King Of Souls (Book 2)

by Matthew Ballard

  Moira slid from Rika’s back as Ronan stopped beside them. He eased Moira from the saddle taking care to ensure the old woman had her two feet planted firmly on the sand.

  Rika shifted into human form and teardrops welled in her eyes. A smile of relief spread across her face, and she leaped into Ronan’s open arms wrapping him in a tight embrace.

  Ronan lifted Rika off her feet and spun her in circles smothering her cheeks and lips with kisses.

  “Thank God you’re okay,” Rika said. “You had me scared to death.” Rika ran her fingers through Ronan’s hair and cupped his cheeks in her hands.

  Ronan chuckled and shook his head. “I had you scared?” His tone echoed the confusion running through his thoughts. “The last time I saw you, a dragon held you two-thousand feet over the ground in its razor-sharp talons. I came to rescue you.”

  A warm smile spread across Rika’s face, and she stood on her tiptoes before planting a tender kiss on Ronan’s lips. “I know you did. It was very sweet of you, and it makes me love you all the more.” Her eyes searched his face, and she brushed away a dried patch of sand from his forehead. “But I’ve spent the last week scouring the mountains looking for you.”

  “She’s a brave young woman Ronan. She rescued me from the mountain last night after the ice cave collapsed,” Moira said. “I can see why you traveled so far to get her back.”

  “After the ice cave collapsed….” Rika’s voice trembled as she choked on the words, and a teardrop rolled down her cheek. She wiped her eyes and shook her head, but her gaze never wavered from Ronan’s. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Ronan leaned down and kissed each of Rika’s tear-stained cheeks. He pressed his forehead against hers and sighed letting a week of pent up anxiety drain away. “And that’s exactly how I felt the last time I saw you. What happened?”

  Before Rika could answer, the bear cub waddled forward and settled in her usual position between Ronan’s legs. She stared upward at Rika tilting her shaggy head and blinked.

  When her gaze settled on the bear cub, Rika jumped backward and squealed with delight. A wide smile flashed across her face, and she knelt before the tiny cub. “Ronan! Who’s this? Where did you find him? He’s absolutely adorable.”

  Ronan’s brow furrowed. “Him? That’s a girl bear Rika. And be careful. She may be small, but she’s fierce.”

  Rika giggled, plopped on the sand, and extended her arms toward the bear cub. “This little bear is no more a girl than I was a boy all those years ago.” She glanced upward slipping him a coy smile. “You seem to have a lot of trouble deciphering gender. Maybe you need a refresher course?” She raised a single eyebrow and offered a smile warm enough to melt ice.

  Ronan’s pulse raced, and slow heat reddened his cheeks. “Yes.” He rubbed his chin and nodded feigning a serious expression. “I think a refresher course may be in order. Do you know a competent instructor that might administer the lesson?” He fought back a smile creeping across his face.

  Rika grinned and shook her head. “Ronan Latimer, get your mind out of the gutter.” She reached for the bear cub as he peered at Rika from behind Ronan’s leather boot. “And this bear’s a sweetheart. He’s about as threatening as you after two pieces of my apple pie and a long nap.”

  “Never underestimate a potential threat,” Ronan said. But, he couldn’t stop a smile from sliding across his face.

  The bear cub bounded outward and leaped into Rika’s lap. He stood pressing his paws against her chest and licked her face.

  Rika giggled as she scooped up the bear and kissed the top of his shaggy head.

  Ronan folded his arms and tried to sound serious. “Get your own girl. That one’s taken.”

  Moira grinned as she watched their exchange. She shuffled forward and hooked her arm around Ronan’s elbow. “Do you see that Ronan? That bear cub couldn’t be more than a few weeks old, and understanding Rika’s true intent came as naturally as breathing. Returning her affection feels equally as natural.”

  Rika ran her hands through the bear’s soft shaggy white hair and scratched behind his ears.

  “Yes, I noticed,” Ronan said. “She has the same effect on me.”

  Moira laughed and swatted Ronan’s shoulder. “I’m trying to make a point.”

  “I understand. It’s the same point you made with the bear cub’s mother in the cave. But Rika’s a guardian. She has a way with animals.”

  “Rika dear, have you cast any magic on that little bear cub?”

  Rika shook her head. “No ma’am. He’s so sweet I didn’t think I needed to.”

  “Okay. I stand corrected,” Ronan said. “But, how do those lessons apply to me? I’ve never had to understand the true nature of anything, and I get along just fine.”

  “Really?” Moira said. “You were ready to kill Tiamat and Abzu, and neither of them intended you any real harm.”

  Ronan wagged his finger toward the gold dragon whose eyelids had drifted half-closed a dozen yards away. “Tiamat roared loud enough to trigger my spirit shield, and Abzu snuck up on me from behind.”

  “She was protecting her unborn offspring. You broke into her home and appeared ready to abduct or kill her children. How do you think you’d react in that situation?”

  “What’s Abzu’s excuse then?” Ronan said.

  “I thought Abzu displayed great restraint considering the circumstances. I told you not to travel to this peak without me.”

  The red dragon, Abzu, turned his head and flared his lips as if grinning.

  Ronan’s stomach flip-flopped, and he stared wide-eyed at Abzu’s reaction. “Did that dragon understand you?”

  “Of course he did,” Moira said.

  “How —”

  Moira raised her hand cutting off Ronan’s question. “We’re straying off topic. I’ll answer your questions, I promise. But, first I’d like to know how you managed to survive that cave-in.”

  Ronan described meeting the mother ice bear, outrunning the cave-in, and his eventual escape.

  Moira and Rika hung on every word and let Ronan continue uninterrupted.

  By the story’s end, the bear cub had fallen fast asleep snoring softly in Rika’s lap while Moira stared at Ronan as if in quiet appraisal.

  “What did you name him?” Rika said.

  “Name who?” Ronan said.

  Rika rolled her eyes. “The bear cub. Don’t you think he deserves a name after all you’ve been through?”

  Of all the questions she might ask, Rika wanted to know the bear cub’s name? He could live a thousand years and never understand how a woman’s mind worked. “I’d never considered it.”

  “This little guy has bonded with you Ronan.” Rika rubbed his tiny head, and he nestled deeper into her lap. “He’s your responsibility now. You have to give him a name.”

  “My responsibility? I don’t know the first thing about ice bears. I’d planned on leaving him here on the mountain. This is his home.”

  Rika’s jaw dropped open in horror. “You will not!”

  “But Rika —”

  Rika wagged her finger in his face and glared. “How could you even think of abandoning him? His mother died. If you leave him here alone he won’t survive, and I’ll never forgive you.”

  Ronan let Rika finish her scolding before speaking. He knew better than to interrupt her when she got rolling. “Well, I don’t know his name. It hasn’t come to me yet. Why don’t you name him?”

  “Me?” She shook her head. “He’s not bonded to me. This bear belongs to you, and naming him is your duty.”

  “My duty is it?” He suppressed a smirk. That would only make her mad. “Well, I can’t offer a name until one comes to me.”

  Rika nodded as if his answer satisfied her. “Okay, but you’re not leaving him here alone. Do we understand each other?”

  Ronan decided giving in to her demands an easier route than arguing, and, besides, she made a good point. He couldn’t abandon the bear cub and leave him
to his fate. He’d grown fond of the little guy. He nodded. “He comes with us.”

  Rika smiled as if she’d won some great battle and nodded. “Good.”

  “Now, can you please tell me what happened?” Ronan said. “Why didn’t these dragons eat you for lunch?”

  Abzu lifted his head from the sand and glared at Ronan.

  Ronan’s skin pricked as he stared slack-jawed at the dragon. He faced Moira. “The dragon can understand me too?” Ronan raised a pleading hand toward Abzu. “Sorry. I meant no offense, but the next time you want to drag my girlfriend to the top of a dangerous mountain peak, can you run it by me first?”

  Abzu blinked offering no reaction before settling his massive jaw atop the steaming sand.

  “They understood her nature Ronan,” Moira said. “As one of Lora’s children, Tiamat and Abzu thought Rika might have knowledge of their homeland. It’s been centuries since they’ve met a guardian.”

  “Did they talk to you Rika?” Ronan said.

  Rika nodded. “Yes, they spoke to me in a sense. I have to use my mind. Not words, and it only works if they choose to communicate with me. I can’t start a conversation with them.”

  “Can —”

  “And, no Ronan, I can’t turn into a dragon,” Rika said interrupting him.

  “Why not?”

  “It’s the quality and quantity of her magic,” Moira said. “Like humans, dragons are special creatures. They’re sentient beings with their own understanding of magic and their own place in the world. For a shape changer to emulate their form requires very special magic. Human beings have tried to unlock that secret for millennia. Since long before either Elan or Lora.”

  “You mentioned something about the quantity of magic too,” Ronan said.

  “I did.” Moira nodded. “The amount of power required to emulate a dragon’s scale falls beyond the limits of a single human being no matter how gifted.”

  “Then it’s impossible,” Ronan said.

  Moira smiled. “Don’t go putting words into my mouth Ronan. I never said that.”

  Ronan leaned forward piqued with curiosity. “Moira, how does a little girl that grew up in a forgotten village like Porthleven know so much about magic, dragons, and the rest?” Ronan gestured toward the dragons basking in the noonday sun. “And why did those two monstrous dragons listen to you before tearing me to shreds? And please don’t answer me with riddles. I want the truth.”

  Moira paused turning an appraising look on Ronan for several moments before responding. She nodded as if to herself. “Why indeed? Those are questions that could take a lifetime to answer my boy.” Before Ronan could object she raised her palm. “But, I’ll start by answering your second question first.” She bowed her head. “Without the riddles.”

  “I’m sorry Moira, but I need answers. We started this journey from your home village of Porthleven searching for a dark sorcerer named Tara, and I —”

  Moira’s head snapped upward, and the color drained from her face. A look of abject horror replaced the pleasant demeanor she’d worn moments earlier. “Tara? Where did you hear that name?”

  “I met her in Porthleven. It’s nasty business. She killed everyone in the village and, somehow, raised them from the dead.”

  “The barriers are down then.” She mumbled the words before turning her gaze toward the summit’s seaside face.

  A sharp chill rose goose bumps on Ronan’s arms. “How do you know of the barrier? We only learned of its existence recently from the Book of Order.”

  Moira’s eyebrows narrowed. “Book of Order?” Before Ronan could respond, Moira nodded. “Heilyn’s journal.”

  Moira’s answers had only served to further frustrate Ronan. “Yes. That’s the one. Moira, I’m sorry, but you clearly know much more about what’s going on than I do, and time is critical.”

  Moira leaned forward and took Ronan’s hands in her own. She closed her eyes, and her lips moved, but she made no sound. A slow smile crept over her face restoring some of the lost color. “I had my suspicions from the moment I laid eyes on you, but now I know without a doubt.”

  Ronan’s shoulders sagged. “Moira, please.”

  “I’m sorry Ronan, and you’re right. Time is critical. I’ll do my best to help you.” Moira took a deep breath before continuing. “Have either of you heard the phrase ‘King of Souls’?”

  Abzu’s tail flickered, and his ears perked as Moira uttered the phrase. Tiamat lifted her head from the sand focusing rapt attention on Moira.

  Ronan glanced at Rika, and they exchanged puzzled looks. “No ma’am. Should we?”

  Moira’s eyes flickered toward Abzu before settling on Ronan and Rika. “It’s about a legend as old as any ever told. One far older than Elan, Lora, or Heilyn’s journal for that matter. It was said the King of Souls controlled the very fabric of life itself, but forgive me, I’m jumping ahead.”

  The bear cub stirred in Rika’s lap. He lifted his shaggy white head and twisted to his right and left until his gaze settled on Ronan. As if satisfied by Ronan’s presence, the bear cub spun, plopped down, and stretched wide across Rika’s legs. His eyes closed and moments later, he fell asleep.

  “I’d give anything to sleep half that good,” Ronan said.

  Moira smiled and scratched behind the bear cub’s ears. “He’s a smart little bear. He sees more in you, than you see in yourself. He believes in you. Now, where was I?”

  “You mentioned the King of Souls controlling life,” Rika said.

  “Yes. Thank you dear.” Moira’s eyes took on a faraway look. “Centuries before Elan and Lora walked the earth, human beings lived in one kingdom. It spanned what is now Meranthia and Ayralen. The kingdom was named Eredhel.”

  Ronan ran the name through his mind. He tried to recall anything Sir Alcott might have taught about a land called Eredhel, but he drew a blank.

  “In Eredhel, humans had fought a long-standing war against a crude race of reptilian creatures. They lived among these very mountain peaks,” Moira said. “Although lacking human creativity, the creatures had great strength, speed, and size. They also bred at prolific rates bulging their numbers to five times that of humankind.”

  Ronan shuddered. Stark memories of the strange creatures from Porthleven flashed through his mind.

  “For centuries the war raged, and the human race continued to lose ground. The situation appeared very grave,” Moira said. “Until one man stepped forward bearing a unique gift. As the dragons tell it, the man held the capacity to learn magic unlike any human before him.”

  “What was the man’s name?” Rika said

  “His name was Gabriel. The dragon’s never learned his last name,” Moira said. “In fact, there’s a great deal of mystery surrounding the man’s identity. But, one thing’s for sure, he was the first human that could read a dragon’s soul.”

  “Read a dragon’s soul? How does one do that?” Ronan said.

  “Gabriel understood a being’s true nature the moment he met them. It’s a power long thought unique to dragons.”

  “Dragons can see our true nature?” Rika said. “Does that mean they can tell whether we’re good or bad?”

  Moira smiled. “It’s not quite so simple Rika, but something like that. Good and bad are subjective terms after all, and intent can change as quickly as the wind.”

  “I don’t understand,” Ronan said.

  “Think of it as an emotional understanding or an increased level of perception. Dragons can sense fear, love, joy, and sorrow, but at a person’s core. A human’s emotional makeup that defines their character. Call it an enhanced intuition that’s infallible,” Moira said. “Gabriel had this ability. Dragon’s believe he was the only human ever born with their gift.”

  “And this…ability…allowed him an understanding of magic?” Ronan said.

  “On a simple level, yes. It did. Having this ability, even if dormant, is essential to gaining the ability to perceive magic. Gabriel made a strong impression with the dra
gons, and, over time, they welcomed him as a peer.”

  “And they taught him magic?” Ronan said.

  Moira nodded. “Gabriel pleaded humanities case to the dragons living deep in the southern desert, and they listened. They taught him a crude understanding of raw magical power before the Baerinese army invaded.”

  “Why didn’t the dragons fight alongside Gabriel?” Rika said.

  “Oh they did,” Moira said. “They helped Gabriel and the human race, but so great was the Baerinese army, many dragons died. In fact all seemed lost, until something tipped the balance of power,” Moira said.

  Abzu no longer feigned sleep and stared at Moira with eyes gleaming.

  “Gabriel?” Ronan said.

  “Yes, Gabriel did…something during a single day that changed humanity forever. He took the dragon’s gift and altered it in a way that remains a mystery to this day. He pulled on the fabric of the life surrounding him. The dragon’s believe he used the energy stored in living souls and forged a magic so potent it proved unstoppable. Gabriel slaughtered tens of thousands of Baerinese warriors using magical ability never seen before. He drove the Baerinese off the continent. From that day forward, humankind called him the King of Souls.”

  Ronan listened engrossed with Moira’s story, but didn’t know how much to believe. Given time, he knew stories took on their own life. Merric Pride had done as much with Elan’s magic. But, he’d seen these reptilian creatures with his own eyes. Couldn’t the rest of Moira’s story also contain nuggets of truth? “How did he do it?”

  Moira smiled and shook her head. “How indeed Ronan. Wars have been fought over that very question,” Moira said.

  “But Elan understood magic, and so did Lora. How many others understood?” Rika said.

  “For centuries after Gabriel’s death, the world lost magical knowledge,” Moira said. “In fact, the world came to believe Gabriel and the Baerinese as little more than myth. That is, until ancient Meranthians discovered his writings.”

  “Discovered? Why haven’t I read this in any Meranthian history books?” Ronan said.

  “Dishonorable men use history as a tool to control others,” Moira said. “Maybe the people living during that age didn’t want future generation to learn of Gabriel and his gift.”