A Division of Souls - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (34 page)

I brought you here. More to the point, I
directed your soul here. You arrived here of your own volition.
Physically you’re still down on Leonard Street at the diner.
Karinna and Ashyntoya are watching over us.

He visualized a quick image of Ashan and
Caren talking, and of his own body slumped halfway over the table
in an inebriated stupor, with Kai cradling him in her arms. His
right arm stretched out over the table, and Caren’s fingers were
interlocked with his. He tried to focus on this, but found it hard
to concentrate. He shivered and found himself back on the Crest
again.

Kai had slipped her hand in his, and
squeezed it tight as he returned.
You’re a unique spirit, Alec
Poe,
she said, though not facing him this time.
I believe
you have great potential as a Guardian.

Guardian…
He paused as the title came
into his memory…
of the One of All Sacred, you mean.

Yes.

Why a Guardian? Because I’ve awakened?
Surely more than that.

She laughed.
You’re a rare and curious
mix, Alec. You have both Mendaihu and Shenaihu energies flowing
within you. A ‘cho-nyhndah.’ A twin-spirit.

Mendaihu and Shenaihu…? He attempted to wrap
his brain around that idea and failed. He’d known he had
something
within, but he always figured it was one or the
other. He’d never known or sought out the lineage of his birth
parents, and he knew he must have had some Meraladian blood flowing
in his veins…but cho-nyhndah? They were indeed rare, one of the
rarest forms of spirit on this planet. He couldn’t believe it…but
it made sense. Right now it felt as though he’d been looking at
everything backwards and, for the first time in his life, had
turned around to face his own truths that he’d been avoiding.

How is that possible?

She squeezed his hand again.
It is
certainly possible to have full control over both spirits. It comes
through heritage. Your parents or your grandparents were Shenaihu
and Mendaihu and were able to contain the delicate balance. That is
why it is so rare…that mix is so potent and unstable, that one
energy overpowers the other, and the offspring’s spirit chooses on
its own, usually subconsciously. There are those however, like
yourself, whose subtler spiritual energies were either dormant or
subdued. Upon Awakening, every person, regardless of their
upbringing or faith, is faced with a decision: to choose the
Shenaihu path, the Mendaihu path…or perhaps both. Almost no one
consciously chooses, though, for it is a constant struggle to have
both. One side is always at odds with the other. That is all I can
say for now; the rest is up to you to remember. Tell me, Alec —
where do you think she is?

The change of subject was unexpected.
Who?

The One of All Sacred.

He waved a hand in the air and stopped her.
Wait a minute. What do you mean by ‘the rest is up to me to
remember’? Don’t you mean ‘learn?’

Kai clasped her other hand around his and
brought it up to her face, letting the back of his hand caress her
cheek, her hair, her lips.

Dehndarra Né hra nyhndah, Alec. To know your
own True Spirit is to be One with the Sacred. Everyone has had
these memories, these ancient coded messages imprinted in our DNA
and our spirits, ever since our mutual ancestors came to this
world. They are buried so deep some are never found. That is why I
say you must remember, Alec. You must recapture these memories.

Now, if you could answer my question…where
do you think the One of All Sacred is?

Where would she be…?

Wait — she? The One is female in this
Coming?

Kai kissed the back of his hand, then held
it to her chest.
Yes.

His jaw rested half open as he tried to say
something, anything to answer her. The Ninth Coming of the One of
All Sacred had been a long-awaited event with the Meraladians,
though the Coming was more of an
embodiment
than a
reincarnation. The pure spirit of the One chose the next embodiment
itself, cocooning inside its host until it had been awakened by
either by its own volition or by spiritual force. Given the last
few days, certainly it must be awake by now.

I don’t know where she is,
he
said.

Kai seemed to pick up on his hesitation. Her
grasp of his hand tightened briefly as she looked at him.
Do you
not trust me, Alec?

Of course I do,
he said, and he knew
it to be true, without question. He wouldn’t have been able to say
otherwise, not here in the elsewhere.
But I don’t know where to
go from here, where to look.

You will soon,
she said distantly.
Just remember what I’ve shown you here, Alec. Please understand
that in my physical and spiritual lives I would never harm you. I
would find that task utterly impossible.
She face had reddened,
but her expression had remained solid. She stood, still holding his
left hand, and pulled him up. They looked over the expanse of
Bridgetown together, each building, each person, each
spirit
in such sharp detail he found it impossible not to stop and study
each one…

…and saw one Light, one spirit, brighter and
sharper than all the others. It seared through the Sprawl before
him, a pinprick of intensely bright light burning a hole through
the canvas of reality and amplifying its beauty in the process. The
Light was fueled by everything and everyone surrounding it —
people, animals, plants, anything with some amount of life force
lent its energy to this one Light. Through miles of buildings and
other dotted speckles of spirit light, this one spirit shone with
such luminosity it brightened those around it, as if returning its
borrowed energy threefold.

He knew exactly where she was, and who she
was.

Goddess…
he whispered.

She is,
Kai answered.

The One of All Sacred,
he finished,
his own spirit shivering with an overwhelming clarity.
Here in
Bridgetown.

Yes,
Kai whispered.
Now you
understand. She must be protected, Alec. And you are the only one
who can do it.

Why me?
He had asked out of curiosity
and not of fear, for his own spirit had already answered with its
own explanation. If destiny had given him this one task, he
accepted it graciously and without question.

Because she knows you, Alec,
she
said.
Because she trusts both you and Karinna above all else.
You know who she is.

His hand twitched inside hers, a gesture she
may or may not have interpreted as a response to her soothing
touch. His vision had been cleared, and he had realized his true
calling as Protector of the One. He had recognized Her Spirit, and
She had recognized his. Instantly he recognized the spirit pattern
as that of a young girl who had just awakened amidst much
confusion, yet understood completely
why
she had awakened
and what it meant. As he stared at the Light of the One, a shudder
raced down his back and he caught his breath.

Denysia,
he thought, his heart
skipping a beat.
Oh, Goddess…it’s her!

…and all was Light.

*

Poe grunted and lifted his head groggily and
looked across the table at Caren. Startled by his sudden movement,
she locked eyes with him to make sure he had really regained
consciousness. He blinked several times and slowly pushed himself
up, aided by Kai. He exhaled deeply, and somehow managed to curl
his mouth into a tired smile. He looked as if he’d just woken up
from a long, refreshing nap. He looked at her again and nodded.

You’re still here,
she heard him say
from within.
I’m sorry for putting you through this,
Karinna.

“Alec?” she croaked, wiping away new tears
that had started down her cheeks. How did he learn to speak like
that? “What happened?”

“I’m awake,” he said, and took another long,
deliberate breath. His voice was quiet but level. “I just needed to
step back and take a better look.” He reached forward and took her
hand. This was a touch of deep understanding and close friendship,
a touch that she would have felt from soulhealers and other
Mendaihu…but not from Poe. She didn’t let go, however. She now
understood that he had Shenaihu spirit flowing within him, and it
was not a reason to shy away. She had known him for too long not to
abandon him like that. It was the tender closeness they shared that
she had not been aware of until just now.

“We have a mission, Caren,” he said softly.
“We have to keep an eye on Denni…”

…
because she is the One, Karinna.

Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach hit
the floor. “Wh…what?”

She is the One of All Sacred.

“She’s…” Caren let out a breath, trying to
speak but no more words coming. Again she tried, and still could
not. She even tried to speak within, but found no words, at least
no real, concrete words that she could wrap around the immensity of
it all. Denni!
Denysia.
Her little sister…her sister in
spirit and in flesh. How could such a young woman, still unsure of
the world and of her newfound Mendaihu traits, become a Savior for
Meraladians and the human race? How could it even be possible? Yet
inside, deep within her own spirit, she knew this to be true. She
knew, from the intense bond they shared, from the energies that
flowed between them, even now, when the two of them were nearly at
opposite ends of the Sprawl. She could sense Denni right now,
sitting in a classroom at school, not quite aware of changes that
were taking place within her own spirit, yet barely aware that she
was being watched over by Caren, and now Poe as well. She felt both
relief and gratification that the connection between them was
unbreakable.

It was a connection, however, that could
possibly be traced by other Soulsensers.

“This is the real reason why you were
holding back,” Poe said to Ashan. “It had nothing to do with
trusting us.”

“It was for safety more than anything else,”
Ashan said. “But now that the both of you are fully aware of the
situation, I am afraid others will find out quickly enough. The
same people who sensed edha Usarai during the Awakening Ritual can
sense the two of you. Even more so, they can sense Denni right now,
because of her own Awakening. Hers is continuing as we speak, so we
must act fast.”

Oh Goddess…
“We’ve got to…” she
trailed off, shuddering.

“Caren,” Kai said quietly. “Just say the
word.”

“I…”
Oh Goddess…Denysia!
Denni!

She pushed herself out of the booth, ran
past the startled off duty ARU officers at the counter, and dashed
out the front doors and back towards Headquarters before she
realized she had left the others behind in mid-conversation. She
had to get to her sister…how could she have been so blazingly
stupid
to leave her alone at a time like this? Anyone could
sense her now, even the nuhm’ndah…and she would not let them touch
her. She would
not
let them harm her. If she could Lightwalk
and fly to her sister’s side, she would at this very second, but
she couldn’t, and cursed herself again for leaving her alone.
Behind her she could hear a commotion; she could sense Poe and the
two Mendaihu behind her, surprised and afraid. They were calling
her back, first with their inner voices and then out loud once they
spilled out of the diner. Their voices pulled at her, beckoning,
reaching frantically for her to return. Kai’s voice was soothing
and tender, nearly crowded out by Ashan’s piercing shouts, but
Poe’s voice…

…Poe’s voice rumbled like violent thunder
and lightning, reverberating throughout her own soul, shaking her
down to the bone. His inner voice was so unexpectedly visceral it
stopped her cold. She stumbled and nearly fell, veered sickeningly
to the left, and came to rest against the cold and rough concrete
of the building she’d been passing.

“Goddess…” she exhaled. She looked down at
her trembling hands. “What…”

Karinna!
he called out.
You can’t
do this alone!

As she leaned against the wall with one
hand, she dropped her head and found herself gasping for air. He
was right…she couldn’t watch over Denni alone. She couldn’t watch
over her every single moment of her life. She felt the knife-pain
of guilt and sadness in her heart, keener and sharper than ever
before. She pushed herself up to stand again, her raised hand
balled into a fist, and slammed the flat of it against the building
in frustration, sending a jolt of pain up her arm. They were right,
she couldn’t do this alone. She lifted her head to see Ashan and
Kai briskly walking towards her, with Poe just a few steps behind.
Poe couldn’t meet her eyes, scowling and turning away instead.

I’m not there for her,
she said,
fighting back tears.

But you are there in spirit,
Poe
responded.
And that makes all the difference.

Angered, she let out a low growl and glared
at him until he looked at her. “How would you know, Alec? Can a
simple bond be enough to protect her from being taken or…or
killed?”

Ashan started to speak. “That simple bond,
Caren, is —”

She waved him away with a quick flash of the
arm. “I don’t give a shit, Ashan! We may be bonded, by Light,
blood, spirit, whatever, but don’t you get it?
I’m…not…there!
What if some crazy bastard finds her? What if
it was that…whoever it was that killed my parents? What the hell
could she do to defend herself? Can you answer me that?”

Faith, Karinna,
she heard someone
say.

“What?” She leered at the three of them.
“Who said that? Who just spoke within me?”

I did,
the voice said.
I am
Ampryss. Have faith, Karinna. Your sister is well protected, my
dearest. I am protecting her.