The Immortal Doc Holliday: Shadows: (The Immortal Doc Holliday Series Book 14) by M.M. Crumley

Author:M.M. Crumley [Crumley, M.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lone Ghost Publishing
Published: 2023-12-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

"Knight Protector."

Doc opened his eyes, quickly coming to his feet when he saw the figure standing in front of him.

He didn't speak. He was in the presence of the mother; there was nothing he could say. Nothing.

"Thank you for releasing my child," she said.

She didn't look like she had before. Her eyes were still emeralds, but her body was in the form of a tree. It didn't matter what she looked like though. He recognized her. He recognized her voice, and he recognized her presence.

"You have taken others though," she said. "Who do not belong to you."

He bowed his head in supplication and made no excuses. He had taken others.

Her hand, fingers made of leaves and bark, brushed under his chin, coaxing him to look at her.

"I do not accuse you. I thank you. They were lost, and you have helped them find their way. If I may have your permission to release them."

She was the mother. She didn't need his permission.

"I do not own you," she said softly. "A soul cannot be owned. You do not own the souls inside you. You collect them and keep them so their taint does no further damage. I ask your permission to release the souls who do no harm."

"Yes," Doc said. "Do as you wish."

The hand of bark and leaves settled on his chest, and the tips of the fingers grew longer and longer until they were drilling into the flesh of his chest, into his tattoo.

Doc watched in awe, feeling no pain.

When the mother removed her hand, the twigs of her fingers were curled around a multitude of shiny orbs. As soon as her hand was completely free, she opened it, and the orbs lifted from her hand and drifted to the ground all around them.

For a moment they just lay there, like shiny bubbles, and then they burst, revealing the spirits within.

Doc's ears were suddenly assailed with the sounds of joy.

"You have done well today," the mother said, her voice rushing past him like a river. "You do well every day. I honor you."

The blackness suddenly returned, and Doc sat up with a gasp.

"D-Dog!" Tucker shrieked. "Are you okay? Your hands, and then your chest, and you fell, and then I couldn't wake you, but Apollo said you were okay because your hands turned back into hands, even if that doesn't make sense because they were like little strips of burnt jerky, but they did."

"Hush," Doc laughed. "I'm fine."

"What the hell happened?" Tucker demanded.

He was on his knees next to Doc, ten-year-old face scrunched up with worry and fear.

Doc leaned towards him and hugged Tucker's head. "I'm fine," Doc whispered. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"I wasn't worried," Tucker mumbled, quickly returning Doc's hug before pulling away. "Not much," he added.

"Of course not," Doc said.

He stood slowly, noticing the gaping hole in his shirt where his tattoo was. He thought of a new shirt, and a fresh white shirt instantly took its place.

"Okay, so like that," Tucker babbled. "You said

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