The Soulkeepers (28 page)

"Stop," he managed to say, "I want to go
back." His voice sounded weak, unsure, even to his own ears.

"You don't mean that, Jacob. We are going to
go someplace special. I'm taking you home to meet my dad. He is
going to love you."

"Why?" His mouth felt dry. The word was all
he could force out of his lungs.

"Because its time for you to go where you
belong. You chose this!"

"Chose?" he mumbled. His tongue felt like it
was swelling. She was recklessly weaving in and out of traffic and
sliding around corners tires screeching.

"Don't play innocent with me. You've made
choice after choice that led me to you. You broke the dolls, you
trespassed in the garden, you lied to John about your trip to Peru,
you stole Abigail's notes about the tree, and you traveled using
the blood of Oswald Silva without permission. You even tried to
force an innocent." She turned to look at him; taking her eyes off
the road for a dangerously long time for how fast she was driving.
"That's right Jacob. I know every sin you've ever committed. You
are quite the offender. I don't think there's one in the book that
you haven't done and I am going to see you get what you deserve."
She was nodding her head self-righteously. "Now I don't want to
hear another word about it."

As she said these last words he felt his
tongue push to the back of his throat and his head slam backward
against the seat like an invisible hand was gagging him. The harder
he tried to speak the more frustrated he became as he could produce
nothing but choking sounds. He searched out the window for any sign
of water but if they passed any, he was traveling too fast to
connect with it. What was she? What gave her this power she had
over him? What she accused him of…only half of it was true. But how
did she know that much?

"Whaa, whaa whaa. Is wittle Jacob sad
because he finally has to pay for all the bad stuff he's done?" Her
blonde head shook with the loud toothy laugh and she stuck her
tongue out at him in an expression both immature and cruel. Jacob
turned away to face the window.

After watching the rural landscape fly by,
he was surprised to recognize landmarks that made him certain she
was taking him back to Paris. It was only minutes before Auriel was
pulling into Dr Silva's driveway, leaping from the driver's side
and practically tearing the door off its hinges to yank Jacob
out.

Auriel dragged him from the car by his
collar. Mysteriously, his leg muscles began to work again as she
did this, as if whatever venom she'd stung him with was wearing
off. Like a dog, she led him forward by the neck, her fingers
clawing into his flesh. She half dragged, half pushed him through
the orchard and up to the wrought iron gate.

She turned the key and popped the lock.

"But—" Jacob muttered.

"You thought I couldn't open the gate? Once
you invite a Watcher in, Jacob, it renders the enchantment
powerless against them. Abigail should have taught you better." She
cast him a wicked smile that sent a chill up Jacob's spine.

Jacob didn't understand. Even if he had
accidentally left the gate unlocked, he certainly never invited
Auriel through it. Asking didn't seem wise. She moved him down the
trail and through the cactus maze quickly, with one single goal, to
bring him to the tree. Each time he struggled to get away, she
buried her nails deeper into his neck and lifted him from the
ground like a puppy. Her strength was boundless.

Standing before Oswald, Auriel's hand moved
to his wrist as she dragged him the last few feet toward the tree.
"What's good for the goose is good for the gander," she
laughed.

Jacob remembered saying those words the
night he visited Malini in her room. What he saw in his mind,
however, was what he'd done to Malini at the tree—from her
perspective. He felt her terror as Auriel dragged him toward the
tree. Worse, Jacob realized he'd been in Auriel's position, the
tyrant, the coercer. Whatever Auriel was, she knew his past. She
knew everything he'd done wrong in his life and could pump it into
his brain at will. He collapsed from the guilt and saw his own
tears hit the sand. Auriel's demonic grip only strengthened on his
wrist, as if she was drawing strength from his suffering.

Auriel touched the bark and Jacob watched it
grow up her arm, shingling her shoulder before absorbing the rest
of her body. The familiar slowing took over as the tree swallowed
him, too. But this time, instead of rising and becoming the sky, he
felt himself sink. The earth and every crawling creature that lived
in it became one with his flesh. He slid down the roots of the
tree, deeper and deeper until, at last, he emerged in a dark garden
of twisting thorns.

From the spot on the ground where he lay
recovering from the effects of the tree, he glanced back at Auriel.
She was more beautiful than ever. But his eyes could not miss what
had changed about her, even in the faintest of light. Behind her
back, two feathery wings folded against her body. Fluffy and white,
they arced over her shoulders and extended down her back. As she
fanned them out, stretching like a bird first one than the other,
each looked about eight feet long.

"Welcome to Nod, Jacob. Welcome to your new
home." She yanked him to his feet and led him forward into the
darkness.

Malini's
Confession

Malini picked up the bowl of ice cream she'd
dropped and tossed it in the trash. By the tilt of Jacob's head and
his deadly serious expression, she knew this was about Auriel. "Why
don't you go get some more ice cream?" Jacob handed her a wad of
money. He was going to ask Dr. Silva for help. She moved toward the
ice cream vendor but kept her eyes on Jacob. Dr. Silva walked away
from him. After all this time, she still blamed Jacob. Maybe some
of that blame was deserved but Malini knew that most of it
wasn't.

As Jacob followed Dr. Silva across the field
to the barn, Malini trailed close behind. She hid behind the
closest cart and watched. Vomit filled her mouth when she saw
Auriel. She hurled onto the grass. What was it about that girl that
made here feel sick? Unless her illness was brought on by wanton
jealousy? Definitely a possibility.

Without warning, Auriel
snatched Jacob and kissed him, full on the lips. A toxic energy
flooded Malini's body. It was a mixture of fury and envy with a
splash of guilt. With nowhere else for the emotion to go, it came
pouring out from her eyes in the form of tears.
No. Not that. Get your lips off of him
, she thought. The idea of that disgusting creature touching
Jacob made her wretch. The up side was there was nothing left in
her stomach. When she saw Auriel leading Jacob to the red Jeep, she
didn't waste another minute. She ran into the barn.

Dr. Silva was shoveling what looked like cow
manure into the back of a truck. When Malini cleared her throat,
she looked up from the pile.

"It's for my garden," Dr. Silva said.
"Fertilizer."

The odor hit Malini and she covered her nose
and mouth with her shirt sleeve. She walked forward, until she was
just a foot away from Jacob's neighbor. "Dr. Silva," she said,
"there's something I need to tell you."

"What would that be?"

"I know about the tree in your garden. The
one in the back garden." Malini lowered her chin as she said this
and watched Dr. Silva's eyes squint skeptically.

"What do you know? Tell me."

"I was the one who left the gate open. I was
with Jacob that day and saw him lock it behind us. After he left, a
little girl, maybe three or four years old came to the gate from
the inside. I thought she followed us in there. She was crying and
begging me to let her out, so I did. I didn't know it was against
the rules."

"Who are you?" Dr. Silva demanded.

"Malini Gupta. I'm Jim Gupta's daughter. We
met in his office when your window was broken."

"Yes. I remember you. You say you were there
the day Jacob went to the tree?"

"Yes."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because Jacob's in trouble. The girl I let
in through the gate. I think she, somehow… it's like she grew up.
Jacob introduced me yesterday to a girl that looked exactly like
her, but older. And, I just saw her kiss him and then take him
away."

Dr. Silva stared at Malini, her pale face
expressionless. She might as well have been made of stone.

"Do you smell that?" Malini asked, pressing
her shirt more tightly over her mouth. "God it's awful. Not the
manure, it's a sweet, spicy smell, but more metallic… like
arsenic."

Dr. Silva took a step back and then her eyes
darted toward the barn door.

"Please Dr. Silva. You are the only one that
can help. I know it."

"How much do you know, girl?"

"Not much, but you can fill me in on the
way. We have to catch them. She's not right. I know she's evil. You
can't let her take him."

"Well to be clear,
I
can
let him go,
but it seems you, Malini, can not. He's important to
you."

"Yes."

"And you think he is worth getting
back?"

"Of course!"

"Then, I believe you. But we must make haste
if we are to have any hope of reaching him before it's too late."
She looked at the truck. "This won't do." She grabbed Malini's
wrist and ran for the door.

In the parking lot, Malini had to sprint to
keep up with Dr. Silva who was scanning the rows of cars until she
saw one that seemed to have promise. She waved her hand over the
lock and helped Malini into the passenger side of a silver BMW
roadster. She crawled behind the wheel and with another pass of her
hand, the engine started and she was peeling out of the parking
lot.

"Seatbelt, Malini," she said.

Malini reached over her shoulder for the
belt and as she did so her shirt fell from her nose. She clicked
the belt into place, gagging.

"There it is again. That smell. What is
that?"

"Do you believe in God, Malini?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Do you know the story of how Lucifer fell
from grace?"

"Lucifer? Like, the devil? Yes, I've heard
it."

"Where do you think the fallen went?"

"Obviously, the story isn't true. The Bible
says they were cast to earth, but if fallen angels were here I
think someone would have noticed by now."

"We are talking about the Lord of Illusions.
They are deceivers, tellers of lies. I could be one of them right
now and you would never know."

"It's not meant to be taken literally. It's
a myth to teach a lesson."

"So, in this
myth
then, where does
the Bible say that Eve encountered Lucifer disguised as the
serpent?"

"In the garden of Eden."

"Yes, and how did he get there? They were in
Eden, after all, the most perfect place created by God. How could
evil walk right in?"

"I don't know. It's never explained."

"Well, I wasn't there personally, but I
knew," Dr. Silva said. "We all did."

"What do you mean? How could you know?"

Dr. Silva did not answer.

She was flying down Rural Route One now, in
control but speeding as fast as she could safely drive on the long
stretch of road. "All Angels exist to serve God. Lucifer and his
followers rebelled and were cast out of the presence of God. They
still have powers, although they are limited compared to the power
of God. They are no longer considered angels but Watchers, fallen
ones."

"Then the story is true?"

"Yes."

Malini's throat felt dry. Her hands
trembled. "What powers do they have?"

"They are sorcerers, illusionists, and
herbalists."

"Herbalists?"

"Think drugs. An easy way to control
people's minds and Watchers are all about easy." Dr. Silva pulled
into her driveway in the shadow of the dark Victorian. She turned
and looked Malini directly in the eye.

"The odor is so strong here," Malini said,
trying to breath through her mouth.

"Tell me Malini, have you smelled that smell
before?"

Malini thought about it. Of course she
had.

"Auriel. But why am I smelling it now?"

"And is there anything about me that reminds
you of Auriel?"

Malini stared in horror at her perfect
features. Dr. Silva's hair was straight, Auriel's curly, but both
were platinum blond. They were both tall and thin although Auriel
was slightly shorter than Dr. Silva. And they both had the type of
eyes that cut right through a person. They weren't twins but there
was something, a likeness that couldn't be denied.

"Yes," Malini said, suddenly terrified.

"Do you know what we are?"

"I think so."

"Then say it. Call it out so that we can put
it behind us."

Malini swallowed hard. "You're a Watcher—a
fallen angel."

"Very good," she said nodding. "I'm proud of
you. Now can you answer one more question for me?"

"I can try."

"What are
you,
Malini?"

"What do you mean? I'm a human being."

"Normal humans can't smell Watchers. There
are some occasions when we use our smell to lure a human being to
us. We are lazy creatures after all. That's why we are called
Watchers: we watch, we wait, and we use what opportunity is
presented to us to our advantage. But you…I wasn't trying to lure
you. You smelled what I was, not what I wanted you to smell. So,
what are you?"

"I don't know." Malini's hands were shaking.
She reached behind her back for the door handle.

"And therein lies the problem. You see where
we are going, where we must go to save Jacob, will be very
dangerous. I could be captured but you could be killed. And if you
are something else, something more than just human, it might give
us away. The good news is that I couldn't see you. All the time you
were spending with Jacob, I never suspected you were anything other
than a normal, everyday girl."