Suddenly, the light in the tunnel became brighter.
“It was you.” Dawn heard Ansel say.
“I was only fulfilling your brother’s wishes,” a cold, high-pitched female voice echoed through the passageway. “He and I made an agreement.”
“You killed her,” Ansel said in a low, quivering voice.
“Don’t go throwing the blame on me. You know Etherians do not have that power…”
An Etherian? Every muscle in her body tensed up as Dawn remembered Ansel’s warning about Etherians’ ability to see time-traveling humans.
“She’s not completely gone… yet,” the female Etherian said.
After a long silence, Ansel spoke again, his voice so soft it was barely audible, “Please, save her. I beg you.”
The Etherian let out a hair-raising laugh. “I’m afraid your request came much too late. I cannot turn back time any more than you can.”
“Please,” Ansel implored. “There must be something you can do.”
At that instant, a faint ball of light appeared at the tunnel’s start, bouncing in midair. Dawn stifled a gasp. We are not alone in this passageway.
The Etherian laughed again, sending chills down Dawn’s spine. “No amount of power or talent will help you raise the dead. Isn’t that right, Ealon?”
Ansel did not reply. Down the tunnel, Dawn watched the ball of light increase in size with each passing second.
“There’s perhaps something I can do… not to resurrect, but…”
“But what? Tell me!”
“Perhaps, I can guide her soul…”
“What do you mean?”
“When a human dies, her soul abandons the body and briefly enters this realm of existence before moving on. While us Etherians cannot resurrect the dead, we can redirect a soul back to the living, thus into another body.”
“And what about Amber’s?” There was a sudden hope in Ansel’s voice.
“She’s just passing on now, but her soul’s not quite gone yet. Perhaps… we can save it before it leaves us for good.”
“How? Please, tell me how…”
When the approaching ball of light grew bright enough, Dawn recognized its bearer. Covered in an odd maroon cape, the figure’s beady eyes, long dark hair and thin, floating eyebrows belonged to none other than Regina Leniad. Dawn suddenly recalled that in Ansel’s haste, he had left the entrance to the tunnel uncovered. What is she doing here? How did she find them? Why did Ansel send me here? Endless questions swirled in her head, but Dawn had yet to discover the answer to any of them.
Regina must have heard the voices beyond the turn in the tunnel because she snuffed out the light in her hand and stopped dead in her tracks. Mouth agape, she listened on, not able to see Dawn a mere fifteen feet in front of her.
The Etherian did not notice Regina’s presence as she continued, “To redirect a soul away from its destination is no small feat and will require a trade that is fair.”
There was a lengthy pause before Ansel answered, “For Amber’s soul, nothing is too high a price.”
“Are you willing, then, Ealon, to trade all your God-bestowed talents and abilities, to lead the life of a human in exchange for this measly human soul? Think twice before you answer.” The female voice seemed to be egging him on.
But Ansel did not need to think twice.
“Nothing is too high a price,” he reiterated. “To be a human like her is a pleasure beyond your understanding…”
Before Dawn, Regina’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The Etherian gave another bone-chilling laugh. “No… That is not a pleasure I could ever comprehend. Are you certain of your decision, Ealon?”
Ansel hesitated. “Where does her soul go after this?”
“That, you do not have to worry about. Amber’s sister is pregnant with child. Ovra Brighton will be her name. The soul will go to wherever it calls home.”
More silence as the Etherian waited for a reaction.
“Ealon? Are you ready? We do not have much time.”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Regina moved forward, a look of horror on her face.
“Take my hand,” the Etherian said.
Wind picked up in the tunnel. Dirt and dust flew into Dawn’s eyes. She buried her face into her hands as Regina drew nearer, pushing against the strong wind blowing their way.
The eerie voice recited over the whistling wind:
When soul and soulless are entwined,
No Sumrect can escape the bind.
Power for soul, a trade most fair,
Two fates reversed for those who dare.
Lord of Water, Earth he conquers,
Destroys what his foe most treasures,
And catches the Eye of New Light,
In Fire finds life, in Air, his might.
Sovereign of all forces combined,
By nothing flesh is he confined.
The wrongs for which he must atone,
Absolved in whole for him alone.
Transfer power or meet defeat,
Eleven years, it is complete.
Only One soul shall rule the rest,
More than One soul undoes the test.
At the last stanza, the howling in the tunnel rose to a feverish pitch, and three incidents took place in quick succession.
Regina dashed to the party, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Stop! Ansel, no!” The Etherian shrieked so forcefully Dawn felt her mind was being split in two. A blinding blue light flooded the tunnel and sucked away all sound, suspending the subsequent moment in silence.
Then, as if someone dialed back up the volume, the screams echoed down the passageway. Regina’s body hurtled past Dawn before the tunnel vanished. An instant later, Dawn found herself lying on the prison floor next to the sink, sweating and shaking uncontrollably.
Chapter 19
As if events unfolded in slow motion, Ansel lunged at Max and closed his bare hand around the blade. Sharp pain shot through his palm, but he held on. Jaw clenched, he plucked the kitchen knife from the human’s grasp like a feather. Pam cried as Riesa hugged her tightly. Max grabbed hold of the intruder’s wrist, but when his fingers met the wet, warm blood, his grip loosened, and he jumped back. He gaped at Ansel, who stopped a few feet away from the family, holding up the blade in his right hand, human blood flowing down into his sleeve.
“Y-You are not a S-Sumrect?” Max stammered. “You are not Ansel Cassadian?”
“I’m human, like you.” Motionless, Ansel watched Max struggle to make sense of the situation. Sumrects were not supposed to bleed from a knife cut.
Behind him, Pam whimpered.
“I-I’m so sorry!” He rummaged through the kitchen cabinets. “Come! Have a seat. I have bandages, alcohol—”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll take care of it,” Ansel said calmly as he placed the bloody knife on the dining table. He produced a blue satin handkerchief from his shirt sleeve and draped it over his bleeding palm.
“Here, let me help you,” Pam offered.
“Pam—” Riesa clutched her child’s shoulder.
Ansel noticed Riesa’s wariness and set down his wounded hand. With the other, he drew out a silver cross necklace from his breast pocket.
Riesa gasped upon seeing the necklace.
“My friend, Myles, told me to give this to you.”
“Mom, it’s yours! He must be on our side. Myles wouldn’t give your necklace to just anybody!” Pam ran up to Ansel and brought the necklace to her mother.
As Riesa took the silver cross, she broke into tears.
“You have heard from Myles? How is he? Is he in danger?”
“Myles’s friend? A human friend from Chesterfield?” Max spun around with an armful of bandages, cotton balls and hydrogen peroxide.
“Myles is a good friend of mine at Chesterfield,” repeated Ansel. “Due to his dangerous job as the Atma’s spy—yes, I’m aware—he is currently detained at Crimson Estate, and… I have reason to
believe his life is in jeopardy. Before his capture, I promised him to move you all to a safer location.”
“No. That can’t be…” Max shook his head.
“Vance—I mean, the Atma—has not been satisfied with Myles’s most recent work, and he’ll bring his wrath to you soon.”
“It must be that brute, Ansel, putting our son in danger! If I ever see that blasted Sumrect, I’ll make sure he gets a piece of me!”
“Why would the Atma lock up our son?” Riesa asked anxiously, taking a step forward. “What has he done?”
“We will discuss details later. But now, we must leave this place as quickly as possible. Time is scarce,” Ansel said, trying to tie the handkerchief with his teeth. “The Sumrects outside have been drugged to unconsciousness but will soon awaken.”
“Let me try!” Pam ran up to him. This time, Riesa did not hold her back.
“Where are you going to take us?” Max still did not seem convinced.
“Nymion Clearing in the mountains fifteen miles north of Tempeia, where a group of us from Chesterfield will gather soon after you arrive. A rescue mission for your son is in the works, which I will be more than happy to share with you, but we must get moving before the Sumrects discover.”
Max watched Pam carefully tie a knot for Ansel. When she finished, he sighed and nodded.
“Thank you for helping us, sir, and I’m very sorry about your injury. May I ask then, what is your name?”
Ansel smiled in relief. “You can call me Ealon.”
✽✽✽
A loud “boom” startled Myles to his feet. Quinn stood at the cell door, his face twisted by anger, the green veins carved on his bald head pulsating visibly. In the corridor behind him, Steve and Cameron waited with eager faces.
“Come with me, human,” barked Quinn as he pulled Myles from his metal bed and yanked him out of the cell. “The Atma’s not happy with you and your lies!”
Myles struggled against his steel grip. “What are you talking about?”
“You dare to play the Atma for a fool!” Quinn stormed toward the glass tube that would lead them to above ground. Myles had to run to keep from being dragged along on the floor.
Steve snickered, rubbing his hands together in sickening glee. “Ooh, human, you are in deep trouble now.”
Cameron chortled stupidly.
When the group passed Dawn’s cell, Steve asked in a voice low enough so Quinn could not hear, “What’s the human girl doing?”
Enraged and focused on the task at hand, Quinn did not even spare Dawn a glance when they passed, but Myles peeked into the cell to see her in a fetal position at the sink’s base with her back to the glass wall, unmoving.
“What have you done to her?” he demanded.
Cameron kicked him in the shin while he made a throat-slitting gesture.
“Hush your mouth, human! The girl’s fine!” he said. “You don’t think Quinn is angry enough?”
Steve, too, motioned for Myles to stay quiet, prodding him to keep moving forward. When they arrived at the red glass tube, Steve announced their destination, and an entrance materialized, this time large enough for both Quinn and Myles to pass through.
“Stay here,” Quinn growled to the two disappointed Sumrect guards.
The ride up to the surface was even more disorienting than the trip down. Myles schemed as they slogged through the grounds covered with snow, tinted gold by the morning sun. He had no idea why he was being taken back to Vance so soon. Has Vance already viewed the contents of the box?
His eyes searched for potential escape routes. An ominous feeling about what was to come brewed in his stomach, but Quinn kept such a tight hold on him that his chances of breaking away were slim to none.
Before long, they found themselves once again outside the gilded room. As if it could sense their arrival, the beasts-covered double doors opened to reveal the broken, ice-encapsulated table, Vance’s livid face and a hooded figure who resembled death itself. Vance sprang from his leather chair, causing it to squeak in alarm. He pointed an unsteady finger at the human and seethed. “Tell me! What tricks have Ansel taught you?”
“Tricks? What are you talking about?”
“Lies! How did you bypass Quinn’s bronmeus?”
“Quinn’s what?” Myles wrinkled his nose, perplexed.
“In your memory, Ansel handed you his box!” Vance spat. He flung the blue handkerchief at Myles, who watched it dance in the air. “But this is what I found inside!”
Ansel never gave me his portal? Shocked and bewildered, Myles contended, “I had no knowledge of its contents.”
“Praeus!” Vance bellowed.
The hooded figure strode to Myles and signaled for Quinn to release his grip. He wore a hollow expression on his white, sunken face. Instead of eyes, Myles saw only darkness beyond the sockets. The Etherian’s dry lips fell open. When he leaned in closer, the chill of his icy breath froze Myles to the spot.
A headache like none other overwhelmed him. Under the pressure of the Etherian hand, he felt as if a thousand icy needles were being forced into his skull. The coldness spilled from the top of his head to the tip of his toes until he could no longer move a single muscle. He strained to keep his eyes open, but he had already lost sight of the surrounding reality.
He sank into total emptiness.
When he came to, he was still in the meeting room, lying on the floor, shivering from the cold. He had no perception of how much time passed since he fell unconscious. He looked up and found Quinn’s eyes locked on him. No escaping at all.
Praeus was speaking to Vance, who had taken a seat once more.
“He did not lie,” Praeus said. “Ansel only told the human to bring the box to you, not that the box contained his portal.”
“Then, this was Ansel’s plan all along! He knew we would search the human’s memory… Well played… But what he didn’t predict was you, Praeus. He didn’t think we would figure out his trick so soon.”
“Indeed…” The smooth voice of the Etherian made Myles’s hair stand on their ends. “Perhaps he also overlooked a tiny detail… something of intrigue in the human’s memory.”
Vance frowned, gripping the armrests of his seat. “Stop beating around the bush, Praeus. What else did you find?”
“At the end of their discussion—and I believe that is the part your Sumrect overlooked—” Praeus gestured to a simmering Quinn.
“He doesn’t have the same powers you do.” Vance dismissed the comment. “Now, get on with it!”
“Before the human left, Ansel handed him a brown leather bag—”
On the floor, Myles tensed up.
“What? What was in it? Where is it now?”
“The only instruction Ansel gave the human was to open the bag after giving you the box and to keep its contents away from your grasp.”
As soon as Praeus uttered those words, realization dawned on Myles. Vance sucked in a trembling breath. His honey-colored eyes squinted in Myles’s direction.
“Have you looked at its contents?”
“No.” Myles clenched his teeth, sitting upright. “Ansel told me not to look.”
“And where is the bag now?”
“I don’t know,” he lied, staring into Vance’s eyes.
“I’ll ask you again. You have seen the power of an Etherian. You can lie to me, but you can’t lie to him. If you want your family to live, I suggest you rethink your response and answer me truthfully.”
Myles glared at the Sumrect in front of him, his hands balled into fists, his stomach nauseated with what he was about to divulge.
Yet before he could open his mouth, a Sumrect guard burst into the room. “The Lang family! Someone drugged our Sumrects and now, the family’s gone!”
Shock flashed across Vance’s face.
Out of the corner of his eye, Myles saw Praeus approach him with an outstretched hand. Even though he knew what the Etherian was about to do, he smiled with relief at the knowledge that his friend
had not failed him.
✽✽✽
Dawn slowly got up from her huddled position on the floor, the amber stone glowing in her hands. Her heart still pounded against her rib cage, her eyes wet from her glimpse into Ansel’s darkest period. Now she knew. It was Vance who trapped the humans in Fors by murdering the Gatekeeper. It was he who separated her from her parents.
Through the tears, she reread the embroidered Etherian spell on the blue handkerchief.
Ansel traded his powers for Amber’s soul, which should now dwell in Ovra Brighton. She thought back to her conversation with Kai. Vance must have found Amber in the fire, thus fulfilling the phrase “in Fire finds life,” and on the same night, destroyed that which his foe most treasured by taking Amber’s life, whether for the purpose of carrying out the Etherian spell or not.
But how has Ansel done the same to Vance?
Dawn chewed on the side of her cheek. Vance already captured me. Does that mean Vance satisfied all requirements of the spell?
According to the last stanza, eleven years were needed to complete the exchange of power for soul. Ansel must not have told Delia the truth about how much time remained in the transferring of Sumrectian powers.
Then there was that odd ending:
Only One soul shall rule the rest,
More than One soul undoes the test.
Dawn ran her fingers over the embroidered words. More than one? What did the Etherian mean by more than one soul? Clearly, Ansel’s transformation was proof the test had not yet been undone. Both Vance and Ansel are still very much bound to it.
Her train of thought came to rest on Regina’s unexpected appearance in the tunnel. Dawn shuddered as she remembered the way her body flew backward through the tunnel. How much of what she had witnessed did Regina share with Vance? The puzzle pieces were falling into place, yet something was still amiss.
The sound of footsteps broke her focus. Dawn clambered to her feet. She hastily stuffed the blue handkerchief and amber stones into her pockets. A second later, Steve appeared at the gated door.
The Eye of Elektron: A Clean Urban Fantasy (The Sumrectian Series Book 1) Page 21