A Division of Souls - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (42 page)

Caren, in the meantime, had been glancing
out the window at the passing buildings and markets, watching all
the people walking the streets. Denni saw a kind of resigned
sadness on her face that she had not seen for a long time, not
since their parents died. She’d once again detached herself not
only from the others but from her surroundings, merely going
through the motions set in front of her. She was on the verge of
falling inwards again, just like she had done five years ago. She
had never properly come to terms with any of it. The only thing
that kept her from completely detaching from reality was her
devotion, to her position as an Alien Relations agent and as older
sister and caretaker. She had never fully accepted her fate as a
Mendaihu, and she definitely hadn’t come to grips with her little
sister awakening to become a major deity. Her own guilt, combined
with the added stress of recent events, must be taking its toll on
her. Denni breathed out a long, quiet sigh and dropped her head
onto Caren’s shoulder.

Hey,
she said, focusing only towards
her.

Hmm?
Caren shook herself out of her
reverie and faced her. The expression on her face was that of
well-hidden surprise.

You know…
she started, then paused.
She looked into Caren’s eyes, searching for that oft-seen tower of
strength that her spirit held. Denni knew it was there…it had
always
been there, through the worst of their pain. She
focused both eyesight and spiritsense towards her, and found it…in
her heart chakra, right where it always was and always would be.
She focused the intent at that precise spot and started again.

Karinna…
she started again.
You’ll
never lose me, you know. I know how you feel about Mum and Dad’s
deaths. You’re hurting enough for the both of us.

She stopped again, wondering what to say
next. They stared at each other, oddly without self-conscious
discomfort, each wondering what the other would say next. For a
moment the rest of the worlds didn’t matter. Denni didn’t care who
else was sitting in the car or that any of this really existed.
Just the moment now, with the two of them together and feeling
completely invulnerable to anything except their own emotions. That
moment was all that mattered between the two of them. Denni reached
an arm across and embraced her.

I promise, Karinna…I promise I will help you
heal. We both will heal together.

A stifled gasp slipped past Caren’s lips, a
sound only Denni heard, and sent an intensely strong wave of love
back at her.
Thank you,
she said, offering a lopsided smile
as she wiped away a tear. She pulled Denni into an embrace and held
her tight, and Denni knew she would never let go. Not
completely.

Denysia. We must talk again.

“Oh, crap,” she mumbled.

Caren bristled; she must have heard the
voice as well. “What’s wrong?”

I heard you,
she answered. “It’s…it’s
Ampryss,” she said aloud.

Caren paled. “Ampryss?”

“She’s…” she stumbled again. “She’s a spirit
guide.”

“I know who she is,” Caren started again
unevenly. “She talked to me earlier...briefly. I didn’t know she
was the one who spoke to you that night.”

Denni sensed the ears of everyone in the car
pricking up. “I trust her. Poe, she needs to talk to me again. Are
we almost at the Crest?”

Poe called out over his shoulder; even his
voice had wavered at Ampryss’ name. “About three miles to the exit.
We’re almost there.”

I’ll contact you in fifteen minutes,
Ampryss,
she called out. She wanted to add more, but forced
herself not to.

It is done,
was the answer, and she
left her alone.

*

Kai sat cross-legged on the rocky ground at
the Crest, to Denni’s right. Everyone had subconsciously stood or
taken a seat on either side of the young girl, a miniature
hrrah-sehdhyn
of protection around her. Her friend sat up
front, Caren at her left, with Ashan and Poe taking up the rear.
Poe was nearest her, only a few short steps away. She’d only
noticed their positions minutes later when she felt a shiver
through her spirit, when Denni had contacted Ampryss again.

She glanced at Poe again, watching him
silently. He was looking out over the Sprawl with a different sight
now…he was no longer up here to clear his head, not anymore. There
was a saddened look in his eyes, as if he understood what his city
was about to face, and he felt powerless to protect it. Tentatively
she moved closer to him, sliding her arm underneath his and taking
hold of his hand. He looked down at their entwined fingers, first
with an expression of surprise, then with genuine comfort. His eyes
met hers at the same time, for the first time intentionally.
Guiltily she peered through his hazel eyes into the shimmering
light that was his soul…and realized that it was staring back at
hers, searching and hoping for a love that transcended over all
this. With conviction she promised herself she would try to give as
much as she received.

We do not need words,
she thought,
comforted by that.
Just ourselves.

Sitting on a boulder a few yards away, Ashan
cleared his throat to make sure he had her attention. Blushing, she
covered her mouth to hide a giggle and faced him.

She has been talking to Ampryss for the
last half hour,
her brother said.
But even I can’t hear a
thing. She won’t let us in.

Kai nodded, not knowing what else she could
add. Minutes after they had made their way up the winding path to
the summit and settled on the rocks, Denni — who on first view of
the Sprawl from this vantage point had stared in slack jawed and
teary-eyed wonderment as if she had never been up here before — had
suddenly grown silent and moved some distance away from the others.
She had found a seat that was a little too close to the Crest’s
edge for Caren’s comfort, but had maintained enough distance to
remain safe. The young friend, Amna, had taken sentry position,
sitting cross-legged on Poe’s outcropping of rock and enjoying the
view. The others had eventually taken their position soon
after.

Amna can hear a little bit,
Ashan
said.
She said she had heard Ampryss at the school, just enough
to feel a presence but not enough to understand it. For Denni’s
sake, she’s not saying anything until this is over.

Until
what
is over?
Kai said
with a little more edge to her voice than she’d intended.
This
fiasco, or her conversation?

I do not know,
he answered.

“What do you think?” Alec said. Startled,
Kai turned to him to answer, until she realized he’d spoken to
Caren. “Nice view, yeah?”

“Not bad,” she said, noncommittally.

Poe’s eyes suddenly sparkled. “Hey, you know
who’d love it up here? Christine Gorecki.”

The mention of the woman’s name lifted
Caren’s mood significantly. “Christine! Goodness, I haven’t thought
of her in a long time! Sure, she’d love it up here. All the space
and peace she’d need for her spiritwork.”

“I really should call her,” Poe said. “I’d
almost feel guilty if we didn’t involve her in this somehow.” He
turned to Kai and smiled. “Christine’s one of the best freelance
spiritworkers in the Sprawl.”

“Has she worked with the two of you?” she
asked.

“Off and on,” Caren said. “She used to be in
the Branden Hill ARU, but she quit about six months ago and we
haven’t seen nor heard from her since.”

“Her choice,” Poe added. “’Spiritual
burnout’ is what she told me.”

Caren turned back to the city, a somber look
in her eyes. “It’s truly a great view, but it would be better
without the storm,” she said. “Is that cell going to hit anytime
soon, or is it just going to sit there over the suburbs?”

“NewsComm reported a light shower,” he
answered. “Though those clouds are a bit dark for it. Don’t suppose
this
uprising
has anything to do with it?”

Caren raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Accumulation of spirit energy? There’d definitely be some sort of
disturbance, but nothing that big. Kai, what do you think?”

“Could be, but I’m not sure,” she said,
hating herself once again for not telling her the full truth.
“Although I’m not very good at reading residual energies as such.
You’d want someone who could read more closely than I could…”

“…like Nehalé Usarai,” Caren finished. “I’ve
thought of that. Either way, it’s screwing up the launch-and-land
windows for the Nullport, by the looks of it. I haven’t seen a
transit ship
or
a payload in the last three hours…and that’s
not normal. I know the weather’s bad, but not enough to warrant
shutdowns. Any more of this and we’ll effectively be cut off from
the rest of the CNF.”

As soon as she had finished those words, Kai
knew Caren had regretted them.

Poe finally answered after an uncomfortably
long pause. “Would the Shenaihu go that far?”

“It depends,” Ashan said coldly. “But let’s
not dwell on something that may or may not be true. Besides, it
looks as though she’s coming out of it.” He lifted his chin up in
Denni’s direction. She had come out of her trance, peaceful as it
may have looked to the others, shaken and wrapping her arms tightly
around herself. Amna moved in first, comforting her in her return,
whispering calming words to her as she passed the waking state into
full consciousness.

Aware that everyone was looking in her
direction, Denni quietly stood up and stretched. There was a
strange calm about her, a peace that had risen above everything
else, as if all the questions that had bothered her emotionally and
intellectually had finally been answered. The gesture of a soft
smile as she looked in their direction was a blessing from her now,
and they knew it. She had uncovered the truth of the Mendaihu and
the Shenaihu; it was beyond any simple explanation that she could
give. She would have to teach them herself.

“What time is it?” she asked.

Poe checked his watch. “It’s about quarter
to two.”

Denni smiled at him and with a few tripping
hops over the ledge’s rocky covering she stood in front of him. It
was the adoration of a young girl who looked up to him like an
older brother. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried
herself into his uniform. Surprised and touched, he reciprocated,
encircling her with one arm around her back and the other clutching
her opposite shoulder, just like he always did.

“Strength,” she said to him softly. “Keep
your strength, Poe. It’s your greatest asset.” She pulled out of
the embrace, and made her way towards the spot she had taken
earlier. She stood there, back to the others, looking out over the
Sprawl as if she commanded it, and nodded. “It will happen,” she
said out loud.

“What will?” Caren asked, making no attempt
to hide her concern.

“The Shenaihu and the Mendaihu will
reunite,” she said.

Both Kai and Ashan froze. She glanced at her
brother, but once again he was stone-faced. She desperately needed
to know what Ampryss had told her now; this had not been an
expected move from the One of All Sacred.

Denni faced them without missing a beat. The
smile was gone, replaced by a sober acceptance. “Not right away, of
course. And not without the expense of lives and spirits. But if
all goes according to plan, then there is little to worry about.
Which is why I have to be down at the warehouse at four.”

“What happens at four?” Ashan asked.

Denni flashed him a smile. “You’ll know soon
enough, sehnadha. Everyone here will be a part of it.”

“Denni —” Caren started.

“Remember what I said on the way here,” she
said, cutting her off. “You won’t lose me, Karinna. I’m always
here. You, of all people, will be there for me when I most need
it.”

Caren started to ask, but thought better of
it. If Denni knew what was going to happen, then she would not
bother asking.

“We should go now,” she continued. “The
earlier the better.” She bounded back off the ledge and started
down the descending path. Amna followed quickly after her,
wordlessly but with a wide smile. The four adults remained there,
feeling more than a little skeptical and unsure of what had just
happened.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Shenaihu -
Mendaihu

“Let me tell you something,” Natianos said
with a smile, and laid a brotherly arm around Janoss’ shoulders.
“This occurred to me some time ago, while I was sitting here in
this very field of grass, contemplating the fate of Gharra.”

Janoss’ eyes lit up. “How long have you been
coming here? I thought this was sacred ground!”

Natianos let him wonder. “It is, my eicho.
Trisanda is indeed the most sacred ground in Meraladian existence.
We are always welcome to visit it, if we respect it. May I
continue?”

“Yes…yes, of course.” Janoss lowered his
head. “Nyhnd’aladh, Dahné. I am sorry for interrupting.”

“Thank you. Now, it occurred to me…that if
we, as Meraladians, do in fact have an ancestral link to Gharné
humans, and that we, as Meraladians, are the more direct link of
the Trisandi race, would it not be so that we should claim
superiority?”

Natianos paused, leaving a long,
uncomfortable silence between the two. He could tell Janoss was
formulating an answer that would neither sound blasphemous to the
One nor betray his loyalty to the Shenaihu. In his human skin,
Janoss was sweating profusely, partly from the warm air but mostly
from fear. He let the man ponder a few seconds longer, just to
realize the seriousness of the subject.

“That’s not exactly the point I’m trying to
make, Janoss. That was only the first thing I thought of. There is
also the fact that we can only visit Trisanda in our purest form,
our True Self.”