The Deaths of Tao Read Online Free PDF Page B

smoked one. The bourbon burned his mouth, and he relished the sweet flavor of honey and spice. After twenty minutes of bliss, when the glass was empty and the cigar nothing more than a stub, he nodded to Amanda.
    “Let’s begin,” he said.
    She bowed. “May I have the honor, Father?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “Enzo will need you.” He turned to Palos. “I need a volunteer. Not you, old friend. You will be needed as well.” Palos nodded and left the room.
    Moments later, Saldhana, the oldest man on his guard detail, walked in. He prostrated next to Devin’s bed, his forehead almost touching the ground. “Father, I have the honor.”
    Devin put a hand on Saldhana’s shoulder. “You are worthy, my son.” Devin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, saying a prayer to the Holy Ones. When he was ready, he gave final instructions to deliver his body to his wife and ordered those around him to provide Enzo the support he needed to deliver the Genjix’s will. Then he picked up the Shilin knife.
    The transfer ceremony will not be necessary. Make it quick and painless.  
    Devin hesitated. “As you wish, Zoras.”
    Then he looked around the room. “Praise to the Holy Ones,” were the last words out of his mouth. Then he picked up the cyanide pill and swallowed it. Moments later, Devin Watson, senator of the state of Alabama, father of four, grandfather of nine, High Father of North America, and a member of the Genjix Council, was dead.
    “Praise to the Holy Ones,” the voices in the room echoed.
    Immediately, Zoras moved out of Devin’s body and floated into the air. The agents in the room prostrated themselves and waited. He moved in circles, flitting back and forth before settling into the transfer vessel. Saldhana uttered a shocked cry of pain and he spasmed on the ground for several minutes. He finally recovered and nodded to Palos. The security team formed around Saldhana and they all left the room in unison.
    Amanda broke off from the group to instruct the hospital staff on returning Devin’s body to his family. Minutes later, they were in a caravan of limousines heading toward the airport. Within an hour, they were up in the air heading toward Qingdao.
     
    Enzo sat at the edge of the infinity pool at the edge of the high cliff overlooking the lush canopy of Santa Rosa National Park. He was a near-perfect specimen for a human. His build was taut and muscular but not bulky, and he walked with the grace of a dancer. Chosen for his genes and natural physical attributes since birth, he was a handsome man: tall, with high cheekbones, chiseled features, and a completely symmetrical face. Symmetry, of course, was the scientific formula of beauty. And in Enzo’s case, it was common knowledge at the Hatchery that he was even more beautiful than most. Not only that, he could run a marathon in three hours, shoot an eight centimeter target with a handgun at fifty meters, and run any of the countries in South America better than their current leaders. Like all his brothers raised at the Hatchery, he lived and trained to serve one purpose.
    The financial figures of the Eurozone’s trading day sped by on a small ticker at the bottom of a tablet resting on his lap. Above the ticker, a chart of Genjix owned assets on the New York Stock Exchange, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and the European Stock Exchange fluctuated in real time. The Genjix were up for the day. The rest of the world, not so much. The state of the Euro was a small cause for concern, though their analysts had correctly predicted this outcome and their liability shield was keeping them safe from the brunt of failing world economies. Enzo picked up his glass of Macallan 24, careful to keep only two fingers touching the glass, and took a sip. On both sides of him, half a dozen of his brothers and sisters, all in similar states of relaxation, sat on recliners analyzing the aggregate data from today’s world events broken down into a series of numbers and