Mirrored and Broken

by Leigh Vernon

Genres: Urban Fantasy; Vigilante Thrillers; YA Action & Adventure; YA Mysteries & Thrillers; Fantasy action & adventure

Synopsis

Whatever you do, never mix science and magic.

When an ambitious and half-crazed scientist tries to break the boundaries between science and the unnatural, he never could have imagined the chaos he would unleash. A secret family emerges from the shadows… a family who holds the key to solving this perpetual struggle.

Still reeling from his past battles, Justin is now faced with a new threat – one that will force him to make a perilous journey across America to seek revenge. Embarking on a quest to find the mysterious Elders, Justin and his friends must prepare themselves for an impending doom which could wipe out his entire people.

But lurking in the darkness is something much more deadly. Something that wants to see Justin dead before he can manifest his full powers – no matter the price. Alliances form. Friendships shatter. Can Justin survive the crushing weight of his responsibility?

If you loved book one in this heart-pounding supernatural thriller series, then you won’t want to miss the gripping second instalment of the war between science and magic. Grab your copy now.

Sample

Chapter 1

Shay got out of the spirit world. It had been four months since Justin and Sarah had left, and he still couldn't find them. He wondered how they had left without letting him know. Justin had said something about needing to find Father Albert so he could ask him why they had been betrayed. Despite everything he had said, the stubborn Justin had insisted on finding him.

"He did the same thing during the civil war," Justin had said. "I had thought it was just a mixup, and that I was just overreacting, but I understand better now. He was the reason they killed Gem."

That had shut Shay up. There was nothing else he could have said to change the young man's mind. He also felt the pain he was feeling. Sarah had been more than happy to go with Justin when she realized she would avenge Gem's death if they ever found Father Albert.

"I don't care what happens. As long as he pays for his crimes, there's no reason for him to hold back." Her voice had carried some conviction that Shay couldn't decipher. Maybe she was still angry at losing both her sister and the young girl while trying to save the world. "And I can't guarantee what will happen to him if I get to him first," she had concluded.

Shay knew there was no stopping the duo after what Sarah had said. If Justin didn’t get to the man first, Sarah would. He also didn't care what would happen to Father Albert. He was more concerned about another type of evil that was coming. He had felt it for a little during the fight at the mansion. He had tasted its venom while he was trying to see what the future held. But he wasn't sure what it was yet. It was a fickle charge that ran through him quickly and exited almost instantly.

"Let me search for his soul in the other world. If he can be found, I'll tell you where to go rather than have you travel all over the world in search of a needle in a haystack," he had told them both.

"Good luck with that," Justin had answered.

"When you find him, you have both our numbers," Sarah had told him.

They left that day without as much as a goodbye. Shay felt every bit as disappointed at himself as he was angry with them both. There was no way he could have stopped them, but they should have trusted him first. And when he couldn't find the elderly man, he was confused about what was going on.

"I guess it's up to them both now," he said to himself with a sigh.

He was about to get to his feet when the charge ran through him again.  The time around, it was stronger than it had ever been. The evil was getting closer. Too close.

"If we go through the desert, there are chances we would have to deal with the scorpion snakes," Sarah said to Justin, who had his eyes overlooking the vast heaps of sands before them.

"But we have the Mud People living near the Swamps," he replied while turning towards her. "Wouldn't it be safer to go through the desert where there are more friendly folks than go through the territory of the hostile Mudders?"

Sarah shook her head. "The Mudders are very slow. They might not even know we've been through their place for hours after we might have been gone. The scorpion snakes are not humans. Even those who live around the Oasis are afraid of them."

Justin gave a thought to what she was saying. Everyone knew who the better ones were for the forked roads of Perdition. Whoever had named that fork had probably been a very dark soul. Why would a road be named Perdition?

"There are chances we can still outrun them if we are fast enough. Besides, I still have this," he said, brandishing the sword in his hand.

She hit him by the arm. "How many of them will you try to slash? What if the Queen comes after us? Will you slash at her too?"

She was right, and he knew it. No one had ever come close to defeating the queen of the scorpion snakes. She was swift, brutal and relentless. There was no way he could fight her.

"Fine. The swamp it is. But if they come after us, know that it's each of us for themselves."

She snickered. "I'd wager that chance."

They trudged into the waterlogged area of tall trees and little undergrowth. Justin hated the silence that pervaded the entire place. Even a graveyard would have a brief howl here and there. But here, it was total silence.

He didn't understand how the Mudders had got the insects and animals to remain still. Maybe that was why they always got through humans were in a hurry to get through the swamp. If an insect as much as took flight suddenly, the Mudders would troop out of the unseen caves they were all huddled together inside and attack with ferocious strikes. Despite their lack of speed, they could use earth, swamp water and vines as effectively as anyone could run. The bodies of humans caked up in mud here and there were enough testimony to this.

Sarah signaled for Justin to walk forward so she could guard from behind. If they ever got into trouble, they both could make it out with their powers since they were both different from the others who had tried to pass through.

"Do you think they'll be able to hear us if we talked through our minds?"

Sarah thought about the possibility of this. She had always thought one needed to remain quiet to make it through the swamps. But to communicate from within was something new. She was about to signal him for an answer when they both heard it. A rustle in the trees. As little as the sound was, there was no telling who had heard it besides them. They both remained fixed to a stop. Justin turned forward while Sarah turned around.

It took another couple of minutes before they both continued on their journey. It didn't seem like they were in any form of danger. They had almost made it through when Justin's foot caught a branch. It snapped loudly, and the sound went through the swamp. They had heard them this time around. Despite their resolve, they both feared what was coming.

Sarah was first to see the approaching Mudder. She yelled for them to run, and Justin obliged willingly. They only made it a few feet before vines surrounded them both. Justin raised the sword in his hand and hacked through as quickly as he could, but they kept appearing until they were almost covered from head to toe in vines.

There was absolutely no way they could escape, and the fear in Sarah’s eyes made Justin think the worst of their situation. Seeing that they were both trapped was something that scared him less than seeing the horrific look on her face. If he didn’t act fast, there was no telling what would become of them.

“Hey!” he called her. “Look at me.”

She faced him directly, her face mirroring fear and uncertainty. Justin had never seen her that scared. He had thought she was braver than anyone he had ever met. It was surprising and disturbing at the same time to see her that way.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

They were now up to their chins in vines. She nodded.

He freed his hands somehow and clasped his sword. There was a vibration at first. Not too strong, but enough to drive a few vines backwards. Justin realized just how effective that was; he now had a brief space to maneuver. He brought his hands together again and made another wave, this one stronger than the first.

The vibration was much more powerful than the first, and it drove the vines backwards for a few more meters. He was about to bring his hands together again when more strong vines prevented him from doing so. Sarah grabbed the sword and cut off the vines. Justin used that opportunity to grab the sword from her and kept hacking until they had enough space to get out of the stronghold.

"Stop!" Sarah called suddenly.

Justin swung around to face her. He still held the sword high above him.

"Look," she beckoned as she stretched her arms towards a shape within the vines.

It was the shape of a man covered in vines.

"Is that what I think it is?" Justin asked.

Sarah nodded.

"Why were they trying to kill us then? And you looked scared to death a few minutes ago."

She didn't answer right away. She walked towards the shape and stood before it.

"Be careful," Justin said to her. The sword was by his side now, but he was ready to use it if the need arose.

The shape turned towards Sarah, bringing its long curly vines towards her. Justin prepared to cut it off, but she stopped him.

"She's wiser than you are. We could have killed you but decided otherwise because she showed us who you truly are."

Justin's could not conceal his anger. He had survived a time when someone else was living inside of him and talking through his head. He wasn't about to go through the process again.

"Oh no, you won't. I won't allow you to," he protested.

Sarah turned to him. "Won’t what?"

He pointed a finger to his head. "They're trying to get into my head."

She smiled at him. "Not maliciously. They're talking. They have no voice, but they can hear you. The only way to communicate is by telepathy."

Justin sighed. The sword in his hand was getting heavier. "Oh, well."

Sarah turned back towards the shape.

"You knew we didn't mean any harm. Why did you attack us?"

"We protect that which is ours. Time has been unfair to us, and men have made it worse. There's nothing here that anyone would want for themselves. Yet, men would come in here, shooting and hacking at us for no reason. Of three hundred that was, only twenty are now. We have lost brothers to the evils of men. Mere words or wishes will not vanquish this evil. So, we took law into our own hands."

"Whatever happened to finding out what the intruder wants first?" Justin asked loudly. "We just might have saved ourselves a lot of trouble."

A vine hit him from behind.

"Unlike the rest of humans, Mudders have to protect themselves at any cost. We are genetically part human and part plant. Our instincts are more reactive than rational. We see danger; we try to nip it in the bud. Please forgive the pun."

Justin snickered and got out of the way before a vine could hit him across the face. Sarah walked closer to the shape.

"Be careful."

The shape distorted itself and three more appeared in its place.

"Why would anyone try to come here and hurt you?"

There was a rustling of leaves as wind passed through the trees surrounding the forest. From somewhere above, a bird called, and another answered. The shapes turned towards each other as if they were deciding which one of them would answer her question. Justin shifted from one foot to the other. He wanted to be ready for action in case the situation became even more hostile.

Justin wasn’t buying their story of being attacked by humans before Justin and Sarah came along. He was going to say something when the thick vines parted and three men walked out; naked from their waist up.

“What the...?”

Sarah was equally surprised. She had heard myths and facts about the Mudders, but no one had ever mentioned that they could be actual humans. Some had even said they were the Old Powered who had shunned civilization and become swamp spirits.

“It is you?” one of them said telepathically, pointing towards Justin who now had his sword ready for battle.

“Me what?”

The one who had spoken walked towards him and touched his skin lightly. There was something about that touch that made Justin cringe at first. But gradually he felt relaxed, and could have sworn that he saw himself in another body. In this dreamlike state, he was much older and wielded immense power. More powerful beyond his wildest imagination.

“Your destiny awaits you,” the man said and stepped back.

Sarah was as confused as Justin was, but she seemed to be nonchalant. She had seen him destroy a monster and a demon from the underworld. There was nothing else about him that would ever surprise her anymore.

“Wait,” she said to the men who were now receding into their vines. “What happens next?”

“The war has just begun. When the time comes, he will know what to do.”

Since neither of them knew what that meant, they didn’t know what else to ask as the men walked into the vines which swallowed them up.

“At least I know what I’ll look like when I grow old,” Justin said with a smile.

The comment was funny, but it struck a chord within Sarah instead.

“Did you see anything else?” she asked suddenly.

Justin shook his head. There wasn’t much he remembered about what he had seen. Everything had been sudden.

“I’m not sure,” he told her slowly. “Everything went by in a blur.”

Sarah nodded like she understood him. There wasn’t much to do now. They had to keep going.

“There’s something else, though.”

The urgency in his voice piqued Sarah’s curiosity. She inched closer and strained her ears.

“I didn’t see if I had gray hairs or if I was balding.”

If looks could kill, Sarah was sure she would be in jail for first-degree murder. Justin laughed; the tension had dissipated and they could now continue on their quest.