Soul Market - Shadow Justice - Book 2

by D. N. Leo

  The helicopter shook as if it was about to takeoff. Mya braced her hands on the floor. “It’s not me!”

  “I’m not doing anything, either,” Leon said, sitting on the floor, bracing himself against the chair.

  Zach hung on to the stretcher as it slid toward the door. He kicked the door closed. The helicopter lifted off the ground and zoomed ahead as if they were in a Eudaizian spaceship.

  Outside the window, objects flew past at incredible speeds. Too fast for them to recognize anything. In a short while, they landed violently. Everything was still. It was dark and quiet both inside and outside the helicopter. So quiet they could hear themselves breathing.

  “Can we move now?” Leon asked.

  “Yes, and can someone unstrap me, please?” Ciaran said.

  “Ciaran? Are you okay?” Zach said as he searched for the buckles in the dark.

  “They should be along the side. Stop touching everywhere, Zach. You’re weirding me out,” Ciaran said.

  Mya let out a small laugh, imagining the scene. They heard the snapping sound of the buckles and the sound of the stretcher moving as Ciaran sat up. “Where are we?” he asked.

  “Inside a chopper. That’s the only thing we’re sure of at the moment,” Zach said.

  “All right. Let’s get some light,” Ciaran said and worked his way toward the cockpit.

  “How?” Mya asked.

  “He can drive anything with wheels and an engine on Earth and anything that flies in Eudaiz. I think turning on a light is a trivial matter,” Zach said.

  “Thanks, Zach, but I think I can speak for myself,” Ciaran said as the light came on. He came back from the cockpit and sat down.

  Wow, what a scene he makes. Something about him is so masculine and powerful. It draws people in. With Zach, any female who looks at him for more than two seconds has to cross their legs because he stirs up their vital part so uncontrollably. But with Ciaran, females just dive in like a moth to a flame, Mya thought.

  “Hello again, Mya, Leon. I don’t know what’s going on just yet, but I guess I should thank you for saving me,” Ciaran said, glancing down at his arms and his body. “The blood on my clothes could scare young children. But for some magical reason, I think I’m completely free of injuries. Can you tell me what happened?”

  Zach chuckled and looked at Mya. “Naturally, he wants a full report.”

  Ciaran smiled. “A short one will do for now.”

  Leon said, “You were out. A bunch of doctors came and packed you into this big bird. Then some men came along in another big bird and killed the doctors. Then some different men came and killed the killers. Zach and Mya thought we should run before they killed us, so we channeled back to the court.”

  Mya smiled. “Leon has never seen or been on a helicopter before.”

  “Big bird is an accurate description,” Ciaran said. “So we’re at the Babylonian court?”

  Zach shook his head. “We know you thought Babylon was a trap, but Mya and Leon said the men you fought didn’t sound like Babylonian soldiers. So Mya and Leon channeled us back here—I mean, back to the court.”

  Ciaran nodded and looked at Mya and Leon. “I understand. Not all creatures can travel across the multiverse. So back and forth between the court and Earth is your usual route?”

  “Are we creatures?” Leon asked in astonishment.

  “I used to differentiate between humans and other creatures. But having seen the multiverse, every being is a creatures to me now.”

  Leon grinned. “I can tell the Goddess that she’s only a creature.”

  Mya pushed at Leon’s shoulder.

  Zach shook his head. “I called the number you gave me. The search and rescue team came first. Then Xiilok fighters. They killed the medical team. Then some guys I thought were your guys came and killed the Xiiloks. We ran before they approached us, so we can’t verify them. But Mya said they were ancient creatures. Any idea what happened, Ciaran?”

  Ciaran leaned back in his seat. “The station I planted in Australia is operated by humans. They might use fighters from the multiverse, but they work for me.”

  “So the guys approaching us might have been your guys?” Zach asked.

  “Not necessarily. They could be mercenaries from the multiverse. Given that the ones who ambushed me intercepted your signals, I have no doubt they’d do it again. Until I talk to the station to verify, we can’t draw any conclusions.”

  “How do you talk to your station? You don’t have your wrist unit. I don’t know where we are now, but I’m sure we aren’t on Earth,” Mya said.

  “Let’s take a look outside,” Ciaran said and reached for the handle to open the door to go outside. Something white smashed into the window. He jerked back. The thing outside looked like a ghost, if indeed the was any good theory about what a ghost should look like. A fair description would be a human shape with hollow eyes as if wearing a mask with a soft white material draped over it, floating in the air.

  The thing stuck on the window for a short moment then slid down, leaving a slimy smear on the glass.

  Chapter 25

  Richard poured the contents of the wooden box out and picked up the object that he thought was an innocent necklace charm. It was a talisman—crafted in shiny black metal. “This represents your promise? Do you realize how that sounds?”

  Casey sighed. “I told you that you weren’t ready for the truth”

  “I am. But this is not the truth. Do you think I’m stupid?”

  “No…”

  “Then tell me something other than you’re a soul trader and floating through one life after another is what you’re supposed to do. If that’s true, there was no reason for your son to get so upset in the hospital. He almost killed me.” He whirled around. “I can’t see you right now, but I know when you’re lying.”

  “Richard…”

  “I know your situation is strange, but the laws of logic and harmony are relevant anywhere, in any world, Casey. If it was your normal cycle that you’re expect to die because of that falling rail, and you didn’t, it ought to upset something. And because I interfered with your faith, and you traded a soul for me, and you actually didn’t die as you had other times, then some cycle must have been seriously broken. That was why your son was upset.”

  “Dex always disagreed with what I do. And you’re right. I broke the cycle, and I have to face the consequences. There is nothing you or Dex can do for me now.”

  “I don’t believe you. If there is a question, there has to be an answer. And saying there’s no solution isn’t an answer. It’s an acceptance of defeat. If you don’t point me in the right direction, I’ll just have to do it by trial and error. But first, I’ll keep this talisman.”

  “Oh no, please give it to Dex.”

  “If it’s a very important object as you’ve said, why is it safer with him than with me?”

  “Please, Richard. You’re a human. The less you know, the better it is …”

  “Hell with being human. Hell to all this, Casey. You tangled me up in this mess, and you can’t just push me out now.”

  “You pushed me out of the way of that rail. You interrupted my life…and my death. I want you out. I am immortal. You’re a mortal. We have no future together, Richard. Just go away…”

  He glanced around the room and nodded. “All right. I will.” He turned to walk away.

  “Please leave the talisman. Dex will come here for it.”

  He turned around and opened his palm. “Take it yourself.” He waited. He hoped she would appear so that he could see her for the last time. There was no movement. It was silent.

  “Casey, if you don’t take it, I’ll keep it. If it’s that important, I can’t leave it lying around.

  He heard a snapping sound like electric current, and then the flickering image of Casey appeared in front of him. The sadness and hollowness in her eyes stabbed at his heart. He recoiled and stepped backward.

  “Have I caused you that much pain,
Casey? I’m sorry…” Although her image was flickering, he could see tears rolling down her face. “Please don’t cry. You can have your talisman back. I can give it to Dex. I shouldn’t leave it lying around.”

  “Thank you…” she sobbed.

  “Please don’t cry.” He reached his hand out, wanting to touch her face. His hand went right through her image.

  She cried even harder. “You see, I don’t even have a form now…”

  “It has to be my fault. Tell me how to fix it, Casey. What do you need? Please. Yes, I’m a mortal. If I have to die because of this, so be it. Everyone dies. Don’t you think I was prepared for that when I pushed you out of the way of the falling rail?”

  “Please stop talking, Richard.”

  “Casey, as a human, I’ve lived long enough to know the consequences of my actions. I loved my late wife. And I love my daughter. I have a life. I know what I am doing. Why do you think I pushed you away from that rail?

  “No, no…stop talking, Richard!”

  “What are you afraid I’m going to say?”

  “Don’t, Richard.”

  “I love you, Casey Anderson.” A burning sensation punched through his palm. “Ouch,” he grunted and stifled a curse. The talisman had branded his palm. He jerked his hand back, dropping the talisman onto the floor. On the ground, it looked like a cold piece of metal, but when he looked as his palm, he could see his flesh was still sizzling with the unwanted tattoo.

  Chapter 26

  Dex landed on the soft ground outside the Babylonian court. He had been here a few times, and he’d hated every second of it. He preferred his underworld—a place that bore the stigma of housing evils. What people didn’t know was that the underworld was just like any other world and had its own rules and regulations. Creatures had to comply with the rules to live there. He was a marshal of the underworld, hunting down a fugitive of centuries. As cynical as it might sound, if he was the one to enforce the law in an evil world, did that make his fugitive a good guy by common mortal standards?

  He shook his head. He was overthinking, as always. He focused on a small door leading to a small chamber in the basement of the Well of Death. This was where the court held criminals who were to be executed, sentencing them to be eaten by all sorts of creatures the Goddess had captured. She used this execution as a form of entertainment.

  Dex shook his head. Having seen much brutality in the multiverse and in his line of work, he still shuddered as he thought about Ishtar’s tastes in entertainment.

  His contact had left a small candle by the window. It was a welcoming sign. He pushed the door open and walked in. But instead of seeing his usual informant, a small creature he had recruited from the underworld, he saw Ishtar sitting graciously on a chair. Her commanders flanked her, weapons drawn.

  He didn’t attempt to withdraw because he knew they had covered the exit. He could see body parts and a bloody pool on the floor. He didn’t need to ask—he knew they were the remains of his informant.

  “What kind of marshal has the name Dex?” Ishtar’s voice rang out like a bell.

  “My full name is Dexonysus The Fifth Alaxamdro, my Goddess. As you can see, it’s a little complicated and not too efficient when I operate in the field.”

  Ishtar smiled. “That is a fair answer. Now who or what is the fugitive you and your underworld are after in my world? Before you answer, your informant is an example of what happens when I’m given an answer I’m not pleased with.”

  “I cannot name the fugitive, my Goddess. But I must clarify that I have been hunting him for centuries across multiple worlds, not just yours. You shouldn’t take that as an offense.”

  She smiled. “That’s an answer I’m not pleased with.” She flicked her fingers, and the commanders by her side charged at him. Dex knew he had a physical advantage. But in this confined space, his size might prove to be a disadvantage.

  He drew his double knives—the primitive weapons that were most reliable in any dimension in the multiverse. He took down the two commanders before he felt the sharp pain of a blade penetrating his back. He swung his knife around and cut a head right off. He had no idea to whom that head belonged.

  His world started to blur.

  He slammed a hard kick at another commander who stood by the door and stormed out.

  He ran as fast as he could in the darkness, knowing he needed only to reach his exit point. Once there, he could transport himself back to his home, his underworld. Sprinting hard, he crashed into a concrete wall, seeing a thousand stars as he fell.

  Dex scrambled up to his feet. It wasn’t a wall he had just run into—it was Ishtar’s shield, coasted by her Goddess’s power. Ishtar stood with a smirk on her face. She had lived up to her reputation, Dex thought. Her face glowed in satisfaction at the pain he suffered.

  “I’m authorized to hunt this fugitive in the multiverse. I am protected by the multiversal agreement. You don’t want to hurt me, Ishtar.”

  She laughed. “Nice bluff, Dex. If there is such an agreement, the multiverse might be at peace at some point. But Dex, I know you’re a rogue. You’re a marshal by contract…”

  “But before the contract finishes, I am protected by the gods of the underworld.”

  “Who happens to be my longtime acquaintance.” She swung her arms, and he found himself thrown several feet into the air and smashed down hard on the ground like a rag doll.

  He knew she was telling the truth. She knew people in high places in the underworld. But he didn’t have a choice. He had to stand his ground. From the corner of his eye, he saw how close he was to the exit point. It had taken him centuries to build those exit points between worlds, and not everyone knew them. Once he got back to the underworld, Ishtar wouldn’t be able to find him.

  As she had said, he was a rogue marshal.

  Dex let his body roll on the rocky ground for a little longer than he needed to. He pulled himself up slowly, trying to appear as if he was in more pain than he actually was. Ishtar fed on the pain of others. She looked pleased.

  When the time was right, he shot up and darted toward his exit point. But Ishtar was faster. Her arms stretched out, and she grabbed at him from behind. When he fell, her steely arms dragged him and pressed him down to the ground as hard as she could to maximize the damage.

  He could feel his skin peeling off.

  He could shift into his cat form. Maybe by doing so, he could slide out of her grip. She must have read his mind because her giant hand grabbed him by the neck. She pressed against it. He could feel her thumb imprinted against the back of his head. She was immobilizing him. She knew about his poisonous gland. She knew he could release it and use it like venom to paralyze people.

  She was pressing against it to force the release of the venom into his own body.

  He wriggled hard, but he knew it wouldn’t work. His body started to feel numb. He summoned whatever remaining strength he had and said, “Nunnaki.”

  “What?”

  As Ishtar growled, her hand loosened a bit.

  “Nunnaki didn’t die,” he continued.

  “What did you say?”

  Her hand loosened its grip on his head. Taking the opportunity, he threw a smoke bomb at her and jumped into his exit point. Into whatever was on the other side. He didn’t care as long as he was no longer in Babylon and no longer held captive by Ishtar. He’d do whatever it took.

  He landed in his familiar underworld and reeled home. He could see Elanora in Kirra’s form in the distance, waiting for him at the door. A scene every man longed for! He tried to make it with all the stamina he had left. And then he couldn’t remember anything else.

  Chapter 27

  Mya watched Ciaran push everyone back from the door while he stared at the slimy smear on the glass. He leaned forward, trying to hear if there was any unusual sound outside. She smiled to herself and wondered what Ciaran would do if he were in her position. Hell, she didn’t want to think about what she would do if she were in his position,
having to protect a universe of hundreds of millions of citizens.

  “Instead of trying to listen for something outside, why don’t I just do a wipe with my sound waves?” Zach asked.

  Ciaran waved his hand absently. “You’re right. Sorry. Go ahead.”

  Mya had a theory about the flying white object, but she figured she’d give the male species an opportunity to do their job. After more than a thousand years doing her job, she knew holding off a little and letting men do their thing could save her a lot of unnecessary debate.

  “Anything?” Ciaran asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “There isn’t anything moving out there,” Zach said.

  “Okay, let’s go then,” Ciaran said impatiently and pulled the door open. As soon as it opened, another white object flew toward them. He slammed the door closed, and the glass copped another slimy mark. He turned toward Zach and glared.

  “I meant to say there isn’t anything alive moving out there. Whatever that thing is, it isn’t alive. Look, Ciaran, we’re on the same boat here. We all want to go home. But can we try not to rush things?” Zach said.

  “I’m not rushing anything,” Ciaran growled and pulled the door open again. Another white object flew toward the door. In anticipation, he pulled his gun and fired. The laser beam hit the object. They heard a quack, and it exploded into thousands of shiny floating particles which quickly dissolved into thin air.

  “You’ve just killed a ghost!” Mya said.

  Another object flew toward them, copping Ciaran’s beam, and then disappeared.

  “I think they like the light,” Leon said.

  Zach darted toward the cockpit and turned off the light. The door of the helicopter was still open, but there were no white objects flying toward them.

  “Good guess, Leon,” Zach said.

  “It wasn’t a guess. It’s common knowledge where we come from—lost spirits are attracted to light,” Mya said. “It’s okay to go outside now. I think I know where we are.” To her surprise, Ciaran asked no questions. Even before she ended her sentence, he walked right outside. Either he trusted her judgment, or he couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. She leaned toward the latter for a plausible explanation.