Soul Taker's Redemption

by A. S. Hamilton

  I had prepared as much as I could. Conserved as much energy as I could afford to hold on to. I had even recorded a message for Jayden and for Bastien. I thought of the unprepared humans when they saw us descending in the aftermath of whatever natural disaster Ceri-talen invoked, or the less natural conflicts he provoked. They knew, despite our wings, that we were not angels. I remembered the dread I felt in those spirits.

  This was what Aurealis spoke of when she said I must come to understand what I was to those I considered prey.

  I kissed Jayden's forehead. She lifted her head and I kissed her lips.

  I would give anything to ensure she never felt that dread.

  I remembered how those spirits felt.

  I remembered it.

  And now…

  Now, I felt it.

  Bastien

  'I understand that there are times when it is wiser to keep your strategy to yourself.' Thomas paused, considering his next words.

  We were sitting in Jay's dining area, well, except for Therion, who stood with his back to the sliding door just behind and to the right of the chair Jay was sitting in. His expression was neutral as he waited for Thomas to continue.

  'Bastien and I have both fought in wars and, as you know, surviving in vampire society requires intricate planning and tactics very similar to guerrilla warfare. Thus, I believe we would be an asset to you in determining your longer-term strategy. Better targeted placement of the sentries, for instance, or warriors best-suited for the next threat Ceri-talen sends.'

  When Thomas invited me to join in on a meeting with Therion to discuss strategy, I didn't think he had any real chance of persuading the therilgalen to impart his plans. Still, I'd thought, perhaps between two of us, we might wrangle some information out of him. Right now, Therion looked about as conversational as a stone wall.

  'He will send only one, next time,' Therion finally responded.

  I was surprised by the statement. Although Therion had told me some of what he discovered when he went to the Dark Realm, I'd been convinced there was much more that he wasn't disclosing. Despite my many and persistent enquiries, I hadn't managed to get anything quite so direct from him.

  Thomas looked at Therion expectantly. As did I in the hope he'd feel pressured to reveal more.

  Therion looked away, staring out the window for several seconds before he said, 'The sentries we have now are all I need. They will give sufficient warning when Ceri-talen's servant does, finally, strike, which will give me a higher chance of getting Jayden to safety.' He turned to look at Thomas. 'I do not need any warriors. Not this time.'

  'But surely there's no harm in having warriors on hand,' Thomas countered. 'They could defend or delay, I cannot see why you are unwilling to have that extra help on hand.'

  'From what Therion is saying, father, he needs only sentries because he plans to move Jay to another location. Warriors would be wasted in that case.' Amelia looked at Therion for confirmation and received a nod. 'Perhaps we can take those warriors on standby off and increase those on watch,' she suggested.

  'I see your point, but I agree with Thomas,' I interjected. 'If you want time to get Jay to safety, warriors could delay whoever or whatever Ceri-talen sends.'

  Therion paused considering his answer. 'Yes and no. Whatever Ceri-talen sends will easily circumvent such opposition. I will not throw away the lives of your clan members. Sentries are all I need.' He addressed Amelia, 'Extra sentries are not necessary, the ones we have in place are sufficient.'

  Thomas made a half-shrugging motion and I could see he repressed a frustrated sigh. He didn't like the ambiguity. Therion was concealing too much from us, but arguing with a therilgalen was not a winnable scenario.

  Instead, Thomas said, 'In that case, I will leave Amelia to check in with the sentries and get back to my office.'

  Therion bowed and Jay rose to see Thomas and Amelia to the door. She followed them out and down to the atrium. I presumed so she could have a slightly longer conversation with Amelia, as was their routine.

  'I found your fire elemental,' Therion announced softly, once Amelia and Jay were out of hearing.

  That got my attention. 'I was right? It was an elemental who attacked me?'

  Therion shook his head slightly. 'Mmm, not quite. The elemental did not attack you. You bumped into the woman it has joined with.'

  'I what?'

  'The woman you bumped in the café. She is Jayden's friend, Alyssa. The elemental has embedded itself in her spirit. I think it perceived you as an attacker and was protecting her.'

  I frowned deeply. 'Are you certain?'

  'I am certain it was not attacking you by intent or on behalf of another. I am not certain why it has attached itself to Jayden's friend. Given more time with her, I may discover this. What is clear is that Jayden values her friendship highly, that in itself is sufficient motivation for me to help her.'

  'But?'

  He tilted his head and gave me a partial smile. 'You intuit correctly, there is something more. I am disturbed by her situation. Her pain is substantial. I feel pity for her. I do not think the elemental intends to cause her pain; it may not even realise it. I suspect it is a young elemental, an older one would not make such an error, and it did not seem to know how to communicate. I want to help her.'

  He seemed surprised to be saying that. I wasn't. He isn’t the heartless, mindless soul taker the light-dancers brand him. It’s more a case that he's been told he is so often, he believes it more than he would have if he’d been spared their condemnations.

  'She seems to regularly spend time with Jayden, so I plan to observe her more closely next time, from the planes. I think that will give me more insight.'

  'Provided Aurealis gives you leave to be Jay's guardian.' I felt a bit cruel making the point, but it had to be made.

  Therion huffed, answering what was going to be my next question— had Aurealis granted that permission? I'd watched how very gentle he was with Jay. Seen in every gesture and expression that he felt to his core that she was by far the most precious thing to him. If Aurealis assigned another, my friend was going to be devastated.

  'I know you think being Jayden's guardian is the ideal outcome, but do you really think you can be detached enough when it is necessary?' Before he could answer, I put up my hand. 'Hear me out. I never thought, never imagined, I would see a therilgalen, even you, on your path to redemption, show any kind of romantic feelings for any being. You are a very literal tortured soul and every therilgalen created from your essence bears that. Yet you treat Jay like she is a dream that might dissipate. I remember love, Therion. Not the lust many humans think represents love, but that soul-deep connection and you cannot undo what it has done to you. You fear now. And that fear, Therion, may lead you to make mistakes in formulating the strategies needed to protect her.'

  My friend was shaking his head again. 'I do not fear losing her.'

  He wasn't disagreeing with me; he was making a statement. I raised my brows.

  'I already know that even if everything goes the way I hope it does, I will eventually have to part ways with her. If she lives the natural life I wish for her, she will age, her vessel will die, and she will either search for a new vessel or ascend. With my guidance, I could teach her over her lifetime how to release herself from those earthly ties that have led to her becoming a yulari and to finally take that step towards ascension. At that point, we will part ways, and my soul will never heal, but I will be at peace.'

  'We just have to stop Ceri-talen from getting to her first.' I heaved a sigh. 'He's not going to give up, Therion. There are signs that he's running low on his reserves, he has got to be desperate by now.'

  Therion had turned his back on me to look out the window. 'I believe you have the right of it, old friend. Indeed, I am relying on it.'

  Em

  I looked down at the desk's cluttered top, my mind racing.

  'Em?'

  'I'm thinking,' I told Stuart.

  I w
as on the phone.

  'Em, I know you don't want to be too far from Jay, but this might be connected to our case.'

  He was right. He'd been contacted by a colleague in Sydney. They'd arrested several Vietnamese gang members. In the place they'd raided they'd found a room beneath the house. I looked up at my monitor, at the photos Stuart had forwarded to me. The room looked a lot like the one we'd found the children locked in at the location where we'd found Jay. Fortunately, there were no signs of it being used yet.

  'Will you go?'

  He didn't want to send Tien. The advantage of sending me was that I'd be a white woman, just a dumb, unimportant white woman who was observing the interview. The Vietnamese they were interviewing would never guess I knew their language. And when the 'important' men were out of the room, they'd talk, in their own language and I'd know every word that passed between them.

  'I'll book a flight.'

  'Already booked,' Stuart informed me. I should have guessed that— we had to send someone; it was just a question of who was available to go. 'Ivan's coming down to give you a lift to the airport.'

  No time to go home and pack an overnight bag. That meant Stuart didn't want to waste a second.

  'As soon as you can confirm if it's related to our case, get in contact,' he added. 'If they are, I want them.'

  'Sure thing.'

  'Thanks, Em.'

  I hung up the phone, still processing. I picked up my mobile and started typing a text to Thomas. Before I could finish Ivan turned up.

  'Ready?'

  I snorted. 'With two minutes notice, no. But let's go.'

  I grabbed my jacket and Ivan helped me pack my laptop in my bag. I tossed in my notebook and the toothbrush I kept in my desk drawer. Ivan unplugged my phone charger and handed it to me and then followed up with my laptop cord. I spent a few moments making a mental check. I'd send my texts to Thomas and Jay during the car ride.

  Ivan grabbed my laptop bag while I shoved my mobile in my back pocket and put my jacket on. I gave him a nod of thanks as I took my bag back and he smiled.

  'Your chariot awaits,' he said gesturing for me to precede him.

  'I could get a taxi if you like,' I offered.

  'They don't have the pretty lights that make the highway seas part when needed.'

  'When's my flight?'

  Ivan looked at his watch. 'An hour and a bit, but you know what traffic can be like. Besides, you wanted to talk to me about an SUV outside Jay's. Sorry I didn't come down earlier. Been in meetings, back-to-back.'

  I waved off the apology. 'No need to apologise. I've been on this taskforce long enough to know you'd come down to see me as soon as you got the chance.'

  'C'mon, let's hustle, you can fill me in on the way.'

  Qu-te-se

  The pain had to end soon, it just had to. It could not possibly go on endlessly, I thought, but it was becoming harder to believe, for I had been telling myself this for hours now. The searing burning sensation across my arms and lower legs was relentless, but it was by far the least intrusive. Someone, I was convinced, had injected acid into my veins and I could still feel the sharp objection my body had to whatever I'd been punctured with. Survival under such conditions is a matter of determination. I felt that at any moment my sanity would crumble before the continual assault of pain. Just a moment more, I told myself. Surely, it would only be a few moments more. Heedless of whether my body survived, I prayed for that distortion of awareness. That belief that all the hours were only a matter of moments and each and every one of them was the last moment of pain.

  The betrayal I felt burned deep. How could Ceri-talen just so casually give me to her? Let her do this to me?

  I wished for death. Wished I had followed Therion out of the broken ceiling of Ulyn's lab. I was right when I told Therion she would not kill me. And yet this was far worse than death. I prayed to my god to take my soul, re-make it, erase me from existence, anything that would end the pain.

  Despite Ceri-talen's respect for, or pride in, his creations, he did not heed my prayers.

  Therion told me Ulyn had tortured him, for centuries no less. I had never fully believed him. It could not be as terrible as he said, I had thought. He had been the favoured one, after all. We all envied him his position of esteem, and a little part of me had hated him. Hated him despite his saving my life.

  I had rejoiced when he left because I finally had a legitimate reason to hate him. After a while I found, I did not want to hate him any longer. Indeed, I realised that what I called hate, was actually my hurt. The hurt that came with feeling like he had abandoned me and that the secrecy he had to maintain in order to get away was actually a betrayal of my trust. It was not long, though, until I discovered the truth of his claims and I realised being favoured did not also mean exemption from ill-treatment. Indeed, I tried to emulate him, let the experimentation and the pain make me stronger and fuel my rage. I had become a better hunter and a better leader, but the cost, I decided, was too high, far too high.

  And now…

  Now I knew I did not want the power or the favour. Not if it meant more of this. Anything else but this pain. I wished Therion would come and save me.

  I wished for death.

  I wished very, very hard.

  Not for the first time, Ulyn's voice whispered in my ear, 'If Therion had not left, you would not be here. This pain you endure, Qu-te-se, this is due to Therion. Bring me Therion and the human and the pain will end, never to return. You will be honoured, Qu-te-se. All you have to do…

  …is…

  bring… me…Therion.'

  Therion

  [Christmas Eve / Sarajevo – Trans-Siberian Orchestra]

  I shifted out of my trance state feeling tense. The atmosphere was heavy and close.

  Reluctantly, I disentangled Jayden from me. She was dressed now, having heeded my request that she be ready for an emergency at any time of the day. I was not sure the platform boots counted as practical, but I'd seen her run in them with no difficulty, so I had not objected. Bastien had left but returned. I could hear him in the other room. His breathing was steady, but he was not asleep, despite it being so close to dawn.

  The vampire had raised a number of points in our last conversation that I needed to heed. It was too easy to keep forgetting that although I was currently guarding Jayden, I might not have enough time to help her friend Alyssa or get the chance to teach Jayden what she needed to know in order to ascend. But these were things any guardian could do, so there was some solace for me there. The thing I could do for her, that no other guardian could, was to keep her safe, and I did not need to be her guardian to do that. Still, I was concerned by Aurealis's absence. Even with her hands-off style, I should have heard from her by now. What was she waiting for? Because when she was absent like this, she was usually waiting for something.

  Walking into the lounge room, I saw Bastien sitting on the window seat, leaning against a cushion he'd placed between the in-built bookshelves and his back, with his feet up on the seat and a book resting on his knees. What looked out of place was the sword hanging off his left hip and the long daggers either side of it.

  He looked up, closing the book, and, in a fluid motion, rose and replaced it on the shelf. 'A new author for me, PN Elrod. She writes about a vampire detective of sorts. Quite satisfyingly violent at times and the characters are very engaging. I found I'd read the first book without feeling time pass.'

  He nodded to the side table near the lounge at the base of which I saw some multi-buckled boots similar to his with long knives in them. 'A couple of things for you.'

  I'd mentioned to him that I was thinking of getting some knives and that I'd forgotten to pick up some new boots when I was last at his place. Thus, while neither item was a surprise, the fact that they looked custom-made was.

  'The knives are based on your short swords. The boots have a hidden pouch I thought you'd find handy. They also have a reinforced inner layer that makes them more robust. You'l
l also find a battery pack on the side table there. Not only can it be solar charged, it's compatible with your new phone. Although I see you've been practicing charging phones with your own energy,' he said, nodding to four cheap mobiles I'd had Adrian pick up for me on the coffee table. Two showed signs of burn damage having slightly melted.

  'I am getting better at it,' I responded a little defensively. 'Speaking of which, why do I need a new phone? I haven't broken the current one. Yet.'

  'You never have to need a new phone, but, as countless younger consumers brainwashed by marketers for global corporations who pay no tax and underpay their employees will assure you, upgrading is still absolutely crucial.'

  'And on a less sarcastic note?'

  'It's smaller, easier to conceal, more durable, and has a longer battery life. It's also pre-loaded with my music and audio book libraries. Being attached to my account, you have the usual unlimited data and call capability. You'll find some very handy apps on it, including Thomas's clan intranet and chat facility. It's warded against detection, too.'

  I picked up the new phone, it was half the size of my current phone and the feel of the case was similar to the armour on my forearms.

  Bastien saw me running my thumb over it. 'Dragon scales, naturally shed, and painstakingly handmade by a faerie artist who knows well the value of her work.'