Chapter 16 #3
“Yes, up until something grabs you by the ankle and drags you down to your death.”
Good grief. He was trying to scare me out of the water. I hated that it worked, ruining my moment. I twisted and swam to the edge, lifting myself out. At least he watched my body as I climbed out of the pool, water dripping down my skin.
“I’m holding you to your promise, Mister. No sex until you tell me how your friend is able to spy for you.” I pulled the sundress on over my head. It molded to my body as the water soaked the thin fabric. At least it would keep me cool for a little while.
He surprised me by grabbing my hips and pushing me against the rough wall. “I heard you the first time, Corvus.” Then he kissed me.
We said goodbye to our host and put the ragtop on the Jeep, since a storm was gathering its dark clouds overhead. He drove slowly enough for us to be able to hear ourselves think, and finally, with the pitter-patter of the rain over our heads, I got an explanation.
“Hiroshi is like you, Corvus, but he was born a long time ago. I’m not sure which century he was born in, but he can change his form.
Every fifty years, he puts on a new face and pretends to either buy the land he lives on or poses as a descendant who inherits it.
He spends his time making creatures out of clay. ”
“Does he get the clay locally? Is there any clay nearby? Isn’t the ground limestone everywhere around here?”
“Yes, my curious crow, it is limestone. But Hiroshi doesn’t see the land as inanimate.
He is a descendant of the Mayan people, who considered everything to be alive, including the land.
He talks to the hard stone and convinces it to change its makeup for him.
He knows the area inside and out by hiking all around.
And if he leaves a small clay creature or two, and they whisper to him the comings and goings of the people around him, well, that can be very helpful. ”
“He uses the animals to spy?”
“Yes, the small ones. The large ones are too noticeable. In fact, the ones he uses for spying are much less intricate. They look like rocks or small frogs.”
“So, it’s possible he can make them move?”
“I think that would take too much effort. Having them relay to him when they notice something out of place is the extent of what he does.”
“Wow. Is that something we can do too?”
“Hardly, Corvus. He has worked with the earth for centuries. It listens to him. When you or I speak, it would probably ignore our chatter as meaningless.”
I let that sink in. The ability to change form had lost its shock value, at least until I really thought about it, mostly when I lay in bed in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep.
Or when I thought about Darryl. I could transform my physical body into anything I chose, even rock.
Hadn’t my Monster been a granite boulder when we first crossed paths?
“I can feel your mind working furiously all the way over here. And I’m trying hard not to listen in.”
“Thank you. I guess I’m just tripping on the fact you’ve made me into so much more.”
“You are welcome.”
I gave him a flat look. “Yes, thank you, Oh Mighty One, it had always been my unspoken wish to be changed into a crow. Anyway, back to Hiroshi, does he sell his creations? How does he make enough money to survive?”
“It is relatively recent, but he has a buyer who comes every few months and picks up the more lifelike pieces and ships them back to Japan. They sell for many thousands of dollars apiece. Unlike most of us, he lives well beneath his means.” The admiration in his voice was unmistakable.
“I believe it. They’re incredible.”
“The same person brings him some of the rare pigments that help him achieve the bright colors. Although personally, I don’t believe he needs them.”
“Yeah, it just makes his story that much more believable. So, were you speaking Japanese?”
“Yes, he studied under a ceramics master in Japan for a long time. Few people speak the language around here, making it harder to listen in on what he tells me. But he speaks ancient Mayan and modern-day Spanish too.”
“I guess if I’m going to live longer now that you’ve changed me, I will have time to learn a few more languages.”
“I can teach you.”
“No thanks.” He was quite possibly the least patient person (being?) I’d ever met. “I can order some Rosetta Stone courses.”
“Fine. Be difficult. He sent us home with two small pieces.”
“Hiroshi? I didn’t see him give them to you.”
“You weren’t exactly paying close attention, Corvus.”
I looked away. He was right. There was too much to admire to keep my attention on the two men. “So, where are they?”
“They’re packed up.”
“You aren’t going to hold out on me?”
“What? Like when you threatened to hold out on me unless you got what you wanted?”
“That was different. Ever since we teamed up, I’ve had to fight for each tiny scrap of new information. You’ve been disgustingly stingy.”
“I thought you liked my more disgusting side.”
“Oh, please. What are you doing?” He slowed and stopped the Jeep, but we were still miles from anywhere.
“I’ve held up my end of the bargain, and now I expect you to hold up yours.”
Did he mean sex? He parked and then pushed his driver’s seat the rest of the way back.
I looked around for other drivers, but we were still on a remote dirt track.
I turned toward him, checking him out. He might be an ancient being with ridiculous power and a sense of entitlement that went along with it, but he looked great in his human skin, in all his skins, really, and I forgot all the good arguments against giving in to my attraction.
Looking him over, I decided I could do him quite happily in the middle of the rainforest, with steady rain pounding down on the ragtop.
So, I climbed onto his lap, ran my fingers up his strong arms, and kissed him.