Free A Different Kind of Despair by Nicole Martinsen Page A

felt as though it would split open any minute,
pulsing violently with every flash of knowledge.
    A body was never meant to take more than one
soul, but the nature of my kuana forced a crude fusion between us.
More and more I understood Jiki's reservations; the greater the
ability, the worse the drawbacks.
    We ran for several minutes, going deeper into
the caverns until we reached an imposing set of cast iron doors.
Diana threw them open, my arms channeling a strength far beyond
human capacity.
    This was the Morgue, and the Pit was at the
far end of the room. A memory of falling stung me like a thorn.
Falling and landing upon the cold and dirty ground, broken,
bleeding...
    I sank to my knees, whimpering.
    "Diana?" When I opened my eyes I couldn't see
Marvin, but a man with a face identical to him. The difference
rested most strongly in the way he looked at me, pitying and
certain. My heart fluttered and broke all together.
    "Her body isn't strong enough to maintain the
possession," Diana struggled. "Marvin, barricade the
Morgue."
    He didn't question the order.
    Diana's spirit fled its temporary shell. I
heaved against the frozen floor, sweat pouring down my skin. I
never knew the powers of a Shaman could be this
agonizing.
    "Miraj," Diana spoke to me, once again in her
ancient, stormy pall. "I need you to get a hold of yourself. If I
need to relay something to Marvin then you're the only one who can
help."
     
    "Marvin," I muttered, my eyes roving the
surroundings.
    He stood at the edge of the Pit, uttering
Runes.
    Runes?
    "Gah! I can't tell whose thoughts are whose
anymore!"
    I heard the grotesque sound of skin and bones
breaking from the Pit. Marvin's hand was bleeding as he chanted. I
gazed in awe as a humanoid being emerged from the gaping hole,
blood still leaking off its monolithic frame.
    "Four lines," Diana mused, impressed. "He's
improved."
    I wasn't going to ask questions; I already
knew far too much useless information that came along with the few
tidbits I actually wanted. The abilities of a Shaman were
terrifying to behold, and wreaked havoc upon me in droves when I
used them.
    If only I'd told Koronos off an hour ago all
of this could have been avoided!
    " Master ," the creature groaned.
" What is my name ?"
    "Uhh Two."
    " Achoo. Achoo confirmed. "
    Marvin slapped himself in the face.
    Diana cackled, "He never learns."
    All four of us, living and otherwise, turned
to the doors. Someone was outside; just one soul.
    This individual didn't try to open the door,
nor did they attempt to force their way through. Instead, I saw the
outline of a form walk through it entirely, limned in the
mysterious fabric of the Grey.
    "Spirit?" I questioned.
    As though in direct response to my confusion,
that outline became solid. Marvin, Diana and I gaped at an
emaciated woman as her heels clacked against the floor.
    Her eyes were pointed, and her black hair was
streaked in a most unnatural way. We locked gazes, her and I. I
could feel an undeniable connection to this older woman in my
blood. Those were no ordinary grey strands from age; she bore those
all her life. It was ori'tua -a moon mark. She was of the Shinya
tribe.
    And if her body could pass through the Grey
then it meant she was a Shaman-
    "-mother!?"
    Marvin waned at the woman's sudden
appearance.
    Somewhere in the Great Beyond I knew Ayasha
was laughing.
    Marvin's mother crouched over me, her thin
lips pursed to the side.
    "Foolish girl," she scowled. "You're lucky you
only grazed the Overflow threshold."
    Diana spotted my quizzical look, and set out
with an explanation, "All magic users have an Overflow limit, where
the power they try to channel exceeds their physical capabilities.
It can maim a mage or kill them if they aren't careful."
    "You tell me this now ?" I
withered.
    The Shaman cast a hand across my eyes. "Lie
still. The Morgue will be safe for a few minutes more." She craned
her neck at Marvin. "As for you, my son, there's no way to escape
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