An Imperceptible Ruse Indeed (The Gods' Executioner Series) Page 20

  “Riiiight… well, as much fun as that sounds, I’ll give you guys a lift to China, but then I’m out; I’ve got a sister to keep from going for attempt number three on her life and a pregnant wife to make as comfortable as possible.” I announce.

  “Chezarei is pregnant!?” Naia and Ryuji exclaim.

  “Ryuji I can understand, but where have you been, Naia?” I rhetorically ask.

  “A lift would be much appreciated, and you wouldn’t be allowed in the temple anyway. Naia should be okay unless anyone looks closely, which is doubtful seeing as the dragon monks are all in the final stages of their lives so they’re blind…” Li says.

  “Okay, ignoring the comical insinuations of a convent full of blind dragon monks; get me a picture of the place and I’ll port you to it. If I were you, I’d opt for the top of the stairs, but that’s just me.” I respond.

  “I’ve got a photograph of the base of the stairs, but there aren’t any of the temple because it’s forbidden. I’ll go grab it.” Li replies and walks through the curtain.

  “Thanks for helping me out again, Cole.” Ryuji says.

  “No problem.” I reply.

  The three of us wait in awkward silence until Li comes back. She hands me a black and white photograph of her standing with two men in front of a stone marker with bamboo trees on either side and a mountain in the background. I’d say this picture is from the 1930’s at the latest judging by the fading in the photograph; how old is Li?

  “Are you three ready?” I ask and hold out my arm; everyone nods and grabs it.

  I touch my triskele and port us to the place in the picture. I look to the right and notice a giant staircase that weaves back and forth up the tall green peak with small groves of bamboo trees bordering the entrance to the stairs.

  “Well, good luck, Ryuji; give me a call when you guys need a lift back.” I say.

  “Thanks, Cole. See you soon.” Ryuji replies and the three of them turn towards the stairs.

  I watch them start their ascent to the temple for a minute before touching my triskele to port back to the house. I don’t see anyone in the living room or kitchen so I head upstairs to check on Sara.

  “Natasha… this stuff with Cole needs to stop.” I hear Cheza say and I stop at the top of the stairs.

  “What do you mean?” Natasha asks and I start quietly approaching the closed master bedroom door.

  “Look… I’m grateful to you for being there for him… for keeping him from hurting himself when I was being a bitch… without you, there’s a good chance that Cole wouldn’t be alive. Because I’m so grateful to you, I’ve felt indebted to you so I’ve overlooked your feelings and advances toward Cole; I’ve been willing to share him with you. However, all of that has to stop. We’re having a child and you can’t keep doing that.” Cheza explains. Cheza must’ve gotten an image about last night…

  “Chezarei, I think you’re misunderstanding something.” Natasha says.

  “What am I misunderstanding?” Cheza asks.

  “I’m not in love with Cole…” Natasha replies.

  “What?” Cheza responds with disbelief.

  “Well, I am…” Natasha admits.

  “But I’m also in love with you, Chezarei.” Natasha replies with a sultry tone and I hear them kiss. This is one ‘left turn’ that I wasn’t expecting… and Natasha calling me an idiot after what I said at the wedding makes more sense now that I have all the information.

  “I’m in love with both of you… it’s something I discovered when I was ‘playing girlfriend’ for Cole.” Natasha explains with a breathy voice.

  It looks like my macaroni and cheese is more of a… a… something about a food that goes both ways… damn this is hard, most likely because women aren’t known for fucking foods… a banana maybe? Wait! Hear me out! A man could technically jerk off with the peel while a woman uses the actual banana… after he microwaved the peel, of course… What was I talking about?

  “Tasha…” Cheza coyly replies.

  What follows are the sounds of heavy petting, light moaning, and kissing; while I’m just sitting here, listening to this shit… of course I start jackin’ it! What did you expect!?

  “Jeez, Cole…” Sara says behind me, causing me to silently jump.

  “Stop jerking off in the hallway and just go join them already!” Sara exclaims in a hushed tone.

  “Sara… I believe that this is my house so I have the right to jack it wherever I want.” I calmly explain.

  “However, I shall heed your suggestion.” I add.

  “Right… have fun. I’m going to go get some lunch.” Sara replies.

  “Feel free to take one of the cars, if you want; just make sure to bring your phone.” I tell her.

  “Thanks, Cole.” Sara says and heads downstairs.

  “Think we should go get some whipped cream?” Natasha asks in a sultry tone.

  I immediately stick my dick back in my pants and race downstairs. After throwing open the refrigerator door and reaching into the back to grab the can of whipped cream, I race back upstairs, leaving a trail of clothing in the upstairs hallway as I strip, and knock on the door; I never could have anticipated that I’d ever think this, but I wish I had a banana hammock.

  “Did somebody order whipped cream?” I ask in my best porn star voice while holding up the can. Cheza looks surprised at my appearance before she grabs the can.

  “Yeah, thanks!” Cheza exclaims and shuts the door in my face.

  Well… this is not the outcome I was expecting. I turn around and start to trudge down the hall before four skinny white arms pull me into the room and shut the door.

  …

  The three of us collapse in a heap on the bed in a hot, white, sticky mess… oh, whipped cream; your innuendos will never cease to amuse me. I notice some on Cheza’s chest so I lean over and lick it off.

  “AH! THAT WASN’T WHIPPED CREAM! THAT TOTALLY WASN’T WHIPPED CREAM!” I scream as both of the girls laugh at me. And then I calm down and realize that there isn’t really any taste.

  “Actually, this isn’t too bad! I mean, I wouldn’t drink it by choice, but the overall taste isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would—HKK!” I gag as the taste hits me all at once.

  I can only equate it to the aftertaste of sucking on a roll of pennies while drinking a chalky protein shake. My gagging only has the result of making the girls laugh even harder. As I lie gagging, Cheza stands up and runs to the bathroom; I resist the urge to laugh at the mother of my child for this ironic situation when my phone starts ringing.

  “I should probably get that.” I announce, stand from the bed, and head out into the hall to retrieve my phone from my pants.

  “Hello?” I answer.

  “Hey Cole; we are all done.” Naia informs me as wind rushes past the speaker, slightly breaking up her voice.

  “Alright, are you guys already at the bottom of the stairs?” I ask.

  “Almost; we are gliding down the steps now.” Naia reports.

  “Give me about ten to fifteen minutes and I’ll meet you three there.” I reply.

  “Okay, see you soon.” Naia responds and hangs up.

  I collect my clothes and walk into the bedroom, seeing that Cheza has rejoined Natasha on the bed, and I make a break for the bathroom. I step into the shower and turn it on to wash the stickiness from the whipped cream off of my body. The girls decide to join me and start things again.

  “I can’t; I have to go pick up Ryuji and Naia.” I inform them.

  “We know; this is just for us.” Cheza replies with a surreptitious smile.

  “How are you two not exhausted? We were at it for like four hours.” I inquire.

  “Because frankly, you aren’t that good at your job.” Natasha teases.

  “I was trying my best!” I exclaim.

  “I know you were, honey; just like I was trying my best not to sleep with your brother, but sometimes our best just isn’t good enough.” Cheza replies and Natasha starts laug
hing.

  “Wait, what?” I ask.

  “What?” Cheza asks in a manner that suggests that she didn’t say anything.

  “What?” I question.

  “What…?” Cheza inquires.

  “…What…? Anyway, I need to get going… you two have fun, I guess.” I tell them and step out of the shower.

  After drying off and getting clothed, I touch my triskele and port to the steps leading to the temple in China. Seeing that no one is here, I wait around for a few minutes until the three of them come gliding around the first corner and down the steps. I notice Li’s red wings and realize that this is the first time I’ve seen them.

  “Hey, were you waiting long?” Ryuji asks, his skin having returned to normal.

  “Only a few minutes. Let’s get going.” I reply and hold out my left arm.

  Everyone grabs on and I port us to San Francisco.

  “Thank you for all your help, Master Zhang.” Ryuji says when we arrive back at Li’s place.

  “I promised that I’d train you twenty years ago, and so I have. Stop by and see me whenever you happen to be in town.” Li replies.

  “We will. Thank you, Master Zhang.” Ryuji responds.

  “I’m not your master any longer, Ryuji; just call me Li.” Li says.

  Ryuji looks shocked for a moment before he quickly steps forward and hugs her.

  “Thank you for everything… Li.” Ryuji says, sounding a little choked up.

  Li looks surprised for a moment before sighing and hugging him back.

  “Ryuji… there’s something I need to tell you…” Li whispers.

  “What?” Ryuji asks.

  “The truth is… I knew your father.” Li admits.

  “What…?” Ryuji inquires with confusion.

  “He was Ao Shun… the black Longwang of the north…” Li replies.

  “What about my mother?” Ryuji asks.

  “She was… killed.” Li says; something about her intonation and expression when she said that seemed off…

  “Your father ordered me to take you out of China when the Longwang were coming for him. I arranged passage to the US and dropped you off at an orphanage. Then seven years later, you found your way back into my life.” Li finishes. Ryuji lets this information soak in for a few moments before pulling back to look at Li.

  “I have two questions. First, why did you give me a Japanese name?” Ryuji inquires.

  “To distance the possibility that you might be a dragon. No one would suspect a Chinese dragon to have a Japanese name.” Li explains.

  “Why didn’t you raise me?” Ryuji inquires.

  “I predicted that you would be safer if you weren’t raised by dragons… excuse me; I need to go lie down.” Li says and retreats through the curtain covered doorway on the left wall.

  “Let’s go.” Ryuji quietly says.

  “Just a moment; I need to go ask Li something. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I reply and follow Li through the doorway.

  Past the curtain is a hallway that leads to an apartment. I pass a small kitchen on my right and a living room on my left. I catch a glimpse of a red wing sticking over the top of the couch in the living room whilst passing by, so I back up and enter the room. Li is lying down on the couch, silently crying.

  “Are you fine with letting him believe that his mother is dead?” I softly inquire while leaning against the back of the couch.

  “What do you mean?” Li asks, poorly feigning confusion.

  “We both know that I’m standing next to his mother right now.” I reply.

  “…How?” Li inquires.

  “Something was off about your voice and expression when you said that his mother was killed…” I inform her.

  “Life isn’t as long as you think… you should tell him before the chance is gone forever.” I add as I turn around and walk back down the hall.

  I walk through the curtain to the office where Ryuji and Naia are waiting.

  “All set?” Ryuji asks. A few moments of silence pass as I look at the curtain and sigh.

  “Yeah… let’s get going.” I reply.

  Naia and Ryuji grab my arm and I port them back to their apartment.

  “Are you alright, Ryuji?” Naia asks.

  “Yeah… I mean, this is quite a shock, but I expected that both my parents were probably dead. Anyway, I’m going to go to bed; the events of today have been pretty draining.” Ryuji replies.

  “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” Naia calls out as Ryuji heads down the hall.

  “Hey Cole? Can you do me a favor and port to Shehar to see how my mother is doing? I tried to contact her this morning, but I could not get through. I would ask you to take me with, but I do not feel that Ryuji is as okay as he says he is.” Naia requests.

  “Sure; I’ll go see Tali and ask her to contact you. I kinda want to see that statue of me that she had erected anyway.” I reply.

  “Thank you, Cole!” Naia says and gives me a hug.

  “No problem; see you later.” I tell her as I break away and touch my triskele while thinking of Shehar.

  Chapter 21: Mood Swings Galore

  I arrive in Shehar expecting the sandstone gazebo and Persian spires in the distance, but all I find is darkness. The sandstone gazebo that acts as a gate is partially destroyed and crumbling as it floats through the darkness that I often see in my dreams. I start coughing as the thick miasma that is in the air fills my lungs. My helmet engages and helps me breathe, but something more concerning comes to my attention. The miasma lays thick on my left arm as my fingertips are dyed black and a tingling sensation starts. I feel the same tingling in my right leg as the black slowly moves up my left arm.

  The tingling continues to the flesh of my left shoulder and I realize that I need to get the hell out of here, but I still can’t port for another thirty seconds. The Void starts crawling towards my face as I try to fight it and count the seconds. I focus on thoughts of Cheza: her cool skin, her soft lips, the mandarin orange scent of her hair, the light feeling I get whenever she’s around. Despite my efforts, I feel the Void crawling across my left cheek.

  I’m going to lose it…

  Cheza.

  I land on the floor in my living room, gasping as my helmet disengages. Cheza is on top of me in a flash, taking my face in her hands and pressing her lips to mine. The tingling on my face recedes in the cooling glow of Cheza’s hands. The tingling stops and I notice that my arm is still black… this can’t be a good sign…

  “What was this all about?” Cheza inquires as she stands and helps me up.

  “I don’t know. I was porting to Shehar, but I ended up in the darkness like in my dreams…” but that sandstone gazebo was definitely the same as the one at Shehar… Loki is the only one that could have done this.

  “Cole?” Cheza asks as I run to the bathroom.

  “LOKI! I know you can hear me! What happened to waiting until New Year’s, you bastard!?” I scream at the mirror. Cheza follows me into the bathroom as the lights flicker.

  “Why, if it isn’t Cole and my dear granddaughter Chezarei! What are you screaming about?” Loki asks as he walks into view, like he had been standing in the back of the mirror the whole time.

  “I went to Shehar! I know that you’re responsible for it! What happened to you waiting until after New Year’s!?” I ask.

  “Oh, right… Shehar. Well, I honestly didn’t think you’d realize what had happened until after New Year’s, so I guess that’s my bad.” Loki admits.

  “What did you do to the city!?” I demand.

  “What makes you think it was just Shehar?” Loki asks with a grin as I catch his drift and my eyes widen.

  “Yes, all of Duniya al Jinn is like that. I’ve simply returned the plane to the Void, where it rightfully belongs. Haha! It looks like you took a dip in the pool while you were there! How did you like it!?” Loki exclaims with a maniacal glint in his eyes.

  “You bastard!” I shout.

  “Yes, we
ll it is an acquired taste; you will learn to love it in the coming weeks! I need to be running now. Ta ta!” Loki exclaims and disappears.

  “So you went to Shehar and it’s gone?” Cheza asks, trying to catch up.

  “Yeah… I need to go tell Naia now…” I quietly reply.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” Cheza gently inquires.

  “No… you don’t need to share in the misery. I’ll be back soon.” I reply and touch my triskele.

  “Hello, Cole; back already?” Naia asks as she walks into the living room of the apartment.

  “Naia… you should sit down.” I suggest and Naia stops mid-stride.

  “What is going on?” Naia inquires with a worried expression.

  “It’s gone, Naia…” I tell her. Naia’s legs buckle and she falls into a pile on the floor.

  “My mother is gone…? She is dead…? How!?” Naia cries.

  “Oh boy… it’s not just your mother…” I reply, feeling horrible about telling her this.

  “What do you mean!?” Naia asks through her tears.

  “Loki destroyed all of Duniya al Jinn…” I gently tell her.

  “Wait, so the entire plane is gone…? I am the last jinni…?” Naia inquires before she slips into a state of shock.

  “RYUJI! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!” I shout. Ryuji comes running down the hall a moment later.

  “What’s going on!?” Ryuji asks.

  “Tali is dead and Naia might be the last of the jinn because Loki flooded Duniya al Jinn with the Void; I barely ported out before it could consume me and now my arm’s stuck like this.” I quickly inform him while showing him my black left arm.

  “Tali is dead…?” Ryuji asks with a shocked expression so I roughly grab him by his shirt and smack him with my right hand, halting his reaction.

  “You are not allowed to freak out right now. The only one that can freak out is Naia. Your job is to comfort her. Got it?” I explain while over enunciating every word.

  Ryuji gives me a determined nod, bends over, picks Naia up, and sits her down on the couch before hugging her. Naia comes out of her shock and starts sobbing into Ryuji’s shirt. I sit down on the chair beside the couch and wait for a while until Naia calms down some.