To the right, where my attacker directs his glare, is the woman, Heret-Kau. Her otherworldly appearance stuns me into silence. Her long violet robe drapes revealingly around her bronze body, a cut on each side exposing the outsides of her thighs. Heret-Kau’s silver hair is plaited like swirling vines, the updo completed with a fantastical decorative ornament skewered through the middle. I am so enthralled by her beauty that for a few moments, I barely notice the way her robe is sewn into her chest with spiked golden cords. I recoil but instantly regret it; those yellow eyes narrow on me. I look away.
‘Interfering?’ Heret-Kau says, her voice smooth. ‘Oh, William, surely there is no issue here. The girl is clearly fine. We just needed a chance to talk alone.’
So this is William. The one I’ve heard so much about.
‘She seems to be in worse shape now than when you saved her,’ William snaps. Heret-Kau waves her hand dismissively.
‘You really do have a flair for the dramatic, Will.’ She crosses her legs, exposing her purple heels. ‘She’s fine. You’re fine, aren’t you, dear?’ she coos, her gaze sliding down to my trembling hands. I must look as frightened as I feel. ‘Well, mostly anyway.’
‘Was that real? That place… the fire…’ William flashes an accusing look back to Heret-Kau.
‘Good question,’ she says and after a few seconds, I realise she has no intention of answering.
‘That girl… did she…?’ My voice comes out as a whisper. The stern man on the left raises his head, his eyes alight and interest piqued.
Heret-Kau smiles slightly. ‘You were unconscious. It was just a dream.’
Relief runs through me. It wasn’t real. It was just a nightmare. Heret-Kau slaps her palms down on the white desk, causing everyone to flinch. ‘May I also say it has been such a long time since I’ve spoken to a human before. I’m so excited to have you here.’ She readies herself, standing up from her chair.
‘I haven’t even introduced myself. Many people call me Heret-Kau, and this is my…’ She pauses, indicating to the other man behind the desk. ‘Associate?’ The question in her tone causes him to mutter something inaudible. ‘We manage the transference of souls in the afterlife. There are many words for what we are. Some humans call us Gods, and for myself, I am bestowed many names from many cultures but today, Heret-Kau is fine.’ A sudden inflection rises in her voice, excitement brimming in her words. ‘Let me just get something out from under… here.’ She rummages around under the desk.
William groans, apparently knowing what it is she wants to show me. ‘This is not necessary. The girl is clearly not staying.’ She pulls out a crimson box, gold details inscribed on the edges.
Throwing it into the space between us, it expands to release a glowing orb. ‘This is what I use to explain to new demons how things work around here,’ she explains. ‘It’s been so long since I’ve had to use this. Firstly, there is the mortal world.’ A little picture appears in the air, hovering in a bubble. She flicks between pictures of humans and landscape shots with her fingers. ‘The natural order of things here is that when you die, you rest in peace and move on. Now, every so often, there comes a human soul that cannot move on. This person can’t be processed. Naturally, this makes it incredibly difficult to place the soul in the afterlife without disrupting the natural order. So in these cases, the human soul is sent to purgatory, which is this realm, in order to have an extended time to process these leftover feelings and eventually move on in their own time.’
Heret-Kau clicks her fingers again to show archaic pictures of horned creatures, terrorising innocent villagers through violence and mayhem. ‘These individuals become what we have termed demons. The abilities you may notice from these demons are a by-product of this process. Souls work in mysterious ways, and it depends on the person as to how their soul manifests itself in this world.’ She closes the box and the orb disappears, putting it back under the desk. ‘Short and sweet. Any questions?’
‘No, I don’t think so,’ I say, looking between William and Heret-Kau. I can barely process what I’ve heard, let alone think of questions.
The Goddess smirks. ‘If I do say so myself, she sure does look a lot like–’
‘Don’t,’ William interrupts.
Heret-Kau smiles broadly now. ‘Well now, aren’t we touchy?’
William scowls, clenching his jaw. A silence continues as Heret-Kau stands up and walks in front of the desk. Her high heels are silent on the white floor. She clicks her fingers and a void opens up from the roof. Xander drops out suddenly, falling flat on his face.
‘Oh, Alexander, I’m so sorry. I completely forgot about you,’ she says, bending down to pat him stiffly on his head of forest-green hair. The boy groans, picking himself up.
‘Now that everyone’s here, why don’t you tell us what this is really about?’ William asks sternly, making a gesture in my direction. ‘You’re clearly not planning on wiping her memories like the others, or else you wouldn’t have told her about us.’
I frown. The others?
Heret-Kau smiles eagerly. ‘I have the best idea, Will, honestly I do. You’re going to love it.’ William’s eyes narrow, unsure where this is leading. Heret-Kau glides over to me and takes hold of my hand. ‘I’m going to have her live with you two.’
‘What?’ Both William and I exclaim in tandem.
‘I refuse,’ he states, bluntly. Xander shifts a little, unsettled. This doesn’t make any sense. Why would I stay here? I don’t have anything they want. There is no reason to keep me in this place, especially with those two demons who just recently were very ready to kill me, and probably still are.
I snatch my hand back from Heret-Kau’s long claws. ‘Are you saying I can’t go home? You can take my memories away if you need to. I don’t mind.’
‘Siara, I’m sorry, but I do need to get this demon here moved on as soon as possible. I know you’re connected to Charlotte in some way, but I’m not sure how. When it’s all said and done, I’ll drop you back home and it will be as if you never left. You have my word.’
‘How do you even know it has something to do with me?’ I say, trying to find a way out. Heret-Kau frowns, puzzled.
‘I think it’s what you humans call a hunch.’
William’s fierce glare returns. ‘I am not babysitting a human based on a hunch.’
‘I can smell it on her,’ Heret-Kau states, moving away from the desk and walking towards me. The loosely draped fabric of her robe seems to defy physics as it moves through the space, an ethereal sway that is both captivating and terrifying. The Goddess leans in and her scent follows her. Morning rain, fresh earth and rosemary all combine in a way that speaks to my human experience. But it’s a lie, I think, looking up at the entity before me. She is anything but human. Heret-Kau leans back. ‘The spirits can sense it too. If there is no Siara, there is no Charlotte. And quite frankly, Will, do you have another idea? You’re running out of time.’
There is silence. The demons look away, quiet uneasiness brewing in the air. ‘How long have you known about this connection?’ William murmurs.
Heret-Kau shrugs, placing her claws on my shoulders and giving me a small facetious smile. ‘Does it matter? She’s here now.’ She twirls me around and pushes me, causing me to stumble towards the demon. He steps out of the way and I fall to the ground. Heret-Kau voices a displeased sound. Before I can stand, the ground below us shifts abruptly. The Goddess’ voice sings. ‘Well, that’s all I have time for. I’ll speak to you soon. Also, you can’t kill the human, William, so please don’t try. I’ll know if you do.’
We drop, weightlessness embracing me before my palms fall forward onto familiar floorboards. All three of us remain motionless in the centre of the room we were taken from. No hole in the centre of the room. William doesn’t look at me, but the cool rage beneath his surface is evidently clear. He leaves the room with a deafening silence.
The windows clatter in their frames from the strong wind outside. Dread fills my stomach as I wander over. What awaits is a winter wasteland. A world covered in ice and snow that stretches out, hostile and unwelcoming. Uninhabitable, I’m sure. The only hint of life is the row of trees on the outskirts of the clearing eluding to a dense forest, equally menacing and covered in thick snow. It is dangerous, but not any more dangerous than here with these demons.
Barely able to control myself, I clamber through the glass doors as hard and as fast as I can. I leap down the steps, landing in the thick snow with a thud. With all the strength I have I run, whipped on either side by chilled winds. The harsh winter storm scratches at my face and the freezing snow bites at my feet. I endure the pain. Just a little longer. Just a little further.
When my legs can’t possibly run any further, I glance over my shoulder. Nothing. Nothing at all. I expected at least some sort of response but I’m not complaining. Trees surround me on all sides. Lost. Again.
It’s cold, very cold. Still in jeans and a jumper, I curl up under a sunken half of a fallen tree for shelter and attempt to wait out the storm that grows worse with every second. The sound of trudging feet crunches through the wind, a pair of green feet appearing in front of me, small hands wiping the snow off my shoulders and hair.
‘It’s no use.’ The boy sits down beside me. ‘You can’t leave this world, not by yourself.’
I turn to face him, surprised, but his eyes remain focused ahead.
