Oct 23, 2006
Soul Huntress: Ladies of the House of Nemesis



Prologue



For two days and two nights I watched the soulless monster destroy one village, and then another.  Discord’s doing of course.  Goddess of destruction just couldn’t let the poor mortal be.  I’ve seen his kind spreading like a disease across the land.
Once they were mortals, but when they died Discord took their souls.  She would then place them in mortals, and let the soulless corpse seek them out.  I suppose for the goddess of destruction it was all in a days work.
Justice, or revenge, perhaps both was called for in this situation.  I could carry out revenge on behalf of the mortal who carried the extra soul, then throw in a little justice for the soulless monster.  
“Nemesis, what are you doing here?” A familiar voice came from the darkness.
“Missing souls,” I made sure my smile was angelic. I began a slow pace around Discord’s malcontempt.  It felt like trudging through muddy waters
“Poor Nemi still doing Hades’s dirty work.”  She kept turning as I paced, refusing to give me her back.
“Hades rules the underworld; it has always been my job to deliver them to Tartarus’s gate, no more, no less.” I said.
“What of your other jobs? Are you simply here to grab a few souls?” Discord asked.
“Depends on the situation, justice and revenge are not always necessary.” I said with a light smile upon my face.
Discord’s frown deepened.  She knew my reputation all to well.  I slid my hand over my face, hiding a mischievous look I couldn’t repress.
“So what is the reason behind the soulless mortals?  I asked.
Surprise lit up her face.  Discord has always been a haunting beauty, but the smile made her truly stunning.  Skin the color of winter’s snow fresh from the sky. Her hair as blue as midnight without the stars, and that smile promised she would hurt you, but deep down you only remembered that she touched you.   Looking at Discord made me remember why some embraced darkness so easily.
“Come on Nemi, you don’t expect me just to tell you?”  Discord asked.
I stopped my pacing, crossing my arms over my chest.  Discord had a plan, which meant another diety to deal with.  Discord left to her on devices stuck to chaos without reason   Someone else has to be involved for the plot to thicken.
“It’s been fun Dis, but I’ve got to run.  Collecting souls, and all that you know how it is.”
Midnight uncloaked herself at my command.  She bowed letting me mount her back.  Griffons are very loyal, respectful creatures.  Midnight has been my companion for the last three hundred years.  I raised her after her mother was killed by relentless mortals determined to rid the world of magical creatures.   It was my pleasure to take out vengeance on behalf of the noble beast.
Most griffons are colorful, and warm hearted.  Midnight turned black on the night of her mother’s death.  Her heart consumed with hate for all of mankind.  I fear the thought of what would have happed had I not been there to control her.
“Show off!”  Discord’s words carried on the wind.  Jealousy is a beautiful thing.  Of course if all I had were serpents at my beck, and call I would feel the same.
Now, now what to do about the soulless mortals, so much work, and so little time.



*        *          *



Hungry, always hungry! Why will nothing stop this hunger? My hands were covered in blood.  Who’s blood” My blood? I’m not bleeding am I? OH!  Dead girl, her blood, my hands.
Blue, I see blue.  Could I not see in colors before?  A blue, fuzzy cloud floated above the dead body. The blue cloud hovered over my hands, it liked the blood.  I need more blood!
I ripped into the corpse, rubbing the blood all over my body.  Ah! Yes, I’m blue! The hunger stopped, I remembered.  Oh god!  What have I done?
“You like that sweetie?  There is plenty more where that came from.”  A woman leered down at me.  Her voice was so pure.  Her eyes called out to me.
“Why am I still alive?”  I saw the poor mangled body, and everything I’d done.  “Oh, what have I done?”
“You ate her soul, and made your pain go away, but that will only last so long.  You will grow hungry again.”
“I died, why do I still breathe?  Why am I alive?”  I begged her to tell me, I remembered clearly falling to my death.
The woman held out a jar, with a blue cloud inside.  That’s mine, my soul, why does she have my soul?
“Do you want to die? All you need is your soul, and you may rest in peace.”
“Yes, oh yes! Please give it back to me.”  I screamed, I begged.
“Fine, but you must retrieve it on your own.”
My soul disappeared, the jar laid empty.  The hunger was back, pain doubled me over.  
“Now listen carefully.  Your soul remains in a mortal girl.  If you wish it back you must find her.  Then, and only then will you be able to move to the next world.”  The woman touched me.  I saw an image of an ocean, a beach covered in black sand.  A woman with fiery hair, and green eyes.  She was mine.
A thousand images past before my eyes.  I remembered the touch of her hand, the softness of her skin; but who was she?  Where is she?
“Once you find her, kill her, and your soul will be set free.”
“No!” She was mine to protect, mine to cherish.  Can’t kill her.
“Fine remain as you are.”  The woman vanished.  She was simply no more.  I scratched at the ground where she had stood, but nothing remained.
Hunger clawed at my insides.  The smell of blood was over whelming.  I ran, not looking, I just ran until my legs gave out.  My lungs refused to take in air.  What am I?  Who am I?  Can no one hear my prayers?





Chapter 1


“Nocturnal Desires”, where you darkest desires will come true.  Of course, my followers would want to meet at the hottest night club in the city.  A line wrapped around the corner into an alley.  Invisible to the mortal eye, I just walked past security undetected.
Mira was the easiest to spot.  She had short blonde hair in what I believed to be pig tails that spiked out from her head.  Her clothing consisted of a short black skirt, and light pink tank that left nothing to the imagination.  Looking around I noticed she actually fit into the club scene quiet well.  It was safe to assume she picked the meeting spot.  She wouldn’t let a little thing like work interfere with her play time.
What made her so noticeable were the three men groping her while she thrashed about to a hammering techno beat.  The room was dark enough just to reveal myself, with little effort.  Not a single mortal noticed my appearance, as I became visible.
“Nemi!” Mira shrieked shoving her dance partners out of her way.  “You could have summoned us.  I know how you despise the mortal playgrounds.”
I laughed to hear her repeat words I used centuries ago.  Although I suppose I deserved it.  I tended to be a bit critical of new ideas.  
“Come on,” I said walking towards a round table where Mab, and Misrey waited.
Misrey belonged in a biker bar.  She looked rather out of place.  Her long black hair blended into leather pants, which blended into the black leather boots, without the crimson corset, she would have faded into the shadows.  Misrey has leather motorcycle jacket draped on the back of her chair for just that purpose.  
Mab was just herself.  She neither belonged, nor stood out.  It was clearly written on her face the displeasure the surrounding brought her.  Putting the three of them together was probably not the brightest of ideas, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  
“I take it the three of you have reacquainted yourselves?”  I asked bemused by how uncomfortable they looked with each other.
“Truthfully I was expecting a tomb or at least a graveyard when we let Mira pick the place.  A night club was unexpected.”  Misrey stated.
Mira laughed uncontrollably for a full five minutes.  Her sense of humor has always been a little off.  Although I suppose being forever affiliated with the dead will do that to you.
“Would it make more sense if I told you the club was owned by a vampire.” Mira said taking a seat next to Mab.
“Well that explains it.”  Misrey said draining the rest of her beer.
“Why have you called us together Nemesis?” Mab asked completely ignoring Misrey, and Mira.
“Hades had asked me to retrieve a few souls that he thought got lost on there journey over.  Turns out Discord had stolen them, and placed them into mortals.  Unfortunately I’m powerless to retrieve them.  I am forbidden to kill innocents, which is the only way I know to free a soul from the vessel.” I hated admitting my own faults.  Revenge and vengeance can only be wrought under just cause.  
“That is not possible.  A mortal can not carry two souls, unless they were separated to begin with.”  Mab said.
“What are you saying Mab?” I asked.  Mab never spoke without purpose.  She was a breath a fresh air, when compared to what I put up with.
“A mated pair, soul mates . . . soul that was split in half.  Only those souls can be rejoined.  Typically when they are rejoined, it is what mortals call true love.  It sounds like Discord simply rejoined the souls taking the other mortal out of the loop.” Mab said. Her facial expression was careful to reveal nothing, but her eyes said it all.
“And the other gods told me I was suicidal for having a shamaka in my mist.” I said.  Mab’s frown deepened, her eyes refusing to look away.
“The lure behind soul mates is what you seek Nemesis.”  Mab said.  The three of us fell silent waiting for Mab to continue, but she kept her silence.  Her eyes took on a glassy appearance.  Her aura turned black, and the air was suddenly heavier.  Before the club atmosphere had been light, now it felt bogged down.
“Mab are you still with us?” Misrey asked.  Her hands were caressing the sais at her waist.   
“When all the mated pairs are gone love, peace, and happiness will fade.  In its place chaos will prevail.  The universal balance will be broken, and the world will slowly collapse. Certain balances must be maintained in order for each plain to exist, without this balance we can not exist.”  Mab’s voice was not her own.  She had let herself become possessed to gain knowledge.  Normally possession is not something you want to tap into, but Mab was a shamaness.
Mab collapsed forward; Mira caught her head just before it smacked the table.  The air was returning back to normal, you could breath again without feeling like death lurked over your shoulder.
“Oh goody end of existence trouble.” Mira said grinning a little too happily. “Well this is Discord we are dealing with.  Did you guys expect sugar, and fluff?”
“The fates are the only ones that can tell you have many pairs of soul mates exist.” Mab said
“Good luck getting that info.  The fates are not exactly the giving sort.”  Misrey said.  The look on her face said she knew all to well how the fates dealt the cards.
“I must return to Tartarus, and speak with Hades.  It will be ultimately up to him what I decide to do.”  I said.  “We will meet two days hence at my temple.”
I took my leave vanishing from sight.  Mab’s words weighed heavily upon my shoulders.  There is no telling how Hades will handle this situation.  I could not stand ideally by letting Discord have her way.  
Sometimes the gods refuse to interfere in the mortal realm, and sometimes they just can’t seem to help themselves.