Soul Shade (Soul Stones Book 2)

by T. L. Branson

  As it stood, she had speculation and theory at best. What she was about to do was a hard ask under normal circumstances, but this?

  The galleys led the Wave Wraith to an open dock that Maya assumed belonged to the escaped schooner. Easing the ship into port, Farrow called for the deckhands to drop anchor and lower the gangplank.

  Maya stood at the top, smoothing out her tunic.

  “Are you ready?” Farrow asked as he stepped up beside her.

  She took a deep breath and said, “As weird as it sounds for me to say, I’d feel a lot better if Will were here right now.”

  “Who’s Will?” Farrow asked. “Your lover?”

  “Gods, no,” Maya said with a snort. “I forgot you hadn’t met him. He’s the only other person I know who has—well, he’s like me.”

  “Beautiful, charming?” Farrow asked.

  Maya blushed. “Headstrong and stubborn.”

  “So you admit that you’re hard to get along with sometimes?” Farrow prodded, smiling.

  Maya chuckled—she didn’t know why. It was a strange emotion to have at a time like this. It felt odd, out of place. Steadying herself, she took one more deep breath with a shudder. “Let’s go.”

  Maya descended the gangplank with Farrow on her heels. Together, they walked up the dock and into the main harbor street.

  A hundred or more soldiers poured off the galleys and filed into a defensive formation around Maya and Farrow. As the circle parted, Captain Bastian strode in with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

  “I didn’t think you’d be foolish enough to come here, let alone without backup. Do you think that Kosta is going to relinquish Kent without a fight?” Bastian asked.

  “I’m not looking to cause trouble,” Maya said. “I’m here to settle differences.”

  “I’m afraid the general doesn’t share your values,” the captain said. “Seize her!”

  “Wait, what?” Maya asked in alarm.

  She and Farrow drew their swords and went back to back.

  “It’s a hundred to two, Your Majesty,” Farrow whispered. “I think this calls for a distraction. Care to whip up some sort of creature like at Berxley. A dragon, maybe?”

  To Bastian, Maya said, “You agreed to give me an audience with Kosta.”

  “I said I’d take you to the general,” the captain said with a smug look on his face. “I never said I’d let you go freely. Now lower your weapons and come peacefully.”

  “As your prisoner?” Maya asked. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Not a chance.”

  She once again reached for her power. At the same time, a roar rumbled through the air. The soldiers faltered, falling out of line as they turned their attention to the skies. A red dragon soared into the harbor from the city, loosing fire from its mouth that engulfed two of the galleys.

  Bastian looked at Maya, then at the dragon, and yelled, “Retreat!”

  Soldiers scattered into the city.

  “Wow,” Farrow said. “You did it. That was pretty amazing.”

  “That—that’s not—” Maya said, shaking.

  “Say again. I can’t hear you,” he said.

  The dragon circled back around. It opened its mouth, red and orange growing in its throat.

  “That’s not my dragon!” Maya shouted.

  “Drygo” Will said to himself, pacing outside the Governor Abell’s mansion. “The soulfiend was Drygo. How is that possible?”

  It makes sense to me, Lotess said. You saw him change into that thing just as well as I did.

  “No, no, not that,” Will said, waving his hand as if Lotess were there in person. “I know he became a soulfiend. What’s confusing is that he was the soulfiend.”

  I’m afraid I don’t follow.

  “This whole time, Drygo wasn’t really gone, but was just trapped inside the soulfiend,” Will said. “What if that means there’s a way to release the person inside?”

  Why would we want to do that? Lotess asked. The only other two soulfiends I’m aware of are Qirrut and Daldre. And believe me, you don’t want to bring them back.

  “We may not want them back,” Will explained, “but what about Ophi and Erintos?”

  Oh, Lotess said. That would not be good. In fact, that would be very, very bad.

  Turning to leave, Will said, “I’ve got to find these things and kill them before—”

  The giant oak doors creaked behind him.

  “Where are you going?” Sowena asked.

  Will spun around, but continued walking away as he said, “I have to leave. It’s an important matter.”

  “What?” Sowena said. “You can’t go now. One of those things is still out there.”

  “There’s two, actually,” Will said.

  Sowena tilted her head in confusion. “But—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Will said. “That’s actually why I’m leaving. I’m going to hunt that thing down and I’m going to kill it before it can hurt anyone else.”

  “Then I’m coming with you,” Sowena declared, chasing after him.

  “Uh uh,” Will said with the shake of his head. “No. You’re going to stay right here where it’s safe.”

  “Not a chance. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me,” Sowena said.

  “Fine,” Will said, turning back around. “But keep up.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked as she jogged beside him.

  “That thing was headed north,” Will said. “So we follow it north.”

  “But it’s the middle of the day. How will we find it?” Sowena asked.

  “It won’t come back here, since it knows I’m here. It knows death is here. It’s heading for Celesti,” Will answered.

  “How can you be sure, though?” she pressed.

  “I can’t! All right?” Will snapped.

  Sowena’s shoulders sagged.

  “I’m—I’m sorry,” Will said. “Truth is, I don’t know where it went, but I’ve got to do something, and it was headed north, and Celesti is north, so that’s where we’re going.”

  Sowena didn’t argue.

  Changing the topic, Will asked, “How’d it go in there? With the governor?”

  “He doesn’t know how the king’s body made it all the way to Luton, but he refuses to believe there was ever a monster or that there’s another one still out there,” Sowena said. “Instead, he feels we should dispose of the body quietly.”

  “What do you think?” Will asked.

  “I assume he’s just afraid,” she said. “I think he worries that if the people knew what really happened that he’d lose control.”

  “If the people find out he knew the truth and yet did nothing it will be worse for him,” Will said.

  “I think that’s a chance he’s willing to take,” Sowena said. As they left the city behind, Sowena asked, “Where are we going?”

  “I told you,” he said. “We’re going to Celesti.”

  “Right this minute? Don’t you think we should get some supplies first?”

  “I have everything I need,” Will said.

  “But you’re not carrying anything,” she said.

  “Then go back and get your things,” Will said. “I’ll wait right here.”

  “No you won’t,” Sowena snapped.

  Lotess chuckled.

  “What are you laughing at?” Will asked.

  She’s a smart girl, Lotess said.

  “Huh? I wasn’t laughing,” Sowena said, confused. “Are you talking to yourself again?”

  “Excuse me?” Will asked.

  “Back at the mansion I heard you talking to someone, but when I came out it was just you. What’s going on?”

  “I can’t tell you,” Will said.

  “Come on!” Sowena begged. “I risked my life leading you to that soulfiend. I think I deserve a little trust. Besides, if I’m going with you, I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

  Will took a deep breath and sighed. “All right.”

 
23

  Maya dove into a nearby alley as a river of fire engulfed the harbor street where she and Farrow had just been standing. Climbing to her feet, Maya looked around for Farrow, but couldn’t find him.

  “Farrow!” she called.

  “Over here!” he shouted, then hissed as if in pain.

  As Maya took a step forward, the dragon landed in the street in front of her. It opened its mouth and roared, wings out wide. Maya turned and ran back down the alley.

  The dragon raced forward, chasing her, but then its body collided with the buildings on either side, knocking them off their foundations and causing stone to crumble around her.

  As she glanced over her shoulder, she saw the dragon wedged in between the structures, slowly moving closer to her. It pulled back its head as fire built up in its throat. Maya turned to the left just as a wall of fire appeared, filling the alley. The intense heat nearly melted her skin.

  Maya turned two more times and came back into the harbor street. The dragon’s back legs and tail stuck out of the alley as it tried to push itself free. Raising her sword, Maya rushed in and swung at its left hind leg.

  Her blade bounced off the creature’s scales as if she had just struck a steel shield.

  The dragon flung its tail out, catching Maya in the side and sending her tumbling back. As she landed, her sword flew from her hand and skittered along the road. Pain shot up her side.

  Two wings emerged from the alley, and then, with a mighty gust, the rest of the dragon came free. It shook its head, knocking off bits of stone and dust.

  “Hey! Lizard brain! Over here!” someone shouted.

  Both Maya and the dragon followed the sound of the voice to one of the galleys in the harbor. Farrow stood on the deck in front of a cannon.

  “Eat this!” he shouted, igniting it.

  An explosion rocked the grounds as the iron cannonball soared through the air and nailed the dragon square in the chest. It flew backward, slamming into the two already crumbling buildings, which then collapsed on top of it.

  “You did it!” Maya shouted.

  But her victory was premature as the dragon stirred beneath the rubble. It stood to its full height and roared. There wasn’t a mark on it. How were they going to kill the thing?

  Flapping its wings, it took off into the air and headed straight for Farrow.

  “Watch out!” Maya called.

  Farrow turned the cannon and fired again, but the dragon was too fast. The cannonball missed and slammed into the mast of the neighboring ship, severing it in two and sending debris into the ocean.

  The dragon circled around and blasted Farrow’s ship with its fire. The sergeant dodged, but didn’t get far enough. Farrow’s left sleeve burst into flames. Screaming, he jumped from the ship and plunged into the water.

  He grabbed a hold of the severed mast and pulled himself up. The dragon turned and once more came for Farrow apparently wanting to finish the job.

  Maya had to do something. Bracing for the pain, she beckoned the sea serpent to come forth once more. It rose up out of the water, blocking the path of the dragon, and bellowed.

  The dragon shrieked in surprise and banked out of the way.

  No headaches. She was using her power and there was no pain. She didn’t know what to think of the situation, but she didn’t have time to sit around and ponder it.

  She bade the serpent to strike the dragon. It lunged forward, its jaws wide and ready to snatch the dragon from the air. When it reached the flying beast, its passed right through. The dragon turned and attacked Maya’s illusion, but as before, it didn’t make contact, instead hurtling through the imaginary sea serpent.

  Maya cursed. Whatever blessing had been bestowed upon her powers at Berxley were no more. Her illusions were once again nothing but a smoke screen. A deep sinking feeling rose up in the pit of her stomach and she helplessly watched the dragon race toward Farrow.

  Something Maya couldn’t see collided with the dragon, knocking it from the sky. It fell hard and slammed into a docked galley—wood splintering and cracking from the force of the impact.

  Maya looked around for another cannon, but she didn’t remember hearing any explosions. No ships were out to sea. There wasn’t a single Kentian soldier in sight. What happened?

  The dragon lifted off the ship and took to the air once again.

  Will this thing never die? she wondered.

  If she couldn’t attack it, maybe she could scare it. Maya searched her memory for the details of the dragon’s face as it howled at her. Then she crafted that thought and projected it as large as she could.

  A dragon’s head, nearly twenty times the size of the dragon itself, filled the sky above the harbor. Opening its mouth, it roared. The sound that followed was deafening.

  The smaller red dragon wobbled in the air and beat its wings to steer away from the massive illusion. Maya held up her hands to steady herself and moved the head inland, chasing the beast away from the harbor.

  Her breath growing ragged, Maya released the strain and collapsed to the ground, the illusion disappearing as she did so. Water splashed and dripped onto stone, then wet steps raced toward her. She lay there on her back, staring into the sky. Then, all at once, her head started pounding. She cried out in pain.

  Farrow dropped to his knees beside her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Propping up onto an elbow, she said, “I’m fine, it’s just a head—Iket’s bones, your arm!”

  Farrow’s left sleeve was gone, and the skin of his bicep bubbled and glowed an angry red.

  “It’s nothing, I—”

  Maya reached out and touched it, forcing a hiss out of Farrow.

  “We need to get you to a healer,” Maya said.

  Grimacing, he said, “And where are we going to find one of those here?”

  He had a good point. They now knew Kosta was hostile, so getting help from him was unlikely. Maya pulled out a knife and cut a long strip of cloth from her cloak. After running it down to the water’s edge, she soaked it, then brought it back and wrapped Farrow’s wound in it.

  He winced at the touch of the fabric, and then sighed in relief as it cooled his skin. After tying a knot in the end, Maya stood and dried her hands on her tunic.

  “There,” Maya declared. “Hopefully that will help until we can get you proper treatment.”

  “Thank you,” Farrow said with a forced smile. “We should get out of here before that thing comes back.”

  “Right, let’s go,” Maya said. “Where’s Kosta’s headquarters?”

  “How should I know?” Farrow asked.

  “Didn’t you train here?” Maya inquired, narrowing her eyes.

  “No, they never sent me,” Farrow said, perhaps a little too defensively. “Guess I fell through the cracks.”

  Maya huffed. “Well, then I guess we head inland and start looking.”

  “Yeah, all right,” Farrow said. “I’ll lead the way.”

  Less than a minute after entering the city streets, they heard shouting coming in their direction. Ducking behind a crate, they stayed hidden as a handful of soldiers ran past.

  “If they’re still alive, I want them found!” Bastian yelled.

  As the pounding of boots receded, Maya and Farrow emerged from their hiding spot and ducked into an alley. Using the smaller passageways and narrower avenues, they continued to navigate the city, careful to avoid detection.

  “Good job getting rid of that dragon, by the way,” Farrow said.

  “I’m not sure that I did anything,” Maya responded. “I don’t understand it. At Berxley, my illusions had weight. When the serpent attacked, it damaged the pier and the ships, but when it attacked the dragon, it went right through.”

  “Well in any case you scared it good,” Farrow said.

  “I’m not so sure,” she said. “It seemed to figure out my illusion was harmless. Plus, there was something else out there attacking it. I know there was, I just don’t know what.”
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br />   “Does it matter?” Farrow asked. “It worked, didn’t it?”

  “I suppose so,” she answered.

  “Let’s just focus on finding Kosta,” he said.

  “You’re the one that brought it up,” Maya snapped.

  Farrow didn’t respond.

  They searched for another twenty minutes before coming across a set of double doors built into the side of a hill as the mountain continued rising upward behind it. One of the doors was ajar with soldiers coming and going in a frenzy. Two more stood outside guarding the door.

  “Kosta’s got to be in there, right?” Farrow asked. “This looks like some sort of command center.”

  “An underground keep is more like it,” Maya said.

  “Any plans for getting inside?” Farrow asked.

  Maya shook her head. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” she answered. “Truthfully, despite what I knew of Kosta, I had hoped he’d have given me the courtesy of meeting him on my own terms. Instead, he tried to take me prisoner.”

  “We could fight our way in,” Farrow offered.

  “Too risky,” Maya said. “With as much traffic as that place is getting we’d be lucky to make it past the door.”

  Conceal your identity, Merva suggested.

  “Hide in plain sight,” Maya said out loud.

  “What?” Farrow asked.

  “We’ll walk right in,” Maya answered, working through the details in her head.

  “Are you hearing yourself? Do you want to get caught?”

  “No, no, you don’t understand,” Maya said. “I’ll make us look like someone else—say, Captain Bastian and one of his underlings—and we’ll walk right in.”

  “That’s good and all, but what if he’s in there? Or what if he comes back while we’re still here?” Farrow asked.

  “He’s not and he won’t,” she said with certainty.

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because the Kosta brothers were recruited by my father. They were as shrewd and calculating as he was,” she explained. “If Bastian returns without us in chains behind him, then Kosta will likely have him killed for incompetence.”

  “All right, then,” Farrow said. “Let’s do it.”