The Lie Spinners (The Deception Dance) (9 page)

I
look down at it; it’s about the size of a large pill or small
round pebble.

“
It’s
the same as I gave you in the church, just smaller. Smaller, but
it’ll work the same, hold your soul if you die so I can
recompose you; It’s…perfected…I think,” She
says. “It only lasts for a day, so try not to die after that.”

“
Okay…”
I say. With my last swig of tea, I take and swallow it.

“
I
managed a couple impermanent transformations,” she says, too
loudly. “Your mental clarity and physical reflexes should be
better for a couple days.”

“
Okay.”

“
You
won’t get tired, for a while.”

“
Okay.”

“
You
will heal faster from serious injuries, for a day or two.”

“
Okay.”

“
Alright,
then,” She says.

“
Um,”
I inhale, and then say, “Is there something…anything,
that you’re hiding from me that I should know?”

“
Well,
I will lock myself in the cockpit then! And release Jones! A car
already waits outside to take you to Stephen’s hotel on Khoasan
Road.” She backs away, not looking at me. Then she sighs, turns
on her heel and disappears into the cockpit.

“
Are
you ready for this, Raven?” Cassidy says from where she stands
by the airplane hatch. She’s wearing a t-shirt that says ‘I’m
drinking to make you pretty’ on it and scuffed up jeans. She
actually has a real backpacking backpack. Jeez, Cassidy comes
prepared; she looks like any college backpacker. I guess I do too,
still in yesterday’s jeans and dirty collared shirt, but I
could have done with a backpack of clothing alternatives. At least I
had the foresight to stuff my wallet with cash as the credit card I
brought could easily be tracked by my dad, or moreover, Albert.

The
only other thing I brought was a calculated risk, my watch. Albert
always assured me that the watch only tracked my location if I hit
its ‘save me’ button; I guess if he’s waiting in
the parking lot I’ll know he’s a liar. However, the only
way I’ll willingly call Albert to cage me is if my only other
alternative is a very, very painful death.

Getting
my mind back into the game I ask Cassidy, “What did Madeline
lie to me about?”

“
I
can’t tell you; as in, I
literally
can’t, the witch spelled me. Obviously she’s either doing
unnatural spells or she’s spent quite a bit of money on them.”

Suddenly,
hands grab my shoulders and I’m swung around to look directly
at Jones. When I try to wiggle away, Jones grips my shoulders
tightly, just this side of painful, and says, “What did the
witch do to
her
?
Natural or unnatural? Is
she
safe?” He’s talking to Cassidy! Jeez!

With
a jerk, I pull out of his grasp. “What is the difference?”

“
Natural
magic just improves your natural processes; unnatural changes you or
forces something on you—unnaturally,” Cassidy supplies.

“
Natural,
then,” I say.

Jones
grabs me by my arms again.

“
I’m
fine!” I say. “Actually, I feel really good.”
Weirdly
enough
,
I feel amazing.

Jones
continues his inspection.

“
Are
you going to report to the Leijonskjöld?” Cassidy asks,
leaning against the hatch and crossing her arms.

Jones
turns to her and exhales.

“
Ah,”
Cassidy says, smiling, “He can think for himself,
bravo
.”
She turns to open the hatch.

“
What
are the exact terms of her life debt?” Jones asks Cassidy.

“
You’ll
have to ask
her,”
Cassidy
says as she shifts the bar that latches the hatch and lets the hatch
open, swing down and slide into a staircase. At the bottom of the
staircase a black car waits.

Jones
continues to examine me, even after Cassidy has climbed out of the
plane; awkwardly, I let him.

His
face is very symmetrical, two perfectly matched sides; his smooth
skin is a shade darker than Cassidy’s, almost as dark as his
buzzed hair. His looks are, without a doubt, movie-star good
looking—much more than Stephen’s. Stephan was probably
only ‘school-crush’ good looking before he was deformed
by Andras.

My
shoulders sink and I feel suddenly very, very uncomfortable. “I’m
done, okay?” I say, and I step away from Jones to the open
hatch. I hesitate at the hatch to say, “Whatever Madeline did
to me, I’m almost positive it was for my protection. I’m
sorry for getting you into this, especially since I bet no matter
what I say, you’ll pretty much have to come with me.”

Then
his angry ghost will follow me screaming: you killed my brother, you
killed me!
Forever
and ever.

No
matter what I do, the body count just keeps going up. Am I just about
to add another two good people to its number? The moment I step out
of the hatch I am wrapped in a blanket of thick, hot, wet air. My
shirt and hair instantly paste onto my sticky, sweating skin.

Surprisingly
enough (or
not
),
Jones doesn’t respond; but I hear him on the steps inches
behind me as I climb down to where Cassidy waits by the car’s
open door.

By
the time I descend the stairs, I swear I can hear my hair frizzing in
the humidity.

Cassidy
says, “I’m taking the back seat with Raven, unless you
want to fight me for it.”

Jones
looks like he might argue, but takes the seat beside the driver
(after checking the man for weapons). When Cassidy climbs in beside
me I ask, “Cassidy, I get why Jones is playing my bodyguard,
but why are you? If this will be as ugly as Madeline says, I won’t
hold anything against you if you duck out.”

“
Even
after a year of living with a hundred of them, you don’t know a
thing about demon killers do you?” she responds.

With
a little grin, I respond, “Only that they’re a
closed-lipped bunch.”

“
Some
people might think that I have no honor,” She says peering up
to the front seat where Jones has just climbed in, “but a
friend asked me to guard you. A friend I might never see again. That
means something to me.” She smiles a not-so-happy smile my way,
and then slaps me on the knee. “In return for my more than
likely dying to protect you very soon, you can tell me what good old
Tobias and Albert told you about me.”

Her
expression looks nonchalant, but as this is the second time she’s
asked, my guess is she cares, a lot.

As
the car starts to drive forward, I bite my lip, and chew it. “Um,
Albert told me that you were kicked out because you went to save your
little brother and you let a lot of people die.” And the story
feels so known, like a merry-go-round I keep circling; a cycle I
can’t escape. Cassidy, me, Madeline… on and on…

“
What
a big fat liar!” She shouts.

“
Cassidy,
we do not speak about Leijonskjöld business—” Jones
says from the front seat.

“
Oh,
be quiet Richard,” Cassidy snaps. She shakes her head. “Those
pack of
liars
.”

“
What
really happened?” I ask.

“
I
can’t speak about it,” Cassidy says, huffing. “But
what happened with my younger brother was months after I was already
kicked out. The true reason they expelled me was: I never fit well
into their idea of an ‘ideal demon killer’, namely I
lacked the essential parts to be a wanker; but after I was injured on
an assignment
they
sent me on, the differences became irreconcilable in their minds.”

“
Yeah
well, obviously Stephen still trusts you,” I say. “He
obviously trusts you to protect me more than anybody else. But, I
guess Stephen doesn’t think like the rest of the people in the
Leijonskjöld, does he?”

“
And
that’s why we’re in this mess,” Jones grumbles.

“
You
talked to me!” I say, leaning toward his chair.

“
I
was talking to Dixon,” He says.

“
No,
I’m pretty sure you were, and still are, talking to me.”
But, my celebration is premature because the car falls silent. Well,
kind of. Our lull in conversation just makes me aware of the
cacophony going on outside of our car.

I
look out the windows as we finally exit the private area of the
airport, we turn onto a street and we’re surrounded by people.
I have never seen so many people crowded into a street, bikes, cars,
and pedestrians, everywhere. But more than anything else, the street
is filled with scooters. Three scooters ride astride in front of us,
each with three or more people on them. One scooter actually has a
woman carrying a baby, a father driving and two children in the far
back.

Little
go-cart like vehicles dodge traffic on all sides of us, each with a
driver and a couple passengers in the back. The bustle on the
streets, food vendors, shoppers, people haggling, laughing, hastening
by, stray dogs just walking by, threatens to overflow into the road
on all sides. Even the upper floors of the buildings, above the
street, overflow with signs and clothing on ropes and rugs hanging
out of open windows.

This
much visual stimulus could overload even the strongest mind. And the
smells! Even with our windows up, I smell hot spices and more savory
scents, along with some less savory scents (including my breath,
seriously gross). From my back pocket I extract a squished pack of
gum and after offering a piece to Cassidy stick a piece in my mouth.

“
Wow,”
I say, smiling.

“
I
guess there is something to be said for chaos,” Cassidy says.

“
It’s
very… I don’t know, alive,” I say, wishing I was
out there, part of the chaos; suddenly disappointed this isn’t
a very different type of trip.

“
I
hear where we’re heading, Khoasan Road, is even more lively,
mostly tourists, though,” she says.

“
Do
you know why everyone is wearing yellow shirts?” I ask.

The
driver makes eye contact with me through the rear view mirror, and
then calls back in accented English, “It is the king’s
favorite color, and today is Thursday, which is the king’s day.
His birthday, December fifth, is on a Thursday this year. Monday is
blue, for the queen.”

“
Thank
you, I’ll have to remember that.” Jeez. I didn’t
even know Thailand had a king and queen nowadays. Usually, I’ll
do months or research before a trip, even a road-trip; but I know
almost nothing about Thailand. I probably won’t get any time to
learn about it either; I’m just being fed into a demon trap.
When I think about it, I feel like a fuse has been lit and I’m
just waiting for it to travel to me and combust me into little tiny
pieces.