The ship was invisible—both to the eye and to sensors. There was no technology—human or otherwise—capable of detecting it, for its design was more advanced than any other in the universe.
Still, he chose to land in the depths of the sea. Part of him, accustomed to centuries of human life, still worried about impossible things.
It would be a short swim to the coast, and from there a quick ride to Joqqal.
As he was set to exit the ship, a shudder went through him—an all too familiar feeling. He returned to the control room, and the reports confirmed what he suspected: the prisoners had found their way out.
He cursed.
Things kept taking a turn for the worse. And he was always one step behind.
This was not good. Not good at all.
He plunged into the water, swam his way to the surface, and then to the shore.
Now the mask would not be enough. He’d also have to find them, catch them, and somehow contain them again.
The mask would still be required though, to put everything back in place.
But first things first.
He’d find whoever took the mask—though he wasn’t quite sure how yet—and get it back from them.
He was glad to have his body back, but there would be drawbacks as well. He would have no cover now, no identity, no authority. He could force his way through most situations, but that would draw too much unwanted attention. But there would be times when he knew it might be necessary.
Another drawback, he realized as he got out of the water, was that he had no glider. He’d have to walk to the city.
He looked to the south, where the outlines of Joqqal cut against the night sky.
A glider would not be too difficult to obtain once he got there. But in the meantime, he’d only have his feet.
He began to walk, quickening his pace as he went. At least, he wouldn’t tire so easily now.
***
He spent the next day roaming the streets of Joqqal. And though he had set out to look for the mysterious woman, his mind kept wandering back to the mask.
It had been the most difficult thing he’d ever done. Giving it to Jack.
When he’d taken it from the wall, it had felt like it belonged to him. It had become a part of him. Giving it away was like ripping a part of his soul.
And yet...
He knew it wasn’t his, never had been.
And, if anything, he was a man of his word.
He could not have kept it.
Besides, what would he have done with it?
It was a fascinating artifact, for sure, but it served no purpose.
That thought troubled him.
Because he knew it did serve a purpose. He just did not know what. Either way, it did not serve one that would have affected him.
No, there would have been no reason to keep it. It would just have been a distraction.
That made him laugh. As if it wasn’t a distraction now.
People gave him strange looks as they walked past him. He ignored them, shaking his head with a grin on his face.
Well, he didn’t have it anymore, so there was no point in letting it haunt him this way. He’d done what Jack wanted, now it was time for him to focus on what he wanted. Needed, even.
He entered yet another shop and described the scantily clad woman. Despite not knowing her name—he doubted she went around as the goddess Raduul—, he guessed her figure was unique enough that, sooner or later, someone was bound to recognize her.
Nor was he wrong. Several, already, had. Though none of them could tell him where to find her. People had noticed her—of course, they had—, strolling proudly through the streets, in the park, or by the seafront.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
But still, he did not know where to find her.
Again, he described the supposed goddess, for perhaps the hundredth time, and again he saw that same expression of awe and admiration—though sometimes it had been consternation and disgust, depending on the individual.
“I’ve seen her around,” said the merchant. “Difficult to forget.”
“Do you know where I can find her?” he asked.
The man made a face. “I don’t know that it’s the kind of lady you’d want to find...”
“Let me worry about that,” he said irritably.
“I really don’t know, I’m sorry.”
“I do,” said a small voice from behind the counter.
They both turned to the boy who had talked.
“You do?” asked the startled merchant.
The child looked down, ashamed. “I’m sorry, pa. I followed her the other day. I don’t know why...”
Hope flared inside Paul’s heart.
“Can you tell me where she went?”
“No,” said the boy. “But I can show you.”
***
The news of the theft had spread among them like wildfire. It was all they could talk of. And for good reason. It was, after all, at the heart of all their beliefs.
“We must find it!” said a man in a blue suit.
“Do we even know who has it?” asked a woman with auburn hair.
Sitting at the back of the room, Evken listened quietly as his brothers argued.
It was a major development, but his mind kept going back to the prior day’s incident.
Not that he should have been surprised by how Rakash had reacted, but he had not expected him to find out about the journal. He was not supposed to find out. It was to be his ticket out. Now he’d have to find something else.
He was not so naive to think humans would have been able to do anything against Rakash himself. But by opening their eyes to his true nature, he had hoped they would at least have stopped his growing influence among them—there are ways they could have done that.
“Evken?”
He blinked out of his reverie, realizing someone had been talking to him. He looked up and saw everyone staring in his direction.
“What?” he asked.
“You’ve had the most interactions with the humans, among us all, would you take care of it?”
“Take care of what?”
Even as he asked, he realized what the answer was and cringed at the thought.
“Would you go get the mask for us?”
Why did it bother him so much? It was, after all, the one thing that could wake the gods and get him the answers he had craved for all his life. Was this not more important than even Rakash?
That was assuming they could not only find but also use it. He somehow felt it would not be quite so simple.
“I will try,” he reluctantly agreed. “Do we have any leads?”
“Our spies report there were two men in the cave when it was taken. One of them must have it.”
He was given their names and descriptions, after which the meeting was adjourned.
Evken returned to his home, thinking of the human who had been killed by Rakash before him. Just to teach him a lesson.
No, he realized, that was not true. He should not blame himself for that. The human’s life had become forfeit as soon as he’d set foot in Ahuaxa. He would never have been allowed to leave alive.
He could have been kept here as a servant, he mused. He’d still be alive, then. Were it not for me.
Why did he care, though?
He did not know that human. He meant nothing to him.
And yet, his heart had broken when he’d seen him fall to the ground and bleed out.
It was not like his kind to grieve over humans. But then, he’d never been like the others. Not since Julia.
He frowned.
Julia had changed him, that was a fact. And yet, she had spent just as much time with Rakash, if not more. The real question was... why had he not changed? Or maybe he had but in a different, darker, way. He could not know, he had never met him at the time. He had nothing to compare.
He chased those thoughts to focus on his new task.
The mask was all that mattered now.
That, and waking the old gods.
***
The good news had sent shudders down his spine. Could he be so lucky? This would be cause for celebration!
“Thomas!”
A lank waif scuttled to him and bowed his head low.
“You are not Thomas,” he said with a frown.
“No, your Lordship, I am Valins.”
Valerian’s frown increased.
“Where is Thomas?”
“You bled him to death, your Lordship, and then fed him to your dogs. He was lucky you blessed him so!”
“Ah yes,” said Valerian with a wicked smile. “I remember now. He had dared to suggest a change in my wine.”
“Oh most blessed of all the blessed, you are the wisest among the wisest!”
“Indeed. And let that be a lesson to you!”
He paced back and forth.
“I have had wonderful news, Thomas.” He paused, glancing back at the still kneeling child. “Valins.”
His eyes turned to the balcony. From his vantage point, he could see the crowd below. The courtyard never emptied. They all spent as much time as they could there, hoping to be blessed with a sighting of his divine presence.
He snorted.
But not even the thought of those worms could spoil his good mood.
“The thief has reached out to me. Me! It is as good as in my hands now! Prepare the festivities, Thomas!”
“Valins,” corrected the servant.
At any other time, such insolence would have sent him into a rage. But he was so ecstatic he barely noticed the affront.
He had heard the mask had been stolen, of course. How could he have not? The news had spread throughout the city, and he had spies everywhere.
What he had not expected was to receive a message from the thief. The man—a human, of course, he thought with displeasure—wished to sell it to him.
The prospect of a human, of all things, managing to steal that most fabled of items, baffled his mind. Granted, he had approached numerous other members of the species, intending to hire them for that very purpose, but he had never expected them to succeed. Their constant excuses for not taking the job had further convinced him they would be incapable of such a simple task. That one of them had now succeeded was beyond his comprehension.
Still. He could not ignore such an opportunity.
It would be a dream come true.
He would give the human his price. He did not care.
What would one such as he care about gold? Or jewels? He would give it all away for the mask and the absolute power it would give him over his people.
And then...
Oh, then they would see.
Yes.
Everything would change, then.
No more rules.
No more going easy on the humans.
No more being careful about appearances.
No more killing only humans you own.
No.
Once he had the mask, all of that would change.
Forever.
He grinned a wicked grin.