Soulshifter

by Barbara Pietron

  She nodded again, face pallid.

  “I could use your hair elastic.” Jack noticed Natalie’s quick breaths and felt the fear radiating from her. They needed to keep moving or she may become panic stricken and unable to act. She had it together enough to heed his warning and carefully transfer the dagger to the hand with the dice cup before extending her wrist toward him. As he rolled the elastic over her hand, Jack rejected his impulse to pull her into a last embrace, deeming the gesture too fatalistic. Instead, he grinned with a confidence he didn’t feel. “Okay?”

  Natalie opened the door and they climbed the stairway to the vestibule above. They exchanged a meaningful look, and then Jack slunk around the edge of the room, moving slowly. Closer to the guards, he recognized Pudgy and One-eye who’d captured him earlier.

  The man guarding the small waiting room where they’d held Jack before his audience with Zalnic wore a funky vest that may have once had fringe at the bottom. He was an immense, bald, black man with a bushy beard. Jack hoped he never had to fight that guard. One-eye stood at the next door down and Jack stretched out the hair elastic with his fingers and fired it at the huge guy from One-eye’s direction. The band struck him in the cheek.

  The bald man spun toward One-eye. “What’d you do that for?” he rumbled.

  “Do what?” As One-eye turned, Jack pulled out the jacket cord and flicked it into the man’s hair. The guard swiped a hand across his head. “Blasted bugs!”

  “What’s gotten into you, Segenam? Afraid of little bugs?” Pudgy laughed.

  The fourth guard, long-haired and barefoot, watched the others impassively.

  Then Natalie threw a die. It bounced across the floor to the far side of the room, bringing the long-haired guard to attention.

  Jack moved between One-eye and Pudgy and stabbed Pudgy in the calf.

  “Ouch!” Pudgy cried, looking down at his leg.

  The second die flew overhead and rebounded against the wall. Their ploy was working—the room erupted into chaos. Jack shifted position and stabbed the large bald guard.

  Out of dice, Natalie threw the cup. A second later she made a break for the door. As soon as it opened, all eyes turned to the front of the room, but she was already through and the heavy door banged shut.

  “The girl!” Segenam, aka One-eye, recovered from the shock first. “She’s escaped!” He lunged toward the door and pushed through, Jack on his heels. Already Natalie was out of sight.

  As an alarm clanged, a booming voice shouted. “Idiots! I told you to be prepared.” Zalnic stormed from the citadel. His crimson eyes scoured the area and his nostrils flared. “It’s the boy. The shifter. He’s here.”

  Jack rounded the side of the building, heading for the Anasazi settlement. Zalnic roared again. “Get me that girl!”

  A squeal sounded from behind the citadel and Jack accelerated his pace in that direction, fearing the worst. He skidded to a stop as two guards rounded the corner with Natalie held firmly between them. The one on the left bled from a cut on his shoulder. Her frantic eyes met his. “Sorry,” she mouthed.

  Jack followed helplessly while the guards marched Natalie to the front of the building. Unable to break from their grasp, Natalie squirmed and kept her gaze down as she was held before Zalnic. The lord of souls reached out and grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look up. Although she tried to pull away, he held her fast.

  Jack wanted to deck the underlord, beat him to the ground, but he had no power. Instead he watched with an aching heart. At the least, he must know what happened to her—what Zalnic would do with her now.

  The black figure leaned his face close to Natalie’s. “So tell me,” he demanded in a soft, low voice that dripped with malice, “how did you escape?”

  Tears leaked out of Natalie’s eyes and Jack balled his hands into fists, fraught with frustration.

  When she didn’t answer, Zalnic pulled his hand from her face then brought it back, lightning quick, and slapped her hard. Her head snapped back. Had the guards not been holding her up, Jack was sure she would have hit the ground. She cried out and slumped between them.

  Jack frowned and pressed his lips together. His fault. This was all…

  his…

  fault.

  He never should have let her come in the first place. This was his deal—he’d wanted to seal his fate and tie it up with a bow. Instead he’d risked the one real thing he might have had a chance at.

  “Now.” Zalnic hooked a black finger under Natalie’s chin and jerked her head up. “Let’s try this again. How did you escape?”

  “I…” Natalie drew in an uneven breath, “called the guards. Tricked them.” She sniffed. “I locked them in my cell.”

  Jack’s heart swelled at the defiance in her eyes.

  “Mmph. Smart girl.” Zalnic let go of her face. Her cheek was bright red where he’d hit her and indents from his fingers remained on her jaw.

  The underlord paced in front of her, shifting shadows trailing behind him. “Or, perhaps, you had some help?”

  Natalie shook her head, gaze averted.

  “Look at me!” Zalnic’s voice resounded off the stone walls.

  Natalie lifted her head, not wanting to be hit again.

  The ruler of the underworld grinned at her—an expression more terrifying than anything Jack and Natalie had encountered so far in this heinous place.

  Horrified, she recoiled, her eyes darting to Jack for half a second.

  “You’re a liar,” Zalnic said softly. “You had help.” He spun in his tracks. His eyes traveled over seemingly empty space. “How dare you think you can come here and take what is mine, Jack Ironwood,” he shouted. “I am a god. It’s time you learned your lesson.”

  Jack’s blood ran cold and his chest felt as though it was being crushed in a vise. Oh God, he’d made things worse by coming here now. He should have waited until moonrise.

  Zalnic turned back to Natalie and considered her for a moment. “Take her to the Precipice of Delusion.”

  No! Jack wanted to scream.

  He followed the guards as they led Natalie to an open vehicle like the one used to take Jack and Emma to the void. “Don’t worry, I’m going with you,” Jack said as one guard forced her wrists together in front of her and the other bound them together. Then she was lifted and dumped unceremoniously into the box-like passenger compartment.

  She stole glances at Jack full of fear and questions and he willed the creases in his forehead to relax. If she had any inkling of the panic and dismay swelling within him, she might arrive on the precipice feeling already doomed. And the only useful weapon she’d have out there was hope.

  After a guard climbed into the back with her, Jack got in. The man rested a menacing stare on Natalie and she pressed against Jack’s side. Then Jack noticed the gash on the guy’s arm, still oozing blood, and realized this was the guard Natalie wounded with the shade dagger. He was in the best shape of any minion they’d come across thus far, with all of his fingers, both eyes, and most of his hair. He was either a new recruit, or very careful—possibly both. His arms were draped casually over the edge of the crate they rode in and his mouth was twisted into a wicked smirk. His posture alarmed Jack more than if the man had been screaming and cussing.

  The bizarre craft roared to life and then regulated to a loud buzz like a dirt bike once they were underway. Jack leaned in close to Natalie’s ear and slipped his fingers between hers. “If you can hear me okay, squeeze my fingers.” She responded immediately so Jack continued. “You can survive this easily if you understand what’s going to happen and take precautions. They’re going to put you on a ledge inside a chasm filled with the souls of people who lived happy and just lives. They mean you no harm. They will, however, encourage you to join them.” Her grip tightened on his hand. “The precipice isn’t meant for living souls; it’s meant for those reluctant to pass into this realm. You may hear voices, so put something in your ears—rip off pieces of your clothes if you have to. Even then, y
ou may still feel the pull. You have to fill your head with something else. Think about life, Natalie, all the things you still want to do. Think about your dad… about Emma.”

  Her eyes were closed and Jack watched as a tear escaped from between her lashes. “I’ll stay with you for a while. But then I’ll have to return so I can come to get you.”

  Natalie could suffer a worse fate than taking the plunge into the Eternal Chasm—the equivalent of a Christian rising to heaven. Most souls went willingly, joyfully, to join the others who resided in an eternity of happiness. Occasionally, a soul with strong ties to the living world would rest on the precipice before giving in to the euphoria that rose from the chasm.

  The experience was different for a living being, which is why only shifters referred to the ledge as the Precipice of Delusion. Abandoned alive in limbo, a person’s will to live battled the ultimate temptation of eternal happiness. The ordeal was tortuous, regardless of the outcome. So the underworld god, resentful of the living that crossed into his realm, utilized the precipice as a last resort for intruders he could not bend to his will. Because of this, decades ago, the sect had decreed that shifters were not to interfere with Zalnic’s affairs so long as the lord of souls did not meddle in the living world.

  Zalnic had crossed the line when he took Emma, Jack decided to make things right and now Natalie was going to pay. And though her selflessness earned her the right to eternal happiness, she shouldn’t have to forfeit decades of her life.

  Jack vowed he’d do whatever it took to make it back before she succumbed to the enticement of the chasm.

  The timbre of the motor changed to a lower pitch and Jack scanned the terrain. It was impossible to mistake the Void for the Eternal Chasm. This large cavity emitted a yellow-gold glow, as if the sun lay at the bottom of the crater. Jack slipped Natalie’s small knife from his pocket and opened it behind her, out of sight from the guard. “I don’t want to cut the rope on your wrists because they’ll probably lower you down that way,” he explained as he slid the knife under her arm and tucked it into her gloved palm. “Keep it hidden.”

  He felt Natalie take a shuddering breath as the vehicle slowed and rolled to a stop near the edge of the chasm. The guard in back with them tied a cloth around his head which had holes for his eyes only. He stood and yanked Natalie to her feet. She tore her arm from his grasp. “I can move by myself.”

  With a snicker, he dropped to the ground and crossed his arms expectantly, watching as Natalie rose and jumped over the black wood. She hit the dirt hard, landing in a crouch, but remained on her feet. Before she could straighten fully, the guard tossed a rope over her bound wrists, tied it firmly and then jerked her toward the chasm. The other guard followed, wearing a cloth over his face as well.

  “Once they’re gone, cut your bonds,” Jack said, walking alongside Natalie. “If I had a way to get down there, I’d go with you. But I promise to stay for a while.”

  At the edge of the vast abyss, the guard with Natalie’s rope briefly glanced down and then took a few paces to the right. He passed the coil of rope to the other sentry, retaining enough length to loop over his shoulders and around his blood-stained forearm. Eyes burning with malice, he turned to face Natalie. “Before you go, I’ve got a little score to settle.” He drew the knife from his belt. Alarm blazed in Jack’s chest as he recognized the shade dagger Natalie had stolen from the citadel. She shrank away from the man towering over her, eyes wide, face white as a ghost. But she was attached to the rope he pulled up short and could do nothing as he reached out and viciously slashed her forearm.

  Her scream received an evil chuckle. “Okay, we’re ready now. Off you go.” He spun Natalie around. He slid his hands under her arms. Before she could protest, her feet dangled over the abyss and Jack watched helplessly as she whimpered and went limp, fearing the man might drop her.

  Jack swore under his breath. He crouched at the lip of the huge hole.

  The man knelt and lowered her further. “Bye-bye,” he hissed and let Natalie slip from his grasp. She cried out fearfully as she began to plummet and then screamed when the rope grew taut and jerked her arms cruelly.

  The guard kneeled at the lip of the chasm, the rope held fast in both hands. He grinned. “Don’t want you to die too fast, now, do we?” He stood and backed away before he began feeding the rope over the rim.

  Heart pounding in his throat, Jack evaluated Natalie’s expression, wondering if her arms or shoulders had suffered any damage. Her wide eyes contained more terror than pain and he exhaled a twisted feeling of relief. Her balled fist looked as though she’d also managed to hang on to the knife. “You’re halfway down,” he called. “Keep your feet close to the wall.” It was all he could do for her.

  The guard didn’t watch her progress, looking down only when the rope went slack to confirm she was on the ledge. “Enjoy your stay,” he cackled. As he passed the other man, still holding the coil, he said, “Leave it.” The guard dropped the bundle of rope which immediately began snaking across the ground and over the chasm rim.

  “Natalie! Watch out. The rest of the rope is coming.” Before Jack had even finished the warning, the length of rope hurtled downward. Natalie dropped to a crouch before the rope hit her and as the coils fell around her, she sat back on it. The guards hopped into the three-wheeler and took off.

  Kneeling at the lip of the chasm, Jack stared at Natalie. She hadn’t moved. Her head was bowed. Then Jack noticed her shoulders shaking and realized she was sobbing. The left arm of her jacket was soaked in blood. His heart ached with the need to comfort her. Every fiber of his being wanted to climb down and rescue her—except he had no physical being right now. Sure he could touch Natalie, but he couldn’t throw her a rope.

  All he had to offer was his voice. And what could he say? Tell her everything was going to be all right?

  Without actually making a conscious decision, he started to sing. First thing that came to mind was a Killer’s song, Believe Me Natalie. “Believe me Natalie, listen Natalie, this is…” The lyrics weren’t pertinent to the situation and he wasn’t even sure of all the words. Still he fudged his way through it until, eventually, she looked up.

  “That was pretty bad, Jack. But thanks.” Despite the tears glistening on her cheeks in the warm yellow light, she wore a grim smile.

  “Do you have your knife?”

  She opened her hand to show the knife lying in her palm. Her eyebrows lifted.

  “With your teeth,” he answered. “Unless you can hold it between your feet.”

  Jack had to hand it to her; Natalie did not give up easily. She used her teeth to yank the gloves off, then clamped the knife between her rear molars so she could saw her bound hands across the blade. It took a while, and a change to the other side of her jaw, but she got through all the fibers and the rope fell away. To demonstrate her freedom, she held her arms outstretched and peered up at him.

  “You’re awesome,” he said. “Might as well keep the rope. Who knows, it may come in handy.” As she gathered it up he asked, “You remember what I told you, right?”

  “I remember.”

  “I have to go so I can come back.”

  She nodded, sober-faced.

  He locked eyes with her. “I will be back. Say it.”

  “You will be back.”

  “Keep repeating it out loud if you have to. I want you to be right there when I get back.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” She looked so small and alone on the negligible shelf above the huge chasm. Jack had to tear himself away.

  Somehow, he had to return to his body.

  Chapter 13

  Return to Hell

  Jack found a clump of boulders in the endless expanse of wasteland, sat down, and closed his eyes. Since his grandfather had guided him here, he searched for the old man’s essence. Reaching his grandfather’s spirit turned out to be the easy part. Unfortunately, it seemed as if a virtual wall had been built while he was gone, barring him from returni
ng to the land of the living.

  “You put the wall up, Jack. In your heart, you don’t want to leave,” his grandfather finally told him.

  “But I have to go. It’s the only way I can rescue Natalie.”

  “Tell it to your subconscious.”

  Jack thought it over and admitted he was afraid to leave her again. “I feel guilty.”

  “Yes. And if you don’t forgive yourself, you won’t go home.”

  How could he forgive himself while Natalie sat on the Precipice of Delusion? As he began to admonish himself for dragging her into the situation, his memory argued back. Jack had offered her an out more than once—she’d insisted she come with him. She was here of her own free will.

  Jack opened his eyes and at first didn’t comprehend the speckled ceiling above him. He turned his head and recognition fell into place. He was in Brody’s living room.

  Brody approached anxiously. “Thank goodness, Jack. I was beginning to worry. Did you get Natalie to safety?”

  Jack sat up, avoiding his adviser’s eyes. “No,” he replied quietly. “She’s on the Precipice of Delusion.”

  Brody said nothing, but when Jack raised his gaze, the older man’s forehead was lined in concern.

  “What time is it?” Jack asked.

  “1:30.”

  Jack’s gaze darted to the window. Daylight. So he had about twelve hours to come up with a plan. Drawing a deep breath, he related the events of his morning in the underworld. As he spoke, his hand went to his chest, confirming he was still wearing the brimstone amulet—this time, it would travel with him. He wondered if anything had changed—if the stone might work for him now. Either way, once he reached the Eternal Chasm, the necklace was for Natalie.

  Brody grimaced. “He knows you’ll come back for her and he’ll do everything in his power to stop you.”

  “I know. Is there any way to throw him off my scent? I mean, I can find other sacred grounds to descend from, but I know he’s tracking me.”