Soul Taker's Redemption

by A. S. Hamilton

  I heaved out a breath. That they were moving us was even worse news. What chance did Mum have of finding us if we changed location?

  I dropped into unconsciousness pretty quickly, the rocking of the truck made it hard to resist. My head still ached horribly and I was nauseous and dizzy, sleeping was a means to escape my body's discomforts. What woke me was the lack of movement. We had stopped, but not just for a few moments, like at a turn or intersection, but for several minutes. I was pretty sure we'd reached our destination.

  A few minutes later, the door clanged open and this time Lena and Riley accompanied Quan. The door closed behind them and a torch indirectly lit up Quan's face.

  'Present your hands.'

  Again, the command sounded like a request and I watched as the children put their arms out straight with their hands together. They had done this before. Lena and Riley went around the group and used ties to bind their wrists. Quan walked over to me and shone the torch on my face for several long seconds before stepping back to make room for Lena. Unlike the children, I had not presented my hands, so Lena made a sound of displeasure.

  'Do you want to be merchandise or a nuisance?' Quan asked me.

  I put my hands out to be bound. Lena seemed to take delight in making it as tight as possible. Then she reached back and pulled something from behind her. Because of the dimness, I hadn't realised that Riley was standing behind her and had just handed her something. She leaned forward and shoved a hood over my head.

  'No talking,' Quan instructed.

  We were transferred to a long, musty-smelling room that was pitch black. Despite having hobbled awkwardly around the room examining the walls, I couldn't tell you how we got in. We'd been lifted down from the truck and then after a short walk outdoors we'd moved over a hard floor before being lifted again and pushed to the back of a room. Our wrist ties were cut, but we were told not to unhood ourselves until the door closed. That meant there must be a door, right? If it wasn't in the wall, then it must be in the ceiling or floor. I thought the ceiling made more sense; rather than being lifted up, we'd been dropped down. Then I remembered, I had a source of light.

  'Sunesh?'

  'Here.' The light from the music player lit up his face.

  'Can I borrow the light for a moment, please?'

  Sunesh shuffled over and gave it to me before placing his hand in my free one. I smiled, I guess that meant that while I had his source of light, I was his guardian from the dark. I didn't blame him; I'm an adult and I found the absence of light disturbing.

  I moved over to the nearest wall. It looked like just a plain, white wall. The floor was concrete and the ceiling looked like an ordinary ceiling, but in one corner I found a hatch. That confirmed my theory about being dropped down into the room. I gave it a tentative prod. It seemed pretty solid. I should mention, at this point, that the ceiling wasn't that much higher than my head. Aside from what turned out to be a port-a-loo for going to the toilet, there was nothing else in the room.

  As I placed my hand on the hatch door, several of the children whimpered and Danny spoke their fears. 'Should you do that? They might hear.'

  Another voice timidly spoke up. 'They beat Maya. She tried getting away and they hit her lots of times.'

  I gently withdrew my hand from Sunesh's and searched for the speaker. The voice belonged to a young girl, she was around nine or ten, I'd guess. The fear in her hazel eyes showed she'd not just heard about this; she'd seen them do it. Then I realised, this was a new face. While examining the room I was aware that there were children about, but I'd been focused on looking for ways to get out and had assumed they were the kids that had been with me in the truck. I jerked the light about the room and dread washed over me— we hadn't been put in an empty room.

  I approached the young girl and knelt in front of her. 'Hi, I'm Jay,' I said, lighting up my face.

  As soon as she saw my face, she made a little gasping noise and then said, 'You were sent to help us!'

  I, what now?

  'The dream,' Danny reminded me.

  The dream? Oh, yeah. Just before Quan came in that first time, several of the kids said they'd dreamed about me. With my head aching so badly, I'd forgotten to ask them more about it. First, though, I needed to find out what happened to Maya.

  'Is she here? Maya, is she still here?'

  I was led to the far corner and a huddled form. I'd been aware of children sitting or lying curled up near the walls and had carefully moved around them. Kneeling was awkward because of the binds about my ankles, but once I got down I shone the light on her.

  Oh, damn.

  With as light a touch as I could manage, I touched her head. Yep, that was blood. Still wet. Either the beating was recent or she was still bleeding. I locked my jaw tight as I felt down her arm to her wrist, I couldn't lose it in front these kids if she was dead.

  Please, please, please, don't be dead.

  Her mother needed her to live through this. The kids in this room needed her to live through this. I needed her to be survive this. Please, whatever gods there were out there, please let her be alive.

  I let out a heavy breath as I felt a weak pulse. I hadn't even realised I'd been holding it. At least she was unconscious, so hopefully that meant she wasn't aware of the pain. I considered banging on that hatch until I got someone and demanded they get a doctor. Yeah, that was as likely to be as effective as an umbrella in a hurricane. Where was a miracle when you needed it?

  'Allow me to take the child.'

  I almost yelped at the sound of the deep, male voice. I'd not been able to stop myself from jumping and I turned to see an angel. Although, the black feathers and the strange, gold eyes didn't dispose me to think innocent or God-serving. Although the two streaks of gold that marked the otherwise ebony hair looked like they were glowing a little. He had to bend his tall frame to fit in the room and a lock of gold hair fell forward. I resisted reaching out to touch it.

  'Therion?' It had to be him, I thought as I scrutinised his face. I could hardly forget it because even in my dreams his features had been just as vivid as they were right here, in real life.

  'We met at the ice rink,' he confirmed.

  'Yeah, you kicked some serious ass.'

  'My opponent didn't have much of a sense of humour, but I wouldn't call him serious.'

  That took me a second to process, well I never… I think the angel just made a joke.

  'I need to take the child, Jayden Emerline Thaneton.'

  'Jay,' I corrected automatically. What was I thinking, correcting an angel? Was he an angel? I hesitated.

  He seemed to sense my apprehension because he said, 'I have a duty to protect her. If I do not take her, others will come, and that will not bode well for her.'

  'She's still alive,' I objected.

  'Ah,' he looked down for a moment. 'You have seen how we escort the spirits. I mean to take the actual child, not just her spirit. My mission is to keep her alive.'

  He moved past me and knelt by Maya. I thought I heard him curse under his breath and I could see a gold glow envelop him and transfer to the child. He was healing her, I realised. He'd done that to the injured light-angel at the ice rink. I breathed a sigh of relief. The gold glow faded and then he scooped her up, she could have been a doll, she was so limp and so tiny in comparison to her rescuer.

  As he turned, I gestured to the rest of the children. 'What about these others?'

  'They have you, Jayden Emerline Thaneton.'

  He paused, his gold eyes meeting mine. I could swear for a second there was something more he wanted to say, but then he just gave me a little smile and stepped back, allowing the shadows to seemingly swallow him.

  Therion

  [Duel and Cloudscapes – Tuomas Holopainen]

  'Don't.'

  I put command into the direction, forcing the human male, Riley Joseph Exeter, to obey my will. He was sitting in a truck; we were at a petrol station.

  The light-brown eyes darted to look
out his open window. I could see a woman, his sibling from the similarity between their spirits, coming towards us. She must have been paying for the petrol. He glanced back at me, but his fear for his sister over-rode his fear for himself, allowing him to resist my will long enough to yell, 'Run, Lena!'

  I was not perturbed by his action, I only needed him and so I did not intervene. For an instant, Lena looked mystified. Then she took an uncertain step back. She could not see me; I had made myself visible only to the male. The urgency in his tone and her trust of him sent her back another two steps as she looked around for the source of the threat that triggered her brother's warning.

  As I did not look like I was going to reprimand him, Riley, said, 'I mean it, Lena, go.'

  That did it. She turned and hurriedly started walking around to the back of the service station. She looked back once, worried, but not willing to disobey her brother.

  When Riley turned back to me, he looked defiant and smug, his success at warning his sister lessening his fear. I gave him one of the kinds of grins I'd seen Bastien give his prey. The kind that shows his fangs as he lets them come to the realisation that he is far from a fellow human. 'I do not need your sister. You, Riley, will do just fine.'

  I did not have long, Maya was within a warded room, but I could not leave her alone for long. I needed to correct my mistakes, though, and for that, Jayden Emerline Thaneton's mother must find her.

  'You will return to the farm as you planned. When the police arrive, you will tell them everything. Including where to find Jayden Thaneton and the children.'

  He frowned. 'There's no address—'

  'Then show them,' I growled.

  I had been dampening my shadow-nature because I did not want him to try to run, but now, I let him feel it, let the fear seep into him and fill him. Aside from de-manifesting my wings, I had not changed my appearance.

  'Mistake it not, Riley Joseph Exeter, if you fail to do as I instruct, I will return for you and I will extract your soul so slowly from your pathetic vessel, the agony will feel endless.' I leaned in close. 'And I will enjoy every second.'

  I scanned his thoughts, fear so filled his mind, he could not think. I pulled back on my shadow-nature, allowing his fear to dissipate enough so I could be certain he would obey. I then set a psychic link that would allow me to experience everything Riley did. It meant I could monitor what was happening without actually being present.

  'Now, go,' I instructed. I shifted to the shadow plane but remained in the cabin of the vehicle.

  Riley placed trembling hands on the steering wheel but did not start the truck.

  'Drive to the farm,' I sent to his mind, using my will to nudge him along.

  Jay

  We were standing in a room with hoods over our heads. I couldn't tell how long we stood there, but it felt like hours. It was probably minutes, but when you're deprived of your freedom every second feels elongated. We'd been told to put the hoods on and lifted out of the basement cell. There'd been a short walk and then someone pushed me about as if positioning me in a specific spot. Our feet had been released before we'd been told to hold hands. Then Quan told us to remain silent and there was the sound of a door closing and locking.

  One of the children whimpered next to me. The sound was familiar. 'Cassie?' I whispered.

  I felt a body lean against mine and I rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her.

  'It'll be okay, hun. You just need to be brave a little longer. Your sister will be very proud of you.'

  'I am, Cass. I haven't left you.'

  Movement and indistinct voices outside brought us to silence. Locks clicked and the conversation became clear. It was Quan. '…such short notice we haven't cleaned them up yet, but, despite that, I think you'll find them an appealing selection. As I mentioned, the opportunity the woman offers is well worth considering. Such a project will result in large profits with little initial outlay.'

  A few seconds of silence followed and then a male voice asked, 'Which are the sisters?'

  'The first two on the left,' Quan answered.

  The second voice was distinctive because it was higher than average for a man. Despite its almost feminine quality, there was nothing soft about his tone. I presumed he was a buyer.

  'How old is the older child you mentioned?' the buyer wanted to know.

  'Fourteen.'

  They must mean Danny.

  The buyer made a doubtful sound, but did not speak immediately, then, 'I'll see them.'

  Movement followed, during which I assumed Quan removed hoods, not mine though.

  More silence.

  Footsteps indicated that either the buyer or Quan was moving forward. I heard Danny grunt slightly and footsteps move along what I assumed was a line of us and then move back. The buyer sighed, as if burdened with an unwelcome load. Finally, he said, 'Alright. The woman.' He sounded reluctant but resigned; a man doing something he didn't particularly want to do but felt obligated.

  'She's borne children, so she's fertile. Bit of a spirit, but breakable.'

  Ah, well, that was definitely me.

  Suddenly my hood was jerked up. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the light. Quan was in front of me, the hood in one hand. He stepped back and, in an unsubtle movement, placed his hand on the gun in the holster on his hip. The message was clear: if I did not behave, I would very quickly end up dead.

  A thin, balding man stepped forward and grabbed my chin in a grip that was too tight, making me grunt involuntarily. My mouth was forced open as my teeth were inspected and then I was released just as abruptly. He started to walk around me. Somehow, I knew it would be unwise to pay him too much attention, so I kept my head facing forward. That didn't stop me from taking in as much of my surroundings as possible without moving my head.

  We were in a storeroom. Three walls were filled floor-to-ceiling with shelves with boxes and other miscellany on them. In the corner to my left was a mop next to a metal bucket with a wringer. The door was in the centre of the wall in front of us and next to it, almost blending in with her surroundings, was a woman. Long, ebony hair hung in straight curtain, hiding most of her downturned face except for a triangle of the flawless, dark skin of her cheek. She just stood there, looking at the floor as if it was the most fascinating thing in the room. She didn't look underfed, in fact, her black, sleeveless top showed well-developed muscles. The image contradicted with her subservient manner.

  The balding man was still behind me as he asked, 'What will Mr Archmore contribute to this… investment?'

  'Mr Archmore's network will work between you and the buyers so you cannot be connected to the transactions. His buyers will pay up to, and in excess of, a hundred and fifty thousand an infant.'

  'And how will these profits be divided?'

  'Your expenses plus thirty percent.'

  'Thirty!' The exclamation almost made me jump because his raised voice was near my ear.

  'Mr Archmore is taking the greater risk. He also has expenses. People who need payment. Some of those people take great risks and demand sufficient compensation. It is a very generous arrangement, I assure you.'

  The buyer grunted doubtfully and walked back around, looking me over. 'I have my own networks, you know,' he grumbled. 'I've dealt directly with David Langley MP,' he said, emphasising the title. 'I have a solid in with him unless he wants his dealings with prostitutes and cocaine spread all over the papers,' he informed Quan smugly.

  'Of course, but your buyers are not in the market for infants. You'll need to establish a new network, which is time-consuming and risky. Mr Langley's sphere of influence doesn't include those regions, but Mr Archmore's does.'

  'Hmmm.'

  I got the sense that the doubtful noises were a part of the balding man's bargaining strategy, but as Quan moved back into my field of vision, he looked unperturbed.

  'I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, Quan. I really do. But I need time to consider a venture that will involve such complexity as t
he one you suggest.'

  Quan shrugged, his manner of someone who was not surprised, but thought the gambit worth a try.

  The bald man backed up and considered the younger girls. 'I'll take the two on the end and the youngest of that pair,' he said decisively.

  I turned my head slightly and could see Danny's face drain of colour as she realised that she was about to be separated from her sister. Quan had moved behind the girls and was urging them forward. As Cassie shuffled forward, she glanced sideways and then back. I could see her processing as she realised that her sister wasn't next to her. Her expression went from miserable, but calm, to wide-eyed panic.

  If I was going to do something, it had to be now. After all, Therion said I was the only help these kids would get. Cassie started crying as she attempted to go to her sister. Quan blocked her way and the crying escalated to pleading and wailing. The bald man made a sound of impatience and moved as if to assist Quan, who now had his back partially to me. I lunged to my left, seizing the metal bucket and swinging it so hard at the bald man's head, I lost my grip on it. I registered that it hit him and the stunned looked of a man about to pass out. Backing up, I grabbed the mop. Quan was still struggling with Cassie. Danny had been trying to calm her sister but paused when she saw what I'd done. Quan hadn't seen me strike the buyer, but was reaching for his gun, aware something was happening behind him. The woman who'd accompanied the bald man just stared. I'd worry about her last. I swung the mop, aiming the metal section of the mop's head at Quan's temple. He turned at the last second, raising his arm in a defensive gesture. I hit his arm and he cursed, dropping the gun to clutch the injured limb. Then, with a sneer, he launched himself at me, bowling me to the ground. The mop went flying and Quan's fist smacked into my face.

  'I knew you'd be trouble,' he growled, his hands circling my throat and squeezing.

  Danny jumped on Quan's back, the jolt dislodging his grip enough for me to gasp in a breath. I aimed a punch for his face but got the side of his neck. My head was slammed against the concrete floor as Quan renewed his grip.