A Division of Souls - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (40 page)

Gharra is a promised land, Denysia. It is
the destiny of the One of All Sacred to stand vigil, to protect it
from harm.

Denni furrowed her brow as she began to move
her arms and legs slowly, as if she were underwater, to get the
muscles moving. “And I am the One?” she asked.

We are all part of the One. You are just the
embodiment of the whole.

“So what I am…”

…
reflects all that you see below you,
Ampryss answered.

“And I see…”

Points of light too numerous to count,
scattered all over the American continents and even into the seas
and into space, blinked into existence all at once. Denni caught
her breath as the points of light flashed at her, threatening to
incinerate the planet, then softening to a subtle pulsing. She
stared at her planet, in particular at the seaside city-province of
Bridgetown, the land where she lived, halfway down the eastern
coast.

She felt herself being drawn closer as she
focused on her city. She figured out how to control her
movements…it was intent. The unspoken half of the Anjshé language.
With a bit of bravado she made a sharp dive towards the city,
focusing in on it until most of the eastern seaboard was within her
focus. Again, she caught her breath. A soft pulsing of life
energies that dotted the landscape, covering all the city-provinces
and even scattered patches of Wilderlands…the energy waves expanded
outwards from Bridgetown, sparking off yet more Light energies each
time the wave washed over a city, an outpost, or even a Free
City.

They’re still awakening,
she thought.
It hasn’t ended yet!
“Ampryss?” she called out.

Yes, Denysia?

“Is this true? Is the Awakening still in
process?”

It has not ended, this is true.

She willed herself to a stop and hovered
there, still miles above the city. With a shudder, she spoke out
loud: “I must contain it.”

A sound resembling a gasp emanated from her
spirit guide.

“Ampryss,” she said, knowing the woman
wouldn’t dare question the One of All Sacred in any way. “Listen to
me. We can’t awaken everyone at once! Do you realize what would
happen? Most of these people wouldn’t be able to handle the change!
Even if the One — even if
I
were to teach them all myself
somehow, most of them are going to suddenly be full of all
this…this…” Denni stopped, still gazing over Bridgetown. With
another arcing of her body, she focused on her sister and began
moving towards her home. At the same time she directed her thoughts
to Ampryss.

I’m only guessing, but since I’m the One
of All Sacred, I’ve suddenly become sensitive to all these Mendaihu
and Shenaihu powers that I have no real understanding of at this
time. Can you imagine someone down there, going through the same
thing I am? I don’t even know why
I’m
capable of dealing
with this Awakening, Ampryss. Surely I should have lost control
sometime earlier this morning. Instead, I feel peace. I’m at peace
with myself.

I guess that’s the key, isn’t it?

She was getting closer now; the NewCanta
Strip, of which Bridgetown sprawl was the southernmost province,
began to reveal its contours and details. One by one she began to
recognize landmarks and general destinations until she could make
out the shore-hugging sprawl of Bridgetown itself. Larger landmarks
such as the Crest, Sachers River, and the island at its mouth,
became more recognizable as she drew closer. Her skin was warming
up, the cold emptiness of space replaced with the warm atmosphere,
and her focus getting sharper than ever. At once she realized, upon
seeing the pulses of light as well as the focus, she was still in
the Veil.

She saw the tip of the Mirades Tower looming
ahead of her when she had an idea. She refocused herself to move
back towards the park, and all was Light.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Mendaihu

A brilliant streak of white light appeared
in the sky from out of nowhere, tore its way past the top of the
Mirades Tower, made an impossible yet graceful curve around it,
then lifted and soared over the Sprawl again before touching down
somewhere in Berndette Sector, all in the span of five seconds. It
was over before Kai had even registered what had happened.

“Pashyo!” she exclaimed, feeling a sudden
wave of energy cresting over her own spirit…the aftershock of what
she’d just seen. She shuddered and turned to the others in the car.
“Did anyone else see that?”

Poe shot a quick glance at her as he drove
on. “See what?”

Instead of answering him, she shifted in her
seat and stared at her brother. Ashan stared back, breath held and
hands gripping the back of her seat. He did not answer right away,
instead turning to Caren. She had remained aloof, staring blankly
out the window. She seemed to be content enough that they were
driving to Berndette Sector to pick up Denni from Ormand Park
School. She had to have sensed it as well, but she was showing no
reaction.

“I certainly felt it,” Ashan said
eventually. He took an uneasy breath and closed his eyes. “I’m
going in.”

“Wait!” Kai said, grabbing his hand. “Are
you sure it’s safe?”

“Kai —” he began.

“I saw it with these eyes, Ashan.” She
gestured at her own irises. “I saw it before I even sensed it. If
it bled over into this reality, it could be anyone.”

“What did you see?” Poe asked again, a
slight irritation in his voice.

“A streak of light,” she said, glancing
quickly at him. “Like a
se’nyhndah
, a Lightbody. Souls that
can travel completely on Light energy. Immensely strong spirits
tend to leave light bleed when they travel, whether it’s
intentional or not. Never thought I’d see it, though…”

Poe bristled. “Are you sure it was a
Lightbody?”

“It must be,” Ashan said. “It felt
like…”

“Like a ripple in timespace,” Caren said
suddenly. “Bending reality. Like blurring the line between Light
and Life.”

Kai gaped at her. Caren had not said a word,
let alone show any emotion whatsoever, since they’d spoken with
Kindeiya Shalei. His words had taken a lot out of her, and she had
retreated far into her own thoughts and emotions, letting no one
in. Kai reached over the seat and let her hand hover in the air for
a second before touching Caren’s knee. Ashan placed a hand on top
of hers. Double protection.

“You sensed it,” Ashan said.

“I sensed
her
,” Caren answered, and
faced him with reddening eyes. Her voice was trembling. “I sensed
Denni.”

“Poe,” Kai said, glancing at him.

“Yeah,” he said gruffly, and headed for the
curb.

Caren took an uneasy breath. “She’s that
light…the se’nyhndah. It had to be.” She quickly wiped away a tear
with the heel of her palm. “I know my sister’s spirit.”

Kai nodded silently, and turned forward
again. She understood Caren’s reticence now. She wasn’t cutting
herself off from them because she was afraid…she was holding back,
keeping her own spiritual energy in check. She was extremely
vulnerable right now, almost as much as Denni was, and she didn’t
want anyone else coming to harm. Not under her watch. Kai
understood this, because it was a Mendaihu reaction, and Caren knew
it instinctively.

Karinna,
she said, directing her
voice only to her.

What,
she answered. Her voice was an
unsteady monotone.

I believe she’s trying to keep you safe. Let
her.

“Wh— ” Caren started aloud.
Keep
me
safe?
A crooked smile of surprise and amusement crossed her
lips.
Okay…I understand
. She turned to Ashan. “Go. We’re
right here. Just promise me you’ll tell me what she’s up to.”

“Of course,” he said, eyes already
closed.

“Poe, keep heading up to Ormand Park
School,” Kai said.

“Got it,” he said. He was ready to shift
back into traffic, when his comm went off. He pulled it out of his
jacket pocket and upon checking the number, cursed aloud.

“What?” Kai said.

“It’s Matthew,” he said flatly. “One of our
street contacts. Always a sense of timing, that kid.” He threw on a
headset to free his hands, turned on the phone and answered while
he pulled back into traffic. It was mostly a one-sided
conversation, one that Poe seemed hesitant to have. He nodded and
replied with one or two words or grunts, but for the most part
remained silent as he drove. It wasn’t until he reached the next
stoplight that he told Matthew where he was. Kai listened to him
with concern, and reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. He
responded to her touch, much to her surprise, by covering her hand
with his. His touch was surprisingly gentle.

Confirmation,
she thought, seeing
that word in his eyes. It had been Denni after all, and this
Matthew knew about her, and who she was.

Poe finished the call and tore the headset
off in a fit of anger. “Damn it!”

Startled, she pulled her hand away.
“Alec—”

“Wait,” he said, holding up a hand at her.
“Just…hang on a second.” The traffic light had changed, and he
pulled forward slowly. A slow trail of anger emanated from him, but
he held it close. He faced her again, this time with a calmness she
didn’t expect. “Kai, I want you to soulsense for me. Matthew says
there are nuhm’ndah in Berndette Corner, and they’re zeroing in on
Denni’s spirit signature. I need you to tell me where they
are.”

Kai gaped at him. “Alec, I don’t know if I
—”

“Faith,” he said, grabbing her hand and
squeezed it. “Faith in yourself, kid.”

Faith…
she mused over the word for a
moment until she realized she had no idea how to respond to that.
Faith!
What a strange thing to say.

She closed her eyes and relaxed her muscles,
and all was Light.

*

There were too many flashes of light in the
immediate area to discern one person from the other in this
neighborhood, and that was the one negative aspect of entering
Light in such a populated area, but Kai soldiered on. She sat
perfectly still in the moving car, fully conscious of both this
reality and the elsewhere. It took nearly all of her energy to
filter out the white noise and achieve that perfect balance.

She checked in on her brother first. Ashan
sat in a near-catatonic state in one reality, while in the other
his spirit flickered as he searched for the elusive Denni. Caren
sat next to him in the back seat of the car, holding his hand
tightly and stroking the small hairs on his wrists with her thumb.
Her first concern, and rightly so, was with her sister, but at that
very moment she watched over Ashan like the Protector that she was,
guarding his Mendaihu body and soul. Kai sent a wave of recognition
her way, thanking her for her selflessness. Caren sent the wave
back subconsciously, with an added amount of energy…she had chosen
to protect her as well.

Ashan,
she called out. His aura
rippled in response, an ethereal bluish-white mist surrounding his
body. His spirit signature was stuck in an excited state, jumping
from one emotion to another, attempting to focus but never quite
getting there.
Ashan!
she called a second time. His aura
rippled again, this time followed by a quiet hum. It took a few
tries, but he was coming back. The ripples eventually ceased and he
was calm.

Taftika…
he breathed.
She’s
returned to the school. She’s okay…but she’s in trouble.

Kai’s heart dropped.
Let me talk to
her.

She doesn’t know you,
Ashan started.
She won’t recognize you. She refused to talk to me.

“…find her soon,” she heard, from Poe. His
jittery aura, pulsing between dark red and a light blue, rumbled
next to hers. “…almost there.”

“School,” she muttered between the two
realities before fading back into elsewhere again. Ashan was still
having trouble holding onto a stable foundation, the winds of
countless spirits had grown turbulent. There was so much noise here
in this neighborhood, much more than there should have been. She
tried again, this time reaching out only with the gossamer thread
of her consciousness. She aimed it towards the school, and felt the
invisible energy pushing at it, forcing her back again. Something
or someone was keeping her from moving in Light…but why? Was Denni
doing this?

Yes. Denni was not only protecting her
sister, but everyone in the city.

She caught her breath and fell awkwardly out
of Light and back into her reality. Opened her eyes and felt her
temple resting up against the window, her head lolling back and
forth from the movement of the car. Breathed in again, and with a
slight pain in her skull, pushed herself back into the seat.

Mendaihu Gharra,
she thought.

“She’s at the school,” she heard Ashan say
behind her. “I’ve tried to contact her, but there’s too much
noise...” He had meant to say more, but he had stopped midsentence,
the point moot. They knew what was happening, in the midst of all
this chaotic energy, in the midst of the nuhm’ndah on their way to
capture Denni, in the midst of the growing number of Mendaihu and
Shenaihu at the Waterfront. Denysia was now the Ninth Embodiment of
the One of All Sacred, and she was exacting balance on everything,
whether she fully realized it or not.

Kai closed her eyes again and concentrated,
willing away the white noise of all the excess energy.
Denysia?
she called out tentatively.

Again.
Denysia?

Once more.
Denysia! Can you hear
me?

I hear you.
Denni’s voice, small and
frail, burrowed through all the static and caught hold.
I hear
you…you are someone new. Who are you?