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

by D. N. Leo

  She whistled. The men turned. But before they could react, she charged them. She slashed at the first man. Stabbed the second. Ducked down to avoid the swing of a sword, pivoted, wiped her leg on the ground and knocked two men off balance.

  When they scrambled to their feet, she pointed her kanata at them. “Consider yourselves ambushed. Now I am giving you a fair chance to run.”

  The two man looked at her with disdain. That was what she wouldn’t take. She had copped that many times being the female alpha in a masculine clan. She rarely disliked anything. But she hated that scornful look.

  Mori said nothing. She moved forward and swung her sword in a left and right fan motion. In two seconds, the two savaged heads rolled on the ground. “You’ve had fair warning,” she muttered and returned to where Irish and the baby fox sat.

  If she wasn’t mistaken, she saw the baby fox grinning at her.

  Chapter 10

  Inside the warehouse, Bartley stood up slowly, rubbing his rib cage, wheezing. Roy was giving him and other gangsters a dismissive look. Bartley’s gun was on the ground. Peter darted toward Sam to free him, but before he could do that, more men poured out from nowhere, attacking them from left, right, and center.

  Three dangerous looking goons approached Roy. He stepped back and saw about ten of them pounding on Peter. He clenched his jaw. You forced me to do this, he switched on his silver blood. Each blow from him was like steel hammer on the gangsters; and they kept coming at the criminals. He soon cleared out the three who were attacking him.

  He turned to Peter and saw he had knocked down five men before a goon standing behind him pulled out a knife and slashed at his abdomen. Peter slumped to the ground.

  Outside the warehouse, Mori gripped at the kanata and darted at the goons from behind. She heard the gun discharge inside the warehouse. As much as she was confident in Roy’s ability, the fact that she couldn’t see him burned her heart.

  He’d just got bitten by a baby fox! Anything could happen.

  In the haze of confusion, smoke, and the smell of burned flesh, she didn’t realize she had cleared the entire gang outside the warehouse out until she was no longer fighting.

  She looked around for more trouble and when she found none, she stormed inside the warehouse with Irish trailing behind, little Sam in her arms.

  Bartley had grabbed at injured Peter, pressing a knife against his throat. All of Bartley’s goons had been either knocked out or killed. Roy stood next to Sam, who was tied to the chair and still unconscious.

  “Let him go and I’ll let you live,” Roy said.

  Bartley glanced at Mori and Irish coming in. “Is that the baby?” he asked.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Mori said.

  “Shut up, bitch. I meant the baby.”

  “I believed you just called my wife names,” Roy said and before Bartley could answer, as fast as lightning, Roy was behind the other man, hitting him in the head. Bartley went down to the floor like a tree trunk. The same went with Peter.

  “I thought you had four guns coming in?” Mori said.

  “Yes, but he stuck the knife to Sam’s throat to get our guns.”

  Irish thrust the baby into Mori’s arms and darted toward Sam. She cupped his face. “Sam, honey, wake up for me.”

  She shook his shoulders. In a little while, he opened his eyes, but was still groggy. “Irish,” he murmured.

  “Yes, honey.” She kissed him.

  “Is little Sam okay?” Sam stopped the kiss, and asked.

  “Yes, you silly.”

  Roy checked on Peter. “Still breathing,” he said. “Come on, soldier, it was just a scratch.”

  Mori held the baby gingerly, keeping the baby’s face at a distance from her neck. If the baby decided to shift into the little werefox form and bite her, she’d like to keep her throat intact. Mori checked on the man dangling on the pillar. He had stopped breathing. She glanced down at his naked body and shook her head. “Can you un-see something?” she muttered.

  “I’m afraid you can’t,” Roy said from behind her.

  Mori turned to him and her eyes widened. “Look out!” she yelled.

  From behind Roy, Bartley stood up, he pulled out a small round ball from his pocket and rolled it on the floor toward them. Her blood ran cold. It was an explosive device. The warehouse was large. But still, it was an enclosed space. This bomb-looking device was going to do quite a bit of damage.

  Bartley snatched Peter, flung him over his shoulder and fled the warehouse.

  Roy grabbed the grenade.

  “No, Roy,” Mori yelled.

  “Get away from me …” Roy said, clutching the little bomb which was pumping out smoke in gigantic waves. He raced toward a small window and jumped through it, crashing to the outside.

  An explosion tore the air and echoed back inside the warehouse.

  Chapter 11

  Looking down from above, Roy saw Mori charging outside the warehouse. The expression on her face was nothing but lost. She had told him how she felt when he almost died with the raven’s poison when they were at sea. She had told him again how devastated she was when he drew the last drop of his energy when he accidentally ran into a magnetic energy field in the lost island to save her.

  He understood her.

  He thought he understood her.

  But now he knew … he didn’t.

  From the roof of the next building, Roy jumped down, but he wasn’t fast enough to save Mori from the grief of believing he had died. Tears streamed down her face, great sobs filling the air. He would rather be hurt by all sorts of weapons … rather be under all sort of torment … than see this.

  “Roy!” That was all she said when he landed in front of her. Roy rushed over and pulled his wife into his arms.

  “I’m here,” he said.

  She clung to him. He could feel every cell in her body vibrate with emotion. In his arms was once the most formidable and powerful alpha fox of her clan — the most fierce Firefox clan in the region. He let her weep and said nothing.

  From the warehouse, Irish came out with Sam by her side and the baby in her arms. Together, they went back to Irish’s place.

  Sam didn’t speak. He was still angry that Peter was injured and taken.

  “It’s not your fault.” The silence had gotten to Irish, apparently. “You had no idea what you were dealing with, and even if you had, would you have believed it was happening?”

  “No, I guess I wouldn’t have. You’re right. But how could I have been so blind? I asked for Peter’s help and I lied to him, He still thinks this Zanxi baby is our little Sam.” Sam raked his hands through his hair. “All this … for what?”

  “For your friends, Sam. They died and you’re all they’ve got to trust with the baby.”

  Silence ensued for a few minutes, then Sam said, “We need to see someone. We need to get the baby to the temple, and we don’t know where it is.”

  Mori cocked an eyebrow.

  Sam saw the look, and continued, “Black Hill is only a general location. We need a magical map to navigate us through it. It will be full of traps.”

  Roy nodded. “Who would that person be?”

  “The shaman.”

  “The one who lives on the west of the woods?”

  Sam nodded.

  “He’s dead. Killed by a stray arrow,” Roy said.

  Sam shook his head, looking defeated. “Did he say anything to you?”

  Roy rolled his eyes. “Yes. He said take the baby to the temple.”

  Irish snorted. “Breaking news.”

  “Wait, he might not mean the secret temple,” Mori said, her eyes brightening. “There are only three temples in Yorin. The secret temple, the dark temple Irish hid in before with the baby and the one at the east of the forest. But I’ve never been there.”

  “I have,” Sam said.

  “Are you religious? Is there anything I should know about, Sam?” Irish asked.

  Sam laughed. “No. I used to go there
as a kid. I didn’t know I’d crossed to the paranormal world there.”

  “So let’s go get the map,” Roy said, striding ahead.

  Silently, Sam led the group through the winding roads of the city. Now that it was early morning, traffic was picking up, and the streets were considerably more crowded.

  Roy’s eyes darted everywhere — they couldn’t afford another attack. The walk took them just over an hour, but they arrived at a little hut on the outskirts of the village that looked like it might have grown out of the earth.

  There was a heavy charcoal scent in the air around it. Strange, Roy thought. He didn’t care for the smell. As they went deeper into the woods, he grew more uncomfortable about the smell. It felt as if the woods could catch fire in any moment.

  If it did, they would be trapped. He had no intention for him and Mori to be served as roast meat for any creature.

  They arrived at a small hut that Sam referred to as a temple. Sam squared his shoulders and marched right up to the front door, hesitating only slightly before giving the old wood a sound beating. He retreated a few paces, trying to appear less of a threat.

  As they waited, a chill crept down Roy’s spine. Mori sidestepped, moving a little closer to him, muttering under her breath, “Something’s not right.”

  Roy glanced around. “Agreed.”

  The door opened and the shaman appeared.

  “You were dead! … Before!” Mori exclaimed

  The shaman smiled and said nothing.

  “You faked dead so they wouldn’t kill you for real,” Roy said.

  The shaman smiled bigger. “You’ve got that right, young man.” He motioned them to come into his house. The shaman waited patiently for them to come into his kitchen before he closed and bolted the door behind them. “Please, sit down. We have much to talk about.”

  “Why did you sleep on the smelly bunch of rags in the hut?” Mori asked.

  “I was waiting for an opportunity to spread out the rumor I had died.”

  “Well, you succeeded,” Sam said.

  “After I helped deliver the baby, I knew they’d come for me asking for the baby’s whereabouts. So, I’d rather play dead than deal with the secrets for the rest of my life.”

  The visitors stood awkwardly, not sure if they should do as he said, and cast furtive glances at one another. The old man sat down, then spread his arms out to encompass the other seats in another silent invitation for them to sit. Sam was the first to obey. Then Roy and Mori and Irish followed, but they sat stiffly, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

  “You can relax. We’re safe here as long as my protective spells are up. I can assure you that nothing can attack you in my house.”

  The visitors relaxed a little, but not very much.

  “Sam, I helped your mother deliver you to this world. I am sure you know that.”

  Sam nodded.

  The shaman continued, “Your father was a shape shifter. He’s a wolf.”

  Sam’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.

  “Your mother was human. And you were the dead-liner in your family.” The old man paused, waiting for his information to sink in.

  “Dead-liner? What the heck does that mean?” Sam asked.

  The shaman smiled. “Well, the one who doesn’t possess any magical power. You can’t shift into a wolf. You’ve never been with a clan. And you don’t even know you’re a shapeshifter.”

  “Well … thanks for the information … I guess,” Sam finally said, shaking his head as if to clear it. “But that’s not what we are here for. We are here for the map.”

  The Shaman smiled. “That’s all right. I have that prepared.” He pulled out a box from a cabinet and put it on the table. Sam reached his hand to the box, but Roy slammed the lid with the heel of his hand.

  “There is no need to fight for it,” the shaman said to the two men, who were eying each other. “Only the chosen one or a worthy individual can read it.”

  Roy leaned back. “That rules me out,” he muttered.

  The shaman looked sharply into Roy’s eyes. “Whether you are worthy is not for you to judge, young man. When the time comes, you’ll see.”

  Roy opened his mouth to speak, but paused when the shaman lifted his hand. He sat straighter in his chair and he tilted his head. Finally, he looked at each of his visitor’s and said, “Remember I told you they’d come for me? Well, they are here already.”

  He stood up. A misty breeze whirled up from the ground, and an eerie cold wind crept through the gaps between the doors and window and leaked into the room.

  Chapter 12

  Bartley had doubted several times on the way to a reclusive house in the most expensive area of Kyoto. He had money, but never to this caliber. If Hoyt Flanagan’s representative was this filthy rich doing what he claimed he was doing, Bartley was sure the rumor that Hoyt ate people for breakfast must be true.

  “Import export business my royal ass,” Bartley swore and hit the heel of his hand to the steering wheel.

  There was no point in hurting his car, but he wasn’t sure why the rep suddenly became helpful. Previously, Bartley thought he’d have to use a shovel to get any word out of the rep. Now, he’d just summoned Bartley here to provide extra information to help with the search.

  He silently hoped this wasn’t a mafia whack job given that he hadn’t yet delivered what he’d promised.

  Bartley wasn’t that naive. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived that long doing this kind of work. He jiggled his secret pocket, making sure his weapon was still there. It would be ideal if he didn’t have to use it. He wanted good outcomes for everyone. In that regard, he considered himself a perfect gentleman.

  The automatic door greeted Bartley aloofly. He followed the robotic voice instructions and walked into the house. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he muttered.

  A human version of a mummy was sitting in the living room waiting for Bartley. Well, that was his take of the rep’s appearance.

  “Aro.” Bartley bowed in greeting.

  The man sat still, tapping his finger on the arm of his chair. “You promised the location of Zanxi last week.”

  “I gave you that.”

  The man arched an eyebrow. “First, you weren’t sure if that was Zanxi. Second, you spooked the woman so much she ran. Is that the quality of your delivery for the money you are getting from our Master?”

  “The fact that she ran suggested that she did have the real Zanxi baby. I’ve got her husband. He confirmed that.”

  “Do you think I am stupid?”

  “No, Aro.”

  “What would a woman, staying at home with a newborn do if she sees freak shows crawling all over the backyard? She runs. Why didn’t she call the police? Oh, she’s a creature, the last line in her family, and her brother is a fugitive for a petty crime.”

  “I … she…?” Bartley stuttered.

  “And now, what do you have for me?” Aro roared. His mouth was wide open, revealing all the shark-like teeth inside. “And if you lie to me again, I can rip your head off your shoulders in one bite. Apparently you have no use for it.”

  “I … I’ve got the friend of the husband … I can use him to bait them for the baby. The information is only the process. You want the end result. You want the key in the temple, right?”

  Aro appeared to calm down. “Yes.”

  “Then give me some more time. You will get it.”

  “Time is what I don’t have. The Master wasn’t happy last night. The temple will open to receive the Zanxi fox in two days. If we are not there, the opportunity will be lost. And let me tell you, I am not going down alone.”

  “I understand.”

  “Master gave us a special weapon for you. The fox got more help from a silver blood soldier called Roy. Your pathetic little bomb you hid in your pocket isn’t going to do him any harm. When push comes to shove, that guy can take down your entire troop with a snap of his fingers.”

  “Silver b
lood soldier?”

  “That’s a dumbed-down version so people like you would understand. He came from another universe, and he’s highly ranked. The silver blood is some sort of supernatural power he has. But he’s not invincible.”

  Aro pushed a gun on the table toward Bartley. “This gun shoots out a poisonous dart. You have one shot. Shoot it to the right shoulder. It will kill him.”

  Bartley picked up the gun and examined it. “How is this a powerful weapon if it gives me such limited possibilities to kill the guy?”

  “That’s the only way to kill him. Each individual with silver blood has a unique weak point. That’s Roy’s.”

  “How does the Master know all this?”

  “That’s why you call him Master. Now, do what he paid you to do. I don’t have to highlight the consequences of making him angry to you, right?”

  “No, you don’t have to,” Bartley bowed again and left. He shoved his hand into his pocket, touched the precious gun and recalled Roy’s dismissive look in the warehouse when he laid an eye on him.

  “Bastard, I’ll gladly put this little dart to your right shoulder. Then I’ll rape all of your bitches before I kill them,” he muttered.

  Chapter 13

  Roy bolted to the door, following the strange sound outside. Mori stayed right behind, guarding Irish and the baby. The shaman and Sam trailed right behind Roy. In front of them, a shadow rushed away along the dark road. They had lost track of the shadow.

  “Damn,” Roy muttered. He knew he could chase it, but he didn’t want to leave Mori alone with a group of vulnerable people.

  “If you are heading to the temple, leave now. There isn’t much time. You’ve got the map,” the shaman said.

  “What about you?” Sam asked.

  “I’m a shaman. This is my place. I will stay here.”

  Sam nodded, but before he could say anything further, a group of shapeshifters swooped down from the sky as gigantic ravens, attacking them. Mori and Irish ducked with Irish bending over to cover the baby. Roy pulled his sword and swung it to cover himself. He was so fast that the span of the sword swinging spread like an umbrella, chopping the attacking birds in its way. Sam’s face was gouged, and the shaman was knocked over.