Gerard the Gede, Guardian of the Veil Part 2

Okay, here's the second Gede story. It is due by the end of July to the publisher, so I thought I would post it here first!



Finding release with Georgia, the last earthbound spirit to summon him, Gerard was left still longing; longing for something more than a simple joining with another spirit. He was lonely. The realization caused a jolt to his system. He knew that The Baron, ruler of the Gede, had foretold of his joining with the one soul-mate that would complete him. He also knew it could be centuries before that happened. Time was unpredictable for an immortal who resided in the veil.

“I suppose I should be satisfied, I could think of worse things than to be a God of death and the libido.” Gerard murmured to himself, as he once again tuned into the multitude of voices that always seemed to emanate from the veil, the world between the living and the dead.

It was often hard for him to differentiate between those souls truly wanting release. There were those who still thought themselves alive and others happy to retain any part of the living. Then there was the ever present threat of the Death Walkers. Death Walkers go by many names. The one he chose to use seemed the most appropriate.

Death Walkers also, like Gede, walk a fine line between the veil and the living. The big difference is their role. Gerard was not just any Gede; he was the guardian of the veil. His powers were great on their own, but when he had a willing participant to lend their own libido to his, he was the most powerful Gede, aside from the Baron.

Death Walkers are the destroyers. They walk among the living, although they belong in the veil. Any soul that they claim, remains in the veil until one such as Gerard, could bring them release. Gerard thought Death Walkers an abomination. They were once mere mortals who now claimed God-like powers; the power of life and death over the innocent.

Gerard closed his icy blue eyes. His black lashes fanned out contrasting with his pale iridescent skin. Tilting his chin up, his raven hair fell in shiny waves past his shoulders. He took several deep breaths, trying to focus in on any one of the tormented souls crying for release.


***

Amelia had known from the start that she was dead. She still had the stark memories of her murder, for that’s what it had been, to keep her company in this purgatory. She also had her murderer to keep her company. Lissette looked nothing like the monster that Amelia knew her to be. The woman, if that was truly what she was, was tiny in stature. Her long blonde hair fell to her waist in a cascade of golden waves. The features that made up her heart shaped face were almost child-like in their perfection and innocence. Her eyes were the only thing that showed her true nature. Such a dark mahogany, that they often appeared black. Black soulless eyes, Amelia had often thought.

“I expect you to follow my instructions Amelia. What I offer you is the chance to be free of this hell, as you call it, and to be free of me. The Elders have given me a task, one I will not fail. It’s quite simple, really. Wail to your heart’s desire, just as I know you do on the inside. I can feel it when I am near. Your pain does not lessen with time, my dear. If you wail long and loud enough, he who is of the Gede will come to you. They are predictable and pathetic creatures.”

Amelia was unsure how much time had passed since Lissette had issued those orders to her. As of yet, she had not uttered a single cry. She had no intention of helping Lissette. That is until she reappeared. Now she knew that she would do anything she was told, to protect the innocence that was threatened.

Amelia gazed down into the crib of the newborn child. She had chosen to remain in the house she had once shared with her husband and own small child; a child that she had saved from Lissette, by offering herself willingly. Now Lissette had given her no choice, once again. The child that lay sleeping was not her own, though she often sang to him, and watched over him as she was never allowed to do with her baby. She would not stand by and watch Lissette drain every drop of blood from the child, just to prove her point. If it was wailing she wanted, then it was wailing that Amelia would give her. She raised her face to the heavens and started to scream. A scream that she felt could go on and on, a scream that contained all of the anger, sadness, helplessness and angst that she had building in her since her death.

***

As Gerard focused on the voices, he was overcome by the unexpected intensity of one that penetrated all others. He followed the voice through the veil, until he stood before a young woman. He watched her without showing himself. Her auburn hair caught up in a chignon. Tears streamed down her splotchy red face. He knew at first glance that she was one of the damned; a victim of a Death Walker.

Her screams forced him to show himself. It was too hard to maintain his shield while her emotions swirled about the room. Gerard was startled, not something that happened often. The woman stopped screaming and spoke.

“You are Gede I presume? Lissette should be pleased.”

Gerard felt, more than heard the sarcasm in her voice. His eyebrows creased together as he stared intently at the woman, wondering how she could possibly know what he was. In all his days, he had never met a soul, damned or not, that knew what a Gede was, much less that he was said Gede.

“Lissette would be the Death Walker who condemned you to the veil?” Gerard had never before felt the need to do anything more than comfort before he sent a spirit on their journey from the veil. This was new territory. His skin tingled with warning. Searching the room, he saw no one else, but he was aware of a presence in the room; a presence that was so overwhelmingly female that it momentarily distracted him from seeking answers from the woman before him.

“Lissette would be the monster who murdered me. Call her whatever you like. Are you a killer like her?”

Gerard was taken by surprise; otherwise he might have been insulted.

“Nay, I don’t take life; I give it…in a way. Do you know where you are?”

“In hell.” Amelia answered without pause.

Gerard chuckled. “I suppose it could be considered hell, a purgatory that this Lissette has banished your soul to. You are in the veil. I can release your soul to cross to the other side.”

He watched her carefully. Never before had a Death Walker divulged the secret of the Gede to one who was damned, at least not that he had ever come in contact with. There had to be a reason, and he wanted to know what that reason was.

As Gerard watched the shock on the woman’s face when she realized he could truly end her suffering, he saw the hunger start. Her eyes glazed over, and she stepped toward him. He needed answers, but this woman’s pain caused such an intense hunger in her, that it overtook him. The need to know about the Death Walker, Lissette, and the need for the woman before him battled for his attention. Being the God of libido, her need won.

He stepped forward, enfolding her in his arms. Her life force was strong. The damned always were. It was hard to control his need. Crossing over one such as her always left him energized. His mind went blank the moment his spirit joined with hers. As one they writhed in the eternal dance of release. Amelia threw her head back to scream, only this time it was not agony that escaped her lips, but the purest sound of joy; then she was gone.

Gerard felt intensely male, testosterone raged through him. His breath started to become more regular, and he was about to disappear back into the folds of the veil but he stopped himself when he caught the movement from the corner of the room. He turned and locked eyes with another woman. This one, however, was not like the last. She was there by choice, she was there to watch. He felt this as soon as he saw the startled expression on her face, a face that took his breath away in its beauty and innocence. Then she was gone. Try as he might, he couldn’t sense her, or where she had gone.

Gerard made a promise to himself that he would find this woman again, he knew deep down in his soul that he was somehow connected to this woman, and he would find out why, no matter the time, no matter the cost.

Terri Rainer copyright 2008