Chapter 31: The Shrine of Yekepa

“Thinking of my son always makes me happy,” Xuanwu commented to Thomas as she closed the jeep door.

As they were getting out of the jeep, Xuanwu told him to leave his pistol in the vehicle for now. She pointed to Lilith that was essentially keeping an eye out for anything dangerous. The darkness was evident as the sun had fully set now. The nighttime sounds of new insects chirping and wildlife echoed the surroundings of the village around them.

The jeep was parked not far from the edge of the village of New Bapa. It resided by the small house that sat on the edge of the street. They were partially greeted by a Lilith in her human form as she starred down the dirt road that led north from where they were. She would not keep her eye away as she kept looking with grave concern.

Thomas was about to talk with her when Xuanwu beckoned him to come with her. They walked up to the home entrance.

Xuanwu put her hand to the door and stopped immediately before entering. She closed her eyes as Thomas watched her from behind.

“What is it?” he asked her.

“Something powerful behind this door,” she said, opening her eyes. “Powerful magic coming from the other side of the door. It is so powerful. No wonder we were picking it up from a distance like this.”

“Is Ayida on the other side?”

She nodded her head. “I almost feel like I am picking up some sort of magical barrier that is protecting the house, from what I don’t know.”

“Is it blocking us from entering?”

“No, it is letting us in.”

She put her hand on the door handle and pushed it open. As they stepped inside the home, it felt strange ... almost as if something changed upon entering. It was as if they stepped into a forest even though it was inside a home. They could hear the distant wind chimes even though there was nothing around them generating them. The trees were all around them. Even a bird was on a tree that ignored both Xuanwu and Thomas as they entered.

The door closed behind them as they continued to listen to the calming music of the wind chimes. Their feet touched and stepped on the grass as they looked around them.

“How is it that we are inside a home and be in a forest?” he asked as he turned his head to the door. When he looked back at the door, he could tell it was gone now.

“We are still inside this home right now,” Xuanwu replied. “We have not been transported anywhere.”

“Yet I can smell the trees around us just like we were outside. I can feel the temperatures around us the same too.”

“I sense nothing benevolent or violent around us,” she commented.

“We are inside a home right now that is way bigger on the inside than outside. How is that possible?”

She stepped in front of him as they continued walking. When they saw a big tree in front of them, they proceeded around it and saw a woman that was sitting cross-legged in an open meadow of some sort. She had the looks of a West African woman with a dark complexion for her skin. She was dressed in a simple shirt and short dress barefooted, relaxed as her eyes were closed. It looked like she was meditating as her eyes were closed.

The wind chimes were louder as they got closer to the woman. She was completely unaware of their approach and paid no attention to them.

“The source of the barrier being cast is coming from her,” Xuanwu remarked. “Most interesting.”

“That is because she is generating the barrier,” came a deep male baritone voice that echoed behind them.

They turned around to see a dragon that stood on his four legs that were not far behind him. It took Thomas by surprise as even though he was used to Ayida-Weddo, he was still amazed that they existed.

Xuanwu turned around and looked at the dragon. It was as large as a bus and had blue scales on its body. There was a distinct serene look to the dragon, though as if he meant no harm to them. For the tortoise, she recognized him and smiled. Her body emitted a bright white light as her original form of the giant tortoise was restored.

“Apalala!” she yelled as she ran up to him and hugged the dragon by the head. Her stubby-clawed hand wrapped around the head and neck of the dragon as he smiled back in return.

Thomas just watched everything with amazement at the scene in front of him. Not only did the gods exist, but they were prospering. Even after seeing Ayida-Weddo in her proper form, to see others in their true form was nothing short of astounding.

She released her grip on the dragon as she backed up and looked at each other.

“It has been a long time, my friend,” the dragon spoke to her.

“I thought you were dead or something happened. You simply vanished.”

“The Dragon of Buddha,” Thomas remarked. “I never thought it was possible. You are him.”

The dragon made a calm nod to him.

“We picked up your magic,” Xuanwu told him. “It was easy to pick up once the cease-fire occurred within the countryside.

“Magic, you say,” the dragon commented. “I have used very little of it. I did not cast any magic nor really used it,” the dragon used one of his claws to point to the woman in the center. “She has been the one casting it.”

Thomas felt a large scaly hand touch his shoulder as he turned around to see the colorful body of Ayida-Weddo standing behind him. He noted that she was in her normal form.

“There you are,” she told him. “Xuanwu been treating you well?”

“Yes,” he reacted. “I was told to come here, and now I am here in this ... shrine of some sort.”

Xuanwu walked up to the woman as she went and had a seat by the meditating woman.

“What is going on here?” he asked Ayida-Weddo.

“We found the source of the magic, or at least we thought it was. We reached this home, and they let us in. This monk let us in and greeted us. We saw right through his disguise, and he revealed to us to be some long-lost mythic that disappeared after Cataclysm. It is a great find, though. The dragons have slowly been bouncing back from near extinction, and to find another like Apalala is an amazing discovery for us.”

“Does he want to join the Coalition of Deities?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “No, but that is ok. If he has been keeping it down this long with no one finding him, then he has been purposely doing a job ensuring that humanity continues without him. Finding him is like finding Reprobus or Jesus right now wherever he is.”

“So you guys can confirm that Jesus does exist and is wandering around out there?” he asked.

“Hmmm,” realizing what she just said. “No comment. I won’t go into any more on that subject. That being said, though, there is a place for Apalala, and that is the Non-Aligned Movement. It would be perfect for mythics like him.”

“Are they recognized amongst the Coalition of Deities?”

“Yes, and only until recently made a part of us. Technically, they are not in the Coalition but under our watchful eye. They are allowed to do whatever they wish as long as they don’t interfere with human events, basically what we do anyway. They avoid going into combat situations or going on our missions unless they truly want to. Most of the times, they just keep to themselves.”

He started to laugh a little bit.

“What?” she asked as her face turned into a grin, watching him chuckle.

“Just hearing goddesses discuss politics.”

“Ugh ... trust me, we get tired of it too. The Hindu mythics are notorious for it. Puts the Egyptian gods to shame. Drives us nuts eventually. After a while, even we need a break, much like I plan after this. I think a good twenty-year break in Haiti with just us sounds like a nice plan, wouldn’t you agree? I know some good remote islands we can call home.”

“I um...” he fumbled as he thought about it. “Um ... ok.”

“Hey,” she told him, cradling the side of his cheek. “I am not letting you go this time. Never again. I can’t let you go back and tell them everything you have seen. I know that was your mission, but it would complicate things for us. I am not removing you from your family, alright? We go and see your family together; we do things together, alright?”

Thomas nodded to her feeling her colorful scales rub the side of his cheek. He felt the wave of nostalgia like he had done this all before. The comfort of his hand felt warm to him, like a calm desire.

“I remember some things now ... about my past,” Thomas told her. “The more and more we are together ... it is like a jumbled mess for me—blurry images. I just feel everything when I am around you. The more and more that I am with you ... the more I want to stay with you.”

She took her hand and gripped his hand. “After this mission, we celebrate. We truly celebrate our reunion. My dearest dearest love.”

Xuanwu sat calmly as she starred at the meditating woman. She sat cross-legged with the woman waiting peacefully for her to open her eyes. Apalala, like a giant komodo dragon, walked up and laid on his belly as he took his two front claws and put them together with his elbows resting on the grass almost in a meditative pose beside the woman.

“What is he doing anyway, and what is her story too?” Thomas asked Ayida-Weddo.

“Apalala tried to find a remote location to relax and live peacefully when the Liberian Civil Wars began. It was obviously beyond his control, and he tried to do his best at hiding. The human African woman’s name is Zoe, a refugee from just north from the nearby village.”

“What makes her so special? Why did a dragon try to protect her when so many people are displaced or slaughtered around her?”

“The moment I walked in, she saw my aura.”

“Aura?” Thomas asked.

“We mythics ... when we disguise ourselves as human or even mythics that are already human, we generate an aura. A very small percentage of humans can actually see this aura. You yourself can’t see this aura, but Zoe here can.”

“In other words, she can actually tell that you are a mythic by looking at you?”

The rainbow serpent nodded. “Yes, but like most humans with this ‘Sight’ ability, they don’t know what is going on. To them, this is considered normal, but if trained about our existence, they can point out a mythic to us. Believe it or not, we have a couple of humans in the Coalition just for this very ability. Even we cannot always pick out a mythic in disguise compared to them.”

“Incredible...”

“They also have other abilities as well. They essentially become conduits to magic. They themselves can’t cast magic unless we channel it into them. With proper guidance and us powering them, they could essentially cast magic. Normally we never really do that because the spell caster is channeling someone else to cast their magic when they themselves can just cast it, so it is not a practical idea. Zoe is doing it right now. Apalala is a dragon with magical abilities. He is channeling his own energy into her, and she is generating the barrier that we are in, including this environment.”

“That is remarkable,” Thomas replied. “The question is, why is she doing it?”

“The environment or the barrier?”

“The barrier.”

She nodded. “It has to do with her being a refugee. She fled after some warlord took over her village up north. Apalala found her and is trying to protect her. In his own beliefs, she is the one that must take care of herself. By generating this barrier, it is preventing any other evil from getting in and being a threat to her.”

“So ... what happens next?”

Ayida-Weddo looked at Zoe as she still spoke to him. “We are trying to figure that out. Apalala filled us in when it came to the story, but Zoe has not awakened yet from her meditation yet. She is deeply focused right now. Once she ‘awakens,’ we need to have a discussion with her. There is a concern right now about this ‘warlord’ that has taken control just north of us.”

“What do you mean? This land is filled with warlords. What does one near us make a difference?”

“Wait till she awakens. We need to confirm anything before we jump to conclusions. For all, we know it would just as you described and be a false alarm. All I know is that Lilith herself is eyeing up north. There is something that is concerning her too.”

“I noticed it too,” Thomas commented as he touched his chin. “She was standing outside just watching. Being on guard as if something bad was coming.”

“It is her vampiric senses. She has a hunch that something is near her but not close enough to see it. Sometimes in teams on missions, we take someone to be our scout or scrapper. They are responsible for checking the area ahead and tracking the enemy for us to pursue. Not always, but we did that in this case. With the conflict that reigned here, she was our scout.”

“I imagine the case with Lilith on how she can be grumpy the more and more I see her. The blood and conflict around this region must drive her crazy.”

The rainbow serpent nodded. “Yes, don’t worry, that’s why there are two of us to help her out too. If it gets too bad, we can pull her out. We are not heartless after all.”

“I might have something to help her out as well next time I talk to her.”

They turned their attention to Zoe, that was still cross-legged and focused in her own little world. Thomas followed Ayida as she slithered to get closer to the sitting tortoise. She looked down and kept her focus as Thomas would look at the dragon right next to her. It was now turning into a waiting game for them.

“Apalala,” Ayida addressed him. “Can we wake her up so we can talk to her? We are all pretty much here. It is important that we talk to her.”

He closed his eyes as if focusing on her. He lifted his clawed hand as he focused on her. Xuanwu simply sat there looking back and forth.

Slowly Zoe’s eyes opened as she saw a giant tortoise sitting cross-legged in front of her. She gasped at first, looking back at Apalala for reassurance as she turned and looked at Ayida-Weddo again in shock as her eyes fell to Thomas.

“Wha ... what is going on?” she asked. “Who...”

“Relax, poor girl,” Xuanwu told her as she put her stubby-clawed hand to her knee. “We are not here to hurt you.” She pointed to herself, “We are ... travelers that came to see your land and all its beauty. We came here to investigate the magic that was around this area. We wondered if you and Apalala here were responsible. You are not in any trouble, ok?”

Zoe nodded. “I ... so much has happened the last couple of days for me. I was running for my life. I reach here to seek shelter ... I never imagined that you creatures and things exist,” she said as her eyes went to Ayida-Weddo. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“What?” Thomas said as Zoe looked like a deer frozen in headlights. She saw the myriad of colors as she scanned the rainbow serpent’s body. Her heart raced as she panted. She got on her knees and put her head to the grassy dirt as if kneeling to her.

“It’s you, goddess Ayida-Weddo,” she said with her head to the dirt. “Forgive me for not kneeling to you sooner. I didn’t know that it was you. You’re ... you’re real.”

It was the first time that any human fell down and prayed to her. Something that she was so used to thousands of years ago was happening again. Even she did not know what to do at first to the praying human in front of her.

“It is alright, poor Zoe. Get up, stand up, and talk to me. There are some things we need to talk about.”

Ayida-Weddo held her hand open for her to grab. Zoe was in shock, visibly shaken, as she slowly stood up. She was humble, keeping her head looking down and not looking at her.

“It is alright, child,” Ayida told her with a smile. “I am not angry at you. I am here to help you.”

“It is ... I ... my grandmother is of the Yoruba,” she said as the goddess lifted her up to stand. “They worship you among the other gods. I ... never imagined that you were truly real. I was more Christian myself. To see you in the flesh. I am at a loss of words. Forgive me, goddess.”

The rainbow serpent put her other hand cradling her hand. She towered over her form. “Listen, Zoe, God or no God, I am here for you. Apalala, your guardian, has given you his home for shelter. That was an honorable deed by him at a time when violence and bloodshed rules this land.”

“He has been most gracious in taking care of me in the time I need it the most,” she said, pointing at the dragon that was resting peacefully, meditating to himself. The dragon’s eyes were closed as there was a slight smile on his face listening to the conversation.

The rainbow serpent nodded and looked at the dragon with amazement. Thomas stood there watching the whole scene unfurl as Xuanwu stood up to be close to Zoe.

“Tell us your story, Zoe,” Ayida-Weddo asked her. “We need to know what is happening in this region.”

She thought about it for a brief second as she explained herself to them. “I’m born here in Nimba County in the village north of here called Kahnla. It is a small village of about forty to fifty.”

“Kpelle?” Xuanwu asked her.

“Yes ... I’m part of the Kpelle tribes, but I don’t fully consider myself part of that tribe, especially now. I’m impressed that you know that ... um, what’s your name?”

“Ah ... of course,” Xuanwu replied. “My name is Xuanwu. I am a deity in China. I have been in Liberia for a little while. I had a chance to learn about the people and surroundings for a little bit.”

“Well,” she continued. “Some of my family is in Guinea, but they are also here by the border. I tend to travel back and forth. My brother ... used to live with me. The civil war had its impact on us, but we have been thankful that our close proximity to the border made this place less likely of a target. We thought we were safe from the war until a week ago when forty to fifty men attacked the village at once. They spared no one. We only had ten to twenty that were living in Kahnla at the time, but the men just came in and just claimed it all. I was the only woman they sparred. They wanted to ... use me and train me to become one of them, whether it was a soldier, sex object, or both. I ran as fast as I could, trying to escape them.”

“How often do you encounter these things, Xuanwu?” Thomas asked her.

The tortoise scratched the back of her head. “Too often but not usually this far. It is way beyond Monrovia. Having control of that city is controlling Liberia. Why would these men raid and attack a village that poses no real strategic value? Even the close proximity to the border of Guinea is not enough reason to secure it. To be honest, I find it hard to believe it.”

“I swear it is, please!” Zoe snapped back. “They fucking killed my brother and raped me!”

Apalala’s serpentine eyes focused on Zoe’s emotions and anger the moment she said it.

“We don’t doubt your story,” Ayida-Weddo told her as she crossed her colorful scaly arms. “We are just trying to figure out what is happening in this region. The fact is seeing an army this far away trying to take over a spot is ... something we might need to investigate.” She put her hand on her shoulder. “I need you to tell me who is in charge of these men.”

“I had only seen him once before the men separated me from him as he had the others executed,” Zoe said as she calmed down a little, feeling the goddess touch her. There was concern in the rainbow serpent’s face overlooking the short woman. “He is a warlord that calls himself ‘General Thunder Clap.’”

“Interesting name,” Xuanwu commented. “Seems that the Liberians never fall short of finding names for their warlords. Everything from ‘General Rambo’ to ‘General Butt Naked’ to ‘General Blahyi’ the names just keep getting better.”

“Butt Naked?” Thomas asked, almost regretting his question.

Ayida-Weddo shook her head at him to drop the question before she focused back on Zoe.

“Continue, Zoe. Describe his appearance,” she told her.

“He wore this long yellow shirt that covered his body with this white collar on his neck. He wore some sort of necklace. I have seen many dresses, but this one stood out to me. The thing that stood out to me the most was that he had this aura just like what you, the turtle ... ma’am, and Apalala has.”

Her last sentence struck home to Ayida-Weddo and Xuanwu. She had the ability to see the auras of mythics. What her eyewitness testimony confirms something to all of them.

Ayida-Weddo looked at Xuanwu with grave concern as she considered everything that she heard. She released her grip on Zoe’s shoulder as she put her hand to her chin, thinking of what to do next. Even Thomas, who was simply an eyewitness to this, had to acknowledge the fact that there was something still out there. Whatever it was, it was very close to them right now.

“Then I have heard enough,” Ayida commented. “Xuanwu, Thomas, we head north to the nearby village and confront this warlord. He is a rogue mythic who has made himself a warlord and attacked human beings for his own gain. We cannot let this pass.”

“Would that be warrant enough as a crime, though?” Xuanwu asked. “I mean, if he has been in human disguise this whole time, wouldn’t that be considered ... you know what? Let’s get him. I am tired of seeing all these warlords get away with disgusting shit.”

“I am tired of seeing it too. Let’s go,” she looked at Zoe. “Thank you, Zoe. We will go and investigate this army north. If need be, we will eliminate this army and free your village to live once again.”