Relics (14 page)

According to Jones, in the Tang Dynasty, the early reign of the Emperor Xuanzong was one of the most stable and effective. This prosperous time is sometimes overlooked when compared to his later years and a tragic love affair. Yet, with his massive reforms, he established a period of peace, prosperity and contentment in China that caught the attention of the Light Ones.

“I do not recall the exact year anymore, in the early 720s, I believe,” said Jones. “I lived in the capital of Chang’an at the time, and I was a popular sorceress.”

I raised my eyebrows at this.

“I have lived as many different humans, both male and female. I do admit that I prefer being male, but at that time, I was female. Anyway, Empress Wang was deeply disturbed because she had not given her Emperor a son. Fearing to be deposed and lose power, her brother quietly sought out those of us who were acclaimed as the best in ancient magic and arts. Naturally, his footsteps soon brought him to my door, amongst others.

“It was after this,” Jones continued, “that the portal linking the Light Ones' world to Earth was starting to reopen – and far earlier than I expected. It was located on a large, sparsely populated continent, far from China.” He smiled at us. “The area would later become San Francisco.” That explained why Jones chose to live here.

He went on, “I first become aware that Light Ones had come through and were spreading out when a few of them appeared in China. This alarmed me, and I enlisted the aid of two other daemons, including the one who would become Sara Grant. We traveled to the portal and performed the ritual.

“Now, the ritual not only closes a portal, it recalls most of those who come through to this world. In effect, it banishes them. We knew we had trapped a few Light Ones in this dimension, the few who resisted the summons. It was an acceptable amount in my opinion, and I considered the closure a success.

“I returned to my home in Chang'an with the four relics. Please understand, the relics have also been mine for millennia. I had them commissioned over eight thousand years ago, when I first designed the ritual to send the Light Ones back to their realm and seal their portal.”

“What did the Light Ones create to get rid of your people?” Thulu asked.

“Nothing. They create very little. You may be surprised to know that daemons and humans are closer than angels are to either of us, especially in terms of thought patterns. Light Ones prefer to let others create and find joy that they can feed on. They did little before our great war and have done next to nothing since. At least of note. They rarely have come to this world because there is often war here. Sometimes a few do, just for – call it a change of pace.”

Thulu and I exchanged a glance. Information filed away for a later discussion.

“So, how did they get rid of you guys?” Thulu asked.

Jones looked at us with an expression I couldn't quite put a tag on. “They stole and used my relics and ceremony against us. That was not something I had foreseen. It took me a very long time to recover them. That, however, is another story.”

Jones sat thinking for a minute, then he continued. “For various reasons, I decided there needed to be a record of the banishing and closing ritual left on Earth. I was concerned I might not be available or might even forget parts of the ritual, if enough time passed between performances. Other dimensions were turning to me to close the Light Ones' portals on their worlds, but hundreds of years could go by without actually performing the ritual.

“I sought out a talented artist who was using some new methods of color and lacquer. I gave him sketches and the materials for the panels. When he gave the finished panels to me, I reinforced them with my own abilities, both magical and non-magical.

“For the scroll, I used a heavy, durable silk material and the best inks and paints I could find. Again reinforcing their durability, I painted the instructions.

“I packed the four relics, the panels and the scroll into nine heavily lacquered wooden boxes, padding the contents with thick layers of silk. I only planned to keep them in the house until it was time to move to my next incarnation.

“Unfortunately, history was to play out slightly different. The Empress Wang's brother was exposed for trafficking in magic. The amulets provided for the Empress were discovered, and the sorcerers who had provided them were named. It was not only the end of the Empress and her brother, it was the end of an era. And the end of the sorceress I had possessed.

“There was only enough warning to hide each of the boxes. I was on my way home after securing the last box, when I saw the Emperor's guards outside my home. Deciding I had been in that body long enough, I simply fled. Of course, with no guiding force, the body collapsed. The guards found the sorceress dead in the road, with no mark to show how she had died.”

“You just left her there?” I was no longer shocked by his actions.

“Well, of course. The original personalities usually give up after a while. They basically disappear, so there was no one home, so to speak, once I left.

“However, as you can see, the relics, panels and scroll are all mine. Therefore, Mr. Kang can rest easy knowing that the panel I took was, in fact, mine to take.”

“I'm sure that will be a great comfort to him.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “I'll pass the info along and get back to you with his response.” I wasn't at all sure that Mr. Kang would consider Jones the owner. “Don't expect a whole lot, though. You did murder him, you know.”

“He was being stubborn.”

I looked at him. “Why not just go in and take it when no one was there?”

He shrugged. “Why should I?  I was recovering my own property. When would you like to try to communicate with Mason?” he asked, changing the subject. I don't think I'd ever understand his ease in killing, but let it go.  We were not going to agree on this one.

“Tomorrow, possibly. I want to talk to my friend first. Besides, I'm a bit overloaded with food and information at the moment.” I looked at Thulu.

“Would you like to see the original panels and the plate before you go?” Jones asked.

“Yes, please,” Thulu said, pleased and surprised.

Jones led the way through the house and down a back stairway. The stairs let out into a finished basement. There were some scattered sofas, chairs and two doorways. The nearest door looked very heavy. Jones said it led to his wine cellar.

The other was an elevator door, which Jones unlocked by entering a digital code on a keypad on the wall. We stepped into a small elevator that went down several stories, as far as I could tell. The elevator opened into a small alcove with another digital key-coded door. Jones opened this door and stood aside for us to precede him into the room.

My mouth dropped open. The room was cavernous. Over thirty-five feet high, it stretched far beyond the span of the house. Soft lights came on as we entered, dimly lighting up the area to the end of the room.

Before us were some of the most fabulous artifacts, sculptures and paintings I'd ever seen. Each was displayed in its own area and contained a placard in front of it, like those in a museum. As we moved into the room, the displays nearest us lit up with their own individual lights, motion sensors controlled the lighting. After we passed, the lights dimmed again. The term “private collection” didn't begin to cover what we were seeing.

“This is truly amazing!” Did he steal all this?  I didn't dare ask.

Jones bent his head in gracious acknowledgment. “I have had some of these items since they were new. As I said before, I have been able to successfully pass on most of my wealth to myself for a good long while.” He gazed around with pride. “And no, La Fi, I did not steal but a small portion of it. Most of it I actually purchased, albeit not always legally.”

I saw items from ancient Egypt, Europe, Greece, China and Africa. Native American, Mayan – more cultures than I could identify shared space. As we moved along aisles toward the back, I saw an intact primitive cave painting, cave wall and all.

Gold, silver, and gems sparkled and gleamed in all directions. A tall obelisk that was probably Egyptian was displayed at the far end and stood over twenty-five feet high.

Just before the room opened into the back section, the one containing the obelisk, Jones stopped. A beautiful medieval tapestry was displayed on one wall. Jones moved it aside and draped it around a hooked fixture to the side of yet another digitally locked door.

This one was a very thick metal vault door. There was a hiss of air as Jones unlocked it. He gave a slight pull, and it opened smoothly into another room that was about ten by ten.

There were the panels and a single relic, each placed and displayed in glass enclosures. We moved slowly into the room, which felt like a vault in spite of the thick carpet and displayed artifacts.

The power emanating from the plate was much as the one from the cup. We could feel it even behind the thick glass that separated it from us.

The two panels were beautiful, but they did not have that indefinable energy I felt coming from the plate. We moved closer to inspect the plate. It really did match the cup. My fingers itched to possess the set, my dragon fixation nice and strong. Thulu stood with his head to one side, eyes closed. I moved over to the panel that had the dragon pitcher.

“Would you like to see that closer, La Fi?”

I smiled and quietly said, “No, thank you. I just have a thing for dragons. So, it caught my attention. Your close-ups had excellent detail. These really are gorgeous.”

“Ah, then I shall have to show you some pieces that I think you will appreciate. That will give Thulu some time in here alone.”

Thulu stood very still in front of the plate. Jones did something that opened all three cases. Thulu turned around.

“How long were the pieces separated?”

“Comparatively speaking, they have been together far longer than they were apart. That is why I felt you might be able to pick up something.”

Thulu nodded and turned once more to the plate.

“Please take your time, Thulu, and feel free to pick up the objects. We will be elsewhere in the collection.”

Thulu gave us a brief nod of acknowledgment, but he was frowning. Not a good sign. We left to give him space.

“This way, if you please, La Fi.”

“With all of this security, why wouldn't this be a safe place?” I asked.

“Safe enough against humans. I have taken every precaution I can think of against the supernatural, but there are no guarantees if someone has thought of something I have overlooked.”

“What about earthquakes?”

“I have made wards against any damage here, as well. The entire structure would survive a nuclear hit.”

I blinked my surprise, but didn't say anything.

We spent the next twenty minutes wandering around the displays. As promised, Jones showed me several dragon-themed artifacts that simply took my breath away.

One was a small dragon about a foot high in gold, silver and gems. Jones explained that he'd had it commissioned about thirty years ago. The dragon stood on hind legs with wings spread, as if ready to take flight. It was so stunning I wanted to touch it, so I carefully put my hands behind my back.

Jones laughed. “Go ahead, La Fi, but you may not take it home.”

I gave him a mock wounded look and gently stroked a finger along the cool metal. It was the epitome of dragon art, in my opinion. I wondered how to get a copy of it, but didn't dare ask.

Thulu joined us, and we made our way back to the room. We waited outside, while Jones went in and secured the cases once more. He came back into the main room, shutting and keying the door behind him.

Thulu seemed distracted, thoughtful, a bit strange. I asked if he was all right. He smiled and said he was, but I could tell he was unhappy.