Soul Taker's Redemption

by A. S. Hamilton

  Bastien arched his eyebrows; they were pale blond, like his hair, and sometimes difficult to see.

  'He has some information in his mind, but no easy way to communicate it to me.'

  The vampire turned his full attention to Archmore, his gaze narrowing. 'Ask him,' he directed curtly.

  I knew he was concentrating and that was the reason for his brusqueness.

  'Where are the children?' I asked.

  Archmore turned terrified eyes to me. 'I told you, I don't know the name...'

  Bastien started to stalk closer, a frown creasing his brow. 'It's rural,' he murmured, 'much like this location.' He reached Archmore, now paralysed with fear. 'Ask him again, I need him to focus on your quest.'

  I did. This time Archmore could not look away, caught by Bastien's mesmerizing gaze.

  A moment later the vampire abruptly turned and stepped away. I saw him grimace briefly before he raised his head and then gaze to mine. I had done this with the vampire before. He could read minds directly, meaning he could extract from them specific bits of information rather than the general scanning ability I have. I could then use my ability to scan thoughts to take the information from him. A few moments more and I could not tell you the name of the road where the children were, but I knew how to find them just as Archmore did. Not all vampires have Bastien's ability to read minds, so it was very timely that the vampire had sought me out. It had to be Aurealis's influence; why else would he finally find me after searching for weeks? It was in line with my master's predilections to toy with the vampire like that. She may not hate his kind, but she was not beyond such mischief when interfering with their goals. And thwarting the vampire from finding me until it suited her and served her purpose was the kind of act that would amuse Aurealis. It would also reinforce the fact that she had power over Bastien and that he would be wise not to defy her even though he was not her servant.

  I nodded a thank you to the vampire. I had felt no sanction from Aurealis when I had initially agreed to attend Bastien's gathering, so I said, 'I will do my best to attend your gathering. But beware, Aurealis will likely require repayment for allowing me to go.'

  Bastien snorted. 'There's no likely about it. And I will pay the debt when she calls it in.'

  It was that simple for the vampire. In truth, I knew he would not deny Aurealis anything she asked whether it was directly or through helping me. I was too powerful an ally for him to lose. But it was more than that. I believed Bastien had a genuine appreciation for the friendship we had developed. He and I shared more than a few interests, especially when it came to hunting. We also shared a common hate: Ceri-talen.

  Bastien gave me a salute of farewell and left the way he came. Archmore stared at the space where Bastien had been standing just a second before. He sensed my scrutiny and looked up with apprehension.

  And well he should.

  Emerline Theodora Thaneton— Em

  I woke with a start and groaned as a sharp pain spiked through my abdomen. The stitches where I'd been shot pulled and I placed a gentle hand on them reflexively. They felt fine. Well, no blood, at least. I couldn't figure it out. I could have sworn I felt the bullet go through my body, closer to my middle, but the doctor said it'd struck my side. My head was still fuzzy, and I had gaps in my memory, which was why the doctor suspected I'd hit my head, otherwise I'd be home right now. The scans hadn't shown anything, but they'd checked on me throughout the night, so I'd had a fitful sleep— no wonder I felt foggy and disoriented.

  The curtain surrounding my bed swooshed slightly and I saw Tien's head appear, seeming rather macabrely detached from her body.

  'Tien, thank goodness you're alright.'

  I got a brilliant smile. I love Tien's smile; it never fails to lift my mood. My mother adopted her fairly early so although she'd learned to speak Vietnamese, she didn't give it away with an accent, which meant in interviews she had an advantage. We'd been very close growing up, so our parents were not surprised when we both decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. We followed in the footsteps of our father, who had died when a drunk driver had ploughed past dad's police car and into an existing accident scene. My dad pushed a pregnant woman out of the way, but it put him right in front of the vehicle. I'd been worried about Tien and seeing her was a huge relief.

  'You're up!' She observed, battling the curtain briefly before stepping in. She grabbed the visitor's chair by the back as she did, pulling it over to the bed. 'I've got my fair share of stitches and bruises, but my injuries weren't as bad as yours,' she said reassuringly. 'The memory loss caused a bit of concern, though, so I got the usual warnings about concussion. Aaron assured them he'd keep a close eye on me, and he has. How 'bout you?'

  'Turns out it looked worse than it was and I only needed stitches. They decided to keep me over night because I was so out of it. It's a shame I don't have a Aaron to make careful observance of my every move.'

  Tien laughed at my joking tone; she was often teased about Aaron's devotion. Every Monday he sends her flowers at work and he often turns up with lunch or dinner. Aaron is a chef, so his lunch time is usually a couple of hours after lunch, which suits Tien just fine. He always brings a tablecloth and LED candles and sets them up in the break room. No meal, he says, is complete without atmosphere. He often brings lasagne or stir-fry for the rest of us. He claims that it stops us from ravenously eyeing off Tien's lunch, but there's an unmistakeable and sincere generosity in the gesture.

  Leaning on the side of the bed, Tien pushed her ebony hair back behind her ears. Her green eyes make it obvious to other Vietnamese that she had a Caucasian father, which was the reason she was ostracised and beaten before Mum fostered her. I love the way Tien's eyes always seem a little mischievous, like she's up to something.

  'Don't joke,' she scolded me. 'He almost wouldn't let me leave this morning. If he didn't have a wedding to prepare for, I'd be at home in bed, trying not to think of the exercise it'd require to burn off the croissants, eggs, sausages, bacon, and half dozen other things he'd feed me.' Tien paused for a moment and then added, 'Besides, you may not have a Aaron, but surely Jay will keep you well-supplied with tea and all the yummy things she stocks at the café?'

  A spear of panic made me jolt up from my half-reclined position. 'Jay! I don't think anyone's called Jay.'

  Tien had risen and now coaxed me back. 'Be careful of your stitches. I can give her a bell.'

  'Um, no, I can do it, I just need my phone…'

  We both frowned as a scan of the area revealed just medical equipment.

  Tien opened a cupboard to one side and pulled out a plastic bag that had a sticker with my details on it. She rifled through it, finally withdrawing my phone. 'They've turned it off, give me a sec.'

  I was happy to be patient as the action of sitting up too fast caused my side to burn and I was waiting, a little breathlessly, for it to pass. Tien looked over. 'Maybe I should call. You look like you should rest a bit.'

  I didn't have the energy to object and let myself drift. I registered that Tien made a sound but didn't quite distinguish it. 'What was that?'

  'Where was Jay supposed to be today, Em?'

  'Um, well, she's almost always at Fixated, why?'

  'She sent a text saying to come find her, but to listen to her voice mail for more details.'

  I winced as I pushed myself upright again. 'What! Where? And when?'

  'The text was sent yesterday. Let me get the voice mail.'

  I put my hand out for the phone, but it was waved impatiently away.

  'Give me a sec, I'm going to put it on speaker.'

  My daughter's agitated voice filled the air between us: 'Mum, I can't hear you. I've witnessed an abduction.'

  She what? Tien and I frowned at each other as we listened to the rest of the message.

  'I'm following a black sedan… Licence X3Q UT3. X. 3. Q. U. T. 3. I'm in… Damn it, where am I? I'm on… Douglass! Douglass Street… I just passed Marsh Crescent. A young Indian boy abd
ucted in a black sedan X3Q UT3. He's about ten, maybe twelve, dark hair, olive-brown skin. The driver is a white male with light-brown hair. A woman in the back seat grabbed him, she has brown hair. I think they might be in their late twenties or early thirties. I can't give you more, I couldn't see. I'm now on Norton Road, heading… sun's behind me, so east, heading east—'

  The message cut out.

  For a long moment my brain was completely blank, like it had frozen so it could process all the implications of the message. Then, 'When did she leave the text?'

  Tien looked at the phone and swiped a finger across the screen. 'Five thirty-three yesterday afternoon.'

  It was just past nine in the morning. I swore softly. 'Fifteen hours… And nothing else?'

  Tien shook her head grimly. Dread made me shiver; if this was anyone else's daughter being reported to me, I'd have slim expectations of finding her alive. I shoved the thought away, inhaled, and swung my legs out of bed. 'Get the nurse, I want this IV out.'

  Tien hesitated as I held my hand out for my phone again. Realising she was likely to argue, I scooped up the remote attached to the bed with my other hand and pressed the button to summon a nurse. Tien's disapproving frown deepened.

  'Tien, the phone has a GPS tracking app. I can track her phone's GPS as well as the one in her car.'

  Tien handed me the phone.

  'Call...' I closed my eyes. Oh God— fifteen hours! My damnably good-hearted daughter had chased some kidnappers and hadn't been in contact for fifteen hours. I made myself take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I had to be calm if I was going to find her. 'Could you please call…' The tremor in my voice betrayed my anxiety.

  I looked up from my phone to see Tien walking out as she raised her phone to her ear. 'I'm calling him, Em, I'll get the plate run, too.' She jerked to a stop and turned. 'What's Jay's plate?'

  I rolled my eyes ceilingward. 'Ah… QTP 490.'

  She nodded 'Got it. Get that GPS up.' She turned and then looked back. 'We'll find her, Em, and the poor kid she was trying to help.'

  Jay

  It was no surprise my head felt like someone had been using it for hockey practice. Thankfully, it was pitch black, so there was no light to add blinding pain to my misery. I felt movement next to me and became aware of shuffling sounds. Someone whimpered to my left. I reached out and felt a small, denim-encased, knee. A child.

  I shuffled over, carefully embracing the girl. 'Hey, sweetheart, it's going to be alright.' I felt a face push towards my neck and a wet cheek rested on my shoulder. I stroked long, soft hair. 'It's okay, hun.'

  A young, male voice said, 'We thought you were gone to heaven.'

  'I have quite a bump on my head, but I'm okay.' I tried to look at the face of the little girl in my arms, but it was too dark. 'It's alright, there's no need to cry.'

  'That's Cassie, she's only seven,' the male voice said.

  'Hi Cassie, I'm Jay.' My introduction triggered several excited voices to erupt at once. I hadn't realised I was surrounded by so many. 'Hey, hey,' I gently interjected, 'I can't hear you when you all speak at once.'

  'We need to be quiet, or they'll come,' said the boy who identified Cassie.

  'He's right,' another young, male voice agreed, 'and she can't see us anyway.' There was a pause and then the same voice murmured, 'I wish it wasn't so dark.'

  Cassie wriggled onto my lap and her movements brought my attention to a familiar shape in my pocket. They'd taken my phone but had over-looked my music player. It was, after all, just a tiny square that fit in the coin pocket of my jeans. It gave me an idea. I dug it out, careful not to dislodge Cassie. 'Who said that?'

  'I'm Sunesh. But Pete spoke first.'

  'Sunesh, I have something for you.'

  After some more shuffling, a small hand touched my head. 'There you are,' Sunesh said.

  I handed him my player. 'This is just an MP3 player. I don't have headphones, I left them in my car. But,' I paused as I activated it, 'it lights up.' I passed it to Sunesh, who turned the display towards him. The light allowed me to see his face— it was the boy I had seen abducted. I was relieved to see he was okay, although his dark-brown eyes reflected the stress of his present situation.

  A boy I presumed was Pete moved next to him and smiled. 'I'm Pete,' he said. Another young, innocent face strained by the trauma inflicted upon him. His lighter brown eyes were very solemn and the smile didn't quite reach them: just a young boy being as brave as he could for those around him. His clothes were dishevelled and his dusty face and black, curly, hair suggested it'd been some time since he'd last washed. He'd been here a while, I surmised.

  'Thank you,' Sunesh said, giving me a grateful smile.

  'You probably can't leave it on or the battery will run out too quickly, but when the dark gets too much...'

  I squinted as Sunesh turned the display in my direction, the dim backlight felt as bright as a thousand suns. He gasped. 'It is her!'

  'Of course it's her!' Pete interjected. 'Her name's Jay, which is what the angel said she'd call herself.'

  I frowned. The what told them what now?

  'Did you say you'd seen an angel?'

  'In a dream,' a female voice said. 'We all had the same dream.'

  Her voice sounded more mature than the others and I said as much. A hand that, while still small, was larger than the others found my free one— I still had an arm about Cassie— and from the light of the music player I saw a girl who looked like she was fourteen or so kneel in front of me. 'I'm Danny. I'm like you.'

  'You don't like your long name, so you shorten it.'

  Danny paused. 'Oh, yeah. No, they didn't want me, but I wouldn't let go of my sister, Cassie.'

  Valiant girl, I thought.

  Danny continued, 'They said they didn't want you, either.'

  I snorted, I bet they didn't. 'How many of you are there?'

  'Eight, including you and me—'

  A loud clanking sound brought instant silence. I heard Danny murmur as she transferred Cassie from my lap to hers. Sunesh turned off my music player, but the darkness quickly dissipated as a door creaked open. That's when I realised we were in a refrigerated truck. I could tell by the walls, which were different to a normal truck. I'd seen a truck parked between the sheds when I first reached the house. I'd thought nothing of it, and it never occurred to me it might have children in it. Thankfully, they didn't have the refrigeration going.

  Someone entered carrying a torch, which was already on. They didn't speak, but shone the light around, pausing on each child for a moment before moving on. Eventually, the shadow behind the torch resolved into a man who was several centimetres shorter than me with Asian features— short black hair, deep-brown eyes, light-brown, unblemished skin. The torch light landed on me and started to move on and then came back. Despite his Asian ancestry, he spoke with an Australian accent. 'Ah, our uninvited intruder. Stand up.'

  The command was delivered as a request. In fact, his voice was quiet and gentle sounding. I considered being obstinate, but that might lead to violence, which wouldn't get me anywhere and traumatise the children. If I could remain relatively uninjured, I had a better chance of helping them, and myself. Still, I rose slowly, because I just realised my ankles were bound by something, not so tight I could not move my feet, but I certainly couldn't run. My left foot was numb and I had to lean on the wall to get myself up. This must be Quan, because he seemed to be examining the children and Lena had said a Quan would arrive early in the morning to 'check the stock'.

  A whole night had passed…

  The realisation almost made me sink to the floor again. Mum should have found me by now.

  Quan came closer and the torch light went from my face to my feet and back up, before he lowered it so it wasn't shining directly in my eyes. 'How old are you?'

  'Does it matter?' I kept my tone neutral.

  He nodded thoughtfully. 'It should to you, for it will be the difference between life and death. Our clients generally
are not in the market for a woman as old as you appear.'

  I made a soundless 'ah'. 'Perhaps I should be the age that would most appeal to one of your clients?'

  Quan smiled. 'You might come through this better than I expected.'

  'I'm a practical person. From what I can tell, I don't have a lot of options.' I wanted him to think I was scared and co-operative, so, I put a little shake in my voice.

  'For a woman who was just trying to call for roadside assistance, you are remarkably calm. Most people would be yelling and carrying on about rights and police. Are you sure you are not connected to the police? An undercover operative, perhaps?'

  That was the last thing I wanted him to think. I had to convince him I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. 'I've been in here all night with children who say they were taken suddenly. I've had time to adjust to the idea that I've stumbled into something very serious. I won't lie, I hope that when my husband reports me missing, and he will have by now, the police will find me. But I've had a gun pointed at me and was knocked unconscious by the person holding it. I think the sensible reaction is to not provoke that woman or any others to further violence.'

  'You have a husband, then?'

  I shrugged. 'Yeah.'

  'Children?'

  'Two.'

  'Hmmm. That could be unfortunate. Any scars? Appendix? Caesarean?'

  I frowned, not sure why it mattered, and then I realised I'd be of more value to his clients without scars. I shook my head even as I hoped that he didn't check and find the marks on my left knee and ankle.

  He made another hmm-ing sound. ''We might be able to find a use for you yet,' he murmured to himself as he started to back up towards the door.

  'What about food and water?' I asked.

  'This is not a hotel.'

  'We're merchandise, right? Even pet shop owners feed their animals.'

  'You are not merchandise, not yet.'

  That wasn't good news.

  He tapped on the door and it opened. 'We leave now,' he said to whoever was outside. 'We'll take them to the warehouse. We can't risk staying here, her husband…' The door closed.