Soul Guard (Elemental Book 5)

by Rain Oxford

  “You take the fun out of life,” he said.

  I focused on Darwin’s mind and was quickly bombarded with formulas and puzzles. He was keeping himself entertained. When he sensed me in his mind, he shoved all that deeper and said, “Took you long enough.”

  “Don’t start. I feel like I’ve had eight thousand visions in the last twenty-four hours and Henry has a new hole in his shoulder.”

  “Sorry, Dev. I guess I just got distracted being kidnapped by a psycho and dropped into complete darkness with your little bro. And, for the record, you did not fully forewarn me of the creepiness that is your brother. I woke up in the dark with him petting my shirt, saying that he could see me and that he would eat me when the shadow man let him. Also, Vincent isn’t Vincent.” Every word grew more hysterical until the last sentence, which was perfectly calm.

  “Is he complaining instead of telling you how to find him?” Henry asked.

  “Yes. Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked when he leaned against the wall. I moved the torch closer and saw that he was sweating.

  He shook his head. “My headache is starting to make me feel sick. I don’t get sick. I feel like something is pressing in on me, almost trying to suffocate me, but there’s nothing there. It’s like if you tried to force your way into my mind.”

  “Darwin, we need to get you out now. Something’s going on with Henry. Do you have any idea where you are?”

  “No, man, but take care of Henry first if he’s in the shit. I don’t think I’m about to be done in just yet.”

  I ignored him and turned to Heather. “Make sure Henry makes it to Dr. Martin okay.”

  “There are still traps down here, so I’m not leaving you,” Henry said, standing straighter.

  “Jesus, men are fucking stubborn,” Heather said.

  I didn’t know a man alive as stubborn as Remington Hunt, but I wasn’t about to say that out loud. “Let’s just find Darwin and Jameson and get out of here.” I continued following my instincts, since I knew it was working. That is until I felt danger strongly enough to stop me in my tracks. “Stop!” I instinctively used my magic to force Henry and Heather to obey. My instincts practically roared at me. “Get back!”

  Henry, Heather, and I retreated, but not fast enough. I heard a hissing sound and then a loud rumble as dirt flew up to form a wall between us and whatever was attacking. After a moment, the rock wall fell and all three of us gaped. It wasn’t a hissing sound I had heard but a spraying one. Acid now clung to the rock and dirt of the tunnel, slowly eating away at it.

  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.”

&nbs
p; “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.

  Chapter 15

  I thought I was prepared for anything, from a waiting army to my uncle safe and sound. I was wrong, of course. Despite the fact that Earth’s tower was in a cave and a tunnel had been built around Dothra’s tower, I never even considered that any of the towers would be under water.

  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 wel
comed 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?”