Chapter 12

Arthur gazed out across the city skyline from the top of Mount Washington. The downtown area nestled on the large delta formed by two rivers flowing together to form one. At the very point of the delta was a large well lit fountain; the droplets of cascading water scattering the light like millions of falling diamonds. The handful of massive skyscrapers were brightly lit, glowing like beacons in the dark. The concrete and steel of the myriad bridges that crossed the three rivers had faded into shadow, so that the bridges were marked only by the lights that were strung across their lengths. As a result they had a delicate appearance, almost as if they had been constructed by the fairies and elves of myth.

This city really is aesthetically pleasing, he thought, it's almost a shame what I'm going to do to it. He had spent the earlier part of the evening meeting with several mercenaries he had done business with years ago in New Orleans during a period when he had been aggressively hunted after overindulging himself. He had called them the night before and, for the amount of money he was offering, they had been willing to fly in immediately. Arthur had, of course, spent a large part of the meeting planting suggestions in their minds to insure their absolute loyalty and to prevent any moral qualms from interfering with their duties.

For a moment he was distracted by the emotions feeding back from his bond with Mia, forcing him to contemplate her fate. He would have to destroy her for her treachery, he decided, no matter that he had pushed her to it. He would, however, postpone it for a few nights. Even in such a short time, she would begin to hope that she would live, that she would retain her freedom, and that her apparent newfound love could continue. Looking into her eyes as those hopes were crushed would make her death far more satisfying.

He turned his thoughts to the confrontation the night before. He was faintly irritated with the city and its police force over the matter. He had very publicly exterminated a significant number of policemen, but they had still managed to keep the event relatively quiet. Oh, they hadn't tried to hide the loss of their elite unit, but they had attributed it to a well armed gang hopped up on meth. The truth would come out eventually, Arthur knew; he had felt the terrified minds of the neighbors peering out from behind nearly drawn curtains. But the exposure of the authorities' lies would take time and he was growing impatient, if not for the reason he had expected.

He still wanted to force his Maker to expose herself, but now, even more, he wanted war. He was weary of hiding in the shadows, tired of limiting his feeding to the weak and poor and morally bankrupt. He relished the thought of combat with enemies who knew what he was. For so long his existence had lacked challenge.

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft contralto voice. "I assume that it is no coincidence that you are in my city?"

Startled, he spun around to stare at the diminutive Asian woman who had spoken. Her long black tresses hung to her hips, perfectly straight and shining slightly in the light of the street lamp. Under her elegant black dress, her body appeared thin, almost boyish. The fine features of her olive toned face were so beautiful as to inspire poetry, or even murder. His senses had not warned him of her approach and still did not register her presence. She was a void to him.

Knowing his thoughts, the woman smiled mockingly. She then squinted her slightly tilted eyes and, for Arthur, it was as if a veil had been drawn from the sun. The power emanating from her was of such magnitude that he staggered backwards, falling to his knees with a cry of awe and anguish. She watched him cower for a moment before, with another narrowing of her eyes, the void returned.

She looked at him impatiently, "I believe I asked you a question, child."

Arthur fumbled to recall the question, to form a reply, "It is no coincidence, Mistress. I came here looking for you."

"Do not call me 'Mistress', boy. I never claimed that title over you. As I recall, I released you from those ties even before they had finished forming. Now, why are you seeking me?"

Arthur swallowed reflexively before answering, "I want to know why."

The woman's mocking laughter struck Arthur like a blow. "The child seeks out the parent to ask the meaning of life? How very droll. You come to my city and break the most ancient of our taboos merely to know why you were created; why you exist?"

At Arthur's mute nod, the woman continued, "I would have expected you to have learned by now that life has no purpose other than to live. I gave you the Gift because I knew that you would not waste eternity feeling guilt over the victims of your hunger. I knew that you were one who would revel in this existence and squeeze from it every last drop of pleasure it could offer."

"But why does our kind exist?"

The woman's thin eyebrows arched upwards in surprised amusement. "Our kind exists for the most basic reason of all. I refused to die."

At Arthur's expression of sudden epiphany, the woman drawled, "Yes, child, I, Lei Gu, was the first. I was born in a time when the Egyptians were just learning to stack one rock on top of another. When I was old enough to understand the ephemeral nature of human existence, I dedicated myself to learning all of the knowledge of my people, seeking a way to extend my life. My people's understanding of the nature of existence proved to be sadly lacking so I traveled, alone and unaided, across the Gobi desert to the lands of the sag-giga, surviving the journey only by pure strength of will.

"There I studied with the followers of Enlil, god of the ghost land, in the great cities of Eridu, Sippar and Shuruppak. I learned glorious things; dark, terrible, glorious things and eventually rose to become the foremost Master of the Zi. One of the things that I learned, child, is that there are many worlds that exist adjacent to this one, some with properties that are completely antithetical to our own. One such world is inhabited by beings of great and terrible power who peer into our world with longing and hunger. But the very nature of the life that they crave to devour would cause their immediate destruction if they were to cross the veil that separates the worlds unaided.