"Why are we sneaking in?" Alexander asked as he and Sun Wukong changed into the armors of the sentries they had just knocked out in the north-eastern outpost of the Jade Kingdom.
"Because it's more fun this way and gets really interesting when we get caught." Sun Wukong replied as he shrunk his staff down to finger size and turned it into a strand of hair then tucked it into his mane.
"So we're sneaking in just to get caught?!" Alexander wondered if going with the Monkey King was really the safest idea, legend or not.
"Well...that, and I'm not exactly welcome here. Jianyu obviously has something planned that has to do with me. So it's more reasonable to sneak in rather than waltz."
Now he was making sense, kind of. Sun Wukong jumped down out of the two-hundred foot outpost and landed silently; Alexander jumped and hovered just before he hit the ground. It was improvising, but there was no way he would be able to copy the agility of the Monkey King.
They ran quietly through the shadows of the outer-wall cast by the Moon Goddess, Chang'e. Two more walls, nine guards, and a time consuming apple quest later, they found themselves on the inner-parapet of the wall that protected the Heavenly Garden. Just as Sun Wukong had mentioned earlier, there was a party, and the Immortals liked their privacy so all the guards were outside. They watched as the Jade Emperor, Jade Empress, Eight Mortals, and the general of the Jade Army, sat behind a long row of tables that overlooked the proceedings.
Sun Wukong turned to Alexander and grinned as he held out his elbow, "Shall we?"
"I am not your date!" Alexander whispered briskly.
"Gee, way to let a guy down easy." Sun Wukong placed both his hands on the edge of the parapet and went easily into a hand stand, "It wouldn't kill you to lighten up a little my friend, it might even help you to know when there's some humor amiss!" Suddenly he sprang up, chattering into the night sky as he landed right into the middle of the party.
The crowd immediately began clearing a path between Sun Wukong and the long row of seated immortals, the Jade Emperor and Empress smiling. Sun Wukong bowed unusually low before greeting the Immortals, "A thousand pardons for the intrusion, My Lords. But my friend here..." Alexander was suddenly yanked from his position on the parapet by an invisible force and thrown towards Sun Wukong, who caught him and placed him on his feet, "...would like an audience with you."
The general stood abruptly, Alexander could see his face now and immediately identified him as the Archangel Samael, 'But here? In this Pantheon?!'
"Sun Wukong! While I admire your last minute display of respect..." Samael began but was cut off by the Jade Emperor.
"King Monkey, it has been too long. Please, have a seat." A pair of gold chairs with emerald-green cushions appeared hovering behind Sun Wukong and Alexander, then pushed the two into the chairs and landed.
"Now then, who is your new friend?" The Jade Empress asked, the kindness in her eyes was only matched by the generosity in the Jade Emperor's.
"This," Sun Wukong announced, "is Alexander St. Matthew Salem, the Fourth Arch Mage! Jianyu requested his presence here."
"Indeed I did." Jianyu stepped out of the crowd that had parted to the left, "I require the permission of the Immortals to train this young man in my art, for his existence is of great importance to the Universe."
"Granted." Said the Jade Emperor and Empress simultaneously.
However, the general objected, "Absolutely not! You deny my request to train our army, who clearly need it," he eyed Sun Wukong meaningfully before returning his attention to Jianyu, "yet you would train a mere child?!"
YOU ARE READING
The Brimstone Chronicles - The Book of Eternity (Book 3)
Fantasy"It is known to all pantheons that the universe spoke and created all. It is known to all pantheons that the universe breathed and gave life to all. It is known to all the pantheons that the universe, upon resting, sighed, and evils were born to bri...
