So… had I never left the Wall? Or had I? I had my blood back. I knew I'd been there. But according to Antwan, I'd stood in one place for a decade. Just like Phoenix, who vanished for thirty years.
Except Phoenix really did go into the Obscurity… right? Unless… he was just a dream too?
No, Kim never brought any wounded Caper to us. – Antwan frowned,
puzzled.
That's just messed – I sighed, finally stabilizing my material form and forcing the ectoplasm deep inside me. Then I said: Come on, I just hope you guys didn't sell my real estate while I was gone? I know what you're like—you sneaky little bastards…
It worked! She swallowed the bait and rushed into the trap like a starving rat. There was no need for combat, no drawn-out persuasion, no flashy tricks or manipulation.
Silly Alenari… it all went down so easily. So clean. And now I had every bit of data I could possibly want. Now I knew—she herself didn't even understand the limits of her own power. I couldn't crack it all just yet, but for the first time in my un-life, I felt this feverish urge to get to the truth through action, not analysis. And waiting another hundred years? No thanks.
Noah lit a fresh cigar off the dying end of the last one and sprawled out in a wide hammock strung between two trees. Above him stretched a bright sky, and he traced the curves of the Big Dipper, committing each star to memory. Not far off, he heard sobbing and the sounds of someone groaning.
Ohh nooo, what's happening!
The furious master of this layer raised his head, ready to smite the fool who dared disturb his well-earned rest—and spotted a very strange man. The guy was wearing tight leather briefs and a choker collar. Scrawny and short, he stumbled across Noah's pristine lawn, mercilessly trampling the carefully planted foliage.
With a flick of his body, Noah appeared beside the intruder and pressed the tip of a claw into his throat.
Who are you? My Lord! – The man cried, ignoring the danger as he dropped to the ground and crawled like a whipped dog to Noah's feet, licking the earth nearby. Between slobbers, he gasped: My name is That bitch Alenari trapped me in some kind of prison and left me there—sitting for who knows how long… well, in my underwear. But thanks to your divine magic, I'm free! I thank you, oh Glorious One! I vow to serve you until my dying breath!
Noah raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow and let out a string of refined profanities under his breath.
Yeah… even the dead don't get to rest in peace.