Taboo Descendants and the Multi-Dimensional War
CHAPTER XXIII—BEWARE THE BETRAYAL OF BEAUTY

The air was cool, thin, and heavy with cloud cover as we sped down the winding mountain road. I drove my car as fast as I dared, refusing to look out of the passenger-side window.

The road ahead had often been covered in a cloud formation. The vessel had been parked at an extremely high altitude. When the clouds cleared, I could see that the road had been constructed uncomfortably close to the edge of the mountain’s precipice.

My confusion peeked for the night when Iris asked me to back the car out of the vessel known as Qego Mouyo. Though her instructions had been straight forward enough, I had been taken aback at the sheer magnitude of the noble Veex vessel. I also understood now why it was not a submarine.

It also flew.

I recalled how I had watched the floor monitor in shock some thirty minutes before as the vessel ascended from its deep ocean depths and took to the air. My fascination with our travel methods prompted the vessel’s computer to share the experience with me undisturbed in the loading bay. Here, the monitors had used to construct the walls and ceiling in addition to the floors, giving one the sense of weightlessness as the scene unfolded in every direction.

My blue Lotus had been parked next to Rahim’s black GT in the center of the loading bay. I had placed my back against my car for stability as I watched the vessel shoot out from the Gulf of Mexico like a rocket. If I closed my eyes, I felt very little of the movement. With my eyes open, it felt like the worse roller coaster I had ever experienced.

I opened my eyes again as our altitude leveled out. The night sky had been clear as we cruised West. From the different angles of the various drone cameras, I could see the full moon high above the Western horizon as well as every visible constellation in the sky.

When we approached the state of Oaxaca, the drones set out to replace a seclusive place for us to park, far away from the complications civilization posed. With Tala and Jules located in the vessel’s command center, we ended up on the side of a mountain above Oaxaca City. The nearest village seemed many miles away.

I saved myself the embarrassment of asking Alec how the vessel could both fly and travel underwater. He had come to see us off.

He and Iris had been discussing something in hushed voices. I saw him hand her a metallic device and wondered what its purpose was. I had been surprised to see him talk in public. Clearly, he and Iris appeared closer than the others thought possible.

Nevaeh and Sbapoid stood in silence as Iris said goodbye to Alec. They seemed more interested in the surrounding landscape than the stunted Veex romance.

I could sense that Alec had deep feelings for Iris. I could also feel that she did not have those same feelings for him in return, at least not on the surface. I felt sorry for him, but I knew that Iris was not capable of giving or receiving love in her current state.

I remembered what Rahim had said about Iris losing someone special in their planet’s final war. I thought it possible that she had used her ability to shut down that part of herself in order to protect her heart and sanity.

Iris could not use her abilities on a fellow Tepon, so she was oblivious to Alec’s feelings for her. He knew this of course, but felt too shy to confess his adoration, perpetually stuck in a limbo between professional respect and deep affection.

I witnessed the tragic exchange in silence.

As we loaded into my Lotus, I saw that Nevaeh made no attempts to enter it. Granted, the backseat was virtually non-existent. As it were, she preferred to fly.

Sbapoid crammed himself into the backseat alone. He did not stand extremely tall on his four bottom appendages, but he needed extra space for his many arms as well. He looked uncomfortable, but he did not complain.

His golden battle armor was covered his brown burlap, monk’s robe, but flecks of gold could be seen from time to time as the wind blew his garment to and fro. Iris had explained this affinity to wear his armor at all time as a part of his paranoid delusions. With his armor just beneath his clothes, Sbapoid felt continuously vigilant, prepared for war at the drop of a hat.

I knew better than to question him regarding his wardrobe. I simply smiled and lowered the front seat so he could scurry into the vehicle. That moment marked the first time I had ever invited anything resembling a spider into my car. I dare say it was not the last.

As I turned over the ignition, Nevaeh bent her knees and launched herself into the sky. I watched her level out above and ahead of us before I pursued.

There could be no cooler escort in the universe, I thought smugly.

Of course, I did not know enough of the universe to even make that statement, but it felt true. I chuckle now, but back then, I did not even know my own solar system.

Nevaeh proved to be a magnificent flier.

She had the grace of a bird of prey with the beauty and agility of a butterfly. At first she spun and twirled, rose and dived as we traveled downhill. I could tell that she had been longing to stretch her wings. I smiled to myself as I drove along behind her.

Along the way, Iris explained that the vessel needed to stay hidden and out of the way, hence the reason we were taking my car into town.

I worried about a passerby seeing it, but she assured me that it could cloak itself by mimicking its surrounding environment. I asked her if they knew about surveillance technology on our planet. They did. The vessel could also mask itself from radar, infrared, and satellite detection.

Its mass alone could not be concealed. People could run into if it, parked invisible on the street, lay in the path of an unsuspecting victim. The mental image that I conjured proved to be both amusing and astonishing. Iris could sense my good mood and chuckled along with me.

I felt relieved to finally be taking action.

We rolled into the city of Oaxaca, the capital of the Mexican state by the same name. I had been successful in contacting Ary via email before we landed. She sounded disturbed by my proposal.

Ary had been staying in a local village hostel when strange things had begun to happen the night before. A man had recently been found stiff and dead on the main thoroughfare.

I suspected this to be the work of General Hayami based on Ary’s description of the body, but I could not know for sure. The most intriguing evidence had been a trails of dried blood that had been found under both of the man’s ears.

I did not convey my theory to my friend in my reply message, but told her that our meeting may lead to an answer.

She had obliged, but told me that she did not feel comfortable being out at night alone anymore. She had friends in Oaxaca that she could trust and would have them stay nearby.

I understood, but asked her not to share the news of my criminal status with anyone. My freedom depended on exclusive secrecy. I knew she would not let me down.

Ary and whoever she traveled with had already left the small, mountain village of Comaltepec de Mendez four hours before we departed the ocean. Ary had already planned to travel to the city to meet with another friend when I reached out to her.

As it turned out, the man who had been murdered by General Hiymai had been the leader of the village and chief of his tribe, the Chinantecos, a cultural group indigenous to southern Mexico. His only living son studied physics at the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca.

Ary and her friends had traveled to Oaxaca in order to deliver the news in person. It seemed that Ary and the chief’s son were in a relationship.

I offered to meet her early the next morning before the sun rose. She would meet me alone, but only within the walls of a church.

I felt fortunate to have my night-vision contacts on when I stepped out of the vessel. It saved me from tripping, but it did not hinder me from viewing the splendid night’s sky. Once in the city limits, I had to will them to lessen their influence. The city light did not blind, but they did make it hard to see clearly.

The city slept silently, and all looked still.

The urban air tasted much different here than the air in the cloud forest. Though it had added chemicals present, more oxygen could be felt in my lungs with each deep breath. I wondered how each of my new friends handled the change in air composition between the vessel and Earth’s actual atmosphere.

I had planned to meet Ary outside of an old cathedral and monastery named El Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, one of Oaxaca’s many historical tourist sites. It did not appear to be largest church in the city, though I could see why Ary chose it. The neighborhood surrounding the holy grounds was very quiet.

We found the place easy enough with fifteen minutes to spare.

I stood in the square in front of the old church with Iris at my side. Sbapoid had already left us to hide himself unless needed. Though I had watched him leave the car, I had no idea where he ended up. The same was true for Nevaeh, but I imagined that she continued to fly in the air above.

“This is all so surreal,” I whispered to Iris barely audible. “I just can’t believe this is all happening—”

“Yes,” she sighed. “This must be quite the life altering experience for you.”

“You have no idea.”

“No. To be honest, I don’t. I grew up knowing about life on other planets and the existence of other dimensions. I had friends in different solar systems that I communicated with on a regular basis. I can’t imagine replaceing this all out as an adult in the span of a few weeks.”

“It’s definitely overwhelming.”

“Well, I’d be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have while we wait. If that would help you cope.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Okay then. How am I able to use the Spirit Room to communicate with my mother?”

“Wow, you started out with a tough one,” she chirped amused. She paused and contemplated the phenomena for a while before responding. “Your mother is simply in the Spirit Realm, one of the highest dimensions for once-living beings. The room acts as a temporary portal. This technology is common in our dimension.”

“Which dimension is that again?”

“The fifth.”

“Which dimension is this?”

“The third.”

“So you all got ‘demoted’ and that’s why the other Veex are so upset?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

“That can’t be good—can it?”

“It depends on why we were sent here.”

“And why is that?”

“We’re not sure yet. That’s something that Kachina is currently working on with Tala.”

“Oh, okay—well, back to the Spirit Room—”

“Right. When a soul’s physical body expires, we all go to the Spirit Realm. Everyone. Every living creature with a soul regardless of the dimension they last lived in reports back to the Spirit Realm after their demise. At that time, we reflect on our lives and decide whether or not to return to a physical realm. Depending on how far along you are in your individual, spiritual growth, you could get sent back to any one of lower dimensions.”

“Pause. Is this like past life stuff? You know, like metaphysics and reincarnation?”

“Simply put, yes. We all live many lives at different dimensional levels. You can think of it as graduating classes. Some individuals have to repeat some years multiple times before they get it right and ascend to the next spiritual level or dimension. There are even special times when whole planets ascend as one.”

“Wow. So the Buddhist and Hindus are right?”

“From what Kachina has gathered, none of your Earthly religions is the all-encompassing truth, but some are closer than others about certain things.

“Kachina had to brief us on the major religions and cultures of Earth when we first discovered where we were. Tala had to provide her with a copious amount of data with which she spent a six Tepon moons studying before she could tell us anything of use.

“If it wasn’t for that protocol, we could have stopped Hayami much earlier than we did. I’m sure the Zux General and her commander considered the fact that we do not enter a new civilization unstudied. Veex believe that being rash when the stakes are high only led to miscommunication and conflict.”

“So, you were required to learn about us before engaging?”

“How could we be expected to interact with anyone diplomatically without first learning who they are and how they think and operate?”

“It happens all the time here on Earth.”

“Yeah—well, that’s not a good thing. Many mistakes can be avoided if an understanding and common ground is reached first.”

“Duly noted.”

“I’ll never forget this time when Rahim—” she paused putting two fingers to her temple. “Hold on, Kaya, Commander Jules is contacting me. He probably just wants a status update. Let me take this and I’ll come right back.”

She walked away with her back to me seemingly talking to no one in particular. I hoped the relative darkness would prevent anyone from watching her hold a conversation alone. I made a mental note to purchase wireless headphone for all of us working undercover. We did not want to have to negotiate our way out of a paddy wagon ride in a foreign country.

Just then, someone tapped my shoulder. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but it was only an elderly woman. She was quite petite and wrinkled with sun-kissed almond skin wearing a long linen dress and a black shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

She smiled at me and said, “Señorita—por favor, ben conmigo.”

“Sorry—I don’t speak that much—no hablo mucho de Español.”

“Come—come,” she urged, taking my hand.

I looked over my shoulder for Iris, but she stood a block away from us still talking feverishly to Jules.

“Fine,” I sighed and began to walk with the elderly stranger.

I looked up to the sky and around me at the neighboring buildings. I knew Nevaeh and Sbapoid lurked just out of reach in the event that this situation turned South. Logic dictated that walking off with the elderly woman was a irresponsible move, but I could feel that she meant me no harm.

What could she possibly want at this time of the morning? It’s a little early to be selling trinkets.

She pointed in the direction of the church which now looked dark and ominous in this evermore precarious situation. I wanted to respect my elders as my mother had taught me, but I wanted to remain alive even more.

I followed her hesitantly up the steps of the church. I assumed that the doors would be locked at this late hour. I expected her to try the handle then give up this venture when she realized that we could not go inside.

She pushed the door open with ease.

The large wooden door swung inwardly, reveling the dark sanctuary within. She slipped inside with me still in tow. The lighting inside the church consisted of a few lit candles dancing away the shadows. I willed my nocturnal-vision contacts to adjust once again, allowing them to assist me in seeing within the darkest shadows.

I looked up at the ceiling as we crossed the church’s threshold. I was amazed by the architecture. The ceiling has been covered in carved metal and wooden frescos painted in what seemed like many vivid colors.

As we walked up the center aisle of the church, I looked around at the different chapels lining the room. There were different statues and artwork depicting different scenes from the Bible and throughout history.

We neared the altar and my jaw dropped. Before us stood a two-story tall scene constructed entirely of gold. It pictured angels, disciples, prophets, and the Lord Himself, glistening in the flickering candlelight.

I had never seen so much gold in one place in my entire life.

The elderly woman, having seen it all countless times, quickly led me to a small chapel in the corner of the church. The candles here were not lit. I looked around at the statues and artwork she clearly thought I needed to see.

She lit a candle beside me. I shrank away from it a bit. The flame seemed so intense.

She motioned towards a small statue of a man with visibly darker skin, the color of my own. He had a broom stick in one hand and a Bible in the other. I did not know who he was, but something about him interested me. I leaned closer to the statue, its painted surface glowing in the candle light.

Isn’t this face familiar?

The elderly woman whispered in a low voice, “El es la persona que tu busque. Tu padre.”

“She saying that man is your father,” came another voice.

I gasped and spun around to replace Ary standing at the entrance to the chapel. The elderly woman smiled at her and walked away as quickly and quietly as she had come.

Ary and I hugged for a few seconds before letting each other go. We had not seen each other in four years.

“Who was that woman, Ary?”

“A local bruja. You know? Like a witchdoctor.”

“Oh my! Should I have been more worried?”

“No—not at all. She is the one who told me that you would come with ‘the others’ and not to be afraid. She had me wait here inside the church for you.”

I stood there dumbstruck for a couple of seconds, then I looked back at the little wooden statue, transfixed.

“What about this statue?” I asked her. “She said it was my father, but how can that be possible? It looks so old.”

“I don’t know. You’ve told me before that he was a Mexican immigrant.”

“Yes, from somewhere here in Oaxaca.”

“Don’t you replace that to be an interesting fact considering what the bruja just said?”

“Yes, I do, but I don’t know what to make of it. It’s so fantastical, all of it.”

“The bruja told me that you were traveling with the Sky People. Is that true?”

“Yes, but how would she know?”

“She knows lots of things that she shouldn’t.” It sounded as if Ary spoke from personal experience.

“Maybe she’s a Huzeen, too.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll explain later.

“So, what is so urgent that you came all this way, evading Miami PD I might add, to meet with me in person?”

I told her the entire story. How I met Rahim, our date, my mother’s murder, JJ’s kidnapping, my abduction, my last few nights on a gigantic space vessel full of aliens—everything.

I half expected her to go running out of the church screaming, but she just sat there on the front pew of the church and listened. I had never felt more comfortable talking to another individual besides my own mother. Ary had always been the older sister I never had, always understanding, always loving, always supportive.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“For one, get my son back.”

“Why did you come here then?”

“He’s here in Oaxaca somewhere—with them. That’s what I wanted to warn you about.”

“About the gods?”

“Yes, if you want to call them that.”

“What would you suggest?”

“I don’t know? Aliens, Extra-terrestrials, Sky People—” I buried my face in my hands, exasperated.

“Did you come to warn me about the ones you’re traveling with or their ‘cousins’?”

“Their ‘cousins’, but don’t let them hear you say that,” I added for good measure. “If you ask them, they are not related at all. They’re a completely different species. It would be like them calling apes our cousins.”

“Some people do, but point taken. What do they want? Why are they here?”

“They don’t know.”

“Some advanced species they are!”

I smirked. She had a good point.

“There you are!” came Iris’s chirp from the back of the church. She stormed towards us waving the metal device Alec had given her. I noticed that flashing lights covered its surface.

Ary and I both popped out of the pew, startled.

“Iris!” I gasped. “You nearly scared me to death!”

“Next time you run off like that, I’ll do more than that!” she threatened, but I knew she would not actually hurt me. She felt more scared than angry. “Who is this?” she added, somewhat callously.

“Iris, this is my friend, Yesenia Arelys Flores Mansi.”

“Yeah—you didn’t have to give her my entire birth name,” said Ary sourly.

I ignored her and said, “I call her Ary for short. Ary this is the—uh—‘woman’ I was telling you about, Iris Veex, General and second in command of the Veex Army.”

“Or what’s left of it, anyways,” Iris sighed. She turned to Ary, her voice softer than before. “Ary, I apologize for startling you. I did not realize you were the one we were here to rendezvous with at this late hour.”

“It’s quite alright,” Ary answered flatly.

“No, it’s not. I can tell you are annoyed, irritated, and a bit anxious.”

“Right. Kaya told me you could do that. It’s kind of creepy in person,” Ary stated, not pleased at all.

“I may not know all of your customs,” prefaced Iris, “But I do know when I have made a mistake.”

I figured this might be awkward. Both Ary and Iris had strong personalities. They were bound to either hate each other or love each other. It seemed like the former won out at the time.

Their initial meeting had the odd vibe of one’s new best friend meeting one’s old best friend. I, for one, felt a little uncomfortable.

I cleared my throat before I spoke, “Well—we should be off, should we not?”

“Where are we going?” asked Ary.

“We are to return to the vessel at once,” commanded Iris.

“I don’t think so!” said Ary planting her feet.

“Ary—please” I pleaded. “We really do need to leave.”

“But why?” she asked defiantly.

“Because you’re both in danger,” declared Iris.

“How could you possibly—” Ary began.

“Ssshhh!” I spat.

I had heard something. Or did I merely feel it? Something seemed wrong.

“Kaya, what—.” Ary started, but I interrupted her.

“Ssssshhhhh!”

That feeling—that malicious, vile, evil feeling—where have I felt that before?

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed in barely a whisper.

“What is it, Kaya?” Iris breathed back.

“It’s her, Iris,” I could feel hot tears filling my eyes. Tears of fear and anger. “She’s here!”

The doors of the church flew open. We all jumped back and faced them. The elderly witch walked in slowly. She took three steps beyond the threshold and dropped to her knees. She managed to speak a few words in Spanish before she hit the ground, face first. I could hear her cranium crack on the stone floor from where we stood. The sounds seemed to echo throughout the empty chamber.

“Beware the betrayal of beauty,” Ary translated in an eerie monotone voice.

A petite foot stepped coldly over the woman’s body. A slender leg covered in a white, gossamer fabric followed it. There, as if plucked from a nightmare, stood General Hayami with a tilted smile on her face. Her hands rubbing together like a hungry fly eyeing her next meal.