Soul Eternal

by Kate Keir

  I looked around me, desperately calling out to my pure souls. One or two appeared and hesitantly drifted toward me.

  “What happened here?” I whispered to them.

  A tiny blue orb trembled as it answered me.

  The rogues came, Flora. There were thousands of them. They attacked the pure souls, and then they left for the mortal world.

  I felt a blaze of fury inside me. “Did they hurt any of you?”

  They did try, but we were safe because of the Everwood. It protected us somehow.

  I was wracked with guilt. “I should have been here to keep you safe. I failed you.”

  The little blue light was joined by another soul, and they gently grazed against my cheeks.

  No, Flora. You shouldn’t be here right now. You must fight the Host of the Unforgiven Dead, or all is lost.

  I thought back to my conversation with Sluag. He wouldn’t use that name any longer. He now considered himself “Lord of Everything”.

  I turned back to the tiny orbs and was relieved to see they had been joined by others now.

  “What will happen here, if we lose?” I asked quietly.

  The tiny blue orb bobbed up and down as though in despair before it replied inside my mind.

  Then the sun will set, and there will be nowhere for pure souls to go.

  I looked around me at the wasteland that was my Everwood. The trees were dying, the grass was damaged, and the sky burned with an anger that seemed to foretell the end of the world.

  “I can’t let this happen,” I murmured, more to myself than anyone else. I couldn’t let this world fall apart.

  “I won’t fail you,” I promised aloud to the gathering crowd of pure souls.

  Just as I began to imagine myself back in the mortal world, the little blue orb called out inside my mind.

  Flora?

  I paused and gave my attention to the pure soul. “What did you want?”

  You must remember that “A Blood Inheritance Secures Allegiance.”

  I nodded at the soul. “I do remember. It already helped us, a lot.”

  The little orb burned brightly as though in frustration.

  No, Flora. You don’t understand.

  The tiny light bobbed up to my ear as though it were trying to tell me something that was completely confidential. When it did start to speak inside my head, it even sounded as though it were whispering.

  My eyes widened in surprise as the soul relayed its information to me. Once it had finished telling me everything it needed me to know, the tiny orb looped through the air until it hovered in front of my face once more.

  “Are you sure?” I asked in disbelief.

  Quite sure. The reply was firm inside my mind.

  A slow smile spread across my face, and just like that, hope was renewed. “Will it work?”

  The tiny orb bobbed once, and I knew it had shrugged its metaphorical shoulders.

  “Let’s hope so.” I reached out and gently touched my fingers against the little orb.

  A final question came unbidden to my lips. Just two words. “And Lyall?”

  The little blue light trembled before me as I held my breath and waited for its reply.

  I’m sorry, Soul Keeper.

  I felt as though I was dying inside. “I understand. Thank you,” I whispered as I faded from the Everwood.

  Good luck, Flora Bast. We will be waiting for your return.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  I was relieved to see Bear back to his usual self when I arrived at the terminal. He was perched on the edge of the table and stuffing a sandwich into his mouth while he talked about how he had stood up to Sluag.

  “Sat down for Sluag, more like,” Lyall grumbled to himself as I crept up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

  Lyall almost hit the roof until he realised it was me, and then he admonished me. “Flora, don’t sneak up on me like that. I could have hurt you.”

  “Sorry, I’m just happy to see you and to see our casualty is feeling better too.” I nodded in Bear’s direction.

  Lyall rolled his eyes. “Oh, he’s feeling better all right. Can’t get him to shut up.”

  I smiled. “I think Freya is very happy to see Bear’s okay.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “What happened in the Everwood?”

  I looked down at my feet, trying to fight back tears. Although the tiny pure soul had given me some hope, it had stolen more from me when it confirmed what I already knew. I couldn’t save Lyall.

  Lyall caught my chin with his hand and tilted my face up to look at him. “Is everything okay, love?”

  I fired a glance at the door. “Take a walk with me?”

  He nodded. “Of course, I will.”

  We walked through the trees in comfortable silence, until we reached the shady banks of the loch. This part of the shoreline was covered by a thick tangle of trees, which made me feel as though Lyall and I were the only two people left in the world.

  Lyall sat down next to the water and patted the ground next to him, indicating I should do the same.

  When I sat down next to him and tucked my legs underneath me, he spoke. “What happened, love? Is it as bad as you thought?”

  I sighed. “In some ways yes, and in some ways no.”

  I went on to explain the crazy sunset and the damage to the trees and grass. I told Lyall all about my conversation with the souls, but when I got to the final part about the blood inheritance securing allegiance, I skipped past and finished the story.

  I wasn’t sure why I chose not to tell Lyall about the things the soul had told me. I was pretty sure it was probably because I didn’t want him to have false hope for our victory, and I was also certain he would try even harder to get Sluag out of his body if he knew the truth.

  “We need to strike at Castle Dion sooner rather than later, Lyall. I can’t leave those souls like that.” My voice trembled.

  Lyall stared out over the loch, watching a thick mist that was rolling slowly across the water.

  “I know, love. I’m just worried that if we rush into this, we’ll get ourselves killed.”

  “Lyall, people all over the world are going to die now the rogues are free to poach their bodies. We have to move quickly,” I retorted.

  “Agreed.” He carried on watching the mist as he spoke. It was as though he wasn’t really listening to me.

  “Lyall,” I snapped, and he turned his head to study my face.

  “We have to stop him before any more people die, Lyall. Why are you so distant?”

  “I’m sorry, love. I guess I’m just holding back because I know that once we march on the castle, that’s it—there’s no turning back.”

  I frowned at him, confused. “I know you well enough to know that you aren’t afraid of Sluag.”

  He smiled bitterly. “No, I’m not afraid of Sluag. I’m not afraid to die either, love.”

  I felt a ball of ice form inside my stomach when he talked about dying.

  He carried on speaking as though he hadn’t noticed my discomfort. “You, Flora.”

  “What about me?” I asked.

  “You’re what I’m afraid of. When Sluag talked about killing you in front of me, he knew exactly what that would do to me. You’re my biggest weakness, love. I can’t watch you die, and I can’t live without you. That’s the truth of why I don’t want to start this thing.” He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands as he spoke.

  Taking a deep breath, I reached out and laid my hand gingerly on top of his head. My fingers absently twisted through his dark hair, stroking him gently as I did when he was in wolf form.

  “Lyall, I’m terrified I’m going to lose you. I can’t even let myself think about how that looks. That’s why you have to stay away from Sluag. If my dream was right, then he’s the one who’s going to kill you.”

  He laughed softly. “I don’t think your dream was a premonition, Flora. You’re no seer. You’re a Soul Keeper.”

 
; “But, the prophecies in the manuscripts still say you will die,” I argued.

  “And I’m okay with that. If it means that I get to save the girl and the rest of the world.” He winked at me.

  Anger and fear welled up inside me. “No, Lyall. You don’t get to just blow into my life, turn everything upside down, and make me fall in love with you, before riding off into the sunset on your bloody white horse to die.”

  I tried to stand, but he caught my wrist and pulled me against his chest. I fought against him, punching, kicking, and crying. “No, I won’t let you do it. I won’t, I won’t.”

  He held on tightly until I inevitably wore myself out and collapsed against him, breathing hard.

  “Shh, love, shh.” He stroked my hair as he soothed me.

  Eventually I couldn’t cry any more. The sobs quieted down to whimpers and then became huge gulping breaths as I tried to get air into my oxygen-starved body.

  His voice was soft and quiet. “I hate myself for leaving you, you know. I’m so sorry, if it does happen, love. It was never my intention to hurt you and deep down inside, I think you know it.”

  I sat back from him, and this time he let me go. I wiped furiously at my tear-stained cheeks. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me,” I whispered.

  He leaned forward and brushed his fingers beneath my eyes, capturing the remains of my tears.

  “I love you, Flora Bast. I lost myself to you the moment I met you, and I always knew that I would die for you if that was what it took to keep you safe.”

  He opened his arms to me, and I let him envelop me as I lay between his legs with my back against his chest. We sat in silence and watched until the glassy sheen of the loch disappeared completely beneath the encroaching mist.

  After what felt like a lifetime, he shifted behind me. “Are you still awake, love?”

  I nodded. “It’s time to go, isn’t it?”

  I felt him return my nod behind me.

  As we stood up, he took both of my hands in his. “I swear, Flora, if I can stay with you, I will. I’m in no hurry to die, love. If there’s any way that means we can both walk out of this together, then I’m gonna snatch it with both hands.”

  I stared back in to his amber wolf eyes. “I swear, if there’s any way I can stop myself from losing you, then I’m going to take it.”

  He leaned down slowly and laid the gentlest kiss against my forehead in the usual spot. “As long as it’s not at the expense of humanity, then count me in, love.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  When we arrived back at the terminal, the others were preparing everything they would need for the march on Castle Dion. The loyal Draugur were milling around outside the out-building they had called home for the last few weeks.

  Lyall snapped straight back into war commander mode as soon as we returned to the company of the other Dion. It took a few deep breaths for me to ground myself as I watched him work, realising I might never see the Lyall I had just spent the last couple of hours with, again.

  My eyes scanned the Draugur and Dion alike, until they finally settled on Finlay. He clearly sensed I was watching him and turned to smile grimly at me.

  I beckoned him to come to me, and he nodded before turning back to quickly finish packing a bag with spare clothes—obviously replacements for what we were wearing, if we had to shift during the fight.

  When he finished up and came trotting over to me, I grabbed his hand and pulled him quickly out of the clearing that surrounded the terminal, so we were standing behind the cover of the tall trees that surrounded us.

  “Whoa, Flor. What’s up?” He looked back toward the others as he spoke.

  Although I knew with absolute certainty Finlay had to know the truth of what the little blue soul had told me in the Everwood, I bit my lip with worry as I hesitated in asking him to give up even more.

  What if he refuses to help me?

  “Flora. Are you okay?” His eyes were filled with concern.

  I nodded, before taking a deep breath and plunging into my story. I told Finlay everything, with the exception of one tiny piece of information that even now, I wasn’t sure could be true.

  Finlay’s eyes grew wider as I related what the tiny, blue soul had told me. As I neared the end of the story, he started to understand what I was asking of him, and I studied his face intently as I spoke, certain I saw fear drift across his features for an instant.

  When I stopped talking, I stood as still as a statue and waited to hear what he would say.

  “Did you tell Lyall?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Why not, Flor?”

  “Because he’ll insist on giving me every last drop of energy he has, to make sure we succeed in pushing Sluag out of his body. That will kill him, Finlay.”

  “He’s going to do that anyway, Flor.”

  I closed my eyes, knowing that Finlay was right.

  Finlay shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “What happens if you need to take all of Lyall’s energy to force Sluag’s soul out?”

  I opened my eyes again. “Then I won’t…” My voice trailed off into a soundless whisper, and I bowed my head in shame.

  He frowned at me. “I’ll do everything I can, Flor.”

  I looked up at him. “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but you have to promise me that you won’t let Sluag ruin the world by trying to save Lyall’s life. He wouldn’t want that, Flor. You know he wouldn’t. That’s exactly why you didn’t tell him, isn’t it?”

  “I know what I need to do, Finlay. I just never expected to have to sacrifice the man I love to save the world.” I fought back tears, determined I wouldn’t cry again.

  Finlay shook his head in disbelief. “If you hadn’t been so determined to keep my memories and give me a new body all those months ago, then I wouldn’t be here now. How did you know I was supposed to be there for the end, Flor?”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t, Finlay. I fought to keep your memories and your soul here because I couldn’t stand to think of a world without my best friend in it.”

  He smiled at me. “Well, knowing what we know now, it seems like a bloody good job you did, huh?”

  I bit my lip. “I think fate might have had more than a little bit of a hand in this.”

  “If fate is on our side, then that must mean we’re meant to win this war,” he suggested hopefully.

  I started back toward the terminal. “I hope so, Finlay. I really do.”

  “Flora?” He called after me.

  I turned back to look at him questioningly.

  His eyes darkened. “Lyall’s one of my best friends. Truthfully, I don’t know if I will be able to stand aside and let him die—even to save the world.”

  I gave him a relieved smile. He understood me.

  His next words were much less comforting. “But I do know that if you try and sacrifice yourself for him, I will stop you. I love you too much to watch you die, Flor. So, don’t even think about it.”

  Pausing momentarily, I gave Finlay a stiff nod and started back toward the terminal. I felt hollow inside.

  Freya spoke to me as I approached the pile of supplies that waited just outside the terminal door. “I think we’re almost ready to leave, Flora.”

  Pushing Finlay’s last words to me out of my mind, I smiled at Freya. “Let’s hope we have everything we need.”

  She tipped her head in Lyall’s direction and grumbled. “If you listen to Captain Harris over there, you’d think we were a bunch of novices who don’t have a clue.”

  I looked at Lyall and smiled appreciatively. “He’s pretty damn good at this isn’t he?”

  Freya harrumphed. “Pretty damn good at being a pain in the ass.”

  Before I walked away, I laid a gentle hand on Freya’s arm. “Don’t let this thing start without telling him exactly how you feel.”

  She scrunched up her perfect nose and stopped what she was doing. “You want me to tell Lyall he’s a pain in the ass?”
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  I snorted and pointed my chin in the opposite direction. Her eyes followed my lead and landed on Bear.

  “Tell him,” I murmured.

  We both watched the cocky, Irish Dion juggling three knives, before dropping them into a waiting backpack.

  Freya brought her eyes back to mine. “I will,” was all she said.

  I nodded in satisfaction and made my way to the door of the terminal. I wanted to get the photograph of my parents. If I was going to die today, then I wanted my family with me when it happened.

  I crossed the main floor of the terminal. Although it was dawn, the dense tangle of trees outside, coupled with the tiny windows of the building didn’t let much light through. The room was gloomy and dust kicked up from my feet as I walked into the room I shared with Lyall.

  Even though it was dark in here, the room had become familiar to me now. I quickly found the drawer of a battered, wooden desk that was pushed in to the corner of the room. My hand closed around the picture of my family, and I lifted it up to my face to place a kiss on the shiny paper before tucking it safely into the pocket of my jeans.

  As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I suddenly noticed a small blue box on the end of the bed that hadn’t been there when I was last in this room.

  I walked over to the bed, and my hand closed around the velvet, ring-box. My heart raced as I opened it up, and a sheet of folded paper fell out and landed on the floor. I bent down to retrieve the paper and then flicked on the dim lamp at the side of the bed.

  In the brighter light, I noticed a glint of metal inside the box. When I peered inside, I saw a silver ring that had been wrought into the most beautiful and intricate shape I had ever seen.

  The ring itself was made out of several thin strands that had been cast to create an effect that was strikingly similar to the branches of the Síorraidh trees. At intervals along the branches, there were minute flowers that were a complete replica of the blue blooms that were currently scattered through the Everwood by the cold winds.

  It was beautiful.

  I slipped the ring on to my finger before unfolding the piece of paper and reading the words that were written upon it.