A Soldier of Shadows

  Aisha returned the glare.

  “Ibrahim was searching everywhere for you in The Shade,” Ben said. “He was pushing for us to stay until you returned, but we just couldn’t wait any longer.”

  “Well, turns out it’s a good thing you ended up coming. God knows what would have happened to me if River hadn’t discovered me.” Her face tensed. “Where is Ibrahim? And why exactly did you come back here?”

  Ben filled Corrine in on all that had happened since we left the island, and our decisions behind coming here. The witch looked utterly horrified when Ben revealed the bond he had forged with the jinn. She asked him countless questions and uttered several curses, until finally, Ben arrived at what I was most anxious to hear about—a recounting of the visions he had just witnessed with Aisha.

  Both Corrine and I had the same expressions on our faces when Ben was done explaining. Astonishment. Disbelief. Fear.

  “I can’t believe it,” Corrine said. “How do we know all this is for real and it’s not just a fabrication of these jinn’s imagination?”

  “Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Ben said. “It explains why I am different from everyone else, and the problems that I’ve been having. I don’t see what reason the jinn have to lie to me about any of this. Besides, this was one of my wishes. Just as I am bound to the jinn, they are obliged to fulfill my desires to the best of their capacity. And I didn’t ask for a pack of lies. I asked for the truth about my past.” He glanced at Aisha, then looked back at the witch. “I really don’t think this is a lie.”

  “Damn Kiev…” Corrine muttered. “What are you planning to do now?” Her question disappointed me. I’d been hoping that she would make some suggestion to Ben. I looked up at him.

  “I’ve requested Aisha to take me to see Hortencia,” he replied. “It’s the only thing I can think to do right now. As she’s an oracle, if she can’t help me, I honestly don’t know who can.”

  “Where does this oracle live?” I asked.

  All eyes shot toward Aisha.

  “In a secret dwelling that none of you would ever find without me transporting you there,” the jinni replied tersely.

  Ben addressed the witch. “Have you ever heard of this Hortencia before?”

  Corrine looked at him blankly and shrugged. “No. I’ve never heard of her.”

  Aisha rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s not like she goes out much. There aren’t many people who do know of her existence.”

  “So what do you want to do now, Corrine?” Ben asked. “I think you should return to The Shade. I can have these jinn free you.”

  To my surprise, Corrine hesitated.

  “Ibrahim must be sick with worry by now,” Ben pressed.

  Corrine bit her lip, looking conflicted. “I know how much Ibrahim will be worrying,” she said. “But… No.” The doubt that had been in her eyes just a few moments before was replaced with resoluteness. “I will stay with the two of you. I think you need all the help you can get.”

  Ben shifted on his feet, looking frustrated. “I have these jinn to help me. I don’t need you. I want you to return. And I wish River would go back with you.” His eyes fell on me, revealing a sense of urgency. “We’ve reached a fork in the road. I don’t know where this path will lead me now, River. Please, just return.”

  I’d already made it amply clear that I was staying with him, so I wished that he wouldn’t bring up the subject again. It seemed that Corrine was just as determined as me.

  “No, Ben. I’ll stay with you,” she said. “I-I still feel partly responsible for what’s happened to you. If only I had been more alert that night and vanished before Kiev could snatch you from my arms…”

  Ben looked at the witch in exasperation. “Beating yourself up over that is just moronic, Corrine. Stop it.”

  “All the same,” she said, her determination unwavering, “I’ll stay.”

  Then Ben looked down at me in one final attempt to plead with me to return. I just looked up at him like he was stupid for even thinking that I might have changed my mind.

  He heaved a sigh. “All right… Aisha, let’s go pay a visit to Hortencia.”

  Chapter 22: Ben

  We arrived on the ledge of a cliff overlooking a beach scattered with boulders. It was daytime, but the weather was overcast. The wind was blustery and so bitingly cold even I noticed. I stared out at the sea—or perhaps it was an ocean—wondering where on earth we had just arrived… Then again, maybe we had left Earth.

  “Where are we exactly?” River asked, even as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “Are we still in the human realm?”

  I wished there was something I could do to warm her up. I wanted to hold her close, but that would only make her colder. I was grateful when Corrine removed the shawl from her shoulders and wrapped it around River.

  “If you must know”—Aisha scowled—“yes, we are still on Earth. We are on the west coast of Canada.”

  “Canada,” River muttered, gazing around the shore.

  Thankfully, there wasn’t a human in sight.

  Aisha turned her back on the ocean, and moved toward the face of the cliff. I realized as she approached a narrow crack in the wall that Hortencia obviously had a certain taste in the dwellings she chose. I squeezed through the crack, River and Corrine following after me. We found ourselves moving through a damp, narrow tunnel—not unlike the one I had seen in the vision. It wound this way and that until we reached the end where, no surprise, there was a moldy-looking door. The four of us stopped and gathered round it.

  “When was the last time you saw this woman?” I asked Aisha.

  “I have never met her before, but my aunt has,” the jinni replied. “I’m not sure when Nuriya last saw her… But in case you’re worried about whether she still lives here, don’t worry. She’s here. Hortencia?” Aisha raised her voice. “It is Aisha Nasiri. I mean you no harm. I have come with friends. We would like to ask you a few questions, if you would be so kind as to let us in.”

  My ears picked up on a faint grumbling on the other side of the door. Then there was the clinking of keys and the heavy door clicked open. As the door creaked open, the shadowy form of the oracle appeared before us.

  She looked identical to the person I’d seen in the vision. Despite her apparent youth, she had the same almost-bald head, symbol-inked skin, strange silver visor covering her eyes, and unless I remembered wrong, she was even wearing the same dark green colored robe.

  She froze in the doorway, her lips pursing. River looked part intrigued, part terrified by the woman. I held my breath as, slowly, she raised a small hand and hovered it upward, directly toward Corrine, who was standing outside the oracle’s front door.

  “Who have we here?” Hortencia spoke in a low voice. “A frazzled witch.” She moved her outstretched hand so that it pointed next at Aisha. “A jealous jinni.” Aisha stiffened. Hortencia pointed at River. “An infatuated half-blood.” A flush of red rose in River’s cheeks as she avoided my gaze.

  Finally, the tips of Hortencia’s fingers grazed my chest. But as they did, she withdrew her hand abruptly as though she’d gotten an electric shock. She turned her body to face me directly, her head tilting upward. “And, oh, my… A vampire seeking answers. We have met before, boy… Benjamin Novak. The imprinted.”

  The imprinted. I was relieved that at least she brought us straight to the subject.

  “Hortencia,” I said, “I’m glad to meet you.” I considered holding out my hand to shake, but given the reaction she’d had to touching me, I thought it wise to keep my hands by my side.

  She backed through the doorway, gesturing with a flick of her hand that we follow her.

  We stepped into a small cave that was so austere it didn’t look fit for habitation by anyone but an animal. There was an old thin mattress laid out on the floor in one corner, covered with some grubby sheets and patchwork blankets. Lining one of the walls were makeshift shelves containing an array of strange objects—some of whic
h appeared to be crystal orbs. There was a narrow table with a missing leg, at which a wooden chair was pulled up. Then there was an area which could hardly be called a kitchen, although clearly she prepared food there. There was an ancient-looking stove and on the floor was a small pile of unwashed pots, plates and spoons.

  There was nowhere for us to sit, since she sat down on the only chair available, and so we remained standing—or in Aisha’s case, hovering.

  An awkward silence fell between us as the oracle, behind her silver visor, continued to face my direction.

  I cleared my throat. “You know who I am,” I said. “And I need help from you. How does one disinfect oneself from the nature of the Elders after being imprinted upon? Is it even—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, she began shaking her head forcefully. Then she shot to her feet. “No, no, no!” Her voice was bizarrely loud, even as she continued to shake her head so hard, I wondered if she hadn’t made herself dizzy by now. “You’re asking the wrong question, boy!”

  The look of genuine fury in her face took me aback.

  The wrong question? What?

  As brilliant as this woman might be, she was clearly stark raving mad.

  I had no idea what to make of her response. That was the only question I needed an answer to. What does she mean, wrong question? I was scared for a moment that perhaps this was her reaction to not knowing the answer. That perhaps she couldn’t help me either.

  But then she spoke again. Her voice was calmer this time, and she sat back down in the chair sideways, her arm resting over the back of it.

  “Rephrase your question,” she said.

  I looked toward my three companions, wondering if they had any clue what she meant. Even Aisha looked clueless.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m not sure what you mean. I just need to find out how to solve my problem.”

  “Why don’t you ask me why you’re infected to begin with? You might find that leads you in the right direction…” she said, clasping her hands together on her lap.

  “But I’ve already been shown why—”

  Hortencia let out a wild giggle. “Oh, you’ve only seen the dribs and drabs that this little jinni managed to show you… Just ask me the question, vampire.”

  “Okay,” I said, even as I felt thoroughly disconcerted. “Why was I infected to begin with?”

  A contented smile spread across her lips.

  “Because those creatures of shadow wanted you as part of their army.”

  To my confusion, she paused.

  Is that all she’s got for me?

  “Uh, I already know that—”

  “No, you don’t,” she snapped, her mild expression turning sharp again. “You don’t know.”

  I breathed in. “Then please tell me what I don’t know.”

  “Their use for you as an infant was only half of their plan.”

  I froze.

  “What?”

  She reached behind her, toward one of the makeshift shelves, and pulled off what appeared to be a crystal ball, small enough to fit within the palm of her hand.

  She rolled it between her palms and began dropping it from one to the other absentmindedly. I wasn’t sure if the ball was at all required for what she was explaining to me. It looked like she was just playing with it, taking her time and enjoying keeping us all on edge.

  “What?” I repeated, unable to hide the urgency in my voice.

  She coughed, then, to my relief, continued. “The Elders took to heart my suspicion that neither they nor the Hawks would survive the battle that sparked between them. And so when you came along… they saw much potential. That Elder did more than just insert his nature within you so that you could be useful to them during the battle. In case you managed to survive while his—and his companions’—strength faded, he intended for you to grow up and retain his essence long into the future.”

  “What do you mean by essence?” I asked, barely louder than a whisper.

  Ignoring my question, she stood up suddenly. The ball dropped to the floor and shattered, sending shards flying everywhere. Her face contorted, growing tight with a kind of manic intensity. “Your time is coming, Benjamin Novak. Soon.”

  “Your time is coming.”

  The moment she said the words, the whispery voice of the Elder rang through my head as I recalled the words he’d spoken in the first vision.

  “What do you mean, his time is coming?” River asked, terrified, as she clasped my hand.

  Without warning, the oracle lurched forward and grabbed River’s arm. I was about to knock the woman aside, but after a few seconds it became clear that she meant no harm. The strange black symbols on her skin began to migrate and shift their shape as she said in a strained whisper, “I mean, girl, that very soon this man may not be the same one you fell for.”

  “Enough of this nonsense!” Corrine exploded. Raising a palm, she shot the oracle backward across the room. Hortencia crumpled in a heap on the mattress.

  I stared at Corrine in shock. “What are you doing?” I gasped, grabbing the witch’s hand and forcing it down to her side, even though it was too late.

  Corrine ignored me, still fuming at the oracle. “For Christ’s sake, can’t you just talk normally? Explain slowly and calmly what on earth you’re talking about. You’re scaring the hell out of these kids!”

  I suspected from Corrine’s outburst that it wasn’t just us kids the oracle was “scaring the hell out of”.

  The oracle looked shaken by the fall, even though she had landed on her bed. She huddled up in a corner, drawing her short legs up against her chest and shutting her lips tight.

  I glared at Corrine.

  “You shouldn’t have done that, witch,” Aisha said. “She might close up now and refuse to reveal any more information.”

  Corrine scowled.

  As a hushed silence fell about the chamber, I feared perhaps Aisha’s words might come true.

  I swallowed hard, then looked toward Corrine, Aisha and River.

  “I think it’s best if the three of you step outside and leave the two of us alone to talk.”

  Although I had phrased it as a suggestion, I didn’t give any of them the chance to protest. I ushered them out of the room and then closed the door behind them. They would stand just outside, and it wasn’t like they wouldn’t be able to hear everything that we said anyway.

  Then I turned around again, my eyes falling on the oracle who was still closed up in a corner like a clam. I approached her cautiously. I stopped about three feet away from her and lowered myself to her level.

  “Please,” I said, in as calm a voice as I could manage. “I need you to explain to me exactly what you’re saying.”

  I feared that she was about to go on another manic tirade, but I was relieved when this time her voice was much steadier as she spoke, although her words were no less chilling.

  “You will understand soon what I’m talking about. The symptoms will begin to manifest.”

  “Hortencia, I’m already experiencing the symptoms that…”

  My voice trailed off as the oracle shook her head slowly, a look of melancholy taking over her face.

  “Oh, no, vampire. The symptoms you’ve experienced so far have been simply the tip of the iceberg.”

  Chapter 23: Ben

  Simply the tip of the iceberg.

  It felt like my world was crashing down around me. Feeling unsteady, I grabbed hold of the rocky wall for support. My throat felt so dry it was painful to swallow.

  Hortencia stretched out her legs and stood up. She moved back to her chair and sat down at the table, her palms spread out flat against the surface, her back turned toward me.

  “What most who venture here don’t realize is that seeing is a curse, not a gift,” she said softly. “Something to be repulsed by, not desired… Do you really want to know exactly what’s up ahead of you, boy? Glimpsing the future is not conducive to the health or happiness one still has a chance to grasp
in the present.”

  “I need to know,” I rasped. I walked over to the table so that I could see her face, and planted my own hands down in front of hers. “Please, tell me.”

  She inhaled deeply. Then, to my surprise, she removed the silver visor from her eyes for the first time… only to reveal that she possessed no eyes. Where they should have been was just smooth, pale flesh. I tried not to let on to my horror, but I was sure that she sensed it. A small smile appeared on her lips.

  “I would any day swap my unbounded knowledge of the universe for mortal eyes… But I see your mind is bent on your request.”

  She stood up from the chair and then grabbed my arm, her grasp surprisingly strong. She pulled me down to sit in her seat while she remained standing at the opposite end of the table.

  Goosebumps ran along my skin as she began, “Let me start by telling you something of the war that broke out between the Elders and the Hawks. You heard that the two sides fought each other so severely that both were left with a crumbling kingdom. But you don’t know exactly how the Elders were weakened, and understanding this is key to understanding your own situation.” She walked over to the stove and planted a pot on top of it. Grabbing a jug, she poured in some murky-looking water and lit a fire beneath it.

  I wished that she would just sit down and give me her full attention.

  “When it came time for the two sides to go at each other’s throats, so to speak,” she continued, “while the Hawks were planning their attack on Cruor, they knew that they had to take a twofold approach: destroy the vessels the Elders had remaining, as well as ruin their vast supply of blood. Remember at this time, the Elders and Hawks believed that all the gates leading to Earth had been closed. Given that, the Hawks believed that if they managed to wipe out the majority of the Elders’ vessels—who they used in combat—as well as their blood, the Elders’ strength would evaporate.”