Nation of the Sun (The Ancient Souls Series Book 1)

by HR Moore

  She felt powerful.

  'Amari?' Caspar rushed to her side. 'Are you okay?'

  He clasped her arm, but she pushed him away, with more strength than she knew she possessed. Caspar stumbled backwards, landing hard on the floor. 'Amari?'

  She lifted her head, hair wild around her face, poised like a deadly animal, crouched, ready to attack or run. She flicked her gaze to Casper, pinning him with fearsome, aged, furious eyes.

  Understanding dawned on his face. And with a voice filled with startling, ancient power, she flung three deadly words at his ears. 'Amari is dead.'

  'Raina,' said Caspar, reverently.

  'Caspar.'

  They stayed there—on the floor—for several moments, each considering their new circumstances. They launched to their feet at the same moment, Raina heading for the cave's entrance, Caspar leaping on her. He brought her to the ground before she could escape.

  'No,' he said, trying to pin her arms, but before he could, she'd already flipped them.

  Caspar landed on his back, forced to release her, and Raina was up and running before he could blink.

  Raina flew up the cliff face, racing across the rough terrain, back towards the Vikings. She didn't look back, so she didn't see Caspar closing the distance.

  Amari hadn't been unfit, but her physical condition certainly wasn't anything to write home about. Even with Raina's superior mental ability, there was only so much this body could do. Even so, they were only five hundred metres from the Viking hall by the time Caspar caught her.

  He grabbed her arm, and they tumbled to the ground together, rolling, narrowly missing a boulder.

  This time, he managed to pin her face down, arms twisted awkwardly so she couldn't throw him off.

  'We need to talk,' said Caspar, when she finally stilled.

  'I have nothing to say.'

  'You ignored me for an entire lifetime; it's been long enough.'

  Raina said nothing, lying limp beneath him.

  'Raina?'

  Still nothing.

  'Raina, I know you're fucking with me.' But his voice contained an edge of panic.

  He stood, leaning down to turn her over, but before he could, she moved, rolling, taking his legs out from under him. Caspar went down hard, Raina over him in an instant, and then, his world went black.

  Raina reached the hut she and Caspar had slept in, and packed her things. She grabbed Caspar's phone and dialed Rose's number. Rose picked up almost immediately.

  'Caspar,' said Rose. 'I read your report …'

  'Rose, it's Raina,' she said, cutting her off.

  'Oh, thank the Gods,' said Rose, 'any and all of them. Please tell me I'm not dreaming.'

  'It's me. I'm with the Vikings. I'm going to the Registerium.'

  'Caspar?'

  'He'll come round in a while; I'll be gone by then.'

  'You knocked him out?'

  'He pinned me to the ground. He had it coming.'

  'He pinned you to the ground?'

  'It's mortifying, I know. Amari was seriously out of shape.'

  'Don't tell anyone you're you. If Jamie knows you're awake, he'll have an army waiting.'

  'I won't.'

  'I'll send Meredith and Gemma, but it'll be easier to pretend you're still Amari if you take Caspar with you.'

  'I'll be there as soon as I can, but I'm going alone.'

  Raina took one last look around, picked up her bag, and headed for the carport. All of the vehicles were open, most of them with the keys still in the ignition; crime wasn't exactly a problem here. She took the same Volvo they'd been picked up in, and drove out of the village, her pace sedate. Nobody gave her a second glance.

  The plane was ready to go by the time she arrived, the flight attendant surprised to find Raina alone.

  'Caspar's staying another few days,' said Raina, with a shy smile. Is that what Amari would've done? Amari was still a part of her, despite what she'd said to Caspar, but already, it was difficult to distinguish her from the myriad lifetimes in her head.

  'Of course,' said the flight attendant. 'Can I get you some breakfast? I don't have much, given the short notice, but I have tea and pastries?'

  'Sounds wonderful,' said Raina, strapping herself in.

  Minutes later, they were in the sky. Raina took out a laptop and read the reports everyone else had submitted. No one had learned anything much. The Templars had visited a few of the other nations, but most of them were on the fence. No one wanted war.

  She put away the laptop, ate her breakfast, then stared out of the window, turning over memories in her mind.

  She hated waking up, the jarring, roiling feel of it. It was the same every time: immense pressure, a pounding headache, and more memories than she could possibly process.

  She buzzed with knowledge and power, but also dread, knowing what was to come. Because now she knew what she'd been doing with Rose during the course of her last two lives. She knew why Jamie wanted her. She knew why he was happy to risk war, and it was all based on a horrible, terrible lie.

  The plane journey was short, but Meredith was already waiting when Raina's plane arrived in Inverness. They embraced, Raina glad to see her, even more so now she remembered all they'd been through together.

  'It's good to have you back,' said Meredith, throwing Raina's bag in the back of the waiting Range Rover. 'Gemma's been delayed in London, but she should be here in the morning.'

  'How were the Wakan? And the Animists?' asked Raina.

  They headed out into the Scottish countryside, covered in heather at this time of year.

  'On the fence,' said Meredith. 'The Wakan are worried about antagonizing the Templars, especially given their close proximity. And the Animists talk in riddles; I have no idea if they'll back us or not. They're both concerned about the increase in Slayer activity though. From what I could glean, both nations have had losses.'

  'Are they random, or is there a pattern?'

  'They're targeting the oldest, most powerful, and most capable. We've been getting similar messages from the other nations too,' said Meredith.

  'The Buddhists and Vikings didn't mention anything about losses,' said Raina. 'Although … the Vikings did say we could have a firm and lasting allegiance on one single condition.'

  'What?'

  Raina couldn't keep the chuckle in. 'That you marry one of their generals. Apparently, he's smitten.'

  Meredith rolled her eyes, although the corners of her mouth twitched upwards.

  'Who do they want me to marry?'

  'Would you consider it?'

  'Probably not. But who?'

  'I don't know. All I know is it's someone senior. Henrik and Sofie were very keen on the idea.'

  'Great, just what I need … pressure to marry a Viking.'

  'No one's going to pressure you.'

  'Not overtly,' said Meredith, 'but it'll be there, hanging in the air between me and every other Pagan: the Vikings are strong allies, and nothing brings allies closer than a marriage …'

  'Who are you and what've you done with Meredith? She's not usually this whiny.'

  Meredith punched Raina's arm.

  'Ow.'

  'Now who's whiny?'

  Raina barked out a laugh. 'Oh, it's good to be back.'

  Meredith drove them deep into the countryside, encountering little in the way of traffic and a great deal in the way of stunning scenery. Raina had seen the world, but these landscapes were some of her absolute favorite.

  Around lunchtime, they pulled off the main road, through an imposing gateway, then along the mile-long drive to the modestly sized castle that housed the Registerium.

  'And here we are again,' said Raina, looking up at the battlements. 'At least they're doing a good job of keeping the old place going.'

  'If nothing else,' said Meredith.

  Instead of entering the castle, they skirted around the side. They got almost to the back, then dropped down a set of stone steps that delivered them to a single standin
g stone. Raina walked straight to the stone and placed her hand upon it.

  'Wait!' shrieked a female voice from the top of the steps. The voice was accompanied by the sound of racing feet.

  'I pledge my allegiance to the Pagan nation, from now until the end of this life,' said Raina, rushing.

  A small, electric buzz pinged the centre of her hand, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to see Meredith and a small, slight, dark-skinned woman fighting.

  'It's done,' she said. 'Now we can hear what's so urgent.'

  Meredith and the woman pulled apart, and the woman's features contorted with rage. 'I told you to wait,' she said.

  'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were my master,' said Raina.

  'You had no idea what I was going to say.'

  'No, but lucky for me, I'm old enough to know when to ignore people.'

  'You've ruined it.'

  'Ruined what?'

  'You should've heard me out.'

  'You know in films,' said Raina, 'when someone has a gun to the bad guy's head, but they stand around chatting instead of pulling the trigger?'

  'Or when someone needs to cut a wire to a bomb,' said Meredith, 'but the main characters have to say something meaningful to each other, so they wait until the last second?'

  Raina looked expectantly at the woman, giving her time to respond. The woman stayed silent.

  'I've learned, over the course of many hundreds of years, that if I've got something I need to do, I do it—without delay—and worry about everything else later.'

  The woman shook with rage. She stormed back up the steps without another word.

  Raina and Meredith couldn't help but laugh.

  'Who the hell is she?' asked Raina.

  'I have no idea, but welcome to the Pagan nation,' said Meredith, embracing Raina. 'It's a relief to have you back.'

  Raina and Meredith walked back up the steps, round to the front door, and entered the castle. They stepped into a lofty entrance hall with a flagstone floor, solid wooden furniture, and tapestries adorning the walls. A tall, spindly man was there waiting for them.

  'Registrar,' said Raina, shaking his hand. 'I would like to have it entered into the official record that I have just sworn my allegiance in this life to the Pagan nation.'

  'Indeed,' said the Registrar. His tone was frosty, but he was always that way. Not to mention, he liked at least a little pomp and ceremony to accompany a nation pledge, especially when it concerned very old or very young demons. Raina had snatched that out from under him.

  'Right away, please,' said Raina, not waiting for the Registrar before she set off in the direction of the record room.

  Meredith followed her. The Registrar did not.

  'This doesn't feel right,' said Meredith, her voice low.

  'I know,' said Raina. 'The quicker we get out of here, the better.'

  They walked through an inner reception hall with a sweeping staircase, a large dining room through a door on one side, and a drawing room on the other.

  They climbed the stairs, coming out onto a spacious landing, turning to the right, heading down a long corridor lined with ancient portraits, tapestries, and other treasures. The room right at the end, with windows giving a good view of the drive, was the record room.

  Although it was called the record room, most of the records were actually kept in the dungeons. This room was sparsely furnished, with only a formal seating area, a couple of large desks—devoid of any adornment, as you would find in a library—and a few racks of books and scrolls.

  It was sterile and perfunctory, its only redeeming feature that it was flooded with light, three vast windows punched in each of the two outer walls.

  An animated conversation was taking place within the sun-soaked room. The woman from outside gesticulated wildly at a balding, bespectacled man. The man did not look impressed.

  'Ah, Raina, I believe that's you?' said the man, getting up to greet them.

  'Pablo Picacho?' said Raina. 'Is that you?'

  'One and the same,' he said, although he looked nothing like the Spanish Pablo she'd once known. This man was white as snow, short, and wrinkled. They embraced warmly.

  'I would like to record my pledge to the Pagan nation, which I just completed at the stone outside,' said Raina.

  'Any witnesses?' asked Pablo, pulling out a smartphone. It looked strange here; Raina was so used to ink and parchment during registrations.

  'Meredith, and whoever this is,' said Raina, pointing to the brooding figure in the corner.

  'Janet,' said Pablo, 'of the Templar nation.'

  Raina raised an eyebrow.

  'Jamie wants to see you,' said Janet. 'He has news he knows you'll want to hear. It would be best for you if you heard it before making this registration official.'

  Raina let out a half laugh. 'You're obviously young, because otherwise you'd know my registration's already official; it's been sealed by magic. What we're doing now is merely making it public.'

  Janet faltered, unsure for a beat, then drew herself up, squaring her shoulders. 'If you don't go to see Jamie, there will be war. The lives of countless demons are resting on your shoulders.'

  'Why me?' asked Raina, although, of course, she already knew.

  'That's between you and Jamie. What he sees in you, I have absolutely no idea.'

  Janet left the room, closing the door behind her with a loud, echoing bang.

  'She seems charming,' said Meredith.

  'Don't get me started,' said Pablo. 'She's in here every bleeding day, scouring the records, watching to see if anyone comes up the drive, asking endless questions. She's trying to glean every little secret out of all and any source she can get her hands on.'

  'What's she looking for?' asked Raina.

  'I have no idea,' said Pablo. 'She's backed off in the last week or so; maybe she's finally run out of questions …'

  'Yet she didn't know it's the magic from the standing stone that makes a registration official?' said Raina.

  'Oh, she doesn't care about magic, or protocol, or anything that's actually important. All she cares about are the demons themselves. If this were the seventeenth century, I'd suspect she was trying to find herself a husband.'

  Raina laughed. 'I guess dating apps make that more straightforward these days.'

  'There isn't one for demons,' said Meredith. 'Maybe the Registerium should branch out …'

  'Don't fret, Meredith, all you need to do is visit the Vikings,' said Raina, smiling broadly.

  Meredith scowled.

  'Here we are,' said Pablo, pulling up Raina's record. 'Everything's been digitized. Took years. We've still got all the original records, of course, but this is so much more convenient.

  'Now, if you could just check your record and confirm I've got the right one.' He handed over the phone. 'Not that you could ever be mistaken for another …'

  Raina scrolled through her history, right back to her birth in the Middle East. Not all demons had agreed to make their previous lives public, but the Pagans were an open people. Although, even Pagans had been known to omit one or two of their lives from the official record, for varying, usually embarrassing reasons.

  Not that it mattered; the magic couldn't be altered. A proficient could determine a demon's history with only some biological matter and access to one of the many connected standing stones around the world.

  Stones had been used for centuries by demons, to register in a nation, as well as for other magical purposes. Of course, that had all but died out now, and what a shame that was. Most standing stones weren't even maintained any longer; some had deteriorated so far as to have lost their attachment to the web of magic that spun beneath the surface of the world. So most demons registered here. At least the Registerium's stone was reliable.

  The Registerium hadn't even existed for many of Raina's lives. And it had been simpler before technology, when demons had relied on magic alone. But these days, with so much connection, and international travel, it was
helpful to have a verified, searchable public record of who belonged to whom. The alternative was to rely on a proficient, and not only were proficients in short supply, but their rituals took time—usually longer than it took the Registerium to conduct a simple search of their database.

  'That's me,' said Raina, handing back the phone.

  'You're getting on a bit, you know,' said Pablo.

  'Alright, no need to remind me,' said Raina, 'but, need I point out, so are you.'

  Pablo shrugged. 'Are we a little touchy in our old age?'

  'In old age?' said Meredith. 'She's always been this way!'

  'Hey!' said Raina.

  'Don't pretend it isn't true,' said Meredith.

  'You're no spring chicken yourself, Miss Soon-To-Be-A-Viking,' said Raina.

  Pablo turned an inquisitive eye towards Meredith. 'Do I need to prepare a transfer of nation?'

  Meredith fixed Pablo with a particularly fearsome stare.

  'Should I take that as a yes? Or a no?' he said, innocently.

  Meredith shook her head in disbelief.

  Raina walked to a desk, on which sat an enormous old ledger entitled Inter-Nation Marriages.

  'Oh look,' said Raina. 'It's fate.'

  'You two are ridiculous,' said Meredith, walking over to look at the book anyway. 'When's this one from? See anyone we know?'

  'Janet requested that. It covers the last five hundred years or so,' said Pablo.

  'All that work,' said Raina, placing a hand on the volume, 'interviewing every demon, and painstakingly writing it all down.'

  'It must have taken an age to input everything in databases …' said Meredith.

  'It brought back a number of fond memories,' said Pablo, 'and we had a small army dedicated to the task. Now, give me your hand and look into this retina scanner.'

  'You can have my hand, but there's no way I'm letting you scan my eyeball,' said Raina.

  'Oh, for heaven's sake … why not?' said Pablo.

  'You know very well why not. I have no desire for my unique demon eye to be recorded in your database of questionable security. Privacy's important.'