Lis was an Infernal Adversary. Maybe even a greater devil in disguise. Everything would have to go perfectly for me to even have a chance.
I opened the door and walked in all casual, heaving a great big sigh, and catching sight of Lis watching the flat screen TV while lying upside down on the bed. She was wearing her favorite pajamas: A shirt with a trumpeting cherub on it, baggy gray bottoms and she seemed really engrossed in watching the news.
She also just finished painting her toe nails, judging by the feminine products, used up sponges, and brushes littering the floor like the carcasses of her enemies.
“Lisistrathiel,” I said.
“Shame, shame, triple shame, Charlie. I got so bored waiting that I ended up doing my nails. Opinions, go.”
I looked down at the hot pink toe nails. The paint did nothing to hide the fact that they were unnaturally sharp. I suppose I should be thankful she didn’t have hooves.
“They’re lovely,” I replied nonchalantly.
As I stepped behind her to strike, I hesitated. My arms froze up. My breath caught in my throat.
What made this harder than the fact that she was a Devil of possibly immense power, was the fact that Lis was Lis. She was also Miss Freida. Despite both my parents still being alive and well, Lis was without a doubt the ‘person’ I was most familiar with in the whole world.
“Charlie, are you well?” she suddenly asked.
I stopped dead in my tracks, hand twitching towards the katana’s grip.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Well, you’re here and in one piece, which means that things went well with the Oni. It should be illegal for a sly wolf like you to pick on poor girls like that swordswoman,” Lis said, “But when you do get back you normally burst through the doors already blurting out a plan and rushing to get a bunch of things with which to run off to the next brawl.”
“Bored enough to start analyzing my behavioral patterns, I see.”
“...Does this mean I can collect the debt?” Lis asked.
My heart skipped a beat. She hit the nail on the head. I silently drew the demon slaying katana from it’s scabbard. Now or never.
No matter what it came down to, it was a simple equation. Me or her. If I had my soul collected right now then I’d go to Hell no questions asked. Too many sins. Not enough time to correct them. But if I stay the executioner’s hand, then I might just have enough time to atone for everything. It’s the only logical choice.
“Well, Charlie?” Lis asked.
There was just one small problem. At the end of the day, the reason I owed Lis my life was because she saved me. If it weren’t for her, I’d already be boiling in a cauldron to make a nice misery soup for Satan himself. To kill Lis would be to repay life with death.
Monstrous. My hand gripped the blade and drew it.
I found myself suddenly roaring at the top of my lungs. I slammed the katana down point first as hard as I could, right through the hardwood floor until it was stuck fast. I slammed my fist into the floor soon after as impotent rage bubbled up inside me.
Lis didn’t budge an inch from where she was lying down, back still exposed to me.
I rose on unsteady feet, dragged my sorry carcass before Lis, and fell to my hands and knees.
“I can’t,” I said. “I can’t do this. Not like this. Not to you. No matter how hard I try, no matter how many times I think it through logically I--”
“Why not?” she demanded, her voice deep and baleful.
I turned my gaze up to catch Lis staring at me. Molten yellow eyes looked down on me from behind folded hands. Her gaze pierced my very soul, and all I could do was shake my head and accept what was coming to me.
“It would be wrong of me to repay your help with harm. You got me. Hook, line, and sinker. Take my soul, I owe it to you fair and square,” I said. “Just give me long enough to finish this up. I have people counting on me. Just a bit longer. And…”
“And?” she echoed.
“And I’m sorry.”
She rose up wordlessly. The clack of sharpened nails striking hardwood floor approached me. I could hear the rumbling of lava in the distance, and then, suddenly?
I felt a warm hand press to my head.
“Mark two, bottom half of verse five: My child, your sins are forgiven. I don’t know why you look so upset anyways. I mean, you won again just now, right?”
I blinked in surprise. “What?”
Sharp teeth peeked past full grinning lips. “Can you think of a better way to damn somebody than to have them kill the one who saved their life? I never thought you’d get your hands on that Demon Slayer’s blade and try to use that on me though. Great thinking Charlie. I’m so proud.”
I stared in befuddlement, still on my knees.
“I don’t… this was another trick of yours?” I asked.
“It almost worked too. Darn. I’ll get you next time, promise,” Lis replied with a wink.
“But I tried to kill you,” I replied. “What if I hadn’t stopped myself?”
“You did stop yourself though.”
“That’s not the point goddammit,” I yelled.
Lis shook her head, “Charlie, everybody has evil thoughts. Everybody. It’s normal for you Humans. The important thing is that you did the right thing when the cards were all on the table. Just now, you chose to honor your debt even though you knew it would cost you untold suffering. And that, I think, is an objectively good deed.”
I let her words sink into my skull before I could trust myself to reply. “I didn’t think I could hate you more than I did just a moment ago.”
She had to suppress her laughter, a hand rising up to cover her mouth. “Charlie, you’re just so cool when you get all self-sacrificial. Once a scapegoat, always a scapegoat, huh? And you wonder why I like you so much.”
“Go straight to Hell,” I cursed.
“Hey, I was being sincere. Have you checked the news lately by the way?” Lis asked.
“I’m busy trying not to pick the sword back up and have another go at killing you,” I shot back.
Lis cackled at that. “Well, it’s just that your little toy is on the front pages.”
I stopped in my tracks, turning slowly towards Lis.
The she-devil’s grin waxed gibbous. “Nothing to get all worked up about or anything, right?”
Chapter 29
“Miss Momodara has been reportedly kept under close watch at the top of her penthouse suite since the death of her father, Nodara Nisemo, under suspicions of her complicity in his murder. The evidence that Ten-Ko has released to the police department yesterday has forced the chief of police to break his vow of silence, and address the reasoning behind the Ten-Ko heir’s continued house arrest,” The radio blared on.
I could barely hear it over the engines, even turned up to eleven.
A man’s voice replaced that of the stern reporter. This must be the chief. “The specifics remain under close investigation. Though the evidence seems to suggest multiple eye witness accounts of the suspect in question being present at the scene of the crime, it is impossible for me to speak in certainties at this moment in time but--”
What a convenient turn of events. Of course Ten-Ko would reveal ‘stunning new evidence’ that would implicate Momo. Just as the Tengu at the island base had said, the puppet master seems to have decided Momodara would make the perfect fall girl for her father’s death.
“Are you sure this is the right location?” asked the pilot.
I forgot to mention it but, I was on a plane. For a good reason, I promise.
“Just tell me when we’re right on top of… never mind I see it.”
“See what?” asked the pilot.
“Thanks for the ride. My regards to O’Connor,” I said, and grabbed the spare parachute.
The pilot did a double take. “Hey! We’re at ten thousand feet alti--”
Patience in a virtue I’ve been accused of lacking. Before the air force pil
ot had a chance to tell me how bad of an idea this would be, I’d already pulled open the plane’s starboard door and jumped out.
Would you believe me if I told you I was afraid of heights? I didn’t generally sky dive for fun, but this time I had no choice.
The whole morning I’d scoped out the building Momo had taken me to when she’d first run me over with her limo. It was owned by a subsidiary of Ten-Ko that dealt in real estate and was now used as the perfect place to keep the Tengu Princess under ‘house arrest’. Momo’s charming penthouse suite was turned into a gilded cage.
Not for long though.
I pulled the parachute chord about five seconds before my heart was going to have a full on attack, and before I knew it a flutter of cloth and a tug on my shoulders found me falling much much more slowly. I gripped the parachute’s handles and navigated.
She had an enormous bird bath of a pool on the roof. That’s how I could tell it was hers. As I came closer and closer, I could even make her out too. She was sitting on the pool side wearing a frilly pink bikini, her feet dangling into deep end water.
How symbolic.
I rolled to a crouch as I landed right on top of the penthouse roof. I undid the parachute’s buckles and let the wind take the chute away, just as Momo listlessly entered the apartment. A well timed bathroom break? I might as well go big then if I was going to go brazen. I took off my shirt and pants.
If a girl has a pool at her place, it’s never a bad idea to bring swim trunks. Trust me.
The second the Tengu girl returned, I jumped off the roof and dove in the pool. The splash must have scared the crap out of her.
“No lifeguard on duty?” I asked as I surfaced.
Scared the crap out of her might have been an understatement. As I turned my gaze to Momo, I found her staring in abject horror at me. She had a yellow and blue swirly drink in hand, and her jaw was just a few centimeters from hitting the pool floor. As I pulled myself out of the water, the drink fell out of her hand and crashed onto the cement.
“You traitor,” she squawked, suddenly recalling that she wasn’t a sorceress to be sneezed at.
I ducked under the first lightning bolt that soared over my head, and caught her wrists before she had a chance to shoot another. The look of rage on her face turned to one of defiance, though even that seemed to be slowly melting from her features.
“What are you…”
“You’re my prisoner. That means I do the talking.”
“Never,” she swore beneath her breath.
You can never be too safe when it comes to dangerous women. Hell, It feels like I’ve only ever met dangerous women in my life. I managed to lead her inside, squirming and raging though she was, until I clapped eyes on a very familiar feature of Momo’s cutesy apartment.
Wall shackles. Necessary equipment for any cute girl’s abode.
Before Momo would react, I threw her against the wall, and locked the manacles on her wrists. After thirty seconds of furious struggle, the Tengu girl was reduced to panting and glaring daggers at me.
Make that glaring whole swords.
“So you’ve come to screw me over too, huh?” she demanded, her voice filled with bitterness.
“Maybe. Why don’t you start by telling me what happened.”
“What does it look like, traitor?” Momo demanded, sucking back a sob.
“It looks like someone wants you to take the fall for them,” I answered.
Hot tears fell from her eyes. I averted my gaze.
“...If you can believe it, I’m not here to point and laugh at you, Momo. I promised I’d help you, and that’s just what I plan on doing. So why don’t you let me talk. All you have to do is listen. All right?”
She sniffed in her nose and hung her head in silence.
“Not long after I made my escape at the Ten-Ko corporate headquarters, you found yourself being accused of your father’s murder. The police suddenly came to a whole lot of evidence that showed them you had motive, means, hell, even a private army of assassins to kill your father.”
“It’s not true. I’d never…”
“I know,” I said. “I did some digging. I found out about the Tengu’s artificial island. About your power structure. I even found out a few other things too. There’s someone pulling strings here, and now that you’ve been on the receiving end of their machinations, I bet it’s not quite nonsense and Oni trickery anymore to you.”
Momo looked away from me. Cheeks puffed. I place my hand on her cheek and turned her to face me.
“Momo. Listen to me.”
“No,” she replied, her cheeks growing red.
“The Oni Kunshu was assassinated too. I saw it happen with my own eyes. I killed the one that killed Nodara Nisemo.”
Momo’s breath got caught in her throat. Fresh tears threatened to pour out of sky blue eyes. “Liar. You’re lying.”
“You know I’m not. The Oni want to avenge themselves on the on this shadowy manipulator. Are you going to let squabbling with those Ogres stop you from avenging your father? Are you, the new Head Tengu, just going to bow your head and be led to the executioner’s block while your father’s murderer gets off scot free?”
“Charles Locke,” Momo half moaned. “I…”
I have this nasty habit of tunnel visioning. It’s a natural skill developed by all animals with claims to predator-hood. Essential when hunting down mammoths or catching food that doesn’t want to be caught. Unfortunately, it makes it hard for cavemen like me to realize the exact circumstances of my surroundings sometimes.
Take now for example: I’d appeared unannounced on the ‘doorstep’ of a scantily clad Momo, absconded with her, tied her up, made her realize I’d been on her side all this time, while all along wearing just a pair of swim trunks and pressing my chest inches away from her face.
She looked like she was about to get a nosebleed.
“Momo. Could it be that you liked being tied up like this?” I dared to ask.
“No,” she hesitated, “Of course I don’t.”
I unlatched the shackles, chanting ‘business first’ to myself over and over again. Play time later.
“You figured all this out, but still don’t get something. Why did you come here?” Momo asked.
“To save you. Obviously. You of all people should want to help me out now that the secret is out.”
“You came to save me?” Momo asked, dazedly.
“Obviou--”
Momo crushed me in an embrace, her lips pressing hard against mine. Her shapely legs entwined around my own.
Her tongue tasted like bubblegum.
Panting, Momo whispered. “Charles. I almost killed you. Please, I need you to forgive me.”
“I don’t trust any girl that hasn’t tried to kill me at least once,” I muttered in response. “Now, pull up a chair, pour me a coffee, and let me show you just who the string puller is.”
Chapter 30
The phone picked up on the first ring. “Moshi mosh,” said the technomancer.
“It’s me,” I replied. “Did you get a chance to test that picture I sent you?”
“Sato is finishing that up right now mister make your own fortune.”
“Great. Tell him he’s on speaker,” I said.
Momo grabbed the phone from my hand, hooked it up with a laptop that looked like it would be released to the public two years from now, and plugged in a few cables. The wires had bunny ears and cute faces drawn on them.
With a zip, Sato’s face showed up on the laptop screen.
“And on video,” I amended.
“All right Locke, I’m all done. Are you ready to hear some…”
Sato Saito’s face blanched when he noticed Momodara.
“Ah. Is that by any chance Princess--”
“Momodara, heir to the Tengu throne of Mount Fuji. Grovelling is normally something I love, little man, but not today,” Momo replied in a commanding voice.
It was hard not mentioning to Momo tha
t she was five foot nothing and should avoid describing others as little.
Saito bowed deeply before bringing a familiar picture on screen. The same six Demon Priests sat in two neat rows.
“Eh? What’s this?” Momo asked, cocking her head sideways as she looked on. “They look like Oni.”
“They are servants of the former Oni tyrant, milady,” Saito informed. “Now, please look at this.”
On the screen popped a picture of a smiling man in his late fifties. Momo’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Uncle Kuroshi?”
“Kuroshi Ro. Superimposing his form, accounting for weight and body stature as well as stance, the results become clear, Locke. Just as you said.”
The picture of Kuroshi shrunk to scale with the gathered Demon Priests. Brought to the top middle priest’s frame, the picture of Kuroshi was superimposed upon that of the Demon Priest. It was a perfect match. Eyes where the mask eye holes would be. Shoulders slumping just right. Everything.
“What’s that mean?” Momo demanded, her voice raspier.
“You told me that Kuroshi came from a long line of priests that served the Tengu. I think that’s only half true. I don’t think he served just Tengu. He served Supernaturals in general. Kuroshi Ro is the number two in your company, you said. However...,” I explained.
“However, he’s also a high ranking Demon Priest to the Oni too?” Momo’s eyes glistened with realization. A cloud fell over her face.
“It seems he planned to use his position to orchestrate a war between the Tengu and the Oni.”
“But why?” Momo demanded, her voice exploding with rage. “Why would he do this? He’s been a loyal servant. He’s practically family! If that’s really him then he’s being tricked by someone. Possessed by an evil Oni or…”
“Momo,” I replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know why. But in my experience, Humans don’t need Supernatural interference to do terrible things. Let me ask you just one thing.”
“What’s that?” The Tengu asked, sniffing in her nose again.
“Where is Kuroshi Ro?”
Two to Tengu (Secret Magent Book 2) Page 12