by D. N. Leo
Ciaran opened his eyes slightly. “Don’t flatter yourself. You think I’d jump at your call…”
“Okay, you went to the Babylonian court for vacation and got mugged on the way. Now tell me how to get you back to Eudaiz.”
“It was a trap… Someone interfered with your signals…” Ciaran closed his eyes.
“No, no…don’t pass out. Tell me what I need to do to get you back to Eudaiz.”
“Where are we?”
“Australia.”
With his eyes closed, Ciaran said, “Five six five, seven one two, one one nine…” Then he trailed off and said nothing more.
“Hang on for a second!” Zach shouted, but it was too late. Ciaran was totally out of it. “Five six five…then what? Where’s your cell phone, Mya?”
Mya thrust her cell phone toward Zach. “It only works on Earth, and in Australia in particular. I haven’t had it unlocked for overseas calls. There was one occasion when it worked when I was at the Babylonian court. I don’t have an explanation for that one.”
Zach looked at Mya and could see she was serious. “I’m not using it to call Eudaiz, Mya. I think Ciaran just gave us the phone number of the Australian branch of LeBlanc Pharmaceuticals.”
“The LeBlanc’s conglomerate? How will that help?” Mya was astonished.
“I don’t have time to explain it now. But it must be a private line. If I can remember it. Goddammit, five six five…then what?”
“Don’t panic, Zach. I don’t sense Ciaran’s death. I’ve just checked my files, and he’s not on any of my lists. I know he’s king of Eudaiz. But as soon as he lands on Earth, if he’s partly human, he would be in my system. Just like you are.”
“Are you sure? He’s not dead? Not soon? Not…”
“No, Zach. Everyone will die one day, but Ciaran isn’t on my list now. Meaning he won’t die an unnatural death at this time. Don’t let your mind get clogged up with worry. Just call the number.”
Zach dialed the number as he remembered it. At the other end of the line, a female voice answered, “Serina’s escort service.”
“Damn!” Zach hung up. “Five six five…five six five…” he mumbled, his thumb hovering over the keypad of the phone.
“Five six five, seven one two, one one nine,” Leon said. Zach and Mya turned and looked at Leon, who had been quiet up until then. Leon shrugged. “If you trust my English, that’s what he said.”
“Say the number again, please,” Zach said and dialed as Leon dictated the number.
Someone at the other end picked up instantly, and a male voice said, “Yes, Ciaran.”
Zach cleared his throat. “This is Zach Flynn.”
“You’re Ciaran’s second councillor. What do you need?”
“Ciaran is injured. I need medical assistance.”
“How serious?”
“Very. Physical wounds.”
“Thank you. I’ll dispatch a medical helicopter. Do you need combat assistance?”
“Do you mean fighters?”
“Yes.”
“No. Not now. Get the medical assistance first. We’re at—”
“I’ve got your location from the signal of your cell phone. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Hey, don’t you need to verify me? Ciaran has just been ambushed. How secure is your system?”
“Ciaran put this in place. This is the most secure system we can use on Earth. If we get there, and you’re not who you say you are, we’ll take care of it.”
“Like what?”
“We’ll kill you.”
The line went dead.
Zach looked at the phone and then at Mya. “What the heck just happened?”
“They said they’ll kill you if you’re not Zach Flynn. So you don’t have to worry,” Leon answered.
“That was a rhetorical question, Leon.”
“And that was a rhetorical answer, Zach.”
Zach stood up and growled, “What’s your problem, Leon?”
“I don’t have a problem. But you do. You sent the bloody leopards to the court. You upset the Goddess and made Mya face even more debts. You called your friend to bring you the jar, and now he’s half dead. And you decided to be a gentleman and not kill the black cat up the hill, and it got Kirra!”
“You’re mistaken, Leon. When I had to make those decisions to save our asses, you put yourself out there to be meat for those cats. If the animals work up an appetite for you, your meat won’t be enough for them. They’ll turn on us all. We’re in the multiverse, Leon. There is a much bigger picture. Larger things are at stake. Don’t think like a pitiful temple guard—”
“Stop bickering you two!” Mya shouted.
They heard a helicopter hovering.
“That was quick!” Zach mumbled.
The helicopter landed, and a search and rescue team stormed out. “That’s an Australian search and rescue team,” Zach said to Mya through clenched teeth. “They can’t be Ciaran’s people.”
“I didn’t think so,” Mya agreed.
The leading officer rushed over. “We saw the explosion, sir. Any more casualties?” He pointed at Ciaran.
“No, he’s not dead,” Zach growled.
The medical team examined Ciaran. “He’s alive!” a doctor shouted out to the officer. “We’ll airlift him to emergency.”
The officer turned toward Zach. “Who’s his next of kin?”
“Me,” Zach said.
“Please follow me, sir.”
They loaded Ciaran onto the helicopter.
“She’s my wife. Can she come with us?” Zach pointed at Mya.
“Yes, sir, we can take one more on the chopper. The road rescue will be here in a minute.” The officer looked at Leon, who was standing at a distance and looking at the helicopter with suspicion.
Zach looked at Leon and rolled his eyes. “That’s my brother. He has a special condition and can’t be left alone.”
The officer frowned. “All right. Come on in.” He turned and asked another officer to stay behind. The helicopter took off. Leon looked as if he would sink into the seat if he could. His hands gripped the edge of the seat tightly. He dared not close his eyes, and he was sweating profusely. Zach figured his successor had not only never been on a chopper before but had probably not even imagined something like it even existed. He squeezed Mya’s hand and nodded toward Leon. Mya got the hint. She moved closer to Leon to give him a bit of comfort.
Zach turned toward the doctor who was working on Ciaran. “Is he going to be okay?”
“I’m not sure. We have to get to the hospital to know for sure. He’s sustained some very serious injuries. A lot of them don’t look like they were caused by the explosion that made that gigantic hole in the ground. What happened?”
Zach shook his head. “Don’t know. We were hiking, and he was standing right next to where the explosion happened.” Out of the corner of his eyes, Zach thought he saw a second helicopter hovering in the sky. It looked as if it was hiding among the clouds, but Zach had seen this technology in the transitional zone of the multiverse. The cloud lookalike created a dimensional reflective shield that blinded its foes. Trained Eudaizian soldiers could see it. Some Xiilok fighters could as well. But he didn’t think ordinary human eyes would be able to see the combat helicopter that was about to gun them down.
“Shit!” he muttered.
Zach turned to warn Mya, and as he did, they felt the impact of the first blast at their own helicopter.
Part II
Chapter 22
Mya surged up to her feet quickly when the helicopter dipped and quickly regained her balance. Zach held onto her, but when he figured she was fine, he released her arms and rushed over to Ciaran. The pilot swore and tried to calm the medical team.
When Mya followed Zach, he turned and said, “They didn’t shoot us with live ammunition. I think they want to capture us.” He then searched Ciaran’s jacket pockets.
“The jar isn’t with Ciaran, if that’s wh
at you’re after,” she said. “I can’t sense it. It’s not here.”
Zach nodded and stopped searching.
“What the hell! Where did they come from?” the pilot exclaimed.
The other helicopter had lowered its dimensional shield, and it hovered right in front of their own. It radioed the pilot and asked him to land.
“That chopper is military grade. You’d better do what they say,” Zach said.
As soon as they landed their helicopter, a group of men in military uniform approached from the other aircraft. The closer they came, the louder the alarm bells rang in Mya’s mind. She wasn’t alarmed because a bunch of armed men were approaching them, but she was definitely alarmed by their aura. She had fought them before when she was still with the court.
They were dressed in modern clothing, but she knew they didn’t belong to this time—or this world. “They’re from another world, Zach,” she said.
He nodded and slid his hand toward his gun. From the corner of her eye, she could see Leon had readied his hand on the hilt of his knife.
“Don’t…” she told them both. “Too many civilians, and Ciaran can’t protect himself.” But before she could say anything more, the men pulled their guns and sprayed bullets in their direction.
Zach pulled Mya down and slammed the helicopter’s door closed with Ciaran inside. Leon lay flat on the ground, cursing when a bullet hit his shoulder. All the medical staff and the pilot dropped dead on the ground.
Zach cursed. “Bastards! They probably think Ciaran has the jar.” From the ground, Zach took out a couple of men. But Mya knew they were out numbered. The men kept approaching. Zach stood up and raised his hands in the air. “I’ve got something you want.”
The men stopped. The one who appeared to be the leader pulled his mask up. They could see his irises were filled with swimming worms. Zach asked softly, “Do you think we can take them?”
“Sure,” Leon said immediately.
Mya looked at them again. They had been Xiilok fighters since the ancient time. There were eight men. If they put their guns away, between Zach, Leon, and herself, they could take the men down—if things went smoothly. The men might have military training, but her scuffling skills weren’t bad. Zach was good, and Leon was exceptionally good. She nodded to Zach.
“You’re looking for a jar, right?” Zach said to the man.
“Yes,” was the man’s response.
“I have it! Don’t shoot,” Zach said.
The group lowered their guns and approached.
Aren’t you stupid? You should have asked Zach to show the jar. Now…come closer, Mya thought.
The men had moved about twenty feet closer to them when their heads and bodies exploded with laser beams. A short distance away, they could see a couple of jeeps speeding closer.
“That’s Ciaran’s people,” Zach said to Mya.
“Are you sure?” Mya asked.
“Let me check.” Zach narrowed his eyes. Mya knew he was sending sound waves at the men. If had spoken to one of them, and they claimed they knew who he was, and that sound being was his unique talent. If they were Ciaran’s men, they should have appropriate reaction reaching his sound waves.
The man leading the group nodded at Zach, signaling he had received the sound signals.
Mya felt a prick at the back of her neck, and her alarm bells began to ring again. It was the same feeling she’d had with the armed group they had just killed. “Are you sure, Zach? These are ancient soldiers. They’re creatures. Are you sure Ciaran used them and stationed them on Earth?” she asked Zach between her teeth.
“No, I’m not. But there’s no way they knew the number Ciaran set up.”
“What if they killed Ciaran’s men those talked to you. Or they interfered the signals such as those they have just killed. The only one who can tell us now is Ciaran. And you told them Ciaran is out.”
Zach nodded. “You’re right. Ciaran has to be injured bad enough so that I had to call on his behalf. Then no one can verify these guys. Either they come for the jar or for Ciaran, they’re bad news. Any idea of how to get us all out of here in one piece?”
Mya shook her head.
“Why don’t we go back to the court?” Leon quietly said.
Mya and Zach turned to look at Leon. Mya grinned. “I love you, Leon!”
Zach frowned. “But Ciaran said Babylon was a trap. They ambushed him.”
“Not at the court. He must have been somewhere else,” Leon said.
“Also, genuine Babylonian soldiers don’t look like the mummies or pharaohs. that injured him. He was somewhere else, Zach,” she said.
He nodded. “If they were capable of intercepting his signal, then they would have no problem manipulating a dimensional shift to change his destination.”
Zach turned back quickly, smiled at the approaching group of men, and gestured toward the helicopter. The man nodded, acknowledging Zach’s invitation.
“What exactly do I need to do, Mya?” Zach asked quietly. I don’t have my wrist unit anymore. We can’t teleport off.”
Mya smiled. “Follow us.” She winked at Leon, and they opened the helicopter’s door and quickly climbed inside.
The armed men were ten feet away.
Mya left the door open so they could see Ciaran inside. She grabbed Ciaran’s hand with one hand and Zach’s hand with the other. “Close your eyes,” she said quickly. Leon stepped in, grabbing Ciaran’s hand and Zach’s hand, closing the circle. Zach closed his eyes.
Mya channeled to the Babylonian court the way she always did. The last time, she had accidentally taken her cell phone with her, and it worked. This time, she deliberately willed her minor deity power in her mind to take any subject she had in contact to the court.
She hoped it worked just as well.
Chapter 23
Kirra ran aimlessly through the black forest. Bare, coal-colored tree trunks growing from the muddy ground looked like the devil’s hands reaching for her. She didn’t know where she was or why and from what she was running.
The last thing she remembered was a sensation of weightlessness. It was as if her soul had been vacuumed out of herself so quickly she could feel the empty hole it created in her mind. Her body seemed to weigh a ton. She tripped on uneven ground and fell in front of a puddle. She looked at the reflection of herself in the dark water. Her hair was tattered and singed at the ends. Although there were signs of healing, she could see the burns on her face.
Then she remembered the incident when her consciousness went in and out. She had been in the middle of a fire, burning like a torch. Outside the fire, Leon, Mya, and Zach stood looking at her in helplessness.
Leon looked devastated. She recalled he was begging her to stay. I didn’t mean to go anywhere, Leon. Why were you so desperate? Why was I on fire?
“Elanora,” a voice said from behind her. She whirled around, prepared to put up a fight. She vaguely remembered the lynx Elanora and the way she had attacked them in both animal and human form. She remembered stabbing the lynx in Elanora form to death.
The man in front of her looked familiar—tall, strong, with a dark aura around him. His eyes were the most familiar feature. Dark eyes with a shade of purple. Who is he? He didn’t look as if he wanted to harm her. But why had he called her Elanora?
The man approached. “I know you think you’re invincible. But let me tell you, there is no mercy in this underworld. You aren’t meant to be here, especially in the form of that woman. If you get caught, there is nothing I can do for you.”
So this is the underworld? All right…does that mean she might be dead? “I’m dead. Why do I care if I get caught?” she asked.
“You’re not dead. I told you that. You’ve lost your body. But I’ll figure something out for you. If you take the potion I fixed for you, it won’t be long until this body is fit and healthy so you can return the body back to the woman you took it from. If you stay in the house during the process, it will be best for both of us
.”
She nodded.
He arched an eyebrow at her obedience. He approached and tilted her chin up. “You know what? If you had just agreed with whatever I said and behaved sensibly—as you are now—your life would have been a lot easier. Just stay at home and be safe. You don’t have to live up to whatever elusive mission someone heaped on you.”
She smiled.
He smiled back. The care in his eyes was convincing. It reminded her of Zach. She shook the thought out of her mind.
“What?” he asked.
“What’s what?”
“Why did you shake your head?”
“Oh, nothing. Bad memories.”
He embraced her. “I’m sorry you have to go through this. I know it hurt. But we’ll get through this together.”
“How can we return this body back to the woman? Isn’t she dead?”
The man shook his head. “I don’t know. Let’s go home. I’ll get more information and see what I can do. But before we figure this out, promise me you won’t run away like this again?”
She nodded and followed him. He wrapped his large arm around her shoulders. For a moment, she almost felt safe.
Chapter 24
Mya felt a thud, and the transport came to a stop. She opened her eyes and saw that Leon and Zach had opened theirs as well. Ciaran was still unconscious on the stretcher. And they were still in the helicopter. But outside the window of the helicopter was a totally different vista from the Australian outback they had just left. So they had channeled elsewhere—including everyone and the entire helicopter! As to where they currently were, she had no idea.
Without looking outside, Leon said, “This is not the court.”
“How did this happen? We channeled the same way every single time between the court and earth,” Mya said.
Leon rubbed his hand on his shoulder where the bullet had hit him earlier. “It healed!” he gasped.
“Look at Ciaran!” Zach said in disbelief.
On the stretcher, although there was still blood everywhere, Ciaran’s visible injuries healed in front of their very eyes.