Souls & Spectres: The Spectral Chronicles: Book 1

by Heather Wendlowsky

  “Well, it appears that you two are very lucky to have been Gifted to each other or my poor shot of a son would have killed you!” she let out an amused laugh, and I held my tongue.

  “Actually, Your Majesty, it was my fault.” No. “His aim would have been true, but I turned and got in his way,” Soleil came to my defense. She shouldn’t have.

  Mother analyzed the two of us. “I can’t help but wonder how purposeful that move could have been,” she thinks aloud, “Maybe someone in a position such as yours was hoping for some sort of leave or payout for being injured by the crown prince of Mont Tien.” Soleil opens her mouth to protest but I squeeze her hand hard.

  “Enough, Mother,” I murmur, “We’ve had a long trip and would prefer to continue this conversation inside.” She appraises me for a moment and smiles a little bigger.

  “I couldn’t agree more!” Mother looks behind us, “Wren, please take care of that Geochroman girl!” She calls down. Wren bows and ushers Juniper away. Well, that’s one less thing I’ll have to worry about. I trust Wren to take care of her. My parents turn and walk through the wrought iron doors of the palace into the grand foyer.

  The grand foyer is one of the more luxurious rooms in the palace, as it’s where everyone comes through, and we do our best to make an impression. Soleil is looking around the room at the painted pillars lining the walkway leading to the double grand staircase to the second floor. She is so enveloped that I don’t think she notices the palace guards falling in line behind us. I tense, and put my arm around her waist. She looks up at me in alarm, then tames her emotions, so she looks ahead with the same blank expression as me. That’s my girl.

  Instead of walking up the staircase to the throne room, or into the greeting room we have on the lower floor reserved for more intimate meetings, we stop at the bottom of the stairs. Mother and Father turn to face us. The fake smile my mother had outside has been traded for her signature scowl. I see my father give the slightest nod at the guards behind us, and before I can react, palace guards have grabbed me and Soleil. The guards pull her away from us, and I can see the panic in her eyes as she screams my name. Her cries for help are quickly muffled when the guards spray a sedating mist in her face, and she goes limp.

  I’m yelling at the gugards holding me, doing my best to fight against their hold, but that only causes another pair to come help restrain me. I watch in horror as Soleil is dragged through one of the servant’s corridors in the foyer. I look back at my parents, fury plain on my face.

  “What. Have. You. Done?” I hiss through my teeth. My mother just rolls her eyes, as if dealing with a child.

  “Oh, calm down, dear. When did you become so dramatic?” she says, “We just have a few questions for her is all! If she’s who she claims to be, then there will be nothing to worry about. We can’t allow her free reign of the palace just to find out later she is a Geochroman spy!”

  “I know how your ‘questioning’ goes, Mother,” I force out, “I will not allow you to treat my Soulmate and future wife this way!”

  Mother narrows her eyes at my challenge, and turns her attention to the guards holding me. “Clearly, years on the front have taken their toll on the prince’s mind,” she remarks, “Please, escort him to his suite so he may rest and recover.” The guards nod and drag me up the stairs, fighting and screaming profanities at them. After navigating me through the halls, they throw me in my suite, and quickly lock the door so I can’t leave.

  I spend hours trying to break down the door, screaming for help, but nobody comes. I’m not surprised. The room is soundproof, and the doors are strong enough to keep away any invaders of the castle. Not that anyone would help anyways. Nobody would dare go against my parents. Regardless, I bang on the door until nightfall. Exhausted, I collapse against the damn thing. All I can see in my mind is what they are doing to my angel, and I spend the night laying by the door, waiting for the green eyed girl that won’t come.

  Chapter 21

  Soleil

  One minute I’m standing with Reese in the Mont Tien palace, and the next I’m waking up on a dank floor in a dark, stone room. What…? Where am I? I look around, but it's hard to focus my mind through whatever drugs those guards gave me. I shift myself into a sitting position, and I hear a clinking sound. I look down and see manacles wrapped around my feet and wrists, attached to chains in the floor and ceiling. Immediately, I start hyperventilating. It was all a dream. I was never rescued. There is no Reese or Juniper. It was just some new torture the ring leaders created. I never left. I. Never. Left.

  A door in the front of the room bangs open, and in walks a guard, King Zephyr, and Queen Astrid. Okay, so not a dream. I force myself to collect myself. Think, Sol. What happened? My mind is bombarded with memories of our arrival: the colorful palace, meeting Reese’s parents, his cold demeanor toward the king and queen, and the guards separating us inside. Oh my god. Reese. Where’s Reese? I look up in panic at the king and queen standing before me. They wear the same fancy clothes as when we were introduced, so not much time must have passed between now and then.

  Queen Astrid inspects me with a bemused expression. “So happy to see you’re awake, dear,” she coos, “Now, let’s get started, shall we?” She nods to the guard with them, and he walks over to a wheel on the wall. When he turns it, there’s a yank at the chains on my wrist. Slowly, I’m pulled to my feet, finally stopping with my hands high above my head. My bad shoulder screams in protest.

  “What’s going on? Where’s Reese?” I demand, but it’s as if I hadn’t spoken. The guard abandons the wheel on the wall now that I’m locked upright, and walks to a table a few feet to my right. The surface is covered in blades, whips, and syringes with vials of clear liquid. I stiffen, but instead of the weapons, the guard simply grabs a pair of scissors. He turns back to the queen, who nods in confirmation. The guard walks over to me and crouches in front of me. I feel the cold scissors against my ankle, and I cringe, waiting for pain. Instead, I hear a cutting noise. I look back down and he is cutting away my uniform. He methodically cuts the jumpsuit off of me, and it’s clear that he’s had to do this before. When he reaches eye level, I try to get his attention. “Please,” I whisper, “Where’s Prince Icarus? What’s happening?” He avoids eye contact and remains silent. Eventually, I’m left standing in the standard issue black bra and briefs. My uniform is in tattered remains, and the guard removes the shreds and pulls off my boots and places them in a plastic bag by the door. Someone on the other side reaches in and takes them away, closing the door behind them.

  “Well, now that we got all that out of the way, let’s have a little chat, shall we?” Queen Astrid says with a smile. She walks over to the weapons table and pulls a file out from underneath a tray of small knives. The tiniest hint of relief washes over me when she ignores the blades, but I’m nowhere near close to relaxed. The queen thumbs through some papers in the file and walks around to face me. “Let’s see here: Geochroman Private Soleil Fiore, estimated age is 18, was the only living victim rescued from the multinational Soul Solace illegal human trafficking ring in southern Geochroma and was placed in a government funded recovery house with other victims…” she reads off. I stare in shock at her. I never knew that I was the only one who survived long enough to be rescued. I don’t even hear her finish the file. I’m so engrossed in that tiny piece of information. Different victims had come and gone for years, but I had always assumed they had been shuffled off to some other group. Not murdered.

  A sharp slap on my cheek pulls me from my thoughts. I look into the eyes of an annoyed Queen Astrid. “It is in your best interest to pay attention, dear,” she says, “I’ll ask again: can you confirm the accuracy of this file?” I nod mutely. “Yes or no, dear?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” I utter. She smiles at my complacency.

  “Alright, Soleil,” she continues, “Now, we have heard several eyewitness accounts of the Resonation that bonded you to my son. By all accounts, Icarus attempted to shoot the T
halassian that wounded you, but instead hit you, causing the bullet to shatter. Is this true?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” I confirm.

  “That just begs the question: why did the bullet shatter, Soleil?” the queen inquires.

  I give her a surprised look. “It’s as you said, Your Majesty,” I reply in confusion, “We’re Gifted. He couldn’t hurt me!”

  She shakes her head. “No, I said the bullet shattered,” she articulates as if I was deaf, “How did it shatter? Is Geochroma developing a new bulletproof material? Do you have a medical condition resulting in stronger skin and bones? Was the bullet counteracted by some secret technology?” I just stare at her in stunned silence. Technology? What? Queen Astrid just rolls her eyes at me. “Guard!” she calls over. The guard moves from his spot beside the king to the table, carefully selecting a four inch blade, and presenting it to the queen. She accepts the handle, and I flinch back as far as the chains allow me. “Last chance, Soleil,” she warns.

  My eyes widen in alarm. “Your Majesty, I swear, there was nothing nefarious! Reese and I are truly just Gifted!”

  Queen Astrid sighs in disappointment. “I was really hoping we could do this the easy way, my dear,” she says. Before I can say anything in my defense, she drags the blade down my sternum, tearing my bra. White hot pain registers and I cry out.

  “Please, Your Majesty! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I plead. My cries are met with another cut, this time stretching from the wound in my shoulder down to the crook in my elbow. After a few cuts, it is abundantly clear that nothing I say will stop this sadism. And so, I shut down. It’s something that comes from years of pain and abuse. I’m awake, but I’m not here. There is no pain. There is only a retreat into the deepest recesses of my mind, somewhere nobody can find me.

  Rotating between my mind and the occasional glimpse into the room, I can’t be completely sure how much time passes. Queen Astrid is there often, with King Zephyr watching from the doorway. I find she doesn’t like that I don’t scream or cry, but I can’t pull myself from the inside my head to give her what she wants. My mind keeps me safe from the pain, not even allowing me the movement and consciousness to eat what measly food I’m brought. Eventually, I check into reality to find someone had placed an IV of saline into my arm to keep me alive. However, with this peek, I feel like someone has lit my entire body on fire, so I immediately retreat back into my mind.

  There is no pain there. Instead, I’m laying in the meadow by the pool with Reese. I play over the stories he’s told me, and I imagine conversations that haven’t happened. I picture him teaching me to swim in the pool. I show him how to climb a tree, and laugh when he can’t climb as high as me. We walk together around the pool and compete to see who can find the coolest looking rocks. And then one day, he isn’t in the meadow anymore. I look around, and I’m alone.

  “I got you, Sol,” I hear Reese’s voice, but I don’t see him.

  “Damn, careful, Reese. She’s bleeding a lot.” What is Wren doing in our meadow?

  “Go get Aurora. Have her waiting for us in my suite,” Reese orders. Reese? Where are you? I call for him in my mind, but get no response. I’m not sure how much time goes by before I hear another voice.

  “Oh my god! What happened?” a female voice breaks through.

  “My mother happened,” Reese says in a dark tone. I keep looking for him but I can’t find him. “Please, she won’t wake up.”

  “Put her on the bed,” the woman says. I hear Reese gasp. “The damage is bad. Cuts, burns, lashes… I’ll do what I can, but there will probably be a few scars.”

  Wait. This is real. I’m really with Reese. I start calling for him, trying to push out of my mind to find him. The meadow fights to keep me there, to protect me from the inevitable pain. But the promise of Reese truly being with me, not just in my mind, motivates me to endure. My safe place suddenly snaps, and my eyes shoot open. Oh my god. It hurts. I want Reese, but I can’t seem to form the word. All that escapes are cries and screams. Please, just let me die, I plead internally to the world.

  A face appears in my blurry vision. Reese. “I’m so, so sorry, angel,” his voice breaks. Is he crying? He shouldn’t cry. “I should have protected you better. I won’t let this happen again. Please, my love, stay with me,” Reese’s beautiful tenor begs. Of course. I’ll always stay with you.

  With this mental vow, I let darkness take me. This time, there’s no meadow. Only sweet unconsciousness.

  Chapter 22

  Icarus

  The week I’m locked in my suite is the longest week of my life. Despite the books and television in my sitting room, I can do nothing but worry. Several times a day, a server would bring me meals, and each time, I’d beg for release or information, but to no avail. There’s no word from Wren or Juniper either, so I can only hope they’re safe.

  Once it became clear that I was going to be here for a while, I passed the time either sleeping or losing myself in daydreams. Either way, the dreams were the same: I was back by the pool in the woods with Soleil. Here, it was as if we never left our secret spot. Even her shoulder was healed. We shared old stories, and offered new ones. I coaxed her into the water and finally showed her how to swim. By the end of the day, she was a regular fish! Another day, she tried to teach me to climb trees. She swung through the branches, and laughed at me as I hung from the trunk of the tree like an oversized sloth. My favorites were the days we would walk along the pool and look for rocks. The joy that lit up her face from a pretty rock makes my heart want to burst. Eventually, the two of us had our own little collection piles in the grass.

  On the seventh day of lockdown, I’m pulled from the daydream by the key in the lock for my evening meal delivery. This time, I rush to the side of the door, and wait. When the door swings open, I rush the server, throwing them to the ground.

  “Reese, it’s me!” the server whisper shouts. I step back and see an empty handed Wren.

  “Wren! Are you guys okay? Have you seen Soleil?” I ask and help him to his feet.

  “Juniper and I are fine,” he assures me in a low voice, “They’ve had us running around the palace preparing a gala to celebrate you two. We were under the impression that you two were supposed to be doing some sort of royal Gift stuff. I had no idea what had happened until a guard approached me with the key to your room and instructions to find Soleil.”

  I perk up at my angel’s name. “Where is she, Wren?” I demand.

  “I came to find you first,” he explained, “Knowing your parents, I figured that this may be a two man operation.” I wince and nod in agreement.

  “Okay, lead the way,” I gesture to the door. The two of us rush out the door and down the hallway. We make our way to the grand foyer, and I see Wren is right: the entire space is being decorated for a gala. He guides me to the servant’s corridor I saw the guards take Soleil through. Inside, we follow the stairs down. Each fork in the hallway we encounter, Wren leads me down each path without hesitation. Eventually, we come to a series of doors at the end of a white hallway. Wren leads us to the door at the end of the hall.

  “Ready?” he asks. I give a wordless nod, so my voice won’t give away my terror at what we will find behind the door. Wren puts in the key and swings the door open. We’re blasted with chilly air that carries a copper scent. I take a deep breath and step inside.

  Contrary to the white, sterile hallway, this room is dark and stonewalled with a dirt floor. There’s a table off to the side filled with every torture tool I can imagine. In the center of the room, a lifeless form hangs from chains on the ceiling. Soleil.

  Wren rushes to a wheel on the wall that releases the chains from the ceiling. Soleil collapses in an unconscious mess on the floor. I fell to my knees beside her. “I got you, Sol,” I tell her. Wren comes and kneels beside me, undoing the manacles on her ankles and wrists with whatever key that guard gave him.

  “Damn, careful, Reese. She’s bleeding a lot,” he says, worry laced i
n his tone. He’s right. Soleil is practically naked, with just her briefs covering her. I’d feel self-conscious looking at her nudity, but all I see are the wounds covering her, head to toe. I can see various cuts, burns, and whip lashes, just from the front alone. Her entire body is red from blood, both fresh and dried. I’m horrified.

  “Go get Aurora. Have her waiting for us in my suite,” I tell Wren. he immediately sprints from the room to get his older sister, a trained royal doctor, from the infirmary. I take a deep breath, and carefully lift her from the floor. It’s probably a good thing she’s unconscious. I don’t want her to feel this. Holding her against me, I follow the path we took down back up to my room, careful to stay quiet and out of sight from any servants and guards as I go. Wren is standing in front of my suite door, waiting for me. He opens the door for me and Soleil.

  I charge through the sitting room and into the bedroom, where Aurora is pacing in front of the bed in her white doctor’s garb. She freezes when she sees us walk in. “Oh my god! What happened?” she gapes at Soleil’s broken form in my arms.

  “My mother happened,” I scowl. Aurora’s face immediately turns to one of dark understanding. “Please, she won’t wake up.” I beg

  “Put her on the bed,” Aurora commands. I set Soleil down gently on top of the comforter. Aurora cuts away the rest of her clothes, and in the light, I can truly see the damage. I gasp and have to turn to keep myself from vomiting at the damage my mother inflicted on Soleil. She’s gone too far this time.

  “The damage is bad. Cuts, burns, lashes… I’ll do what I can, but there will probably be a few scars,” Aurora explains, now in complete doctor mode. Mont Tien medicine is the best in the world, and can heal most anything. I nod in gratitude. Aurora grabs her medical bag and pulls out antiseptic. She starts cleaning the deeper wounds first so she can start working. Soleil starts to stir. Please, no. Don’t wake up.