by Porter, Jack
But I had no intention of giving up. This lightning field would have to kill me instead.
I fought my way through the lightning. Each step I took was a step into pain, with one lightning bolt after another striking me. I held my arms up over my head in an effort to escape the worst of it, but it was like touching an electric fence over and over again.
My muscles tightened and the smell of my own burnt flesh rose to invade my senses. My muscles started to tingle, and if I clenched my jaw any tighter, I was sure I would start breaking teeth.
Still, I hadn’t passed out yet, so maybe my body could take a few hits.
Finally, I reached Megan’s crumpled, smoking form.
“Megan! Are you okay?” I shouted, even though I could tell she was not. She was burned, patches of her magnificent hair scorched and ruined, the skin on the side of her face blistered.
Yet she was conscious. More than that, she managed a smile. She reached for me, and I saw she had something grasped in her fist.
“I got it,” she managed, and that was enough.
I found myself shaking my head. “Megan, so help me…” I began, but there was too much going on. Too much lightning and thunder, and if the bolts had left me alone for a moment or two, I had no doubt it wouldn’t stay that way for long.
Without another word, I scooped the wounded redhead into my arms and wrapped her in my golden mist, commanding it to heal her just as it was healing me from the worst of my injuries.
Then I bent myself over her to protect her as much as I could, and made my painful way back out of the field.
The clouds began to dissipate almost as soon as I stepped foot off the lightning field and collapsed to my knees in front of Yua.
The lady monk looked at us with an expression of alarm on her face. “Megan? Dexter? Are you okay?” she asked, her voice filled with real fear.
She looked like she wanted to hurl herself at us, to hold onto us as tightly as she could. But the smell of burning hair and flesh hung heavily in the air, and even I could see the smoke rising from my shoulders, evidence of the lightning that had continued to strike me every step of the way.
I carefully placed Megan on the ground before sitting back on my heels. “Never better,” I managed.
I had a moment to check on Megan, to see that she had suffered no further trauma, before I rolled onto my back intending only to close my eyes for a while.
* * *
“Dex?” someone said.
I didn’t really want to move. Not yet. My body was still in too much pain from the lightning.
“Dex, wake up. You’ve got to see this.”
I let out a groan. I was pretty sure it was Megan talking, which was great, because it meant she was okay. But I really did want to just rest for a while.
Yet I was curious about what it was I had to see. So I hauled my aching, weary body into a seated position and looked.
The island was up to its old tricks again. Where we used to be on the edge of the lightning field, now we were on the edge of a sandy white beach. The waves were gentle, and the sun was bright and warm again, and there were even seagulls calling to each other as they hovered in the air.
If it wasn’t for the lingering pain of my burns and the way my nerves seemed to vibrate, I might have believed that the whole lightning storm thing had been no more than a dream.
It was incredible to see.
Even more incredible, Megan was also sitting up, right next to me, and looking at me with an almost predatory expression, the burns on her face and shoulder already largely healed.
“So. When can we have sex?” she said.
I laughed out loud, but it was all I could do to lean close and place a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Soon. Maybe tomorrow, if you’re up to it. If I’m up to it as well. For now, maybe we should both rest for a bit. Let our burns continue to heal.”
Megan nodded as if in agreement, but was still obviously entranced by the ocean. “I can’t think of a more fitting place to become a goddess,” she said. The sunburst hazel color of her eyes sharpened to settle on Yua, who was seated in the lotus position, facing the both of us. “You’re free to become one with me, if you like.”
To my delight, Yua didn’t shoot her down. The lady monk almost seemed to nod. “We will see,” she said. Then she studied Megan for a moment. “Although, perhaps first, you will let me cut some of your hair. The lightning has damaged it somewhat, although mostly at the ends. Almost half of it still looks fine.”
Megan’s mouth dropped open. “My hair?” She reached up to feel the once silky strands. “Only half though, are you sure?”
Yua nodded. “I think I can make it look good again, if I cut it down to about chin length.”
The redhead swallowed. “I can deal with that, I guess. My ends will be extra curly with all the weight off. As long as I don’t have to shave it.”
Glancing at Yua, I worried she might take offence to the blatant insult to her own hairstyle, but ever the saintly soul, the lady only smiled and shook her head.
“I’ll even give you some bangs. It will be super cute. I’ve tried many hairstyles in the past few hundred years.”
Both Megan and I gaped at her. “You hadn’t always shaved your head?”
“Goodness, no. Even a girl like me tires of the same look after a while. I was actually just thinking I should keep growing it out. Not too long, maybe to my shoulders.”
“That would look wonderful on you,” I murmured, thinking of the self she’d unwittingly presented when our minds melded in the spirit world in our first transition together. “Then again, so does a shaved head.”
She blushed. “Glad you approve. Most men of my time wouldn’t dare associate with a woman who’d shaved her head if she was no longer a monk.”
I wondered about the implications of her words. No longer a monk.
Did that mean she really was prepared to let go of her vows?
“We’re more progressive where I come from. Long or short. Hell, even clean bald. You’re most beautiful when you’re completely comfortable with yourself.”
We spent the next couple of hours twisting some fibrous plants, a hook from one of Megan’s earrings, and a piece of her shorn hair as bait to do some rustic fishing. She seemed to like her new look, her curly hair cut to fall just past her ears in a bob.
We quickly caught a few fish, and Yua actually asked Megan to teach her how to cook them.
I was hard pressed not to laugh, watching the woman who could slice a Vulox in half without a blink of her eyes squirm and shriek as she scaled and gutted one of the smaller fish.
“It’s hard not to feel shame for enjoying this meal,” Yua said casually after we’d eaten. “I know times have changed and that the vows of my past are not the end all I thought them to be.” Her hands spread wide, indicating first myself and then the island as proof. “Still, I did enjoy it. I believe too, I’ll enjoy what comes next for me.”
“And what is that?” I asked. “What’s the next conquest in your journey of self-discovery.”
Yua blinked and looked down, wringing the hem of her kimono between her fingers.
“I’m not sure. I know now that my path leads me to being one of your crystal goddesses. Zavier is up to no good, and I know you need all the power you can get, Dexter. But I’m not sure I’m ready for that step. Is it wrong that I take my time? That I desire to be human for a little while longer?”
“Not wrong at all,” I exclaimed, at the same time as Megan answered, “That is absolutely fair!”
“We have mine and Piper’s crystals now,” Megan said, scooting over in the sand so she could interlock fingers with Yua. “And I know we’re bound to find the sleeping goddesses soon. Otherwise, Zavier wouldn’t have tried to offer Dexter his version of a treaty, crappy as it was. So, you take all the time you need.”
Megan paused and glanced at the fire. “However, I am kind of in a rush to become a goddess myself. I promised I’d rest tonight after being hit
by the lightning, but tomorrow morning all bets are off!”
I was still recovering from my own burns as well, but knew I would be good to go when Megan was. But there was something that needed to be sorted out first.
“That space we discussed earlier, Yua,” I said. “Would you be willing to give that to Megan and me tomorrow?”
Yua blinked in understanding. “Of course. I’d always intended to hunt for seashells tomorrow morning.” She winked, somehow managing to aim it at both Megan and me at the same time.
I chuckled and settled down in the warm sand, loving the way its powder-like softness welcomed my weary bones.
Soon after, Megan came over to snuggle into my side. “I’m excited about tomorrow. Today marks the end of three weeks since we left home to find my crystal. I was growing impatient.”
I couldn’t see her freckled face because she was rolling over to soak my warmth into her back instead, but I could hear the smile forming on her lips and knew she really was excited.
“I’m going to sleep now,” she said. “This human wants to be fully rested for her morning activities.”
Chuckling as she nestled her ass into my hip, I allowed my eyes to droop too, at least until I felt Yua’s presence inch closer.
“Dexter?”
“Hmm?” I peeked one eye open to watch her shadowy form dance from foot to foot. Obviously, she had something on her mind, but was having second thoughts. “Talk to me, Yua. You can tell me anything.”
Her expression relaxed, and she stopped pacing. “I know. I was just thinking about the other day in the spirit realm. Remember when you offered to meet me halfway and find a balance between our growing bond that didn’t involve me becoming a goddess right away?”
My mouth went inexplicably dry. So many ways to show Yua a good time without making her a goddess flitted through my mind at once.
“I remember,” I said simply, not trusting myself not to let those fantasies slip.
“I was wondering if we could start by sleeping together. Just sleeping, I mean,” she amended when my eyebrows rose. “The other girls often took turns sleeping in your igloo, and I was always kind of jealous. But I didn’t act on it because I worried that my fear of how strongly I felt for you would make me do something before I was ready.” Yua paused, then giggled nervously. “Silly, huh?”
Kain help me.
“Not at all,” I answered. I cleared my throat, trying to dislodge the dirty thoughts attempting to filter themselves through my words. I shifted to my back, offering the arm not currently wrapped around Megan to Yua.
“Here, come on over. I’m not going to bite.”
Yua grinned with a boldness I didn’t expect from her. Though I probably should have, considering what happened up on the canyon ledge. She slid out of her kimono and left it in a puddle at her feet before easing herself down half next to me, half on top of me.
This, I thought, was going to be a long night.
Twenty-Three
If anything, that quickie with Megan not long ago hindered more than helped. My need to turn both Yua and Megan into goddesses now was driving me mad.
Tossing and turning between the two gorgeous ladies, who somehow slept soundly through all my ruckus, I eventually concluded that my boner was not going to go away.
I also knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I got laid. So, I just closed my eyes and tried to focus on my healing a bit more instead.
Maybe a trip to the spirit world would help me pass the time, I thought. I didn’t need Yua’s help to get there now, and my body no longer seemed to feel the effects of mental exhaustion it once had as I explored without my physical body.
The only thing that made me hesitate was a dull crystal headache behind my eyeballs. But it wasn’t as bad as back home. I did not fear I’d pass out. Hannah and Layla were doing a fantastic job of drawing magic through me at a rate that kept me from overdosing on it.
Maybe I would even take out a few of those Vulox pests, just to practice.
Within moments, I was stepping out of my body like walking through a doorway. I found there was no need to even equalize this time. It was second nature to me, and everything about my presence here felt right.
After having a quick look around and mentally sweeping the area for Zavier’s dark presence, I found the nearest red pathway and stepped through.
At first, the areas I traveled were mostly clear of Vulox clusters. It was only when I reached what was previously Thornarm’s domain that I found anything worth my attention.
I fought with vigor, using my sword in my right hand, and raw crystal magic in the other to clear the pests who surrounded me like vultures.
Hours passed, and I suspected it was just past midnight back in the physical world, but still I was feeling good. Not just good, but absolutely on the top of my game as I slashed and zapped.
Tuning in to my physical body now and then, I heard Megan mumbling something about chicken nuggets in her sleep and snorted a laugh. I didn’t see the thin string of a yellow pathway until I was almost upon it.
“What the hell?” I mused, drawing closer. But there was nothing there.
No planet. No island.
But maybe there once was?
There was no time like the present to find out.
The tiny stream of yellow current thrummed through my being, beckoning me with faint whispers of past truths and the promise of adventure.
Who was I to say no?
I stepped inside and let out a gasp at the sheer speed at which this current carried me. I crossed vast distances in a moment, and I instinctively stretched my awareness out wide, searching for what may be at the end of this path.
Shock settled over my skin as I realized my awareness pinged off that of another.
Zavier.
I pulled my awareness back like a hand that had been struck by a snake and hid it deep within myself, shielding my presence from the expected powerful wave of darkness that blew past me.
Another moment and it retreated, slowly, as if tired and confused.
That’s right, Zavier. Nothing is wrong. You probably just imagined it. Maybe a little too jumpy, huh? I thought with a knowing smirk. Damn, it felt good to be on the offensive for once.
All at once, I had ideas in my head about creeping up on Zavier and giving him a taste of his own medicine. Ruffling his feathers a bit.
But even as I clenched my hands into fists at my side, I waved that impulse away, at least to begin with. However, a little recon mission would not go amiss. It might be good to see what kind of god Zavier was behind closed doors.
It might help me anticipate his next moves. Maybe I could even find out what he had planned for me and my goddesses.
A little tap into my physical body told me things were still fine there. The magic of this place didn’t distort time for me. Maybe it never would again, like with learning how to connect with my physical body, I just knew how the pathways worked now. And, like riding a bike, once you learned how, you never forgot again.
With caution, I let my senses stretch out in front of me, but carefully, so as not to alert Zavier to my presence again.
When I felt the startling brush of not Zavier’s darkness, but tangible land, I strode from the stream into the dark god’s space, and gasped out loud.
My spirit body had stepped onto what I could only call paradise. It was how I might imagine heaven to look, with blue and purple flowers scattered around the lush grassy hillside. To my right was a stone footpath that led in multiple directions, one of which appeared to be winding down toward a fountain.
It was glowing gold, and the water shimmered iridescently.
Magic. I was sure of it. It called to me, saying come, take a drink, new god, and taste the power I can bestow upon you.
It tempted me. I even took a few steps in the fountain’s direction before spotting the wider brick path that led to what I was really after.
A palace so grand and ominous looking, it could only belong
to one person. Made of black brick, it was decorated with statues of faces I both knew and didn’t.
As I drew closer, I found that there were inscriptions below each one, some short and sweet, others long-winded and rambling.
It was if each god had written it themselves.
What struck me as odd was that the ground underneath each statue was slightly uneven.
Holy shit. They’re graves, I realized. Really old graves.
The eleven gods and their goddesses lay in eternal peace surrounding the multi-domed structure of Zavier’s home.
That asshole was displaying them like trophies!
I had half a mind to storm in and start destroying his belongings, eradicating him from this ancient place as he did for the others. It took a moment of several deep breaths to calm down and stop seeing red.
Damn it, though, this guy was asking for it.
I did, however, still go in and have a quiet look around.
The palace was even more grandiose on the inside, with paintings paying homage to its owner. Zavier creating a star. Zavier defeating an unidentifiable creature in battle.
The hall seemed to be full of paintings of his accomplishments. A testament to his power.
One in particular elicited a growl from me. A feast with all the gods and goddesses present. All except Kain and his wife. It appeared to be a celebration of their new supreme ruler, after Kain’s death.
Zavier himself stood at the head of the long, elegant table. He had a glass of wine in his hand and was raising it in a toast to himself.
I fought to roll my eyes, but then something strange happened. Colors within the canvas started to twirl and morph, revealing the scene to me as if I were watching a movie.
The other gods and goddesses were raising their own glasses to their lips. They looked no more thrilled about the idea of Zavier as a supreme god than I was. Except, the contents in their glasses differed from Zavier’s. Their wine took on a golden, swirling sheen, like the water of the spring outside.
One by one, every other member at the banquet lay their head down on the table before Zavier turned and walked away.
