by TJ Adams
Everyone stared at me.
“Malcom what do you have to report?” I said.
“What are they talking about, Bounty? Why does Cynthia think something is wrong with you?” Marylee said.
Akako rushed down to wrap his arms around my calves. “It is I, her loyal servant, who will make things right for her again.”
Malcom swooped to scoop Akako up by the neck, which made the little guy squeal. He kicked his legs about in the air. Next, he snarled and back flipped, forcing Malcom to let go.
He reared back on him. “I’ll gut you for this.”
I forced my way between the two of them. “Hey, guys. This is getting us nowhere. This meeting is no different from any other. Each of you take your turn and stop turning this into a circus.”
“I’ve got the usual.” Jackson piped up from behind us all.
“Me too.” Kiara said.
Cynthia, Marylee and Malcom all nodded their agreement.
“That’s roll taken care of. Reaper meeting over with. Now spill.” Cynthia said.
I stared at Cynthia in disbelief. Miss By-The-Rules was breaking them. I felt corralled, with everyone’s eyes upon me. There was no avoiding it. “I’m evil incarnate.”
Silence. Even a few confused faces.
“I had a conversation with the Devil.”
“Ah, that explains why I could not find you. He barred my entrance into his domain.” Akako said.
“I know who Agnes was, and I know her connection to Bounty and Trinity.”
I looked at Jackson. He was the one that sent me to Trinity’s funeral. In my mind that made him privy to some if not all of the truth. He stared back, classic poker face.
“What did you find out?” Kiara said.
“We were all witches, but I was the ring leader. The evil one, who turned my back on Trinity, which drove her to the Sutekhnese. Bounty was the bimbo following for the ride.” I gave my left arm a soothing rub. “Sorry, girl, but I think it’s the truth.”
Again there was silence. I ploughed on. “I was planning something bad that had to do with the three of us, something about the power of three. But for some reason I pulled back and took Bounty with me. I think Trinity turned to David with the idea of raising Sutekh to defeat me. If she felt she needed a god to stop me, then I must’ve been bad.”
A few blinked, but that was all.
“You can say something now.”
Kiara stepped forward. “Why do you think you’re evil?”
“Did you just hear what I said? I was chasing power. Perhaps willing to do worse than David and the Sutekhnese to get what I wanted. That’s why Death took my memories.”
“Maybe he took your memories to give you a second chance.” Jackson said.
“How can I come back from that?”
“And this is what Trinity told you, that you were plotting something evil?” Cynthia said.
“Not in so many words, but she did say I was bad.”
“Perhaps you left because you had a change of heart?” Kiara said.
“This woman, Trinity, could say anything and you wouldn’t know the truth from the lies.” Cynthia said.
“But what if it is the truth. I’m not fit to be helping souls.”
Jackson moved through the others so he stood in front of me. “Would you deny anyone a second chance?”
“No, but this is different.”
“It’s different because it involves you, and you’re not willing to forgive yourself. You know what I see in you?”
I shook my head.
“A woman who feels too much and cares too much. Is that evil?”
“I know what you’re trying to do.”
“Then let me finish and try listening. I’ve made a shit load of mistakes.” He jabbed a finger at his chest. “You don’t get to look like this without doing some bad. I’ve got the rest of eternity to beat myself up about all the things I’ve done, but I figured I’m doing the right thing now. So what? Your past is nothing admirable, but the woman I call Bounty has shone some sun into my eternal life. My suggestion to you is don’t look back. Everyone has regrets, everyone carries a burden. You’ve got a second chance don’t waste it.”
Kiara snaked her arm through mine. “I haven’t had this much fun since I died, and Mora adores you.”
Cynthia shoved me gently in the back. “You’ve grown on me like mold on grout, but I’m getting used to your annoying ways.”
“I guess what we are all trying to say, some in a rather clumsy way”⸺Marylee cast a glance toward Cynhtia⸺“is that it does not matter what came before, it is what you do now that makes you who you are. Besides, I’m sure Death knew what he was doing.”
Kiara nudged me. “But we haven’t gotten through to you yet, have we?”
I rested my brow on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe you just yet.”
Akako appeared in front of me, frowning at Kiara’s entwined arm. “You are forgetting why I hunted you down.”
“Scram creepy.” Kiara said.
“Wait…tell me.”
“It is that woman again. The one you have been protecting.”
“Jesus, Dot. Oh god, the soul snatcher.” I unwound Kiara’s arm. “I’ve got to go. I’ve got to save a soul.”
“Coming from a woman who thinks she’s evil.” Jackson winked at me.
I wanted to argue but had no time. How long since we first ended up in the soul snatcher’s graveyard? Dot may have already passed on. A sudden flash of Matteo’s bloodshot eyes when I first saw him at Trinity’s grave yanked at my heart. And here I was wallowing in self-pity.
“My lady, may I suggest we surprise the soul snatcher, circumventing the problem of his graveyard and you forcing your tongue inside my mouth again.”
Oh, god, Jesus. When I looked at everyone all I saw was a wall of shocked or disgusted faces.
Perfect time to disappear.
24
It hurt to open my eyes. The peace I’d found made pulling myself out of this semi-conscious state an act of torture. I was warm and comfortable. There was no reason for me to move. Accept I had the faint niggle I had to be somewhere.
I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling, at the same thin crack that crossed the corner of my rental. What time was it? I glanced at my bedside clock, six-thirty-five. Dammit, dinner. If I didn’t hurry I’d be late.
I sprang out of bed and swayed in place with the wash of vertigo. Perhaps I’d been lying down too long. Head bowed, waiting for the dizziness to settle, I caught a look at my clothes. What the hell? It looked like I’d been dragged behind a car through the gravel.
I ran a hand over my face and felt grit along my forehead. Looking in the bathroom mirror my hair stuck out at odd angles, like I had gone to bed with it wet.
Wet…now that fired a spark of memory, Bethany, Dominic, the Ferryman, Hades. Jesus what day was it? I spun uselessly on the spot searching for my phone while patting my pockets and found it in the back left. The home screen refused to come on. Either the battery died or the phone died.
Out in the lounge, I plugged it into the charger and got nothing. The phone went under the Styx along with me. There was no hope the damn thing would still work, and I couldn’t go anywhere looking like this.
Under ten minutes I was showered, changed and out the door and straight into a tree, smacking my forehead on a lower branch. I went down seeing stars. Something sharp dug into my back and small legs crawled along my neck. As I rolled to my side, brushing my neck clear of the creepy crawling thing that tickled, leaves crinkled and twigs snapped.
I sat up and growled, “Claude.”
It took a little effort to climb to my feet, my head throbbing a beat. The thick undergrowth tangled my feet and I tripped twice before I made it to a thin clearing.
“Claude.” I yelled.
No answer. I crashed through the foliage hoping I headed in the right direction. A short time later I spied the back end of Claude’s house, the familiar boarding unde
rneath that created the extra rooms where he lived. I weaved around to the front and banged on the wooden door. “Claude.”
Another rap after seconds of silence and the door slid open. The inside smelled of age, the lighting dull because the sun was fading away and most of the bulbs weren’t working.
I headed for the noise of a kettle whistling, rounded the wood partition and found Claude sitting at his tree trunk table bent over a large book.
“What is it? I’ve got somewhere I need to be. I don’t have time for this chat?”
“The young are always in a hurry.”
“This is serious stuff. My mom’s waiting, your advice will have to wait.”
“You are not interested in hearing what I have to say?”
“I’m dying to hear your secrets. But not right now. I’ve got twenty minutes to get across town.”
Claude’s eyes had yet to leave the book he was perusing. “Pity.”
I slapped my thigh and sighed. “I’ll give you five minutes.”
“What I have to say will take more than five minutes. But I guess I can give you the abbreviated version, since I am sure that is all you will hear.”
“And that is.”
“The secret to living is life.”
“Profound…I’m sure, for a random statement.”
“I know your problems with your mother.”
Suddenly I was all ears. “Then you know how I can defeat the soul snatcher.”
“It is a creature of the void, brought into being by the very people it will consume. The only defeat is to cheat.”
I rolled my eyes at his cryptic talk. “Which all means?”
“It is up to your mother to save herself. She must make the choice to engage in life again.”
“And that’s why you brought me here?”
He finally drew his eyes from his book. “You must learn to let go.”
I snorted a disbelieving laugh. “Of what?”
“The strength of your convictions.”
I frowned, confused by his ask. “I don’t know how.”
“At least this once.”
“I will never give up on mom.”
Claude shook his head. “No, you must let go of the woman.”
I was about to say what woman, but stopped before the words slipped out. Stupid question. There was only one woman that had any meaning to me, which meant he could only be speaking of Bounty.
“Can’t do that.”
“Then you will fail in your task.”
“And what task may that be?”
Claude pushed to his feet, taking an extra few moments to straighten his back. Once he’d managed to reach vertical in a semi-erect way he placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Your task with me.”
My mouth moved but nothing came out. I shut it and stared like a dumb ass. What was I supposed to say to that?
“Let the woman face her own demons. Your future is on a different path.”
I didn’t want to accept that Bounty was not important to my future, but in every way Claude was right. How could a mortal woman survive in my world?
“Hades wants me and the bargain is Bounty. He’s sent his pet to take her.”
“Hades’ pet will find claiming her difficult. You, boy, have more important things to worry about. We have a long journey ahead so we must start now.”
“Where’re we going?” I wasn’t going to leave my mom.
“I speak metaphorically.”
“Then you can wait until I know my mom’s all right. I’m willing to do whatever you say but not before then.”
The silence could be measured in hours. Eyes locked with Claude, I discovered his mental strength, but he would also discover mine.
Claude shuffled to the sink. With his back to me he said, “fair enough. Go. but you must return soon. The wheel is turning, things are already in motion.”
I fled without saying another word. As was Claude’s style, everything that came from his mouth made no sense. The only thing that made sense right now was seeing mom, making sure she was still doing all right.
On the drive over to my parents, I battled with his other command. I couldn’t leave Bounty to face Dominic by herself. She was defenseless. What the hell did Claude mean by saying Dominic would find her a difficult target? Did he say it to keep me focused on our task? That was the only believable reason I could think.
I stomped up the hall of my parent’s place three minutes late.
“Hello.”
Dad poked his head around the corner of the kitchen door. “Good timing.”
“Where’s mom?”
He wore an apron and oven mitts on both hands. “Still in bed. Thought I would let her sleep until everything was ready.”
“I’m going to poke my head in.”
He nodded and went back to the oven.
I knocked once and opened the door only to have it slam back in my face, which sent me tumbling back on my ass. No two guesses what that was all about. It looks like I arrived just in time. I’d faced a god and walked away⸺sure it was because he let me⸺the soul snatcher was chicken feed in comparison.
I gave myself some paces and took a run at the door. It burst open and I staggered a few more paces but managed to stay on my feet. As I suspected the soul snatcher leered over mom’s bed, one long spindly arm hovered over her body, white light flowed from her chest to its hand. It leered at me while it syphoned up her soul.
“You’re too late. I do not like to be deceived.”
“Who’s deceived you?”
“I do not play your games, human.” It returned its focus to its thieving.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” My panic created the empty threats. I had no idea what I could do to stop it.
“You are not in the position to tell me what to do.”
That was probably true, but I’d never been one to hang around and let things happen. Claude wanted me to ease my convictions, but I couldn’t; they made me the man I was. Split second decision, which wasn’t enough time for a plan. The only thing I could think to stop it was action.
My legs were ploughing before my mind said go. I ran at the soul snatcher without the faintest idea at what I was about to do. When we touched I felt like I’d been ripped from my feet and flung a mile.
In a blink all stilled, with me still on my feet, surrounded by orbs of light. Every way I turned, miles upon mile, the glow of the orbs lit up the dark. The sight was perhaps the most beautiful thing I’d seen. I approached the nearest and tentatively reached out my hand and felt a welcoming warmth. I inched my hand closer eager to hold the light. The reverence I experienced in those seconds before my fingers, confused me.
All it took was one finger placed on the orb and I was slammed by the injection of a great force, an electric shock with some decent voltage. But it didn’t rattle my brain or make me go limp. Instead I felt totally and absolutely alive. Coupling this rocking feeling I was funneled into a scene; many scenes, moving flickers like a film show on rapid fast forward. I didn’t want to let go, the vitality too awesome, but something inside niggled away saying this was wrong. I yanked my hand away. What the hell?
All I wanted to do was connect again, get that feeling back. I crept my other hand out to touch the orb close by and…wham it started all over again. This time I found myself thrown into completely different scenes, surrounded by people of a different nationality. While riding the pleasure wave of the energy injection I was pestered by that niggle again telling me to back out. I did, having never dismissed my instincts before.
I now felt charged and ready for action.
I tried to get my head back on task, but the urge to finger all the orbs and reclaim that feeling battled for supremacy. I fisted my hands. On task, Matteo. Figure this out.
I rushed at the Soul snatcher. We connected, which perhaps meant I had passed through and into him? Could that be possible? And that would mean that what I saw before me where the souls it had stolen.
Hades said the soul was powerful. An understatement I would say, given what I just felt. But how is it I could feel the energy flow from the soul to me? How was it I could benefit from that energy? The addiction of that feeling wasn’t something I wished to dwell on.
Mind on the task. But every time I glanced at the orbs, an avaricious desire engulfed me. Worse still, a deep, creeping darkness, ignited when I touched the first orb, spread greedy tendrils through my heart. Just being here amongst so much energy feed this dark need.
The memory of mom rose me from the abyss I sunk into. She would be here, or part of her soul at least. Could I pluck her down and leg it back home? Would it really be that easy?
Well, no, because there were millions of orbs, how would I know which one was her? Think Matteo. Blank; no solution came to mind. “Come on. The Soul snatcher has you were he wants you. Think. Get yourself and mom out of here.”
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on memories of her, all the times she held me close and soothed my tears when I was young, and how when I was in her arms I thought nothing could ever go wrong because she would always make it better. I cracked an eye open to be met by nothing but the same scene. What had I expected; that my longing would be enough to make her soul reveal itself to me.
Prickles ran along my arm. I looked down at the irritating tingle but saw nothing to explain the sensation. Next, something ran across my neck. I swiped it away but felt nothing. Dozens of crawling critters scuttled across the skin of my stomach. I ripped up my sweeping my hand around, but again there was nothing. This place was started to tick me off. This was the soul snatcher fighting back. I had to get out of here before it drove me insane. But I wasn’t leaving without mom.
With yet more scuttling of small non-existent creatures below my clothes, I scrunched my fists and stilled. “This is all make believe. There’s nothing there. The urge to shred my clothes and tear the little critters apart overwhelmed me, but I clenched my teeth and counted to ten. By the time I repeated the counting another three times the irritation ceased.