by Kirk Zurosky
“We both know it is time,” I replied, turning to the old monk and placing a hand on his shoulder. “But maybe you could teach me that little trick you just did. I did not hear you, smell you, or sense you. How did you do that?”
“Does the young pup want to learn a few new tricks from the old dog?” Lobsang said with a generous smile.
“I am not such a young pup,” I said, staring into eyes full of age and wisdom. Suddenly, I was not so sure that Lobsang was not my senior. “But yes,” I said. “I would.”
“After the great feast I will show you a few things I have learned,” Lobsang said. “Then you can leave in the morning. Family first, school second, yes?”
“Yes, but you really don’t have to go through all the trouble to have a great feast just for my leaving,” I said.
“Oh, it is not for you at all—the great feast will follow the ceremony where Choden will be united with his chosen one.”
I looked at Choden, who appeared a bit sheepish and also quite nervous. I chuckled to myself. I was quite the expert when it came to wedding ceremonies—to say nothing of divorces! “When do I get to meet your chosen one?” I asked him. Just at that moment Sonam entered the training chamber and bowed to Master Lobsang.
Choden laughed. “You already have.”
“I have?” I said confused. “I’ve really just met Sonam—”
“Not her,” Choden said. “Sonam is my sister.”
“I did not see that coming,” I said. “So, that just leaves Norbu, but Norbu is a man . . .”
“Indeed I am,” said Norbu. “Thanks for noticing.”
“Have you ever been with a man in the bedchambers?” Choden asked.
“Well, no,” I sputtered.
“Then how do you know that you would not like being with one?”
I felt my face grow flushed, which Sonam seemed to enjoy thoroughly. “For the same reason you like Norbu, I like women.”
“Well, with all the stories you have told about those ex-wives, perhaps you should try being with a man, because it might finally work out for you,” Norbu said helpfully.
“Probably not,” Choden chimed in. “He passed on me, and who does that?”
“Leave him alone, Choden,” Sonam said, giving her brother a playful slap on the arm. “Sirius has hope in his heart, so I bet he will find his chosen one.”
“Thank you,” I said, clasping her hand firmly. “We are all just searching for that person to connect with, and the lucky ones find their match to lie down with every night.”
“And I am lucky to lie down every night with Norbu!” Choden exclaimed. Norbu fairly melted into Choden’s arms, and they embraced.
I turned to Sonam and smiled. “Let’s give them their time with Master Lobsang,” I said.
Sonam had not let go of my hand. “It is the respectful thing to do,” she agreed. And with that, Sonam and I departed the training chamber with Garlic trailing us, leaving Norbu and Choden to share a final moment with Master Lobsang before their chosen-one ceremony. As we walked, the monastery was bustling with the activity of the monks preparing for Choden and Norbu’s ceremony.
“This ceremony is going to be quite the party,” I said to Sonam. “Where does the actual ceremony take place?”
“The Forge of Souls,” she answered as we crowded against the wall of the passageway to let some monks carrying trays of elaborate golden goblets pass. Sonam and I were thrust together for a moment as we both moved in the same direction to avoid a wayward female monk who was struggling to keep her tray from crashing to the floor. Sonam’s hand went to my chest and I found myself holding her in my arms. She squeezed the muscles under her grip with a coy glance, and we continued on our way. We both liked what had just happened.
“I think the Forge of Souls is the only place I have not seen in the monastery,” I said as we neared my chamber.
Sonam nodded, pausing before my chamber door. “Only Disciples of the Dagger of Dorje are allowed to enter the Forge of Souls,” she said. “Except on special occasions such as this, an exception is made as Choden and Norbu want you to be there.”
“I am honored,” I said, having thoroughly enjoyed my time with the two men.
“You should be,” Sonam quipped. “You are only the second non-disciple to enter the Forge of Souls in the last thousand years.”
“Really?” I said. “Who was the first?”
“The Master of Masters, Hedley Edrick,” she said, pushing through the door.
“Well, that figures,” I said, following behind her.
“I want to thank you Sirius Sinister, because if you hadn’t come into my life, I might not have realized that Kunchen was not worthy of me,” she said. “And the funny thing is, all along I had misgivings that our choosing of one another was wrong in some way. That we were not equal parts of the same whole. And because he constantly berated me, I thought the weaker, inferior half of our coupling was me! But now I know, as sure as I know the great mountain Langtang Lirung rises toward the sky, that it was Kunchen who was not my equal!”
“You are right about that,” I said. “But still, that is an awful way to realize your chosen one is not the person you thought they were. I can relate! Sometimes, for whatever reason, we choose to be with someone who ultimately is not so good for us. A person who does not make us our highest, best self, eventually teaches us by their selfish actions to know what our highest, best self really is.”
“You sound like Master Lobsang,” Sonam replied with a smile.
“That’s not good,” I said with a laugh.
“Speaking of good,” Sonam said, reaching a hand up to my face to stroke my cheek, “does it always feel so good every time to join with another?”
“Well, it always does with me,” I said without thinking. I saw Garlic look at me, her little black eyes wide. She snorted and went to lie down in the corner. She had seen this particular scene play out one or a hundred times in the past.
“You mean it felt so good because I was with you?” Sonam continued. “Do you please all the women you are with?”
I thought for a moment. Aside from the evil incarnate known as Bloodsucker Number One, the answer to her question was a resounding—yes! Even before Persephone enchanted and elongated me, that was the case. Heck, the Winter Witch wanted to cut off my magical member if she couldn’t have me! And the Queen had sought me out to have our child. Sonam’s hand continued its journey from my face down to my chest, caressing my nipple as she patiently waited for me to answer. “Yes, yes I do.” I said, feeling myself wanting to please her.
“Can we do it again?”
Despite my erection, I was having misgivings about having sex. What in the fuck was going on? Oh yeah, I was thinking about the Queen. But my ship with the Queen had sailed (or more accurately sank!) back at Immortal Divorce Court. It would be the scandal of the millennium when the merfolk found out their Queen had sired a child with me. I remembered our conversation in Immortal Divorce Court. Pursuing the Queen could and would lead to the demise of the Queen, Maria, and myself. I might have to avoid the oceans . . . forever. I had to face facts—it was never going to work with the Queen. I was going to have to use all my assassin skills just to see my child safely! And yet . . .
“Uh,” I said eloquently.
Sonam dropped her robe and stood naked before me. “Do you think me beautiful, Sirius Sinister?”
I looked at her flatness of chest, bald head, and stocky frame. She was undeniably beautiful. I looked into her eyes, smiled, and saw her. “Yes, you are beautiful, Sonam.”
“Tell me you desire me, Sirius,” she said.
I dropped my robe to the ground, and she saw indeed that I very much desired her.
“Your body speaks well for you,” she said, turning and walking toward the bed.
I caught her before she got there, with kisses on her b
ack and shoulders, and my hands reached around, rubbing her nipples softly. Sonam arched her head back, and I licked her neck as I pulled her tight to me with my left hand, while my right stroked her womanhood rhythmically. Her body went rigid as she found her pleasure and took a deep breath.
“Do that again,” she said, but I had never stopped touching her. “Never mind . . . oh, that is amazing,” she gasped. “But now I want you in the Healer kind of way . . .”
“First or second time kind of way?” I asked.
“Second,” she replied. “But in a different way.”
She climbed onto the bed, and while she was still on her knees, I stopped her from lying down. I grabbed her by the hips and entered her slowly from behind. “Yes, Sirius, yes, more of that,” she commanded.
I did as she ordered, reaching my hands to grasp her shoulders and pull her to me slowly at first, and picking up my pace every time I felt her climax on me. “More of this?” I asked.
“More of this,” Sonam moaned, dropping onto her forearms and arching her hips. I squeezed her buttocks as I thrusted back and forth, reveling in the joy I was giving her. “More,” she gasped. “More.”
I was certainly not going to disappoint her and complied with her request. I felt every fiber of my being was finally back to normal. Sonam was absolutely enjoying the benefit of my good health! And for the first time in what seemed like centuries, the rush of my own apex came, and I screamed in utter joy as I finished giving her one last final mind-blowing climax.
Afterward we lay intertwined in my bedchamber with Garlic curled up at our feet. “I fear you have ruined me for all mortal men, Sirius,” Sonam said with a contented sigh.
“I am just a man, Sonam,” I answered. “An immortal one. A vampire. A master assassin who has lived for nearly three centuries. But a man all the same.”
She gazed at me. “If I live three centuries, I won’t find a man like you.”
“Your destiny is not with me, Sonam.”
She nodded. “I know, Sirius,” she said, putting a hand to my face and kissing me passionately before pulling back. “I know that I cannot have you. Our worlds will never align, so though I love you, I will content myself with loving you from afar. Do you believe in this thing called true love?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
“But you haven’t found it yet, have you?”
This monk was one wise girl. “I don’t think so,” I said. “Love can be very complicated!”
“And if it takes you a thousand years, you will never stop looking or give up hope.”
I turned to her as we heard a great gong from outside the chamber. I kissed her softly on the lips. “I have found that love comes in many forms,” I said. “But yes, you are right—I will keep searching for my chosen one, whoever she may be, and wherever in this world she resides.”
“Chosen one . . .” she sputtered. “Oh no, we have to get down to the Forge of Souls! The ceremony of Choden and Norbu is going to start soon!” We shrugged into our robes and sprinted for the Forge of Souls with Garlic running and barking happily beside us. She loved weddings.
Down the massive steps we traveled to the Forge of Souls, joining a seemingly endless stream of monks who had pulled hoods over their bald heads. Sonam and I did the same, and as we entered the Forge of Souls, I gasped at the beauty of braziers, each burning a different color flame, in concert casting rainbow light throughout the chamber. Master Lobsang stood before a massive stone anvil streaked with crystals that reflected the rainbow fire into beams of light that shot above the assembled monks. He held the Dagger of Dorje, which I had last seen in the hands of the Thief. I looked around and did not see Choden’s large frame among the gathered monks, nor Norbu either. But who I did see staring back at me with a finger to his lips was the Master of Masters, the Teacher of Teachers, the one and only, Hedley Edrick. I shrugged and smiled. Of course, he was here. And with his bald head, he fit right in!
“Brothers and sisters of the Temple of Dorje, and esteemed guests,” Master Lobsang said, in a voice clear and strong, “today, I am honored to perform a ceremony binding two of our most beloved brothers as chosen ones.”
A great cheer erupted from the monks, and the crowd parted to let Choden and Norbu walk toward the anvil and take their place in front of Master Lobsang. The two men were not dressed in the regular maroon robes that all the other monks wore, but rather something else entirely. I gasped, as the robes they were wearing appeared to have been woven entirely from the stars above for they glowed and shimmered in the most beautiful golden light.
“What are they wearing?” I whispered to Sonam.
“Love,” she replied.
Love indeed. I could not take me eyes off of them. What wedding participant would not want to be garbed in the raiment of the heavens? As the two men walked, Choden reached out a hand and took Norbu’s in his own, which caused another great cheer from the monks. As I clapped and cheered, I realized Hedley Edrick had secured a spot right next to me.
His eyes went to Sonam and twinkled mischievously. “The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh, Sirius Sinister? You look well, glowing a bit even. Mountain living must agree with you.”
“Can’t keep anything from you, can I?” I said in a low whisper. “I tell you this, Hedley Edrick. After this ceremony, you are going to escort me personally to Sa Dragonera and then to your famed school so I can be as learned as you profess to be!”
Hedley opened his mouth to retort, but Sonam shushed him with a glare, and the chamber suddenly grew quiet as Master Lobsang held the Dagger of Dorje out in front of Choden and Norbu. “You have chosen each other to be joined forever by the power of the Dagger of Dorje,” Master Lobsang said. “You can only be chosen if your love is pure, if your hearts beat as one, and if your circle of two is strong and unbroken by any who would seek to tear it asunder.” Choden and Norbu turned to each other and joined their hands. “Speak now and let us hear your vow of choosing. Simple. Powerful. With all your brothers and sisters as your witnesses for all time!”
“I choose Norbu,” Choden said, losing himself in Norbu’s tearful gaze. “Heart of my heart. Soul of my soul. Join me, Norbu, in a circle that will never be broken!”
There was a pause as Norbu looked down at the ground and composed himself. Master Lobsang leaped forward and wiped a tear from Norbu’s face so quickly he appeared to be made out of light. And maybe at that moment he was. Norbu cleared his throat. “I choose Choden,” Norbu said, his voice cracking. “Heart of my heart. Soul of my soul. I join with you, Choden, in a circle that will never be broken!”
“Place your hands on the Dagger of Dorje and be joined!” commanded Master Lobsang. The two men placed their hands on the Dagger of Dorje, and the fires in the braziers leaped high in the air, crackling and popping, sending rainbow-hued stars shooting over the assembled monks. The Dagger glowed, enveloping the two men in a warm circle of golden light. Norbu drew Choden to him, and I witnessed a kiss not between two people, but simply between two souls. Chosen souls. I found myself so happy for the two men, and frankly I was a little bit jealous. I looked at Sonam and saw her looking at me longingly. She glared at Hedley and grimaced slightly, because she knew that tomorrow I would leave the monastery.
“All right,” Hedley said. “Let’s get ready for one amazing feast! Eat well, Sirius, for tomorrow we journey to see family and then my school. No detours! I mean it!” He whistled and hummed as he walked, and I realized I knew nothing but stories and rumors about the Master of Masters. He gave no reaction to the ceremony he had just witnessed, other than seeming to be genuinely happy for Choden and Norbu. As we filed out of the Forge of Souls, and made our way to the great banquet hall, I wondered if Hedley Edrick had a chosen one in his hallowed life? Or was his chosen one the lifelong pursuit of knowledge?
The great feast went well into the wee hours of the morning, and I cannot
remember having eaten so well in at least a century. Many huge urns of wine were drunk in honor of the chosen ones. I looked over at Garlic gnawing happily on the leg bone of a massive boar. I sat with Choden, Norbu, Sonam, and Hedley Edrick, and the conversation and mood were light and cheerful. The moment was all about the two men, and we all laughed and told stories until the sun finally came up over the horizon. Hedley and I mutually agreed to start the return visit home the following day, and Sonam visibly brightened at the prospect of one more night with me. I did not disappoint her.
The next morning I dressed while Sonam watched me from the bed. I almost had to think for a moment about how to put on Western-style breeches. A thick shirt and travel cloak soon followed. Garlic paced back and forth, as she was eager to begin the journey. And so was I. It was finally time.
“Are you going to come see us off?” I asked Sonam.
“I already said my good-bye to you last night, vampire,” she said with a pouty look on her face.
“Until we meet again, sweet Sonam,” I said leaning down to the bed and kissing her on the cheek. She grabbed me suddenly and kissed me hard and full on the lips.
“Now you may go,” she said, her eyes clear and absent of tears. “It is time we both move on to find our own circle of two.”
I sat down on the bed. “I will always treasure my time here.”
“I know you will,” she said. “Now go, Sirius Sinister, before I do start crying!”
I grabbed my pack, and met Hedley Edrick, Choden, Norbu, and Master Lobsang at the front gate of the monastery, which was open wide to the world. The sun was painting daylight in beautiful pink streaks across the morning sky. I pulled my cloak about me as the air was a bit cool. After saying our good-byes to the men, Hedley and I were just about to leave when there was a great commotion from the inside of the temple. One of the disciples came running up to Master Lobsang, bowing and trying to catch his breath all at the same time.
