Jar of Souls (4 page)

April walked in, her bright red hair tamed to a dull red as it dried. She had it tied up in a bun to keep it from getting her shirt wet. I pulled her inside and gave her a quick hug before sending her over to Marcus and joining Britta on the couch. When I sat down, she grabbed my hand and held it in her lap. I looked over and almost died in her smile. Sometimes God just really seems to throw you a bone.

“Man, the place looks great,” April said, heading toward the kitchen.

“Thanks,” Marcus said

This time I kept my mouth firmly shut. Marcus looked over and gave me another wink. Britta gave me a slight elbow to the ribs and smiled. What could I say, he really had decorated it all by himself. I hadn’t done a thing except provide the space for us to get together. He had lights strung across the ceiling. They provided the perfect glow against the rock roof. Almost made it look as though we were looking up into the night sky. He had candles set around the room, and the lights were dimmed. It was perfect, just how I would imagine sitting around and hanging out with friends on the patio of my parents’ place.

I hadn’t thought about my parents in that way for too long. Mostly when I thought of them now, it was only of the way they died. Now wasn’t the time to do it. Just because it was my first birthday without them didn’t mean I was going to be a downer for everyone else. I pushed back the thoughts of their murder. There would be time for that later. Someday the person who killed them would pay. I had no doubt in my mind that I would find them and bring them to justice.

I must have drifted off in my thoughts about them because Britta nudged me. “You ok, Jackson?”

“Yeah, just thinking about my family.”

She gave me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “Let’s go join the others.”

Smiling, I stood up. I wasn’t one hundred percent back to being in a good mood, but her light kiss had done just enough for me to not spoil our monthly dinner. “So, Marcus, what is on the menu for tonight?”

“The cooks must have taken pity on us poor fighters because they have whipped up something truly special for us tonight.”

He came back from the kitchen with a small covered tray and set it down on the table.

“Marcus, I think we have different ideas about what special is. That doesn’t even look like it’s enough to feed me.”

“Well, this is just a little something extra. Mind taking off the lid?”

Stepping forward, I removed the lid, and a candle underneath flared to life. There were two numbers on the top of the cake, a one and a nine. I watched as they spiraled in the air and then about six feet above the table dissolved into a halo of sparks. They fell gently toward the table, each one of the sparks changing colors before disappearing.

“Happy birthday!” they all shouted.

“How did you know?”

“Come on, bro, I know everything,” Marcus said.

“And you two . . .”

“Marcus told us,” they echoed.

“Damn, thanks, everyone.”

“Why didn’t you say anything, Jackson?” April asked.

“I just didn’t think it was that important with everything else we have going on.”

“It’s important,” Britta said, pulling me into a fierce side hug.

“Sure is, man,” Marcus said. “You better not forget my birthday.”

“Or mine,” said April.

“I’ll do my best. So what’s really for dinner?”

“Your favorite,” Marcus said.

“Stuffed Chicago-style pizza?”

“Ok, so maybe a close second. Chicken Parm.”

“Now that is something I can dig into.”

“Let’s eat!” Britta said, pulling me to my chair and pushing me down. My stomach rumbled as Marcus pulled the top off another bowl. The steam from within carried with it the smell of pure Italian chicken parmesan. This was going to be the best birthday I had had in a long time.

* * *

I
woke
up screaming the word
no
. A hand reached out and grabbed my arm, and a soft voice told me that
everything was going to be ok
. Still, I couldn’t shake the feelings that had come from the dream. It was one thing to have a nightmare; it was something else to be reliving something that already happened. When the tears came, I wasn’t that surprised. Who would enjoy watching their parents get killed, again?

My birthday must have triggered the dream for me; there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about them at least once. Finding out that the people who raised me weren’t my biological parents didn’t change how much I loved them. Not one bit. Walking into a room and having my mother bleeding out on the floor and watching my dad murdered in front of me had left its mark. I had been pushing those feelings down since I came to the academy, but now they were catching up with me in a big way.

The hand on my arm moved up and started to stroke my hair. I felt bad for her, having to rub her hands through the sweaty tangles.

Britta murmured, “It will be ok.”

When she rolled over, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her against me. She wiggled a little bit to get comfortable, and I almost lost it. If my heart hadn’t just been crushed by the thought of my parents’ death, I might have taken that as an invitation for more than cuddling. There was something to be said about sleeping in the same bed with your girlfriend; it just made you feel more comfortable than sleeping alone. We hadn’t crossed that magical line yet, but when the time was right, I was sure neither of us would question it. The warmth of her back pressed against my chest worked its own kind of magic, and I finally started to relax. I felt myself slipping back into unconsciousness. I prayed silently for a dreamless sleep.

T
he soft knock
at my door reminded me that I should have been out of bed hours ago. The activities after last night’s disaster had taken my mind off of the fact that today I would be forced to explain myself. The bed was empty except for me, and by the looks of it, all of my possessions remained in place. At least last night’s humiliations hadn’t been added to, not that it wouldn’t have been worth it. Pulling the sheets back, I strode to the door.

“Well, don’t wait out there all day. Come in already.”

“It’s Marie, my lord.”

“Yes, I can see that now. What can I do for you, Marie?”

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t with you this morning, but I had my duties to attend to.”

“That is ok, my dear, I understand. You needn’t have woken me just for that.”

“I didn’t mean to disturb your rest, milord, but there are a bunch of men who just arrived. They seem rather agitated, and I heard them using your name in conversation.”

“Thank you for coming to get me at once, Marie. If they ask after me again, tell them I will be down momentarily. Can you also see that the valet has my chests loaded onto the carriage? I have a feeling I will be leaving with some haste.”

“Of course, milord. Is everything ok?”

“As ok as it can be for now. I wanted to thank you for last night and your service today.” I pressed four gold coins into her hands.

“I did not sleep with you for money,” she spat.

She made to throw the coins back at me. Before she could, I grabbed her hand and pressed it back to her chest. “And I meant to offer no such insult.” Her eyebrows rose in question. “This is just a small token of my appreciation at the warning you have provided for me, and for arranging the service of my things.”

“It is too much,” she said, still frowning.

“Some would say it isn’t enough. I have plenty of gold but not as many friends. Thank you for coming to get me, and make sure that you at least buy something for yourself.”

“I will, my lord.”

I could see that she still wasn’t sure about the money, but I didn’t have the time to spend reassuring her. I stepped forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Now go see the valet. Tell him I plan to leave within the hour.”

Thankfully she left without saying anything else. I turned back toward my chests and pulled out the clothes I would be wearing for the day. I had a feeling I wouldn’t get to enjoy the carriage ride back, but one could only hope. A pair of riding pants, a shirt, and a leather doublet, along with my favorite hat, would be enough to see me through. Tying the pouch of coins to a hidden seam inside of my pants, I headed toward the door. My sword belt was lying against the wall. I strapped it on and made my way downstairs to whatever fate awaited me.

* * *

W
hen I reached the foyer
, there was no one there. I looked around, wondering just where they had gone, when the sound of raised voices came from the parlor to the right of the entryway. Heading in that direction, I heard my name mentioned more than once, in the company of some vile words. When I stepped into the room, all conversation came to a stop.

One man rose from where he was seated and, with a look of utter hatred, began to speak. “Just what kind of guard are you that you couldn’t keep the vault safe for just one night?”

“The kind that is still alive to tell you about it.” From the shade of red growing under his collar, I was to assume that that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. It was just something I had a special knack for, making a bad situation worse by running my mouth. The fact was I hadn’t requested this assignment, and after the events of last night, they should be damn happy they had someone to question.

“I think we could do with a little less mirth. The artifact that was stolen was priceless. Do you have anything outside of the fact that you are alive to report?”

I thought for a moment before speaking. It was a rare occurrence, but from the glares I was getting from the other four men in the room, this time may be a warranted one. “I have plenty to report, but what I have to say must be relayed directly to Adam.”

“I am the commander of the retrieval team, and you will report it to me.” I was wrong in thinking that his face couldn’t become redder. His face had reached a shade of red I would have referred to as
radish
as long as he couldn’t hear me or I had ten good men standing behind me. My delayed response seemed to have pushed him further over the edge, and now he had added a throbbing vein on his forehead into the mix.

“With all due respect, I must decline. Adam has entrusted me with the protection of this item, and I have failed in my duty. With that failure, I have stumbled across some sensitive information that would be best heard by his ears first.”

“If you would prefer to make it Adam’s problem, then so be it.” The men around him laughed.

We all knew what normally happened when something became Adam’s problem. Normally those problems disappeared, and the stories were told to others as a cautionary tale. I hoped that this time it would be different. I was much too handsome to die. I also didn’t want to give this prick the satisfaction of seeing me wither under his gaze.

“I will need one of your horses.”

“So you have failed at your one duty and now you are requesting the use of one of our horses.”

“Unless you would like to explain to Adam why I was delayed, then yes.” Now I was laying it on thick, but if I backed down now, there was no telling if I would make it out of this room intact.

“Dimitri, get your horse ready.” One of the men beside him stood and strode toward the door. As he went by, he made sure to slam his shoulder into mine.

“I have my carriage being prepared. One of you can ride back with my things.”

The man bristled at the thought of him or one of his men being relegated to watching over my possessions. I was going to pay for that later, but watching the pulsing vein in his forehead had become just too fun for me to stop making it pulse now.

“Your horse awaits. Good day.” He spun on his heel and turned back to his seat. The three remaining men crowded around him, and they began talking in hushed whispers. Every now and then one of them would look up at me and then turn back to the group. With nothing left to do but leave, I turned smartly and headed for the door.

I stopped to thank the doorman and to press a coin into his hand. “Do you know the families of the guards who haven’t been seen today?”

“I do, milord.”

“Can you see that each one of them receives one of these packages?”

He took a moment to look at the gold coin in his hand. “I would be more than happy to do so.”

“Understand when I tell you this—if those packages do not make it to the families of those men’s families, I will come back here and kill you myself.”

“Understood, milord.”

I flipped him another coin. “Just see that it is done.”

It didn’t feel like enough, but the least I could do was offer those families a little gold. It wouldn’t bring their sons or husbands back, but it would make the next few years easier. No one would know what happened to those men, and those families wouldn’t be receiving any help from anyone else with them branded as deserters. I found Dimitri waiting in the courtyard, his horse saddled and ready to go.

“I expect her to be waiting for me in good condition when we catch up with you.”

“I promise you that I will do my best to make sure it is so.”

Dimitri held out his arm. I stood there for a second, shocked by the offer. Clasping his hand, I said the phrase of our order. “I am the flame against the dark.”

“May you burn ever brighter,” he intoned, before saying, “Safe journey, Brother.”

“And to you,” I said, releasing his arm and swinging myself into the saddle.

* * *

E
xhaustion almost forced
me from the saddle as our base came into view. I had taxed myself by using my gift to keep the horse running for the last twenty-four hours straight. Riding directly to the front of the building, I was surprised to find a valet waiting to take my reins. Jumping from the saddle, I started to head inside.

The valet called out, “Adam is waiting for you.”

“I will see him after I clean the grime of the road from my clothes.”

“He requested that you attend to him immediately.” He watched me intently as if waiting for an answer.

“Make sure this horse receives the best treatment possible.” I turned and stormed away.

The long hallway extended further than I remembered from my first visit to Adam’s office. Every step toward his office seemed like an additional weight was placed on my shoulders. The next step I took faltered, and I was forced to rest against the wall for a moment. Had I made the right decision in not telling our team what had happened the night before? Would the delay in delivering the information make Adam even more upset than the loss of the artifact alone? There was only one way to find out. I forced my legs back into motion and tried to steel myself for what was coming next.

Adam opened the door as I approached. “Don’t dawdle in the hallway. Come in and tell me what in the hell happened.”

“Yes, sir.”

Adam didn’t wait for me to follow; he just turned and walked away. I closed the door behind me as I entered and quickly followed him to his desk. He hadn’t killed me as soon as he saw me, so things were already looking up. He motioned for me to take a seat, and I obeyed as quickly as I could. There was nothing to be gained by my normal flippant attitude.

His eyes burned with a fire that they hadn’t during my first meeting with him. That put me a little more on edge than I should be for just a general report. This wasn’t just any report, though. This was the one where I told Adam that I had witnessed the dead walking. We would see where the chips fell, when I lay that little beauty at his feet.

Adam’s intense gaze burned into me when he said, “No reason to wait on ceremony. Just tell me what in the hell happened.”

I had a problem meeting his eyes for longer than a second or two at a time. “Ah, sir, it’s a little more complicated than I would have hoped. Where should I start?”

“Where all good stories start, at the beginning.”

I let out a little forced laugh. “I think I will leave out the drinking and the dancing, and just start with the attack on the chateau.”

“That seems like a good idea.” His eyes bore into me.

I swear I saw a little bit of flame actually move across his eyes when I managed to make myself look up again. His body language made him look tense; I felt as if he was waiting for a chance to jump out of his chair and throttle me. He made a motion with his hand in the air, indicating that time was wasting and I had better get started because he didn’t have all the damn time in the world.

“The chateau was attacked by a group of Lycans.”

“I find that odd. The Lycans would have no use for what was being stored there,” he said, cutting me off.

“Well, I didn’t get a chance to tell you about the best part.” He made another motion for me to continue. “The Lycans that attacked weren’t behaving like any that I had ever fought before. They charged at me without trying to dodge any of my attacks. After a closer examination, it appeared they might have actually already been dead for some time.”

Adam looked as if my story confirmed something he already knew. He shook his head for a moment as if to clear it and then looked back up at me. His expression was grim when he said, “Go on.”

“After I had dispatched the Lycans, the dead guards rose and stormed the house. I was able to dispatch most of them before the hooded figure showed up.”

“And this man in the hood, did you ever see his face?”

“As a matter of fact, I did.”

“And?” he said with impatience.

“I hate to report that I have seen the man at least one other time. In fact, it was the day that I met you for the first time. He would have barreled into me on my way to see you, had I not moved to the side of the hall. He said his name was Gaston.”

“That bastard!” Adam slammed his fist down on his desk in a bout of fury. A flame actually flew up from where his hand impacted the desk. I watched him with horror. He seemed to be speaking to himself when he said, “Gaston, you arrogant ass, the secrets of the Jar were for us to unlock together.”