All credit from Twilight Universe goes to Missus Meyer, Soul Wanders are mine, and the rest is all Tracy St. John's Book 3 of the Clans of Kalquor Series.
Chapter 13
Ellie, the little nun
"Jade." I whisper. "Jade, are you there?"
"Ellie?", Jade's childish voice comes out of the dark vents, breathy.
"Yes. Don't sound so frightened. We need to get to the chapel, come on."
"The chapel?", the little girl comes closer to me, visibly trembling. "We can't! We'll get caught!"
"Meow?", the little cat makes herself known to Jade, rubbing herself on her, sitting and gently raising her little paw to Jade's face, patting it.
"That's... a new friend I made."
Ellie, the little girl is shivering, she's so warm... she has a lot of fever., I hear Anira's voice in my head.
I know. Punishment, for the sin of playing outside for too long. Penance for it., as one of the more fanatical sisters determined. I feel Anira's indignation and I smile, feeling good for having someone else thinking like me and Virginia.
"Jade, we must get to the chapel! Virginia is there. We need to get there quickly."
"They're here already! I'm scared!"
I sigh and speak through the mind link. Get behind her, turn into human and knock her out, please. We're losing time with all this talk.
Arina does just that and we move, albeit in a slower fashion, through the vents. Kalquorians are very close by and she waves her wand in a series of spells. She speaks through the link once more, as we leave the vents, closer to the chapel.
I've cast a quick healing spell on Jade and a silencing spell on our feet. Just be quiet, 'kay? I'll make a Portkey when we get to the chapel, it activates on touch and after a certain time; I'll get an object that, when touched, will transport us out of here. We will be cloaked so your friend Virginia won't see us. You'll have to talk to her.
It won't be a problem. She is one of us.
Really? That's great!
Yes, I answer, but she is one of the Healers. She can't bend elements like us.
Those are really rare! We can't use our healing abilities on others. I always envied that ability in Healers.
I didn't. In this time frame, being different only causes trouble. Here we are.
The chapel again. The door is already closed and a big man is hunched over an unconscious Virginia, her white hair scattered like a flower's petals, her scarf in his hands, with a look of wonder and hope in his face. Sorry, I think, you can't take her. I look at Arina, who is taking a holy book from the altar to wordlessly make a Portkey, place myself beside her, with Jade levitating beside me. Arina nods at me and she whispers,
"Incarcerous!", thick ropes flow from her wand and tie the warrior soundly, making him fall to the ground.
I go to Virginia and gently touch her. She has been drugged, but her body must have nearly metabolized it; she is already waking, looking drowsy. I take her hand and make her hand, mine and Jade's touch the Portkey. I have no idea when this thing will work, but it can't be long now. I look at Arina, her back's on me and she is looking at the fallen warrior, frozen. He has a look of shock on his face. Oh, Goddess... please tell me it's not what I think!
"Arina. Arina!" she turns and looks at me. I uncloak myself and Jade. "We don't have time! What. Is. It?"
"He's... he's..." well, poo, if the look on her face doesn't say it all.
"Oh, not now! We need to go!" I desperately look at her and actually whine. "Please, Arina, we all had enough of this hell hole that some idiot decided to call a convent."
"I concur.", says Virginia, cheerfully. "Besides... you can always track him later can't you?"
"I don't really see how. And we should be focusing on something else... leaving!", I answer her. At that final word, the warrior starts to get agitated and growling quite loudly, obviously calling the others.
"Oh... mates always find a way." Virginia smirks. "You should do something romantic, you know, like leaving a token of some sort." Two more men suddenly enter the room. The Portkey starts glowing, Arina looks at it, then at the men, gulps and takes something from her neck, snapping the chain, taps it with her wand and throws it at the Kalquorian male.
She quickly kneels to touch the Portkey, which chooses that moment to activate. We hear the fallen man roar but it's too late; we are spinning in a crazy tornado of color and let go of it when Arina tells us.
Our landing is a bit rough; it wakens Jade. Her shivering is worse, she's burning up.
"Hey." a sad-looking female looks at Arina. "Looks like you brought half of the convent. Who is she?" She looks at Jade.
"Jade." I answer her. "Are we ready to go, please? We'll be having company soon."
"I thought as much, come on." Arina levitates Jade and we follow the woman to the shuttle. For an outsider, it looks like a huge piece of black tree bark, perfect camouflage in space, but we know better. The door slides open and closes as we come in.
I settle Jade in one of the seats, securing her and then myself, beside her. By then everyone is already in place and we are already lifting off.
I can't help but smile at Jade! I'm leaving Europa and it's bloody convent behind! I just hope we can get past the Kalquorian ship.
"You needn't worry. We'll be too fast. Besides, there's a battle going on, apparently."
And so it is. A few battleships and their fighters are engaged in combat. We quickly get away; the shuttle is Soul Wander-made, organic. We must have slipped by their sensors.
Half an hour goes by in silence and in amazing speed. We hide behind one of Saturn's moons.
"Anira. I think introductions are in order.", says the woman.
Naerdiel/Lana Brown
"Everyone, this is Naerdiel, known as Lana Brown, and I'm Anira. This is Jade. Full human, right?", says Anira, looking at the other child.
"What do you mean, full human? Who are you people?"
The other child gets out of the seat, introduces herself to me as Ellie, and holds Jade's hands.
"Jade. Do you remember all those times when we were playing outside, and you were caught and I wasn't?", she licks her lips.
"Do you remember how you'd sometimes injure yourself and I'd ease your hurt?", asks the white-haired woman. Jade nods. "And how we started to act strange, different, a few months ago? Some physical aspects of us changing? Like my hair?"
"And mine, as well. And our eyes? And how we fell down the stairs and lost our memories?" Jade nods at Ellie. "Jade. We're not really human. Our bodies are, but our souls aren't."
"What are you saying?"
"We are Sould Wanders, a different race from yours. Ellie here, is an elemental Soul Wander, she's good at manipulating Earth and Water." Jade takes a glass of water that I conjure with my wand. Ellie waves her hand in circles, fluid and elegantly and the water comes out of the glass, twirling around and around, finally returning the water into the glass. Virginia hands the glass to Arina and then Ellie speaks once again.
"And Virginia is a Soul Wander, but she is not an Elemental. She is a Healer." Virginia touches Jade's forehead, who gasps after a few seconds. "Can you feel it?"
Jade touches herself.
"Yes, I... I don't understand how this is possible? Why have you taken me? How can you do such things?"
"It is our nature, we can't help it.", I answer her.
"But... it's not normal."
"That's true. In your society, in your world, it's not." Arina says. "But... there are other Soul Wanders among Earthers. A lot of them."
"Actually..." Arina and I look at Ellie, "Not that many." we raise our eyebrows. "Earth government has changed a lot in the last centuries." I frown at this. Centuries? "We thought it was best to leave Earth, and settle on less morally and culturally repressed worlds, such as Plasius and distant unknown planets that we terraformed in the meantime."
I vaguely hear her explaining how many Soul Wanders who, upon waking up on a human body on Earth, would try to adapt at life on Earth for a time, take a long vacation or a short trip with some other valid pretext and then quietly vanish. Or simply disappear as soon as they occupied the body.
"Then... you possess people!", Jade yells. "You're... you're demons." That's it, I've had it with this girl.
"Shut up!" I yell. "We don't rob anyone of their life! We only occupy bodies of people who are dying, in the precise moment when they pass away into the afterlife, or of people who have died already. Not too much later, or it becomes... complicated. We are not demons." I sigh. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just... it's the way we are. Please, try to understand. We don't take anything that still belongs to someone else. Ever. For instance... me." I smile bitterly. "My host, Lana Brown, was daughter to an alcoholic. He spanked her to death and left her there, on the kitchen's floor. His own flesh and blood. When she took her last breath, I took over. I took her things, shifted into my purer form and went elsewhere. I was lucky to find a job with an nice old man called John. He took me in, and in time, after I was certain I could trust him with the truth, which I'm glad I did, he made me his partner in his business."
"Really?", asks Jade. "I never heard of a woman who had a business of her own."
"Goddess...", mumbles Arina. "What kind of a backward planet is Earth in this alternate reality?"
"Arina...", says Ellie. "You told me... that after the crash you went through a portal and you got her. Right?"
"Right. Well. I, I screwed up, I know."
"Well... I think you traveled both in space and in time. Into the future."
Arina pales and starts cussing.
"Jade, dear, would you cover your ears and hum, please.", I ask her.
"What?"
"Hum. You know, hmm hmm hmmm hmmm!" she smiles tentatively and does just that.
"Okay. Arina, would you stop? You're giving me a headache." she goes on for a bit more and then shuts up. I signal Jade to stop humming, by winking and nodding at her. She grins. "Thank you. It's nice to see you smiling."
"It's nice to smile and not having any of the other sisters bothering me because of it." I smile gently at her. "You're nice."
"You can smile all you want with us. No one is going to bother you about it." I pause. "All right, everyone. I want to go back in time and space once more. I want to go back to the beginning of the twenty-first century, where and when I belong and..." I swallow hard, "join my mate. There is so much I... want to, need to... make amends, I..."
"It's okay." Arina touches me. "I'm coming with you."
"What about your mate?", asks Ellie. I raise my eyebrow. "Arina found her mate among the Kalquorians, just when we were leaving, right Virginia?"
"She even left a necklace for him." Virginia winks. "Very nice touch."
"Necklace? You mean... oh..." I laugh. "You left him the medieval hammered silver coin? The tracking one?"
"Several, actually." she blushes. "Apparently, I have three mates. I made a quick duplicating spell on it. Let's hope they understand it's for them."
"Oh, Kalquorian males are quite different from the human men." Virginia smirks. "You don't need to spell down everything to them."
"Great! Then it's settled! I'll go back in time with you, and then I'll get back here. I can find them for sure."
"Arina... I don't think..."
"I want to. I need to. Really, I'm fine, and there are things I have to do in the past. I know what went wrong with the portal. It's the intent. I wanted to... I was thinking of a dream, of finding my mates." she snorts. "So simple, really, it's almost insulting. No wonder I couldn't put up the proper portal."
"If you're so sure. Where does that leave the three of you?"
Ellie and Virginia silently communicate with each other.
"We'll go with you. We wish to see the Old Earth, as it was, before fanatics took over the power on the government." Virginia kneels in front of Jade. "Jade, honey. If you want to, you don't need to come with us. We can take you to Plasius and leave you there or to some world controlled by the Soul Wanders. You'll be safe. Kalquorians don't know we exist, and Tragoons fear us, although today they think we are more myth than reality."
Naerdiel, Arina tells me, sending the feeling behind the casting of the portal. Now you know how to cast it properly. I will follow you. Everything's gonna be okay. I can't leave them like this. Little Jade needs more time to decide. We can't be selfish. I nod.
"Jade." Arina speaks to her. "Listen, we don't have to go now. I can stay a bit longer. We can travel among the stars, it'll be fun. You don't need to go back in time right now. I know it's scary and you're so young! And if you want, you don't need to go at all."
"No." the little girl says. "It's just. Grown-ups always said people in those times were licentious and and..."
"Jade... I've lived a long time on Earth now and, sure, there were women who were complete sluts. But most girls I've known back then weren't like that at all. They had one partner at a time.", I tell her.
"But... they weren't married when they... when they...", she blushes. Oh, the things they put on her head! I'd strangle the idiots...
"I know. But that doesn't make them horrible. In fact, what is better? Marry some guy just to have sex and children and then find out the hard way you're not that perfect for each other? No matter where you go... nothing is ever perfect. You just need to try and see the good in things and make do the best way you can. Look. You're not going. You're staying on this... Plasius planet?" Ellie nods. "With someone trustworthy and then we'll travel from there, through space and time. You have until then to decide, if you stay there or if you go with us."
I turn my back on Jade and tell Ellie to take on the ships controls and off we go to Plasius.
Arina
Plasius is like... oh, I don't think I've even seen anything like it. It is one of the most peaceful planets I've ever seen, they don't have police or military. They follow and live the philosophy "make love, not war" to the extreme. It's almost laughable, really!
After sending word of our arrival and settling us on a very comfortable, large suite in the palace, no less, Ellie took us to the ruler of Plasius, the Saucin. Her name is Israla, a beautiful woman, much older than she appears, and with an appetite for younger men and sex in general, like any good Plasian.
She took one good look at us, heard what Ellie had to say, smiled and said she would take Jade should she decide to stay.
"I think, Wanders, it is nice of you to give her a choice. In fact, I'm giving a party tonight. It will be an excellent opportunity for you to sample Plaisian wine... and Plaisian men, if you wish." said Saucin Israla. "In fact, Ellie, my dear, will you stay a child for how much longer? You are centuries old. It must tire you, pretending to be a child. You should be having fun as an adult!"
"My dear friend, you have known me for so long. But, I must stay this way and stay with Jade tonight. Virginia, Arina and Naerdiel can go to the cerimony. I'm tired and I'd like to get some rest."
"Saucin, with all due respect, if you know enough about Soul Wanders... you must know it's difficult to stay away from our mate. It's my case, and I wish to depart as soon as possible. I... I don't think I can hold out for much longer. I apologize."
"There is nothing to forgive! Oh, if only Earth women were more like you! But you, Virginia, Arina... I won't have you not going to the party. You will soon go back to the past and you simply must go to this party, mingle, make friends... and have some fun with Plasian men... or women if that's more to your tastes!" she grins naughtily. The two of us blush. "In fact... I had a most interesting visit from a Kalquorian clan while you were settling down on your quarters..." she sips some wine. "Fresh out of taking over Europa, searching for an unidentified shuttle who just happened to land here. It appears some poor nuns were kidnapped from the convent they invaded, and right under their noses too! They were most disappointed at the time, and it appears they tracked the shuttle till Plasius."
Damn., I think, looking at Virginia, who giggles.
"But I'm not worried about that at all; after all, it's not like they are going to find it, is it?" says the Saucin. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you... you should wear a costume. I hope you have proper outfits, otherwise I can have someone find some for you."
"That's very kind of you, Saucin, but we can make our own. It will be fun, anyway, and a way to pass the time. Part of our gifts and all.", I smirk.
Again, all credit from Twilight Universe goes to Missus Meyer, Soul Wanders are mine, and the rest is all Tracy St. John's Book 3 of the Clans of Kalquor Series.
So pretty please tell me what you think. Lana is going home in the next chapter!