Shadow's Soul

by Jami Gray

  Wiping the back of her hand against her stinging chin, Raine smeared blood over her skin. Damn witch! Using the wall for leverage, she got her legs under her and, balancing on the balls of her feet, waited to see if Tala would rush her again.

  Instead, Tala’s head fell forward and she inched back until she could touch Cheveyo’s hand. She stilled, hair veiling her face, shoulders heaving as she drew in air. When she looked up, Raine flinched. Tala wasn’t in there. Creepy choir was back in control.

  “He is not healing.” The eerie voices made her bones ache. “You must find the damaged bonds, repair them, or nothing we do will help.”

  Not about to argue with whatever entity or entities had taken up residence in Tala, Raine wasn’t sure she could do what they were asking. “Fine. I’ll look again, but you need to move to Cheveyo’s other side.” She wanted space between her and whatever hijacked Tala.

  “Why should we do as you ask?” Arrogance bled through skin and voice.

  “Do you want me to do what you ask?”

  The strange birdlike nod was short.

  “Then move on the other side of him.”

  “You don’t trust us?”

  She swore the entity was laughing at her, but she didn’t care. “Not one damn bit.”

  A small, condescending smile twisted Tala’s lips.

  Raine kept an eye on the other woman as she moved to Cheveyo’s other side. Only when Tala was situated did Raine let out a disgusted breath. “Right, then.”

  She scooted away from the wall until only a few feet separated her and Cheveyo. It took a bit longer to drop her barriers. Between the dull ache of slamming them closed and the tension of his psycho girlfriend’s stare, it was like trying to walk a tightrope and not disturb the cobra coiled on the rope in front of you.

  As her magic flared, Raine kept her gaze on Tala. The witch’s gold aura now held an array of swirling colors deep inside. Like a faint, opalescent rainbow.

  Tearing her attention away from the mesmerizing show, Raine focused on Cheveyo. “What do you want me to look for?”

  “Broken magic.”

  “That’s helpful,” she mumbled.

  Narrowing her concentration, she systematically scanned Cheveyo’s earth tones, following them as far as she could. Bright healing magic wrapped protectively around the pale tones of Cheveyo’s damaged magic. Braided between Tala and Cheveyo’s signatures, was Raine’s magic. She hoped the small warps of Gavin’s power were visible to only her.

  It didn’t look as if it had changed since last night. “Nothing’s broken.” She waved a hand over Cheveyo’s inert body. “Look for yourself.”

  Tala’s opalescence rainbow bled around the edges of Raine’s vision as the witch drew closer. “Don’t mock us, Weaver.”

  Who knew a choir could hiss in harmonic chords? Raising her hands in surrender, Raine tempered her response. “I’m not. Can’t you see the magic?”

  Those unnerving eyes focused on her and it was all she could do not to flinch under that piercing stare. “We do not see the loom as you do, Weaver.”

  Okay, what was with the “weaver” thing? Raine opened her mouth to ask then thought better of it as some instinctive warning system blared its little heart out.

  The weird choir wasn’t done. “The fabric of magic reveals itself only to those who understand the warp and weave of its many threads. It has chosen to share itself with you. Since we cannot view the pattern of his magic, you must find it and correct it.”

  Yeah, that was terrifyingly vague and ominous. “What I see looks the same as last night.”

  “What do you see?”

  Since Tala and company seem to be listening to her, she fought down the frustration of explaining things yet again. “Colors, energy. There is no real pattern. Each person has a unique signature…umm…color. Their magic’s strength reflects as dim or bright.” She looked back to the man between them. “Right now he’s holding his own, but he’s not as bright as normal. The healing magic Tala spun last night is a protective layer over his magic.” As she spoke the shimmery gold flashed softly and wrapped a bit tighter around the pale earth tones.

  “You need to go deeper.” The unnerving voices gentled. The spill of inky color over the white was back in Tala’s eyes, indicating she was trying to regain control.

  Raine found it disconcerting, so she focused on Cheveyo, silently praying Tala would make it back into the driver’s seat. Dealing with the witch was so much more preferable than dealing with whoever those voices belonged to.

  A few moments later, Tala’s voice emerged carrying a noticeably slur. “They’re right.”

  Raine looked up to find the strange opalescent rainbow gone, leaving only the gold behind. Tension eased and her shoulders slumped as she raised her mental walls, the world reclaiming its normal appearance. “Thank the gods.” Her earlier headache came back with reinforcements. Rubbing a trembling hand over her face she said, “Promise me, you won’t invite those friends back?”

  The choked laugh from the witch was strangely reassuring. “I’ll try.”

  “Who are they anyway?”

  “Ancestors.”

  Raine made a rolling motion with her hand inviting more details.

  Tala sighed and fiddled absently with edge of Cheveyo’s blanket. “The damage was so great, I invoked the tribe’s Ancestors. I’ve never dealt with a Nomȃhtsé’héōò Adanata’s victim.” Those nervous fingers paused. “At least not one who still lived. Nothing I tried worked. He needed something more than I could give.”

  “So Creepy Chorus is…”

  Panicked surprise flicked across the witch’s face. “Creepy Chorus? Dear gods, Raine, tell me you didn’t call them that?”

  Feeling weirdly connected to Tala, Raine shook her head. “Not out loud, but the multitude of voices was downright eerie.” Time to get the conversation back on track. “So who are these Ancestors?”

  “They are the collection of knowledge gathered from all the past magis.”

  Raine let out a low whistle. The thought of having access to that much knowledge was…well…mind blowing. And scary.

  Tala gave a grim nod. “They’re a last resort.”

  “He’s still holding on, so that’s something.” Raine offered gently, watching the play of raw emotions on Tala’s face.

  “I hope it’s enough.” Tala pushed to her feet, her movements stiff. Beside her, Ash rose, staying protectively close to his mistress. Considering how pale and exhausted she appeared, Raine understood his concern. She wondered how much of Tala’s magic was being siphoned off to help Cheveyo.

  The woman gathered an empty bowl and other supplies and turned to the kitchen.

  Raine’s quiet, “Tala” had the other woman turning back to her. Raine didn’t want to ask the question hovering on her tongue, but the fact that the witch went to such extreme lengths to save her mentor, meant Raine could do no less. “What did you mean when you said they were right?”

  Puzzlement clouded Tala’s face, but as the moments ticked by it cleared. “He’s not healing because something’s not right. If we can’t figure out what’s going on, we’re going to lose him.”

  Her stomach clenched at the defeat underlying Tala’s voice. Frustrated, Raine clenched her fist. “Maybe they don’t know what they’re doing. Like I told them, I don’t see anything broken.”

  “They know.”

  “Are you sure? They kept calling me ‘Weaver,’ whatever the hell that means.”

  Tala’s mouth dropped open and the items in her hands rattled. “What?” The question came out on a choked gasp.

  Her dramatic reaction forced Raine to her feet. Before she could respond, Gavin came up behind Tala.

  “Something wrong?” His question caused Tala to start violently. He managed to rescue the bowl that slipped from her grasp.

  “You need a bell.” Tala ignored his question as she studied Raine. “Tell me what they said to you.”

  Folding her arms across her chest,
Raine countered, “Don’t you know? You were in there too, right?”

  Tala growled, spun, and dumped the items she held into Gavin’s arms. “Could you please put those in the kitchen?” She pushed him back out.

  He sent a questioning look to Raine. When she shrugged, he did as the witch asked.

  Tala turned to Raine, hands on her hips. “I’m there. I just don’t catch all of the conversations. It’s too chaotic.”

  Considering how impressive the Ancestors were from Raine’s perspective that made sense. Sort of. “They said something about magic choosing who saw it, and since they couldn’t see it and I could, I needed to fix it.”

  “But you can’t see anything to fix?”

  “Right.”

  Looking away, Tala’s jaw tightened and a rush of emotions passed so quick Raine wasn’t sure what she saw.

  “There are individuals who can see magic,” Tala explained. “Then there are those very rare individuals who can not only see magic, but change it.”

  Raine’s confusion was rapidly replaced by a horrible sense of understanding. “I can’t change magic.”

  “Have you tried?” Tala’s question was sharp.

  “Hell no. Why would I?” She lifted her chin. “If it was something I could do, don’t you think Cheveyo would have mentioned it?”

  Tala didn’t answer.

  That annoying small whisper was back, this time repeating the conversation between Raine and Gavin on the possibility of being manipulated by their leaders. She fought to ignore it. Now wasn’t the time for doubts. Paranoia was a wonderful edge to have, but sometimes it was a pain in the ass.

  Keeping her thoughts from her face, Raine waited while Tala watched her. She must have succeeded, because after a moment, Tala waved Raine over to the couch.

  “If the Ancestors think you can find the damage and fix it, then you can.” Tala sunk into a chair. Ash trotted over and curled at her feet. “Gods know I’ve tried everything.”

  Gavin came back to the living room and Raine scooted over, her invitation obvious. He settled next to her, stretching an arm along the back of the sofa. “I can’t leave you alone for five minutes without you baiting for trouble.”

  “I didn’t start it.”’ She shared her encounter with Tala’s multiple personalities. Although he gave no outward reaction, she felt the tension thrumming through him.

  “I don’t like this.”

  “Yeah, welcome to the club.” She was pulled from the internal conversation by Tala’s voice. Raine blinked. “Sorry?”

  Exasperation deepened the lines bracketing Tala’s compressed lips. “I asked what they told you to do.”

  “They said I had to go deeper.”

  “So why won’t you?”

  “Because I’m still trying to recover from the Stealer’s tender ministrations. Every time I touch Cheveyo’s magic, it sucks me under. I’d be lucky if I made it back.”

  “Use Gavin as an anchor then.”

  The absolute flat tone, a clear indicator the witch had no qualms of using whatever or whoever to get Cheveyo back, erased any softer feelings Raine harbored. She might understand the sentiment, but it didn’t mean she liked it.

  “Just because Raine can go in, doesn’t mean she’ll find whatever it is you think she will.” Gavin’s tone was as hard as his face, proof that Tala’s casual disregard had well and truly pissed him off.

  The witch sent a pointed look at Cheveyo. “I think it’s worth a shot.” She paused. “I’m sure Mr. Mulcahy would agree.”

  Raine dug her nails into her thighs at Tala’s very correct assumption. “If—” Raine stressed, “—I go in, what am I supposed to look for? Broken magic doesn’t seem to cut it.” As if she had a choice here. She knew she was going back in and so did the witch sitting across from her.

  Satisfaction lightened Tala’s eyes. “When you’re in there, you need to look for weaknesses. Breaks, frays, gaps, anything that disrupts the normal flow.”

  Gavin’s fingers drummed on the edge of the couch behind Raine’s head. “You think the Stealer has pieces of him.” It wasn’t a question.

  Tala’s sharp nod confirmed his statement. “If I’m right, you’re going to find pieces of Cheveyo’s magic are still missing. You may have broken the immediate ties, but you didn’t replace what was stolen.”

  Comprehension bloomed and Raine’s stomach pitched, nerves leaving her cold. “When we destroy the Stealer, will Cheveyo’s magic return to him?”

  “Probably.”

  Gavin’s fingers stilled. “Probably?”

  Tala shot him an unfriendly look. “Magic is energy, and if you destroy the Soul Stealer, you destroy the bindings holding all the consumed energy that created it.”

  “Which means if Cheveyo’s magic still exists, it should come back,” Raine followed along. “And the souls? Will they be freed?” She wasn’t sure ‘free’ was the right term, considering the psychotic joy the Stealer felt tearing Raine apart. Gods only knew what state the spirits would be in after their horrific time with the monster.

  Grief washed over Tala’s face, softening her voice. “There may not be anything left to be freed.”

  Gavin’s fingers stilled. “We do this for you, you’ll owe us.” The gravity of his statement hung heavy in the room. Raine brushed a light mental touch to his thoughts, needing to know what was at stake.

  Tala studied him. “What are you asking for?”

  “Honesty.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Regarding?”

  “Jenny Walker,” Raine answered.

  Tala blinked, confusion furrowing her brow. “Done.” Her answer was hesitant as if she was looking for an unseen trap.

  Gavin gave her a solemn nod.

  Raine pushed up from the couch. Stretching her spine, she took a huge breath and let it out. “Fine. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  She moved back to her initial spot by Cheveyo and felt Gavin settle in behind her. Lowering her barriers, a surrealistic vision of reality took form around her. Looking over her shoulder, she found Gavin behind her. Turning back to the undulating streams of magic, she took a breath and dove in.

  Energy swirled and sucked her under. This time she focused on the waves tossing her around, riding them until they finally deposited her on solid ground. As the energy receded, she crawled up dull brown sand and got to her feet. Dull browns, faded greens, and sickly yellows danced around her, letting her know she stood in the midst of Cheveyo’s magic. Scanning the scene, she felt the weight of Gavin’s hands settle on her shoulders and relief nudge some of her worry aside.

  Keeping her attention on the magic, she asked, “Where do I start?”

  “Up.”

  His answer had her twisting around. “Excuse me?”

  He cocked a half-grin and pointed straight up. “You’re in too far, you need to draw back a bit.”

  Navigating this magic sucked. “And we do that, how?”

  There was a sudden shift, a sharp tug and then she was pulled straight up. The sickening sensation of the ground falling away washed a wave of nausea through her gut. She scrunched her eyes closed. Before she could do more than gulp, she jerked to a stop. Gavin’s hands at her waist kept her on her feet.

  “Never again,” she gasped, trying to slow her pulse.

  His only response was a soft chuckle.

  Prying her lids apart, she studied the flow of Cheveyo’s magic running like river of light below. Just above it, like a faint mist, rested Tala’s healing magic. In a barely discernible layer between them, pulsed the silver blue of her and Gavin’s power. Tala’s energy seeped through, but, at this level, it was obvious the slow trickle of healing power wasn’t enough to keep Cheveyo alive.

  Leaning over, Raine peered closer—realizing Tala was right. Pieces were missing. Some of the bands of light remained unbroken, while others were marred with nicks and cuts. Just below Tala’s light was Cheveyo’s sluggish band, peppered with tiny holes that left his innate magic stretched to dange
rously thin levels.

  Cheveyo’s magic resembled a colander, unable to hold enough of Tala’s healing magic to repair the gaps. The added binding of Raine and Gavin’s magic simply slowed the inevitable.

  “Damn it.” She leaned back into Gavin’s hold. “She was right.”

  “Now what?”

  Staring at the brutal evidence of the Stealer’s work, her stomach iced and dread gathered. “I don’t want to do this.” Here, where it was just them, she let the harsh truth free. His hold tightened. “If I go in there and start messing around with Cheveyo’s magic, there’s no telling what the end result will be,” she continued. “It’s too damn risky.”

  “Just because you can see this, doesn’t mean you can fix it.”

  “I know, but we both know she’s going to push.” She studied the waves. “Can you do it?”

  Silence answered her. Unable to see his face, she pulled to the side and looked back. He studied the motion below them, his face empty. It wasn’t that he was avoiding her, more that he was thinking something through.

  “You realize the only reason I can see this is because I’m shadowing you?”

  She nodded.

  “So why do you think I can do it?”

  “You were able to switch the bond between Cheveyo and me, to all of us. I thought maybe you could do something similar.” She resettled in front of him, careful to make sure he didn’t lose his grasp on her. She so didn’t want to experience another free fall through…whatever this was.

  He tightened his grip on her waist. “That was altering part of Cheveyo’s original spell. I don’t think it would be smart for me to mess around with this.”

  Yeah, she got that. “Fine.” She covered his hands with hers. “Let’s get back and go hunt ourselves a Soul Stealer.”

  Tala ushered them into the kitchen, supposedly to let Cheveyo rest. Personally, Raine thought nothing short of an atomic bomb would bring that man around anytime soon. However, it made Tala happy, which meant a chance at straight answers for a change. Answers they needed to find Xander.

  Gathered around the table with Tala between them, Raine started collecting on Tala’s debt. “Tell me about Jenny Walker and Brett Chavez.”