by Kyrja
“Why are you here?” he made himself ask her. Then he realized … she really should not be here. He could understand why the Song had sent Yakuza back into the world – to get the people who could help correct the Song to the place they needed to go. But … why was she here? He had already done his part. He had already sung the note. There was no need for her to be here. And in that moment, he thought he might willingly surrender. Love. She had said “You must also remember love.”
“When the Song changed, when you joined us from above the mantle, I knew you again,” she told him, reaching out to touch his face. Quickly capturing her hands in his own, he pressed his lips to her fingers over and over again, unable, and completely unwilling, to resist the tears as they slid down his face. Nothing mattered. Only this. Nothing else would ever matter. He felt as though he had been dead and had only just now, in this very moment, discovered he was alive. Holding her hands against his forehead as a sob was torn from his heart, he asked, “What do you want from me? I don’t know what to do. Please. I can’t stand this anymore.”
“Ah, my sweet husband. My Gaku,” she cooed, running her fingers through his hair. Standing very still, lest his movements cause her to stop, he melted. As if he had been cold for a very, very long time, and was, at long last, warm. His shoulders shivered involuntarily as he listened to her speak of the sweet things she missed. Of her love for him. Of the days they had spent together, and the nights. As she held him against her breast, he refused to allow his mind to wonder how this physical contact was even possible. That it was possible is all that mattered at all.
After a time – no time at all – he realized she was singing to him. It was a nonsensical song she’d made up many years before, while he was still courting her. He smiled then, remembering how she’d made fun of him for calling it courting instead of dating. The song itself was a mixture of silliness and sweetness, poking light-hearted fun at him. Sangeet had sung many songs for him, as he had done for her, but this one had been the first she’d composed just for him.
Clearing his throat, he finally felt ready to know what she wanted from him.
“I don’t know how you’re here, nor even why,” he started. “But I know you. There is a reason. Even beyond reminding me to live,” he smiled at her. “Thank you for that,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.
“If I could choose again …” she started.
“No,” he shook his head. “Don’t do that. Don’t say it. It doesn’t matter. I understand better.” He sighed then. “Even if I don’t want to,” he said, looking into her eyes, he smiled at her, then felt his smile grow when she smiled back at him. He took a moment – a long moment – then, to kiss her. He poured all of his love, gratitude, and understanding into that kiss, then looked at her, his eyes asking that she tell him why she had come.
“Yakuza,” she said simply, her eyes telling him everything he needed to know.
He sighed then, and sat himself down on the ground, surprised that he felt surprised it was covered with grass. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he realized he hadn’t thought it would be covered with grass. And now that he was looking around himself, instead of at Sangeet, he noticed the faint stars above them, and that it was probably just after dusk. The grass was even damp. And over there, if he was right, was the river where they often went fishing together. He smiled, remembering how often they caught dinner together. What a wonderful life he had lived with her. When she sat down beside him, he held out his hands to her and felt his heart smile when she placed her hands in his.
“It will be hard for him to go back, you know,” Gaku began. “He has learned to live again, and may not want to go back. Would it not be better for him to miss being a part of the Song, than for him to miss … “ he let go of one of her hands to gesture at the scene around them, “this?”
“If I could choose for him, I would choose that he stay here,” she agreed. “He can always come back to us later, but he can never come back here again.”
“Does he know this?” Gaku asked cautiously, unwilling to give himself the smallest shred of hope that his grandson might be able to stay with him.
“None of us has ever come “back” like this,” Sangeet told him, so we are uncertain. “It would be easy enough to compel him to return, but …” she paused. “I don’t know how to explain it. He will always hear the Song. Always. He will feel it in his bones. It is more like a sneeze you cannot stop than a choice.” She shook her head, and it seemed to Gaku she felt her words were inadequate. “But the real problem is that he may have forgotten he has a choice. As you say, he has learned to live above the mantle again. He is in a physical body which has its own distractions, and has learned he must eat and sleep, even though those are bothersome things to do. And right now, he has something important to do, so he will endure what he must in order to accomplish his task.”
“But once he is done, he won’t know what to do?” Gaku guessed.
“And so I am asking you to remind him that he has a choice and to … to work with him to discover what helps him to want to stay here,” Sangeet explained.
“I will remind him, I promise,” Gaku told her, “although he may dismiss my sincerity that he choose for himself and not for me. I can’t blame him for that, of course. And if he does choose to stay, I can promise you that I will spend every waking moment helping him to make a good life filled with the things he enjoys. And,” he paused then, sorry he hadn’t stopped talking.
“And what?” Sangeet encouraged him.
“And … “ Gaku still hesitated, then said, all in a rush, “And no matter if he stays or returns to the Song, I will go find Mahdar and ask her to come back home.”
“Oh!” Sangeet put her hand up to her mouth in astonishment. “You would bring our daughter home?
“Only if she wants to come. If not, I will move to live near her.” He sighed then. “I have made so many mistakes, but this is one I may be able to make better.”
“I love you Gaku,” Sangeet said, reaching out to touch his face and kiss him. He felt it then – the Song had come to reclaim her and he could do nothing to stop it. He kept his eyes closed a moment longer, still feeling her fingers on his face and her lips on his. “And I love you, Sangeet,” he whispered into the darkness surrounding him.
* * * * * * * *
“Are you all right?” Eruitt asked, turning to Jarles as they arrived in the Second Circle of Jikangai.
“Yeah,” he replied, bending over to place his hands on his knees, shaking his head. “Whew!” he exclaimed. “That was intense!”
“Having an emotional experience of some sort seems to be the price for coming here,” Eruitt agreed. “But … “ he paused. “Wait a minute …” Closing his eyes, Eruitt aimed his palms at the ground, connecting… feeling … His eyes flew open. “Time has changed here!” he exclaimed.
“What does that mean?” Jarles asked him, remaining bent over, sliding his eyes towards the other man, without moving his head.
“It means … “ Eruitt started, quickly walking in an erratic pattern to test his theory in different parts of the area surrounding them, and obviously excited by what he was sensing, “that the time here has returned to what we would call “normal” time. Or “our” time.
“What was it before?” Jarles asked, inhaling deeply. He thought he might be feeling a little more clear-headed, and wanted to stay that way. He was going to do his best to never re-visit what he had experienced on the way here. No thanks. His real life had been “interesting” enough without having to live through … whatever that had been. He shuttered with revulsion, hoping to never think about it again.
“We are in the Second Circle of Jikangai right now. The inner circle is just over there,” Eruitt said, pointing in front of them and a little to the right. “The time inside that circle moves much faster than it does out here, and time in the Second Circle used to move much slower than normal time in our world.”
“Our world?” Jarles asked. �
�We’re not in our world anymore?”
“No,” Eruitt answered absently, moving further away from him, still testing to make sure there were no hidden pockets in front of them. “And yes,” he finished, satisfied. Turning back towards Jarles he said, “Jikangai is outside of our time, so it is and is not here.”
“Wonderful,” Jarles said, obviously not meaning it at all. “Hey!” he exclaimed sharply, looking around , “Where is Nieva?”
“Oh … “ he hesitated.
“What happened to her? You know where she is, I can tell,” Jarles frowned, resisting the urge to walk closer to Eruitt to intimidate the truth out of him. “Tell me,” he demanded flatly.
“She’s all right,” Eruitt told him. “She just got here ahead of us is all.”
“Alone?!” Jarles shouted. “Are you insane? She is a child!”
“She is more than you know,” Eruitt returned, lifting his chin. “Which is why I allowed her to come with us in the first place. I will not apologize to you for circumstances beyond my control. I did all I could to protect her, but traveling through time and different realms isn’t my forte, as you must surely know. You are a god, but you couldn’t come here on your own, nor could you protect her from what happened. I am a mortal. So don’t waste your anger on me. She is safe, now. But I am not omnipotent; I am no more than what you see before you.”
“Where is she?” he demanded, then lowered his voice, trying to take the sting out of his words, “Do you know?”
“Only that she is here, but not a specific location, no.”
“Please stay here,” Eruitt said, suddenly acting like he was nervous again – a surprising departure from his confidence a moment ago. “I’m going to … well … I have to, um, talk to Giya. To let her know you’re here.”
Jarles rolled his eyes. “And you think she may be less than happy about it.” he guessed, making it more of a statement than a question.
“Well … I, ah, know that she will be glad that her plan is going how she hoped it would,” Eruitt stammered, embarrassed. “I will also find out where Nieva is. I’m sure Giya will know.”
“It’s all right, Eruitt,” Jarles offered him a small smile. “Do what you need to do. I’ll be right around here, waiting for you.” Then he added, “Oh hey! Be careful, will ya? I have no idea how to get back, so I don’t need you getting hurt or eaten by the local wildlife.”
“Eaten …?” Eruitt flushed.
“It was a joke, Eruitt. And a poor one at that. Go ahead. You’ll be fine. You’re not exactly defenseless, are you?”
“No,” Eruitt replied, more confident. “You’re right. I’m not.” He smiled at Jarles, looking pleased. “I will be back shortly.”
Eruitt found he liked Jarles.
Jarles thought he might yet strangle Giya’s apprentice.
* * * * * * * *
“Careful!” Kraas called out, feeling Fumaini’s body shift in her arms.
“Got it,” Zaria replied. “It’s mostly on you, so I’ll follow your lead.” Together, they laid the body of Councilor Fumaini on the ground.
“He won’t live much longer,” Zaria said. “It’s like bringing him here was too much for him. There isn’t anything left in him to fight. His life force is gone, and soon his body will cease to function.”
“Good riddance,” Kraas mumbled under her breath, causing Zaria’s eyebrows to rise.
“The Emperor is dead,” Rajesh told them, laying his body next to the councilor’s.
“There is something very strange here,” Zaria told them, frowning. She knelt on the ground between the two of them, with one hand on each of the bodies. It was obvious that while the councilor’s chest was still moving in an effort to draw breath, the emperor’s was completely still.
“Explain,” Rajesh invited, at the same time Kraas said, “What kind of strange?”
“There was a link between them before. As Sahil explained,” she looked up at each of them in turn, making sure they understood. When the each nodded, she said, “the emperor was feeding off of the councilor’s life – which is why Fumaini was in that box. I would have liked to have seen that. I’m sure there was magic involved.”
“Well of course,” Kraas agreed. “Normal people don’t go around stealing life from another person.”
“No,” Zaria shook her head. “I mean, in addition to whatever spell or curse linked the two of them, I’m willing to bet there was something in that box which made the whole thing possible.”
“Maybe Sakari figured it out, and that’s why she stayed behind,” Rajesh suggested.
“No way,” Kraas said, at the same time Zaria said, “That’s not it.” They looked at each other, each of them glad they were in agreement.
“The life force of this one,” Zaria said, pointing at the emperor, “left his body. I felt it. Then this one followed,” she nodded at the councilor. “I don’t understand the magics involved, but it seemed to me that the councilor had no choice. There was … “ she hesitated, looking for the right word to explain the sensation, at the same time rubbing two of her finger tips of her right hand against her thumb. “It was like … like he was compelled. Fumaini was. The Emperor though – that was a conscious choice. He decided to make his life force leave his body.”
“That’s … “ Kraas wrinkled her nose.
“Fascinating,” Rajesh offered. “How do you know all of that?”
“I was a Fire Tender for most of my life,” Zaria told him, and it seemed to Kraas that every time she said those words, Zaria seemed to shrink in on herself, as if she was ashamed and wanted to hide from the fact. Or maybe she was afraid of becoming one again. “I can no longer take the life from someone just by touching them, but I still know the feel of life.”
“Good!” Kraas smiled at her. “You’re going to need those skills as a healer.” She was happy to see Zaria offer her a small smile in return.
“Hey!” they all heard a voice calling out to them, causing the two women to jump to their feet and all of them to become immediately on guard.
“Have any of you seen a little girl running around here by herself? Or maybe a small owl?” Jarles called out to them, as he came closer.
“No,” Zaria answered. “How did you get here?”
“And who are you?” Kraas added.
“My name is Jarles and I’m looking for Nieva. We came by … “ he hesitated, then stopped walking. “I don’t know how to explain how I got here. You might not believe me.”
“Jarles?” Zaria asked, obviously pleased. “So Eruitt found you! Is he here too?”
“Oh!” Kraas exclaimed. “You’re the Sea God! Eruitt said Giya wants you to take back control of the seas!”
Jarles just stood there, shaking his head. “It’s a little crazy that you know these things,” he chuckled, “when I don’t even know who you are.” He started walking again, coming closer.
“I’m Zaria, this is Kraas, and this is Rajesh, the God of Bila.” Zaria told him, holding out her arm for him to embrace.
“Eruitt has gone to speak with Giya. He wanted privacy …” Jarles told them, then gave a wordless shout when they were suddenly surrounded by several people who appeared out of nowhere.
Chapter Thirty – Giya’s Confession
As soon as the energies of the portal opened to deposit her in the Second Circle of Jikangai, Khashya dropped to her knees, vomiting. Even with all the hacking and coughing she was doing, she could hear, or sense, the others moving past her, and that there were other people already here. Thoroughly embarrassed, but unable to stop, she decided she was simply glad that they hadn’t arrived into some dangerous situation and she would end up dead because of her experience on the way here.
“Tell me that wasn’t real!” she blurted, once she had wiped her mouth, unable to keep herself from asking. She knew it wasn’t real – she was here, not … there … doing those terrible things she’d seen herself do. Chared had said anyone who went with him would die. She had already done everyth
ing she could have done for her family before she had stepped forward. She had been ready to forfeit her own life in order to help set things right. She had never agreed to be subjected to visions of herself … no. No. She would just not think of it any more. Drawing in a shaky breath, she inhaled deeply a few times, trying to prepare herself for whatever would come next. Before she could even ask for help, two of Chared’s children were helping her up.
She was determined not to be embarrassed. Appalled and shocked, most certainly. But not embarrassed. She did wish that she would have brought some water with her, though. “What did I miss?” she asked, turning to Baya for answers she knew she could trust. She could see that everyone appeared to still be introducing themselves, but immediately recognized the Sea God and smiled in relief. Good! He would be desperately needed in order to keep Amphedia at bay.
“The rooster is here,” Aku interrupted them, pulling on Baya’s shirt, then pointing to the distance.
“How can you tell?” Khashya asked her, squinting and putting her hand over her eyes by reflex when trying to see something at a distance. “All I can see is a … I don’t know … a wall of some sort, maybe, that seems to be distorted. Only it goes all the way up to the sky. Almost like some kind of translucent glass. It’s pretty, but you can’t really see what’s on the other side. At least I can’t,” she amended. “Can you Baya?”
“No,” she said quietly, “but I can feel it. The rooster is definitely here.”
“Aku has said that the rooster doesn’t control time,” Khashya said, still trying to get a better look. “Do you feel differently?”
Baya knew that if there was anyone she could trust, it was High Priestess Khashya, and if she hadn’t been so disturbed by whatever she had witnessed in her visions, she would have noticed right away that Aku wasn’t unconscious – as she had been when they had all left the roof top of the Temple of Life. Her brothers and sisters had both witnessed and understood what she’d done, but they weren’t likely to tell anyone. And Sharun had been uncharacteristically quiet since they’d arrived. Disturbingly so. She was afraid of what he might say. There was too much going on all at once, and too much which might get quickly out of control.
