Saviour of Souls

Merry

The remaining two days with Reni had passed, seemingly, in the blink of an eye, and with little to report other than how freakishly cold Revala could get. I couldn’t tell whether it was better than the world I currently lived in, since I’d seen little of the towns or cities, Reni, Canin and Tallila determined to avoid the larger cities, where there could be large groups of Flakars looking for meals. When we’d finally come close to a town, brick houses and a large stable in the distance, Reni claiming that this one was safe, she paused on the edge of it, and frowned, looking back over at Emmett, Lydiav and I.

“You should head back now.”

“Why?”

“No particular reason. I just think you should go back now. The fight is currently underway in the war camp. Your lover will be safe. As will your sister, Emmett. I would recommend you go back to your home in the city.”

“Okay…? Did we do something wrong?” Emmett asked, and Reni shook her head, striding over and linking her hand in mine, before looping her other arm around Emmett, who was carrying Lydiav. She was getting sicker with each passing day, and by now, most of the veins across her body were a deep green. She had been poisoned, that much was certain, but with what? Would Ordeallan even have the ingredients necessary to heal her? Reni had said that there wasn’t anything to be done here, in Revala, so how would Ordeallan have anything? We likely weren’t as advanced.

“No,” Reni murmured, “You were all absolutely perfect.”

The world melted around us, and I clung to Reni, fighting to keep my balance against the tearing wind that passed around us, and Reni explained, “This is Limbo. The space between Dimensions.”

We dropped down into the street, submerging in water that was ice-cold, and when I struggled to my feet, coughing and spitting into the street, Reni was gone, only Emmett and Lydiav beside me, the familiar streets of Ordeallan staring back. Putting my hand in my pocket, I felt for the strange stone, and the ring I had been given. Luckily, they were there, having not been ripped away by Limbo, or stolen by Reni, who I had the feeling knew the entire time that I possessed the stone.

“Ugh…” Emmett moaned, clutching at his stomach, Lydiav pulling herself onto a stone step behind us, and lifting her head suddenly. It was the first movement she’d made in two days, having been in a strange, near-comatose fever-dream, and as she did so, she hoarsely whispered under her breath, “She’s nearby.”

“Who?” I looked behind us, at the empty Town Square, not a single soul or stall to be seen, and then at the street in front of us, Darcie’s house still intact from the storms, and, thankfully, dry. I could see that several other houses on the street hadn’t fared nearly so well, with windows and doors broken, rooves broken in, and water flooding the lower levels. Lydiav tilted her head back, and Emmett looked pained for a moment, still holding his stomach, before saying, “Don’t speak, Lydiav, if it hurts.”

She looked to him, and nodded once.

“We should get inside,” I said, studying the clear sky above us with suspicion. If the rain had stopped, it only meant it was going to return with a vengeance later on, and I was still wary of the battle that Reni had warned of, and I could now hear. Swords clashed, people shouted, and there were loud screams that broke through the thick stone walls, flooding the streets. Most of Ordeallan was smart enough to remain indoors, and not investigate. Emmett nodded, scooping Lydiav back up, and we waded up the street, fighting against the pull of water against our waists as it flowed into the tunnels below the city, the pull of the water strong enough that if we weren’t careful, we could easily be pulled down.

Lydiav began coughing, trying to reach for something up the street that we couldn’t see, and Emmett turned to me, a concerned look on his face, his eyes watery.

“Is she hallucinating?” I asked, and he said, “I don’t know…”

“We’ll get her to Jason. Don’t worry, she’ll be okay,” I promised, trying to sound confident even though I had little hope for Lydiav. She looked too close to death to be saved… We strode up the steps of the porch, and I peered into the flowerpot, looking for the spare key. It wasn’t there, and I frowned, peering in through the window. Maybe the others had taken it with them to prevent thieves? Seth’s blue blanket, which I knew hadn’t been there before I’d left with Mira and the others, was on the couch, as well as an empty basket, and the fireplace still looked to be emanating heat. Strangely enough, a boat was tied to one of the posts that held the porch up, which meant someone had to be home, but the house was silent. Emmett took a seat on the porch swing, holding Lydiav, who had begun shaking, to his chest, trying to keep her warm, and in desperation, not wanting to break a window, I tried the door handle. It opened beneath my fingers, unlocked, and I stepped inside, Emmett following close behind, eager to get Lydiav to a bed, and find a meal for us. There should still be food in the kitchen for us, a few pieces of cold meat, some cheese, whatever Karla had managed to preserve in jars before winter.

As we rounded the corner into the kitchen, marvelling quietly at who might have come back to the house, Emmett heading straight for the living room to settle Lydiav down on the couch, I stopped dead in my tracks, and stared. Seth, my little brother, was sitting at the table, a bowl of half-eaten cereal in front of him, his head bowed over it in deep concentration. He wore no shirt, and his hair was roughly mussed, but my attention snagged on one thing in particular; His back was covered in scratches.

Emmett, having put Lydiav down on the couch, strode back to join me, and also stopped, staring for a moment, before turning back to me with a knowing grin on his face. The scratches that covered my baby brother’s back weren’t the scratches of someone fighting for their life, or running through a thorny garden, but… Emmett strode over, and clapped his hand on Seth’s shoulder. Seth swung quickly, a knife flying up to greet Emmett’s throat, and it stopped just before making contact, Seth panting wildly.

“It’s me!” Emmett shouted, and upstairs, I heard a door creak in the wind. Were there others in the house?

“Emmett! Merry! What are you guys doing here? I mean, I’m glad you’re here, I’m just confused! What am I even saying?” He hugged me, Emmett grinning broadly over his shoulder, and I hugged my little brother for a second before Emmett said, “So… Who’s the lucky girl?”

“What? I- Um… How did you know?” Seth turned bright red, scratching at his neck nervously, and Emmett nudged me with his elbow, loudly whispering, “Seth’s caught himself a girl! What is she? A Fae? Nephilim? Vampire? Gasp! Did you get yourself a Fallen Angel?! Come on, spill the tea!”

“Emmett!” Seth groaned, shoving his empty bowl into the sink, and grabbing two plates, along with a loaf of bread from the top shelf. It was rock hard, having gone stale, and Seth had to saw at it with a knife to break a few pieces off, dipping them into water to soften them, before buttering them with jam, and tossing them onto the plates for us. We took it gratefully, and Seth sniffed at the air.

“There’s someone else here?” He could tell that from sniffing the air? What was he? A Vampire? Suddenly worried, I searched his throat and wrists for the tell-tale wounds of fangs, only to find nothing.

“Yeah, your woman! Tell us!” Emmett begged, and Seth shook his head, frowning.

“No, there’s someone else. Did you bring someone with you?”

“Oh, yeah. Lydiav. She’s in the living room.”

“Lydiav? As in-” He rushed around us, and just as he left the kitchen, the stairs creaked, a girl rushing down, shouting, “Seth! There’s- Oh!”

She skidded to a stop on the balls of her feet, breathing heavily, and Emmett whistled appreciatively as she breathed, “Where’s Seth?”

We both pointed to the living room, stunned, and she said, “Thank you! SETH!”

“Woah… Who knew Seth was capable of that?” Emmett turned to me, and I nodded, understanding. Seth had slept with her? The girl was stunning! Long black hair that swayed down near her knees, a pale, flawless complexion, but there was something odd I had noticed in the few seconds I had to study her. Her eyes were pitch black, and a sort of cunning sat behind them, like she was always calculating something, or sizing up everyone in the room. How long had he been with her? Was it just a one-night thing? Surely not! Seth wasn’t the type! But did that mean they were dating?

She was being held up by Mira, her eyes just as cunning, and I turned around, wanting no part in whatever freakishness was going down in Darcie’s house- “Do we know her from somewhere?” I asked Emmett, who shrugged, “I don’t know anymore, man. The world is screwed. Seth bagged a gorgeous girl, you and Mira are getting married, we visited The Borderlands two-thousand-years in the future! I just want to go back to bed!”

I couldn’t disagree with that, but I also couldn’t shake the feeling that we knew her from somewhere. I could hear Seth and the girl whispering in the living room, and suddenly, Seth rushed back out, pulling Emmett and I toward the stairs.

“You can’t tell anyone about her!”

“Okay? Why?” I asked, and Seth gaped at me like my head had just dropped off.

“Because Karla will kill me! How did you even know?”

“Your back is covered in scratches,” Emmett grinned, and I declared, “The mark of love!”

“Guys!” Seth pleaded, “Just promise me you won’t tell anyone! You can tease me all you like in private, just don’t tell anyone!”

“You’re that ashamed of it? Jeez, Seth, if I’d slept with a girl like her, I’d be crowing it to the world!”

He frowned slightly, and seeing that he seemed upset, I nudged Emmett, and said, “Leave him, mate. If he wants us to keep quiet, we will. Heaven knows we didn’t want anyone to know about our firsts, either.” Emmett stared at me, and I glared back until he nodded, giving in.

“Fine. We won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you,” Seth breathed, and the girl walked around the corner, leaning on it and crossing her arms over her chest. She kept her eyes firmly on Seth, ignoring us. Had she heard us teasing him and gotten upset? Suddenly, Seth snickered, and she rolled her eyes.

“Um… Do you guys have some sort of secret code?”

“I- What? No, she just pulled a strange face,” Seth said hurriedly, and the girl stuck her hand out, jutting it toward me and declaring, “My name is Destiny Delance.”

A strange symbol was burnt into her back. An infinity sign turned on its side, a line going through it, and two smaller lines going through that.

Shaking the strange image from my mind, I said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I bet it was a nicer pleasure for Seth!” Emmett whispered, and I elbowed him, Destiny turning to Emmett.

“You rescued Lydiav.”

“Do you know her?” Emmett demanded protectively, and Destiny nodded fervently, looking over her shoulder in the direction of the living room.

“We’re close friends. What happened? I thought she must have been dead…” Her voice wobbled, and Seth pressed his lips together tightly.

“No, she’s fine. Well, she was in the Ordeallan Palace, being held prisoner. She claims they were injecting her with something.”

Destiny’s face paled so quickly that I understood then that she knew something, and it was more than she wanted to let on, because she quickly asked, “You haven’t had any close contact with her, have you?”

“I carried her. She’s too weak to walk. Why?”

“Seth, you need to take them to the war camp. Lydiav can remain with me. I’ll look after her.”

“She’s not well. We need to get her to a Shaman.”

“We can’t trust a Shaman.” She looked back to Seth, and again, his face changed slightly, as if they could hear each other. Destiny nodded slightly, and Emmett clicked his fingers in front of her face, snapping, “What? Then we’ll take her to Jason.”

“No!” Destiny shouted, and Seth, ever the mediator, stepped between them before they could start throwing punches, slowly saying, “I think we should go back to the war camp, and get you guys an injection. Destiny can take Lydiav to the Academy.” He said it slowly, like he knew something we didn’t, and Destiny nodded.

“Why?”

“Because the earthquake stirred up old Henara burial pits. The disease is back, but Jason has recreated his previous cure to prevent people from catching it. You both need to get the injection.”

“Are you suggesting Lydiav has Henara?”

“I’m not suggesting. The Guards in the Palace were injecting people with it. If Lydiav spent time in the dungeon, then she has Henara.”

“How would you know?!” Why was Emmett so on edge about this? Clearly she was only trying to help Lydiav!

“I spent time down there. I was injected. There’s someone I know who can help.”

Seth stared at her, having clearly been devoid of this knowledge before, and I wondered if he’d even bothered to find some basic information out about this girl before bringing her back here. Where had they even met?

Squinting at them suspiciously, I said, “Where did you guys meet?”

“We met here. In Ordeallan. I was actually looking for Lydiav, and he helped me. I got knocked out by a Guard,” Destiny explained smoothly, and I nodded, not convinced in the slightest. Destiny seemed to be a bit of a liar, but at least she was cunning enough for her lies to be believable. I would talk to Seth once I managed to get him alone for a moment, which, at this rate, would be back at the war camp.

“How do you know Lydiav?”

“We grew up together, that, and I knew her sister, Nym. Though… I wasn’t quick enough in finding her,” Destiny said quietly, and Seth squeezed her hand. Wait, did he know about this?!

“Merry, I think it’s best if we just go back to the war camp and get the injection. We can come back and get Lydiav later. It’s safer for her here, anyway.” I was beginning to agree with Seth. If Henara really was a problem, then I wanted to be safe against it. That, and I wanted Mira safe, too. I believed Reni, to an extent, but I needed to see for myself that Mira was alive and well.

“Why don’t you come with us to the war camp?” I invited, and Destiny shook her head, looking over at Seth.

“I would, but there’s some Guards there that don’t get along with me.”

Seth snickered, and she glared at him as my little brother stepped forward, and said, “Come on, guys! When have I ever led you astray?”

“You really don’t want us to answer that,” Emmett sighed, before adding, “Fine. I’ll go to the war camp, but you have to swear that you won’t harm Lydiav.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Destiny said, and in my ears, this sounded true. The look in her eyes was sincere, and she turned back to Seth, squeezing his hand once, and murmuring, “Don’t come back until you know it’s safe.”

“Safe? From what?”

“Again, I angered some Guards. Seth intervened when I was knocked out.” It seemed the Smith family had a habit of pissing off Guards. Ha! Karla was going to be pissed!

“Will you be alright here?”

“Yes. I’ll take Lydiav to the person who helped me, and then come back here with her. If, of course, that’s fine with you,” she looked toward me, and I shrugged.

“Just keep the doors and windows locked when you aren’t here, and don’t steal anything.”

She nodded, and squeezing Seth’s hand a final time, left to attend to Lydiav. Emmett was fidgeting nervously, and he asked, “When do we know it’s safe to go back to the war camp?”

“Why wouldn’t it be safe?” Seth questioned innocently, and Emmett opened his mouth to speak just as Destiny called from the living room, “There’s a fight going on!” making us all jump. How had she heard from that far?

Seth strode for the front door, promising to come back when he could, and Destiny nodded. She was in the process of tucking a blanket around Lydiav, pressing the back of her hand to her friend’s forehead, and murmuring something under her breath that sounded like an apology. Grabbing the spare key from the kitchen table as we walked by, Seth locked the door behind us, and then slid the key under the door for Destiny, giving her free reign of the house. He must trust her a tremendous amount.

“Is the real reason you don’t want us to mention Destiny to anyone because she’s gotten into trouble?” I asked when we were far enough away, paranoid about how well Destiny could hear.

“Yeah. There’s a few people who would like to see her dead.”

“Dead? What the Hell did she do?”

“The Guards kidnapped Lydiav, and Destiny went to intervene. She killed two of them, and then got knocked out, except, all I saw was the Guards tie Lydiav up, and then knock Destiny out. I tried to help…”

“And got yourself into trouble too,” I finished with a sigh, and Seth nodded.

“I don’t want Karla knowing about this! It wouldn’t make a good example for Lucy!”

Fine. I could agree with that. We needed at least one Smith child turning out normal, and since Lucy was the last of us left who hadn’t fought someone, all hope rested on her tiny shoulders.

“We won’t say anything about Destiny, then, no matter what. We promise.”

Seth sighed in relief, and we paused in front of the Ordeallan gates, Seth swearing.

“What?”

“I forgot the boat.”

“The one tied to our porch? Do we need it?”

The water in the fields beyond had stopped raging, and had become a calm, sparkling pool that reflected the blue sky beyond it, the sun shimmering in its depths, illuminating the grass and debris on the bottom. Seth and I could swim, but what about Emmett?

“Can you swim, bud?”

“Yeah. I learnt when I was five.”

“Good, then we don’t need the boat, do we?” I said, turning to Seth, who was toeing the water nervously, staring at the war camp. There was no signs of a fight now, but I could see blood staining the wooden boards, and people were walking and running everywhere, carrying buckets, swords, and bandages. The water, compared to this, looked peaceful, the entire scene strangely beautiful, had the blood not been marring it.

It looked like a city built on the edge of a river, or even the sea.

“I snuck out!” Seth admitted with a guilty cry, and Emmett said, “So? They probably won’t have the time to notice.”

“But they’ll notice the boat is gone!”

“Again, they were clearly just attacked. Someone will presume it was taken during the fight, or floated away. You’re fine, Seth. If anyone asks why you’re wet, just say you were shoved into the water.”

“And how do I explain the fact that you’re back, and also wet?”

“Coincidence,” I sighed, and Seth nodded, seemingly relaxed now that he had a plan to fall back on, “Look, I just want to get back and see Mira, so if we’re going to go, can we do it?”

Seth nodded, and dove into the water smoothly, before- “He doesn’t have a shirt!” Emmett hissed, and I felt my eyes widen. Sure, we could get away with lying if Seth covered the scratches, but if he didn’t, they were a dead giveaway to anyone who’d been with a partner.

“I’ll give him mine when we get over there.”

Emmett followed Seth, and I waited until he was out of the way to jump in.

The water was crystal-clear, an odd occurrence in floodwater, which should have been muddy, and I looked around me in amazement as I swam. It was like looking at coral in the ocean, except there was no coral, and the bottom was coated in grass and debris, tree trunks, rubbish, all of it lit up by the sunlight pouring in from above, almost feeling like I was swimming in the ocean.

Seth gripped a wooden ladder that hung on the edge of the war camp, providing a way up for anyone who had dared to swim across, and waited for us to arrive, having noticed the same issue. When we reached his side, I pulled my soaking wet shirt off, and handed it to him, the fabric billowing in the water. Shoving hair from his face, he thanked me, and pulled it on, before climbing up the ladder. Almost immediately, someone shrieked his name in relief, and tackled him back into the water.

Emmett and I had to dive under to avoid being crushed beneath Seth and the strange girl who had just affectionately attacked him, her purple hair escaping free of its binds to flow through the water, and Seth quickly pushed up from the bottom of the lake, bringing her with him. When they breached the surface, he laughed cheerfully, “Selphien! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, except for the heart attack you gave me! Where were you? I ran into your tent to try and find you when the attack began, and you weren’t there!”

“I was shoved into the water,” he said apologetically, and Selphien said, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Oh no… Was this the real reason Seth wanted us to keep Destiny a secret? Like, the real reason? Because he had a girl who was interested in him back at the war camp? Selphien turned to look at us, and she swore.

“You’re Merry, for sure. You and Seth sure do look alike! And I’m going to guess you’re Emmett! Where were you two? You’ve been missing for ages!”

Emmett and I hadn’t had the chance to come up with a story for where we’d gone, but I figured it could wait until later, so rather than answer her question, I simply said, “It’s a long story. Do you know where Mira is?”

“Yeah. She’s in her tent, comforting Adriel.”

“Who attacked you?” Emmett questioned, and Selphien said, “Tatiana’s calling a meeting in an hour to announce it to everyone, along with their plans. You’ll find out then. Come on, Seth, we need to get you to Jason.”

“Why?”

“He said he wanted to speak with you. He sounded pretty stern, too.”

Seth gulped, and climbed the ladder, Selphien motioning for us to follow behind…