Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires. Sole copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris. Most of the characters are Charlaine Harris's... but some are mine! All the mistakes are my own.
Chapter Seven:
Pam arrived at my door and she looked shaken. I had never seen a look like that on her face before and I knew things were worse than I could imagine.
"Eric wishes to speak to you." Pam said straightening her face back into the cool mask she usually wore.
"Pam, what's going on? Mason was gone when I got back and the guards wouldn't let me out of my room. What's going on with Aunt Sookie? Why won't anyone tell me anything?" The questions tumbled out of my mouth in rush. My nerves were jangled; I had never seen Uncle Eric lose it like that. He was not one to show his emotions so openly as they were always so carefully controlled. Seeing his fear and anger only intensified my own.
"Mason is back home. I am taking you to speak to Eric. You would do well not to speak unless spoken to. Think hard on your words before answering. His mood is deadly. I believe he could snap at any moment." Pam's voice was a low whisper. "Now come." I nodded as my fear rose. Pam put a reassuring hand on my shoulder as she escorted me back to Uncle Eric's office.
When I entered he was sitting at his desk. He looked completely disheveled. His hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and his black tee shirt looked wrinkled. His hand was stroking the knife pendant he always wore. He looked deep in thought and I sat in the chair across from him as quietly as I could. He did not look at me. He stared up and it almost looked like he was praying. After a long moment his eyes slid down to look at me and they looked almost a dead as my Aunt Sookie's. They held no warmth; instead they were distant and cold dark blue. It sent chills down my spine. I heeded Pam's words and kept silent.
"You..." Uncle Eric said his voice devoid of any emotion "will go to Aradia. Tell Redin to come back with you. His assistance is...necessary."
I couldn't help but to be surprised. Uncle Eric hated Redin, plain and simple. To ask him for help, well now I was sure that hell froze over and demons were taking over the world. Okay, so maybe it wasn't the apocalypse, but it sure seemed that way. "Sure, when should I leave?" I asked carefully.
"Now. Do not waste any time. I must go to ground. I want him here when I awake." He said in a monotone.
"What should I tell him?" I asked in a quiet voice. I did not like this total lack of emotion, I think it was worse than when he was screaming at me. I felt like I had a pit of pain in my stomach.
"Sookie's soul has been taken. The Vampire who has her soul wants her body and he thinks he will take her from me. I need to see if Redin knows a Shaman who can pull back her soul." Uncle Eric said and for the first time since I entered the office I saw the rage burning in his eyes. He was teetering on the edge, one small push and I was sure he would fall off.
"This is all my fault," I said almost inaudibly. The guilt I felt was overwhelming and tears burned in my eyes. Maybe Uncle Eric was right to keep me locked up in my room.
He just eyed me for a second then he said, "Hunter, focus on what can be done now. We will make this right." I wasn't sure he really believed that, but he was right, there was nothing I could do now to change what has happened. "This was...not...your...fault. You simply tried to help another." He sighed and I was shocked. I was so sure he blamed me. "I forget sometimes that you are so much like my Sookie. She may not be your mother, but I see her in you."
I think that was the nicest thing he has ever said to me. I was completely floored. I resolved right then that I would do anything to help get her back, even if it cost me my own life. They took me in and all I have ever done was cause trouble. That was about to change. I abruptly stood. "I will go now then."
He nodded and I headed out to my car.
I decided to take the Mustang. It was blue metallic, sleek as hell, and fast. Uncle Eric had given it to me for my sixteenth birthday. I didn't get to drive it much since I was always in trouble, but it felt good to slide behind the wheel. I had a task and I would get it done.
I had no problem being let out of the gates. The guards didn't stop me. Soon I was racing down the highway to the crossroads.
.******~~~~~~~*****.
When I arrived at the crossroads, I parked the Mustang on the side of the road. I knew that it would be safe there since this was panther territory after all and the panthers are our allies. I stood in the center of the crossroads and I said the words that opened the portal. In seconds I was standing at the crossroads in Aradia.
There was no one there to greet me, but I am able to cross the barrier without a problem. I was considered an Other, since Redin had extended the invitation to me and Aunt Sookie, so my presence would not cause a stir.
I kicked it into high gear and made my way to Redin's house. He lives not too far from the cottage that used to belong to Noz, which now belongs to My Aunt Sookie. Redin lives underground. He uses an underground cave system as his home. It may sound like a horrible place to live but he converted it to be quite comfortable. The floors are covered in an elaborate dark gray tile with threads of gold running through them. The center tiles contained ancient golden symbols, whose meaning is only known to Redin's kind. The hallway leading back to the main room is dimly lit by candles held by ornate sconces on the walls.
I followed the hall until I reached the main gathering room. It was large and cavernous. We often practiced sparring in this room when the weather did not permit us to train outside. It was mostly empty except for the weapons, which ranged from ancient to modern day, that were contained in heavy wooden cabinets that lined the east wall. On the west wall there was a hallway leading to Redin's library and his personal bedchamber. On the northern wall the hallway lead to a spare bedroom and small kitchen area.
I figured Redin would be in his library if he was at home and I hastily made my way there. Lucky for me he was pouring over some texts when I swung open the door. Redin had been spending a lot of his free time going over all the ancient texts that Noz had left. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, or if he even was looking for something, but he spent a lot of time reading.
"Hunter!" Redin said in a merry tone. "What brings you here? Looking to get your ass kicked today?" He joked until he took in my expression. "What is it?" he said, his voice turning serious.
"Eric wants to see you at nightfall. Aunt Sookie's soul has been stolen. He needs to find another Shaman." I said in a rush.
"What?" Redin said with anger and confusion on his face.
"Uncle Eric said to come get you and tell you Aunt Sookie's soul was taken and now they want her body as well." I said again. His lips pulled back to show his sharp teeth and his red eyes almost glowed. I continued, "Eric is out of his mind, Redin. I swear he is losing it, even Pam seems scared. You have to help us. Please."
Redin moved as fast as he would have if I told him that his ass was on fire. He sped from the room and I followed. Once in the main room he loaded up with weapons, two short swords strapped to his back a long sword at his waist, a dagger in each of his boots, and six silver kunai stuck into his belt. He threw on his cloak and he was ready to go.
"We need to move quickly. I do not know another True Shaman. It may take a while to find one, as they are very rare, but I do know someone who is into dark magics. He might know more about the spell that took her soul. We need to leave right now." Redin said wasting no time. He seemed to move at lightning speed to the front door and I followed as best I could.
.******~~~~~~~*****.
When we arrived at the small cabin I was panting from the twenty-five minute run it took to get here, and when I say run, I mean that we ran as if something was chasing us. Redin stood there looking as if it had been no effort for him at all and knocked on the door. A husky dark skinned man with one eye patched answered the door. He looked like a witch doctor. His black hair stood up in a pouf at the top of his head which was adorned by a band which rested on his forehead that had feathers sticking straight up all around it. He was dressed in what looked like crude leather tunic and pants. They looked hand-made, probably constructed by the man himself.
"Redin," The man said in a deep husky voice. "What brings you here?"
"Tuma, I need your assistance in an urgent matter." Redin said skipping the formalities.
Tuma stepped out of the doorway and closed the door behind him. He motioned to a couple of wooden chairs and we all sat. I was so grateful to be able to sit, I sighed loudly as I plopped myself down. The man just eyed me and said, "Does it concern this boy, because he seems fine." He said looking me over.
"No, it is Sookie." Redin said and his expression was hard.
"Ahhh, the Fae Shaman. What is the problem?" He waved his hand as if to say continue.
"Her soul was stolen. I know this would have taken dark magic to achieve, so I thought you might be able to help."
"Hmmm, taking a soul is serious business. I myself have not attempted such a feat. The ingredients for such a spell are rare and expensive and the spell itself is dangerous and can only be performed by someone experienced in the dark arts." Tuma looked thoughtful.
"Do you know of anyone who would be able to pull something like this off? There cannot be that many that have the ability." Redin asked.
"Hmmm, only a handful that I am aware of. There is Dalia Russo, she is a witch and resides in Italy. She is not likely your candidate, since she is a nature worshiper. Then Malin Magos, he is a Magi and currently not in the human realm. And there is Drazan Mateen, he is a Demon highbred of some sort, though I do not know where he resides. He may be able to pull this off but I believe he is in the thrall of a Vampire and you know how Vampires feel about the use of magics. Then myself, of course." Tuma gave a swift nod of his head.
"Tell me, can you pull back a soul once it has been removed from the body?" By Redin's voice, I could tell he was getting impatient. This was a little startling, since Redin is the most patient person I know.
"No. In a ritual such as this, a soul jar is used. Soul jars are finely crafted and magic resistant. They cannot be broken, only opened. You would have to have the jar in your possession to release the soul. If the body still lives, the soul would return on its own." Tuma said crushing our hopes that we could return her soul by magical means. I could see the disappointment on Redin's face, it mirrored my own.
"You know, the ingredients are rare. You may be able to track the one responsible by following that lead. I will give you a list of ingredients and places that you might be able to purchase such items." Tuma said and I was relieved that he thought of that. Redin seemed more relaxed as well. At least this was a start.
"Tuma, I thank you for your assistance but we must take our leave." Redin said taking the list and standing quickly. He turned to me, "Hunter, we must head back if we are going to make it back by nightfall. I have to contact one of my spies in the human world to look into this before we speak to the bloodsucker…and I doubt he would be happy if we were late."
"Let's go." I said and we said our goodbyes and were off.
.*******~~~~~~******.
When we got back to the crossroads in Hot Shot, it was getting late. Redin and I decided to go to the farmhouse first so he could contact his spy. He said that he had a spy working within the magical community and would have them look into the list Tuma gave us. I was a little surprised at how he communicated with his spies. He got a metal bowl from the cabinet and placed it on the table. He pulled a small pouch out from his pocket and sprinkled some sort of dust into it, then lit it on fire. He wrote a note to his spy and copied over the list Tuma gave us, then simply dropped it in the flame. The paper did not burn but the words disappeared from the page. I stood there gaping with my mouth wide open. 'Fucking cool!'
The answer did not come for almost an hour, in which time both of us did a lot of pacing, and Redin explained that I was not to reveal how he communicated with his spies. When the reply came, words appeared on the page as quickly as they had disappeared.
As you command master. How shall I contact you when I have the information? The note read.
"Hunter, give me your phone number." Redin ordered and I told him. He wrote the number down and dropped it in the flame. He then took the bowl and placed it in the sink, turning on the faucet, and putting out the flame. The paper then crumpled and turned to ash before rinsing down the drain.
"We should go." I said as I looked out the window. The sun was setting and I was sure Uncle Eric was awake.
.******~~~~~~*****.
By the time we reached the plantation, it was after dark and I was dragging. I had not slept in over twenty four hours and not even the adrenaline would kick in anymore. I was exhausted to the extreme. I needed some caffeine and badly. I didn't bother to pull the Mustang out back to the garages. I just parked up front.
When we got out of the car, Redin had a look on his face that I had never seen him make, he looked horrified. As he walked slowly toward the door, he held out one hand in front of him, and then he said in a whisper, "The wards are down."
"What!" I said my voice much louder than his had been. Nothing looked off to me. The guards stood in their positions as if nothing had changed. They seemed fine. 'How could someone take the ward down without being noticed?'
"We need to find the bloodsu...King." Redin said realizing mid sentence that we were in hearing range of the Vampires that guarded the front doors. We walked in the front doors and into the front room. Pam was waiting at the bottom of the staircase.
"Papa Smurf." Pam said with contempt.
"Don't waist my time you bloodsucking leach." Redin said back just as snottily.
"He is waiting in his office for you. Go right up." She said coolly, but a suppressed smile barely escaped her lips.
Redin and I went up to Uncle Eric's office and he was burning a hole in the carpet with his pacing. He stopped when Redin and I walked in. "Where is Sookie?" Redin said not waiting for Uncle Eric to address him.
"Her body is being guarded in our bedroom." Uncle Eric said "We need..."
Redin interrupted him, "Why would you leave her there? Why is she not here with you?" He sounded pissed. "Do you not know that the ward is down?"
"WHAT?" Uncle Eric shouted and before I could blink he was out of the room. Redin and I hastily followed and as we approached the door a inhuman howl filled the air. Redin and I stood in the doorway a second later and we watched as Eric tore up the room. I was pretty sure he had finally lost it and when I looked at the bed I saw that my Aunt Sookie's body was gone. Her guards lay dead on the floor, their heads lay turned in an unnatural way. Tears were streaming down Uncle Eric's face and I had never seen him so unhinged. I was scared to breathe. I just stood there as my own tears spilled out of my eyes.
"Calm yourself Vampire, this is not helping! Unless you wish to stay here and redecorate while I go find your wife!" Redin shouted and Uncle Eric was on him in an instant. His hand wrapped around Redin's throat and Redin pulled out a silver dagger and held it to Uncle Eric's. They stared at each other with such intensity that if looks could kill they would both be dead, well, finally dead.
"I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU ELF!" Eric screamed in Redin's face. Uncle Eric's eyes were wild and his fangs were fully extended. He looked rabid. I about turned and ran. I might have been tired before, but now I felt as if my heart would beat out of my chest.
"BACK THE FUCK OFF ME VAMPIRE OR I WILL END YOU." Redin said and he looked cool as a cucumber. Eric just snarled. Pam appeared and tried to pull Eric off Redin but he just backhanded her and she stumbled back. She wasn't hurt, well maybe her pride, but physically she was fine.
"STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THIS PAM!" Uncle Eric said and his eyes never left Redin's.
I was at a loss as to what to do to get them to stop. It looked as if they were going to kill each other while my poor Aunt Sookie had been taken by God knows who. I stepped forward and concentrated on their brain frequencies. I knew this worked on Redin but I was not so sure this would work on Uncle Eric. I had to try. I blasted the two of them as hard as I could with my mind and they both fell to the floor shaking from the force of it. It only lasted a moment but when their minds became less addled they both looked at me. I knew I was in deep trouble now. ' Well, here comes the apocalypse.'
.******~~~~~~~******.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to get it out quicker since I got such great reviews from you wonderful readers! Have I told you lately that I love you guys?