Zacchaeus has been wearily shaking his head as he rides the giant copper snake, Indombe, through fields of grass and maneuvering around fortresses of various metals on the disc of Gû.
Don’t be so down, Zacchaeus, I promise this will be well worth the journey.
“I can’t believe we didn’t think this through. There is no way a man, a god, what even is a Vodun? There’s no way Xêvioso will remember us. I’m sure he is a very important person with a lot going on.”
Coffey remembered us, and we didn’t know her very long. And she has been in this remarkable place full of new beings and things that could crowd out everything she knew from her Earth. But she remembered us.
“He better,” Zacchaeus says, using his cloak to grip the snake’s body as he moves closer to Indombe’s head. When he is close enough to her head that she can hear him speak, he says, “Why are you so eager to help us find Xêvioso?”
“Because I could use the distraction. Xêvioso does not dwell inside of any of the castles that float atop the clouds of Divine Essence on his disc. Xêvioso sits on a chunk of earth that floats near the pillar to the vaulted disc, accessible by a rainbow road that connects to the rainbow we are about to arrive at. Xêvioso has something I want, so while he is busy vanquishing you, I will get what I want.”
Zacchaeus can see it in the distance because they descend a grassy hill that leads to the overlap with Xêvioso’s disc, and before long, Indombe is slithering across the surface of a rainbow that is as wide as seven football fields are long if stacked on the short ends. The surface seems flat, glossy like polished stone or a mirror, but there is enough surface tension that Indombe moves knowingly across it. She seems to intentionally stick to the yellow streak of the rainbow that completely encircles Xêvioso’s disc.
“What are you trying to steal from him?” Zacchaeus asks.
“One of Grootslang’s gems. One of his finest that he gives only to the Vodun to gain their favor.”
“Why do you want it?”
“Why are you questioning me, Earther? Have you no respect for a dweller of the Fonlands? The fearsome Indombe of the jungles, bringer of fire of death. Have you never heard of me?”
“I’m sorry,” Zacchaeus says genuinely. “You’ve been to Earth?”
“The Congo jungle is almost as nice as Agê’s. You’ve never been there?”
“No,” Zacchaeus answers, not wanting to explain the fact that he isn’t from the Earth that Indombe visited, but another in the multiverse.
“Well, I guess Earth is bigger than I realized. If you survive this foolish mission to speak with Xêvioso, you should tell me more about Earth.”
“So that you can kill all the Earthers?” Zacchaeus asks sheepishly.
“Indeed,” Indombe says just as sheepishly. “I love fear, I crave death and that is difficult to bring to many of the dwellers of the Fonlands. But Earthers are so easy to kill, so easy to fill with fear. Not you, though. You are different, aren’t you?”
I think that I understand the human emotion of love. Indombe is a kindred being.
“Fuck that,” Zacchaeus says.
“Who do you speak to?” Indombe asks. “Is it the darkness that I feel radiating from you?”
“He’s called the Needy. I’m Zacchaeus.”
“Zacchaeus and the Needy. Is the Needy an Fonlander that lives inside of your body?”
“He’s from somewhere else. How much further to Xêvioso?” Zacchaeus asks, hoping to change the subject.
“I move very fast along the rainbow, much faster than anything else. We will be there shortly, but I warn you, do not look down.”
As she says this, she turns onto the rainbow road that leads to Xêvioso’s island. It has a steep incline and before long, Zacchaeus looks down at the billowing clouds of Divine Essence like they are in an airplane flying above it.
It would have taken us a very long time without Indombe, we are lucky to have found her.
“Yeah, but are we really going to help her get this gem so she can kill a lot of people?” Zacchaeus asks in a whisper, assuming Indombe can’t hear him. She does.
“Yes, you are,” Indombe says. “Don’t worry, Zacchaeus and the Needy. I will drop you off before we arrive to the island, and then if you ever want to see me again, I will be on the disc of Gû. You won’t even know what I’m doing. It was nice to meet you, I do hope you will come see me.”
She stops and Zacchaeus climbs off of her. He can see the island of Xêvioso floating in the distance.
“Stay on the yellow,” Indombe says, “the inkanyamba don’t breach on the yellow and you don’t want one of those running into you accidentally.”
Indombe slithers away so fast that Zaccehues blinks and he has lost sight of her. When he was on her back, he knew they were moving fast but she must be faster than lightning to the naked eye.
“That’s gonna weigh on me,” Zacchaeus says, wondering what mischief he inadvertently allowed Indombe to enact.
Maybe she won’t be successful, even with us as a distraction. Don’t overthink it. We’re here! Let’s fly to get there quickly, and to avoid whatever a inkanyamba is.
As Zacchaeus approaches the island, he sees Xêvioso sitting cross legged on the earth.
“Zacchaeus, what brings you here?”
“You do remember me,” Zacchaeus says as he lands and stands before the great Xêvioso. Zacchaeus can’t help but kneel before the Vodun.
“Gû was most entertained by our battle. I must say, that it was one of the most stirring I’ve had in a while. What brings you to the Fonlands?”
“It’s a long story, but we found our way here and the Needy wanted to see you before we left. Maybe you want to fight again, if you’re up for it of course.”
“I am very glad you came,” Xêvioso says and extending a hand to help Zacchaeus up from his kneel. He hugs Zacchaeus and puts a hand on both his shoulders. “You are taming the darkness. Impressive, young man. I wish that I could engage you, but I am only here because I am occupied. You have interrupted my deep meditation. I have been looking for someone who does not want to be found and I have had to resort to arcane methods to find him. I am happy to see you again and we definitely will meet again, but I must ask that you leave me to my search.”
Zacchaeus kneels again, suddenly full of apologies. “I am so sorry, sir. It was wrong of me to run up on you like I did. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, sir.”
“It’s ok, Zacchaeus. I truly am glad that you came. Go in peace. You are a friend of Xêvioso.”
Zacchaeus smiles. “The Needy thanks you. So do I.”
With that, Zacchaeus pushes the button on his sublime device and he takes the strange journey across the multiverse and back to the last place he was before he disappeared to the Fonlands.
He was in the garden of the Museum of Aphro-Arcana that was tinted green by the eerie light of the Witch Moon high above them. He saw Wazad the Wonderful looking at him with concern.
“You disappeared. What happened?” She asked.
“We can talk about it after we deal with the witches,” Zacchaeus said.
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