Soulhunter Academy

by L. J. Swallow

  I wander alone back to my halls away from Keir and rub fingers against my lips, already missing him. Reaching my room, I unlock the door and step inside. Light from the campus shines through my window, casting shadows across my desk.

  My open window.

  The door clicks shut behind.

  “Ava.”

  I spin around, ready to defend myself. A guy, around my own age, tall, mussed brown hair has his deep brown eyes narrowed at me.

  “Who are you?” I demand.

  The man moves in front of the door to block my way out. “Darius sent me. He wants a chat with you.”

  Shit. I look blindly for an escape. The window. I dart in the direction but an arm locks around my neck stopping me moving the small distance. Gripping me with an inhuman strength, the man squeezes harder, and I let out a choked scream as my windpipe crushes. A bright light appears in my mind, but instead of heading closer, it retreats as the blackness gathers.

  Has death found me?

  The darkness obliterates.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Curled up in a ball in a corner, I open my eyes. How long have I been here now? Days? Weeks? The darkness never lifts. The first time I woke, I was positive I was in Hell—a solitary Hell with nothing but blackness and cold instead of fire.

  I gaze around the small cell, stretching barely two metres across, enclosed by a high ceiling and windowless walls. Struggling to breathe in the claustrophobia, I lay still, aching and confused.

  The man comes at the same time each day.

  He never speaks, drags me out, gives me food, and pushes me toward the bathroom. Then I’m seized and thrown back into the darkness.

  How many times now?

  Drifting between the waking world and sleep, I see Keir’s eyes. Hear his voice. I wake with a start from dreams where he holds and comforts me, and tears fall when I find myself lying on the cold, concrete floor.

  The souls. This is punishment for freeing the souls. But why am I alive?

  The door opens and I squint. The light shining behind a tall man in the doorway shadows his face and I tense, waiting for the daily ritual.

  “Somebody wants to see you. Now,” says a gruff voice—a different voice. His broad figure remains silhouetted in front of the door. “I said now. Get up.”

  I move onto my hands and knees and push myself to my feet. My legs tremble, weak after days curled up here, and I stumble toward him, out of the musty cell.

  Familiar hallways greet me as the guard marches me through the academy. I stand out against the shining, pristine surroundings—the filthy girl in clothes she’s worn for days. Not even a soulhunter uniform but a shirt once brighter blue to match my jeans. Only my boots are recognisable as a soulhunter’s, since they took my weapons when I arrived here

  As usual, I’m unable to gauge the time of day in this endless brightness. Are the trainees in their rooms or training sessions? We reach a familiar area, and I tense. The man could march me through the class hallways, an example to the other kids here, and onwards to Darius’s room. Instead, we veer away towards a different one.

  Two academy guards flank a silver metal door, the same uniformed staff who policed us in the dining hall when I trained here — the ones who’d yell at us in the mornings to start our day.

  Those short days before being tossed into our new lives.

  They avoid looking at me and nod at the guy accompanying me. I’m exhausted, unable to feel fear, beaten down by my days trapped. Is there a new cell through here? A gateway to Hell?

  The door opens into a shorter hallway with more guards and a second door a short stride away. The guy with me murmurs something to the scar-faced guard who nods curtly and leans over to pull down the handle with his fat fingers.

  I step into a vast room where the sun bounces off the white marble floor and dazzles me. A long, floor to ceiling window opens up a world I’ve only caught glimpses of from Darius’s office. The impossibly blue skies stretch far and wide, twin suns shining onto the citadels that reach up as if trying to touch them. Beyond the city, fields stretch towards mountains. In the Fated world, we struggled to grow crops in our useless soil, and the sun barely made an appearance to brighten our grey.

  “Is this her?” asks a male voice.

  My immediate distraction stopped me paying attention to the rest of the room and I look around me. Two men and a woman sit in a row of chairs beneath the high angel symbol – the wings and sword to remind us of our holy war against the demons. I’ve never seen an angel with wings—the Fated have none, and nobody knows if the high angels do or if that’s a rumour. I once saw a demon with black wings, in the distance, watching me. I reported this to Darius, who scoffed that I was mistaken.

  I wasn’t.

  The blonde-haired trio exudes power and my heart hammers against my chest as I look at the high angels. Is this a trial? Or are chairs carved from gold typical for their rooms? As they study me through uncanny blue eyes, I pull my shirt sleeves over my hands and glance at the guard who brought me. Do I bow? Speak?

  The angels who worked in administration at the academy—who brought me here on the first day and handed me over—had a fascinating beauty. These people are one step further and look like they stepped from a painting with their flawless looks.

  But what strikes me the most is how much Keir resembles them. He may have dark hair and a broader figure, but these are his eyes but without the violet rim. The males’ faces are similar too in shape and beauty.

  Before me sits a powerful reminder about Keir’s lineage—he may not be born an angel, but his heritage is clear. With this comes a barrage of questions. What created Keir and how? I never asked, too scared to hear the answer or be reminded he has a demonic side forged to his angel. Nephilim, the most corrupt creature in our world.

  How can this be true? Nothing about Keir matches that.

  Another figure catches my eye, standing a respectful distance from his superiors. Darius. Something hits the back of my legs as the guard pushes a chair behind me.

  “Sit.”

  Avoiding everybody’s eyes, I sit in the chair with my shoulders slumped, examining my dirty fingernails. The last time I saw Darius is a lifetime away. The day he told me to hunt for Keir’s soul. But this is different. I’m not in front of my immediate superior. In this room, no books line the wall, and instead of the taunting glimpse of the high angels’ world I saw in Darius’s room, I’ve a view of the world through a panoramic window.

  This won’t end well.

  I peer at Darius through my tangled hair. He hasn’t changed in the months I was away—his harsh features and hair scraped from his face into a ponytail are the same. But the glittering fury in his grey eyes fuels my racing heart.

  Darius crosses towards the assembled angels, before lowering himself into the empty chair beside them. He taps his lips as he stares at me long enough for me to squirm.

  “Ava.” His voice is even, no sign of his mood, and I focus on stopping my hands trembling. “We have information about you that’s upset me,” he continues, “and now you’re back—without the nephilim’s soul.”

  I stare mutely ahead.

  Darius gestures at the silent angels. “I’ve been forced to meet with members of the high angel council to discuss my charge’s transgression. We have discussed the course of action to take and what to do with you.”

  One of the angels clears his throat, silencing Darius. His expressionless face unnerves me as much as the anger in Darius’s. “We considered killing you.”

  My hear rate launches into overdrive.

  “Then we thought about returning you to the Fated,” the second male angel adds in a matter of fact voice, “but luckily for you, your value kept you alive.”

  “Value?” I clear my throat as the word rasps out, unused to talking.

  The first, nameless angel continues, “You have failed in your task but have achieved something much more beneficial. You’re close to the nephilim. You know his secr
ets, and the information he gave you is invaluable.”

  I clear my throat. “I don’t know any secrets.”

  “You do. You know the nephilim’s plans, who he works for, and what their motives are,” he snaps back.

  “I don’t know all those things.”

  The woman breaks her silence with a small laugh. “You know something, Ava. Otherwise, you wouldn’t join in committing his crimes.” She shakes her head sadly. “I don’t know why you released those souls. Perhaps you were drawn in by his fervour, but now they are lost forever. They’ll never belong anywhere. Did you not consider their pain?”

  I sweat as all eyes land on me and almost blurt that Keir told me they’re the ones in the wrong. That trapping souls and returning them to this world is as corrupt as the demon lords stealing souls too.

  But arguing with these people wouldn’t be wise.

  “No,” I whisper. “I didn’t think about that.”

  Darius straightens and leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Releasing souls is a major crime. A crime that ordinarily could not be forgiven. However, I informed the high angels your actions are a plan, and your behaviour necessary to get close to the nephilim and his allies. You were strong enough to entangle yourself with his life and find the secrets behind his actions.” He narrows his eyes, warning me to agree. Is his neck on the line too? “I told them you believed this course of action is more important than merely stealing his soul. I left you in his world, hoping you’d achieve your aim until I was told to bring you back.”

  “And as we told you, Darius, we are not happy about renegade soulhunters believing they can follow their stupid ideas. We’ve had issues with this before.” The angel beside him speaks tersely, and Darius gives an apologetic smile. “Is Darius correct, Ava?”

  Tears build in panic, and I rub them away with a dirty sleeve.

  “Consider your answer carefully, Ava. These angels will use the answer to make the final decision on your fate,” says Darius coldly.

  The high angels don’t bother with people like me–we’re dispensable. Why consider sparing the life of a treacherous soulhunter? Darius wants me alive, and he’s bargaining for my life. Why? Why not kill me and send a different girl? Surely, I’m expendable too.

  “Time is of the essence, Ava,” says the woman with a small smile.

  The angel beside her leans in to whisper loudly, “I hear Hell has a few spaces right now, Estelle.”

  She nudges him. “We haven’t decided yet, Remulos.”

  My chest tightens. I’m trapped. I thought I’d die, but now I’m threatened with an eternity in Hell.

  I moisten my parched lips. “Yes, Darius is correct. I tried to trick the nephilim into revealing his secrets.”

  “Excellent news.” I baulk at Darius’s wide grin. I’ve never seen him smile before, and the malice reflects in his eyes.

  “This is a problem, Darius,” repeats the angel. “She went against her orders.”

  “But for a valuable reason,” puts in Estelle. “We should send her back.”

  My heart squeezes in fear. “Back to the Fated?”

  “To finish the job.” She looks imploringly at the man beside her. “This girl has skills. She can discover the rest of the information we need. Then kill him and bring back his soul.”

  I slump further in the chair, room spinning around me. My stomach growls, head dizzied by exhaustion. “I can’t go back.”

  “You won’t have a choice, Ava,” snaps Darius.

  I stare at his polished black shoes, concentrating on staying conscious. I never have a choice.

  “Tell me, Ava, have you heard of the Hell realms?” asks Estelle.

  “Yes.”

  “So you know what your existence would be if sent to the lowest? The torture you would suffer?”

  Bile rises, and I dig my nails into my palms to keep myself in reality.

  Remulos scoffs. “You probably don’t. Nobody knows such suffering unless they experience it.” He points at the quieter man. “That’s what Lucian wanted to do to you, as a deterrent for other soulhunters who might ignore orders when they are in the human world.”

  I pull hair over my ears, wishing they’d left me cowering in the cell, wishing I’d never chosen to leave the Fated. Keir’s words resonate in my mind: I signed my death warrant the day I chose to become a soulhunter. Soulhunters rarely survive more than a few months in the field, and they never win against nephilim.

  I face two choices: death at Keir’s hands or eternal torture.

  “What if he kills me first?” I look up.

  “Then we’ve tried. We may as well get the last drop of usefulness from you,” says Lucian gruffly.

  “But don’t think that’s the easy way out, because the chances of this particular nephilim killing you appear low.” Estelle arches a brow and gives a knowing smile. “You have particular skills you can use, don’t you, Ava?”

  Remulos pulls a disgusted face. “Base creatures.”

  “Then it is decided.” Lucian stands. “I’m not happy about sending you back, and if you free one more soul, I will personally accompany you to the gates of Hell.”

  “Lucian, that’s rather strong,” says Remulos.

  “This isn’t a joke.”

  “She’s just one soulhunter infatuated with a demon. Hardly a threat,” adds Estelle.

  Lucian humphs and continues to look at me as if he’d drag me to Hell right now. “You may leave us now, Darius. Please locate somebody to accompany the soulhunter to a shower and change of clothes. She reeks.”

  I fight the heat in my cheeks and look at my dirty clothes. Everything about my life is in their control. I can never escape unless I die.

  Darius’s footsteps echo as he leaves the room, and I sit listening to my heartbeat and fighting my conflicted emotions. I can see Keir again. Be with him. Even for a short time, until he kills the girl betraying him.

  But I’d rather die at my own hand than see hatred in his eyes.

  Lucian straightens his shirt sleeves and stands. “You wait with her, Estelle. I’ve other things to attend to. Remulos?”

  I watch as the two leave the room without another word before shifting my focus to the floor.

  “Who are the other soulhunters involved?” asks Estelle in a soft voice.

  I look up in confusion. “Do you mean Dahlia?”

  “Her? She’s of no consequence.”

  “Why did you release her from her bonds?”

  She wrinkles her nose. “If she were stupid enough to want a human existence, she’s no use to us. We’d almost finished with her anyway. Let the girl walk to her death. She won’t survive long, especially once the nephilim is gone.”

  I swallow. “Apart from Dahlia, I don’t know any other soulhunters. We rarely cross paths since our missions are never in the same place.”

  She bites her lip and nods. “No soulhunters involved. Hmm. And the other nephilim? Who’s helping Keir?”

  I stare back into Estelle’s intense eyes, determined to prove I’m telling the truth. “I don’t know. I’ve not met them. I expect they’d kill me if they do.”

  “What a complicated future you have.”

  Is she mocking me? “If I have one.”

  “That is for you to decide.” She stands and smoothes her skirts. “I would warn you not to choose Daniel’s unfortunate path.”

  The room lurches at her mentioning his name. “To Hell?” No. No. No.

  She gives a tight smile and walks towards the door. “Until we next meet, Ava, stay safe.”

  Her cryptic words follow her through the door, and I stare ahead, heart pounding faster than ever, fighting my body’s desire to crumple to the floor.

  In all my time locked in a dark room, I thought my life was over. That I waited for my eternal punishment, with my body and mind weakening by the day.

  I never expected to face a choice, but my future is clear. I can fight Keir and inevitably lose or let him live and lose my life anyway.

>   My choice is between death at the hands of the man I love or an eternity in Hell.

  The Soulhunter series continues with

  NEPHILIM HUNTED

  due for release early next year.

  You can pre-order on Amazon HERE

  Read on for a sneak peek of the first chapter!

  NEPHILIM HUNTED

  CHAPTER ONE

  I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling, confused by how light the room is. I roll onto my side and soft sheets cover a bed. I’m not in the dark square of a cell the angels kept me in.

  The clock on the desk illuminates 08:32.

  In the bathroom, the girl in the mirror wears no makeup and her hair sticks up wildly. Who am I? I don’t want to know this girl who made the decision, but she’s looking back at me. I close my eyes, not wanting to see the treachery inside them, and an image of Keir’s face flashes across my mind, his earnest look and concerned eyes. Slamming a fist into the porcelain sink, I wince. But I deserve the pain.

  Time alone in the dark claustrophobia of my cell taught me the freedom in my few weeks with Keir was an illusion. Even when I thought Darius had abandoned me to a fate in the human world, he was using me. Darius left me in this world to find Keir’s secrets. My fate never left the hands of Darius or the high angels and it never will.

  I need Keir’s secrets. They are my bargaining tool to take back to Darius along with Keir’s soul. These secrets keep me alive; at least for a short time. I can’t hide anymore.

  I paint my face with the kohl-eyed persona, pick up my bag, and leave the room. I’m back to the original Ava, the soulhunter, needing a nephilim soul to trade for my life.

  Within minutes, I spot Keir. He leans against the breeze-block wall by our seminar room, a sadness etched into his features. I hesitate, catching glimpses of him between the groups walking toward class. The familiar chatter and shoes squeak, as students move along, hurting my ears after the quiet of the cell.