Awakening (15 page)

I knew those that practiced the
blackest forms of the art often sacrificed animals to gain more
power for their spells. But I had heard darker rumors. Whisperings
that it wasn’t always when the sick were on their death bed that
the death dealers took a life. But the rumblings were only rumors.
And it was hard for me to imagine anyone trying to practice those
most forbidden magics. But now I had to wonder how much of a
deterrent the threat of imprisonment was to those with pure evil in
their hearts.

And now here I was trying to become a
death dealer, something both my parents’ clearly disdained. It
wasn’t for the first time that I was questioning my actions. What I
was doing was both reckless and insane. Someone should step in and
stop me before I made the biggest mistake of my life. But who was
left to save me?

Luke had been against it at first, but
now he wanted me to become one almost as desperately as I had
begged him to be made one. When it comes to blood, people will do
crazy things. How far would Luke go to save his sister? How much
would he sacrifice?

Luke stood in front of me. “I know
traditions sometimes don’t make sense, but the elders have done it
this way for centuries. Look, if you’re uncomfortable go back and
change into something else.”

Luke had taken my silence for
disapproval. But I was willing to follow his direction. “No, I
don’t want to buck the system. If this is how it’s done, this is
how we’ll do it.” Honestly, the outfit was the least of my worries,
what was concerning me most was the rope he was holding. “You
aren’t planning on hanging me? We agreed that you aren’t going to
try to kill me again.”

“
When we call on the dead
to come to you, now after the cemetery ritual you’re wide open.
Think of yourself as an empty vessel. Like water pours into a cup,
a spirit will pour into you.” He continued, “That’s why we aren’t
doing this ritual at the cemetery, there are too many souls there
waiting to be set free, clamoring over the use of your body, it
could overpower you forever. By doing it here, maybe one or two
spirits are roaming close by.”

I didn’t like the sound of it. “And
what happens to me?”

“
You’re still in there.
Your spirit and the dead are sharing space. One of the things
you’ll learn, with training, is how to stay in control. To make
sure the spirit doesn’t over power you.”

I was not liking the sound of this.
“And that’s something I’ll learn. Which means this time, the spirit
will over power me?”

He nodded his head. “Yes.”

“
And the rope?”

“
As you train and learn
you’ll be able to decide what spirit to let possess you. They’re
around, forever floating on the ether sea. When you call them to
you, you don’t know who’ll show up. Something with good intentions
or something evil. But as you get more practice you’ll be able to
discern who’s around you and you’ll be able to choose who to let
in.”

“
But not this
time.”

“
No, not this time,” he
answered.

“
And since I can’t choose
something might come and possess me that’s evil?”

He nodded his head. “It’s
possible.”

“
Terrific,” I
mumbled.

Luke smiled and tried to look
reassuring. “By tying you to the chair I’m keeping us both
safe.”

“
How much control will this
spirit have over me?”

“
Complete. At first it will
be able to overpower you, push the very essence of your being back.
It will be able to control your mind and your limbs. It will speak
through your lips. Move, using your body.”

Being tied up was starting to sound
like a good idea. “How will I make the spirit go away?”

“
You won’t be strong enough
yet to do it all on your own. That’s why I’m here to guide you
through the ritual. I’ll be able to help you banish the
spirit.”

“
And if you can’t?” I
asked.

“
Don’t worry, I
can.”

I was starting to understand why so
few people went into death arts. You had to be more than a little
bit insane to agree to be first killed and then
possessed.

I looked over at Luke and wondered why
he’d chosen this life. “You never had the urge to turn your back on
the family tradition and become a baker or a mechanic?”

A ghost of a smile flashed across his
face. “No.”

“
And how did your first
possession go?”

“
It’s different for each
person,” he answered.

“
But for you, what was it
like?”

He looked away. “It was like swimming
in the sea against the current. It’s not painful if that’s what
you’re worried about.”

I’d had enough of pain. My fingers
drifted again to the bruises on my neck.

He noticed my reaction. “The bruises
should be gone in a day or two. I promise you can count on me. I’ll
keep you safe.”

I sat in the chair, and he tied my
hands behind my back with a length of rope. The rope cut into my
flesh.

He pulled gently on the knot. “It
needs to be tight enough to hold whatever may come through, but if
it’s too tight let me know.”

Next, he tied each of my legs to one
of the chair legs. And last he attached a length around my
waist.

He tugged on the rope again.
Satisfied, he moved back in front of me. “How are you
doing?”

I nodded my head. “Go ahead. Do it.
Let’s get this over with.”

He walked over and opened the drapes
and then slid open the window. He then went over and flicked off
the lights. The candles glowed in the dark. He took out a piece of
red chalk from his pocket and leaned over and began to draw a
symbol on the floor. It was a pentagram surrounded by a triangle.
At each point he drew words I didn’t recognize.

He looked up and saw me watching him.
“Latin. I’m not sure what’ll be coming through. It’s getting closer
to a dark moon and that sometimes makes the spirits stronger. I
want to be prepared for whatever comes.”

“
You’re drawing a
protection circle?”

“
Not just for protection.
It also amps up my abilities. Focuses them, allows me to be at my
strongest.” He went back to drawing. He finished the circle and
then slowly etched out a phoenix to one side of it. When he was
done, he stood up and wiped the chalk from his hands onto his
pants. “Ready?” he asked.

No, I would never be ready to be
possessed by spirits. But we were here, and I was committed. Or
should be committed, I thought wryly. This was crazy. I took a deep
breath. “Let’s do it.”

“
Goddess protect me,” I
said the prayer under my breath.

He walked over and picked up a leather
bound book. He flipped open the book and looked up at me. “Here we
go.” He started to read from the book. Latin flew from his
mouth.

Some of the words I recognized. I had
been given some lessons in Latin, but I had forgotten most of it.
Yet there seemed to be words that were now whispering in the corner
of my memory.

“
Animus,” he said the word
for spirit. He raised his arms and shouted out,
“
ex vita abire!”

Which was something about death. And
as the last word left his lips a light began to form by the
window.

At first I thought that it was a trick
of my eyes. The shadows from the candles flickering against the
ceiling and the floor. But these shadows were moving. They were
coming at me. I didn’t bother to stifle my horrified scream, as the
shadows stretched out and rushed toward me.

I was drowning. It felt like my body
was being sucked down into a whirlpool of darkness. The worst part,
I suddenly realized I was not alone. There was something there in
the darkness with me. I could feel its presence. It was close,
watching and waiting. I tried pushing myself to the surface and,
for a brief moment, I broke free and felt myself rising up. Then
something grabbed me and started to pull me back down. I kicked,
and I struggled but to no avail. Whatever was holding me, its grip
was too strong.

Then all movement stopped, and I found
myself in a small, grey place. I could no longer feel my body, but
I could hear voices. My ears strained to make sense of the
words.

The conversation was garbled at first,
but then it became clearer. I realized in horror that it was my
voice speaking. But then again it wasn’t my voice, it didn’t sound
like me. It was a voice coming from my lips, I realized, but
something had possession of my body. Something was working my lips
and vocal cords, and at the realization, I felt myself fall further
into the oblivion.

“
Good evening death
dealer.”

Luke’s voice answered, “Who are
you?”

“
You want to know my name?
We both know there’s power in a name.”

“
Who are you?” This time
Luke’s voice was louder, more commanding.

“
I’m Wanda Branston. There
you forced it out of me. Aren’t you proud? What a nice looking
young man you are. I’m sure we can come to some kind of
arrangement. If you let me keep this one, I promise to do your
bidding.”

“
You will leave her when I
tell you,” Luke sounded angry.

“
Will I? Do you think
you’re strong enough to make me go? We’ll see. But if you let me
stay, you can have a greater power than you do now. I see those you
keep with you. The spirits that you’ve harnessed to do your
bidding. I could be one of them, or better yet, let me keep this
body. Let me once again roam the earth.”

“
Colina, can you hear me?”
Luke’s voice called out to me.

I could hear his voice, but I couldn’t
respond. I was in this small, dark, place, alone and
frightened.

“
Colina, you have to fight,
bring yourself to the surface. You’re stronger than the
spirit.”

“
Is she boy?” Wanda’s voice
spoke. “Do you really think this youngling is going to be able to
break free?”

“
Colina, focus on my voice.
Center your thoughts all on my voice. I know you’re feeling fear
right now, and that’s what the spirit feeds on. Break the fear and
find yourself again, and you’ll regain control.”

And as he said the last words I felt
the presence move closer to me, and I heard a wicked giggle next to
me. It was all in my imagination. I wasn’t in a small, dark
space--my body was tied to a chair in a room. I tried to force the
panic and fear away or at least to gain control of it.

I’m not afraid. Luke will
make sure I’m not hurt.
As the words echoed
in my mind, I felt the presence edge further away.

I can do this. I can break
the surface and regain myself.
I struggled,
and struggled some more, but it felt like I was wrapped in cotton
candy.

Luke’s voice spoke out again. “Is
there anything you want to tell me before I banish you
Spirit?”

Wanda answered with a cackle, “What?
Kind words for my loved ones? Maybe a secret I could share with
them or you? Is that what you think I’ll do? Be grateful for your
passing my words onto the living and then I’ll leave quietly.
That’s what you hope for isn’t it boy? But I won’t go. I won’t, do
you hear me! I’m here, breathing this fresh air. Smelling the,
what’s that, yes jasmine in the air. I love the smell of jasmine.
And the stars. The way they glimmer in the night sky. I miss
living.”

“
You can’t stay. You can’t
have this body,” Luke said.

“
But why not? I beat others
to get to it. Finders, keepers! It’s a strong body, a young body.
It’s mine now and I won’t give it up!”

“
You don’t have a choice.”
More Latin words. Luke was working a spell.

“
Stop, stop I say. You
can’t make me go!” Wanda screamed.

In the darkness suddenly there was a
small glimmer of colored lights. The lights expanded and as they
did I tried to reach out to them. But before I could, the presence
was there beside me again. It spoke not from outside, but the voice
this time was now inside my head. “I won’t go! You hear me girly.
I’m not leaving again!”

As the voice spoke, I realized in
horror that there wasn’t just one presence near me. I felt other
things. There was no sound or physical shapes, just movement and
gray swirls of what? Something in the blackness was near me. I
suddenly felt like a deer in the woods being hunted by wolves.
There was something out there worse than Wanda. Something out there
waiting and hungry. I was so small and vulnerable, and any moment
it would reach out and grab me, and there was nothing I could do to
stop it.

Fear raced through me. A panic I had
never felt before gripped me and I tried to cry out.

“
Colina,” Luke’s voice
again. “You have to break free. I can’t do this without your
help.”

And if he couldn’t do this would I be
stuck forever in this small corner of what…where was I? Darkness,
emptiness. Was this hell? Was this the ether sea?

Wanda’s voice inside my head cried
out, “No girly this isn’t the other side. And it ain’t heaven
neither. No loved ones surrounding you. I’ve tried to go to the
light, I have, but I can’t seem to get there. It beckons to me, but
every time I move its way it disappears. So here I am, floating
around. But now I have a chance. I have you. You’ve given me a
chance to be alive again. To live in the outside world. You just be
a good girly and stay put.”