Dead Souls Volume Four (Parts 40 to 52)

by Amy Cross

  “Edgar -”

  “Go.”

  Realizing that it wasn't his place to argue, Nixon nodded and headed to the door. “I'll be in the next room. If there's any sign of increased cardiac activity, you must call for me at once. She's still in danger.”

  Once he was alone with Kate, Edgar made his way around the desk and then paused for a moment. Finally, kneeling next to her, he waited, as if he expected her eyes to open.

  “I know you can hear me,” he whispered. “On some level, at least, you know that I'm here. When you went to Parios with Madeleine and the Kazakos woman, I became so angry, I swore that when you returned...” He paused again. “Now that you're back, I realize that I was wrong. I should never have tried to ban you from going, not without explaining things properly. If I'd told you what I suspected, if I'd helped you to see things from my perspective, a lot of this trouble could have been avoided. I only wish that I'd taken that approach, instead of ordering you to stay. I should have known that would never work.”

  He waited, but she gave no indication that she could hear him.

  “I know I promised never to do this,” he continued, “but I must speak to you, Kate, so I have no choice.” Reaching out, he placed a hand on the side of her face. “I have to say goodbye properly.”

  IV

  “I know I don't speak to you as often as I should,” Jennifer whispered, with her eyes closed and her hands clasped together in prayer, “and I know I don't listen, but I can change, I promise, just... I don't want my daughter to suffer. She's already been through so much, she's so strong, but...”

  She paused, with tears running down her cheeks.

  “Please God, deliver her from all of this. I'll do anything, I'll give up anything, just let her be a happy, normal little girl. Let her play and enjoy the sun again, let her dream of a good life. She shouldn't have to face the horrors of the world at such a young age. Please, help Anna. Please, in any way that you can...”

  Squeezing her eyes tighter shut, she waited for a sign that God had heard her prayer.

  “It's done,” Estella said suddenly.

  Opening her eyes, Jennifer saw that Estella was standing in the doorway.

  “I did everything I could,” Estella continued stepping into the room, with a hint of concern in her eyes. “I entered her mind and I picked apart all the threads, and then I pulled out all the memories of Raven's Briar. I'm quite confident that she'll never remember having been in that awful place, not for as long as she lives. The same is true of that horrible Eversham woman, and anyone else she met during her time on the mainland. Even if Anna lives to be a little old lady, those memories will never return.”

  “Thank you,” Jennifer replied, getting to her feet. “Thank -”

  “Wait,” Estella said firmly. “Don't thank me yet.”

  “Why not?” Jennifer paused, before stepping forward. “What's wrong?”

  “One cannot remove a single thread of memory,” Estella continued, “not without causing losses in other areas. There are points at which one memory runs into another, and I'm afraid I'm not yet sufficiently in control of my powers to know exactly how these points can be dealt with. I did my best, but I had to remove some other memories as well.”

  “Like what?” Jennifer asked.

  “Please, don't be angry.”

  “What other memories did you remove?”

  Estella paused. “Kate.”

  “Kate?”

  “I had to remove her memories of Kate Langley. The more I worked on Anna's mind, the more I realized that Kate was inextricably associated with the events at Raven's Briar, and with everything that led up to that horrors. So I had to unpick every thread of memory in Anna's head that linked to Kate, and I had to let those threads fall into the darkness between her thoughts.”

  “So she won't remember having ever met Kate?”

  “Not one second of it.”

  Jennifer paused for a moment. “That's okay,” she said finally. “I mean... It's not okay, but it's... It's something she can live with.”

  “She shouldn't meet Kate again, either,” Estella continued. “Just to avoid the possibility of her mind becoming troubled, at least not at the moment. Maybe one day, she can see Kate again and she won't realize anything is wrong, or she'll feel unsettled but she won't be able to explain why. For now, I fear that exposure to Kate might undo some of the work that I've accomplished over the past few minutes.” She paused again. “I know that you're aware of my complicated relationship with Kate. I hope you don't think that there's any malice in my actions here. I erased Kate from Anna's mind not out of some misguided desire for revenge, but because I truly believe it was in the child's best interests.”

  “I believe you,” Jennifer replied. “What about... While she was at Raven's Briar, Anna developed fangs.”

  “Not quite,” Estella said, reaching into her pocket and taking out the two small, bloodied fangs that she'd removed from Anna's mouth. “A vampire's fangs grow from within. It seems Ms. Eversham was implanting fake teeth in the children. Over time, they would have grown to become part of them, but fortunately Anna had not reached that stage yet. I'm afraid she has two gaps, though, where her original adult teeth were removed. I'm afraid that dentistry is not one of my skills, at least not yet, but I'm sure you can have something done about them in time.” She held the fangs out. “Do you want to take them with you?”

  Jennifer shook her head in disgust. “Get rid of them.”

  “With pleasure.” After slipping the fangs back into her pocket, Estella paused for a moment. “I really think she's going to be okay, you know. Keep her away from Kate, avoid anything that might remind her of Raven's Briar, and there's no reason why Anna can't grow up to live a happy, healthy life. I'd avoid exposing her to the Le Comptes too much, especially for now, but otherwise I think she'll be fine.”

  “God listened,” Jennifer whispered.

  “God?”

  “I prayed for the first time in... too long. I prayed for a miracle, and God listened.”

  “You think God did this?” Estella asked, with a hint of disappointment in her voice. “You think God was just in that room with your daughter, relieving her mind of these horrors?”

  “I know it was you,” Jennifer replied, “but... Perhaps God sent you to help us.”

  “Sent me?” Estella paused, genuinely shocked by the idea. “Perhaps. I suppose it's possible that there's an unseen power, gently guiding people to where they can do the most good.”

  “Maybe that's why you were given these powers,” Jennifer continued. “So you can do good things for people.” She looked toward the doorway. “Can I see her now?”

  “You can take her home,” Estella replied. “Let her rest. She might be a little confused for the next few days, and her gums might be sore, but those things will pass. What's important is that you have your daughter back, plucked from the jaws of horror and madness.”

  “Thank you,” Jennifer said, putting her arms around Estella for a moment before hurrying through to Anna.

  “No,” Estella whispered with a faint smile, as she looked down at her trembling hands. “Thank you. After all, I think you might be right. I think maybe I have become an instrument of God.”

  ***

  “Good afternoon,” Estella said a few minutes later, making her way into the cantina. “Something tells me that today is a most wonderful day, perhaps even -”

  Stopping suddenly, she saw that Kenneth Goddard had a hint of sorrow in his eyes, and that he could barely even look at her as he worked to clean the bar.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, stepping forward. “You don't seem your usual cheery self and -”

  Before she could finish, she spotted the 'Help Wanted' sign hanging nearby.

  “There have been complaints,” Kenneth said after a moment. “After the other day, when Doctor Lassiter and his new wife held their reception here, certain members of the local community decided that it's not right having someo
ne like you working here. I mean...” He paused, clearly feeling deeply uncomfortable. “They're organizing a boycott, Estella. For as long as you're working in the cantina, they're going to instruct everyone to keep away. Father Prior is involved, he's going to warn the parishioners in church, Margery Stewart too, and Mrs. Beecham, the new headmistress, is also rather keen. Apart from Joshua Wood and a couple of local drunks, I won't have any customers at all.”

  “But that's absurd,” Estella replied. “You said it yourself, I draw the customers in! The past few weeks have been your most successful!”

  “And that would have remained the case,” Kenneth continued, “if it wasn't for the fact that certain people on Thaxos have organized this campaign.” He sighed. “I can't afford to hold out, Estella. They mean business, and they'll drive me out of the place if necessary. I'm truly sorry, but I'm going to have to let you go.”

  “Let me go?”

  “You can't work here anymore.”

  “But this is -” She stepped closer, feeling a flash of anger in her chest. “This is my job! This is my life now!”

  “I want you to know how much I value you,” he replied, “and how much I wish there was another way.”

  “There's always another way,” she continued. “Stand up to these hypocrites! Show them you won't let a bunch of pious oafs dictate the way you run your business.” Hurrying behind the bar, she grabbed him by the shoulders. “They can't keep this place empty! I won't let them! You know I have certain powers, Kenneth! I can get all the men of this island through those doors with just the snap of my fingers!”

  “And then what?” he asked. “I can't stand against the church, Estella.”

  “Against the church?” she replied, stepping back and holding her hands up for him to see. “God sent me here to do his work!”

  “Estella -”

  “No-one understand,” she continued. “Why, just today I performed a miracle! I removed the dark memories from a little girl's mind, I saved her from a life of misery and horror! Doesn't that count for something?”

  “Of course it does -”

  “I can heal people,” she hissed. “I haven't even begun to explore the limits of my powers, but I brought Jennifer Kazakos back from the dead! Does that count for nothing?”

  “People are afraid.”

  “Of me?”

  He nodded. “Yes, Estella. Of you. I know you probably haven't heard the whispers, they've mostly been talking behind your back, but it seems that for a while now, certain concerned members of the island's community have been discussing this matter, and they feel they have to make a stand. You have to believe me when I tell you that I'm truly sorry, but...” He paused. “I can't lose my business over this. I'm sorry, Estella, but I really am going to have to fire you.”

  She stared at him for a moment, shocked by what she was hearing.

  “Here's your pay from your last shift,” he added, sliding some notes and coins toward her across the bar. “I added a little extra, just because... Well, because I wanted to show my appreciation for everything you've done here.”

  “Your appreciation?” she asked bitterly, with tears in her eyes.

  “Please don't make this any harder than it already is.”

  “Your... appreciation?” she asked again.

  “I wish you all the luck in the world, Estella.”

  After staring at him for a moment, she finally frowned. “Do you realize,” she said finally, “that if I chose to do so, I could reach into your mind and turn it inside out?”

  “Estella -”

  “And that I could force you to let me work here? Do you realize just how much power I possess?”

  “That's the problem,” he replied, his voice trembling a little with fear. “If you were just a normal woman -”

  “Normal?” she spat. “Who wants to be normal?” Turning, she reached a hand out toward the glasses at the far end of the bar, and they immediately fell crashing to the stone floor.

  Gasping, Kenneth took a step back.

  “Now do you realize what I could do?” Estella asked, turning back to him. “Do you realize how truly powerful I am, and how powerful I shall become over time?”

  “Estella, please -” Before he could finish, he let out a cry of pain and fell forward, desperately trying to hold himself up by clutching the edge of the bar.

  “I could stop the blood flowing through your veins,” she sneered, “and let you die right here and now.”

  “Please,” he whispered, “don't -”

  “Why not?” she asked, stepping closer. “I've tried being nice, but it hasn't worked very well. Why shouldn't I just explore my powers and take my revenge on anyone who annoys me?” She stared at him for a moment, before turning away.

  Letting out a gasp of relief, Kenneth began to get his breath back.

  “Relax,” she told him, heading for the door. “Killing you would bring me no pleasure at all.”

  “Estella, you have to be reasonable...”

  “Do I?” she asked. “Do I really? Pray tell me, where in the rules of life does it say that one must be reasonable in the face of such outright hostility? Does one not have the right to smite down one's enemies?”

  “Please -”

  “Save it,” she sneered. “I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses. You had an opportunity to do the right thing and stand by me in the face of this rampant hypocrisy, but you didn't take it. I wouldn't work in your stinking cantina for anything now, not even if you begged me. Good luck, Mr. Goddard. I hope you don't have too much trouble finding someone who can take my place.”

  Ignoring his continued protestations, she hurried back out into the town square, only to find a group of locals standing nearby, watching her.

  “Did you come to gloat?” she asked. “Is that it? Did you come to witness my fall from grace?”

  “There's no place on Thaxos for the likes of you,” said Mrs. Beecham, as she made the sign of the cross on her chest. “We know what you are, witch! If you have any honor at all, you'll leave this island at once and let us get on with our honest lives, free of your interference.”

  “Me?” Estella replied with a faint smile. “You have a vampire living here, and his wretched family, yet you turn against me?” She looked up toward Edgar's mansion. “Why do you not take your pitchforks and tell him to leave?”

  “That is not the fight we face today,” Father Prior told her. “Witchcraft is not welcome on Thaxos.”

  “You disgust me!” she hissed. “All of you! The only reason you don't dare go and protest Edgar Le Compte's presence on this island is that you know he'd sweep the lot of you into the sea! Whereas when you look at me, you think I'm weak, you think that if you gather together you have a chance of standing up to me.” She stepped toward the priest. “Do you really think God is one your side, or do you think there's a chance that God is actually working through me? Did it never occur to you that...” Pausing, she felt a shudder of realization in her chest. “Perhaps it's true. Perhaps I was given these powers so that I could rid Thaxos of the Le Compte curse.”

  “You are ungodly,” he replied, holding up a Bible. “You are unclean!”

  “So this is the thanks I receive for my work?” she asked. “Tell me, how many little girls have you saved so far today?” She paused, before realizing that she clearly wouldn't be able to get through to him. “Fine,” she added, turning to walk away, “then perhaps -”

  Before she could finish, something hit her chest and broke. She stopped and looked down, seeing an egg falling to the ground, and then she heard children laughing nearby. Turning, she saw two young boys giggling as they ran back around the corner, and then she looked over at Father Prior.

  “I see that everyone on Thaxos has turned against me,” she said bitterly. “In that case, there really is only one thing left for me to do.”

  V

  The heart monitor continued to beep steadily next to the bed, while various bags had been hung nearby, feeding white and g
reen substances into the arms of the woman who lay dying.

  “Where...” Looking around, Edgar seemed shocked by the sight of the hospital room. Over at the far end, the night sky could be seen through the window. “Where are we?”

  With tears in her eyes, Kate was sitting next to the bed, holding the dying woman's hand.

  “Kate,” Edgar continued, stepping closer. “What is this place?”

  “You shouldn't be here,” she replied. “It's part of my memory.”

  “Who is this woman?” he asked, looking down at the pale, thin woman whose eyes were closed and whose skin was red and sore after so many rounds of chemotherapy.

  “It's my...” Kate paused, as if she was on the verge of breaking down. She took a deep breath and tried to regather her composure. “It's my sister. It's Amanda.” She squeezed the woman's hand for a moment. “I know she's not really here. I know this is just inside my head, like a bad dream or a nightmare while I'm sick. I think about her a lot, Edgar. About the time she spent in hospital, about the things I never said to her before she died. I don't talk about it much, but Amanda is always on my mind.”

  “I'm sorry I intruded,” he replied. “I promised you that I would never again enter your thoughts without being invited, but right now I don't have time to wait for you to wake up.”

  “Is Nixon still trying to save me?”

  “He will succeed, I assure you.”

  Looking back over at Amanda's sleeping face, Kate paused for a moment. “She was always the smarter one,” she said finally. “Stronger, tougher, more prepared for the world. Everyone thought she was going to go on and have this amazingly successful life, and what happened to her? She ended up dying in a hospital room, in pain, in a pool of her own...” Another pause, as she fought back more tears. “I guess cancer is a very human thing, isn't it? I don't suppose vampires can get sick like this.”

  “No,” he replied, “we can't.”