Mnimi

4 - Belya, The Oracle

The girl looks to be in her twenties. Of course, I bet she's looked this way for quite some time now. Shintaku don't age. At least, that's what Mom always said. 

She walks in wearing a tan apron, over a white uniform. Her hair tied up in a tight bun. Black rubber shoes. She meets no one's eyes as she enters the room until Chesta addresses her, at which point Belya looks up and I realize her eyes are entirely white. 

"Belya, this is Mnimi," says Chesta. "He's here to ask you some questions. If you would, please cater to his needs. I must take care of some vendors who don't seem to understand that they don't run the show around here. I'll be outside if you need anything, Mnimi."

"Thank you," I say and she takes off. 

"Belya, is it?" I say. Belya stands there, like a smiling statue. "Well, of course it is. I don't know why I asked. I need to know what you know about Unwei."

"Lady Chesta would like me to keep that information from you until you first satisfy your end of the bargain the two of you have struck."

"That's true," I say. "Then answer me this. How close is Osore? Because if I use my gift, it'll give away my whereabouts, and if he's already nearby, then I'm as good as dead."

"Close enough to kill you," she says, the creepy smile still painted on her otherwise unmoving face. "Do you remember the marksmen she said she has watching your every move?"

"He's one of them?" I ask.

"He is," she says. "He's watching you this very second. He'll know if you are trying to use your gift on her, so take her word for it when she says that it's in your best interest not to try anything funny with her."

"But if he's watching, how can I use my gift at all? He'll sense it and it'll drive him crazy, and he'll come after me."

"Sure, that's possible," she nods. "But I doubt it. He has reasons to want Unwei even more than you. Reasons I'm not at liberty to discuss, I'm afraid."

"Why'd you tell Chesta about me in the first place?" I ask. "This could have been dealt with by a therapist or a professional counselor of some sort.  Why drag me into this?" 

She lifts her head and turns her white eyes to me.

"Osore was already on your trail. You had maybe a day left to live. If Lady Chesta hadn't gotten to him first and cut a deal with him, you'd be frying on a skillet right about now. She saved your life, Master Mnimi."

"Chesta saved me?" I say. "How? What could she possibly offer a Demonking that he would want more than killing me?"

"Unwei," she says. My skin crawls with goosebumps. 

"What do you mean, Unwei?" I ask. "She can't give up Unwei to him. That's... Not... No. She can't."

"She can," says Belya, "And she will. If he can manage to hold off on killing you until after you complete your mission. You see, she plans to reveal Unwei's location to both of you after the mission is complete. At that point, it between the two of you how you handle it."

"He'll kill me," I say. "He'll kill me and then he'll kill Unwei, and if he does that, then that's it. No more Partomenya."

"Then I suggest you have a plan," she says. "It is possible for one of you to kill one of them, you know. It wouldn't be the first time it happened."

"You're lying," I say.

"Why would I lie?"

"I don't know, but I've never heard of one of my kind killing one of theirs. It's a lie."

"It's not a lie. It's a secret, and believe me Master Mnimi. I know secrets."

"How then?" I ask. "How do I kill Osore, the Demonking?"

She begins to chuckle and her shoulders bounce a little. 

"It's quite simple, really," she says. "You really have to appreciate the irony in it all."

"Spill it, already!" 

"You have to wipe his memory clean, of course. Make him forget everything he's ever known. Take all of it into yourself. Of course, once you do, it will change you."

"I have to wipe him clean?!" I say. "What about that seems simple to you? I can't even do that with a human. He'd have to be asleep first off. And who's to say I can even pull it off."

"Now that you mention it," she says, "I guess it's not so simple. Especially considering the fact that he's well aware you may try to kill him. I imagine he'll be trying to guard himself against anything you might try."

"He knows?!" I say. "How the hell does he know. Oh, wait. Let me guess. You told him."

She nods and giggles like a small child who just got caught stealing cookies from a cookie jar.

"I'm fucked," I say. "What's the point of even trying. Osore's going to kill me. I don't stand a chance."

Belya steps toward me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"But you do," she says. "As I've told him your secrets, I shall also tell you his. You see, the Demonkings have always had a great weakness. They've kept it secret for ages, ever since the people of the kingdoms used it to weaken them, before letting the Partomenya finish them off all those years ago."

I look up at her. 

"That's not the story I was told growing up."

"Silly boy," she says. "You were told a curated, watered-down tale. Your mother probably meant to keep you from trying to face off against not those creatures. But yes,  their weakness is actually quite surprising. A simple human could weaken a Demonking without the use of magick if they know this."

"Tell me then," I say, taking her by the arms. "What's their secret weakness?" 

She looks deep into my eyes and parts her lips.

"Song."

"Song?" I ask. "What do you mean, song?"

"A very specific song," she says. "You see, the Demonkings are, in truth, parasites that feed on the vibrations created by memories, echoing in the mind. By the same token, they can be fooled to consume the vibrations created by a song. A song tailored to their desires, but with a surprise poison at the end. Sing this song and it will weaken Osore, at least long enough for you to steal his memory."

"You're joking, right?" I ask. "I mean. A song. You're telling me a song will bring Osore to his knees?"

"Yes, Mnimi. But not just any song. The people of the Kingdom composed a song with all the right notes. A sort of perfect melody of death. Lucky for you, I know it."

I fall to my knees. My heart drops into my stomach. My fingers grow cold. I grow dizzy. For all her foresight, Belya didn't see this coming.

"What's the matter?" she asks. 

"There's a little problem with this," I say. "I can't sing to save my life."

She laughs. 

"It doesn't have to sound good," she says. "As long as you sing the right notes."

"That's just it," I say looking up at her. "I'm tone-deaf. So right now, I literally cannot sing to save my life."