A Division of Souls - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (59 page)

By continuing to talk,
she said.
I
shall be their anchor in these worlds.

“An anchor?” she said, eyes wide. “How do
you expect to hold the spiritual bodies of five thousand people
while their bodies burn to cinders?”

Faith
, she said. Both Kryssyna and
Saone were sure there was a hint of mischief in that one word, for
they both looked at each other with looks of pained
inevitability.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Saone said.
“A cryptic and religious answer to an ethical scientific fact…the
worlds have enough of those, Denysia. I’d like some
proof
.
”

Proof you shall have,
she answered.
First we must close the door.

Saone let out a curse, grudgingly accepting
her vision as prophecy. She closed her eyes tight and lifted her
head to the ceiling, wishing that Kryssyna would not have to become
part in this. This was her vision, her supposed fate, and not
Kryssyna’s. She had sworn never to lead her into danger unless she
had volunteered willfully, and this time she dared not ask. She did
not want the both of them to die, when it came down to it. She
would die for her…but not with her.

This includes the both of you,
Denysia said.

“I can do without the invasion into my
brain, Denysia,” she said with more than a hint of anger.

Kryssyna took her hand and squeezed it
tight. “Don’t worry about me, Saone…I think I know what she’s up
to. There’s still a way out.”

Saone pulled away, staring at her. Was there
a way out of certain inevitable death that she did not know about?
Apparently Kryssyna did know, for she now had a peaceful smile
crossing her lips. She drew a finger across her forehead, pushing
back an errant strand of hair. “Think about it,” she said. “Peace,
Love and Light, Saone. They truly are what is protecting us — not
just you and I, but the thousands out on the floor. And everyone
else out in that world.” She let out a small giggle and embraced
her again, giddy with emotion. “All we need to do is keep the three
energies bound together, keep them in everyone’s mind and
heart.”

Saone didn’t fully believe it herself. If
she could feel that unconditional love she felt when Denysia
touched them…and if she could feel that love now, even with only
her voice to hear, then maybe there was a chance after all that
these people would survive.
What stories they could tell years
from now,
she mused, a ridiculous grin crossing her own face.
Those touched spiritually by the One of All Sacred…the followers
of the One.

“Lead on,” she called out into the air.
Inspired by the moment, she recited a prayer she’d remembered from
her youth. “I am yours, Dearest One…I come to you with my spirit
and my love, to lay down and pass into countless realms for you.
And, ultimately, for all of the universes and realities.”

I am honored,
Denysia said quietly.
You shall be remembered in my heart.

Saone laughed…it was the only reaction that
made sense right now! “…and you in mine,” she said. She took
Kryssyna’s hand and led her to the hallway door. “It’s time.” They
walked out the door together and into the Light…

*

Caren stirred and opened her eyes, and once
again knew she was where she needed to be. Anando was holding her
close, his fingers caressing her face and hair, keeping her close
to his chest and watching over her in silence. His eyes shone when
they met hers, completely happy to have her back. She inhaled
slowly, tasting the sticky sweet air of energy that swelled around
her, and realized that for the first time in her life she felt
completely relaxed and at ease with herself, both spiritually and
physically.

Hra khera, hra mehra,
she thought
with a smile.
I am at peace.

She pushed herself out of his arms and into
a sitting position, getting her bearings. They were in a small and
dimly lit room, presumably in one of the mezzanine offices at the
warehouse. It had grown dark outside, with barely any sunlight
coming through the frosted windows. How long had she been out?
“Where are we?” she asked.

“Upstairs offices at the far end of the
warehouse,” Anando said. “We felt it best to distance you from the
main floor for now. Amna has left to be with Denysia, so it’s just
you and me.”

To her complete surprise, she did not feel
the sudden shock of not knowing where her sister was or being able
to get to her. For the first time in ages, she no longer worried
about Denni’s welfare; rather, she now felt an immense pride,
trusting her completely.

“Denni…” she stopped, twisting in place to
face him. “Denni brought me to our apartment up in Berndette
Corner. Just for a little while. She said she’s using me as an
anchor for her own spirit.”

Anando nodded. “Amna is there for a physical
anchor. Now that Denysia is bound to the both of you, she cannot be
taken away.”

Caren didn’t like the tone of those words.
“Tell me, Anando.”

Anando pursed his lips and frowned, looking
away briefly. “She understood the consequences of the Cleansing,
Karinna. She has to perform the Closing. Those down on the floor
may be experiencing the blending of the spirits, becoming true
cho-nyhndah, but unless one wanted to perform this ritual on the
entire world…someone needs to close the connection. Otherwise this
will continue to go on indefinitely, eventually expanding outwards
into the Universe. And that is not part of the plan.”

“No…” she said. Despite her revived
strength, she could not will herself to stand up. She felt so
tired, so exhausted…the worlds had taken so much out of her the
last few days, had asked so much of her that she now felt herself
resigned to fate. She hadn’t made peace with it all, not even
close. But for now, all the fight had gone out of her. All she
could do was hope that Denni would be able to bring this all to an
end somehow, bring everything back to a peaceful stasis.

Faith…
she thought.
I have faith
in you, Den.

“I’m sorry,” Anando whispered, breaking the
silence.

Caren frowned at him. “What are you
apologizing for, Anando? You weren’t a part of all this…were
you?”

“I’m sorry that we did not explain
everything to you so long ago,” he said, looking away again. Was he
ashamed? “The Mendaihu could only watch and protect Denysia and
yourself…we could not prevent fate.”

“To hell with fate!” she growled, waving a
hand at him. “If Denni and I were destined to do this? I wouldn’t
call this fate at all! Predetermination? Sure. Prophecy? Sure. But
it is not fate. We have a choice, Anando. Free will. We could have
chosen not to follow at any time, you know. Our souls may sing, but
we still have the ability to ignore it. It could have gone
differently.”

Anando sighed patiently. “Nehalé still would
have started the Awakening. Denysia still would have become the One
of All Sacred. But you’re right, it was not fate…it was
inevitability.”

Caren swore again, this time inwardly. He
was right, damn it all. Despite her resignation, the situation
still aggravated the hell out of her. Denni, Poe, Sheila and Nick,
everyone else…they had been drawn into this by Anando, by Kai and
Ashan…by Farraway…by her parents…and by Nehalé Usarai. “And I had
the chance to beat the shit out of that bastard just a half hour
ago,” she mumbled to herself.

Anando cocked his head at her. “What?”

She smirked at him. “Nothing. Sorry I yelled
at you.” She reached out and held his hand. “Can’t escape this, can
I?”

He squeezed her hand and offered her a weak
smile. “I’m afraid not.”

“I figured as much,” she said.
“Listen…whatever happens next…I want to thank you for finding me.”
She suddenly found herself blushing and turned away. “Look at
me…laughing like a moron. Damn it, I’m supposed to be
pissed
right now, Anando! I’m thirty-three, damn it. I’m too old to be
falling in love again with an apparent soul mate I don’t even
know.”

Anando let out a hearty laugh. “Ha! So you
admit to it!”

She smacked him on the shoulder. “Shut up! I
don’t even know
how
I feel about you right now!”

“Never try to explain love, you’ll only get
yourself in trouble,” he said with a wink.

“Truer words never spoken,” she said, and
pushed herself up, offering him a hand on the way. “Let’s go do
this. I’ve a feeling we’re supposed to be going somewhere right
now.”

Anando stopped in his tracks. “We’re
supposed to stay here, in this room, Karinna,” he said.

Caren shook her head. “I’ve healed enough
for now. I have you and I have Denni, and I’ve never felt safer. I
don’t need to be here, not now. I believe I am already cho-nyhndah.
Maybe it’s inherited from my parents…maybe Nehalé woke up the
Shenaihu side of me that night…I don’t know.” She placed a hand on
her chest, feeling her own heart beating, and it was completely
calm for the first time in years. “I believe both sides are here
within me, Anando. I can feel it, just like I can feel your
connection to me.” She blushed again, laughing quietly. “I’m
sorry…it’s hard to describe without sounding like an idiot.”

Anando smirked. “Trust me, dear one, you
don’t.”

“Maybe I don’t,” she said. “Maybe you’re
right, that this awakening was fate after all. Maybe it had to
happen. For some of us, like Poe and myself, we already had our
cho-nyhndah within. All we needed was for something to trigger our
consciousness of it. Nehalé’s ritual. Do you understand what I’m
trying to say?”

“I think I do. But what about those
downstairs? Are you saying that they don’t have that other side, as
you put it?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she said, her brows
lifting. “Who am I to be the judge of that? It could be anything.
But letting those
corresponding
spirits — gods, that sounds
so cold and distant, doesn’t it? Those newer spirits make me think
of Prometheus, oddly enough.”

“A…a
jinko
?” he said. It took Caren a
few moments to realize he’d used a street word of bastardized
Japanese used coarsely and often rudely to describe the manmade AI
so prevalent in office structures. A created lifeform, but devoid
of soul. It was not quite what she had meant, but in a way it was
close enough.

“Sort of,” she said. “Like Shirai at the
Mirades Tower. It’s something so new to us that we, as a human and
by extension a Meraladian race, aren’t quite sure what to make of
it. We all have our ideas and opinions, but none of us really know
what’s true and what might be imagined. I can’t help but wonder
what their lives are going to be like once this is over.”

“If all goes according to plan,” Anando said
soothingly, “there won’t be a difference at all. If Denysia keeps
them close to her, they’ll keep their focus. The only change will
be that of another awakening…that of memories. The other spirit’s
memories…and they’ll perceive them as their own, which will be
true, since both spirits will become one.”

Caren stopped him with a hand and shook her
head. “Okay.
That
I didn’t know.” She paused, sorely tempted
to continue this conversation, but she knew that there was little
time left. “We can continue this later, Anando. Right now I’ve got
to get outside.” She held out a hand. “You’re welcome to follow if
you want to.”

Without a second thought, he moved forward
and took her hand again. Together they stepped out of the office
and made for the opposite end of the warehouse. She stopped
momentarily at the end of the aisle, gazing at the thousands of
people at the other end, kneeling in silent prayer. She watched
them with both reverence and awe; these were the followers of the
One — her sister! — and believed in her so deeply that they had put
their very lives in her hands. Caren knew she was here among them,
in spirit if not in person.

Peace, Love and Light to all of you,
she said to anyone who could or wanted to hear.
Love is with the
One Everlasting.
She turned back, and exited with Anando onto
the rain-slicked street.

It had stopped raining for the most part,
the clouds above slowly fading from a deep charcoal to a light
gray. Whatever had been done, it was working. The Rain of Light had
been successfully harnessed, and now the spirits would soon be
released. She turned on the commlink on the lapel of her uniform
and called out to Poe, hoping he was still there.

*

Poe did not expect to be so relieved to hear
Caren’s voice over the comm, but he felt himself tearing up the
moment she called his name. He truly hadn’t expected her to, once
she entered the warehouse. Her primary motive, after all, had been
to be with Denni, no matter what the cost. The Key already
forgotten, Poe moved to a corner of the small shed, settled down on
a pile of pillows, and leaned up against the wall. Just outside the
one window, he could see Christine pacing back and forth in her own
thoughts.

“Pashyo, Caren. It’s great to hear your
voice,” he said, and meant it. “Thank the Goddess you’re okay.”

“This has been a very weird hour, Alec,” she
said. “You’re on Haden Street, right? Two or three blocks
down?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m still at Christine’s,
up on the roof. The Key is holding.”

“Tell her I said hello, and thank her for
me…for all of us! Anando and I are heading out, we’ll meet you
there in about ten or fifteen minutes. I suggest that if there’s
last minute things that need to be done, you do them now.”

Poe frowned. In the back of his mind he
remembered the name from Matthew’s data crystal. “Who’s he? And
what’s going on?”

“You’ll meet him soon enough,” she said. He
could just about hear the smile on her face. “In the meantime, I
suggest you hold your position if you don’t have anything else
going on. I’m going to get a hold of Kai and Ashan and get them up
to speed.”