Ahn knew Anais’s insecurities, her weaknesses, the things that she cried about at night. One of her greatest nightmares was playing out before her and for the first time in a very long time, Ahn wanted to soothe that look off her face. The look that said her mother was snatching the little bit of power Anais held, upstaging her in her moment. Her bottom lip trembled and she averted her eyes from her mother only to have them meet with Ahn’s.
For a moment, a second, all of the affection between them came rushing in like white rapids, like a water swept dam and it felt real, effervescent, immortal and damned good. But then Anais set her shoulders, raised her head and it was all over. Ahn scoffed. Anais didn’t believe in vulnerability and Ahn didn’t have the time to comfort her. He didn’t have the time to tell her she could be vulnerable and no one would think she was powerless. And even if that came, if she lost the power she treasured above all else, she would still have power over him.
“Leader Ahn.”
Ahn tore his eyes from Anais to look at her mother. Khavah held power in her gaze and he felt the weight of it on his shoulders, all over his body, in his blood. He felt her power down to his soul.
Out of a loyalty he’d felt since birth, Ahn dropped to a knee and bent his head. “Yes, Great Mother.”
“If humans pray…”
That sentence had been drummed into him since he was a young man and was being handed a position that would take him years to understand. He couldn’t forget it, even if he tried.
“Watchers watch,” he intoned, his eyes glued to the golden swirls in the marble floor.
She walked towards him until she was hovering over his kneeled form. “Yet somehow it seems that prayer would have been wiser in this situation,” Khavah counseled. She turned to the rest of the tribunal. “I’m allowing Leader Ahn to be released into my expressed custody. We already know what happened and I doubt we’ll get any more out of him at this rate. Any further inquiry at the moment will not bring Jin Amaris back.”
Anais was livid, the storm on her face now a boiling rage. “You’re letting him go? You cannot be serious!”
“For the time being, yes.”
“This–this is ridiculous!”
“Anais,” Khavah yelled. Her eyes flashed red and she glared at her daughter. “Ban'm zòrèy mwen tanpri! Be quiet and sit down!”
Timnath-Heres grew silent. The Dantòs would slip into their noble language, Creole, whose creation they inspired, when they were emotional or in Khavah’s case, very angry. It was well known.
Anais took a step back, the anger gone and replaced by fear. “I…I didn’t mean to upset you, I just…,” she said, her voice shaking.
Her mother sighed and closed her eyes. When they opened, they were their brilliant green shade again. “It’s alright, Anais. Tensions are high. You and I will meet again very soon to discuss a plan of action and discipline,” she said with meaning, her eyes flashing at Ahn. In a whiff of perfume and fabric she turned towards the grand entrance of Timnath-Heres, her family, save Anais, scrambling to escort her out. She held her hand up, stopping them. “Comfort your sister,” she said softly to Kano, Yusuf and Pythia Phi. “You know how she gets. Ahn, Bon Baji, Parker, Seff, with me.”
Ahn didn’t have to be told twice. A guard came to him and powered down the golden shackles around his wrist and he took a step down from the podium. Before he could take a step away from it, Dennes’ soft voice reached out to them. “And just where do you plan to impose this transfer of custody?”
“Where else?” Khavah said, smiling over her shoulder at the High Priest. “Au Courant.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Au Courant
Elysian, Caelian Realm
Ahn wasn’t the best with keeping up with time. An hour could feel like a second or it could feel like forever. He didn’t keep time, he flowed with it. However, while he was incarcerated, time slowed. His visitors had been sparse, the flow of news and information was almost non-existent and the only thing he had to keep him focused were the books from his office, stacked high in his glass cell. He’d often talk to the stacks as if there were real people, working out the details of his plans, the setbacks, the opportunities, and the overall goal. Of course, they never answered back. They didn’t know anything about conspiracies, anyways.
Time began again the moment Ahn took his first steps back on Au Courant, his home.
Things continued on Au Courant during his time away. Mrs. Dodson was at the door waiting for them, her pointer and middle finger of her forehead in greeting as she bowed her head.
“Welcome back, sir,” she said as Ahn crossed the threshold. “Charit’aa has a cup of your favorite tea waiting for you in your sitting room.”
Khavah shook her head.” He won’t need that right now. Tell Charit’aa instead to have all of the servants keep one hundred paces away from the Prayer Room. The Astral Guards fifty paces.” Her gaze touched Bon Baji, Parker, and Seff, before stopping at him. “We have things to discuss.”
The four of them were always following Khavah Dantò. They had in their youth and they continue it to this day. They followed her from the grand foyer of Au Courant down through the hallways, by the main sitting room, through the library until they reached the door for the Prayer Room.
No one ever questioned why the room was called a Prayer Room. It was a practice they were unfamiliar with. There were rumors that some of the human servants would sneak into the room for their own worship when they could not make it down to Be’er Sheeba’s Row of Holies–different sanctuaries for different religions.
It did have a particular undeniable energy to it. Maybe it was the wide open space that led out to the garden or the scent the freshly shined hardwood floors gave off. Passages from the Bible and the Torah and the Koran littered the walls, scrolls of Enoch and of Abraham–the stories of angels told by humans–so it did make sense that humans would wonder here for their devotion.
Ahn made his way to a prayer cushion. Five had been set out, one at the head of the room and four others. As he took a seat, he recognized that the other cushions were a step behind his, quite possibly the only signifier of leadership he had left.
“Now,” Khavah huffed as took a seat at her cushion, rubbing the back of her neck tiredly. “I want you all to know that the only thing I’ve done by sequestering Ahn here is to delay the inevitable. The twelve houses are going to want to rip you apart, bless The Creator, and the Hakimus, too! Especially when Nuntii delivers their summary of today’s events. Anais is not going to make this easier for you with them either. I’ve dispatched Vethi and Penume to keep an eye on her. She’s out for blood. Not that I can’t say she doesn’t have good reason.”
Ahn smiled tightly. “Anais always gets what she wants. The entire realm revolves around the need to satisfy every complexity and whim of that woman’s life.” He relaxed his smile and bowed his head to Khavah. “She’s a blessing to us all, of course.”
Khavah gave him an unimpressed frown. “I know how my daughter operates, Ahn. No need to mince words. If anyone is going to break you over the knee to get an answer as to why you thought it was necessary to stab a human guest in front of the entire population of Caeli without authorization, it’ll be her.”
“Let’s not stop at her,” Bon Baji spoke up. “I’m sure I speak for the rest of The Above in wanting to know as well. Leader Ahn, the floor is yours.”
“Well, if any of you besides Seff visited me while I was in my lovely glass hell, I could have explained it to you,” Ahn hissed over his shoulder.
“I’m under the presumption that what Ahn said in his testimony was true. The three of you knew nothing about this?”
Bon Baji bowed, her forehead glancing the floor. “That’s an understatement, your Imperial Holiness.”
“Creator, be still. We’re alone, Bon Baji. You can stop kissing my ass.” She reached up and carefully removed the black gele headdress, revealing a short crop of tightly coiled white hair. “That’s so much better,�
�� she sighed.
“This may be presumptuous of me to ask but why did you present yourself as Winter Dantò? Everyone is so familiar with Summer Dantò, even Autumn Dantò,” Parker inquired from his seat.
“Favoritism,” she answered as she grabbed a long-handled comb to scratch her scalp. “I wanted to show the tribunal that I wasn’t going to come down here, slap Ahn on the hand and go about my day. I needed to show some sort of power…without letting them know I was in on this from the beginning.”
“That was wise,” Seff replied.
“I am wise, Seff,” Khavah said with a small smile. “Let’s discuss where this went wrong– namely you, Ahn. As I recall, the plan was to bring Jin Amaris back to Caeli for observation to see how successful a demarcation event would be for Aria. Now, not only do I not have Aria, the meat case she was in is now a pillar of salt. Do you know how dangerous a demarcation event is when both parties are unreachable? So Ahn, explain.”
Ahn held his hands up. “Okay, in my defense, the extraction of Aria’s soul would have killed Jin anyways. I may have saved her life…kind of.”
“He has a point,” Seff added.
“No, he does not,” Parker said. “That was a possibility, not a probability.”
“You want to deal in numbers right now, Parker? Ripping Aria’s soul from Jin would have been like prying teeth out of someone’s mouth with a crowbar. She wasn’t ready and I don’t think she would have ever been,” Seff looked at Ahn. “Her surviving was an improbability.”
“But not impossible. Aria and Jin’s souls were one, which means that Jin’s soul was more than likely just as prepared as Aria’s was.”
“Yes, we know, however, you, nor I, nor Ahn or Bon Baji are Aria Jinni or Jin Amaris. So to speak on either of their behalfs is ridiculous. I’m not defending Ahn. I’m saying we don’t know what we are doing. I know you’re the smartest of us all, Parker, but you aren’t that smart.”
“Yes, Seff, I am the smartest so don’t presume I haven’t studied.”
Seff laughed. “Ahn studied and look where it got him.”
Khavah held a hand up. “Children, children. Please. I didn’t bring you here to bicker.”
“We wouldn’t be bickering if Ahn hadn’t strayed from the plan,” Bon Baji retorted.
Ahn looked at her, his anger making him shake. “And I wouldn’t have strayed from the plan if I didn’t believe the people I work with would laugh at my ideas!”
“That is because they are laughable!”
“Because you don’t agree with my actions does not automatically deem the plan ineffective. Jin Amaris is here, spiritual mass belonging to Aria has been detected within her, and her sword looks as if it was forged yesterday. Something happened. Something big. And I’m going to find out what.”
Khavah raised a brow. “What makes you so confident that you can?”
Ahn fisted his hands on his knees. “Because I’m not a monster. I didn’t sacrifice Jin Amaris for this not to work.” He stood slowly and bowed. “This will work. One way or another.”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Discord: Walled City: Kwonloon Nuh
Time: Unknown
“Because, my love,” Onyu said, “she is you and you are her. You are Aria Jinni.”
After the revelation, Onyu stared at Jin as if Jin was supposed to react in some way other than the blank look she was giving. Jin decided to offer her something.
Laughter.
“You find this amusing,” Onyu stated, her brow raised, her arms across her chest, thin fingers tapping against her arm.
“It’s funny as hell! What were you expecting?”
“I was expecting surprise. I just told you that you are the recycled soul of a woman who helped save a whole realm.”
“And that means absolutely nothing to me. There’s your surprise!” she cried, waving her arms. “You could tell me I’m the last living relative of Christ and I wouldn’t be able to drum up the strength to be surprised. At this point, it takes more energy to not.”
Onyu frowned. “That’s not how I want you to think. There should be questions. I want you to question things.”
“Trust me, O’ Blind One, I have questions. But one thing I’ve learned is you people are very great at not answering them! I’m not blindly accepting anything you say, so don’t get comfortable. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. That’s what Benja’in-su said, right? I have to play by your rules?”
“Benja’in-su is one of the smarter ones.”
“I bet,” Jin replied. “So,” she said as she relaxed back into her chair and put her hands behind her head. “How did I end up becoming the holy recycle bin for Aria? You know, she should be more grateful. She tried to stab me in the face.”
“I understand the temptation,” Onyu said, saccharine sweet. “No one knows why you house Aria’s soul. I sure as hell don’t get it. There’s nothing special about you. You can’t fight, your negotiating skills are flat out the worst I’ve ever witnessed and as far as I’ve seen, your spiritual powers only present themselves when your adrenaline levels reach a certain point. That’s perfect for battle…but you can’t fight.”
Jin maneuvered through Onyu’s long-winded trail of insults to zone in on one thing. “Wait. You’re mistaken. I don’t have any powers, spiritual or whatever.”
Onyu smiled. “What happened to giving me the benefit of the doubt? Why would I lie to you about something like that?”
“Lying would be suggesting that you’re being misleading on purpose. I said you’re mistaken. Benefit of the doubt is not blind trust. Last time I blindly trusted you, you sliced my hand open.”
“Ah, I forget. You’re one who needs evidence of the empirical kind. Come with me. I’ll show you.” Onyu stood and pushed her braid over her shoulder. As she turned towards the door, Jin caught a whiff of her fragrance–wild cherries and a hint of something else. Weird. She hadn’t smelled it the day before. Maybe Onyu was wearing perfume.
“Are you coming?”
“Possibly,” Jin said, warily. “Does going with you through that door guarantee that I get another sneak preview of the various ways my bedroom can be decorated?”
“You’ve always had a choice, Jin. You can stay here for as long as you want. You don’t have to go home. But if you do want to go home, you’ll have to accept my help. My help requires you to trust me. I can help you but you have to keep moving.”
Jin took a step forward but stopped, not sure what was preventing her from following.
“Look, the worst thing that can happen is a nauseating fist fight with some Feng Shui. The best,” Onyu said, holding out her hand,” is enlightenment.”
Jin shrugged. She has a point.
Discord was a harmony of dissonance just like its name. It was the grimmest, dirtiest thing Jin had ever seen. They stepped out into the hallway of a walled city. Jin couldn’t tell that from just looking at her surroundings, but a sign was bolted to the wall opposite her door, the words “Walled City–Kowloon Nuh” faded under a layer of dirt.
“Nuh is the main walled city of Discord. There are twenty-four others but none as big as this one.”
“This…this is where you all live?” Jin said, yelping when a rat crawled across her foot.
“I understand this doesn’t touch the splendor of Elysian but your home is what you make it. The removal of certain things allows us to concentrate on keeping Discord spiritually healthy. It’s not so bad once you get used to it. We never want for anything, because everything we need is right here.”
“Dirt must be really popular, huh?”
Onyu began down a corridor that stretched farther than Jin could see. After some time, they would hit a corner, the incline lowering gradually the longer they walked. After an hour of walking in that manner, Jin started to believe that Onyu was leading her in circles for the fun of it.
As they traveled, they passed by residents of Nuh. They were dressed in some of the most beautiful dresses and suits Jin had e
ver seen. Everything was absolute finery–silks and expensive cotton in vivid colors, beautiful intricate hairstyles, and glittering jewelry. Yet everything they wore was filthy, smudges of dirt and soot, from their clothes to their shoes. Onyu was the only one whose clothing was clean.
They turned another corner and Benja’in-su’s head popped out of a condo doorway like a turkey timer. Three other heads popped out with her, their eyes full of curiosity and wonder. She could hear the whispers of “See I told you!” and “That’s her!”
Benja’in-su waved as Jin approached, delighted. “You made it out!”
“Yeah,” Jin said, somewhat surprised herself. “I made it out,” she looked around, “into…this.”
“You’ll get used to it,” a Morg’ah’nee said, her smile full of black teeth like Benja’in-su and so wide her eyes turned into crescents. She wore a dazzling sunset yellow pantsuit that had smeared dirt all over it. “Hi, I’m Ro-byn La’Gale.”
“Soon you won’t see the dirt and grime,” another Morg’ah’nee said. “When you don’t expect it, it disappears. Sort of like how Benja’in-su’s dress and robe probably looked pristine to you inside your quarters.” She had red hair done a voluminous pouf wrapped in silver and gold wire from the base to the tip. “It’ll just look…I don’t know, normal?”
“Ambuh-dee is right. You won’t even see it.” Benja’in-su said, nodding. “If you don’t believe us, ask Lyse, she’s been here the longest,” Benja’in-su pointed, looking up at the third Morg’ah’nee, who wore purple boots with large spikes that shot out from the ankle. “Tell her how the grime looks like flowers now or how the trees are alive with the stories they tell.”
Lyse’s face brightened up and her purple lipstick changed color to a bright green. “Oh, yes, yes, yes! The grime looks like flowers now! The trees are alive with the stories they–”
A Third of the Moon and the Stars Struck Page 17
