Soul Reaper

by Kate Keir

  “Agreed,” I said.

  With a heavy sigh, Artair pulled out a map and pointed to a circle that had been drawn on with pencil. “This is the place Pen identified as Laurel’s lab. It’s an ex-military building about eighteen miles from here, in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Are we sure this is the place?” I studied the location marked on the map.

  “Yeah, pretty sure. It has been decommissioned since the early nineties, and it is listed by the council as owned by a Laurel Cambridge,” Freya added.

  “It looks like a big site. She could have a hundred guards in there, and there’s only three of us.” My frustration was obvious.

  With a strange look on his face, Artair studied me in silence. He stared for so long without explanation I eventually snapped.

  “Artair, what?”

  He fired a quick glance at Freya, as though asking her a silent question. She didn’t speak, instead shrugging her shoulders. Artair seemed to take this as approval to continue.

  “When you went to bed last night, we went to Pen’s bedroom to get this map. As you know, she’s been working on a ton of stuff, and we grabbed everything that was on her desk in case it could help us.” Artair paused as though unsure if he wanted to go on.

  Freya took over. “Pen’s been studying ways to give Finlay a new body. Bad news is, he can’t inhabit a human body ever again.”

  I felt as though I’d been slapped. “Never?”

  Freya shook her head before continuing. “No, it seems a Dion’s soul is so powerful that it will burn a human body to dust in minutes, once inside. It’s been tried a couple of times before.”

  “Then there’s no hope for Finlay?” I dropped my head back into my hands, fighting against tears.

  Artair spoke up. “Not necessarily. Pen left notes for a ritual on her desk, that would enable us to put Finlay’s soul into the body of a Draugur.”

  I lifted my head hopefully. “Will it work?”

  He shrugged. “No idea. Pen’s notes say this is unchartered territory. No one has ever tried to rehome a Dion’s soul into a Draugur before.”

  Freya sounded a little more optimistic. “Draugur are magical beings, even if they are evil. They should have a little more in common with the soul of a Dion. It’s possible it might work, Flora.”

  My broad smile fell as I took in the conflicting emotions on Artair’s face. “Why would you agree to this? You hate Finlay.”

  “Yeah, I do,” he agreed. “But like I said before, this is bigger than me or Finlay. Plus, we could use the help if we’re going to rescue Lyall and Pen.”

  “Okay, so I presume we’re going to use the body of one of our Draugur from the cellar?” I asked.

  Freya stood. “Yep, I’ve already picked one out that’s about the same height and build as Finlay was. I figured it would be easier for him to get used to a body that’s similar to his.”

  “Thank you, Freya.” My voice was filled with gratitude.

  “Shall we go and get this done, then?” Artair stood with a determined look on his face.

  “Yes, the sooner we get Finlay into a body, the sooner we can get to the facility. Every passing minute brings us closer to Lyall or Pen getting hurt.” Freya started for the door.

  “I’ll go and get the Draugur.” Artair disappeared through the door.

  “We’ll go and get started in the Everwood then,” I replied.

  “Finlay owes us big time if we can make this work.” Freya laughed.

  “Freya, does Finlay know any of this yet?”

  She shook her head at me. “Nope, I haven’t told him, and I’m pretty sure Artair wouldn’t have either.”

  I nodded. “All right, I’m gonna need a minute to explain everything to him.”

  She frowned at me. “What’s to explain, Flora? He’s going to be delighted to get back into corporeal form.”

  “Freya, he’s a Dion, just like you. Imagine if you had to spend the rest of your life inside the body of a Draugur—your natural enemy. Would you be pleased?”

  She seemed to think about what I’d said for a minute before replying. “No, I guess you’re right. I’d go crazy if you told me you were putting me inside one of those things.”

  “Exactly. Which is why I need you to give me the time to explain it to him.” I started for the door.

  “Artair and I will give you some distance until you give us the okay. Fingers crossed, he’ll want to do it so he can help Pen and Lyall.” Freya sounded hopeful.

  “That’s what I’m counting on,” I threw back over my shoulder to her as I headed for the castle gardens and the Everwood.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Quickly finding my way to the Everwood, I used my mind to call out to Finlay. I wasn’t sure if he was still feeling hurt by my conversation with Artair, so I allowed waves of my desperation to flow out alongside my communication. He had to know time was of the essence.

  I sighed in relief as I picked out the little white light floating through the trees toward me. He had heard me and he had come.

  Hi, Flor. Are you okay? It was always strange to hear Finlay’s voice inside my mind.

  I spoke honestly. “Not really. Laurel has Lyall and Pen, and once they use up all of your blood for the super Draugur, she’ll kill them next.”

  Flora, you have to help them. Do you have a plan? I can’t stand the thought of them having Pen locked up. The light flickered angrily.

  I looked at the ground uncomfortably. “We do have a plan. We’re hoping you can be a part of it, Finlay.”

  You know I’ll do whatever I can, Flor. What do you need?

  At that moment, Freya and Artair shimmered into view through the trees, with the chosen Draugur standing patiently next to Freya. Finlay trembled a little at the sight of Artair, and I cursed the bad timing inside my head.

  It was time to be honest. “Pen was working on ways to help you before she was taken. There’s some bad news, Finlay.”

  What is it, Flor?

  I took a deep breath. “Your soul is too powerful for a human host body. It wouldn’t be able to contain you. It’ll just burn up.”

  The little orb dropped through the air a few inches. I bit my lip as I waited for Finlay to process his human future evaporating before him.

  Finally, he spoke inside my head. It’s okay, Flor. We knew this was a possibility.

  I spoke quickly. “There might be another way, though. But only if you’re willing to try it.”

  What is it, Flor?

  “Pen thought that the body of a Draugur might be strong enough to contain your soul,” I said quietly.

  No. The bright, white light recoiled from me.

  “It would be your body, Finlay. I will kill the rogue soul and clear the way for you to take it over. It was a human body once, before Sluag used it for his rogue.” My voice was pleading.

  I don’t want to be a Draugur, Flora.

  “We need you, Finlay. There’s only three of us going to help Pen and Lyall. Having you there could make a massive difference. I know what I’m asking of you, and I wouldn’t ask it unless their lives depended on it.”

  I held my breath as I felt him battling his options inside my mind. He truly wanted to help, but the thought of becoming one of Sluag’s monsters was almost too much for him.

  I finally sensed him come to a decision, and I swallowed hard as I waited for him to speak to me.

  I’ll do it.

  “Thank you, Finlay. You won’t regret it. The body will feel like it belongs to you eventually, I swear.” I nodded to the others, letting them know we could go ahead with the ritual.

  Freya and Artair reached us. “Okay, shall we start?” Freya was straight to the point, as always.

  I nodded and knelt down in the lush grass, signalling Finlay to come closer to me.

  Are you sure? I spoke to him through my mind, so only he could hear my question. The light bobbed up and down before me, and I knew he was nodding, yes.

  Artair handed me the paper
which contained the ritual written in Pen’s sweeping style. I looked the paper over once, making sure I understood all of the words. Freya pointed to a patch of grass in front of me, and the Draugur obediently stood and waited for me to obliterate its soul.

  “Okay, here we go. Esperi rith tai, mortis oct suoil, fortun rais dor, al noi pertina.” The rogue soul was torn from its host by my energy, and it howled before disappearing from view. The body of the Draugur crashed to the ground, soulless and ready for its new inhabitant.

  I looked down to the paper resting on the grass in front of me. “Melis con fautir, estre vell raun, istra leit barus coy, shauris.”

  I had no idea what the words meant, but they started to work immediately. The bright orb of Finlay—light was pulled toward the motionless body of the Draugur. I could sense his fear, and I was torn with guilt for putting him through this.

  The white light was absorbed through the chest of the Draugur, and Finlay disappeared from sight. At the same moment, I was no longer able to feel or sense his soul; I’d either been successful in transplanting him or I’d lost him forever. We all held our breath for what felt like an eternity while we waited for the Draugur to move.

  Seconds turned into minutes, and I was just reaching out a tentative hand toward the Draugur when it abruptly sat up and heaved a huge gasp of air. As it turned frightened eyes on me, I saw a shade of Finlay staring back at me, and I wrapped my arms around its neck.

  “Finlay, it’s you.”

  “Hey, Flor.” His voice sounded thick and underused.

  “It’s good to have you back, Finlay.” Freya spoke with genuine warmth.

  Finlay pulled back from me and looked up at Artair; a silent question hung in the air between them.

  “Welcome back.” Artair spoke gruffly as he turned away from us and faded from the Everwood.

  “I’ll go after him. You guys need to take a minute to get Finlay reacquainted with being in a body again.” Freya started to disappear.

  “Freya? Start prepping. We need to leave as soon as Finlay’s ready.” I hated the thought of rushing him through this, but we just didn’t have time.

  She nodded. “Meet us in the great hall when you’re ready.”

  “Okay.” I turned my attention back to Finlay as Freya vacated the Everwood.

  Finlay was holding one of his new hands in front of his face, studying it as though it were a bug under a microscope. My eyes ran across his new features; the brown hair and eyes looked so unfamiliar to me, although the way he looked at me was all Finlay.

  “Freya chose a body as close to yours in build as possible. She thought it might help you adjust to weight and balance easier,” I offered.

  He let his hand drop and turned his head to me. “It feels like I’m wearing someone else’s skin.”

  “I’m so sorry, Finlay. We shouldn’t have pushed you, but there was no time.” Guilt crushed me.

  Climbing tentatively to his feet, he smiled at me. “Don’t apologise, Flor. I want to help Pen and Lyall, and I did want the chance to get back into a body.”

  “I still didn’t really give you much of a choice, though, did I? I can take you out again, Finlay. You only have to ask.” I didn’t want to return my best friend to soul form, but I would never force him to be somewhere he didn’t want to be.

  “Honestly, I want you to put me back once we help the others, Flor. I do not want to be like this forever. It feels so wrong.” He gave me a sad smile.

  “I don’t want to let you go again,” I whispered, knowing that I was selfish but unable to stop myself from saying it.

  He spread his hands wide and beamed at me with his unfamiliar face. “Bear hug?”

  Throwing myself into arms that didn’t feel quite right, I fought back tears as he hugged me close and whispered against my hair.

  “I love you so much. Don’t cry, Flor. It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

  “I love you too,” I whispered back. “I don’t want to lose you again, Finlay. I need you in my life.”

  “I’ll always be in your life, Flor. But for now, we have to go and get Pen and Lyall.” His hands found my shoulders, and he gently held my body away from his. Looking into my eyes, he said, “Lyall is your future. I see that now. I could sense a lot more about you when I was a soul. You and Lyall are bonded.”

  I gasped. “You knew?”

  He smiled sadly. “I think I always knew, Flor. He’s a good guy. He’s right for you, and that’s why we should probably go and save the day, huh?”

  I nodded. “Finlay, promise me you’ll think it through before you make a decision about the body.”

  “All right, I promise. But don’t hold your breath, Flor. I don’t think I can be like this for a lifetime.”

  He wrapped my hand in his as we faded from the Everwood, and just for a moment I allowed myself to enjoy being back in the company of my best friend.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I was crushed by guilt again as we appeared back in the castle grounds. Finlay’s new brown eyes widened as he looked over the once familiar gardens, but I tugged on his hand, urging him to leave it all behind quickly—we had to get to the great hall.

  “Once this is over with, we’ll come here and walk through the gardens, swim in Loch Ness and chill, I promise,” I said as I hurried him along.

  Snapping back out of it, Finlay followed along behind me. “Okay, Flor. Sorry, it’s just been a while.”

  I took a deep breath as we entered the great hall, hoping the tension between Artair and Finlay wouldn’t reach breaking point. Freya and Artair were seated, and Enid was quietly curled up on a chair next to them. I frowned at Freya. I would have preferred the younger girl not to be here.

  “She’s a Dion, Flora. Whether you like it or not, she’s a part of this.” Freya shrugged as she spoke.

  “Finlay, this is Enid, our new animal Soul Keeper. Enid this is Finlay.” I fired warning glances at Finlay and Artair as I took my place at the table. Don’t start anything in front of her.

  “Nice to meet you, Enid.” Finlay smiled kindly at the young girl as he sat down next to me.

  Enid’s eyes widened in shock. She obviously realised what Finlay was. But she recovered quickly and smiled back at him. “Nice to meet you too.”

  “Finlay’s story is long and complex, Enid. We’ll fill you in on it soon, but for now just know that he’s a friend.” I shot Freya a grateful look. She was showing a surprising aptitude for diplomacy these days.

  Artair coughed before starting to speak. “Okay, so we have three Dion and Flora to attack a facility that could house a hundred enemies. Now we’ve improved our odds so much, what’s the next step?”

  “Do you really think sarcasm is going to help Pen and Lyall?” I snapped.

  “Don’t we have four Dion and Flora?” Enid asked quietly.

  Freya spoke before I could. “No, honey. You need to stay at Castle Dion. Apart from the fact you’re too inexperienced for this, we need someone to keep an eye on things here.”

  Enid gave Freya a look that said she hadn’t fallen for the we need you here part of the speech, but she didn’t argue.

  “Can I see the map with the lab on it, please?” Finlay asked.

  Freya slid the map along the table to him, and he leaned his borrowed body forward to look over it all.

  After a couple of minutes studying, he spoke again. “It’s good for us that the lab is in the middle of nowhere. It means we can cause a ton of trouble and not alert any other humans.”

  “Yeah, but that’s going to make approaching and getting in there undetected almost impossible.” Artair shook his head angrily.

  “We just need to find an unguarded way in. Can someone pull up the deeds to this place on the laptop and see if there’s any underground access? If it’s ex-military, then I’d be surprised if it didn’t have some sort of bunker.” Freya spoke with confidence.

  Enid reached out and pulled the laptop down the table until it sat in front of her and starte
d tapping away at the keys.

  “If there is underground access, that’ll help but once we’re inside, it could take us ages to find where they are holding Pen and Lyall. We should probably split up to cover more ground.” Finlay spoke matter-of-factly.

  I hated the thought of any of us being in there alone, but I knew what he said made sense. The sooner we found our Dion, the better.

  “I think you’re right.” I was surprised to hear Artair agree with Finlay. “We also need to work out what we’re going to do with any humans we find in there, including Laurel Cambridge,” Artair growled.

  I bit my lip, not wanting to give Lyall’s secret away but also not wanting anyone to harm his mother-even if she was an evil bitch trying to destroy the world.

  “I think we need to try our best to avoid harming any humans unless they directly try to hurt one of us,” Freya said.

  “I second that.” I spoke quickly.

  “I agree,” said Artair. “But if they do try to hurt us, then we will have to fight back. There are too many other human lives at stake here.”

  I made my decision. “There’s something you all should know.”

  Everyone turned to look at me, and I inhaled deeply, hoping I was making the right decision.

  “Laurel Cambridge’s real name is Helena Harris, and she’s Lyall’s mother.”

  Freya was the first to find her tongue. “How can that be?”

  “All of our parents are dead, even yours, Flora. That doesn’t make any sense.” Artair spoke next.

  I shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. I only found out when Pen told me. Lyall thought she was dead too.”

  “Are you sure she’s his mother?” Finlay asked me.

  “Completely sure. Pen showed Lyall a photo of Helena, and he confirmed it. He was afraid she’d use him to get to me. She’s the reason he left; he did it to try and protect me,” I said miserably.

  “I’m sorry, Flor.” Finlay grasped my hand with his own as he spoke, and I shot him a grateful smile.

  “Wow, poor Lyall. He must have been devastated to find out his mother was working with Sluag.” Artair shook his head in disbelief.