A Division of Souls - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (56 page)

“Caren, please!”

The air split open with a deafening crack.
The sudden jolt of electricity surged through the crowd, knocking
dozens off their feet, and Denni instinctively lifted her arms up
to shield herself. She tasted the pungent smell of sweat and smoke,
and suddenly she felt the surge hit her right leg and travel
upwards. A tiny spark of Light shot out of her uplifted hand. She
felt her knees give out from under from her, the room shifting
sickeningly to her left.

To her right, Caren had already fallen to
the floor in a dead faint.

*

…
Karinna? Sis? It’s me, Denysia. Can you
hear me?

I know you’re okay…I sense you from down
here. You might ache a bit, but you’re not injured. Anando and Amna
brought you to one of the back rooms in the mezzanine, you’ll be
safer up there. Don’t worry about me. I’m surrounded by good
people, good spirits. They’ll protect me. It’s their job to do
so.

Listen…I…

I need to do this, and I need to do it now,
before it gets too dangerous. I want to tell you everything,
explain it all to you…but I can’t, not right now, I don’t have
time. All I can say is that I know what I’m doing. I know you look
out for me and all, but you don’t have to try so hard…not anymore.
I have a lot of people on my side.

I want to thank you for what you told me.
You know, that night, about Mom and Dad. I kind of knew some of it,
but not everything. Hearing the truth made all the difference. I
don’t feel nearly as afraid as I thought I would, being who I am
now. I’d sort of made peace with Mom and Dad dying, but…this was
like closure. Like I finally had a reason for moving forward again.
It still hurts sometimes, but I’m strong. I can handle it.

I want — I need to say more to you, but I
also need to focus on what I’m doing right now, so this is going to
sound a bit disjointed. Bear with me.

Look — I know you’re afraid. I know you’re
afraid you’ll lose me like we lost our parents. You’re afraid to
let me go, and you’re absolutely terrified that I’m now the One of
All Sacred. Hell, the moment I understood who I was, it scared the
hell out of me too. That’s why I disappeared the way I did this
afternoon — I had to back away to regain myself. But I had Ampryss
helping me then, and I have all of you helping me now. I’m not
alone, sis! I’ve got so many people watching me right now! It feels
so weird, yet so comforting. To be loved with absolutely no strings
attached.

I…

I have to step away again for a little
while, so you may not see me when you awaken, okay? But please…have
faith in me. This will all end peacefully. I can do this.

Never forget that I love you, Karinna. You
are my anchor. You won’t ever lose me.

*

Christine lit a single narrow candle and
placed it in a holder on the north wall of the room. It flickered
slightly in the wind, but never went out.

First there is Light.

Light is.

Light becomes.

Light is the essence of the soul, the
sustenance of the mind, the fuel that burns within the fires of the
heart. Light is the beacon that unites all souls together under the
protection of the One of All Sacred and the Goddess Who Is. Light
is the protector of all souls, the mother of faith and father of
strength.

On the southern wall, she placed a vidmat
still of Caren, an older picture of her friend and former associate
taken seven years ago, during a holiday party. Caren’s eyes were
full and bright, caught midway in spirited laughter. She dipped two
fingers of her left hand in an oil solution and drew a clockwise
circle on the wall around the picture.

Second there is Love.

Love is.

Love becomes.

Love is the essence of the heart, the
sustenance of the soul, the fuel that burns within the fires of the
heart. Love is the thread that binds all souls together under the
protection of the One of All Sacred and the Goddess Who Is. Love is
the reminder of our existence, the sister to compassion and brother
to community.

Finally, she returned to the center of the
room, and embraced Poe. She exhaled slowly and relaxed every single
nerve in her body, focusing only on the deep trust of her closest
friend.

Third there is Peace.

Peace is.

Peace becomes.

Peace is the essence of a complete
existence, the sustenance of a community. Peace is the road to
knowledge and the leader of all under the One of All Sacred and the
Goddess Who Is. Peace is the knowledge that Love and Light exists
eternally, the family whole.

Took another slow breath, letting every
emotion bleed freely out of her very soul.

Dearest One of All Sacred, under the
protection of the Goddess Who Is, we ask your divine help in our
time of need. We ask your help in divining balance from chaos and
peace from dissent. We ask that you guide us and protect us,
Dearest One, from the energy that knows no master. We ask that you
guide us as we channel this errant energy into Light.

Dearest One, we pray for your guidance.

Light is.

Love is.

Peace is.

Christine exhaled and fell out of Poe’s
arms, the prayer sequence completed.

Poe saw the surge of blistering white energy
pulse from the clouds before he felt the current pushing at the two
of them. Beautiful and bright and in such contrast to the deep hues
of the cloud cover, it illuminated its underside to an impossible
swirl of pink and white. All sound had stopped, rain and wind and
thunder. He managed a sharp intake of breath and remark about its
beauty before the force of it hit the Key and propelled the both of
them backwards.

He was off his feet and sailing with no time
to grab hold of anything. He slammed up against the wall, shoulders
first then head, and fell limply to the ground, onto the throw
pillows. He groggily shook his head, wondering what in the Goddess’
name had just hit them.

Christine, by luck of all the gods she knew,
had dropped quickly to the floor just at the right time and had
cushioned herself for the shock. She had skimmed across the floor,
pushing the pillows into a heap against the wall with her in the
middle. She lay on the scattered pile, eyes shut tight and hands
clenched, close to her temples.

“…ow,” she croaked.

“Chris?” he called out. He staggered in her
direction but got only halfway and he fell to his knees.
“Christine?” he said again. “Are you all right?”

One eye opened and focused on him. “What…the
hell was that?”

“Uh…” Poe shifted into a sitting position
and rubbed gingerly at the back of his head. He focused on the
Benjamin’s Key in an attempt to regain his bearings. It had
blessedly remained solid and true, ready and waiting for the
possible siphoning of spirits out into the sea. It vibrated at such
a speed that it produced a soft, low hum. “That,” he said, “…was
either the beginning of something worse, or we’re connected.”

“That had to be the worst shock I’ve ever
had with this blessed thing,” Christine moaned. She stood up,
wobbled a little, and caught herself against the wall. She pushed
herself off again and studied the Key hesitantly, grabbing onto
Poe’s shoulder for support. “I just hope this thing can withstand
the intensity.”

Poe felt a shiver race down his spine. “You
mean…?”

“I’ve never used it on something this strong
before, Alec,” she said, and gingerly moved towards the door. She
pushed it open and giant
whoosh
of chilly humid air came
rushing in. She looked up at the sky for a few moments, frowning.
“It should hold…as long as it doesn’t get any stronger.”

“Here’s to hoping,” he said. He grabbed his
comm and called Kai again.

She answered after the first ping and spoke
quickly, barely able to mask her concern. “Everything is connected?
Are you okay over there? We saw the lightning hit…”

“We’re both fine, just disoriented,” he
said. After a few moments, he added: “It’s Caren I’m worried
about.”

Kai hummed in agreement. “Each person has
his or her own duty to the One…and she is Protector. I wish I could
say more, but I can only pray that she has the strength to fulfill
that duty.”

Poe wanted to say something, anything, but
the words that came to him would have betrayed what he really felt.
He wanted to believe she had that strength — she
did
have
it, especially when it came to her sister — but this was more than
just protecting her younger sibling from the outside world. He’d
known Caren for years…but even now, he wasn’t sure if he ever truly
knew her spirit. She had never willingly shown it to anyone.

“Faith, Poe,” she said softly. “Have faith
in her.”

“Oh, that I do,” he said, but knew it was a
lie. Without question, he trusted Caren as a close friend and as
his partner on the force. He trusted her wholly…but did he have
faith in her? He did not know. He’d never had the reason to
question it.

Kai chose not to push the matter. “You’ve
harnessed the spirits with the Key,” she said in a lighter voice
that betrayed her own nerves. “Ashan and I will take up the rest if
need be. The spirit energy needs either release or storage, so it’s
up to Denni now to decide what to do with it.”

Poe bit his lip. “Which is safer?”

“Actually…” she started, her voice uneven.
“If it is released, there’s a chance it will remain chaotic. In
which case, we’re back where we started. If we stored it…”

Poe shut his eyes tight with dread, and
swore under his breath. If Denni decided to store it at the
warehouse she might be able to stabilize it, but there was also an
equal chance she could lose control of it…and who knew what would
happen after that. He couldn’t see any clearer solutions. There was
so much that he still did not know about the Rain, about the
Mendaihu and the Shenaihu, despite everything he’d prepared himself
for. There were so many unknowns here that he felt his anger
surfacing again. This time he sensed it coming and held back,
redirecting his emotions towards the task at hand. If he had to
lash out, it would be to protect, not to destroy.

“…Kai?” he said. His voice sounded pitifully
small.

“Yes?”

He closed his eyes and started rubbing at
the lids. Damn it all, why was this so hard? “Umm…never mind. You
be careful, okay? I’m worried about the two of you. How are you
going to send it to the warehouse after it hits us? You don’t have
any reflectors.”

Kai laughed in spite of herself. “That’s the
interesting thing, Poe. The hrrah-sehdhyn? I finally figured out
its other purpose. It wasn’t just an offensive strike, Poe. It’s a
barrier
.
It’s supposed to keep everything
in
.”

“You’re kidding,” he said. “Even after the
church…?”

“I believe they’re at peace, Poe,” she said.
“Those civilians weren’t supposed to die, but they understood what
would happen…and now they’re part of the Rain. Poe…it wasn’t
supposed to happen like this, not so soon. Nehalé sped up the
schedule.”

“Forget about Nehalé,” he growled, then
realized the futility of his anger again. He was beginning to hate
this quick change of emotions that always came at the wrong time.
“Whenever you’re ready, Kai. We’re set here. The rest…” He stopped
again, thinking of Denni.
I have faith in
you
, Den. As
the wonderful kid you are. Take care of Caren for me.
“…I guess
the rest is up to the One of All Sacred,” he said.

“She’s already started the Cleansing, Alec,”
she said quietly.

“Good.” He wished he could reach out to
Denni to comfort her, yet somehow he knew she would be just fine.
He shifted his focus towards Kai, standing just outside that
barrier with her brother. If Denni failed, they would have the
hardest job of all, redirecting the angered spirits back towards
the warehouse. He had no idea how they would do it, and he had a
feeling they had no clear plan either.

“Kai?” he said.

“Hmm?”

“Peace, Love and Light to you, Akaina,” he
said so softly he wasn’t sure if she had heard him. “Take care of
yourself.”

“Alec…” she started, and could not
completely get her words out all at once. “You take care as well.
Love prevails.”

He laughed and felt himself blush. “Yes…yes,
it does.”

*

All is Light…

The air trembled around her. The Rain of
Light throbbed and thrummed with a nervous, directionless energy
that could not be seen or heard, only felt by those within it. She
immersed herself in this energy, allowing it to seep well within
her own spirit until she understood its collective voice crying out
in confusion. She had heard the voices some time ago, but only as
aggressive white noise. She chose to drift even deeper into the
Rain than Nehalé had suggested or even thought possible. She wanted
to know her limits and surpass them. She wanted to hear them as
they would hear her.

All is Light.

The Rain of Light had heard her voice…and
waited.

Denysia exhaled slowly and opened her eyes
within the Light, stared into its blinding whiteness, and spoke to
the Rain, first in Anjshé, then in Terran English.

Hra Denysia Shalei Shé nyhndah eilee…madin
Aaramis si Cheylan Shalei si Emmadha si Dhumélis…kinléshi Mendaihu
Gharra Karinna Shalei…hra Shé.

Rhade hra imhsha.

I am Denysia Shalei, One of All
Sacred…daughter of Aaramis and Cheylan Shalei si Emmadha si
Dhumélis…sister to Protector Karinna Shalei…I am One.

Do not be afraid
.

A million voices, all at once, spilled forth
like a burst dam and raced outwards, howling and screeching as it
engulfed everything within its reach. Denni braved the onslaught
and stood her ground, letting the disembodied voices wash through
her and over her. She waited now, expecting one voice…or any
multitude of voices…to call back. Nearly five minutes passed before
she heard something coherent.