Page 88 of Dark Awakening: Hidden Currents

Before meeting David and hearing evidence that reincarnation was real, Syssi had been undecided about the existence of a spirit that survived the body's death.

But now, she not only believed in the soul's survival but was more inclined to also believe related stories, like the one about the soul leaving the body every time a person fell asleep and returning upon waking.

Maybe Khiann's soul had left his sleeping body from time to time to wander the world during the past five thousand years.Perhaps Annani was right, and his spirit had possessed the bodies of the men who had fathered her children.

Closing her eyes, Syssi wondered whether Jacob had been reincarnated already. Thinking of her brother always brought tears to her eyes and stupid, irrational guilt.

What if he was still wandering the spirit world and waiting for her or Andrew to have a boy so he could reincarnate in the family?

Did the soul care about keeping the same gender in its next incarnation?

Was it given a choice?

According to David, it depended on what the soul needed to accomplish in its current incarnation and what faults it needed to fix.

Jacob's only fault had been his impulsivity, and in the end, that was what had killed him.

Fates, how she hated motorcycles. Even as an immortal, Syssi couldn't look at one without thinking it was a death trap.

Opening her eyes, she glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. It was still early, and as much as Kian wanted to keep council meetings short, they had a tendency to drag on, especially now that Kalugal, Toven, and Jade were also members. Jade wasn't a problem because she was even more curt than Kian, but Kalugal and Toven had big egos and liked to talk.

Nevertheless, Kian would make sure to be home on time so they wouldn't be late to his mother's.

Annani did not appreciate tardiness, even if it was justified.

Syssi wasn't looking forward to the visit. Her vision hadn't definitively shown that Khiann was alive, and it hadn't shown him dead either, so basically, it hadn't provided them with a definitive answer.

Annani would be disappointed.

63

ROB

Rob stewed quietly while Marina went to get them coffee and pastries. He was angry, hurt, and didn't know how to make himself feel better so he could at least be cordial to Mia, who was a sweetheart and didn't deserve his temper.

It wasn't fair to her.

"So, Rob," Lusha said, leaning forward, "what's your story? How did you end up in our little corner of the world?"

Rob hesitated, unsure how much he wanted to reveal about the tumultuous events that had led him here. "It's a long story. The short version is that my life took an unexpected turn, and then my sister and her friends made me an offer I couldn't refuse and brought me here." He gestured vaguely, encompassing the café and the village beyond.

Lusha nodded, a knowing look in her eyes. "Life-changing revelations seem to be a specialty around here. I remember when I first learned about the existence of gods and immortals. It was quite the adjustment."

Rob's curiosity piqued. "You're not originally from the village?"

Lusha shook her head. "No, I was born and raised in Karelia. Do you know where that is?"

"I think I do. Russia, right?" Lusha and Marina both had slight Russian accents, which now made sense.

"Very good, Rob. Not many people have heard of Karelia. It is a region that is mostly Russian territory, but a portion of it is under Finnish control."

"How did you end up here?" he asked, but what he really wanted to ask was if she was human or immortal.

"That's a really long story," she threw his words back at him.

"We have time." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Right, Mia?"

Mia shrugged. "I don't know how long the council meeting will last. Toven said that he would come over here when he was done."