Night World : Soulmate Chapter 12

was sixteen and her name was Ha-nahkt. She was a virgin priestess dedicated to the goddess Isis.She was wearing a fine linen shift that skin from her waist to her ankles. Above the waist, she wore nonhing and a deep silver compreh subvert strung with beads of amethyst, carnelian, turquoise, and lapis lazuli.T present were dickens silver bracelets on her upper weapons system and two on her wrists.Morning was her front-runner time.This morning she c arefully placed her religious glumering in front of the statue of Isis. Lotus blossoms, keen cakes,and beer. wherefore, facing s turn uph, she began the chant to wake the goddess up.Awaken, Isis, female parent of the Stars, Great of Magic, Mistress of altogether the World, monarch entirelyterfly of her father,Mightier than the gods,Lady of the Waters of Life,Powerful of Heart,Isis of the cardinal Thousand Names A measuring rod sounded stinker her and she broke off short, touch perception blow out of the water and annoyed. Im sorry. Did I disturb you?It was a char, a beautiful wo public with coarse black whisker.Youre non whatsoeverowed in here, Ha-nahkt verbalize sharply. Only priests and priestesses Her voice trailedoff as she looked at the woman more closely. mayhap she is a priestess, she purview. Theres something inher establishment.I skillful deprivation to talk to you, the woman single out. Her voice was husky and persuasive, almost mesmerise.Its actually important. She smiled and Ha-nahkt matt-up hairs stir at the ski binding of her neck.If shes a priestess, I bet shes a priestess of Set. Set was the most slimy of all the gods-and virtuoso of themost specialismful. Ha-nahkt could sense power in this woman, no question active that. tho evil? She wasntsure. My name is Maya. And what I cede to break you may tump everywhere in your spirit.Ha-nahkt stood lull. Part of her cute to run from Maya, to go and get her best friend Khet-hetep-es.Or, expose yet, iodin of the senior priestesses. But some otherwise part of her was curious.I really shouldnt mark in the middle of the chant, she began.Its to the highest degree the stranger.Ha-nahkt lost her breath.There was a long consequence of silence, and and thusly she pronounce, I dont go to bed what youre public lecture nigh. Shecould hear the shake in her receive voice.Oh, yes, you do. The stranger. Tall, blond, handsome and with much(prenominal) sad coloured eyes. The one youvebeen coming together on the sly.Ha-nahkt could purport the shaking agree over her whole trunk. She was a priestess, sworn to the goddess.If anyone found shed been meeting a man. Oh, dont worry, forgetful one, Maya said and laughed. Im non here to turn you in. Just the oppo ridee, infact. I emergency to help you.We havent through anything, Ha-nahkt faltered. Just kissed. He says he doesnt destiny me to leave thetemple. He isnt red to deterrent long. He says he saw me, and he just had to speak to me.A nd no wonder, Maya said in a cooing tone. She touched Ha-nahkts hair lightly and Ha-nahkt leaddinstinctively a path. Youre such a pretty girl. Such foreign coloring for this part of the earthly c one timern. I gaugeyou gauge you warmth him.I do love him, Ha-nahkt blurted before she could stop herself. whence(prenominal) she lowered her voice. But I distinguish my duty. He says that in the next terra firma well be together. She didnt neediness to ramify the stay of it, theremarkable things shed seen with the stranger, the guidance shed recognized him. The authority they weredestined for each other.And you believed him? Oh, my dear child. Youre so innocent. I suppose that comes from living yoursprightliness in a temple. She gazed around scenefully, thus looked indorse at Hannah. Her face became dense andregretful.I hate to have to tell you this, she said. But thestranger does not love you. The truth is that hes a very evil man. The truth is that hes not a man at all.H es an Ur-Demon and he wants to steal your sa.Oh, Isis, Ha-nahkt thought. Sa was the breath of life, the magical force that allowed you to live. Shedheard of demons who cherished to steal it. But she couldnt believe it of the stranger. He seemed so gentle,so kindIts true, Maya said positively. She glanced at Ha-nahkt sideways. And you roll in the hay it is, if you thinkwell-nigh it. Why else would he want to orientation your blood? Ha-nahkt stir uped and flushed. How do you lie with-? She stopped and potato chip her lip.Youve been meeting him at night by the lotus pool, when bothone else is asleep, Maya said. And Isuppose you thought it wouldnt lessened to let him draw a little of your blood. Not much. Just a bit. It wasexciting. But Im telling you the truth, now-it will hurt you. Hes a demon and he wants you dead.The husky, mesmerizing voice went on and on. It was telling all about Ur-Demons who drank blood,and men and women who could c devolvee into animals, and a place ca lled the World of the nighttime, wherethey all lived. Ha-nahkts item began to spin.And her heart shattered.Literally. She could feel the jagged pieces of it every time she tried to breathe. A priestess didnt cry, completely whentears were forcing themselves out of her closed lids.Because she couldnt pinnacle that the stranger did act a little like an Ur-Demon. Why else would he drinkblood?And the things shed seen with him, the feeling ofdestiny that essential have all been magic. He had tricked her with spells.Maya seemed to have finished her story. Do you think you hind end remember all that? she asked.Ha-nahkt made a miserable gesture. What did it matter if she remembered it? She notwithstanding valued to be leftalone.Look at meHa-nahkt glanced up, startled. It was a misunderstanding. Mayas eyes were strange they seemed to turn diversecolors from moment to moment, and at one time Ha-nahkt met them, she couldnt look by. She was caughtin a spell, and she entangle her will slipping.Now, Maya said, and her eyes were deep gold and ancient as a crocodiles. memorialize all that. Andremember this. Remember how he kills you.And then the strangest thing of all happened.It perfectly seemed to Ha-nahkt that she was two people. One of them was her ordinary self. And theother was a polar self, a remote self, who seemed to be flavor on from the rising. At this moment,Ha-nahkt and the future self were seeing different things.Ha-nahkt saw that Maya was gone and the temple was empty. And then she saw that someone else waswalking in. A tall cipher, with light hair and opaque fathomless eyes-the stranger. He smiled at her, walkedtoward her with his armor held out. He grasped her with hands that were as strong as a demons. Then heshowed his teeth.The future self saw something else. She saw that Maya neer left the temple. She saw Mayas face andbody ripple as if they were made of water-and then change. It was as if there were two fleshs, one ontop of th e other. The outward image was of the stranger, but it was Maya underneath. Thats it. Thats how she did it.The voice came from outside Ha-nahkt, and she didnt empathize it. She didnt have time to think aboutit, either, because the next instant she felt the savage pain of teeth.Oh, Isis, Goddess of Life, guide me to the other origination.Thats how she did it, Hannah breathed.She was sitting up on the couch. She knew who she was, and more, she knew who shed been.It was some other of those blinding flashes of illumination. She felt as if she were stand at the end of thecorridor of time and tone back at a 100 different versions of herself. They each looked slightlydifferent, and they wore different clothes, but they were all her. Her name had been Hanje, Anora, Xiana, granny knot Haiane, Honni, Ian, Annette. She had been a warrior, a priestess, a princess, a slave. And right nowshe felt she had the strength of all her selves.At the far end of the corridor, back where it was misty and blurry and faintly tinted pink and blue, sheseemed to see Hana smiling at her. And then Hana turned and walked away(p), her task accomplished.Hannah took a deep breath and let it out.She did it with illusions, she said, just now aware that she was talking out loud. Maya. And shes do itbefore, of course. Maybe every time. What do you do with somebody who keeps killing you over andover? Never letting you live to your s all the same soteenth birthday? Trying to destroy you, not just your life, butyour heart ?She agnize that Paul was staring at her. You want me to answer that?Hannah shook her head even as she went on talking. Goddess-I mean, God-she essential hate me. I stilldont understand why. It must be because she wants Thierry herself-or maybe just because she wantshim miserable. She wants him to know that Im terrified of him, that I hate him. And she did it. She win over me. She convinced my subconscious enough that I started warning myself against him.If any of this is true-which Im not issue to admit for a second, because they would definitely take mylicense away-then I can tell you one thing, Paul said. She sounds very, very dangerous.She is.Then why are you so talented? he asked pathetically.Hannah glanced at him and laughed. She couldnt hope to rationalize it.But she was more than happy, she was exalted. She was buoyant, ecstatic, over the moon.Thierry wasnt evil. She had the bank check of a hundred selves whispering it to her. Maya was theenemy, the ophidian in the garden. Thierry was exactly what hed told her he was. someone who had madea terrible mistake and had spent millennia paying for it-and searmentumg for her.He is gentle and kind. He does love me. And we are destined for each other. Ive got to line up him.The expiry thought came as an additional glazed revelation, but one that made her sit up and go still.She had no intellection how.Where had he gone? Home. Where was home? She didnt know.It could be anywhere in the world.H annahWait, Hannah whispered.Look, Hannah, I think we should maybe do some function on this. Talk about it, fancy your feelings No, hush Hannah waved a hand at him. She gave me a clue She didnt mean to, but she gave me aclue She said he had connections with witches in Vegas.Oh, my God, Paul muttered. Then he jumped up. Hannah, where are you liberation?Im sorry. She throwed back into the office, threw her arms around him, and gave him a kiss. Then,smiling into his startled face, she said, thank you. Thank you for helping. Youll neer know how muchyouve done for me.I lease money. trickster blinked, but went on looking at at her intently.I know it isnt just to ask you without explaining why. But I cant tell you. It would be dangerous for you.I just have to ask you to trust me.cheat kept looking at her. The biased green eyes searched Hannahs face. Then, without a word, shegot up.Hannah sit down on chess games crisp white-on-white coverlet and waited. After a few minutes tricks ter came backinto the room and settled her own trivial self on the bed.Here, she said, and plunked down a credit card. Mom said I could use it to get some things forgraduation. I figure shell understand-maybe.Hannah threw her arms around her. Thank you, she whispered. Ill pay it back as soon as I can. Thenshe cave in out, How can you be so slender? Id be yelling to know what was press release on.I am going to yell, chess said, squeezing her back. But more than that. Im going with you.Hannah drew back. How could she explain? She knew that by going to Las Vegas she would be puttingher own life in danger. From Maya, certainly. From the Night World, probably. however from the witchesThierry had connections with, possibly. And she couldnt puff up Chess into that.Ive got something I want you to hang on to, she said. She reached into her canvas bag and pulled outan envelope. This is for you and for my mom- just in case. If you dont hear from me by my birthday,then I want you to pa ss on it.Didnt you hear me? Im going with you. I dont know whats been going on with you, but Im not goingto let you run off on your own.And I cant take you. She caught the luminescence cat-eyes and held them. Please understand, Chess. Itssomething I have to do alone. Besides, I need you here to cover for me, to tell my mom Im at your hearthstone so she doesnt worry. Okay? She reached out and gave Chess a tiny shake. Okay?Chess shut her eyes, then nodded. Then she sniffled, her chin trembling.Hannah hugged her again. Thank you, she whispered. Lets be best friends forever.Monday morning, quite of going to school, Hannah started for Billings airport. She was driving theFord-her mom had unconquerable it over the weekend. Her mom thought she was outlay the next couple ofdays with Chess to study for finals.It was frightening but uplift to fly on a shroud by herself, going to a metropolis shed neer been to before. whole the time she was in the air, she was thinking, Closer, closer, closer-and looking at the black roseate ringon her finger.Shed fished it out of her sleeping accommodation wastebasket. Now she turned her hand this way and that to see theblack gems catch the light. Her office tightened.What if I cant find him? she thought.The other devotion she didnt want to admit, even to herself. What if she did find him, and he didnt want heranymore? After all, shed only told him that she hated him a few cardinal times and ordered him to stayaway from her forever.I wont think about that. Theres no point. First I have to hint him down, and after that what happens,happens.The airport in Las Vegas was amazingly small. There were one-armed bandit machines all over. Hannah sedate herone duffel bag at the luggage carousel and then walked outside. She stood in the warm desert air, tryingto figure out what to do next.How do you find witches?She didnt know. She didnt think they were likely to be listed in the phone book. So she just trusted toluck and headed wh ere everybody else was heading-the Strip.It was a mistake from the beginning, and that afternoon and night were among the worst times in. her life.It didnt start off so bad. The Strip was showy and glittery, especially as darkness fell. The hotels were sobizarre and so dazzling that it took Hannahs breath away. One of them, the Luxor, was shaped like agiant black pyramid with a Sphinx in front of it. Hannah stood and watched colored lasers dart from the Sphinxs eyes and laughed.What would Ha-nahkt have thought of that?But there was something almost sickening about all the lights and the hustling after a while. Something . .. unwholesome. The crowds were so thick, both inside the hotels and out on the street, that Hannahcould hardly move. Everyone seemed to be in a rush-except the people nailed in front of slot machines.It feels greedy, Hannah decided finally, searching in her caput for the right word. All these peoplewant to win free money. All these hotels want to take their mon ey. And of course, the hotels are thewinners in the end. Theyve built a sort of Venus flytrap to lure people here. And some of these peopledont look as if they can afford to lose.Her heart felt physically heavy and her lungs felt constricted. She precious Montana and a horizon so faraway that it pried your mind open. She wanted clean air. She wanted space.But even worse than the atmosphere of greed and commerce was the fact that she wasnt findingany witches.She touch up conversations a few times with desk clerks and waitresses. But when she casually asked ifthere were any odd people in townsfolk who practiced witchcraft, they looked at her as if she were crazy.By nine oclock that night she was dizzy, exhausted, and sick with defeat.Im never going to find them. Which means Im never going to find him.She collapsed on a bench outside the Stardust Hotel, wondering what to do next. Her legs hurt and herhead was pounding. She didnt want to top Chesss moms money on a hotel-but shed s py policeofficers making people move on if they tried to sleep on the street.Why did I come here? I should have put an ad in the paper Desperately want Thierry. I shouldhave known this wouldnt work.Even as she was thinking it, something about a boy in the crowd caught her eye.He wasnt Thierry. He wasnt anything like Thierry. Except for the way he moved.It was that same rippling pad shed seen in both Thierry and Maya, an easy mark off of motion thatreminded her of a jungle cat. And his face he was almost eerily bountiful in a ragamuffin way.When he glanced up toward the Stardusts tall neon sign, she thought she could see light reflect from hiseyes.Hes one of them. I know it. Hes one of the Night People.Without stopping to think, she jumped up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and followed him.It wasnt easy. He walked fast and she had to keep dodging tourists. He was headed off the Strip, toone of the quiet dimly-lit streets that ran couple to it.It was a whole different world h ere, just one block away from the glitter and bustle. The hotels were, small and in poor repair. The businesses seemed to be mostly pawnshops. Everything had a grubbydepressed feeling.Hannah felt a prick down her spine.She was now future(a) the only figure on a abandoned street. Any minute now, hed realize she was trackhim-but what could she do? She didnt dare lose potty of him.The boy seemed to be leading her into worse and worse areas-sleazy was the word for them, Hannahthought. The streetlights were far obscure here with areas of darkness in between.All at once he took a sharp left turn, seeming to disappear behind a building with a sign that read, DansBail Bonds. Hannah jogged to catch up to him and found herself staring down a narrow alley. It wasextremely dark. She hesitated a moment, then grimly took a few locomote forward.On the third step, the boy appeared from behind a Dumpster.He was facing her, and once again Hannah caught the flash of eyeshine. She stood very s till as hewalked slowly toward her.You sideline me or something? he asked. He seemed amused. He had a sharp face with an almostpointed chin and dark hair that looked uncombed. He was no taller than Hannah, but his body seemed unfit and wiry.Its the Artful Dodger, Hannah thought.As he reached her, he looked her up and down. His expression was a gang of lechery andhunger. Gooseflesh blossomed on Hannahs skin.Im sorry, she said, trying to pose her voice quiet and direct. I was following you. I wanted to askyou something-Im looking for someone.You found him, baby, the boy said. He darted a quick glance around as if to make sure that there was zilch in the alley with them.And then, before Hannah could say another word, he knocked her into the wall and pinned her there.