Soul Taker's Redemption Read online

  'You are testing him, seeing where his tolerance is, just how much temptation can he resist. That is why you assigned him to Archmore, a tainted soul so foul his loss would enhance the realm he currently blackens with his presence. Then you put not one but two pure souls in the same location. He almost broke, almost dismissed everything he has been taught, that has been asked of him.'

  'Yet he did not.' I could not mask my jubilation. 'He managed to hold himself in check. Indeed,' I proclaimed with a touch of pride, 'my soul taker demonstrated far more restraint than any expected. You must admit, the old Therion would have taken the less-pure of the two untainted.'

  'Fortunately for Tien Wilson, we were here to intervene if you had miscalculated,' Silven responded.

  I smiled at the less-than-subtle dig. 'Indeed, why else did I bring you?'

  'For observation, or so you said,' Silven answered drily. 'In truth though, your question, although you said it light-heartedly, fills me with apprehension. For if you brought me to back you up, it means you were not entirely certain you could rein him in on your own.'

  'Duly noted. You know you do not have to keep reminding me of how dangerous he is.'

  'Don't I? Aurealis, you are my god, I have chosen to serve you, but in this…' he shook his head.

  I knew he was thinking of the life Therion did take, the bodyguard, not as tainted as Archmore; what of that cost? He wanted to ask.

  Rather than force him to say it, I said, 'I admit, I would have been happier had he managed the situation without taking any spirits, yet the improvement is undeniable. Last time I tested him, he took them all.'

  I found myself frowning. I had not meant to reveal that; I was so focused on demonstrating my point I had forgotten myself. I considered, for a moment, taking the memory from Silven, but decided against it. Silven would ascend one day to take my place; he had to learn that it was a role that entailed balance and that sometimes meant accepting losses in order to gain wins. Redeeming Therion was not about the few spirits that would be lost in the doing, it was about the hundreds of thousands of spirits he would have taken had he stayed with Ceri-talen. Especially if one remembers that Therion was not, is not, limited to just the earthly realm.

  Silven frowned as he processed the meaning of my revelation. 'You let him take other spirits?'

  A flash of anger flared through me. How dare he take such a disapproving tone? I reminded myself that Silven was new to this role. Until he understood the greater purpose, the need for balance, he would be limited by his old role, where things had been simpler and he could afford to see things in contrasting terms of right and wrong.

  Being conscious of maintaining a neutral, calm manner, I said, 'I did not just let him do anything. I chose not to intervene. I calculated the risk. Accepted it. He learned more from making the mistake than he would have had I intervened. I decided the loss of a few outweighed the saving of many. Not that they were completely lost. If he were serving Ceri-talen, they would have been, but he serves me now. Because I was there, I was able to take the spirit energy from him before he absorbed it. I could not return them to what they once were, but I gave them new life, a second chance. I also took the precaution of not placing any untainted in his vicinity then, which is why, this time, I brought you.'

  The shock on Silven's face saddened me, but I resisted defending myself. To assert my superiority in judgement would seem to him like excuses. To become telari, to ascend to dragon kind, requires a level of self-conviction that borders on arrogance, as it allows one to command the power and the responsibility of godhood more effectively.

  'This is a part of my role, Silven. My role is to help spirits ascend. Some require many lifetimes to do so, some require a new start, like the tainted I let Therion kill in my first testing of him, others, like you, require the path of an angel. I do not treat everyone the same, some I prioritise over others; the untainted ones, they are closer to ascension and so I focus on them—'

  'Therion is nowhere near ascension,' Silven interjected. The anger in his tone and expression was more due to his shock at discovering his god did not fit his ideals as well as he thought than actual objection.

  'He wasn't when I first took him in. Now, he is making progress, Silven. He is ready for the next stage. He has surprised us once, and I think he is quite capable of doing it again; we need to give him that chance.' Before Silven could follow through with more objections, I decided a change of subject was in order. It would give him time to process everything we had discussed.

  'Despite my satisfaction with his progress,' I continued, 'I have to admit, this turn of events complicates things. I had other plans for Emerline, specifically, right now, she should be tending to a message from her daughter— that's Jayden Emerline Thaneton,' I added as an aside as I had discussed the Thanetons with Silven earlier. 'Emerline is integral in finding Jayden and the children Archmore has abducted. But now…'

  'Now, Emerline may not make it in time; her injury, though not life threatening, will place her in hospital.'

  I nodded. 'She may not get the message from her daughter in time.'

  'In saving one Thaneton, Therion may have inadvertently doomed the other,' Silven observed.

  I turned away from my second and looked about the room. The paramedics were just starting to move the remaining officer out to the ambulance.

  Indeed, I acknowledged silently, he may have just done exactly that.

  Therion

  [Vestibule of Hell – Voices From the Fuselage]

  The scene from the sliding doors of the bedroom was serenity itself. I was in a secluded cabin reserved for the use of guardians. When we had human charges we could not take them to the other realms, so we needed places in this realm that were suitable and safe. Aurealis created an organisation called Envoy to manage such things. Archmore was asleep on the bed behind me. A still lake not far from the deck leading off the bedroom was framed by thick bushland. I opened the door to feel the breeze. It had not rained, yet the air smelled fresh. I withdrew my mobile phone and took a photo. Many people, even guardians who regularly deal with the earthly realm and therefore the technology within it, are surprised by my comfort with technology. It is assumed that my home realm, the Dark Realm, is without technology, but our culture embraces technology just like every other culture capable of developing it. Some of our technology is quite different from earth-realm technology; for instance, our version of data storage involves actual crystals instead of flash drives. Admittedly, I owe much of my adoption of earth-realm technology to friends I have come to know since changing my allegiance, but some of my duties also entails using earth-realm technology, so it has been necessary to learn how. One curious thing I learned, quite by accident, is that I can use the energy I take from spirits to charge electrical devices. The ability is not as convenient as it sounds; it is very easy to over-charge the device, rendering it as useful as a brick, so, for the most part, I use traditional earth-realm chargers. The fact is, as an immortal being I have to adapt to many environments and the tools within them. Indeed, I find learning new technology easier than understanding and adapting to new cultures because that involves understanding their value and belief systems, which is much more complex. Of course, it helps that Envoy take care of all the bills and provide most of what I need— I go through more mobiles than any other angel, I've been told by Envoy staff. One thing I have had no difficulty getting used to is the beauty within this realm, and so, after I took the photo, I spent some time appreciating the view.

  It was as I was gazing at this vista that the vision came and I saw Archmore's life play before my eyes. Aurealis always starts by showing me their past before revealing their purpose. I think it is so I understand why I am undertaking the task. Aurealis believes I need to develop an appreciation for and attach meaning to the realms and people I interact with before I can be redeemed.

  Born into privilege, Kerrigan Archmore was not exactly neglected, just ignored. He and his brother, Vaughn, spent more tim
e with servants than they did their parents and developed a close bond. When Kerrigan came of age and received his trust, he set out to build his own empire with his brother. The partnership was more to protect Vaughn, who had a history of pressuring young boys into sex; by bringing him into the business Kerrigan was better able to monitor him. The move to crime had also been his brother's influence as Vaughn had turned to drugs early on and often relied on his brother to help him when he got into trouble. Later Kerrigan started bribing officials to get his merchandise cleared by border officials faster. The transition had seemed natural to Kerrigan as he was already familiar with bribing officials to help his brother. Then the brothers ran a few consignments for a drugs supplier and eventually branched out on their own, with brother Vaughn working the books, while Kerrigan took care of logistics. They started using illegal immigrants because they were easier to throw to the authorities. An added bonus, in Kerrigan's mind, was that when Vaughn abused some of those immigrants, they could not easily turn to the authorities. This misuse grew into people smuggling and finally, for the last year, slave trading.

  Ah... I sighed as I saw a child in a dark place. She was dying. She did not have the time the authorities might take to find her. Aurealis did not show me the child's future, yet I could feel it, this child would change this realm. If I had not taken Archmore, he would have died, which would have set off a chain of events that resulted in both this child and the children with her being abandoned without the police knowing where to find them. I was needed to help the child specifically because she would die otherwise. I cursed softly as Emerline Theodora Thaneton entered the vision. It was her daughter, Jayden Emerline Thaneton, who would help the other children with the special child. Jayden Emerline Thaneton needed her mother to find her. Not just find her but find her in time. And now, as a result of being shot, her mother was in hospital instead of looking for her daughter and rallying her colleagues to assist her.

  It was my fault.

  It crossed my mind that Aurealis was punishing me for taking too many risks with uncorrupted souls when I'd extracted Archmore. Or, more likely, for taking the life of the tainted bodyguard.

  Curse all gods and their progeny.

  I found myself contemplative as the vision ended. How intriguing! The special child was also a yulari. These spirits were not so rare that I seldom encountered them, but they were remarkable enough to be noteworthy. And with Jayden, it seemed to be something more— I had never dreamed about a human before. But it was more than that. I enjoyed them, these dreams. I looked forward to having them and was disappointed when I did not. I could never precisely remember what happened, just that I had been with her and I felt energised and uplifted.

  To see four yulari so close together was not necessarily unheard of, were I a guardian; they dealt with them all the time. But I was a soul taker. Before Aurealis, these were the spirits my former master, Ceri-talen, preferred. Aurealis had been able to alter that somewhat, but not completely. Why was she taking such a risk? Was this an indication that she was investing more trust in me? It was likely my task was more than just retrieving the child. There would be other soul takers after her; a yulari as vulnerable as this one would attract Ceri-talen's notice.

  I moved over to the sleeping crime lord, who woke with a start, scrabbling up the bed. I smirked, I had not dampened my shadow nature and I could feel his fear. One of the alterations Aurealis made allows me to absorb the energy generated by emotions. Archmore was not terrified… yet. But only because he rationalised that his rescuer would not harm him. He did not realise that my master cared very little about a spirit like his and if I took it once she was finished with it her objection would be based solely on the principle that I was meant to be redeeming. We would argue, she would lecture me, but, so far, she had not severely punished me as long as I was careful about which tainted souls I took and my reasoning for taking them was based on maintaining 'the balance'. This man had caused the suffering of innocents… when I finally took his soul I was confident that the lecture would not be lengthy.

  'Tell me what happens to the children,' I asked Archmore.

  He sneered at me, but the defiance faded fast as he met my gaze. 'We sell them.'

  'Where do you keep them before you sell them?'

  'There's a place, a warehouse. They're stored underneath it until we're ready to ship.'

  He said it like it was unimportant to him. He did not particularly care where they were kept. I tilted my head. 'And this warehouse is, where?'

  Panic entered his eyes and then spread to his face; his heartbeat increased. 'It's not an address, I can't just spout a location. We keep it like that for security reasons. I need a map.'

  I tried tracing the location in his mind. I could see the place, but I could not determine enough from his memories to locate it. He seemed to sense my growing frustration.

  'There could be a map in the car,' he offered.

  As I had not wanted to fly with Archmore— I was loathe to have such prolonged close contact with him— I had used a car. While Aurealis does not discourage us from flying with our human charges, she says there are times when it's too much for a human to process not just the reality of angels, but the existence of magic. In these cases, we try keep them in familiar surrounds and use mundane modes of transport. Some angels will go so far as to follow human routines, brushing their teeth, eating and drinking, or cooking, none of which they need to do, but it causes no harm, either. It's also not advisable to planes-shift with them unless it's necessary because humans do not respond well to the experience of shifting through planes— it makes them very ill unless they do it regularly. Planes-shifting is what we call moving through planes or realms. If I have an injured charge in an unsafe location, I will planes-shift without hesitation and then heal them to help them over the worst of the illness that results. With Archmore, once we left the beach house, I was able to conceal us in shadows, removing any urgency and the need to planes-shift.

  'I could show you,' Archmore offered anxiously, referring to the location of the children. 'Or we could buy a map.'

  Without responding, I left Archmore cowering on the bed to check the car for maps. There was a small chance he would run, but he looked too scared, and on the off chance he did, retrieving him would be no great trouble; we were in an isolated area and I could outrun or outfly him easily.

  When I returned, Archmore was not in the room. I huffed. It was as if Aurealis was mocking me for being so complacent. Lesson noted, I thought in silent acknowledgement to my master, who was no doubt amused by the inconvenience my own carelessness caused. Although… I could mock my master in return by turning Archmore's retrieval into a bit of a game. Let him run a little farther, enough to make the hunt more entertaining…

  A faint sound outside caught my attention. I inclined my head, listening intently. At first, I thought it was Archmore, but the sound did not match those I knew him to be making. He was running and I could hear his feet hitting the ground, branches breaking, his heart beating rapidly, and heavy, panicked, breathing. But the sound that had caught my attention was not caused by Archmore.

  Then Archmore let out a single gasp, as if he had encountered something unexpected. His heart rate picked up even more and the scent of fear increased significantly. Not just something unexpected— something terrifying. As I drew my short swords and started forward, I detected another scent.

  'Vampire,' I murmured.

  He stepped in through the open sliding door, bending his head to make it through. This cabin was custom built for the unusual beings making use of it; the doorways were all at least two metres high. I was not surprised the vampire had to bend though, as he is nearly as tall as I am. The angels I work with find my height intimidating as, although they, too, are tall, I can loom over them without difficulty.

  'You lose this?' the vampire asked, tossing Archmore into the room. Archmore stumbled in, looked back at the vampire, who was now giving him a smile that showed his elongated
canines, and scrambled onto the bed to huddle against the wall. The vampire's waist-long, blond hair was braided into a thick plait with a thin piece of leather woven through it and securing it at the bottom. Having his hair back emphasised the almost colourless, pale-blue eyes sparking in his sharp-featured face. If I were human, I'd cringe, too.

  I relaxed, sheathing my blades. 'Not quite. Thank you.'

  The vampire grunted before saying, 'I don't think retrieving him would have posed much of a problem for you. Regardless, I am pleased to be of assistance.'

  I am not prone to laughing, but I did. 'What do you need, Bastien?'

  He had been in the earthly realm for quite some time, from the Ostrogoth era at least, but earlier I suspected. Having saved Bastien from a wyvern, he usually responds to my call if I find myself in need of assistance in this realm. It is not often the vampire comes looking for me.

  'I can see you're in the middle of an assignment, so I'll be brief. I was hoping you'd honour me at a gathering. I've moved to a new region, this region, in fact, which is an irony considering how far I've been to seek you out. I wish to make an impression at this gathering and having a therilgalen as my guest would guarantee a quiet settlement.'

  'Less challengers,' I interpreted. The vampire world was one where strength and power ruled. 'When?'

  'Tonight. I apologise for not being able to give more notice. Finding you has taken more time than I anticipated,' the vampire said earnestly. That was not unusual, my assignments do not just take me all over this world, but into other realms.

  I nodded. 'I should be able to make a brief appearance, provided my duties do not interfere.'

  Bastien bowed his head in a gesture of thanks. 'Of course.' The vampire turned to leave, then hesitated. He nodded towards Archmore. 'If you like, I can dispose of that for you.'

  'Thank you, no. I have not finished with him yet.' I paused and then added, 'I could do with another kind of assistance.'