My Soul to Take
Page 35
He laughed again, and I followed him up the steps to a wobbly bridge made of wooden planks chained loosely together. It doesnt sound like screaming to the soul. Or to me either. Your wail is beautiful to male bean sidhes. Nash turned to look at me from the top step, his gaze soft, and almost reflective. More like a wistful, haunting song. I wish you could hear it the way we hear it.
Me too. Anything would be better than the earsplitting screech I heard. What else can I do? Tell me the parts that dont make me want to dig my own ears out of my skull.
Nash pulled me onto the bridge, which rocked beneath us until I sat in the middle with my legs dangling over the side. You can keep a soul around long enough for him to hear the thoughts and condolences of his friends. Or say goodbye to his family, though they cant hear him.
So Imuseful? My pitch rose in earnest hope.
Totally. He settled onto the next plank, facing my profile with one leg hanging over the edge of the bridge and the other arching behind me.
My smile swelled, as did the warmth spreading throughout my chest, slowly overtaking my unease at the very thought of suspending a human soul. I wasnt sure whether this blossoming peace stemmed from my newfound purpose in lifeand in deathor from the way Nash watched me, like hed do anything to make me smile.
So what can you do?
Well, my vocal cords arent as powerful as yours, but a male bean sidhes voice does carry a kind ofInfluence. A strong power of suggestion, or projection of emotion. He shrugged and draped one arm over the rope railing, leaning back to see me better. We can project confidence, or excitement. Or any other emotion. A bunch of us together can urge groups into action, or pacify a mob. That one was big during the witch trials, and public panics of old. He grinned. But mostly, we just relax people when theyre nervous, or upset. Nash shot me a meaningful look, and I sucked in a startled breath so big I nearly choked on it.
You calmed me, didnt you? In the alley behind Taboo.
And behind the school, this afternoon. With Meredith
How could I not have realized? Id never been able to control the panic before, without putting distance between myself andthe pre-deceased.
I blinked back grateful tears and started to thank him, but he spoke before I could get the words out. Dont worry about it. It was cool to finally get to show off.
And theres more, other than the Influence?
He nodded, and the bridge rocked as he leaned forward, eyeing me dramatically. I can direct souls.
What? Chill bumps popped up beneath my sleeves, in spite of theunseasonably warm evening.
Nash shrugged, like it was no big deal. You can suspend a soul, and I can manipulate it. Tell it where to go.
Seriously? Where do you send it? I couldnt wrap my mind around the concept.
Nowhere. He leaned back against the rope and frowned. Thats the problem. Your skills are useful. Altruistic, even. Mine? Not so much.
Why not?
Because theres only one place to send a disembodied soul.
The afterlife? I folded one leg beneath the other and twisted to face him, trying not to be completely overwhelmed by the possibilities he was throwing at me.
He shook his head as a cicadas song began in the distance. A soul doesnt need me for that.
And suddenly I understood. You can put it back! Into the body. I sat up straight and the bridge swayed. You can bring someone back to life!
Nash shook his head, still somber in spite of my growing enthusiasm, and stood to pull me up. It takes two of us. A female to capture the soul, and a male to reinstate it. His hand found my hip again, and the heat behind his gaze nearly scorched me. We could be amazing together, Kaylee.
My cheeks blazed.
Then the reality of what he was saying truly hit me, like a blast of cold air to the face.
We can save people? Reverse death? You should have told me that part first! A tingly exhilaration blossomed in my chest, and at first I didnt understand when he shook his head.
But then my excitement withered, replaced by a cold, heavy feeling of regret. Of mounting guilt. So not only did I fail to warn Meredith, I let her die, when we could have saved her. Why didnt you tell me? I couldnt stop the flash of anger that realization brought. Meredith would still be alive if Id known how to help her!
No, Kaylee. Nash tilted my chin up until I saw the dark regret swirling in his eyes. We cant just go around shoving souls back into dead bodies. It doesnt work like that. You cant even warn someone of his own death. Its physically impossible, because you cant do anything else while youre singing a souls song. Right?
I nodded miserably. Its completely consuming. Though I still couldnt imagine that horrible screech sounding like the song hed described. But there has to be a way around that. I sidestepped him on the wobbly bridge and took the steps two at a time. My mind was racing and I needed to move. We could work out some kind of signal or something. When I get a premonition, I could point, and you could go warn theumpre-deceased.
Me too. Anything would be better than the earsplitting screech I heard. What else can I do? Tell me the parts that dont make me want to dig my own ears out of my skull.
Nash pulled me onto the bridge, which rocked beneath us until I sat in the middle with my legs dangling over the side. You can keep a soul around long enough for him to hear the thoughts and condolences of his friends. Or say goodbye to his family, though they cant hear him.
So Imuseful? My pitch rose in earnest hope.
Totally. He settled onto the next plank, facing my profile with one leg hanging over the edge of the bridge and the other arching behind me.
My smile swelled, as did the warmth spreading throughout my chest, slowly overtaking my unease at the very thought of suspending a human soul. I wasnt sure whether this blossoming peace stemmed from my newfound purpose in lifeand in deathor from the way Nash watched me, like hed do anything to make me smile.
So what can you do?
Well, my vocal cords arent as powerful as yours, but a male bean sidhes voice does carry a kind ofInfluence. A strong power of suggestion, or projection of emotion. He shrugged and draped one arm over the rope railing, leaning back to see me better. We can project confidence, or excitement. Or any other emotion. A bunch of us together can urge groups into action, or pacify a mob. That one was big during the witch trials, and public panics of old. He grinned. But mostly, we just relax people when theyre nervous, or upset. Nash shot me a meaningful look, and I sucked in a startled breath so big I nearly choked on it.
You calmed me, didnt you? In the alley behind Taboo.
And behind the school, this afternoon. With Meredith
How could I not have realized? Id never been able to control the panic before, without putting distance between myself andthe pre-deceased.
I blinked back grateful tears and started to thank him, but he spoke before I could get the words out. Dont worry about it. It was cool to finally get to show off.
And theres more, other than the Influence?
He nodded, and the bridge rocked as he leaned forward, eyeing me dramatically. I can direct souls.
What? Chill bumps popped up beneath my sleeves, in spite of theunseasonably warm evening.
Nash shrugged, like it was no big deal. You can suspend a soul, and I can manipulate it. Tell it where to go.
Seriously? Where do you send it? I couldnt wrap my mind around the concept.
Nowhere. He leaned back against the rope and frowned. Thats the problem. Your skills are useful. Altruistic, even. Mine? Not so much.
Why not?
Because theres only one place to send a disembodied soul.
The afterlife? I folded one leg beneath the other and twisted to face him, trying not to be completely overwhelmed by the possibilities he was throwing at me.
He shook his head as a cicadas song began in the distance. A soul doesnt need me for that.
And suddenly I understood. You can put it back! Into the body. I sat up straight and the bridge swayed. You can bring someone back to life!
Nash shook his head, still somber in spite of my growing enthusiasm, and stood to pull me up. It takes two of us. A female to capture the soul, and a male to reinstate it. His hand found my hip again, and the heat behind his gaze nearly scorched me. We could be amazing together, Kaylee.
My cheeks blazed.
Then the reality of what he was saying truly hit me, like a blast of cold air to the face.
We can save people? Reverse death? You should have told me that part first! A tingly exhilaration blossomed in my chest, and at first I didnt understand when he shook his head.
But then my excitement withered, replaced by a cold, heavy feeling of regret. Of mounting guilt. So not only did I fail to warn Meredith, I let her die, when we could have saved her. Why didnt you tell me? I couldnt stop the flash of anger that realization brought. Meredith would still be alive if Id known how to help her!
No, Kaylee. Nash tilted my chin up until I saw the dark regret swirling in his eyes. We cant just go around shoving souls back into dead bodies. It doesnt work like that. You cant even warn someone of his own death. Its physically impossible, because you cant do anything else while youre singing a souls song. Right?
I nodded miserably. Its completely consuming. Though I still couldnt imagine that horrible screech sounding like the song hed described. But there has to be a way around that. I sidestepped him on the wobbly bridge and took the steps two at a time. My mind was racing and I needed to move. We could work out some kind of signal or something. When I get a premonition, I could point, and you could go warn theumpre-deceased.
