An Imperceptible Ruse Indeed (The Gods' Executioner Series) (22 page)

“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.

“Y
eah… 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 b
astard!” I shout.

“Yes, well 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 i
s 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.

“Cole… can you take us to see Lady Isis? I want to see Milady… can you take us to see her?” Naia
requests when some speech faculties return to her.

“Sure. Let’s go.
” I gently reply.

I grab
Naia’s hand and picture the three of us standing in Isis’s room. Looks like Horus’s power gives me direct access to Duat as well.

“Cole! It’s been quite some time! And Na—Naia, dear? What’s wrong?” Isis warmly greets before becoming concerned when she sees
Naia’s state.

“My mother is dead and I a
m the last jinni alive!” Naia replies while starting up the sobbing as she runs over to Isis.

“What’s going on?” Isis asks me as she holds Naia.

“Loki destroyed Duniya al Jinn. Shehar is gone, and as far as I can tell, so are all of the jinn.” I reply.

“Loki? Could he have anything to do with…” Isis trails off.

“Could Loki have anything to do with what?” I inquire.

“Ra, the other head of the Egyptian pantheon, was killed two days ago. Apparently he was killed in the manner that Horus was
; Osiris thought you were behind it until I checked with Hel and she told me that you were in Niflheim at the time of the murder. Everyone is a bit on edge since Osiris is the only pantheon head left.” Isis explains.

My gut instinct is to blame Isis for the murder of Ra based on their relationship in the Egyptian mythos, but I doubt that she would do something like that… right?

“Well, if Ra had his core absorbed, then Loki definitely had something to do with it. He supplied Hades with the weapon that he used to absorb the cores of the other heads of the Greek pantheon four years ago.” I reply.

“Oh, yeah
; I had forgotten about that. Didn’t you help them out and kill Hades?” Isis asks.

“Yeah, I did and then I named the new heads of the pantheon to restore the power balance.” I answer.

“How did you manage that without eradicating the Greek pantheon?” Isis inquires.

“Trade secret. Anyway, I need to get home. Is it alright for Naia and Ryuji to stay here for a few days?” I ask.

“Of course! Osiris actually isn’t here at the moment so everything will be fine in that regard.” Isis replies.

“Alright; just give me a call somehow when you two are ready to head back.” I tell them.

“How?” Ryuji asks.

“Well, at the very least Isis can contact
Hel to contact me so no worries.” I reply.

“Okay. T
hanks, Cole.” Ryuji responds.

“Just take care of Naia.” I whisper to him and
port back to my house.

I appear in the living room to find Natasha and Sara eating dinner in the kitchen.

“Where’s Cheza?” I ask.

“She got nauseous when she smelled the food so she decided to go to bed without dinner.” Sara answers.

“Alright, I guess I’ll head up too.” I reply.

“Are you sure, Cole? All you’ve had to eat today was breakfast, some whipped cream, and a little bit of extra protein.” Natasha comments with a smug grin.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” I say while glaring at her.

I retreat upstairs to the master bedroom and prepare for bed before sliding in next to Cheza.

“How did things go with Naia?” Cheza mumbles in a state of half sleep.

“About as well as you can expect
for someone who just found out that her entire race has been wiped out. I ported her and Ryuji to Duat to see Isis; they’re going to stay there for a few days.” I reply as I wrap my arm around her.

“That’s good… poor Naia…”
Cheza whispers while snuggling into me.

“Yeah
… hopefully Isis and Ryuji will help her find some peace…” I whisper back as I drift off to sleep.

…

[December 30th]

I’m awakened at 12:33
am when Cheza farts. I simply ignore it and go back to bed, but then it happens again. And again. And again. And again. It finally stops for just over a minute before one occurs that reminds me of the sound of a blue whale farting underwater and I chuckle slightly.

“Airi, I swear if Cheza catches wind…
haha… of how I mentioned that any part of her resembles a whale, I’ll… I don’t know if I can hurt you, but since you reside in my head, I’ll start huffing glue or something.”

(I wouldn’t do that to you, Master)

“Sorry, Cole…” Cheza sheepishly says. I think she may have misinterpreted my chuckle for something else… a cough perhaps?

“Don’t worry about it; this is a pregnancy thing, right?” I confirm.

“Yeah… should I light a candle?” Cheza asks.

“Dear god
s woman! Are you trying to kill us all!? With the amount of methane in this room, the smallest spark will blow up the entire second floor!” I exclaim and chuckle to myself to let her know that I’m kidding. The temperature in the room suddenly drops by about twenty degrees.

“Cheza?” I cautiously ask.

“Out.” She mumbles.

“What?” I ask.

“GET THE FUCK OUT! ARE YOU DEAF!? GODS! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH AN ASSHOLE!?” Cheza screams and I recoil back so hard that I fall out of the bed.

“Cheza, honey, I’m sorry; it was just a poorly
timed joke.” I try to calmly explain… because history has taught me that calm explanations and Cheza’s anger go along so well!

“I DON’T CARE! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” Cheza screams.

“Who makes jokes at their pregnant wife’s expense!?” Cheza asks as she starts crying.

“Cheza, I wasn’t trying to make a joke at your expense; I was trying to make things less awkward!” I explain.

“No you weren’t! You just don’t care, do you!?” Cheza cries.

“Of course I care about you! I love you, Cheza; you know that’s true
. You’re just being a little hormonal right now.” I calmly say and immediately wish I hadn’t.

(Yeah… remember how we’re supposed to avoid words like ‘irrational’? Hormonal is another one of those words)

“Get out.” Cheza says through barely contained fury.

“Wait, I didn’t mean that!” I exclaim.

Three small ice daggers are thrown and sink into my torso: one in my navel, one in my left shoulder, and one through my right nipple.

“Right, getting out.” I gasp out as my right lung deflates.

I stagger out into the hallway and down the hall to the bathroom. I grit my teeth, yank the three daggers out, and toss them in the sink to let them melt.

“Are you alright, Cole?” Natasha asks from the doorway.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine… can you go sleep with Cheza?” I request.

“Sure. Go ahead and sleep in my bed.” Natasha offers.

“Thanks, I think I’ll do that.” I reply as Natasha walks down the hall towards the master bedroom. I hear the door open and then close as Natasha heads inside.

“Natasha…” Cheza whines. “Why does he have to be such an asshole?”

“There, there; I know.” Natasha replies, presumably while climbing into bed to comfort Cheza.

I walk across the hall and enter the guest bedroom. I flop down on the bed and turn over to try and get some sleep.
The smell emanating from the pillow gets me thinking: the banana seems more attractive than the orange when the orange just gave you three stab wounds.

…

The next morning at the breakfast table, Cheza gives me the cold shoulder… literally, she freezes my left shoulder. I guess she’s still angry at me… but at least I know what I did! Am I right, fellas!?