Soul Song ~ Book One

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Whistling, Jerum easily carried Mirabella's lifeless body to the bowels of the mountain, where he resides. Pitching his hips side to side forced her body to swing, her arms sometimes wildly flailing. Every few feet, he skipped, making her head hit the small of his back, at which he laughed, and continued on his way.

A chamber was constructed, at the same time as the castle, in the raw rock, further down than any other part. It was there Jerum laid his head. Not for him, were the square rooms of the upper reaches. He could never keep secrets if he lived up there. Even further than the forsaken altar room the Healers originally lost their Magiks, and lives in, stood a massive door. Waving a hand in front of it, Jerum waited as the sounds of locking mechanisms sliding, and unlatching died down. After the final lock opened, Jerum pushed the door, revealing a large cavern that acted as his living quarters.

A single Elder-made mirror stood to one side of a large bed. Although the Elders only see monsters after they are Changed, few gave up their vanity. Many ignored the face in the mirror, and only paid attention to how their robes hung. Jerum, on the other hand, relished his new reflection. The bed boasted the furs of the many animals Jerum had killed. So many, in fact, that they spilled over onto the floor, removing the line between bed, and floor.

Nearby, a stone table had been wrought out of the stone floor. It was here Jerum placed Mirabella's body. Smiling down at his prize, Jerum studied the body, looking for imperfections. It had to be perfect for her. He brushed aside an errant lock of wild, curly, brown hair. A small speck of dirt blemished the cheek beneath the wide open eyes. Licking his finger, he drug it across the perfect skin, removing the offending dirt. Finding the body to be satisfactory, healthy in fact, Jerum turned his back to the body, and closed his eyes.

"Mother of all evil, I call to you, come to me, and accept this gift I bring for you."

The words were barely finished being uttered before a black mist materialized before him. Dropping to the ground, he kneeled with his head coming just short of touching the floor.

"I have brought you a gift, Mother. A body to replace that which was taken from you."

The mist pushed itself into the vague shape of a woman. Jerum scooted to the side as the mist 'walked' to the body, looking it over.

"You have done well, my son," it whispered. The mist floated above Mirabella's body a moment before sinking down into the lifeless body. Mirabella's eyes snapped open, and she took a deep breath. No longer were her eyes sparking green, or even opaque white. Now, they held only fathomless black orbs. The creature sat up, and stretched in Mirabella's body.

"Ahh, it has been so long!" Mirabella's clear voice rang out, but the tone was all wrong. She eagerly inspected her new arms, and hands. Standing, she turned in front of the mirror, laughing.

"For two thousand years I have waited," she said.

"And I, Mother," Jerum interjected. The creature turned toward him, reaching out a hand to gently touch the side of his head.

"Yes, my son. Forced to stay a child for nearly two thousand years. But now, it is your time. And, it is mine." She stopped, cocking her borrowed head. "This body is with child. Several months along. But it was dead long before then. Odd."

"Yes, the woman mated with the young Elder, Damien, of which I spoke."

Mirabella's eye brows rose with interest. "It is a pure blooded child?"

Jerum nodded.

"Isn't that interesting? Hmm, I must think on that for a bit. There are so many possibilities...." Mirabella's face flushed red with rage. "Plague! Show yourself! If you would have words with me, then do not hide from me, skulking in corners!"

A second black mist oozed in from a shadowed, high place in the cavern. As it descended, a loud moan grew ever louder as the mist grew nearer. By the time it was almost to the pair at the bottom, the moan had turned to a deafening wail that rattled small items around the room, and shattered the mirror. Jerum covered his ears, but the creature in Mirabella's body only watched with contempt, unimpressed. Finally, the wailing ended, and the mist halted in front of the creature.

"What causes such a powerful being as Plague to spy upon others? Could it be that It is bored?" she sneered.

"Those with borrowed bodies, and borrowed time should not tweak the nose of one more powerful than they." Plagues voice enveloped hundreds of voices, screaming, and sighing, and moaning all at once as they spoke.

The Mirabella imposter shrieked a laugh. "You? More powerful than I? I, who has endured thousands of years? What is it I could fear from you? You, who are rendered useless by something as simple as a single Healer."

"It is not I you should fear. The Sources grow weary of your antics."

Mirabella's lip pulled up in a snarl. "They will not stop me this time. That fool, Klellen, has done all he was meant to, and that child They dare to empower against me, will pose no threat!"

"You dare blaspheme against the Sources?" the black mist roared. "They, who gave you life? They who gave you wisdom, and power?"

"They, who took my husband from me!" The creature screamed, and shot black Magiks toward Plague from Mirabella's hands. The black mist crackled, and dissipated.

Collapsing in a heap, the imposter cried tears from Mirabella's borrowed eyes. Jerum felt no need to console the woman crying on the ground. He knew she was strong, and would destroy him in a flash for trying. Patiently, he waited.

Mirabella's head lifted, empty black eyes blinking only once. Standing, she turned to Jerum.

"It is almost time, my son. We will continue to strengthen you with our experiments. Fetch the girl, and let us begin. We haven't much time." She then placed her palm on Mirabella's abdomen. Closing her black eyes, she pulled her fingers into a fist. When she opened her fist, a pile of ash lay there.

"I won't be needing this," she said, and dusted the ash from her hands, her stomach completely flat.