The Skin of the Gods

by Phil Armstrong

  “Am I that transparent?” David looked at his cup and started to feel a little embarrassed. We’re moving fast here but your statement is true, I have fallen for you.”

  “I think I like you more than like.” Beth regretted the words as soon as they spilled from her mouth.

  David raised his eyes and brought her hand to his mouth. “I’m no saint Beth but I’ve never felt like this before. I don’t care if it’s obvious for the world to see. I know I love you.”

  Beth felt warm and comfortable. She leaned in and as if conveying a deep secret of her own mouthed the words to David, “Me too, I love you too.”

  For the next hour, David described his recent trip, his conversations and his findings. He described the Amulet and told the whole story to Beth. She hung on every word and David noticed the sparkle in her eyes as she displayed focused attention. He told her of the Servants of Byblos, the Rings and the Golden box. He talked of the dangers and how the Ring is a symbol. He explained to Beth, why he had tried to down ply the importance of the Ring with her. Beth held David’s hand and rocked his Ring gently, between her fingers. She looked downwards at the gold symbols and studied the dark center stone.

  “I can’t believe that this is a piece of claw from an ancient beast of the underworld?”

  “Well, you’re going to have to believe. It’s all true.”

  “Can I see the Amulet? I think I smelled it on you, when you first came into my house.” Beth laughed, “I thought it was nice cologne.”

  David pulled a face, “It’s that strong?”

  “Yes, it smells like almond honey soap.”

  David looked over both shoulders, to ensure there was no one listening. He reached into the top of his shirt and located the pendant. He lifted the pendant using the chain and its shape became visible. The head of a jackal, carved in hard polished wood, appeared above his shirt collar. The sweet smell was amplified and Beth seemed mesmerized. David had described the legends and stories that contributed to the power of the artifacts. Beth sat transfixed in silence, her body calm and motionless.

  David noticed her silence, “You okay?”

  “Yes” was all she could say. “People will kill you for that. You know that don’t you.”

  “Yes. They’ll try to go through you, to try to find this. That’s why I have to get you to safety and hide this.” He tucked the Amulet back into his shirt.

  Beth moved forward and lowered her voice, “Where’s the Golden box?”

  “It’s hidden safely, in a secret location. I don’t know where it is, but I do know that it’s safe. I have friends who’ll help me but we need to lie low for a while. I think we’re both in danger. Are you up for this?”

  Beth lowered her voice to a whisper, “Yes. What about you? You’re The Soul Collector now, you’re in major danger.”

  David inspected the patrons of the coffee shop. “For now they don’t know who I am. But they might if they connect us.”

  Beth squeezed his hand tightly, “Then why are you here?”

  Beth looked beautiful; the muted light illuminating half of her face in cloudy sunshine. David loved that moment but he felt the enormous weight of the question. “I had to come back and get you. I couldn’t leave you thinking that I’d abandoned you. I want you to come back to Hong Kong with me; it will give us some breathing room. Then we can plan what we want to do. I want to be with you, I know that for certain. I’ve thought about this long and hard. I know I’ve fallen for you Beth. That sounds a bit crazy after such a short time. It’s just as crazy as ancient Gods, Amulets, Golden boxes and Rings.”

  “We should go. Let’s go back to the cottage and we can decide what we’re going to do next, while we still have some time.”

  Beth reached out and took David’s hand to reassure him. As they left the coffee shop she shuddered. The sun had hidden behind the gathering clouds and the temperature had dropped. The wind was biting and they both looked at each other to acknowledge the dramatic drop in temperature. They looped arms and snuggled close, to challenge the cold. She liked the idea that David would lie about the Ring to protect her. She liked the fact that he couldn’t lie to her, even more.

  A strong biting gust hit the couple full on. Beth leaned closer to David and caught the strong sweet smell of the Amulet. She shouted above the noise of the wind. “The human heart is like a ship on a stormy sea, driven about by winds blowing from all corners of heaven.”

  “Well, we must be in heaven then!” shouted David. As they walked towards Haworth Main Street, the wind howled and the modern windmill, perched high on the hill of the opposing valley, spun steadily. It was a high white pylon with white blades. The clouds raced to block the earlier sunlight, covering the sky with a blanket of dark brooding shapes. The wind whipped the clouds and it was obvious a storm was rolling in. As they reached the top the Main Street the heavens opened. At first it was heavy spots of rain and then a steady stream of increasing droplets. Beth had lived here long enough to know that you should run for cover and find a warm place. She looked to her right and saw the welcoming light of the Church. It would provide a great temporary refuge from the oncoming downpour.

  Haworth Church had a graveyard full of children and young adults. They had suffered through the wind, rain and cold. They would succumb to death’s cold grip way too early. In bygone times, once you were wet, it was almost impossible to get warm again. Beth took one last look at the angry sky and ushered David towards the slate steps. They passed the shiny red telephone booth and proceeded up the path, towards the Church. “Where are we going?”

  Beth couldn’t resist, “To get married. Why waste time?” David stopped and looked at Beth. His hair whipped around in the wind and his ears were starting to turn red with the cold. “I’m kidding, you sentimental fool, we’re ducking for cover or we’ll both get soaked. We won’t make it back to the cottage in time. Come on follow me.” Beth grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the stone entrance to the old Church. The sky was now black and the wind seemed to swirl even more. David had seen typhoons but was completely surprised by how quickly the pleasant weather had turned. It seemed that a storm had blown in over the moors, like the crashing waves of a Tsunami.

  David and Beth crashed into the lobby of the Church. They slammed the heavy wooden door, fighting against the persistent wind.

  “Sanctuary,” David said, in a relieved tone.

  Beth laughed at him “You need to be hardy, if you come from these parts. You need to be tough as nails and resourceful.”

  “I’m not from these parts,” said David, trying to catch his breath and rearranging wet strands of hair from his face.

  “Clearly,” said Beth still laughing at how surprised he looked.

  David sensed a presence behind him and turned to see a portly woman approaching. She was dressed smartly in an expensive looking jacket, silk blouse and pants. She clearly was not dressed for the wild weather outside.

  “Come on in you two, you must be freezing.” David just stared at the well-meaning lady. “We have a heater and some hot tea up front, if you like?”

  It took a while but Beth realized that the woman had a broad Yorkshire accent. She was friendly enough but her smart appearance could not disguise that fact that she had been raised well within the Yorkshire Dales. Her accent was thick and colorful. David could not understand a word. Beth tugged David’s arm, “This kind lady is offering us a hot tea. They have a heater up front if you like?”

  David turned to the friendly lady, “Oh, wonderful. Thank you, that would be nice.” He turned to Beth and smiled in a coy way.

  “Good, follow me then love.” She turned and Beth started to follow tugging at David’s arm. At the front of the Church, a few people gathered, sipping warm apple tea and hovering around a small electric space heater. As they approached, they could feel the difference in temperature. The group opened as if to welcome the new attendees. The Vicar recognized Beth and noticed she was arm in arm with her companion. “Beth, nic
e to see you again, come on in and grab a hot drink.” The Vicar looked at David and then switched his attention back to Beth.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. This is David. David, this is Mark, er, the Vicar, Vicar Mark.” Beth felt very awkward.

  David recovered elegantly. “It’s nice to meet you, Vicar Mark.” David extended his hand and offered a warm sincere smile. This seemed to break the ice and alleviate her clumsy introduction. The two shook hands as if they had known each other for years. The Vicar glanced over to Beth with an inquiring look. She nodded quickly as if to indicate yes, he is the one and yes, he did come back. She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t have stopped it if she had tried. It was involuntary. She beamed a smile that relayed her relief to the Vicar.

  He smiled too, “Come on, get some of this hot tea, it’s really good. The storm will pass soon.” As David moved towards the tea the Vicar turned to Beth. “I told you Beth. The storm always seems to pass. All you need is a bit of confidence and some faith.”

  Beth couldn’t stop smiling. She followed the Vicar’s gesture towards the tea. She suddenly stopped to speak to him. “Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.”

  David turned, “What’s that?”

  “I said, yes please. I would like some tea,” Beth smiled at the Vicar. She had never been so happy, despite the dark clouds looming.

  Beth and David stayed a while. They talked with the Vicar and the assembled guests, sheltering from the rain. David talked about Hong Kong with an elderly man. He had visited Hong Kong often, during his business banking days, prior to his retirement. David mingled effortlessly, making this social skills thing look easy. No doubt the experience received from countless business functions, over the years, had helped. He found that if he concentrated and watched the lips, he could navigate his way around the Yorkshire accent. He was getting used to the sounds. David had enjoyed himself and had lost track of time. It was nice to just have a conversation with interesting people. They were full of life’s experiences. Because they didn’t know who David was, they were more genuine, with no hidden agenda’s. They were all simply passing time, until the rain moved on.

  David felt a hand upon his shoulder and turned to see Beth. “Shouldn’t you let these nice folks go home, now the storm has cleared out?”

  David turned to face the old man he was talking with. “I’m sorry, it’s time to go. I’ve really enjoyed our conversation.”

  “Me too, young man. You have a nice girl there, make sure you take good care of her and enjoy her while you can. Time sneaks up on you, like a windscreen on a bug.” He laughed heartily, proud of his funny quote as he shuffled his way to the exit. David looked at Beth and opened his hands, “What was that?”

  “John Lithgow. The quote was from the American comedian, John Lithgow. I like the take care of her part, which was his.”

  David smiled. He looked deeply into Beth’s eyes and quickly noticed her demeanor had changed. She was not smiling, her face looked tight and stressed. She wasn’t looking at him now. She seemed to be staring right past him, over his left shoulder. What was wrong?

  * * * * *

  Chapter 24: Fools in Love

  Haworth, West Yorkshire, England, Present day.

  While Beth had been talking to David, a dark cladded figure had caught her attention, at the back of the Church. The figure wore black boots, black jeans and a black coat, with the hood covering his face. She had glanced upwards to notice him take a pew, at the rear of the Church. Unnoticed by others, he had watched the small gathering thin out, one by one. David, Beth and the Vicar remained. Beth had been monopolizing the Vicar. The old man had just left, leaving David with a quote to think about.

  It could have been feminine intuition; the hooded figure had stayed in the background, yet Beth was drawn to its presence. She had tried to act cool and keep the conversation going with the Vicar. Occasionally, she would glance over his shoulder, to track the dark figure. He remained stationary, hidden in the shadows, as the crowd depleted. Beth tracked the figure as it advanced towards the front of the Church. He took a side pew, closer to David.

  She wasn’t sure but she recognized something about the distant figure’s gait. It was the small swagger in the walk and the way that he dropped his weight onto the pew. It was as if he had lost the support from his knees. He fell hard onto the wooden bench. She had seen this a hundred times before but her brain would not fire appropriately. She needed to connect the dots and recall this memory. It annoyed and intrigued her. She knew that movement; it was different, unique and still familiar.

  When her brain finally returned the answer, she froze in fear. Beth had pieced the puzzle together. It was Matt!

  Matt walked like that. Matt always flopped down hard on any chair, couch or bed, in that familiar way. The hooded figure, lurking in the shadows, was Matt. What did he want here? How had he tracked her down? Would he be violent seeing David?

  All of these questions flooded into Beth’s mind, making her incapable of functioning. Before she could alert David, the figure was approaching at great speed. David was saying something but Beth could not hear the words. Within seconds, Matt struck David on the back of the head. He pointed a gun at the Vicar. “Don’t move, either of you.”

  David lay motionless on the floor, a large cut oozed blood, matting his fine hair. The Amulet was suspended from David’s neck and began the healing process immediately. The force of the blow would have rendered anyone unconscious with a severe concussion. The cut on his scalp was instantly repaired and closed. The fog in David’s brain was instantly cleared and the swelling subsided. When David regained his consciousness, he knew the Amulet was the cause of his rapid recovery. His head was still covered in blood and he looked injured. He decided to fake his condition, laying motionless and acting groggy. His unsuspecting assailant would offer him the perfect opportunity; he just had to be patient.

  The Vicar decided to try to control the situation. “Son, there’s no need to do anything stupid. You face some choices that may dictate the rest of your life. We don’t have much but the candelabras on the desk are made from solid silver. They should feed your habit.”

  “Shut up fool,” snapped Matt, waving the gun from side to side.

  The Vicar took one step forward, “Son….”

  “Stay back, now. Or you’ll be on the floor with this guy. I’m not on drugs and I don’t need money. Both of you stand still.”

  David groaned and reached up to his bloodied head with his hand. The Ring on his finger sensed the Ring on Matt’s finger. The force joining the two Rings was measurable. David’s hand was ripped from his head and flung violently in the direction of Matt. Matt could feel a tug on his hand, as if being guided by an invisible force. He looked downwards and immediately recognized the unique design of the Ring. Holding the gun steady, he bent David’s wrist in a painful way, pushing him back to the stone floor. David cried out in pain. Matt pulled the Ring from his finger and examined it. Slipping it onto the finger next to his Ring, they swiveled and joined, forcing his two fingers to weld together. David bided his time, waiting for the perfect moment.

  Matt placed the gun to David’s head and raised the hand containing the two rings high in the air. “Do you know what this is Beth?”

  The Vicar shot an inquiring look at Beth, realizing this man knew her.

  “No Matt, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Clever girl Beth,” thought the Vicar, understanding that Beth had just identified the hooded stranger.

  “Everyone is a liar Beth, but it doesn’t matter, because nobody listens.” Matt shoved the barrel of the gun against David’s head, causing him to moan.

  “Nick Diamos,” said Beth.

  “What?” Matt was annoyed.

  “Your quote about lies, it was Nick Diamos, that said that.” Beth caught his stare from beneath the hood.