Soul Catcher (22 page)

A terribly long time passed before the first hand went up.

Lost

A
fter a surreal moment of watching each member of the council reluctantly agree, one by one, to his mission, Dane found himself in the atrium of the school staring up at the mural of Adam and Eve. Weak kneed and somewhat dazed, two words kept crawling through his brain: seven days. A week seemed a short time to live. He’d known something like this was coming since he’d used the red stone. He’d even invited death on occasion to save him from having to deal with his feelings for Ethan and his problems on the farm. But now that a time and date were involved, he was less enthusiastic about the idea of cutting out early on the people he loved.

“Awfully small fig leaf, don’t you think?” Beside him, Ethan’s mischievous smirk made him seem younger than his nineteen years.

Dane’s throat constricted, and try as he might he couldn’t return his friend’s smile.

“What? What’s wrong, Dane? You look like someone died.”

Words failed him. Anyway, he wasn’t supposed to say anything. Lillian would tell everyone about the council’s plan at the same time. But, for reasons Dane didn’t want to admit, opening up to Ethan seemed critical in a last-chance-ever kind of way. His pulse throbbed at his neck, and his eyes prickled with the intensity of his need to come clean. With his breath caught in his throat, he just didn’t know where to start.

As always, Ethan responded as if hardwired to Dane’s brain. He pulled Dane into a hug and whispered into his ear, “It’s going to be all right. Whatever happened, I’m here for you. It’ll be okay.”

Dane hugged him back, hard, thinking he didn’t deserve this kind of love. That’s what this was, love. He was sure of it now. The way Ethan was there for him unconditionally, knowing his feelings might never be returned and not giving a damn about himself. Auriel found Ethan’s feelings for Dane repulsive. What other proof did he need they were true?

“Ethan!” Lillian jogged toward them, tagging his friend’s shoulder. “Lecture hall, now.”

Meeting his gaze, Ethan gestured in the direction of the room.

Dane shook his head. “Just you this time.” He didn’t need to go. The other Soulkeepers would need space and time when they realized the repercussions.

Vexed by this news, Ethan trudged toward the lecture hall, eyes narrowing before they tore away. Dane watched the others siphon through the door and decided he couldn’t stand to be still a moment longer—not when he wanted to climb out of his own skin. Instead, he decided a long walk in the garden would be the best prescription for his nervous energy.

* * * * *

Jacob emerged from the lecture hall nearing hysterics. Lillian hadn’t even finished sharing the council’s plan, but he couldn’t hear any more. The proposed mission was choking him, and he wouldn’t breathe again until he could talk some sense into Malini.

“Where is she?” he demanded from Archibald, almost plowing into the gnome as he rushed from the lecture hall.

“Down by the docks, Master Jacob,” the gnome said.

Jacob didn’t say thank you. No time for pleasantries.

“Jacob!” Abigail called from behind him.

He shook his head and shot her a deadly glare on his way out the door. “How could you, Dr. Silva? How
dare
you?”

She stopped short as if he’d gut punched her. Well, she deserved that if she’d had any part in this.

Jacob raced for the dock and found Malini sitting cross-legged in front of the water. He should have guessed she’d be here. This is where she came to meditate and contemplate the hard choices she had to make. He didn’t even attempt to move quietly into her serene space. He stomped toward her, heart pounding, breath coming in pants, and scooped her up into his arms.

“No, Malini. No. I won’t let you do this. Not this time,” he fumed. Tears stormed his cheeks unchecked. There was no way she could survive this, and he wouldn’t, he couldn’t, let her go.

“Jacob,” Malini said sympathetically, “this is who I am and what I have to do. A leader has to be the first to serve.”

“No.” He shook his head. “It would be one thing if I could go with you. We could die together. That’s how it’s supposed to be. But this is too much to ask of me. I can’t sit here, powerless, waiting to find out if you live or die. I
won’t
.” He sobbed openly.

“You have to, Jacob. There’s a chance, if they kill Dane, your power will return to you, and the world will need you even more.”

He cupped her face in his hands, running his thumbs along her jawline. “I don’t care about the world, Malini! Don’t you see how wrong this is? We’re supposed to graduate together and go off to the same college, then get married and have a dozen Soulkeeper children. You are supposed to be our queen, our Healer, the one we protect at all costs.”

Despondent, Malini wrapped her hands around Jacob’s on her cheeks. “It’s a beautiful future you paint for us, Jacob, but what if Lucifer decides to set up shop topside? We won’t graduate because we’ll be too busy surviving, and if we have children someday, we’ll constantly live in fear they’ll be
eaten
by the enemy. We need to send a message to the devil that if he messes with our world, we’ll mess with his.”

“It hurts.” Jacob rubbed his chest over his heart.

“I know.” Malini placed her hand over his on his chest and a wave of warmth and light flowed through him. It was impossible to stay sullen with that type of joy pumping into you, and even though he knew it was the effect of her power, he wiped his eyes and managed a small, uneven smile.

* * * * *

Dane was lost. He was sure he’d come out of the jungle near the pineapple-shaped palm tree. Only, once he’d taken a few running steps down the white sandy beach he’d happened upon, every palm tree looked like a pineapple. Considering the path he’d traversed from the school was overgrown and barely visible, finding it again without a landmark proved a challenge. So, he ran, panting, until he couldn’t run anymore, and then planted his rear on a large piece of driftwood. Who knew that on this side of Eden there was an ocean? Waves rolled in, foamed across the sand to the toes of his shoes, and then receded, leaving seaweed and seashells behind.

“The Divine Sea. So good to see a student enjoying it again.”

Dane startled at the sight of Archibald sitting next to him, the brim of his pointy green hat rotating through the pads of his meaty fingers. When did he get here?

“Hello, Archibald. I’m so happy to see you.” He meant to add
because I’m lost
but stopped short at the gnome’s widening grin. He didn’t think he should qualify the greeting. It was enough, for now, simply to appreciate the gnome’s presence.

“Always happy to see
you
, Master Dane.”

“You can call me Dane, Archibald. It’s okay with me.”

The gnome’s eyes widened. If his smile got any broader, his face would split in two. “Oh, thank you. You are very kind to Archibald. Always very kind.”

Dane tried to think of something to talk about, to be polite, before he asked for directions back to the school. “So…did students come here often before the school closed?”

“Oh yes. They liked to surf and have bonfires. Those were the days when every room in Eden was full, before the war.”

“Right. The war. So everyone left Eden to fight, and no one came back. They must have won though because Earth wasn’t invaded.”

“Some came back, but the school was never the same, and human lives are short anyway.”

“Oh.” Dane grimaced at the thought of how short his human life had become.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, Master—er, Dane. Despite your short lives, you humans are dreadfully important. It’s an honor for us gnomes to serve you.”

“Uh, thanks.”

Dane tapped his feet together, watching sand sprinkle down to the beach. As soon as his shoes were clean, he set them right back down. “I’m going to Nod with Malini to save Cheveyo’s body and kill as many Watchers as possible in the process. She’s hoping to send a warning, to force the Watchers back into hiding. They’re too close to the surface again.” He hadn’t meant to dump, but the words flowed out like spilled milk. “I’ll probably die.”

Archibald nodded, keeping his eyes on the ocean. “Soulkeepers will always win against Lucifer because of their self-sacrifice. Watchers find virtue repellent.”

“Yeah. I’m hoping.”

“You are a powerful Soulkeeper.”

Dane turned his head to stare at the gnome’s ear. The corners of Archibald’s mouth twitched downward.

“How much do you know about what I can do?”

“Gnomes know our Soulkeepers. We have excellent hearing and eyesight. Perceptive too.”

“So you know that I can borrow gifts?”

“Yes. And that you are greatly loved.”

“Loved?”

“Yes.”

Dane stiffened, and tears threatened the corners of his eyes.

“True love is a powerful thing,” Archibald said in a low grumble. “Love, friendship, self-sacrifice, kindness, courage, commitment—these are the true gifts of the Soulkeepers. The rest, the power, is just a seasoning to bring out the flavor.”

Without thinking, Dane tossed an arm across Archibald’s shoulders, disregarding that he’d surely be scuffed with dirt by the action as gnomes were always covered in the garden they tended. He didn’t care. Archibald had given him the perspective he needed to do what he had to do. Even if this mission meant his death, stopping the Watchers might be the most important thing he would ever do for the world. This place and these people were worth saving.

“Thank you, Archie,” Dane said. “You’re a good friend.” He released the gnome and stood from the log, resisting the urge to brush off the streak of dirt that had, in fact, gathered down the side of his shirt.

Archibald gave a small smile and nodded, blinking his eyes slowly.

“Can you show me how to get back to the school?” Dane asked.

“Of course, Mast—er, Dane.” Archibald flipped his pointy hat on top of his head and led the way into the jungle.

Doppelganger

B
ack inside the grand entryway of Eden, Dane was met with a flurry of tears and hugs from the twins and Ghost, and a smattering of ill-aligned anger from Jacob and Ethan. In fact, Ethan looked slightly murderous with his arms crossed over his black t-shirt. He wouldn’t meet Dane’s eyes, and his countenance was cold as ice.

“Dane, Samantha and I are going to help,” Bonnie said. “You can’t borrow our power, but we have an idea.”

Rending his attention away from Ethan, he looked into Bonnie’s emerald green eyes. “What?”

She scanned him from head to toe, stepped back and reached for her sister. He glanced at Malini, but the Healer didn’t seem to be any more informed about this idea than Dane was. She approached to stand next to him as the sisters melded together, their flesh taking on the consistency of worked clay, rounding into a pale cocoon. When they hatched from their metamorphosis, Dane had to catch himself on the jewel-encrusted wall. One of them, he couldn’t tell if it had been Bonnie or Samantha, looked exactly like him and the other, Malini’s twin.

“We’re going to take over your family life while you’re gone,” they said in unison. “So you don’t have to disappear again.”

“I’ll take care of your mom and the farm as well as I can. And keep you in school,” the other Dane said in Bonnie’s voice.

“And I’ll do my best to blend in with the Guptas,” the other Malini said in Samantha’s voice.

Malini placed her hand over her heart. “Can you do the voices?”

“Can you do the voices?” the other Malini mimicked, placing a hand over her heart.

“Oh. My. God,” Jacob said, staring between the two. “Something about how she moves her hand is slightly different, but I don’t think anyone will notice. Believe me, I’m having trouble.”

Malini narrowed her eyes at him. “You had better remember she’s not me.”

Jacob gave her a twisted grin. “Would never happen, but you’d better stay alive to make sure.”

“You’ll have to help her,” Malini said. “She doesn’t know my parents or my family history. You’ll have to help her be me, Jacob.”

“It’s a good thing we’re inseparable then.” Jacob approached Malini, tucking her into his side and kissing her forehead.

Dane was momentarily distracted by the intimacy. No matter how close Samantha resembled Malini, Jacob would never be able to fake the closeness between them. With any luck, their family and friends would assume they were going through a rough patch.

“What about Bonnie?” Ghost asked. “How will she blend into Dane’s life? She probably doesn’t even know how to drive a combine.”

“Maybe I can fake it? How hard could it be?” Bonnie said.

“I’ll help her,” Ethan interjected.

Dane met his eyes and jerked at the turmoil behind them. His tight throat made a noise like a whimper.

“I’m the only one who can. I know all about your family, I’ve helped on the farm before, and we’re friends so your mom won’t be surprised I’m helping you.”

“Are you all sure you want to do this?” Malini asked.

“Hell yes. This is the only way we can contribute,” Samantha said. “Plus, I need out of this place. I’m going stir crazy here. It makes sense for us to do this.”

Malini ran a hand through her hair. “Does your mom know about this?”

Bonnie and Samantha exchanged furtive glances.

“I do,” Grace said from the shadow of the hallway. Dane wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there, but surely she’d been in the lecture hall during the briefing.

“Grace,” Malini said. All eyes fixated on the redheaded woman.

“I know, I know, I’ve given you a terrible time lately. I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not. This work we do deserves scrutiny. The decisions we make need to be challenged. This is our course, and my daughters have been keen to enlighten me on their desire to be of service. I approve, and I will help them for as long as needed.”

Malini’s eyes darted from face to face, her lips pressing together. She straightened and linked her hands in front of her hips. “Well, today there are only heroes in Eden. Bonnie and Samantha, please proceed with your plan. I believe Dane’s mom is waiting at the hospital for some things from home. He can brief you before you go.”