‘Lilac and lemon’. Sadie Fuller glanced down at the garden spade caked in sludge and pursed her lips. The sun was warm today, bordering on hot. She felt perspiration on her forehead and the back of her neck, her pony tail swayed in the soft breeze. ‘It’s coming along’. She thought.
“We should head inside.” Nephthys said beside her. “Fudo San doesn’t want us being seen.”
“We’re far enough removed.” Sadie said evenly. “Couldn’t be farther from the city.”
“Still.” Nephthys insisted.
“Fine.”
Sadie bent to her lilacs and touched the delicious purples and rouge reds. She felt furry bristles on the petals. A softness like Kleenex. The garden had bloomed triumphantly in the past few weeks. Lilacs of every sort erupted in a twenty foot tapestry just outside the main entrance of the Lotus estate. Sadie supposed from above that it resembled a postage stamp swimming in the ocean of yellow that marks the estate proper.
She plucked a stem and tucked the floret behind Nephthys’s right ear. Her almond eyes swam for a second, her breath caught.
“Thank you, Sadie.”
“It wasn’t me.” Sadie replied. “Not this time.”
Nephthys took a step back. Her ebony skin had a slight sheen. Her eyes lowered as if unable to look Sadie in the eye.
“Thank you, Kali.”
‘The Egyptian is beautiful.’ Sadie heard in her mind. ‘She is kin, yes’?
“She is now.” Sadie said out loud.
“What?” Nephthys asked.
‘She is Mahakala?’ The voice boomed in Sadie’s head. Kali raised one of Sadie’s hands and touched Nephthys’s face. She stepped closer. Sadie gritted her teeth.
‘Stop it.’ She thought.
‘No.’
‘Now!’
Sadie stepped away as Nephthys watched her angle strangely towards the pagoda.
“She says your welcome.” Sadie said.
Nephthys bent and placed the spade and shovel in a lock box bought specifically for Sadie. She turned the master lock, securing the potential weapons safely. Sadie glanced back at her. Nephthys smiled sheepishly.
“Just in case.”
Sadie nodded. “I get it.” ‘Get what mortal?’
‘Nothing’.
‘Say it again.’
‘Why’?
‘Say it’.
Sadie sighed. ‘Lilac and lemon’.
Kali purred in her mind. ‘I like it’.
‘So do I!’
Sadie popped open a beer and rested the bottle against her cheek. The coolness spread across her face, numbing the left side.
“The situation is getting easier isn’t it?” Nephthys said. She took a long look at Sadie, her hands on her hips.
“I guess you could say that.” Sadie said. “She is so strong though. Sometimes I wonder if she’s just biding her time.”
“Playing coy?”
“Waiting for the right moment.”
“I don’t like that you have a terrible goddess inside you that wants the dissolution of all time and lap the blood of her victims.”
It was said in playful jest but Sadie knew that a tinge of fear was attached. ‘Say it again’. Sadie sat hard on the floor and breathed deeply. What she wouldn’t give for the delicious warmth right now. Just one line or maybe two. Especially after such a good day in the garden. The delicious warmth would ignite her soul, focus her troubled thoughts.
But that was lunacy. Any drug now was wrought with the potential of ceding all control to Kali. That she couldn’t do. A passing thought of Nephthys bathed in blood swam into her mind. She shut it out quickly.
‘What was that’? Kali asked.
‘Nothing. Go to sleep’.
‘Say it again.’
Sadie licked her lips and willed the thought clearly. She let it dance in her mind, embroidered it with all the colors of the garden. ‘Lilac and lemon’. Kali purred again.
A soft knock rapped at the pagoda door. Sadie recognized the cadence. Her stomach rumbled inside her. Nephthys opened a series of locks and peeked outside.
“I have rice for you.” A voice said softly.
Sadie’s stomach rumbled again. Once or twice a week Fudo San had made sure fresh food was delivered to the pagoda. Most often it was rice and vegetables. Sometimes smoked fish or berries. Nephthys took two containers into her arms and bowed.
“Are you new? We haven’t seen you before.” Nephthys said.
Warning lights went off in Sadie’s mind. “What is it?”
She stepped to the door and spied a tiny man, hunched over slightly. He had bright, hawk eyes and a shaved head. His stubby arms and gait belied the confidence in which he stood. Sadie wondered if a muscular disease was hidden beneath the simple, gray robe.
“I am.” He said slowly. “I just recently arrived at the monastery.”
Sadie knew the monastery was a retreat still within the city limits. It harbored monks as well as anybody else that needed solace from the ‘Descendant’ situation. Fudo San owned the monastery as had the Maharishi-ten before him. She knew the monastery was safe. Still. She hadn’t seen this man before.
“Well, thank you.” Nephthys said and closed the pagoda door.
Steam wafted from the top container. Sadie’s mouth watered at the mixed aromas of rice and vegetables. She took the top container and lifted the lid.
“Oh, lordy.” Nephthys said from the kitchen. She rummaged through a cabinet, produced two plates and silverware. “That smells so good.”
“You bet!” Sadie said.
She dipped her nose in the container and breathed deeply.
“What’s in the other one? They never bring us two.”
“Don’t know yet mama.” Sadie chirped. She carefully placed the top container on the floor and reached for the bottom. As she lifted the lid she knew something was wrong right away. No steam or odor emanated from it. Suddenly, she lurched back as if pulled forcibly from behind. Sadie screamed and kicked out, knocking the container sideways. Nephthys was beside her instantly. “What is it?”
Then she saw it. Ambling out slowly, its pincers snapping open and its tail in the air, a scorpion crawled out and into the open.
Nephthys gasped. “It cannot be.”
“Oh no.” Sadie said softly. She knew what it meant. They both did.
“He can’t have found us.” Nephthys stared in horror at the arachnid. Sadie’s eyes blinked with tears. She put her face in her hands.
“He knows. My husband knows we are here.” Nephthys stared out the window at the sprawling estate. She placed a hand on Sadie’s shoulder. “We have to call Hank right now.” She said. “Set knows we are here.”
“We should head inside.” Nephthys said beside her. “Fudo San doesn’t want us being seen.”
“We’re far enough removed.” Sadie said evenly. “Couldn’t be farther from the city.”
“Still.” Nephthys insisted.
“Fine.”
Sadie bent to her lilacs and touched the delicious purples and rouge reds. She felt furry bristles on the petals. A softness like Kleenex. The garden had bloomed triumphantly in the past few weeks. Lilacs of every sort erupted in a twenty foot tapestry just outside the main entrance of the Lotus estate. Sadie supposed from above that it resembled a postage stamp swimming in the ocean of yellow that marks the estate proper.
She plucked a stem and tucked the floret behind Nephthys’s right ear. Her almond eyes swam for a second, her breath caught.
“Thank you, Sadie.”
“It wasn’t me.” Sadie replied. “Not this time.”
Nephthys took a step back. Her ebony skin had a slight sheen. Her eyes lowered as if unable to look Sadie in the eye.
“Thank you, Kali.”
‘The Egyptian is beautiful.’ Sadie heard in her mind. ‘She is kin, yes’?
“She is now.” Sadie said out loud.
“What?” Nephthys asked.
‘She is Mahakala?’ The voice boomed in Sadie’s head. Kali raised one of Sadie’s hands and touched Nephthys’s face. She stepped closer. Sadie gritted her teeth.
‘Stop it.’ She thought.
‘No.’
‘Now!’
Sadie stepped away as Nephthys watched her angle strangely towards the pagoda.
“She says your welcome.” Sadie said.
Nephthys bent and placed the spade and shovel in a lock box bought specifically for Sadie. She turned the master lock, securing the potential weapons safely. Sadie glanced back at her. Nephthys smiled sheepishly.
“Just in case.”
Sadie nodded. “I get it.” ‘Get what mortal?’
‘Nothing’.
‘Say it again.’
‘Why’?
‘Say it’.
Sadie sighed. ‘Lilac and lemon’.
Kali purred in her mind. ‘I like it’.
‘So do I!’
Sadie popped open a beer and rested the bottle against her cheek. The coolness spread across her face, numbing the left side.
“The situation is getting easier isn’t it?” Nephthys said. She took a long look at Sadie, her hands on her hips.
“I guess you could say that.” Sadie said. “She is so strong though. Sometimes I wonder if she’s just biding her time.”
“Playing coy?”
“Waiting for the right moment.”
“I don’t like that you have a terrible goddess inside you that wants the dissolution of all time and lap the blood of her victims.”
It was said in playful jest but Sadie knew that a tinge of fear was attached. ‘Say it again’. Sadie sat hard on the floor and breathed deeply. What she wouldn’t give for the delicious warmth right now. Just one line or maybe two. Especially after such a good day in the garden. The delicious warmth would ignite her soul, focus her troubled thoughts.
But that was lunacy. Any drug now was wrought with the potential of ceding all control to Kali. That she couldn’t do. A passing thought of Nephthys bathed in blood swam into her mind. She shut it out quickly.
‘What was that’? Kali asked.
‘Nothing. Go to sleep’.
‘Say it again.’
Sadie licked her lips and willed the thought clearly. She let it dance in her mind, embroidered it with all the colors of the garden. ‘Lilac and lemon’. Kali purred again.
A soft knock rapped at the pagoda door. Sadie recognized the cadence. Her stomach rumbled inside her. Nephthys opened a series of locks and peeked outside.
“I have rice for you.” A voice said softly.
Sadie’s stomach rumbled again. Once or twice a week Fudo San had made sure fresh food was delivered to the pagoda. Most often it was rice and vegetables. Sometimes smoked fish or berries. Nephthys took two containers into her arms and bowed.
“Are you new? We haven’t seen you before.” Nephthys said.
Warning lights went off in Sadie’s mind. “What is it?”
She stepped to the door and spied a tiny man, hunched over slightly. He had bright, hawk eyes and a shaved head. His stubby arms and gait belied the confidence in which he stood. Sadie wondered if a muscular disease was hidden beneath the simple, gray robe.
“I am.” He said slowly. “I just recently arrived at the monastery.”
Sadie knew the monastery was a retreat still within the city limits. It harbored monks as well as anybody else that needed solace from the ‘Descendant’ situation. Fudo San owned the monastery as had the Maharishi-ten before him. She knew the monastery was safe. Still. She hadn’t seen this man before.
“Well, thank you.” Nephthys said and closed the pagoda door.
Steam wafted from the top container. Sadie’s mouth watered at the mixed aromas of rice and vegetables. She took the top container and lifted the lid.
“Oh, lordy.” Nephthys said from the kitchen. She rummaged through a cabinet, produced two plates and silverware. “That smells so good.”
“You bet!” Sadie said.
She dipped her nose in the container and breathed deeply.
“What’s in the other one? They never bring us two.”
“Don’t know yet mama.” Sadie chirped. She carefully placed the top container on the floor and reached for the bottom. As she lifted the lid she knew something was wrong right away. No steam or odor emanated from it. Suddenly, she lurched back as if pulled forcibly from behind. Sadie screamed and kicked out, knocking the container sideways. Nephthys was beside her instantly. “What is it?”
Then she saw it. Ambling out slowly, its pincers snapping open and its tail in the air, a scorpion crawled out and into the open.
Nephthys gasped. “It cannot be.”
“Oh no.” Sadie said softly. She knew what it meant. They both did.
“He can’t have found us.” Nephthys stared in horror at the arachnid. Sadie’s eyes blinked with tears. She put her face in her hands.
“He knows. My husband knows we are here.” Nephthys stared out the window at the sprawling estate. She placed a hand on Sadie’s shoulder. “We have to call Hank right now.” She said. “Set knows we are here.”
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