Cole's Haunting Melody (The Gods' Executioner Series) (30 page)

“Just another year
of this and I’ll finally be done with my degree.” I say to Cheza.

“Don’t forget that I still have
three years.” Cheza replies from the master bathroom, muffled by her toothbrush.

“
I know; I’ll be doing my graduate degree at Northern Arizona University too so I won’t be going anywhere.” I tell her as she finishes in the bathroom and climbs into bed.

“What about Loki?” Cheza asks as she turns off the light and snuggles into my side.

“What about him? It’s been almost a year and my father still hasn’t contacted me about him. There’s not much else we can do besides live our lives until we find Loki. Then I’ll kill him and we’ll return to our lives.” I reply.

“
You make it sound so easy… Cole, you know what today is, but you haven’t said anything about… do you want to talk about Ad—” Cheza starts to say.

“No, I really don’t…” I
softly interrupt.

“Okay
, Cole… I’m here if you need me.” Cheza gently replies before she drifts off to sleep.

Cheza’s right;
I’ve been dicking around for the past year, but I’ll need to be on top of my game if I want to have any hope of defeating Loki. What can I do though? With what my father said about being a vessel for Airi, and what Cheza said about my aura getting darker, I don’t doubt that Loki could have been telling the truth about my use of the Void. However, if I don’t use it, I’ll be no match for Loki.

“Airi…
If I continue using the Void… If it takes me over… What will happen?”

(That is something that even I don’t k
now the answer to…)

“How do you not know? Aren’t you and the Void basically the same?”

(I am but a mere aspect of the Void; something like a personification of it. As such, I don’t know what the result will be… however, you are correct: you will never defeat Loki without using the Void)

“So I guess I really don’t have a choice then; I either avoid the Void and the earth gets destroyed, or I let the Void in and find out what happens.”

(That is the gist of it)

“Well then… Let’s get started.” I reply as I open the gate that has remained closed for nearly a year. A tingling sensation envelopes my body as
I watch my arm turn black and feel my eyes flush with the Void.

When Loki finally shows up, I’ll be ready.

[End of Book 4]

[Cole’s evil twin will be revealed on the next
Days of our Lives
6
]

References

Have you come across something in this book and thought ‘I know I’ve heard that before, but I can’t remember where it’s from’? Well that’s what this section is for! I have marked down every reference in this book that wasn’t self-explanatory so that you don’t have to wake up at 3am and shout “Got it!” when you finally remember.

1: While I may not agree with some of the things that Vladimir Putin has done or with some of his political stances, as a person, he is admittedly badass for the following reasons:

He’s flown planes, fought fires, and nearly crashed an F1 racecar
; incapacitated a wild tiger with a tranquilizer pistol, tagged a whale with a crossbow in a rubber dingy, and also tagged a polar bear; beat the Japanese in Judo, a martial art they invented; was compared to Batman online, considered it an insult; a country named a mountain after him that wasn’t Russia, and as thanks, he climbed the freaking thing.

You will never see a US President doing anything as awesomely crazy as any of those things. The only US President that can compare to that level of badass-ness is Teddy Roosevelt.

2
:
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.

3: From Steven Spielberg’s animated show
Animaniacs.
The Warner Brothers, Yakko and Wakko, would always say that whenever they saw the nurse of Dr. Scratchansniff.

4:
Foxy Lady
by The Jimmi Hendrix Experience.

5: Cthulu is an elder god from H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulu Mythos and is described as a human/dragon with an octopus head and wings; basically a flying tentacle monster.

6: This is a reference to my mother, who told me “with the frequency that you kill off the main character and bring him back, it’s like I reading one of my Soaps!” If you aren’t familiar with
Days of our Lives
, it’s an American soap opera that has been running since 1965 that frequently kills off its characters when the actors leave, only to have the characters miraculously come back to life when the actors return, or so I’m told.

Underworlds

The Underworld is set up like a giant
greyscale city where each underworld from every pantheon is a district of the city. These are the districts mentioned in this book and the mythologies to which they belong.

Adlivun
:
Inuit Underworld, described as frozen wasteland ruled by Sedna. Souls brought there by Pinga were said to have to stay for one year before being able to move on.

Duat:
Egyptian Underworld said to be geographically similar to Egypt, but with lakes of fire, walls of iron, and trees made of turquoise. Ruled by Osiris and home to several gods, including Anubis.

Elysium:
Greek Underworld’s higher plane of afterlife for demigods, heroes, or those chosen by the gods. Also known as the Elysian Fields.

Hades:
Greek Underworld that was originally described as dark and misty and was the location where mortal souls would end up after crossing the river Styx by paying the ferryman, Charon. Ruled by Hades.

Iriy:
Slavic Underworld’s plane of paradise ruled by Veles. Said to be a part of
Nav
in the
Book of Veles
.

Mag Mell
:
Celtic plane of paradise where Manannan mac Lir is originally from. Said to be an island far to the west. Passage to Mag Mell is said to be attained through death or glory, similar to the Norse’s Valhalla.

Mictlan:
Aztec Underworld ruled by Mictlantecuhtli. Described as being far to the north and comprised of nine levels. Souls of the dead had to endure trials that included winds that tore off flesh, rivers of blood, and jaguars.

Nav:
Slavic immaterial world/ world of the dead.

Niflheim:
Norse Underworld for those who didn’t die in battle. A realm of ice and cold ruled by Hel.

Acknowledgments

First of all, I’d like to thank my sister for the inspiration for Chapter 17; I’m sure that’s the natural course I would have taken had her venture in dress shopping taken a week straight.

I thank my friends and family for their input on the book and the book’s cover.

I give my thanks to all of you that have read the series and enjoyed it. I ask that you please tell your friends about the books and write a review. The review doesn’t need to be long; it being there at all helps me spread my story around and provide some entertainment to the world.

About the Author

A.L
. Bridges was born and raised in Washington state. He currently resides in Phoenix Arizona and wonders why in the hell anyone decided to settle in the middle of the desert when it is so stupidly hot there. In the year that he has lived in Arizona, he cannot recall a single instance when he has walked outside and not thought “Damn it’s bright!”

Feel free to email him at [email protected] with comments, criticisms, or suggestions.

For updates on the latest books and the release of Book 5 of
The Gods’ Executioner Series
, visit
http://albridges.blogspot.com

Or follow him on Twitter @
Albridgesauthor

Excerpt from
An Imperceptible Ruse Indeed

Chapter 1: And the answer is…

[December 18th]

“Thanks for offering to watch her for the weekend.” Reyna says appreciatively.

“Yeah, thanks. Alice has been a bit of a handful since her fangs started coming in.” Jason agrees.

“Of course! How could I say no to watching my niece?” and the girl whom is possibly my daughter.

“Where is she?” I ask.

“In her room playing. ALICE!” Reyna shouts.

I hear bare feet slap against the obsidian flooring on the second floor of Jason and Reyna’s house. When they decided that they needed their own space, Hel built them a two story house… on the palace grounds so they wouldn’t be too far away.

“UNCLE COLE!” Alice squeals as she runs at me, stuffed white rabbit in hand. I pick her up and spin around as she squeals louder. I pull her in and give her a hug before simply supporting her up so Reyna can talk.

“Alright, Alice; Daddy and I are going to be gone for a day so I want you to be a good girl for Uncle Cole, okay?” Reyna asks. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jason wink at Alice and she gives an understanding nod in response.

“Okay lady!” Alice replies and a smile crosses my face.

“Don’t call me lady, Alice. I’m your mother.” Reyna says.

“Okay lady! I love you, buh-bye!” Alice exclaims and I start laughing as Jason and Reyna grab their bags.
1

“You can pay me whenever.” Jason whispers as he passes by me. And here I thought that he couldn’t do it. Jason snaps his fingers and disappears in a swirl of black mist with Reyna.

“So what do you want to do, Alice?” I ask.

“Let’s watch TV.” Alice replies and squirms in my arms to be put down.

I set her on the ground and she runs off towards the living room while carrying the fluffy stuffed white rabbit that I gave her on the day of her birth. I follow her and sit on the black leather couch before picking her up and setting her next to me after she tries and fails to climb onto it. After turning the TV on and changing the channel to cartoons, I settle in for some quality time with my goddaughter/ niece/ possibly actual daughter.

“Where’s Auntie
Rei?” Alice asks about ten minutes later.

“She had to work so it’ll just be you and me for a few days.” I tell her with a smile while looking into her piercing silver eyes.

Since Cheza graduated from Northern Arizona University last May, she’s been working as an operator for The Agency. Naturally, I didn’t approve.

****

“No, Cheza. I can’t let you do this.” I said after she informed me of her plans.

“Let me do this?” Cheza repeated with an angry tone.

“Sorry, I meant I don’t want you to do this.” I replied.

“It’s not your choice to make, Cole; it’s mine and I want to be an operator. I can handle myself and nothing is going to happen when I have a bulletproof suit.” Cheza said.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t cover your head!” I pointed out.

“Then I’ll wear a helmet!” Cheza replied.

“All helmets have vulnerabilities; one shot to the eyes and you’re dead.” I said.

“Except with your helmet.”
Cheza said with a smug smile.

“Except with my helmet…” I saw where she was going with this.

“Please, Cole?” Cheza asked with the pouty look that she knows I can’t say no to.

“*Sigh* I guess we’re making a trip to Mount
Kailash.” I answered.

Cheza smiled at me and grabbed my hand. I touched my triskele to port us to Mount
Kailash from our apartment in Flagstaff, Arizona. Once we arrived, I snapped my fingers and ported us to my parents’ underwater house.

“Cole!
Chezarei! What a nice surprise! Can I get you two anything to drink?” My mother, Parvati, asked when we appeared in the kitchen.

“Actually, I have a favor I need to ask of you.” I replied.

“What is it?” Parvati inquired.

“Cheza wants to be an operator so she will be getting involved in more fights and she doesn’t have anything that will protect her head. Can you set her up with a helmet like mine?” I requested.

“I think I can manage that for my daughter-in-law.” My mother replied with a smile.

Parvati
walked around behind Cheza and moved Cheza’s short hair, which she had kept in the same style since Parvati cut it a few years ago, to the side. Parvati touched the back of Cheza’s neck and closed her eyes. Cheza grimaced as a lotus pattern appeared to be burned into her skin. I felt the need to take her pain away, but there was a decent chance that it would mess with whatever Parvati was doing.

“All done!”
Parvati announced about a minute later as the lotus turned silver. “Try it out. Just think about the helmet coming out of your neck and enveloping your head.”

Cheza touched the back of her neck and closed her eyes, but nothing happened.

“It’s not working…” Cheza replied.

“Just keep trying; you’ll get the hang of it eventually.”
Parvati responded. I wondered if my memories of how my helmet works would help, so I sent them, but to no avail.

“Airi?
A little help for Cheza, please?” I thought, but no answer came.

However, a few moments later, a silver liquid flowed from the back of Cheza’s neck and enveloped her head. The helmet resembled my helmet, except that it had what appeared to be a five point crown on top.

“Whoa… this is going to take some getting used to.” Cheza said as the eye holes turned red.

I found it interesting that her voice wasn’t modulated like mine does when my helmet is engaged. Cheza touched the back of her neck and the helmet retracted, leaving a silver lotus on the back of her neck.

“So this settles it, right? Your fine with me becoming an operator now?” Cheza asked.

“I’d be lying if I said I was fine with it, but I do feel better about it…” I replied.

****

“So what do you want for dinner?” I ask Alice.

“Mac and cheese!” Alice exclaims.

“Alright, I’ll go make some mac and cheese then.” I reply and head to the kitchen.

After boiling some noodles, I pull Velveeta out of the fridge and mix it all together.

“Alice! Dinner’s ready!” I call out.

Alice runs into the kitchen as I set her bowl of mac and cheese on the table.

“Where’s White Rabbit?” I ask as I lift her up and place her in her pink booster seat.

“He’s late… like always.” Alice replies while I’m sliding the booster seat tray in and placing her dinner on it.

“Can you handle this yourself or do I need to feed you?” I ask her.

“I can do it!” Alice replies and digs into her bowl with her Disney Princess spoon.

Unwanted memories start to resurface before I ruthlessly beat them back down. It’s been nearly four years and I’ve accepted that she’s not coming back.

“If you help me take that bitch down… I can bring the girl back.”
Loki’s voice echoes through my mind.

“Alice, I need to run to the bathroom; will you be alright?” I ask while fighting through my nausea. Alice nods and I head to the bathroom.

I cup my hands under the running water in the sink and splash water in my face to calm myself down. The bathroom lights flicker as I bring my head up and look at my reflection in the mirror.

“Have you given any thought as to my proposal?” Loki inquires while wearing an all-black suit and maroon tie as he stands behind me in the mirror. I quickly spin around, only to find that no one is there; however, when I turn back towards the mirror, Loki stands behind me in my reflection.

“Did you think I’d be foolish enough to handle this in person? So tell me, what is your answer?” Loki asks.

“It’s the same as it was four years ago: I’m going to kill you and send you back to the Void.” I reply and Loki smiles in the mirror.

“I was hoping you’d say that! This will make things so much more interesting! In the coming weeks, you will experience levels of anguish that you’ve never known before.” Loki informs me with a smile that drips malevolence.

“We’ll see about that; I haven’t just been sitting on my ass for the last three years.” I tell him.

“I can see that! Your aura is almost as black as the Void itself… I’m excited to find out what will happen once it devours you!” Loki exclaims.

“The events aren’t quite prepared yet, but I have scheduled something to tide you over. I’ll give you a hint: it has something to do with Alice.” Loki says.

“Loki, I swear to the Void, if you hurt her—” I start.

“Please, I would never dream of hurting my sweet great granddaughter! But then again, is she actually related to me at all?” Loki replies with a mischievous grin as I hear a window break in the kitchen.

I race out the bathroom and down the hall as Alice starts screaming and is quickly cut off. After rounding the corner into the kitchen, I see a woman that is about five and a half feet tall, clad in a black leather suit and a black street bike helmet that encompasses her head. I notice her very slender figure as she holds a knife to Alice’s throat while covering Alice’s mouth with her free hand.

“Let her go.” I demand as my arm flushes black
with the Void
.

Continue reading in the final book of The Gods’ Executioner Series:
An Imperceptible Ruse Indeed
.

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