The Raven's Trail (Book 1)

by Liz D. Marx

  Wiping hot tears away, she raised the stone up high and said the words her father had taught her a long time ago.

  “Heed these words of power, Watchers of the Threshold;

  Watchers at the gate to Sada-noo-hi.

  Obey the command of this faithful servant.

  Unbar the guarded door,

  And awaken this empty vessel of lost spirits,

  As true eternal soul binds us all.”

  The gray object lit up and millions of streaks of light shot out of the carved symbols. Several colors brightened the thick air and the dark forest.

  Adsila knew she didn’t have the whole stone with her, but she hoped one half would suffice to carry out the spell. She knew in her heart that Kaye would try to take his own life; she had seen it in his eyes. But death was too soft a punishment for him. With one snap of the neck, his soul would be relieved of the horrible crime he’d committed. The memory of all those innocents killed, massacred in their own homes, would vanish forever.

  No, Uwetsi Kaye had to pay. He had betrayed them all―he had betrayed her. She wanted him to never be able to mute the cries of his fellow tribesmen and children as they burned and bled to death, never be able to forget their pain.

  Repeating the magical words, Adsila placed Kaye’s locks on the ground, then cut open both her wrists using the broken tip of the stone. Dark red blood oozed out of the wide slits. Weakness threatened to overtake her senses, but she shook her head and focused on her mission. She would not answer Sada-noo-hi’s calls before she finished avenging her tribe.

  She placed the stone underneath her hands and let her blood stream down, through the magical object’s crevices on top of Kaye’s lock of hair. She then brought the stone down and crushed the hair with it, turning it all into a muddle of earth and blood. Focused on her once-beloved prince, she said the words that would change the course of their lives forever.

  “Your fathers and sons will wither and depart,

  Though your memories will remain alive in your noo-hi.

  As long as Dai-mo shines powerful in the skies,

  As long as Elo-hi crafts life in this world.”

  While the energy around them changed with the power of the spell taking shape, Chloe’s mind registered that Adsila had inadvertently mixed her blood to the captain’s, by using the same sharp edge to tear off her own skin. And by cursing Mason to an eternal life of memories, she had bound them all together. Just like Mason, William’s soul was bound to eternity; therefore, his body could not die.

  With utter grief engulfing her heart, Chloe saw Adsila succumb to the open wounds that were flowing at a rapid rate. In the corner of her eye, she saw Kaye appear by the tree. He dropped to his knees and took Adsila’s flailing body in his arms. Chloe saw the immensity of his regret reflected in his cries. He begged the gods to help her, to save his friend’s life.

  Adsila’s eyes fluttered open. She raised her hand weakly; her small fingers touched his lips.

  “Please forgive me, Sila,” Kaye whispered. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  Chloe could feel his immeasurable pain―it tore her apart. But the deed was done. The lives of his people had ended; his tribe had been wiped out entirely, never to be remembered. The curse had been cast and sealed; there was no turning back now.

  Reality sunk in and Chloe’s own knees buckled.

  Oh, gosh.

  She had done it. Adsila was the one who had sealed their fates together, cursing them all, binding their three souls.

  With hot tears in her eyes, Chloe felt Adsila release her last breath and saw a beautiful translucent dolphin emerge from her lifeless mouth. It floated in the air, swimming in an invisible ocean above her limp body.

  Kaye gazed at the exquisite noo-hi in awe and reverence.

  But Instead of vanishing into oblivion, as noo-hi’s did once their masters crossed to the spiritual world, the phantom animal floated toward Chloe, who stood a few steps from her native self.

  The dolphin circled around her a couple of times then, with a mighty whoosh, it dived into Chloe’s body.

  She shook with the impact, and a sense of wholeness overwhelmed her. Yes, the dolphin was her noo-hi.

  “You know what you have to do, my child,” Ami-Tolah said and brushed the back of her hand against Chloe’s wet cheeks. “You were born to revive the lost tribe. But only true forgiveness will bring you enlightenment, will show you the true power of Mantaka.”

  As soon as Ami-Tolah’s words sank in, they were back in the cave, where time ceased standing still.

  Mason was on the ground fending himself from the guards, Pamela was halfway to the exit, and William seemed utterly confused by the fact that Chloe was no longer in front of him.

  Without wasting time, Chloe stepped into the pool and held the stone above her head with both hands.

  Yes, she knew exactly what she had to do. She just hoped it would not backfire the same way it had two hundred years ago.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Mason lifted his left foot and kicked Dwayne in the nuts. “Bow to the gods, asshole.”

  Dwayne grunted and dropped to the floor, holding his balls.

  As soon as Mason had come to his senses, he realized Chloe had frozen time again. It was now or never. She was fighting for him, so he wouldn’t let her down. It didn’t matter if she hadn’t forgiven him or if she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, he was going to find a way of getting them out of this mess―he just needed to get rid of those freaking guards who were holding him down.

  Mason took a deep breath and called forth his ancestor’s powers. Feeling the ancient force fuel his muscles, he clawed the throat of the guard on his right, then swung his free leg around the second guard’s neck and pulled the SOB down, head-first. But guard number one found an opening and landed a punch to his exposed jaw.

  Damn, that hurt.

  Mason saw stars but didn’t let go.

  Dwayne appeared in his line of sight once again. The chainsaw’s deafening roar echoed in the cave. The bastard wasn’t going to wait for his boss’ signal; he was going to chop Mason up no matter what.

  Mason channeled his energy and set his noo-hi in motion. It went straight at Dwayne and started a series of vicious attacks on the mercenary’s head―stabbing it hard with its long, sharp beak. Dwayne had no other option than to drop the machine on the floor and use his hands to defend himself from the bird.

  Dodging the guy’s gripping hands, the raven flew up, drew a wide circle above, then descended upon its prey again. But Dwayne ducked down and the claws only managed to brush his neck. Mason heard the chainsaw’s roar reverberate in the vast chamber as Dwayne lifted it up, but it was too late for his noo-hi to divert its flight path and dodge the attack. The sharp blades came crushing down and slashed his noo-hi’s wing just as it flew past.

  Mason closed his eyes and swallowed the grunt in his throat as a large wound appeared instantly across his left shoulder.

  “Sunnafabitch!” Dwayne cursed, his eyes wide in shock as he realized the connection between the bird and Mason. “Go after the freaking bird!” he shouted to the other men, and darted toward the raven which was struggling to keep itself off the cave’s floor. Two of the guards by the exit left their post and followed the command.

  Trying to ignore the burning pain across his shoulder, Mason shifted his weight to his left leg and kicked guard number two in the face. The other one was already on Mason.

  His deadly grip yanked Mason’s injured arm backwards, then he dug a fat thumb down into the open wound. Mason let out a loud grunt from the unbearable pain that shot across his limbs. He tried to break free, but by then guard number two had recovered from his previous blow and taken hold of Mason’s legs. He was trapped and completely immobilized.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Chloe at the far end of the hot pool, both arms set alongside her body, her head tipped backwards, eyes focused on something up above. She was completely unprotected and Crawford was half
way to reaching her.

  “Damn it!” Mason cursed. There was no way he could fight two trained mercenaries, set himself free and protect Chloe before the captain reached her.

  Suddenly a tribal war cry reverberated across the cave’s walls as five men exploded into the large chamber. Foster was in the lead, followed by Running Bison, three Caddo farmers and the strange teenage kid Mason had met at the Cultural Center, Johnny.

  His P.I. went straight at Dwayne and knocked the chainsaw out of the guy’s hands with a leg swing. Mason had never been so happy to see the SOB in his life.

  With the new arrivals, Crawford’s men were caught by surprise and left only one behind to hold Mason down.

  Big mistake.

  Mason sent his noo-hi to Chloe’s side, then he focused on the stunned-looking guard beside him. He lifted both hands and hooked the man in a head-lock.

  “Nighty-night, sucker,” he growled just before slamming his head into the guy’s temple. Mason then finished him off with a perfect left hook.

  “Chloe! Behind you!” he shouted, stepping over the unconscious guard. But she didn’t give any indication of having heard him, nor noticing Crawford hot on her heels. Mason’s raven was keeping her boss busy, but only just.

  What the hell was she doing?

  Mason sprinted toward them and quickly glanced around to check on how his other friends were doing. The kid was helping Running Bison wrestle a tall guy; the other Caddo farmers were holding their ground well against the other guards. Foster and Dwayne were locked in a fistfight on the floor near the main exit.

  “Good,” Mason thought, he was looking forward to having some time alone with his old friend.

  Feeding off the spiritual powers of his ancestors, he surged into the air and landed on top of Crawford. Their bodies hit the warm waters not five feet from where Chloe stood. With the impact, she finally woke up to what was happening around her but then lost her balance and fell into the water.

  “I lost it!” she cried out, her wide eyes searching for the stone in the lake.

  “You stupid bitch!” Crawford didn’t waste any time. He wrenched himself out of Mason’s grip and dove toward the missing relic.

  “I’ll go after him. Keep on looking,” Mason shouted, then went after Crawford.

  But it was easier said than done. The churning waters of the hot pool had zero visibility and Mason, having a bird as his animal totem, was not an expert in submerged matters. He swam down as fast as he could and punched Crawford in what felt like the ribs. But just as he was getting the momentum to throw another one, he felt hard knuckles connect with his jaw.

  A blow to the face is a blow to the face, even underwater, and Mason couldn’t contain the awesome pain that made him lose concentration. Coming up for air, he shook his head to kick his mind into first gear, then freestyled down again and grabbed Crawford by the hair.

  It worked. Despite his efforts, Crawford’s blows met only water.

  Mason dragged both of them up. As he surfaced, he drew in a much-needed breath then turned around, ready to knock the bastard out, but an out-of-place flash of light hit his eyes. A knife. Reacting on instinct, Mason managed to dodge away, but Crawford’s combat knife descended on him fast, opening a deep gash across his upper chest, almost matching the already-healed wound in his shoulder.

  His old enemy raised the blade again, but this time Mason blocked the blow with his forearm, then twisted it. The knife flew out and disappeared into the water.

  Mason’s feet suddenly found hard ground. Good, he had managed to bring the fight to the pool’s shore and away from Chloe, who was still trying to find the relic.

  “You filthy Indian,” Crawford cursed. “Couldn’t you just stay away and mind your own damned business?”

  “You made it my business, Captain Clarke, when you massacred my people,” Mason replied between clenched teeth.

  He positioned himself at the edge of the hot lake, virtually blocking Crawford’s path to Chloe. If the bastard was thinking of going after his woman, he’d have to take him down first. And that was simply not going to happen.

  Crawford stepped forward and swung a straight punch from the left at Mason’s right eye. But he saw it coming and ducked sideways and, at the same time, Mason thrust his closed fist upward at his opponent’s jaw. Crawford staggered backwards.

  “If only you had used your punches on the night of the attack, prince, maybe your brothers would still be alive,” he said sarcastically, wiping the drops of blood seeping out of his mouth. “But you chose to stay away and watch them die. So who are you really seeking revenge against―me or yourself?”

  Mason sneered in reply but Crawford’s foul words had already sunk in his brain, opening the wound of shame again and tainting his concentration. The lapse lasted a split second, but it was long enough to open a crack on Mason’s defense and leave Crawford’s next attack unhindered.

  Mason felt his ribs crack as his old enemy’s fist landed on him hard, not once but twice. A moment after, another blow found his jaw. The impact swung Mason out of balance and he plummeted on the floor. The old captain then lifted his foot, aiming at Mason’s head, but Mason’s kick reached the man’s kneecap first and it was Crawford’s turn to tumble down with a loud grunt.

  There was no time to register the pain soaring from his cracked ribs and jaw. Just as Mason jumped on his feet, Crawford mirrored his actions, ready for battle.

  “You have always been such a hypocrite, prince,” his centuries-old nemesis uttered. “You came to me, you gave me the directions to your precious Tula tribe. You are the catalyst of their fall, not me.”

  Mason’s blood boiled. “I did have a part in the massacre, I won’t deny it, but I have done my time trying to make up for it. What about you, captain? Have you tried to make amends? Or are you still the same blood-thirsty, bootlicking minion so eager to please your superiors that you would sacrifice the lives of hundreds of people just to get a promotion?”

  Crawford laughed, but it never reached his eyes. “I am my own boss, prince.”

  “So now you lick your own boots, then.”

  Crawford thrust his fist forward but Mason ducked out of reach and jabbed two hard ones into his enemy’s ribs.

  Crawford stumbled backwards and tripped on the chainsaw that had been forgotten on the ground. A sadistic look distorted his features as he stood up and turned the machine on.

  Damn it.

  Mason looked around and spotted a lost gun lying ten feet away. It was too far, yet he had no choice. He sprinted for the weapon as Crawford darted forward to chop him up. Mason was almost there when he felt a gush of air followed by metal scraping his jacket.

  Too close for comfort. He wasn’t going to make it to the gun. So he turned around, ready to face his worst nightmare with bare hands.

  A massive wave thrust them both across the cave.

  Mason crashed against a thick stalagmite formation and plummeted to the ground. Lifting himself up, he looked around in search of the cause for whatever had just happened. The others had also been hit by the strange swell. Crawford had landed a few feet away, the broken chainsaw lay useless by his side. Everybody, friends and foes, all shared the same puzzled look.

  Mason’s gaze landed on Chloe. She stood in the middle of the pool, impossibly hovering above water. Her arms were raised up high, the gleaming stone secure in her hands. Her aura danced around her, radiating several tones of yellow, blue and green. She looked like a goddess.

  After a moment, all the colors came together in a pivotal point above her head to forge a translucent dolphin.

  Mason gasped. It had been two hundred years since the last time he’d seen Adsila’s beautiful noo-hi.

  Chloe’s eyes met his and he felt a familiar tug in his mind, as if someone was opening his soul’s door.

  “I understand it now,” she spoke into his head. “And I forgive you.”

  Mason was paralyzed in awe. She was the epitome of everything his tribe had yearned
for, everything his people had strived to become. Love and reverence swelled his heart, as his black raven flew around his lover’s dolphin, acknowledging the old friend.

  Mason noticed that everyone else in the cave had also stopped to admire his lover. The Caddos, Foster and even the guards stood in place, hypnotized by her powerful magic.

  Then movement on the left called his attention, forcing him to snap his attention back to his enemy. Crawford was slowly making his way toward the exit.

  Mason tensed his muscles and was about to sprint after him, but Chloe got there first. After a quick command, her noo-hi crashed into the sleek bastard and knocked him down. But his old foe was stronger than he looked and in no time he was back on his feet, surging toward Chloe.

  With her posture completely focused on her target, she raised her arms and muttered, “Tsia dodi, Tsila do-osgi. Udala ama yi osiyu.”

  Empty vessel, lost spirits. The true eternal soul binds us all.

  A gasp of wonder escaped Mason’s throat when he recognized his dead language.

  Crawford toppled over as if an invisible fist had punched him in the gut.

  Once their biggest threat had been securely paralyzed, Chloe shifted her attention back to Mason.

  Her expression was filled with love and sorrow. It was then that Mason understood what she was planning to do.

  “I was the one who cursed us all. I need to undo it,” she said into his soul. “But...”

  Mason knew what the “but” was. By lifting the curse, Chloe could very well kill him. His immortality was intrinsically connected to the curse―once that was gone, would his body fade away, too?

  He closed his eyes.

  Damn you, Dai-mo! Just when he had found a reason to live, his time was up. But this was larger than him; this was his time to do the right thing.

  “Do what you have to do, Chloe. I trust you. I love you.”

  She exhaled a sad breath then nodded, and Mason saw one small teardrop roll down her smooth cheek.

  “Heed these words of power,

  Watchers of the threshold;