Coercion

by Tamara Hart Heiner

  We must have had the same thoughts, because the god of the underworld said, “I’m tired of meeting this way. Let’s take our conversation elsewhere.”

  I didn’t argue with him. I slid out of bed, glad that Trey’s presence obligated us to wear long pajama bottoms and T-shirts for sleepwear. I followed him to the door of the hotel room and out into the hallway. He glided across the carpet while my footsteps padded behind, reminding me of my mortality and his elevated state.

  “Not for long,” he said.

  I started slightly. “Are you reading my mind?”

  “I see you, Dekla. I always have.”

  The verb left much to be interpreted, but I thought I understood what he meant. I pressed my lips together, wondering how I could keep myself more guarded.

  The hotel clerk wasn’t at the desk, and we sat down on the couch in the lobby, quite alone.

  “The battle didn’t go so well for you today, did it?” he said conversationally, studying his fingernails.

  I swallowed hard. “I don’t know how to save them.”

  “You will when you remember.”

  “How?” I knew that my memories were key somehow, but I didn’t understand. “Is it like a magic button I press, and all of a sudden we’ll win the battles? Free the souls?”

  A smile played at his lips. “It’s slightly more complicated than that, but you know that.” The ball of flames appeared in his palm again, and he toyed with it as if it were nothing more than a marble. “I could give this to you right now. And you would have everything you need.”

  I tore my eyes away from the glowing light that called me. “Who are you?”

  “Dekla.” His words were like a caress, a feather rushing across my skin, and I shuddered at the goosebumps that popped out on my arms. “You know who I am.”

  I met his eyes, searching them, and images came to my mind. Collecting the souls on the battlefield. Guiding them down to the underworld. Death. But more than that. Using the same power from the cycle of life to bring forth fruit from the land, grains and produce to feed the people.

  A name came to me, and recognition. I knew him, so well that it baffled me. “Jumis.”

  His hand reached out as if to touch mine, but I pulled back.

  “So you remember.” His eyes flickered as if the fire were in them now. “What did you see?”

  A ribbon of dread was unfurling in my stomach as I began to realize the bond that must have existed between me and him in a past life. “I am not the Dekla you remember. I am Jayne.”

  “Oh, I know who you are. I know more about you than you do. The part of you that is Dekla is stronger than any I’ve felt in a thousand years. And when you remember everything, you’ll feel the connection between us.” He opened his hand again, revealing the glowing orb, taunting me.

  I needed that. I could feel the power calling to something inside of me. My body trembled with the desire to pluck it from his hand. I sucked in a breath and allowed my fingers to step nearer, close enough to feel the heat radiating from the orb. Almost I could glean its energy. “Is there any other way?”

  “As we discussed. Are you closer to accessing your memories?”

  I wasn’t, and I knew he knew it. “What do I have to do to get that from you?”

  His hands closed over the ball. I snatched my hand back, embarrassed at my obvious need.

  “What do you require of me?” I met his gaze.

  “Fulfill the promise you made to me. Take your rightful place beside me. We belong together, fate and life. Be my wife, like you consented to be.”

  Talk about a turn off. Desire for the little fireball was replaced by indignation. “I never made such a promise to you!”

  “Dekla did. And you are becoming her, completely. You are not the only one who sees the future.” He leaned closer to me, his eyes swirling with hunger. “Renew your vows, fulfill your promise, and I will give you back your memories.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll do it the long way, thanks.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I would reconsider if I were you. Every moment you wait, souls are lost. Every moment that Auseklis is powerless is a moment you are unprotected, a moment when you might lose the mortal Aaron forever.”

  Aaron. My heart give a little tumble, and the pain tore through me again when I pictured his soulless eyes, the man on the battlefield who held no regard for me. But if I agreed to be Jumis’ wife, I would lose Aaron in a different way.

  I shut my eyes, remembering the vision I had of Aaron when we first met. The vision where he was married to his ex-girlfriend. Not me.

  What if it was never meant to be me?

  A scream rang out, rattling down the hallway. I bolted, racing for our room. The scream came again, verifying my suspicions that it came from within. Only as I got there did I remember I had not brought my key. I pushed on the door and slammed my palm against it.

  Before I could hit the door again, Jumis was there, his eyes on me as he calmly pushed it open. I tumbled inside.

  Meredith sat upright in her double bed, sobbing, tears rolling down her face as her words spilled out in a garbled mess. Trey knelt beside her, hands on her knees, staring intently into her face as she spoke. Beth hovered nearby, chewing nervously on her fingernails she watched them.

  I stepped closer, catching Meredith’s words.

  “She was winning. Somehow she convinced more of the gods to join her side, and people were dying. Hundreds. Thousands. Regular humans being used as pawns on both sides, fighting each other vicariously for the gods.”

  I raised my eyes to the door where Jumis stood. Nobody else had noticed him, but his expression was somber, his eyes locked with mine.

  “You are not the only one who sees the future,” he said, repeating what he had told me earlier. “Ragana has always been a mystic and a seer. There is a way to stop this. But only you can do it.”

  I glanced toward my friends to see if they would comment, but their faces were still glued on Meredith. Had time frozen again? Had they even heard Jumis?

  I looked at the doorway, but the door was shut. And he was gone.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I hardly slept the rest of the night. My thoughts tumbled over themselves, from Jumis’ offer to Meredith’s nightmare to Aaron nearly cutting me down and back to Jumis’ offer. Then there was Beth, the loss of her powers, Meredith, Stephen’s hatred for me, and my parents, who must be worried sick about us. I tossed and turned, my eyes itchy with the need to sleep. But for once, sleep wouldn’t come.

  I finally managed to rest a few hours before dawn, and I opened my eyes when I heard Meredith whimpering. Trey sat on the bed next to her, holding her foot in one hand while the other hand unwrapped her bandage. He spotted me when I stood up.

  “Bring me that plastic bag on the nightstand, would you?” he said.

  I grabbed it up and brought it over, then watched as Trey dug out medicine. He applied a salve and re-bandaged her wound.

  “You’re sure there’s no poison or anything in the bite?” Meredith asked. “I’m not going to turn into a demon now, am I?”

  “They weren’t werewolves,” Trey said shortly. But as he stood up and moved away, I caught his concerned expression. “I’ll grab some breakfast for us.”

  I followed him to the lobby, where the continental breakfast was displayed in all its glory. “Is there something going on with her that you’re not telling us?”

  Trey loaded a plate with yogurt, some danishes still in plastic wrappers, and a few oranges. “She should have been able to heal herself.” He cast me a look. “It would be really helpful if you would come into your powers.”

  “You think I don’t know that,” I said. I took a deep breath, pushing down the rage.

  “Maybe you should let it out.”

  I gave Trey a surprised look. “What?”

  “Stop trying to suppress it. Give into the anger. It might free the memories of your former selves.”

  Was it possible? Could that b
e another way? The relief that hit me was so profound I nearly collapsed, grabbing the counter for support. To think I had seriously been considering Jumis’ offer.

  When I straightened up, I found Trey’s eyes on me.

  “What are you thinking?” he said.

  I scowled. How was it he had the ability to read me like a book? “Nothing. I’m just glad I have another option.”

  “Another option?” he said, something dangerous in his voice. If he weren’t holding a plate of food, I think he would’ve grabbed me. “Have you been talking to that god again?”

  “It’s not like I call him to chat. He just kind of appears. He came yesterday. He offered me all of my memories, all of my power at once.”

  Trey’s eyes met mine, his pupils dilating. “Why? Why would he offer you that? That’s a great gift.” But instead of sounding grateful, he sounded suspicious.

  I shrugged it off. “It doesn’t matter, because now I’m just gonna try to get really angry. Like the Incredible Hulk, and my powers will come out.”

  Trey couldn’t help cracking a smile. “If you turn green, nothing in this world will stop me from putting your picture all over social media. And I only said it might work.”

  “Ha.” I grabbed a few cartons of milk. “I’ll take it.”

  We trailed back to the room together, our spirits slightly higher.

  Meredith sat at the desk next to the television, and she brandished Melissa’s phone at us as we came in. “Melissa called. She and Amy want to meet.”

  *~*

  “Yesterday did not go well at all,” Amy said, shaking her head.

  We were in the courtyard of a massive cathedral. It felt wrong, almost deceitful, to be using such a building for protection, but Amy said it was one place Samantha and her entourage couldn’t penetrate. She also said it would shield our powers, something essential, since we’d need to use them.

  “We know,” I said. “We’re trying to figure out what to do.”

  “Laima said you would lead us. She said you were the key to winning this.” The accusation was heavy in Melissa’s voice, and I shifted uncomfortably.

  “Maybe she should’ve coached me a little more before she put me in the position of leadership,” I said. “Now even my sister has lost her powers. Any advantage I had is gone.” I look down at the flip-phone in my hands, off since the day we left home. I knew if she wanted to, though, Laima could contact me. I’d gotten so used to being frustrated with her that I barely registered any emotion at all.

  “But I should be able to do what the other raganas out there were doing,” Meredith said. “I need someone to teach me.”

  Melissa shook head. “We can’t teach you, and we don’t have a ragana. But you’ve learned how to manipulate people, right?”

  Meredith’s cheeks flushed. “It’s kind of the reason we’re in this mess.”

  “So it’s really no different. You just have to manipulate the elements instead.”

  She cocked her head. “The elements have feelings?”

  Amy laughed, a high, pleasant sound, and even Melissa smiled.

  “A thing doesn’t need feelings to be manipulated. If you hold a magnifying glass under the sun over a piece of wood, the wood catches on fire. You manipulated the sun’s rays,” Melissa said.

  “And you didn’t even hurt it’s feelings,” Amy giggled.

  Meredith didn’t crack a smile, but I saw the thoughtful look in her eyes. She pushed her glasses up and swiveled on the bench, facing the trees. “I’ve done this before without meaning to.”

  “Of course. We’ve all done things without meaning to. And now you have to mean to.”

  Meredith took a deep breath, and then she recited a couplet she must’ve barely composed in her head. “Dust and dirt and leaves on trees, gather in the winds for me to see.”

  It wasn’t even subtle. The dirt around Meredith’s feet swelled up to a whirlwind, getting stronger as leaves in the air joined it, creating a little tornado right in front of her.

  We both gasped, and Amy applauded. “See? You’ve got it.”

  “What about the symbols?” I put the ones on the table that I deciphered. “Is there something here that can help my sister?”

  “Or Meredith’s ankle?” Trey added.

  Amy and Melissa looked at each other, their expressions solemn. And then Amy faced me.

  “I know someone who can help.”

  Twenty minutes later, a tiny white civic pulled into the parking lot in front of the cathedral. A woman got out, probably around my mother’s age.

  “Who is that?” I asked.

  Melissa stepped forward to join her. She cradled the woman’s elbow in one hand as they came closer to us.

  “Her name is Norma,” Amy said.

  Norma reached us, and I saw from her bloodshot eyes that she was crying. I also saw from their solemnity and depth that no matter her appearance, she was much older than my mother.

  “Norma? Are you okay?” I asked, shooting a bewildered glance at Meredith. What was this lady doing here?

  “Where is Karta?” she asked, sidestepping my question.

  Melissa jerked her head at Beth, and Beth spoke up.

  “I’m her. Or was.”

  Norma sat beside her and took her hands. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  I looked at Melissa and then at Trey. “Is she a ragana?”

  Norma surprised me by answering. “I am a Karta. And my sister is gone.”

  Of course she would give me an answer that begged more questions. I turned to Trey as the only person I could rely on to give me real responses. But it was Amy who spoke up.

  “Yesterday in the battle, Samantha took Norma’s sister goddess prisoner. She stripped her of her powers and made her a part of Samantha’s army. Now she has one more portion of the powers of Dekla.”

  “That’s her end game,” Trey said. “She wants the power of the goddesses.”

  “Why didn’t she take me?” Beth asked.

  “Because she didn’t take your powers,” Trey said, a light burning in his eyes like he’d just clicked several puzzle pieces together. “The sword did. Your powers were lost, not stolen.”

  I was dying to ask him what he’d figured out, but Norma interrupted me. Still holding tightly to Beth’s hands, she made eye contact with Amy. “Are you sure this is the only way?”

  Amy nodded. “Your pairing has fallen and you are weakened. The best way to keep Samantha from taking your power as Karta is to give it to Beth.”

  I jolted. “Wait. What are you doing?”

  Amy turned to me. “Beth needs to reclaim her power, but she needs power to get power. Norma is willing to give up her powers so Beth can find her lost piece.”

  This alarmed me. I wanted my sister to be Karta again, but I didn’t want Norma to die for it. I put my hand on top of Norma’s. “Let’s rethink this.”

  “Won’t you die if you pass on the powers?” Meredith added, echoing my own fears.

  Norma’s eyes softened. “I will cease to be immortal, yes, but I won’t keel over and die instantly. I will simply start to age naturally.”

  “But Adele had to die before I could become Dekla,” I said, still unsure.

  “Your sister already is Karta. I’m not giving her my title. Just my powers.”

  Amy nodded. “Do it.”

  I opened my mouth, ready to ask how she could pass her powers on to my sister, and why she would do this for us, but before I could, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and froze.

  I didn’t see anything, but I felt it. Something like a shimmer in the air, like thermal energy, and then Norma’s shoulders relaxed and she exhaled, bobbing her head forward.

  At the same time, Beth sat up taller. She opened her eyes, and they looked more lucid. But the cracks in her skin hadn’t disappeared.

  Amy put a hand on her shoulder. “Now you have the power of Karta, but not the same power as before. We have to call it back to you.”

  She gestured
to Melissa, who stepped forward and took Beth’s hand.

  “You and I hold two pieces of Karta’s soul,” Melissa said. “You need to reach out and find the piece that belongs to you. Close your eyes.”

  Beth did so.

  “This is how I called you to us,” Amy said softly next to my ear. “I felt you when you entered our territory. Then I found your energy and pulled you to us.”

  “Like you changed my fate?” I whispered, my eyes on my sister.

  “No. I didn’t need to. I just put a physical call on your energy. You could have resisted.” She smiled. “But it wouldn’t have been pleasant.”

  “Reach out with your mind,” Melissa said, coaching Beth. “I know you didn’t have your power for very long, but it should feel familiar. Like a part of you. Find it.”

  “There,” Beth breathed. “I found it. But the energy is weak.”

  “Call it to you.”

  I could only stare in fascination as they acted instinctively.

  “It’s working,” Amy whispered.

  The lines and fissures in Beth’s skin were disappearing, smoothing out. She took a long breath, and another, and the last of the lines vanished.

  Beth’s eyes focused on Melissa. The brown of her irises seemed lighter somehow, as if a fire burned behind them. “I feel different,” she said.

  Melissa appraised her. “You are different. You are the only Karta alive who holds two pieces of the soul.”

  Trey leaned forward, keen interest on his face. “What does that mean?”

  “That she’s a little bit closer to immortality,” Amy said. “The same thing Samantha is trying to accomplish.”

  “How many pieces does Samantha have?” he asked.

  Amy shook her head. “I do not know. Many. She also has the powers of at least one Auseklis, the energy of the mortal souls, and the backing of the underworld. We need a better strategy.”

  “Have you been talking with Laima?” I asked. “Can she help us?”

  The three of them exchanged a look, as if there was something they didn’t want to tell me. It was Melissa who spoke.

  “Laima gave us one last message for you. But she said not to tell you unless you asked. She’s incarcerated.”