Chapter 10 We See You
A flicker of light. Not spectral, not my own. Actual light. From above. I squinted. A tall, impossibly graceful figure stood perched on the fire escape above me, silhouetted against the weak glow of the streetlamp at the alley's mouth. His hair was like spun gold, catching the light in a halo around his head. His form was lean, elegant. He radiated an aura of calm authority, even in the chaos of my vision.
Malik Dolian. The name, unbidden, appeared in my mind, just as Ryker's had. Another recognition, sharp and immediate. The angel. The one with the scent of aged parchment and cold starlight.
He lowered himself from the fire escape with an effortless grace that defied gravity. He moved silently, his sapphire-blue eyes fixed on me, piercing through the spectral forms that still shimmered around me. The whispers, which had been a deafening roar moments before, now quieted, as if quelled by his presence. The ghosts, too, seemed to hesitate, their forms wavering.
He stopped a few feet from me, his expression unreadable. He looked at the spectral forms, then back at me, a faint, almost imperceptible frown creasing his brow.
"You have quite the entourage, Amaya Janice." His voice, cool and measured, cut through the residual chaos in my mind, though it held a hint of steel that tightened my gut. "And it seems you've acquired some rather potent company, both living and… otherwise."
"You," I accused, scrambling backwards until my back hit the wall again. My voice was a desperate rasp. "You were at the shop. You knew my name. What do you want?"
He inclined his head, a formal, almost regal gesture. "We merely followed the disturbance. The… residue of your rather explosive awakening. And your hasty departure."
"Explosive awakening?" I laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. "I was running from… from that thing! And then from you! What is happening to me?"
He took another step closer, and the spectral forms, as if on cue, dissolved further, scattering like motes of dust in a breeze. He extended a hand towards me, his palm open. "I offer answers, Amaya. And a path to control. You are a channel, a conduit. And you are, quite clearly, overwhelmed."
"Control?" I scoffed, swatting his hand away, though it felt like pushing through smoke. "I was perfectly in control of my life until last night. Until your… friend… and that… that thing you call a disturbance showed up in my shop." My voice rose, raw with anger and fear. "I was a pharmacist! I dispensed ibuprofen and cough syrup! Now I'm seeing ghosts and smelling burning plastic, and apparently, I can shoot… whatever that was… from my hands! And two men who shouldn't exist are calling me by name and talking about 'explosive awakenings'! What am I supposed to do with that?"
His gaze remained steady, unnervingly calm. "You have a choice. You can continue to run, to deny the power that has manifested within you. Or you can learn to wield it. To understand what you are, and what you can become."
"What I am?" I almost screamed. "I'm a mess! I'm covered in… in blood, my shop is destroyed, and I have a choir of dead people whispering in my brain! And I still don't know who or what you are!"
"My apologies. My name is Malik Dolian." He paused, as if waiting for me to acknowledge him. When I didn't, he continued, his voice softening, a subtle manipulation that grated on my raw nerves. "I am an angel. One who has watched over this plane for millennia. And the individual who departed so abruptly from your shop… he is Ryker Reyes. A demon. One who, despite his nature, also seeks to preserve the fragile balance of this realm."
"An angel and a demon?" I stared at him, bewildered. "You're telling me that… that angels and demons are real? And they're fighting… over me? In my pharmacy?"
He offered a faint, sad smile. "Not over you, precisely. But the event that occurred in your shop, the manifestation of your latent abilities, is… significant. You possess a rare and ancient gift, Amaya. A connection to the very fabric of existence. Your empathy, your unique ability to perceive the essence of souls, is why those spirits cling to you. They recognize a kinship, a path to peace."
My gaze drifted to the faint, lingering traces of the spectral forms. They were still there, faint and distant, but they hadn't completely vanished. They were waiting. For me. For his help.
"Peace?" I echoed, the word tasting foreign on my tongue. "What kind of peace did Mr. Hemlock and Mrs. Gable find? And what about the others?"
Malik's expression grew somber. "The creature that attacked your shop… it was an entity that feeds on fear, on the lingering resonance of lost souls. It twists and corrupts them, preventing them from ascending. Your power… your light… it not only destroyed the entity, but it also cleansed the connection to the souls it had claimed, allowing them to finally pass on." He paused, his sapphire eyes holding mine. "The others you see… they have not yet found their way. They are drawn to you, Amaya, because you are a beacon. A bridge between worlds."