by Amy Cross
Your friend, always,
Jennifer Kazakos
With tears in her eyes, Kate stared at the letter for a moment longer before carefully folding it away and slipping it back into the envelope. She wanted to reply, to tell Jennifer about everything that had happened, but there was simply no way to do so. Still, she had already visited the graves of both Jennifer and Anna several times over the past few years, and while doing so she had always told them the latest news. Now, she made a mental note to visit them again at the weekend, and to tell them that she'd finally received the letter.
“I can bring people back, you know,” Edgar said suddenly, making his way over to her. “I sense sadness in your soul, Kate, and longing. My offer still stands, I can bring anyone back, within reason, I can let you talk to them. I have a collection of dead souls, remember. Life and death are merely veils that are drawn to separate different stages of existence. I can pull those veils aside, at least for a short while, and allow the dead to visit the living.”
She shook her head.
“But -”
“It's fine,” she told him. “Let the dead be dead, don't disturb them. It's been two years since you last brought any of them back, since you had one of your parties with all those ghosts wandering around. Let them rest in peace.”
“Perhaps you're right,” he replied. “Much has changed. I even had Jacob remove and destroy all the torture equipment in the basement.”
“I know. That's a very good decision, Edgar.”
“I was thinking we could turn the space into a nursery.”
“In the basement?”
“There's a lot of room down there. I spent much of my childhood in the basement, and I turned out just fine.”
After a moment, he became aware that Kate was staring at him with an expression of shock mixed with bafflement, plus just a hint of amusement.
“What?” he asked.
“We'll find another use for it,” she told him, deciding to take the diplomatic approach. “The nursery needs to be somewhere with a little more light.” Turning, she saw Madeleine and Nixon talking nearby. “I'm glad he's finally going to head off and see the world,” she continued, “but what about Madeleine? I know she still misses Benjamin.”
“I cannot bring him back.”
“I know, but...” She paused. “I just wish there was something you could do to take that sadness from her eyes.”
He watched Madeleine for a moment, and he couldn't deny that there was a shadow in his sister's gaze now. He knew that her time at Tor Cliff had been difficult, but he could also feel her loneliness. She still made plenty of jokes, but behind that there was something else, something darker and deeper. Turning, he looked toward the glittering sea.
“There is still one thing I can do,” he said finally. “I have made mistakes in my relationship with Madeleine over the years. I owe it to her to do what I can now.”
“I don't think she'd appreciate you playing match-maker. She misses Benjamin so much, I don't think she'll ever get over his loss. She pretends otherwise, of course, but every so often she says something that makes me realize just how much she wishes he was still around.”
“There is someone who might yet come to her,” he continued. “I must simply find a way to get the message to the mainland, but there will be time later to fix that.”
“Kate!” Suzanne called out, waving from the steps at the front of the mansion. “Photos!”
“She looks so happy,” Kate said, turning to Edgar. “Come on, it's time for the wedding photos.”
“Go. I'll wait here.”
“No chance,” she replied, taking his hand and leading him through the crowd. “Like it or not, Edgar, you have to take part in this sort of thing now. Unless you want to go back to being the brooded, alienated lord of the island?”
“Sometimes,” he muttered, “that lifestyle still has a certain appeal.”
Feeling her phone buzzing in her pocket, Kate pulled it out and saw that she'd received a message from Annie back in London:
Sure you don't want to come back and take up that job offer?
She quickly typed out a response:
Thanks, but no thanks. Too much to do here. Looking forward to your visit next month.
Slipping the phone away, she realized that so much had changed since she'd first arrived on the island. Back then, she'd been forced to take a vacation, and it she'd ended up on Thaxos purely by chance. At least, that was how it seemed. Now he realized that there had been hidden forces manipulating things behind the scenes, sliding chess pieces into place and ensuring that certain events took place. Sometimes she wondered what had happened to Ashalla after he had left the island, whether he'd gone straight to the war or whether he'd taken a diversion first. Edgar had told her a lot about the war, but the more she found out, the more she realized that perhaps a human could never truly understand. She'd glimpsed a moment of that vast conflict, and it had been enough to leave her horrified.
Her own children, she was determined, would never know such things.
As they got to the steps and took their positions for the photos, Kate felt another kick in her belly. The twins were changing position, and she was starting to realize that they, more than she or Edgar, represented the future of Thaxos. It was one thing for Edgar to change his approach, but it would be another entirely of that change could be passed on to the next generation. For now, however, she had to put such concerns out of her mind and focus on the present day. She watched the photographer taking his place, ready to begin, and she felt the warmth of the Thaxos sun shining on her face as she took a deep breath, waited for the signal, and smiled.
Epilogue
A few miles from the city of Florence, a large villa sat on a Tuscan hill, bathed in afternoon sunlight. A vineyard stretched around the base of the hill, extending up to the gates of the villa, while a twisting and narrow path curled through the peaceful countryside. So far from the town, this area could go days without being disturbed, since the inhabitants of the villa tended to keep themselves very much to themselves, and the only visitor was usually a weekly supply truck.
Today, however, was different.
Exhausted and ready to drop, a lone figure stumbled along the path. Her every step felt heavy, as if it might be her last, but she knew she couldn't stop, not now she was so close.
Her skin was scratched and torn.
Her right ankle was fractured, and several of her ribs were broken.
Her clothes were tattered, although at least they had begun to dry in the warm air.
In her left hand, she was holding an ancient crucifix that had been given to her long ago, and hundreds of miles away.
Finally, reaching the villa's metal gates, Didi reached out and pulled on the rope than hung in a small alcove set into the wall.
Somewhere in the distance, a bell rang.
“You'd better be in,” she whispered, swaying slightly as she struggled to remain on her feet. “I swear, if I've come all this way just to turn around again, I will not be happy.”
Spotting an inscription carved into the gate, she squinted.
“Imperium... Gothos... Harrata nol vesigia...”
She frowned.
“What is that,” she muttered, “Latin? Sometimes, I -”
Before she could finish, the metal gates began to swing open, as if to invite her to make her way along the path that wound its way through the villa's garden. She held back for a moment, worried that she was about to fall into some kind of trap, before figuring that she had no choice. Stepping past the gates, she found herself in a vibrant, colorful garden, with tall trees blocking out the worst of the heat but letting dappled sunlight fall across the path. Barefoot and still struggling to stay up, Didi simply followed the path as it made its way gently through the garden.
Finally, reaching the edge of a large patio, she saw the blue water of a swimming pool shimmering in the afternoon heat. Over on the far side, a naked man was swimming lengths.
<
br /> “Heaven,” she said out loud, her voice dry and damaged. “I'm in heaven!”
“Not quite,” a female voice said nearby, “but close enough. Although sometimes I must admit that it's hard to believe such a beautiful place could exist in the human world. Now that I'm retired, I find myself constantly surprised by this plane of existence.”
Turning, Didi saw an older woman standing in an archway at the entrance to the villa. Wearing a white robe, the woman had a faint smile on her face, almost as if she'd been expecting company.
“My name,” the woman continued, “is Cerulesis. I'm an old friend of Edgar's, from way back in the days of the great war. I think that perhaps you have something for me?”
“Huh?” Didi paused, before remembering the crucifix. She limped forward. “Oh. Yeah. It's from -”
“I know who it's from,” Cerulesis replied, taking the Crucifix of St. Joan and admiring its beauty for a moment. “I have been waiting for him to send it to me. It was the signal upon which we agreed a long time ago. I am only glad that he has finally recognized the importance of doing the right thing.” She paused, before turning to Didi. “My poor thing, you look dreadful. Please, come inside and I'll find something for you to eat and drink, and some fresh cloths. Please don't take this the wrong way, but you look as if you've been through hell.”
“Close,” Didi replied, following the women into the villa's cool interior. “A shipwreck.”
“There was a terrible storm last night,” Cerulesis continued, as her manservant brought a tray of drinks and set them on the table. “I did start to wonder whether...” She paused, before turning to Didi. “Is he okay? Edgar, I mean. The last time I saw him, almost a century ago on the jetty at Thaxos, there was such tiredness in his eyes.”
“Edgar?” Didi frowned. “I don't know. He kinda shoved me and Fernando onto that big old boat of his and sent us here to see you. Fernando didn't make it, I didn't see him again after the storm tore the boat in half, but I managed to get to shore. Believe me, I just wanted to keep going and forget about the Le Comptes. I managed to keep hold of the case of money all through it all, and Edgar had arranged for me to pick up some more, but I knew I had to come up here and... Well, Edgar was pretty goddamn insistent that I had to get here as soon as possible. I guess I owe it to him to finish the job I started.” She took a glass of water from the manservant and gulped it down, before setting the empty glass on the table. “So what -” Before she could finish, she let out a brief burp. “Sorry,” she continued, blushing slightly. “You don't have anything stronger, do you? A cocktail would go down real well right now.”
“It can be arranged,” Cerulesis said with a smile.
Sensing movement nearby, Didi turned just in time to spot the man from earlier, in his twenties, climbing out of the pool. Naked and muscular, his tanned skin glistened in the afternoon skin. Unable to stop staring for a moment, Didi watched as the man took a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Finally, realizing that she was blushing, she looked back and saw that Cerulesis was smiling.
“Sorry,” Didi stammered, “I didn't mean to stare. I mean, I...”
Hearing footsteps, she turned and saw that the man was making his way inside, leaving wet footprints on the warm marble floor.
“Didi,” Cerulesis said with a smile, “I'd like you to meet Jonathan. He is the reason you're here.”
“He is, huh?” Didi replied, watching as the man stepped closer. “Listen, I'm not sure whether -”
“You must take him to Thaxos.”
“I must what?”
“I do not want him to travel alone,” Cerulesis explained. “I have looked after him, I have raised him well and prepared him for this moment, but now Edgar has sent for him and it is time for him to go back.”
“Have you seen them?” the man asked Didi. “My mother and father, I mean. Do you... Do you know them? Are they waiting for me?”
“Your...” Didi paused, before turning to Cerulesis. “Okay, I'm not sure what's going on here, but Edgar told me I only had to do this one last thing for him and then I could forget about Thaxos forever.”
“You must accompany Jonathan,” Cerulesis replied. “Edgar should have realized that, he should have told you. Then again, perhaps he felt that if he mentioned that part of the favor, you would have been less willing to agree.”
“But who is he?” she asked, eying the man with caution. “Why's it so important that he goes to Thaxos?”
“He must go home,” Cerulesis said, stepping over to the man and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Vampire children age very slowly, especially when they're away from their parents. Many, many years ago, Edgar cut a child from the belly of his sister and sent it away. He thought he was doing the right thing, but now it's time for that child to return to his home.”
“From the...” Didi paused. “You mean...”
“Jonathan Le Compte,” Cerulesis continued, “is the son of Madeleine Le Compte and a human named Benjamin Wood. Benjamin is long gone, and Madeleine believes her son to have died on that terrible night, but now the truth must be revealed.” She leaned forward and kissed Jonathan's cheek. “Are you ready?” she asked him. “Are you ready to go to Thaxos and meet your mother, and your uncle?”
“I...” Jonathan paused, clearly a little concerned. “Yes,” he said finally. “It's all I've ever wanted, since you first told me about that place. I want to know where I come from. I want to see the island and understand how I fit into its history. Most of all, I want to meet my family.”
“You must accompany him,” Cerulesis added, turning to Didi. “Please, do not make him travel alone.”
“Well, the thing is...” Didi paused. “I mean, I understand what you're saying, but I'm sure someone else could go with him.” She waited for a reply. “Thaxos is over for me. It's in the past, I'm done with it. Finito, you catch my drift? I'm supposed to be over and out right now.” Again she waited, but Cerulesis and Jonathan were merely staring at her, as if they were waiting for her to accept the inevitable. “Great,” she said finally, with a sigh. “Doesn't look like I have much choice, does it? I guess I'm heading right back to Thaxos.”
ALSO AVAILABLE
Dead Souls Volume One (Parts 1 to 13)
Dead Souls Volume Two (Parts 14 to 26)
Dead Souls Volume Three (Parts 27 to 39)
COMING SOON
Dead Souls Volume Five (Parts 53 to 65)
ALSO BY AMY CROSS
Horror
Ward Z
Asylum
American Coven
The Night Girl
Devil's Briar
The Devil's Photographer
The House We Haunted and Other Stories
Darper Danver series 1
Hugo: The Lockton Downs Haunting (Novella)
Fantasy / Horror
Dark Season series 1, 2 & 3
The Hollow Church (Abby Hart)
Vampire Asylum (Abby Hart)
Lupine Howl series 1, 2, 3 & 4
Grave Girl
Ghosts
The Library
Journey to the Library
The Ghosts of London
The Vampire's Grave
The Werewolf's Curse
Thriller
Ophelia
The Dead City (Ophelia 2)
The Girl Who Never Came Back
The Dead and the Dying: A Joanna Mason Novel
The House of Broken Backs: A Joanna Mason Novel
The Return (Sophie Ash 1)
Other People's Bodies
Dystopia / Science Fiction
The Shades
Finality series 1
Mass Extinction Event series 1, 2 & 3
Erotica
Broken Blue
Broken White
Author's Note
Dead Souls is a paranormal romance / horror serial published in weekly installments. This omnibus edition contains the fourth batch of thirteen installments.
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Amy Cross, Dead Souls Volume Four (Parts 40 to 52)
