And Eternity

by Piers Anthony

  She waited, her tears flowing. There was no sign.

  "I would have preferred to conceal this from you," Gabriel said. "You cannot obtain God's blessing, for He does not respond to any outside input. He is contemplating His own greatness, to the exclusion of all else."

  "How long has this been the case?" Orlene asked, numbed by the discovery.

  "It is hard to say. It came on Him gradually. Perhaps a thousand years, for this end-stage. I have covered for Him as well as I could, but it has become increasingly difficult."

  "All my prayers—all the prayers of every mortal—He has heard none of them?"

  "If He hears, He doesn't react. No prayer has been directly granted in the past five hundred years, that I know of."

  "But I know that some have been answered!"

  "My own powers are quite limited, but sometimes I have been able to effect cures or other beneficial occurrences."

  "You? In lieu of God?"

  "Inadequate as that may be," he agreed. "But more often I have been unable to act, and so the prayers of most mortals have been unanswered, even the most worthy ones. I note this with extreme regret. Yet, short of blowing my Horn, I am helpless. I am the most powerful of angels, but can never approach the power of the least of Incarnations. Only God can do what must be done—yet He will not."

  "But the world may end, without His intercession!"

  "No, I suspect it will merely be damned, as Satan assumes greater power. This is why it is so important for Luna to cast her vote. This will prevent Satan from achieving power by default. Then the Incarnations can choose another Officeholder, and we shall have an activist God."

  "But you support this God!"

  "I have supported Him to the best of my ability throughout," Gabriel agreed. "But I find I have a greater loyalty: to the Office itself, rather than to the Officeholder. I can now serve God best by letting the Office change hands. That will save the world. This God will never notice." He made a wan smile. "So, instead of your baby, you have found truth. But perhaps the next God will grant your request."

  Orlene stared at him, appalled by the realization. It was now to her interest to facilitate the replacement of God! Satan had tried to persuade her to support the existing Officeholder, but she could prevail by doing the opposite. Never in all her life and death had she dreamed of such a thing, yet it made sense.

  Jolie and Vita were similarly awed by the thought.

  "What will happen to you?" Orlene asked, trying to bring her churning emotions into a semblance of order.

  "I will serve whoever holds the Office, if He wishes my services. Otherwise, I do have another offer."

  "Another offer? You mean, some other Incarnation?"

  "Satan."

  "How can you serve him after serving God?" she demanded, appalled.

  "I am not a mortal, or a spirit," he explained. "I am an angel. It is my nature to serve one power or another, loyally until dismissed. My present position is not my first—or, I think, my last. I will, of course, be sorry to see this tour end, but few things are eternal."

  "But Satan!"

  "He is not truly evil. He is the Incarnation of Evil, which is another matter. He supervises the disposition of souls on which evil remains, but he himself is good. Did you know that he saved JHVH's people from a persecution so severe that virtually none remained in Europe?"

  "But there are millions of Jews in Europe!"

  "Precisely. But without his intercession, there would have been almost none—and no Romani, either."

  "Gypsies!" Orlene exclaimed. "It was a Gypsy girl who took care of me when my mother had to leave me, and who arranged for my adoption by tourists! Now that girl's father is an aspect of Fate! Do you mean to say that Satan—"

  "It is not generally known today, or even among Incarnations, but it is true. Satan owed JHVH a favor, and when the occasion came to repay it, he did so in singular fashion. In fact, I would deem the current Incarnation of Evil to be the most effective Officeholder of that line, because he has not been corrupted by his power."

  Orlene glanced in the direction of the Tenth Heaven. "As the Incarnation of Good has been corrupted by His power?"

  "So it would seem. The power of an Incarnation is great indeed, but it is there to be used, not enjoyed. God came to the Office of Good with excellent credentials. I think perhaps they were too apt; as it turned out. He had little concept of mortal frailty. He simply did not understand human weakness, and in time lost what little interest He had had in it."

  "He tuned out," Orlene said.

  "He tuned out. It seems that He lacked sufficient evil in His being to relate to the evil in others, so could not properly address it. As a result, the mortal world was left increasingly to fend for itself, and is now in an unfortunate state. It grieves me to see this, but I cannot deny it."

  "It grieves me too," Orlene said. "I thank you for explaining things to me. I see that my concern is trivial compared to yours, and I will leave now."

  "We each must follow our own paths," Gabriel said. "You have been forthright in yours, and I in mine. I do not regret that they have crossed." He extended his hand.

  Surprised, she took it. Then she walked to the stairs.

  What a surprise! Vita thought as they descended. God zonked out on His own Image, and the world going to Hell!

  And God to be replaced, Jolie thought. We exist in truly momentous times!

  At the Fifth Heaven, Rita was waiting for them. "Did you talk to God?" she asked eagerly.

  "I talked to God," Orlene agreed. "But He did not respond."

  "Oh. They say that He hasn't taken much of an interest in recent events. Maybe He's ill."

  "Maybe," Orlene agreed.

  Mentally ill! Vita thought.

  They proceeded on down to First Heaven, and to the fringe. Now it was clear why the folk here in Limbo—and in the other Heavens—weren't much interested in anything. The benign neglect extended from the top to the bottom.

  Orlene turned to Rita. "Good-bye," she said. "I am glad I was able to help your baby, even if I couldn't help mine. Thank you for putting me on the right track to find God."

  "Oh, you are most welcome! When I saw my baby safe after all—"

  "I understand," Orlene said, concealing the sudden surge of grief she felt for her own baby. She hugged Rita, then turned and stepped through the glowing veil.

  JHVH was there. "Oh—were you waiting the whole time?" Orlene asked, surprised. "I thought you would be back with Gaea and Sa—Natasha!"

  "I thought they might prefer to be alone for a time."

  In chaos, where none can know, Jolie agreed wistfully. Always before, she had been along, so that technically Satan's second marriage had never been consummated, only his first. But she really could not resent their joy; it did not exclude her.

  Orlene took JHVH's hand and they moved through chaos. Again the fascinating pseudoimages manifested, understandably inchoate. This was the raw stuff of the universe, which was being systematically refined and separated. Eventually there would be no more chaos; all would be in order. That almost seemed sad.

  Not if World War Three blows everything to smithereens! Vita thought. Then it'll be right back to the start!

  "Let us hope it does not come to that, Vita," JHVH said. "I confess to some alarm at the prospect of all My work, and that of all other Gods and Incarnations, being so summarily abolished."

  "The Angel Gabriel mentioned you," Orlene said cautiously.

  "Yes, he once was in My employ," JHVH agreed. "He does good work."

  "Is it true that Satan saved the Jews and the Gypsies?"

  "It is true, in this framework. But he never speaks of it, because he has an image to maintain."

  "I see." Indeed, she was coming to see much that she had never suspected. No wonder JHVH was glad to do Satan a favor! She herself owed Satan far more than she had dreamed.

  Did Gaea know? Then no wonder she loved Satan! Her best friend in her pre-Incarnation days had been a Gyp
sy—who would never have existed without Satan's action.

  I hadn't known! Jolie thought. But it's the kind of thing Parry would do.

  You mean Satan? Vita asked.

  I mean the man I love, by whatever name.

  They arrived back at the chamber JHVH had fashioned in chaos. Gaea and Natasha were within, looking satisfied. No one commented.

  "I suspect I do not need to inquire as to the success of your mission," Natasha said.

  "It was a failure," Orlene replied bluntly. "God would not respond."

  Gaea nodded. "We wanted you to understand why we feel it necessary to replace Him. All through the cosmos, pleas as significant as yours are being denied, because God does not respond. We other Incarnations have done our best to make up the difference, but we are near our limit now. We must have a functioning Deity."

  "But who could replace Him?" Orlene asked. "Unless..." She looked at JHVH.

  "No, My turn is past," JHVH said. "A Christian will have to be appointed. I am sure a number of candidates have been considered."

  We know of one, Jolie thought, remembering Roque.

  "But few candidates would be acceptable to all," Natasha said. "It may be that it would be best to allow the default—"

  "Forget it!" Gaea snapped, elbowing him.

  They all laughed. But beneath the banter was a serious core. When the crisis came, they would be on opposite sides—with the world at stake.

  Chapter 14 - DECISION

  They returned to the mortal realm and to Luna's house. Two more years had passed, and now the crisis of the vote was upon the world.

  Roque explained it, after Vita had had her passionate fling with him. "All over the world, wherever those who follow the Christian God hold sway, the vote has been taken: whether to declare the Office vacant, so that the remaining Incarnations can name a new Incarnation of Good. Those who follow other Gods have not participated, but are watching with interest, because it is the warlike Christian forces that are generating the pressures leading toward World War Three. That war would destroy the non-Christians, too, you see. So the fate of the world does hang on this decision. It is widely believed that only the establishment of a new Deity can enable the Incarnations to alleviate the pressing problems that have arisen in the past few centuries."

  "Then why is there any fuss about it?" Vita asked, for of course she was in control of her body now. "Why not just put in a new God and save the world?"

  Roque smiled indulgently. "This is reminiscent of the problem of the Constitutional Convention in America. On occasion an effort has been made to convene one, but it has failed because too many are afraid that the Convention would not necessarily limit itself to the issue for which it was convened. Once the genie is out of the bottle—"

  "Nobody can put it back! Gotcha! But you know, if I had to choose between the genie and World War Three, I'd sure take my chances with the genie!"

  He stroked her hair, a gesture so natural and loving that Jolie felt a wash of love for him herself. "Surely you would, my straight-speaking delight! But there are those who doubt the inevitability of war, and those who hope to make some significant profit from it, and, of course, the forces of Satan are active. An ad hoc coalition has formed in opposition to this move. Its elements are remarkable: many leaders of Christian denominations, and those who support Satan. They prefer the existing order and distrust any change—and I cannot say that their concern is unjustified."

  "Hey, which side are you on?" she demanded.

  "The side of sanity, my earthly angel. Consider the consequence if a nominee of Satan's were to achieve the Office of the Incarnation of Good. Satan is the Lord of Lies: he might arrange for a seemingly good person to be chosen—and thereafter Satan's will would govern."

  "But Satan is fighting the change!"

  "So he claims. But how can we know what is in his mind?"

  Satan did say something about a deal with Nox, Jolie thought. Still, he seems to have more to gain by maintaining the status quo.

  Vita relayed that thought, and Roque agreed. "Satan is almost certain to gain if the vote is against the declaration. He will naturally go for the certainty, rather than take a chance. But he surely has a strategy to implement in the event he loses this vote. I merely point out that a case can be made: stick with the known situation, make no change, and let Satan assume greater power. He has no more desire for World War Three than the others do."

  "But you don't really believe that!" Vita said. "Do you?"

  He smiled. "No. I prefer to take my chances with a new God, arduous though the change may be at first. I am sure the Incarnations will not allow Satan to deceive them about any nominee. Still, it is certain to be a very difficult decision."

  "Because Satan won't let any good man in, and the others won't let any bad man in," Vita said. "But they've got to agree sometime!"

  "Sometime," he agreed.

  Luna returned in the evening, looking worn. "It is indeed going to be close," she said. "The other bodies have come to a tie; tomorrow the Senate takes its vote, according to the terms worked out by arduous compromise. It is very nearly even there too."

  "As it was fated to be," Roque said.

  "As it was fated to be," she agreed grimly. "All my research and action has succeeded only in preserving parity: my vote will be critical. We have known it would come to this for twenty years, but it is not easier now that it is at hand."

  "At least it will be done."

  "My part, perhaps. But I will not be able to rest until I know there is an activist Deity in Office."

  "Your endeavor has been selfless, for twenty years," Roque said. "There could not have been a better person to see it through."

  Luna shrugged that off. "You will stay for supper?"

  "Why, I was about to leave—" But he saw how tired she was. "Of course, my old friend. My support is always yours."

  "Thank you." Luna lifted a bright garnet from the mantel, set it on the table and tapped it. The stone expanded, becoming irregular. It spread across the table.

  It became a banquet for three, the sundry dishes steaming. "Gee," Vita remarked.

  "My father was a Magician," Luna explained with a smile. "He left me a number of unusual stones. I use them only for special occasions, as ones of this nature are good for only a single invocation." She glanced at Roque. "If you will serve the wine..."

  "With pleasure," he said, lifting a bottle from its cold support.

  "But I'm underage!" Vita protested. "I'd better put Orlene on!"

  "I believe you are now nineteen," Roque said. "In this region, eighteen is sufficient. The legal age of consent brings the rights to drive car or carpet, to vote, to serve in the military or social services, to eschew further schooling, to live apart from family, participate in such liaisons of whatever nature one chooses, and to indulge in the popular vices. There is no need to attempt them all at once, however."

  "Oh. Sure. I forgot. But you know, I've only lived fifteen years."

  He turned to Luna. "Does the calendar lie. Senator?"

  Luna smiled. "We would not wish to accuse it of that. There is already enough deception elsewhere to concern us."

  Roque poured Vita a small glass. She took it gingerly. She had had experience with the worst of drugs, Spelled H, but treated this glass as if it were her first flirtation with adult privilege—as perhaps it was.

  It was a fine meal. When Vita's manners faltered, Orlene prompted her, so that she behaved like a perfect little lady. She reveled in it. Her appetite was excellent, after the two days in Purgatory.

  "And what will the three of you be doing, after the decision?" Luna asked Vita. She seemed satisfied to relax with minor concerns, after her efforts to stave off world disaster.

  "Gee—I guess Orlene and Jolie won't want to stay, once it's done," Vita said. "They only came to get me off the H and out of trouble." She clouded up. "But I don't know if I can make it alone."

  "You need not be alone," Roque said. "You are now o
f age to marry."

  "Yeah, I guess. But—" She did a double-take. "Hey, did you mean—I mean—" She gazed at him with round eyes.

  "I suspect I do. I have been busy, the past four years, but the hope of a union with you sustained me."

  "Oh, Roque! Of course I—" Then she sobered. "But you don't know me alone! I mean, from when I first met you I've had Orlene with me, and Jolie, too, mostly. Without them I'd be just an underage snot. I couldn't stand to turn you off like that!"

  "Such is the sin on my soul, the very qualities that you feel are turn-offs are in fact turn-ons, to use your language. I do not think there would be a problem."

  "I do! I'd get the shakes, trying to be a lady! It sure doesn't come naturally! But with them—oh, Orlene, Jolie, will you stay?"

  Luna took another stone. "This will enable spirits to manifest tangibly within its ambience. Perhaps they should speak for themselves." The stone glowed.

  Jolie moved out of the host and manifested in her own form. "Thank you, Luna."

  Orlene followed, becoming as she had been after her recovery from the ravages of her death.

  "I came to help Orlene," Jolie said. "I think she is now well established in the Afterlife, and no longer needs my support. I will return to Gaea, who needs me in another way." But as she spoke, a sadness came on her. She had enjoyed the company of both ghost and mortal, and felt alive. She had always known it was temporary, but it would be painful to leave.

  "And you, Orlene?" Luna asked.

  Orlene considered for some time before answering. "I fought to remain a ghost, uncommitted to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory, so that I could try to rescue my baby. Now I know I cannot recover Gaw-Two, and somehow that is not the disaster I expected, for I have seen that he is in competent and perhaps loving hands. The Incarnation of Night evidently wanted him for herself, and I think I must accede to that in my heart as well as in practice. So I am without reason to remain among the mortals. But after what I have seen of Heaven and Hell, I think I do not care for either region. I think I would prefer to remain with Vita—if she truly wishes my company."