~~
Talia
~~
Right now, I was slightly bummed out. I would say I was pissed off, but if I spoke like that my parents would likely yell at me. Not that they had room to talk. I mean, they talked like that all the time. And I am fifteen for Goddess's sake. I should be allowed to talk however I wanted to.
I was mad at my mom though. And my dad. I mean, I get here and free two souls that were trapped in their bodies. Then I am supposed to talk to these souls and find out what they know. Other than that, however, I am not allowed to be involved in anything at all. I was being sent back to this Alpha's pack house. I didn't even have a room there. And, from what I knew, Mom and Dad weren't even staying there tonight, so they had already packed their stuff and prepared to leave soon. It left me wondering, where in my future home am I going to be interviewing these people?
I had to stifle a chuckle at that. Instead of saying Hell, I said my future home. I mean, they were the same thing after all. I would, quite literally, be living in hell when I was older and done with college. Not that I thought college would help me. There was no degree on how to run the underworld. Perhaps I should go with some sort of management degree. I would at least know how to manage different departments and could make the underworld like a business. Then again, maybe I should learn how to manage children and a classroom. The other people in the underworld were likely to complain like children when a new leader came in and started to change things. And let's not forget about psychology. That might help me as well. I could figure out how these people think and make things easier on us all. Hahh. Who was I kidding? Nothing was going to work there. Nothing at all.
I was getting off track here. I knew that I needed to focus and get this job done before I sent these people on their way. They needed to move onto the underworld and to the peace that they would receive once they were there. Also, I think that it was somewhat possible that there might be other victims that were already in the underworld. And if that were the case, then I would need to have their souls found and interviewed. Let's just hope that they weren't sent for punishment. They didn't deserve that after what happened to them. To accomplish that task, I was going to have to contact my underworld tutors. Perhaps the regulars, Hades, Lucifer and Hel, would be willing to assist me. I could only hope that they would be.
.....
At the moment, Uncle David and Uncle Shane were escorting me back to the local Alpha's home. The two souls that I needed to talk with were riding in the car with me. I will admit that I was slightly weirded out by the fact that they were both completely naked. Then again, that had been how their bodies were when they were freed. I guess that was to be expected of them at the moment. It's not like they had a choice of how they appeared before me.
When the car stopped I heard a voice from the front seat pull my attention toward them.
“This is the Alpha's home.” Uncle David called out to me as he looked up at the house. I suddenly remembered when he and the others came back from their investigations and saw me here in Wales. They seemed to have been shocked beyond belief. They didn't expect that mom was going to bring me in to help with investigating these deaths.
“Thank you.” I smiled at him to show my thanks, though I don't think he saw it. “I just need somewhere private to talk to them now.”
“Of course. We will ask someone in the house.” Uncle Shane opened my door and helped me out. I was glad that the souls had gotten out first. I didn't like the idea of me moving through them. That was never a good experience. It always made me feel like my entire body was freezing over and the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck would stand on end. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't pleasant either.
My two uncles led me into the house. It was nice, but very different from what I was used to. It was smaller than the castle, and really old looking. It was made of stone and wood, like it had been here for centuries with no issues. It was also very pretty, in a storybook sort of way.
“Welcome back, Sir Knights.” A girl around my age greeted Uncle David and Uncle Shane. “I see that there is a visitor with you.” She smiled at me. “Please, pardon my rudeness, but I do believe that I do not know you. My name is Telyn, and who might you be?”
“This is Talia, Queen Trinity's daughter.” Uncle David answered for me. “The queen called her in for some help. Talia here, is the future ruler of the underworld. The next goddess chosen to take over when she is of age.”
“That is very impressive.” Telyn smiled at me, but I could tell that she was nervous for some reason.
“Thank you. Now, Telyn, I need to find somewhere quiet and private to conduct some interviews. Is there someplace in the house that would be suitable?”
“Yes, I believe that I know of a place that will suit your needs. When will the others arrive?”
“What others?” I asked her with confusion in my voice. Apparently, we were both not understanding each other.
“The people that you will be interviewing. I will bring them to you when they arrive.”
“Oh, they're already here.” I tried not to look like a freak at the moment. Most people back home, aside from those in the very close inner circle, didn't know about my special abilities. So. this girl didn't know either.
“I am confused.” Telyn definitely looked that way as she tilted her head to look at me with a worried expression.
“Telyn, Talia can communicate with souls. You cannot see them, but the two men that were killed are here with her now. She needs to talk to them privately. She does not want others to hear what she says to them, or to see what happens. Just as she said earlier though, they are already here. And with Talia's help, we might be able to solve this case much sooner.”
“Oh. I see.” She looked beyond shocked at the moment. “Please, forgive me, Princess Talia. Allow me to show you to a private sitting room. I will provide you with the key, so that you may lock yourself in and no one will be able to interrupt you.” There was embarrassment, shock, awe, and maybe even a little bit of envy and a little bit of fear in the girl's eyes as she looked at me.
“Thank you.”
The souls and I followed after Telyn. Uncle David and Uncle Shane followed behind me as well. They were going to be guarding the door for me even though I was going to have the key. That wouldn't stop them though. If I called out in distress and needed them, they would just bust through the door. Nothing would ever stop them.
Once Telyn had shown us to the sitting room that she had mentioned, she made certain that I was comfortable. She went to get a pitcher of water that was nice and cold. She brought a glass for me to drink from, and she even got me a plate full of cookies and other snacks. That would help to give me a bit of an energy boost. It was very late back home and I would normally be asleep in bed at the moment. Or at the very least, I would be going to sleep soon, since I didn't sleep as early as most people tended to.
Once Telyn was done preparing for everything she turned to look at me once more.
“I hope that you have what you need, Princess Talia. If there is anything else, do not hesitate to send someone to find me. I will be at your service whenever you need me.”
“Thank you, Telyn.” She nodded then left the room. With that, I locked the door and was alone with the souls for the first time.
The best way to not be overwhelmed by the dead was to not focus on them. And while I kept them in sight out of the corner of my eye, I had basically ignored them ever since we left the coroner's office. Now, though, I needed to pay attention to them.
These people didn't look like most souls that I had come across. They were naked, they had the scars of the autopsy all over them, and they looked terrified. Niclas, the first man to die who had been waiting trapped in his body for a lot longer than Llewellyn, looked at me with pleading brown eyes. His hair was light brown and his face was pale, though that could have been from him being dead for so long. Llewellyn had blue eyes and dark hair that was nearly black. He was also very pale. Both were a little over six feet tall and looked like they were very powerful men when they were alive. That was why I didn't understand how they could have been killed so easily.
