A Third of the Moon and the Stars Struck

by Jade Brieanne

  Jon began to sputter again and Dr. Timoko slid the glass of water back towards her. “Again, how can I be of service?”

  Key shot Jon one last glare before he removed a crystalline-like USB from his purse. “We need you to tell us what’s on this. We can’t make heads or tails of it.”

  Dr. Timoko accepted it and slid the USB into her computer. There was a whirring noise while the computer processed the file and loaded it. When it was done, Dr. Timoko gasped. She knew they were here to learn more about alchemy but she never, ever imagined it would be this! “How did you get this?”

  Key looked at her, confused. “It was in the Caelian Libraries. One of our teams were able to locate it.”

  Dr. Timoko stood, rounded the desk and opened the door to the office. “I don’t know what this is. This has nothing to do with me and I want nothing to do with it. I need you to leave.”

  Jon snorted. “How do you even know that? You’ve barely looked at it, let alone deciphered it! You must know something because it’s obvious you can read that.”

  “Why do you have this? I specifically coded this in this manner so no one could ever access it!”

  “Oh, now she knows what it is.” Jon rolled his eyes. “Well, if you tell us what it was, we could avoid it as well, but we can’t. It is our only clue.” Jon placed his elbows on the arms of the chair and snuggled back into the cushions, obviously doing the opposite of leaving.

  “This is the only clue to help save our realm,” Key added, trying to be more helpful than his partner.

  “No, not your realm,” Jon corrected. “This is our only clue to save Jin.”

  “Jin?” Dr. Timoko paused. “Jin Amaris?”

  Key and Jon looked at each other for a moment before nodding. Dr. Timoko put a hand to her forehead. This is all connected?

  Dr. Timoko stared at the two for a moment before she pushed her door closed with a sigh, walked back to her desk and took a seat.

  Key narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that name?”

  “Because…” Dr. Timoko set her eyes on the file and exhaled heavily. She grabbed her phone and punched a number into it. “Felicia? Yes, thank you, I’m going to be back in my office for a few more hours. No, there’s no problem! Just need to work a few things out. If you could alert security so I do not alarm them with my presence? Thank you. Thank you,” she finished, hanging up.

  “Get comfortable,” she said to Key and Jon. “This is going to take a while.”

  CHAPTER SIXTY TWO

  Jon rubbed his butt. These office chairs did nothing ergonomically for his body and he felt as if they made the cushions uncomfortable on purpose to get people in and out of the chairs as fast as possible. That didn’t seem to be the plan for him.

  He was also a bit afraid to ask for an ETA from the demon he’d pissed off. It seemed Dr. Timoko was reading his mind, maybe literally. “I’m not going to bite you. Ask me a question if you like.”

  Key was busy in the corner making a series of phone calls, so Dr. Timoko would serve as his entertainment for the time being. “A demon doctor priest.”

  Dr. Timoko grinned. “You’re wondering how? Let’s start with this. I’m not a demon. I’m an archdemon. It’s not a signifier of heredity like with angels. It’s more of a rank.”

  Shit. They were levels to demons as well.

  “I’m a distant cousin of Lucifer, on my father’s side. It is where I get my impossibly magnificent good looks from.” She patted her cheeks playfully. “Not from my father, but from Lucifer,” she clarified. “He is very, very handsome.”

  “Okay, I amend my earlier statement. A demon doctor priest who is a distant cousin of Lucifer who is helping angels.” Dr. Timoko opened her mouth to explain but Jon waved it off. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. Good and evil. Yet, I’m sure you had other choices than Catholic.”

  “I like it. Out of all of the other denominations, it seemed to dislike me the most. I gravitate towards things or…people,” she eyed Jon pointedly, “who don’t like me. I get a rush out of knowing that something they don’t understand or want to understand helps them with their faith.”

  “That’s…a little sick.”

  Dr. Timoko shrugged. “Never claimed to be an angel.” She leaned on her elbows. “My full name is Timokokeinuhn-Ninuliamohn Akahata Timoko. My father was an archdemon who refused to live in Gehanna…or Hell. He met my mother in New Zealand. Thus, I was born.”

  “You’re not full-blooded?”

  “No. I am a Cambion, the demonic equivalent to Key, a Mutare. Our history is a little different as most demons are damned. Not all of us but enough. We don’t carry the sins of our fathers.”

  Jon had more questions, surprising because at this point in his journey he was in “accept all” mode, but on occasion, his curiosity overpowered his instinctive affinity for doubt. Dr. Timoko’s computer beeped three times, the noise she said would indicate that her computer had decoded the file. He felt a bit dejected he wouldn’t get a chance to ask what was niggling away at his mind.

  “Sorry, that took longer than expected. This tertiary coding works on nine dimensions with a breathing encoding system which is stubborn aginst decoding. I thought about explaining what was on the file but I think it is most beneficial if you see.” Dr. Timoko looked at Key. “Do you have a dimensional pyramid?”

  The angel nodded, pocketed his phone and from the same pocket pulled out the pyramid-shaped device that he’d used in the safe house in New Jersey. Dr. Timoko plucked it from his hand and placed it on the center of her desk. Her hand hovered over the pyramid and Jon gasped when it began to spin on its point. As it gained speed, Dr. Timoko pressed a few buttons on her computer and a huge image blossomed from the pyramid.

  “Like I mentioned, I encoded this on nine dimensions but I’ve compressed it to three. The eye cannot conceptualize more than three. Now before I show you…I would like for you to tell me something. Consider it an even trade.”

  Jon looked at Key and Key nodded.

  “The rumors that I’ve heard about Jin Amaris…”

  “Again, how do you know that name?” Jon asked. “And what rumors?”

  Dr. Timoko paused and seemed to contemplate the question. “Have you ever been inside of an AME Zion church? A Baptist church?”

  Jon shook his head. He’d hardly even been in any church, except for his father’s and his mother’s synagogue on special occasions.

  “There is a phenomenon called Glossolalia or…speaking in tongues. It is a spiritual language, between The Creator and those who call for them. It also can be used as a sort of secret language between spiritually powered individuals. We tend to get news first because when something big happens in any realm, it affects the spiritually endued. The news of Jin Amaris spread fast. Soon it was the hottest piece of gossip around.”

  “That’s amazing. Creepy but amazing,” Jon whispered. Maybe he should start going to church.

  “Jin Amaris…” Dr. Timoko paused to bite her lip and Jon saw a wave of emotion wash over her face. It struck him as odd because this went just a tad bit passed fascination with gossip. “They say that she...she is the reincarnation of Aria Jinni and that Aria Jinni’s soul is attached to hers?”

  Key nodded. “Yes,” he said, amazed. Apparently, he didn’t know about the spiritual grapevine operating on Earth, either. “They are separated now.”

  “Separated?” the demon whispered. “As in…Aria Jinni is alive?”

  Key nodded again. “Very much so.”

  Dr. Timoko exhaled harshly and her hands came together as if she were praying. “Thank you. Thank you for telling me that.”

  Jon’s forehead bunched. “Why is that important?”

  Dr. Timoko didn’t answer, instead, she began to physically manipulate the file with her hands, reaching into it and deconstructing sections of it, slamming portions together and ripping sections apart, sparks flying as she did. Once she was done, she flew through the newly constructed file, looking for something. “I have t
o find it quickly. This file is basically alive and will begin to undo what I’ve done in the next half hour.” She paused, her finger hovering on a section. “Kithlish, when Tambour scans a string, what markers do they look for. Genetically.”

  Key frowned. “Tambour was built for humans so it looks for human markers. It can find angelic heritage but it’s not something that their radars, for a lack of a better word, pick up often.”

  Dr. Timoko smiled. “You scanned Jin for human and angelic blood I can assume.”

  “Yes,” Key answered slowly, sounding bewildered.

  “Just as I’d been told. As you said, Tambour is built for humans. But it is known that among the many categories of spiritual beings under The Creator, there are the three: Humans, Angels and–”

  “Demons,” Key answered.

  Dr. Timoko nodded. She reached into the file and grabbed a section. The rest of the file faded away until two items were left. It looked like an official document with multiple columns. Some of the boxes were solid, others faded, some almost invisible.

  Jon recognized it. “Those are the results from a DNA test.”

  “In a sense. This sort of testing predates DNA testing by a few eons. Mutare and Cambion have additional markers that make current DNA testing obsolete. It’s a complicated procedure, however, this one on the right? It is the file they have in Caeli.”

  Key leaned forward, his olive green eyes fixated on the file. “I’ve seen that before. It’s the official genetics document for Aria.”

  “Correct.”

  “Missing a marker column.”

  “Correct.”

  “Because,” he said, drawing out the word because there was no way in hell he was hearing this correctly, “why would we test for demonic blood?”

  “Understandable.”

  A brow rose. “Are you…saying we should have?”

  Jon caught up to their high-level conversation with the speed of a sloth but when he caught it, he caught it. “Are you saying that Aria is a,” he clutched at his shirt,” demon?” he whispered, scandalized.

  “Part demon, part angel.” Dr. Timoko smile was brief. “But yes. Rare. She’s almost…one of a kind. With us knowing that, we can assume that Jin is…” she trailed off.

  Jon waited a beat before he began to collect his things. “Oh, HELL, no. Come on, Key, we’re leaving. I’m not sitting around and listening to this.” He snatched his blazer off the back of the seat. “Key? C’mon. We’re leaving.”

  Key’s eyes jutted to Jon’s for a second and Jon could see the temptation to leave was in his eyes but he didn’t stand up. He tugged at a few loose strands on his brown wig. The silence stretched ugly in the room before Key asked. “How? How is that possible? How do you know this?”

  “I know you’re not privy to all of the conspiracies and secrets that exist in Caeli, but they are there, they are ever present and they are frequent. There are a lot of things that happen in that realm done in the name of the greater good of Caeli but Caeli has the same bigotry and racism as any other realm in existence. It’s the reasons fullbloods call your kind Cah’pe, why some hate your mixed heritage. However, the reason that part of Aria Jinni’s heritage was concealed from everyone was because Aria’s potential outweighed their disgust for my kind. Aria is truly a weapon for Caeli but she wouldn’t be a weapon or be as strong without her demonic heritage. Have you ever heard of an angel possessing a body?” She leaned into Key’s space. “Or is it always a demon?”

  Key gasped and began to choke and Jon rushed to pat him on the back. “Holy shit,” he managed, strangled.

  Dr. Timoko handed Key the glass of water and waited patiently for him to gulp it down. “There’s something else you should know.”

  “There’s more?” Jon screeched

  Dr. Timoko only smiled. “Yes.”

  Key placed the glass back on her desk with shaky fingers. “How do you know all of this?”

  “How do I know all of this?” she repeated. She stood and turned around, giving them her back. Slowly, she unbuttoned her mauve Oxford, slipped it off her shoulders and let it drop. One of Jon’s hands shot up to cover his eyes as her bra fell next and he threw his other hand over Key’s, who smacked his hand away.

  “Whakaatuhia,” she whispered in a thick accent. Lines began to carve into Dr. Timoko’s back, glowing an angry red. When it was done, the symbol of four triangles attached at the corners to form a square, an eye enclosed in a circle with an iris that radiated out like a sun was all that was left behind. “That marker that you see on Aria’s file is a family marker. It’s the marker of her mother. The marker of her mother’s mother, Timokokeinuhn-Ninuliamohn Akahata Kanda …an alchemist.”

  “Oh, god,” Jon said.

  “I am the true mate of Alloyon. I am Aria’s true mother.”

  Jon blinked and deflated in his seat. “I need a drink.”

  CHAPTER SIXTY THREE

  Discord Realm

  For Jin’s second test, the four of them would be leaving Kowloon Nuh. For the first time, Jin would be able to see what the rest of Discord looked like. She looked down at her new outfit. It was supposed to replicate AJ’s, and she guessed, Aria’s wardrobe, but it modded to her spirit, her personality, warping it.

  She wore a skin-tight, long sleeve bodice that flowed to the top of her hips before trailing between her legs, leaving her legs naked. A dark honey colored metal cuirass fit securely over the bodice and a leather harness was over left arm.

  “Isn’t this a bit…” she looked down. “bare?”

  AJ moved to her side. “It’s not done. First times are a little slow. You can speed it up by tapping on your bracelets. Try it.”

  Jin did, her finger glancing over the thin metal before tapping. Something lengthened from her bodice and thin black liquid legging began

  to cover her legs. When they reached her knees, they hardened into a thick boot-like shape. Once the transformation was complete, her bracelets lengthened up her arms like golden bracers.

  “You are susceptible to spiritual poisoning. Even when we find a balance within you, it will be many, many years before your soul is used to the amount of power it wields. These bracelets will help keep you in sync.”

  “Technology has advanced since Aria’s day. When you’ve activated your suit, as you’ve done, and when your adrenaline forces you into a spiritual-powered state, you’ll get readings directly from your bracelets–vitals, synthnasia readings and how close you are to spiritual poisoning.”

  Jin could only nod as she continued to rub a finger over the length of her new bracers.

  They moved from the forest and continued their descent down, traveling the moist halls. The air was damp and every time Jin inhaled, she felt like the humidity was choking her. Benja’in-su spotted more Morg’ah’nee and waved animatedly as they would pass. The male Morg’ah’nee would always greet her with deep bow. Jin wondered if Benja was like the top Morg’ah’nee.

  The further they got, the moister it became. Every step Jin took was over soggy carpet or slick concrete as the water continued to rise and rise. By the time they reached the lowest level, the water was at Jin’s knees. Two guards appeared and Onyu offered them commands in one of the many languages Onyu knew. The guards nodded and jogged until they reached a large orange capped lever, almost as big as they were. Together, they were able to pull it down, clank by clank. With a final loud clank, the lever released the lock holding an enormous rusted metal bay gate closed. It groaned open, letting in light and air, the pressure lowering and wind whipping around. Water roared into the space, sloshing against the sides as it settled across the lower level. Benja’in-su appeared along the lower level, tugging along a rope connected to a long, wide wooden boat, its planks gleaming.

  Jin stared at the water and her heartbeat began to sound in her ears.

  “You’re still scared of water?” Onyu asked.

  “She should be,” AJ interjected. “Remember the HOME Battle. Trauma such as that is carried i
n the soul.”

  “The HOME battle?” Jin asked, tearing her eyes from the water and to Onyu then AJ. “What’s that?”

  Onyu picked up a long pole that was leaned against the wet concrete walls of the lower level. “During the War, the rebels managed to collapse an entire side of HOME, the building that stood before Elysian Central. The explosion trapped those on Side A in the rubble and destruction. Song, a General, put together a team led by her two Captains, Aria and Kano, to rescue the survivors. They managed to get a fair number of people out when Aria volunteered to go to the basement levels to survey the damage. A subsequent explosion imploded the columns holding the rest of the building in place.”

  “It didn’t bode well,” AJ continued. “A section collapsed down on top of me and I was stuck. I… became claustrophobic because of the confined spaced. Aquaphobic because water found its way to me. It would flood the small space where I was trapped, almost drowning me, before it would recede. It did that over and over for four days until they were able to pull me out.”

  Jin's forehead pinched. “Angels can develop things like that?”

  “Not full blood angels,” Benja’in-su interjected, her eyes alight, “but Aria was–”

  “Benja!” Onyu hissed, her voice full of censure.

  The Morg’ah’nee slapped a hand over her mouth. “She doesn’t know?”

  Onyu avoided looking at her when Jin leveled her with her stare. Eventually, the spiritualist raised her hands in defense. “Think of it as motivation. You get out of here, you can ask the Great Mother if you want. Her secrets are her secrets. If I tell you another secret you might kill me.”