Spectrum of Magic Complete Series - Spell Breaker - Fate Shifter - Cursed Stone - Magic Unborn - Libra

by D. N. Leo

  As much power as the silver blood could give him, one thing he didn’t have was … magic.

  Chapter 3

  From the distance, Black Hill stared down at her in challenge. She knew where they had the baby fox on top of that hill. The only problem now was how she’d get up there with an alpha werewolf in front of her, waiting for every opportunity to savage. She supposed she might have another problem — the used-to-be dog behind her, which now might turn out as either friend or foe.

  She had to make it up the hill. That was the only way to complete her mission and see Roy again. At the back of her mind, she wondered if she had ever said she loved him without him prompting.

  It only took a few hundred yards and two swings of the sword and she could be up the hill. Mission accomplished.

  She didn’t want to kill the dog behind her. She fixed her stance and charged at the werewolf in front of her.

  It vanished.

  She stepped back.

  The werewolf appeared and smirked.

  She charged again. It vanished.

  Yorin was no longer the same. Her palms were clammy and, even in the freezing air, a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead.

  The wind grew stronger, and she thought she heard a howl echo from somewhere in the air. A dried tree branch on the ground flew up, whirling in the wind. She slashed at the branch before it hit her.

  A tree on her left cracked and collapsed. Mori just had enough time to jump out of its way. She turned around and was astonished to see the Irish Setter had turned into a stunning woman, wearing only Mother Nature’s clothes.

  A rock suddenly emerged from the ground, raised and stood next to her. She remembered what Roy had said — creatures from the multiverse had come to Yorin, and they could play with dimension and vision. Roy could deal with them as he had already received his silver blood. She couldn’t. All she had were her physical ability as a werefox.

  More rocks raised, surrounding her like a maze. A rock came in close proximity to where she stood and hit her from the side, shoving her to the ground. She scrambled up to her feet, slashed her sword at the rock and it disappeared. It’s an illusion, Mori thought.

  The woman behind her shook with fear, but she didn’t cling to Mori and tried to get out of the way of the moving rocks.

  Mori whirled around, looking for the man. It seemed the rocks appeared with her movement. If she stopped moving, they stopped poking up from the ground.

  Mori stayed still, testing her theory. It worked.

  “What’s your name?” Mori asked.

  “Irish.”

  She couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “You shift into an Irish Setter and your human name is Irish!”

  “I don’t have a choice over that, do I?”

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. What do you need from me?”

  “I care for the Zanxi fox. His mother died.”

  Mori arched an eyebrow. “And they gave you the Zanxi fox because…?”

  Irish shrugged. “He fell in my lap. Literally. I didn’t want him. His parents were good friends with my boyfriend. They ran a business together. My boyfriend brought him home one night and said his parents were killed.”

  “Where is your boyfriend now?”

  “He went to get help. His family is not here. He lives here because of me.”

  Mori glanced at Irish up and down. “I don’t mean to offend, but what is your talent, may I ask? You know that Zanxi is not just a fox, right?”

  “He’s a baby fox to me. I don’t need much magical talent to take care of him. My boyfriend, Sam, said you’d come to help me.”

  “Right…”

  Irish stepped back and forth in discomfort. “I don’t shift often … or not at all for a long time…”

  Mori rolled her eyes. “Apparently.”

  “Look, Sam has been gone for three days. I don’t get involved in any of the clan matters, I don’t know who is who or what they want. But there were creatures crawling into my backyard yesterday. I think they figured out that I’ve got the baby.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “I run a diner in town. We live on the premises.”

  “Right. Take me to the baby. I’ll follow you. You can shift back into your animal now.”

  Irish nodded and shifted back into her animal form.

  A flying rock appeared out of nowhere and hit Mori. She fell, but stood up immediately, her hands balled into fists.

  “That’s enough. Come out and fight me.”

  The werewolf appeared again. Before he could say anything or disappear again, Mori kicked at a loose rock on the ground, spun it in the air like a soccer ball and hit it with the blunt edge of the sword.

  The rock cracked, broke and rained toward the man like bullets.

  He covered his face. When the dirt settled, he said, “Impressive,”

  “What do you want?” Mori asked.

  “You know who I am?”

  She raised her chin. “Alpha of a werewolf clan that I defeated a while ago. I don’t have an issue doing that again.”

  The man smirked. “You have a good memory, Mori. So do I. I’ll settle that debt later. I’m not here for you. I want Irish.”

  Irish staggered back and snarled.

  The man chuckled. “I was only trying to protect my clan. Zanxi is everyone’s threat. You were an alpha, Mori. I hope you understand.”

  Now her blood ran icy cold. He knew she was no longer the alpha. “I don’t know what you mean. I just visit my friends in Yorin.”

  “Let’s cut to the chase, Mori. I don’t have much time, and I don’t think you have much time, either. I’m the friendliest guy you can get now. Give me Irish and I’ll let you leave in one piece.”

  Fighting one on one with him was a stupid idea. Mori looked at him, measured. Then in lighting speed, she pulled her gun and shot.

  She hadn’t tested the gun. If it didn’t work, then she and Irish might be in deep trouble.

  The gun recoiled and let out a wave of laser beam. Mori grinned. It worked.

  The man jumped aside and flashed a shield. She hadn’t seen this shield before. It reflected the beam and it blasted toward another direction — the direction of Roy running toward her.

  It was too fast and too dark for Roy to see the beam flying at him.

  “Roy, look out!” Mori screamed.

  Chapter 4

  Mori had never recalled the wedge of the woods where she used to live being this dark and creepy. Roy kept pushing her behind his back.

  “For your information, you’re no longer my bodyguard,” Mori growled.

  “Thank God,” Roy muttered. “I could have done a better job if you cooperated more.”

  “I saved your ass just now.”

  “No, I blocked the laser beam myself. If I’m not mistaken, the beam reflected from your gun. If you would learn to use guns properly, then it wouldn’t have happened.”

  She stiffened and lifted her chin. “I don’t need to learn how to use guns. I am good with my katana.”

  Roy rolled his eyes. He approached the alley with caution, still pushing Mori behind him. Mori wasn’t sure if coming here was a good idea, but they had to start somewhere. The aura of the Black Hill made it easy to imagine werewolves lurking just around the corner. It wouldn’t have surprised her to see space creatures darting at them from seemingly nowhere.

  Space creatures. Mori snorted to herself. A few months ago, she wouldn’t have even considered the idea. Their paranormal world was weird enough for her to consider anything else, let alone, the possibility of a multiverse.

  They were looking for a small hut of a shaman for information. He had helped the mother fox deliver baby fox, Zanxi.

  This wasn’t exactly a shaman’s hut. Perhaps it hadn’t been in operation for a long time. There were no lights, no jars of potions, and no sign of living creatures. The dark archway peered down at them, imposing and full of secrets. Mori leaned against a stone wall. It was too dark to see
much. Suddenly, she stepped on something damp and moving. She yelled and jumped aside.

  From a dark corner, a man stood up and blinked. His odor engulfed Mori. It might come from the rags he was using as clothes, and maybe the lack of personal hygiene.

  Roy shoved Mori away from the man. He didn’t need to as she now stood several feet away anyway.

  “You stepped on me!” the man grumbled.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you,” Mori said.

  Roy peered at the man. “We’re looking for the shaman.”

  “You’re looking at him,” the man muttered, lying back down on a pile of cloths.

  “Right!” Roy muttered. “If you helped a baby delivery in this condition, I think the baby would die of infection.”

  “What are you saying?” the man sat up and asked Roy.

  “Nothing. We need to find Zanxi. We talked to the person who is caring for the fox now, but we were attacked and she ran away,” Mori said from the corner of the room.

  The man shook his head. “I know about the deaths of Zanxi’s parents. Tragic. Whoever is taking care of Zanxi right now has to be very careful. Everyone thinks Zanxi is in Black Hill. So stay away from it. Also, avoid the crowded stretch of the town. Lots of strange creatures lurking around the area in the last few days.”

  Damn! Irish had said she was running a diner. Mori assumed it wouldn’t be in the bush, but in the stretch of town the shaman just mentioned. But there are many shops and diners in that area, how could she tell which one was the one?

  Roy shook his head. “I didn’t ask you where we shouldn’t go, but where we should go. We are looking for Zanxi. We’re taking him to a safe place.”

  “The temple…”

  Whoosh.

  Mori’s instinct urged her to move just an instant before the arrow hit, so it only scraped her left arm. Roy charged in the general direction of the arrow’s origination. Then all Mori heard were the sounds of men grunting and of kicks and punches hitting their target.

  Soon Roy emerged, dragging the man who had attacked her earlier. He was barely conscious. Roy continued to pound on the man, but Mori pulled Roy back.

  “You’ll kill him, Roy.”

  He gave the man a last kick before Mori pulled him out of reach of the man.

  Lying on the ground, the man chuckled. “The Yakuz is here already. Soon, you’ll find out I’m your friend.”

  “Friends don’t shoot at one another,” Roy snarled. “What do you want?”

  “I told Mori, I wanted Irish. But she’s run now. Taking the baby fox with her.”

  “That is because you attacked us!” Mori said.

  “Irish can’t protect Zanxi,” the man said.

  “Who are you?” Roy asked.

  The stranger raised his chin, glaring at Roy. “Alpha of an ass kicking clan.”

  “Does the Alpha have a name?” Roy asked.

  But before he could answer, a web of ravens fell on them. The room filled with creatures, coming from nowhere. Ravens flew in flocks.

  The alpha startled at the ravens attack. He stumbled and lunged for an arrow, raising it and shooting wildly. The arrow pinned on the shaman’s chest. He fell down and died instantly.

  “You shot the shaman!” Mori exclaimed.

  “I didn’t mean it. Ravens are everywhere.”

  Mori’s blood ran cold. These were ravens from the Yakuz clan. Ones with poisonous claws that had once almost killed Roy. She grabbed all the rags the shaman used and covered Roy, despite his objection. They hid underneath the rags for a long time. When it was quiet, they crawled out.

  In front of them was a pile of meat that was once the alpha they’d just had a conversation with.

  “These were the ravens with the poison you couldn’t handle, Roy.”

  “No one can handle poison,” he muttered.

  “This was designed for you. Someone followed us here and I am pretty sure, for whatever reason, that person is going to make this mission very difficult and dangerous.”

  Chapter 5

  Irish fell on the slippery road, dropping the basket with the baby inside. She scrambled back to her feet and darted at the basket which had swiveled away several feet. The baby boy was still asleep. How could he sleep through all this?

  Damn!

  Zanxi was a gorgeous baby boy. In a few days, Irish wondered what he would be like when he shifted in to a fox and received his power.

  The back alleys weren’t ideal for a woman and a child. But what choice did she have? She hadn’t heard from Sam for days. Weird creatures kept coming into the diner, probing for the baby’s whereabouts.

  She thought things would get better when she found Mori. But no. Mori was attacked and seemed unable to protect herself.

  Irish had to take care of Zanxi. She had to protect him from danger. But where should they go? Who should they ask for help? Sam didn’t leave her much information.

  Two hours later, Irish was shuffling along on very tired feet and stood in front of an old Japanese house, tiered with many roofs. Sam was right. She had found the place.

  She pressed the doorbell, and a few minutes later, a young man in his late twenties answered.

  “Irish?”

  “Yes. Are you Peter?”

  “Yes. Come on in.”

  Sam had mentioned he had a distant cousin who might be able to help if she needed. Obviously, she didn’t want to discuss the delicate nature of Zanxi too soon. She didn’t know Peter.

  Peter shut the door behind them and took her into the kitchen. The decorations were classic Japanese, but the furniture was modern. Something was wrong, Irish thought.

  It wasn’t the house, or the air, but maybe the man. What bothered her was the typical Japanese-style decoration in the house. Minimalist. Everything was squeaky clean. The floor looked as if you could eat from it. But there was something about Peter that wasn’t right.

  Maybe it was her woman instinct. Or strangely, it could be her newly developed mother’s instinct. Irish cautiously put the basket on the counter within arm’s reach. Looking at the squeaky clean kitchen bench, she realized why she felt something was odd.

  This Peter doesn’t belong to this house.

  “So, what’s this about? Is that Sam’s? He never mentioned to me…” Peter glanced at the basket.

  Irish looked at the man. Something was really wrong. He was too cold and calculated. Not that there was anything wrong with it. She was a total stranger to him. But he’d immediately taken her into the house when she’d knocked on the door, without asking a question.

  She had called him earlier, telling him that she was Sam’s partner and she needed a bed for the night. He’d said yes. And that was it.

  “I need to change the baby,” she said.

  “Oh, of course. The bathroom is at the end of the corridor on the left.” Peter pointed in its direction.

  Irish nodded and took the basket to the bathroom. She opened the window leading to the backyard. It was too small for her to climb out with the baby basket.

  She looked around the bathroom and sighed before opening the door once again. She could make a run, but it wouldn’t be wise. Peter, if this man was Peter, would chase her and call his people.

  “Are you hungry? I could cook you something. Just to thank you for your hospitality,” Irish asked, putting the basket back onto the kitchen counter.

  “There is nothing in the house to cook with. I’ll order some takeaways.”

  She looked at him, trying to appear earnest. “You shouldn’t have to. I’ll just dash to the shop for some ingredients and you will have a decent homemade meal.”

  She reached her hand for the basket, but Peter blocked her way.

  “I said don’t bother!” he growled.

  “What? You don’t eat?”

  He stared at her. His lips curved up, and there, she saw fangs.

  “You’re not Peter.” She grabbed the kitchen knife and swung at him. He grabbed at her hand, twisted the knife off and threw
her to the far end of the kitchen. She landed wrong, her back hitting the sharp edge of the counter.

  She thought she had broken her back, but she seemed to be able to move.

  He kept his eyes on her and approached the basket for the baby. She darted at him, but before she reached him, he quickly withdrew his hand from the basket. He screamed and looked at the bleeding wound on his hand.

  He flopped to the floor and convulsed. His eyes bled. In a short moment, he shifted into a lizard and lay dead.

  Irish kicked at the lizard to make sure it was really dead.

  Then she went to the basket. Inside was the most beautiful little fox she had ever seen. Baby fox Zanxi had shifted for the first time.

  “Look at you. How gorgeous you are. I’m going to change you, so don’t use your little poisonous teeth on me.”

  The little fox blinked at her. Then he shifted back into the baby form.

  “That’s better,” she said and held him up, cradling him to her chest.

  She heard footsteps heading toward the front door. She grabbed the basket and raced toward the back door. She dashed through the back garden, climbed over the fence and raced on the dark street with the baby in her arm, heading toward the unknown.

  Chapter 6

  Roy squinted at the backdrop of the hills behind the temple. From the outside, there was nothing special about it. It was quiet and peaceful. The curvy roofs decorated with beautiful oriental symbols and painted with red and gold were mesmerizing. The landscape and the garden were designed and maintained meticulously with love and passion.

  Something didn’t feel right about this temple. Perhaps he was still angry that Mori had pulled the curtain at the shaman’s hut and tangled him in it. Yes, he couldn’t handle their poison and it once almost had killed him, but he had the silver blood now, he had supernatural power. She shouldn’t have to protect him.

  This had nothing to do with his egoistic manliness, he promised himself.