Souled

by Diana Murdock

  “Maksim.” Just saying the name gave me the creeps.

  “He was a regular guy who attracted the attention of Silura, an important sorceress in Egypt, back in the third century. Apparently, he was a player but she wanted him anyway. So, in exchange for his loyalty to her, she promised to teach him magick and to give him the power of a sorcerer.”

  “But those are just stories, aren’t they?”

  Alex frowned. “Every story or myth is based in fact, Dani.” She went on. “Anyway, he behaved in the beginning, especially when she was teaching him how to manipulate the elements and teaching him the way of The Order, but after awhile he must have gotten bored, because he didn’t keep his part of the bargain. He cheated on her—a lot. Silura knew it, but didn’t do anything about it. Until,” she held up a finger, “until he fell in love.” Alyx snapped the book closed.

  “And that was a bad thing?” I wasn’t quite following.

  “Well, yeah. He fell in love with a village girl, not Silura. All Silura ever wanted was for Maksim to love her, not some other woman.”

  “And Silura didn’t take it very well,” I guessed.

  “Hell, no! She gave him an ultimatum: leave the girl or the girl would die. Now here’s where the curse comes in. Lover boy thought he could stop Silura because he had become so powerful, so he killed her.

  “And get this,” Alyx leaned closer and looked me in the eye, “before he strangled her to death, Silura apparently managed to recite an incantation, one she’d never taught him. The curse bound him to fall in love and then kill his lovers, just so he could feel the same pain she did. She cursed him to destroy anyone he ever loved—throughout eternity.”

  “Wait a minute,” I protested. “How did anyone find out about the curse if she died right after that?”

  “The book says Silura was a part of the Rahotep of sorcerers, a tight society and well-respected group. Apparently she went to Rashidi, who was her mentor and old sorcerer, and told him about her suspicions as a back-up or protection, so in case something happened to her, he would know who to search for. After Maksim killed her, lots of sorcerers from Rahotep searched for him, but gave up after awhile because Maksim apparently hid himself so well. But once they realized that a string of murders pointed to Maksim, they tried to track him down again and have him destroyed. Maksim moved around a lot, always managing to keep one step ahead of them. Then the murders just… stopped. There was no record of these types of killings until about a hundred years later. Then the pattern started up again.”

  “So you’re saying all the articles we found at the library are part of the pattern?” I asked.

  “Exactly.” Alyx said. “We only have legend to go on for all these murders—until about 200 years ago, when newspapers and records became more common. Those are all the stories we found at the library. But all these murders through the centuries, they’ve all been done by the same soul—the soul inside of Seth.”

  I tried to swallow the lump that started to form in my throat, but I couldn’t. The words were too thick on my tongue and I instinctively reached for my throat. “So that means Seth is supposed to kill me next.”

  Alyx’s pressed her lips together.

  “So why hasn’t he done it yet? He’s had plenty of chances.” Just like the time in his room. Just the two of us, alone. He could have done it then. Had I known, would I have still gone? Yeah. I would have.

  “I think it’s because Seth’s love for you is so powerful, he’s managed to fight off Maksim’s curse… so far.”

  “Maksim loved his women, too, and he still killed them,” I said.

  “True, but there were also a lot of other factors that came into play, like drugs, alcohol, jealousy. All of those things can give the attachment some kind of loop hole.”

  Jealously?. Oh boy.

  “But the woman at the stone shop said that love is light and it would chase away the dark. If we have that, and Seth is fighting, why won’t Maksim just go away?”

  “It’s all about the curse,” Alyx explained. “Silura was making damn sure Maksim wasn’t going to get off easy after what he did to her. I wonder if what we need is to give it a reason to leave, maybe a distraction. Kind of like a clown at a rodeo, you know? A decoy to take the attention off the cowboy. But right now Maksim is so close to fulfilling his curse, I doubt even that would work. As soon as he does, though, he’ll be released. But then it’ll start all over again.”

  I shook my head. “Just like you said—a serial killer.”

  “Exactly! He can’t be destroyed, at least according to what I’ve read. Seth and Maksim are locked in a stalemate.” She flopped back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. “I can’t believe Seth has held out this long. It sounds like it’s usually a slam dunk. I’m really impressed.”

  I sat on the floor and leaned weakly against my dresser. “I can’t believe this. This is so freakin’ unreal.” I searched the ceiling hoping to find some answer in the smooth surface. “This is all because we love each other. Who’d ever think that would be such a crime?” I swallowed hard to get past the tightness in my throat.

  A long minute passed before Alyx broke the silence. “That’s probably why Seth broke up with you. He was trying to protect you.” She sat up. “Seth is probably thinking that if you’re not around him, then Maksim can’t hurt you. I don’t think not being around you is going to make any difference, though. As far as Maksim is concerned, you’re Seth’s lover.”

  “But Seth would die before he let Maksim hurt me!” I said, a sob breaking through my words.

  “We have to figure out how to undo the curse or get rid of the soul. We’ll follow Seth the next time he goes out, just to see what he’s doing. Maybe we can find something to help us.” She sighed and said, “Right now, it’s all we’ve got.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Maksim’s fingers tightened around the slender column of Silura’s throat and she tore and scratched at his hands. The pale skin of her neck was already bruising under his touch, but he did not waver. This woman had dared to try to control him, tried to temper his appetite for power and women. She had dared to test her strength against his! For that, she would die.

  He squeezed his hands tighter, if not to end it quickly, then at least to stop her lips from moving in their silent prayer. No god would answer her now. None would dare defy him and pull her from the edge of the abyss from which she was about to plunge.

  He pushed her onto her back and straddled her. Tiny blue veins beneath the delicate skin of Silura’s eyelids were pulsing as she struggled. Where was that powerful sorceress he had once adored? His beautiful, compelling queen who once stood so tall and forbidding, now crumpled beneath him, praying!

  “Open your eyes and look at me while you die, you bitch! Tell me now who your master is?”

  Her pale, pink lips continued to silently recite words as her lids opened enough for him to glimpse the malice in her eyes. Then, as a pale purple hue replaced the fine white of her skin, she moved no more.

  Silence whispered across the grass. His shaking hands loosened as he stared at her.

  He’d killed her. Her lids spared him from seeing her lifeless orbs. Even so, he thought with a bit of hatred, he could still feel her malice.

  The fine hairs on the back of his neck crept upward, sending a chill up and over his scalp. He broke his gaze away from Silura, quickly looking around. Had someone seen him? Oh, but her friends would have vengeance should they discover him. They had never liked him. They had always been jealous of his ability to learn and master their art, and he being a mere commoner. And his affair with Silura… well, that was more than they could tolerate.

  Silura was the one person who stood between him and his enemies, for they respected her and held her above all else. Now that she was gone, with her demise by his hand… But, her death was not his fault! This was her doing, he told himself. Had she not loved him so much, had she not been so controlling, she would still be alive.

  His head whipped around to
scan the trees. A rustling in the leaves at the base of the mighty oaks from a rabbit both frightened and incensed him. I am Maksim, he said to himself. I will not cower from this or anyone who tries to take retribution on her behalf. He closed his eyes and sent his energy through the trees, ensuring there was no one in hiding. Narrow was his mind’s eye at the moment, as he searched for his enemies far from where he was, straddling the body of his mistress and teacher. Too narrow, for he missed the subtle shift of the blanket beneath his knees.

  His eyes snapped open and he cried out in pain when red-painted nails slashed at his face, raking the skin from his cheeks.

  Silura’s voice reverberated through the air as she spoke in a language he had never heard her use before. He knew by the way sweat beaded on his brow and how his ribs constricted around his lungs that he faced something more powerful than anything he’d ever known. In his desperation, he squeezed her throat harder to stop the words.

  Ice ran through his bones, failing to quell the fever that raged within. He now understood, down to his soul, that he would never escape her… even after her death.

  ~ ~ ~

  I gather him in my arms and cradle him against me, whispering encouragement. He is mine now, too tired to fight any longer.

  ~ Maksim

  Chapter 31

  The chance to follow Seth came three nights later. The three of us had spent the last two nights parked down the street from Seth’s house watching to see if he would leave. Dirk came and went, but there was no sign of Seth. Until tonight.

  Now Alyx, Justin, and I were headed north in Alyx’s car, just past Selle Valley, on a two-way road. There was so little traffic here that Seth and Dirk had to have known we were following them. It was a game of cat and mouse and I had a feeling we were the mice, driving right into a trap.

  But Alyx had absolutely no fear. She was fascinated by what was happening. I was afraid, though, afraid of what we might see. Afraid I was going to lose Seth. As for Justin, he wanted to help Seth, but I think he was more scared for me.

  “Hey, grab the backpack, will you?” Alyx told Justin, holding the wheel with one hand as she gestured to the space behind his seat. “Open it. There’s one inside for each of us.”

  “One of what?” Justin asked, dragging a backpack over the seat. He unzipped it and pulled out the first thing he found. “Um, if this is what you’re talking about, I don’t think it’s the right size for me.” He gingerly dangled a black lacey bra from his fingertips.

  “Of course, it is. Just…” Alyx glanced at him in the rear-view mirror. “Ugh!” she cried. “Put it back! Not that backpack! The camo one!”

  He shoved the bra back in the pack and reached back again. “How was I supposed to know? Black is your color, isn’t it?

  I stared at her in amazement. “You do camo?”

  “Are you kidding? Not on this body.” She took the pack from Justin and put it in her lap. “I found this pack at a garage sale.”

  Steering with her knees, Alyx’s attention shifted between the road and whatever she was digging for in her backpack. “Here they are.” She threw one pair of night goggles back to Justin and another pair to me. She adjusted hers with an ease that said she’d done it before.

  “Night goggles?” I asked. I was skeptical, but when Alyx explained how to adjust them, I was amazed at how much I could see along the highway and into the dense woods on either side.

  “Look,” she said, pointing ahead of us. “Seth’s turning.” She turned off the car’s headlights and crept along the road.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Justin demanded.

  “Duh, trying not to be seen,” Alyx said to Justin.

  The moonlight barely broke through the cloud cover. Wow. It was off-the-grid dark, and the trees and shrubs around us were creepy. I breathed easier as she guided the car into a stand of trees and turned off the engine. We weren’t too far from where we’d seen Seth’s truck pull over.

  “Yeah, Justin. We have to do it this way,” I told him.

  “Fine,” he said. He opened the door and slid out, then closed the door as softly as possible. “Dani, stay close to me, okay?”

  “Yeah, okay.” I walked around to meet him and squeezed his arm. “We’ll be all right.” I turned to Alyx. Through the goggles, she glowed a pale green.

  “With these,” Alyx pointed to her goggles, “we’re leveling the playing field.”

  “You hope,” Justin muttered.

  “Stop it, Justin.” I punched his arm.

  Alyx stood still, turning her head from one side to the other.

  “Let’s go this way.” She gestured toward the east and we began to make our way in the direction of Seth’s truck. She added in a low voice, “I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if Seth’s little sorcerer sees perfectly in the dark.”

  “Sorcerer?” Justin asked. “Seriously?” He glared at me. “What else are you leaving out?”

  “Later!” Alyx hissed. “Quiet!”

  We could hear Dirk’s voice now, but we couldn’t make out his words. Off a little way in front of us, Dirk was shifting his weight from foot to foot and moving his hands around animatedly, like he was jacked up on something, like he just couldn’t contain himself. Seth, on the other hand, hardly moved, but when he did, his body was fluid, measured, and deliberate.

  Dirk shifted to stand on the other side of Seth, and in the truck’s headlights, we could see a limp rabbit draped over Seth’s hand.

  I shuddered and turned away. I’ve never seen Seth mistreat anything. He may not be as passionate about animals as I am, but he would never hurt one. I refused to believe Seth was in control—it had to be Maksim.

  “Oh, shit. That’s just sick!” Justin coughed and turned away. “He’s lighting the rabbit on fire.”

  I whipped back around to see, and my stomach rolled at the sight. A flame sat in Seth’s palm, its tendrils stretching up and greedily flicking at the rabbit’s face. Dirk egged Seth on, but Seth didn’t seem to need any encouragement. The smile on his face told me he was thoroughly enjoying the performance.

  The flames crawled up the rabbit’s fur before Seth tossed it away into a burning heap on the ground.

  “Yeah! Yeah!” Dirk’s voice broke apart the quiet air. “Dude! That was freakin’ awesome! Yeah!”

  They did a high five, but when their palms hit, Seth grabbed Dirk’s hand and held it. Dirk’s knees buckled just a little bit.

  “Dude! That—”

  Seth’s lips moved and Dirk went silent, then they both turned around to stare at us.

  “We have to get out of here!” Alyx whispered, now clearly agitated. The tone of her voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

  We turned and ran back towards the car. Nervous sweat made my goggles slip down my nose and I had to hold them onto my face with both hands.

  “Holy crap!” Justin said. “That was crazy!”

  I let out a scream when wood splintered directly behind us. Beside me a tree toppled, its branches thudding on the ground. Alyx grabbed my arm and we ducked behind the widest tree we could find, trying to catch our breath.

  “Bastard,” Alyx muttered.

  “You mean Seth did that?” Justin panted.

  My heart pounded against my ribs so frantically, my entire body was shaking. “That wasn’t Seth,” I said. “Seth isn’t in control now.”

  Alyx peered around the trunk. “It was Maksim giving us a warning.”

  Through the trees we could still see Seth and Dirk silhouetted against the headlights. Another spark blazed, lighting up their faces.

  “Get to the car! Now!” Alyx’s command had us moving.

  Justin grabbed my hand and we started to run. We thought Alyx was right behind us, but I realized I couldn’t hear her footsteps.

  “Wait!” I stopped and whirled around.

  Alyx was walking towards Seth.

  “Alyx!” I hissed. “Get over here!”

  “What the hell is she doing?” Justin asked f
rom behind me, still pulling on my hand. “Come ON, Dani! We need to go!”

  “I can’t leave her!” I was terrified. Alyx was the one who told us we needed to run—and now she was walking right into danger! Had Maksim somehow compelled Alyx to go to him? Could he do that?

  The tiny, solitary flame Seth held in his hand had swelled into a fireball. His arm was cocked back, and he was aiming the fireball at us.

  None of us moved. I refused to believe that Seth would throw it, not if there was some part of him that still cared.

  But he launched it. It was an easy toss, but the fireball headed toward Alyx like a rocket.

  “Alyx! Run!” I forced my feet to move forward, stumbling in her direction.

  Alyx yelled, like a warrior diving headlong into a battle and shoved her hands at the air in front of her.

  “No!” My scream burned my throat. “Move, Alyx!”

  But she knew exactly what she was doing. The fireball came within an inch of her, then ricocheted off to the side. It exploded, orange and red lighting up the trees.

  My mouth dropped open. She had created a barrier, just like the one Seth did at the dance to keep Dirk back.

  “How did Alyx do that?” There was awe in Justin’s voice.

  “I have no idea,” I whispered.

  Alyx turned and ran, grabbing my arm in passing. “Why aren’t you guys in the car?” she growled.

  Our survival instinct took over and we sprinted.

  “Shit,” Justin spat out as he turned in mid-stride to check on Seth. “He’s making another one!”

  Behind us a tree exploded. Seth had missed his mark—us.

  As soon as we got to the car, Justin shoved me into the back seat ahead of him and slammed the door as Alyx floored it.

  Justin pushed me down, covering my body with his. “Good thing Seth never had very good aim,” he muttered.

  Yeah, a very good thing, too. Out here no one would find us for a long time, I thought, pushing Justin off so I could sit up.