Rhode’s spirit is bloated and it is hard for him to resemble his body when he manages to separate from it. He had learned to consume souls and make their constituent parts, part of his own spirit manifestation, but he is not very advanced at manipulating soul energies, though he can do fancy things with the energy he has amassed.
Rhode’s real name is Joshua Cane and he was born in South Mills, North Carolina, walking distance from the Great Dismal Swamp, where, if good records existed, he could trace his lineage all the back to a runaway slave, called Silas, who escaped there with his wife, called Freeda. When they disappeared into the swamp, they were presumed dead by the slave hunters who pursued them at the behest of their master.
Inside the swamp, Silas and Freeda thrived and they had a family. They took the surname Cane that was a modification of the Ndebele word Mfecane to honor the period in African history when the grandfather of the woman named Miriro was able to amass dark, magical powers by collecting the despair and hatred that spread Southern Africa as tribes warred. Miriro studied with her grandfather in his old age and she took the surname Mfecane as a tribute to the chaotic period that gave her arcane powers. Miriro is an ancient relative of the slave named Silas and though he never used them before for fear that the devil would take his soul straight to hell, in the swamp, Silas used the arcane powers to protect his family from the dangers that lurked there. He had used them for the first time when he made a pact with the spirit of Miriro who had haunted him for years, urging him to throw off the shackles of slavery with the awesome powers of his ancestors. But when his master sold his wife to someone who meant to use her to have strong slave babies, Silas could not resist and he gave in to the Mfecane.
At his death, Miriro regained the full might of the Mfecane and she was disappointed that there was no living descendant who would carry on the tradition, and she cursed Silas to be the snake that she wrapped around her waist like a belt.
Rhode hasn’t proven himself to Miriro and he has not received any of the powers of the Mfecane, but he has displayed some talent at soul manipulation and consumption. Miriro can see that he is bloated and tired under the new weight. He sleeps a lot, though, at twenty-one, that may be a feature of his age.
On an afternoon, a few months ago, when Miriro was watching Rhode sleep, there was a knock at his apartment door. She knew that the sound wouldn’t be enough to wake him, she had pushed him hard the night before to separate from his physical body and hold his spirit energies in the shape of his body for as long as he could manage. When the knocking at the door continued for a couple minutes, Miriro became curious and walked through the front door. There was a white woman there and Miriro passed through her and turned to look at her in the hallway of the apartment building. The white woman turned to look at Miriro and she was surprised.
“You are the enemy of the Chimutengwende?” the white woman asked.
“Who is asking?”
“My name is Carol. I am a medium, and I work for someone who shares the same enemy.”
Miriro chuckled. “The Chimutengwendes only mattered to me because of their ancient ancestor who seems to have achieved the final death, I have not sensed him in years. The current brave is no threat to me.”
“But what will happen when you make your move for dominion over Earth? Do you think that Wendy will let you?”
“Will you let me, white woman?” Miriro stared at the woman skeptically.
“You should meet my friend. If you are as powerful as his records say you are, then you can be an asset to him and he can give you things that you have worked for centuries to get.”
Miriro is not intimidated by the woman so she agrees to travel with her to Durham, NC, where they meet the man who is considered to be an expert of spiritual energies at the Consortium Zone: South where he works, and he is a medium capable of seeing spirits and manipulating spirit energies.
“I’m leaving for a little while,” Wendy says to Nebuchad as he stares out the window of his second floor patient room. It is a big room for one person and Wendy likes to have lunch there with Nebuchad during the day when she can.
Nebuchad doesn’t seem to pay attention as she talks and he never turns back from the window.
“I have to go find some people…” she starts and she trails off when Nebuchad slowly turns his head to look her in the eyes.
“You have to help them,” he says. “I understand.”
Wendy stands and approaches him as Nebuchad turns his gaze back out the window
“Do you know anything about Ivan and Clay?” Wendy asks. She stares at him expecting to see a foreign spirit that must be inhabiting his body, but she only sees him. “Do you know Kevin?”
“They are all pawns now,” Nebuchad says, “and if you don’t save them, they may never see Earth again.”
Wendy shakes her head slowly, “They didn’t go with Eakran…”
“Of course, they would have been safer if they had.”
“Nebuchad…” Wendy says.
“I am only here. I am here to stop what is coming. And you have to find your friends before they leave Earth.”
This is unlike any possession that Wendy had ever witnessed. Normally, when a spirit is controlling a body that is not the original vessel of their soul energies, Wendy can see the mismatched form of the soul inside the body. But Nebuchad’s soul is where it is supposed to be and looks normal to her.
“They are soldiers of the new Representative from Earth. And they will leave soon to fight an unjust war that will kill thousands. You cannot let them leave.”
“Who are you?” Wendy asks desperately. “What are you? How are you speaking through Nebuchad if you aren’t possessing his body.”
“I’m sure you have heard the saying, a soldier’s greatest strength is her go to weapon in any conflict and she is quick to use it to solve all of her problems. You are a medium and expect everything to conform to your understanding. But you do not have time for understanding, Brave Chimutengwende. You have friends to save and a war to stop. Go. I will be safe and we will meet again when the time is right for understanding.”
“I can’t just leave now, this is the most Nebuchad…or you have ever spoken to me. I need to document it.”
Nebuchad turns and smiles at her.
“You are a wonderful caregiver, even Ife-Osu can see that. Please go. Time is not on anyone’s side.”
“Where are they? I just have a hunch, but if you know more I can find them quicker.”
“They are with the enemy of life, the antithesis of their name. They believe themselves better than humanity and they are looking to the future. That is what I know.”
Wendy nods slowly. Of course Nebuchad, or the person or thing inhabiting him, speaks in riddles, nothing about her life has been straightforward in years.
“I’ll only be gone two weeks, whether I find them or not.”
Wendy wants to hug Nebuchad, something to let him know that he is not alone, but there is a possibility that Nebuchad is unaware that any of this is happening.
“It is the will of Ife-Osu. I look forward to our next meeting.”
Nebuchad turns back to the window and Wendy knows that he will not speak again in this encounter.
PRL Serials 