He had passed his test. But he had a feeling it was only the first of many. He stretched delicately, his nose scrunching in disgust at the rags he was wearing. “You could’ve dressed me in something prettier while you were torturing me.”
“I wanted to,” Seven told him. “And so did Five. But Two thought it would make a mockery of your punishment if you looked beautiful.”
Zizi sniffed. “Then you should’ve fought harder for my dignity, little bug.”
He closed his eyes, feeling his power spike as he drew the spiritual essence from the crevices of the underworld and deep unknown. Witha sweeping flourish of his arm, he exhaled and opened his eyes, heady from the rush of energy inside him. And because he couldn’t help it, he fluttered his fingers.
A full-length mirror appeared.
Zizi stood in front of it, preening happily. Neatening the assortment of glittering chains hanging low around his neck and the jeweled brooches on the peaked lapels of his jacket, he did a graceful twirl and took a step back to admire his handiwork.
“So much better,” he remarked, striking a pose as he noted the pleasing shine of his pointed-toed boots, sharp enough to kill. He had mostly retained hisZiziappearance. Wavy and disheveled, his dark hair was only streaked with silvery-white strands, and his eyes remained that startling shade of icy blue. But there was an inauspicious spot of black in his left iris. The more he stared at it, the more it seemed to grow.
Perplexed, Zizi waved his hand, and the mirror vanished.
Grinning toothily, Seven removed a brooch from her own cardigan—a sparkly skull with a rose covering one eye socket—and pinned it to his jacket. “Perfect.”
“Thank you,” Zizi said with much affection. He addressed the cavern. “All right. Show’s over. The rest of you can come out from your holes now.”
The shadows by the walls of the cavern shifted, and five figures appeared: Two, Three, Five, Six, and Nine. Ten was probably confined to his throne room because of the destruction he’d wreaked in the human world.
“I see One and Eight have not bothered to show up to my rebirthday party,” Zizi said lightly.
“Devastating stock market crash in the mortal realm,” Five said softly, pulling at her long, ruffled skirts. “Eight is celebrating the incoming deluge of souls.”
“Disgusting vulture,” Zizi said, but he smiled at Five. She was awfully shy, and he appreciated the effort she was making by speaking first.
“The First King has only just been released from their Court. I assume they are resting,” Five said. Even though it was technically Zizi’s fault that One had been confined in the first place, there was no admonishment in Five’s tone.
As the other Kings drew closer, an air of suspicion grew. Three, Six, and Nine were staring at him warily. They were triplets but looked nothing alike. Three was built like a bamboo stick with a spiky mohawk and tattoos. Her torso and legs were encased in leather, her arms bare and every inch tattooed. She removed her headphones, her knifelike eyes piercing him. Loud punk-rock music drifted in the air.
“Hush,” said Nine, throwing her an irritated glance. The Ninth King’s body rippled, morphing seamlessly from that of an elderly man to a young girl, and then a child. With each shift, their features flickered between appearances, and their ever-changing eyes glimmered with something ancient, as if each transformation carried the weight of countless forgotten lives.
Three shot them a daggered look, but she lowered the volume of her music.
Six smiled genially at Zizi. He was a lovely rotund man in an athleisure outfit, and he had the biceps of a farmer and the elegant mustache of someone who collected old paintings and good wine. “I say we accept him. He may look a little strange with those eyes, and his hair is not quite right, but he doesfeellike Four before his melancholic era.”
Zizi chose not to react. Hismelancholic erahad begun with Lei Ying’s death, when all happiness was ripped from his soul. Even now, the thought of her demise and how it had happened threatened to sink him into despair. ButRui, the girl with the same soul... She was Lei Ying reborn. He didn’t knowwhyshe would or could be reborn when her soul had never appeared in the underworld or the Nothing. Maybe the reason didn’t matter. What was important was that Rui was alive and well, and he held on to that knowledge tightly.
Nine shrugged, indicating their agreement with Six. Three put her headphones back on her head with a curt nod. When one of the triplets spoke about important things, they spoke for all three.
“And I daresay,” Six added, rubbing the curved tip of his mustache, “your new form is a smidgen more handsome than the previous, Four.”
Zizi fluttered his eyelashes. “I’m very flattered, but I’m retiring the name Four. It’sZizinow.”
Two looked at him disapprovingly, which was quite a feat, considering there were only empty sockets where her eyes should be. “Our names were bestowed upon us by the Divine,” she said. “They bear meaning and should not be changed.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Six said amiably. “I am rather partial to the name Alfred myself.Ziziisn’t quite a proper name, I suppose, but if that is how our brother wishes to be addressed, perhaps we can be a little more accommodating. It doesn’t have to be part of his official title. More like a nickname. Let us focus on the positive things, Sister. The Fourth King is back, and that dastardly Nothing will stop terrorizing us.”
Seven pointed to her dress. The fabric glistened like new. “I can feel the Nothing retreating from my Court. But look—” She raised her left hand. The still-decaying one.
Worry prickled across Zizi’s skin like static. Something wasn’t right. Judging by the expressions of the other Kings, they thought so too.
Three lifted her leather vest, exposing a strip of skin at her waist. She ran a hand over it. The tattoos disappeared, showing a mottled patch of flesh. Like Seven, she had not fully healed. She gestured at him. “I senseyourbody isn’t the same either.”
“I know this meat suit isn’t ideal, but it’s all I have at the moment,” Zizi said. It was apparent that his mortal body would not withstand the spiritual pressure of the underworld for long, but he sought to ease the other Kings’ concerns. “This problem, if it can even be considered one, is easily solved. I’ll have one of my Reapers arrange regular food deliveries from the mortal realm until my body is restored to its original state. Trust me,this small inconvenience will be settled soon.AndI’m not above sneaking in a few favorite snacks from the mortal realm for my dear siblings too, if they were to nudge me in the right direction.”
Six nodded vigorously, and Zizi made a mental note to obtain the finest and most intoxicating rice wine that existed for him.
