by Cege Smith
Again it was like the thing inside of her was automatic. Like a serpent it crept down her hand and jumped the gap into Henry’s body. She heard the man moan in his sleep.
“Easy does it, Ellie,” Lucy said.
Her energy curled around Henry’s and started to squeeze. She couldn’t control it. What it needed to do was too big for her; Henry’s ability was too big. If she jerked she would kill him, she knew it.
Then she heard his voice. “You can do it, Ellie. You can do anything.”
David. Her heart felt like it was going to burst. Knowing that he believed in her suddenly gave her the strength she needed to wrangle with her energy even as it wrangled with Henry’s. She knew that a grimace was on her face as she struggled and sweat broke out on her forehead. Slowly, slowly, slowly, she started to draw the energy back. It was massive, and curled tight within Henry’s body, but she coaxed it. She murmured to it. Gentle persuasion. She nodded and she felt a tingle in her right hand. Lucy was helping to contain it and separate Henry’s life force from his psychic energy, deftly pulling apart the knots as Ellie found them.
It seemed to take forever, but then suddenly the last of it slid across the gap and Ellie released the bond. She opened her eyes and clapped her hands in delight as she saw Henry’s chest still rise and fall. “I did it,” she said. Then looking at Lucy she said, “We did it.”
Lucy put her arms around her. “We did it.”
Ellie saw Mikel watching her with a glare, but she couldn’t stop herself. She turned around and saw David had leaned forward. His eyes were tired and sad, but it was him.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she replied. “Thanks.”
David shrugged. “I figured I hadn’t done a lot to help. And I should be thanking you for setting me free.”
“This reunion is so touching,” Mikel said, standing up. The jeweled box appeared in his hands. “But first things first. Ellie, I believe you have something of mine. Then we’re all going to sit down and have a nice chat.”
A thunderous vibration ripped through the house at that moment and the walls started to shake. Ellie heard the chandelier creaking. It was like an earthquake was coming. She reached out and grabbed David’s hand as he scrambled to the floor with her and in the other she grabbed Lucy’s. Mikel alone stood looking around in wonder and then suddenly he turned pale. Whirling around, he found Jeffrey standing in the middle of the foyer. Then the vibration stopped.
“Mikel, I believe your guests have arrived,” he said with a smirk. The door flew open and a kaleidoscope of color shot through, bathing Jeffrey in their rays. Jeffrey bowed and swept to the side as a cloud of white mist scurried across the floor and filled the whole room. As the fog disappeared, two figures became visible.
The woman was tall with jet black hair that fell to her waist. She wore a simple white dress that accentuated her lean frame. Violet eyes regarded them coolly. The man who was with her had black hair as well, but his was shot with streaks of silver. He had a small goatee and could easily have passed for the woman’s father. He wore a gray sports coat with a pair of jeans. Any other day, Ellie would have pegged him as a middle-aged rocker. But even without seeing the pins that covered their hearts, she would have known who they were just based on the hush that filled the room.
Falla and Braz had arrived.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Falla, Braz, you’re early,” Mikel said. His voice carried none of its usual confidence.
“We heard there was a new Guardian installed here, Mikel,” Braz said. His deep voice boomed in the hallway. “Seems there have been quite a few things going on in this waypoint that you failed to bring to the attention of the Council. Falla and I thought it would be best if we came to see for ourselves.”
Mikel stepped into the hallway and as Ellie watched, she saw that the three naturally aligned themselves into the three points of a triangle. As soon as he joined them, Mikel’s clothes morphed into the familiar three-piece suit that she remembered him wearing before, only now the pinstripes that shot through the fabric were red. He turned slightly to look at Ellie, and she saw that his lapel pin was also in place. It was the first time that she had seen the official designation of Mikel’s political position, even though it was always a given. The serpent eating its own tail was identical to the one that she found in her mother’s hope chest. She wasn’t sure, but she thought that he was afraid.
“Yes, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, Jeffrey.” Falla nodded to Jeffrey.
Jeffrey bowed slightly. “My duty is always first and foremost to the waypoint,” he said as he retreated to the doorway by Ellie, Lucy, and David. Mikel shot Jeffrey a look of pure hatred.
When Lucy told Ellie that Jeffrey was also a spy for other Council members, Ellie hadn’t believed it. But Lucy told her that it wasn’t uncommon for the three to keep tabs on each other’s movements using a very selective spy network. Jeffrey had been with Mikel for over a hundred years. There was no way that Mikel would have suspected that betrayal. The fact that he was willing to side with Ellie was a big gamble for him, but Lucy explained that on one thing she and Jeffrey completely agreed: having Mikel gain control of all the waypoints would be disastrous.
“So I selected a new Guardian,” Mikel said. “It’s better for all of us to have this waypoint open and you know it. Lillian and Joseph Bradford didn’t have the right energy to bring souls here. That’s changed now. More waypoints; better efficiency. I’d think you would be thanking me.”
“Three hundred years ago, this waypoint drew the strongest psychics from across the northern hemisphere on their journeys into the Afterlife. But I’m sure you didn’t know that what with your recent appointment to the Council,” Braz said.
Ellie remembered one of her first conversations with Lucy. Of course Mikel was The Third; he had the least amount of tenure on the Council. Which likely meant that The Third also had the least influence and power on the Council. With an ambitious man like Mikel, that would have chafed. But Braz’s words left her wondering. The Bradfords hadn’t built the mansion until a hundred years ago and Lillian was the one who opened the portal. What had been there three hundred years ago?
“You gave me charge of the old and underpowered waypoints. As you can see, I’m making great progress,” Mikel said with narrowed eyes.
“I’d like to meet this unique Guardian,” Falla said. Her voice was like honey. “Peter said she was quite special. She even stood up to Dane, which I find vastly amusing.”
Ellie felt an elbow in her rib. It was her cue. Lucy started prodding her forward. Slowly Ellie stepped toward the trio. It felt like she was walking through quicksand. Three pairs of eyes watched her. She felt the heat of Mikel’s glare. She stopped just short of them and waited.
Falla looked her over from head to toe. Her eyes widened. “I see it now. Peter’s too young to understand what it meant.” She glanced at Braz.
Braz sighed. “Lila as well. The only one who may have known would have been Dane, but my guess is that bit of magic that we see swirling around her would have made even his eyes skim over it.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. What did they see? What magic?
Falla’s eyes narrowed as she looked back at Mikel. “I suppose you knew that your new Guardian was a Ripher?”
How did they know? Ellie wondered. Mikel shrugged and looked bored. “So what? I was looking for the right fit to take over this waypoint and Lillian Bradford led me right to Ellie. Obviously a gifted psychic medium like a Ripher is a better Guardian than a demented woman who figured out how to cast a few binding spells.”
Falla snapped her fingers and said, “Bring it to me.”
Jeffrey appeared at her shoulder and placed the jeweled box into her hands. Ellie saw Mikel’s face pale.
“I think we have a lot to discuss, Mikel. It’s been a long time since a member of the Council has committed such an act of treason against other members of the Council. You should hope that by the
time your trial begins, you have gotten your story straight,” Falla said coolly.
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t,” Mikel stammered.
“Save it,” Braz commanded. “If you weren’t a Council member you would have been decimated already. Our orders were firm, however. Bring the traitor back. Put you in front of the Tribunal for trial. And in their hands, your fate rests.”
Mikel looked like he was going to be ill. Falla, however, had a small smile of satisfaction on her face. “You will come with me now, Mikel. As the First, Heaven technically has the right to hold you, but at Braz’s request we will release you to the Dark One for holding until the time of the Tribunal. I have a feeling he is none too pleased with your plotting as well. You’ve done a very stupid thing, Mikel.”
Now Mikel started to shake. Falla looked at him and then a whirl of light flowed out of her. Gold bars of glowing light encircled Mikel. Ellie almost felt sorry for him then. Despite everything he had done, that night she had glimpsed something in him that wasn’t pure evil. It was a confusing thought, but she was starting to believe everyone telling her that things weren’t as black and white as she wanted them to be.
The fog reappeared then and then the blinding bright light. When Ellie looked again, Falla and Mikel were gone. Only Braz remained, and he was looking at her with a sad expression on his face. Suddenly, she was terrified. They had won, right? What else could possibly happen?
“Hello, Ellie,” he said. He stepped forward and shook her hand. “I wish we were meeting under different circumstances. I’m sure you’ve gathered by now that I represent Purgatory in Council matters.”
“I didn’t want to help him,” she said. “He created an elaborate plot to get me to help him. I had no idea that I was a Ripher or whatever it is that you think I am. I was just a girl trying to live her life out there. On the Other Side. I want to go home. Please tell me that now this is all over we can go home.”
Braz sighed and looked around the foyer. “This place needed a Guardian. Mikel was right about that at least. It is a waypoint of great power. With that comes great responsibility. I know that you would like to return to your old life, and if it was possible I would gladly send you there. But you’ve been touched by the darkness now, Ellie. You’ve been here too long. I can’t allow you to go back.”
The tears welled in her eyes then, but she wouldn’t let them fall. The finality of his words ripped at her soul. Mikel had condemned her to a life in the Afterlife. “Does this mean I’m dead?” she asked.
“You are not dead. Not yet. There are many circumstances around what happened here and with you that the Council will need to discuss once everything is balanced again. For the time being, you will continue to stay here and do what Mikel told you do. Jeffrey and Lucy will remain as your advisors and help keep you safe. I fear that times are growing uncertain, and there are others who would try to hurt you if they knew you were here.”
Ellie didn’t think Braz’s revelations could get any worse. Braz looked over her shoulder and proved her wrong.
“As for the matter of David, I’m afraid that he is going to need to come with me.”
“What?” Ellie exclaimed. “Why? He hasn’t done anything wrong! Besides, I need him. He and I give the waypoint the energy it needs to stay open!”
David appeared at her side. He turned her to face him. “It’s okay, Ellie. He’s just doing his job.”
“What are you talking about?” Ellie grabbed him and hugged him tightly. “I don’t understand.”
He stroked her hair and hugged her back. “You did what you had to do. I don’t want you to beat yourself up about this too.”
Now she couldn’t hold the tears back. She let them slide down her cheeks. She didn’t care about appearing strong anymore. “Why, David? Why?”
“He isn’t supposed to exist,” Braz said. The words echoed throughout the hall. “A soul unaccounted for is like a ticking time bomb. Mikel was but one of a multitude who would look to exploit such a loophole in the fabric of our existence. David can’t stay here. His presence puts all of you in danger, and in the vicinity of a waypoint with an open portal, it puts the Other Side in danger as well. You make a point in that up until now more energy was needed to maintain the waypoint and keep it fully functional.”
Ellie realized then that Mikel’s master plan had backfired entirely, on her. “Oh my God,” she whispered.
“Well, whoever you call master,” Braz said wryly before his expression turned serious again. “The Council does not condone the taking of psychic abilities in any way, shape, or form. But I have it on good authority that you’ve recently taken an ability that increases your own by a magnitude of a thousand. Such a thing makes you alone more than sufficient to feed the waypoint on your own.”
Ellie started to shake. “No, no, no, no. I can’t lose you too. I can’t do this without you, David. I just can’t.” She clutched him tightly.
“Shhh,” he said. “You’ve been doing great, Ellie. I know you didn’t know I was there, but I was watching. You are amazing. The way that you’ve adapted and grown since you’ve been here. You are going to be a force to be reckoned with as a Guardian. Trust me. I was lucky to have you in my life for the short time I did. You are going to be okay.”
Ellie wept against his chest. It was like she was losing her parents, Roni, and Jake all over again. David rocked her in his arms and held her. Finally she started to quiet and gain control over the overwhelming sadness that had taken hold. She couldn’t keep him there. She knew it.
She looked up at him and David smiled sadly at her, then kissed her forehead. “I love you, Ellie.”
“I love you too,” she said softly.
Reluctantly, she released him. As she started to turn away, Braz touched her arm. “Ellie, may I ask you a question?”
“Yes,” she said, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. She was angry, but she intuitively knew that it wouldn’t be smart to say something out of turn to a Council member. If this was her life, she needed to not draw any more attention to herself.
“Your parents. Their names didn’t happen to be Garrett and Milla, did they?”
Ellie’s expression said it all and Braz frowned.
“Why? What did my parents have to do with the Afterlife?” she asked. Taking a stab at what she thought she knew, she continued. “I know they were from here. Tell me what that means.”
“This isn’t a subject for now,” Braz replied. He was clearly troubled. “I will visit again, Ellie, and we will talk more. But for now, David and I need to be going.”
Ellie almost started to weep again but she gulped down a deep breath of air instead and nodded.
As the fog filled the foyer, she saw David mouth the words again. I love you.
Then the two were gone. Lucy gathered Ellie into her arms and Ellie started to cry once again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ellie sat lifeless on the staircase as Jeffrey and Lucy buzzed around the rooms on the main floor cleaning up the mess from Falla and Braz’s grand entrance. Every few minutes one of them would stop to ask her how she was doing, but she would wave them away. Life as she knew it had once again ceased to exist. How many times could that happen to a person before they would go insane? she wondered
Lucy had also shepherded the trio of guests upstairs and safely ensconced them in their rooms. In all the chaos, Ellie had completely forgotten about them. Some Guardian she was, she thought. Henry hadn’t remembered a thing of their encounter, and she knew that she had Lucy to thank for that, but she didn’t have the energy. Lucy said that there was even a chance that Henry wouldn’t disappear even though Ellie had taken his ability; something to do with their joint effort and Lucy trying a different spell to bolster his life force.
After sitting on the steps for what seemed like a long time, she got up and wandered back to the kitchen. She found Jeffrey waiting there, brewing a pot of tea.
“I think you could use this,” he said, slipping the t
ea cup in front of her.
She was learning that Jeffrey used tea to fix everything. But the feelings inside her couldn’t be fixed. “I don’t know what to do now,” Ellie said. “I’ve lost him. I’ve lost everything.”
Lucy appeared on the stool beside her. She smiled at Jeffrey as he handed her a glass of wine. “That’s what I’m talking about,” she said as she took a sip. “I like it when we’re on the same side, Jeffrey.” Then she swirled the liquid around in the glass and took a long sip before speaking again. “You may not see it yet, Ellie, but what just went down was epic. We stopped Mikel before he could do any real damage. You were able to fully control your power. All’s it would take is a little bit of practice and I don’t think you’d need me at all.”
Ellie looked at her sharply. “As if I would want to do something like that ever again,” she said. “I am pretty sure I wasn’t the only one out there who heard Braz say that I’m not supposed to be taking people’s abilities anymore.”
Lucy shrugged. “That’s the kind of thing that will come in handy if you ever need to use it. Trust me.” She took another sip of wine. “I’ve been doing some thinking. I know you think that you lost David completely, but to me, if you lose something important, you just pull out your Sherlock Holmes cap and go about finding it again. Isn’t that what you would do, Jeffrey?”
“Quite right,” Jeffrey replied. He winked at Ellie.
“What about your sister?” Ellie asked as it dawned on her what they were saying.
“Braz promised me that she would be safe and sound by the time he returned to Purgatory. Braz is a decent guy. He’s always been good to me,” Lucy said. “Thank goodness he understood why I was here. Mikel’s been holding her over my head for a long time. If Braz hadn’t believed that I wasn’t acting on my own intentions, that could have been very bad for me.”