Justice for Leanne

by Aine, Brigit; McLeod, Kayden

  Once Justice had finished with his part of the mission, he went back to the front of the portal where he saw Leanne crying.

  As her tears hit the ground there was a revival of the living things; flowers, bluebells, now surrounded her. The tears of the dusa skala were magick by themselves. Water-magick, which was no longer taught in Prya was magickally infused within Leanne when she was turned. Only water-magick would do something of this sort.

  Justice didn’t know how, but he would find out. Perhaps Spero had given her something extra when he sang her soul across. Leanne didn’t even notice. Justice bent down and picked up a bluebell and handed it to her.

  He noticed her eyes were totally black. He wasn’t sure what she was doing. Even though Justice didn’t want to disturb her, he needed to talk with her. Reaching out with his magick, he attempted to feel his way through her energy to see what was happening.

  “Just what did you think you were doing?” His chest rumbled against her ear. He could hear the fear and anger in his own voice. It was shaky and he was having trouble catching his breath.

  “I wanted to help with the portal. I can’t even imagine the pain that it is in from the energy being pushed through. It is so sad, and the magick taking over is so evil, while the portal only wants to help. The energy is so heavy and malicious in intent, that when I weighed it and sent back the sentence, it became angrier. Instead of being banished like most are, it came through again only stronger until it controlled the loop.” Leanne was tired.

  “Leanne,” Justice’s voice rumbled into her, while she was lulled by his breathing.

  Justice could see how much energy she had expended. He knew she just wanted to go home, but he couldn’t let her do that right now. He needed her for a little bit longer.

  “Yes,” she replied sleepily.

  “Leanne, I have to go to Prya. I need you to wait here, and try to hold the wards on the portal itself. Can you do that without this looping that you were talking about?” Justice asked in concern.

  She was in a state of exhaustion, brought about by the very magick they were trying to force back in. If this was from just tasting it, he didn’t know how they were going to win. Justice just knew he wouldn’t lose her now that they were finally finding one another.

  Mammon was not going to win. Justice wanted more out of life and he wanted it with Leanne.

  “I can hold the portal. That is different from what I was doing earlier. The wards just need some more reinforcing. I can do that.” She sat up in his lap, moving onto the grass into the middle of the bluebells she’d just created with her tears.

  He could see that the ground recognized and welcomed her. Some strength was returning to her form as she sat there in the middle of her own creation.

  “I will be back as soon as I speak to the Higher gods. I am sure that when I explain about the deep-earth magick that is being roused, they will help. The forest will be revived and saved. But I do not know if they will help us with the portal or not.” Justice sighed, running a hand through his hair. With the Higher gods, there was no telling what could happen.

  “I think that will be enough. Faith will be able to get through to Spero, if they cut the pool of deep-earth magick.”

  “Why do you say that?” Justice wanted to know what Leanne was feeling from all of this. She was the key to being able to stay ahead of Mammon.

  “Mammon is wielding magick that is not his own, to dampen the field around us. This means that perhaps he isn’t strong enough to do all of this on his own.”

  Justice had to think about that. “If Mammon isn’t strong enough by himself, then we have to figure out how he was able to access the deep-earth magick as well as where else he is drawing his magick from.”

  “Once Spero gets here, we will be able to take this fight to the next level.” Leanne’s voice was curious and Justice could see the wheels spinning in her head.

  “What is it?” He wanted to know before he went to the Higher gods in case he needed something more from them.

  “I wonder why he can contort the portal like this, but then needs different magick to dampen the fields we have. Though it matters not, we will have to let him through, contain him and have Spero sing him back when the time is right. For now, we have to get his supply of outside magick shut off. If we don’t do that, then we have no hope.”

  “I will go now. Be safe love,” Justice whispered, bending down to kiss her.

  He saw Leanne look up at the whispered words, and accept his kiss. Moving her lips gently over his, she kept the kiss full of emotion, and not full of lust. They couldn’t afford to get lost in one another right now. That time would come soon, but first they had to put their world back to the way it should be.

  As he stepped back, Justice closed his eyes and thought of the Higher Court of the gods. Slowly he shimmered out of the mortal realm, and into the court he had pictured.

  It took longer than normal, requiring more magick than it should have. Mammon was manipulating the fields more and more as time passed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When he opened his eyes, Justice could see that the court was full; it was as if they’d been waiting for him. Immediately he dropped to one knee in a show of respect.

  He was only a Lesser god, and didn’t want to offend anyone. While they needed him, he needed them even more. He looked up slowly from his low bow and saw that all twelve seats were full. No one spoke while waiting for him to rise.

  “I come to the court of the Higher gods seeking assistance, not for myself or the dusa skala, but for the forest that surrounds Brimstone which helps to protect the portal between the mortal plain and Hell. Mammon is attempting to come through,” Justice heard some intake of breath at his statement.

  He found it interesting that the court was expecting him, but didn’t know why he was there. “He has tapped into the elemental deep-earth magick buried below Hell, wielding it to not only put a dampening field around Brimstone and the portal, but to manipulate the forest and block the path through the forest to the portal thereby killing the trees. This has made it impossible for the dusa skala to get back home from the portal. The forest itself currently looks dead. I know that you can help.”

  Justice could sense the shifting in the seats as he spoke. The Higher gods had no idea what was happening in Brimstone. This didn’t really surprise Justice, as they trusted him to keep them informed of anything they needed to know. He was surprised they didn’t feel the tipping of magick though. The balance was off.

  “What is it you want of us,” the collective voice of the twelve higher gods echoed in his head.

  “I would like for you to shut off the source of the elemental deep-earth magick.” Justice knew that they could do this, if they thought it would be necessary to keep the peace. He also knew he and Leanne needed for them to do this in order to win.

  “Is this the only thing you ask of us?” the voice questioned. Justice knew not to ask for more than he needed.

  “It is. I cannot access this magick, and therefore cannot stop this from happening. I ask of you to help in this manner and this manner only. If Mammon is not able to tap into this elemental magick, or any elemental magick, then we will be able to stop him, and send him back to Hell when the time of the battle arrives.”

  The silence stretched after his statement. Justice looked into the eyes of each of the twelve surrounding him. Quicker than a blink, Justice saw the god in the middle flick a single finger and each of the eleven others do the same in a similar fashion.

  “It is done. You will go back. Tell your dusa skala she has done well, and not to worry, she has never judged wrong. She is strong, and will serve you well in your chosen path. Do not hesitate to come to us again if needed. We are here for you, and will not take her from you. She only makes you stronger with her love.”

  Justice nodded once, and backed out of the court. He imagined himself back in the field with Leanne. Before he could shimmer himself there, he landed next to her on his bu
tt. He could see the smile she tried to hold back as she saw him land.

  “You think they are funny?” he growled at her.

  “I think they are as stuffy as you make them out to be. I am assuming that you were successful since I feel the trees sigh before me and slowly stand tall again.”

  “I was able to argue successfully that the Higher gods would be better served in helping us in this manner. They have given me a message for you. They want me to tell you that you have never judged wrong, so do not worry about this part of your job. Also, you are to know that you make me stronger with your love.” Justice was still amazed by their proclamation. He had no idea that they were that aware of what was going on in his personal life.

  Leanne turned at his statement and grinned. “Well I am glad to know that they approve of us, and it is a relief in my heart to know I am meant to do this. Now, back to Mammon. I believe I’ll have to continue to reinforce the wards on the portal for them to hold. Hopefully, Faith gets through to Spero soon. Within a week, I think we are going to be seeing Mammon up close and personal.”

  Just as Leanne finished getting up off the field of bluebells, the portal shook. They both watched, as it wildly swirled with colors and contorted from its original shape.

  It turned an ugly deep red with black streaks, and growing to twice its normal size. The portal was trying hard to contain the energy attempting to come through. Justice and Leanne’s ward enforcements held, but the voice that came through was more than they were expecting.

  You cannot stop me dusa skala, no matter what you do. I will come for you. I have tasted of your energy and I will find you. I will not stop until you no longer exist. A dark and grated voice spoke from inside the portal. You may have confined me for a little bit longer, but soon I will walk where you are and then there will be nothing you can do.

  Leanne placed her hand on Justice’s arm when he wanted to go for the portal. He stopped and looked at her. She put a finger to her lips when he wanted to speak.

  “You will not come through Mammon, I will not allow it. I have weighed your soul, and found you lacking. You do not have my permission to cross.” With her words, the portal actually tried to tighten around the energy. Mammon howled through the portal.

  Your words mean nothing to me. I may not be able to come through right this second, but you will not be able to hold me forever.

  As she reached for Justice’s hand, Leanne walked backwards toward the path through the forest. When they reached the darkness of the first line of the trees, Leanne felt comfortable enough to turn her back on the portal.

  Leanne felt the need to reconnect and reached out to the nearest tree. She laid her palm on it and felt the revival that had been instant when the Higher gods had done their part to cut Mammon off from the elemental magick. She turned to Justice and watched as he moved towards a tree.

  Justice could feel Leanne’s eyes on him, but he had something to do before he could speak with her.

  As he mimicked her actions, he laid his palm on the tree nearest him. He too reached out with his magick and spoke to the tree. He reassured them all that the magick was gone and they were safe.

  In return, they promised him that they would fight and give him and those under him protection and help when they needed it.

  Justice leaned his forehead against the trunk and whispered aloud, “Thank you my friends, for I think we will need you.”

  He turned to Leanne and pulled her into his arms. “What were you thinking, speaking to him? I thought he would come through for sure.”

  Leanne knew she would have to explain her actions even if she didn’t want to. “He thinks I am fighting him on my own. Did you notice he never felt your magick? Nor did he realize it was the Higher gods who’d cut him off from the elemental magick. His rage was so focused on me he was unaware of anything else. I didn’t want to tip him off that there was anyone but me doing this. If he thinks I am on my own, then you and Faith and Spero will be a surprise to him.”

  Justice turned her words over in his head. “Okay. That makes sense. Although it seems to me that if he thinks at all, I would imagine he’ll figure out that it can’t be just you.”

  As she shook her head, Leanne explained, “No, he won’t calm down. All I have done now is enrage him more. He will focus solely on me, and finding a way out of Hell through the portal. He is very single minded. This can only go in our favor.”

  “I don’t see how having him focus on you is going to do me any favors, though I understand what you were trying to do.” Justice had to be fair in his comments, but his heart was pounding when he thought of Leanne as Mammon’s focus. He hadn’t wanted her to be in any danger, and now she was the sole focus of Mammon. As he reached down for her hand, he lead her back towards the town. “Are we able to open the gates to go into Brimstone, or do we need to materialize again?”

  “When we get to the gate I will let you know.” Leanne could tell from the middle of the forest what the magick and energy were like around the town.

  She hoped with the elemental magick gone, it would be safe to open the gates to the town. Leanne realized how very tired she was, not just physically, but emotionally. With all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, she wasn’t sure she was ready for the fight to come.

  “What is wrong, my love,” Leanne could hear the concern in Justice’s voice. This had not been easy on him either.

  “With all the things that have happened in such a short amount of time, I’m not sure I will be ready for Mammon.” Leanne voiced her fears aloud, not worried Justice would ridicule her.

  Justice forced her to stop just at the edge of the forest. He pulled Leanne in front of him. “We will recover, recuperate and work together. You have me to lean on more so than ever before. I know that Faith is waiting for us. Don’t worry. You have said we have a week. We will plan, rest, learn more about each other and make love. Before you know it, all will be better than before and we will both be ready for Mammon.” Justice was fierce in his speech. He willed her to listen and believe what he was saying.

  “Make love huh?” Leanne was light-hearted in her reply. His will alone was filling her energy as his magick pushed at hers, even though he wasn’t aware of it. “And Faith is waiting? Are you sure? Has she contacted Spero?”

  “Do you want me to check now, or would you rather go to the bakery yourself and talk with her?” Justice had to laugh at the questions she threw at him.

  He’d known that would be her focus. She wasn’t worried about spending time alone with him, or he would feel that emotion from her. She was however, concerned about her friend and the battle coming.

  “I want to go check on her. Come, let me see if we can open the gate.” They stepped out of the canopy of now healthy trees, Leanne stopped short at what she saw.

  The gate was glowing red, and not the happy kind. Mammon had managed to reach out and try to breach the gate before he’d been cut off from the magic. Because they’d not known, they hadn’t asked the Higher gods to fix the gate.

  “Justice, can't you do something?” Leanne knew her voice shook, but she couldn’t decide if it was from fear or anger.

  She knew she was feeling both. This was her town to protect, and no one was going to take it from her. Because of this evil trying to come through, she couldn’t even use the gate that she found so soothing.

  Justice stopped short. He couldn’t believe the wards around the gate hadn’t held completely. They were partly put there by the Higher gods, and partly by him. For the wards to fail meant Mammon was stronger than they’d imagined, no matter if he was using borrowed magick or not.

  “Let me see, love. I’m not sure. I don’t believe anything like this has ever happened before.” He reached out with magick, and he was surprised to find the Higher gods were already here.

  We have never had an outrage like this before! The voice resonated in his head. How is this possible? Why did you not ask for help with this?

  I did not know,
Justice replied. The dusa skala and I have just arrived back from the portal. When we left this morning, the gate was not like this. It was not safe to open, due to the magick from the forest, but the gate was intact.

  His blasphemy has reached far beyond what was ever imagined. Leave the fixing of the gate to us Justice. Mammon will not breach Brimstone, no matter what he thinks. Take your dusa skala to see Faith; they are in need of one another at the moment. You cannot use the gate until it is time for battle, but know that it will be safe when the time is right.

  Justice’s magick was pushed out of the gate by the Higher gods at the same time they stopped talking with him. “The Higher gods will fix the gate, but we can’t use it until it is time for the battle. They have assured me it will be ready by the time we need it.”

  “Well then, I guess I need you to get me inside the city.” Leanne was glad to know the Higher gods were taking a greater interest in this battle. She felt better because of it.

  We will not forsake the dusa skala. However, this is your battle. Do not fear though, we see you as being victorious. You will all emerge from this changed, but it will be for the better.

  The voice in her head was new. Leanne couldn’t usually speak in her head, but she knew this was the Higher gods giving her a gift.

  I thank you for your reassurance. Please know that I will fight to the end. Brimstone is my town and the mortal plain is important to all. I am the dusa skala and I will weigh his soul and find it lacking. Leanne replied to the voice both out loud and in her head.

  Leanne could see that Justice watched in wonder as she spoke. She knew The Higher gods did indeed like her if they’d chosen to speak to her themselves. This was something Justice had told her she would never be able to do.

  Wrapping an arm around her waist, she saw that Justice gazed at her. “You are something else. Are you ready to go find Faith?”

  Leanne smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his middle. “I am more than ready.”

  Finding herself on the other side of the wall, Leanne didn’t want to let go of him. “Come on. Let’s check in on Faith, and then go up to my apartment. I think we have a date.” Standing on her tip toes, she kissed his cheek, and then took off running.