Without meeting my eye, he replies, ‘As I said before, one needs to be led here to enter the valley and fortunately, thanks to the dead zone, the drone fell short.’ He scatters a handful of fish food into the pond and observes the carp eagerly feeding on the pellets. ‘With any luck, Haven should remain hidden from Incarnate eyes. Still, regrettably your little venture has significantly increased our risk of discovery.’

  The disappointment in his voice is more painful than Goggins’ furious outburst. I’ve not only let Caleb down but everyone in Haven. A tense silence falls over us as we stand beside the pond, watching the hungry mouths of the carp gobble up their food.

  After a minute or so, I ask tentatively, ‘Did, er … did Empote say anything to you … about me?’

  Caleb glances up as if startled. ‘Sorry, Genna? I’m a little distracted,’ he says with a brief, tense smile. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I need to meditate on our situation.’ Tossing the last of the fish food into the water, he limps stiffly away, his cane tapping along the path until he disappears round the corner in the direction of the glass pyramid.

  I remain by the pond, uncertain how to read Caleb’s reaction. Was he just still angry with me about the rescue? Or was he trying to avoid talking about the Soul Prophecy? Whatever the reason, he appeared strangely agitated and – dare I say? – even scared.

  38

  Feeling desperately in need of a shower and some rest, I head through the Zen garden, into the courtyard and over towards my apartment. Santiago, Mick and Jintao are huddled round a table, deep in conversation. They stop and turn as I enter. I offer a hesitant wave in greeting, but Santiago scowls and Mick mutters something to him, while Jintao responds with a cool look. Saddened by this frosty response, I follow the covered walkway round to my apartment. On reaching the door, I hear a friendly mew and am greeted by Nefertiti, who rubs against my leg and begins purring loudly.

  ‘Hello, Nefe. At least you’re giving me a warm welcome,’ I say, picking her up and stroking her gently.

  ‘Oh, don’t fret about them, mia cara,’ soothes a lilting, richly accented voice. ‘Or about Goggins.’

  I look round to discover Viviana reclining in her rocking chair under the olive tree outside her apartment. My cheeks burning, I mumble, ‘You heard him? From here?’

  Viviana arches a thin pencilled eyebrow. ‘It’s difficult not to, with Goggins. Always he’s shouting at someone or other,’ she says, excusing his behaviour with a wave of her hand. ‘Indeed, I don’t think he’s happy unless his voice is raised to at least a hundred decibels.’ She sighs heavily, a frown deepening the careworn wrinkles on her brow. ‘But we must remember, the Chief Protector has such a great burden upon his shoulders.’ She pats the stool next to her. ‘Come, mia cara, join me in the shade.’

  I sit down next to her. Without hesitation, Nefertiti jumps up and settles on my lap.

  ‘We’ve all been very worried about you,’ admits Viviana.

  ‘Really?’ I question, snatching a quick look across at Santiago and the others, whose expressions haven’t lightened. ‘The others seem more angry than relieved.’

  ‘Oh, men!’ she tuts. ‘Granted, some of us were upset at the risk you took with your Light, but now we’re just glad you’re safe. That’s the truth.’ She graces me with a grandmotherly smile of care and love.

  ‘I didn’t mean to worry everyone,’ I insist, a knot of the guilt twisting my stomach. ‘But I had to rescue my Protector. Phoenix is the only one who can keep my soul safe.’

  ‘Yes, yes. I understand, mia cara,’ she says, gently patting my knee. ‘What you’ve done is admirable … if a little foolish. If my Goggins were in trouble, I’d certainly feel compelled to save him. But what’s an eighty-year-old woman with arthritis going to do?’ She shrugs.

  I blink in surprise. ‘Goggins is your Soul Protector?’ I find it hard to envisage a more mismatched pairing.

  ‘For my sins, yes!’ she chuckles. ‘I was living quite peacefully in my remote little chalet, high in the Italian Alps, until he turned up!’ She puffs out her cheeks in apparent annoyance. ‘But unknown to me a pack of Soul Hunters was slowly closing in. One morning I awoke to find my villetta surrounded. I thought my end had come.’ Viviana shakes her head woefully at the memory, then the corners of her mouth curl into an artful grin. ‘But like a bull in a china shop, as you say, Goggins appeared – and if my old villetta wasn’t a ruin before, it certainly was after that!’

  She laughs ruefully.

  ‘What? He destroyed your home?’ I say, astonished.

  ‘Goggins is not one for subtlety. He’s more of a hammer than a scalpel!’ She gives a weary roll of her eyes. ‘And yet, while I may complain, I wouldn’t wish for any other Protector for my soul. He’s saved me on so many occasions, sacrificed so much over our countless lifetimes together, that I can forgive his somewhat brusque and brutal ways. I have to remind myself he only has my best interests at heart. In fact, he has all our interests at heart.’

  Recognizing that I hold similar feelings to these for Phoenix, I’m about to agree with Viviana when a flurry of ice-blond hair throws herself down beside my chair. ‘Genna, vy vernulis!’ cries Tasha. She hugs my knees tightly, dislodging Nefertiti, who leaps off my lap with a disgruntled meow.

  ‘Yes, I’m back, Tasha,’ I reply, returning the girl’s eager embrace, glad someone other than my cat is happy at my return.

  ‘I heard you were bitten by a snake!’ she says, breathless, her crystal-blue eyes wide in horrified amazement. ‘What happened? How did you survive?’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m fine now,’ I assure her, before recounting my experience with Empote and his remarkable healing powers. I’m careful, however, to leave out my vision and what it apparently reveals about me and the Soul Prophecy.

  When Tasha begins to pepper me with questions about Phoenix’s rescue, Viviana gently interrupts, ‘Tasha, mia bambina, Genna is very tired and probably hungry too. Be a good girl and ask Fabian to make her something to eat.’

  Nodding obediently, Tasha dashes off on her errand. But not before she’s whispered in my ear, ‘Whatever the others say, I think you’re very brave!’

  As I watch the blond-haired bundle of energy dance off through the orchard, I remark to Viviana, ‘She’s certainly a bright soul.’

  ‘That she is …’ says Viviana, her wrinkled face creasing with affection for the girl. ‘All the more amazing considering the hard start she had to this life.’

  I turn to Viviana. ‘What do you mean?’

  Rocking back in her chair, Viviana knits her arthritic fingers together and prepares to explain. ‘The poor child Wakened early,’ she says, ‘and was under threat from the Incarnates long before she was ready.’

  ‘Are any of us ever ready?’ I question, thinking of my own Wakening at Mei’s parents’ exhibition at the museum and that first terrifying encounter with Damien.

  ‘No, I guess not!’ agrees Viviana with a humourless laugh. ‘But Tasha was barely eight years old when a black-eyed Russian Security Service agent visited her family without warning.’

  My jaw drops open in shock and pity. I can’t imagine how I’d have coped at such a young age. ‘Poor Tasha! How did she ever survive?’ I ask.

  ‘In truth, it’s a miracle she did,’ admits Viviana. ‘From what little she’s been willing to tell me, she was forced to flee her home and hide on the cold, bitter streets of Moscow. At some point she sought shelter with the Bratva, the Russian mafia. However, they turned out to be almost as dangerous as the Incarnates themselves, so she found herself on the run from both the FSB Hunter and the Bratva.’

  ‘She did that alone?’ I say, aghast. ‘She was only eight! Where was her Protector?’

  ‘Desperately looking for her.’ Viviana’s rheumy eyes narrow. ‘Just as the FSB Hunter was – and it was he who found Tasha first.’

  ‘So how come Tasha’s still alive?’ I ask.

  Viviana gently shakes her head as if mystified herself. ‘Somehow she managed to escape on to the frozen Moskva river. But the ice cracked beneath her feet and she fell into the icy water. That might have been the end for little Tasha had the Hunter not pulled her to safety –’

  ‘He saved her?’

  A grimace darkens Viviana’s face. ‘Yes, but only so that Tanas would be able to perform his unholy ritual.’ A smile then curls the corner of Viviana’s cracked lips. ‘But Tasha’s Protector wasn’t too far behind, thankfully, and caught up with them at the river. There was a vicious battle. Tasha’s Protector, despite being gravely wounded, managed to kick the FSB Hunter into the water, where he drowned!’

  ‘That was a last-minute rescue,’ I remark. ‘Thank heavens. Who’s Tasha’s Protector?’

  ‘Clara,’ reveals Viviana. ‘You may have seen her around here. She has a scar across her cheek, a rather permanent reminder of that particular encounter.’

  I nod, remembering the older woman I’d seen training in the gym when I first arrived at Haven. ‘Well, however tough Tasha’s Wakening was, she seems to have an even tougher Protector!’

  ‘We’re all blessed with our Protectors,’ agrees Viviana, ‘and we all have our own stories to tell.’ She thrusts her chin in the direction of Santiago and the others. ‘Santiago is what you would call a traditional man,’ she explains with a wry smile. ‘He’s still getting over the fact that he was saved from an Incarnate ambush by a fifteen-year-old girl wielding a Glock 17 pistol!’

  Recalling the sharpshooter on the firing range, I ask, ‘Does she have red hair?’

  Viviana nods. ‘That’s right. Lena, from Poland.’

  ‘What about Mick?’

  ‘Tragically, he lost his Protector to Tanas in a previous lifetime. He now relies on a Warrior. Likewise, so does Thabisa and her son Kagiso. In fact, Tarek is Thabisa’s Warrior. But it’s a fact that the bond between Ascendant and Warrior is never as strong as it is with your Protector. That’s why I understand your need to save Phoenix.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I reply, heartened. At that moment Tasha darts back across the lawn and presents me with a bowl of steaming fresh pasta.

  ‘Spasibo,’ I say, thanking her in Russian, the language coming easily to my lips. As I tuck appreciatively into my food, the other First Ascendants wander over to check I’m OK. Fabian joins us from the kitchen; Sun-Hi and her children come with a jug of freshly squeezed lemonade; Thabisa and her son offer a bunch of flowers picked from the garden; and even Santiago and the others gather round eventually. My misadventure is apparently forgiven in the relief of my safe return.

  As we chat and laugh, the feeling of togetherness is once again strong, and I feel reassured. There is a sense of family – but in that same moment I also experience a pang of longing for my mum and dad, and my home in Clapham, and I wonder how Mia and Prisha are coping with my continued disappearance. I miss my friends and the opportunity to talk openly with them about what I’m going through. While I’ve known Viviana and the other First Ascendants in previous lives, and we share a close bond through the Light we all carry, nothing comes close to having a best friend to confide in and rely on. I guess that’s another reason why I was so determined to rescue Phoenix. He’s not only my Soul Protector; he’s my most trusted friend and truest companion in this life and my previous lives.

  Once I’ve finished my meal, my exhaustion finally catches up with me and I make my excuses. But before I head into my apartment for some rest, I turn again to Viviana. ‘Have you heard about the Soul Prophecy?’ I ask her quietly.

  She gives me a curious look. ‘Of course. Why do you ask?’

  ‘Empote mentioned it to me,’ I reply, trying my best to sound casual, ‘and I’d never heard of it before – at least not in this lifetime.’

  ‘Ah, I see,’ says Viviana, rocking gently back in her chair. ‘Caleb is the best one to talk to about the Prophecy.’

  ‘I tried, but he seemed reluctant to tell me anything about it,’ I explain.

  ‘That’s understandable,’ mutters Viviana, her bony hands clenching the arms of her chair.

  I frown, intrigued by her reaction. ‘Do you believe in the Prophecy, Viviana?’

  She stops rocking and her eyes become glassy. ‘I did once.’

  ‘Once?’ I ask. ‘Why not now?’

  ‘I –’ she swallows hard – ‘I lost my Soul Daughter because of it …’ A tear runs down her wrinkled cheek and she wipes it away with a trembling hand. ‘Sorry, I still find it too painful to talk about.’ Rising stiffly from her rocking chair, Viviana hobbles away across the courtyard. Tasha runs after her and gently takes her hand.

  As they disappear into the shade of the fruit trees, I begin to understand their deep connection to one another. Tasha’s loss of her family in this life and Viviana’s in one from her past have brought them together, each one filling a hole in the other’s heart.

  Sadness overwhelms my own heart as I think about the passing of my present-life parents and I wonder once more where my Soul family are …

  39

  The crow caws loudly, warning of approaching Soul Hunters. The forest around me is pitch dark, the diseased trees bent and twisted. Through the leafless canopy, the sky swirls with black clouds and pulses of lightning. A roll of thunder rumbles overhead as cold rain begins to fall upon the leaf-strewn ground.

  I kneel in a small clearing, alone and shivering. In my fist I clasp a box of matches. A meagre pile of kindling is stacked before me. From the forest I hear the brittle crack of a dead branch, the crunch of decaying leaves, the pad of stealthy footsteps drawing ever nearer.

  With a trembling hand, I take out a match and try to light it. The head snaps off. I fumble with another match, dropping it on the wet ground. The third match fails to light. As does the next … and the next …

  In a panic I empty the box into my hand just as a jagged fork of lightning strikes a tree and illuminates the forest. A startled cry escapes my lips … a circle of hooded Hunters surrounds me, their cruel faces shrouded in shadow, their black eyes glinting. Behind them, swinging slowly in the wind, I see my fellow First Ascendants, each hanging by their neck from a twisted bough. Tasha is among them, her head lolling, her blue eyes open but unseeing.

  Crushed with grief, I tear my eyes away and stare in dismay at what’s left in my hand … one solitary match.

  The crow squawks its final warning before taking flight into the seething black sky. Borne by the wind whistling through the trees, Tanas’s harsh voice breathes into my ear.

  ‘I’m coming for your soul –’

  I wake, my heart pounding, brow slick with sweat. Outside my bedroom, the birds in the olive tree are in commotion, shrieking in alarm. With a flutter of wings, they scatter into the cloudless blue sky – leaving Nefe clinging halfway up the tree trunk, disgruntled at being denied her afternoon snack.

  Rubbing my eyes in an effort to erase the disturbing image of Tasha hanging from a noose, I wonder if I’ve just experienced another su’mach. I pray it was merely a nightmare.

  As I begin to collect my thoughts, I’m conscious that the question of the Soul Prophecy remains unanswered. Viviana’s revelation that her Soul Daughter died as a result of it only deepens the mystery and increases the urgency of my need to know the truth. Pulling on a pair of fresh jeans and a top from my pack, I resolve to seek out Caleb and put the matter to rest. It’s one thing to discover I’m a First Ascendant charged with carrying the Light of Humanity, but quite another to be considered the one person who can defeat Tanas, especially when it seems some other soul has already tried – and failed.

  Leaving Nefe a bowl of dry food (which she turns her nose up at), I cross the lawn and head towards the glass pyramid. I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep but the sun is high in the sky now. I hope Caleb will still be there, meditating. Quietly and respectfully I enter the vast prism-like room. Sunlight arcs in rainbows over my head, its rays reflected in the polished marble floor like an infinity mirror. The familiar and welcome tingle of the Light courses through my body and, as I relish the invigorating sensation, my fears and concerns ebb away and are replaced by a reassuring buzz of warm energy.

  ‘Caleb?’ My voice rebounds off the glass solar panels and echoes into silence.

  The white marble pedestal stands unoccupied in the centre of the room. I cast a look around as I walk over to it; the pyramid appears to be deserted. The crystal capstone atop the pedestal gleams in the bright sunlight and tentatively I reach out to touch its surface, wondering if this may be able to reveal the answers I seek. I’m left disappointed when nothing happens.

  Taking my hand away, I accidentally brush against the leading edge of the pedestal. In response, a circular sun icon with a golden eye at its centre softly illuminates. I press it. With a soft whirr, the solar panels align themselves and a shaft of blinding white light strikes the tip of the capstone. The crystal blazes once more like a miniature supernova and I –

  – drop to my knees and can only watch as my twin sister is hauled up the steps into the forbidding palace.

  ‘Aya!’ I moan, clasping my throbbing head. My hand comes away slick with fresh blood where the guard hit me with his stick. I attempt to rise, my knees weak, my vision blurred. The palace guard goes to strike me again.

  ‘Enough! Don’t damage her any more!’ Rimush snaps at him. ‘Your Lugal will be most displeased.’

  As the guard grudgingly backs down, the slave trader takes my arm and helps me to my feet. Quickly regaining my senses, I shake off his sweaty grip and snatch the short, knotted whip out from under his leather belt.

  ‘Arwia, stop!’ gasps Rimush, his piggy eyes widening in alarm. ‘Don’t make matters worse for yourself.’

  Fearing more for my sister’s life than my own, I ignore his warning and, with a flick of the whip, I lash the palace guard in the face. He howls in pain, his hands go to his blinded eyes, and he drops his stick. I pick up the weapon and turn back to Rimush, raising it to give him a beating too. The slave trader cowers before me, his trembling hands raised over his bald head.