Blade tried to ask him what he meant but his vocal chords, like the rest of him, wouldn’t work.
“Did you not hear me?” the older man asked. He looked at the hover device, then said, “Ah. You cannot talk. They have you in the unbreakable grip of their divine power.” He edged closer. “I am Chuanchen. I have met another like you. He calls himself Yama, after the Death Lord. Which is the most foolish thing I have ever heard.” He shook his head and made a clucking sound. “The two of you have come from afar, to what end I cannot guess. But all you will meet here, big man, is your doom.”
A spark of hope mixed with apprehension was kindled in Blade’s breast as he realized that the three creatures had gone to confront his friend.
“No one can defy the Lords of Kismet,” Chuanchen went on. “We are but human and they are gods. Our purpose in life is to be their servants and their food. As you will no doubt discover all too soon.” He smiled and walked off.
That was when gunfire erupted.
CHAPTER 36
When Hickok first heard about the so-called Lords of Kismet, he’d chuckled. It struck him as humorous, a bunch of mutants or hybrids or whatever they were, calling themselves ‘gods’. To his way of reckoning, there was one god and one god only, spelled with a capital ‘G’. Anyone or anything that put itself on the same pedestal as the Almighty was either in love with their own reflection in the mirror, or plain loco.
Now, as the pair of Ganairabs ushered Kayala and him down a long brightly-lit corridor, he leaned toward her. “Be ready to make a break for it when we get the chance.”
“We won’t,” Kayala said.
“Never know,” Hickok said. One of the red creatures was plodding in front of them, the other brought up the rear. His still-throbbing hand was proof they were tough but he was willing to bet they weren’t very fast on those big clumsy clodhoppers of theirs.
“Please,” Kayala said quietly. “Whatever you are thinking, do not try it. You will only get yourself hurt, or worse.”
“Lady, you don’t know me very well.”
“How could I? We only met a short while ago. What difference does that make?”
“If you did,” Hickok said, “you’d know I don’t ever tuck tail.”
“Sorry?” Kayala said.
“I never give up,” Hickok elaborated. “None of us Warriors do. It’s why the Elders pick us.”
“Elders?”
“Some oldsters like you. Long at the tooth but wise as can be. They help run things where I’m from.”
“Where would that be?”
“A special place called the Home.”
“What is so special about it? Nearly everyone has a home. Even the poorest of the poor have their huts and hovels.”
“The Home is a walled compound where the Family lives,” Hickok revealed, his attention diverted by a branching corridor. He contemplated darting down it but saw several humans in white lab coats and more of the red things.
“Most people have families, too,” Kayala was saying.
“Not like mine.” Hickok glanced over his shoulder at the Ganairab behind him, and the creature bared its teeth. “Friendly cusses,” he said, “these pug-uglies.”
“It is most unwise to provoke them,” Kayala advised. “They have terrible tempers that sometimes get the better of them.”
“You should see my temper,” Hickok said.
Kayala smiled. “Is it me, or do you think very highly of yourself?”
Hickok shrugged. “I know what I can do. And if I can get my mitts on some pistols, I’ll show you.”
“Only the demigods are permitted to wear firearms,” Kayala said. “For a human to have one is a death warrant.”
“What about the high muck-a-mucks themselves?”
“The Lords of Kismet?” Kayala snorted. “They have no need of firearms. They have weapons of their own. Weapons that channel the energy of the universe. Or so I have been told.”
It was Hickok’s turn to snort. “Someone’s been feedin’ you a line of bull.”
“You will see for yourself before too long, I am afraid.”
They neared an enormous white door with a painted symbol in the center. The symbol consisted of a pyramid with an eye near the top. Hickok took the pyramid to resemble stone until he came closer; the ‘stones’ were scales. And the eye itself was decidedly reptilian.
The Ganairab in front of them touched a thick finger to the wall and the door slid open. A golden platform hung half a foot above the floor, humming slightly. The Ganairab stepped onto it, turned, and motioned for them to do the same. Kayala obeyed. When Hickok hesitated, the Ganairab behind him shoved him so hard, he cracked his shins against the platform. He started to swing around but the one already on the platform grabbed him by the back of the neck and effortlessly hauled him up at Kayala’s side.
“I warned you,” she said.
The other creature climbed on and the platform rose, humming louder. They passed a lot of doors, all closed. So many, that after twenty, Hickok stopped counting. “Let me guess. Her majesty lives on the top floor.”
“Where else would the great Dhurga have her private quarters?” Kayala said. “The Lords enjoy surveying their domains.”
“To do that, they’d need windows.”
“Of course,” Kayala said. “Except for Lord Agni, not even the gods can see through walls.”
“Nice to know they’re not all-powerful,” Hickok said.
“They are powerful enough,” Kayala said. “Please. When we are taken before her, don’t do anything foolish.”
“Who, me?” Hickok said, and laughed.
CHAPTER 37
Yama knew better than to chase after Chuanchen and his family. Their shouts would bring demigods on the run. Instead, he turned and exited the room the way he had entered. He passed the stairs to the roof and raced along a narrow hall to a door. Flinging it open, he was disconcerted to discover furniture and mats but no way out.
Quickly, Yama backtracked, trying anything that
