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Chapter 11Sunday

The pace at headquarters had been unbearably fast the last few days. Today, however, absolutely nothing was happening, so Chief gave Rhezu and Tatara the day off. "We'll radio if we need you. Go enjoy yourselves. That's an order!" Naturally, Tatara insisted on staying at the station, claiming he needed to straighten out some records.

"Boy," called Chief when Rhezu was about to walk out the front door. "Is something going on with Shoma?" Both men understood perfectly well that Tatara was not the sort to leave behind a disordered record in the first place.

"Yeah, but he won't talk to me," answered Rhezu vaguely.

"Does he ever relax or have fun?"

"Not that I've seen, Chief."

"I worry about him. It isn't good, keeping everything inside. Eats at a cop from inside out—I've seen it happen time and time again." Chief shook his head sagely, replaying in his memory the breakdowns he'd seen during his long career. "Keep an eye on him, Rhezu, and take care of yourself, too. Go find a pretty girl to flirt with."

The young detective chuckled weakly, and scowled once he had safely gone down the front steps. He could count on one hand the number of women who'd agreed to date him. Besides, today was Sunday, not exactly an ideal dating day. Most Lhasans rested on Sunday, steeling themselves for the coming work week.

And Sunday was his appointment day with Lekhuma Seki. Pulling into the busy traffic of Sonu Street, Rhezu heaved a sigh as he thought of the upcoming visit. He turned right towards Mhagenu at the first traffic light, and decided to catch up with his father before going to Seki's shop.

The flame trees lining the enormous front driveway of the Shoma estate gleamed. The sun shining through the petals gave the shadows a reddish cast. The blossoms swayed gently as Rhezu drove by, preoccupied with tumultuous thoughts. Rhezu stopped the car when it reached the second gate that sealed the main mansion from its outer periphery. Within this gate were all the Dzuni houses, traditionally reserved for Dzunis and their close family members, and of course, the immensely old mansion itself. Khezuke still lived in the Boar's House, and Rhezu turned left towards his home after passing through the gate.

Khezuke had just stepped outside to pick up the mail when he saw his son's beat-up squad car navigating the stone driveway. "Rhezu! How are you?" He slapped Rhezu's back.

"Good," grunted Rhezu. "Chief let us take the day off."

"You've been coming over Sundays a lot," observed Khezuke. "I'm glad to see you, and I'm sure it'll cheer up Kedi too. He's got a cold." Gripping the gold doorknob, Khezuke pulled open the elegantly carved door. In Rhezu's opinion, the ferocious-looking wooden boar's paint needed some refreshing. He could see grayish flakes on the doorstep.

"I must remember to call the main house about that panel," murmured Khezuke, as if in response to Rhezu's thoughts. "Well, son, sit down and I'll tell Kedi you're here." The cushy old sofa wheezed as Rhezu dropped into it. Quick, light footsteps on the stairs told him that Kedi was on his way.

"I can't breathe through my nose," whined Kedi nasally, his eyes glazed and nose a blotchy red. A well-used patchwork teddy bear dangled from one hand.

"It'll get better soon." Rhezu mussed Kedi's hair and smiled encouragingly at him.

"Are we going out today, Rhezu?" Kedi had done an admirable job of keeping their outings a secret from their father.

"No, kid, I think you need some rest. Sorry," said Rhezu. Khezuke nodded in agreement.

"Aw!" Kedi's protest was very short-lived however; he returned upstairs to his room within a minute, the teddy bear bumping against each step. After settling his ill son back into bed, Khezuke returned downstairs.

"Drink, Rhezu?"

"No thanks, Dad."

"What happened between you and Kedi?" asked Khezuke as he settled his solid bulk into an armchair across from Rhezu.

"Hm?" Rhezu assumed a nonchalant look, but his muscles tensed nonetheless. This was going into dangerous territory.

"You and Kedi have suddenly become much more comfortable around each other. Not that I'm complaining." Khezuke grinned, the faded scars crisscrossing his face becoming less visible. No one had ever figured out why the scars appeared when they did, when Khezuke had just joined the Shoma estate at age sixteen. "Kedi also seems much happier than before. He doesn't cry as easily now; even his teacher remarked on it to me last week. What's your secret?"

"Hmm…" Rhezu mused for a moment.

"Of course, if it's a brother-brother thing, you don't have to tell me."

"I made my peace with Mother," Rhezu said abruptly. It was still hard for him to believe that the person he saw in the dream wasn't really his mother, but a Dzuni. In any case, his emotions and relief had been genuine. "It's a long story."

"Oh." Khezuke's face tightened momentarily, and he finally said, "I'm glad to hear that, actually." His eyebrows scrunched. "Although you don't seem much calmer than before. Have you been stressed out at work?"

"Kind of. My partner's pretty anal-retentive. He's from Zi Alda."

"Well, I'm not sure being Zi Aldan has anything to do with it," chuckled Khezuke. "Have you heard, by the way? Hatsuharu's started to hear rumors about atrocities over there. Maybe your partner knows something about those."

"Atrocities?"

"No details yet. But I suspect we'll hear more soon. Apparently there are refugees hiding in Hoth and Gogotha who've started asking for help."

"I'll ask." Though it's completely futile, Rhezu added silently to himself. "Any more news?"

"You remember the earthquakes that have been scaring everybody lately?" Of course Rhezu did. The police had been scrambling to cordon off fallen power lines, burst water mains, and to calm the citizenry in general. Rhezu was convinced that the owner of the mystery egg was causing the earthquakes, but Tatara successfully kept him from going to Seki.

"Lhurone talked to Khoru last night. You remember Khoru, don't you?" continued Khezuke. "They were talking about something or other, and then an earthquake hit. Afterwards Khoru told Lhurone that the earthquakes were the result of a Dzuni spirit awakening."

Rhezu stared at his father, alarmed. Wasn't Khoru under orders to stay quiet? "Did he say anything else?"

"Khoru only said that 'the guardian' would take care of it, and that he couldn't reveal any more about the lost Dzuni. The earthquakes do seem to have stopped. Good thing, too, because they scared Kedi badly. To be honest, they scared me, too. But now this lost Dzuni is all we can talk about." Khezuke referred to his fellow Dzunis, the older generation. "It's the first glimmer of them that we've have had in a long time." The hopeful tone gave Rhezu a pang of guilt.

"Did Haku say anything?"

"No." The answer didn't surprise Rhezu; Haku would've been smart enough to speak with Khoru privately.

"Rhezu? What's wrong?" Khezuke noticed the deep reverie, and the startled look. "Do you know something about the lost Dzuni?" he asked softly. Rhezu hesitated for too long, which gave away the answer. "Why haven't you told us?"

Seki is clearly weak, reasoned Rhezu. And Khoru did mention the lost Dzuni, but Kedi is still within Seki's power to harm. "I'm not allowed to say anything."

"Is it the guardian?" pressed Khezuke, leaning forward urgently in his chair. "Are they in danger from the guardian?"

"Not the Dzuni!" hissed Rhezu. "I am! And Khoru, too! We're not supposed to talk!" He forbore mentioning Kedi's involvement, not wanting to get into a war with his father.

"But if this guardian is dangerous, surely we can—"

"No!" This silenced Khezuke. For a moment, Rhezu could hardly believe he was protecting Seki. "It's too complicated. Please," he begged, "don't say anything."

Meanwhile, inside the main house, Haku sat in his studio with a pounding headache just forming. An agitated Sheleru called him ten minutes ago. It had already been extremely difficult to pretend that he didn't know anything when all of his relatives and closest friends couldn't stop talking about Khoru's revelation. Sheleru's insistence that Khoru shouldn't have talked added to his considerable unease. "Seki will punish him," she'd moaned, and Haku found himself in the ridiculous position of trying to comfort her about something he could do nothing about.

"Is this Sakurazukamori like Asheno?" asked Haku, attempting to gain a sense of the mystery man's mindset. Like every other person in on the Dzuni secret, Sheleru had heard the horror stories about Asheno.

"Oh no!" she gasped reflexively. "He would not lose his head like that! He does everything for a good reason, not because of some random whim. He won't try to kill or hurt Khoru." Sheleru's inability to elaborate on why she thought Seki wouldn't hurt Khoru didn't ease Haku's concerns. "But he's never hurt any of us," she insisted repeatedly.

"Then why are you so worried that he'll punish Khoru?"

"No, really, he won't hurt Khoru. He has a different way of teaching us lessons, that's all. Please make sure you don't tell the other Dzunis about your conversations with me and Halina."

"What 'different way'?"

"Oh, he just talks to us. Like, he tells us stories like fables. But they can get boring sometimes."

Rubbing his throbbing temples, Haku started giggling. Telling fables certainly sounded innocuous, and much tamer than Asheno's violent methods. "Of course," Haku said to himself, "Sheleru is very trusting." And she could easily miss signs of the Sakurazukamori's more illicit activities. Sobering, he stared at an empty canvas before him, willing it to give him a sign. After half an hour passed without any result, Haku decided to wait. His gut told him that interfering seemed more dangerous than waiting at the moment.

After ending the visit to his father on a tense note, Rhezu headed to Dze-I. An empty parking spot stood in front of the teashop, as if it had been prepared to meet him. The shop's lights were off, and Rhezu could discern no signs of human inhabitation. Slamming the car door shut, he strode up to the storefront, and peered into the darkness beyond the displays. "Hi!"

"Oh my gods!" yelled Rhezu, clutching his chest. "Shit, Zian!" The fuchsia head peeked around the doorframe, and she laughed gaily.

"Sorry, Rhezu. Come on in," said Zian. "Seki had to go out, and he wanted me to let you in. Did Kedi tag along?" She looked around for the child.

"He's got a cold today," mumbled Rhezu, stifling an oath after nearly tripping over an unseen object in the dark. Zian led him through the now-familiar hidden connector to Seki's apartments.

"Tell him we said hello and to get well soon, all right?"

"Yeah, sure." His eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, and he guessed that he was now in the open space of Seki's living room. "Do you have any idea when Seki will return?"

The girl shrugged, pigtails bobbing. "He didn't say. But he does want to talk to you, so I don't think it'll be long. In the meanwhile, there's someone who wants to meet you." Zian grinned mischievously. "You have a jacket with you?"

"Of course not." The weather was on par for a typical Lhasa spring—cool in the early morning and at night, but pleasantly warm during the day. The temperatures rose by a few degrees steadily week by week. Zian scrunched her lips, and then shrugged philosophically. "Oh, well, you can ask for a blanket," she concluded cheerfully. "Just go down that staircase there." She pointed to a white door by a built-in bookcase. The door didn't quite fit in its frame, and a large gap showed between the door and floor. "It's a pretty long staircase—just watch your step because it's kind of dark." With that, Zian bounded away. "See you later!"

"Hey!" called Rhezu futilely. "Dammit." He stared at the white door, wondering which crazy Dzuni lurked behind it. Sighing, he decided that he might as well see. "Kind of dark," as Zian put it, proved to be an understatement. Rhezu had to feel his way down, by hugging the banister and poking his feet forward inch by inch. The steps seemed to have been constructed for a person half his size, with tiny feet. The stairs also creaked loudly in protest. Once, when a slanted step made him stumble, Rhezu instinctively braced himself against the wall and felt slimy rock. "Gods! I hope she didn't send me into a cave." He had to concentrate hard to rein in his imagination. During his school years, he'd heard one too many urban myths and monster tales.

Soon his shivering supplanted his growing fear of the interminable staircase. He wore only a thin long-sleeved shirt and a faded pair of jeans, and as he descended, the temperature sank quickly. Finally, when he could feel that the staircase had ended, he rubbed his arms briskly. It was as cold as a winter day.

"Is someone there? Seki?" The mellifluous voice echoed off the rocky walls.

Rhezu squeezed a "N-n-no" through his chattering teeth. "Z-zian s-s-s-sent me. I'm A-ashu Rhezanu."

"Ooh!" A dungeon-like door, previously hidden by the darkness, clanged open with a jarring sound that jolted Rhezu back against the staircase. He was surprised not to see a medieval padlock falling to the floor; the door consisted of a weathered wooden panel half a foot thick, and with iron strips crossing it. "Delightful! I'm glad Zian remembered." A surreal whitish-gray light silhouetted a sylphlike figure in the doorway, and blotted out her features. The woman glided to Rhezu, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Perhaps that'll help warm you up, hmm?" The woman had snow-white skin and hair that possessed bluish tinges. Her thin lips hovered dangerously close to Rhezu's, and he couldn't help noticing the full chest pressed tightly against his own.

"Whoa! I don't need that kind of warming up!" he exclaimed, pushing her off firmly. The hug had been effective, though—he stopped shivering and willed his scarlet blush to disappear. The woman smiled coyly. "Would you like to come in, or would you rather brave the big, dark, scary stairs again? I understand that some of the steps are rotting through." Rhezu looked at the stairs, and back at her again.

"That's a good boy," she drawled. "I'll give you a blanket inside. Seki also finds it too cold, so I keep plenty for him. I can make hot chocolate as well." Her slender fingers took him by the elbow, and led him into the whiteness.

Ice coated everything inside—the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and even some of the tables were carved out of the ice itself. The cushions and lush throws scattered generously throughout served as a counterpoint to the glittering crystal. They also helped dampen the ice's reflective quality; otherwise, the brightness would've crippled Rhezu. His host immediately hustled Rhezu into an armchair and handed him a thick blanket made from rare white murin fur from the Ashomi Waste, the desolate plains of southern Hoth. Even Rhezu, who normally didn't think about such things, had to touch the fur to feel its wondrous silkiness for himself.

"I had to beg Seki for that one," said the sylph, already mixing a fresh cup of hot chocolate. "He loathes southern Hoth, because that's where the Ghumanis hold sway." The Ghumani family was the Shoma family's traditional archrival. "It's a tragedy—I'd much rather be in southern Hoth. The climate is much better for me there."

"Do you need to keep the temps at such freakin' cold levels?"

"Yes. If it reaches the 60s, I become dreadfully ill." Rhezu huddled deeper into the murin fur. "I'll raise it a little so you don't catch a fatal cold." Within a few minutes, Rhezu was able to keep his head out of the fur, then his hands and legs. He gulped the scalding cocoa gratefully. The woman, sitting on the edge of a chaise, reminded Rhezu of old stories he'd heard as a child—the ice queen who roamed over the Ashomi Waste on wind gusts and who dwelled in a lavish palace in the Ghobrin Ice's heart. For the first time, he noticed that she kept her eyelids closed all the time. It created a queer illusion of an eyeless face. Nevertheless, he found himself thinking how familiar her face seemed, and scrambled to pinpoint why. At least it kept his eyes from straying to her revealing neckline.

"Does my chest satisfy you?" she finally asked after a moment of silence.

Finishing the chocolate hurriedly, Rhezu blushed again and mumbled, "Yeah, it's fine."

"You get rejected by women a lot, don't you? You are rather obvious; you're still a virgin, aren't you?"

Rhezu sputtered, sending some of the cocoa down the wrong way. He hacked loudly. "Maybe I'm a little rough around the edges, but do you suppose you could tell me your name first?" he asked desultorily.

"I don't suppose Tara has mentioned me to you?"

"Who?"

"My older brother, who's your partner."

Rhezu gaped at her disbelievingly. "He lets you call him 'Tara'?"

"Because he loves his younger sister, even if he yells at me a lot. I wouldn't advise you to use 'Tara.' He'd surely kill you, and I know you don't want to die a virgin."

"Will you stop it with the virgin thing?" snapped Rhezu belligerently. "Stop messing with my mind. I'm not going to let you seduce me just because I'm the first non-Dzuni man to walk through your door." The woman raised an eyebrow, and pouted slightly.

"Are you in love with Tara?" she asked abruptly.

"Wha—why does everybody think we're gay? No, I'm straight. Completely

straight." Rhezu snorted exasperatedly. The woman's mood lightened, and she appeared almost relieved. Suddenly feeling more hesitant, Rhezu quickly refocused on draining his hot chocolate. At last, a name bubbled to the surface in Rhezu's mind. "Beri. You're Beri, aren't you?" Tatara had talked about her once, a while ago.

"Shoma Ghoberen. But I won't kill you if you call me 'Beri,'" she added sweetly.

"I appreciate that."

"How is Tara doing? He hasn't visited me in a long time. Usually he visits me every few days," she explained, "to make sure I'm behaving my naughty self."

"He's okay physically, but he's acting fucking weird." Rhezu felt no qualms about cursing in front of someone who kept prodding him about his virginity.

"That's what I hear," sighed Ghoberen. "Can you tell me what happened? I heard about the banquet, but it doesn't sound like the whole story to me."

Rhezu recounted the lunch at the Gogothan restaurant with Seki, Tatara, and Halina. "What was all that about Tatara being a slave?"

"A slave?" The smooth façade dropped from Ghoberen's face, and her brows folded in consternation. "First I've heard of that. Tara's never talked to you about his past, has he?"

"What do you think?"

She nodded resignedly. "Of course not. I don't know anything about his life in Zi Alda."

"I knew it—he's not from Lhasa."

"No, he was born and raised in a small Zi Aldan town. Seki brought him to Lhasa when he was thirteen. The first time I met him, he had scraggly hair, and he couldn't speak Hothan to save his life." Ghoberen's lips curved in a rueful smile. "I immediately drove him nuts, despite our language barrier. He's not physically affectionate, so he squirms whenever I hug him. He's a classic Zi Aldan—neat, loyal, and stoic to a fault."

"Yeah, he freaked out when he saw my desk and car," admitted Rhezu, chuckling.

"He rearranged my pillows the first time he saw my room. I paid him back by throwing them at him."

When Ghoberen's laughter waned, Rhezu pressed, "But you don't know anything about his life in Zi Alda?"

"No," she exhaled. "I have my theories about his relationship to Seki, though. It would be like a Zi Aldan to have a life debt to someone who saved you from death." Getting a blank stare from Rhezu, Ghoberen went on. "This is how life debts work. If someone rescues you from death, you become that person's servants in return, and you remain loyal forever. In theory, anyway."

"But that's an oppressive relationship!" protested Rhezu. Such a tradition was unheard of in Hoth.

"I don't know for sure that's how Tara sees Seki," added Ghoberen hurriedly. "It could explain why Tara still sticks by Seki even while some of us have started breaking away from him."

"You should be leaving Seki! All of you! What good is there about him?"

"Oh, you only see Seki the murderer," said Ghoberen. "Sharlen hates Seki more than any other Dzuni here, as far as I know, and even he's hesitant to actually harm the man who's taken care of him for his entire life. You'll notice that Sharlen talks a lot, but does little."

"Seki is dangerous," insisted Rhezu. "He kills people for no good reason!"

"That's not true, not really," argued Ghoberen, sitting up straighter. She was almost pleading now. "He may kill people for the wrong reasons, but he doesn't kill them randomly." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "I don't know enough to explain his character fully; I don't have the same sort of power as the Dzuni rabbit, or Lafidzi, for that matter. But I do think that Seki is trapped by the old Dzuni curse, too."

"How?"

"None of us really understand how we fit into today's world with our unusual powers and looks. What role do we play? I'm sure that Seki struggles with the same issues."

"My impression is that Seki feels pretty damn sure of himself," said Rhezu. "Especially since killing children and anybody else who crosses him doesn't make him sweat at all."

"I've never said he was a good person," pointed out Ghoberen dryly. "I, for one,

resent his keeping me locked in here. A lot of the Dzuni upstairs have been sneaking out behind his back for a long time." She stood up and swept over to Rhezu's chair. Sitting on the wide armrest, she slipped a white arm around his shoulders. "Our dear Seki lives in a dream world that's falling apart. He's a very tragic man."