The Hunted Soul

by Miranda Brock

  It was difficult to tell how long this tunnel went. I held one hand aloft with magic warming my skin so I could see and shoved my bag awkwardly in front of me with the other. Dust rained down on me from above, and I kept my eyes squinted in an attempt to keep them clear of debris. My elbows started hurting as I army crawled my way down. A cold sensation wrapped around my ankles, and a chill ran through me.

  I tried to glance behind me. Nothing but shadow. A foul taste filled my mouth, like blood and tepid ditch water, and I knew Vehrin’s magic had latched onto me.

  When I got out of here, I was going to make him wish he’d never touched me.

  I continued to crawl and wriggle down the tunnel, then paused at an odd whispering sort of sound. I inched forward slowly, then held my hand up and peered over my bag. My heart jumped.

  Snakes.

  There had to be at least two dozen of them, their bodies all slithering and twisting together. I was one of those women who weren’t the least bit bothered by snakes and insects—it came with the territory of archeology—but I also knew enough about snakes to know the ones ahead of me were venomous.

  I caught the flaring head of a cobra as it hissed, its black gaze fixed on me. I couldn’t crawl through a nest of cobras. Their venom would affect me in a matter of minutes, and I most certainly wouldn’t have time to make it out of this place alive.

  I inched back a few feet, putting distance between myself and the deadly hindrance, and let my forehead rest against my bag as I thought. Backing back out of the tunnel would take time and effort I couldn’t afford. Besides, there was no guarantee one of the other doorways would lead to the relic. In all likelihood, the snakes were put here on purpose to stop anyone from getting through.

  Of course, that didn’t explain how they would have put the key down here in the first place. Wouldn’t the chief have to go through the snakes, too? Perhaps there was another way, an easier way, to get to the key. But if there was, the leader of the lions would certainly be the only one to know about it. There could be an entirely new doorway that wasn’t even located beneath his home. It could be on the other side of the mountain for all I knew. I certainly didn’t have time to go looking, especially based on nothing more than speculation. Which meant...

  I had to go through the snakes.

  I could probably kill them with my magic, but with Vehrin’s power nearby, I wasn’t certain how that would work out. Besides, unleashing my own power could very well collapse this tunnel on me. Slashing at them with a sword would probably do nothing except piss them off.

  I shifted slowly so I would draw the serpents’ attention and reached into my pockets in a last-ditch effort to find something to ward them away. I discovered something and rolled the tiny object between my fingers. It was the elephant-tusk-shaped earring Bibi had given me. I held it up in front of me, and the words she told me as she handed it over came back to mind.

  Take these. They will ward off any wild beasts that may do you harm.

  Did that mean I could get through the cobras without being bitten? I supposed there was only one way to find out.

  Clenching the earring in a tight fist so I wouldn’t drop it, I shuffled forward. The snakes came back into view. The hissing grew louder as the glowing magic around my fist fell over their dark scales. My heart hammered, and I took a few shaky breaths as I reached the serpents.

  Several of them rose up as high as the small space allowed, their horrible hissing filling my ears. I grimaced as I was forced to crawl over their writhing bodies.

  “Easy, snakes. It’s okay, just passing through.” I had to laugh quietly at myself. Talking to snakes. I did odd things when I was nervous.

  Several of the heavy, twisting snakes slithered on top of me, crawling up over my shoulders and around my legs. I really hoped one of them wouldn’t try to crawl up a pants leg. I winced as tiny tongues flicked out against my face and arms. I kept expecting a painful bite any moment, but none of them did. Finally, the way opened up ahead and I picked up my pace as best I could. I crawled out of the tunnel and hurriedly got to my feet. I flailed my arms and shook out like I was covered in bees.

  “That was so gross!” I’d never be able to look at snakes the same way again.

  I made sure I was clear of the cobras before putting the earring back in my pocket, then turned my attention to my next obstacle. I craned my neck back and studied the path rising before me. The way almost looked like it could be stairs, but the protruding ledges of rock made no set pattern. I took a moment to shake out my arms and legs. Crawling through the tunnel had given me cramped muscles and sore knees and elbows.

  All right, up we go.

  Being out of shape, it was difficult, and Vehrin’s clinging power hung on me like a heavy blanket. My muscles burned and more often than not I had to leap from one landing to another. I landed short once, and had to windmill my arms and twist awkwardly to keep from tipping backward to my death on the rocks below. Kael would have had better luck traversing this terrain, especially with his sleek, jaguar muscles and reflexes.

  I hope he’s okay.

  I cast my gaze upward as if I could see through the earth and to him. Lions were much bigger than jaguars, and he would likely be going against several.

  After what seemed like hours of climbing, I pulled myself to the top, only to find the path sloped back down on this side. Why go all the way up, only to have to head back down?

  I crossed my legs in front of me and took a moment to breathe. I twisted my torso and shook out my arms. I was utterly exhausted, which was likely the exact reason for the climb. The relic was probably down the path, and I had a feeling the horrible tunnel of snakes followed by the treacherous climb was to tire out whatever trespassers aimed to find the key.

  I took a drink of water from the canteen in my bag. It was warm and tasted stale, but at least it would keep me from fainting before I got out of this place.

  I closed my bag back up and slung it across my shoulders. I sucked in a deep breath, then pushed myself from the ledge and onto the steep path down. It was sort of like a slide, if slides were covered in grit and sharp rocks. I tried to keep away from the stones protruding from the surface like teeth, but as I neared the bottom, one sliced my palm. I hissed as my feet hit the floor and looked at my hand. Blood trickled down my wrist from the shallow gash. I shook it, blood splattering the floor. There was nothing I could do about it right now.

  An arched doorway caught my eye. It was decorated with the same luminescent stones which had lined the path earlier. Magnetic energy pulsed in the air. The key was in there. My magic buzzed through me, ready to release at the first sign of danger, as I stepped through the doorway.

  Thousands of the glowing stones flecked the low ceiling, which was split with a deep crack. Something about the dark line cutting through the ceiling seemed odd to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on the reason.

  I lowered my gaze in front of me. There were two altars. One held the ivory spear Bibi had given me. On the altar beside it was the key.

  I took three steps forward, then noticed the guards. I had been so fixated on the ceiling and the relic, I hadn’t noticed them standing the shadows. There were two of them, tall and lethal. They each held spears in their hands and looked as if they wanted to run me through with them. One of them yelled something, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” I held my hands up and took a slow step forward. They lowered their spears. “Please, I’m only trying to help.”

  I took another step forward and pulled on my magic. I didn’t want to kill them. Instead, I would render them unconscious as I had done to the young man earlier. I took a steadying breath, but before I could release the energy coursing through me, the dark magic that had been trailing me swept around my body and toward the altar.

  My heart leapt to my throat, certain Vehrin was snatching the relic. My brows furrowed as the magic wrapped around the spear instead. Confusion quickly evaporated
, and understanding snapped into place.

  “No!” I lurched forward.

  Too late.

  The ivory spear, in the grasp of dark magic, turned toward one of the guards and plunged into the man’s throat. It yanked out, blood spraying the floor as the man gurgled and fell, then whipped around to the other. I reached the remaining guard just as the spear sank into his chest.

  I dropped to my knees beside him. His gaze was wide and panicked as he struggled to breathe. I wrapped my hand around the bloodied spear. Though I couldn’t save this man, I refused to let him die with a spear in his chest like some animal. I tightened my grip on the smooth, ivory shaft, and then the room groaned around me.

  Bits of rock and dirt rained onto my hair and, suddenly, sunlight warmed my back. I blinked up to find the ceiling sliding away. The crack in the ceiling made sense now. It was a giant doorway. The room fell away as the floor rose beneath me. It only took a moment, and I was back above ground in the semi-circle of space in front of the village.

  All eyes fell on me, with my hands around the blood-stained spear and two dead lion shifters beside me.

  Behind the menacing glare of the chief, Vehrin stood with a small smile on his face.

  Chapter 24

  Murderer.

  The crowd uttered condemnation around me.

  Murderer.

  Slowly, I unclenched my fingers from around the shaft of the spear as the shifter rattled his last breath. I ignored the accusing stares of his pride and pinned my gaze on Vehrin. A smile still touched his lips as he kept his eyes locked on mine. He didn’t speak as the shifters continued their hushed words of blame and pleas for their chief to administer justice.

  The shifter’s blood stained my hands and painted me as some evil creature. I couldn’t find my voice to deny their accusations. After all, I’d been the one to react too slowly to save them. Perhaps I did have a part in their deaths.

  No. No, that isn’t right. This wasn’t my doing. My teeth ground together as I stared daggers at the dark mage. It was his.

  There was a commotion in the crowd and suddenly, Kael burst through them. He hurried to my side with a trio of lions on his tail. They stopped when they reached the front of the crowd, though they continued to pace and growl.

  Kael pressed his head against my hip in a show of relief. His sides heaved with each breath, and patches of blood stained his golden-brown fur. He hadn’t been limping when he’d joined me, so he didn’t appear to have anything broken. I hoped the wounds weren’t too deep and would heal quickly.

  More lions joined the small group which had been pursuing Kael, and I realized a good number of the shifters had changed into their lion forms. Kael moved to stand in front of me. He let out a vicious snarl, the vibrations of it tickling my legs. He was uneasy, and I laid my wounded palm on his blood-stained back in an attempt to calm him.

  Something flared in my mind, and a strange sense of warmth and familiarity washed over me. It brought with it the scent of citrus-heavy air and rain-soaked jungle earth. I blinked in surprise, and the disconcerting part was the surprise wasn’t entirely my own. A portion of it was Kael’s. I could feel his surprise, could feel him deep in my bones.

  What the hell?

  Kael turned to look at me.

  Livvie? A voice sounded in my head, and though I knew it was Kael’s, there was something deeper, richer, more meaningful about it.

  I’d always thought of him as a man who could turn into an animal, but for the first time, I realized perhaps he was an animal with the ability to turn into a man, and the tone that had caressed the sound of my name was his true voice.

  My mouth parted. Kael? Why can I hear you? What happened?

  A strong emotion sparked in him so fast I wasn’t able to get a read on it before he swept it away. We can’t worry about it now. Stay focused.

  Right. At the moment, we had to deal with an evil mage and a pride of lion shifters bent on making me pay for a crime I didn’t commit. Still, it was hard to shake off the disconcerting fact my partner was in my head. Could he only hear thoughts I projected, or could he read everything flashing in my head? Instead of words, I thought of Renathe wearing a bright pink fairy dress.

  Kael let out a strange huffing sound which I could only assume was a laugh. Well, perfect. This isn’t going to be awkward.

  Livvie, focus.

  I was never going to get over the way his feral-wrapped voice sounded saying my name. I wanted to hear the jaguar Kael speak more often.

  I’ll recite poetry to you later. Right now we need to worry about him. Kael had his attention on Vehrin, who was walking up to stand beside the chief.

  I’m going to hold you to that.

  Kael was right, though. I had to get my mind in the right place.

  Vehrin spoke, and his words were loud enough for all in the vicinity to hear.

  “Did I not warn you about her? Look what she has done. Not only has she tried to steal the key you have been charged with protecting, but she has killed two of your own to do so. She is a treacherous creature, who uses conniving words to twist the minds of those in her way. Just how do you think she obtained the relics around her neck in the first place? No doubt she has left a pile of bodies in her wake.” Vehrin tipped his head down so only I could see the smirk on his face. “The blood of your brethren is likely still warm on her fingers.”

  The pieces had already been clicking into place for me, but his next words cemented what I’d already guessed.

  The dark mage turned to the leader of the pride. “Entrust the key to me, and I will keep it safe from your enemies. She will not be the first to try and steal it. I know it has been under the protection of your pride for centuries, but how many more must die in order to keep it from falling into the wrong hands?” Vehrin swept his hands out toward the ring of shifters. “You are missing young ones, yes? Who knows what they befell at her hands?”

  I despised Vehrin’s accusations, and I knew denying his poisonous words would only fall on deaf ears, but to imply I had killed children enraged me more than I could have imagined.

  “I would never hurt a child, you lying bastard!” Magic wreathed my fingers and my hands trembled with eagerness.

  Vehrin merely leaned over to the chief and muttered something.

  He said his own child was among the missing. Giving him the relic is his only chance to save his mate and the rest of his people, Kael said.

  To my utter horror, the chief started to move toward us. He was going to give the key to the dark mage. Vehrin had twisted the man’s thoughts so much, he would willingly entrust the key to him. I couldn’t let him have it. The chief had told us the third key would override the power of the keys I already possessed. Would Vehrin be able to control the key bound to my soul?

  I turned my full attention to the chief as he made his way forward, and the energy crackled at my fingertips. If I attacked him, it would only cement me as the villain. The others wouldn’t believe otherwise. Still, I moved between him and the key.

  “You can’t,” I said. “Vehrin is lying to you. He’s poisoned your thoughts. You must know this.”

  Kael, shadowing me, crouched, ready to spring into action.

  The chief’s lips curled up in a menacing flash of teeth. His eyes were wide and wild, and I knew he was too far gone. Vehrin’s influence had been strong and deep.

  Do not hold back, Kael said.

  My gaze swept over the crowd, picking out faces of women. There were still children among them. I can’t. They’re innocent.

  So are millions of people around the world. Do you think Vehrin will spare them if he wins?

  Eagerness pulsed through me, stemming from the magic in my veins. Bring me back, Kael. If I forget who I am, please, bring me back.

  Always.

  Snarls ripped through the air, followed by angry roars as lions and lionesses charged toward us from every direction. For a split second, I wondered if Bibi’s earring would keep me from harm, but as the first li
oness took a swipe at me, I realized it wouldn’t. These were not wild beasts, after all. They were innocent beings who, in their mind, were protecting their children and fighting for their chief. And I was the twisted young mage who had come to steal everything from them.

  Magic swirled from me. I knocked out the lioness who had tried to swipe at my leg and another quickly filled her place. The energy left me slowly, the attacks that rendered them unconscious harder to conjure. Kael snarled, his sleek body twisting this way and that as he dodged claws and teeth, and traded attacks of his own.

  The chief continued to maneuver toward the key. This wasn’t going to work. The power inside of me purred in agreement.

  A pair of young male lions, likely teenagers in their human forms, leaped at me, and I made a slashing motion with my arm. Energy whipped across them, and blood sprayed in the air. My breath caught, but before their bodies hit the ground, another lion charged.

  I thrust a hand out, and the concentrated magic sinking into his chest reminded so much of the ivory spear in the shifter guard, I stumbled a step.

  I can’t do this.

  Kael’s iron voice hardened in my mind. Fight, Livvie. You don’t have a choice. It’s that or die. He lunged from my side to attack the guards shielding the chief.

  Half a dozen shifters descended on me. Magic swirled around me like a maelstrom of death. Though I merely wounded some of the lions, I noticed many were dying, their blood soaking into the dry earth.

  Tears stung my eyes. I wanted to roar at them to stop. I had to defend myself, but that didn’t mean I wanted to harm them. Didn’t they see what they were doing?

  Something cracked inside of me with each innocent life I struck down, made worse by the almost joyful glow of the darker shade of magic inside of me at the sight of the bloodshed at my feet.

  I didn’t want this. I didn’t want power and pain and sacrifice.