The cabinets, dresser, and built-in desk were solid oak. The desk held a top-of-the-line computer. The curtains were dark gold, the color a perfect match for the carpet, and both had been color coordinated with the cream, gold, and brown checked comforter on the bed. There were half a dozen throw pillows in brown and gold, although at the moment most of them were piled in the far corner of the room rather than on the bed. I didn’t like throw pillows much.
A conversational group was arranged at the other end of the room, all of the furniture equally expensive, comfortable, and color-coordinated. The final touch was a beautiful, abstract oil painting that used all of the colors in the room. It was huge, taking up most of one wall. But it was gorgeous, the kind of thing I could stare at for hours while noticing more and more details.
Hiwahiwa walked straight over to the conversational group, waiting expectantly for me to join her. I tried not to sigh as I took a seat, which gave her permission to sit down. The sooner we got through this, the better it would be.
“Laka sent you?”
“Yes, Princess, she did.” Hiwahiwa looked at me with sad eyes. “Okalani hasn’t returned. Not knowing what else to do, Laka sought the advice of a prophet.” The tears that had been brimming in her eyes spilled over. “In the vision, her captors said they had to keep her alive for now, but she is terribly injured.”
Captive? Was that even possible? I mean, Okalani was the strongest teleporter I’d ever even heard of. I knew she could teleport through shields. What could possibly hold her?
I should have known Hiwahiwa would be listening to my thoughts. I simply had to learn shielding if I was going to spend any time on this island.
“There was a demon.”
I didn’t know what to say. Demons. They are the worst of the monsters. Fully evil, frighteningly intelligent, and literally hell-bent on the absolute destruction of humanity. I’ve run into them before, even had one specifically targeting me for special attention. There is nothing in this world that is worse. Then again, they’re not from this world—they have their own dimension. They can only come through here and wreak havoc when invited. And still, bad as they are, dangerous and evil as they are, there are idiots who will call them up. With the right protections, they can sometimes be trapped within a casting circle. But get one thing wrong … I shuddered, my flesh crawling with goose bumps.
Emma had been captured and abused with the aid of a demon. Her father and brother had betrayed me in order to save her. In the end, I’d helped them willingly. We saved her, got her out. But she’d had to have the memories magically wiped to stay sane.
“I’m so sorry.” I was. More than I could say. Because Okalani wasn’t just in physical jeopardy. She’d done things that could damn her soul. Unless something was done, she could be the demon’s plaything for all eternity. I didn’t know if hell was real, but souls most certainly were and demons could claim them, leaving the body an empty shell. I’ve been told by priests that it’s worse than death.
“So am I.” Hiwahiwa was actually wringing her hands. “Laka is … not right. It’s as if she’s lost her mind. The doctors have her sedated.”
I could see that. How bad would it be, knowing the child that you loved was in such danger and that there was absolutely nothing you could do to save her? Worse, Laka probably blamed herself. Although there was no way she could’ve stopped this from happening.
“Princess, before she passed out, Laka gave me a message for you. In the vision the men controlling the demon were talking. They said that you had been captured, that they were going to use cameras to film them feeding you to that thing and broadcast it on the Internet.”
I managed to make it to the bathroom before I threw up.
I took a few minutes to clean up, brush my teeth, and try to pull my thoughts together. It was hard to do. My emotions kept getting in the way—foremost among them panic. I forced myself to take deep, soothing breaths. I could do this. There were no demons here, now. I was fine. The future isn’t set in stone. Every choice we make can cause changes, ripples in time and reality. Visions show probabilities, not facts. Even Vicki, who had been one of the most powerful clairvoyants born, had admitted that. This could change. I could change it. Sometimes, just the knowing of the future is the changing event.
When I managed to get myself under control, I went back into the living room. I found Hiwahiwa standing at the French doors, looking out at the ocean.
She spoke without turning around. “I’m sorry for my indiscretion, Princess. I shouldn’t have upset you. You won’t be able to save her. No one can. Her body is broken. She will … die.” Her voice broke on the last word. She gave a harsh gasp. “But she repented what she did. She was trying to make it right. If you kill her … her soul…” Hiwahiwa couldn’t finish the sentence.
Her soul might be saved? Maybe. I didn’t know. I’m not religious. I’ve had exorcisms performed on me to remove demon taint. I’ve received last rites from a warrior priest, even though I’m not Catholic. I’ve had rabbis, imans, and monks pray over me. I didn’t know for certain if Hiwahiwa was right. Redemption is a tricky thing. But I believe in God. I believe he/she forgives us if we truly regret our sins and try to make amends. I believe. But I don’t know.
“Please, Princess. If you get the chance, please.” I tried to stop her, but Hiwahiwa actually dropped to her knees, begging. “You have to kill Okalani.”
How could I say this without insulting her? “Hiwahiwa, I wasn’t raised here. I’m not a siren by birth. I was raised in California, to American standards. Honor killings are still murder there. Suicide is a crime in many states, no matter the reason. Please understand that because of my beliefs, which are every bit as important to me as your beliefs are to you and Laka, I cannot … will not intentionally take a life unless I’m trying to save my own or someone else’s.”
She stared at me for a long time. I let my mind go blank, just feeling the pain I knew she was feeling, both at Okalani’s situation and the choice I had to make. Finally, she stood, smoothed her lavalava, bowed her head as she’d been trained to do when in the presence of royalty, and backed away until she could turn and leave. Not a word was spoken, but I could hear heart-breaking sobs erupt from her on the other side of the door after it had closed.
Crap.
I sat and got more and more bummed the longer I was alone. After nearly an hour of wallowing, since I was already depressed, I tried calling my gran.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my gran. She’s good and kind—but hardheaded as hell. When my mom disappeared into the bottle and started sleeping around, Gran was the one who made sure there were groceries in the house, that Ivy and I made it to school. She’s been a font of love and wisdom my whole life. But at the same time, she’s always enabled my mother’s drinking. It was her car my mother was driving the last two times she was picked up for drunk driving. Now my mom was in prison on Serenity, and she’d made it very clear she never wants to see me again. She cut me out of her life, and I’m all for it. But that destroyed my relationship with Gran, who blames me.
But Gran isn’t the only one who is stubborn in the family. I keep trying, keep hoping that we can work something out. Besides, what with the press coverage of all the bullets and bombs, she had to be worried. Maybe this time she’d take my call.
“Hello?” The voice on the line sounded both older and feebler than I remembered. My grandmother had always been a ball of fire, with enough energy for two people twice her size. Not today. That, more than anything, frightened me.