A Division of Souls - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (2 page)

First came the spirits...and for a brief
second, the pain. Oh, Goddess, the
pain!
Within the ancient
spirits, and within the spirits of the millions of lives
surrounding him, the release of forgotten barriers crashing down
before him. It sent a wave of unbridled energy shooting up into the
night sky. It washed over him,
through
him, coursing through
his nerves, pulling at his own soul and threatening to tear it
free. He let out a cry, doubling over, fighting it before the pain
claimed him.

Finally he heard — and felt — the second
clap of thunder, much louder and deadlier than the first, created
by the displacement of air as spiritual energy suddenly became an
enormous physical, bleeding crimson cloud, threatening to rain down
on the sector below. The shockwave pushed Nehalé flat against the
tower. It held him fast, forcing him to take short breaths until
the pressure weakened. Eventually he managed to push himself up and
off the wall, coughing and reaching for the railing again. He
looked out over the city, his heart racing and his head spinning.
The crimson cloud still held its place, circling quickly around the
Tower, just a few levels below him. It held there like a thick fog,
translucent yet no less ominous. This was pure spirit surrounding
him now, a force beyond anyone’s imagination…and it was angry.

And for a second, again, he felt the pain.
Nehalé felt the pain of spirits, Meraladian and human alike,
screaming, writhing —

Then, just as quickly, the pain of spirits
lost. The feeling of essence ripped, siphoned out of him in an
instant. He doubled over again, and did not lift his head again for
many more minutes.

I...I apologize, dearest beloved
spirits…

Time started again. He regained his
bearings, and felt the sudden change in wind direction and
temperature. The chill had been replaced by a stifling heat,
nudging him against the Tower's side….and doubled by the bitter
sting of the taken spirits. A sting that would stay with him
forever.

But he felt it.
Love
.

Thousands, millions of Bridgetown
citizens…suddenly waking out of slumber, or slowing in the street,
or stopping in their workspaces…millions of citizens, feeling
something, but not quite understanding what it was they felt. A
curiously warm, protective feeling, but with a darker edge. A
sudden awareness of their surroundings. A humbling compassion, but
for what or whom they did not yet know. Then, just as quickly, it
faded into their subconscious, before they could find a name or an
emotion for it. But something had been altered…they knew something
was there now. They were aware.

They had been Awakened.

Yes…yes! Nehalé trembled with joy. He could
sense each of them now, fully and clearly without any hindrance. A
veil had been lifted…the gauzelike barrier that divided so many
souls in this world had dropped away to nothingness, revealing the
true spirits within. Each one of them could see now…truly
see
, for their inner senses had been cleansed and their eyes
opened. They could now understand the true familial and spiritual
connection between the Meraladhza and the Gharné. They were truly
free
, these followers and protectors of the One of All
Sacred.

And now they, each and every one of them,
could sense him as well. And they would be following him soon,
eager and hungry for direction. And he would be there for them,
always.

...and out there, somewhere in one of the
sections outside the shockwave’s reach, past the cacophony of newly
found inner voices down below, he felt her. The young woman,
stirring and waking out of slumber, had crawled out of her bed with
a feeling of sleepy disorientation, and stopped in her tracks
halfway down the hallway, unsure of why she’d gotten up. He felt
her growing concern, a nagging in the back of her mind that
something had happened, something that had affected her deeply, yet
she couldn’t quite understand what it was. But she would, and soon.
She was awake, like many of them now. Through his tears, he smiled
again. His ultimate mission had been successful after all.

The One of All Sacred,
he thought.
You have awakened…you are among us now!

CHAPTER TWO

Caren

Caren Johnson found herself in a faded
version of the den in her childhood home again, sitting on the wide
couch against the southern wall, hands on her lap, waiting for
everything to fall into place. She surveyed the room and recognized
each item from her past—the tall windows to her left that looked
out over their meager back yard, the old lopsided recliner her dad
loved so much, the family photos that hung over the mantel on the
north wall. One of the windows was slightly open and a cool draft
swirled around the room. The house was quiet, other than its usual
clicks and creaks as it continued to settle on its foundation. She
was in her spirit world again, her
lumisha dea
of memories
and emotions, and her place of inner peace.

Across the room, the translucent ghosts of
her parents stood side by side in front of the brick fireplace,
just underneath their family portrait, Celine’s arm resting in the
crook of Aram’s right elbow…a rare physical showing of love. She
warmed to this view, desperately happy to see them again each and
every time. She had always wanted to join them in that embrace
whenever she met them here, but she never dared. Instead she stood
up and waited, reverent and patient. She knew this recurring
visitation well. She had healed enough from their passing that this
reunion had become a rite of passage. She had grown to accept it,
even look forward to it. It was her last remaining connection with
them.

Karinna,
her father said. They always
used innerspeak, the voice within. The true voice of the soul. The
voice that could not lie.
We’re so proud of you and
Denysia.

Our lovely daughters,
her mother
said.
Aram…they’ve done so well.

I miss them dearly,
he said.
I
wish we could just be with them again.

I wish I could bring you back,
Caren
said, wiping a stray tear away from her eye. Damn it all, why did
she always cry when she saw them? She was so much stronger than
that!
I love the both of you so much.

Her father held up a hand.
Shh,
Karinna...it’s okay, we know.

Please, Karinna,
her mother said.
Please. Listen. You are going to have to be strong for us. For
Denysia. You must remain her anchor, no matter what.

She stared at them, suddenly afraid. They’d
never interrupted her before.
Wait…what do you mean? What is
happening?

It’s time to awaken
, he said, and
smiled.

“Caren?” the young girl murmured.

She twitched and slammed back into reality
with a snort. Groggily she opened her eyes to a semi-darkened room
that felt too warm. Her younger sister Denni stood patiently at the
end of the bed, an unsure hand resting lightly on the corner
bedpost as she waited for her to return to full consciousness.
Caren sensed it wasn’t exactly an emergency, but she couldn’t help
but wonder why her sister had come to wake her. She glanced at the
clock on the bedside table…a little after one in the morning. She’d
gotten almost three uninterrupted hours of sleep. Damn if that
wasn’t a new record.

“Caren?” Denni said.

“Mmmm,” she croaked. She rubbed dry,
stinging eyes with the heels of her palms.

“Did...did you just call me?”

Caren exhaled a half-yawn. “No, Denni. Go
back to bed.”

Denni frowned and held herself close in the
semi-darkness. “I thought I heard you calling my name. You know,
that
name.”

Caren froze. She rarely called her Denysia,
her Mendaihu name. Their parents had given the both of them such
names to remind them of who they were. They were sacred names, ones
she would never use without a reason. She would not have called out
to her in her sleep. “No,” she mumbled with a little more force
than necessary. “Nope, wasn’t me. Go back to bed, kid. You got
school tomorrow.”

Denni held back her words and snorted in
frustration. “Sure.”

She closed her eyes and heard Denni leave.
Belatedly she thought her visit was a bit odd and unexpected...the
girl was in her mid-teens now, and she’d outgrown the childish
habit of barging in quite a long time ago. Maybe she’d had a
troubling visit to her lumisha dea tonight as well? Denni had been
visiting it frequently lately, but it was nothing worrisome; she
was merely growing up with the hint of Mendaihu blood in her.
Letting it go, she rolled back over on her stomach and buried her
head under her pillow, hoping she could get at least another few
hours’ worth of sleep. She willed herself not to think of anything
that would get her brain going again, or she’d be wide awake for
the rest of the night. She chose to focus on her sister’s nearby
presence instead…that always calmed her. As long as she knew where
she was, and that she was safe, everything was right in the
world.

Not five minutes later, she sensed the wave
of terrifyingly strong energy heading in their direction.

She recognized that wave signature instantly
and shivered. She was up and out of bed a second later, rushing
down the hallway towards her sister’s room, but she was too
late…the wave hit her squarely in her chest and sent her reeling
towards the wall, head spinning. She cried out as it bled through
her spirit like ice, awakening every nerve in her body, and she was
powerless to stop it. Goddess, someone had just…!

Seconds later she cried out again, this time
in unbridled anger. Someone had performed one hell of a powerful
awakening ritual in her city, and right now, thousands of people
were feeling the exact same deep pain. She spat and cursed loudly.
This was going to be her job for the next day, week, month — hell,
this was going to take
years
to put right. Goddess, the
fallout was going to be a fucking mess! She swore again, looking
down the darkened hallway. Denni stood at the other end, just
outside her own door, leaning up against the opposite wall and
staring blankly at her.

Oh Goddess…Denni…

“Stay there,” she called out. “Ride it out.
Wait until it’s over.”

Denni nodded slowly and pushed herself flat
against the wall, forcing herself to breathe slowly and evenly.
Caren could barely move herself, caught as she was in this
soulhealing, but she fought through it and guided herself along the
hallway towards her, step by agonizing step. She confirmed the
energy signature now...an awakening ritual. She’d witnessed many in
her time and been involved with them, but never one this
extreme.

Her parents had been warning her of this at
her lumisha dea. Of
this
, a forced awakening upon the city.
On her people! Her fear returned to anger again, even as the ritual
coursed its way through her soul. No one had the right to enforce
an awakening on anyone against their will, and someone had just
broken that cardinal rule. She was pissed at herself for not
catching this person sooner…this was her city, her watch. This was
her job and her fate with the Mendaihu blood within her. She should
have stopped this bastard before…

…before it hit her sister. This should not
have happened. This should
not
have happened.

Be strong…
she heard her mother say.
For Denysia.

With a final shudder, the wave crested and
calmed, leaving the two of them out of breath and utterly drained.
Caren pushed herself forward and landed against the opposite wall,
next to Denni. She reached out caught her sister’s hand and held it
tight.
Denni, can you hear me?
she said in a quiet, even
inner voice. She knew the girl could hear her…but she needed to
know.
Are you okay?

She shivered and nodded. She’d felt
something but she wasn’t quite sure what. “I…I think so,” she said
aloud. “…you?”

She nodded, and pulled her sister into a
tight embrace. Only then did she let down her guard, shuddering and
tearing up. “I’m fine, honey…I’m fine…”

*

Alec Poe, her Alien Relations Unit partner,
arrived soon after the shockwave subsided, and let himself into
Caren’s apartment. Together, the three of them stood in front of
the wide living room window, staring at the unnatural halo now
surrounding the Mirades Tower. They stood there wordlessly for a
good long while, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
The sanguine glow bathed her face…it was warm, like fire, and just
as radiant in its energy. Almost comforting in its own strange way.
There was no defined edge to the cloud, and she couldn’t tell
exactly where it had originated, but it seemed to have kept itself
within Main Street Sector, halfway up the Tower. She stared at it
both in fascination and horror…it looked like the sky had begun to
bleed. Instincts kicked in: this had to be energy fallout…someone
had released something dangerous.

Finally she exhaled. “One of All
Sacred...”

“Something like that,” Poe said, and lit up
a cigarette. The glow of the lighter caught his unshaven face at an
angle, highlighting his strong jaw line and making his hazel-blue
eyes sparkle. She nearly scolded him for smoking in her apartment,
but the alien glow outside made her think otherwise. The point
would have been moot. His own nerves must be shot right now. She
didn’t like his smoking habit, but it was his one stress release.
She dug up an old coffee mug from the breakfast nook across the
room and handed it to him. He graciously nodded, flicked fresh
ashes in, and smiled.

She looked at her hands; they were
trembling. Her whole body trembled. She couldn’t make herself
stop...this was her fear. And the last thing Caren wanted was for
Denni to see her this way…she couldn't let Denni down. Taking a
deep breath, she put on a brave face and glanced at Poe.