by JK Ensley
Tony lazily rested his arm over the top of the steering wheel and tilted his head toward me. “So, you think God took your soul and gave it to this guy you murdered?”
“I can only assume so, yes.”
“So… you don’t have a soul anymore?” He cocked one eyebrow, looking at me sideways.
“Only a small piece of one.” I looked back out my window at all the dust. “I feel it stir within me at times,” I whispered.
He thankfully turned his attention back to driving. “I always thought people without souls were evil,” he mumbled, mostly to himself.
“As did I.”
“I don’t get the feeling you’re evil.” He smiled sheepishly but kept his eyes fixed on the road. “But hell, what do I know? I mean, I’ve only been a cop for the last twenty-five years, and here I am… escorting an admitted murderer, and an obvious thief, clear across these United States.”
Perhaps he was joking. In truth he probably was, but my childish temper reared its ugly head. I hated all this lifeless brown and I hated this long dusty drive.
“I have broken no eighth layer law,” I snapped at him, viciously. “How is it you hold me in contempt for a crime I committed in a place you don’t even believe exists?”
“But your thieving ways started here, Milady.” He winked at me then.
Yeah, he was pushing my buttons and I didn’t like it.
“You witnessed such yourself and yet you could not prove it. I only took what was given to me. I’m not a thief. Do you condemn a man and punish him in Detroit, only to drag him to Texas and punish him anew for the same crime?”
“Well, no. Once the crime is paid for, it’s paid for.”
“I was punished for my crime in Vanahirdem. You claim no jurisdiction over that holy city and I expect no more judgments from you for my assumed crimes. The only reason I’m living on this ugly forsaken layer is to pay my debt to God, not you.”
“Hey, I’m sorry.”
His hand left the wheel, searching for mine. I pulled away, as close as I could get to the door.
“I was just thinking out loud, trying to rationalize this whole thing in my head. That’s all. No condemnation here. We good?” He did turn and look at me then, regret painfully obvious in his dulled eyes.
I softened a bit and sighed. “I would have a hard time believing such a story had I not lived through it myself. How can I expect any more from you? You don’t even have magic on this layer. How could you possibly believe?”
“My thoughts, exactly.” A curt grin turned up one corner of his mouth. “Here we are, Miss Embarr.”
“Where?”
“Marlow, Oklahoma.”
This placed was nothing like Detroit. “A city?”
“A town.”
“Where?”
“Right over there.” He pointed.
“It’s barely a village. How is it you call it a town?”
Tony only laughed as we pulled up to the tiny little police station he’d told me about, and went inside.
*****
“Well, I do declare, Tony Delvado. What in the world are you doing all the way out here? You look good, Tony, you look real good.”
The two friends hugged and laughed. I could tell they cared a great deal for each other, like brothers. Tony had filled me in on what a cop or police officer does here on layer eight. They function as a vital part of the same type of judicial system as the majestic Vanir. They’re much like Vinika, they collect evidence. The main difference I could see was that they took the accused to the judge. Vanir go to the accused. So, they were like the warriors of the eighth layer.
The younger of the two men had an even, lean build. He was tall, probably six foot one or two, with sandy blond hair, nearly the same color as all the dust flying around in the air. His skin was tanned bronze by the ever present sun and I couldn’t distinguish the color of his eyes because they were squinted closed by that same burning glare. He had a sharp, masculine nose and a whole mouth full of pretty white teeth. His laugh seemed young and naïve. But his features turned stern when Tony pointed my way.
“Jenevier, I’d like you to meet Rankin. Rankin Hart, this is Miss Jenevier Embarr.”
The sandy-haired warrior extended me his hand, but not his lovely smile. “Howdy, Ma’am. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
I bowed slightly as I took his proffered hand. “Hello, good sir. To tell you the truth, I’m not completely sure myself.”
I tried my best to mimic his accent. I’ve found that people are more at ease when you don’t seem so alien to them. I’d gotten pretty good with many of the accents on this layer and had even picked up lots of their strange sayings and phrases.
“Come on, you two,” Tony said. “We need to go somewhere a little more private.”
Rankin led us to a room much the same as the one I had sat in for so long with Tony back in Detroit.
“I must say, my curiosity is more than just a little piqued. Tell me what’s wrong, Tony,” Rankin said.
“Nothing’s wrong, Rankin. I just ran into this lovely lady standing in the middle of a busy intersection, writing in her journal. She freely offered to let me read it. Parts of it put me in mind of you.” Tony smiled and slapped the younger man on the shoulder.
I did not believe it possible, but the sheriff narrowed his eyes even more. “So, you came all this way to try and set me up with some stranger you found wandering those filthy Detroit streets? How pathetic do you think I am?”
“Aww, come on, Buddy. It’s not like that. I just wanted you to read her story. You might find certain parts of it very interesting.”
“Thanks, Tony, but I don’t have time to read some junkie’s sob story. I have a whole town to protect out here,” Rankin snapped.
Now, I will freely admit I didn’t understand everything this man said. Yet, his tone had caused my temper to rise. Many people on this layer shared in that ability. I didn’t fully understand their inflections. I guess you could say, they rubbed me the wrong way.
I purposefully put a sharp edge on my words. “Apologies, Sheriff, I would never dream of taking up your precious time. You are not worthy the honor of knowing my life as a Vanir. It’s obvious to me you didn’t pass your transformation. When the time for your sacred Pyrolysis neared, you faltered.”
One corner of his mouth twitched, turning up in a superior sneer. “What the hell is she talking about, Tony?”
“What I’m talking about, failed warrior, is the fact that you ran like a coward from God’s summons in the big city to hide out in some stinky old cow pasture, pretending to adjudicate the law. You couldn’t handle the real pain oozing from the underbelly of this wicked layer.” I slammed my hands down hard atop the metal table. “You ran back home crying for your mommy, while demons roam free, devouring little children!”
Blood now raced through my veins as it once had long ago in Vanahirdem. My senses were tingling and my hair felt as if it stood on its end. I sensed the once familiar electric pulses emanating from deep within my marrow. I tried, futilely, to rein this tempting emotion in before it consumed me.
“Now listen here, little lady,” Rankin yelled.
And that was all it took. “How dare you, Rankin Hart. How dare you call me thus? I have executed a thousand more than you even have the guts to merely witness. Never… call… me… little.”
The wicked smile I flashed him hit the very nerve I had intended. Instinctively, I crouched down—almost feral-like—when Rankin’s shoulder muscles twitched. My mouth watered. I felt that long forgotten heat trying to channel itself through my body. I felt alive. For the first time in years, my fingertips tingled. I imagined my diamond claws extending, dripping morbidly with the crimson blood of this mundane warrior of naught.
“Whoa, whoa now.” Tony held his hands up toward me. “What the hell, Jenevier? Calm down, Rankin. This isn’t what I intended. Everyone just relax and take a deep breath.”
“Tony! Why in the holy hell did you dump this s
ack of horseshit in my peaceful little town?” Rankin spat.
I was on the table in the blink of an eye, growling as a rabid beast, spittle gathering at the corners of my mouth. Rankin stumbled back into the corner. Tony grabbed me around the waist and tucked me behind him, pressing me to the wall.
“Dammit, Tony!” Rankin yelled again.
“Now just hold on a minute, Rankin. I swear I’ve never seen her like this. She was so docile and sweet and lost. I had no idea she’d completely freak out on you.”
“Well, now ya know.” He hastily straightened his tan shirt, adjusting his gun belt in the process. He pointed at me. I really hate when people point at me.
“I’m locking that animal up until I can get to the bottom of this,” he said.
Dear Reader, do not think ill of me for I know not where it came from, but I didn’t behave much like a lady during this part. I easily pushed Tony off me and leapt up on that little metal table. Rankin pulled his gun, pointed it at me, and screamed words my racing mind couldn’t comprehend. Tony got back to his feet and tried to diffuse the escalating hostile situation he’d inadvertently created.
I bent down, knees popping loudly, effectively ceasing all speech. “Rankin, Darling.” My voice was cold, icy. I was poised, ready for action. Reflexes heightened to an almost painful extreme. Only my toes and the fingertips of my right hand touched the cold metal I was perched upon. “Let me enlighten you, Brother.” Their widening eyes caused me to chuckle. The sound was eerily menacing. “I plunged a butcher knife through my tormented heart and out the other side.” I lightly touched the spot on my chest. “Not a single drop of blood, dear boy. Not one… little… drop. What do you think your measly gun will do? Do you think you can stop me? Do you think you can pull that trigger before I rip your scrawny neck out?” I sneered viciously. “Are you willing to stake your life upon it?”
“Jenevier, he’s an innocent!” Tony’s words hit their intended mark.
The realization of my near actions rocked the tiny fringe of a soul flailing around inside me. Horrified at my disgusting behavior, I hastily apologized before I ran from the claustrophobic office and out onto the long, dusty road.
And… I walked.
Chapter 7
Rankin
(RANK-en)
The blaring cruiser did nothing to slow my pace. Rankin even tried to pull in front of me. I effortlessly jumped over the hood and continued walking.
Tony’s amplified voice yelled out to me. “Jenevier, you forgot your book!”
Those five little words halted my determined gate. I turned to face the stopped car just as Tony was getting out with his hands up in a sign of peaceful surrender.
“Now, just calm down a minute. I didn’t drag you all this way to fight with you. Come on back. We’ll get a bite to eat and you can be on your way,” he reasoned.
I narrowed my eyes as I gave him a level stare. “With my books?”
“Of course, with your books. Just get in the car and ride back to Marlow. If you do this, I promise I’ll never bother you again.”
My skepticism was as clear on my face as it was in my words. “You promise me this? On your honor? As a warrior?”
“Yes, I promise.” Tony held up his right hand. “I swear it.”
“I will hold you to that vow.” I leveled my glare. “Understand?”
Tony smiled. “As you say, Milady.”
I rolled my eyes then. He half chuckled.
Tony stepped aside as I slid in the front seat, scooting over hip to hip with the angry, sandy-haired sheriff. I felt bad for how I’d acted, truly.
“Apologies for my outburst, Sheriff Hart. I would never have harmed you, not on purpose.”
He snorted at my words. “You never would’ve gotten the chance,” he grumbled to himself.
I only smiled, knowingly.
“…Hey?”
I turned to look at Tony when he spoke.
“So, was that Vashti back there?” he asked.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes again. “Do not speak of things you do not understand and look down your nose upon, Tony Delvado.”
“No, I wasn’t making fun.”
I didn’t answer him. I only glanced back out the dirty windshield, chewing on my bottom lip.
“Seriously.” He lightly bumped me with his shoulder. “I just wanted to know, Jenevier. No offense was intended.”
I only sighed. The thought of Vashti, the raw anger, the warming channeling sensation, and the restless fragment of a soul stirring within me… they were all haunting reminders of what I once was but never could be again.
“No, Tony. Only a pure heart and an innocent soul can contain a mask as powerful as Vashti. I have neither.”
*****
The diner in which we sat was full of dusty old worn-out patrons leading dusty old worn-out lives. They all had the same sun-squinted look. Tired, sapped, not a live spark among them.
Forgoing lunch, Rankin had dropped us off, choosing instead to read my prophetic words in private. I could still see the ruby flash of his break lights as he turned the corner. The poignant vision seared those crimson dots upon my heart. He drove away, my paper treasure now occupying my spot on the seat beside him. The thought made my tummy hurt. Food was the last thing on my mind.
“Is it this hot, dry place that drains them so? Or is it the jobs they do here?” I asked.
Tony looked around at the other customers, shrugged his shoulders, and spoke before he’d completely swallowed his chicken fried steak. “Eh, they look fine to me.”
The little brass bell hanging over the door rang, pulling my attention to the sandy-haired sheriff as he entered. He was taking slow, deliberate steps. As if weights were tied about his ankles. His eyes were no longer squinted but wide with amazement, perhaps. I couldn’t be certain. One thing I did know, they were fixed firmly upon me and that set off alarms all over the place.
I slowly rose from our dining booth, cautiously stepping back from the advancing warrior. My fingertips tingled painfully, my back arched like a cat’s.
“It’s you.” His words started out as a barely audible whisper, but grew with each approaching step. “You’re the one I saw that night. It was definitely your hair and your face. But… your eyes, they were different.”
When Tony heard Rankin’s voice, he looked up to find me retreating and the good sheriff advancing as if he were in a trance. Tony jumped up, blocking his way.
“Hey guys, I thought this was something we were going to discuss back at the station? Check please,” he yelled to the waitress.
The nervous young girl left our slip of paper as all the dusty old patrons looked to their sheriff and then to me. This was uncomfortable for everyone, and I didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on. A rumbling growl was already in my throat when Tony grabbed both my arms, shaking me gently, pulling my gaze back to him, calming me almost instantly.
“Come on, Angel. Let’s go for a stroll, you and me. Okay?” He smiled and I obediently followed his lead.
*****
The tiny little room in the back of the sheriff’s office seemed even smaller as Tony began speaking. Rankin sat at the metal table. I stood in the corner with my back to the wall, while Tony paced from one end to the other.
“It’s been several years ago now, Jenevier. Rankin and I were on patrol downtown when the cryptic call came into the station house. The informant wouldn’t leave his name and the call couldn’t be traced to any number in existence. But because of the unbelievably horrid allegations, we were compelled to check it out. Rankin here was the first one up the many flights of stairs. He was young and headstrong, wouldn’t wait for backup. Anyways, he kicked the apartment door open… and was never the same.”
Rankin had tears streaming down his dusty face, each one leaving a muddy little trail to mark its passing. He stared, unseeing, as his cracking voice filled in what happened next.
“There were so many of them. The first thing that got me�
�� was the smell. Filth, waste, and blood all miserably mixed together. I can still taste it in the back of my throat. The bitter memory pulls me from sleep, plays about in my mind, always… that smell.” His nose wrinkled up at the recollection. “In the very center of that demented apartment were thirteen pitiful little angels… clinging tightly to one perfectly beautiful Angel who was trying desperately to hold them all in her tiny arms. I only got a glimpse.” He focused on me then. “Before her eyes flashed like brake lights, and she was gone.”
“Yeah.” Tony laughed. “Bless their little hearts. All we heard that night was the story about the warm, beautiful lady Angel who killed the bad man just by pointing at him, and the giant glowing boy Angel who tried to make her leave.”
Tony took the seat beside Rankin as horrible memories and evil recollections twisted their faces.
I could hold my words in no longer. “Did you find all their mommies and daddies? Did you give them something to eat? Did you clean Billy up and put fresh clothes on him? Did they all get to sleep in their own beds and play with their own toys that night? Did the trembling, broken little girl that wicked man raped… did you find her parents as well? Was there someone to hold her and love her and protect her? Does she yet live?”
Both sets of painful tear-filled eyes were on me.
“Yeah, yeah, sure, Jenevier, sure. We took them to the hospital. One by one, their worried parents came in and scooped them up in their arms,” Tony whispered.
“Yeah, and every crying parent got the exact same story, your story,” Rankin added.
“Rankin here, he had a rough go of it for a while. He told everyone about your flaming eyes and he wondered why you weren’t at all those other hundreds of crime scenes we worked the next couple of years.”
I reached a trembling hand toward the silently weeping warrior, barely touching his sleeve. “I could only execute those whom God determined were past the point of repentance. But there are many Vanir. I was not alone. They are there, Rankin, always are they there. You just can’t always see them. That was my very first taste of unexplainable human evil.” I absently rubbed a tiny bit of his sleeve between my thumb and forefinger. “Vittorio tried to make me leave before you got there. I just couldn’t let go of her.” I was no longer focusing on the two men sitting there. My eyes were blurred with pooling tears. “I wanted to stay and hold her forever. I wanted to take her back with me, let her swim in the healing waters of our holy city.”