Soul Taker's Redemption

by A. S. Hamilton

  Therion

  [Pretty Lies – Written by Wolves]

  I like the rain. Most people shun it, run from it, hide until it passes, but I find there is quite a rejuvenating quality to rain that I enjoy. Besides, it is easier to move around the earthly realm when most humans are huddled indoors, and the shadows are deeper without the sun chasing them into corners. Unfortunately, the rain did not reduce the traffic along the strip of late-night businesses. The lanes closer to the sidewalks were slower as cars stopped to pick up or deposit night-clubbers or to pursue the services of the women, and occasional man, lounging in the darker pockets of the street. The shadows did nothing to hide them, for I could see their spirits clearly. Most humans would assume that every spirit here was tainted, but that was not so. The simple selling of sex or engagement in sex does not taint a soul. It is the pimp who forces a woman to engage in prostitution or those who target children who have tainted spirits. The thought drew my mind back to the yulari I'd encountered recently. Yulari spirits are easily memorable to beings like myself, but although I remember them, I rarely think of them beyond whatever immediate interaction I have with them. Except one…

  Jayden Emerline Thaneton.

  Unbidden her image came to my mind, as it often does when I am resting in a half-trance. Sometimes I am caught by surprise, though, and I find myself thinking of her when my concentration should be on the task before me. Most recently, I'd been protecting a human woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, not quite the same as Jayden Emerline Thaneton's, but the resemblance was enough that I kept finding myself wondering how she was faring, what her other interactions with angles had been like, and whether she had been affected by witnessing the confrontation between myself and the dark-angel at the ice rink. It was unsettling. Never before had I cared for the welfare of a human I had not been assigned to protect. No, that was not what unsettled me. What unsettled me was that I liked how I felt in her presence. Barely minutes I had spent with her, but had I not been summoned, I would have remained for hours just to keep feeling her aura, hearing her voice.

  I wanted to ask my master about it, but Aurealis might mistake my interest as purely that of a hunter, because, to a soul taker, Jayden Emerline Thaneton's spirit was like a rare and fine wine— exquisite. But I did not want to consume this soul, I just wanted to be near it and that… that made no sense. There was something about the feel of her spirit that seemed familiar, which also made no sense. I was the first of the therilgalen; other than my brethren, no other spirits should echo mine. Whatever she was, she was certainly different. I still could not quite believe she had experienced no vision of terror upon hearing our shriek, and yet, when she professed it to me, I'd been able to scan her thoughts and knew she was being truthful.

  The strength of Aurealis's summoning increased distinctly, drawing my gaze across the street and bringing my attention back to the present. Two men emerged from a nightclub and then a single man a pace behind. Two more men followed. Bodyguards, I surmised. The man in the centre was not particularly imposing when viewed in amongst all that muscle. Not one of the men surrounding him was shorter than six feet, and between them they would make a winning wrestling team. The man they protected was not significantly shorter, but it was noticeable. He had a clean-shaven face and eyes as dark as his hair. He looked shrewd.

  He was observant, his glance up and down the street registering everyone who occupied it. Except me. I was shrouded in shadows. I had recently learned that no matter my understanding of a situation, it is better to take such precautions than not. The lesson was painfully acquired several months ago; having been summoned, I'd planes-shifted in believing I'd face just one dark-angel only to find myself surrounded. Outnumbered, it is no surprise I was bitten. Our venom is just as fatal to us as it is our prey, if the bite is deep enough; with a shallow bite, if we are able to lick the area, an enzyme in our saliva will negate the venom. I have Aurealis to thank for surviving because she, essentially, gave me immunity. Ironically, it may never have happened had my service to Ceri-talen not involved genetic experimentation, of which I was sometimes the despairing subject. At least when Aurealis partnered me with a geneticist to create the transgenic construct using the protein in my saliva that negated the venom, it was entirely voluntary. We'd only just integrated it into my DNA when I was bitten though, making it a very tense moment while I waited to see if I would live.

  I wondered what Jayden Emerline Thaneton had thought when she saw me, immersed in shadows as I planes-shifted into the ice rink where her evening of pleasure had been destroyed by Ceri-talen's servants inciting the riot. Had she feared for her life, too? Had she seen our fangs and realised that we were just as brutally vicious as we were angelic looking? A nudge from Aurealis reminded me to concentrate on my task. This assignment looked much less dramatic than both the one where I was bitten and the confrontation at the ice rink. One detail made me pause, for it was obvious this was not one of the purer souls to which I am normally assigned. As I said, I can see spirits. They have a colour and a scent— indeed, they even have a texture. Being a soul taker, I am very sensitive to the intricacies of a spirit's make-up. The combination of these elements— colour, scent, and texture— tells me how 'pure' a soul is, which has more meaning for me now that I serve Aurealis, as the pureness of a soul tells her how close they are to ascension. Rarely is my master concerned by tainted souls, mostly because they fall outside her jurisdiction, but also, in my personal belief, because she finds them somewhat repellent. Thus, my redemption under Aurealis has transformed my perception of souls in terms of their level of purity; the untainted were off-limits and the purer they were, the higher the need to protect them, even at the cost of my assigned charges. Jayden Emerline Thaneton was such a spirit, but I pushed the thought away. I would have to accept that I was likely never to see her again because, although Aurealis did assist yulari to ascend, placing a soul taker in proximity of such a powerful energy source was too great a risk, and not the only one. Yulari have a tendency to find each other; they are spirit kin, after all, and perceive safety in numbers. Thus, where there is one, there is likely a parent or sibling who is yulari too, as well as friends and work colleagues. Put a soul taker near one and they have access to several.

  My new charge was quite the opposite of Jayden Emerline Thaneton, but then I have not come across too many people who can afford a full security team and spend time in nightclubs who are predisposed to an altruistic way of life. Usually, in these cases, the tainted spirit will serve my master's purpose at some time in the future, so I did not find myself questioning her summons. However, it was likely my charge would be as much trouble as whatever it was that he needed protection from.

  Two black SUVs came around the corner and pulled up to the curb. His attention moved to the front car, a look of irritation passing over his features. I decided that this was because the car had not been there before he emerged from the club. As he stepped towards the vehicle, I made my move. I can move faster than the human eye can track, and my magical abilities allow me to manipulate many aspects of my environment, so the locked door on the passenger side presented no challenges. To the man inside the vehicle, I just appeared in the back seat.

  I derived some satisfaction from the look of surprise and fear in his expression. For these types, I do not disguise myself beyond de-manifesting my wings. I am not substantially different from those who were once my brethren, aside from the blood-red on my body changing to gold. I retain the same sharp, angular face and, together with my eyes, which are gold with narrow, ebony pupils and irises that reflect the stars of my home, my features look as predatory as I am. Or was, more precisely, for although I am still a hunter, there are less opportunities for a kill in Aurealis's service. I did not bother manifesting upper body clothing; I have wings and do not bother with real shirts. I was wearing real multi-pocketed black pants and boots. Oh, and the twin short swords; they are also very real. For innocents, I will soften my features and, like the angels
, use their memories to make myself seem familiar and safe. I also dampen my shadow nature, which causes fear in all but my own kind. Not for this tainted soul, though.

  My new charge flicked his eyes to the front of the car and the driver who was staring stoically ahead, remaining locked in the trance I had induced the moment before I entered the car.

  'He is under my control,' I informed him softly. 'I have also locked the doors.'

  The sound of my voice heightened his fear, but he accepted that he was unable to alert anyone or leave the car. He pushed himself as far from me as possible and considered me silently. I placed a hand on the one of his closest to me. He flinched but did not voice an objection. My new charge was Kerrigan Archmore. Just as I first estimated, he was involved in crime. Drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and, not the least of it, child slavery.

  Ah, that would be Aurealis's interest.

  'You cannot go to your beachside abode. The police will go there, triggering a confrontation that will end in your demise. You have another abode,' I paused, reviewing his thoughts, 'in the south. It will be safer.'

  He frowned. 'Who— what the hell are you?'

  'Looks are deceiving, Kerrigan Archmore. I am your protector. You may continue on your course.' In my experience, they always do until the first prophecy proves true. 'I will, of course, save you. It is my task. But the favour that blesses you right now will not be infinite, keep that in mind.'

  I could see, despite the intelligence in his demeanour, he was not processing what I was saying. He would have to learn through error. I could force him to obey my will, but, according to my current master, this was not the best way for those humans she took an interest in to learn from these experiences. Besides, I had not received the vision that normally accompanies first contact, the one Aurealis sends to tell me what is required of me. Perhaps Kerrigan Archmore had to make his error before she revealed that vision.

  I shifted out of the car; I would go to the house by the beach. It also occurred to me that perhaps there was something at this beach house that my master wanted Kerrigan Archmore to collect, possibly a person. It had happened before with the one person given to me for safekeeping becoming two.

  Jay

  I was parked opposite one of my suppliers, a bakery that makes cakes and slices for my café. I was near a school, not far from a children's crossing, making some notes in my diary. I'd added some savouries to my standing order, and they'd asked if I'd consider stocking some of their new range of muffins at a discount for the first month, which I'd agreed to after some quick number crunching. All pretty boring stuff, unless you own and manage a café, in which case it was integral to keeping that business successful.

  The sounds of children chattering and yelling caused me to look up. School had finished for the day. For a few minutes, I watched as the area became awash in children and cars as parents picked them up before going back to my notes. I wanted to double check my calculations on the extra order because things were pretty tight budget-wise. It would be easier to do it now, in the quiet of the car, instead of back in the chaos of the café. Yu, my senior barista, was in charge this afternoon, so I knew the café was in competent hands. I groaned softly as I realised I'd been looking at the wrong set of figures and started my calculations all over again.

  I had been so distracted lately. I shouldn't be surprised. This wasn't the first time my distraction resulted in an error. After years of seeing angels and not really being affected by them, I'd started having dreams of them. It may sound unlikely, but having seen them from such a young age, and accepting that they weren't the kind of thing you talked about if you didn't want to be considered crazy, I never really thought about them beyond whatever encounter I had with them. My friend Alyssa, who can see them too, relates the same experience. We'd decided that perhaps it was a part of their 'magic' or whatever you want to call it— a way of protecting the sanity of those who could see them. Whatever it was, I'd never regularly dreamed of them.

  Them…

  Him.

  Therion.

  It wasn't that the dreams were disturbing or anything. In fact, I rather enjoyed them. Sometimes I even found I was more reluctant to get up because I wanted to 'stay' with him, even though I knew it was just a dream. How do you miss someone you don't really know? It perplexed me. Regardless of that, no matter how enjoyable the dreams were, when I woke from them, I felt exhausted, like I hadn't slept at all. I'd started dropping things and forgetting things and making errors like the one I'd just made confusing which figures I needed for my calculations.

  I'd finally finished with my budgeting and was checking my schedule for the rest of the week when a high-pitched scream put me on alert.

  Looking up, I saw the street was empty now except for one child, who was on his own. Well, kind of. There was a woman pulling him into the back of a car. The man sitting in the driver's seat was reaching over to the back and he now helped her to pull him in. He screamed again, the sound full of the kind of panic that told you he did not know these people and he did not want to get in that car. A second later they had him in and the car took off, its momentum assisting the woman in getting the door closed.

  I went to grab my phone to call the police when I realised that I hadn't looked at the licence plate, and they were swiftly moving out of sight.

  Cursing furiously, I started my car and took off after them. Trying not to take my eyes off the car, I reached over to the passenger seat and rifled in my bag for my phone.

  I don't normally use a handbag. I'd had my suede jacket customised with a pocket to fit my small tablet, so I could usually get away without a bag, but for meetings I needed one for my diary and paperwork. I'd dumped my phone in the bag as I was packing up at the end of the meeting, which meant it was at the bottom. Normally, I'd use the phone's calculator for figuring out costs, but I'd dropped it recently and the cracked screen caught my fingers, so I'd brought along a traditional calculator. If I'd replaced the screen last week, like I'd intended to do, I would have had it out. I chastised myself for procrastinating on the phone repair. I'd been unwilling to spend the almost three hundred dollars a replacement screen would cost, and my frugality just might cost the unwilling child in the car ahead of me his chance at being rescued.

  I finally felt the smooth back of the phone and lunged to get a grip on it while trying to watch the road. Just as I started to withdraw the phone from my bag, I looked up to see a four-wheel-drive coming from my right and realised I'd driven through a stop sign. The car I was following must have driven through it too, but they'd been lucky enough to cross while the road was clear. I jerked the steering wheel left and then right to avoid the four-wheel-drive while not sitting in the wrong lane for too long. The last thing I needed was to face oncoming traffic. I narrowly missed the four-wheel-drive, but not the angry, cursing man's face as I passed. The jolt threw me awkwardly sideways into the door, my bag tumbled to the floor and my phone was flung somewhere under my seat.

  For a moment, I thought I'd lost the car with its unwilling passenger and I let out a stream of curses fit to make a soldier blush. Then I saw it, between two other black cars. My relief was momentary though— how was I going to ring the police? Then inspiration struck. I had voice dialling enabled so I could make calls handsfree in the car. I could call Mum, she'd know who to contact and she had an app hat could track my phone's GPS, just as I could hers.

  'Jay Mobile, call Em Thaneton,' I said in a loud voice.

  I was guessing whether it worked, really, because I couldn't see the phone or hear if Mum answered. I spoke as if she had, my voice loud, deliberate, and clear.

  'Mum, I can't hear you. I've witnessed an abduction. I'm following a black sedan… Licence X3Q UT3. X. 3. Q. U. T. 3. I'm… Damn it, where am I? I'm on…'

  Street sign, street sign, c'mon street sign.

  ' Douglass! Douglass Street… I just passed Marsh Crescent…'

  I repeated the information about the boy and the car, where I'd be
en, and described the boy before describing the driver and the woman, not that I could tell her much. I figured if the call went to voice mail then there was a recording she could listen to. If she was on the other end of the phone— please be on the other end of the phone, Mum— she could alert someone, because I had no idea what to do when these guys stopped. My thoughts went to a news story I'd seen recently, a young child abducted and almost immediately killed when he resisted too much. I didn't want to think about it. The idea that this child might be heading for the same fate was too frightening. My mother was the police officer. She had the commendations for bravery and the training to deal with this kind of thing. I was an award-winning barista in massive amounts of debt running a café. I conducted barista training courses and had live music days to make ends meet. None of these things qualified me for a confrontation with people who had, as far as I could tell, abducted a boy as he left school.

  Therion

  [Courtesy Call – Thousand Foot Krutch nightcore remix by NightcoreReality]

  I was standing in the shadowed corner of a wide deck built on the back of the house. It was now late afternoon, but storm clouds provided the shadows I needed to conceal myself in what would normally be a bright and exposed space— although most humans cannot see me, my work for Aurealis brings me into contact with many non-human enemies. All the chairs around the table faced out towards the ocean, which was about a hundred metres away. Its rhythmic swooshing almost drowned out the sound of rain falling but for the slightly louder pattering on the open umbrella above the table.