by D. N. Leo
“If it’s truly yours, you must earn it,” the woman said.
Michael turned toward the table. He willed his thought of destruction at the table the way he had with the creatures in the woods, but this time with some restraint because they were in a confined space. He had no intention of being burned by his own flames.
There was no flame, though. Michael could feel the heat. The difference compared to the incident in the woods was that this time he consciously created a restrained and controlled flow of heat to the table. There was heat, but there was no fire.
The table exploded and turned to ashes, which covered the floor of the cave. The stone charm dropped to the floor.
Michael was out of breath for a brief second.
He rushed over, picking up the stone charm.
The woman chuckled. “Are you happy now?”
He shrugged. “I consider that a successful strike.”
"You’re not whole,” the woman said softly and shook her head.
Michael looked down at his body and back up at the woman. “I’m pretty sure I am!”
She smiled. “Spiritually, you are not whole. You powered your strike using your physical strength. I can see you were out of breath with your first blow. Your power at the moment is limited to your body’s capability.”
“You mean I need to worship a god to get some spiritual power?”
“I hear your sarcasm, Michael. The kind of spirituality I refer to has nothing to do with religion.”
Michael fastened the chain around his neck and secured the charm inside his shirt. “I don’t care about being whole. I guess you’re the one who saved me in the woods, so thank you. I’d like to say goodbye to Jaxper now, and then I’ll get out of your hair and be on my merry way.”
“Do you think I brought you here from the mess you created in the woods out of compassion?”
He smiled. “No, you did it for profit. Jaxper said your witch clan thought I was the One you need. But now, as you have said, I am not whole, so I can’t be the One who helps you.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t be fixed. It doesn’t mean I can’t perfect your power.”
“I am not your tool.” He walked away toward the far corner of the cave, predicting that was where the cave door was located. He felt a pull from behind, and his body was flipped around, thrown through the air, and smashed down to the ground. Invisible claws drew scratches across his chest.
The woman stood, smiling at him.
He scrambled up and blasted a bigger heat wave toward her. His wave hit an icy wall that instantly appeared and fenced off the woman. The heat wave bounced back, throwing Michael to the wall. As he raised his arms to block the wave, his forearms were burned almost to the bone.
The pain shocked his system.
“You will leave when I let you.”
Michael knew he had lost a lot of physical strength from the blow, and when his own energy had bounced back and injured him, the damage was multiplied. He stood up. His knees were weak, but there was no way in hell he was going to let this woman capture him again. He sent another heat wave at her.
The woman raised her arms, hurling a blast of icy wind toward the heat. It felt as if he were drowning in the deep sea under many feet of freezing water. Every ounce of his strength seemed to be vacuumed right out of him. The pain was so intense it numbed his body.
As he collapsed to the ground, he held his stone charm in one hand and thought about his mother and the last wish she granted him. He thought about the male voice that had guided him in the woods, and he sent his last blast at the woman.
Through blurry vision, he saw Jaxper dashing into the room, perhaps right into the path of the blast, heading toward her mother.
Chapter Twenty-One
Vietnam, tropical forest, 1968
* * *
Cole rushed through the bush. Even with all the training he had received in the Marines, he’d never been able to move this fast in his life. He knew the ability he now had was supernatural, so comparing it with normal human skill was unfair. He hung on to the thought that the supernatural power he had was evidence that the deal he had made had been honored. That was all he cared about.
As he lay on the stretcher, listening as the bomb headed toward the people who had just saved his life, he knew he would do whatever it took to prevent their deaths. And then a woman claiming to be some kind of soul dealer had appeared out of nowhere, offering to save the people in the woods if he agreed to a deal with her. Of course, he had said yes without even thinking, and the next thing he knew, he’d stood from the stretcher and moved as if he had never been injured.
What did I promise? he asked himself, but he shook the thought of his mind and kept rushing ahead.
That woman definitely had some kind of magical power—his supernatural ability proved that. Now he needed her to keep her promise regarding the lives of the people in the woods.
He arrived at the area where he knew Mai and her people hid from both sides fighting the war. The bomb had exploded. The trees in the affected area had been sheared off and then burned to nothing but charcoal and ashes. The ground was covered with debris. A large hole the size of an Olympic swimming pool stared up at him. Nothing here surprised him except that, for the first time in his life, he felt overwhelmed by the scene.
He didn’t see human bodies, and he wasn’t surprised. There couldn’t possibly be anything left intact after this assault.
If the woman hadn’t kept her promise, why would she give him this strength?
He dug through the charcoal, ashes, and dirt, looking for human remains.
After a while, he found something.
The bodies were barely recognizable. He knew, though, that they were the people he had just encountered. He picked up charred belt buckles, metal water bottles, and knives and guns. Looking at the things he gathered, he realized none of the items belonged to the women. He had seen their belts. They had much smaller buckles than the men, and they weren’t designed for carrying weapons. The women didn’t carry weapons.
He felt suddenly and deliriously happy. They were still alive. Whatever it was he had promised, the deal had worked in his favor.
But where are all of you? he asked himself and walked around the bomb site again. In the large hole in the ground, he found more male remains. But he still couldn’t find Mai and the other women.
Then he heard something. The faint sound of voices, of conversation. He ignored the embarrassment he felt as he sniffed the air like a dog and tuned in his hearing like a bat. He didn’t know what he had become, but that wasn’t important right now.
He raced in the direction of the voices.
Like magic, the forest opened up in front of him. The vegetation was lush and green and very much alive. A calm little stream meandered around the rocks and trees, and he knew there must be happy fish swimming in the water. In the distance, a small waterfall cascaded from rocks up higher in the mountain and rained down onto a platform of slippery rocks. Ancient trees surrounded the area, casting shadows onto smaller shrubs. Bizarre tree branches reached out and tangled together, creating a web of wood and green leaves that arched above him like a domed roof.
He approached two groups of women, and to his delight, the smaller group of women was Mai and her people. The other group was a little bit larger and was comprised of fifteen women, all dressed in long white cloaks.
Mai turned around and saw him. This time, however, he saw resentment in her eyes. A woman in the other group, the only woman who wore her hair down to her waist, spoke in perfect English. There was something magical about the tone of her voice—it was smooth, echoing, and a bit distant.
“You are the One, Lieutenant Cole.”
“I’m no longer a Marine, and I have no idea what you mean by ‘the One.’”
The woman pointed her chin at Mai and her group of women. “You created them, and they invaded our land. You’re responsible for this.”
Mai threw a harsh look at hi
m, and this time he could see not only resentment but anger in her eyes.
What did I do wrong? he asked himself. All he had wanted was to save Mai’s life and the lives of her people.
The woman in the long cloak continued. “We are the Mountain witches. This is our land. We have been here for thousands of years. We decide who can be a part of us, and who cannot. You have no right to create beings similar to us. They can never be Mountain witches.”
He inched forward, but the witches hissed audibly, so he stopped. “Listen to me—I have no intention of creating Mountain witches. These people are civilians. I seriously doubt they want to be Mountain witches. Outside of the forest, there’s a war going on, and I want these civilians to remain here to stay safe.”
The woman chastised him. “What about our safety? These outsiders attract attention from the Dark Water witches, and that will put us in danger. You must take them away from our land. They may be able to survive out there, but in here, they will die by my magic.”
Even though the woman he had made the deal with had put something supernatural into him, Lieutenant Cole knew he had no magic. He raised his hands, seeking a truce. “All right,” he said, “I’ll take them back to the city.”
“But we can’t leave. We’re part of the forest now. We must stay here,” Mai said.
He was stunned. The words coming out of her mouth were beautiful, as melodic as the speech made by the woman in the long cloak. Mai spoke exactly like them. He focused on her eyes. She looked the same on the surface, but there was definitely something in her eyes that was different.
Mai continued. “Something happened to us. We were pulled out of the forest and thrown through the air, and it seemed like we were placed in new bodies.”
“But you look the same,” Cole said.
The woman in the long cloak chuckled. “They look the same because they’re still in their own bodies, but you snatched them away from death and placed them in the spirit cells of the dead witches in our clan.”
“I did no such thing. I don’t even understand what you’re saying.”
“How do you think I know your name, Lieutenant Cole? The deal was made under your name.”
“I didn’t …” he trailed off. He couldn’t remember what he had promised, so he couldn’t say for sure this wasn’t his doing. “What can I do to fix this?”
“As I already told you, you need to take them away from our land. If not, I’ll kill them.”
“We can’t leave. Whatever put us together said we’ll die if we leave the forest,” Mai said, tears gleaming in her eyes. “It wasn’t just us—it happened to the children, too. Only the men died in the bomb blast.”
“I wouldn’t call what you are now living,” the Mountain witch said.
“It’s better than being physically dead,” Mai said. “We’re staying.”
“You asked for it,” the Mountain witch said and raised her arms, prepared to perform her magic. Cole charged at her and grabbed her by the throat. He didn’t think he hit her hard, but it seemed like her system was shocked by the impact.
The other witches withdrew. They cursed and chanted their magic. Cole released the witch. She staggered back and swung her arms. Cole felt a wave of icy air hit him. It spun him in the air and smashed his body down on the ground. Mai rushed toward him to help.
He didn’t feel hurt. But he didn’t know how to protect Mai and her people.
The Mountain witches advanced.
Suddenly a shadow moved across in front of Cole and Mai. Cole recognized the woman who had made the deal with him. The Mountain witches withdrew instantly, but it was too late for them.
“Soul trader … soul trader …” they chanted in a panic. “Kill us, and we will haunt you …”
The soul trader smirked. Cole could see her clearly now. She was beautiful, but she was evil. “Good luck!” she said to the Mountain witches and then swung her right arm, from left to right, toward the witches like a blade. Their bodies were cut in half, and they dropped to the ground. They died before they could attack, withdraw, or even curse whoever had caused this thing to happen to them.
The soul trader turned to looked at Mai. “You can be the Mountain witch now.” Then she looked at Cole. “And you, you are mine. No devil, angel, or god can change that. Wait until I call you.”
Cole scrambled to his feet. “What did I promise you?”
“Something you might never be able to make good on. It amazes me that some humans still have the gall to make that sort of promise. But you did.”
“What will happen if I don’t keep my promise to you?” Cole asked.
She smiled. “Well, then it’s not you I will kill. I’m a soul trader, remember?” She glanced at Mai and the other women. “I traded their lives, and I can easily trade them back out. It’s part of my daily business.” The soul trader turned and walked away as fast as she had come. Her voice echoed back. “By the way, the death of these Mountain witches is under your name, Cole.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gale winced when he saw the expression on Lyla’s face.
“Lyla, if Michael were indeed in this pile of bones, he couldn’t have survived. There’s no point going deeper into the mountain,” he said in the gentlest and most considerate tone he could produce. Then he stared at the large area covered in bones, ashes, and blackened trees, and he refrained from drawing any more conclusions.
“He’s not dead until it’s proven to me.” Lyla looked at him with eyes that broke his heart. They’d been friends for many years, and her emotion still had the same effect on him. He wagered it would be the same for all male creatures. Lyla rarely cried like other female companions he had encountered, so there were no tears. But her emotions had a profound effect on others—and on him.
He would normally give her a hug and gently rub her shoulders for comfort. But now, knowing that she was a princess, he didn’t think it appropriate to do that anymore. Still, he would do whatever it took to ease her emotional pain.
Gale cleared his throat. “Well, I think he would be quick enough to get out of the fire before it burned everything, just like he did last time in Xiilok.”
“What fire?” Lyla asked.
Gale gestured toward the ground littered with bones and ashes. “Wouldn’t this be caused by a massive fire?”
Lyla approached and looked at it closely. She kneeled and fingered a sample of the ashes, rubbing the ash between her fingertips.
Gale figured she was testing it. The skin on her fingertips was super-sensitive. He shook his head. How would he know that? He brushed the thought away and broke the silence. “If we take the sample back to the village, I can run tests for you with my equipment, Lyla.”
“There’s no need. There was no fire here. These creatures were killed by an intensified heat coming from inside their bodies. They exploded from the inside out.”
“Self-combustion? Are you serious? All of them at the same time?”
Lyla nodded. “Michael wouldn’t have been here. His mind is prone to be attacked by the shadow, but that attack came from an external force. When it comes to heat-related causes of death, a creature from the multiverse is prone to either external or internal forces. Michael is a partial multiverse creature, so I’m sure he wasn’t here.”
Gale rocked back and forth on his feet. “Well, that’s a relief. Does that mean we can go back to the village now? Michael might be waiting for us there and having a panic attack knowing you’ve gone into the woods and are being guarded by a computer geek like me.”
Before Lyla could respond, they heard the throaty rumble of a large animal nearby. Gale pulled Lyla back and stepped forward.
From under the shadow of the large trees in the woods, a magnificent black cat stepped out. Its sparkling green eyes watched Lyla. Gale pushed Lyla further behind him. The cat advanced. Gale wished he had his arsenal with him, but that was just wishful thinking.
“If only I hadn’t used that device on the donkey, Lyla. I can’t con
trol this cat. Do you think we can outrun it?”
“It’s not a cat, Gale. It’s a puma.”
Gale smiled at the puma. He didn’t think it would help, but everyone did say he had a killer smile.
The puma continued advancing.
Gale cursed to himself. He supposed his charm didn’t work on earthly animals. He raised his hands to show he wasn’t a threat. “Look, what do you want? My parents were from England, so I can speak English and Daimon Gate. I don’t speak cat, but I can use my translator. I’m going to reach into my pocket and pull it out, okay?”
The cat’s face was so close he could smell its breath, and he wasn’t thrilled by the thought that at any moment those strong jaws with all those sharp teeth could penetrate any part of his body. There was no translator in his pocket, and even if there were, there were no programs in it for earthly animal languages. But he knew he had a pocket knife. It wasn’t a multiverse-shattering weapon, but it might be able to save the day in a pinch.
He felt Lyla’s hand on his shoulder. “Let me talk to her.”
“Her? You mean the puma? Is it a shapeshifter?”
“No, it’s a female puma.”
“You can talk puma?”
“I can communicate with her. Trust me, Gale.”
“No, I can’t—”
“Step aside, Gale. Please. I can handle this.”
“But—”
“That’s an order.”
“All right.” He moved aside, shoving his hand into his pocket to ensure the knife was still there.
To his amazement, as soon as Lyla approached, the stern stare the cat had been giving him disappeared. Lyla placed a hand on the puma’s head.
Gale felt his muscles tense up like taut guitar strings. His nerves were on edge and about to explode. If the puma decided to use its teeth on Lyla’s head, there was nothing his little knife could do to save her.
Does she really speak cat? he wondered.
Gale didn’t hear Lyla say anything, but she and the animal seemed to communicate with their minds. He shook his head. This was way too complicated for his liking.