them. Chim had been the fourth name on the list; the missing Chosen had arrived after all.
The acolytes learned about, but rarely spoke of, the darker side of the story surrounding the history of the fountain. The first ensouled baby, the one whose mother discovered the soul pool, pledged his life to service and became the Head Master's first acolyte. That acolyte’s name was Renauld.
Renauld had an uneasy relationship with the Head Master. The legend said that Renauld had often thought, since he had the revered status of being the first ensouled human in the territory since Before, that he should be the rightful leader of the newly-formed Office of Souls. But on the day of the vote, the majority of the nomads, who from then on were called Residents, cast their votes for the Head Master.
A short time later there was a rash of violent soul extractions that left the Residents terrified and clamoring for an answer from the Office of Souls. After a secret investigation, a shocking discovery came to light. Renauld's envy had led him down a dark path. He had turned to the service of the Darkness, and was extracting souls to sacrifice to the Dark One, hoping to become powerful enough to overthrow the Head Master.
The difference between Renauld’s extractions and those the Office of Souls administered as punishment was that the bodies of those Renauld left soulless became violent. To satiate their never ending hunger, those soulless were drawn to living flesh and attacked Residents at will to eat them. Dealings with the Darkness were dirty business, and once he was caught, Renauld was banished beyond the perimeter, to the ends of the world. He also lost his soul.
“I came to take back what is owed me, Lairus, and a whole lot more,” Renauld sneered.
Samuel started at hearing the Head Master’s given name spoken out loud. No one was allowed to call him by it. It was forbidden, as it was said that names held power that could be used over you as a means of control.
“Whatever your intentions, you will not succeed,” the Head Master said firmly.
“I already have.” Renauld giggled. “Behold, Larius, I have discovered the Soul Vessel.” He patted Marius’s arm.
Samuel strained to see through the heavy rain, but he thought he saw the Head Master stumble.
“An abomination!” the Head Master hissed.
Then Samuel heard the whispered voices in the fountain begin to hum. The red light in the water flickered slowly, and then started to pulse in time to the light inside of Marius.
He racked his mind, turning over the histories trying to understand what was happening. A Soul Vessel. What did that mean? Whatever it was, it caused the Head Master’s voice to shake.
“The Soul Vessel was a myth. There was never any such creature created in the history of the world,” the Head Master said.
“Until now,” Renauld said with a sly smile. “And it was right here under your nose the whole time. What irony.”
Samuel watched in alarm as the water in the fountain began to spin. It was slow at first, but then it gained momentum. The souls inside seemed to be communing with the light inside Marius. And then the water leapt into the air and burst, something that Samuel had watched hundreds of times. The fountain was releasing its souls, but this time, instead of entering the Chosen, all four shot straight into Marius’s chest. The man’s eyes bulged and his lips started to quiver, then an unholy yell escaped him that made both Samuel and Malcom cover their ears.
“Those do not belong to him!” the Head Master shouted.
“We’re going to take them anyways,” Renauld said. Then his head swung to Marius. “Marius, don’t forget those too.” He pointed at Malcom’s wife, and the two other families on the other side of the fountain.
Marius’s mouth shut. He didn’t look around at all. He simply raised his arms in both directions, and Samuel watched in horror as five souls were ripped in unison from the bodies of the parents of the Chosen. Malcom cried out and tried to jump up but Samuel held him firmly.
Marius opened his mouth and the souls slipped right in between his lips. He didn't make any noise this time. The red pulsing in his chest sped up like an evil heartbeat.
“Now for the rest,” Renauld said.
But just as he stepped forward, raising his hand in Samuel and Malcom's direction, the Head Master shot his hands straight into the air and called out to the heavens. “Light give me strength!”
Samuel was blinded by a dazzling white light that lit up the clouds and then slammed down into the ground in between Renauld and the Head Master. Renauld screamed and drew back, pulling Marius with him.
“You will never have control of this fountain or this place!” the Head Master said. But then Samuel watched as the Head Master's body started to shake, as if he was losing control. The streak of light wavered, and then pulled back and through the Head Master before encountering the fountain. Samuel felt the pressure crackle in the air all around him, and then the world exploded.
MALCOM
Malcom slipped back into consciousness when he felt a tug on his ear. He struggled to remember where he was; he remembered the garden, the confrontation, and the blinding ball of light.
He felt the tug again, and raised his head, which was throbbing. He looked up into clear blue eyes that he would have known to be Eve’s eyes, but they were set in the face of a tiny angel with beautiful blond hair.
“Dadda,” the angel said.
Malcom felt his chest constrict. “Cameron?”
He slowly moved to his knees and shook off the debris of the fountain that seemed to be all around him. He reached up to touch his face and his hand came away bloody. His clothes were blackened and had holes in places.
But his daughter sat on the ground in front of him, unscathed. Her skin was clear and glowing, and every piece of her wavy blond hair was in place. As soon as she saw that he was up, she reached out for him. “Dadda!”
He was stunned. He slowly took her into his arms. Her breath was hot against his cheek, and her body was warm. He looked around them. The massive fountain that had stood there for a hundred years was no more. It had been blown to smithereens. He heard soft singing and searched for the source.
The rain was now only a light drizzle, and it took a moment for his eyes to fully adjust to the darkness that had descended upon them. Then he saw Samuel kneeling over the body of the Head Master. Samuel’s head was bent and he was rocking back and forth singing a hymn that Malcom remembered from his mother singing it to him when he was little. It was called “Triumph of the Light.”
He looked for Eve, but the three of them appeared to be alone in the courtyard. He slowly made his way to Samuel. He winced when he saw the condition of the Head Master’s body. The whole upper torso had been seared, and he could smell the awful aroma of burnt flesh. He kept Cameron’s face turned away.
“I don’t understand what the hell happened here,” he said to Samuel. “Do you?”
Samuel half-turned his face towards him. “Life as we know it has ended.”
Then Malcom heard screams in the distance. “What’s happening?”
“Renauld and his servants have reached the barracks,” Samuel said without any emotion in his voice. “May the Light have mercy on their souls.”
“We have to do something!” Malcom said.
Samuel nodded. “We do. We need to survive. We need to protect the gift that the Head Master gave to us.”
“What gift?” Malcom said. “My wife is missing. The world has gone crazy. And it looks like the Head Master was at the heart of all of it.”
“The Head Master kept us safe for more than a hundred years,” Samuel said. “He protected us from evil men like Renauld. But evil is clever, and it waits patiently for us to become lenient. That was what the Head Master tried to tell me. I should have listened better.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Malcom said.
“Dadda,” Cameron said, tugging on his ear again.
“How did Cameron get a soul?” Malcom asked. “That man took all the souls in the fountain
.”
“All but one,” Samuel said quietly. He closed the Head Master’s eyes and then stood. “Earlier the Head Master told me what he was going to do, but hid the knowledge in a spell that only would be lifted upon his death. He couldn't tell me and risk that I would do something that would compromise what he had to do. He needed to draw out the evil so that I would know what demon we faced and so I could bear witness. Before the ceremony started, he cast a very rare spell. It required precious strength that he could ill afford to waste, but he had no choice. The spell called upon the Creator to send him a very special soul. The soul of the Champion. The one we will need as our world falls into darkness. She will be the only one who can lead us out.”
Malcom’s head was spinning. “Are you trying to tell me that you think my daughter is someone you are going to try to use in your dispute with that demon?”
“Malcom, this isn’t just my dispute. It’s everyone’s. Even now, with every soul that Renauld extracts, he is creating a creature who desires only the flesh. Our world is very soon going to be filled with monsters, and that is only part of it. We still don't know exactly what Renauld plans to do with his army of walking dead. Your daughter is our only hope.”
“You can go fly a kite. I am leaving and my daughter is coming with me. Now, I’m going to find my wife and we are going home. I’ll leave it to you and your precious Office of Souls to clean up your own mess.” Malcom turned and headed back towards the path by which they had entered.
He had only gone about twenty feet when he saw a man running toward them. It was the same man he had seen at the entrance to the garden, except now he had blood running down his face.
“You don’t want to go that way!” the man said as he passed Malcom.
The man skidded to a halt at the edge of the courtyard. “By all the Light that is good and merciful. It’s gone,” he moaned.
Malcom knew exactly how he felt.
SAMUEL
Samuel knew they didn’t have much time. He strode to Bishop’s side. The man had a dazed look on his face as he took in looked what was left of the fountain.
“Bishop, what’s going on in the compound outside the garden?”
“It’s horrible,” Bishop whispered as tears joined the blood on his face. “I was attacked by one of the acolytes. He knocked me out with a shovel. When I woke up in the garden all's I heard was screaming. I found a tiny hole in the shrub wall and I saw acolytes trying to eat other acolytes. That soulless Marius is tearing souls out of other acolytes. The small soulless with him seems to be telling him what to do. I've read about things in Before called war zones. What's going on outside the garden; that's what I think one of those would look like.”
Samuel peered over Bishop’s shoulder and saw Malcom standing there looking at his daughter. He couldn’t let the girl out of his sight, but he had to convince Malcom to stay with him long enough to make him understand. And the pandemonium outside should be enough.
“I know another way out of the garden,” he called to Malcom. “It's a secret passageway that was known only to me and the Head Master. We will be able to escape. I know of a safe place where we can go.”
“There’s not going to be a safe place anymore,” Bishop said, shaking his head.
“It'll be safe enough for now,” Samuel said. “Safe enough for you and your daughter. Away from the monsters that Renauld is creating. What do you say, Malcom?”
He saw Malcom look down at his daughter again. The baby was breathtakingly beautiful. Samuel knew that her soul was the purest soul that had ever been called to the fountain. It was the soul of a protector.
“I will go with you for now. To avoid putting Cameron in anymore danger,” Malcom finally said. “But as soon as things calm down, I need to try to find my wife.”
Samuel didn’t have the