Free Penult by A. Sparrow

clenched my eyes,
remembering the moldy dankness of that church basement, the pain,
the rats, the darkness. I sensed something begin to swirl just
beyond the range of my perception. Roots?
    Karla took my hand in hers and broke
the spell. I was back in the coffee shop, my heart
aglow.
    “ Karla, dear, you’re not
helping.”
    “ Sorry!” She yanked her
hand back.
    “ You see, burgeoning love
is a most powerful bane against hopelessness. It can make a young
man yearn for life even in the most desperate situations. I can see
that this is likely the root of your problem. Perhaps … a
separation is in order.”
    I slammed my fist on the table. “No
fucking way. I just got out of prison! She just came back from the
dead.”
    “ Now, now. It was just a
suggestion. Give a few weeks for the glow to fade and you might be
happy to have a little time for yourself. Happens to the happiest
of couples. Which makes me think we should strike while the iron is
hot. But then again, maybe we have enough to work with here. Reach
back James, and put yourself back in that basement. And this time,
Miss Karla, restrain yourself. No touching!”
    So I closed my eyes again. Summoned
the rat going after my lunch. The footsteps coming down the
corridor, never knowing whether they were coming to beat me.
Linval’s screams. His groans. His ever weakening whimpers. And
finally, his silence. A tear dribbled down my cheek.
    But I knew Karla sat beside me. She
didn’t have to touch my hand. I knew she was in reach. And her
presence made it all okay. I could handle the nastiest horrors of
life with her by my side.
    “ Anything?” said
Sophie.
    Nothing filled my senses but the smell
of coffee and spiced tea, tobacco, cloves, cool leather, the rumble
of the underground trains passing below us, reminiscent of
Reapers.
    No roots announced their presence. The
Liminality kept its distance. I felt nothing.
    And in a way, I was glad. Whatever
troubles the Frelsians were having, they had nothing to do with my
current life. My path through existence need not lead through Root.
There were other realms for souls to reside. I would find the right
place when the time came.
    “ How about now?”
    “ Nope. Nothing.”
    “ Maybe I can go for him,” said
Karla.
    “ Go where,
dear?”
    “ To the Liminality, to see
Master Zhang.”
    Sophie pursed her lips. “Well, I am
sure you can, love. No doubt you have vast reservoirs of angst to
tap. You may go wherever you like, dear, but this is all about
James.”
    “ Why me?”
    Sophie skipped a glance towards Karla.
“The boy has no clue, does he? Low self-esteem, perhaps? Renders
him completely unaware of the elephant in the room?”
    “ Elephant?”
    Sophie pursed her lips.
    “ You James. You are the
elephant. You are why I rode the early train down this morning all
the way from Bristol. This is all about getting another master
Weaver to join our ranks in the Liminality. Because souls with the
ability to move … mountains … are few and far between. We can count
their number on … two hands. We need you … to stand against the
Cherubim. To save Frelsi.”
    “ What if … I don’t want to
save Frelsi?”
    Sophie glared. “It’s not just Frelsi.
I’m talking about every society and sub-culture on the surface of
the Liminality. All of them Penult aims to exterminate, or at least
drive back underground. These so-called angels. Self-appointed
overseers of the afterlife. Seraphim and Hashmallim and their
strange, poor minions the Cherubim. They just want the surface or
themselves, to drive us all back underground like cattle to be
processed for the Deeps.”
    I tapped my watch. “We … uh … we have
a train to catch.”
    Sophie sipped the last of her chai.
“So you do. A long train ride can provide an excellent environment
for executing transitions. Something about the rhythm of the rails.
Please, do try your best. It is vastly important that you see
Master Zhang as soon as possible. We would hate to resort