Winning Souls Read online

  She made a face. “Have you released the woman from Lurutek?”

  He cocked his head. “Is that what brought you here?”

  She sighed. “Yes, as you well know if Ulises is a Guardian.”

  “He is not speaking to me. He feels his offer was made under duress.”

  She snickered. “That sounds more like the Enjel I have heard of. A little bit arrogant and rather pompous.”

  As she watched, the eyes flickered from lavender to deep amber. She inclined her head. “Hello, Guardian.”

  He nodded his head before the eyes snapped back to lavender. “Amazing. One insult and he rose.”

  “I did tell you. The Enjel are ruled by ego. They are attracted to beauty and possession. He must have been outraged that you were paying attention to me. My greatest asset is simply power.”

  “You do glow.” He smiled.

  She sighed at the handsome image he presented. She could almost imagine that it was an actual male sitting with her, one that had an interest in her personally.

  “I think that we have taken this conversation as far as we can today. Pardon me, but if we are still going through with the charade and visiting the meteor sites tomorrow, I need my sleep.”

  “You have not yet eaten.” There was concern on his features.

  “I can manage to order something, but I believe that our interaction is done for the day. Please leave.” She inclined her head, and he got to his feet.

  “Thank you for hearing me out.” He bowed and left her in her suite.

  She followed him to the door, locked it behind him and sprinted to the com unit. She needed to get a second opinion, fast.

  Relay answered immediately. “This isn’t a secure call.”

  “It is no longer an information-gathering situation. The being absorbing the souls is a remnant of a dead world, and my contact has already been compromised. He has offered the consciousness his body but is apparently trying to rescind the offer.”

  Relay whistled. “Right. Are you in danger?”

  Enher cocked her head. “No. Kiot seems relieved to have someone to talk with, and I have seen that Ulises’s mind is intact within the body.”

  “Is he in danger?”

  “No. If Kiot finds a more amenable host, he will surrender the Enjel.”

  Relay drummed her fingers against the table. “What does he want from you?”

  Enher twisted her lips before saying, “I think he wants me for my mind. If I had to guess, I am in line to get the job offer to be his Avatar.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  “I will. Kiot’s eyes are lavender, by the way. Just in case I call again and I don’t seem like myself.”

  “Good to know. Thanks for the update. I will look into Kiot and see what I can find. Check in in two days.”

  “I will. Have a good day.” Enher disconnected the call and went to change into a loose robe before debating her meal.

  The delivery slot chimed, and she wandered over. A hot meal of mixed greens, thinly sliced meat, nuts and a cascade of light dressing was the central platter. A small note was on the tray.

  You need to keep your strength up.

  She sighed and ate her meal, scooped the frozen berry dessert out of the small bowl and sipped at the cup of tea.

  She started yawning halfway through the tea. The damned stuff was a sedative.

  Enher stumbled to her bed and pulled the covers over her after setting the alarm for an hour before dawn. That man was going to get a piece of her mind, and he wasn’t going to enjoy it.

  Chapter Six

  She was dressed in practical shoes, loose trousers and a tunic with flowing sleeves that let the breezes in and kept the sunlight out.

  Enher waited at the dock for her vehicle, and she was surprised when Kiot pulled up in an exotic-looking skimmer.

  He got out and opened her access point with a flourish. “It will be faster to take our own vehicle. I know where I am going.”

  She settled in and put on the safety harness. “Fine, though you could have told me yesterday.”

  Her plan to spike his mind took a detour when he took the controls and they were on their way. There was never a good time to strike your pilot.

  “Why did you drug me last night?” She asked it as casually as she could.

  “What?”

  “The tea. I passed out halfway through the cup of tea.”

  He scowled. “For most, it is a mild relaxant. The Nurmegar drink it after dinner to aid in digestion.”

  “My biology is not like most.”

  “I apologise. My intent was only to relax you. You had a stressful evening.”

  They were streaking through the sky, and she could see the curvature of the world under them. They were nearing the first of the craters.

  “I did, but that is no reason for you to concern yourself. As Ulises, you had no say in my life, as Kiot you have even less.”

  His lips thinned as he pressed them together. “I wish to have a say in your life.”

  “That is too bad. You will need to be very convincing to get me to continue on with this charade.”

  “What about the minds I need to survive? Have you forgotten about them?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I did for a moment. Bravo. You have reminded me of why I am here.”

  He looked like he wanted to speak, but he pressed his lips together and began the descent into the first crater.

  She could see the dispersal pattern in the soil and rock around the impact point. As they settled near the crater, she unlatched her harness and jumped free the moment that forward momentum had ceased.

  Enher heard him hiss behind her, but she ignored him. If irritating him was what it would take to have a conversation with Ulises, she was going to be downright obnoxious. It was not her best thought-out plan, but she was going to have to improvise.

  She scrambled over the edge of the crater and headed to the central point where Kiot had first struck the soil.

  The energy pattern was strong here, but she could feel that it was just the residue of dispersal. Something with immense power had landed, and it had been scattered across the surface in search of other parts of itself.

  “This site was struck in the bright light of day. The largest part of me hit here.”

  Enher looked at him, and the overlapping glow that had marked him the first time she had seen him now made complete sense. She had not seen this particular kind of mixing before. Avatars blended with their planets. Kiot was simply riding along in Ulises’s body with the Guardian pushed aside.

  “I can see it. I can see the pattern of power as the solid bit of stone shattered and atomized, setting you free. I am guessing you went flailing around in search of your other parts and ran into the locals, using them as a bridge.”

  “How do you know that?” Kiot looked uncomfortable.

  “You didn’t fall all at once, so you had to draw psychic energy from somewhere to survive until the rest of you came down.”

  The eyes flickered again. Kiot didn’t like being called on his desperation. Ulises surfaced. “You are a perceptive woman.”

  She inclined her head. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “He is waiting to see what we speak of.” Ulises took her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles. It was one of the Enjel greetings that she had been watching for.

  “Well, I am glad you are here and alive. Are you under duress?”

  “No, I volunteered to let him take me provided that when there was enough power, others could go free. I had no idea that you were the power I was referring to.”

  Enher chuckled. “It is not a bad thing to be wanted for your mind.”

  His eyes grew intense, “But you have so much else to offer.” He reached out and stroked her cheek, but the moment he made contact, Kiot took over and pulled his hand back.

  She sighed. “Well, that was fun while it lasted.”

  He blinked.
“You are attracted to him?”

  She looked down at the pink hue to her skin. “Apparently. It is a handsome body, and he is a charming man.”

  The eyes flicked again. “Kiot is jealous of your appreciation.”

  The lavender was back. “I am not. I was just...I did not think that your species was into physicality.”

  “Normally, no, but when we are in season, of course we would prefer an attractive mate.”

  His eyes grew wide. “You are in season?”

  “Oh, no. It was just a hypothetical. This is definitely not a stable situation.” Enher picked up a small piece of glowing rock. She held it up next to Kiot. “You can see how he might be more attractive a choice than a piece of lifeless stone.”

  She had hurt him with those words. She wanted to take them back, but she needed to keep a distance between his mind and hers.

  A moment later, that thought was gone. A small creature hopped into the crater and continued until it was at her feet. Behind it, a trail of small beasts followed.

  She couldn’t resist. She leaned down and extended her hand; it moved toward her, and the softest thing she had ever felt was rubbing against her hand.

  The long, graceful ears quivered as she stroked them, and soon, a wall of warm, fluffy beasts who wanted her to touch them surrounded her. They tumbled and she laughed. She shared her joy with them, and Kiot began to glow.

  “You can stop looking so smug, Kiot. I could no more send these creatures away than I could disappoint a child.”

  “I am not smug. I am enjoying the link I feel with you.”

  She jerked her head up and noted the sincerity in his gaze. “So, when you pulled Ulises’s hand away...”

  He blushed. “I am unsure as to what I am feeling. He says I am jealous, but how can I be when I am not even of your species?”

  Enher raised her brows and kept cuddling the little ones until she shivered with the chill in the air. “Okay, back to the skimmer.”

  He blinked. “I wish you to stay here.”

  “Tough. I am going back to the skimmer. It is cool here, and I am not dressed for it.”

  She stomped around the fluffy creatures that looked at her with huge, dark eyes. They were now glowing with her energy, and she knew why she was getting so cold. The more she gave, the less she had to run her own body. Hopefully, they would get through the next few sites without anything wanting her attention.

  Enher-Dahl knew that she just wasn’t that lucky.

  He held her in his arms, and a cool compress was being stroked across her forehead.

  “Enher, what is wrong? You are so pale.”

  She struggled to sit up, but it was more of a feeble flopping. “I need a good meal and a good night’s sleep for a few days. You have drained me, Kiot.”

  “It isn’t Kiot.” He chuckled and shifted her higher in his lap. “He disappeared the moment that you fainted. What happened?”

  “Kiot is consuming me, via my joy, my affection and my pleasure. The more fun I have, the more he takes.” She was babbling, but she had to make him understand. “That is why he needs complete souls and not just psychic energy. He needs their joy to sustain him.”

  “Well, your illness has frightened him. On the plus side, all off-worlder souls that were held by him have now been released. He does not need them for cohesion anymore.”

  She slumped against his shoulder and sighed. “That is something at least.”

  “That is amazing. You have done something that no one has been able to figure out for the last five centuries.” He chuckled. “What do you do for the Citadel?”

  She yawned. “Recruitment. I can see energy patterns and judge control and strength. I know what they need to become exceptional, and I tell the Citadel so that they can be placed in the right training or teaching centre.”

  “Well, you have been able to determine the situation here.”

  “When will Kiot let you go?” She rubbed her eyes.

  “He won’t. I have agreed to be his permanent Avatar. He needs a voice and a means to interact with the world around him, and I can do that.” Ulises was practical.

  “What about your other life?”

  “I can be a Guardian here as well as anywhere else in the Imperium. The question is what will you do?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If you have given everything to Kiot, what is left?”

  She stared into his eyes, and there was a lavender swirl where amber had been. She scowled and leaned away. “I will recover. And now, I think I had better sit in my own seat.”

  Enher heaved herself into the seat next to Kiot’s and buckled in, though it took all of her energy. “Please tell me we are heading back to the city.”

  “I am taking you to the hospital for an examination. You were unconscious for twenty minutes.”

  She hissed. “I was asleep. It was natural. I was exhausted.”

  “You are in my care, and I will make sure that you are fine.”

  “You may as well change course. They won’t be able to see what is wrong with me if they haven’t figured out that you removed the souls of their ancestors.”

  “Who said that they hadn’t figured it out? They are very relieved that they can speak to me directly now.” He smiled brightly.

  She rolled her eyes. “I can imagine. They are still unfamiliar with my biology. I am telling you that I am fine.”

  He waved that off. “You are getting a scan.”

  Enher gripped the arms of her seat and power crackled around her. “No. I am not.”

  Fuelling herself with rage took on a new meaning when it came to her power. White-hot electricity crackled around her limbs, and her skin turned black.

  “Take me back to the city, or I take us both down and you will have to find a new body to play with.” Her voice was low and guttural, but she knew her gaze was steady.

  He looked at her, nodded and changed their heading.

  “Enher, is that normal?”

  “When someone tries to put me in a position I don’t want to be in, yes, it is.” She sat next to him with her skin radiating black and crackling with power.

  When he touched her, he pulled his hand back with a hiss.

  “This particular energy is not palatable, Kiot. You might not want to try that again.”

  He nodded, and they flew back to the city in silence.

  She snickered silently at managing to cow him. As he brought the vehicle near her hotel, she let the rage go and resumed her pale colouration.

  “I will make arrangements to return home in the morning.”

  He opened and closed his jaws with a snap. He nodded and let her go.

  Once in her room, she updated Relay and headed to bed. Her dispenser chimed, but she ignored it. She was in no mood to play with whatever Kiot thought she needed. What she needed was to resume her life and stop being used as a battery.

  Chapter Seven

  Waking before dawn let her head down to the restaurant and have the food that she felt comfortable with. The caf wasn’t nearly as good as at the café down the street, but she didn’t have to leave the hotel, so it came out even.

  After breakfast, she returned to her room and contacted Relay again.

  “Enher-Dahl, you look much better today. What can I do for you?”

  “Well, all of the coma patients are released, the souls are free and Ulises has agreed to be Kiot’s Avatar, so I am done here. How do I make arrangements to go home?” She bit her lip.

  Relay winced. “Well, there has been a change since last night. Kiot has decided that for balance, he requires duality. He has asked us to assign you as his second Avatar, but we have told him that it is impossible. We do not give our people away like that.”

  She nodded. “Right, so why is there a problem?”

  “Until we can get a Guardian outpost to send a representative, you can’t leave. Kiot has locked your travel documents and identification
. You are unable to leave Nurmegar, and we are not allowed to come and get you.”

  “I am going to pluck out every one of his feathers.” She grimaced.

  Relay nodded. “I will keep trying to get a Guardian ship to come for you, but they don’t like to leave their home worlds. They also don’t consider life as an Avatar to be a sacrifice.”

  “This consciousness has been jerking me around since I got here. I am tired of it, and I just want to go home.”

  Relay laughed. “It sounds like a bad date.”

  Enher blinked and leaned back. “I suppose it has been. It hasn’t been all bad, but when I see those lavender eyes, I just want to smack the hell out of his smug face.”

  “Keep me posted on your emotional attachment. I will keep working, and if I can find a ride for you, I will let you know.” Relay nodded.

  “Thank you. Goodbye.” She disconnected the call and sat back, thinking about her options. Either she could mope in her room, or she could hit Nurmegar where it hurt. She was going to the casino.

  The pit bosses had asked her to leave the gaming tables, so Enher spent her time selecting machines that were about to pay out.

  When she was heartily amused at the panic that accompanied her presence, she had the funds transferred to her account and she went in search of the next casino.

  In eighteen hours, she managed to get herself banned from four different casinos in the city and that meant only one thing...she needed to pack her bags and get travelling.

  She packed her things, found the next largest city and rented a skimmer. She took off with the night sky lit by four small moons.

  It was a beautiful night for a flight, and she enjoyed the moment until she noticed her skin was glowing a blush pink. She hoped that it was just a weird refraction of the moons. This was not the time for her to go into season. She was neither overly mature nor secure enough to feel that this was a good place for a child.

  She debated finding a willing Nurmegar to fill the need if there was one, and she discarded that idea immediately. They were willing to sell their own for profit and social elevation. That wasn’t what she wanted in a mate. Maybe she should find a nice tourist on an adventure tour.