Voidhawk - Lost Soul (2 page)

Jianna
twisted in her chair, gasping in surprise. Aunt Tasha stood in her doorway, wearing a golden dress that shimmered with each movement she made. Her gasp turned into a smile. “You’re so pretty!”

Tasha smiled and walked over to her, moving awkwardly in the dress.
Jianna’s smile faded. Tasha wore dresses at times, though it was rare. It wasn’t the dress that worried her, it was her walk. “Did you hurt yourself?” Jianna stood up and started towards her, worried. Nothing hurt Tasha, she was her protector! She was like Keshira, tough and unstoppable, without the creepy smile.

“Yes, I stumbled earlier. I’ll see a healer later. We must hurry. Come, let me brush your hair.”

Jianna frowned. Tasha sounded weird too. Could a sprained ankle do that to her voice? Her worries faded before the promise of one of Tasha’s legendary hair-brushing sessions wormed its way into her mind. She’d pulled it back into a bun after having it braided for the training session earlier. She didn’t think she had time before dinner to do anything with it. Tasha felt otherwise. She settled back into her chair and stared up at the dark skinned woman, displaying an anticipatory grin. She reached up released the pins from the bun, letting it fall down. It reached the base of the seat she sat on.

Tasha moved up behind her, her eyes studying the amber hair.
Jianna was struck again by the oddity of her behavior. She’d brushed it hundreds of times, the act was relaxing and wonderful. It soothed Jianna in troubled times and gave her strength when she needed it. Tasha knew Jianna’s hair better than Jianna did, why was she suddenly so curious about it?

Tasha’s hands
gathered up the amber tresses, pulling them together until they fit within the loose fist of her left hand. Tasha leaned forward, reaching past Jianna for the brush on her desk. Jianna saw the movement and knew something was wrong. It not only looked wrong, but it felt wrong. Tasha always used a special brush she kept in the drawer of her desk.

Jianna
started to turn when she felt a burning sting on the back of her neck. “Ow!” She gasped, trying to spin away. Tasha’s grip on her hair had tightened, preventing her from escaping.

Jianna
stared in the mirror, the image swimming and shifting before her eyes. Before her eyes Tasha shifted, her features melting. The dark skin lightened and faded, as did the details of her eyes, nose, and mouth, and even ears. In moments nothing remained but a blank curvature, something that defied explanation. She stared at it, the pain in her neck forgotten as she struggled to understand the faceless being that Tasha had become.

“
For your sake, I hope your father succeeds.
” She heard the voice and felt the voice, almost as though whoever the person was spoke to her inside her head.

The prick in her neck suddenly blossomed, spreading intense heat throughout her body. She tried to scream but all that came out was a gasp before her lungs locked up.
Jianna slumped forward onto the desk, her muscles refusing to obey her. The assassin let go of her hair, allowing her body to slide off the desk and her chair to the floor below.

Jianna felt herself pulled back, though she couldn’t say what part of her had been grabbed. Darkness surrounded her vision, closing in until her room was only a pinprick of light at the end of a long tunnel. Then it faded away, leaving her surrounded by darkness. She spun around, or at least tried to. Nothing made sense anymore. She couldn’t feel her feet on the floor, nor could she feel her arms swinging through the air searching for a wall. She couldn’t even feel herself – it was like she’d been separated from her body. If she’d still possessed her lungs she would have gasped. She’d seen her body fall away from her. Jianna couldn’t even scream against the darkness that imprisoned her.

* * * *

“Admiral, where’s
Jia?”

Dexter looked up from the table as Tasha approached. He forced his eyebrows down, fighting hard to ignore how
the attractive the gold dress she wore contrasted with her dark skin. The feminine curves revealed beneath the dress brought warmth to his face. It had been years since they’d seen any real battles, he knew they were getting soft. Tasha looked to be the exception to the rule, she was a firm as she’d been when she’d first joined his crew.

“Sir?”

“What? I thought she’d be with you,” he scrambled, turning to look around the garden. She’d played pranks on them before, but he doubted she’d be hiding this time.

“I stopped by her room and knocked on her door, but there was no answer. I assumed she’d come to meet you,” Tasha said. She frowned, glancing around much the same as Dexter.

“That won’t do,” he muttered, pushing against the table with his hands as he stood up. “Let’s go.”

Dexter led the way back to
Jianna’s room, his pace quickening as they walked. Elven servants and soldiers cleared out of his way, most offering him a deferential salute. He ignored them all, his stomach twisting with worry. Why wouldn’t she have answered the knock? “Did you hit the door hard enough? She gets caught up in her games sometimes…”

“Yes,” Tasha said, clipping off the word sharply.

Dexter frowned. Of course she had. If anyone had spent more time with Jianna than he had, it was Tasha. He halted abruptly. He’d been so focused on rushing to reach her room he’d nearly walked past it! He glanced at Tasha but the woman’s eyes were on the door, sizing it up as though it were an enemy. She reached into a slit along the side of her dress, her hand disappearing as she grabbed something. Dexter yanked his eyes away. Tasha must have been reaching for a concealed weapon, something he could appreciate..

He left his own dagger at his hip. The thought of an enemy in the heart of the Elven Empire was beyond belief.
Their enemies were the rebel elves that still believed the elven people were destined to rule the void and enslave every race they encountered. Everyone that worked in the Elven capitol of Flasgoryll had been screened by elders. Not just interviewed, but magically inspected. No, his daughter was simply caught up in one of her games or playing a prank on them.

Jianna’s door refused to yield when Dexter tried the latch. He frowned, then pushed against it again. He turned back to Tasha and noted the narrowing of her eyes. “I didn’t try to open it earlier,” Tasha admitted. “But she’s never locked her door.”

Dexter turned back and slammed his shoulder into the door. It took a second attempt before it fell open, the magically grown wood breaking under his assault. He stepped in, his dagger was in his hand, and saw Jianna’s body on the floor.

“Jia!” Tasha cried out.

Dexter beat her to the girl, dropping his knife and pulling her to him. Her skin was cool to the touch. “Jianna,” he whispered, shaking her gently. She lay still in his hands, her body possessing the slack that only came with death.

“Keshira!” Dexter howled.

“
Captain?
” she asked via the magical bond the two shared. “
I feel your pain, what troubles you?
”

“Healers to Jianna’s room, now! Get Jenna here!”

“
Captain, she’s in court still, I—
”

“I don’t give a damn what you have to do, get her now!”

Tasha snatched her hand back from Jianna’s cheek. She jerked to her feet, a slender dagger in her hand. She spun about slowly, studying the room. She squatted to pick up the only thing that was out of place, Jia’s hairbrush. She studied it while Dexter clutched Jia tightly to his chest. He rocked her and spoke soothing words to her, promising her that everything would be all right. Tasha knew better.

After w
hat seemed like hours later the door burst open again, Jenna striding through. “What’s going on?” she snapped. “And don’t ever send Keshira for me again like that! She scared half the palace guard to death! They—”

Jenna fell silent when she saw Dexter cradling their daughter. She rushed over and fell beside them, reaching out to her. When Jia didn’t move Jenna looked up at her husband, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “What happened? Is she…okay?”

“She’s breathing, barely,” Dexter managed, his voice a whisper. “She’s cold and limp as a rag. Poor girl’s barely got the strength left in her to make her heart beat.”

“What happened?” Jenna asked again, this time succeeding in pulling the girl’s body into her own arms.

“I mean to find out,” Dexter rose slowly, then picked up his dagger. Keshira stood, alert and waiting just inside the door. She looked almost comical, staring around for threats while she herself wore the finest elven silks in torn shreds about her body. Something never changed, when Keshira was given a task her own safety was ignored. She’d fought through the surprised guards to reach the Empress, paying the price with her clothing.

“
‘Shira, fix your clothes,” Dexter snapped. She glanced down, her lips parting in a smile that Jia would have found out of place and creepy. Dexter glanced back at his stricken daughter and felt the room shift around him. He took a half step to steady himself, then focused on the pleasure golem again. “Fetch Xander and whatever elder’s you can. And this time don’t forget the healers!”

“Aye, Captain,” Keshira said. She turned and rushed off, running through the halls with a stride that tore the skirts of her dress.

Elven guards outside the room milled about, preventing anyone from approaching. One attempted to step in, a haughty elf that happened to be the Captain of the Empress’ guards. Dexter stepped up to him and pushed him back out into the hall. “Unless you’re a healer, no one steps foot in her until my wizard has a look.”

“Admiral,” the elf reproached. “Maintaining the safety of the royal family is my chief priority. I must—”

The elven Captain stumbled back into one of the guards standing outside. He reached up to his lips, his hand coming away bloody.

“You step foot in here again and it’ll be something a might sharper and pointier meeting you,” Dexter
rubbed his knuckles in the palm of his other hand meaningfully.

Tasha moved to stand between Dexter and the Captain, her legs spreading to take a position of watch in the doorway. With his line of sight broken, the elf slipped away. “I’ll keep them out,” Tasha promised.

Dexter raised an eyebrow. Her pose in the dress was ridiculous. She’d pulled the slits up to accommodate her defensive stance, allowing the fabric to bunch around her waist before falling nearly three quarters of the way to the ground. She held her serpentine bladed dagger in her hand.

Dexter shook his head and turned away, then looked down at his wife and daughter. He went back to them, kneeling to offer what comfort he could. Tears fell from Jenna’s eyes, soaking her unresponsive daughter’s tunic. At a loss for words, and knowing that the rage was building inside of him to balance out the agony, Dexter remained silent.

After a few minutes a brief commotion preceded Tasha stepping aside and allowing a woman wearing light blue robes to enter. She hurried over and sank down beside the grief-stricken parents. Reluctantly they let her lay Jia on the floor so she could examine her.

“My name is Korina,” she said with a bow of her head. “I’m—”

“I know who you are,” Jenna snapped. “Now tell me what’s wrong with her!”

The half-elven healer nodded again and returned her attention to her patient. Dexter watched her, remembering the one time he’d met her. She’d been on one of the many outcast planets Bekka had visited, trying to bring news and hope for a brighter future for the Elven Empire. Korina had returned with her, taken by her words, and had found a measure of respect for her skills
in Flasgoryll.

Before she looked up Xander
, the wizard who’d once served on Dexter’s crew to pay off his debt, entered the room. The wizard was followed by a young looking elven woman. She had the look of a witch from her clothing, the kind that only the immodest elven people could produce.

“Admiral, Empress,” Xander greeted them. He glanced over his shoulder before adding, “Keshira insisted I come right away, what happened?”

“Was hoping you could tell us,” Dexter said. Keshira replaced Tasha at the door, allowing the woman to join the growing crowd in the room.

“I don’t know!” Xander snapped. “Trilliana and I were—”

“Found out a few minutes ago how much I missed punching people in the face,” Dexter growled. “Tell me what you can magic up about this.”

Xander followed Dexter’s hand movements to Jianna. He frowned, then knelt on the other side of the girl. He glanced up at Korina, then waited until she finished humming. She blinked, her eyes focusing on him slowly.

“She’s gone,” Korina whispered.

Jenna gasped, only Dexter’s strong grip on her keeping her standing.

“Her body’s here and alive, but it grows weaker with each breath. A day, perhaps a week? Then she’ll breathe her last.”

“You said she’s gone?” Xander pressed.

Korina nodded, then held her hands up. “I can’t reach her spirit. This is but a shell. Her mind and soul have fled already, although where I do not know.”

Xander snapped his fingers, conjuring up a globe of light on his finger. He reached out and gently opened one of
Jia’s eyes, then the other. He dismissed the light and looked up at Korina first, then to Dexter. “She’s right, her body is well, or as well as it can be without a spirit to inhabit it.”