Princess Iba Algi - A Few Hours Later

A few hours later, she was standing in the cyclopean chamber studying the great big stone bell. It was like the day they found it. Renjie was even hugging her from behind. Iba Algi's future husband was a big sweetheart. Iba Algi assured him that she had gotten enough rest and plenty of waffles to eat.

"I think I understand now," she said. "The glowing bronze is from Acheron!"

Renjie accepted her assertion without argument.

"As long as you've eaten enough waffles," he said.

"But do we have enough silk?" asked Bon Bao.

The Minister of Antiquities and representatives from the Ministry of Works insisted that they had checked all their calculations multiple times and there was enough silk. It had been placed into dozens of great big bins all around the chamber. Bon Bao expressed concern that if there were multiple bins, then there were obviously multiple sheets. Wouldn't they fall off? Iba Algi explained that the Empress would weave the sheets together.

"By herself?" asked Bon Bao.

The Empress appeared. She looked around. Then she waved her hand. Silk erupted from every great big bin. Sheets swirled together and around in the air like clouds of steam. Each sheet may have been dyed different colors, or printed with different patterns, but all the colors and patterns flowed together into a single pretty picture.

"Oh my gosh!" said Nin. "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

"I think so too!" said Harlecuin Sols.

"The little saints are kind," said the Empress.

Few people knew who she was talking to. Nobody mentioned it. The Empress's animated silk flowed around the bell – wrapping it entirely except for the chains. The moving fabric hypnotized everyone so much, it took them several moments to realize that the Empress had finished.

"That was amazing," said Bon Bao. "But what about the chains?"

"Second Consort Chen and Nin will cut the chains," said Garrett. "But not yet."

"What happens now, then?" asked Bon Bao.

"This is the part where Her Majesty and Harlecuin Sols do something," said Garrett.

"It's sexy that my Delicious Lambchop is so smart," said Bon Bao. "But what are they going to do?"

"If I understand Princess Iba Algi's plan," said Garrett, "Her Majesty's ability to infuse silk with portal magic will allow her to bridge the gap between the mundane world and Acheron."

Bon Bao pulled Garrett into a hug and gave him a big wet kiss.

"But what's the little ghost going to do?" he asked.

"Harlecuin Sols is able to break cosmic laws," said Iba Algi.

"You're a naughty boy, Harlecuin Sols!" said Nin.

"Ordinarily," said Iba Algi, "Even Her Majesty's portal magic would be unable to open a rift of the necessary size to move this bell to Acheron."

"But we're not sending it to Acheron!" said Nin. "Remember, Iba Algi?"

"Don't worry, Nin," said Iba Algi. "First, we have to move the bell to Acheron so the God of War can break the bell safely."

"I see!" said Nin. "Then we send him home, right Iba Algi?"

"That's right, Nin," said Iba Algi. "Then we send him to the Willow Realm."

"Princess?" asked the Minister of Antiquities. "Is that a good idea?"

"We asked him where he would like to go, and he said he wanted to go back home."

The Empress smiled.

"Kindness will upset the bureaucrats in Heaven," she said.

"Fake angels should clean up their own mess before pointing fingers," grumbled Iba Algi. "There's one spying on us now. I see you over there!"

"Let's begin," said the Empress.

Harlecuin Sols saluted.

The Empress extended her right hand, palm forward, fingers up. Even for those without mhoddim components, the perceived nature of reality began to change. The world appeared more perfect, as if it were made of solid light. Everyone saw not only Nin and Harlecuin Sols, but a small host of little ghosts with big eyes. Those who were particularly perceptive saw an angel lurking in a corner. It looked like a real angel to them, but no one wanted to argue with Iba Algi.

Snowblind Tigress drew her wakizashi and held it to the side – edge up.

"Go help her, Nin," said Iba Algi.

Nin saluted – and appeared standing on the edge of Snowblind Tigress's sword.

"Tell me when!" she said.

"So you're the little girl who was living in Lady Wu's Riverside Mansion?" asked Bon Bao.

"That's me!" said Nin.

Harlecuin Sols began to glow brightly. He rose higher into the air.

"It's time, Nin," said Snowblind Tigress.

Nin moved her fingers quickly, as if playing a game with thread, then pushed her hands forward. Glistening silver-blue threads shot across the chamber and wrapped around the bell's chains. Nin's thread was invisible in comparison to the gigantic links of metal, but Iba Algi knew it was there.

Iba Algi took a step forward and pointed her finger at the bell.

"Be careful," Renjie urged her.

Iba Algi filled with power.

"Twenty thousand years is too long to be away," she said. "Go home."

Snowblind Tigress spun her sword in the air as if trying to cut Nin into pieces. The little ghost giggled. The lines she had cast wrapped around the Second Consort's blade. The consort stabbed the edge of her weapon forward and flared with resolve. Nin's lines burst into blue flame. The Second Consort flicked her sword up, turned it, cut with the edge down, then up at an angle. She followed the motion through until her arm angled backward like a one wing angel. Nin's lines became taut, pulled together, and snapped back toward their caster.

A sound like cracking glaciers rumbled through the room.

Nin pulled in her lines before they caused any more harm. The Empress's silk flowed over the ends of the severed chains. The bell vanished before it could hit the floor. Harlecuin Sols lifted higher into the air and became a little boy made of pure gold. The angel approached him with a disapproving face, but Iba Algi swatted the interloper away. Harlecuin Sols flashed as bright as the sun – and then everything went dark.

Slowly, eyes readjusted to the illumination of feeble lanterns.

"Did it work?" asked Nin. "Did we get him back home? Oh my gosh! Where's Harlecuin Sols?"

"It worked," said Iba Algi. "The giant is back home."

"What about Harlecuin Sols?" asked Nin anxiously. "Is he okay?"

"He's a little tired," said Iba Algi.

"Oh, no, Iba Algi!" said Nin. "Did Harlecuin Sols hurt himself?"

The host of little ghosts asked Iba Algi if Harlecuin Sols hurt himself. She insisted that he was okay. Finally, Madame Misone appeared. She held a sleeping Harlecuin Sols in her great big arms.

"My little pumpkin needs a nap," said Madame Misone. "For about a week."

"A week?" cried Nin. "He's that tired?"

The Empress put one reassuring hand on Iba Algi's head, and another on Nin's.

"His Majesty did well," she said. "The God of War is home."