Soul Healer

by J. A. Culican

  Runa lifted an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair. A small smile curled the ends of her lips. “That’s brilliant.”

  “It’s not all said and done. He doesn’t know that he’s the key. He needs to find that within himself.” I hoped they heard that last part. We couldn’t hurry him along to fit our schedule.

  “How can we nudge him?”

  “He wants to go south. He’s not sure why. That’s where we were going before you called me, Mother Ofburg.” No sooner had I finished my sentence than they both shared a knowing look. “What?”

  “The prison is south.”

  My mouth opened. Why hadn’t I realized that earlier? Dag’draath was calling him back to the prison. That’s why he didn’t know why he was drawn there. Dag'draath would want to keep that a secret. Otherwise, Beru wouldn’t go.

  “Going south is a bad idea.” Mother Ofburg shook her head. “They must know he is the key.”

  “Or maybe the prison is calling to him because he is the key,” Runa added.

  My head spun with all the new information. There was too much to think about and so little time. I hesitated to make the right decision. Iri and Sade wouldn’t agree to go along to the prison, and I couldn’t tell Beru anything. He had to find out he was the key himself. “What should I do?”

  “You have to go. It’s a bad idea, but you still have to go.” Runa looked at Mother Ofburg, who nodded in agreement.

  “This may be the only way to close the prison.”

  “He may need to be back there again to know his mission,” Runa added.

  “This could do it. This could be the solution we were looking for.” Mother Ofburg stood up.

  “Are you prepared to leave him behind? If it means the prison will be safe again?”

  I stood up quickly and walked away from them. I needed air badly. My lungs felt full, and I couldn’t take enough breaths to fill them. I began to see stars and then everything went black. I could hear myself as I fell to the ground, but I couldn’t feel any pain. Runa and Mother Ofburg ran to my side, calling my name.

  Chapter 17

  I made my way back to the cave once I was well again. Runa told me to call on her before any decisions were made and I promised to do so. I arrived to find the cave was protected by Astor. The spiders had found them and were trying to get inside. Luckily, my body was already inside, so I could enter without difficulty.

  “We thought she made you tell her where we were.” Astor hugged me.

  “I’d never give you guys away.” It made me uneasy they would think that of me.

  “I never thought that.” Beru leaned in and pulled me close. I let myself fall into his arms and relished the feeling of being close. He had a sweet scent, and his skin was moist against my cheek.

  “I missed you,” he whispered in my ear.

  I pulled back from him, and before I could say anything, Sade pulled me in for ahug.

  “Do you know how long you have been gone?” She looked at me, her voice conveying the concern her face couldn’t.

  “No. Since this afternoon?” Time had wasted while I dreamwalked.

  “Since yesterday. We were ready to bust in there to rescue you.” Sade laughed, but I knew she wasn’t joking. She was just happy I had returned in one piece.

  “The forest filled with spiders not long after you left.” Iri came in for his hug.

  “You should rest.” Beru pulled me aside and motioned for me to lie on the bed. “You look very tired.”

  “I feel tired. My back aches, my muscles hurt, and my stomach is grumbling like I haven’t eaten in days.” I sat down on the bed and welcomed its comfort. It was lumpy, but I was ready to fall asleep any second.

  “Not before you tell us what happened.” Sade sat at the end of the bed by my feet.

  I told them everything I could remember, probably forgetting things as my eyes drooped from tiredness. I somehow drifted off to sleep while talking. My head hit the pillow, and I was done.

  I woke up the next morning when the sun shone into the cave. There were spiders at the entrance, and they watched us as we slept.

  “How long have they been there?” I looked at Sade, who was the only other person awake.

  “For a while. Every now and then, they claw at the shield.” Sade was preparing food for breakfast.

  “Need any help?” I sat down next to her and the fire.

  “You rest. I like a quiet morning, chopping things.” She smiled.

  I looked back at the three boys sleeping. Well, they were men, but they were my boys. I remembered that they thought I had told Widow where they were. It still stung to think about.

  “You okay with your conversation with Runa? I know she can be hard at times.” Sade passed me an apple to eat. “Last one. Saved for you.”

  I accepted it from her and took a bite. I hadn’t eaten anything in days—at least my real self hadn’t. I finished it up fast. “She’s okay. She stopped me from making a big mistake with Widow.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Dreamwalking with Widow to the prison,” I admitted as fast as I could, ashamed I had even thought of it.

  “You’re not serious. What would be the benefit of that?” She scrunched up her face in response to my carelessness.

  “I wasn’t actually going to do it, but I was going to offer it. I wanted to save Mother Ofburg.” Sade wasn’t there—she didn’t understand the mood in that room. The carelessness of Widow.

  “Mother Ofburg is with Runa?”

  “I think so, or at least that’s where I saw her last.” I hoped Runa had the mind to keep her safe. I had half a mind to call on her and ask, and I would, if I weren’t feeling so drained.

  Sade left me be while she finished prepping the food. I leaned my head on the side of the cave to rest. The dreamwalk had taken more out of me than I’d anticipated.

  “Here.” Sade passed me some water. “Snap out of whatever has you.”

  “Thanks.” I drank it back quickly then grabbed one of the carrots she had cut up.

  “So where do we go from here? We can’t fight all these spiders.”

  “No, we can’t.” I took a deep breath and asked the question I didn’t want to ask. “Do you know what lies south?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The prison is south.” I blurted it out.

  Sade sat back and just looked at me. She scrunched her eyes up. I waited for her to reply. “Are we still going south?”

  “I am. I can’t ask it of you all. I don’t want to tell Beru. I can’t interfere with his journey to find out what he is.” I looked over to make sure he was still asleep.

  “Well, you’re not going without me.” Sade put it out there stubbornly.

  I didn’t have the mindset to argue with her. Plus, I didn’t want anyone to hear. Sade was the only person I was telling for the moment.

  I moved over, so my back was against the cave wall, and gently placed my head back on it to rest. I had no choice but to follow Beru south. I hoped whatever was calling him was good and not evil. My stomach groaned, more from the predicament at hand than from not eating.

  I wasn’t prepared to lose him. I couldn’t lose him. I thought back to when we’d first met—to the feeling of knowing him already. The first time he smiled and when we touched.

  “Aria?” Someone’s voice poked through my consciousness as they sat next to me. I opened my eyes to see Beru.

  “I was just napping.” I stretched out.

  “You seem really worried about something. Did you want to talk?” Beru passed me a plate of food Sade had prepared.

  “I’m overtired. I didn’t sleep well. And those guys are creepy.” I pointed to the spiders who kept watch over to us.

  “Yeah, a little bit.” Beru smiled as he started on his breakfast.

  “I’m thankful for the fire. It’s damp in here,” Iri grumbled as he took his serving. “I’ll have Astor’s too if he doesn’t get up.” Iri looked back at Astor, who was still covered in b
lankets and snoring away.

  It was good to be back and I wanted to pretend like everything was normal and we were just hanging out in a cave.

  “It won’t be long till Widow shows up. They’ve probably told her you’re here,” Iri sputtered between stuffing bread and eggs in his mouth.

  “Yes, I’d bet you’re right. She’s probably ordered them to take us back.” I looked at the shield, which appeared to be thinner than before. “How long will it hold?”

  “We won’t run out of food, that’s for sure.” Sade piled more food on Beru’s and Iri’s plates.

  “Can we go further in the cave? Is there another way out?”

  “Not this one. We can go in further, but they’ll just come in after us once the shield fades. We couldn’t see through it when he first put it up. They’re out there waiting for it to come down. Astor’s not fast enough to put up another one before they do.” Sade finally sat down to eat her own plate of food.

  “Can you dreamwalk us out of here?” Iri laughed.

  He may have been joking, but I had been able to dream port myself out of fearful situations before. We had the shield up, so I could practice, but I was still very weak. “I might be able to. Once I’m stronger.”

  “How long will that take?” Sade asked.

  “After that shield comes down.” I looked at the front of the cave.

  “Save me first.” Astor joined us. “I weigh less too.” He poked Iri, who was the largest, in the stomach, which was like solid rock. Iri grunted at him.

  “Where would we go?” Sade wanted to know.

  “Somewhere close, just out of the spider range. It would take less energy.” I started to plan in my head how I could do it. One dream port I could manage, if we could get one more day out of the shield.

  “Now that Mother Ofburg is safe, are we heading south again?” Astor pointed in the original direction we had been heading.

  “I’m not sure.” I leaned on my side to conserve my energy.

  “Okay, everyone, let’s leave her alone. She’s exhausted and needs a break from all our questions.” Sade practically swatted them away from me.

  “Thank you.” I closed my eyes and rested while I listened to their morning chatter, pretending everything was normal. I wondered if we’d all stay together when this was over and live side by side. Maybe Beru and I would marry. I smiled but knew I was so tired I was being silly.

  I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, I had a severe cramp in my side from how I was leaning. Sade, Iri, and Astor were playing a game quietly and Beru was still beside me.

  “Hey, beautiful.” He smiled, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

  “What are you still doing sitting here?” I sat up and stretched.

  “I might like watching you sleep.” Beru glances down with a smile.

  “That might just be the sweetest thing someone has ever said to me.” I leaned my head back on the stone and watched him. My eyes still burned from lack of sleep, but I wanted to stay awake and talk to him.

  “I find that hard to believe.” Beru moved his hand over and rubbed his pinky on mine.

  We just stared into each other`s eyes, with the sound of our friends playing a game in the background. My eyes wanted to drift shut again, but I fought against them. It may be the only memory like this that we got to share. Our lives hung in the balance, and our futures were unknown. Nothing was guaranteed except the moment.

  “It’s getting thinner.” Sade stood up as one of the spiders leaned against the shield, and it shook, bowing inward slightly.

  We all got up and walked over to the shield. The spiders pressed on it, and it moved. More spiders accumulated on the other side. They begin to push on each other to see how far the shield would bend into the cave.

  “This is not good.” The shield flexed again, and Sade pushed it back out. “How about that teleporting thing again, Aria?”

  I’d have to try. Soon, the spiders would break through and take us back to Widow, at least some of us. Others would be killed. I needed to get us out of there and fast, but I could barely walk. I leaned against the cave wall and felt a dizzy spell coming on. Everything went black again, but someone caught my fall.

  Chapter 18

  I heard their voices first. “We have to get her up.”

  “They’re going to break through.”

  When I opened my eyes, everything was fuzzy. Soon, the blackness faded to stars and then blurry images.

  “She’s opening her eyes.” I heard Sade say from somewhere in the cave.

  I moaned, not able to think hard enough to put words together. Someone lifted me and placed a pillow under my head. The back of someone’s hand touched my forehead.

  “Here’s some water.” I heard Iri. Someone brought the cup to my lips, and I took a sip.

  I opened my eyes again, and I could see more clearly. Everyone looked worried. I rolled my head to the side to see the shield was almost ready to break through. A sense of urgency and inner strength came over me. I pulled myself to a seated position.

  “Drink some more.” Iri practically took a tooth out with his persistence.

  I drank from the cup again for his sake then pushed it away. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.” I scooted back to the cave wall while everyone looked at me like I was some wild animal they had captured.

  “I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but do you think we could teleport now?” Astor leaned in and nodded to the spiders outside of the cave.

  We had to leave soon or else the worst would happen. I wasn’t sure how I’d have enough energy to carry them all through a teleport and stopped myself from thinking I’d have to choose.

  “Do you need a minute? No pressure.” Sade’s facial expression said otherwise.

  There was too much going on inside my head. I closed my eyes to try to sort it out, but the moment my lids shut, exhaustion set in. It felt like someone was standing on my chest, and I couldn’t breathe properly. I tried to take a deeper breath, but it didn’t reach far enough into my lungs to help.

  “You have to relax. You’re having a panic attack.” Beru placed his hand on my shoulder and motioned with his hand for how I should be breathing. I looked him in the eyes and latched on until his gaze was the only thing I could see. In a few moments, I started to feel calmer. “Just focus on me.”

  I nodded, continuing to follow his breathing exercises until I felt well enough to breathe on my own without my air disappearing. “I don’t know what came over me.” My face flushed with embarrassment over my weakness.

  “Don’t worry about it. We have time.” Sade rubbed my leg.

  I looked back at the shield. The spiders were able to push it in a good foot now. We didn’t have time to spare. We had to get out of the cave fast, no matter how I was feeling.

  “I’ll need to take your energy. I don’t have enough of my own to do this.” I reached out and grabbed Beru and Sade’s hands. “Form a circle.”

  Iri and Astor joined in, everyone holding hands. “I’ll need to take more than before, and even then, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to do this.”

  “If you can’t, you must go and take Beru. The prison needs to be closed, for everyone’s sake,” Sade stated.

  “What do you mean?” Astor flipped his head to Sade. “I’m not staying here.”

  “No one is staying here. We’re all going.” I reassured them, saying something I couldn’t promise. “I want everyone to focus on leaving this cave.”

  I made eye contact with each of them then I closed my eyes and began to pull energy from the circle. At first, nothing happened. I had to push all my feelings aside so I could tap into the pure power inside us all.

  “It’s not working,” Astor whispered.

  I opened my eyes in time to see Sade slap him. Iri grumbled under his breath something I couldn’t make out. Beru remained solid as a rock in his trance.

  “It’s going to take me some time. I’m not as fast as I normally am, and this is somet
hing I’ve never done.” I was pleading with Astor. His inability to focus could sink us before we even started.

  We all got back into our positions, and I tried to clear my mind again. The pressure built up and I dropped my hands. I couldn’t do it. I was too tired. “I’m sorry.” I leaned over and let my head fall into my hands and cried.

  “You can do this.” Beru wrapped his arms around me and rocked me back and forth.

  Then Sade moved closer and put her hand on me. Then Iri and Astor. Something in the pit of my stomach stirred, and I felt the energy begin to build up inside me.

  “Let’s try again.” I sat up and wiped my tears. I had something to build on now. We all held hands, and I was able to access their energy. It wasn’t strong, but it began to build. “Think about being on the Island. The sand on your toes, sitting in the sun,” I instructed them.

  My hands started to tingle as I received more energy from them. I pushed the sounds of the spiders as they scraped at the shield out of my mind and only thought about being in the temple. The fresh air that flowed through the open windows and the cold floor on my tired, hot feet.

  I remembered sitting in the hot water spring. The water washing over me as my muscles relaxed. How I wanted to be back there more than anything with my friends, away from harm. I squeezed their hands and dug deep down inside to find the energy I knew I needed to be able to teleport them all.

  Strands of my hair lifted from the energy I was collecting as little jolts of lightning ran up my arms. The hair all over my body stood up straight as I sucked in all the energy I could.

  Something started to happen. I could feel the ground move underneath me. It rumbled as I was lifted above it, but it was only me. Beru and Sade were still on the cave’s floor. It was as if they were anchoring me there. It wasn’t going to work. I couldn’t take them all at the same time.

  I opened my eyes, and I fell to the ground with a large thud. “It’s not working.” The sounds of the spiders outside only infuriated me more. Why can’t I do this? They were all depending on me. This was a life or death mission, and I was failing them. Soon, the shield would break, and we were no match for the number of spiders camped outside.