Path of the Divine

by Harmon Cooper

  “Car Seat?” I tried again, hoping to get this over with.

  Something moved in the corner, a metal pail falling to the ground.

  “Who’s there?” I asked, the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention.

  “It is I,” a beautiful, alluring voice said. “And who are you?”

  “I’m here for Car Seat,” I said, trying my best to listen for any indication of movement.

  I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest, tension tingling in my limbs, but rather than give in to my own fears I pressed forward, taking one more step closer to the center of the tent.

  “You have come for me?” the voice asked.

  “If you are Car Seat then yes, I’ve come for you. Your family is waiting outside for you.”

  “My family?” The woman laughed softly. “Those are bandits out there. They care nothing for me, and they will dispose of you when the time comes. And my name is Karzi.”

  “I don’t plan to stick around long enough for that time to come. I’m simply here looking for answers.”

  “Yet you have entered my tent seeking my attention.”

  “It’s been a long day.”

  The woman laughed again. “I like your sense of humor. It’s so nice to meet a true outsider.”

  “I’m not able to see in the dark. Is there a way you could turn on a light for me? Then we can continue our discussion.”

  “You should have asked when you entered,” the female voice said as green fireflies appeared in the center of the tent, swirling around the top of the room, their forms brightening and turning yellow.

  A woman floated before me, her robes hanging off her body, her sex exposed, one of her breasts peeking out. She had beautiful black hair, her nose slightly upturned in a way that reminded me of the young woman I’d seen outside.

  “Karzi?” I asked, both hands up now to show that I meant no harm.

  She dipped her chin, some of her hair falling into her face.

  “You wanted to see me.”

  “I did.”

  “And what else would you like from me?” she asked, her hand coming out of her robe and going to the front of her nude body.

  “That’s not your body,” I told the woman. “And you know it.”

  I could see something billowing off the floating young woman’s body now, something resembling a white smoke with sinister appendages.

  “You can see me?” she asked, her voice dropping an octave.

  “So, you’re the demon?”

  The woman laughed, bringing her hand to her mouth, cocking her head to the left as she did so. “An outsider who can actually see me? To think that I will have the chance to kill you here, before word can spread, before you can even start this journey.”

  “I’m not here to fight,” I told the evil spirit.

  “That’s no longer up to you.”

  The young woman dropped to the ground as if she were a bag of sand. The spirit took shape in the air, a female with armor and an incredible sword made of gray smoke.

  My natural instinct was to run, but something was keeping me here, some sort of energy telling me I could handle this, to lift my fists and prepare.

  “The others will be so happy that I ended this now,” the evil spirit said, her eyes igniting. “There won’t be another one like you for another thousand years, maybe longer.”

  “Like me?”

  The demon spirit lunged at me with her sword, time slowing to a standstill. It was almost as if she were running in slow motion, each step exaggerated, reminding me of instant replay for some reason.

  It was that easy.

  I simply stepped aside as the spirit’s attack went right in front of me, cutting into the soil. My next response came rapidly, even if I was unsure that it would work.

  I threw my hand forward, opening my fist at the last moment and chopping the ghost at the side of its neck.

  Time sped back up and the spirit stumbled forward, breathing heavily, coughing up puddles of smoke onto the ground.

  “You… You struck me?”

  But rather than say anything I brought my hands back into position, going with it, completely trusting in the moment.

  The evil spirit charged me again in slow motion. I stepped out of the way like a matador, bringing another chop onto her back, sending her spilling forward, her skull cracking open and smoke billowing out, hissing.

  “No… No…”

  I stomped my foot onto her back, a blistering light bursting through to the top of the tent and blowing a hole in the canvas.

  The front of the tent flew open and the father ran in with his two nephews. “You did it,” he said, wide-eyed. “You killed the demon!”

  “You have done my family such a service,” Kinley said, bowing to me, his nephews bowing behind him.

  My hands were shaking now, a wave of euphoria rolling over me. I still didn’t quite understand what I had done. Had I really moved that quickly? How had I just taken down an armed evil spirit?

  I recalled the woman, her smoky armor, her sharp blade, the way her eyes ignited.

  It was almost like playing a videogame or something, time slowing down allowing me to easily avoid her attacks.

  But there was hardly a moment to process what had happened, not with Kinley at my side, tugging my arm, thanking me, promising me his…

  “Come again?”

  “Both of them, for you. I have been saving both of them for the right person, and the man who can slay a demon spirit is surely the right person!” he declared, his finger in the air. “Druk, Tandin,” he called to his nephews, “prepare our free tent.”

  The two nodded and took off, leaving the grandfather standing behind them, beaming at me.

  “Kiba, Karzi,” Kinlay said, turning to his daughters. “Go prepare yourselves, the finest oils, I will send him in soon. Only the finest oils, and hurry!”

  “Yes, Father,” Kiba said with a short bow. She helped Karzi to her feet, and together, they stepped out of the tent.

  “That’s not exactly what I’m…”

  “Shhh…” Kinley said, offering me a toothy grin. “There’s no need to be modest here. You can be modest tomorrow once we take you to Nagchu where you will be able to find your friends.”

  “How do you know I’ll find my friends there?”

  “You said you came from the Sea of Lhasa, did you not?”

  “Yes, that direction,” I said, pointing to the far side of the tent.

  “My point exactly, outsider. If you came from there, and you came with friends, your friends are probably in the city of Nagchu. It will be a wonderful trip! But tonight, tonight you get to enjoy yourself, and if I am lucky, nine months from now I will have a grandson or two with true power.”

  Kinley shoved me outside the tent, calling to his nephews to finish tidying up one of the tents. He rummaged around by the fire for a moment and retrieved a wineskin and a plate of fried potatoes with seasoning on them.

  “Please, have some chung,” he said, lifting the beverage to my lips. “Eat, and be merry!”

  “And what is chung exactly?”

  “You really are from somewhere else, aren’t you?” he asked, laughing. “Chung is what Lhasans call the finest rice wine in the kingdom. The woman I get it from uses the family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. Trust me, it’ll warm your stomach and the potatoes will help soak it up. Eat, drink, be merry! I’m counting on you, Nick…” He looked at me curiously. “That was your name, was it not? I’m sorry, it’s a strange name to me.”

  “Yes, Nick.”

  “I’m counting on you, Nick, this family really needs a demon slayer.”

  “I can’t promise anything,” I told him as I took a swig from his wineskin. It was strong, but it did taste good, lightly sweet. I ate a few of the potatoes, happy to have something in my stomach.

  “Good, eat up, drink up.”

  “Will do.” I went for more potatoes, chewing them slowly, enjoying
the strange spice that they were fried with.

  As I went to take another swig, Kinley led me toward one of the tents, pushing me inside, laughing as soon as I was in.

  Kinley’s nephews had arranged several sheepskin rugs on the ground as well as a couple of blankets, and both of Kinley’s daughters were under the blankets, clearly nude.

  “Thank you for saving me,” Karzi said, crawling forward, her blanket falling off her body.

  “I…”

  “Just relax,” she said as she reached for my belt, unbuckling it and looking at the zipper curiously for a moment.

  She called her sister over, who also crawled on her knees over to me, allowing me a pleasant view of the top of her ass.

  “It’s called a ‘zipper,’” I told them.

  “He must be from Paro,” Kiba said with a giggle.

  Rather than let them try to figure it out, I showed them how it worked, unzipping my pants, both of them watching in awe as I worked my magic.

  Together, the two pulled my pants off, an erection starting to grow beneath my underwear. I noticed the change in my peripheral vision, the space darkening to some degree…

  It seemed apropos in a way, to be transported to a foreign world, nearly killed by a dragon, then some kind of ninja spirit, then a boar, then to slay a demon ghost, only to end the night with sex.

  I’d always been the type of person that let reality flow through me rather than try to manage the direction it moved, a personal philosophy that had helped me at times and hindered me at others.

  Things started to blur even further.

  Can the alcohol really be that strong?

  Karzi handed me back to her sister, who steered me forward a bit, patting the sheepskin rug, telling me to get to my knees.

  I did as I was instructed, Kiba crouching in front of me. Her sister was by my side now, helping me go in and out, kissing my nipple, running her hand along my body.

  I couldn’t even remember taking off my shirt or my jacket, nor did I remember actually getting completely out of my pants.

  But here I was, nude, going at it while the other one assisted.

  I would have enjoyed it too had things not started to turn even fuzzier, my vision dimming.

  I slumped forward, only for one of them to press me back up.

  “You can’t stop yet; you have to finish,” she whispered to me. “Finish for us, outsider.”

  “What’s wrong with me?” I asked, my speech slurring.

  “You have to finish first,” I heard a voice whisper at the back of my head, then at the right, then at the left, spinning around me.

  You have to finish first, you have to finish first, you have to finish first.

  Kiba banged her head up and down, her dark hair whipping against the rug.

  You have to finish first, you have to finish first, you have to finish first.

  Everything was murky by this point, and I would have fallen forward too had it not been for Karzi holding me up, guiding my hips in and out.

  And that was the last thing I remembered before waking up the next morning, my hands tied behind my back, a gag in my mouth.

  The family’s prisoner.

  Chapter Six: Slave

  I started struggling almost immediately, trying to get to my feet.

  I was shirtless and in my boxers, my jeans and the rest of my clothing halfway across the tent. To get to my feet I had to transition to my knees, using my forehead to press myself up, the side of the tent giving me the support I needed to finally stand.

  I was livid, and rather than stay in the tent and try to come up with a plan, some way to get out of my current predicament, I moved toward the exit.

  “So glad you could join us,” Kinley said, looking up to me. He was gathered around the fire with the rest of his family, the old man, his nephews, and his two daughters, having their breakfast.

  I tried to speak, but the gag prevented my words from being coherent.

  “Druk, Tandin,” Kinley said, “Tie his feet together and toss him in the back of the cart.”

  Rather than respond, I charged headfirst at the young men, trying to get the upper hand. But without my hands I was entirely useless, my balance thrown off as I slipped on the gravel and fell to my side.

  Whatever they had poisoned me with was still in my system.

  Gone was the enhanced ability I’d experienced last night, replaced by a debilitating grogginess. A fit of anger boiled in my gut as one of the nephews placed his knee on my upper back while the other one tied my ankles together.

  And even though I fought it, they eventually got me over to a cart.

  I was deposited in the back along with assorted other goods. And that’s right where I stayed for another hour, watching them finish their morning tea, smelling the donkeys at the front of the cart, listening as Kinley’s daughters spoke excitedly about how I’d gone from fucking them to passing out.

  What kind of world was this? In what kind of world did a father and his daughters conspire against a stranger using sex as a weapon, a stranger that had saved one of them?

  The country I’d come from could be cruel, but I’d never experienced this sort of cruelty, this kind of callousness and disregard for the lives of others. It seemed that a person was truly on their own here in Lhasa, and if I ever got out of this, I would have to constantly be on my guard.

  At some point, Kiba came over to the cart and placed her hand on my cheek, softly slapping me.

  “Don’t be angry,” the shorthaired woman said, dimples taking shape on her face as she smiled. “You have done so much for my family, from freeing my sister to hopefully impregnating one of us, allowing the next child to join our family to be a demon slayer such as yourself. Now, you will help us buy food for the next couple of months.”

  I looked at her with surprise, shaking my head.

  “You’ll be fine,” she said, running her hand through my hair, even as I tried to move away from her. “We’re going to Nagchu soon, to the slave traders who work for Madame Mabel. It’s an amazing city, surrounded by beautiful farmland with a large river cutting through the city. Considering you’re an outsider, you should fetch a fair price. And perhaps you will see these friends of yours you’ve been searching for. My father did promise to take you to Nagchu, did he not?”

  I tried to kick myself out of the cart but was prevented by a wooden board. Kiba took a step back, a surprised look on her face.

  “You will need to learn to behave yourself,” she said, approaching me again, placing her hand on my cheek. “Otherwise, we’ll have to give you some more of the poison. Would you like that?”

  I shook my head, furious at her, but also wanting to have my wits about me.

  So I was to become a slave now?

  Eventually, they would have to cut me free, which would possibly be my only chance to escape. Rather than fight, it was better to be obedient for now, to relax, and just get to the city with this cursed family.

  I relaxed some.

  Kiba kept her hand on my cheek for a few more moments, stroking her fingers against my skin.

  “Too bad we can’t do it again,” she said. “But once should be enough, that’s usually all it takes.”

  She waved goodbye as her father and one of the nephews came to the cart to let her know that they would be back in a couple of hours.

  Neither said anything to me as they mounted up.

  It was a long and bumpy ride to Nagchu, giving me plenty of time to plan how I would make my escape. I imagined myself kneeing Kinley in the face, charging at anyone else who stood in my way as I escaped from the slave traders.

  My fantasy didn’t account for the weapons they might have or the density of the city, but it would have to do.

  And to think that all of this started because I went to Tom’s bachelor party, even though there was plenty of work to do in Worcester. Tom told me he didn’t mind if I canceled, but we were best friends once, and while we hadn’t really been in touch as much over the
last four or five years, it felt good to be invited to something, to be part of a group.

  I should have just stayed home.

  I heard some commotion in front of us, and I tried to turn to see what was happening. I heard the clank of metal armor, and assumed we’d run into a patrol.

  My heart fluttered.

  Maybe it was the patrol that had taken Bobby, who had stupidly tried to speak Spanish to them.

  If we ever got out of this I would give him shit about that, but for now, all I could do was wait to see what transpired, hoping he was still alive.

  Sure enough, men wearing the same medieval armor with lion masks came around the cart alongside Kinley, who motioned his hand toward me as if he had found me on the side of the road.

  “He came out of nowhere and attacked us,” Kinley told one of the soldiers.

  “He attacked you without his clothing on?”

  “No, we took his clothing later, before we tied him up. Luckily, my two nephews were able to take him down.”

  I tried to say something, but my mouth was gagged, my throat dry. If looks could kill, both of the men would be dead by now, and I made my feelings known by kicking my knees against the wood in front of me.

  “He’s pretty much feral,” Kinley said with a sad shrug. “I’m just glad that he wasn’t able to get to my daughters.”

  “What do you think, Sir Evan?” the soldier called over her shoulder.

  Sir Evan?

  And sure enough, Evan Moede, Tom’s bearded buddy from college that none of us liked, stepped around the back of the cart. He was wearing chainmail now, his head too fat to fit in one of the lion helmets.

  I offered him a shocked look.

  If he had somehow convinced these people not to take him prisoner, then he could do the same for me. We weren’t pals, but we were all at the same bachelor party together, and we did share the fact that we were Tom’s friends and from the planet Earth, so at least we had one thing in common.

  “Do you recognize this man?” the soldier asked him.

  “Interesting,” Evan said, turning to me, a smile coming across his face. “I can’t say that I’ve ever seen him in my life.”