Havoc of Souls

by S. J. Sanders

  Humans touched by Aites were plagued with madness by the end and self-destruction. Everything they touched would spread the miasma.

  He should have given her blessed release that she might make it back to the halls of her ancestors.

  Why hadn’t he?

  Capturing the female wulkwos, Magva, had been a moment of triumph. She wasn’t one of the greatest among the females of her kind, but females were wily and took more effort to capture than their male counterparts. While it had startled him to see one trying to possess a human female, it had given him the perfect opportunity to strike while her attention was distracted. He hadn’t even paid any attention to the human at the time. His entire being had been enflamed with his focus on securing his prey.

  He was coming down from his battle lust after vanquishing Tirv when he finally got a good look at the female. He had reached for her with every intention of ending her life and yet something within him drew to a halt the minute her sweet scent, so full of pure life, hit his nose.

  She’d been afraid, just as all the living and dead were afraid, and yet something had changed. She’d looked at him and submitted. Her spirit had flared with such strength as she fought for her life that it had been as a beacon, difficult to ignore, but when he’d approached it gradually softened into acceptance and he’d found himself oddly reluctant to do what must be done. Her brave words had stolen his certainty.

  He hadn’t anticipated that she would want to follow him. Never had he needed another being to carry out his tasks; the idea of having a helpless human following him was repugnant. That she dared to consider touching his lamp had been the ultimate insult. He’d been prepared to fiercely chase her from his presence if not outright kill her, as he should have done to begin with. Yet once again she threw him off his course.

  Alone.

  Until she spoke the words, he’d never given much thought to what it was to be alone. Charu was accustomed to it. For millenniums, he’d had no other. He’d watched as the vanth, the spirits who escorted the dead through the dark gates, rushed past with their ghostly wings and brilliant torches as they guided the souls. They rarely looked his way. Their full attention was always on the humans for whom they held great affection.

  Perhaps it was natural that the vanth had such bonds. It served the purpose of their nature. They were meant to be a comfort to the dead, and treated humans with love and patience. However, they were spirits between worlds, not beholden to Aites as he was. He never left the gate. He was bonded to it as if it were a part of him. He was never allowed to leave unless the gods willed it.

  The truth had caught him off guard and blinded him for a moment in its clarity.

  He was alone.

  It disturbed him that something as insignificant as loneliness could affect him. He couldn’t be lonely. He was made for his solitary task. He had no patience or interest in anyone except his duty as the guardian of the gate. Even the other spirits that made the gates their home did not appeal to him. Each had their own appetite and duties to attend, some more monstrous than others. His hammer kept order. He prevented any beings from trying to leave the realm of Aites, and he relished every moment of it.

  Yet, something inside of him understood and reached out to that single word.

  Alone.

  None in Aites were alone like him. Even the terrible spirit Culsu, the queen of serpents who oversaw the most terrible depths of the worlds, was paired with Culsans who regulated all gates of the worlds. Though many beings paired for territorial reasons pertaining to their domains, Charu had felt no such inclination or need. Charu was the dreaded one.

  None spoke to him or passed a minute in his company longer than needed. He had never cared. In the depths, he sat upon his rocky throne, serpents twisting around him in their sublime dance, alone with the ghostly light of his lantern.

  Charu gnashed his fangs in frustration. The human should not affect him this way. The fear of others amused him, and he enjoyed inciting terror when it served his purpose. Ordered chaos was his preference. Human sentimentality had no place in his world. Yet her word spoke to a part of his being, perhaps some memory pushed back to the depths of him, forgotten.

  Alone.

  He threw back his head and roared, making the woman jump and scramble away from him. She did not flee him entirely. She stopped a short distance away and eyed him cautiously before following after him once more. Growling low in his throat, he followed the trail of the wulkwos leading back into the city. His serpents writhed over him eagerly, their dark coils sliding over him, and he focused once more on his path ahead.

  The lamp at his side threw its beams ahead of him, the spirit of the lamp casting for his prey and outlining the path to go. Once within Aites, nothing could escape the illumination of the lamp. It captured them within the well of its depths until Charu opted to release them into the halls of Aites to be judged. All beings within Aites feared his lamp, for its light dispelled every shadow. It was inescapable.

  Chapter 8

  Meredith stared at the bare skin of the demon’s back. He kept a brutal pace to match, but she kept up, determined not to be left behind. She’d come close to running in terror when he growled at her and it had only been by sheer determination that she managed to stay herself. It was safer with him than alone. And she’d meant what she said: she was tired of always fighting to scrape by all alone.

  Now if only she could be warm again.

  Her teeth were chattering, and her extremities were beginning to feel numb from the cold. She could barely feel her fingers and her nipples were beginning to hurt despite the press of her arm against them. She yanked the rest of her hair from its ponytail and let it fall around her shoulders and over her breasts in a vain attempt to keep herself warm. It would be a cruel twist of fate for her to die from hypothermia when she’d managed to survive the ravagers.

  She thinned her lips irritably at his back, imagining the demon’s reaction should she dare to suggest they stop to get clothing for her apartment. He didn’t want her with him anyway. No doubt he would abandon her with the slightest excuse. He certainly didn’t seem the least bit concerned with her comfort or wellbeing. He hadn’t even glanced at her since the last time he growled at her when she accidentally drifted too close.

  He had some serious bubble issues.

  Not that she wanted to touch him. The snakes crawling all over him weren’t even really living snakes. These almost seemed to pulsate as they writhed as if burning with some sort of internal fire that was constantly shifting that made it appear to expand and condense... like a leech.

  No, the demon had death written all over him, and the cruel twist of his lips and angry brow did not invite any casual contact. She wouldn’t offer to touch him any time soon. It took all she had to keep from skittering away from him when he made sudden movements.

  The lamp on the other hand—she wanted to get a good look at the lamp.

  It beckoned to her like an irresistible lure. The gently pulsing light drew her, the etchings along its metal frame inviting her hands to explore. She wondered if it would feel warm or be mercilessly cold. She licked her lips, tempted to reach out. It wasn’t far.

  Sanity returned to her, breaking through her obsession just in time for her to snatch her hands to her chest before the demon noticed her intent. Meredith crossed her arms, tucking her fingers away, her guilty eyes focused on the demon’s back.

  Hoping to distract herself from temptation, Meredith glanced at the buildings lining the street. They were downtown. Dark shops and restaurants, long since closed, lined the street with their doors still firmly locked. Some of the restaurants had broken windows from looters in the early days, but many stores remained untouched.

  She stared longingly at the clothing stores, turning her head back to the demon just in time to keep from colliding with him. She managed to stop just inches from the blue muscles of his back. The snakes turned their heads toward her curiously, a few hissing or exposing fangs, but none bothered
her.

  The demon turned and strode to one of the storefronts, hefting his hammer down from his shoulder. She gawked as he swung the hammer in a wide arc toward the window. It audibly roared through the air, the crash of its contact on glass so loud that she winced. The glass shattered, but the demon wasn’t finished there. He drew back one booted foot and kicked in the jagged shards of glass pointing upward from the frame until the window was clear.

  He stepped away and turned his head slowly, his eyes fastening on her.

  “Dress yourself,” he growled as he lowered the hammer to the ground, both his palms coming to rest on the rounded end of the handle. His burning eyes followed her with impatient hostility.

  Meredith bobbed her head and hastened to the window. Carefully watching for glass shards, she stepped through the display window, and hurried in. The glow of the lamp seemed to illuminate most of the shop, despite how far the demon stood from the window.

  With a wide smile, she observed the untouched racks. This had been one of her favorite stores to shop in. The long shadows in the store came to life in front of her. There was a crowd in there shopping today. The round-faced woman who owned the shop laughed with a customer at the counter on the opposite side of the room. Annie always had a kind word for everyone who came into her shop. She looked up from the counter and waved. Meredith smiled and waved in return as she pulled a soft russet sweater off a hanger and hugged it to herself. She lifted it to her face and allowed the soft cashmere to brush her cheek.

  The entire shop smelled like apple pie, from a candle the owner kept behind the counter. When Meredith had asked Annie about it last time she was in here, she’d laughed and said it was time to bring a little fall inside. Moving to another display, she found a soft pair of thick black leggings. Her brow puckered in confusion as she looked down at the clothes. She’d come into shop for...? She looked up helplessly and everyone turned to face her.

  Annie smiled widely at her, her eyes lighting up merrily.

  “Is there a problem, Meredith?” she asked.

  The customer at the counter began to laugh, and Annie’s smile grew wider still. Before Meredith’s eyes, the skin on her face drew taut, splitting in some areas as Annie began to change in front of her. The shopkeeper’s eyes began to burn, and her teeth lengthened into a horrible leer. Meredith turned her head and looked around fearfully. Everyone in the store was staring at her, and they all began to smile and giggle, their faces morphing into monstrous parodies of their formal selves as they laughed.

  Meredith stumbled back into the rack behind her and screamed, throwing her arms up in front of her.

  What was going on? What was going on?

  She chanted the refrain over and over in her mind as she screamed.

  Suddenly, a light flared from behind her, the bright beams cutting through the shop. All the horrible creatures turned as one toward the light, their empty eyes widening. They shrieked as the light tore through them, scattering their twisted forms, and dissolved every shadow which remained.

  Meredith righted herself and looked around, her clarity returning to her. The shop was covered in dust and completely empty, save for herself. She whipped her head from side to side, desperately getting her bearings.

  She drew in a deep breath and let it out. Glancing down, she looked at the dusty clothes clutched against her naked breast. She was supposed to be getting dressed. The demon was waiting for her. There hadn’t been anyone in the shop with her, nor was there any smell of apple pie in the air. That hadn’t been real. A tear tracked down her cheek, and she brought a hand up to brush it away.

  What was wrong with her?

  Meredith kicked her boots off and, with numb fingers, pulled her warm clothes on before tying her boots back onto her feet. Not wishing to linger there, afraid that she might have another waking nightmare, she glanced around until she found a thick black hoodie. There had been a time when she would have pulled first from the brighter hues, but not anymore. She couldn’t afford to attract attention.

  Discovering a display with hats and mittens, she chose the darkest set she could find. More gray than dark, but they wouldn’t be too noticeable and would keep her warm. She was pulling the last glove on when the light pulsated, catching her attention.

  Turning around, her eyes sought out the demon and found him standing on just the other side of the window. His red eyes glowed in the gloom of the night, the lamp lighting up the planes of his chest and abs, reflecting off the scales of the serpents. Lifting a hand, he swept it in a beckoning gesture.

  “Come, woman.”

  His tone was no less arctic than ever and seemed all the more impatient. He did not wait for her to respond before he turned away from the window. The light immediately waned in the shop, sending her running after to him to catch up.

  “Just so we’re clear, my name is not ‘woman.’ It’s Meredith.”

  His eyes barely touched on her face before looking forward again. He didn’t reply or otherwise acknowledge her statement.

  “What’s your name?”

  His mouth pulled down.

  “Come on. I can’t keep calling you demon in my head. I mean, I can, but it starts getting redundant fast. Do you not have a name?” Her eyes suddenly widened, and she snapped her fingers, “Oh, you cannot tell me your name, then. I’ve heard that demons refuse to share their names...”

  Again, those red orbs turned to her. His silhouette seemed to increase in size with his irritation.

  “Do not be foolish. I am not a common daemon. I am Charu, the guardian of the gates of Aites.”

  “Charu,” she said slowly, letting the name turn on her tongue. It wouldn’t be hard to remember. “Thank you.”

  He grunted and hefted his hammer back onto his shoulder. The light of the lamp seemed to churn the further they got down the street. The lamp was something else. She had to ask.

  “What’s the deal with the lamp? How did it knock me out of my nightmare back there?”

  Charu growled and made a sound that couldn’t be anything less than a very male, long-suffering sigh.

  “The lamp brings clarity and dispels shadows, including the shades of illusions that confuse the mind.”

  Meredith looked at it with new appreciation. The lantern was quite impressive.

  “Is it alive?”

  “It is aware,” he conceded gruffly. “It is a part of me, but separate. We are one thing and two at the same. With it my sight is expanded, and yet it is aware of the world unique to my own.”

  Her lips parted in fascination. Her fingers itched to touch it. The light was so welcoming. His eyes darted to her, his face darkening as if reading her desire.

  “You will not touch it.”

  She curled her fingers into fists and smiled at him innocently. He growled threateningly, his eyes slitting with suspicion. She half suspected all his serpents to turn on her once again, but, to her surprise, they moved docilely over his skin.

  “I don’t mean any harm,” she hurried to add. “I’m just really curious is all. Looking at it just makes me feel... good.”

  He cast her a skeptical look and snarled something in a language she did not recognize.

  “You do realize it’s not polite to speak to someone in a language that they cannot understand, right?”

  Charu bared his fangs at her in a clear threat that had her sliding to a halt, her heart hammering fast enough that she was surprised it didn’t burst from fear.

  “Do not,” he snarled.

  She stared at him wide-eyed. That demand was wide enough to encompass a whole lot of possible things that might piss him off that she hadn’t yet discovered yet. It was precariously close to living under a constant threat of death... yet he hadn’t actually ever made a move to hurt her. She wasn’t going to egg him on until he snapped and actually did tear her throat out as his dire looks seemed to promise... but it was noteworthy.

  He stomped away, leaving her to either jog to catch up or fall behind.

  Th
e night grew late, and Meredith had begun lag behind when the lamp did something peculiar. Charu had glanced back at her a couple of times, his expression turning darker the more she fell behind. He did not slow, and after snapping his teeth once in a silent order for her to hasten, he did not bother to wait for her to catch up again. Meredith really tried to keep up, but close to dawn her exhausted body fell further and further behind.

  Charu didn’t spare her another glance; he just kept walking, following the course of his lamp. She wanted to cry and beg for him to wait. To let her rest for just a minute. The gatekeeper was cruelly abandoning her without even a glance back.

  Just as it looked as if he were going to leave her, the lantern dimmed unexpectedly. Charu halted and glared at it. A serpent fell from his wrist onto the lantern and coiled around it but the lantern did not react. Roaring loud enough that everything within their vicinity seemed to tremble, Charu spun around and stalked to her, his entire body radiating hostility. Before she could react, one of his hands snapped forward and wrapped around her arm.

  “What have you done?”

  Meredith attempted to shake his hand off, but when that was unsuccessful, she allowed her arm to lay limply at her side as she glared at him.

  “I didn’t do anything. All I was doing was wearing myself down to the point where I’ll probably just lie down and die in the street, thank you very much. Please don’t let me stop you from continuing.”

  He lunged forward with a snarl until they were nose to nose. The wan light of the lamp darkened further and Charu growled in frustration. He drew in a deep breath, his fiery eyes burning at her.

  “Fine. We rest here.”