Taboo Descendants and the Multi-Dimensional War
CHAPTER XXIV—WAR OF THE GODS

Conflict seemed inevitable as anger outweighed fear. I wanted there to be a fight. I wanted to hurt her, to make her pay for all the pain she had bestowed upon my loved ones. I wanted her to suffer, the way my life had suffered ever since that fateful night when she destroyed everything that I knew and loved.

I could feel what she felt as well. Amusement!

I had a new-found determination to knock that asinine smile right off of her flawless face. I took a step towards her, but Iris grabbed my arm.

“What do you think you’re doing, Kaya?!”

“Let go of me!” I growled, growing irrational with fury-fueled adrenaline flooding my brain. “I’ll destroy her for what she did to them!”

“You don’t know what you’re saying. She’ll kill you!”

“Let her try—” I lurched forward.

Out of nowhere, Sbapoid dropped from the ceiling like a golden ball on New Year’s night. His armor reflected the small amount of warm-toned candlelight available in the chapel. His burlap monk’s robe discarded, he blended in perfectly with the glistening, golden alter at the front of the room.

Sbapoid landed right into the space in between General Hayami and the savage version of me. Iris still gripped my arm tightly, too fearful for my safety to let me go.

I could feel Ary move forward and grab hold of my other arm. I could also feel the fear coursing through her veins, more apparent to my senses after our skin made contact.

That got my attention.

I turned to Ary, worried for her. She looked absolutely terrified and grief-stricken. I had forgotten that she had known the woman now lying dead on the cold stone floor some twenty feet in front of us. Not only that, but Ary had never watched anyone die before. I had become too used to the notion.

In my anger, I had neglected her feelings, even her safety. I felt suddenly ashamed.

“There’s no time for that,” shot Iris. “We have to go!” Her voice sounded urgent. I turned to her, tears in my eyes, my warrior’s rage forgotten. “Come on—out the side door!”

She tugged on my arm. I was started to feel the pain of her grip as my adrenaline levels lowered. I turned on my heels and followed her to the indicated exit dragging Ary with me.

Behind us, Sbapoid stepped up to Hayami hissing curses. Even with the translator on, I could not understand his speech.

I could feel his fury coursing through the room and I wondered how much of it I had absorbed before I had been removed from the scene.

His scorpion-like tail waved back and forth menacingly. I could feel that his disdain for General Hayami rooted deeply within him. In his own way, he cursed her mere existence.

Suddenly, his tail began to spark. I witnessed a bright teal ball of light shoot out of the tip of his stinger towards General Hayami. It hit her square in the face. Her nose started to shrink as she gasped for air.

I hope you suffocate to death, you maniacal murderer!

We turned the corner and ran out into the night.

The air in the alley felt cooler than I remembered. I had forgotten that it was the dead of winter. I pulled my cardigan tightly around my body as I began to shiver. I doubted that the convulsions were entirely due to the chill in the air. We were in the tropics after all.

A wave of heat warmed my face as my eyes registered a bright light.

I squinted towards the sky and saw a great commotion coming from the rooftop next to the church. The building had be set ablaze with huge flames that twisted and whipped as angry bells rang out in the clear night air.

From the ground I could see Nevaeh flying around the flames in a fury rising and swooping, clearly wishing to attack. Something had drawn her out of her observation-only role in this conflict. The flames seemed to follow her every move.

We all stopped dead in our tracts, Ary and I dumbfounded. Iris clearly searched the flames for something tangible. I looked up again and squinted, willing my contacts to adjust once more.

On the edge of the rooftop, there stood a shirtless man with well-defined muscles and a gleeful grin that could only mean trouble.

My first instinct was to be afraid for him, but the more I looked, the more I realized that I should be more afraid of him. The energy he emanated felt so evil, so cruel, that it overpowered the heat of the fire.

I could see Nevaeh dodging what looked like flaming ropes emanating from this man’s arms. I could feel Iris stiffen next to me. I looked back at the fiery man. He stared directly at me, his huge smile growing larger.

“We must get out of here now! Give me your keys!” yelled Iris over the loud blaze.

She took off running and we followed her as best we could. She ran with immense speed. I fumbled in my pockets as we sprinted towards the Lotus. I found the keys and shoved them at her like a relay runner.

I could hear Nevaeh’s blaring bell of a voice sounding an alarm as we ran for our lives. The heat seemed to follow us. I had been cold when we first stepped out of the chapel. Now I began to sweat profusely.

Sirens surrounded us as police, ambulance, and fire vehicles were dispatched to our location. The noises grew louder as they all swiftly approached the chaotic scene.

When we reached the car, I was glad that Ary did not hesitate to jump in the back seat without a word. My heart filled with fear as I looked over my shoulder.

The man ablaze rode a wave of flames towards us, his feet seemingly shooting fire from his bare soles like a space shuttle. He had almost touched the ground two blocks away as we sped off.

I continued to watch Nevaeh battle the fire demon from the rear view mirror. She flung her spear at him, tip first, and grazed his naked shoulder.

I prayed she would make it out alive.

Where had the anger gone? What of the false bravery? I wondered as we traversed up the winding mountain road. Where had it come from in the first place?

Deep in thought, I stared out the window as we rode back to the vessel. My eyes closed, my head down, I appeared to be asleep.

On the contrary, I took in shallow breaths, attempting to calm my racing mind. I had neither a blood pressure machine in my car nor a stethoscope, but I could guarantee that my systolic and diastolic readings remained elevated.

I had all the right in the world to be upset, of course. I could not remember a time that I had hated anything or anyone as much as I hated General Hayami at that moment. I could not even think of a close second.

I felt nearly sick with disgust over my own thoughts. Just nearly. I had wanted to rip her into tiny, little, insignificant shreds. I had not only wanted her dead, but tortured and torn apart. Tormented. I had not been myself in the least. I had become someone I did not even recognize.

I could have gotten myself killed. I shuddered. And what of the other man? The fire demon—who is he?

Safely on the vessel, I finally had the mind to ask about Sbapoid and Nevaeh.

They were fine according to Iris, and on their way back to the vessel together, Nevaeh carrying Sbapoid back in her talon-like feet. I imagined that mode of travel being less comfortable for them both. They had sustained some light injuries, but would be treated promptly by Inga.

Ary’s eyes were still bulbous as we stepped onto the vessel. They somehow seemed to grow in size as she took in the magnificence of Veex engineering. She had been in a steady state of shock during our return trip.

I had not had the foresight to “warn” her about Sbapoid, Nevaeh, and the immense vastness of the Veex vessel. She remained in awe as we boarded, admiring the technological advances and austere darkness.

She had been halfway afraid to get out of the car.

“I can’t see anything, Kaya,” she whimpered softly as we stepped onto the vessel hand-in-hand. “How is it that you can see where you’re going?”

“I told you in the car. They gave me special contacts that allow me to see in the dark,” I answered calmly, attempting to give her some comfort. “I’m sure they will give you a pair as well.”

“As soon as Alec arrives, we’ll get her squared away with contacts and a translating ear bud,” answered Iris from behind us. I turned my head and looked at her as she touched her temple to communicate with someone. “Professor Alec, I need you out on the loading dock stat. Bring a pair of ocular converters and an auditory translator for our new Earth-Human guest.

“He knows we’re here,” she said addressing us again. “He saw us arrive on the surveillance system. He’s in the control room with Tala and Jules.”

It was the first time I heard her address him as ‘Professor’. I could tell that she respected him deeply, but I sensed something else there as well. She suppressed the emotions that she did not want me to detect, so I could not tell what they were or how strongly she felt them.

With Ary’s sensory situation resolved, we headed towards my quarters. I had explained to Iris that Ary was welcome to stay in my room. We had been college roommates after all and had previously shared common spaces with close quarters before. Besides, I could tell that Ary still felt uneasy about the situation as a whole.

Ary and I sat in the dining room drinking hot tea when Iris knocked on the front door of our quarters about an hour later. She had left us shortly after arriving with the promise to return briefly.

I got up and answered the knock leaving Ary to stare at the steam rising from her cup. She had not spoken a single, solitary word since we arrived in Qego Mouyo, only head nods and shakes to the questions I posed.

Iris had not come alone. Rahim followed in her wake—along with Jules whom I felt shocked to see.

Jules had never stepped foot in my quarters before. My stomach lurched when I saw him stride in behind Rahim whom I had glared at intentionally. I had to quickly fix my face when I realized he was there.

I did not know that I would be asked to be entertain company. I had the odd feeling like I should have cooked something special, cleaned, or at least showered. I thought about the delicious smelling candle burning in the kitchen and found some sort of solace in that fact. The petty anxiety soon passed after the conversation started.

“Kaya,” said Jules in his deep, sultry voice.

“Yes,” I said barely audible.

“May I speak to you in private?”

“Ummm—sure. We can go in my bedroom.”

My bedroom was the only room in my quarters with a door.

This excluded the room that Alec had just recently added, some thirty minutes ago, for Ary. When I turned into the hallway to show Ary where she could lay down, I noticed that there was a door where there had previously been a solid wall further down the hall from my room.

The room had been fully furnished and equipped a laptop.

I did not bother to ask how the room had gotten there so quickly. I knew that I would not understand the answer even if one had been given. Ary had yet to go inside the room for herself, but I had not hesitated to explore it.

I stepped into my bedroom feeling Jules trailing very closely behind me. He closed the door behind us softly though I did not see him reach for it. I jumped at the unexpected sound, looking curiously into his eyes. An uneasy smile crept across my face. I still did not know what he wanted.

Would my Zux-like attitude in the church get me ejected from the vessel?

He walked over to me and wrapped his arms completely around me. I froze, stiff as a board. He held me in a passionate embrace for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably a full minute.

With our bodies in contact, Jules’ emotions flooded my senses like a waterfall. I felt, as never before, pure, unadulterated, unconditional love. As it washed over me, I bathed in it gratefully though I scarcely understood its origin.

But why? And how? And when? Who knew?

“I can hardly believe that I almost lost you tonight,” he purred in my ear, still holding me.

My heart raced, beating wildly inside my chest. I could not even begin to answer him as I drowned in his passion, gasping for breath. I could not reciprocate what I had not been aware of before that moment.

No one had ever loved me like this—not my mother, not my son, not Charnesha or Ary. Not even T-Rick. No. This love did not feel platonic or phony, only patient, kind, eternal.

He tightened his hug and relaxed, letting me float back to the floor. My head abuzz, my legs swayed unsteadily as the fog lifted and I felt the ground under my bare feet.

What is happening right now?

I had smelled his scent again, warm wood and spice. It reminded me so much of his personality: strong, smooth, sharp, and naturally stimulating.

In my mind, I lay on a Persian rug in front of a crackling fire somewhere high in the Appalachian Mountains surrounded by pine trees, while slowly sipping a cup of hot cider garnished with a stick of cinnamon.

With my ability beginning to blossom, I could feel nothing but love, adoration, and affection from him. The strain that I had previously perceived from him was his attempt to contain himself. Now, before me, he let his affections fall where they may.

“I don’t understand—” I started in a tone of disbelief.

“I’m so sorry to unravel on you like this, Chéri. I promised myself and Iris that I would never tell you, let alone show you.”

“Show me what?” I could scarcely breathe or think, but my body reacted to my thoughts independent of my mind. I could feel the need for affections that had long sense been absent from my life.

“How I feel about you,” he said touching my cheek with his palm.

I exhaled, staring at him speechless.

I felt troubled by this new development. I had felt that Jules held a unique interest in me, but I had thought his concerns to be purely scientific. Now that I knew he felt something more, something romantic, I feared that I would not resist him if tempted—that I could not resist him if I wanted.

“I mean to say,” he continued gently. “How I really feel about you, not the way I have been behaving of late.

“Kaya, you consume my every thought. Every decision I make, I do it with you in mind. At first, I thought I could admire you at a distance, but the more I knew, the more I needed to know.”

His eyes, deep brown and affectionate, never left mine as he spoke. He played with a small curl at the edge of my hair as his words undulated across his lips.

“I—” he began, but could not finished.

He took his free hand and clasp it within my own, his eyes glistening now with moisture. I stared into them intently. If he would have so much as dropped one tear, I think I would have died of shock. Thankfully, he did not.

“Chéri, I—”

There was a knocked on the door.

I knew who it was immediately. I could feel her fuming through the wooded door. With out a doubt in my mind, she had felt my emotional turmoil from the front of the quarters and had came to investigate.

Iris entered the room unannounced. Jules dropped his hands swiftly, but carefully. She looked the two of us over once, narrowing her eyes at me.

I must have looked like a doe in high beams.

“Sir, we’re waiting for your instructions. It will be dawn soon, and I think everyone should be getting some rest. It has been an eventful night to say the least.”

Jules cleared his throat. “You’re right, of course, General.” His tone was authoritative once again. “We’ll be right there.”

She turned to leave and pulled the door behind her as she walked away. She did not close it entirely. I knew she had done that on purpose. She had exuded suspicion as she left.

Jules turned to me again, lowering his voice once more. “Just promise me that you won’t do anything that reckless again. I could not bear to lose you so soon.”

I nodded, still overwhelmed.

“I’ve waited my whole life to replace you, Chéri.”

Flabbergasted to the point of speechlessness, I nodded once again.

He turned and glided out of the room. The door had opened itself for him, but I had scarcely noticed.

I caught my breath, which I had been unintentionally holding. Taking both hands and laying them on my chest, I felt the intensity of my thumping heart as my blood coursing warm and swift through my veins.

I stepped into the hallway, attempting to appear unfazed. Though Jules had returned to the front of the quarters, his scent still lingered along my path. Wall to wall was filled with his succulence. Completely unavoidable, it lead me back into the dining room with the others.

Rahim and Iris faced off in a heated debate once more. Rahim referred to a ‘Commander Yuda’ and I had a distinct feeling that he was the shirtless man on the roof emanating flames from his extremities.

Rahim stated how rarely this Commander came out in the open. The fact that he had willingly fought a known Selethian delegate of the UFS using his abilities marked a previously unprecedented event.

He stated things like “They would not risk blowing their cover—He always has someone else handle his trifles—Commander Jules has yet to be notified as is proper—” and my personal favorite, “I hardly see what this has to do with Kaya and her silent companion—”

His arrogance and combative nature irritated me to no end. Manager or not, I wanted him out of my quarters.

I took a seat beside Ary who stared across the table at Iris and Rahim. Her face was set in a deep frown and she felt unsure of what to make of the two of them. She oozed uncertainty, not just about them, but about everything.

“They’re brother and sister,” I whispered to her, “And we’re perfectly safe with this group of aliens. I can promise you that.”

Her eyes bulged again at the word ‘aliens’ as if she did not want to believe it to be true, but she knew that it was. I could feel her skepticism also as it slowly turned into fear.

“I’m not psychic, by the way, so don’t worry about your thoughts.” I tried to smile. “I’m an empath—apparently. I can feel everything that you are feeling.”

I put my hand on hers, patting them softly. My heart began to ache.

“You miss someone terribly,” I frowned. “Your parents?”

She shook her head.

“Your friends?”

She shook her head again. “Norberto—” she finally spoke. Her voice hoarse from disuse and stress. “Norberto del Fina.” Tears began to well up in her green eyes.

“The guy you were in Oaxaca to visit? The son of the Chinantec chief?”

“Yes. He’s a great guy. I had hoped to spend more time with him in the future, but I see now that my future is over.”

“Sssshhhh—don’t say that!” I spoke in what I intended to be a comforting tone. “I told you. We’re safe.”

“Safe, yes—but normal, no!

“We’re with aliens, Kay! Aliens that look like flawless humans and armored insects and giant humanoid birds! What the heck is happening right now?

“I can’t even deal with this! We can’t go back to life as it was—not after tonight.” She paused thoughtfully and concluded with, “Now I understand why you left Miami the way you did. Those people murdered you mother, didn’t they? And they are the ones who have JJ?”

I sat back in my chair unable to comfort her. She was right—about all of it.

Maybe the Veex and this vessel were all we had to look forward to now. I had been wishing to return to my life with my son, feigning normal as best we could. Perhaps I had been naïve.

I sighed and relaxed, letting the pipe dream slip from my fingertips.

“The people in the village,” Ary whispered barely loud enough for me to hear her over Iris and Rahim’s continued squabble, “They knew this would happen. They knew they would return.”

“They knew who would return?”

“The gods!”

“Not that again, Ary.”

“These are the gods!”

We both peered around the room and began to see how these impressive-looking individuals could be viewed as cosmic royalty.

Jules cleared his throat once and the room fell silent. He alone stood in front of us. I had run out of chairs at my dining room table.

Just as I thought to give him mine, he had the vessel construct him one out of thin air. It looked just like the rest.

“Tonight marks a grave night in our history with the Zux,” he stated taking his seat. “For the first time in eons, Commander Yuda has entered a conflict unannounced. I must respond with force. From this day forth, until I notify you of the contrary, we are now at war with the Zux.”

There was a stiff silence in the room. A chill ran down my back.

He added grimly, “May the Creator have mercy on us all.”