by G. P. Ching
“Yes, of course. After Lucifer’s threat at our wedding, we should be thankful for Eden.” She didn’t sound thankful.
Malini nodded and let it drop.
“How long do you have today?” Abigail asked.
“A few hours. My family thinks I’m studying at the library. I should be, of course. Senior year, you know.”
“That’s right! Have you applied anywhere?”
“Your alma mater.”
“University of Illinois? They’d be fools not to admit you. What will you study?”
“Journalism.”
Abigail turned away but not before Malini caught a flash of skepticism. Everyone assumed she’d study medicine because she was a Healer, but the idea of having to allow people to die on a regular basis when she had the capability to heal them didn’t appeal to her. Life and death were a delicate balance, so easily thrown off by the most benevolent of actions. No, she would be an observer, ferreting out evil and bringing it to light.
At the stairwell, Malini noticed the halls had been conspicuously empty. “Where is everyone, anyway?”
“The rest of the council is waiting for us in the conference room, and the students are studying in the dining hall. We haven’t made the curriculum easy.”
With a snort, Malini declared her support. “Better hard now than hard later when they’re fighting for their lives.”
“My sentiments exactly.” Abigail hooked right at the top of the stairwell.
“Are Grace and Lee back from Sedona?”
“Not exactly.” Abigail flashed a knowing smile and opened the door to the room next to her office.
The conference room consisted of a long wooden table in front of an arched window overlooking the jungle. When Malini walked in, Lillian and Gideon tilted their faces up to greet her. So did Grace and Master Lee, although Malini could see right through their bodies to the chairs they sat in.
“Wha—” she said as her mouth dropped open.
“Warwick’s stones,” Abigail explained. “We figured out how they worked. They project the image of the person calling to the other stones in the set.” She motioned toward the rough, blue gemstone on the table. “Ancient cell phones.”
“Handy,” Malini said.
Inside the blue tint of his transparent image, Lee’s hologram smiled. “Good morning, Malini.”
“Good morning,” Malini took a seat across from Grace’s hologram “Any new clues on Cheveyo’s whereabouts?”
Grace spoke up first. “We found an apartment in Sedona with residual traces of Soulkeeper energy. Only, no one lives there anymore. Building manager says a woman and her son moved out over a month ago.”
“Did they leave a forwarding address?” Malini asked.
“A place in Flagstaff. The son’s name was Chevy.”
Gideon shifted in his seat. “Surely a nickname.”
“Presumably. We’re headed to Flagstaff tomorrow to confirm he’s our soulkeeper.”
“Excellent,” Malini said. “So, why do you both look so worried?”
Lee sighed. “The residue was faint, Malini. I am an experienced Helper. I’ve been tracking Soulkeepers for decades. Either he is in transition, or he has never used his power. He is going to be vulnerable.”
“Crap. Do you think Lucifer has him?” Malini asked.
Abigail shook her head. “Lucifer may have his name from the list, but if we can’t locate him, chances are Lucifer can’t either. Something about this boy is making him hard to find, both for us and for the Watchers.”
“We need to get to him first,” Malini said.
“Obviously.” Grace pursed her lips.
What’s with the attitude? Malini scowled.
Master Lee made his best attempt to diffuse the tension. “We will find him. Before we leave for Flagstaff, we are visiting his old school and interviewing neighbors. A picture would aid our search efforts.”
“Makes sense. Thank you,” Malini said.
With nothing left to share, Abigail reached for the stone. “Thank you for being with us today. I’ll keep the stone with me in case you find anything.”
Grace nodded, reaching for the sister stone. Her image flickered and then disappeared, along with Master Lee’s.
“That was disappointing,” Lillian said, turning a paperclip between her fingers.
Malini couldn’t argue. Discouragement hung heavy in the air between them. “How are the new Soulkeepers coming along?” she asked, hoping for better news.
“Good. Bonnie and Samantha are tougher than they look, and Jesse was already good as gold after training with Master Lee,” Lillian said.
“And Ethan?”
Lillian’s eyes flicked to Gideon’s. They both made a sound like a soft groan.
“What is it?”
“He’s, um, challenging,” Lillian said.
“What does that mean?”
“Well, he has trouble following the rules,” Gideon said.
Abigail tilted her head in agreement. “He’s late for every class, has been caught trying to cheat several times, and is otherwise annoying.”
“Annoying?” Malini laughed.
She bit her lip. “He loves to be the center of attention. Yesterday, he burst into song, some obnoxious rap melody, and started grinding against one of the gnomes. We had to give the poor fellow the day off.”
As much as she wanted to keep a straight face, Malini couldn’t, overcome as she was by a fit of giggles. Soon the others joined in as well.
Lillian shook her head. “He is funny. A joy to have around most of the time. But can he be disciplined in the field? We’re not sure how much we can trust him.”
“Hmm. Yes, I can understand why that could be a problem.”
Abigail cleared her throat. “He has a past. The night I picked him up I think he was running from the mob. He admitted to stealing some money.”
“Ah. Trust is a major issue then.”
“Next time you’re in the In Between, can you follow his thread?” Abigail asked. “Give us something to go on?”
“Of course.” Malini nodded.
“Good.” Abigail scribbled a note to herself.
“Well then, Lillian filled us in on yesterday’s mission. What is your plan with regard to Harrington Enterprises?” Gideon asked.
“None yet. I need your help with some research. Maybe one of the helpers can bring you resources.”
“No need. We have all the resources necessary. Follow me.” He gathered his notes and headed for the door.
Confused, Malini said her goodbyes to Lillian and followed Gideon into the hall. Abigail joined them at her side.
“Where are we going?” Malini asked.
Abigail smiled mischievously. “We have something to show you, something I believe you will find quite interesting.”
“Interesting like The Huffington Post or interesting like a hive of Watchers trying to decapitate me?”
“The first.”
“Excellent!”
Through a door at the end of the hall, Malini followed Abigail into an antechamber.
“I don’t remember ever being in here before,” Malini said.
“This room wasn’t accessible.” Abigail pointed toward the door they’d just entered. “That used to be a solid stucco wall.”
Malini lowered her chin and raised her eyebrows.
Gideon paused to face her. “I was lamenting the lack of outside information in Eden when Archibald, the good gnome that he is, asked if there was anything he could get for me. I said, ‘Yes, a New York Times.’ And, without leaving Eden, he brought me one.”
“What? How?”
“As we’ve come to expect here, there’s more to this place than meets the eye. Turns out Warwick sealed off this room with magic when he left. I don’t blame him. The content is worth protecting.”
“Show me.” Malini was smiling now. She suspected what might be behind the double doors and crossed her fingers, hoping she was right.
Abiga
il grasped the carved wooden handle and pulled. Behind the heavy door was a golden, three-story, round room from a fairy tale.
“A library!” Malini said, stepping inside. A winding staircase led to the second and third floor, where curved shelves stretched floor to ceiling, laden with tomes.
“Oh yes, a library. An enchanted library. Come, a demonstration is in order.”
“Please!” Malini said excitedly.
“We’ll start with the fiction section. What are you in the mood to read?”
Malini grinned. “Romance.”
Abigail led her to a shelf of books labeled with a hand carved plaque in a language Malini didn’t know. “Choose a book,” she said.
“But the spines have no titles,” Malini said, confused. She lifted a leather volume off the shelf and flipped it open. “The pages are blank.”
“You didn’t tell it what to be,” Abigail said. “Close the book again.”
Malini did.
“Now concentrate on the book you want to read.” Abigail waited. “Open it again.”
Delighted, Malini opened the book and read the words that appeared on the page. “‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife.’ Holy magical library, this is Jane Austen!” Malini gaped at Abigail who was laughing as if she still couldn’t believe it.
“And that’s just the beginning,” Gideon’s voice boomed from above. He hung over the gold railing on the second floor. “Come check out the Google section.”
Malini jogged up the stairs to his side. “Google section?”
“My nickname for this section.” He pointed to a row of black tomes. “Ask these books a question—out loud. It seems to work better that way.”
Rubbing her hands together, Malini asked the question weighing on her mind. “Where is the Soulkeeper Cheveyo?”
The spines blurred and then filled with print. “Arizona Live Births, the History of Hopi Civilization in America, Flagstaff Arizona visitors’ guide. Looks like Grace and Lee are searching in the right place!”
“Incredible, yes? Anything we need is at our fingertips.” Gideon lifted the first tome and started flipping to the section labeled “C”.
“What does it say?”
“There isn’t a Cheveyo listed,” Gideon said.
“Figures. But like anything else here, it’s a matter of asking the right questions.”
Gideon nodded.
“I wonder…” Malini ran her fingers along the spine of a book. “Do you think this place is connected to my power somehow? Where does the information come from?”
Contemplative, Gideon rubbed his chin. “Anything is possible, I suppose, although these books mirror what’s available in the outside world and nothing more. They can’t predict the future or focus on a specific soul any more than a biography.”
“I see.”
“I hate to disturb you, Malini,” Abigail called from below. “I know there’s more you’d like to do here, but the gnomes are expecting to see you before you go, and I think, the students too. It means a lot to them.”
Malini nodded. Part of being a leader was being there for people. It was something she’d had to get used to, a part of growing up she’d never expected. Her presence, her attention, brought comfort to others. Even on days she didn’t believe in herself, she had learned others did with an almost mystic reverence, and it was important that she uphold the responsibilities of her station.
“Gideon, would you mind researching Harrington Enterprises for me? And continuing to dig for more information on Cheveyo?” she asked.
“Of course not. I’d be happy to,” he said.
Thank goodness. Malini descended the stairs, straightened her spine, and cleared her head. At Abigail’s side, she prepared to give her full attention, her full self, to whoever needed her.
Chapter 4
Strange Expectations
In the small town of Paris, Illinois, Dane Michaels adjusted his bright orange tray on the brand new folding table in the remodeled cafeteria. After the disaster at prom last year, an act of violence the town labeled domestic terrorism, reconstruction had taken an entire summer, but Paris High School was fully operational again.
“Are you guys going to the school dance?” Dane whispered across the table to Jacob and Malini. Not that anyone was listening anyway. The rest of the school had long since decided the three friends, who always sat in the far corner, had nothing interesting to offer. Better they never knew the truth.
Jacob glanced at Malini. “Considering the last dance we went to resulted in Lucifer blowing up the school, I wasn’t planning on it. Plus, Malini and I have work to do.”
Malini lowered her fork and huffed in his direction. “Jake, yes, okay. There’s always work to do. But it’s our senior year. We can’t miss homecoming just because the devil wants us all dead. I’m not letting him get the best of me.”
“Sorry,” Jacob said, leaning away from Malini’s tantrum. “You wanna go to homecoming?”
“Yes, thanks for asking. I’d love to.” She forced a tight smile.
Dane leaned forward in his seat. “Actually, I was talking about the other school dance. Although I am on the Paris homecoming committee, and it is going to be fabulous.”
His two best friends exchanged glances. Malini raised an eyebrow. “Other school? How have I not heard of this? The Healer should be the first to know.” She laughed.
“It’s something Ethan’s been organizing.”
“Ah.” Malini poked her baked beans with her fork.
“I guess since there are so few of us, you could just call it a back-to-school get together,” Dane said. Maybe he shouldn’t have told Malini. He hoped Ethan wouldn’t get in trouble because of him. Dane liked the school in Eden better than Paris. He felt safe there. Unlike Malini and Jacob, he didn’t have Soulkeeper powers to protect him if the Watchers returned for a replay of prom night. He was vulnerable to any demon who wanted him dead. Worse, the time he spent in Hell gave Lucifer an imprint of his soul. Outside of Eden, the devil had constant supernatural GPS on his ass and could demand his astral projected presence on a whim. He was a sitting duck.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Ethan, huh?” Jacob said softly.
Malini elbowed him.
“Ow! What the hell? Just making an observation.” He rubbed his arm vigorously.
Dane pretended not to catch that Jacob’s inference had to do with Ethan’s sexual orientation. He didn’t want to go there. “Well, uh, he doesn’t have many friends here, you know, and he’s not allowed to leave Eden much. He’s been helping me on the farm a little. It gives him something to do. Probably boring considering he’s from California and used to work in a club, but he doesn’t seem to mind.” And he makes me feel safe.
“Yeah,” Malini said. “He needs you, Dane. You’ve been a great friend. He and the twins are probably going stir crazy. When is this dance?”
“Friday night. After training. Everything’s cleared with Abigail.” Damn, he sounded too excited. He had to remember Eden wasn’t his school. As lucky as he was to be included, he didn’t belong. Not really. When they all graduated, he’d go away to college, hopefully, and then what? He wouldn’t be hanging out in Eden every weekend, that’s for sure. Or he could do things his dad’s way and take over the farm. Not much time for battling evil when there’s corn to grow.
A soft brown hand landed on his pale one. How did she know?
“We wouldn’t miss it, Dane. We can all go together. Sounds fun. Plus, maybe while we’re in Eden, you and I can talk,” Malini said.
Warmth infused his arm, and an easy calm settled over him. “Okay.” The bell rang, but he couldn’t look away from her soothing topaz eyes.
Jacob groaned and swiped her hand from his. “All right, that’s enough healing for the time being. Come on, Malini. We’ll be late for English.” He placed a protective arm around her shoulders and steered her body toward the exit.
>
Dane followed them from the cafeteria, rolling his eyes at the theatrics. Jacob knew as well as Dane did that he had nothing to worry about when it came to Malini. Those two were destined for each other.
What was his destiny? He frowned as the image of himself dressed in overalls and carrying a pitchfork slid across his mind. Panic shot through his abdomen, and he was reminded of why he needed to concentrate on his studies. Melding into the hallway traffic, he hurried to his next class.
* * * * *
The hinges of the screen door screeched as Dane entered the farmhouse, his bulging backpack weighing down his shoulder. Homework in every subject. So much for easing into the school year. Still he’d have to buckle down to get it all done if he wanted his Friday night free to spend in Eden.
“That you, Dane?” his dad called from the family room.
“Yeah. I’m home.”
“Good. I need your help in the grain silo. Problem with the blower. Need to get ‘er fixed before harvest.” The old man rushed into the kitchen with long, quick strides and rubbed his forehead with the back of his thumb. As always, he was in a hurry. A farmer’s work was never done.
“Can’t today, Pop. I’ve got tons of homework.” Dane eased the backpack off his shoulder and dropped the weighty cargo on the kitchen table for effect.
His dad stopped abruptly, a rarity in the Michaels’s household; the man was never still. “Can’t you do it tonight, after dark? Only so much daylight left.”
“Like I said, I’ve got hours of homework, and I’ve got to be awake. All AP classes, remember?”
Plugging his burly hands into his pockets, he shook his head. “This is ludicrous. There’s only so much education a boy needs. You’ve got responsibilities ‘round here!”
“Luke, you heard the boy!” Dane’s mother yelled from the hall, a basket of laundry on her hip. The miserable expression on her face said what her words didn’t. There’d be hell to pay if his father pushed it.
His father grunted and turned his head away, like he couldn’t stand to look at Dane a moment more.
“I can look at the blower on Saturday. I’m sure Ethan would help me if you can wait a couple of days.”
