Nine Souls

by Shayne Silvers

  I miscalculated and only managed to clip his jaw before my legs went wide and…

  Well, I rode him to the ground with his face in my crotch. I think I’ve heard it called a tea bag, but I was moving too fast for it to be funny and the blow to the groin made my kidneys and back explode with inner fire. His back slammed into the earth, relieving the pressure somewhat as I sat on his chest, gripping his hair like a steering wheel.

  Alucard gasped for breath – heh – as we slowed, struggling to get free. Raego suddenly towered over us, jaws wide to gobble up the tea-bagging wizard.

  I threw myself clear, hobbling away on shaking legs as I tried to ignore my aching back and groin. Knowing that Alucard would be livid for making him look like an idiot and that I wouldn’t be fast enough to escape Raego’s teeth, I instinctively Shadow Walked to get out of the danger-zone and strike the black dragon from behind.

  Whoopsies. Forgot about not Shadow Walking.

  I was suddenly standing in that gray world of roiling black fog. And two of the Candy Skulls stood only ten feet away from me. This close, they towered head and shoulders over me. They cocked their heads in those fitful, jerking motions and three glass blades – like claws – erupted from the end of each sleeve where their hands should have been. Then in silent and awkward jolting movements, they drifted in to slice me into wizard tri-tips. Sweat popped out on my skin as I stared into those haunting skulls, the beauty of the painted masks distracting me like those beautiful predators in the wild. The flowers, whorls, and almost tribal designs in vivid blues, pinks, reds, and yellows seemed almost alive, writhing across the surface of the bone Calaveras. I was momentarily frozen in horror. It was like their gaze drew me in and bathed me in fear and self-loathing.

  With great effort, I managed to lower my gaze, and felt my strength and willpower instantly return. I frantically scanned the shadow world for my opening and saw it.

  Behind the Candy Skulls was an oval of shimmering, clear glass hovering in the air.

  Hoping that glass could take me somewhere better than this place, I sprinted at them and ignited white blades before me – the only sound in this strange world seemed to echo like a cavern. I hadn’t wanted to use whips and possibly attach myself to whatever the fuck these things were. I slashed down and out, intending to slice them from clavicle to hip, or knock them clear of my path to the suspended glass.

  My swords tore through them like a fire in a library, slicing through their bodies but not seeming to do them any lasting harm. They shifted away from me with the blow as if trying to diminish the impact, to roll with the punch.

  Which was all I cared about. It gave me enough room to slip past them and dive face-first for the hanging glass, which I realized up close looked like a fogged window showing the Dueling Grounds. I felt heat as the Calaveras claws scored across the heels of my boots as my nose touched the hazy window.

  I flew through it to the sound of shattering glass.

  I twisted to hit the ground on my back, panting wildly from my fear of the other place. I scooted backwards on my ass, eyes latching onto the opening I had just used. In falling shards of translucent glass, I saw the Calaveras staring at me with heads cocked, but as those shards continued to fall, they simply evaporated to reveal the other side of the Dueling Grounds.

  I heard the crowd still cheering as if nothing had happened.

  Then a fist grabbed me by the back of my shirt collar and threw me across the ring.

  I didn’t land on a soft mattress as I slowly rotated in the air.

  My face landed on a black-scaled fist so hard I thought I heard a pow! sound effect before everything went white for a few moments. My vision slowly came back and I found myself on all fours, barely holding myself up.

  “Stop,” I whispered, trying not to throw up. “Stop…”

  “What is he saying?” I heard Alucard ask from the other side of the ring, his boots striking the ground as he came closer.

  Raego, naked and in human form, suddenly stood before me. “I don’t know…”

  “Candy…” I whispered desperately, trying to let him know that our fight didn’t matter. Needing to know if anyone else had seen what just happened. That other place.

  “I think he called me Candy. Smart-mouthed asshole.”

  “Is he concussed?” Alucard laughed. “That was a pretty solid blow he took to the jaw.”

  I tried to shake my head. “Did… you see the… Candy Skulls?” I finally rasped, head slowly clearing and nearly able to somewhat raise my head.

  “STOP!” Asterion bellowed, cutting off conversation. “The fight is over. A draw.”

  I grunted, not giving two shits about the crowd or the fight as I stared at the Minotaur who was running my way, his boots seeming to make the ground shake. Achilles wore a frown as he watched from the sidelines, obviously just as surprised – and not pleased – with Asterion’s decision.

  “Temple was done for!” someone in the crowd shouted out. Several chimed in their agreement. It sounded like it came from the group of dragons. I thought I saw Baron as I glanced over at them, but was too woozy to be sure. I definitely noticed the whites of Dirty Gerty’s teeth as she smiled at me. She was probably more upset than anyone, wanting to see her grandson make me look a fool in front of so many people.

  Achilles, sensing that something was obviously amiss, turned a cold stare onto the crowd, silencing them in a heartbeat. “Myrmidons!” A dozen men in sleeveless black vests and black khakis suddenly melted out of the crowd, wielding spears as they formed a perimeter faster than they should have been able to do on such short notice. “The next person who challenges or comments on this fight will see what a spear through the throat feels like before they leave. Even though it’s not permanent, you will feel every sensation. And the same sensation for your next six visits to Fight Night.”

  The crowd collectively snapped their mouths shut.

  Achilles turned to Asterion and dipped his head, but his look was curious. The Minotaur helped me to my feet, watching me with concerned eyes. “You… saw them?” I asked.

  His lips curled back. “I saw nothing. But whatever you think you saw must never be mentioned again,” he said carefully.

  I frowned. “You know what they are?” I whispered, aware of Raego and Alucard both studying me. They kept their faces neutral so that none of the crowd sensed any camaraderie between us – if there was any, I wasn’t sure anymore – but their eyes danced with questions. Was this a stunt of mine or was something really wrong? Fights were very rarely called off, and I was pretty sure that the only draw I had ever seen was between Achilles and Leonidas earlier tonight.

  “I know nothing. Neither do you. Neither do they.” He jerked his chin at the crowd. “I cannot say anything else. Can. Not.” He said, clipping the words with emphasis. “Whatever you think you saw is probably very dangerous.” He grimaced, and then, as if coming to a decision he didn’t like, he leaned closer as he guided me away, barely audible as he spoke. “The more who know, the more dangerous they will become. Awareness breeds more… of them.”

  I blinked. What the living fuck was he talking about? He couldn’t tell me what he knew, and was warning me to not say a word to anyone? How the hell was I supposed to figure out what they were if I couldn’t ask anyone questions about them? The more people who knew, the more there would be next time? I needed to warn Tory and Callie – make sure they hadn’t told anyone.

  “You took a nasty blow, Temple. Everything okay? You were doing very well for yourself, at first. Pity the fight had to be called off.” I glanced up at the new voice to find Achilles before me. I nodded, shaking off Asterion’s support as I struggled to show a strong face for the crowd that I sensed staring at me.

  The crowd had seen me go from kicking ass to suddenly getting my ass kicked.

  “How long was I gone?” I asked carefully.

  Achilles cocked his head. “Gone? You did your teleporting thing. Maybe a fraction of a second?” he asked, glancing
at Asterion. The Minotaur nodded, his face a blank mask.

  “Right…” I said tiredly. It had been minutes, or at least one full minute. But… why was there suddenly a realm full of homicidal Candy Skulls when I tried to Shadow Walk? Was that why it was called Shadow Walking? Was there supposed to be some realm we had to pass through, and up until recently, we’d been somehow dodging it? Cheating the Candy Skulls of their free meals? “Must have tripped or used more magic than I thought at the beginning of the fight,” I said as an excuse. I glanced up to study the crowd with a quick sweep of my eyes. “You guys mind calling out the next fight? I’m sick of these assholes staring at me.”

  Asterion nodded, whipping out his pad of paper and walking back to the center of the ring, calling out a name I didn’t recognize. Achilles studied me with a thoughtful frown before finally shrugging. “Get some sleep, Temple. You’re a hot mess.” Then he was walking away.

  I glanced back to see Raego and Alucard watching me from across the ring. Their faces were emotionless. Then they were slipping back into the crowd. With a tired sigh, I shuffled out of the crowd, intending to catch my breath and clear my head in a lone section of bleachers. I couldn’t show weakness here, but I did want a freaking minute to relax.

  I looked up to see two wolves staring at me.

  Drake and Cowan. They weren’t smiling. “Look angry. Very, very angry,” Drake murmured, barely moving his lips – as if hoping to disguise the warning.

  “That won’t be hard,” I muttered.

  “We need to talk. Now, Temple. Gunnar demands it,” Cowan said in an angry tone.

  I managed to keep the scowl on my face, even though I was suddenly very concerned. Gunnar wasn’t accessible right now. He was on his freaking honeymoon. And I couldn’t tell if these two were actually angry or just pretending to be.

  “Lead the way, mutts.”

  Chapter 24

  I followed them over to the ring of torches, far away from listening ears. I folded my arms as I stared them down, aware of the eyes watching us. “Talk,” I told them in a cold tone, forcing myself not to rub my throbbing jaw. I took a breath, testing my ribs. They ached, but not too badly. I knew that if I had died here, I would have woken up back home, healed. But what if I had only been injured?

  “We brought the pack here to let off some steam after this morning,” Drake told me. I nodded, wanting him to get to the point. “But we also wanted to catch you on neutral ground, almost as if by coincidence…” he continued, not smirking, but something playful and dangerous lurking not far below the surface. For anyone watching, looking like he was delivering a warning.

  “I’m tired, Drake. Did Gunnar really have something to tell me?” I was sure to keep my voice low just in case we had listeners.

  Cowan shook his head, folding his arms. “We wanted to open communication lines with you.” He said nothing further, kind of making his statement seem ridiculous. Instead, he kept his eyes on the crowd, looking annoyed to be seen anywhere near me, performing a duty he wasn’t particularly happy about. Was that for the witnesses or was it genuine?

  Drake cleared his throat. “We were… approached today. By a big gray wolf. A stranger.”

  I cursed under my breath. “White Fang…”

  They shared a long look with each other, startled, but not showing it. “That was the name he went by, although he sounded amused when he said it.”

  “Because it’s more of a nickname. Did he warn you to turn against me, too?”

  They shared an even longer look. “Not in so many words. But he did warn of a new threat to the pack. It seems Zeus had an Alpha King – the self-declared Alpha of the Midwest. This king is not too happy about the turn of events with Zeus. He’s bringing his pack to St. Louis. Soon.”

  I tried to keep the shock from my face. “But Gunnar isn’t here.”

  “I don’t think he’s coming to challenge our Alpha. I think he’s coming for war. And White Fang made it sound like this king sees himself as above the… antiquated shifter laws. It’s exactly like what we fled back East. But they seem more successful with it here. He’s wants retribution for Zeus. Either to take Gunnar’s pack or to kill Gunnar and then take the pack.”

  I frowned. If White Fang worked for Zeus – and ultimately this king – why had he warned Drake and Cowan? “Why have you come to me?” I asked warily, remembering that Gunnar hadn’t wanted me to get involved in wolf politics.

  They shared an uneasy look. “We know how this looks, that we have experience with this kind of… leadership structure. These kings,” Drake said the word as if it tasted foul on his tongue. He shook his head, a flicker of anger swiping his wavy hair to the side. “I will die to keep the pack together, with or without Gunnar. I have sworn an oath, but would have done the same without it.”

  Cowan seemed to realize Drake was on the edge of anger. “Seeing as how Gunnar holds you in such high esteem, we had hoped that you might truly have a way to get word to him.”

  I frowned. I actually didn’t. I could get us about five miles from their cabin – the ward I had given him was that strong, per his request, since he would be hunting often with Ashley and hadn’t wanted to risk anyone catching them off guard while out in the wilderness. But getting within five miles of the cabin wouldn’t help. Within the ward, we’d have to travel on foot. In the mountains. Likely in snow. It would take a very long time, and anything could happen here in St. Louis while we did. And once we were within the ward, we would also be out of range for any magical communication. Or even cell phones, for that matter. There were no towers.

  I told them this and their faces let me know their frustration, but only because I was so close to them. Anyone else would have taken it as disgust for simply talking with me.

  “Then we seek guidance,” Cowan said. “What would Gunnar say if we took his pack to war? I can’t see any other option, but if this pack is as big as White Fang says, we might need assistance. And… Gunnar made it clear that we were supposed to handle things ourselves rather than ally with anyone. The restriction for seeking aid wasn’t just about you.”

  That made me feel marginally better, but I still wanted to scream. What was White Fang’s angle in this? Was he part of this king’s pack? Or was he doing an act of good will for his fellow wolves, rather than the chaos he was sowing elsewhere?

  “My resources are at your disposal, but I fear the long-term consequences of that, thanks to White Fang. We might just win this war to find every other faction in town against your pack because you teamed up with me. Besides, I’m heading out of town tomorrow. Do you know when they are going to get here?”

  “Several days. They are taking their time. Moving almost a thousand wolves is not a fast process. White Fang says they are coming like a people meaning to settle down and stay.”

  “And do you know where White Fang’s loyalties lie?”

  Drake spoke up, now composed. “He told us he was not part of this king’s pack or ours. I don’t know if that makes him ally or foe, but he did warn us. I couldn’t get a good read on him.”

  “Why didn’t you fucking capture him, then?” I snarled, taking a step forward before I realized it. My chest struck Cowan’s solid outstretched arm.

  “Might want to take a deep breath, Temple. We don’t react well to aggression…” his eyes were very cold, and it was no longer for show. I took a breath and stepped back. He was right.

  But my reaction pretty much guaranteed those still watching us saw that we definitely weren’t on friendly terms, which I guess was good for the wolves. I didn’t want the other families in town ganging up on Gunnar’s pack because they thought we were allies.

  “This is like a fucking gang war,” I muttered. “West Side Story or something.”

  Drake merely nodded, breathing deeply himself. Probably trying to shake off his adrenaline before he did something stupid at my aggression.

  “What I meant was that you should have questioned him further.”

  Cowan openly ya
wned. “Capture a lone wolf who had just warned us of an attack? That would have shamed us. And Wulfric.”

  I grunted. Well, that could be true. Another scheme of White Fang. Turn the families on the wolves for capturing White Fang when he had only been trying to help.

  “Is there anyone in town you could team up with instead of me? Someone that would benefit you without drawing the attention you’re trying to avoid? Raego?” Because the dragon king had a veritable army at his command.

  “Not him. The dragons have closed ranks. They’re not getting involved with anyone. And anyway, it seems their King is letting his Council run the day-to-day affairs.”

  I frowned. That was news to me. Raego was shirking his duties? Or maybe this Council was just getting in the way and making him impotent.

  “I’m the last person you want to ask for help right now, but even if you wanted me, I’m leaving town tomorrow. Non-negotiable.”

  “Who tells a billionaire what’s non-negotiable?” Drake asked, cocking his head doubtfully.

  I shook my head. “You don’t want to know.” I thought about asking Tory to help them. She had her students, who were all trained killers, but that would also make Gunnar look weak.

  And she was currently working with the dragons. Who weren’t helping anyone.

  Was this part of White Fang’s ploy? Get everyone busy and closing circles so they wouldn’t help each other out? So, this Midwest King could come in and scoop up a treasure? But White Fang had told Drake and Cowan that he didn’t work for the king. Was his plan to ultimately take Gunnar’s pack for himself? But then why warn Drake and Cowan?

  Talk about a clusterfuck. And even if Gunnar did want me to help out, I didn’t have time to do so. Because I had an appointment in Hell that I couldn’t reschedule, according to Death.

  “We will figure something out,” Drake said. “But it’s best if we stop talking. Oh, and if you see Paradise and Lost, tell them I said hello,” he said with a straight face, but his eyes danced with mischief.