The Soulkeepers Series, Part Two (Books 4-6)

by Ching, G. P.

  Mr. Jameson responded with a high-pitched wheeze.

  “Are you still there, Jameson?” Lucifer yelled.

  “Yes, Mr. Blake. One hour.”

  Lucifer ended the call and slammed the unfortunate piece of technology down on his desk. He’d have Cord’s head for this and the heads of the Watchers responsible. As much as he’d miss the numbers, he would not tolerate dissension in the ranks.

  “You called, My Lord?” Auriel entered the room and took her place in front of his desk. In his anger, Lucifer had sent out a metaphysical ping to his first and second in command. Auriel had responded as expected, but she was alone.

  “Where is Cord?”

  “He hasn’t come in today,” Auriel said smugly.

  “No? Did you send a car to his penthouse? Bastard probably slept late and couldn’t risk the sun.”

  “I did. The man said his home is vacant.” Auriel frowned. “Do you think he’s been captured? Or slain?”

  Lucifer snorted. “Cord? Impossible. I will call him to me through shadow.”

  Concentrating, Lucifer focused on the imprint of Cord’s being, the black stuff he’d become the day he’d followed him from Heaven. Lucifer had an intimate knowledge of each and every fallen angel. He owned their very cells and could demand their presence at any time. He searched the cosmos for the being called Cord, but Lucifer could not find the Watcher. Perhaps he was slain, and there was only one person who could do it.

  Growling, he continued his search, this time focusing on the Healer. He’d called Malini’s soul to him before; it should be a simple thing now that Paris was destroyed and with it the presumed entrance to Eden. He sifted through souls until his head throbbed. Nothing. Was it possible that they were wrong about Eden? No. There was something else. Dane’s soul was similarly blocked.

  “I sense a change. The tide has shifted,” Lucifer murmured.

  “My Lord?”

  “I cannot find Cord. Perhaps he is dead or captured.” He kept his other revelation to himself. It would not do to have his second in command know he could not track the Soulkeepers. “The Great Oppressor has cheated me again. You will have to take over his duties.”

  Auriel hissed.

  “Do you have a problem with that Auriel?”

  “No, My Lord, it is a pleasure to serve you.” Auriel smoothed her gray suit. “However, running the education system and the pharmaceutical division leaves me little time for managing Watchers.”

  “If he remains missing, we will replace him,” Lucifer murmured.

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  He stood and paced around the table to her, eyes shifting back and forth across the room. “Have you heard if the Great Oppressor has given the third gift?”

  “If the gift has been given, none of us know of it.”

  Lucifer paced, paced, paced until even Auriel seemed dizzy with the motion. “This is wrong. This is not how it is supposed to be. The Great Oppressor has done something to Cord for a reason.” He narrowed his eyes. “God is the cause of this mess with the kits.”

  “Would you like me to look for Cord?” Auriel asked, sounding bored.

  “No. We have a public relations nightmare on our hands with this Harrington security thing. I want you to kill the Watchers who did this, then spread the word that any Watcher caught eating a human with an HDES kit will have to answer to me.”

  Auriel pouted. “I’ll have to wait until sunset, unless you want half the world to see me in a snakeskin onesy. Besides, I have a meeting at two. I can only be in one place at a time.”

  Lucifer slammed his hand on the desk, causing Auriel to jump back in fear. The wood splintered beneath his palm.

  “I know what you can and cannot do. I too can only be in one place at a time. Do it as quickly as possible. Call some of the Watchers in from the field to help. Do something, Auriel.”

  She nodded and backed toward the door.

  Lucifer walked around the desk and picked up his phone. Time to call Senator Bakewell. He had to get ahead of this thing.

  Chapter 32

  Saying Goodbye

  While the others changed into the best clothes they’d brought, and prepared in their own way to say goodbye, Jacob crept into the kitchen and pulled up a stool next to Abigail’s body. His only audience was Cord, who was still passed out behind the bars of the pantry. Jacob guessed he’d be out for a while. Half his head was bashed in, although the bleeding had stopped and the bones showed signs of healing.

  Reaching under the sheet, he felt for Abigail’s hand. Ice cold and stiff. He let go. With a heavy heart, he peeled back the sheet from her face. Dead. Gray. His eyes focused on the cross she still wore, the one he and Malini had given to her on her wedding day. She never took it off when she was alive, and now she never would. He returned the sheet to its place and then rested his hands on his thighs. She wasn’t in there anymore. This was an empty shell.

  “Abigail,” he whispered, “wherever you are, I want to say something to you.” Jacob clasped his hands together. “I am completely pissed at you and Gideon for getting yourselves killed. I mean, what the hell? All you had to do was ask me to get whatever you needed. Why did you go out there alone? What were you thinking? That’s what pisses me off the most. You never explained. You just left. And now we have two less Helpers and two more bodies to bury. You suck, Dr. Silva.” Fat, wet, drops fell like rain between his elbows. Tears. Arms shaking, he didn’t bother wiping them away.

  “You suck for leaving us,” Jacob said again. “But I forgive you. Because even though I know you were invincible and could stop a train with that look of yours, I know there must have been a reason you allowed that Watcher to hurt you. You would have never left your baby if you had a choice.

  “I’ve been thinking that maybe you wanted us to have Hope. She must have meant everything to you. You and Gideon died protecting her. That must’ve been the reason. Somehow, you ended up in that position and gave your lives for the greater good. That’s the only way this makes sense. Just like last summer, when you died on Lucifer’s altar. You didn’t have to do that either.”

  Jacob sat up and wiped under his eyes. Now for the hard part. The thing he wanted to say the most but would hurt the most. “Thank you for being there for me. I was just an angry little runt when you took me under your wing. And yeah, we hurt each other and stuff a few times. I think I still have bruises on my neck from when you thought I left the gate open. But I always knew I could count on you. You saved me. More than once.

  “I’m not sure how to make it up to you now that you’re gone except to live the life you wanted me to live, being the best Soulkeeper I can be. Oh, and taking care of Hope. We all will. Don’t you worry.”

  He sat up and straightened his shirt. “And I guess this isn’t really goodbye, is it? It’s more like see you later. Some days I think it might be sooner than later the way this battle is going. Enjoy Heaven, Abigail. You’ve earned it.”

  Jacob stood from the stool, took one last look at the sheet, and let her go. He walked into the main room with the slightest feeling of peace in his heart.

  It lasted less than sixty seconds.

  “Oh, good,” Malini said, heading for him. “Hold Hope so I can get ready.” She placed the baby in his arms and handed him a bottle of formula.

  “Wait, I don’t know how—” Yeah, she was gone, and he was left holding the baby in the crook of his arm. He repositioned her and took a better look. She had a thin layer of light brown hair, more like Gideon’s than Abigail’s. But Hope’s eyes were her mother’s. Jacob smiled at the ice blue color, remembering the first time he’d seen it, hovering outside his bedroom window. That color had scared the bejesus out of him back then and was doing a good job of it now.

  Hope’s tiny face bunched up and turned red. Her rose petal mouth opened. “Waa. Waa. Waaaaa!” Short bursts of angry protest.

  “I think she’s hungry, Jacob,” Grace said, pointing at the bottle.

  Jacob looked at the older wo
man, slack jawed, and gestured for her to take the baby. Grace shook her head and walked away. The crying continued until he plugged Hope’s pink, bow-shaped lips with the nipple. She sucked greedily.

  “You have a good appetite,” he whispered, smiling at the way she closed her eyes and wrinkled her nose while she drank.

  Lillian appeared by his side, placing her hand under his elbow and lifting. “Keep her head up or she’ll get a tummy ache from gas.”

  Jacob adjusted Hope’s position and raised his eyebrows.

  “And you need to burp her every few minutes.” His mom made cooing sounds at Hope. “I can take her if you want.”

  Jacob removed the nipple from Hope’s mouth and repositioned her on his shoulder, patting her back like he’d seen Bonnie do. “No. I think I’ve got it under control, Mom.”

  She grinned. “Yes, I believe you do.”

  * * * * *

  Just before noon, Ghost, Dane, and Ethan brought down two slabs of wood from the old church, the seats of broken pews. Lillian and Malini loaded Abigail’s body onto one and the other was taken to the rectory to accommodate Gideon. Bonnie took Hope, now fully fed and sleeping peacefully, so that Jacob, Dane, Malini, and Lillian could serve as pallbearers. The four lifted Abigail’s body onto their shoulders and carried her to the graveyard. Ethan, Ghost, Grace, and Samantha met them at the gravesite, Gideon’s body on their shoulders. Cheveyo brought up the rear of the processional, carrying a dagger wrapped in silk that belonged to Master Lee.

  Ethan used his power to lower Abigail, then Gideon into the holes he and Dane had dug. Once the bodies were settled, Cheveyo laid the dagger in the smaller hole next to Gideon.

  Three carved pieces of wood served as markers. They did not bear the Soulkeepers’ names. To do so would be inviting desecration. Instead, Lillian had used her knife skills to carve ornate patterns into the oak. Abigail’s marker depicted a mighty tree with twisted branches that bore strange but weighty fruit. The focal point of Gideon’s was the sun with beams of light over a set of outstretched wings. Lee’s was a twisting dragon around the Chinese symbol for warrior.

  Father Raymond stepped forward to the edges of the grave. “Let us commend Abigail and Gideon Newman, and Confucius Lee to the mercy of God.”

  Jacob turned to Lillian as Father Raymond continued to speak. “Was that his real name? Confucius?”

  “He always thought it was too formal,” Lillian whispered. “He once told me and the other student in the dojo to call him Bob.”

  “You guys were close. How are you doing with all of this?” Jacob asked.

  Lillian pressed her lips together before answering. “Before I was taken, we celebrated Lee’s eighty-fifth birthday. I guess I always knew he was on borrowed time. This is how he would have wanted to go. He held the passageway open so that all of us could get out. He died a hero and a warrior. No better way to go, if you ask me.”

  Jacob nodded and refocused on Father Raymond.

  “We therefore commit Abigail, Gideon, and Master Lee’s bodies to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life." Father Raymond motioned to Ethan who filled in the holes over the bodies and Master Lee’s weapon. “Would anyone like to say a few words?”

  Malini walked to the front of the graves and unfolded a piece of paper from her pocket. With a deep breath, she began to read.

  “Today, the birds fall silent

  and the sun refuses to shine.

  The grass below lays dormant.

  Lost these friends of mine.

  Every head does bow

  and darkness presses in,

  the water slows and stills

  a new phase does begin.

  They say the world is turning.

  I’m not sure I can agree.

  The sadness of your leaving

  seems its own eternity.

  In time we will move on

  with the work you have begun.

  We’ll recover from this loss

  and ignite the fading sun.

  But today the rain does fall,

  and creeps in the chill of night.

  The loss of you reigns on

  Goodbye …

  my friends

  my warriors

  my confidants

  until we meet again.”

  Malini returned to her place by Jacob’s side while the other Soulkeepers shifted uneasily, wiping icy tears and sniffing cold noses.

  “That was beautiful. Did you write that yourself?” Jacob asked.

  “Shhh.”

  “And now, Bonnie and Samantha Guillian have offered to sing.” Father Raymond moved aside and the twins took their spot at the front of the group. The snow picked up again, creating a mystical backdrop to the twins’ red hair. The two shrugged out of their coats and handed them to Ghost.

  The two girls wore identical purple dresses with silver ballet flats, their fiery red hair cascading in loose waves across their shoulders. Gracefully, they began to circle each other, dancing in mirror image, a lyrical, sweeping ballet. Within the wave of pointed toes, arched backs, and swirling arms, Bonnie began to sing in a low and hollow voice that seemed to come from somewhere other than her petite frame. “When peace like a river, attendeth my way.”

  Samantha followed with, “When sorrow like sea billows roll.”

  “Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to know.” Bonnie twirled and reached for her sister.

  “It is well, it is well, with my soul,” they both sang together.

  Even Jacob knew this song. It Is Well With My Soul by Horatio Spafford. They sang it often at the Laudners’ church. The meaning wasn’t lost on him. He’d heard that the author had written the hymn after losing everything.

  As the twins continued the hymn, Jacob caught himself drifting. He listened with his Soulkeeper ears, expecting the Watchers to attack at any moment. With Cord locked up downstairs, how long until they attacked? For all he knew, they could be tracking the Watcher right now.

  Reality hit him like a blunt fist. They’d lost Eden! Lucifer could sense any of their souls if he wanted to, or demand their astral-projected presence as he had Malini’s. Why hadn’t he? Suddenly, the thought that they hadn’t been discovered seemed impossible. Were they all on borrowed time?

  He squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t think that way. He needed to trust that God led them here for a reason and that everything was unfolding as it should, a tall order considering. With a sigh, he opened his eyes.

  The twins finished the hymn and joined hands, using their power to form first into the image of Master Lee, then Gideon, and then Abigail. The waterworks started again when he saw Abigail. He wasn’t embarrassed though. There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd. Even Hope, snuggled on Grace’s shoulder, began to fuss.

  Bonnie and Samantha ended their tribute, transforming into themselves again and returned to their places among the other Soulkeepers. Father Raymond, in a state of amazement after watching the twins, shook off his awestruck stupor to say one final prayer before dismissing them. In silence, the group trudged toward the rectory, shoulders slumped and faces drawn.

  Malini stopped Jacob as they reached the threshold, allowing the others to go on ahead. “I don’t think I can stand to lose anyone else, Jacob.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “Then let’s do our best to make sure this never happens again. Lucifer doesn’t know what he’s started here. When you push the Soulkeepers, they push back.”

  In the circle of his arms, Malini stiffened. Tipping her face up, she gritted her teeth. “You are right about that, Jacob. We will fight back, and Lucifer has no idea what he’s in for.”

  Chapter 33

  New Rules

  Bonnie needed to clean the kitchen. Everyone grieved in his or her own way and hers was sanitation. A quick exploration of the kitchen rewarded her with powdered scrub and a scouring pad. Cleaning-therapy tools.

  The island seemed like the logic
al place to begin. Even though Grace and Lillian placed bedding under Abigail before the birth, the thought of someone delivering a baby and then passing away in the same place they might have to prepare food grossed her out. She couldn’t blame her mother though. No other place in the church was as clean, safe, or private. Malini and the others did the best with what they had.

  As she scrubbed the stainless steel, she thought the counter looked a lot like a surgical table. She closed her eyes against a barrage of images of how else they might have to use the island in the future. This was war. Would they be setting broken bones here? Digging out shrapnel?

  “I heard you singing,” Cord said from the pantry.

  Bonnie jumped back, heart hammering in her chest. “Oh, you’re awake.”

  “Yes. I have been.” He pointed at the mat of black hair at the back of his head. “All healed.”

  Cautiously, Bonnie glanced down to make sure the barred door to the pantry was locked, then turned back toward the sink to ring out her wet rag. She rinsed off the counter she’d just scrubbed, the scent of bleach burning in her nostrils.

  “I heard you singing,” Cord said again. “You have a beautiful voice.”

  Bonnie paused for a moment, then continued her scrubbing.

  “Your sister was singing too, but I could tell when it was you.”

  Face tightening in annoyance, Bonnie rinsed the rag out again. “We’re identical twins. We look, sound, and act exactly alike. There’s no way you could tell our voices apart from a distance.”

  “You don’t look exactly alike.”

  “No?” she asked, placing a fist on her hip.