Page 43 of Across Space and Time

“Ah!” Jack said, standing up on the chair and spreading his cape wide. On the back of the wingback chair, his horns almost reached the ceiling. “Delightful! I shall answer a question of yours, and you shall answer one of mine, yes?”

The Duke looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded. “All right. Please, sit. Would you like a cognac?”

“Is that your question?” Jack asked, but he hopped down from the back of the chair and sprawled himself across it like he had in Hugh’s chair at home. Goodness, when had he started thinking of it ‘home?’

“Of course not!” the Duke said, frowning like a great walrus. “I’ll just make you one.” He moved over to a bar cart and poured two glasses of dark liquor. He brought one over to Jack, who took it carefully with his metal-tipped fingers. He saw the Duke notice them and blanche a little, and he quickly tucked them down.

“I assure you I mean you no harm. If I did, I would have done so by now.”

“Yes, well…” The Duke blustered about before sinking into another chair. “First question, then. Where are you from?”

“Some place far from here,” Jack said, stretching out his hand.

“The United States?” asked the Duke.

“I have no idea what that is,” Jack replied with a chuckle before taking a large swallow. “Oh, that is marvelous.”

The Duke seemed obviously pleased. “An 1811 Croizet B. Leon. Only the best, you know.”

Jack shrugged. “I do not know, but it is delicious. But as to where I am from, I am not from your world, sir. I came here across space and time, through a portal in The Magic Shop.”

“Oh, I see,” the Duke said with a nod. “What are you doing here then?”

“Ah, no, it is my turn now,” Jack said, waving his hand as if to brush the Duke’s question out of the air. “My question is, what does the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil do? That certainly is a lot of words. I will just call it the Tree going forward if that is all right with you.”

“Yes, of course,” the Duke said, not seeming to pay much attention to the reasoning. “Well, the Tree is… it is responsible for the Waking. Since I know that will be your next question, I’ll give you that one for free. The Waking comes from eating an apple from the Tree. Upon eating it, the apple causes a temporary transformation. Each person’s response is different, but the Tree brings out that inside you which you most desire.”

Jack frowned. “I’m afraid I do not understand.”

“Well… There is our face we present to the public, and our private desires that perhaps might not be… acceptable due to society’s morals.” The Duke took another sip from his glass, and Jack did the same. “It frees our bodies from those restrictions and allows us to do whatever we most desire.”

Jack wasn’t sure how much he should let on about what he knew about the viscount, so he only said, “Desires such as… killing people?”

The Duke let out a guffaw of laughter. “Straight to the point, I like you, sir. For some of us, yes. My own tastes are more… refined. But you seem to have the idea.”

Jack frowned a bit. “That seems rather dangerous, to have such a power in the world.”

“That is why we keep it so secret,” the Duke said, swiping at his beefy face with his hand. “An exclusive club, with only a few vetted members.”

“Is that the ‘Eden’ you spoke of?” Jack asked curiously.

“Indeed. My, you are clever!” the Duke said, slapping his thigh good-naturedly. “Now, I do think it’s my turn to ask a question. What are you doing here in London?”

Jack gave him a devilish grin. He had said he would answer the questions. He had not said he would tell the truth. “Why, to have fun, of course. My species is a sort of… pleasure-seeking race. A little chaos, a little mischief. We travel to different worlds and times, seeking the best that pleasure has to offer.”

“Indeed!” the Duke said. “Our Garden of Eden really is the finest place for any pleasures you might desire.”

“I should very much like to see that for myself,” Jack said, giving the man a delighted smile.

“Well, I certainly would not be opposed to inviting you to our next gathering,” the Duke said. “Of course, membership is quite expensive. Can’t just let anyone run about mucking things up, can we?”

“No, of course not. But I’m afraid I don’t have much money,” Jack said, a bit forlornly.

The Duke looked thoughtful for a moment. “Do you have the ability to travel between different worlds, Mr. Jack?”

“I do,” Jack said.

“Ah, then how about a deal?” the Duke said with a smile. “I am a man of quite exotic tastes.” He patted his round belly. “In case you couldn’t tell. If you can bring me some food and drink I have not seen before, I shall invite you to our next gathering and cover your membership fee. Our next gathering is in just over a week.”

---