Soul Market - Shadow Justice - Book 2

by D. N. Leo

  Ciaran’s eyes were as cold as steel. “We’re leaving.”

  “I can heal you, Arthur. You’re injured. You won’t make it back to wherever you came from,” Merlin said.

  “I don’t have King Arthur’s spirit,” Ciaran told the wall. His anger drew energy from him, and he grabbed at a bit of stone on the uneven cave wall to keep his body standing upright.

  “If you have such great power, you wouldn’t be stuck in a wall, would you? How can we know that you can do what you claim?” Zach said.

  “I’ve made a mistake. That’s why I’m imprisoned here. But my magic still works.”

  “Mya, is there a way to guarantee he only heals my body and doesn’t affect my mind or soul or anything else? I don’t care much for being possessed or controlled,” Ciaran asked.

  “If you walk out of this cave, I’ll never help you,” Merlin said.

  Mya looked at Ciaran. He didn’t look like he could make it out of the cave anyway. “There’s no guarantee, Ciaran. I’ll do my best to prevent it from happening. You just have to trust me.”

  “You learned that lesson during your coronation, Ciaran. Sometimes you have to trust people. I trust her with my life,” Zach said.

  Ciaran nodded, giving Mya the go-ahead signal.

  “Stay here, all of you,” Mya said and strode toward the center of the dome. She pulled out her deity badge and showed it to Merlin. “My name is Mya Portman, and I am a minor deity. I’ have been in charge of thousands of souls over more than a thousand years. I work under the protection of Ishtar, the Goddess of Love and War. If you go against me or cause myself or my subjects any harm, you will declare war with my Goddess. You’re a smart man, Merlin. You should know the consequences of making my Goddess angry.”

  Merlin blinked. “Yes, Ishtar has a reputation. I understand.”

  Mya nodded. “Now, you are going to heal the body of Ciaran LeBlanc from injuries, and your healing is limited to that body in this time only. You are not to use your magic or power to influence any spiritual part, including his mind, his souls, and the king’s spirit. Violating that means you will declare war to the eternity with Ishtar, the Goddess of War and Love. Am I understood?”

  “Wow, she turns me on when she adopts that authoritative tone,” Zach said.

  One of Merlin’s eyebrows lifted. “Since when is the king’s spirit of Arthur your subject?”

  Ciaran said, “I appoint Mya Portman as the guardian of all spiritual matter carried by my body. The position is effective immediately and will be valid as long as she shall live and in all territories of the multiverse, including all spiritual and mind dimensions.”

  Zach grinned. Mya smiled at Merlin until he lowered his lifted eyebrow. “Can we proceed?” Mya asked.

  “All right,” Merlin said.

  “Let’s go,” Zach said. Zach and Leon helped him walk to the middle of the domed area. The eyes shone, scanning left and right.

  “Is he a lighthouse?” Zach muttered. “If we leave you here, can you stand for a few seconds?” Zach asked.

  “Yes. Thank you. Just leave me here.”

  The light from the wall scanned up and down and covered everyone in the dome. “It’s itchy…stop that,” Leon grumbled and brushed at his neck.

  Zach and Leon left Ciaran and moved back to the tunnel wing.

  “Remember what was said, Merlin,” Mya warned as she left the area.

  The light exploded in the dome area. Ciaran’s body was spun around, and it swung within the funnel of light. Millions of shiny particles floated around.

  After a while, the spinning slowed. The light dimmed, and Ciaran was placed gently on the ground. When the light had completely vanished, Ciaran opened his eyes and stood up. He turned toward the group. His eyes sparked with energy, and his king’s aura had returned. He smiled at them then turned to Merlin.

  “Thank you. If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

  “Indeed, there is a favor I need from you. I need you to leave the son of my enemy here with me. I have to take him.”

  “Who is that?” Ciaran asked.

  Rolls of dust fumed out from the wall, making them all cough. Leon grabbed his throat and fell to the ground, gasping.

  “Him!” Merlin said.

  “We come as a group. We’ll leave as a group. He’s one of my people.”

  “I will take him,” Merlin growled and hummed a chanting spell. Leon’s eyes rolled back. His body was pulled onto the floor and out to the dome area then flipped in the air. Magical light beams blasted onto his back and tore off his shirt. He screamed in pain as the skin in the middle of his back was scraped off, revealing a tattoo of a moon.

  Mya darted over to Leon. Ciaran and Mya dragged him into the tunnel.

  “Get him out of here!” Mya shouted.

  Zach and Richard carried Leon, charging along the tunnel. Ciaran held Mya back. Standing in the tunnel, be blasted his mind blade and the wall. Merlin roared. Ciaran blasted again. Mya hurled her fireballs at the wall.

  “Why do you have to do this, Merlin?” Mya asked.

  “I have to kill him. His mother imprisoned me.” Merlin blew out more dust.

  “That’s not his fault. If you keep doing this, I’ll kill you for real, Merlin!” Ciaran said.

  Merlin kept roaring and blowing out dust.

  “This dust is doing nothing to us, but he is casting a spell on Leon,” Mya said.

  Ciaran glanced back at the angry eyes on the wall. “You asked for this.” He turned and said, “Let’s go.” They charged out of the mouth of the cave. Mya could see Zach’s eyes were bloodshot. Leon was lying on the ground.

  “Oh, no.” She rushed toward Leon.

  Ciaran turned to the cave. Inside the tunnel, more dust was coming out. He concentrated and blasted his gigantic mind blade, digging up the entire hillside. The helicopter dropped into the hole his blade made. Everything exploded, from the mouth of the cave to the dome inside.

  He turned around and ran toward the group.

  “Casey is taking you back, right?” Mya asked.

  Richard nodded.

  “Form a circle!” she shouted. Ciaran dove at the group and grabbed for their hands, closing the circle. An explosion cracked the ground, and the crack ran toward them. They vanished, channeling out of the dimension just before the explosion reached their position.

  Chapter 34

  Elanora walked out to the open field in the Australia outback. She squinted in the bright sunlight that reflected on the humid air. She frowned at the feel of the heat on her fragile skin. Well, not exactly her skin, but Kirra’s skin. She didn’t mind it. What bothered her was that she didn’t understand why she was standing in the middle of an open field.

  She looked back and saw the gateway between worlds closing and the shadow of Dex standing at the closing door. She wanted to call to him but stopped herself from doing so. She had many questions that needed answers, but she was on a mission. So she turned around and darted toward the stretch of woodland, running toward her secret place.

  The place was the same—a small cottage, tucked away between two giant red rocks. The cottage was protected by a spell from a wizard she trusted. No ordinary eyes could see it. She pushed the door open and entered.

  The living room looked the same, plain but efficient. The cottage had belonged to her mother, a condemned leopard shapeshifter. She touched the floral tablecloths her mother had made—apart from having her, the handmade table cloths were the only object her mother had left behind in this world that had some meaning, some significance. Am I a significant individual at all? she wondered. Elanora frowned. She wasn’t sure.

  Her mother’s life had been dull. But that was because she had chosen to live a quiet life so that Elanora could gain traction in the clan and become their leader as her father had always wanted. Her mother had borne him a child and had never asked for anything in return.

  Her father was a high-ranked lynx, and his wife had not given him a c
hild before her death. He refused to remarry but agreed to accept a mate so that he could have an heir. That was how she was created. She threw a table into the corner of the house. She hated the lynx mating rituals. She hated the life her mother had had and the sacrifice she had made.

  She had to go to the gateway and find her father. She opened her mother’s secret compartment. Taking the talisman, a token of her love to her father, she tucked it into her pocket and left the house.

  As soon as she stepped out of the house, her head perked up. She sensed the opening of the gateway. She whirled around, sniffing at the air. She was sure of it. It was opening right now. She could crash the gate if she got there in time. There was no need for hunting down the wrist units of those Eudaizians.

  She charged down the road, heading in the direction of the opening.

  * * *

  Inside the tunnel, Dex turned and glanced down the corridor with caution. Ishtar didn’t seem to be in chase. She wasn’t stupid. Dex knew for sure Ishtar was a master at war games, and one of the rules was to never follow subjects into unknown dark spaces.

  The compass in his pocket buzzed.

  He took it out. It must have been buzzing for a while, but with the degree of activities going on, he hadn’t heard it. It wasn’t a compass for direction. Rather, it navigated the energy channel across worlds. Given the nature of his work, the device was handy. It was also an effective tool for him to keep tags on his mother.

  His heart skipped a beat when he saw it. His mother was in danger.

  Her cursed and headed back toward the gate to Earth, the same gate he had just seen Kirra through.

  Chapter 35

  The group landed at the outskirts of Wagga Wagga. From the hillside, they could see the town in the distance. Leon could see his body on the ground. Ciaran took his pulse and shook his head. Mya cried.

  “Oh, no. I’m dead.” He hated to see Mya cry. Leon stepped back to gain some momentum, then he ran and jumped onto his body. He bounced back out, rolling on the ground. He stood up and cursed. Then he saw Zach’s eyes. They were blood shot and angrily searching the area like a hungry tiger.

  Richard looked around, unsure of what to do. “Casey!” he called out.

  This was so unfair, Leon thought. He didn’t even have the chance to fight for his life. He was angry. He jumped into his body again and bounced back out. Then he saw Casey, rushing at Richard. She was concentrating on making her image appear so that Richard could see her.

  “I didn’t know you brought friends back with you, Richard. It was heavier than I thought, so I had to land you here, not in Sydney. Plus, there was some energy suction in this area…” Casey’s voice trailed off when she saw Leon on the ground. “Oh my God…” She rushed toward Leon’s body. “I can’t trade his soul. What happened?”

  “Bastard has my eudqi inside his body. He can’t die that easily,” Zach muttered as he blasted sound waves at Leon.

  “Ouch,” Leon grunted and grabbed at his ears. He felt a suction pulling him into his body. This might work, he thought. There was a way to get back into his body.

  Zach blasted again. This time, the suction was stronger. Leon stopped resisting and flew back into his body. As soon as he did so, he had no vantage point from the outside. His world went blank.

  “It worked! He’s moving,” Mya said.

  Ciaran walked around, patrolling the area where Zach was blasting energy. Zach stopped and looked at Ciaran. “Keep doing that. It seems to work, Zach,” Ciaran said.

  “What are you looking for?” Richard asked. “Anything I can do to help?”

  “He’s blasting out energy. Sound waves. Creatures with a vested interest in our movement will be able to track us,” Ciaran said.

  “Should we call the cops?” Richard said.

  Ciaran glanced around the rolling hillside. “How?”

  “Use my cell phone. The signal might be weak. But it’s something.”

  “You’ve got a cell phone? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Ciaran said, reaching his hand out to borrow the phone.

  “You didn’t ask. And you can’t call a wizard or a god using my phone!”

  “No, Ciaran. We were trapped when I called the number you gave me,” Zach said.

  On the ground, Leon’s eyes fluttered and opened, but then his eyes rolled back again.

  “No, please stay, Leon,” Mya cried.

  “Keep him in,” Casey said.

  “Then what?” Zach asked. “You’re a soul trader. Can’t you do something?”

  “I can’t trade his soul. He’s a minor god.”

  “Intruder!” Ciaran shouted and blasted a small mind blade to the middle of the hill. Elanora in Kirra’s form jumped out from a small bush. “Gateway,” she said and darted at Zach. Ciaran grabbed her from behind. Mya stood up, hands curling into fists.

  Held by Ciaran, Elanora wriggled and kicked her legs. “Gateway…I’ve got to get to the gateway.” She slid out of Ciaran’s grip and ran toward Zach. Ciaran was about to blast his blade at her, and that would cut her in half.

  “No, let her run free. I’ll trade her!” Casey shouted.

  “You said you can’t trade his soul. So what’s the cost, Casey?” Richard asked.

  “He’s a minor God, and he gave my son a pardon. I have to save him at all costs.” Casey stood up. Elanora still ran toward Zach. Out of thin air, a gateway flashed open, and Dex jumped out. He snatched Elanora in midair, whirling around so they could gain their footings. When they stood, Elanora growled, “Let go of me. I have to get to the gateway.” She pointed at Zach.

  Dex looked into her eyes. “It’s you. You’re back.”

  “Of course it’s me. Who do you think I am? Let go of my hand!”

  “Let her go, Dex,” Casey said.

  “Mother, don’t do this. Thousands of years’ worth of work. I can’t let you finish like this.”

  “I’m tired, Dex.”

  “The minor god is falling right into your lap, Mother. His blood will dissolve the curse. Take it, Mother.”

  “You think I’ll let that happen?” Mya said, and a ball of fire flew at Dex and Elanora.

  Dex ducked aside, pulling Elanora down with him. Before he could do anything further, Ciaran snatched him away. Zach took the opportunity to charge at Dex. Ciaran and Zach pulled Dex away. Elanora stood and snarled.

  Casey raised her arms and chanted her spells.

  Thunder rumbled across the sky, and lightning sparked.

  Elanora let out a bloodcurdling scream. The soul was sucked out of her body. It floated in the light and exploded.

  On the ground, Leon gasped and opened his eyes. Mya rushed toward him.

  Zach darted toward Kirra’s body, which lay on the ground.

  Casey slumped and fell into Richard’s arms. Her body had become solid flesh and blood, and it was aging by the second.

  Dex kicked Ciaran away and crawled toward Casey. He snatched Casey from Richard and held her body in his arms as she rapidly faded away. Tears rolled down his face. “I’m sorry. I know you loved that woman, Dex,” Casey said.

  “She chose her path. You didn’t choose yours. Mother, please don’t leave me.”

  “I have lived many lives. I have died many times, Dex. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Stay alive. Be a good marshal.”

  Dex roared, a haunting roar more animal than human. He placed Casey gently down on the ground. The grief poured out of him. He couldn’t control it. His hands turned into paws, and he shifted into his black cat form.

  He lowered his head and walked away.

  “You’re a good marshal. Don’t hold this against anyone, Dex,” Casey called after him.

  Kirra had sat up on the ground. She left Zach’s arms to stop Dex. He looked at her with grieving cat eyes. She used her thumb to wipe a tear from a corner of his eye.

  “Hello, marshal. Take me with you,” she said.

  Dex hunched down, and Kirra hopped onto his enormous, muscular back. In the
blink of an eye, Dex jumped into his gateway with Kirra atop him, and they both vanished.

  Chapter 36

  Mya smiled at Leon, who had regained some movement on the ground. “Hey, welcome back, minor God.”

  “Am I being promoted?”

  “Yes. By me.” She grinned.

  “He’s still under me. He’s my successor,” Zach said. He pulled at Leon’s hand to help him sit up. Leon glanced around.

  “My back hurts.” He winced.

  “Oh, that’s a beautiful little tattoo.” Mya grinned.

  “Did Merlin brand me?”

  “No, I think whatever it is, it was already there. He scraped off your skin to prove you’re some kind of important minor god.”

  “Minor god. That’s what Casey has been saying. What happened? I remember seeing Casey. Where is she?”

  Richard approached. “She’s gone.”

  Leon stood up. “Gone? Where? Shouldn’t you be with her?”

  Zach looked at Mya then back at Leon. Mya knew he was going to tell Leon. But she’d rather it came from her. So she cut in. “She traded for your soul although she isn’t allowed to do so. As a result, she’s gone.”

  Leon frowned. “But as a soul trader, she’s immortal.”

  “Every person and creature dies, Leon. She has lived for a long time. She knew trading your soul was a serious offense to her God, whoever that might be, and she knew it would be the end of her. But she made her decision. You’re not the saddest one here. So please don’t make a fuss.”

  Leon inhaled then exhaled and raised his hands. “No fuss. I’m good.” He turned to Richard. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, Richard.”

  “I think I’m doing better than you are.” Richard patted Leon’s shoulder. “It’s okay, son. Death is natural.” Then he glanced around and saw the look on everyone’s faces. “I know you’re supernatural creatures. But you all look as if you’re barely older than my daughter. So let me say this—I’m sad that Casey is gone, but what Casey and I had together will never go away. At least for me, in this lifetime.” He raised his palm with the mark. “I am a happy man. And I will die a happy man. This doesn’t happen to everyone. I consider myself lucky. If you have the chance to love someone, treasure every moment.”