Soulhunter Academy

by L. J. Swallow

  “One dagger each.” Daniel crosses the room, placing a weapon on each desk. “How you conceal the dagger when in the field is up to you. Just make sure you have easy access to it at all times. If you’re amongst humans, keep your weapon hidden. They don’t appreciate you waving them around, and capture by human authorities is a transgression. Something that will cause you serious problems.” He glances at me.

  I duck my head and play with the dagger’s handle.

  Daniel pulls a glinting sphere from his pocket and sets it on the desk next to him. The light in the room causes the white sphere to glow. “Soul crystals. No prizes for guessing what these are for.”

  I shift back in my chair, disappointed. Daggers. I want to know how to use the daggers.

  Again, he circles the room placing a crystal on each table. I gingerly pick mine up. The light bounces off the surface, scattering rainbows across the room. The patterns from the other students’ crystals join, and I’m in awe as the space around me fills with colour. The sphere is surprisingly light—would it be heavier with a soul inside?

  Layla raises a hand. “How do we put the souls into the crystals?”

  “They choose to. Kill a demon, hold this out, and the soul will enter the crystal. I can’t show you how this works— you’ll see when you’re in the field,” says Daniel.

  “So no demons to practice on?” asks Tom, echoing a thought I’ve had.

  Daniel wrinkles his nose. “Demons can’t exist in the academy. They can’t make their way through the barriers. Even if we had one to... practice on, the creature would disintegrate within seconds of someone bringing it into our world.”

  “Even Nephilim?” I ask, unable to help myself. The images of the Nephilim won’t leave my mind. Something strangely familiar lies behind them. They look like angels but no longer are, and I want to know their story. How can Nephilim be demons? What could override the angelic nature of these creatures?

  Daniel ignores me, and I can’t decide if this is due to my impertinence or because I asked a question, he doesn’t want to answer.

  In the large cafeteria, I sit alone with my tray, picking at the bland rice and vegetables on the plate. There’s no upgrade from the Fated food to something tastier in the academy. Stabbing a piece of potato with my fork, I shove the morsel into my mouth. Across the tiled floor, two tables hold the rest of the soulhunter trainees. Few speak. I refused to join an existing table early on, and this has been interpreted as arrogance because nobody ever joins me apart from Sarah sometimes.

  Today we practiced our combat skills repeatedly sparring with each other, then moved to stabbing training dummies in their fake hearts until I could kill them blindfolded if I wanted. I learnt quicker than the others, of course. Then I sat at my desk and watched. I studied Daniel too, but he didn’t look at me again.

  The weird crap happening with Daniel ostracises me further. Do I care? No. We’ll all be alone once we finish training; what’s the point in making friends? I’ll be used to the solitude.

  But I appreciate Sarah’s friendship and how she gently pulls me into line. She tires more easily than me. I’ve noticed some recruits have more stamina than others and worry what this means for her. In fighting class the other day, Tom decided to take Sarah down and mock her weakness. Daniel’s response surprised me. He stepped in to help Sarah and sent Tom into the corner like a naughty kid.

  The guy is an enigma. Shouldn’t he be helping those capable of success? I think some soulhunters already know their fate isn’t looking good.

  Those around me finish their meals and leave. I survey my surroundings as I eat, wishing for the outside world and fresh air. Natural light. Everything is exact and pristine inside the academy. Sterile. The fluorescent lights run in long strips. The brightness hurts my eyes, and the only natural light I’ve seen since arriving was through the window in Darius’s office. Perpetual day exists here too—the only way to tell time passing is clocks on the walls.

  Lost in thoughts about my soulhunter life ahead, and the one I’ll have after that, I don’t notice Daniel approach. Shit. This time I study my plate. Remember the mantra: Confident. Show no weakness. What doesn’t help is my betraying heart that beats faster every time he’s close. Worse still, I don’t think this is only fear.

  I attempt to keep my eyes fixed on his face, not take in the way his T-shirt stretches across well-toned biceps, or how the strong hands, which kill demons, could touch me again.

  Daniel pauses, scans the room, and the connection between us passes when we lock gazes. Get a grip. I stare back in challenge, hoping he’s not as aware of my breath shortening as I am.

  He stands over me. “Ava, I need you to be a little more... humble. I know you’re used to drawing attention to yourself, but you’re drawing attention to me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Daniel rubs his temples. “You have to grow up. Change your behaviour and grow up.”

  My face heats. “And training to kill demons isn’t growing up?”

  Only a couple of stragglers remain in the eating area, and a middle-aged woman with her brown hair pulled into a ponytail collects empty trays. Daniel slides into the seat opposite.

  “Tomorrow you’re in the field, and I need you to show me that you can listen and follow instructions. Your survival depends on your ability to learn to do this.”

  Now my increased heart rate has nothing to do with him. “Tomorrow? We’ve had little over a week training.”

  I expected more—days or weeks practicing combat and preparing mentally as well as physically to enter the human world.

  “This is all we teach. You learn on the job.”

  I push down the fear leaking into my system, and the meal in front of me is less appetising than five minutes ago.

  “You’ll be okay, Ava. If you listen to me. But please no more stunts like the one in class the other day. People are noticing my interest in you.”

  Interest? A strange feeling flutters across my chest, stomach tightening as I try to gauge what he means by the words. He says he wants to help me survive—but why me? Daniel’s hot and cold reactions spin me out, and I’m annoyed he’s fuelling my stupid teenage crush.

  He may’ve blinked away the look in his eyes when I touched him in class, but his expression spoke to me. Back home, I never had time to be close to a lot of guys. The ones I did let touch me held the same look as I catch in Daniel’s expression. Back then, I responded with half-hearted make-out sessions a few times. They were kids and inexperienced, and my desire didn’t stretch far. This desire to touch Daniel is more than half-hearted.

  I push down the stupid reaction, telling myself his power and status as a seasoned soulhunter catches me and pulls me to him, the same way the girls at school crushed on the more attractive teachers. Nothing else.

  “Yeah, well. Screw them.” I shake my hair from my face and focus on my meal, knowing full well he’ll see through my bravado.

  The following silence sends my thoughts haywire. I’m aware of his scrutiny, and my face burns.

  “You’re funny, Ava. I like that in you,” he says eventually.

  The food sticks in my throat, and I’m unable to reply. I swallow hard. “What’s so funny?”

  “Your act. The scared little Fated girl turned big brave soulhunter. The problem is, you need to believe in your new persona, and I don’t think you do.”

  “It’s not a persona,” I retort.

  Daniel reaches across the table and places his hand on mine. Warmth. Softness. The sensation jolts, and I snatch my hand away. Nobody touches me unless I want them to. Daniel rubs his fingers together, and he smiles. “Sure.”

  I place my fork on the table. “I’m done eating. Did you want anything else?”

  “I guess we’ll see how special you are when you meet your first demon.” Daniel rises.

  Instead of walking away, he places both palms on the table and leans across, face close to mine. Warm breath tickles my cheek, and he remains silent f
or a few seconds.

  “Am I wasting my time here?” he whispers.

  I pull my head back and narrow my eyes. “By training me? No, I’ll be a bloody great soulhunter.”

  A genuinely amused look crosses his features, replacing his game face. “I’m sure you will be.”

  As he walks away, I sit on my shaking hands relieved no other trainees were around to witness our exchange.

  Wasting his time on what?

  Chapter Nine

  I stagger as the ground reappears under my feet, engulfed by the sensation someone tore out my insides and shoved them back in the wrong places. I reach out to touch the nearby bricks, steadying myself.

  The human world.

  Minutes earlier, I grouped with the other soulhunters waiting to be transported here. One flash of light later, I arrived. Through the darkness, I take my first real look at the place the demons live. The afternoons of lessons, studying maps and pictures of the places I’ll be assigned, seems more helpful than it did at the time. But I’m still disorientated.

  The yellow light from the lamp post on the city street illuminates the entrance to an alley and wooden crates piled against the walls. I’m unnerved because nobody is with me in the alley. Great, they dropped me in the middle of a demon’s favoured combat area. Alone.

  Do I wait? For a few minutes, I hover near the wall expecting someone else to appear in a flash of light. Nobody arrives.

  With shaking hands, I check the dagger in my jacket hasn’t dematerialised during my trip down, relieved when my hand folds around the hilt. I rub my aching head. Daniel said we’d be paired for our first mission. Where’s my partner, Sarah?

  Blood thumps through my ears as I approach the end of the alleyway and peer out. A sleek black car passes, and a group of girls walk by, chatting and oblivious. There’s nothing remarkable about them—they could be Fated since we look human. Maybe demons.

  No, they’re nothing like the Fated. The easygoing aura and colourful variety in their clothing isn’t available to the Fated. Whether they’re demons or humans, I don’t care. My reaction is a hateful jealousy; these humans are free and look at what I have to face to achieve their freedom.

  The place is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time—as if someone took the Fated world and injected a rainbow of colours into the space and poured in happiness. I back against the wall, overwhelmed by the sights and sounds around me. How can I hunt demons in a place I don’t understand? This first mission is for a few hours with no time to acclimatise. I chew on a nail, wondering how long until Sarah arrives.

  Footsteps approach from the alley behind, and I automatically curl my hand around my dagger as I turn. Daniel. He’s changed into soulhunter clothing, and the litheness of his movements and his long legs draw my gaze as he approaches. My heartbeat picks up further. When I look to his face, Daniel’s expression indicates he’s aware of my scrutiny. I look away relieved he can’t see my heating cheeks in the dimness of the alley. Fear of this situation is enough to deal with.

  “Where’s Sarah?” I ask.

  “Just you and me.” He grabs my arm.

  “But I thought...?”

  “Finish this and quickly.” Daniel drags me back into the alleyway and drops his grip.

  What does he want me to do? I spin around, searching the shadows. Nothing. “Finish what?”

  “Wait over there.” He points to a space opposite, in the shadow of an overhanging building.

  I pause, and Daniel shoves me in the small of the back. I spin around. “Don’t push me!”

  “I said you have to listen and do as you are told.”

  Daniel’s eyes glint through the darkness, and his tone pisses me off. “Tell me what’s happening. Why am I on my own?”

  “I need you to succeed on your first mission, which involves making sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Such as?” I bristle.

  “Wandering off, acting on instinct, rather than thinking things through. Killing yourself.”

  I lick my dry lips, and Daniel chews the edge of his. Why does he need me to succeed?

  “The girl they paired you with is weak. You need someone stronger than Sarah the first time, in case the demon gets the upper hand.” He crosses his arms. “I spent five years hunting demons. That’s why I’m now a trainer so you’re safe with me.”

  “But your freedom? If you collected all those souls why aren’t you free and living your new life?”

  In the dim of the alleyway, I can’t read him, but the pause is telling. “I chose to be a trainer. Now move the hell over there and wait.”

  Daniel’s anger flashes in as quickly as ever, and the conversation shuts down. Did I hit a raw nerve? Biting back my desire to retort, I stomp towards the space he indicates, rest against the wall, and grip my dagger.

  For a few moments, Daniel remains in the centre of the alleyway. I want to ask what he’s doing, but I can’t gauge Daniel’s true mood, and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of his ire if I piss him off.

  Suddenly, he strides to the entrance and disappears around the corner. I inhale. The constant fear since I arrived spins my head, and I concentrate on breathing through the rising panic. What the hell is he doing?

  When Daniel doesn’t return after a few minutes, I walk from the shadows into the alleyway, to the spot he vacated. I stare up into the clouds obscuring the stars. My stars. The ground lurches as the reality of how far from home I am hits.

  Someone slams hard into my side. I fall, skidding across the ground on my back, and banging my head as I drop. A male figure approaches and stares down at me. The demonic aura surrounds him, an invisible force sucking energy from the world around. Amber eyes shine through the darkness, confirming his race. I size him up. Around six feet tall and slim built is all I can make out in the dim.

  “More cannon fodder?” he sneers.

  I push up and scramble backwards, head pounding. The demon watches with amusement as I back against the wall. “You need to watch your back down here, girl.”

  What now? Run at him? Attack him? Practicing how to locate the exact spot to pierce a heart on dummies is one thing, but this is reality. Leaving the dagger in my pocket, I run towards him. To my surprise, I knock him to the floor as if he weighs less than I do. I hesitate in surprise, missing a chance for the upper hand. The demon grabs his opportunity, jumps back to his feet, and seizes me by the throat. I stagger into him and he traps my arms between our bodies.

  “Get the fuck off me!” I try to yell, but the words are strangled.

  An instinct I never knew I had takes over as I summon the strength to fight back against the powerful creature. I slam my head forwards, colliding with his face. With a howl of pain, he releases me and stumbles, holding a hand across his nose. I pull out my dagger as he wipes the blood from his face. I try to disguise my doubt I’ll win, but the demon has the measure of me.

  “Aww, sweetheart. Am I your first?” He rubs the blood from his hands onto his trousers.

  I hesitate too long again. The demon charges back over and pins me against the wall. I gasp, chest burning as the breath is knocked away. This is nothing like the rehearsed fights with Derrin back home, or those I trained with recently. This bloody hurts.

  With an arm across my throat, the demon’s amber eyes confuse and captivate, and his scent turns my stomach. Why do the angels give soulhunters their angel strength but limit powers that could help in combat with demons in the human world? There’s no sense in that. He grabs my arm with his other hand and claws the dagger from my grip. The dagger clatters to the ground.

  “I’m your first and last,” he jeers, kicking the weapon across the alley.

  In a swift movement, the demon grips my throat again. His nails slash my skin as he does, and the wound stings as if he’s poured acid into the flesh. In desperation, I struggle to pull his hands away, and in response, he pulls my head back and cracks it on the wall. The pain sears across my skull, and my vision blackens towards unco
nsciousness.

  Daniel was wrong about me. I won’t survive.

  The demon’s grip loosens, and I slump to the floor as someone pulls him away. Through my dull vision, I see. Daniel kneels on the creature’s chest, dagger in hand. Before the demon or I have a chance to register what’s happening, he plunges the knife into the creature’s heart. Seconds later, a grey cloud spirals slowly from the demon’s mouth.

  A soul.

  The cloud shimmers in the darkness, hovering around the demon’s head. Daniel pulls a crystal from his pocket and holds the sphere in the palm of his hand. The soul shoots towards the crystal, and the cloud disappears into the orb. When the soul was free for those fleeting moments, the alleyway hummed with a different energy as if someone else was with us. I blink. What exactly are souls?

  Daniel climbs to his feet and drags the body into the corner where he told me to wait for him. Wiping his hands on his jacket, he storms over.

  “I obviously made a huge fucking mistake with you!” he growls, pulling me to my feet.

  I stare back in dazed confusion. “Okay, so I can’t do it. I can’t kill demons.”

  “Not that! Because I told you where to wait for me, and you moved. He was looking for us.” Daniel’s fury matches that of the demon—and my fear of him is as great.

  “You left me.” My tiny voice annoys me.

  “I was looking for him—finding him before he found you. If you’d just fucking waited where I said…” He trails off and pushes both hands into the front of his hair.

  “Let me go. I need to sit down.” I slide down the wall to the ground. My head pounds, and I hold my temples, pushing against the pain. Each heavy breath I take burns my lungs.

  Daniel crouches next to me. “Let me see your head.”

  I lean forward, wincing as his fingers probe beneath my hair. “No blood,” he says.

  “A bloody big headache though,” I mutter.

  “Oh, you certainly are.” My vision is blurred, but the expression I see on his face looks more like disappointment than anger.