Dead Souls Volume One (Parts 1 to 13)

Dead Souls Volume One

  (Parts 1 to 13)

  by Amy Cross

  Copyright Amy Cross, All Rights Reserved

  Published by ACBT Books

  Omnibus first published: October 2014

  This edition first published: February 2016

  Originally published in serial form

  between August and October 2014

  https://amycrossbooks.wordpress.com

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. If you enjoy it and wish to share it with others, please consider buying them their own copy. Feedback is always welcome. The author reserves all rights in respect of this work.

  Dead Souls Volume One

  (Parts 1 to 13)

  Part One

  Prologue

  He felt it immediately, even as he lay in the dark. The slowing of the boat, the shift in pitch of the engine as the vessel began to turn. He knew it could only mean one thing.

  Thaxos.

  Sitting up in the pitch black room, he took a deep breath, but the only smell that came to him was damp wood and spices, remnants of the boat's long history and of its earlier life as a trading vessel. Despite his tiredness, his senses were bursting back to life, anticipating the island's unique taste, so he forced himself to get off the bed and wander across the room until he reached the door. His body, which for so long had ached to come back here, was getting what it wanted, and it was almost too much for his mind to control. A thin sliver of light was showing through a crack in the wall, and he paused for a moment, preparing himself for the onslaught of the midday Mediterranean sun.

  Outside, voices were shouting to one another.

  Finally he opened the door, and although the sunlight was strong, it wasn't enough to make him uncomfortable. Not yet, anyway. Shielding his eyes a little, he stepped out onto the deck, and that's when his the sights, sounds and smells of this part of the world began to flood his senses.

  Bleached stone, slowly whitening in the sun.

  Honey-blossom from the forest.

  Lemon trees.

  None of it had changed, not in all the time he'd been away.

  He took a step forward, transfixed by the sensation of being back, and then eventually he turned and watched as the port town of Thaxos came closer and closer. A faint, unexpected smile crossed his face as he saw the little town hugging the shore, and the forest that rose up to cover the island's central hill, and finally the house at that top of that hill, waiting for its masters to return.

  Nearby, one of the deckhands shouted something in Italian, and a moment later a reply came from another part of the boat.

  Humans, he thought to himself. Such a noisy species.

  Walking across the deck, he stopped at the railing and studied the island as it came closer. With every second that passed, the boat moved closer to the island and he was able to see more detail. Although the sun had faded their paint, the brightly-colored houses of the shoreline still welcomed all visitors, and the march of time had clearly brought precious few signs of modernity to a place that had tended to eschew the trappings of progress. It was, to all intents and purposes, the same unspoiled Thaxos that he had last seen so long ago.

  And yet there was a hint of anger in his soul, threatening to blossom and take over completely. He had languished for so long in a malaise, constantly feeling in his gut the sensation that the world was not in order, but now finally he was close to the moment of which he had dreamed for so many years, and yet had been cruelly denied to him for so long.

  Home. He was finally home.

  I

  “We'll be docking at the main port on Thaxos in five minutes,” the captain announced over the ferry's tinny intercom. “As you disembark, please ensure you have all your luggage with you.”

  Looking up from her book, Kate saw the rugged island ahead. It was exactly how she'd imagined, a rocky outcrop rising up from the Mediterranean, with a cluster of villas around the harbor and a strip of forest running up toward the steep hill that marked the interior. On top of that hill, there was a large building, perhaps a castle or a mansion. Overall, it was like a picture postcard that had somehow sprung to life.

  As the ferry began to slow, Kate noticed that she could see people walking through the streets now, and she realized that soon she'd be among them, experiencing their world. In fact, for the next week she'd have nothing to do except relax and soak up some sun. She'd specifically left all her work at home, and she hadn't even brought her laptop. Her phone would get no signal out here, and all her busy work at the gallery in London would just have to wait.

  For a brief moment, as the ferry maneuvered into the harbor, she wondered if it was too late to abandon the holiday and just head home to work.

  “You've caught the sun,” said a male voice nearby.

  Turning, Kate was greeted by the smiling face of one of the deckhands, who seemed more interested in her than in the rope he was readying.

  “The back of your neck,” he continued with a thick Greek accent. “Looks red, you know?”

  “Oh.” Kate instinctively touched her neck, only to feel a flash of soreness. “Yeah. I suppose so. Sorry.”

  She paused, silently criticizing herself for that unnecessary, involuntary apology. Still, old habits were hard to break.

  “You English,” the deckhand continued, “you're not so used to the heat. You'll need to put something on your skin while you're here, or you're going to shrivel up like a prune.”

  Kate smiled politely, but secretly she was already waiting for the small-talk to end. The deckhand was a good-looking guy with the kind of rugged physique that made an immediate impression, but Kate had never felt well-versed in the art of conversation, and his attention just made her feel awkward. She was good at being polite and pretending to smile, but anything deeper was a stretch. She was used to being uncomfortable in social situations.

  “That's a big boat,” she replied, pointing at a much larger, longer black vessel that was taking up most of the port. She immediately cringed inside at the sound of her own voice, and at the naivety of her comment.

  “Looks like you're not the only new arrival today,” the deckhand replied, looking over at the other boat before turning back to her. “I think you'll be more popular than him, though.”

  “Why's that?” she asked.

  “Ah, just... People here aren't so happy about the Le Compte family returning to Thaxos. They've been away for so long, most of the locals assumed they wouldn't be coming back, but now the son has decided to return and reclaim the mansion. How do you English say? It has put a lot of noses out of joint.”

  Kate watched for a moment as scores of men carried large boxes to shore from the incongruously large black boat. Seconds later, she was jolted as the much smaller ferry bumped against the harbor's stone wall, and the deckhand jumped ashore with the rope, immediately turning and pulling on it to steady the vessel. For a few seconds, Kate couldn't help but notice the way his biceps bulged as he brought the boat under control, but suddenly the guy turned and smiled at her and Kate felt intensely embarrassed.

  Turning to look down at her luggage, she realized she was probably blushing. She fumbled with her book, forgetting to even mark her page as she shoved it into her backpack. The absolute last thing she wanted was to seem like a typical tourist, yet she'd allowed herself to be caught ogling the first man she saw.

  “Here you go,” the deckhand said, grabbing the portable metal steps and putting them in place, before picking up her luggage and carrying it ashore for her. “You know, we're staying overnight tonight before heading off tomorrow back to Athens. If you want to meet for a drink in one of the local cantinas, I could help you ou
t with a little local knowledge, maybe give you some ideas about things to do while you're here. I can even fill you in on the story of the Le Compte family, if you like,although that might be something of a mood-breaker.”

  “I'm fine, thanks,” Kate replied, stepping off the boat before reaching out for her backpack and suitcase.

  “No no,” he said with a smile, “I'll carry these to your boarding house for you. All service included in the price of your trip.”

  “Honestly, I'm fine.”

  “I insist!”

  “Can I please just have my bags?” she asked, instantly aware that she sounded a little abrupt. “Sorry,” she added, although once again she wasn't really sure why she was apologizing.

  “Fernando,” the captain called from the boat, “give the lady her bags and get on with stripping the engine. We don't have time to fool around!” He added something in Greek, and although Kate didn't understand a word of it, she could tell that the captain wasn't best pleased.

  Sighing, the deckhand passed the bags to Kate.

  “I have an engine to strip,” he explained with a smile. “Sorry, no time for you.”

  “It's okay. Thank you. But do you know where I can get a taxi?”

  “You're on Thaxos,” he replied, climbing back onto the boat. “There are no cars here. If you're very lucky, though, someone might let you take a ride on a donkey.”

  “A donkey?”

  “You're not in London anymore,” the deckhand replied with a broad smile. “Don't worry. You'll get used to the change of pace eventually!”

  “Right. Thanks.” With that, Kate turned to walk away.

  “And if you run into Baron Le Compte,” the deckhand called after her, “give him my best!”

  Kate glanced over her shoulder and saw that the deckhand was waving at her. She smiled politely before continuing on her way, walking across the cobbles until she reached a small, sunny square lined on three sides by dusty houses. Although she certainly didn't feel like she needed to 'get used to the change of pace', as the deckhand had so condescendingly described it, she was a little taken aback to realize just how rustic the island seemed. Everything was so still and quiet.

  “A week,” Kate muttered, already wondering how she was going to fill the time. “Damn it, I definitely should have brought my laptop.”