The Soul's Agent

by Wendy Knight

  "Oh," she cooed. "How could anyone break his heart when it's attached to a body like that?"

  I scowled, which was hard with my eyebrows pushed against the dirty bar. Was she hitting on me?

  "She's an ice queen. You wanna take him home and put his heart back together for him?"

  What the hell was going on? I forced myself up, rubbing my forehead and glaring at them both.

  She smiled, red painted lips splitting into a seductive smirk. She was hot, with black pin-up curls and a low-cut tank top that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

  And she wasn't Navi.

  "No thanks." I stood up, nearly toppling my bar stool. Her smile faded, replaced by hurt. Crap. Now I was going to have to find a new bar, and I planned on spending a lot of time in one for the next while. Until I forgot that demon angel for good. "It's not you. I can't do this anymore." I tried to give her an apologetic smile, but it didn't turn out so well.

  "You know where to find me." She wiped the counter and left to get someone else's drink.

  "You're an idiot," Josh said as he heaved me to my feet. "I hand you a hot girl who wants to take you home—"

  "I don't want it, Josh. I'm done." I shook my head, which was a mistake. The room spun and my stomach heaved. "Shit."

  "Okay." Josh pushed me forward, out the door and into the fresh air. "Time to get you home. No more alcohol for you."

  My stomach, as I lost everything in it all over the parking lot, agreed with him.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Navi

  Meeting Death wasn't an easy task. For one thing, dude is scary. He's got the glowing red eyes, the long skeletal hands emerging from the folds of his robes, and… nothing else. Well, he had a skeletal face, but I only got to see that when he pulled his hood back. That, however, was nothing compared to actually getting to him. It's hard getting through the gates of hell. Only an Agent can do it and return, unless she escorts someone out. So I went in with Elizabeth. The rest of my army kept watch on the shores.

  So the asuwangs emerge from the ocean through a rocky gate that was almost impossible to scale unless you had super powers. (And I totally have super powers. As long as the moon is up.) Well, on the other side of that gate is a cave. And at the back of the cave is what looks like a plain, ordinary wall, but when I raise Kali and Golly and push their blades into the soft rock, the wall shimmers and crumbles, and the gate to hell is opened.

  It wasn't hot, as one might expect, although the screams of the damned could be heard in the distance. It was dark, with eternal flames lighting torches every twenty-five feet or so. Elizabeth trembled beside me, as she always did, because this path did not bring back happy memories for her. Usually we walked in silence, but this time, Elizabeth had something on her mind. I could tell because she fidgeted, and Elizabeth never fidgets.

  "What's up, Buttercup?" I asked as we navigated our way over the petrified lava. Really, I could see the beauty of this place. Black, roiling waves of stone with hidden pockets, fragile and jagged and dangerous all at once. To fall here would mean stitches at the very least. Elizabeth looked at me and then away, biting her translucent lip. "Elizabeth?"

  Sudden fear hit me. What if she was ready to move on? It was her right—she'd earned it. But she'd been with me so long I wasn't sure how to exist without her. Besides that, she was my friend. She might not know it, but she was. I'd adopted her as my own and I wasn't sure if I could handle the pain of her leaving.

  Especially not right now. I wasn't particularly my strongest at that exact moment in time.

  "You've never asked why I was on my way to eternal damnation."

  I froze mid-step, nearly falling over. That wasn't what I'd been expecting at all. "No. I haven't." A very eloquent response.

  "Why not?" She wouldn't look at me. I could feel the hairs standing up on the back of my neck and a fear I'd never had with Elizabeth rose from my stomach.

  "It's your choice to tell me." I wasn't afraid of her. How could I be afraid of her—she's my Elizabeth in the colonial dress with the neat bun and the fierce battle ax. But still… being this close to hell can do crazy things to a person.

  Er, ghost.

  "I choose to tell you now."

  I looked wildly around the cavern. We were maybe four minutes from Death's door. Not a lot of time to have a heart to heart. But this seemed important to her. "Okay. Shoot."

  "In life, I loved two men."

  I waited for her to continue, but she didn't. So then I spent several seconds listening to my soft leather boots make padding noises across the lava and pondered her words. "Umm. Elizabeth, most people love more than one person in their life."

  She passed a ghostly hand over my arm. "You don't understand. I was married to one man. I loved him. Very much. But I also loved another man at the same time."

  "Oh. So you—you had an affair?" This was an incredibly awkward conversation. Plus, I hadn't thought having an affair was a damnable sin, but I wasn't all that up-to-date on what constituted a trip to hell.

  "No. I did not." Her voice was soft, sad. "I've seen the way you love Alec, Navi. That was the way I loved Wyatt. But I married someone else. And no matter how much I loved him, I could never love him enough to forget Wyatt."

  I paused, turning my full attention on her. "So you're saying that if I don't find a way to get over Alec, I'll go to hell?"

  She shook her head. "If you don't find a way to forget your Alec, you're already in hell. Or, you could tell him the truth and give your heart peace."

  It was true. His constant presence in my head over the years, in my heart, was agonizing. Having him there but never being able to touch him or talk to him or even see him. There were even times over the last four years that I imagined he was a myth. Not real. Not real.

  "I can't tell him the truth, Elizabeth. It will open his eyes. The demons will target him. I can't fight them and keep the city safe if they're constantly sending hunters after him. I love him enough to give him that. Besides, I also hate him. Right now, I hate him a lot."

  She smiled gently. I bet, when she'd died, she'd been in her early thirties. She was still beautiful, despite the sadness in her gray eyes. "Hate is passionate. Sometimes it is easier to hate the things we love. I took my own life because of my guilt, and I was not allowed into heaven. I spent a lifetime not being true to my own heart and soul—not letting go of one of them and fully loving the other. Perhaps that is the worst sin of all."

  And with that, we arrived at Death's door.

  His house, ironically, was an adorable cottage with pretty flowers and wind chimes out front. I got the impression that perhaps, it might just be possible, that Death didn't really enjoy all the darkness and gloom that came with being Death.

  I knocked, waiting to hear footfalls from the other side, even though I knew Death didn't walk. It was habit. Old habits die hard, you know.

  The door swung open and Death's red, glowing eyes greeted me. I swallowed my customary shriek, because asuwangs had red, glowing eyes and wanting to shriek was pure reflex. But Death was a nice guy, despite his terrifying appearance. "Navi. You are prompt, as usual."

  "Hi. Do you want my report first, or shall we meet the new recruits?"

  "You can sheath Golly and Kali now." I imagined him raising an eyebrow at me, but then, I couldn't remember him having eyebrows. Hurriedly, I put them away, immediately missing the comfort of my swords in my hands.

  "Let's have your reports first. I will have my pets round up the recruits." He whistled, an ear-splitting, skull-shattering ouch that brought the hounds of hell bounding out of the manicured back lawns. They were gigantic black dogs with flames dripping from their jaws, but they leaped around like puppies.

  "Down! Down boy!" I yelled when one, whose name I could never remember, leaped toward me, spiked tail wagging in excitement. I danced out of the way, facing eminent death at the mouth of an overly enthusiastic dog.

  Never mind that he was all fire and spikes and poison.

/>   "Garmr. Down," Death snapped. Garmr, yes. That was it. Garmr dropped back, head down. I would have petted him if his fur wouldn't have sent waves of toxins through my blood. Instead I just murmured, "Poor puppy."

  Death gave me an exasperated glare before he turned to Garmr and his sister—who also had a name I couldn't remember. "Bring me the lost souls."

  The dogs bounded off, racing through a haze of smoke and fire, and disappeared behind a wave of lava. "Shall we?" Death stepped back politely and waved us inside.

  His house was something out of a painting. Lots of pastels, lots of flowers. Lots of tea settings and comfortable furniture. "What have you to report?"

  I sat on the couch. Elizabeth stood silently by the door, watching us, but she kept her distance from the man who'd held her soul in his skeletal hand.

  "Jesse has failed the program. I'm recommending she be returned to your possession effective immediately."

  "Oh? I thought she was very eager to join your program."

  I nodded, picking up one of the little tea biscuits Death had set out. I nibbled on a corner, resisting the urge to moan in ecstasy. Death could bake. Well. "She was very eager to join my program. But since then, I have continually had to reprimand her for lackluster performance, and just the other night I sent her after two escaped asuwangs before they made it into society. They escaped and took four of my souls with them, but Jesse hasn't been seen since."

  "And she wasn't taken by the sea witch?" Death's skeletal fingers steepled under his chin and the red eyes watched me.

  "We don't believe so, no. My souls have said they can still feel her nearby."

  "If you revoke her access to the program and she refuses to come back, she will join limbo. You realize this, correct?"

  Limbo was the space between our world and the afterlife. Souls in limbo can't move on. They're trapped in a certain area. Basically, the ghosts that people see haunting buildings and terrorizing the general population? Those aren't my ghosts. Those are limbo souls. They can't communicate unless they're super powerful. They can't eat, they can't feel. All they can do is wander in their area for eternity. And yet, many souls choose that path because they're too afraid of the other side to move on, or they're too tied to something here to let go. It's a very sad thing, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

  Even Jesse.

  I glanced at Elizabeth. She nodded once and disappeared, fading in and out of the Death's domain as easily as she did my own.

  "Any other reports to make?"

  I nodded, eager for this one. "Yes. A good one. Don was critically injured in battle. I freed him from the demon, and he raced right back in to fight. He was then taken by the asuwangs when Jesse failed to stop them, and when I freed him from its shell, he helped kill it. He is always one of the first to arrive and the last to leave. I believe when his period of probation is up, he should be allowed to move on to the other side." I nodded toward the light over Death's shoulder. His home stood in the crossroads of the gates of hell and the stairway to heaven.

  Death's eyes brightened. He liked it when souls were saved. It didn't please him at all to send people to an eternity of suffering. I wouldn't mind our meetings at all if it wasn't for the screaming in the background and the stiff formality I had to take on when I talked to Death. He took his Soul Agents very seriously.

  Elizabeth returned just as the dogs did. I could feel the little cottage shaking with each giant step. "Navi," Elizabeth murmured as I went to follow Death outside. "Jesse has not been taken, but she refuses to come in."

  Death paused, looking over his shoulder at her. This close, I could see the skull hidden in the folds of his robe. It was clean and bright white. "She knows the consequences of her actions?"

  I felt Elizabeth tremble beside me, the air quivering around her. But she raised her chin, my brave warrior. "Yes."

  He nodded sadly. "I will send the hounds. If she refuses them, I have no choice but to remove her access to the otherworlds."

  The hounds would be busy today.

  My potential new recruits waited outside, some standing nervously, hopefully at attention, watching me with eager eyes. Some lounged about, and some glared at me with an inexplicable fury. Ghosts can't hide their emotions. Especially not here. They don't have enough energy. "You, you, you, and you. You may leave. Enjoy your stay in hell." I dismissed all the angry ones right away. They were a waste of my time, and I could feel that the sun would be rising soon.

  After they left, I faced the remaining souls. Probably about thirty of them, which would really help my flailing army. But I knew not all of them would work for my program. It was a sad thing.

  "My first question for you: Who here is interested in my program? Please show me by raise of hands."

  All of them but two raised their hands. I nodded. "You two may go." I watched as they turned and wandered off, lost souls in every sense of the word as they tried to follow the big hound leading them back to their cells. "For the rest of you. I will explain what your probationary period will entail. Then I will explain what is possible if you do well versus what will happen if you do not do well. At that time, I will take any questions you may have and then offer the position to those of you who I feel are right for the program."

  I pushed my hair over my shoulder and faced them. One of the men who had been lingering near the back spoke up. "You're awful young and small and"—his eyes roved up and down my body—"pretty to be leading an army. Why don't you leave that to the men?"

  I sighed. There was always one. "I've been doing this for over ten years. I have never lost a battle. Furthermore, it is not left to the men because men can't see demons unless someone opens their eyes for them. If we waited for that to happen, we would all be dead. On top of that," I growled, "if I left this up to the men, we would never win this battle. Only women can wield the swords of the soul and sing the call. I will thank you to keep your questions until the end."

  He snorted. I looked over at Death and shook my head. Sad, I was losing too many recruits and I hadn't even told them the scary part yet. Death motioned to his hounds, who nudged the man away. No one argued with the giant hell hounds, especially when they had the power to tear a soul to shreds.

  Because souls were already dead. So they couldn't die again, they would just endure the pain. For eternity.

  "Okay, Basically my program works like this. We are assaulted on a regular basis by demons known as asuwangs. They're controlled by a sea witch who has taken the lives of many, many humans and not a few Agents. My army of souls fight off the demons before they can make it through the gate and into town. If a soul is taken by the asuwangs, he or she is kept by the sea witch until the time she uses the soul as a shield to come to shore and attempt to make her home in the sun to feed off the flesh of the innocent. Before the sun rises, the souls can be rescued, but once the sun hits them, they form a nearly impenetrable shield and are unable to be freed at that time."

  I met each of their eyes. Yep, I'd scared them all quite a bit. I brought out my big, innocent puppy dog eyes. "However, with a strong enough team, the chance of getting taken is slim, and if a soul performs well during the probationary period of three months, he or she will be released to move on. No more fire, no more brimstone."

  Indecision warred on each and every face. And this is when I brought in my secret weapon. "This is Elizabeth. She has been fighting by my side for many, many years. She was given her freedom after her three month probationary period for outstanding service, but she chose to remain here and fight alongside us."

  Now they gaped. If the situation wasn't so tense, if I didn't need them so much, it would have been amusing to see all the translucent mouths hanging open. "And I would choose this path again," she said quietly, but loud enough that they all heard her.

  "Any questions?" I asked brightly.

  An hour later, I escorted twenty-seven souls back to the surface to meet the rest of my team.

  I stood on the beach and stared down at the water. "Sea
witch," I murmured, "I'm waiting for you."

  "Where are you going all…" Terrie gave me a once over. Reese, from her spot at the computer, rolled her eyes and went back to work. "Dressed up?" Terrie finally finished.

  I was exhausted. The meeting with Death had taken all night long, and after that I hadn't slept well.

  Stupid Alec.

  But. I reminded myself there was a but. I had done this before. I had missed sleep and had nightmares and cried. And I had gotten thought it. I would do it again.

  So, yes. I was tired and I looked like crap. These things couldn't be helped. "Has—has anyone called or—or anything?" I asked, feeling my cheeks redden. Obviously, we all knew who anyone was.

  "No, Navi. And honestly, if you look like that, I don't know why you'd expect them to." Terrie didn't even try to soften the blow with a smile or anything.

  Well. Ouch.

  Reese sighed. "Konstanz was talking to someone for a few minutes last night but I didn't see who. Seriously, Navi, where are you going in sweats that don't even have cute words across your butt?"

  I abhorred sweats that had cute words across my butt. They made me uncomfortable. "I'm having lunch with Bryson," I called over my shoulder as I practically scampered down the hall to my room. Konstanz was lying on her bed, neatly made while mine, across from hers, was still a disastrous mound of tangled blankets.

  "Hey. Did…" My voice failed me, so I cleared my throat and tried again. "Did Alec stop by last night?"

  Konstanz didn't look up from her tablet. "No, honey. I'm sorry."

  My shoulders fell. I hadn't even realized I was so tense until she didn't give me the answer I was hoping for. I let a breath out in a strangled whoosh. "Okay. I just wondered… Reese said someone stopped by."

  "Oh. Yeah, it was the delivery guy but he had the wrong house. I had to argue with him about it for, like, ten minutes."

  I heard the knock on the door and caught sight of Reese leaping over the coffee table to answer it. "Okay. Ready for lunch with Bryson?"