A Gathering of Souls

by Dianne Keep

  “Exactly. Why would the Resh need a rod for powering cells when there aren’t any Faewyn left to use them?” This was said by both Bree and the girl in her head. “What made you think I could do it?”

  “Your strongest talent is activation. We needed to see if you could still perform without us intervening. That’s all.” But there was a tone to what Ehre said. Another lie.

  “I don’t believe you,” Bree said.

  Ehre spoke too fast for Bree to catch the words, but it was magic.

  A transtistic spell. Meant to keep us pliable. Stop her from finishing it, the girl warned.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Bree shouted.

  “Look at your alhor.” Ehre gestured to the room. “Do you think they’re used to being under a Seyh’s influence?”

  Bree’s golden glow had saturated every surface of the room. The researchers were pale and mumbling. “Sorry.” She withdrew her light. “Is that the only answer you have for me?”

  “Yes,” Ehre answered.

  Soon. We’ll see. You’ll see. They’re hiding things. More than our memories. The other girl was giddy with excitement.

  Goosebumps spread across Bree skin. “Will you still take me to the lower levels?” she asked.

  “Maybe.” Ehre’s face was stone hard, hiding the lies, but now Bree knew better.

  The researchers sighed in unison and put the handheld relic on the table and started picking up other devices, whispering to each other again.

  Shane opened the door. “You have approval to take Bree with you to the lower levels. Another Seyh will meet you at the entrance and escort you.”

  The researchers assembled at the door.

  “May I take this with me?” Bree’s pointed to the handheld.

  “If you want. There are similar machines stored in the lower levels. We can ask some of the other researchers if they can guess the pass code,” a redheaded researcher said.

  “Thank you. I’m interested in how it might be of service to Rysa.”

  Ehre rolled her eyes.

  Bree waited for the researchers to walk out. “What?”

  “Service to Rysa?” Ehre tapped her temple. “I know you have something else in mind.”

  “Good thing only you seem to think that.” Bree tucked the handheld into her breast pocket.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Bree had always wondered what was on the other side of the guarded door by the labs. Researchers and catalogers were constantly going in and out of it. It was not what she expected. On the other side of the doorway, four steps down, there was a platform large enough for six horses to stand side-by-side.

  “How far below are the lower levels?” Bree asked.

  “Far enough to keep out anything that might disturb the relics,” the redheaded researcher answered.

  The platform bounced as each person walked on. Bree reached over and held the handlebar. A harsh chemical residue penetrated the air, wafting up from the steep tunnel. She couldn’t see the end of it.

  One of the researchers typed a few keys on a pad. Locks released the platform, and they zoomed down the tunnel. Lights flashed until they became one long line of brilliant white. Her ears popped, so she worked her jaw to relieve the building pressure.

  Ehre seemed unconcerned, studying the ends of her robe. The researchers chatted quietly while her three nameless guards stared at their boots. Shane inspected his fingernails.

  Bree’s stomach flipped and churned.

  The entire time, Ehre had known about the relics. And so had everyone else.

  It was a test to see if we remembered, said the girl.

  You’re right. They were testing the effectiveness of the charm. They wanted to see if I remembered activating relics.

  And using the relics. The girl showed her a picture of her using a device in another place with other people.

  Do I know about all of them?

  We do.

  You do, Bree responded.

  We. I. There’s no difference between us.

  Bree’s vision spun, and when she thought she was about to faint, the platform thudded to halt. Her knees shook. Shane’s strong arms lifted her weight as he escorted her off the platform. “Inhale. Exhale,” he said.

  Bree sucked in air and choked on noxious fumes. Ehre whispered some words and the air cleared. A picture flashed through Bree’s mind.

  A man encased in gold light rode a horse just ahead of her.

  Thick smoke curled around her and seven other riders.

  Her lungs constricted.

  He turned and smiled.

  A gold bubble surrounded the group.

  She tried to hold on to it, but it slipped away, leaving a gash of loneliness. The man had been with the others on the dance floor two nights ago, and maybe another time.

  Or they could just be figments of her imagination, like the other girl inside her head.

  I’m not imaginary.

  Then I’m cracked, said Bree.

  We’re not crazy.

  The cage rattled in her mind, begging to release her feelings and memories in full. But she couldn’t face them. The shards of anguish that escaped her barriers tore at her more than the charm ever did.

  We’ll have to face them soon, said the girl.

  But not today. Don’t make me do it today.

  Ehre poked her. “Are you able to walk?”

  Bree leaned against Shane. “If he can help me.”

  Ehre nodded. Shane held Bree securely at his side. She rested her head on his chest. The black leather stuck to her clammy cheek.

  They proceeded to a vaulted door with a wheel handle. One of the researchers twisted it, and with a screech, the massive door swung open.

  “Welcome to Level One,” a guard dressed in white said. Rysa’s flag adorned her white cap and both her shoulders. She had laser pistols at each hip, their green lights blinking. “Please leave all food and beverage items in the bins.” She motioned to the bins. No one moved. “If you are ready, please follow me.”

  They walked down another tunnel with intermittent stripes of black gripping on the slick floor. Bree’s vision cleared, so she peeled her face from Shane. They stepped through another vaulted door. On the other side, stood Rhion. His red alhor stretched out around him like a lazy cat.

  “You are cleared for sections seven and eight,” he said. “Quad, remain here.”

  “Thank you, Superior Rhion,” said Ehre.

  Bree patted Shane’s arm. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Anytime.” Shane smiled. “I live to serve.” He placed his right hand over his heart and bowed.

  He shouldn’t salute her. His words rankled her mind. Her alhor pulsed as if what he said was perfectly normal and welcome. He must have been my trainer. He must know who I really am.

  He knows us.

  A glimmer of a memory tugged at her, pulling her past the wall of grief. She saw her handprint on his chest glowing like the sun through his black armor. Had she seen it before?

  She blinked and the print was gone, but there was something different about Shane. It flickered in his eyes as she stepped forward, suddenly reluctant to leave him.

  Ehre called her, drawing her away from the captain who stared at her with a kindness that stole the air from her lungs.

  They went through another room where cold mist sprayed and whooshed. “To remove any extra particles,” Ehre explained.

  Outside the vaulted doors, the white walls dissolved into crumbling bricks patched everywhere with gooey plastic resin. The basement was massive, the size of the entire palace in one open space. Pillars the height of three houses created a maze of sorts between areas marked off by translucent liners. Bright lights hung from the ceiling ruled with tubes streaming thanum into a bulky, humming generator at the end of the room. Several clerks wearing masks manned the machine. They seemed intent on watching the multitude of blinking lights on its exterior.

  Hundreds of researchers wearing gray or white-buttoned coats scu
rried from station to station like ants. The researchers who accompanied her fanned out down various alleyways. Ehre went inside one of the spaces to the left and Rhion motioned for Bree to join them. She pulled aside the clear, stiff lining and walked in. Four tables heaped with metal objects created a large square. Workers inside the square tagged and sorted the mechanisms into crates.

  “Do any of these look familiar to you?” Ehre picked up a round object and set it back down.

  Bree inspected the items on the table. Nothing stood out. “Does it matter? Aren’t they all familiar to you?” Were they waiting to see if she noticed something important, or did they want her not to notice?

  “The Resh wants you to activate these. We think they are different types of weapons.” Rhion handed her something that resembled a wristwatch with about eight clocks on it.

  “Hasn’t Resh Osling made copies of all the useful military devices?”

  Ehre shrugged. “Only a few. Most relics aren’t reproduced. There are too many of them.”

  Bree slid the device onto her wrist. It didn’t turn on. “It doesn’t seem to want to work for me.”

  “I don’t think you’re trying very hard.” Rhion placed something that looked like a pen in her hand. “This is supposed be a small blaster cannon. Try it.”

  “In here? With all these people? I don’t think so. Maybe in a field or on the training yard.” Bree set the pen down.

  Ehre pointed to the band on Bree’s wrist. “That one isn’t going to hurt anyone. See if you can turn it on.”

  “How do you know?” asked Bree.

  “It’s described in a book as some kind of personal shield,” said Ehre.

  Bree tried to read the inscriptions on one of the circles on the band. The words were too worn to decipher anything. She twisted the dial and mentally told the mechanism to activate. When nothing happened, she tried envisioning a shield around her.

  Her gold alhor shimmered and flared in an arc, making a perfect solid wall on all sides of her body. “I think that’s me.”

  Ehre touched the glimmering wall then sucked on her fingers. “Definitely you.”

  Clearing her thoughts, Bree told the device to activate again, while trying to take down the shield she’d made. Her shield stayed. “With the Faewyn in charge before the Changing, why would people need weapons? I thought the Faewyn kept the peace.”

  “They did. And certain people they trusted had weapons like these for when the Faewyn weren’t available.” Ehre sifted through the pile of metal squares on one of the tables. “The Seyhs fought for the Faewyn.”

  “And they fought the Lumen.” Bree clicked another dial on a different circle.

  “How did you know?” Ehre’s eyes narrowed.

  “Keir Ryne told me.” Bree sucked in a breath. “I can’t get this to work.” Bree took the wristband off and reached through her resilient shield to set it next to a pile of similar devices. The barrier around her felt like a warm, fuzzy blanket. She took the handheld from her pocket. “Can we ask someone to decipher the pass code?”

  “The Resh didn’t send you down here to tinker with handhelds.” Rhion said, holding a different wristband out to her. “The other one might have been broken. Try this one.”

  Bree focused on the wristbands for about ten minutes without success. “My head hurts. Can we take a break?”

  “Sure. Follow me.” Ehre turned down several pathways between rooms with Rhion trailing behind.

  They walked toward the wall with the generator. The droning grew louder, and with every step, Bree’s stomach lurched. When they were about twenty feet from the generator, Ehre slipped inside another section.

  Whispers leaked from the generator.

  Bree shuddered.

  Rhion stopped outside the door and watched her. “Something bothering you?”

  Her shield rippled. “I feel odd, actually.” She eyed the generator. “Is it leaking?”

  “Unlike the power production plants, all the tubes in the palace are well insulated against any seepage.”

  Bree studied the ceiling. “How are they insulated?” The tubes looked the same as the ones in the production plant, but there wasn’t a vent. “I don’t see anyone wearing masks. What if there was a leak? The entire palace could be poisoned.”

  “Well now, you could heal them, couldn’t you? And it seems you’ve figured out how to raise a shield for yourself.” Rhion smirked. “These tubes are spelled by Seyhs. Each one is responsible for their tube, and there are Seyhs on standby if any sort of malfunction is detected.”

  Screams echoed in her ears. “Does anyone else hear that?”

  Ehre came out of the room. “What’s going on? I felt your necklace’s alarm.”

  Bree hadn’t noticed the fire under her skin. Freezing cold shot through her veins.

  The other girl unfolded with an onslaught of power.

  The voices stopped.

  Before she could understand what she was doing, Bree found herself running. Everything blurred until she stopped in front of a door on the other side of the basement.

  It flew open with a flick of her hand. Bree stared at her appendage. How did you do that?

  The girl didn’t answer.

  You can’t just take over whenever you feel like it.

  Bree’s golden shield dropped, and she walked into the dark room. It smelled of dirt and rot.

  “Tell me what’s happening. What are we doing in here?” Bree asked. People shouted from behind.

  Memories flickered. Stories of the devourers, the soul-eaters, the darkens. Creatures from the Inbetween. The old enemy.

  She felt the devourers in the room, and the consumed and discarded souls in the tubing, all around.

  Her alhor ignited, flooding the darkness, enveloping every corner until it hovered over a small, frayed brown leather book. It appeared harmless but reeked of shadows and fear.

  Their beginning, the girl said.

  The voices returned, shouting at her to leave, run, and hide. But she was something, someone who wasn’t afraid of devourers.

  She was more. She was light, and the darkness couldn’t keep the light from coming. How had she forgotten?

  You can’t remember. He makes us forget. The girl flashed Bree a picture of her and Khrisk in a field. He always makes us forget.

  She showed Bree what happened at the production plant.

  “I won’t forget this time,” said Bree.

  A spark from a force stronger than herself, deep in her core, coiled, ready to pounce.

  Power pulsed in her blood, drowning out the shrieks of panic from the little book, and murmurs of warning from the wasted souls inside the tubing.

  Soon you’ll be free, the girl reassured the souls.

  She felt Seyhs behind her. They stung the air with their small magic. But she was more than magic. She shielded the room. No one would stop her.

  The book burst into flames and, in seconds, was nothing more than dust. Howls penetrated the room. The darkens pleaded.

  “Don’t send us away.”

  “We can help you, delicious girl.”

  “Our power can be yours.”

  But their way into the living world was gone. Her alhor was too bright. It ate away their darkness, banishing them.

  The droning of the generator ceased.

  All went dark.

  Her gold alhor flickered against a dozen different alhors from the Seyhs crowded near the doorway.

  “What have you done?” Rhion’s words ripped through Bree’s gut.

  Her veins hadn’t gone quiet, the power wasn’t disappearing. Are you still there?

  No answer.

  They wanted her to forget, so she would forget. “I felt ill, and ran, and I ended up in here.” Her body felt like it was been split in two. “What happened?”

  The space around her held the scent of spring flowers. No trace of acidic chemicals or the rot of death. Bree searched the faces of each Seyh. Where was Ehre? “Is anyone hurt?” She let panic d
rench her voice. “Has the thanum seeped into the palace?”

  Ehre emerged from behind the other Seyhs. “No one is hurt. The tubes are empty. I’ve dispatched a messenger to the closest power production unit. We should hear back in a few hours.” She touched Bree’s face, and then inspected the amber pendant. There was a third crack at the bottom. “How are you? Do you feel any different?” Fear and hope reflected in Ehre’s eyes.

  “I have a headache.” Why would Ehre look at her like that? Say what they expect you to say. “What happened?”

  Ehre frowned. “A malfunction. The lower level is being evacuated.” The corner of her lips twitched.

  Liar. Is this how it has to be between us? Only lies?

  Ehre’s eyebrows knit together almost as if she’d heard Bree’s thoughts.

  “She’ll answer for this.” Hatred dripped like venom in Rhion’s voice. “Nathan, tie her arms.”

  Cords of blue energy wrapped around her wrists. It didn’t hurt and they weren’t tight. The energy felt familiar, almost as if it belonged to her.

  “She doesn’t need to be tied.” Ehre unraveled the cords from Bree’s hand. “We best go,” she said to Bree. “These Seyhs need to check for any signs of leakage.”

  Rhion stood taller. “No, Ehre. She must be taken to Osling now before she does anything else.”

  There are more darkens in this country. We must send them home before he comes.

  Who? Bree asked.

  Ask about the book.

  “Where’s the old book? I saw a book.” Bree walked toward the pile of ashes, but Ehre grabbed her arm.

  “You saw a book?” Ehre asked.

  We must stop them. The other girl replayed her memories of the darken stories she’d heard about before the Changing, the stories told to her by….

  Bree’s body shook with rage. “What have you done?” the other girl asked using Bree’s mouth. “All this for trinkets, for useless devices?”

  They had tricked her and brought her here to see if she would power the devices they dug up. Those inventions no longer belonged to them. And they wanted her to save them from the devourers they had invited into their world.

  The girl continued, “There was a reason you were left with nothing. You shouldn’t have sought the devourers.”