Soulshifter

by Barbara Pietron

  Though he was a competent soulshifter, Jack had no familial ties to boost his standing within the sect. Only by proving his talent was unparalleled could he hope to gain the respect necessary to date Shera. That’s why, as Jack read the accounts of Emma’s disappearance and realized the girl may still be alive, he instantly saw the opportunity he’d been looking for.

  “Hey, turn this up. I love this song.” Natalie broke into his thoughts and Jack reached for the volume knob. Wow—The Killers? This girl was certainly a lesson in not judging a book by its cover.

  As they neared Atwood, Jack suggested lunch at a diner he’d been to with his family a few times. So they stopped for sandwiches and refueled the car. About an hour later they arrived in Harbor Springs.

  After pulling into the driveway of a neat little log home, Natalie turned the car off and fiddled with the keys still hanging from the ignition. “Should I wait or go in with you?”

  Jack gave her a bewildered look. “Come with me. You’re not my chauffeur.”

  “Good.”

  His chuckle earned him a ‘give me a break’ glance and then the two of them met in front of the car to walk to the house together.

  Jack recognized the tall, solidly built woman who answered the door and scrambled to remember her name. He should, since he’d heard many stories at her knee, though he’d been quite young at the time.

  Instead he introduced himself, unsure if she would remember him. “Hi, I’m Jack Ir—”

  “I know who you are, Jack.” Her eyes creased when she smiled. “Though I’ll always think of you as this big.” She held her hand about four feet from the ground. “You’ve done a lot of growing up.”

  “Yeah, it’s been quite a few years since…” Suddenly it dawned on him and Jack grinned. “Lore with Laurie.” That was her name. Laurie.

  She waved him inside, chuckling. “I’m surprised you remember that. Go ahead and sit. I’ll tell Ron you’re here.”

  The home was more spacious inside than the exterior gave away. From the doorway they could see the living room’s two-story vaulted ceiling. As they advanced into the room, their attention was immediately drawn to the wall of windows which revealed a breath-taking view of Lake Michigan. The modest furniture had a comfortable, homey appeal. They sat on a couch facing a stone fireplace.

  A large man entered the room and waved Jack down before he could stand up. Jack remembered the elder from sect meetings before they moved to Ketchton though he didn’t imagine the man would remember him. “You must be Jack.” He leaned over to shake Jack’s hand. “And…” His gaze shifted to Natalie.

  “Natalie,” she squeaked.

  “Ron Winert.” He sank into a seat near the wall of windows. The top of his head was bald, but the remaining fringe around the sides was still mostly brown. He had the lined, tanned face of a man who worked outside. “I believe I know your father, Jack. He worked at the marina?”

  “Yes. Huritt Ironwood.”

  “That’s right. If you had a problem with your boat motor, he was the man.”

  “That’s him, except he works on cars now.” Jack immediately regretted the comment. But Ron Winert was a local and a sect member; surely he’d heard about the incident and wouldn’t ask any questions. In fact, the way the man’s black eyes evaluated them with a sharp intelligence led Jack to believe Ron didn’t miss much. He reminded Jack of a bird. A hawk, to be precise.

  “So you’re contemplating a rescue in the underworld.”

  Jack nodded. “Have you done this, sir?”

  “Actually, no. I became an elder when a seat was vacated by a man who descended for a rescue attempt. He wouldn’t tell anyone what transpired during his time below. The experience ruined him, though. He quit the council and became a recluse. Eventually he died, wasted away by despair or possibly guilt, no one is sure. Anyway, I made it one of my responsibilities to collect any piece of information gained in these ventures—in hopes it might aid future forays into Zalnic’s realm.” An orange striped cat sidled along Ron’s chair and jumped into his lap. “Marmalade. I found her in the woods when she was just a kitten.” He stroked the cat as she arranged herself on his lap. “So tell me, how long has this girl been gone?”

  “Almost a week,” Jack replied.

  “You should still have some time then. Is she a fighter?”

  Jack nudged Natalie. “Tell him what you told me.” He explained, “Natalie is Emma’s best friend.”

  As Natalie spoke, Marmalade jumped from the elder’s lap and crossed the room. She sprang up on the couch between Jack and Natalie. Ron elected not to comment when Natalie finished. Instead he asked a question. “Have you spoken to Dan Manning?”

  The cat rubbed her face on Jack’s leg so he reached out to scratch her head. “I called him, but he refused to talk to me. He insisted I was foolish.” Marmalade drew the length of her body beneath Jack’s hand. She was silky soft, and he detected the vibrations of a purr.

  The large man emitted a soft grunt. “To my knowledge, only two lives have been saved from the dark realm. Dan’s nephew is one.”

  “Who saved him?”

  “Dan himself. He saw the Enuuki, woke his wife, and they both followed the specter. Dan wrestled the creature while his wife fled with the boy.”

  “They all made it back?”

  “Yes, no doubt because the boy never made it to Zalnic. But his wife still paid a dire price—she now wears a glass eye.”

  Jack glanced at Natalie. She stared as if frozen. “Are you saying she traded an eye for her nephew?” she asked.

  Ron’s gaze shifted from one face to another. “You might look at it that way. During the escape, she was cornered by one of Zalnic’s pets, a blind salamander. She was bargaining her way out of the jam when Dan caught up.”

  Marmalade made her way over to Natalie and Jack could hear the cat purring in earnest as Natalie stroked her. “How did he fend off the salamander?” he asked.

  “The details may be in my notes—which I intend to give you. Even so, if you undertake this errand, I think it would be worth your while to get Dan to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, I could definitely use his advice,” Jack agreed. “You said someone else was rescued successfully?”

  Ron cocked his head sideways, lending more to his bird-like appearance. “It depends what you consider successful. The victim made it back, but his rescuer never did.”

  “Do you know the survivor? Is he or she still alive?”

  “I assume so. He must be barely in his twenties. Fortunately for him—although unfortunately for you—he has little memory of the ordeal. Hang on.” The elder rose and disappeared through a doorway near the foyer. He emerged a moment later with a laptop. He sat back in his chair and powered it up. “I’m going to send you my files. I’m sure you’re already aware you’ll need to descend and enter the spirit world in the flesh?” When Jack nodded, he continued. “This is managed on sacred ground at the crest of the moon. It’s a dangerous undertaking, to say the least. You must not eat or drink anything from the other realm. You don’t want to assimilate anything from that world into your body. Even dust. Wear shoes, pants, long sleeves.”

  “Gloves?” Jack asked.

  The elder nodded. “Definitely.” He paused to type something then pinned them with a serious stare. “Take the time to prepare. From what you’ve said about the girl who was taken, she’ll be okay for a little longer. Better you enter the dark realm prepared than give Zalnic your souls on top of the one he’s stolen. Try to formulate a plan that keeps the two of you together. It’ll be safer that way.”

  “Oh.” Jack’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “No. Natalie’s helping me, but only I plan to travel below.” He noticed Natalie jerk her head in his direction, but he didn’t look at her. She didn’t think she was going with him, did she? He’d never said so.

  Ron asked Jack for his email address and sent his files while they waited. Then he looked up information on the survivor. “Ah, here it is. Eric Palmer.�
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  Jack extracted the pen from the rings of his notebook and opened to the back page. He copied down the information as Ron dictated it to him, his mind racing with the possibility of speaking to a survivor. Even more encouraging was the man’s address; he lived in Charlevoix.

  Which was on the way home.

  Natalie didn’t say a word until they were in the car. She turned to Jack before starting the engine. “What do you mean I’m not going?”

  “Natalie, I never asked you to actually come to the underworld with me. I knew you couldn’t. That’s why I explained that I was a shifter. Only I can descend into the spirit world.”

  “Teach me then.”

  “It’s not something you learn. I thought you understood—I was born with the ability to cross worlds.”

  Natalie pressed her lips together and stared hard at Jack. As she detected the truth to his words, her face softened and he saw tears pool in her eyes. “I want to help save her.”

  “You are.”

  She blinked a few times and faced forward. After wiping her eyes on her sleeves, she started the car. “Okay, tell me where we’re going.”

  Jack read from the directions Ron had given them. The elder had also offered to call Eric and give him a heads-up before Jack and Natalie showed up on his doorstep. Jack felt like he’d scored a wealth of information already. Maybe his quest was viable after all.

  Eric lived in an apartment complex just outside the city. “Jack and Natalie?” he asked when he opened the door.

  “That’s us,” Jack said. “Obviously Ron got ahold of you.”

  “He did.” Instead of inviting them in, Eric stepped out and drew the door closed behind him. “I’m sorry, but I gotta be to work in forty-five minutes. I always stop at the diner on the way. You’re welcome to tag along. There’s not much I can tell you, anyway.”

  They followed Eric’s little red hatchback a few blocks into town and met him inside the diner. Eric ordered a large coffee and a sandwich to go then took a seat at the counter. Jack and Natalie both ordered a soda. Eric didn’t wait to be asked a question. “I remember the thing that took me.” He shuddered. “I still have nightmares about it—about its red eyes. And even though I don’t remember that thing saying anything to me, in my dreams it calls me ‘son of pool’ or something like that. Weird. Anyway, since then I’ve made it my business to know the location of sacred grounds and stay away from them.”

  The waitress placed a large Styrofoam cup with a lid in front of Eric. Jack waited until she headed into the kitchen. “What about the rescue? Do you remember that?”

  Eric’s eyes roamed the cold case behind the counter. “Bits and pieces. I heard someone call my name in the dark. Then I was led across a desert of black sand. Since the last thing in my memory was that creature, I screamed and tried to get away. But then I saw it was a human. He yanked on my arm and said something about a chasm, I think, because next thing I knew he pushed me into an enormous pit of some kind. I came to in the cemetery where I’d disappeared. I’d been gone eight days.” He shook his head. “The other guy was never seen again.”

  “And you don’t remember anything from when you were taken until you were rescued?”

  Eric shook his head. “Nothing. You want to know if I ate or drank anything, right? I don’t know. And I wonder every day if I’m poisoned or infected in some way or if that thing will come and reclaim me. And there’s the ultimate question—why me? Do I have some kind of inherent evilness?”

  Natalie spoke up. “No.”

  Eric leaned forward to see around Jack. A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “You sound pretty sure about that. Have we met before?”

  “No.” She breathed a nervous laugh. “I just know my friend Emma doesn’t have an evil bone in her body. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Eric studied her for a moment. “You may be right. My research hasn’t brought me to any conclusive answer.”

  “Research?” Jack asked.

  The waitress presented a paper bag to Eric. The top was rolled and stapled shut along with the check. Eric smiled and produced a twenty dollar bill. “Thanks, Donna.” He waited for his change before addressing Jack’s question. He tilted his head toward the door.

  Outside, he explained. “Like most victims, I wanted to know what I did wrong or if I could’ve done anything—changed anything—so it never would’ve happened. I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. Since there were no ready answers, I started my own database of information on disappearances. I quickly noticed a pattern of teens and tweens that go missing when either on, or last seen near, sacred places. Both things have helped me to live a fairly normal life. As I said, I stay away from hallowed ground and now that I’m in my twenties, I believe I’m too old to be abducted again. I just wish I could really nail down the similarities and maybe spare someone else the experience—you know, possibly save a life.”

  “Would you share your database with us?” Natalie’s request surprised Jack. He wasn’t sure the information would be useful for them now. Emma was already gone.

  “Sure.” Eric smiled. “Why not?”

  There was something about Eric’s smile that bothered Jack. He considered interjecting that they didn’t really need his data.

  “I can give you my email,” Natalie offered.

  “Or mine.” Jack blurted it out, surprised he’d even spoken. Natalie shot him a confused look.

  “Got a flash drive?” Eric looked at Jack then back at Natalie.

  Natalie held up her keys to show a flash drive hanging from the bundle.

  Eric led them up the street to the cell phone store where he worked. They followed him inside where he motioned them to a workstation in the back. He logged in, then reached under his shirt collar and retrieved a lanyard from around his neck. Fastened to the end was a flash drive. He looked up through his eyelashes with a sheepish grin. “Yeah. I admit I’m a bit obsessed. Don’t judge.” He laughed. Once he plugged his device into a port on the workstation, he held out his hand for Natalie’s. He slid hers into another slot, waited a few seconds, then began clicking the mouse.

  Jack noticed a pack of post-it notes, peeled a sheet from the stack, and wrote his cell phone number on the paper. He stuck it next to Eric’s keyboard. “This is my cell in case you think of anything else. Would it be okay if I had your number?”

  “Sure, take my card.” Eric gestured to the plastic holder on the other side of his monitor. “Transferring files… and… done. Eject.” A moment later he pulled Natalie’s flash drive from the machine. “Enjoy.” He passed it to her with a wide grin.

  Jack took one of Eric’s cards and nudged Natalie away from the counter before she thought to grab one for herself.

  Between giving Natalie directions back to the highway, Jack tried to pinpoint what it was that bothered him about Eric. He was friendly, congenial and forthcoming. But when Natalie commented about how well Eric had recovered from his ordeal and how nice he was, Jack merely grunted.

  “Is something wrong, Jack? You haven’t said anything in the last twenty minutes aside from telling me where to turn.”

  “No. I—” How was he supposed to answer that? Finally he said, “I’m not sure how you think Eric’s research might help us.”

  “I don’t know.” She sounded surprised. “I just figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask. We might wish we had it later.”

  She was right and he knew it. He had to shrug the chip off his shoulder—especially when he had no idea why it was there. “Yeah. Okay. I guess we can’t have too much information.”

  “Cheese and rice!” Natalie’s exclamation caused Jack to jerk upright in his seat. “We’ve been gone four hours! What am I going to tell my dad?”

  Jack burst out laughing.

  “It’s not funny, Jack.”

  “I know, I know.” Jack got himself under control. “Sorry. I never heard anyone say ‘cheese and rice’ before.” He swallowed another urge to laugh. “Tell h
im… uh… tell him we went out for lunch and ran into friends.”

  Natalie handed Jack her phone. “Okay, that sounds good. Send a text, would you?”

  “Uh, sure.” Jack accepted the phone reluctantly. “Should I use ‘cheese and rice’ to make sure it sounds like you?”

  “Yeah,” Natalie replied with sarcasm and shot Jack a bland look. “I’d like to hear how you work that in. Just don’t abbreviate anything. He hates that.”

  “All right.” Jack still wore a small smile that disappeared as soon as he started tapping the keyboard on Natalie’s phone. A slow typist and a lousy speller, abbreviations were his lifeline when it came to texting. He scanned the message before hitting send to make sure he didn’t mess anything up, then deposited the phone into a cup holder. “Hey, let me know if you want me to drive.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Jack hooked up Natalie’s iPod and they rode without conversation for a while. He wondered how he might persuade Dan Manning to talk to him. Maybe he could relay the things Natalie told him about Emma and convince him that she could still be saved. Influencing another person’s opinion was never Jack’s strong suit—he knew better than to join the debate team or entertain a future in politics. He stole a glance at Natalie.

  He would try. He owed her that.

  Natalie pulled into a gas station.

  “Gas already?”

  “No, pit stop. Will you get me a bottle of water?” Natalie reached for her wallet. Jack stopped her before she could pull it from her bag. He gave her a pointed look and rolled his eyes dramatically.

  She laughed. “Fine.” They walked into the convenience store together. Jack flagged Natalie down before she made it to the restrooms. He held up a bag of Cheetos. She smiled and nodded.

  As they returned to the car Jack asked, “Want me to drive for a while?”