no argument. “Lucien. Depart.”

  Caleb looked around but couldn’t see his Gefallen.

  Still, Lucien had heard her. Seething with rage, he shook his fist before vanishing through the wall.

  Again the old crone spoke. “Reuel, don’t bother sending your Lightning Bird. You know as well as I do that neither you nor he can breach my fire.”

  Caleb didn’t even bother looking for Reuel or his terrifying pet. He knew they only ever showed themselves to the living when they intended to be seen.

  The old woman rammed her hands on her hips. “Reuel! Enough with the wailing and gnashing. Depart.” She clicked her tongue. “And Gideon, stop frowning. You know you can do nothing to stop me.” After a brief pause, she nodded. “Peace, at last.”

  Caleb’s eyes widened. “You’re pretty tough for an old lady.”

  “Old lady! Pff,” the crone snorted, shooting spit at Caleb. “I outdate them all. And yes, they have learnt to obey.” She inclined her ancient head towards the girl. “Child, now we are alone, hand Overlord Caleb the Seer-Stone.”

  Oblivious to the inferno still raging around them, the girl calmly reached around her neck and lifted off a drawstring bag, attached to leather thong. Smiling, she offered it to Caleb.

  He knocked her hand away. “We – or rather I – am about to be burnt to death and you want to hand out trinkets!”

  “The girl is subject to death too, Caleb, and see, she has no fear. You must learn to trust. My fire will not harm you . . . if you cooperate.”

  “Trust! After all the things you dead people have done to me, you still tell me to trust. And only if I cooperate. More like only if I obey you.”

  “I am not like the others. I stand above Reuel and Gideon. You see how they obey me.”

  “I saw nothing but an old hag waving her arm around. And why should your words placate me when the last dead person who told me that lied? I ended up being branded.” Caleb held up his left wrist, showing the blackened scar where Reuel had seared the Lightning Bird into his flesh the previous day. The wound still throbbed even when Reuel wasn’t using it to control Caleb with pain.

  “Trust, Caleb.” The woman pointed at the fire with a bony finger. “See. My flames roar around you, but they do not touch you. And the heat has not even raised a sweat on your brow.”

  It struck Caleb that the old crone spoke the truth, but he was damned if he was going to admit that to her. She smiled, and he guessed she could read his thoughts. That was puzzling. Only Guardians – angels who supported Gideon – could read human thought. But her actions clearly aligned her with Reuel who cared nothing for human choice. As much as Caleb hated Gideon, he had to acknowledge that Gideon would never have subjected him to this kind of torment. This old woman was a total enigma. Her voice broke into his thoughts.

  “Now do not offend the child, Caleb. Take the pouch. For she has waited six years to give it to you.”

  Face bright with an eager smile, the girl gently took his hand in hers, but Caleb pulled away from her. “Next thing she’ll be biting my fingers off.”

  The girl’s face fell and her eyes darted towards the old woman, as if pleading with her to explain.

  “The child apologises for biting you. But, like all of Reuel’s Sons, you would not listen to reason.” The old woman tottered over to Caleb and took his hand in an iron-like grip that belied her age. Lightning fast, she prized his fingers open. “Child, give him the diamond.”

  The girl placed the pouch on Caleb’s hand. Now even more convinced that they were not of his world, Caleb reluctantly opened the bag. A sparkling crystal winked back at him as if it was alive. He sucked in a breath as he pulled it out, dangling a strawberry-sized diamond on a gold chain. He knew this Stone, recognised it from when he was a boy at Pledging Camp. Phineas, mysterious visitor to him, Daniel and Jared, had let them play with it. Watching a fascinating array of moving pictures in its heart had kept the three of them amused for hours. Phineas had said they were looking at scenes from Shenayan history.

  And then Caleb had been forced to execute Phineas. That single act had changed the course of Caleb’s life forever. Although the dead Phineas – now a Guardian – had visited Caleb two nights ago, he hadn’t seen the Stone for years. Caleb looked up at the old woman. “Did Phineas give her this? He told me he’d given it to another Custodian before his death?”

  “Abatha is Phineas’s daughter.”

  Caleb studied Abatha’s face with renewed interest. Recognising Phineas’s green eyes, he nodded.

  The old w
oman smiled. “Phineas gave her the Stone before he died. Then, after her mother’s death, I took Abatha into my care. She looks after the Seer-Stone, and in exchange I look after her.” The woman gave Caleb a canny look. “It was I who took her voice – to protect her from harm.”

  “No doubt she’s eternally grateful. And does Phineas know his daughter is being tended by an evil old witch?”

  With no sign of offence at Caleb’s rudeness, the old woman brushed the diamond with her fingers. They passed right through the Stone as if it didn’t exist. And then Caleb knew for certain she was dead. Phineas had made it very clear that only the living could touch the Seer-Stone.

  The woman nodded at the understanding registered on Caleb’s face. “Now you know. But am I evil? Let’s not spring to conclusions. And thank you for your offer of sanctuary at the Fortress, but Abatha will not be availing of that at present.” She tickled Abatha beneath the chin as if she were a cat. The girl leaned into her touch, adoration shining in her face.

  Caleb used their moment of quiet intimacy to check the progress of the fire. It was still raging, but, as promised, the flames hadn’t encroached on their cocoon of safety. He allowed himself to relax. Slightly.

  The crone turned her attention to him again. “You have not asked my name?”

  “I suppose you’d tell me if it was important that I should know.”

  “It is important. My name is Shenaya.” She looked at Caleb steadily. “Does that mean anything to you, my lord?”

  Caleb heard the mocking in her voice as she spoke his title. He ignored it. “Shenaya. The woman after whom the Shenayan Family is named?”

  “The self-same. I warned them all before I died that one would rise up to overthrow the government. I even told them he would curse his posterity, forcing them to worship him. For generations no one listened. Until Gideon was born, that is. He believed. Although he tried to stop Reuel, Gideon is so bound by rules, so obsessed with human choice.” Shenaya paused. “His prophecy–”

  “Is little better than Reuel’s Curse,” Caleb interrupted.

  Shenaya gave him a gummy smile. “Indeed. And I am tired of having my name sullied by the evil committed by Reuel’s Sons.”

  “I intend changing that. Under my rule Shenaya will be a very different place. A free land where people can–”

  “Pff, Caleb,” Shenaya snorted. “Just words. You are no different to any other Overlord who came before you.”

  Caleb frowned. “That’s not true. I am different because I’ve not pledged to Reuel, therefore I’m not cursed. And I have a vision for Shenaya that does not include Outcasts and Emblem Pickings. Under me, Shenayans will be free to live and love how, where, and whomever they please.”

  “Lofty ideals, Caleb. But impossible to implement. That is why I’ve come to you today. It’s time for a new player in this game of curses and prophecies.”

  “A game? Is that all this is to you, when people are suffering thanks to Reuel’s and Gideon’s mischief?” Caleb glared at her; then saw a gap in the blaze near the door. He dived for it. A wall of fire engulfed him. He leapt back in panic, frantically beating at the flames licking at his clothes. Thankfully his leather trousers, shirt and boots were impervious to fire, but from the sickening smell that filled the room, he guessed his hair had not been so lucky. “You witch,” he shouted, “you set that fire on me on purpose!”

  “I warned you, Caleb. But you chose not to listen.” Shenaya brushed her hand across his dark hair. “Hair grows, so no real harm done. You are still as handsome as ever.”

  Caleb shoved her hand away. “What do you want with me, you old hag?”

  “I have a job for you. An important work only you can perform.”

  “And why would I do anything for you when you’re no better than Reuel? He and his Lightning Bird also use fire and pain to control people.”

  She gave him a patient smile, then waved at the Seer-Stone. “The answer lies in there. Look and learn.”

  Caleb wanted to disobey but he guessed she would keep him captive until he complied. He dangled the diamond before his face. An image in its heart caught his eye. He leaned in closer.

  Three boys, ethereal bodies gleaming with all the colours of the rainbow, were floating in the air around a tower made from sheets of parchment, balanced precariously on each other.

  Caleb’s spirit lurched with recognition. Before he could stop himself, he cried, “That’s me, with Jared. And . . . and . . .” Mouth gaping, Caleb faced Shenaya. “It’s him! Seth! I would know his spirit anywhere.”

  Shenaya nodded. “You and your two closest friends. You boys were inseparable before your births into mortality.”

  “I don’t understand. Those are our spirits. How is it possible that I can see that? And Seth? Where is he now?”

  “Your energies were sealed into the diamond before your births. But watch, there is more to see.”

  Anxious for answers, Caleb stared at the Stone. It took him a moment to figure out what the three spirits were doing.

  With intense concentration on their shimmering faces, his and Jared’s spirits were lifting what looked like a giant playing card onto the top of the tower. It all looked very unstable, as if the whole edifice was about to collapse.

  Seth’s spirit was hovering above it all. “Careful, Jared. A bit more to the left,” he said excitedly. “Get it on without it collapsing, and we’ll have hit an all-time height record.”

  With painstaking precision, Caleb and Jared placed the card onto the tip of the tower. All three of them froze in mid-air, breath held, waiting to see if the tower would withstand the slight tremor trilling through it. When a smile spread across Seth’s face, Caleb and Jared knew they’d succeeded. Caleb held out his gossamer hand to Jared for a high-five. Then Caleb and Seth noticed the mischievous glint in Jared’s eye.

  “No,” Seth shouted.

  But it was too late.

  Laughing wildly, Jared had already flung himself at the tower. With a rustle like falling leaves, the tower tumbled to the ground.

  Caleb flew at Jared, fist raised to smash the side of his shimmering head. Seth got to Jared first, floating determinedly between him and Caleb. “There’ll be no fighting today, Caleb. And Jared, you’re an idiot.”

  “Come on!” Jared laughed. “We’d already won. So why the fuss?”

  A stab of sorrow pierced the mortal Caleb’s heart. He slumped down onto the mattress, letting the Stone fall from his hand. Jared, the mortal one at least, was dying in the infirmary. And it’s my fault. And because Jared has been cursed by his pledge to Reuel he’ll be a Gefallen. A flush of anger surged through Caleb. And instead of standing by, waiting for news about him, I’m trapped in this fireball with a crazy dead woman and Phineas’s mute daughter.

  Shenaya extended a claw-like hand, but it fell softly upon his shoulder. “There is still more for you to see in the Stone, Caleb.”

  “I’ve seen all I want to see. Let me go.” Caleb stood. “I need to be with Jared. I – I realised how much he means to me when he was shot. And seeing this has just made it worse.”

  “Do not make me hurt you.” Although Shenaya’s voice was gentle, her agate eyes left Caleb in no doubt that she would carry out her threat.

  He picked up the diamond and flopped back down on the bed. Now a new image danced before him.

  Three other spirits had flitted over to join the three boys at play. One of them threw her gleaming arms around Caleb’s neck. He reached up to touch her hands, becoming one with her.

  “Talitha,” the mortal Caleb whispered.

  “Yes. Your soul mate whom you rejected,” Shenaya said matter-of-factly.

  Unable to bear his guilt for that desertion, Caleb focused on the other spirits.

  The spirit girl he recognised as Sophia laughed as she dropped like a flaming comet onto Jared’s lap. “You are very wicked, my love. Breaking the tower like that.”

  Jared immediately embraced her. She fitted perfectly into his arms as
if they had been made for each other. “So you saw? Caleb was angry. As usual.” Jared smiled at Caleb. “But he always comes round in the end.”

  “Only if Seth’s there to smooth things out.” Caleb smiled with recognition; Erin, Seth’s soul mate, was lying cuddled against his chest. Her hand brushed his face. “Our resident peacemaker. What would we do without you?”

  Seth leaned down and kissed her neck. “You’d all murder each other, Sparkles.”

  More guilt stabbed the mortal Caleb. The spirit-Seth was right. He may now be lamenting Jared’s passing, but for the last six years he and Jared had been the bitterest of enemies. He looked up at Shenaya. “Seth . . . and Erin? Where are they? Why haven’t I met them in mortality? Jared and I could really have used Seth’s calming influence.”

  Shenaya gestured to the Stone again. “Watch.”

  A spirit boy was flying towards Caleb and his friends. “Jared, it’s time to go. Gideon warned you not to be late. So come to the Mists of Time. Now.”

  He too was familiar to the mortal Caleb. “Daniel,” he murmured, delighted to see his brother’s spirit.

  The six spirits flitted to their feet. In a blur of light, they took off, flying effortlessly towards a crystal octahedron. The walls parted as, laughing and joking, they tumbled into a misty chamber, illuminated with a gentle white glow.

  Gideon was waiting for them. “Ah, the inseparable ones. I’m sorry, my friends, but it’s time to break up the party. Jared’s mother awaits him.” He pointed to the crystal wall where an image of a mortal woman played.

  Wearing nothing but a sweaty shift, she was slumped on a birthing-chair. A scream ripped from her cracked lips and her body shuddered. A midwife looked up from where she was kneeling in front of her and smiled encouragingly. A second attendant mopped her brow with a damp rag.

  Jared’s spirit cried out in pain. Sophia flitted in front of him, grabbing his shoulders. “Jared, I love you. I will always love you. Promise me you’ll find me once we are both on Earth.”

  Jared’s mother gave another scream and Jared pitched forward into Sophia’s arms. “My Sophia,” he gasped. “You will always be mine.” Quivering with pain, he reached for her hand and kissed her wrist. Then, in a flash of light, he was gone.