by G. P. Ching
"How exciting! Well, tell us his name." Carolyn slapped back the nudge of John’s knuckle.
Abigail opened her mouth and tilted her head. "Gideon. His name is Gideon."
"Ah, a biblical name. A man can’t go wrong with a name like that," Carolyn said.
"Unless he’s one of the many murderers named Matthew, Mark, Luke, or Moses," John chimed in. "Notice I left off John. Johns are good people."
Abigail laughed. Carolyn elbowed her husband in the ribs.
"So, do I hear wedding bells in your future? I’ve always told John that it’s amazing a man hasn’t already snatched up a beautiful woman like you, and smart, too."
Abigail’s eyes shifted toward the hem of her long skirt.
"Please excuse my wife, Abigail," John said. "She has a terrible time minding her own business."
Carolyn shot him an appalled stare.
"No, John, it’s okay. Carolyn, to be honest, I’m not really the marrying type. I like being on my own. I’m not sure you’ll see Gideon around much anymore."
"Oh." Carolyn lips pressed together. She wondered what must be wrong with a woman to not have any desire to be married.
"Well, I’ve got to get back to my research. Nice to see you again, John, Carolyn." Abigail gave a small wave and retreated to her home across the street.
Carolyn backed into the house, sliding her finger into the envelope flap and ripping it open. There was an official looking form inside. She read it over as John returned to his paper.
"John. John!"
"What is it now, Carolyn?"
Her hand pressed into her sternum, a smile dimpling her full cheeks. "We’ve won a cruise to the Caribbean!"
"What?" John returned to her side, lifting the paper from her hands.
"I entered that Crispy Crepes contest that came on the box. We won! We won the cruise!"
John read the letter twice over Carolyn's shoulder, then slapped his upper thigh. "Well, I’ll be damned! Wait, it says we leave from New Orleans the day after tomorrow. If we’re going to do this, we’ve got to hustle."
Carolyn shook her head. "We can’t just leave? What about Jacob? What about the store?"
"Jacob has his mom now, and I’m sure Lillian wouldn’t mind watching the store for a couple of weeks."
Nodding her head, Carolyn moved toward the stairs. "Ooh, I’ve got to get packing. There’s so much to do." She jogged up the steps, anxious to get started. Wait until her book club heard about this.
Chapter 3
Jacob and Malini
With Malini’s hand pressed over Jacob’s eyes, he tried to use his other senses to figure out their location. Wherever they were, it was sunny. Light broke through between her fingers and warmed his skin. The roll of ocean waves mingled with the unmistakable smell of salt water. He slipped off his shoe and was rewarded with sand beneath his toes.
"The beach," he said.
"Which beach?" Her lips grazed his ear and the warm whisper made his skin tingle.
"Malini, I can’t possibly guess. It could be any beach in the world." He tugged at her fingers.
"Ah, ah, ah. You’re smarter than that, Jacob. Guess again."
Jacob took a deep breath and tried to concentrate, not an easy task with Malini’s cheek pressed into the side of his neck, and her body against his. He’d play along. After all, he didn’t actually have to sort through all the beaches of the world, just the ones Malini might take him to for his seventeenth birthday. Since they’d arrived by way of enchanted staff, they had to be somewhere Malini could picture clearly in her mind. That meant she’d either been here before or seen pictures.
It had to be Hawaii. Not only had Jacob shown her pictures of his favorite beaches, for months he’d been begging her to go. He’d longed to show her where he grew up since the day they met.
"Hawaii," Jacob said. "Oahu for sure. But which beach?"
Malini sighed but didn’t say anything.
"I think...Waimea Bay," he said.
Malini groaned and dropped her hand. "How did you know? I thought I had you."
Content, his attention drifted to the blue-green waves. "Thank you, Malini. I’ve wanted to come back here since my first day in Paris."
"Why didn’t you come back before this? I mean, with the staff you could’ve come any time you wanted."
Jacob took off his other shoe and sat down on the beach, tugging Malini down next to him. Sifting handfuls of sand through his fingers, he tried to put his feelings into words. "I guess I was afraid to come alone. I mean, before I found mom in Nod, I wanted to come back here because I thought of it as home. But now, all the family I have left is in Paris. Sure, I like the weather here better, but every time I thought about leaving, I wondered if that would be the day Lucifer would launch an attack on Paris." He leaned back on the heels of his palms. "Last year, I thought I lost everything, and then I met you and found mom. Coming here alone would feel like tempting fate. You know?"
Malini slid herself between Jacob’s knees and leaned her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, breathing in the familiar scent of coconut that lingered in her hair from her particular brand of shampoo.
"I think I get it," she said. "We can’t go backward in life. Your memories here were important but returning alone would feel like you weren't grateful for your new life. Only with me here, it's okay because we’re building new memories."
A warm breeze wafted through his hair and Jacob watched a pair of pigeons fight over a French fry at the water’s edge. "Yeah," he said. "Anyway, I love it. Thank you for coming here with me." He kissed her on the cheek.
Turning her head, she met his lips. He dipped her over his leg, to position her for a deeper kiss, but stopped when the father of a family with small children cleared his throat accusingly behind them. Self-conscious, he sat up and put some space between their bodies.
"What do you want to do first?" he asked. "I’d teach you to surf but no surfboard."
"Sorry. Surfboards and enchanted staffs don’t mix."
"We could get shave ice from Matsumotos? Or pop over to my old apartment building."
Malini shrugged. "Both. Unfortunately, we have an errand to run first."
"Nooooo," Jacob said. "Are you telling me that my birthday trip isn’t just celebratory?"
"It’s time to start gathering the Soulkeepers. Master Lee is here, as is a Horseman named Jesse that he’s training. We need to persuade them to come with us to Eden. They’re not safe here. Not anymore."
"And you know this because?"
"Because it’s my job to know this."
"Seriously, Malini, prom was three weeks ago. Why now? Couldn’t it wait one more day?"
"Jacob, I’m sorry but you know how this works. I see it in the fabric and I have to act. When I go to the In Between, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. The details jump out to me when the time is right."
Pushing himself up onto his feet, he sighed. "Fine. Soulkeeper stuff first, but you owe me a shave ice."
"Absolutely."
"And, Malini, please tell me you brought cab fare because Red Door Martial Arts is across the island from here and no way can we use the staff in that part of town."
She reached into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out a wad of cash. "I got it covered."
"Let’s go. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can do something important, like celebrate the day of my birth."
Smiling, she took his hand and led him toward the street.
* * * * *
Through the plate glass window of Red Door Martial Arts, Jacob watched a class of elementary school kids dressed in karate uniforms. A Filipino man with a Mohawk demonstrated a series of kicks and punches at the front of the dojo. The far wall was decorated with a display of weapons. Beside them, a ginormous red door with a clunky metal ring for a knob spanned the building.
"I guess we're in the right place," Malini said to him, eyeing the door.
"This is where it al
l started for my mom," Jacob said. "She told me she saw the weapons and wanted to know if she could use them. It was before she knew she was a Horseman."
"I’m sure she raised some eyebrows. Overnight Ninja." Malini threaded her fingers into his.
"Yeah, they should have a special belt for that." Jacob tugged the door open and slid quietly along the windows, past the place where a group of parents watched the lesson. The instructor eyed them suspiciously as they made their way toward the door labeled Office in gold press-on letters. The f, half-peeled from the wood, hung precariously by a corner. Jacob knocked twice.
"Come in." Jacob recognized the man’s voice. It had been a long time since their phone conversation about his mom but the deep, accented tone was not one he could forget easily.
Inside, a small Chinese man with a shaved head and one milky eye sat, hands folded, behind a desk. For a moment, Jacob questioned whether he was mistaken about the man’s identity. The frail body in front of him couldn’t be the great Master Lee. But when the man saw Malini, he leapt over the desk and bowed at the waist in a series of unnaturally lithe movements.
"Master Lee?" Malini asked.
"At your service, Healer."
"Please, call me Malini, and this is Jacob." She extended her hand to the elderly man.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Malini sighed. "Something’s happened. We need to talk with you and Jesse."
"Your timing is perfect. He’s here practicing now. I’ll introduce you," Master Lee said.
Jacob was confused. The office was small and the only door led out to the dojo. But if he’d learned anything during his time as a Soulkeeper, it was to expect the impossible. Master Lee walked to a tall file cabinet with a keypad lock in the upper left corner. After punching in a series of numbers, the front of the drawers swung open to reveal a narrow passageway.
"After you." Master Lee pointed his hand toward the opening.
Jacob followed Malini through the cabinet, down a hallway lit by bare incandescent bulbs, to a dojo behind the office. Unlike the area up front, this one had no windows. Painted cinderblock walls and fluorescent lights were the extent of the decor. At the center of the room, a boy knelt on the sanded wood floor. He wasn’t wearing a uniform like the students out front. Instead, he was clothed in sweats and a t-shirt with a logo too faded to read. With dark-blond hair, long for a boy, and a scrawny build reminiscent of high school band geeks everywhere, he was unremarkable, like he might blend into the floor and disappear. His eyes were closed.
"Jesse, we have guests," Master Lee said softly.
The boy opened his eyes and instantly went from unremarkable to spooky. His peeps glowed electric violet. Malini gasped.
"Yeah, I get that sometimes. I usually wear special glasses or contacts when I'm with the general population." His soft voice barely carried across the empty room.
Curiosity got the best of Jacob. He stepped toward Jesse. "Excuse me, not to be rude, but what can you, um, do?"
"Geez, Jacob. Forward much? Don’t you think we should introduce ourselves first?" Malini elbowed his side.
"Sorry. I’m Jacob. I’m a Horseman, too, and this is Malini." He stared at Jesse expectantly.
Malini sighed deeply. "Patience isn’t high on Jacob’s list of virtues. We’re sorry to disturb your practice."
"It’s okay," Jesse said. "If Master Lee brought you back here, he must trust you, and I so rarely have an audience when I practice." He rolled onto his back and flipped up onto his feet. "I’m a ghost."
"A ghost." Jacob furrowed his brow. "Like you're dead?"
He chuckled. "No. I’m very much alive, but have perfected the art of making others forget that particular flaw when I want them to."
Jacob rotated his head toward Master Lee and raised his eyebrows. The old man nodded. There was a bottle of water against the wall behind Jesse. Jacob reached out with his power, keeping his hands folded innocently in front of him. He willed the water to pop open and then sent four razor sharp needles of ice hurtling toward Jesse’s back.
Jesse didn’t flinch. For a moment Jacob worried he’d shred the new Soulkeeper. But the ice passed right through the guy, as if he were an illusion. The needles hit the opposite wall and melted down the cinderblocks. Floored, Jacob stepped forward and grabbed Jesse’s forearm, as solid and human as Jacob’s.
"You owe me a new water," Jesse murmured. His arm dissolved from between Jacob’s fingers. In the blink of an eye, he’d completely disappeared and reappeared next to Master Lee.
"Wow," Jacob said.
Master Lee beamed with pride. "When he came to me, he could only shift the molecules in his arms. Now he can disperse his entire body and bring it back together. We’ve had him in the air for as long as five minutes."
Malini cleared her throat. "Your gift is amazing, Jesse. Unfortunately, we need to talk about something serious and I don’t think we should wait. Master Lee, here or in your office?"
"I believe the chairs in my office will be more comfortable." Master Lee led the group through the corridor and keyed the code to open the cabinet. They emerged into the small office. Malini and Jesse slid into the two chairs in front of the desk. Jacob pulled over a stack of boxes with Chinese characters written in permanent marker on the front and got comfortable.
"As you both know, Watcher activity has been increasing steadily over the last several months," Malini began.
Jesse shifted in his chair. "We noticed. We can hardly keep up."
"We have reason to believe that Lucifer is planning an attack. We're not sure of all of the details but we do know that he's obtained a list of active Soulkeepers. Your names are on that list."
Master Lee cleared his throat. "He knows who we are?"
"Not yet. The list is guarded by a spell but it's only a matter of time before he finds a way to read it. You’re not safe here anymore. We believe Lucifer is planning to kill the Soulkeepers. Everyone on that list."
"How do we stop him? What do we need to do?" Lee rubbed his milky eye with his fingers.
"We need to move you to a safe house. We have a place where we can train together and prepare a coordinated defense."
Jesse’s head snapped around. "Malini, is it? I don’t understand. I’m a Horseman. It’s my job to protect people from Watchers. If they come, I’ll kill them. Not the other way around."
Placing her hand on Jesse’s, Malini turned her full attention to the boy’s purple eyes. "If it were one or two, I’d know you could handle it. Lucifer is raising an army and he’s collected hundreds of humans to feed them. If you are able to fight off the ones who come for you, you’ll be distracted from the real attack, the battle for humanity."
Master Lee leaned forward. "Are you saying Lucifer is attempting to reclaim the earthly realm?"
"Exactly. We don’t know how he’s planning to do it but we know translating the list is a major step in his plan. Our only hope to stop him is to convene the remaining Soulkeepers. He’ll expect us to be scattered. We need to unite and have a coordinated defense of our own."
"Remaining?" Jesse pushed forward to the edge of his seat. "You said, ‘Remaining Soulkeepers.’"
"There may be others, in other countries, or who haven’t come into power yet, but we have reason to believe that the names on the list are key to thwarting Lucifer’s plan. The list has thirteen names: nine Horsemen, three Helpers, and me, the Healer."
Jesse’s hand went to his mouth. "You’re the Healer?" he said between his fingers. "I didn’t know."
Malini smiled and shook her head. "It’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to. I was surprised Master Lee recognized me." She squinted eyes at Lee. "How did you know?"
The old man pointed at his milky blue eye. "My gift. The supernatural have an aura. Horsemen carry a ruby glow, Helpers a cool azure, but you, Malini, sparkle an intense green. I’ve only seen that color once before, the last Healer."
"Can you see Watchers?"
He nodded. "Their
aura is black as tar."
"I think that ability will come in very useful. As I was saying, there were thirteen on the list but one of our Horsemen, Mara, died a few weeks ago. Twelve remain. Besides myself and Jacob, we have another, Jacob’s mother, Lillian."
"One of my students! How is Lillian?" Lee asked.
"She’s wonderful. She’s getting our new facility ready. There is a place, a school where we can train safely. I need you both to come with me and stay there while Jacob and I gather the other seven."
Jesse shook his head. "I can’t. I’m a freshman at the University of Hawaii. I’m halfway through the semester. I can’t just leave. I’ll fail all my classes."
"We have someone that helps us with situations like this," Jacob said. "She can alter records, make the school believe you’ve come down with a long-term illness. She’ll make it work. You can go back to majoring in basket weaving when you’re done saving the world."
"Elementary education, thank you very much. The children are our future." Jesse flashed a lopsided grin. "I get your point. I guess if Lucifer is running the planet it might curb the employment opportunities. If my Helper goes, I go."
Master Lee nodded his head and picked up the phone. "I will arrange for my assistant, Michael, to take over the dojo in my absence." A voice buzzed on the other end of the line and Master Lee rambled something in Chinese.
"I’ll need to stop at my dorm and pack a few things," Jesse said.
"No problem." Malini rose and moved toward the door. Master Lee hung up the phone and stepped around the desk.
Jacob nudged Malini’s hand out of the way. "Let me get that for you," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Opening doors for her had become a kind of joke, a way to play the chivalrous male even though she was ten times more powerful than he was. He kept his eyes on hers as he swung open the pinewood door.
Silver flashed at the edge of Jacob's vision and searing pain ripped through his stomach. He crumpled in the doorframe. Beside him, Malini screamed. The man with a Mohawk, the one who’d been teaching class, tore the blade from Jacob, sending a spray of blood up Malini’s side and across her face. Removing her glove, she thrust her skeletal hand at the man’s chest, but he kept coming.