“Sure. Thank you.”
➣ Chapter 25
I Am A Needle In A Haystack
When the plane touched down in Tibet, I felt an overwhelming pull. I embraced it as I walked through the city. I came across a market where they were selling fruits, vegetables, rice, and seafoods. There were men and women cooking up and down each side, colors and colors of fabrics and rugs, baskets and souvenirs. There was a rush of air from behind me. I jolted around to see what or who it was, but there was no one there. I turned back to continue walking, but there was a figure clocked in front of me.
“Holy crap,” I said, jumping back.
“There’s nothing holy between the two of us,” he said. “What are you doing in my city?”
“Are you Gabriel?”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “You’re the beast with the split soul.”
“Yeah, that’d be me.”
“Come. Let’s get some food. What are you in the mood for?” he asked, turning and starting to walk away from me.
“I don’t know. Whatever is fine,” I replied, rushing to catch up with him.
“Whatever isn’t a good way to live your life. You have to know what you want.”
“I want everyone back that I’ve lost.”
He stopped and turned to me. “You lose people because they were meant to leave you. I’ve lived long enough to see several generations of people leave for one reason or another.”
He didn’t look much older than me. I didn’t understand how he could have lived through generations and be the age that he looked. I know that an elf’s age is different. He looked like he was over a hundred years old, but it was different. This man looked like he could have been in the same class as me.
“There’s a place up here that puts spices in beans and rice, and it’s to die for,” he said as he continued to walk away.
“What’s going on here?” I asked.
“I’m making sure you eat and we can talk. Alvar said you needed to find peace. Is it peace in your soul or peace in your mind that you seek?”
He stopped in front of a tent and spoke in another language and raised his hand to show two fingers. The woman spoke and held out her hand. Gabriel dropped a few coins into her hand, and then she pocketed the coins and scooped out a bowl of rice and beans with peppers in a creamy orange-brown sauce.
“Here,” he said, handing the bowl to me.
“Thank you.”
“Of course, let’s go sit over here.” He pointed toward an open area where colorful rugs were lying on the ground.
“Alvar said you were angry. I can see it.”
“Alvar also said you could see that my soul is black,” I countered.
“He did. But it’s not about the color of your soul. It’s about the fact that you have one.”
I sucked in a breath.
“What? You didn’t think that you had a soul or that your soul is black?”
I didn’t answer.
“Your soul can still be good if it is black. Black is a color. The darkest color. It is the absence of visible light. With no hue just like white. And you cannot have black without white. It is night versus day. Did you know that, since the Middle Ages, black has been a symbol of solemnity,” he continued to explain.
“Night versus day?”
“Exactly. Since the beginning of time, people have said there is a war between night and day. They’re always fighting for more time. Solstice comes twice a year. Summer and Winter. In the past, a god gave birth to twins. The prophecy said that one would be born under the sun and one would be born under the moon. The power had to be divided. One stayed with the father and grew angry over time. Her thirst for power overwhelmed her.”
“What happened to the other baby?”
“Ah, the one born under the moon? She was raised by a god that controlled the sea. Her power that attracted the moon helped him control the tides over time.”
“So, the one twin born at night was the good one?”
“In a way. But everyone has darkness. It only matters how much you let it control you,” he replied and took a bite of his rice. “What is it you’re looking for here? You have to want to be good to look for something to connect you to this world. Do you want to be saved?”
“That is the question, isn’t it?” I responded.
“It is. I bet, if you stay around here for a little while, you might be able to answer that for yourself.”
“I might stay for a little while.”
“Good. My brothers are also here. I’m sure they would like to meet you.”
“I don’t know about that, but I know I want to accept my fate.”
“Do you know your fate?”
“I’ve always known my fate.”
“And I have known mine. You will meet the rest of my brothers, and you will know what is to come.”
It’s not like those words weren’t ominous. But it reminded me that everyone has their own fate and that no matter how bad I know it will one day be, someone else will be there with me. I could live another year or it could be ten or ninety. But one day, I would be with Jamie, Lucy and Taylor again.
➣ Chapter 26
The Fate of the Future
That night, I was introduced to the Quadripartite. A myth among the mystics. They have been drawn as the four horseman of the apocalypse. They were captured in time with a curse and each given a specific gift. Gabriel Vassos has the gift of seeing into your soul. Káobe Kilmarr was gifted with peace. Those around him will feel a calm when they need it most. Shen Xui has the gift to read emotions. She can see love and hate. Then there was Sebastian Hale; he was gifted with the ability to see the truth.
We sat and ate dinner that night under the stars on the roof. They had given me a beer and let me sit and listen to them as they talked like a family.
“There’s always love,” Sebastian said.
“Oh, come on, man. You’re never going to find her,” Shen Xui said.
“Find who?” I asked.
“This… this… what would you even call her?” Gabriel said.
“She has been cursed.”
“Oh, that’s right. She is the wolf that survived the curse,” Káobe said.
“What curse?” I asked.
“The Gael Fearg. He thinks that there is a mac tire out there that will be cursed by the Gael Fearg sword to live through deaths until her own. Since he has the ability to see the truth, he saw the truth in her eyes. She wasn’t the demon before him. There was kindness in her eyes,” Shen Xui said.
“Kindness?” I said.
“Yeah, she looked like the demon I was there to send back to hell, but her eyes were kind and pure. Years later, I met her again. Same type of situation. But this time, I saw her. The truth beyond the mask of the demon. She was beautiful.”
“That’s right, the beautiful goddess he saw only as if it were a dream. You’re never going to find her. You don’t even know when you should have looked,” Káobe said.
“When?” I asked confused.
“Yeah, when you’ve lived as long as we have, it’s possible that he could have lived past her and never even known.”
“So, you’re saying that you could have lived past this girl, a female mac tire at that, and met her only during some supernatural time travel body swapping curse?” I asked.
“Exactly,” Sebastian said. “But I have this feeling that I have yet to meet her.”
“A feeling?” Shen Xui replied.
“Yes. She’s out there somewhere. I just know it,” Sebastian responded.
“And what are you going to do when you find her? Tell her that you took an oath to the Quadripartite to defend this world against demons, but you’re in love with her,” Shen Xui quipped.
“I’m not in love with her. I just felt like there was a connection,” Sebastian explained.
“You mean there was a connection as you drove the sword through her,” Gabriel said and then crossed his arms over his chest.
“
You killed her?” I asked.
“I had to do it to give her mercy. The legend says that, if you are cursed by the sword, you will live through all the deaths it has caused. If I hadn’t killed the demon, she would not have been returned to her life,” Sebastian explained.
“You have all had these amazing lives. It’s hard to believe what you all have gone through,” I said.
“You’ve been through your own life. But what you’ve been missing is the connection with others. We’re here. We aren’t going anywhere, and we will help you through it,” Káobe said.
“Thank you,” I said, nodding my head slightly.
***
I stayed with them for the next two years, practicing meditation and Buddhism. I made peace with my ogre side and allowed myself to communicate with my mac tire. Something Alvar told me only elves could do. Now, when I go into a deep meditative state, I can allow us to join together.
I felt a camaraderie with them for the first time since the day I lost my wife and daughter. We were out in the city center one afternoon when Gabriel stopped what he doing and stiffened.
“What is it?” Sebastian asked.
“Split soul. A god’s soul.” He started to look around. “There. His soul is gold.”
“I’ll go,” I offered.
I stood and walked toward him. I was trying to get a read off of him, but there wasn’t anything specific that would have told me that he was the son of a god.
“What are you doing here?” I growled.
“What? Who are—are you Striker?” he asked.
“Who’s asking?”
“My name is Nomad. Aodhan sent me.”
“Your name is Nomad?” Sebastian said from behind me.
“It is,” Nomad asked.
“Are you talking about Aodhan O’Dorcha?” I asked.
“Who else?” Nomad asked.
“I haven’t seen or heard from him since I was a teenager. How does he know where I am?” I questioned.
“He’s always known,” he said.
That just pissed me off. If he’s kept tabs on me my entire life, then he should have done something any of the times that I needed him. I needed to get out of there. I needed to think.
“I’ve got to get out of here. Let me think,” I said, backing away from him and then taking off as quickly as I could.
I went to the rooftop where I had dinner with them the first night I was in the city. I paced the roofline for hours. Aodhan knew where I was—where I had been, and now he knew about Jefferies and Jean. I had to go home to them. They had to be all right.
I met up with the others inside the apartment. They were being hospitable to Nomad. He was eating a traditional Tibetan dish and getting all the information from them. They all looked up at me when I walked in.
“All right, so you know Aodhan. What’s the plan?” I said.
“I’m here at your service until I hear something,” Nomad said.
“All right,” I said.
➣ Chapter 27
Home Sweet Home
We spent the next three years together. Nomad trained and learned some of the arts of meditation alongside me. That was until one day he received a phone call. He stood and started to walk the room.
“I understand,” Nomad said. “I will see what I can do.”
He hung up the phone and looked directly at me.
“What?” I asked.
“It was Aodhan. He told me to get you home. He said that Jefferies and Jean need you. We need to leave soon,” Nomad explained.
They all looked at me. Wondering the same thing that I was wondering—was I ready to go back home?
I had to go back. There wasn’t any other reason to stay, and if the only people left in this world needed me, I would do this for them.
“When do we leave?” I asked.
Thirty-six hours, three stops, and a horrible taxi driver later, I was standing in front of the Twister Belly with a new friend. We stood outside that cold morning, looking up at the sign.
“What does Twisted Belly mean?” Nomad asked.
“Ever drink so much that your stomach won’t stop twisting and turning?” I asked.
“No,” he said.
“Me neither. But I’ve seen it.”
He chuckled.
I started toward the door. I opened it and walked inside for the first time since I had lost Lucy and Taylor. The memory of the night Lucy first walked into the Twisted Belly. She was an angel that night, and now she was truly an angel.
I saw Jefferies behind the bar, checking off inventory. It was almost like the first day that truck driver walked me in here.
“We’re closed,” he called out.
“I know. I’m not here for a drink. I need a safe haven,” I replied.
He looked up. His eyes widened.
“S—Striker? Is that you?”
“In the flesh.”
“JEAN! Quick! Come here!” he called out.
Jean came running, looking at Jefferies, and then looked over to see me. She stopped dead in her tracks. Then she came running at me.
“Oh my goodness, as I live and breathe! Is that my baby?” she called out.
She practically threw herself into me, and I caught her in my arms. She squeezed me so tightly that I thought she was going to cut off my air.
“It’s good to see you too, but I need air.”
“Oh.” She pulled away but kept her hands on my arms as if I was going to disappear. “I just can’t believe you’re back.” She put her hand softly on my cheek. “You’re staying this time, right?”
“I don’t know. I got a message that you needed me.” I turned around to introduce Nomad, but when I had, he was gone.
“From who?” Jean asked.
“A sorcerer I knew from a long time ago.”
“O’Dorcha?” Jefferies asked.
“Yeah. He sent someone to get me.”
“Where were you?” Jefferies asked.
“Tibet.”
“That’s a long way away.”
“I needed it,” I replied.
“I know. We just missed you.”
“I missed you too. How has it all been here since I’ve been gone?” I asked.
“Good, we hired a waitress to help with the busy nights. She comes from mac tire blood. And her cousin. He does some security for us. Things have been getting busy, and we’ve kind of become a hot spot on the weekends for the mystic community,” Jean explained.
“Sounds like everything is going well,” I said.
“It’s going. It hasn’t been the same since…” Jean started but trailed off.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“Either way, you’ll meet them tonight. Good people. I’m glad their pack moved into the area. It’s been so sad here since our finich’s daughter died,” Jean said.
“When did that happen?” I asked.
“It’s been over a year now. That poor girl’s sister was murdered.”
A shiver climbed up my spine. I didn’t want to hear about this. It wasn’t something I could even comment about. If Taylor were to have been a twin, I’d be extremely overprotective of her. Especially now that I know what it’s like to be a father. Having had it taken from me was one of the worst moments of my life.
“Do you want some breakfast?” Jean asked.
“Sure. Can I help?”
“Always. Grab the eggs,” she said, giving me a smirk.
***
I met Travis and Connie. I could sense the mac tire in Travis but not the same way as with Connie. It was rare to find a true female mac tire. I had heard once that female mac tires only transitioned with god’s blood. And even then, it’s even rarer for females to be able to transition. There is only a few known to have the ability, and they have all died early deaths. Possibly too much stress on the female body. No one knows. They were all found bleeding out.
“Travis, nice to meet you,” Travis said, holding out his hand to greet me.
“Connie, Je
an has told me a lot about you,” Connie said.
“Striker, yeah, good to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand and then hers.
“Jefferies told me you’ve been in Tibet. How was that?” Travis asked.
“It’s different. Kind of a break from my own life to figure out… things.”
“Yeah, I kinda wish I got to do something like that.”
“Traveling is nice, but home is home.”
“True.”
I stood looking around the bar just before we were getting ready to open.
“I can cover the front if you want to cover the floor,” I offered.
“Yeah, that would be great. I hate the door,” Travis replied.
“Most do.”
He chuckled.
***
The night was busy, and the bar was full. Music was playing loud, and drinks were being served. I had checked more than a few fake IDs from practically kids. Turning them away and only letting in the ones who were old enough to get in.
I had to start turning away people when we hit the max. Most of them mystics. I had some bear shifters and panther shifters that weren’t happy they weren’t allowed in. I didn’t care much about it, and you would think that the panther shifters would be the angrier of the two, but it’s the bears you’ve got to worry about. The saying about a mama bear and her cub isn’t a joke.
I heard a crashing from inside and turned around to see what was going on. Travis had a shifter up by the collar of his shirt, growling in his face. Connie was on the ground, looking scared and rubbing her wrist.
“You need to leave.” Travis growled.
“Do you know who I am?” the shifter asked. “I’m second to the finich.”
“I don’t care who you are. You don’t treat any female like that.” Travis growled back then let go of him.
The guy stumbled back two steps, and then I rushed to grab the guy and throw him out when Travis reared back and punched the guy. He laid out flat on the ground. I’d never seen anything like it. Travis got him in exactly the right spot to make sure he wasn’t going to get right back up. The three others he was there with started toward Travis, but they changed their mind when they saw me then took a step back and picked up their friend. Travis and I watched as they left the bar, and we checked on Connie.
A Beast Among Gods (The Mac Tire Chronicles) Page 10
