Unnatural Souls

by Linda Foster

  Where my brother was laying, still and lifeless. Everything went sideways once more, and I tried not to fall over. His chest wasn’t moving at all, and his skin was even paler than I remembered from before I passed out. Was he dead? The pain that flooded through me at that thought was like nothing I had ever felt before. If my brother was laying there, dead, it was my fault. I’d had the chance to save him. I’d had an entire year to figure out how to do it.

  And in the end, I’d still been too late.

  Then everything came into focus so that I could actually see him. The glowing light that had looked exactly like my brother—his soul—still hovered above his body, but it was losing its shape. It no longer looked so much like my brother, and was beginning to lift further away from him. My heart ached so deeply that I thought it would just stop beating.

  I slowly dragged my legs until they were underneath me, and tried to stand. I wanted to go to him, to be by his side, to hold him. I didn’t want him to be alone. But my knees gave out before I had even gotten an inch off the ground, and I collapsed. I couldn’t catch my breath, but I reached up, wrapped my arms around the top of one of the auditorium chairs, and yanked myself to my knees again, then pushed myself to my feet, using the chair as support. Leaning against it, I grabbed for the next, trying to move up to the next row. I had to get to that stage. I had to hold Ash before he was gone.

  I made it two steps before collapsing again, and looked back to the stage, about to call to Kali to help me.

  Then I stopped entirely. Kali was staring at Ash’s body on the ground, but her long hair cascaded down, covering her face so that I couldn’t see her expression. She reached out her hand and touched Ash’s hovering soul—and I froze. His soul had moved when she came into contact with it. What was she doing?

  I was about to scream at her to leave him alone when I noticed her talisman. I could see the blue aura of her soul taking her shape, a perfect clone of her, its transparent hand also reaching out to the red of Ash’s. What exactly was it attempting to do? It looked like her soul was trying to get to his. It stretched a few inches away from the talisman, but seemed to only be able to go so far. Still, though its torso stayed put, its arms stretched out and its fingers splayed toward my brother’s soul. It was struggling to reach him … as if it desperately wanted to get to him.

  Why was her soul attempting to get to his? What could it do?

  Could Kali’s soul save Ash’s, even without the talisman I’d lost?

  A small seed of hope began to form in my mind. It was a desperate and likely impossible idea, and I knew it wasn’t supposed to work, but what if Kali’s talisman could hold two souls instead of one? I understood that each talisman was unique, made specifically for the person it was supposed to save, but Ash’s had vanished. And with the demon gone—most likely killed by Kali after I passed out—I had no idea where to look for it … if it even still existed.

  I might be able to call to Michael and get him to make another one, but my brother could be long gone by time the angel showed up with it. His soul was hanging on by a thread as it was.

  If I could get his soul into Kali’s talisman, even for a short time, though … could it protect him? Was there a chance? I knew it probably wouldn’t save his life, but it might at least protect his soul until I could get another one from Michael. And it was the only plan I had.

  I had to try.

  The question was how to do it. Could I use my powers to help? In theory, it would just be like moving any other object, right? Manipulating it using my powers, and forcing it into the talisman. Same principal, right? I would just have to take hold of his soul and move it to where I wanted it to go. I had no idea if it would stay there once I forced it inside—or if the talisman could hold it.

  But it was worth a try.

  I concentrated on the talisman around Kali’s neck as she continued to study Ash’s soul, reaching down to my power and pulling every bit of it to the surface. I used the same technique I’d used to move any other object, and grasped hold of it with my mind. Then I willed his soul toward her talisman, staring at the stage in desperation.

  It didn’t budge. Maybe I couldn’t force a soul the way I did regular objects? No, I had to believe this could work. It was my last shot—because based on what Kali was doing, I didn’t think she knew how to save his soul, either.

  I let out a sigh and steeled myself to try again, pulling all of my power to the surface. This had to work.

  Because I wouldn’t be able to try a third time. Whatever my power had done to save me, it had wiped me almost completely bare. I didn’t have much left to use. So I put my heart into it, sending every bit of my power in their direction, and, using my mind to grasp his soul as tightly as I could, I took the same hold on Kali’s talisman … and yanked them toward each other with every fiber of my being. In my mind I envisioned the two becoming one and prayed, begged, and pleaded for the pendant to allow his soul inside. I could feel and see Kali’s soul—its hand—struggling harder now to reach Ash’s as I manipulated her talisman, and hope sparked in my heart, the warmth of my power intensifying to an almost unbearable heat. Her talisman—or at least her soul—could feel my intentions. And it was trying to help.

  I just had to close the distance between his soul and the talisman. I pushed one more time, feeling the warmth of my power pouring out of my body in their direction, and this time his soul responded as well, moving slowing toward Kali and her soul.

  Kali—the real one—seemed to notice the movement, and paused. Ash’s soul was growing nearer, though, her soul’s hand now within inches of his. It was working, I thought with excitement. I was manipulating them with my telekinesis. Now I just had to get his soul into the talisman and pray that this crazy plan had a chance of working. I began to feel dizzy again, like I might faint at any moment, but I pushed on. This had to work, it was working. I felt the pulse of energy wrapping tightly around my chest, the blue light of my own power glowing outside of my body again, the ball of blue light growing larger by the second. And then I felt the familiar snap of my power bursting from inside of me, exactly the way it had felt the first time I called my weapons. The way it had felt before I blacked out and should have died. My entire body was charged with electricity, and I took that in hand and willed the two souls to close the distance. The wave of power shot out of my chest, like a blue comet rushing across the auditorium, and collided with them.

  The bright light surrounded Ash, Kali, and both of their souls, and for a moment I couldn’t see them past the glow of my power. When it began to fade, Kali was reaching for the talisman. But just as her fingers would have touched it, the pendant vanished.

  I gasped. The pendants weren’t supposed to vanish like that. Where had it gone? Had my plan backfired? Had I somehow damaged Kali’s talisman by attempting to force my brother’s soul inside?

  Had I doomed them both by trying to do too much?

  I held my breath in panic, horrified, but a second later Kali’s talisman materialized—around Ash’s neck. I knew it was hers because Kali’s soul—still outside the charm—took hold of Ash’s, smiling. The moment it did, both were sucked into of the talisman. The pendant blazed brighter than ever, but after a moment the light faded, turning into a soft glow that alternated between red and blue.

  I stared at it, utterly astonished … and overwhelmed with joy. Because Ash’s soul had gone into the charm. I’d seen it. And it was still glowing within—that was the only explanation for the red glow attached to Kali’s usual blue. I knew it shouldn’t have been possible, but I had done it. I had done it. Which meant his soul would be safe from Hell, and any other demon that came to call, because the creatures of Hell couldn’t break the talismans the angels created. I’d done what I’d set out to do.

  But what about Ash? The real one. Could he live now that his soul was protected?

  I turned my eyes and stared at my brother, unable to let out the breath I was holding as I waited for a sign. Breathe, Ash, breathe,
I prayed. I knew his soul was safe—and surely it wouldn’t still be around if he’d died—but he wasn’t moving yet, and I didn’t know what that meant.

  Suddenly something shifted. It was a small movement at first—one of his fingers twitching—and my heart jumped into my throat. Then Ash’s chest began to rise and fall, the breathing so slight that I wasn’t sure I was truly seeing it. But he abruptly sucked in a large gasp, his back arching off the ground, and the color began to return to his skin. He moved his fingers, his legs, his arms, and I let out a gasp to match his, warmth flooding my own skin, my heart pounding.

  He was alive! The talisman had saved him—and I had helped. I cried silently at that, thanking the angels above for having made the talisman, putting it the right spot, and giving me the power to do what I’d done. Now I had to get to him. I pushed myself up from the ground, my legs slightly more stable this time, and stood, wobbling a little, but balancing by leaning on the chair at the end of the aisle. With a deep breath, I started to move forward, ready to run to Ash and wrap him up in my arms … but then I stopped.

  Kali was pacing the stage, mumbling to herself, and she looked very angry. I didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she was obviously furious at something. And it didn’t take a genius to guess that that something might be me.

  After all, I’d just taken her talisman and given it to Ash. Basically.

  “What the hell?” she shouted, followed by a number of expletives. “No, no, no. This can’t be happening. He’s breathing?”

  I rolled my eyes. Here I was, overjoyed that I’d saved him, and she was throwing a tantrum. She had a right to, with what had just happened—but watching her, I began to doubt that she actually knew who was responsible. She didn’t seem to realize it was my fault, though I didn’t know how she could have missed my powers lighting up the auditorium like the fourth of July.

  But if she’d known it was me, she would have been screaming at me, demanding answers for what I’d done. Whatever it was—and I was going to have to ask Michael later—she wasn’t too pleased about it.

  Which made me think I might still die right then and there if she did realize I was the one who’d done it.

  “What happened?” Ash suddenly asked, his speech slurred.

  Oh God, I thought. He’d been out for so long. Had the lack of oxygen caused some sort of permanent brain damage? Had I brought him back … but only halfway?

  Kali sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.

  “My worst nightmare, that’s what,” she snapped, looking away from him and toward me. I was never going to hear the end of this, I thought. I was never going to be able to ask for her help again.

  Everything in her face said that if I’d been the one who fused her soul to Ash’s, it made us enemies. I just didn’t know why.

  Meanwhile, Ash was sitting up very slowly, as if he was in pain, and wincing with every small movement.

  “Where am I?” he asked Kali. “What happened? Did the demon come for me? Am I dead?”

  “You don’t remember anything from tonight?” Kali asked incredulously, her voice going up an octave.

  “I remember waking up this morning and going to school.” Ash shook his head. “That’s it.”

  I stared at him, shocked. He didn’t remember any of it? He didn’t recall me showing up and pulling blades out of a blue light in my hands? The demon coming to kill him? The lockers? Nothing? Oh God, maybe he did have brain damage.

  “Well, the demon that was after you is dead,” Kali replied in a flat tone.

  So she had killed the demon. That made me feel a little bit better.

  Then she scrunched up her nose. “Or in Hell, I don’t know. I’ve never really bothered to find out exactly where demons go after I kill them. The good news is that you aren’t. Congratulations.” She didn’t sound happy, but I didn’t think Ash noticed her sarcasm.

  He was too busy looking surprised. And confused. “You killed him? You saved me?”

  Kali looked back to me and sighed.

  “Well,” she started, “I’m not sure what happened to you, so don’t go getting all mushy on me. Hold on. Are you crying?” She looked at him in disgust and I wanted to throw something at her.

  He’d almost died, and had to be terrified right now. As far as I was concerned, he could cry if he wanted. But I resisted the urge to shout at her for her lack of feelings and glanced at my brother again. His eyes had begun to water, though he quickly wiped the moisture away, frowning up at her. Then he noticed the talisman hanging around his neck. He lifted it and glanced down, frowning even more.

  Kali looked like she wanted to tear it off of him, her hands fisted at her sides.

  “Yeah before you ask,” she sighed. “I’m assuming that’s what’s keeping you alive.”

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s a binding talisman,” she replied, narrowing her eyes.

  “What—” he started.

  “Enough questions,” she growled. “I’m not spending my time sitting here talking to a human. Let’s go. I have work to do—that has nothing to do with you, and was going on a long time before I even knew about you. Apparently you and I are going to be stuck together for a while. Don’t worry, I’m sure someone will figure out what just happened. And hopefully fix it”

  He stared at her, his eyes widening as I watched them. Stuck together? What did that mean? She’d admitted that the talisman was keeping Ash alive, but … stuck together? What did that mean for her mission? What did it mean for Michael’s plans?

  What did it mean for me?

  For the first time, I started to think that I’d accomplished something a lot more serious that I realized.

  Kali glanced back to me one last time, raised an eyebrow in spite, and then grabbed his arm and disappeared.

  I GAPED LIKE a fish. I’d wanted to go to Ash, but she hadn’t even given me the chance. She’d just yanked him right along with her on her next mission—and would continue to do so, I assumed, until someone figured out how to separate them again.

  I did not like the thought of Ash being tied to her. I respected her more now, but being near her was dangerous. I was going to have to get Ash a new talisman as soon as possible so that he could be safe—and away—from the demon world for good.

  Now that I was alone, my mind started to work through what had happened. I knew that what I did should not have been possible. Which meant my powers were greater than I had imagined they would be. Kali had told me during the first few months of our training sessions what angels were and were not capable of—and this hadn’t been on her list of possibilities. Apparently I was able to do things that weren’t normal, even for angels.

  Had Michael known I was powerful enough to do something like that? No, he would have told me. Still, he had to have some idea, right? I could sense Kali’s powers, the power of the demons around us, and even Michael’s power, so wouldn’t Michael be able to do the same thing? And if he could … why hadn’t he told me? Then an even worse thought dawned on me.

  Could that be why Adrian’s followers were after me? Did they want to kill me because he saw me as a threat? It made sense … though I didn’t think Michael knew about that. I couldn’t think of a reason why he wouldn’t have told me, but then I remembered the conclusion I’d come to seconds earlier, about him being able to sense my power, and doubt crept into my mind. He had to have known. It was so clear now that I realized how powerful I was.

  There was no way he could have missed that. Which meant he hadn’t told me. Which meant he had known why the demons were after me, that first night we’d met. And if he hadn’t, surely it hadn’t taken him long to figure it out.

  And that meant he was keeping a lot of secrets. What else wasn’t he telling me?

  A soft blue light suddenly appeared at my side, then, and giant white and gold wings burst out, overshadowing me. A moment later, the light that shrouded the figure faded. His body loomed over me, the stage lights shining brightly behind him so tha
t they cast the front of his body and his face in the shadow of his wings. Then the large white feathers ruffled, sparking with gold at the edges as he moved those immense wings and folded them at his sides, finally bringing his body into view.

  Michael. I really could have used him like five minutes earlier, but I was glad he was there. Because I had some questions for him. About the talisman, what I had done, how to get a new charm for my brother…

  And why he hadn’t told me earlier about how powerful I was.

  I smiled widely at him, but it was more a ploy than anything else. I wanted to know what else he was hiding from me. No matter what, there was no way he had been completely honest, and I needed to know what he wasn’t telling me—and why he was keeping it a secret. Could he be using me?

  I didn’t get a chance to open my mouth before he started speaking.

  “Do you have any idea what you just did?” he asked me, sounding … well, furious.

  Of course he was talking about the talisman. I’d known it wasn’t the best plan, but did he have to sound so disappointed? How bad could it really be? It had worked, after all. And Michael could just make another one for Ash. I could pull his soul back out and put it in the new one … right? It hadn’t been that hard; surely it would be a simple act of reversing what I’d done.

  Evidently, though, I didn’t know the entire story.

  “Do you know what you’ve risked?” he snarled, his eyes suddenly becoming angry.

  “I had to save my brother,” I told him, growing even more irritated.

  “You haven’t saved your brother at all,” he argued. “In fact, you nearly destroyed everything with that little stunt. Giving him the talisman I gave you would have saved him. But what you did… You’ve merely delayed his fate. You’ve saved him from nothing. You bound his fate to Kali’s.”

  “So make her a new one. Or make him a new one, and I’ll fix it,” I snapped back. What was the problem, here?

  “I can’t!” he bellowed, causing the ground around me to shake.