Soul Betrayed (16 page)

I held my breath until his voice traveled up from the void below me. “I can see you. Just do exactly what I did.

I exhaled, and my hands trembled slightly. I thought of Jamie. She was alone. I needed to be there for her. It was the least I could do for everything she’d done for me.

“You can come down now,” Jackson’s voice echoed from the blackness below. “It’s only about thirty rungs.”

Only thirty? I blanked out my mind, switching my focus to the job at hand. I didn’t need distractions sending me to an early second death. Not that Jackson would have allowed that. I turned, holding the hatch door for support as I placed my foot on the top rung and adjusted my position until my body was on the ladder.

“There you go, just one foot in behind the other.”

Steadily I made my way down the ladder and stiffened when a pair of hands wrapped around my waist. I was weightless for a moment before Jackson assisted me to solid ground. I looked up, dumbstruck at how quickly I had descended. His hands moved away and a grinding sound echoed from above. The light from outside disappeared as Jackson flipped a switch. A dim light illuminated the area. We were in a concrete room that was barely big enough for the two of us.

I took off my hood and unzipped my jacket. The heat from the desert had carried down into the chamber. At least there wasn’t blowing sand everywhere.

He pulled a handle on the wall and opened a door that I swear hadn’t been there before and I followed him through to another dimly lit space which looked like an underground sewer, minus the water.

Jackson took my hand and led us down the corridor. The door closed behind us and I turned around but all I could see was a wall. It must have been a trick of some sort because I couldn’t see the outline of the door anymore. The sound of our feet echoed off the walls, nearly masked by a steady thrumming coming from somewhere above us.

I was careful not to speak just in case there were any Shadowed nearby.

Suddenly Jackson stopped and faced me. “We have one more section before we reach the main part of the base. From then on our plan is in motion. You need to work to do what?” he quizzed.

“Make them trust me,” I said quickly, reverting back to when he had been my Guard trainer. “Learn as much about their plan as possible.”

He nodded, excitedly. “Exactly. And I will work on finding an escape route.”

“And Jamie,” I added.

“And Jamie,” he confirmed after a short pause.

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me slowly, taking his time. His fingers pressed into the small of my back, pushing my body close to his and I pressed into him. He pulled away first, holding my gaze. “I am going to protect you no matter what.”

I nodded, now knowing without a doubt that he was telling the truth.

We continued to another cement door without a handle. Jackson flipped a tiny box next to it and punched in several numbers and the door swung open slowly. He squeezed my hand then let go, walking down the hallway and I steeled myself for what was about to come.

The hall on the other side was a stark contrast to the one we stepped out from. The corridor was brightly lit, accentuating the pristine white walls. We briskly walked down the empty hallway, passing dozens of windowless doors.

“Where is everyone?” Even though I whispered, my voice bounced off the walls.

“The entrances to the main base are kept empty. If anyone discovers this place, they are usually pretty lost at this point, giving us enough time to prepare for their arrival.”

I swallowed. I didn’t want to know what the Shadowed did with intruders. “Is Jamie nearby?”

“No, they keep humans in a different part of the base.”

“Do the Shadowed take many humans?”

Jackson ignored my question. “Let’s just focus on our mission.”

His admission fired something inside of me. How could he not care for humans? Did the Shadowed keep humans here to feed from? The thought made my stomach churn. I hated to admit that Jackson was right. Once we got what we needed we should get out of there. But I’d have to speak to my father and the other Guard about a mission to rescue the humans after we returned home.

“This is it,” Jackson said.

We stood before another door. Something stirred deep inside of me, not unlike the feeling I had the night of Ally’s birthday. My powers were uncontrollable in soul form but surely they wouldn’t be able to be expressed now I was human. That would negate the transformation step entirely. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming my nerves as Jackson opened the door.

Here goes nothing.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I fought the urge to run the other way as my eyes swept over the jagged rock face cave in front of me. Déjà vu swept over me and my legs carried me backwards until I hit a wall. This cave was similar to the one from the night of Ally’s birthday. The night I had taken David’s life. But that cave hadn’t been in the desert. Jackson pushed me forward until we stood on the ledge and I looked down across a cavernous room that expanded a few hundred feet below us. Wrapping my hands around a set of metal bars that prevented a human like me from falling to their certain death, I saw that to the right, the bars extended down a set of stairs that hugged the edge of the room, spiraling to the floor. There were hundreds of Shadowed on the ground milling about in their soul forms.

“I can see them,” I said breathlessly.

Jackson came to my side. “They are only non-corporeal when they are around humans. It’s a skill that drains them. When they are here they feed from the energy of this place and don’t have to worry about exhausting their means.”

The hair on my arms stood up. I was in the Shadowed camp. There was no turning back now.

Jackson left my side and I took one last look down below at the souls that would never return to the After. Denying a soul the ability to reunite with its True Soul was a fate that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But the Shadowed survived by feeding from the life force of other souls. I would never let them near Collected souls, not if I could do anything about it.

Thankfully, we didn’t travel down to where the Shadowed convened. I wasn’t prepared for that yet. Halfway down the path we turned into a pocket in the rock where another door led down another corridor, this one with slate walls and doors on either side. Each door had a window big enough for me to see two beds and a sink in each of them.

“This is one of the dormitory wings,” Jackson said.

“Which one is my room?”

Jackson wrinkled his nose as he smelled something foul. “You aren’t staying down here.”

“Oh?”

I heard footsteps before I saw them and Jackson ushered me to one side of the hall, allowing three figures to pass us on the other side. I didn’t recognize any of them, especially because one of them had a cloth over his head. I assumed it was a man because of his suit. He was flanked on either side by the Shadowed, almost as if they were holding him up. They nodded to Jackson and offered a slower, deliberate nod to me. With many of Shadowed aware of what I looked like, that would be another hurdle for me to overcome in our escape.

The one in the middle lurched forward and I reflexively reached out to stop him falling. The cloth started to slip from his head and one of the Shadowed pulled it back before his face was revealed, but I pulled my hand back as if it had been stung. The head of curly blond hair was unmistakable and coupled with the suit I knew exactly who they were escorting.

I darted quick glances up and down the hall. If I had found Robert, Jamie couldn’t be too far away.

The Shadowed who looked as if he just stepped off a runway gave me a tight smile. “Glad to see you have returned, Jackson. We’ve got it from here.” His eyes flicked to Jackson then to the other Shadowed.

I nodded and stepped back. They entered through a door and I made a mental note of the location. I turned to Jackson. He avoided my eyes but started in the other direction. I was clear on what I was supposed to know about this situation even though Jackson had told me everything he knew. I was to appear to be switched over to the Shadowed. A human hostage wouldn’t be of much interest.

We arrived at our destination almost ten minutes later after traveling through several maze-like corridors. Jackson navigated them with a raised chin and rigid posture. I mimicked him. He slowed as we neared the end of the hall at an ornate wooden door that looked as if it belonged in my home instead of an underground base for the Shadowed.

“Corporeal please,” Jackson said.

I blinked up at him and realized he wasn’t talking to me. Eight Shadowed manifested in front of us, their scythes looming over them They turned at the same time and backed away, allowing us in through the door. Jackson pressed down on the handle and it swung inward.

I gasped, taking in the bedroom. My bedroom. Even the fireplace was the same. I went into the room, my feet sinking into the plush carpet. I touched the nightstand which resembled the one I remembered. A burning candle flickered as my short breaths met the flame.

I blinked a few times.

“I thought this would make you feel the most comfortable,” Jackson said from behind me.

I pressed my hands into the soft mattress, leaning against it. He closed the door, hiding the Shadowed from my sight.

“This room is off limits to everyone except for you.”

“Not you?” I asked, excitement growing as I realized I had my own space.

“Anyone that you request can be here with you.”

“So if I wanted to kick you out?” I bit my lip, stifling a smile.

“Then I will leave.” He suppressed a grin.

I sat on the bed, taking in the room he had thoughtfully prepared for my arrival. He had known that I was going to return sometime. It amazed me how he was always a few steps ahead of everyone, much like the Shadowed. It was a trait that I had found unnerving when I had no idea who he was, but now it made me feel confident in our mission with him in charge of the plan.

“How come they were non-corporeal?” I asked, indicating the door where the Shadowed stood. “And why eight of them?”

“Abidan was testing you,” Jackson said in a low voice.

A chill crept down my spine.

“You passed though,” he added.

I looked toward the door. “Why?”

The door opened.

“Your constant persistence and loyalty to the Guard needed to be tested.”

I shot off the bed, coming face to face with Hannah. My heart rate quickened, threatening to pound out of my chest. I blinked away the memory of her sneer as she took Jackson’s human life. She pushed her inky black hair from her shoulder and slid her gaze from mine to Jackson’s.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she said with a mock pout.

I glanced at Jackson. “I thought this was my private room?”

“She’s right,” Jackson said, raising an eyebrow at Hannah. “He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s why I’m here. You will have plenty of time to rot in this place. He wanted to see her the moment she arrived.” Even though she had a fake smile plastered to her face, her words were laced with venom, but I didn’t allow her desired intention to affect me.

I narrowed my eyes. “Lead the way.”

Hannah’s jaw clenched and she disappeared from the room.

I grinned at Jackson and he pressed his lips together. “I’m not saying you need to be best friends with her, but she is powerful. Just hold back your emotions a little bit, at least until you can get what we need.”

“Fine,” I said.

The corners of his mouth turned down and he looked at me through his thick eyelashes. “He wasn’t happy with her after the warehouse. It wasn’t part of the plan.”

I tilted my head.
Was that something I could use?

Jackson’s eyes widened in a silent confirmation. I wasn’t sure if anyone was listening in, but I at least had one thing on Hannah. If she was already under scrutiny and I could earn the trust of Abidan then the plan should work without a hitch.

Jackson opened the door and I followed him out of my room.

We turned several corners, Hannah’s black hair disappearing around each had been our only beacon as she sprinted toward our destination. It’s not like I could get lost with Jackson by my side. She was being petulant but I vowed not to let it affect me. At the last corner, a tugging sensation, not unlike the essence that had been a constant companion over the past few months, directed my legs to pick up the pace. My body knew we had arrived at the correct place before I did and I stopped in front of a white door. It was like all the others in the hall but I knew this one was different. Hannah’s voice on the other side confirmed it.

Jackson knocked twice and it opened almost immediately. A massive Shadowed stood in the doorway at attention. His emerald eyes were unmoving as his hand motioned us to enter.

“Not him,” Hannah said, her words clipped. I turned to Jackson who remained outside of the door.

“He can be here,” I insisted.

“No,” a deep voice called from behind the door.

“It’s fine,” Jackson said, nodding to me. “I’ll be around.”

Around? I needed him here. What if I said something wrong?

Jackson mimed taking a breath and I did, untangling the knot in my stomach.

I glared at Hannah but stepped further into the room.

It was simply decorated but comfortable. Thick woven material hung from the ceiling cascading to the floor. When the door started to close and I was able to see Jackson’s optimistic expression one more time before it disappeared.

“Welcome Margaret,” that same deep voice called.

I cringed at my full name and scanned the room for Abidan. I found him lounging on the one of the couches in the middle of the room, when he stood, his head almost touched the nearly eight-foot tall ceiling. He was just as tall as Felix, but his milky skin was a stark contrast from my boss. His long black hair trailed down his back in a loose plait. His face was beautiful, like all the Caeleste, but it had been hardened. I’d heard stories about the Caeleste who left the After, but I’d never seen one. As he walked up to me, our connection flourished inside of me like a swarm of butterflies taking off.