Soul Guard (Elemental Book 5) (27 page)
Read Soul Guard (Elemental Book 5) Online
Authors: Rain Oxford
If Heather wasn’t such a master of earth magic, we
would have just met an insanely gruesome death. “Why the hell couldn’t it have
been another bear trap? Baldauf really didn’t want anyone getting to the
tower.”
“As soon as we defeat the shadow man, I propose we
flood the lower tunnels with cement,” Henry said.
“Abso-fucking-lutely.” We took a side hall and
traveled slowly until I was sure we were still going the right way.
Unfortunately, my instincts completely failed me right in the middle of a
tunnel. “Crap.”
“Well? Where now?” Heather asked.
“I don’t know. I’d say go straight, but that doesn’t
seem right. Neither does turning back.”
“It’s not like there are any other options.”
“Unless we’re there already,” Henry said, sniffing
the walls around us. “Darwin said some of the rooms down here were built with
no door.” He narrowed in on one spot. “I can’t smell him, but I think he’s
right here. Like when you return to the castle sometimes, I just know when
you’re here. I think Darwin is right on the other side of this wall.”
“Step back and I’ll take down the wall,” Heather
said.
“Be careful; there’s a four-year-old in there.”
She raised her hands out in front of her and clenched
them into fists. Rock, dirt, and blocks crumbled. The dirt filled the air so
thickly that the torch almost went out and Heather started coughing. I turned.
“Henry?” He wasn’t right beside me anymore. In fact,
as I realized when I looked around, he was gone. “Where did Henry go?!”
“I don’t know. He was there when I---” She froze
midsentence with her mouth still half open.
I felt his presence about an instant before my
instincts warned me of danger. Krechea, disguised as my uncle, appeared in
front of me out of the darkness. “Why would you come to me to request for me to
join you and then take my friend right after I start leaning towards your
side.”
He looked surprised for a moment. “I can’t say I
didn’t expect you to get this far or that you wouldn’t figure out who I was. I
only took your friend and brother to encourage your cooperation. You can’t
possibly fault me for having an insurance plan.”
“My brothers, maybe, but I told you, thinking you
were Vincent, that I was leaning towards your side. Taking Darwin was the
stupidest thing you could have done.”
He sighed. “Darwin had already figured out I was not
your uncle. I had hoped to blame one of my followers.”
“Well, then you’re a moron.”
He scowled. “I have never seen a shifter before, so I
had underestimated your friend’s tracking and scenting abilities. It’s not too
late to join my side.”
“You lied to me for months. You impersonated my uncle
for months when I should have been out there saving him.”
“I couldn’t allow you to save Keigan until I
discovered the location of his heart.”
“I wasn’t going to save him! Had I known he took my
uncle to Kadin, I would have gladly let Langril rot in there. I probably would
have found Langril’s heart and handed it to you. I would have grabbed a video
camera.”
The demon frowned. “You have a very vengeful side to
you. I like that. I want to offer you a full alliance. Help me destroy Keigan,
and I will bring your uncle, Astrid, and anyone else you want right to you. I
can even bring you souls you want to get revenge on, like John’s. Once you have
everything you desire, you will allow me ten minutes of your time to bring the
four keys together before the tower. Then I will be out of your hair forever.”
“You’ve killed people.”
“I have not killed even one percent of the people
Keigan Langril has. He was the one who trapped Astrid in Dothra.”
“Yeah, you’re right, but you were the one to mess her
up. Why did you target her?”
He grinned. “Now, I thought you were quicker than
that. I do regret that, though, if only because I lost my familiar to her.”
I honestly didn’t know which way to go. My instincts
were warning me that he was dangerous, but no more than Langril. Although
Langril helped me, he wanted to use me just as much as Krechea did. “Less than
one percent? Really?”
“Ask him yourself. He used to cull the weak and
powerless like animals to save space and resources. That was the first thing I
got rid of.”
“What about that poison that was passed out to the
needy and killed vampires?”
“That was a necessity. The master did it because he
wanted power. He destroyed entire villages of people. You think they were all
weak? No. He stole babies that he saw potential in to raise as his followers.
He killed babies and children that weren’t powerful enough.”
“You killed your brother. I know what Langril put you
through and you have every right to rip his heart out of his chest and crush
it. That doesn’t mean I’ll do it for you. You
killed
your own brother.”
“I know, and I regret it more than I can say. I tried
to make it better, but the master wasn’t done with me. He took what was most
precious to me.”
“What did you do with Henry?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. He was taken right before I froze your
friends to speak with you. I sensed what was happening to him since you arrived
at the castle.”
“What was happening to him? He didn’t feel off until
a couple hours ago.”
“Your shifter only pretended to be fine.”
“What’s wrong with him? What happened?”
He hesitated. Honestly, if he demanded my compliance
in exchange for telling me, I would have agreed and then backstabbed him
without regrets. Instead, he said, “Henry is a familiar.”
That wasn’t what I expected to hear. “But… my
familiar is a gargoyle.”
Krechea sighed. “Not
your
familiar, fool.
He’s---”
“Crap,” I interrupted. “That’s why the shadow walkers
were going after Luana’s unborn baby. Let me guess, there’s a prophesy Luana’s
child is the familiar of your greatest enemy. They must have gotten mixed up
between Henry and his upcoming brother or sister, on account of Henry not
actually being their child.”
“Prophesies are extremely unreliable unless it comes
from true prophets, like you. Yes; Henry is Keigan’s familiar.”
“That really sucks for all of us except Langril.”
“You can still side with me.”
“I can’t, because this means that Langril has called
him. If Henry accepts, he will die when Langril does. If he refuses, he will
lose his jaguar. Plus, it just makes me hate Langril more because… damn it,
that bastard must have planned this somehow to force my hand! If there is any
way to safely break that bond, you’re out of luck because I’ll kill that fucker
myself!”
He smirked. “I see why Astrid likes you so much. So,
you lose one friend. At least you get to keep the rest of them. You don’t have
to choose Langril.”
“I’m choosing to save my friends over killing my
enemy. Until everyone is safe, I won’t make a decision. You may want to take
this time to not piss me off. I’m going after Henry and my uncle. If I find out
you or your shadow walkers hurt anyone at all, even a stranger, I’ll give
Langril his heart.”
For the third time, I managed to shock him. “You know
where it is?”
“I do.”
His eyes narrowed a little. “If you would agree to
side with me, I would help you get Henry and Vincent.”
“I can’t agree until I know how it’s going to affect
Henry. Trust me; I hate Langril more than I hate you right now. Don’t change
that.”
He nodded. “A truce, then. At least for now. His
heart is your only bargaining chip, though, so tread carefully. If I find out
you gave it to him, lost it, or destroyed it, I will slaughter every human on
Earth.” With that, he vanished.
I supposed it never occurred to him that the heart
was also vital to Langril; I could use it to get Henry back.
As soon as Krechea was gone, Heather unfroze and
shivered. “I hate that feeling,” she said.
“Darwin?” I called.
I ducked out of the way just as a rock flew out of
the darkness. Then, I heard Jameson grunt in pain.
“Oops, didn’t see you there, you little shithead,”
Darwin said before climbing over the rubble. “I hope you brought a muzzle for
the drongo.”
Heather climbed through to grab the kid, who was
kicking and biting her as she dragged him out. When she snapped her fingers in
front of his face, his body went slack and his eyes became glassy.
I followed my instincts again, but it wasn’t as efficient
as Henry’s skill. I could sense when we were about to get our heads cut off,
but I couldn’t
hear
where the danger was coming. Henry could see better
and hear any trigger.
“I can shift and try to do what Henry does,” Darwin
said after we barely dodged flaming arrows.
I shook my head. Henry wasn’t even a regular jaguar.
He was a super-predator compared to a common wolf shifter.
“Why do I feel like I’ve just been insulted and you
haven’t even said a word?” he asked.
“I have no idea. What are we going to tell Scott?”
“The truth; that you and Henry are still on a mission
and Henry will be back soon.”
“I hope Langril rots in Hell.”
“Well, you know, that could happen.”
“I wouldn’t subject Henry to Dothra, and he has to
protect Langril in order to protect himself. I bet that bastard planned all
this since he met Henry.”
“I doubt he knew that Henry was his familiar. It’s
also possible that the shadow man lied.”
“Why lie about something that would make me less
likely to help him?”
“Maybe it’s a trap. Maybe he plans to blame Langril
so you would hate Langril, and then he would come up with some miracle fix.”
We reached the top underground level, which had been
cleared of traps, without losing too much blood. I stopped there. “Darwin, do
you think you can get Jameson to his mother alright?” I asked.
He held up his gloved hands. “As long as he doesn’t
try to touch my face. I can knock him out, right?”
“Be nice for his mother’s sake.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to take me with you?”
“I’m sure. I don’t know how to get to the tower
without the shadow pass and you haven’t killed anyone. According to Langril,
that’s very dangerous.”
He frowned. “What isn’t?”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Well, no shit. I didn’t think you were going to stay
for tea. And don’t eat anything, especially not berries. Too many fairy tales
involve getting trapped in other worlds by eating the food.”
“Noted.” Before he could argue, I focused my mind on
the symbol again.
I had tried dozens of times after I got my key to
reach the shadow pass without success before I finally got the hang of it. Hunt
was insistent that I learned to do it, so I would practice by transporting from
him to Vincent. I never understood why I always ended up at the tower until
now; I was doing it right. The problem was, I couldn’t get to Vincent in
another world without stopping at the tower on the way. I should have figured
it out from that alone.
When the darkness engulfed me and the air became
stale, I focused on Vincent. My instincts guided me. I sensed movement all
around me, remembered horrible, eye-less faces, and was glad there was no
light. I focused on my uncle’s mind. Although it was usually blocked, I had
been in his mind before, so I could do it again.
I sensed Earth’s magic an instant before I hit the
ground hard and light returned to the world. I dusted dirt off my jeans as I
stood before the tower. Light came from four torches surrounding the tower,
which were always lit if I was correct.
And I was alone.
I approached the tower and circled it to identify
which door was mine. Once I singled it out, I held out my hand flat, as if I
were about to push against the door. It opened of its own accord until I was
staring into the black abyss.
Right before I could enter, my gargoyle appeared
beside me. “
If you are away from me for too long, you will die
,” she
said. It was the first time I heard her words in my head, and I was shocked;
Scott was right. The gargoyle’s voice was deep and strong, but it was
definitely female.
“I shouldn’t be gone long.”
“
I will go with you
.” Her matter-of-fact tone
left no room for argument.
I couldn’t really argue with her; even though she
probably wouldn’t die if I were killed, it would still affect her. “If you’re
sure.”
“
Once through, I will watch over you and only appear
if you are in mortal danger
.”
I stepped forward into the darkness.
When I was suddenly submerged in cold water, I was
okay for about three seconds. Then I remembered that in my thirty-two years, I
never learned to swim. I had always assumed if I ever ended up in water, I
would float upward.
I didn’t.
To make matters worse, there was absolutely no light.
As far as I knew, something could have been swimming right at me. Once again, I
focused on my symbol and Henry. After what felt like an hour, the pressure
released and I took in a welcomed breath.
And then I coughed.
The air was horrendous. It was hot, humid, and
smelled like rancid meat. I was standing in what appeared to be a flooded
subway tunnel, not the shadow pass. Fortunately, the water was only knee-high.
The lights overhead were artificial and red. There was no way to get out of the
water and I couldn’t see anything in one direction or the other. The tunnel
curved to the right in one direction and to the left in the other.
Without any assistance from my instincts, I picked a
direction and walked. I walked for probably an hour before I couldn’t handle it
anymore. I searched for Henry’s mind and couldn’t feel anyone.
I focused on my symbol again, but the darkness never
surrounded me. Naturally, I tried again, over and over until I felt sick.
“It’s not going to work,” a low voice said. I turned,
pulling out my gun as I did, only to freeze when I saw who it was.
Well, I froze when I saw the
condition
he was
in. Langril was pale, sickly even, and his brown hair was tangled and caked in
what looked like dried blood. I assumed it was blood in his hair, since that
was what was all over his torn, light blue dress shirt. His pants and black
wizard robes were torn and covered in mud. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Yes, that about covers it,” he said.
“Huh?”
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
“You shouldn’t have called Henry.”
He scowled. “I didn’t. I didn’t think I had a
familiar and I certainly didn’t call him. He was called to me against my will
when my life was endangered.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
This time, he flat out glared at me. “You should;
you’re the reason my life was endangered! Henry wouldn’t have been called as my
familiar if you hadn’t been helping Krechea.” He turned and started walking.
I winced before following. “You just said his name,
so now he’s listening in.”
“Good for him. I’d love it if he came after me now.”
“He can’t; he doesn’t have a key.”
He stopped and turned to me. “Did you close the door
behind you?”
“I didn’t know we had to close it. I thought it was
automatic.” He rolled his eyes and continued. “Where is Henry?”
“I don’t know. We got separated.”
“What?!”
“Don’t shout. We have to keep moving.”
“Why? Where the hell are we?”
“That’s exactly where we are.” When I didn’t say
anything, he went on. “The original vampires were indestructible. After living
for about a thousand years, they begin sleeping for years at a time and
basically lose their mind. In order to preserve their minds, most of them sleep
longer, until they reach the point where they just never wake. Some of them,
however, stay awake and become more and more powerful and insane. Worried that
the ancient vampires would figure out a way to destroy the younger ones, they
built a prison. There are levels to this prison. Every time you sleep, you fall
into a deeper level.”
“Then we just don’t go to sleep.”
“It’s really not that simple. Henry fell asleep, and
so has Vincent.”
“Why are we here anyway? We’re not immortal or old.”
“We are outsiders. We are like a disease they have no
immunity to. They had no idea who or what we were, so they locked us up. Henry
was called to me and I assume you were trying to reach him.”
“So how do we get Henry and Vincent and get out?”
“There is no way out. Like I said; this place was
built for true vampires. It is designed to trap vampires that have lived and
learned for thousands of years by turning their minds against them. That way,
they go to sleep to escape it.”
“Which just makes them go deeper into the prison?”
“And deeper into the horror of their own making,
yes.”
“Why did Henry sleep?”
“This place has a way of tricking you. I don’t know
what it was that he saw, only that it made him very upset.”
“But can’t you see through his eyes like I can with
my gargoyle and Vincent cat with Ghost?”
“Not until he accepts the call.”
I didn’t say anything else. Langril was scum in a lot
of ways, but it had to bite to be hated by his own familiar. As we wandered the
tunnel, I thought about how Langril was the worst person for Henry to “belong
to.” On the other hand, as much as their personalities clashed, I couldn’t
think of anyone better suited. Henry avoided feeling anything, and Langril
didn’t want to deal with anyone’s emotions. Henry’s jaguar refused to answer to
anyone, and Langril’s personality would benefit from him getting mauled by a
massive cat.
“So, how do we save Henry and Vincent?”
“We can get to them by sleeping, but we cannot escape
this place.”
“Well, aren’t you chipper? I’m not going to just lie
down and accept defeat. What about the shadow pass?”
He sighed. “You already tried that. I’ve already
tried that. There’s no magic here. Even our keys are useless.”
“Surely there’s magic.”
“Not that we can use. Earth magic is elemental,
Dothra magic is celestial, and Skrev---”
“What do you mean celestial?” I interrupted.
“On Earth, magic is created from the four elements
and controlled by the spirit. In that sense,
humans are
the fifth
element. Dothra magic is made up of the soul. That is why human souls can feed
Dothra wizards; their soul is dispersed and absorbed by us. Skrev magic is all
genetic, and I don’t really get it. Don’t even get me started on Draumr magic.”
“Okay, I think I get that. What is this world’s magic
made of?”
“Not a clue. Well… I have a clue. I believe it’s
genetic-based, like Skrev. Most likely, it’s some advanced, potent form of
blood magic.”
“What’s the problem then? Don’t Dothra wizards do
blood magic?”
“Of course we do, but do you honestly think they would
shove vampires who are staggeringly brilliant into a prison together, and not
one of the vampires would ever once think, ‘oh, hey, I can just bleed someone,
do a little dance, and vamoose in time for pudding.’? Not likely.”
“What if someone ends up here by mistake?”
“They die here.”
“What if they have children?”
“Their children die here.”
“That sucks. You haven’t fallen asleep.”
“I keep walking and I talk to myself.”
“Why are we in a tunnel?”
“This is the ‘flowers and sunshine’ level. Keep
walking, don’t listen to the voices, and you stay here. Each level down is more
torturous.”
“How long can you keep walking?”
“I’ve been walking since Vincent and I arrived. This
tunnel is a circle. I have run into other vampires who want to drink my blood.
That’s how Vincent descended. I just told them my blood is poisonous to their
kind and they believed me. Vincent could be dead for all I know.”
“We have to help them.”
“You can descend to give them moral support if you
want, but I’ll be here, walking and not being tortured.”
“You know you can’t, right? You know that if your
goal is not to descend, you will fail.”
He stopped and turned to me. “You can’t know that.”
“I do, because I know what you gave up for the key. I
know what is most precious to you and it was never power. I know that no matter
what you fight for, you can never win. Winning is what you always wanted. I was
in your head. Even when your mind was closed to me, I saw through your eyes. I
also suspect that you regret it.”
“Of course I do. The key is a curse.”
“It enables you to come and go between Earth and
Dothra.”
“I failed Miranda. The one thing I vowed to give her
was a long and happy life. Krechea has been hounding me since he killed his
brother, trying to get revenge for something he did to himself. He killed
Miranda. I could have saved her, but she refused. She wanted me to save Heather
instead.”
“So that’s why you wanted me to make a deal with
Heather?”
“I tried to give her the life Miranda had, but she is
too different. She’s my daughter, and I could not think of a worse curse.
You’re right; I can never win. That includes with her.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but you’re going to get another
chance with her. You’re going to help me save Henry and Vincent, we’re going to
get out of here, and then we’ll defeat Krechea.”
“I told you I’m staying here.”
“Krechea was able to hit you where it hurt so often
because he learned to use your ‘curse’ against you. I’m going to take a lesson
from the devious bastard. You haven’t bonded with Henry yet, so if you die,
he’ll be fine.” I pulled Langril’s red foam ball out of my pocket. “Help me, or
you’ll be of no use to me. I’ll crush your heart and kill you right here and
now.”
* * *
“Well, I see why Astrid likes you so much. What
happened to not wanting to be like John and upholding the good?”
“That doesn’t apply in Hell.”
“How did you figure it out?”
“I had an idea since the minute Krechea told me what
you did. This ball was always extremely important to you. Heather hid it in
your extra-secret place. Then there was the vision of Miranda. She didn’t know
where it was, but I knew that ball itself didn’t mean anything to you. I wonder
why you always had it out. Is it because you had to be sure it was safe at all
times or because you wanted to hide it in plain sight?”
“Both.” He reached for it, not to take it from me,
but out of reflex, as if he was afraid I would squeeze too hard.
“I’ve seen you toss it up into the air, roll it
between your hands, and all that.”
“It’s not that delicate. I handle it like that
because people don’t look twice at it.”
“Is this Miranda’s ball or just something made to
look like it?”
“It’s the original ball. It’s not a physical heart,
obviously; it’s my mortality. It’s not delicate, but it can still be
destroyed.”
I put it in my pocket. “Then you shouldn’t have left
it behind when you dragged Vincent through that door. I’ll give it back when
all of us are home and safe.”
“I guess I don’t have a choice then.” His expression
was put out, but his tone told me he was amused, as if this had been his idea
all along. “As you figured out on your own, the power of my key prevents any of
my plans from going correctly, including escape plans. That means it has to be
your plan.”
So he just wanted to use me to escape. I didn’t
really care as long as he helped me save Vincent and Henry. “I take it you know
a way out?”
“Not a clue.”
I sighed. “Okay. I think I have a plan, but I’m not
telling you until we find Henry and Vincent.”
“Of course. How very like your father.”
I ignored the jab. “How do we find them?”
“I suppose we sleep.”
“I’m not tired.”
He pulled a small bottle out of his robe pocket. “I
hope potions work here. It isn’t enough for two, but I’ve been awake so long I
should manage.”
“Why do you have a potion with you?”
“I never go anywhere without a potion.” He handed it
to me. “Take just a sip, because you may have to stretch it. I doubt they’re
still on the second level.”
I uncapped it and sniffed it. At least it smelled
like one of the sleeping potions we made in class. No matter how much I
distrusted Langril, we needed each other’s help to get back to our world.
I took a tiny sip, gagged, and put the lid back on
it. I was about to ask him how long it would take when my head spun. Langril
reached out to steady me and everything went black.
* * *
“Devon, wake up.”
I sat up sluggishly. I had no idea how long I had
slept, but my body was still heavy from the potion. When I realized it was
Henry who woke me, I climbed to my feet. The shifter didn’t look injured. “Are
you okay?”
“I’ve been better.”
We were in a cube-like room with a white plastic
ceiling, floor, and walls. The light was green in here. Each wall had a small
square door in the center. “Where are we? Where are Vincent and Langril?”
“I don’t know where Langril is; he didn’t appear with
you.”
I searched my pockets. “That bastard!” The heart was
gone.
“Vincent didn’t make it,” Henry said.
“What?!”
“One of the vampires killed him.”
“That’s not possible.” I chose one of the doors at
random and opened it. The room was exactly like the one I was in except the
light was blue. I tried using my magic again, but it didn’t work. “Henry, why
did you refuse the familiar call?”
“I didn’t want to be his familiar.”
“So much that you would risk your jaguar?”
“Yes,” he said easily. I closed my eyes and focused.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not a complete idiot. This isn’t real. I’m not
really talking to you.”
“Of course you are.”
I ignored him and focused on being calm and alert.
After two years of learning magic, I was pretty good at it. When I opened my
eyes again, it was Langril standing in front of me. Unfortunately, we were in
the same room. I reached into my pocket and felt the foam ball. “Now I’m
confused.”