Released Souls

by Karice Bolton

  “Over here,” I told him, pointing at my other hand.

  “She’s not sleeping is she?” he asked, startled.

  “No.” I shook my head. “Her eyes are open and blinking.”

  He had a pouch strapped to him, and his hand quickly reached in to grab a small, blue bottle.

  “I’m here, my darling,” he whispered, and I suddenly felt like I was spying on something I shouldn’t be. But she was in my palm so I couldn’t leave.

  He took the cork out of the bottle, tossing it on the floor, and he landed on my palm. He helped Bakula sit up, and kneeled beside her, feeding her the contents of the bottle. We all looked on as she gulped the liquid, hoping that with each swallow a visible transformation would begin.

  “Who’s the one who figured out what spell she was under?” Dace asked, glancing up at me.

  “Trevor figured it out and Logan executed it.” I looked over at Trevor who was beaming.

  “Nice teamwork,” Dace replied. He placed the empty bottle back in his pouch and pulled out another bottle — this time green. It didn’t look like one bottle ought to fit in his pouch let alone two. This bottle had a metal snap lid, instead of a cork, and he popped it with a quick flick of his thumb and began letting Bakula drink once more.

  Her cheeks slowly began to fill out. Her skin became vibrant, and her eyes began to cast the gentle glow I was so accustomed to.

  “Is she going to be okay?” I finally asked, now that I was more certain the answer would be yes.

  “She is indeed. Another few hours, and I’m not so sure.” Dace looked at me with a shimmer in his eyes as he spoke the words. “Thank you for going in there.”

  “You’re welcome.” I smiled at Dace, relieved that I wasn’t going to get scolded by a fairy in front of Trevor and Logan.

  “But you really shouldn’t have put yourself in harm’s way. It was very irresponsible. Do you think we’d go to all of this trouble, if we wanted to risk having you get caught by Lara,” he ranted, leaving his wife to sit up by herself.

  “And furthermore—”

  “Dear?” Bakula spoke. “Just be happy I’m back.”

  She smiled her glorious smile, teeth and all, and for once I wasn’t horrified by the visual. I was relieved.

  A glimpse of embarrassment spread across Dace’s face, and I had to look away so I didn’t chuckle. A little man like that didn’t like to be laughed at.

  “How quickly we forget,” Bakula chimed in and began laughing on my behalf.

  Logan stood next to me, and slinked his hand in mine.

  “Nice work, babe,” he murmured in my ear.

  An immediate sense of pride ran through me as I realized what I had accomplished. It was pretty cool.

  “Who would’ve known?” I asked, shrugging my shoulders. “I didn’t actually think I was going to be able to pull it off.”

  I winked at him as his mouth fell open.

  “Seriously?” he asked.

  “I had my doubts, but I figured now was the best time to experiment.”

  “Wow. You’re something else,” he whispered, his eyes dazzling, full of admiration.

  “I’m gonna go back and let the guys know that Bakula’s doing okay. If you need me, just holler.” Trevor began walking to the basement.

  “Thanks, Trev. For everything.” I threw him a grateful smile and he smiled back. But I could tell something was bothering him, and I only hoped it had nothing to do with Logan and me or the Praedivinus order.

  Distracting me from my Trevor worries was Bakula dashing around the kitchen at a record pace.

  “Just stretching out my limbs, working out my lungs,” she told us, flying up, down, and around us all. “The lungs need to get used to working hard again.”

  Dace watched her lovingly as she performed her acrobatics, while Logan and I watched in amazement. She was quite the perky character.

  “I’m glad you guys are both here, even though circumstances certainly could’ve been better,” I paused. “But it has to do with Bakula’s capture.”

  Bakula stopped suddenly and fluttered over to me, hovering about a foot away.

  “What about it, dear? You did a wonderful job of getting me back.”

  “Oh, thank you,” I said. “I only could do it because I knew I had a team on the outside waiting.” My eyes strayed from Bakula’s, connecting with Logan’s.

  I took a deep breath in and exhaled sharply.

  “What’s bothering you?” she asked.

  “We have complete faith in you all but seeing that Bakula was captured…” I bit my lip and turned to Logan for support. I didn’t want the fairies to think I doubted their capabilities, but that’s what it was about to sound like.

  “It occurred to us that if anything had also happened to Dace, we wouldn’t ever be able to find our moms,” Logan finished for me, and I tossed him a grateful smile.

  “I see,” Dace replied, looking at Bakula.

  “They do have a point,” Bakula agreed, steadying her eyes on her husband.

  “We aren’t asking to bring them out of hiding, but to at least know where they’re at.” I waited for Bakula to turn her attention back to me.

  She nodded and flew over to me, standing on my shoulder.

  “We will give you their location. Your point was well received. A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have agreed. Obviously, things have changed. Dear, would you like to tell them or should I?”

  Dace looked over at me and then at Logan. “They’re back at the camp in the Adirondacks.”

  My body froze. This wasn’t the location I was expecting. Plopping them on top of a mountain in Montana or in the middle of an ocean were the locations I expected to hear.

  “Are you serious? You put them back where this all started? That’s not hiding. That’s a hotbed of activity.”

  “Actually, the Praedivinus order is treating that place like it was the site of a plague or something. Only ruins are left, so we quickly constructed a place for your families. There’s no way the Praedivinus members would go back there. It’s actually an ideal spot. And I wouldn’t say that’s where it all started, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that is where it all ends,” Bakula said, and she flew to the counter next to Dace.

  Okay, so my first attempt at prying information out of them worked. Now on to my second attempt…

  “So why can’t you tell me what Eben is after? I know you guys know.” I crossed my arms and stared at them.

  “We do know. I won’t lie about that,” Dace began. “But it’s not our place to tell you. Unfortunately, in our world that would act as an interference or possible alteration. We can’t afford to have that happen. Just interacting with you interrupts the balance slightly.”

  “You guys interfere all the time,” I objected, completely bewildered.

  “It’s not the same unfortunately. What he’s after alters the worlds we live in, both yours and ours. If we merely utter the idea, it’s our fault that it’s been placed in anyone else’s mind — your mind— and we can’t afford that responsibility. It could destroy our world as we know it.” Dace sat down on the cup and looked over at Logan for help. “And I rather like our world.”

  “But isn’t it worse that Eben achieves whatever it is that you won’t tell me about? If I knew what it was that he’s after, I might be able to stop him quicker.” I scowled at Dace, completely puzzled.

  “Believe it or not, the consequences of us telling you and placing that thought in your mind is more detrimental to our worlds than Eben actually achieving it,” Bakula replied. She sat next to Dace and began sipping water from a tiny cup. Again, I had no idea where that cup came from. It was like their bags were endless.

  “Oh, this is so annoying.” I turned to Logan, hoping to see some conflict boiling within him as well, but it wasn’t. He just winked at me. He moved over to the kitchen table and sat down, waiting for events to transpire.

  Then it came to me!

  “I’ve got it! You guys can’t tell me
because you’re fairies, and you can’t alter realities. Blah. Blah. Whatever. Fine! But I know someone who can.” An evil grin touched my lips, as I began tapping my foot. I raised my eyebrows and waited for a response.

  Bakula dropped her cup, shattering it on the counter, and she looked horrified.

  “No.” She began shaking her head frantically. “Absolutely not.”

  “Can’t do it,” Dace concurred.

  “But it’s the only way. If you can’t tell me, yet there’s nothing wrong with me actually finding out, then I’ll find someone who will tell me,” I countered. “It’s crucial that I figure it out. You’ve left me no other options.”

  Logan moved so quickly toward me that I was caught off guard when he grabbed both of my hands, clenching them tightly in his. “Babe, please don’t even say it. You can’t do it. We don’t know what would happen if we released him. He can’t be trusted. You know that,” Logan replied, his blue eyes begging me to listen.

  “I have to speak with him. It’s time to wake him. It’s apparently the only way.”

  “I don’t agree with you. This is too dangerous,” Bakula whispered, shaking her head. She dropped her stare and looked away from me, folding her tiny arms in front of her.

  “I’ve seen him in my visions, and maybe this is why,” I muttered, staring at the wood floor.

  Logan released my hands and began pacing. “Triss, this is a really bad idea.”

  “We need to know what’s driving Eben,” I replied, turning my attention to Bakula. I hoped since I just saved her, she might have a soft spot reserved for me, but judging by the expression plastered on her face, I’d have to take a rain check.

  “Listen, we’ve got a couple of things going on. First is taking out Lara and Eben, the top members of the Praedivinus order. In order to do that I think it’s crucial to find out what they’re after. Second point of order—”

  “Point of order?” Logan stopped moving and looked at me with a bewildered expression, his brow arched up.

  Maybe I watched too many criminal shows in high school.

  “Anyway.” I rolled my eyes, smiling. He always put me in a better mood. “The second thing we need to focus on is how far reaching the organization is. Maybe taking out Eben and Lara is enough. I doubt it though.”

  Looking at Dace, I pleaded with him silently to give me the answers I so desperately needed.

  Finally when I was about to give up, he caught my gaze and slowly led it to the top of the refrigerator and nodded only enough to tell me what I needed to know. He’d place the answer up there before he left.

  “Well, since you won’t help me, I guess I’ll find out another way,” I replied, tossing a smile at Dace. “But if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go to bed. It’s been a long day.” And I walked out of the kitchen “I don’t trust her to give up that easily. She’s up to something.” I heard Logan telling them before he ran up behind me, following me to our bedroom.

  “She always is, that one,” Bakula replied playfully after Logan.

  Chapter 18

  I walked into the kitchen feeling amazing from the night before. Logan was so tender and attentive that even though I didn’t get much sleep, I certainly felt rested. And it was beyond exhilarating how things were starting to come together. We’d gotten Bakula back. I learned where my father had been placed, and now I just needed to figure out when to go find him when I noticed Logan glaring at me from the corner of the room. He didn’t take his eyes off me as I walked to the sink. I placed the mug I was carrying on the counter and gave him a quick smile.

  His eyes were as cold as steel.

  “Everything okay?” I questioned, staying put.

  He didn’t reply, but then I glimpsed a piece of paper in his hand. He saw that I noticed what he was holding and leaned against the wall, raising one brow.

  “So when were you going to leave this for me?” Logan’s eyes were blazing as he held onto a cream-colored piece of paper.

  I had no idea what had gotten him so upset, but I was sure it had to be a misunderstanding. I wasn’t leaving him anything. I had no idea what he was talking about.

  I looked at him wide-eyed and confused, which seemed to only make him angrier.

  “I can’t believe you’d do this to me,” his voice filled with rage as his eyes met mine. “With everything we’ve shared?”

  I stared at him, completely unsure of what to do. He began pacing, squeezing the sheet of paper. The nectunt we shared ached with every turn of his body.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking—” I began.

  “Oh, now you’re going to lie about it?” he interrupted, shaking his head. “Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. This is your handwriting.”

  “Babe,” I whispered.

  “Don’t call me that,” his voice was cool and guarded, and so were his eyes.

  My insides hurt so badly I couldn’t even speak. What had I done?

  “So I’d love to know how long you’ve been planning this? Oh, and I’d love to know when you were gonna do it?”

  My mouth went completely dry, and my body began to shake when I realized he had somehow been given my letter. How did he get it? I had burned it. I had burned that letter. The room began spinning, and I felt for the counter to lean against.

  “It’s not like that,” I began, my voice trembling.

  “Really?” It’s all right here,” he said, shaking the piece of paper at me.

  I stared at what was in his hands and it looked like new. Nothing was pieced together. Edges weren’t burnt. It really was like new.

  “Please, listen to me,” I begged. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Yeah, you say that now because I found it before you wanted, but your real intentions couldn’t be more clear.” I could tell he was choking back a lot more than anger as he spoke, which only gnarled my insides more.

  “Maybe you’re like your father. You just use people how you see fit. Don’t you say something like that here?” He waived it again.

  Oh my god. It really was the letter.

  “Logan, please,” I cried. “I burned it. I never planned on giving it to you. I never planned on leaving. It was an exercise.”

  In two steps he was hovering over me. His fingers trembling as he held onto the paper carrying the words I never intended for him to see.

  “You don’t understand. I wrote that to rid myself of the guilt. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’d never leave you, but it’s like something always happens to the people I care about. I was only trying to get rid of all the feelings I’ve had inside — the self-doubt, worry, sadness. When I wrote it, I knew I’d never leave you. I just had to get it out. It was just therapy.” I looked into his eyes, hoping to connect on some level.

  “I wish I could believe you,” his voice was distant. He was only inches away from me as he placed a hand on each side of me, gripping the kitchen counter.

  I closed my eyes, attempting to force back the tears. I could feel the heat of his breath rushing over me.

  “I destroyed it.” The tears wouldn’t stop.

  “Is that so?”

  “What can I do to prove it?” I whispered. Everything in my body ached.

  Looking up at him, I reached out for him and he quickly backed away.

  “And to think of the things I was going to try to fit in for us before…” his voice trailed off, and his azure eyes held a darkness that I knew I couldn’t reach. There was nothing I could do. He didn’t believe me. He wouldn’t believe me.

  He turned around and walked out of the kitchen.

  “I’m gonna go for a walk.” Logan slammed the front door and my world crumbled into a million pieces that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to paste back together.

  I knew what I had written in that letter, and I couldn’t even forgive myself.

  ***

  I had searched everywhere for Logan and didn’t find any trace of him. The nectunt was silent. It didn’t even ache as it had in the
kitchen. He had shut me out. I walked down to the park, circled my way back through each of the blocks leading back to our house, and even sat at a Starbucks for hours, hoping I’d catch him wandering by.

  On my way back to the house, I wandered past a woman who was pushing a stroller, and I dipped my gaze to the bucket to see the baby. It was empty. She was pushing around an empty stroller. My eyes quickly dashed up her body, and I began to sense an aura that I’d only come across a couple times.

  It was Eben. I had to get back to the house. I had made myself vulnerable, wandering around, and all I could do was hope that Eben thinks he was hidden well enough. I had plans that needed to be executed tomorrow, and I had to hope Logan would be back by then. I needed to release my father, smart or not, and I couldn’t be distracted like this. Walking as fast I as I could without giving off the appearance of knowing, I felt the aura become more and more distant. I didn’t think he was coming after me. I couldn’t let my emotions do this to me. I had completely let my guard down, but I wouldn’t be fooled again.

  Feeling the strength, fake as it was, fill me back up brought me back to what was expected of me. Even though every fiber of my being felt shredded, I had to focus on getting the information. I didn’t have the luxury to be able to wallow around in my misery.

  I didn’t even buy my pep talk. How in the world would anyone else?

  Relief spread through me as I opened the front door and was greeted with several bouquets of daisies, along with a trail of petals leading up the stairs. Passion Pit was rolling down the staircase, with a song that was all too fitting. Guilt riddled me as I thought about our argument. I wondered how long he had been back at the house. Maybe he’d found the box of therapy letters my mom kept at the other house — our real house. She kept them under her bed. Could I be that lucky? I could only hope.

  “Logan?” I called, leaning up the first few steps.

  He didn’t respond, but that didn’t stop me from climbing the steps two at a time.

  “I’m so sorry for hurting you,” I whispered, reaching the landing.

  A hand slid around my shoulder, and something pricked me in the neck. I turned around quickly to see Lara smiling at me while she placed the cap back on the syringe.