Soul Taker's Redemption

by A. S. Hamilton

  I considered my options. Young Pup had exhausted himself healing his injuries through youthful naïveté. If he woke to find himself re-injured, it was highly likely he would again exhaust himself by seeing to his injuries. It would give me time to see to the guardian and for Aurealis's soldiers to break through to this realm.

  None-too-gently, I tossed the therilgalen over and broke his wings. Not dead but incapacitated. If I broke his neck, would my master find that offensive? Technically, I could make it so he was still alive. Not that he'd last long in that condition. With a sharp exhalation, I left him and continued to the fallen guardian.

  It was Silven.

  When Silven told me he had to take over Jayden's protection, I hadn't believed it would be for longer than it took Aurealis to decide who to assign to Jayden for the longer term. It made me wonder why she had not assigned another and how was it that one so advanced as Silven had fallen? Perhaps, he had become complacent. It happened to many of those who advanced to Silven's level, they forgot the vigilance required to guard a human who was being targeted by soul takers. More often for guardians, the case was like Vessa's Gerald, their role was guidance and inspiration. Yes, they would give their lives to protect them, but their charge was not a specific target.

  The elder light-angel was lying face up, head thrown back exposing the soft, golden skin of his throat. The scream I'd heard was probably the last conscious thing he'd done. From the looks of things, at least one wing was shattered. It is common practice to assault a guardian's wings to keep them on the ground. I shook my head. I have no great love of the guardians, but I pitied him the pain he would endure upon awareness. I dropped to my knees more heavily than I intended and grunted at the jolt. Once I had seen to his more serious injuries, I spent several minutes resting. I could hear a wheeze in my breath and taste blood in the back of my mouth. My role was clear, though, the guardian must take priority and his wings still needed looking after.

  Pushing him over to lie on his stomach, I brushed the leaves, twigs, and dirt away from his face to be sure he did not breathe it in. Carefully, I took hold of the wing closest to the ground and drew it out, making sure the bones lined up. I cannot say I can see bones precisely, but upon concentration, my sight can perceive the journey of energy through nerves and veins, which is how I can identify the precise location of major organs. By focusing on the patterns that enclose skeletal structures I can set any break with confidence.

  I healed the major breaks but did not have the energy to fully repair the damage his opponents had wrought; not if I wanted to heal the major breaks in his other wing. I re-positioned him on his side. With great care, I drew the other wing out and lay it on top of the first. I spent some time adjusting it until I was satisfied and then did as much healing as I could manage. Once I finished, I re-examined his position. Kneeling in front of him, I decided to put one arm under his head so it was not lolling so much. That was when I saw the four marks on his other forearm, the outer two thicker and longer than the inner two and spaced in a way that left no doubt as to what had caused them.

  I swore softly.

  I heard movement and looked up to see Jayden groaning as she pushed herself to her feet.

  How is it that the yulari are always so stubborn? All that earth energy, no doubt.

  'You are not well,' I said, trying to keep the growl out of my voice. 'You should stay on the ground.'

  'Should. Won't,' she retorted, waving her mother off as she rose. 'Is he okay?' Concern filled her tone.

  Inexplicably, I felt… I searched for a term to describe the feeling… I was disappointed that I could not bring the guardian back to full health. Why did I want to please Jayden so much? Why did I care for her welfare?

  Jayden groaned again and then cursed softly as her mother came to her side and helped her walk over. Emerline lowered her daughter to the ground next to me, nearer Silven's head, but remained standing and on alert. My eyes drifted shut. I was trembling. I had neglected the wounds to my chest and shoulder, if I focused on them for any amount of time I became aware of the agony, but it was the healing that was taking its toll. Healing others is not a natural ability and drains me very swiftly. If only I had access to real energy.

  I felt a soft warmth settle on my arm. At first, I thought it was sunshine, but it had no burn to it. I could hear Jayden and Emerline talking, but I could not comprehend the words. Those light-dancers needed to get to us soon; I was well on the way to passing out and the guardian required immediate attention if he was going to survive. The warmth moved up my arm and across my chest, increasing in intensity, as if it knew my dilemma. It reminded me of how it felt when another healed me, though that occurred very rarely; the light-dancers avoid any contact with me.

  I breathed a soft sigh as I began to absorb the energy. My relief was short-lived as a sharp pain stabbed through my head. Jolting to awareness, I looked around to find I was still kneeling near Silven. Jayden was now partly slumped over him, she was shivering and struggling to breathe. Silven's hand was about her wrist, but his silver eyes were glaring at me with distinct hostility. I tried to make sense of what had just happened but seeing the guardian's hand also brought my mind back to a greater urgency as I re-focused on the wounds on his arm.

  I could detect a faint aura passing between Silven and Jayden. Her trembling stopped and her breathing eased. The guardian's eyes slowly closed and, at the same time, Jayden came to with a slight shudder before jerking upright to give me a bewildered look. Emerline, who had bent to check on her, now helped support her, but Jayden seemed fully recovered. Silven must have finished healing her.

  'You blacked out for a moment,' I explained. I knew it was more complex than that, but those marks on the guardian's arm did not give me much time.

  Gently, I removed the guardian's hand from Jayden's wrist and bent to examine his arm more closely. If Aurealis blessed us, I'd discover that I was mistaken and they would only be scratches obtained in the fight.

  'Those marks seem to be causing you great concern, which means I can assume it's not good news as to how he's faring,' Emerline remarked. 'You looked like you were going to pass out for a moment too, is there anything I can do? Do you know if more of them,' she nodded towards Young Pup, 'might be coming?'

  I shook my head. 'If more are heading our way I will feel it before they appear. I am taxed, but functional. There should be angels on their way to aid us, but they may be having trouble getting through. We just need to be patient. Silven is, as you assume, not faring well.'

  'It's the scratches,' Jayden murmured. 'They're bite marks. When one of them snarled, I saw that he had some kind of venom dripping from his fangs. Will he die?'

  I met her pale-blue gaze. 'Many assume that a therilgalen's fangs are like a vampire's— a therilgalen is a dark-angel,' I added at the perplexed look Emerline gave me, '—to a degree, they are, but you make an astute observation, Jayden, it was venom you saw.'

  I pressed around the small set of wounds. Though a thin line of blood showed in each wound, no more seeped out. The real danger was the clear, syrupy fluid surrounding each fang mark.

  'The venom is deadly.' I continued. 'Generally, it takes mere minutes to exact its fatal effect. He should be dead by now, that he is still alive provides a small ember of hope.'

  Jayden stilled, lowering her gaze to the face of the guardian. She placed her fingers on his throat, checking his pulse, then examined the arm I was holding, before she looked back up at me.

  'I don't think they managed to do more than break the skin,' I said, 'so it may not have entered his blood stream, or what has is a minute amount. He is an elder, he might be resilient enough to withstand such an injury.'

  'You said once it gets into the blood, that implies he is still at risk.'

  I nodded. 'It can be absorbed.'

  With a sudden movement that startled me, she was up moving about the clearing. After a moment she started cursing more and more profusely.

  Emerline and I wa
tched her with more than a little confusion.

  'Our backpacks, we had water, we could rinse the wound, that would…' she paused to look at me, 'that would help, wouldn't it?'

  I nodded again. Indeed, it would. Being so shallow, it would take a long time for the venom to be absorbed. I felt particularly stupid not having thought of such a simple solution. I ran my tongue around my mouth. I had not triggered my venom as I'd normally would, but sometimes in the chaos and aggressive atmosphere of a confrontation it can happen anyway. Having tasted none of the bitter serum, I lifted the guardian's arm and licked the wounds.

  Emerline went to help her daughter look for their lost bags, but at one point they both turned and froze to stare. Abruptly Jayden said, 'Of course, you have some kind of immunity.'

  'Our saliva has an enzyme that protects us, in our blood it is deadly, but, if swallowed, it is negated by the enzymes that are swallowed with it. But rinsing the area is still advisable, if you can find your water bottles.'

  When I could no longer taste the venom on his skin, I stopped. Jayden and Emerline returned, empty-handed and disappointed. Jayden awkwardly lowered herself to kneel behind Silven, next to his head. It looked as though she was trying not to bend a certain way. She rested one hand on Silven's head, absently stroking his hair, and held the other up near her chest. I wasn't sure what the guardian had used his energy on, but my guess was that it wasn't her broken ribs or wrist judging from the way she was moving. What had he been doing? I wondered. Perhaps he had just been replenishing her energy. Then it occurred to me, the odd warmth, Silven had probably been replenishing me through Jayden. The move would mean he did not have to bear direct contact with my spirit while ensuring I remained strong enough to protect the humans.

  'Do not continue to move, Jayden, clearly, you are still injured.' I looked up at Emerline, who shifted behind Jayden, indicating she would deter further movement if needed.

  Jayden looked up and partly turned so she could see her mother. She gasped in pain as she did, and Emerline moved a little closer so her legs were supporting Jayden's back. Her adrenaline would be dropping by now, and she would become more aware of her pain.

  I was concerned that no light-dancers had appeared yet. Only a few minutes had passed since the fighting had ceased, but they should be here by now. That indicated that Ceri-talen or one of his higher servants was still thwarting attempts to get aid to us. That also meant it was possible that more therilgalen or other soul takers might be able to reach us. Emerline was justified in voicing her concern earlier. Best not to give them another reason to worry, though.

  As if reading my thoughts, Emerline said, 'We can't move him, can we? And he will die if that help doesn't get through, won't he?'

  I thought on it. Silven's spirit energy was not as strong as it usually was, but it was steady. The healing I had been able to do gave his wings stability, if he were up to walking, he could probably manage it. The unknown factor was the therilgalen bite and whether he had absorbed any of the venom. Therilgalen venom can work its way into muscle and other tissues, killing a weaker being over time even if it doesn't make it into the blood stream. A more powerful being might live, although I have never seen it happen, but I imagined they'd be very ill for quite some time.

  'Thus far, he remains steady,' I answered finally. 'If the venom has entered his blood stream he may not survive. He has lived this long, though, and that is a very positive sign. Despite his healing abilities, his wings will still take time to return to full functionality. He really needs his brethren—'

  Just as I was saying it, several of Aurealis's warriors stepped through the planes. I recognised the first, Ne-ru. I wasted no breath on a greeting as I rose. 'Summon a healer.'

  'We can all heal,' one of the warriors behind Ne-ru retorted.

  'He requires a proper healer,' I growled. 'His wings are shattered and he has been exposed to therilgalen venom.'

  Ne-ru dipped her head, acknowledging that I was right. 'Take him to the Sunlit Meadows,' she ordered curtly.

  I shook my head and gestured towards Jayden and Emerline. 'I cannot leave, the summoning is still upon me.' It was the equivalent of saying an order from another outranks yours. I thought of a child I had once been assigned to saying triumphantly to her brother, 'Mum said, so ner!' and sticking her tongue out at her sibling. For a moment, I felt like sticking my tongue out at her. I was not sure why the child had done so, but there had been no mistaking the smugness in her posture. A part of the urge was due to the way the light-dancers refer to me, as if I am lesser because I am not one of them.

  Ne-ru gave another nod. 'I registered their presence,' she gestured to Jayden, 'but not her injuries,' she said, sounding a touch defensive. 'You should remain.'

  I repressed my retort, pointing out to Ne-ru that she had no actual say in the matter in this instance would just heighten the tension between us.

  'Can you please help me with him?' she said.

  The polite words came clothed in a civil, but hard tone. Ne-ru had good reason to hate me. I have faced her more than once across the battlefield and had to give her credit for surviving. Between us, we got Silven in her arms without causing further damage to his wings. In the meantime, the soldiers spread out, creating a perimeter.

  'I will return for a report,' Ne-ru informed me, her tone less severe. 'My people will transfer the living therilgalen to another plane. I will send a healer for your charge.'

  I gave her a grateful look and then moved wearily over to Jayden to sink down beside her. Despite the presence of the light-dancers, Emerline remained standing and on alert. I gestured for her to sit. 'We are safe enough.'

  I sat with my wings spread slightly to allow them to catch more sunlight. With my knees bent, I could lean a forearm on each knee, and I used my hands to brace my aching head. 'Forgive me,' I murmured, 'the confrontation has taken a toll.' I was more aware of the various protests made by my wounds now that the crisis was over. I realised I had taken several bruising hits, as well as cuts, but had not noticed them during the fight. I had a pretty hefty injury on my left shin from the feel of things, but I did not bother to investigate.

  I did not see what triggered it, but suddenly Jayden cursed under her breath. It brought my head up to meet her pale-blue eyes.

  'You're bleeding!' she exclaimed softly. 'And quite badly.'

  A long, diagonal cut on my bicep seeping gold blood had caught her attention. I frowned at it. I could not recall how I acquired it. 'That is the least of my injuries,' I replied wearily.

  She leaned back and started tugging at her shirt. I realised from scanning her surface thoughts that she meant to make a bandage from her shirt.

  I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. 'Do not trouble yourself. There will be a healer here soon and she can see to my injuries, as well as yours.'

  She sighed, reluctantly stopping, and I returned to my original position, leaning my arms on my knees and supporting my head.

  'Well, I hope they get here soon,' Jayden said. 'You certainly have a lot of injuries,' she said as she placed her hand on my shoulder and leaned back to examine my back and wings. The hand splayed on my bicep had long, delicate fingers. Her touch was gentle and through it I could feel her spirit all the more clearly— it felt sublime! It was not just the purity of her spirit, but her tie to the earth was strong. Aurealis forgive me, but for a moment I let myself just feel it, as if I were hunting it, drawing in its intoxicating scent, gauging the amount of force I'd need to sever the link from the earth— I made myself stop, shuddering slightly as I applied what discipline I could to cordoning off the illicit thoughts.

  Misinterpreting my shudder for physical pain, Jayden soothingly stroked my shoulder. Her attention shifted to the leg closest to her, but she spotted a laceration across my side first. 'That one looks pretty shallow.' As she leaned in to look, she caught sight of the injury to my chest. 'Oh, fire truck!' she exclaimed vehemently.

  I frowned. 'You want an emergency vehicle?'
<
br />   Distracted she glanced up, and then gestured to Emerline with her chin. 'Mum discourages me from swearing; 'fire truck' is a colloquial term sometimes used in place of a curse word considered unacceptable in my culture.'

  While she was explaining, she reached forth, pulling my arm off my knee so she could see the wound properly. I did not offer any resistance, fascinated by her utter fearlessness. No thought in her mind was dedicated to what I was or how dangerous I could be to her. She was solely concerned about my well-being.

  I grasped the uninjured wrist of the hand that was carefully touching the skin about my injury, she was trying to determine how deep it was and her mind was racing as she tried to figure out how she would bandage it without her first aid kit if the promised healer did not soon arrive. She looked up at me as my hand closed about her uninjured wrist, such a slender thing, my fingers easily encircled it. I was so aware of how breakable she was, and yet, like Maya, I was not inclined to actually harm her this moment, despite the hunger gnawing at me. As Cyndar had said to Silven, I might fantasise about taking her spirit, but thought and action were different things. But, like Silven, a part of me did not trust my resilience, to not turn thought into action. Would I be strong enough? Were I more injured, were I more desperate, would Jayden be safe around me? I made myself focus on Jayden and reassuring her.

  'Be at ease, Jayden,' I murmured. 'Given time to rest, I will heal. The injury is not fatal.'

  She looked doubtful, but drew back, cradling her broken wrist in her lap. 'I'm sorry, I just…'

  'You are concerned. I appreciate that, but you need rest yourself. The wounds you've experienced are taxing enough for your body. Your nervous system will also be frayed because of the shriek I used, even if you do not see the vision.' I looked up at Emerline as I said, 'I am sorry for that, by the way, I did not know you were here when I used it.'