Scorched Souls (Chosen Book 3)

by Jeff Altabef

  “Very funny.” The tiniest bit of hope hangs in the air, which starts my blood pumping again.

  Blake types at a furious pace. After a few seconds, he hesitates and rakes his hand through his hair. Something’s wrong. He should have found the history by now. Time is slipping by. Every keystroke makes it harder for us to find her. I’m practically jumping out of my skin.

  “Come on, Blake. Hurry up.”

  “She deleted the history, but I know a way to retrieve it.” He starts typing again. “Almost there.”

  I can practically hear the time slipping away.

  “Bingo!” He stops typing and his eyes grow wide.

  “What’s wrong?” Troy leans over his shoulder, so he can see the screen.

  “Wow! Juliet visited hundreds of sites last night. I don’t know how she could have read that much stuff.” He studies the list.

  “There’s got to be a common theme,” Troy says. “What sticks out?”

  “She visited a few sites on explosives and some on religions.” Blake taps one of the keys. “Here we go. She read dozens on the Hampton Court Palace and the Tudor family.”

  All eyes look to me.

  “Hampton Court Palace is not far from here.” I jump from my seat and grab the duffel with my sword inside.

  Blake closes his laptop. “Seems like a weird place to find the Prime Elector. Who lives at a museum? Sounds more like a spot where you would meet someone.”

  He’s right, but what choice do we have? “It doesn’t matter if Juliet has a meeting with the Prime Elector or he’s the bloody gardener. It’s our only clue. We’ve got to follow it.”

  Everyone agrees.

  A few minutes later I lead us down a side street. “We need a car. The train stops at the palace, but that’ll take too long.” I glance at Troy. “Do you think you can hotwire one?”

  “If it’s old....” He shrugs. “Sure.”

  “We have plenty of those around here.” I spot a red Volvo that must be at least twelve years old. “How about that?”

  “It should work,” says Troy.

  The door’s unlocked, so we clamber inside.

  Troy bends under the steering column for a minute, connects two wires that spark, and the car starts. Smiling, he pulls the Volvo from the curb and starts to drive on the right side of the street, which is the wrong side of the street.

  I grab the wheel with my mind and yank the car back to the left. “We’re in England, remember.”

  His face tints pink. “Got it. Where to?”

  “Juliet, I hope.”

  Juliet

  The Prime Elector sits on a bench in the direct center of the maze, his back straight, his head pointed in my direction. He’s bathed in such brilliant light it’s hard for me to see him clearly. I try hard to tone down his aura, and only then do the details come into focus. Straight platinum blond hair falls just past his ears and frames a perfectly symmetrical face, with fine features that have a slight feminine quality to them.

  I shake my head to clear away more of the light.

  He stands and moves gracefully, his white shirt flowing over a thin frame and lithe arms, and his loose fitting black pants swishing with each step. He smiles at me, a genuine show of affection that beams through his arctic blue eyes and the violet swirls that pulse with electricity.

  I’m frozen, but after a few moments a warm sensation starts to defrost my body, and I force myself to breathe.

  He looks to be around my age, and my sprits sink. I was hoping for someone to dislike right away—a pirate with an evil grin and scar running down his face; or a madman with a bald head and wild eyes. Maybe an aura that’s blood-colored and sinister-looking. He’s nothing like that, and I have trouble imagining how I can hate him.

  He beckons for me to come closer with a wave of his hand, and I move as if he’s pulling strings, as if I’m his puppet.

  “Hello, Juliet Wildfire Stone. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you. My name is Aaric.” His voice sounds light and clear and honest.

  I just learned about him two weeks ago. He couldn’t have known about me much longer than that. “How long?”

  “A lifetime.” He nods toward the bench. “Shall we have a chat?”

  I sit on one end and he settles right next to me, leaving only a sliver of air between us. “I’m very pleased that you decided to meet with me.”

  “Did I have a choice?” Some of my wits start to return.

  He dragged me here. He shouldn’t pretend that he invited me with a nice engraved invitation.

  He looks concerned and his thin eyebrows furrow. “Of course, you had a choice. Did my people fail to explain your options to you?”

  “Options?” I snort. “If I didn’t come here they said they’d kill the other Chosen. They certainly made that clear.”

  He frowns. “Well, I am happy you are here even if you came under false pretenses. The well-being of the other Chosen are in their own hands. They have nothing to fear from me so long as they do not make a nuisance of themselves. Of course, I cannot stop them from hurting themselves.” He shrugs. “I can only hope that does not happen.”

  “So I can leave now, and so long as we leave you alone, you won’t harm us?”

  “Certainly, but that’s not what you want.” He leans closer and his eyes brighten as he whispers, “You want to know. You’ll be free to leave whenever you want, but you won’t leave. At least not until you know everything.”

  He’s right. I don’t know why, but suddenly I have no desire to leave... or to kill him, for that matter. Part of me remembers that the world is at stake, but that’s only a small part, a shadow in the back of my mind. The rest needs to know the truths he has to offer.

  “I can show you such wondrous things,” he says. “Explain the universe and your unique role in it.”

  I stare at him. It’s rude, but I can’t pull my eyes away. He looks like an angel that I’ve seen in art books. “You don’t look like I expected.”

  “I hope I haven’t disappointed you.” He smiles.

  He’s clearly not upset, just curious. He seems to have an endless supply of confidence.

  “I didn’t mean anything bad. You’re younger than I thought, and I didn’t expect you to have hair.”

  He runs his hand through his silky locks. “We lose our hair as we age. Mine has already started to thin. In a few months I’ll be bald, which will be better.”

  “Better?” How could losing your hair be better?

  He sighs. “Some believe I’m too young to be the Prime Elector on Earth. They whisper that I haven’t even lost my hair yet. It’s quit annoying, really.”

  “How old are you?”

  He grins. “Age is a relative concept.” He morphs into an old man with a long white beard, and then he changes again into a middle-aged bald man, and then a Native American who looks disturbingly like Sicheii, and finally he returns to his initial appearance.

  My mouth must have dropped open because he chuckles at my surprised expression. “You see, age really shouldn’t count for much.”

  “You can shape shift? How do you do that?”

  His smile widens. “I can’t change my form. That’s impossible, but I can change how others see me. That’s just a process of altering the image I project. When you know what to look for, you’ll see beyond those disguises and back to my true self.”

  He glances at the overcast sky. “We don’t have much time. You don’t have much time. We should be leaving. If you’ll come with me, I promise you won’t regret it.” He stands and offers me his hand. “The choices we make ripple through time. Some ripples fade, while others turn into waves. I think we should make a lasting impression. Don’t you?”

  I glance at his perfect, thin fingers. I have a choice. I could turn my back on him and slink back to the others, or I could go with him now, but if I do, I might never break free of him. He has a magnetic pull that I imagine will only get stronger over time.

  Before making my decision, o
ne question bursts to the surface of my mind and rushes from my lips, sounding breathy and urgent at the same time.

  “Do you want to enslave us?”

  “Why would I want to do that?” He tilts his head. “No, what I want is much more difficult. I want to free you.”

  Connor

  My heart races. Last night can’t be the last time we see each other. It just can’t. I won’t let it be. I need her. Without her, I’m hopeless—we’re all hopeless.

  Troy parks the Volvo in a tow zone. We jump out and jog to the palace grounds, and the clock tower chimes twelve times.

  “Well, what now?” Blake scans the gardens. “This place looks massive. She could be anywhere.”

  He’s right. Searching in a group will take too long and we might miss her. It’s too dangerous for Juliet to face the Prime Elector alone. I try to hide the desperation from my voice. “Let’s split up. That’ll increase our chances. Spread out. First one to find Juliet texts everyone else.”

  Troy heads toward the sunken gardens, Blake toward the palace itself, and Akari jogs into the meadow.

  I’ve been here a few times: a couple of school trips, and an ill-fated date last year with a girl who thought I was actually the pub owner’s son.

  Where would the Prime Elector choose to meet with Juliet?

  I’m drifting toward the rose garden when I almost bump into a mother and father pushing a young child in a stroller.

  They’re moving briskly. The mom seems annoyed and her voice is high-pitched, which is probably why it catches my attention. “I can’t believe they closed the maze. Why would they do that, and did that bloke have to be so obnoxious about it? You could have told him off.”

  The father shrugs. “He was almost seven feet tall. I thought he’d rip my head off.”

  Almost seven feet tall? The hedge maze! It’ll be secluded if they keep everyone else out.

  I bolt in that direction. It’s on the north end of the gardens, and even at a run, it takes me a few minutes before the entrance rolls into view.

  Juliet strolls out of the maze with a young man at her hip. He can’t be much older than we are. I can’t see auras like Juliet, but he has to be the Prime Elector. He walks with a casual ease, energy surrounding him like a cloud.

  I immediately dislike him, but at least Juliet’s safe. I text the others, and my blood surges. We need to finish him, and we’ll never get a better chance to take him down. I grab the hilt of my sword from my bag and sprint forward.

  Juliet and the Prime Elector glance toward me. He whispers something in her ear, and she frowns at me.

  “Juliet!” I skid to a stop a few feet in front of them.

  She steps forward, putting herself between the Prime Elector and me, blocking me from him. “What are you doing here?” Ice forms around her words, her eyes narrow slits and her lips a thin angry line.

  A cold blast shimmers up my spine. What’s her plan? Why is she so upset at seeing me, and why does she look so chummy with the Prime Elector?

  “I’m here to help. Together we can finish him. We can do this.”

  “You’re going to help me?” She snorts. “I don’t need your help. Go back to your bimbos. They can use your help.”

  My heart twists, plummets past my stomach, and lands at my feet. “I’m sorry about last night. I was a total twit. I shouldn’t have taken you to that rock, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you. We belong together.” I look for a crack in her face, some sign I’m getting through.

  She turns up the ends of her lips in a wry smile. “My future is with the Prime Elector.”

  I’ve never seen her make that expression before. It doesn’t look natural on her, like she’s trying too hard. Still, her words punch me in the gut and take the wind out of me. I almost buckle at the waist. This can’t be happening. It has to be a bad dream.

  I manage to breathe. “You don’t mean it. Blake was right. He’s done something to you.”

  She twirls the end of her hair and for a second the old Juliet returns.

  I step forward. “I’ll fight him on my own then. I won’t let him take you away.”

  Juliet whips her fist at me and connects with a right hook.

  My legs grow weak and I stagger backward, my brain numb.

  What the hell?

  I manage to lift my eyes in time to see an elbow.

  Then blackness.

  Connor

  I’m sitting on the rock by the river with Juliet. The moonlight and stars brighten the night sky, the wind rustles and the air smells fresh and wet. I can’t believe my good fortune. I’ve been given a second chance—a new opportunity to make things right between us.

  She stares at me, her eyes wide.

  Panic strikes me. My heart feels as if it will burst from my chest. We have to leave before Susan and Todd show up, or we’ll end up in the same crappy place we did last night.

  “Let’s go,” I say.

  She tilts her head to the side.

  I try to stand, but my body feels heavy and my limbs have been replaced with impossibly weighty lead pipes I can’t control. “We can look at the river from somewhere else. We’ll find a new spot, someplace special just for us.”

  “Are you okay?” she asks.

  Susan will be here any second. My heart is about to explode. Why can’t I stand?

  I see a splash of red in Juliet’s hair and then her face transforms into Akari’s.

  I’m thrown back to Hampton Court Palace and remember the hard expression in Juliet’s eyes and her elbow that knocked me out. There’s no do-over. My head rocks as I sit up—my hangover back on steroids.

  Troy and Blake face a small group of people who have gathered around me. Troy says, “He’ll be fine. Just a bit clumsy and fell on his head.”

  A woman’s voice cries out. “I saw that girl clobber him. He fell like a sack of potatoes. Maybe we should call the police. What was he holding? It looked like a glass wand or something.”

  “Well, she’s just an old girlfriend,” Blake says. “He deserved it. He’ll be fine.”

  Akari grabs my arms. “Can you get up? We should leave before security arrives.”

  The world spins, but it steadies once I’m on my feet and my legs regain some of their strength. Luckily, it’s lunchtime and the grounds aren’t crowded. Only a few people have ambled over toward us—two old women and a middle-aged guy.

  “You’re going to have a nasty bump on your head. You should get that checked out,” crows one of the gray-haired women.

  “Oh, he’s had worse,” Blake says. “Besides, he’s not the brightest bulb to start with. I doubt we’d even notice a difference.”

  I manage a smile for the old ladies. “I’m fine. Just had my bell rung.”

  The middle-aged guy shakes his head as if he’s disappointed in me and thinks I’ve let down my entire gender. All three of them turn and leave.

  “Who’s got the sword?” I ask.

  Blake pats his pocket. “I scooped it up before anyone could see it.”

  “I can’t believe Juliet thrashed you like that.” Akari looks shaken, her face white. “Who was that guy with her?”

  “We weren’t properly introduced, but I bet he’s the Prime Elector. Juliet... Juliet’s sided with him.” As the words tumble from my lips, I wish I could grab them back, rip them to shreds, burn them and bury the ashes.

  How could she betray us?

  If I hadn’t actually seen it with my own two eyes, I would never have believed it, but the proof was right in front of me: her face, her words, her fist, her elbow. It’s undeniable.

  “She’s changed,” I mutter, hating myself for saying it.

  Troy crosses his arms over his chest. “Something else is going on. Juliet would never side with Coyote.”

  Blake runs his hand through his short hair and his lips turn to an angry sneer. “She almost decapitated Connor, and she looked like best buds with the Prime Elector. She’s a traitor.”

  Troy shakes his head.
“You don’t know her like I do.”

  “You’re the one who said this Coyote is a trickster. Maybe he fooled her? Either way, we can’t trust her anymore.”

  Troy will always believe in Juliet, and I envy his resolve, but every time I argue with myself, I remember the look on her face and the feel of her fist crunching against my head.

  Troy’s voice sounds husky. “We’ve got to find her.”

  Blake lowers his voice to a low rumble that’s laced with hate. He’s hurt. He relied upon Juliet—looked up to her more than the rest of us—and now she’s gone. “Well, we agree on that. We have to kill the Prime Elector. That’s our goal, just like it was for Gagarin. The entire world depends upon us. That’s what I signed up to do. She’s with him, so we need to find her. If she’s not going to help us, then she’d better not get in our way.”

  “Blake!” Akari grabs his arm.

  He shakes her off. “I’m sorry, Akari, but we have no choice. Maybe she’ll come to her senses, but the Juliet that’s been acting weird and decked Connor is not our friend. And if you’re not our friend....”

  Troy takes an angry step toward Blake, so I move between the two. “We don’t need to fight about it. We agree. We need to find Juliet and the Prime Elector. Once we find them, we’ll sort out what’s happened to Juliet.” I glance at Troy. “But if she’s helping the Prime Elector, we’ll need to do what’s necessary to stop him.”

  He nods. “Juliet is not on Coyote’s side, so we won’t have a problem. Once we find her, she’ll explain things to us. All will become clear.”

  “How are we going to find them?” asks Akari.

  My world swims before me. It’s amazing how the one thing you promised yourself you would never ever do under any circumstances, including pending torture and death, you end up doing in the end. “Bloody hell. I have an idea. There’s someone we can see who might help.”

  Just like that, I’ve agreed to see the one person I promised myself I would never see again.

  Juliet

  I feel horrible, but I had to deck Connor. Jared and four other Deltites were closing in on him. If Conner had tried to fight the Prime Elector, they would have killed him.