Convocation, page 6
The figure lurched up, clearly startled. “Why, yes, that would be wonderful,” replied an elderly woman in a shaky voice. She was holding a basket in her hand, perched on her hip against her long gray coat. “This old thing finally decided to give out,” she said as she lifted the worn basket into the air for Jarek to see the broken handle.
“I thought I heard something drop. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he responded as he walked over to her and saw that it was food items that had dropped to the wooden porch floor.
She nodded gratefully. “Thank you, thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he said as he picked up two potatoes in one hand and a small sack of flour in the other.
The woman opened the door of the home and hurried in, turning on a few lamps to illuminate a single large room. “Here, dear, just set them here on the table,” she said as she gestured toward a homemade table.
Jarek entered the warm home. He could smell the fireplace still burning, hints of an herb mixture having been used for cooking, and a trace of musk. The old floor creaked with every step her tiny feet took. As he set the potatoes and flour down, he glanced around the room. There was a feeling that Jarek was not used to, radiating throughout the home. It was confusing to him. “Is . . . is there anything else I can help with, ma’am?”
“You have been a wonderful help already,” she replied as she moved closer to him with an outstretched hand. As she moved in, she grasped his hand and pulled in slightly.
Her straggly white hair and deep wrinkles in her sagging skin showed she was rather old. But it was her pale gray eyes that struck Jarek the most. As she held his hand with her aged, hooked fingers, she stared deeply into his eyes without saying a word. He somehow knew exactly what she was thinking and what she was about to ask him.
“How long? How long have you recognized that you have the gift?” she asked him openly.
Jarek stood frozen as he heard her words. His crystal-blue eyes staring directly back into her tired, bloodshot gray eyes. He was dumbfounded and unable to conjure up the words to say. He knew there was something different about this woman. He was just unsure what that difference was. “How . . . uh, um . . . How do you know?” he finally asked as he squeezed her fragile hand in return.
“Well, Jarek . . . to be frank, I have been waiting for you. I just wasn’t sure when, or if, you would become aware yet of these natural-born gifts,” she said as her face blossomed with a smile that made her wrinkles grow even deeper. “Oh, I am sorry, dear boy. You must be so confused.” She let go of Jarek’s hand and patted his shoulder. “This crazy old lady forgets herself at times. Please, close the door and make yourself comfortable. I will put a kettle on the fire to make some tea. We have much to talk about, young man.”
As she turned from Jarek, she was shaking her head slightly and letting out a soft spout of laughter. “I wondered . . . I wondered how long it would be before I got to meet you. Oh,” she said, turning back toward Jarek, still smiling. “My name is Lilith. It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”
Ж
The hot tea hit Jarek’s lips as he took his first sip. There had been almost total silence as the two waited for the water to boil and the tea to steep. Jarek now sat in an old wooden chair that had a homemade pad as an attempt at added comfort. Meanwhile, the old lady sat in a wooden rocking chair with a bright-colored quilt over her lap. He took another sip of the dark liquid that had a hint of mint to it.
“Have you had a chance to calm your excitement of my somewhat forward question?” Lilith finally asked, breaking the peace. She proceeded to blow on her tea before taking a sip herself.
“I am sorry for my being mute. I was simply caught off guard by the question. No one has been so forthcoming . . . and recognized that I am gifted . . . and . . . and how do you know who I am?” Jarek asked, clearly a bit stunned.
“Leona, your grandmother. She and I have been friends since long before you were born. I could recognize part of her in your eyes immediately,” she said with a large smile once again. “That woman is an amazing human. I would not have lived such a meaningful life if it had not been for her.”
“But . . . but how do you know her?”
“I met her years ago in Savannah, Georgia, as a child. She lived near me, and we attended the same grammar school. We were inseparable for many years. Which is why I learned of her abilities early on,” she said with a grin.
“I still don’t fully understand . . . There is no chance that this is purely coincidence.”
“You are correct, young man. In life there are no coincidences. Life is choices,” she said sharply. “For each choice we make, a consequence is the outcome. Some good . . . and some bad. But we make the choices, and those around us make the choices. Nothing is coincidence. It is the choices combined that determine our lives . . . and, of course, a nudge here and there from powers far beyond this old woman’s comprehension.”
“But what choices were made that you and I came to meet this evening?”
“Well, dear, it is because of the choices your grandmother made, the choices I made, and most importantly the choices you made. You have a big heart, and though you are a quiet and calm soul, you do care for others. And you see that it is your abilities and your actions that can make the lives of others better.” She took another sip of tea before adjusting in the rocking chair a bit. It creaked as she shifted her weight. “Let me tell you a story. Maybe if I tell you what I know, it will help you piece together a bit more of the puzzle. I will share what I understand, but you grasp as well as I do—Leona likes to keep her secrets when she can.”
“That she does. That I am finding to be all too familiar,” he said.
“It’s all right, many of us women like to keep our secrets,” Lilith said. “So where to begin? Hmmm . . . well, many years ago, I asked Leona for her help. You see, my husband died during the Civil War. He refused to fight for the Confederate States of America because he firmly believed in the Union and what it stood for. A few days later he was drug through the streets of Savannah tied to a horse.” Lilith paused as she took a few quiet breaths, clearly trying to hold back emotion.
“I am so sorry to hear that,” Jarek interjected. Civil War? She must be nearly a hundred years old.
“Thank you, Jarek. I know you mean that. Well, my husband, Jonathan was his name, somehow failed to realize he was dead. His soul was trapped between the land of the living and the other side of the veil. I would see him in the corner of my eye at times, or see his reflection in the mirror, and sometimes I could even smell him near me. At first, I found it comforting. I found it gave me courage to keep waking up each morning believing that it was best he was somehow still with me.” Lilith took a drink from her teacup, holding back her tears still. “So the more I paid attention to his spirit, the more . . . well, I guess the more aware of him I became. However, the more aware of him I was, the more I could tell his spirit did not belong in this world. He was in pain, and he needed to pass through the veil and move on.”
“No matter what,” Jarek said, “it is always best for spirits to move on from this world. I have seen what happens to spirits stuck here . . . the pain and sadness they bear.” His mind wandered to poor Samuel’s soul that had been bound to the O’Connell home to feed the demon Astaroth.
“I get that now too, and that is where your grandmother comes into the story. I knew she had gifts from when we were younger. She was exactly what I needed to help Jonathan move on from here. She helped him understand his death, to accept his death, and to move beyond. But she also helped me to realize that though Jonathan has passed on, the mark he left on this world is with me still and I can carry that on each day. It gives me that strength I need, and I find comfort in knowing I will see him again one day too.”
Lilith took the final drink from her teacup before presenting Jarek a smile, one that exuded sadness and peace, and a hint of joy. Jarek smiled back in silence, letting her reminisce in her own mind about the wonderful times she’d had with her husband who had long passed on.
“Now, about twenty years ago, many years on from when your grandmother helped me, she visited my home in Savannah after she had been living in New York City. She needed my help with something. Her concern was for a man. A man that goes by Viktor Eideen now.”
Eideen? Why does that sound familiar?
“He leads a group that is focused on the dark art and the belief that they can control dark powers. She never shared with me all the details, but I do know that this group was into some rather disturbing practices. They were looking to find the power of the supernatural. A power that would give them the ability to conjure demons and to use the power of these dark beings.
“Now, there was a child here in Deadwood that this group wanted. This Viktor knew of the child; he was connected to her somehow. And he became obsessed with her. Leona had visited, posing as a schoolteacher to help watch over this child. For she feared that they would try to abduct this poor girl.”
Jarek smiled and let out a small laugh, realizing why the broken figurine at the restaurant seemed so familiar. It was the figurine his grandmother used to own. She had to have given it to Ulrika when she was here in Deadwood pretending to be a schoolteacher. Ulrika was the child who Leona came here to watch over.
“Why do you laugh, boy?”
“Oh, nothing. I am just amused at how big the world is, yet how small it truly is.”
“That it is, that it is. Anyway, she needed me to watch over this child after she left. So I packed up my few belongings and made the move from Savannah to Deadwood. I have been here ever since.”
“Fascinating,” Jarek said after a few moments of processing. “I have met this child. Well, young woman now. Ulrika, am I right?”
“Yes, that’s her! She has been targeted by this group of fanatics.”
“Have they done anything to her yet?”
“No, not that I know of. But I do understand that they have been keeping an eye on her. A very close eye. These people . . . these people do terrible things, and I worry for the day they try to hurt this poor girl. And, sadly, I feel that day is near.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, because you are here, Jarek.”
Jarek sat dumbfounded for a moment.
“Now, young man, let’s change the topic of conversation for a moment. Can you share with me when you learned to use these gifts? I have been so curious. I am assuming it wasn’t long ago, but still I am fascinated to learn.”
Jarek was hesitant at first. He shifted in the rickety chair as he contemplated how much exactly to share with this woman. He had just met her, yet there was a strangely familiar and friendly energy surrounding her.
Jarek drew a breath. He decided to trust her, something he rarely did with unknown people. He took his final drink from the chipped teacup.
“Well, I have truly been exploring my gifts only recently. But I have always known I had different abilities than most people. You can tell . . . it’s little things at a young age. Seeing figures and shadows that others couldn’t. Having dreams of the past or things about to happen that come to fruition. I never thought much of it, and oftentimes doubted it for myself. I thought it could be explained away as just random shadows or coincidence.” Jarek gave Lilith a smile, which she returned. “Then during the Great War, it was when I was surrounded by so much pain, loneliness, and death that my senses became overwhelmed. I saw so many horrific things in the trenches, I felt so many horrible things, and I di—” His eyes immediately began to swell with tears. “And I did so many terrible things.”
Jarek followed Lilith’s eyes. She was focused on his leg as he spoke. He hadn’t noticed it at first, but as he talked about the war, he began slightly massaging his old wound where the bullet entered his body. As he paused, she shifted her eyes back up to his. She didn’t need to say a single word—Jarek knew what she was feeling, what she was thinking. But he was swallowing the emotions and holding them in his throat so hard that he couldn’t say anything.
“Jarek . . . the world is filled with awful events, created by awful people. But not every person is awful. Just because some have done things they greatly regret does not make them awful people. It is the people that do awful things and feel no regret that we must worry about.”
Jarek nodded while clearing his throat. “And this wound here, well, it was at this time that I first crossed into the veil. I myself was balancing between the world of life and the world beyond. If it had not been for the courage of one man . . .” Jarek trailed off. The face. That man. The man he was remembering back on the battlefield, while he was wounded and bleeding out. The man that saved him.
Jarek’s face lit with fire from the realization. “It was because of the courage and kindness of that one man that I was saved. It wasn’t until last week that I realized I had actually crossed into the veil back then. In fact, I just crossed into the veil during this last case. The case I was working in Saint Paul last week. The spirit of the woman I was trying to help, she pulled me into the veil to help me solve her death. It was the only safe place from the darkness where she could truly talk to me.”
“What do you mean, case?” Lilith asked as she cocked her head a bit in confusion.
“Sorry, I skipped ahead in my story a bit. After I returned home from France, I shared my experiences with my grandmother. That was when she started to teach me about these gifts. I would use them to help people I knew in New York City. However, this was minimal help. A few séances for friends to help contact loved ones. Or a few Tarot readings to help guide people in the choices they made. Nothing much in comparison. But then I received a few letters requesting my assistance in Saint Paul. A local woman, Sarah O’Connell, had been murdered. Her heart was cut out, and her body was left in the library of their home. No suspects and the local officials had given up entirely.”
Jarek paused again as he stared at the fireplace. The only thing remaining was the coals of the logs burned during their conversation. He stood and crossed to the fire and began to add a few logs as he continued his story. “During my time in that home, I learned quickly that a lot was afoot, and I needed to hone my skills. In fact, it was through communication with my grandmother and the spirit of a boy bound to the home that I was able to truly decipher the clues and determine Sarah’s true killer.”
“Excuse me, did you say his spirit was bound?” Lilith asked in awe.
Jarek smiled, realizing how insane that must sound. “Yes. His spirit was bound to this home so that it could feed a force much darker. A force that one of them, in that same house, was trying to conjure from beyond. Thankfully, for some reason, that boy was drawn to me, and we made a strong connection early on. By the end of it all, and with the help of several people, we were able to send the vile creature back to hell that was feeding off the boy and let him cross over into the beyond.
“It was a tremendous feeling knowing I helped him. I helped identify Sarah’s true killer and brought some peace to that home. At least, I hope I did . . .” Jarek said, trailing off as he adjusted a log with an iron poker.
“I am sure you did, young man” Lilith replied, reassuring him slightly.
“I am not entirely sure. I have been having this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I am not sure if it is because I left them in haste, or if it is because their daughter is traveling down a dark road in her own life and I wasn’t able to help her.”
“O’Connell, you said?” she asked, breaking Jarek’s trail of thought on Annie.
“Yes. Sarah O’Connell.”
“Interesting,” she said before letting out a small huff. “Well, this old lady should really get some rest.” She tried standing from the rocking chair. Jarek rushed over to help her. She graciously leaned on his arm while standing. “Oh, thank you.”
“I am sorry for babbling,” he said. “I haven’t shared that much with anyone since it all happened a few days ago.” He peered at his pocket watch quickly. “I hadn’t even realized it was this late.”
“Quite all right, my boy, quite all right,” she said. “Do not worry about it now. I enjoyed the conversation. After all, according to your grandmother, you are even more talented than her. And she has incredible abilities. When she helped my Jonathan, I was astonished.”
“I am sure she is mistaken about my abilities surpassing her own. Though it is impressive and quite the experience to see into the veil.”
“Oh, your grandmother doesn’t simply just see into the veil. She travels in it, Jarek. Leona is able to project herself throughout it. That . . . that is her secret on how she is able to help those that need it, and to fight the inhuman spirits before they ever take foot into this world. That is how she was able to communicate with you. She just hollers through the veil at you.” she gestured with her hooked fingers. “And now you have discovered your own ability to do the same. You might just need to practice a bit more.”
Jarek stood for a moment, processing what Lilith had said. He remained silent as he turned to walk toward the front door.
“Oh, before you leave, take that newspaper on the table with you. There may be an article of interest to you. For tomorrow, of course. You need some rest too.”
“Certainly,” Jarek said as he tucked the newspaper under his arm. “I am sorry again for the intrusion and gibbering.”
“Oh, stop apologizing. I had been expecting you anyway. At least I assumed you had gotten the telegram?”
“The telegram? That was you?” he asked wide-eyed.
“No . . . no, but your grandmother told me just the other day that she had sent it and to be on the lookout for you. She knew where you were, and she had told me you had awoken your gifts and needed to come help Ulrika here in Deadwood next.”
“But why send me to Ulrika first and not come directly to you?”
“Don’t you see? Your grandmother found it best to give you just enough information to make the choices that led you to Ulrika. She may be in trouble now. They are coming for her eventually. Whatever darkness they are up to, they believe she could be the key. You must not let that happen. This old lady doesn’t understand everything, but I do know that they must not get to her. She is a sweet and innocent girl. Once they recognize she can’t help them, she will be killed.”
