by Kyle Olson
The crank of her heritage began to turn as she went back inside to grab the rest of her things.
There he was, waiting for her when she returned to her car, just as it was about to finish sorting and displaying all the pieces of media her godliness granted her.
She dropped the luggage and thrust a finger at him, “You!”
He cocked his head and pointed at himself, “Me?” And then giggled as all boys did. Kind of.
“What are you doing here, how’d you know that’s my car?”
“You were really funny yesterday, lady! I saw you throw stuff in and go back. Are you going somewhere on a fun vacation?”
So he has been watching. Good thing I listened to Tess…
A stack of photos in her mind were presented for observation. This had to be the mystery god—though she didn’t need her divine capacity to figure that one out. But what he may be a god of, that was an unknown.
Strange, he feels even less godly than Wophin… Should I let on I know?
“Yeah, super fun,” said Sophia, noting the cats inside the car had taken an interest in the boy, faces pressed against the carrier door, “Going to tell me why you keep pestering me? Can I have my wallet back?”
He fished around in the pocket of dirty and tattered pants, producing a familiar bit of leather. “Yeah, I guess. There was no money in it! Lady, are you… poor?” He said, face arched in pity, as if he were somehow better off than she was.
Sophia snatched it from his thin fingers, inspected its contents, then slid it into her own pocket. “No, I just don’t like having physical money on me. You know, in case some little shit decides to pick my pocket. Whatever, I’m leaving. See ya later kid, don’t steal all my shit while I’m gone, ‘kay?”
While getting her wallet back was a nice boon, it was an underlined confirmation of what she already knew. She contemplated her concealed firearm. Against other humans, she was confident she could handle herself. Against a god?
Insects buzzed around a nearby lamppost, its bright, off-yellow glow serving as a beacon for those with wings and six legs. The boy looked up at her.
…No, I shouldn’t. Let’s just get away and go to Tess.
She opened the door to her car.
“You really aren’t a normal woman! No wonder she let you get close to her!”
Sophia halted in place, eyes coming up to meet the boy’s through the window. He was still all smiles.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about, kid,” Sophia said, forcing an even tone into her words, forcing herself to get in the car—yet, for all the alarms going off in her head, an equal amount of curiosity bubbled up. Curiosity reasoned that, if whoever this was wanted her dead, then they would have already done the deed.
“Sure you do! Sejit doesn’t get close to just any mortal.”
She licked her lips. Curiosity did make a convincing argument. Soon as she bounced into the seat she bounced back out, touching her firearm through the denim of her pants. Even through the fabric it had a cold, reassuring quality to it. Better still, it had a nice silencer on the end of it.
“Who are you,” Sophia said, folding her hands together atop the roof of her car, staring at the boy-god. Or god-boy. The stills in her mind developed frames and animated. Sounds fed in, then scents. Even a taste here and there. Still nothing, no clue to who he was. Just a forgotten boy.
What does he know?
“Hihi! You can’t figure it out, lady? That’s a shame, they thought you’d be smarter than this.”
“…They,” Sophia said through a tensioned grin, “Daontys? Ifon?”
“Yup!”
“That wasn’t a yes or no question.”
The boy remained all smiles, “You’re not a very good sphinx.”
Already strained, Sophia snapped, “And you’re a shitty god, look at you!”
“You’re right, you’re right,” he exclaimed, spinning round with a flourish, “But,” he continued, flashing to morose, “I’m nobody, so all I’m fit for is to snoop around.”
“Bet you know a thing or two, then,” Sophia said, inching her way around the car so there’d be nothing between them.
I shouldn’t, but…
“You mean like how Sejit has already left? That’s pretty reckless of her,” said the boy, smiling, but it wasn’t the same sort of face as before.
“That’s Sejit for you. But hey, if you couldn’t do something unique, then they wouldn’t have sent you, right?”
“I suppoooose,” he said, thoughtfully.
She’d worked her way out from behind the car and was now close enough to the boy that six, maybe seven steps would put them toe-to-toe. Another cursory look-over didn’t hint at any weapons, but then, that didn’t mean much.
“You’re a funny lady!”
“Why’s that?”
“Hihi! Because you’re willing to get thiiiis close to me without Sejit to save you!”
Within the span of seconds, perhaps less, Sophia drew and the boy had darted away—or attempted to dart away.
“Hold it right there,” she growled, sights leveled at his head.
“Really! Pulling a gun on a god! And they call me mad! Any other human would’ve run away by now,” he said, face split by a jester’s smile.
“Yeah and how many people have met as many of you assholes as me? Compared to them, you’re nothing. You’re afraid of this gun, aren’t you?”
His face rearranged itself into a temporary pout, “You’re mean. But you know what? I like you. You’re crazy, just like me. It’s a shame we had to meet like this. Tell you what! If you tell me the secret to your sphinxness, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. How about it?”
What? So he knows I am, but doesn’t know how? Huh.
…Would he know if I lied about it? I can’t really tell him how it happened… or can I? What if I told him an abridged version, left out a few details? Most importantly, how much does he, they, whoever, know, what can I get out of them?
He could also just be lying to me. Agh! I want to knoooow!
“Fine. No, I wasn’t born like this, but I was staying at… someone’s house, not long ago,” she said, eyeing the boy for any hints of a reaction, “And Daontys or Ifon, or whoever, sent guys to kill that someone, but I got caught up in the crossfire instead, and then someone else brought me back to life, woke up this… power in me, and here I am. There. Now then—”
“Woooow! That’s really amazing, lady! And I believe you! But, there’s something wrong about your story,” the boy said, bright-eyed, and possibly rosy-cheeked, but it was hard to tell with the poor lighting.
“Huh? What?”
Twinkling and overflowing with excitement and eagerness, he said: “You’re right, I’m with them, but that wasn’t us! You were staying with Sejit’s son, right? Right?!”
“…Yeah.”
Sophia found her curiosity was no longer so eager and her trigger finger was itchy.
“We’ve been tracking you for a while! That wasn’t us, wasn’t us! We know better than to go anywhere near Sejit’s son. She’d destroy the whole world just to get at us if that happened!” The boy was bouncing on the spot, hopping from one foot to the other like he was waiting, just waiting to drop the punchline on the world’s most hilarious joke.
What he was saying could be a lie, but it wasn’t wrong, either. She knew Sejit. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how strange it was there had been no real reaction from the lioness about the danger posed to her son. Tarkit had mentioned talking to her about what’d happened, so there should have been something.
“What are you getting at?”
“It’s obvious! Too obvious! Can’t you see?,” his voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, “Sejit did it!”
That was Sejit’s doing? No, she wouldn’t put Tarkit at risk. Unless they had orders… That’d explain why she didn’t seem to care. She knew he wouldn’t be harmed. Tarkit and Yf were unharmed, too. Didn’t he say something about how t
hey wouldn’t dare attack him? Or was that someone else…
And Wophin did call me a tool. Did he know?
…It does make sense.
Does it matter?
“Why would she?”
“Obvious!” Boasted the boy, “You had to die to become a sphinx! Oh! But that means… Who could have healed you, I wonder? Yf? It must’ve been Yf, right? Sejit’s been friends with him for years. C’mon, tell me!”
“That’s all you’re getting out of me,” Sophia growled, “Now answer my question: What are Daontys and Ifon planning? What do they get out of fucking with Sejit?”
“Dear, oh dear me,” the boy shook his head with a sigh, “I can’t possibly tell you that! But! Don’t give me that look! You were a sport, so it’s only fitting I be a sport in return, yes? Hihi! Tomorrow, or would it be today? Either way, you should prepare yourself.”
“What, are you going to blow up the city?”
“No no! I’m not alone!”
“You look alone to me,” said Sophia, dispassionately.
“What? I’m—”
A double tap of cracks and whistles and the god faltered, dropping to his knee that’d been shot through. All the smiles and playfulness had gone up like so much smoke, but he still laughed.
“Hihi, I can’t believe it! You shot me, you shot me, you, shot me, a god!”
“Tell me what they’re up to!”
He snarled and pounced at her, fingers outstretched like some feral beast, but she hopped back and put a trio of rounds up a leg into his gut, spilling him to the ground. Squirming and wriggling, he braced himself and leaned up, dirt and gravel clinging to his bloody rags.
“Answer me!”
“Hihihihi! They, they told meeee not toooo, but I’llll kill yooooou!”
Another four rounds into his neck and shoulders, slowed him, but didn’t stop him from writhing towards her, no matter how much he coughed and sputtered and cursed.
“If not meeee, then they’ll do it! They will, they will, Father of Us burns away the lion, any minute now! Tomorrow the wolf will chew up the jackal and then you diiie!”
“…Really now? Good to know.”
Horror writ itself on his bloody features, “Oh, no no no, oh… Hihihi that’s it, that’s it…”
Even a cripple could get away from him. Good thing too, since I only have a single round left. They’ll want to know—
A wave of dizziness assaulted her, nearly topping her over over. It was only by luck that she’d stuck her arms out to catch on the car. There was an itch at her rear, a pressing urge to let her lion out that grew like storm swell. Slumped on the trunk, she fired her last round, right through the boy’s head. A trickle of blood pooled from his forehead. He laughed, cross-eyed.
The feeling did not abate; her clothing swelled with burgeoning limbs. Worse yet, the world was going… gray. She felt thin.
Fuck! Fuck what’s he doing, my ammo, extra ammo, in the bag…
He was almost upon her, keening like an electrified hyena, “I’m a god, he made me useful, I’m a god, he gave me purpose—”
From the nose up he exploded, showering Sophia in a rain of gore. Quick as it’d come on, the thinness and itchiness lifted and she wasted no time scrambling into the car. Steady hands slipped the keys into the ignition, and ignoring the caterwaul of her lovable fluffballs, she peeled out of the parking lot and onto the road towards the museum, towards Tess.
Her phone rang. Without looking at who was calling, she answered, “Thanks! That was a close one.”
“You fucking reckless shit,” Tess’s voice grumbled through the speaker, “You’re lucky I decided to pack up and make sure you got out.”
“How long were you watching?”
“Had him for a few minutes before you got to your car.”
“And you took that long to do anything?!”
“Hey, looked like you might’ve been able to get something out of him. Get your ass over here and we can talk about it.”
Before Sophia could fire back, ask the pertinent question at the tip of her tongue, she was greeted with the silence of a hung-up call.
Some of him had been transferred from her clothing to the upholstery.
Figures.
Casting a glance in the rear-view mirror, though any chance of spotting the body or even her building had long vanished, she wondered how long it’d take for him to heal up. Would he come after her again when he was up and about? Chances were good he’d not be happy about being killed.
She could relate.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Far overhead, Daontys’ nest stuck out from the craggy cliffside. Most of the manor was dark, save for a dim night-light here and there. Clouds obscured the pink light of an early sun, still hidden behind the world.
Sejit cracked her knuckles. She’d already trekked over a mile off the highway to get here, what was another three hundred feet up?
Testing her grip on the cliff face, Sejit began hauling herself up, one arm-length at a time. Mun’skit bounced on her back each time she swung paw to paw on her ascent. With any luck, she’d catch him unaware and this would be over without fuss or mess. If not… Well, that was something to think about if it happened.
The lion exploded up the cliff in a minute, yet even that felt too slow, too vulnerable. She was just waiting for something to happen every time corded muscles launched her upwards another yard at a time.
Luck held, or at least the carelessness of Daontys and whoever else might be within. With one final heave she clambered onto an expansive patio, crouched low against a wall.
Why is everything glass? She thought, whiskers twitching. She’d expected more security, reinforced doors, walls, something. Instead, the entire perimeter of the house made of glass and metal supports, leading up to a glass double door.
The one thing she’d not provisioned for was a glass cutter. There was no obvious lock on the door, far as she could tell, so perhaps that meant it was unlocked or, more likely, used a fob.
A gentle tap would grant access, sure, but then there went any hope of a clean kill.
Not trusting it and not wanting to faff about in front of a wide expanse of glass, she continued on. She kept low to the ground, eyes darting through the gloom for any signs of movement, any gleams of camera lenses. Nothing—that was good, but just because she didn’t see anything…
As she rounded the corner of the building, she was relieved by a nice stretch of stone masonry. A driveway wound up the hill to a garage door, and further down the wall was a normal door.
Closer examination revealed that yes, it used a fob system. Covered and concealed by a wall one couldn’t see through, she felt more comfortable applying the first-line technique of breaking into locked structures, at least according to her school of knowledge.
Her paw wrapped around the handle and gave it a little tug.
It opened with a clack.
Of course, why would anyone up here lock their doors, especially when they are Daontys?
She slipped through the garage and its small bevy of impressive vehicles, a tawny streak in the murk. Two doors led out, one to the left, the other to the right. The garage had been a short walk after she’d rounded the corner on the outside, so that had to mean the left led further into the house. Testing the handle with a claw, she opened it as delicately as she could manage and moved deeper inside.
Here she’d come into what was, probably, a greeting or hosting room. High ceilings, which were, of course, mostly glass, and various chairs and couches arranged in a vaguely semi-circular pattern, all facing a granite wall that appeared to have a drop-down projection screen at the ceiling.
Brushed steel, granite, and glass everywhere she looked. Dim night lighting revealed a multitude of paths she could take. To know which was best, all she had to do was follow her nose.
Her pink nose twitched on a stream of colors wafting through the air, every shade and hue bringing with it a story and glimpse into the past. Daontys was he
re, all right—his scent permeated everything.
He was not alone. No, of course not. That would be too easy, too simple. A multitude of familiar colors delved into her memory, dredged up a history. Ifon had been here, of that she had no doubt, but he’d been gone for at least a day. Two other fresh scents caught her attention atop a multitude of faint odors.
Interesting. Daontys, you have been busy…
From the deepest parts of her self, an alarm rang out—Danger!
Instinct seized control of her body and she dove sideways. Venom-filled fangs snapped shut, finding empty air where once warm flesh and blood had been.
Sejit tore her weapon from its strap as she leapt forward towards the giant snake, the head of her poleaxe a whistling blur.
The snake was no slouch, darting back and forward at the same time, its brown and green scales whispering so quietly upon the carpet not even Sejit’s ears could detect them. Its body looped out, a U-shape to dodge the axehead. The silvery godsmetal, backed by the strength of a war goddess, shattered the granite like delicate porcelain, launching fragments in every which direction and dug into the concrete underneath. As the snake swerved so too did it press the attack, tail whipping out from one side and fang-filled mouth from the other.
Weapon still buried in the ground, she used it for leverage to hurtle herself up, coming down upon the body of the snake with her claws out. Her feet dug in, claws biting deep into the snake’s flesh. It hissed and screeched and shook, but Sejit had a firm hold with her feet and legs, allowing her hands the opportunity to rend flesh to ribbons.
Instincts flared once again, conquering her reluctance to lose her inevitable kill. Kicking off, she landed neat on the floor and slid on blood-slicked paws. No attack had come, but the warning electrifying her body wouldn’t go away.
Breathing sharp and quick, eyes wild and tail thrashing, she fought for control.
Long had it been since her claws had drunk. Primal hungers roused from their twilight sleep.
Yes. More! Let us feast!
She forced her breathing to settle, her blood to cool. Focus, control, poise. Everything depended on it.
The snake’s body worked to mend itself, rent flesh snapping back together and sealing with the barest of scars. Beady, black eyes burned with anger and pain and hatred.