Past Life Strife (Rise of the Discordant Book 1)

by McMullen, Christina

  “So what did you talk about?”

  “You mostly,” Seth replied with an embarrassed chuckle.

  “What about me?” My tone was probably a little more defensive than necessary. It wasn’t as though Bogie had anything on me that he could use against me, but I didn’t relish being the topic of gossip for a bored demon either.

  “Relax. He wasn’t cursing your name or anything like that. I know you probably won’t believe me, but I think that by sparing his life, Bogie feels indebted to you. In his own way,” he amended. “He may be a demon, but his heart is in the right place. He also…” Seth trailed off with another nervous laugh. “Well, again, it was kind of endearing. He seemed worried about me. He made a big deal of telling me how being a Discordant wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.”

  “I imagine it isn’t,” I said, distracted somewhat as I tried to gauge Seth’s overall mood. As humorous as he found the concept, I couldn’t ignore the fact that he had been all but lost when I first met him just a few days ago. Amara’s sudden appearance certainly hadn’t helped. But no, Seth wasn’t likely to go over to Chaos. Knowing what I did about his soul, he was more likely to sacrifice himself for what he thought were the right reasons, which was frustrating enough.

  I thought about what Louise had put forth earlier. Keeping the Discordant at bay had left me with no time to search for the missing piece of Seth’s soul and this was not good. Technically, Seth was safe, but I knew better. Jim Parker wasn’t the only soul Amara had ensnared. Already she had enthralled several souls and it was only a matter of time before she began taking lives. That we had managed to keep this information from Seth was no small feat, but once word got back to him that even a single soul was lost, he was likely to take drastic measures.

  “Is there anyone here in town that you feel a kinship to?” I asked and went on to explain Louise’s theory.

  “There was a priest here several years ago,” he said. “Abbey told me he and I had been siblings in a previous life. I did feel a soul connection, but that wasn’t even as strong as the one we share. Anyway, he died about five years ago, so it doesn’t matter.” He shrugged. “Funny how I never put much stock in the Guardian’s ability to soul gaze, but now that it would help us, we’re up the creek, as Bogie would say.”

  “You know, that’s the one thing I never quite understood,” I said, realizing now that there was a lot that I didn’t know about the roles of Guardian and Observer. To be fair, I never had much of an interest outside of what I needed to know to perform my own function as an agent of Order. “You’re an Observer. The title implies that you see things. Why is it that the Guardian is the one who can soul gaze?”

  “Observers can only see in the moment,” he explained. “All I get are impressions of the cause behind a strong emotional mindset. My role is simply to report the lost and to catch those who are in danger of becoming lost before it is too late. The Guardian is the one who influences the soul to push past their turmoil. Sometimes this is easier if they can see into past lives and recognize a pattern.”

  The explanation made sense, but it could have been complete nonsense for all the good it did. I was at a loss. Aside from lining up every single person in town and hoping Seth felt a connection, I had no idea what my next move was supposed to be. For that matter, I wasn’t sure why I was taking the word of a psychic to heart. Myrna herself had clearly stated that if anyone could discover the connection, it was me, and that was a pretty big if.

  After talking to Louise, I tried asking Arkady if there were any spells or objects that might help me to see what it was that I was meant to see. At first I got no reply, but after I reworded the question several times, I received an official reprimand from the oversight office, reminding me of the boundaries of my position as a Warrior. Unhelpfully, they went on to instruct me to consult with my territory’s Guardian for further assistance.

  *

  The feeling of foreboding woke me long before the first storm siren began to sound. From my window, which faced west, I could see the dark clouds of the storm that would soon be upon us. From the living room, I could hear the television warning of high winds, hail, flooding, and the strong possibility of a tornado. Troublesome on its own, but my senses were telling me that this was no ordinary storm. The flashing alert on my phone said that I wasn’t the only one. Donna had sent a text, saying that she was going to the county office building to warn Seth. I texted back, telling her to stay safe and to bring him to the Five Penny as quickly as possible.

  “This ain’t good, Des. I seen storms like this before.” Bogie sat on the sofa with the remote in hand, flipping between the Weather Channel and the local news. “Remember that huge earthquake we had about a century ago?”

  “Did you have a hand in that one as well?”

  “Huh, yeah right,” he snorted. “Like I got the power to summon a… Hey! Aw, come on, Des, don’t start this again.”

  “I’m not starting anything, Bogie,” I informed him flatly. “It just seems rather suspicious to me that you won’t tell me what you and Amara were discussing for half the night and now we have incoming Discordant activity that has the potential to take out half the city.”

  “Look, Des, you gotta believe me when I tell yous that I don’t think Amara’s got nothin’ to do with this. But you also gotta believe me that it’s safer for all of us if you don’t know the why hows of what you think I know, at least for the time bein’. Do whatever you gotta do. Bind me, banish me, whatever, just don’t do nothin’ to make me talk. Not yet.”

  Normally, given that lesser demons were known to lie for the sake of self-preservation, I would have done exactly that or worse, but I hesitated. Whatever Amara had told him had Bogie scared. Scared enough that he was shaking, sweating, and his glamour had slipped completely. Aside from simply reminding me of what an ugly little weasel he was, his behavior piqued my curiosity.

  “Fine,” I conceded. “But I’m keeping my eye on you. That being said, do you have any idea what we’re in store for with this type of activity?”

  As if to punctuate my question, a blinding flash and an ear-splitting thunder crack rent the air just before plunging us into darkness as the power went out.

  “Uh, somethin’ big and probably somethin’ bad, that’s for sure.”

  “Come on,” I said, and headed down to the bar. Betty had sent a text saying that she and Louise were on their way and I knew the bar was locked up for the night. The last thing I needed was for the two of them to get stranded out there in the storm.

  Bogie found an emergency radio and a lantern lamp behind the bar. The lantern light was feeble, given the size of the room, but it helped. Without windows or electricity, the bar had been pitch black. That I had managed to get to the door without injuring myself was a minor miracle. The witches made an appearance a few minutes later, beating the storm by a fraction of a second.

  “Anyone hear from Seth or Donna?” Betty asked, frantically tapping at her phone’s screen.

  “We both lost service about a half hour ago,” Louise added.

  I checked my phone and saw that I still had service. Bogie and I were on a different carrier, but neither of us had any luck getting through to either Seth or Donna.

  “Is Donna on the same carrier as you?” I asked and both women nodded. “Well, she likely doesn’t have service either. Seth might have had to evacuate his office,” I reasoned, although it was evident, even in the dark room, that none of us believed anything was that simple.

  “Should we go looking for them?” Betty asked.

  “I don’t think that’s the greatest idea,” I said as another round of thunder shook the walls.

  “We can’t just sit here and do nothing!” Louise balked.

  “We don’t have a choice,” I said and made the mistake of opening the door, thinking I could show her what was going on, and forgetting that we were below street level. It took both Bogie and I to shut the door, but not before enough water got in to make a miniature wa
terfall out of the stairs. As long as the storm raged, we were trapped and no one liked the implications of that.

  *

  “You know, there’s a lotta junk back here,” Bogie commented from behind the bar.

  With Seth and Donna still missing and tensions running high, we each decided to do some mindless task to distract us. Bogie was taking inventory of the bar.

  “I mean, swag, I get, but twelve boxes of mirrored aviator glasses? Who’da thought that was a great marketing idea?”

  “I found glow sticks. These might come in handy if we don’t get power back,” Betty added, shaking one of the beer bottle shaped sticks until it glowed with a sickly neon green.

  “What was that?” Louise asked, looking around as if she had heard something.

  “What was what?” I asked, not hearing anything. Not even the pounding of the rain and hail that had been our constant background noise for the last two hours.

  “Wait, did the storm stop?” Bogie asked and went to check. I heard a thump and just as he opened the door, Donna stumbled in. Luckily, Bogie was able to catch her as she collapsed, otherwise, she would have taken a pretty nasty tumble down the stairs. He set her down in the closest chair and I saw that she was still conscious, but just barely.

  “Where’s Seth?” I asked.

  “I… I’m not sure… he…”

  “Oh my goddess,” Louise gasped. “You didn’t… tell me you didn’t try to stop the freaking storm by yourself!”

  “I… yeah,” Donna wheezed, slumping forward. “I didn’t have a choice. He made me go… after Jim… Oh!” She broke down again.

  “Shush, sh…. Here. Drink up,” Betty fussed, setting a glass of water and a shot of whiskey on the table in front her. Donna downed the shot and coughed, but her sobbing at least had stopped.

  “Thanks,” she said hoarsely before grabbing the water. After a deep breath, she continued. “Jim showed up in Seth’s office. He had a gun and he was freaking out about Amara. Security showed up, then the cops, and… well… he… Jim’s dead. I’m sorry,” she added, giving Betty a look of sympathy before going on. “He sent me away. After the cops took my statement. He… He said he would come right here after he was done, but I… I knew he was lying. I was almost here when it appeared. I knew…” She choked up and a tear rolled down her cheek. “He did it. We have to stop him.”

  “He who? Who did what?” I asked as gently as I could.

  “Seth! He summoned…” she started, but immediately broke down again. “Just… can’t you feel it?”

  We all went silent, reaching out with whatever resources we each had at our disposal. When I felt what Donna was talking about, it was like a punch to the gut.

  “No! It can’t be!” Louise shrieked and ran for the door. I was right behind her.

  The storm had passed, leaving an unearthly silence in its wake. If there were others out there, we could not see them through the aftermath of the storm. A thick, yet entirely unnatural layer of fog shrouded everything, leaving us both blinded and disoriented. Even though we were just steps outside the entrance to the Five Penny, I could see neither the building nor Louise. All that was visible was a faint glow, high above us and to the east, confirming that the sick feeling in my stomach was not without justification.

  “Desmond?” Louise’s voice was on the verge of panic, but she was right in front of me.

  “I’m right behind you,” I said, reaching out and finding her arm. “I thought you said the mist was metaphorical.”

  “I… I thought… It normally is. Oh, this really can’t be happening.” The more she spoke, the higher and shriller her voice became until I was worried she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

  “Come on, it’s okay,” I said, not really believing my own words. “We need to get inside.”

  Carefully, I guided her back down the steps. Even though the bar was mostly dark, seeing the shadows of my companions was a relief after the void-like conditions outside. Donna was nursing another shot. Though it was hard to see in the dark, it appeared as if her color was returning.

  “How long ago did you last see Seth?” I asked.

  “Maybe two hours ago,” Donna said quietly. “I called his office and got no answer, so I called the police, but they said the officers left about thirty minutes after I did. I kept trying to call, but then I lost service.”

  “I’m getting no answer on either his office line or cell,” I informed her. “I think at the moment, we need to prepare for the worst case scenario and take action.”

  “You mean…” Louise’s eyes went wide and she glanced toward the door.

  “I mean, we need to go towards the light,” I said blandly. “If Seth summoned the angel and your vision is to be believed, we don’t have a lot of time.”

  “How are we even going to get there?” Donna asked. “I got lost just coming over here from the county building. This isn’t a normal fog.”

  “We’ll need to stick together,” I said. “We have a lamp.”

  “And the glow sticks!” Betty reminded me. “If we each wear one, we should be able to see each other.”

  “Good thinking,” I said. “Actually…” I grabbed a box of the aviator glasses from the bar and threw them onto the table. “I think these might have a use after all.”

  Chapter 12

  Into Oblivion

  The heavy fog held danger, especially for the unfortunates who happened to be caught travelling during the freak storm, but as I pushed on, I was not afraid. On the contrary, I felt safe. Cocooned in the nothingness and drawn forward by an unseen force, I felt no fear and no regret. The fog was merely a precursor to the oblivion that would soon overtake me. The tall and ornate cathedral, which could usually be seen from nearly everywhere in town, was imposing enough under normal circumstances. Standing unseen, except for the bright glow that hovered in the distance, only made it more so. Yet still, I continued on.

  As I stood at the foot of the hill and looked up at the dense nothingness, I began to laugh. I couldn’t stop myself. Louise had envisioned me climbing a hill in an impenetrable fog. At the time, I had simply assumed the heavy mist meant that the vision was vague or that Louise was trying to make it sound more mysterious than it was. I didn’t think I would actually meet my fate by climbing into the misty and humid aftermath of a raging late summer storm. Then again, this was no ordinary storm.

  The fog thinned the higher I climbed and the church came into view, still glowing with a soft, silver light. Below me, the city was obscured by the blanket of murky haze, adding a mysterious, yet sorrowful aura to the scene. The illusion it gave was one of an enchanted castle high above the clouds. But rather than relish this as beauty in my last moments, I focused on the gray mist of nothingness. Somewhere down there were people I knew and loved. People who cared about me. The more I thought about them, the more my bravado faltered.

  *

  “Oh, Seth. Sometimes, it is difficult to see where bravery ends and foolishness begins.”

  The Creator’s voice echoed, as shapeless and unformed as the void in which it carried.

  “I was not aware that there was any difference.” Seth turned in every direction at once, but saw nothing. At first, he did not realize that the emptiness he occupied had shifted from inside the Cycle to outside of time. The void was not dissimilar to the scene atop St. Anthony’s hill. In all his years as an Observer, Seth had been the one to request an audience with the Creator, not the other way around. He could think of only a few reasons why he would be summoned, none of them boded well.

  “Seth,” the Creator pleaded. “Enough of this. Give me form.”

  “I am afraid of what I will see,” Seth answered with honesty.

  “As well you should be.” The Creator manifested of its own accord, shifting through many incarnations, including Yama, Anubis, and Astraea.

  “Stop, please!” shouted Seth, squeezing his eyes shut, but the tight feeling inside his mind remained. He should have realized, as the Cr
eator probed deep into the darkest recesses of Seth’s mind, searching for the truth and the motive behind his actions, that it would come to this. He was being judged. Not by the Creator, who was simply an impartial facilitator for the process. His own mind would put forth both evidence and argument, ultimately deciding his own fate.

  After what felt like an eternity, Seth felt the grip on his mind relax. When he dared open his eyes again, a young girl of about seven years of age, dressed entirely in white, stood before him.

  “Innocence,” the Creator said with the slightest hint of sorrow as it looked down at its tiny, smooth hands. “Your convictions are unwavering. Your decision will not be challenged. As the Creator, I am unable to intervene, but I am allowed to question. Why, Seth?”

  “I see no other way,” Seth replied with a deep and weary sigh. “Just as the Discordant grow stronger, the Cycle grows smaller with each soul lost.”

  “Yet you wish to take one more.”

  “One which will cease to exist,” Seth clarified. “I will no longer act on the side of Order, true, but neither will I fall to Chaos.”

  “Still, Seth, the Cycle will be one soul short,” the Creator countered.

  “One lost is nothing if it prevents countless others from falling to Chaos.”

  “Have you not considered the psychic’s words?” the Creator asked.

  “Very much,” Seth replied. “But how many souls would be lost to the Discordant while we waste resources trying to save mine? I can’t have that on my conscience.”

  “I understand and I cannot interfere,” said the Creator. “But I do sense regrets, Seth.”

  Seth hung his head, determined not to show weakness, but his heart squeezed in his chest. “I only wish I could have said goodbye.”

  “There is still time,” the Creator reasoned.