Blood & Soul

Blood & Soul by Deborah O'Toole (aka Deidre Dalton) is Book #3 in the Bloodline Trilogy.

Emma Beckett is adopted into a loving home as an infant, never knowing the true circumstances of her birth. As a child, she discovers she has unique powers of healing but eventually realizes her abilities could be an instrument of evil, begotten by a bloodthirsty monster.

From the Epilogue: Blood Comes Full Circle

NOEL WAS OVER the moon when Emma told her she and Shawn were expecting a baby around Christmastime, but part of her worried about the eventual outcome. She was highly aware that a raft of "special powers" had gone from her, to Kate and, finally, to Emma. Would Emma's child be afflicted with a powerful gift that would make it stand apart from the rest? Or would the child be born normal, without the burden of an unfathomable ability?

Perhaps the genetic strain passing from generation to generation had weakened, Noel reasoned hopefully. Maybe the years had dwindled the surge of magic, rendering it feeble or nonexistent. Yet there was no way to be sure until the child was born and began to grow. If the child were to possess a power, what could it possibly entail? A combination of mind-reading, will-bending and healing, or something altogether new and unique to the child? Worse yet, would the child inherit an inkling of Ken Lester and become a monster in due course? Time would reveal the truth, but Noel was unsure if she could wait that long for answers.

Shoji would know, she decided. However, it was not as if she could summon the  celestial being at will.

The evening after Emma informed them she was expecting, Noel went to bed early. She had no regrets about selling the Grady home on South Street several months ago to move in with Kate at the Minot townhouse. She had finally convinced Madge to do the same, so the older woman was now in the process of selling her home on Dane Street in order to move into the townhouse with Tommy-Boy.

Noel thoroughly adored her spacious bedroom on the second floor of the elegant dwelling. Styled in cream and periwinkle colors, the floor was lain with thick carpet and adorned with oaken end tables and chairs. The queen-sized bed overlooked a large window facing the back garden. She had her own bathroom en-suite, also done in creamy blue design. Kate had installed a large, flat-screen television in the room after Noel moved in, which she enjoyed watching at night while in bed.

After washing her face and applying copious amounts of cream, she carefully brushed her hair, which had thinned considerably over the past year as she had started twisting the strands and picking them off of her clothes. It was a nervous habit she had developed after Pim died.

She donned a long blue nightgown, and then slipped into bed. She did not turn on the television tonight, instead staring up at the ceiling as she contemplated Shoji. The last time Noel had interacted with the ethereal entity had been just prior to Pim and Kirk's deaths, not so long ago. She wasn't sure if he would materialize now, but perhaps he would make an appearance if she thought about him as she went to sleep. It was worth a try. She wanted answers - sooner rather than later.

Resting her hands on her chest and closing her eyes, Noel filled her head with the stark image of Shoji and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

SHOJI DID NOT come to Noel in her dreams, but his sidekick Hoshi did. She wasn't sure how she knew it was Hoshi appearing in front of her, but instinct told her the apparition was he. It was surreal seeing the stoic Hoshi, who was similar to Shoji in appearance but with a marked difference. Hoshi had a rougher edge, not seeming to be content with the celestial life even though his facial expression rarely changed. He was decidedly Asian, with stark white skin against jet black hair, which was straight and shiny, cut precisely to jaw-length. He had albino white eyes, the center iris' narrow and ice-blue in color. His lips were thin and an unappetizing shade of grey, the deep frown seeming to be a permanent affliction. This was the creature who had healed Pim all those years ago, all for naught as her husband was now dead and gone from her.

"Why are you here?" She groused, her mind still in a fuzzy state of sleep. "Where is Shoji?" In her mind, she was still prone in bed as Hoshi stood over her.

"Shoji cannot come to you anymore," Hoshi relied flatly in thought, his lips unmoving. "So he sent me instead."

"Why can't he see me anymore?"

Hoshi did not answer, his downturned lips seeming to take on a deeper frown. He merely stared at her with his eerie, other-worldly eyes.

"Was he fired from his healing job?" Noel asked with a short, bitter laugh.

"He has joined the powers that be." Hoshi's statement of mind was simple, but he did not elaborate further.

Noel waved her hand. "Whatever. I need some answers to a few questions. Can you help me?"

"I will try."

"My granddaughter just told us she is expecting a baby," Noel continued. "I need to know - will the child be possessed with any powers?"

"Powers?"

Noel sighed impatiently. "I'm sure you know our history. If not, let me refresh you. When I was healed, I was left with mind-reading abilities. My daughter grew to have a will-bending aptitude, and my granddaughter has the wherewithal to heal injured animals and people. Will Emma's child be born with a power of its own, or will it be normal?"

Hoshi regarded her silently for a full minute, as if contemplating an answer. Then he spoke to her mind, slowly and carefully. "The powers, as you call them, have come full circle with the three generations of women. I'm sure, by now, that you are aware of the nature of the triple goddess."

"Yes, of course. Also known as Maiden, Mother, and Crone."

Hoshi nodded. "Correct. The powers end with the triple cycle."

"How do you know for sure?"

"It has been written and decided."

"By whom?" Noel pressed.

"The powers that be," Hoshi replied simply.

"Of which Shoji is now a part of?"

He nodded again.

"You are telling me my great-grandchild will be born normal?"

"Yes." Hoshi paused, hesitating briefly as if he wanted to say more, but then he pressed his lips together in silence.

"You're holding something back," Noel accused him. "Please, I need to know everything."

"The child will be a boy," Hoshi responded. "A male child breaks the triple goddess cycle."

Noel felt a flash of relief. She stared at Hoshi for a long moment, another thought suddenly occurring to her. She raised herself on her elbows as she spoke again. "In this so-called triple cycle, I  lost my husband, as you well know. Kate also lost her husband, much too soon. Emma lost people dear to her. Will the same fate befall Shawn Baskerville, my granddaughter's husband? Or will he be allowed to have a long and happy life with Emma and however many children they may have?"

"You ask too much."

"I want answers," Noel returned angrily. "Check with your boss Shoji. Tell him I will do anything to get at the truth, even if it means annoying the two of you for the rest of my natural life."

Hoshi closed his eyes. His frown went deeper, if possible.

Noel wondered if Hoshi was communicating with Shoji on a surreal celestial plane. Was he getting permission to reveal everything to her, or to leave her hanging? To only show partial truths, or the full future blast?

Hoshi opened his eyes after several minutes, regarding her stoically. "Against my better judgment, Shoji has agreed you should know certain facts. He wants you to have peace of mind so you no longer have need of us."

"I'm listening," Noel said eagerly.

"Your granddaughter and her husband will have a long and happy life together," Hoshi told her in thought. "Their son will be normal, with no lingering impact from your side of the family."

"Will he inherit anything from the Lester side of the family?" Noel questioned. "The notion of such a thing is more worrying than anything else, including any special powers."

"You are referring to the serial killer?"

Noel nodded. "Please tell me Emma's child will not take after him."

"The unborn child will be the great-grandson of the serial killer," Hoshi responded passively.

"Yes, I know that. I'm worried about it. Will my great-grandson be anything like him? Will he inherit any of the evil traits?"

"He will be unique, unlike any other, but he will not be evil."

"What do you mean - unlike any other?"

"He will make his mark on your world." Hoshi lowered his head slightly. "Ask me no more. I have told you everything allowed."

Noel gave a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you. Tell Shoji I'm grateful, and I will not bother either one of you again."

"He will be eternally gratified to hear it," Hoshi stated flatly.

Noel stared at him. "I do have one more question, but it's silly. Not consequential, really, but I'm curious about it."

"Curious about what?"

"At one point in time, were you and Shoji human beings?"

He nodded.

"What time are you from?"

He paused, hesitating as if receiving further communication from the powers that be, namely Shoji. Then he returned his gaze to her. "We were born in a leap year during the Meiji era in Shakotan, Japan. Shoji and I are first cousins, born only thirteen minutes apart."

"What brought about your fates?" Noel asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Did you die young, or does being on a celestial plane render you ageless?"

Hoshi suddenly appeared uneasy. He went quiet for a few minutes, as if receiving another message from the other-world. Then he finally spoke. "That is all I can tell you about us, but Shoji wants you to know that all of the ills that left you to go into others all those years ago has now been sated."

"That's a good thing, right?"

Hoshi nodded slightly. "But there is more. Shoji feels you deserve to know about it. Someday, in the distant future, you will join us in the celestial plane and undertake your own calling. You have earned this through your own actions while on earth."

Noel gasped aloud. She had not expected to hear she would join Shoji after her eventual death, whenever that might be. How could Shoji possibly know such a thing? "Because he is now part of the powers that be," she answered her own question. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, but now was not the time to ponder the surprising news. If, after death, awareness and life continued on another plane, who was she to question it now?

"And your husband will be waiting for you," Hoshi told her in thought.

Before she could go into a round of frantic questions, Hoshi reached over and ran his hand over her eyes. "Go back to sleep," he intoned. "The day will come and you will be reunited with your husband. That's all you need to know for now."

Noel fell back into a deep sleep, a beatific smile pasted on her face.

Hoshi disappeared, merging slowly into the air as if he had never been there in the first place.