Crossroads

by Wendy Saunders

  Roni watched through the windshield in horror as Jake’s body dropped lifelessly to the ground. Her door was open and she was running towards the tall dark figure before the car had even rolled to a stop.

  ‘Roni NO!’ Danae flew out of the car but she was too late, Roni was far ahead of her and launching herself at Charun in absolute rage.

  Roni couldn’t even think, couldn’t breathe, all she knew was she had to get Jake’s soul back before the Soul Collector disappeared again. She launched herself at him, clawing and kicking. He turned to her and if he was at all surprised his expression gave nothing away. He brushed her aside as if he were swatting away an annoying insect. He grabbed her by the throat, studying her intently for a moment before his mouth opened in a disgusting smile, revealing brown rotten teeth.

  His hand pressed against her chest as she struggled and kicked. Suddenly he paused, pressing against her chest again. Unlike the others he was not able to penetrate her chest cavity to retrieve her soul. He looked down in shock, his beetle like eyes narrowing when he caught the glint of something shiny at her throat. He ripped open the collar of her jacket and hissed. Pressed against the warmth of her skin and glowing brightly was a small crescent moon. It was the amulet Jake had given her the night they had closed the gateway. The same amulet that had come from the Goddess Diana herself.

  Charun’s head suddenly snapped back and a thin line of dark blood appeared on his cheek. He threw Roni to the ground in rage and turned to see Danae standing in front of him, a glowing whip made up of pure magic dangling from her hand. He growled and started towards her but she flicked it with an expert snap, opening a wound along his chest. He clutched it with his hand as blood spurted through his fingers. He brought them up to his face almost as if he couldn’t believe he was injured. He looked up at her with hate-filled eyes and bared his teeth, growling as he turned in a swirl of his dark coat and disappeared.

  Roni had hit the stone steps with a sickening crunch. Her arm and shoulder hurt and her head that rung like a bell. She could hear a high pitched whine in her ears and as she reached up to touch her temple she felt the wet stickiness of her own blood. She looked over to Jake lying motionless on the floor and crawled over to him. Rolling him over onto his back she pressed her fingers to his throat and leaned close to his mouth to check his breathing.

  There was no pulse.

  ‘Oh no you don’t Jake,’ she muttered as she started chest compressions, ‘you’re not getting off that easy.’

  She leaned over and breathed into his mouth.

  ‘Call 911,’ she screamed at Danae breathlessly.

  She vaguely heard Danae speaking urgently on her phone but she paid no attention. Her head was throbbing and her arm and shoulder were screaming like an abscessed tooth but still she kept going, she had to keep him alive long enough for them to get him on life support.

  It seemed like an eternity later when the ambulance finally screeched to a halt beside her, lights flashing as two paramedics rushed out to help her.

  ‘Deputy Hanson,’ one of them recognized Danae as he crouched down next to Veronica.

  Danae nodded as her eyes drifted to the ground and the shallow pool of blood that looked so dark it was almost black. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

  ‘Hey Owen,’ she called out to the paramedic, ‘you got a spare syringe?’

  He rustled in the bag he’d set down next to them, pulling out something in a sealed hygiene bag and tossing it to her as he turned back to his patient. Danae ripped open the bag and knelt down, sucking up as much of the blood into the syringe as she could, before wrapping it carefully back in the open packaging and tucking it in her pocket. She watched as they loaded Jake into the back of the ambulance with Roni hovering over him, blood trickling down the side of her face.

  ‘I’ll ride with him,’ she told them bluntly.

  ‘I’ll follow in the car and meet you there,’ Danae replied. Roni nodded and climbed up into the back of the ambulance as they were closing the doors.

  Danae stood watching in silence as they pulled away sirens blazing and headed towards the hospital. She retrieved Jake’s weapon from the foot of the steps and flicked the safety back on. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her phone and scrolled through to the number she wanted.

  ‘Hello?’ a familiar voice answered on the second ring.

  ‘Louisa.’

  ‘Helga?’ she replied in confusion

  Damn it, that name was going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

  ‘Louisa, listen to me,’ Danae answered patiently. ‘Are you at the hospital?’

  ‘Yes why?’

  ‘They’re bringing in Jake now.’

  ‘WHAT?’ she shouted down the phone, ‘what happened?’

  ‘The Soul Collector got to him before we could.’

  ‘Is he…?’ she couldn’t even bring herself to finish that sentence.

  ‘He had no vitals and he’s unresponsive.’

  ‘No…’ she breathed painfully.

  ‘Louisa I need you to listen to me, Roni is in the ambulance with him. She pretty much got to him immediately and gave him CPR until the paramedics arrived. There is still a chance to get his soul back and save him but right now I need you to use whatever authority you’ve got.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘They won’t let you work on him as he’s your brother. Whatever you do, whoever is treating him do not under any circumstances let them pronounce him. You have to get him onto life support as quickly as you can, do you understand?’

  ‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘I have to go they’re pulling up now.’

  The emergency was a blur to Roni as they rushed him into the trauma room. She was barely aware of anything going on around her, all she could see was Jake through the window as they lifted him off the stretcher and onto the table so they could work on him, attaching tubes and monitors.

  Louisa burst through the door and looked down at her little brother on the table. Sachiv looked up from where he was intubating him and glanced momentarily at her.

  ‘You shouldn’t be in here.’

  ‘Sachiv,’ her eyes were pleading.

  ‘Don’t interfere,’ he moved around the table confidently and full of authority as they worked to try and save Jake.

  ‘Damn it,’ he looked up at the silent monitors, ‘how long has he been down?’

  ‘Thirty minutes.’

  He sucked in a deep breath.

  ‘Sachiv,’ Louisa stepped in close.

  He turned his deep brown eyes on her.

  ‘Don’t let him die, please.’

  ‘He’s been down too long; his brain has been starved of oxygen.’

  ‘Please I need you to trust me, you have to get him onto life support.’

  ‘Even if I do,’ he hissed as he continued to work, ‘there’s no guarantee he’ll ever come back off it. Is that what you want for your brother, to live in a permanent vegetative state? Is that what he would want?’

  ‘Look I can’t explain it right now; I just need you to trust me…to trust I know what I’m doing.’

  ‘Dr Achari we have a rhythm.’

  ‘Please just give him a chance that’s all I’m asking.’

  His eyes suddenly narrowed on Louisa’s, as if he’d seen something he’d missed all along.

  ‘Outside now,’ he ordered.

  ‘Not until you promise me,’ she stood her ground.

  He gave the barest nod of his head.

  She did as he asked. She knew him, she knew he would do whatever he could for her brother. She stepped out and noticed Roni staring numbly at the window, not moving. Louisa swore softly when she saw the congealed blood at her temple and her pale clammy skin.

  She flagged down a passing nurse to bring her a kit to clean and dress the wound.

  ‘Veronica?’ Louisa touched her arm gently.

  Roni turned as she felt a slight pressure on her arm and found her
self staring into blue eyes exactly the same shade as Jakes.

  Her heart clenched painfully.

  ‘You should let me take a look at that head wound,’ Louisa told her softly as she led her to the chairs.

  Roni stared at her with eyes glassy with shock.

  ‘Danae told me you gave Jake CPR until the paramedics got there,’ she took the tray from the nurse and opened it.

  ‘He had no pulse,’ she whispered.

  ‘You probably saved his life,’ she began to clean the wound gently.

  ‘Is he…?’

  Louisa grasped Roni’s hand tightly, ‘he’s strong he’s going to make it.’

  They both looked up as Sachiv stalked out of the door.

  ‘He’s stable for now,’ he told them as they both stood, ‘they’re moving him to a private room. Miss Mason you can go with the nurses while they get him settled if you wish. I’m afraid I need to speak with Dr Linden.

  Roni nodded and disappeared through the doors towards Jake as Sachiv grasped Louisa’s arm and pulled her firmly into the doctors’ lounge, checking they were alone before shutting the door firmly.

  ‘Okay what the hell is going on Louisa and don’t bullshit me.’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘The hell you don’t,’ he scowled, ‘Jake’s eyes are drained of color like the other victims and you know what happened to them don’t you?’

  ‘Sachiv,’ she sighed.

  ‘Don’t lie to me,’ his voice softened slightly, ‘I can’t help these people if I don’t know what I’m dealing with.’

  ‘I can tell you the truth,’ she swallowed nervously, ‘but you won’t believe me.’

  ‘Try me,’ he folded his arms.

  She blew out a long tired breath. ‘Alright,’ she shook her head, ‘just try not to have me committed or anything will you.’

  ‘Stop stalling and start talking.’

  ‘They all had their souls stolen by a demon name Charun who is also known as the Soul Collector.’

  ‘That’s not funny.’

  ‘Do you see me laughing?’ she sighed. ‘Look Sachiv you’ve been in Mercy long enough to start noticing that things around here aren’t exactly normal.’

  He studied her face silently as if to try and gauge if she was lying or just delusional.

  ‘You actually believe that don’t you?’ he asked after a moment.

  ‘Do you remember back during the winter storms when we had patients admitted with all those weird diseases?’

  ‘How could I forget?’

  ‘You said to me that it was as if there was a Raksasha loose in Mercy.’

  ‘That was a joke, admittedly in bad taste but Raksashas are not real, they are a tale told by housewives to frighten children.’

  ‘No they really are real, and we really did have one loose in town making people sick.’

  ‘Louisa…I think maybe the stress is finally getting to you.’

  ‘Look I don’t expect you to understand or even believe me. You asked for the truth and I gave it to you. What you do with that information is up to you, but right now I’m going to see my brother.’

  She stormed out of the room leaving him looking after her in bewilderment. It didn’t take her long to find Jake’s room as they had clustered all the coma patients together in adjoining rooms. She stepped into the room quietly and watched as Roni sat staring at Jake’s ashen face, his hand held carefully in her own.

  ‘He’s going to be okay,’ Louisa stopped next to Roni and stroked her shoulder reassuringly.

  ‘You don’t know that,’ Roni whispered finally.

  ‘No, I don’t,’ Louisa swallowed hard, ‘but it helps to keep telling myself that.’

  They both looked up as another familiar shape filled the doorway.

  ‘I’ve found a way to locate him,’ Danae told Roni.

  Roni turned back to look at Jake before leaning forward and kissing his forehead.

  ‘Look after him,’ she told Louisa, ‘I don’t care what you have to do, but keep him alive.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ she asked as Roni headed towards the door.

  Roni paused and when she turned back her expression had not only hardened but was filled with resolve.

  ‘I’m going to get his soul back.’

  Chapter 17.

  Olivia perched on the edge of a low cabinet staring at the empty circular table surrounded by four chairs. Her hands were propped under her chin and her elbows resting comfortably on her drawn up knees. Her fingers tapped out a restless staccato on her cheek and her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

  Sam and Theo had disappeared together in search of the gateway to the Underworld and Bridget was busy trying to find a spell to made the compass work. She’d tried to help Bridget but found herself unable to concentrate, and time and time again her unruly thoughts had been drawn back to Fiona and the Soul Collector. She supposed it had only been a matter of time before her preoccupation with Fiona would inadvertently draw her back to her eccentric friend’s home. She would have thought if there was anyone she could’ve communicated with from the other side it would have been Fiona. Unfortunately, as Bridget had explained to her, Fiona was not able to sense Olivia as she would another spirit simply because Olivia was not a true spirit. She still wore her mortal body which put her out of sync with everything else. Even so, there had to be some way to speak with them and even if she couldn’t sense her properly Fiona still had to be her best shot.

  A sudden thought occurred to her, maybe there was a way after all. She swung her legs down and reached for the backpack which she always carried with her. Unzipping it she rummaged around until her fingers closed round the warm familiar leather of Hester's Grimoire. Pulling it out and laying it on her lap she brushed her fingers lightly over the cover, smiling softly to herself when she felt the low thrum of power running through it. She opened the book carefully and watched as once again the ink swirled and twisted on the aged pages until it settled into words. She flicked through the first few pages and then paused. There had to be a quicker way of doing this.

  She slid her palms underneath the book so she was holding it loosely in her hands.

  ‘I need a spell to allow me to see and hear the real world,’ she whispered to the book.

  The page twitched slightly and then suddenly, as if it had been caught by the draught from an open door, the pages fanned out flicking through the book until it reached the page it wanted and then it stopped abruptly. Olivia looked down and smiled.

  ‘Thank you’ she murmured as she read through the incantation. It was pretty straightforward.

  Jumping down from her seat on top of Fiona’s cabinet she moved closer to the table. Pulling in a deep breath she spoke the words aloud. For a moment it seemed as if nothing had happened but then suddenly she caught a flicker at the edge of her vision. She tucked the book carefully back into her backpack. The strange flickering came again followed by a shifting of the light and a blurred shape emerged pacing around the room. Olivia blinked a couple of times and focused. Slowly the colorful blur began to sharpen and before she knew it she was staring at Fiona.

  Fascinated she followed the woman around the room watching as she laid a huge roll of paper on the table. Olivia leaned over the table as she unfurled it and pinned it at each corner with a heavy object. It looked like a map. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned in closer and studied it. It was a map of Mercy. Even more curious now, her gaze turned back to Fiona who was bustling around the room lighting candles. When the room was bathed in a warm golden light Fiona turned to several bowls she had places at intervals around the room, each made from a heavy metal and filled with herbs. Those too were lit and left to smolder, filling the air with a sweet smelling smoke.

  Fiona suddenly stopped and looked back towards the door, as if she’d heard something. She bustled out of the room and reappeared minutes later followed by two guests. Olivia peered around her and instantly re
cognized Roni and Danae. Even better, although they too didn’t seem to be aware of her presence Olivia found that, unlike last time, she could now hear every world they said perfectly.

  ‘Did you get everything?’ Danae asked.

  Fiona nodded, ‘we’re good to go whenever you’re ready.’

  ‘I need a bowl and the ink.’ She removed her leather jacket and slung it over the chair, retrieving something that was wrapped in a disposable medical bag. ‘Is it India ink?’

  ‘Yes’ Fiona replied, setting the bowl in front of Danae and alongside it a small glass bottle filled with pure black liquid. ‘Are you sure this is going to work?’

  ‘I can’t see why not,’ Danae shook her head as she unscrewed the lid of the bottle and poured half its contents into the bowl. ‘I’ve used this spell many times.’

  ‘Ever used it on a demon though?’ Roni asked.

  ‘No, this will be a first but there’s no reason to think it won’t work in exactly the same way.’

  ‘I hope you’re right,’ Roni breathed.

  ‘Okay let’s get this show on the road,’ Fiona clapped her hands and rubbed them together eagerly. ‘I’ve never seen a tracking spell before.’

  Danae removed the syringe from the opened packaging and expelled the blood contained within it, into the bowl of ink. Discarding the empty syringe, she picked up the bowl cradling it carefully in both her hands and swirling the dark liquid around, murmuring in a low voice. After a few moments she poured the ink out of the bowl directly onto the map in a giant black ink splotch.

  Veronica and Fiona both stood staring at the black blot.

  ‘Is that it?’ Fiona asked suspiciously.

  Danae resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ‘Give it a minute would you?’

  Slowly the ink began to move, sliding across the page leaving no trail or dark smudge behind it. It rolled this way and that, changing direction at random as if the gradient of the map kept changing. Suddenly it split into two, gliding across the paper effortlessly then it divided again into four and again into eight. Now as it slid and undulated across the map it began to leave behind tiny dots of ink. Some spaced widely apart, some congregated together in a larger volume. This continued for a few more minutes until the ink disappeared and the dots were left spread all over the place.