“Make my day and tell me you’re a Lord of Kismet,” Hickok said. “And a word to the wise, lady. Try to throw that pigsticker at me and you’ll be dead before it leaves your hand.”
The blue woman with the eerie extra eye didn’t throw it. She pointed it at him…..and it began to glow.
CHAPTER 27
Socrates had deferred the decision to Blade, who agreed it was the smart thing to do but nixed the idea. Blade’s reasons? The first was the time factor. They’d thwarted the Lords’ initial attempt to destroy the Home, but an invading force could show up at any time, as had happened once before when they went up against the deranged scientist known as the Doktor.
The second reason was the time machine. Blade didn’t entirely trust MABEL to be reliable. Since they had already lost far too many Warriors to the Gualaon, and the replacements weren’t sufficiently trained, he refused to risk losing another on a reconnaissance mission.
Yama hadn’t pressed the issue. The chief Warrior’s word was final. But the lack of intelligence had bothered him, and now he had a chance to remedy that. Holding the Wilkinson as his side but ready to use it if necessary, he sat on a divan across from the old man and the couple with their child, and reiterated, yet again, “I mean you no harm but there are things I would know.”
“So you have said,” the old man said. “You who call yourself Yama.” And he grinned.
“What is your name?” Yama asked.
“I am Chuanchen,” the old man said, He nodded at the others. “This is my son, his wife, and daughter.”
“Your English is very good,” Yama said.
“It comes back to me,” Chuanchen said. “I spoke it when I was a young boy. It was fun to do.”
“Who taught you?”
“My father. His father taught him. Very long ago it was taught in our schools.” Chuanchen paused. “Are you really called Yama? And are you really here to find the Lords?”
“I am.”
“Then you are a fool. To what purpose do you seek them?”
Yama mulled how much to reveal, and took a gamble in the hope he would learn even more. “They attacked my people. I have come to put a stop to that.”
“Stop it how?”
“By killing them.”
Chuanchen’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “Kill the Lords of Kismet?” He burst out laughing and translated for his family, who also thought it hilarious.
“You find it that humorous?” Yama said.
“I find it insane,” Chuanchen said. “You are one man. The Lords and their minions are many.”
“How many, exactly?” Yama immediately quizzed him. Chuanchen shrugged. “I am only a man, and we are not privileged with such information. All I know is what I was told. That dozens of them came to the surface from deep in the earth after the war. They, and their shapeshifters….”
“The Gualaons.”
“Yes. And their Chimeras….”
“What are they?” Yama interrupted again.
“Monstrous things,” Chuanchen said. “Beasts unlike any others. Trained like dogs to do as the Lords bid them."
“Go on,” Yama said.
“When they first appeared, the Lords claimed to be the gods of old who in ancient times ruled much of Asia. They had gone underground but returned to reclaim what was theirs.” He looked at Yama as if expecting him to comment, and when Yama didn’t respond, he went on. “They now rule all of Southeast Asia, and more.”
“Only a few dozen or so Lords against hundreds of thousands of people?”
“You do not understand the power they wield,” Chuanchen said. “And remember. This was right after the war. Much of the world was destroyed, the rest in chaos.”
“They swooped in like vultures.”
“No. Like eagles. They are mighty and we are weak. They had temples built in the biggest cities, from which they rule us. And they brought forth the demigods, who carry out their edicts and enforce their laws.”
“Demigods?”
“You will know them when you seem them, by their skin.”
“How do you mean?” Yama said.
Chuanchen regarded him a moment. “You have never set eyes on a Lord of Kismet, have you?”
“Only on one of their Gualoans,” Yama admitted.
“The true Lords have blue skin. The demigods have red and purple and green, and are formidable in their own right.”
“I thank you for the information.”
Chuanchen frowned, and his tone softened. “Listen to me, you who call yourself Yama. Forget this madness. Against a single Gualaon or Chimera you might prevail. Perhaps even against a demigod. But not against all of them. And certainly not against the Lords. Compared to them, you are as nothing.”
“I have to try.”
The old Thai shook his head and made a clucking sound. “Then you will surely die.”
CHAPTER 28
Yama appreciated the warning. He sensed that Chuanchen was sincere, and since the man was being so open, he pressed for more details. “How do the people feel about the Lords of Kismet?”
Chuanchen hesitated. He glanced at the windows and at the ceiling, then bent toward Yama to whisper, “One must be careful what one says. The gods have ears everywhere.”
“I saw the people in the square,” Yama mentioned. “Hardly any looked happy.”
“Humans live to serve the gods. That is where we find true happiness, as the gods have decreed.”
“No one ever stands up to them?” Yama wondered.
“The Lords have ruled us now for over a hundred years. Yes, there were a few revolts in the early days. Everyone who took part, and their families, were exterminated.”
“Ruthless gods you have.”
“You must understand,” Chuanchen said. “To them we are lesser beings, fit only to carry out their every whim. From cradle to grave, we must do as they bid, without question, without fail. We live by their grace, and prosper by their generosity. My son and I work in the Temple of Dhurga, which is why we are permitted to have our own house, and live well, compared to many others.”
“Is this Dhurga a demigod?”
“By the heavens, no,” Chuanchen said. “Did I not make myself clear? Each temple is devoted to a particular god. It is the personal residence
