Lost Eden (The Soulkeepers) (26 page)

Jacob stood from the stool, took one last look at the sheet, and let her go. He walked into the main room with the slightest feeling of peace in his heart.

It lasted less than sixty seconds.

“Oh, good,” Malini said, heading for him. “Hold Hope so I can get ready.” She placed the baby in his arms and handed him a bottle of formula.

“Wait, I don’t know how—” Yeah, she was gone, and he was left holding the baby in the crook of his arm. He repositioned her and took a better look. She had a thin layer of light brown hair, more like Gideon’s than Abigail’s. But Hope’s eyes were her mother’s. Jacob smiled at the ice blue color, remembering the first time he’d seen it, hovering outside his bedroom window. That color had scared the bejesus out of him back then and was doing a good job of it now.

Hope’s tiny face bunched up and turned red. Her rose petal mouth opened. “Waa. Waa. Waaaaa!” Short bursts of angry protest.

“I think she’s hungry, Jacob,” Grace said, pointing at the bottle.

Jacob looked at the older woman, slack jawed, and gestured for her to take the baby. Grace shook her head and walked away. The crying continued until he plugged Hope’s pink, bow-shaped lips with the nipple. She sucked greedily.

“You have a good appetite,” he whispered, smiling at the way she closed her eyes and wrinkled her nose while she drank.

Lillian appeared by his side, placing her hand under his elbow and lifting. “Keep her head up or she’ll get a tummy ache from gas.”

Jacob adjusted Hope’s position and raised his eyebrows.

“And you need to burp her every few minutes.” His mom made cooing sounds at Hope. “I can take her if you want.”

Jacob removed the nipple from Hope’s mouth and repositioned her on his shoulder, patting her back like he’d seen Bonnie do. “No. I think I’ve got it under control, Mom.”

She grinned. “Yes, I believe you do.”

* * * * *

J
ust before noon, Ghost, Dane, and Ethan brought down two slabs of wood from the old church, the seats of broken pews. Lillian and Malini loaded Abigail’s body onto one and the other was taken to the rectory to accommodate Gideon. Bonnie took Hope, now fully fed and sleeping peacefully, so that Jacob, Dane, Malini, and Lillian could serve as pallbearers. The four lifted Abigail’s body onto their shoulders and carried her to the graveyard. Ethan, Ghost, Grace, and Samantha met them at the gravesite, Gideon’s body on their shoulders. Cheveyo brought up the rear of the processional, carrying a dagger wrapped in silk that belonged to Master Lee.

Ethan used his power to lower Abigail, then Gideon into the holes he and Dane had dug. Once the bodies were settled, Cheveyo laid the dagger in the smaller hole next to Gideon.

Three carved pieces of wood served as markers. They did not bear the Soulkeepers’ names. To do so would be inviting desecration. Instead, Lillian had used her knife skills to carve ornate patterns into the oak. Abigail’s marker depicted a mighty tree with twisted branches that bore strange but weighty fruit. The focal point of Gideon’s was the sun with beams of light over a set of outstretched wings. Lee’s was a twisting dragon around the Chinese symbol for warrior.

Father Raymond stepped forward to the edges of the grave. “Let us commend Abigail and Gideon Newman, and Confucius Lee to the mercy of God.”

Jacob turned to Lillian as Father Raymond continued to speak. “Was that his real name? Confucius?”

“He always thought it was too formal,” Lillian whispered. “He once told me and the other student in the dojo to call him Bob.”

“You guys were close. How are you doing with all of this?” Jacob asked.

Lillian pressed her lips together before answering. “Before I was taken, we celebrated Lee’s eighty-fifth birthday. I guess I always knew he was on borrowed time. This is how he would have wanted to go. He held the passageway open so that all of us could get out. He died a hero and a warrior. No better way to go, if you ask me.”

Jacob nodded and refocused on Father Raymond.

“We therefore commit Abigail, Gideon, and Master Lee’s bodies to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life." Father Raymond motioned to Ethan who filled in the holes over the bodies and Master Lee’s weapon. “Would anyone like to say a few words?”

Malini walked to the front of the graves and unfolded a piece of paper from her pocket. With a deep breath, she began to read.

“Today, the birds fall silent

and the sun refuses to shine.

The grass below lays dormant.

Lost these friends of mine.

Every head does bow

and darkness presses in,

the water slows and stills

a new phase does begin.

They say the world is turning.

I’m not sure I can agree.

The sadness of your leaving

seems its own eternity.

In time we will move on

with the work you have begun.

We’ll recover from this loss

and ignite the fading sun.

But today the rain does fall,

and creeps in the chill of night.

The loss of you reigns on

Goodbye …

my friends

my warriors

my confidants

until we meet again.”

Malini returned to her place by Jacob’s side while the other Soulkeepers shifted uneasily, wiping icy tears and sniffing cold noses.

“That was beautiful. Did you write that yourself?” Jacob asked.

“Shhh.”

“And now, Bonnie and Samantha Guillian have offered to sing.” Father Raymond moved aside and the twins took their spot at the front of the group. The snow picked up again, creating a mystical backdrop to the twins’ red hair. The two shrugged out of their coats and handed them to Ghost.

The two girls wore identical purple dresses with silver ballet flats, their fiery red hair cascading in loose waves across their shoulders. Gracefully, they began to circle each other, dancing in mirror image, a lyrical, sweeping ballet. Within the wave of pointed toes, arched backs, and swirling arms, Bonnie began to sing in a low and hollow voice that seemed to come from somewhere other than her petite frame. “When peace like a river, attendeth my way.”

Samantha followed with, “When sorrow like sea billows roll.”

“Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to know.” Bonnie twirled and reached for her sister.

“It is well, it is well, with my soul,” they both sang together.

Even Jacob knew this song.
It Is Well With My Soul
by Horatio Spafford
.
They sang it often at the Laudners’ church. The meaning wasn’t lost on him. He’d heard that the author had written the hymn after losing everything.

As the twins continued the hymn, Jacob caught himself drifting. He listened with his Soulkeeper ears, expecting the Watchers to attack at any moment. With Cord locked up downstairs, how long until they attacked? For all he knew, they could be tracking the Watcher right now.

Reality hit him like a blunt fist. They’d lost Eden! Lucifer could sense any of their souls if he wanted to, or demand their astral-projected presence as he had Malini’s. Why hadn’t he? Suddenly, the thought that they hadn’t been discovered seemed impossible. Were they all on borrowed time?

He squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t think that way. He needed to trust that God led them here for a reason and that everything was unfolding as it should, a tall order considering. With a sigh, he opened his eyes.

The twins finished the hymn and joined hands, using their power to form first into the image of Master Lee, then Gideon, and then Abigail. The waterworks started again when he saw Abigail. He wasn’t embarrassed though. There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd. Even Hope, snuggled on Grace’s shoulder, began to fuss.

Bonnie and Samantha ended their tribute, transforming into themselves again and returned to their places among the other Soulkeepers. Father Raymond, in a state of amazement after watching the twins, shook off his awestruck stupor to say one final prayer before dismissing them. In silence, the group trudged toward the rectory, shoulders slumped and faces drawn.

Malini stopped Jacob as they reached the threshold, allowing the others to go on ahead. “I don’t think I can stand to lose anyone else, Jacob.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Then let’s do our best to make sure this never happens again. Lucifer doesn’t know what he’s started here. When you push the Soulkeepers, they push back.”

In the circle of his arms, Malini stiffened. Tipping her face up, she gritted her teeth. “You are right about that, Jacob. We will fight back, and Lucifer has no idea what he’s in for.”

New Rules

B
onnie needed to clean the kitchen. Everyone grieved in his or her own way, and hers was sanitation. A quick exploration of the kitchen rewarded her with powdered scrub and a scouring pad. Cleaning-therapy tools.

The island seemed like the logical place to begin. Even though Grace and Lillian placed bedding under Abigail before the birth, the thought of someone delivering a baby and then passing away in the same place they might have to prepare food grossed her out. She couldn’t blame her mother though. No other place in the church was as clean, safe, or private. Malini and the others did the best with what they had.

As she scrubbed the stainless steel, she thought the counter looked a lot like a surgical table. She closed her eyes against a barrage of images of how else they might have to use the island in the future. This was war. Would they be setting broken bones here? Digging out shrapnel?

“I heard you singing,” Cord said from the pantry.

Bonnie jumped back, heart hammering in her chest. “Oh, you’re awake.”

“Yes. I have been.” He pointed at the mat of black hair at the back of his head. “All healed.”

Cautiously, Bonnie glanced down to make sure the barred door to the pantry was locked, then turned back toward the sink to ring out her wet rag. She rinsed off the counter she’d just scrubbed, the scent of bleach burning in her nostrils.

“I heard you singing,” Cord said again. “You have a beautiful voice.”

Bonnie paused for a moment, then continued her scrubbing.

“Your sister was singing too, but I could tell when it was you.”

Face tightening in annoyance, Bonnie rinsed the rag out again. “We’re identical twins. We look, sound, and act exactly alike. There’s no way you could tell our voices apart from a distance.”

“You don’t look exactly alike.”

“No?” she asked, placing a fist on her hip.

“Not to me.”

Bonnie threw the rag into the sink and turned the full force of her stare on him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Tell me what you think is different about us,” she snapped. She leaned back against the sink. She couldn’t wait to hear what kind of bullshit he came up with next.

He snaked his fingers through the steel grate and blinked at her. “There’s the obvious. The mole. Yours is on the right and hers is on the left.”

Observant
. Bonnie frowned.

“Then there’s the less obvious. You make larger gestures when you speak, and you speak louder. It’s almost as if you want people to know you are different from your sister. Samantha, on the other hand, speaks softly, if ever, and pins her elbows to her sides. She’s happy to blend in and go along. Nothing like you, Bonnie.”

Bonnie’s mouth dropped open slightly. She closed it.

“And your voice today, when you sang, held more pain than hers. You’ve been through more. Even if you’ve experienced the same losses, for some reason you felt them more fully.”

She laughed incredulously. “Really. Which verse did I sing?”

He shook his head. “You alternated. You sang the first line and Samantha sang the second, and so on. You both sang the refrain.”

Now her mouth really did fall open. Cord was locked in the pantry during their performance. He couldn’t have seen her sing, which meant he’d actually differentiated her voice.

“Am I wrong?” he asked.

She took a deep breath and blew it out before answering. “No.”

“You are beautiful,” he murmured. “Almost magical. I changed when I saw you. Everything about me changed.”

Seething, she placed her hands on her hips. “
You
are not beautiful, Cord,” she stated clearly. “You are a killer. You came here to kill me, and you’ve killed before. How dare you come here and try to what? Ply me with flattery? I hate you. I hate everything about you. You and Lucifer and the rest of the Watchers, are liars and cheaters. Just because we haven’t figured out your game yet, don’t think for a second I don’t know you are playing one.”

Cord’s eyes widened, and he backed away from the door. He sank to the floor at the back of the pantry and wrapped his wings around himself.

Skin hot and heart pounding, Bonnie resumed her cleaning. With clenched teeth, she threw her back into it, until the scrubbing became an aerobic activity, and her mind blanked with the effort. When the counters were done, she moved to the floors. When the floors were done, she moved to the walls. For hours, she worked, until her hands and knees were raw from the effort.

She jumped when the door swung open and Samantha poked her head in. “Bonnie, we need you. Malini’s called a meeting.” Her sister looked around the spotless kitchen and raised an eyebrow. “Good job. Sparkly.”

“Thanks.” Bonnie watched Samantha’s retreat, noticing as the door swung closed how her sister kept her elbows close to her sides and her soft words had floated into the room barely above a whisper. She hated that Cord was right. Violently, she rinsed out her supplies and stored them under the sink before pausing in the doorway. Against her better judgment, she glanced toward the pantry. He was staring at her, looking hungry and vulnerable. She scowled and let the door close behind her.

A circle of chairs waited for Bonnie in the main room. She took a seat between Samantha and Dane, apologizing for being the last one there. Malini was quick to dismiss her apology. Her small brown hands circled nervously, palms rubbing in front of her body. Bonnie noticed she’d trimmed her hair again. Her bangs had grown out to chin length, and she’d had someone cut the back shorter than the front. The effect was badass. Tonight, Malini didn’t look the part of nurturing Healer. She looked like someone who was about to lay down the law.