by D. N. Leo
She sighed. “The talisman is the proof of a king’s soul created out of true love. I once took the human form of a queen of a great king. He needed an heir. There was a secret prophecy that he would never have a son, and he believed that prophecy. The king asked for assistance from a wizard. That wizard placed a love spell on me without knowing I am a soul trader. I diverted his spell to the talisman. The love I had for the king was genuine. We didn’t need magic to conceive a child together. I have my own power, and I knew the prophecy wasn’t true. So I gave birth to the king’s son, and he later became one of the great and legendary kings.”
Richard nodded. “This sounds awfully familiar,” he said.
“The wizard Merlin thought the spell worked on me because I faked the result. When the talisman branded you, it meant his spell is actually working—but on the wrong person. If Merlin’s spell didn’t work on the queen before, anyone who knew about the prophecy will rule that the king wasn’t a legitimate heir.”
“Well, it sounds serious. But perhaps more effective if it took place in medieval times…” Richard trailed off then looked at Casey’s still flickering image. “Oh my God, this isn’t Merlin and King Arthur you’re talking about?”
“You know history well, Richard.”
“But that’s not history. It’s a myth. I read about it in a play. We’re in the theatrical business, remember? Now you’re saying all of that is real?”
“As real as can be. One of the live forms I’ve taken was Igraine, king Uther’s wife. I was her. So I know the truth.”
Richard looked at his palm then at Casey. “All right. Let’s say it’s history. That means it has already happened. If they find out now that the spell didn’t work before, it’s still history. There’s nothing they can do, right? The most damage they could do is to change history books—if they can even do that without concrete facts to support it.”
“It’s not history I’m worried about, Richard. It’s the future. Have you heard of the multiverse?”
“No.”
“Have you heard of time travel?”
“In the movies.”
“Well, I did more than just give birth to an heir. Before Arthur died, I preserved his king’s spirit and passed it on to a different family, but I cannot tell you about that. I’ve lost track of Arthur’s heir since then. But because of the king’s spirit, the family has become powerful and now holds a great portion of the balance of power in the cosmos. If I were the adversaries of that family, and I figured out this secret, and I could time travel or conjure magic or both, what do you think I would do?”
Richard nodded. “I understand—they’ll do everything in their power to make sure that with the family never existed or the power never come to them.”
“Now you can feel my pain.”
“So you want me to get this talisman to Merlin’s cave. And somehow you’ll convince Merlin—if he’s alive—that although his magic didn’t work, the child was legit. But still, what would stop the time travelers or wizard from coming back and changing the course of history?”
“That’s why I want Merlin to change history himself. He has to prove the prophecy didn’t exist and he didn’t perform the magic in the first place.”
Richard frowned. “So Merlin is still alive?”
Casey smiled. “No. Unfortunately not. He’s a wizard, but he’s human. He died a long time ago. If you get the talisman for me, I will be able to travel back in time.”
“Y-you can time travel?”
“Not the way you see in movies. But I have my own way of doing so.”
“It can’t be that easy.”
“No, it’s not easy at all. Your transport to Merlin’s cave is dangerous. And my time travel isn’t without costs to myself. If it were easy and free, everyone with a bit of magical power would be traveling back and forth to make a profit for themselves.”
“So what does this time travel cost you?”
“You don’t need to know that, Richard.”
“If you won’t’ tell me, I’m not going to do it.”
“You know enough, Richard. If this information got into the wrong hands, you can’t imagine the degree of destruction it might cause.”
“You’re not God, Casey. You don’t have to do this.”
“No, I’m not God, but I had the privilege to live many lives over those many thousand years. I have to give something back somehow. I’ve seen many civilizations. This current time is one of the better ones, and I’d like to help it continue to exist. And I’m talking about more than humans and this Earth. I mean the multiverse. Will you help me, Richard?”
“I have one condition. If I make it back here alive, you promise to be with me for the rest of my natural life no matter what form you’re in. I have to have you. I’m sorry if I’m being selfish. But I’m human, and I’d like to make the most of however many years are left in my life…with you.”
Casey nodded. “Yes, I promise.”
Chapter 32
In the helicopter, Mya and Leon were trying to get Ciaran back to the healing zone. He kept vomiting blood. Zach help his head up and cushioned it against a medical bag so he wouldn’t choke.
“Let’s form a circle here, and you guys will bring us back, right?” Zach asked.
“We’ll try, but there’s no guarantee. We didn’t get there by ourselves,” Mya said.
Leon frowned and let his hands flop to his sides.
“Leon, we need to form a circle in order to take Ciaran out of here. What’s the matter?” Zach asked.
“It was his soul that led us there because it wanted to heal Ciaran’s bodily injuries. Now he’s injured because he fought with his soul creator. I guess he’s not supposed to catch the soul of this soul creator. So in a case like this, if we channel, will his soul still allow us into the healing zone? What if it wants to punish his body? What if it thinks he deserves to die because he fought his creator?”
Mya looked at Zach. “Leon has a valid point, Zach.”
Leon continued. “Why did you object when Casey explained why we should help her with the talisman?”
“That has nothing to do with this,” said Zach.
“Everything helps, Zach,” Mya said. “If we channel, we need to make sure his soul isn’t going to lead us to some dead zone. Casey said the talisman proves Ciaran was created out of true love. What’s wrong with that?”
“He wasn’t born from true love. He was born from a terrible moral crime against his parents.”
“And he told you that?” Leon asked.
“I was unfortunate enough to witness his family story unfold. People he cared for died so he could live. If you make Ciaran go through that again, I swear to you, he’ll burn the multiverse down.”
“But Casey would have meant the creation of his soul, not the conception of himself as a human,” Mya said.
Zach shook his head. “But we didn’t know about this soul creation when she mentioned it. And it’s irrelevant now. If you’re sure his soul controls the channel to get to the healing zone, do you think it would work now, now that it knows he struck Casey by mistake?”
Mya looked at Leon. “What do you think?”
“I don’t think we have any other option. We have to take our chances.”
Mya nodded. They formed a circle and did what they had done before. Zach closed his eyes. He felt the movement of the helicopter and the energy that went through their connected hands. Then the movement stopped. Zach opened his eyes and zeroed in on Ciaran.
Unlike the last time, Ciaran opened his eyes groggily and didn’t sit right up to declare he was free from injuries. “Help me up, please,” he said.
Leon looked outside the window. Seeing nothing around, he opened the helicopter door.
Zach helped Ciaran sit up and leaned him back against the chair. Ciaran continued, “It was my fault for attacking Casey.”
“You didn’t know,” Mya said.
“She should have given a better explanation,” Leon said.<
br />
“What’s now, Ciaran?” Zach asked.
“I have an extra soul in me, if that makes any sense,” Ciaran said.
“Yes, I’ve seen it,” Mya said.
Ciaran nodded. “Her name is Lyla. She’s a very young soul trader and probably inexperienced. I think she is healing me just now. The soul Casey created in me is another one, and that one has refused to help because I attacked its creator.”
Zach repeated Mya’s words. “You didn’t know, Ciaran.”
“I don’t know how it works or how to explain that to a soul.” Ciaran smiled weakly. “I don’t have a choice of what I can and can’t take for my soul. The healing here isn’t complete. I have to go back to Eudaiz. I don’t have your jar with me now. Sorry, Mya.”
“I didn’t have it for a thousand years, so why hurry now?” Mya said. “How do we get you back to Eudaiz? We don’t even know where we are now.”
“Merlin’s cave,” said a male voice, causing Zach and Leon to draw their weapons. Ciaran wanted to react but figured he was too weak to do so, so he sat still.
At the door of the helicopter, a man appeared and reached his hand in. “I’m Richard Lane. I’m the manager of the Magicz Theatre. I really need to get into this narrow cave, and of course, your helicopter parked right in front of it. I’m just going to sneak around your helicopter to squeeze in. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t shoot at me thinking I’m trying to do something to your aircraft.”
“Magicz Theatre? You based in Sydney,” Zach said.
“Yes, we have been for the last year. But we’re about to move on soon.”
“So where are we now?” Mya frowned.
“Merlin’s cave,” Richard said again.
“Are you human?” Leon asked.
Richard withheld a laugh and said, “Last time I checked, yes. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to finish this task quickly and get back to Sydney. That way I’ll remain human—and alive—both of which are quite desirable to me.” Richard gestured toward the left of the helicopter and was about to leave.
“Who sent you here?” Ciaran asked.
“Excuse me? I mean, no one sent me.”
Ciaran growled, more because he didn’t have the energy to speak up rather than because he was angry. “You’re obviously human because you can’t tell we have minor gods in front of you. You can’t come here by yourself as an ordinary human. So who sent you?”
“Hey, I don’t need to talk to you. I was just trying to be polite,” Richard snapped.
Before he could turn around, Zach had snatched his collar. “Whoever sent you here will get you back to Sydney. We’re going to have to hitchhike if you don’t mind. So I’m afraid we can’t let you go inside the cave by yourself because you might disappear after you finish what you’re here to do. We’ll go in with you. Once you’re finished, we’ll go with you back to Sydney.” Richard shoved Zach away, but Zach wouldn’t let go. Zach snarled, “Either we go back with you, or you stay here with us. Your choice.”
“All right, all right.” Richard pushed Zach hand’s off his shirt. “Then let’s go.”
“Can you walk?” Zach asked.
Ciaran nodded.
Leon and Zach flanked Ciaran’s sides, helping him to walk. Mya walked next to Richard to be sure he didn’t try to bolt ahead.
“Just for your information, one of my best talents as a minor deity is that I can run like wind. So don’t ever think about outrunning me,” Mya said. “And Leon can simultaneously kill dozens of leopards and two-headed lizards. You don’t want to make him angry. Zach can cleave your skull in half with sound waves. And Ciaran can dig you a grave as big as the Grand Canyon with his mind blade.”
Richard stared at Mya briefly and then said, “Just for your information, when I accepted this task, death was number one on the list of risks. I’m not easily scared. But if it makes you feel better, young lady, I am intimidated by the talent profile of your group. Now can we go?”
Chapter 33
The cave got darker and more eerie as they went deeper inside. The walls of the cave were black and damp as if it was sweating. Thousands of small blue and green particles glittered, lighting their way. Something hummed a haunting chant as if inviting them to hell. And the group pressed on.
At the end of the cave, a magnificent hundred feet wall opened upward like a dome. The charcoal wall of the cave was plain, and the round surface in front of the wall was empty. It looked like an abandoned temple.
“Okay, Richard, is this where you’re supposed to deliver your object? Zach asked.
Richard nodded. He approached the wall and touched it. The wall shuddered. Dirt and mist at least a thousand years old oozed out into the thick air.
“Get back! Something is waking,” Mya said.
Leon and Zach pulled Ciaran backward.
“You get back here as well, Mya. It’s a dead end. He isn’t going to run anywhere,” Zach said, nodding at Richard.
Mya nodded and stepped back.
On the wall, something moved. Richard startled and jumped backward. Then he cleared his throat and said, “I have an object to deliver to you. The owner of the object said it contains one of your spells.”
“You dare disturb my sleep?” an old man’s voice said from the wall. Richard jumped several steps backward then held his ground in the middle of the domed area.
“I don’t mean to disturb you. I need to talk to Merlin.”
“I am not interested in talking to you. Get out of my cave.”
“So you’re Merlin. I’d like to let you know that one of your old spells didn’t work as you might have thought.”
“I conjured thousands of spells during my time. Why do you think one failed spell would concern me?”
“But you only created one spell to create a great king.”
The wall shuddered again. “Don’t you dare stand here making accusations about my magic. That spell in particular was legendary. Don’t you dare say otherwise.”
The wall shuddered again, and a thousand years’ worth of dirt rained down to the ground. Something on the wall cracked. The shape of an old man’s face appeared, and the eyes opened.
Richard yelped and staggered back another few steps. He looked around and saw the group still standing and waiting for him at the other end of the room. Embarrassed, he turned back to the face in the wall.
“I have proof!” He raised his right palm so that it faced the wall. “Your spell branded me.”
“You’re Casey’s lover. The guy with the love tattoo!” Zach said.
Richard turned around. “What?”
“Never mind. Show him. He’s waiting,” Zach said.
Richard returned to show his palm to the eyes on the wall. The eyes sparked with anger. None of them could see where the mouth was, but they heard humming roars echoing from somewhere. The eyes opened wider now and started scanning the area.
“It’s not my fault. I’m just the messenger. Here is your object.” He put the talisman on the ground.
“Who sent you?”
“Look, it’s not my place to explain this.”
“Who sent you?”
“Okay…it was Casey Anderson.”
“Who is she?”
“That’s irrelevant. She will explain to you.”
“Who is Casey Anderson? How can she know about my spell?”
“It’s not Casey. I mean, it wasn’t her in that life. She used to be Igriane…”
At the back of the cave, Zach whispered, “This isn’t going to go down well. We should leave.”
“Agreed,” Leon said.
Mya nodded.
“I can’t run,” Ciaran said.
Zach and Leon flanked Ciaran’s sides again to support him.
Inside the dome, they heard a roar. “She diverted my spell!”
“Shit!” Zach muttered. Sparks and beams of light erupted from the eyes of the wall face, blasting across the room and lighting up the dim cave. The group turned to face the dom
e to see what was coming at them.
Then the angry roar died out.
Richard had fallen to his knees in the middle of the dome.
“Poor guy,” Mya muttered. She raised her voice. “He’s just a messenger!”
Richard stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands and knees. “I’m okay. Thanks for your concern. I came here prepared for the worst. Only because Casey said this might have an impact on the balance of power in the multiverse. I don’t know what the multiverse means, but it seems like a lot of people and creatures could die. I’m only a man, but if I can help fix it, I should.”
“Come here. Let me see you,” Merlin said.
“I’ve shown you the talisman and the mark on my hand. What else do you want to see?” asked Richard.
“Not you. Arthur. Let me see you. Now it’s proven that you’re not my creation. But still, I’d like to see you.”
The eyes blinked, waiting.
Silence.
Ciaran stood, leaning against the cave wall. “None of us here is Arthur. Merlin, I understand your magic is important to the relationship between Uther and Igraine. Everyone knows this story from history. But it’s a myth. For some reason, Casey, or Igraine, has mistaken me as Arthur before. But my name is Ciaran LeBlanc. And my family has nothing to do with the Pendragons.”
Richard stared at Ciaran. “So it was you…”
“He just explained that it wasn’t him. Is my English so poor that I misunderstood that?” Leon asked.
Richard approached Ciaran and the group. “Are you from the multiverse? Are you someone of importance?” he asked Ciaran.
Zach snarled, “We don’t have any idea where we are. And at the moment, you’re arguing with a wall. Even if we were, do you think we would admit to anyone that we’re holding significant power over anything?”
“Let me see you, Arthur!” Merlin said again.
Richard said, “Casey said she took the king’s spirit before he died and placed it in another family. And that family is now holding a significant balancing power in the multiverse. You’ve got to be the one, Ciaran.”