“That's a wild story. Why did they take him?”
“I suggested it to them.”
“Why?” asked Jesse, “He was your husband. Didn't you love him?”
“I did, but when I saw him on his throne, acting kingly, just as he had while I had been rotting on a meat hook in the underworld, I was filled with rage. I told the galla that he should be taken in my place. He ran, like a coward, but they caught him eventually. Him and his sister.”
“That's a dark story.”
“It is, but we all have darkness within us. What matters is whether the light overpowers the dark, or if it can even strike a balance. I strike the balance, but you — you are filled with light.”
“I don't think so. I'm just a man.”
“No,” said Inanna and she touched his chest, “You are a hero.”
“That word got thrown around so much back before the dead came back,” said Jesse. “Everyone was a damned hero in America. All you had to do was do your job, and then you're a damned hero. Become a firefighter and you're a hero, even if you never saved anyone. A cop: hero. A military reservist who never set foot on a battlefield: hero. Saved a kitten: hero. Didn't crash a plane: hero. Donated some hair to kids with alopecia: hero. The word didn’t even mean anything anymore.”
“It means something to those that believe in heroes,” said Inanna. “No matter how old I get, I still believe in heroes. I believe in you. That is why I called you here.”
“That's the only reason?”
“No, I believe that you are the only one that can help me end this.”
“There's no end to this. The whole world is already dead, and those things just keep coming.”
“If there is a seed, no matter how small, there can be a plant.”
"We've got a pretty small and doomed plant then.”
“Do you believe that I am a goddess?”
“I believe you.”
“There are other gods still living in other realms, and there were many others before, but time has torn them asunder.”
“So this whole thing is because of the gods?”
“Just one.”
Jesse's eyelids closed into a squint and he furrowed his brow.
“My estranged sister, Ereshkigal.”
“Your sister killed my species?”
“My sister is a dour creature. She is the opposite of me in every way: hideous, evil, and unloved. She is what happens to a woman when she is completely neglected. The first time I laid eyes on her, she had her judges pronounce me guilty, and she killed me. I had foreseen that possibility, so my servant later came and saved me. She was told to oversee the dead, for all time. Overtime, the dead must have grown too many for her to bear, so she released them unto the world.”
“How is that even possible?”
“She holds domain over the underworld, but she can never leave. Her hatred keeps her alive, for that is all she has left.”
“I think I have seen her in my dreams. Just like I saw you.”
“This I know. The galla are her minions. She wants you dead.”
“I gathered. Anyways, wouldn't the dead just go back down there after they were killed? What about all the ones that died in this huge war?”
“I do not know what happens to those that die a second death, but those that die a single death go to meet Ereshkigal.”
“So all this death and strife is just a game for the gods?”
“Not a game. This is our life too, and our only life. I am the only god that ever came back to life. The rest have stayed dead.”
“OK, so what's your plan?”
“My plan was simple: I was waiting for you to come to me. I am a goddess and I could have continued as I had been for thousands of years. I was forgotten by men long ago, so I have grown accustomed to a lonesome life devoid of worship.”
“So why did you call me?”
“Is it not obvious?”
“Nothing that has happened in the past year has been obvious. This is like a long, hard path into absolute insanity.”
“I want to be inspired again.”
“You want inspiration? This is all about you wanting inspiration? Why, Inanna?”
“Hold your anger. Life is a story, nothing but a story, just a tale that we pass along throughout time until the final moment is reached. Do you want the story of humans to end with a horrendous defeat by an army of thralls? What an ignoble end to a magnificent creation. Your brothers and sisters transformed this world in a profound way. Your buildings and monuments and art are astounding. Some of your creations are on par with the art of the gods: the art of nature. ”
Jesse thought on that for a moment, and he did not say anything.
“You have no doubt had companions before these ones you have with you now. Where are those other companions now? Where is your family? Where are your countrymen? Where are your fellow humans?”
“Dead.”
“Yes, they are dead. I know you have vengeance in your heart, and that is one of the reasons why I chose to call you here. You are the last living man with a pure purpose. You can deliver your people from evil.”
“What's the point?”
“You know the purpose of life otherwise you never would have made it here. You would not have walked so many lengths of road and risked life and limb to meet a vision from your dreams. You felt that there was something greater in store for you — something more than a beggar's death for you. And you knew that I had the answers, and now I have bestowed them upon you. Do not cast the truth aside. You can stop all this madness. You can drive a blade into the heart of evil and end the extermination of your people — of my people.”
“What makes you think I can do it?”
“Because you have the blood of champions in your veins. You are descended from Gilgamesh. His blood is your blood. His fire is your fire.”
“Gilgamesh? Like the epic?”
“Yes, Jesse. That fire made you a champion in your youth, and now it will make you a hero in these dire times. You will be a blade in the night, an assassin's bullet that ends a war. My sister is not expecting this. She lacks cunning. She has too much hate and not enough wisdom.”
“This sounds like a suicide mission.”
“It may well be, but so is trying to run away from the tireless dead. All men must die, but your successes might someday be carved in stone. Your legend will live as long as your people do.”
“You really know how to talk a man up.”
“Not a man — A hero.”
She wrapped her legs around him once more. Again, he lost himself inside her. When they finished, he could not sleep.
He tried to process all the new information. He tried to make sense of the senseless. He tried to understand the will of the gods. Eventually, Jesse thought about what was to come. He thought about how it all might end. When his thoughts turned from dark to pitch black, he blew out the candle by the bed and slipped into a deep sleep.
Thirteen
A Naval Incursion
Jesse awoke alone in Inanna's cabin. It was the first night that he did not have any visions when he slept. Daylight filled the cabin and the room was hot and humid. It was hotter than yesterday. The weather in San Diego had been dry and mild, but the cabin was sweltering. Sweat beaded over every inch of his skin. He felt the urge to take a shower, but he let the desire slip away like all the others that could no longer be realized. Each night when he went to sleep, Jesse hoped that he would wake up and things would be different: not back to the way they were before — just different. Cruel reality swept in every morning, and he had to steel himself with a resolve that he feared would eventually break. Except it had not broken, and in the past few weeks his will to survive had grown much stronger. His purpose had been renewed. His goal was no longer survival and protecting loved ones. What drove him was the endgame: delivering the final blow and striking the madness from the earth. Inanna made him believe that he could do just that. He stood up and found clothes that she h
ad laid out for him: a thin robe made of fine cotton and some loose fitting pants made of a coarser fabric. He dried himself with a towel and slid into his new clothes, only to feel sweat, once again, coming out of every pore.
“Damn it's hot,” he muttered as he opened the door to the cabin. The sky was cloudless and the sun was bearing down on the boat like a child setting fire to an anthill with a magnifying glass. Danielle, Tim, Blake, and Nathan were seated at the grand table, eating breakfast and fanning themselves.
“This food is amazing,” Blake said. “Come on and sit down. Have a bite.”
“In a moment,” said Jesse. He looked around for Inanna.
“She's down in the lower deck. Have a seat. The food's good,” said Danielle.
Nathan and Tim were too busy eating to speak. They nodded and shoveled the brightly colored food into their already full mouths. The spread was magnificent. The table was covered with plates and bowls filled with exotic fruits, dried and fresh, as well as bread and fish. The serving dishes were made of stone and wood and decorated with ornate engravings.
“You would not believe the night we had,” Tim said. “After dinner, we all went down to sleep, but Inanna woke us up and said that we should entertain ourselves with her servants. The servants brought down a bunch of booze and some more food. Man, we got down. We got down hard. I'm not a good looking man, so it must be the whole end of the world thing.”
“I'm glad you all had fun,” said Jesse.
“It was more than fun. It was like a — a Roman orgy, man. I couldn't tell where I began and everyone else ended. I've never done anything like that, but I figured it was now or never,” said Tim.
Blake smiled, threw a date into his mouth, and winked at Jesse.
“It was good times, man,” said Blake.
Danielle and Nathan were hung over and less gleeful than Blake and Tim.
“Let's treat it like Vegas,” said Danielle. “I'd rather not talk about it.”
“I don't see why not. You all looked like you were having a good time,” said Tim.
“I think he gets it,” said Nathan. He rubbed both this temples with his oversized fingers. “We all ate a lot, drank a lot, and fucked a lot. It happened. It was good, at least I think it was. And now we've still got the same problems as before.”
“Come on, man,” said Tim. “There's no reason to make it all negative. Hell, Jesse might be able get Inanna to let us stay on this boat until we're all old and fat.”
“While the rest of the world gets eaten?” said Jesse
“The rest of the world has already been eaten,” said Blake. “I'm with Tim on this one.”
Jesse picked up a date and chewed on it. It was sweet and rich, but he could not enjoy it. A nagging feeling, like there was a deadline on a project or he had to cut weight for a match, kept him from relaxing. Inanna came up from the lower decks. She was wearing her bronze chest plate and her crown. Her sword belt hung tight to her wide hips. She glided over to the table and sat down in a flowing elegance, despite her equipment.
“I trust you all enjoyed yourselves during the ride,” said Inanna.
“That's the understatement of the millennium,” said Blake. Tim nodded emphatically and Nathan and Danielle each gave a thumbs-up to Inanna.
“Good. Now, to the task at hand,” said Inanna.
She placed her hands on the table.
“Can we just enjoy ourselves for a little longer? We've had quite the journey,” said Tim.
“I'm afraid not,” said Inanna. She gave Tim a sympathetic smile, “We do not have much time left. We are nearing the coast of Iraq.”
Nathan dropped his food. The rest stared at Inanna in silence.
“Iraq?” asked Danielle through the half-chewed food still in her mouth, “How the hell did we get to Iraq so quickly? How is that even possible?”
“Seriously? What the fuck? It's only been a day,” said Blake.
“Calm yourselves,” said Inanna raising her hands, “It has been much more than a day. The passage of time is an aspect of reality that fell into my domain after the death of the older gods. Your glorious feast and —,” she paused to think of an appropriate word, “relaxation time was quite a great deal longer than a day. It may have seemed like a day, but much time has passed.”
“How much time?” Jesse asked.
“Six months or so. The winds were not favorable and my oarsmen do not row so well when they are preoccupied with libations and fulfilling certain fantasies.”
Inanna shot a knowing glance at Danielle. Danielle looked down at her plate. Red blossomed on her cheeks.
“Half a damned year? Why didn't you ask us before you sped up time?” Nathan said through his teeth. His jaw muscles clenched so hard that the skin on his face quivered.
“Did you forget to feed your cat back home?” Inanna jested. “I thought that the boredom would drive you all insane, so I changed your perception of time. Consider it a gift.”
“A gift? Now I'm thirty-four and I had no say in the matter,” said Danielle.
“Happy Birthday!” Tim and Blake said in unison. Blake let out an unenthusiastic, “Woo.”
"Fuck off," Danielle replied.
“I assure you, the next few days will stretch out for what seems like eternity, so be thankful that you had a brief respite from the trials in this world.”
Danielle was about to respond when one of the crew shouted. A long oar flew out of his grip and slipped into the ocean. He jumped up and looked out the small porthole. He jerked back and shouted something to Inanna and to the other crewmembers.
“To arms!” Inanna yelled. She repeated the command in her ancient tongue.
The oarsmen reached under their benches and picked up wooden cudgels that had bronze tips on them. The crew spread out across the deck, armed themselves, and made ready. The hull of the boat had high walls and the deck was recessed, so they would not be able to see the attackers until they were over the walls.
“Where's our stuff?” Jesse yelled to Inanna.
“In the trunks below deck. Hurry.”
She drew her sword and grasped it with both hands. Jesse motioned to the others and they went down a narrow staircase into the bowels of the ship. The lower deck was sweltering and dark. The trunks ran in a line next to the staircase. Jesse threw the first trunk’s lid open and began handing arms to Nathan. Nathan in turn passed them to Tim, and so on until Blake put the items on the deck. Blake laid them out with haste and grabbed his stuff. He had just slid his lamellar armor over his head when a scream tore through the air. Their eyes all went wide.
“Brace yourselves!” Inanna yelled to them, “The galla have come.”
Tim ran up the steps and stumbled as the ship tilted. The waves were sloshing the boat around. The crew dashed about preparing themselves; the boat was at the mercy of the elements. Tim recovered and picked up his bow, a battle-axe, and his dirk. The rest suited up, and Jesse waited for them. He reached for his axe. Inanna grabbed his arm.
“Go to the cabin, under the bed there is a more suitable weapon,” she said.
Jesse ran across the seesawing deck. The boat lurched and he staggered. Another scream let out: it was one of the crew. Jesse kept running. He saw was a flash of color and he was on his side. One of the creatures had jumped over the wall and tackled him. It pinned him on the deck. He turned his neck and locked with those white-within-black eyes — a galla. Jesse freed one of his shoulders and wormed his hand up to its chin. He could not push it off with one hand, but he was strong enough to keep its head away from him. The galla screamed, rendering Jesse deaf, and dug its claws into the meat of his neck. Jesse turned his body and met with its horrid face. It inched closer, pushing hard against his grip, its mouth filled with jagged, stained teeth. He smashed his palm into its chin. It lost its grip on his neck. He snaked his other hand over its left arm. He locked the thing's elbow and rotated hard to his right. It fell to the side, but it grabbed on to his shoulder as it did. Bolts of pain shot from
his neck and shoulder, but endorphins sent a red rage through his body. He felt a wild power behind the rage: a strength he had dreamed of as a child. He rolled on top of the creature, gripped its face with both hands, and squeezed. Its bones gave way as he clenched with all his might. Its only response was to gurgle as Jesse collapsed its skull. Jesse relaxed his grip. His fingers were slick with oily black fluid.
“Hurry, Jesse,” Inanna yelled.
Jesse sprung to his feet and sprinted to the cabin. He threw the door open and dove to the floor. Under the bed was a huge bronze axe. It was enormous. He did not think he could even lift it, but he reached for it anyway. When he touched it a cool jolt ran through his fingers and shot down to his toes. He pulled it out from under the bed, rose to his feet, and gripped the long handle with both hands. The giant axe moved with an uncanny ease, like it was a part of Jesse’s body. Jesse exited the cabin. The scene on the deck was pure chaos. Galla were grappling and slashing at the crewmembers. There were dozens of them. Half a dozen crewmembers lay savaged and strewn about the floor. The others were fighting hard. Danielle was keeping space between her and the creatures with feints and half-power thrusts. Tim shot over the line of oarsmen, but the galla did not slow or falter as each arrow stuck in their bodies like giant acupuncture needles. The ancient creatures proved too much for the crew’s crude weaponry.
…
Nathan elbowed a short oarsman away from one of the galla. The diminutive man shouted at him, but Nathan ignored him. He stared into the thing’s face. It had no emotion in its eyes. Missing from its face was the wild desperate expression of people driven to killing by necessity. It took a step forward and raised its clawed hand in the humid air. A flash of steel, and the hand flew and landed, severed, on the old deck boards. Nathan swung again and took off its lead leg above the knee. The thing fell over, staring cold death at him all the while. He unburdened its neck and let its head roll around on the swaying deck. Another galla vaulted over the walls of the ship.
The Lost Gods Page 20
