by Otto Schafer
“You dare—”
“I do much more than dare, you faithless lower life-form! Threaten me again and I will strike you down where you stand! I will force the hordes that I grew for you into slavery. I will use them, Azazel. Use them like refuse bags, forced to carry out my trash. And when their purpose is served and I have emptied their souls, they too will be discarded, crushed under my boot heel!” Apep spat in a rush of words as he lifted one of his splayed hands, burnt from weeks of overuse. Sentheye swirled around his hand, as black and impenetrable as a midnight ocean.
Azazel’s nostrils flared as greenish flames leaked from her nose in bursts that reminded Apep of small rocket afterburners. She was on the edge of breathing fire, and part of him wished she would. The irrational part that didn’t care that he needed her to keep the hordes in line wanted her to just attack him so he could kill her and be done with it.
Apep stared up defiantly, confidently, unapologetically. What the queen saw in his eyes only she could say, but whatever it was, she had better be scared. Because if she dared attack, she would certainly die, consequences be damned.
A moment of labored breathing passed between them, like two lovers after the throes of passion.
Apep drew in a calming breath and exhaled. “Queen Azazel, I have kept my first promise. Now I must return to the portal to ensure preparations are on track. See to the hordes and ensure the nephilbock army has a clear path. When this is done, join me at the portal with… your hordes.”
“As you wish, dökkálfar Apep,” the queen said, her voice cooled only to a simmer.
When Apep materialized at the entrance corridor of the pyramid, he faced a long dark tunnel that looked exactly as it had when he stood in this very spot three weeks ago. His legs shook, and he collapsed to one knee. A memory nearly a thousand years old flashed through his mind. One of waking on a cold stone slab in a dark prison. He had lain there for so many thousands of years, cast magically in a state of suspension. The memory, still so vivid. He could still taste the dirt dried to his crusted lips, feel the aching of his bones and recall the smell of his musty tomb. But what he remembered most was how he had fallen to his knees and the promise he had made himself. A promise to never be brought to his knees again!
Now, standing at the portal, he was on a knee. No! He was too close! Soon he would realize his dream – his destiny! This is not the time for weakness, he told himself, pushing himself up and onto shaking legs. He glanced to his right where the Jeep the Moore girl escaped in had been parked. But it was only when he turned to face away from the opening that he saw the transformation. His eyes widened as a smile stretched across his face. Where before the entire mountainside had been covered in familiar rock, foliage, and dirt, ending at a base camp of boulders and busted vehicles, now there was a perfectly smooth surface of polished stone stretching hundreds of feet down.
The stone was strange for two reasons. For one, it wasn’t limestone – that much he was sure of. Nor was it white, like the pyramids of Egypt were back in the day he had been entombed in one. This stone was dark, almost black. Spots glinted bright like mirrors, reflecting from the sun, but the stone near his feet was dull. Apep scanned the stone, noticing that every few feet in any direction was an inlay of polished black glass. Well, this is something, he thought.
Beyond the pyramid lay the Mexican jungle valley. When the nephilbock and dragons arrived, he would task them with felling and burning every tree in a five-mile radius – no, a ten-mile radius. There would be nowhere and no way for anything – whether it be tree, man, or creature – to get to the portal undetected!
The ground beneath Apep’s feet shook, pulling him from his thoughts. He blinked and turned inward, away from the magnificent pyramid wall. A large, one-eyed nephilbock approached with a great stone hammer in one hand, raised to strike. “Do not swing if you value your life!” Apep shouted in the nephilbock’s language.
The nephilbock hesitated. “Dökkálfar!”
“That’s right, Eroch. Now be smart and take me to your king.”
Eroch sneered, but he lowered the hammer. “King Ogliosh has been expecting you.”
“Good. Then let us not delay.” Apep pulled back his hood and adjusted the Sound Eye crown.
Eroch’s one big eyeball fixed on the Sound Eye crown, and he pulled what Apep was sure was a disapproving face. Then, like a good follower, he did as he was told.
They ventured to the end of a corridor that opened into a large room with vaulted ceilings. You wouldn’t see this chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza, but Apep knew there was one like it there too – slightly smaller and still undiscovered by humans, but there nonetheless.
“King Ogliosh!” Apep said.
The king turned and looked down. “You have returned.”
“As promised.”
Ogliosh’s one hairy brow scrunched like a giant caterpillar about to crawl away. “You look awful, elf. Have you fallen sick?”
Apep straightened. “What are you talking about? I have never felt better! Just a bit tired. While you have been here enjoying the warm Mexico weather, I have been growing an army of dragons, well over ten thousand strong!”
“Perhaps that explains your dire condition. You look pale, thin, and weak.”
“Ogliosh, I built an army that is now defending your nephilbock! Did you even know they were at war? Did you even know trees are attacking them by the millions? Did you even know that the dragon army I created is the only reason they live?”
Ogliosh looked to his general, the narrow-faced giant that had threatened to hit Apep with a hammer moments ago.
“Don’t look at him, look at me! I come here not only keeping my word, but to tell you I have saved your army. And what do you do? You cast insults at me!” Apep shouted, pretending to be angry.
“This is true? The trees attack?” Ogliosh asked.
“Yes, it is true! What do I gain in making up such a lie? I half expected to find the trees had attacked you here and killed you all!” Apep said.
“Trees walking and attacking this soon? This is your doing, Apep! You assembled the Sound Eye! I told you creatures of this world would want what you have! You have given them freedom and power, and now they are afraid to lose it!”
“I don’t know how many times I have to explain to you and those thick-skulled dragons,” Apep said in exasperation, pointing a long finger up at the giant. “This was the only way to ensure we get the portal open sooner rather than later!”
“Eroch! Gather the others! We will head south until we meet up with our army!” Ogliosh ordered.
“Wait!” Apep said, opening his hand. “Listen to me, Ogliosh. I did not come here and tell you this for you to abandon our work. If you go out there now, the trees will certainly kill you all before you get out of Mexico!”
“I won’t leave our nephilbock to be slaughtered!”
“The trees are under control! Your army is large, Ogliosh, perhaps larger than even you could have imagined. And with the dragons’ help, we have limitless firepower. Trees burn quite easily. Now tell me of your progress here, Ogliosh,” Apep urged. “Will we be ready when our armies arrive?”
“Three more weeks. If my army were here, we could be ready sooner. We still have to clear the back side of the pyramid. The whole structure must be free of dirt – only then can we repair and polish the capstones. The internal damage to the lower chamber’s water tube must still be repaired. Queen Azazel destroyed the tube in our fight. Still, we are close. Soon we will be ready to go home!” Ogliosh nodded.
“Tell me about the pyramid walls – they look different from others you have made. Did you use basalt?” Apep asked.
Ogliosh smiled. “Basalt with obsidian inlaid one meter in each direction.”
The smile reminded Apep of just how vile these creatures were with their mouths too full of teeth that had certainly never been cleaned. “Why the different materials?”
“I believe this combination will solve the stability issues
with the portal, allowing us plenty of time to get our armies through safely.”
“Will the world still be destroyed if the portal is left open long enough?” Apep asked.
“Of course. In time, even the basalt and obsidian will become unstable, but by then we should be gone.”
Apep nodded absently.
Ogliosh’s smile vanished. “Apep, destroying one of the gods’ worlds intentionally is a sure way to draw their wrath. I will get the portal open and stable long enough for our armies to pass, but after that it must be closed.”
An unspoken disagreement passed between them before Apep finally spoke. “Three weeks?” he asked.
Ogliosh nodded.
“Let’s see if we can speed that up. Take me to the back wall,” he said, flexing his burnt fingers. There was a constant buzz in his ears now. When had that started? he wondered. His bones ached too, and he could hardly eat or sleep. He sighed. Just a little more. Just push a little more. He had to get home, to watch his father beg for his life, to take what was his! Just a little more.
Ogliosh looked down on him. “You should rest and eat. You need to give your body some time to heal from the Sentheye burns.”
“Heavy is the crown, Ogliosh. But fear not, this time getting the portal open is my weight to bear. I have already grown an army of dragons and sent them to slay millions of trees! Moving a mountain sounds like child’s play!”
Ogliosh exchanged a glance with Eroch that he thought Apep didn’t see.
“Do not mistake my weariness for weakness. Queen Azazel did just that, and now she is less another elder dragon for it.”
“You killed one of Azazel’s six?” Ogliosh asked in disbelief.
“Five. Remember, one died with your general.” And no, Jack had killed the elder dragon, but Ogliosh didn’t need to know that. “I am more powerful now than ever – don’t make the same mistake Azazel made and force me to prove it!” Apep said, fixing Ogliosh in a hateful stare.
“Of course you are, dökkálfar. Come, I will show you the way.”
When they arrived at the back wall, Apep put on a demonstration of his ability to wield the power of the Sound Eye like the true master he was. The five generals stood next to their king and watched in awe as tons of dirt slid like a controlled avalanche off the pyramid. The dökkálfar poured more and more Sentheye from his scorched digits, manipulating the dirt into dozens of mounds.
Just as he piled the last of the dirt high, Apep felt a sharp pain from the center of his mind, accompanied by a sound that reminded him of a breaking bone. Apep slammed his eyes shut as the pain passed, and when he could finally open them again, he knew something had changed. Something had broken. He drew in a breath and thought, This is what it feels like when sanity breaks. Slipping, slipping, slipping.
Apep blinked, panic consuming him. Had he just heard the sound of his mind breaking? Was this the prelude to insanity? He pulled in a breath. Deep. Deep. Deeper. The panic dissipated, replaced by sudden anger. So what if I am insane! Is sanity relevant? Must I be sane to claim my birthright? Must I be sane to overthrow a kingdom? Must I be sane to become a god? No. This is not insanity. This is enlightenment. I am something else! I am—
“Dökkálfar, can you hear me? Your ears and eyes are… are bleeding.”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Can’t they see me? Can’t they see what I am becoming? This isn’t a handicap – this is a transformation! Shells open! Cocoons break! Eggs fracture! And all do it to reveal something greater! If any sanity remains, I release it freely… to… to become…! Of course! This is where I am supposed to be! The place in between!
I am becoming a god!
45
A Prince Among Them
Friday, April 29 – God Stones Day 23
Southern Utah
The excitement to be with Garrett and the others made up for the fact Breanne was about to spend several more days riding atop a platform high in the canopy of El Tule – again. The first thing she did was ask Governess for a remodel. There were seven of them now and their current quarters just wouldn’t do. Governess created walls and bunks and surrounded the bath with foliaged walls and ceiling. The new accommodations were much improved, but at least one of them still wasn’t satisfied.
David shook his hands up and down pleadingly. “But can you make it hot or not?”
“Stinky human. Why does the water need to be hot? It will work just fine cold,” Governess said, her face twisted in disgust.
“I still don’t appreciate your tone, lady!” David said, pointing at the bath. “Don’t you get it? Cold water sucks for humans.”
“No. I do not get it. You have a bath. It will empty and refill on its own each time it is used! You should feel lucky to have such a privilege. I know I feel lucky I can provide you a way to clean your revolting stench. Surely all flesh bags cannot smell this bad!”
“No, pretty much just him,” Pete said, looking up at Governess with what Breanne thought was a mischievous smile.
“Specifically, his feet,” Lenny said, pointing at his boots and pinching his nose. “Just wait until he pulls those off.”
Governess pointed into the bathing area, her hand glowing soft green. A vine grew up the walls and began blossoming pink and purple flowers. “Humans call this plant clematis. Use the leaves to wash with. They will make a lather that will reduce your appalling smell.” She pointed again, and again her hand glowed green. Fruit that looked like oranges blossomed and grew along the wall. “Eat an orange and stuff the peels into your nasty foot coverings.”
“Nice!” Pete said.
“Fine! But you haven’t answered the question! Can you make it hot, or at least warm? Can any of you conjure some fire or something?” David asked, looking over his shoulder at Bre and Gabi.
Gabi laughed and shook her head from side to side. He’s funny, Bre. How old is David?
Gabi! Too old! Fifteen, I think! And he has a mustache… kinda.
I think it’s cute, Gabi said and giggled.
“How dare you request fire when everything around you is flammable!” Governess snapped.
“She’s got a point, David,” Pete said.
“Whose side you on, Pete, you dick?” David asked. “I’d rather not wash at all, if it means I got to get in cold-ass water!”
Everyone shouted all at once, “No!”
“Listen, you little mustached freak of filth,” Lenny said, pointing from David to the bath. “You are taking a bath even if it means I have to wrestle your dirty butt in there myself! There is no way we are traveling eight days with your stinking—”
“Go wash. The water is warm,” Governess interrupted.
“There, see! Thank you, Governess!” David said, dropping his hands to his sides in relief.
“Take an orange with you,” Governess said. “On second thought, take two.”
“Take two! That’s great,” Pete said, smiling up at the woman.
Governess looked at Pete like she might backhand him, then turned and walked across the platform to the point farthest from Breanne and the others.
“Hey,” Lenny said, shoving Pete’s shoulder. “What hell was that?”
“What the hell was what?”
“You damn well know what!” Lenny said.
Breanne knew what, too. She didn’t know these boys like they knew each other, but anyone would have had to be blind not to see it.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Len,” Pete lied, and poorly.
“Really,” Lenny said, changing his voice to mimic Pete. “Nice! That’s great! She’s got a point!” He lifted his finger, pointed it in Pete’s face, and waggled it. “She is a tree, dude! And besides that, I thought you were in love with Janis?”
“Keep her name out of your mouth, Lenny!” Pete said, puffing out his bony chest. “Janis is… she’s gone, and I happen to know she wants me to move on!”
“With a tree?! Are you crazy! It’s bad enough you hooked up with a space alien elf, but now y
ou want to hook up with a tree!” Lenny’s face was screwed up in disgust. “I refuse to let you make a mistake like—”
Breanne frowned and raised an eyebrow at Garrett, who was standing across from her and behind Pete, frantically trying to get Lenny’s attention.
“Ahem, Len?” Garrett said, coughing into his fist.
“What?” Lenny said, whipping his head around.
Garrett shook his head.
Some realization seemed to click in Lenny’s eyes.
The space between the boys became instantly awkward. “What’s going on?” Breanne asked.
“Nothing!” Lenny blurted. “Sorry, Petey, I shouldn’t have messed with you.”
“Huh? Since when?” Pete asked.
“Just… never mind, okay? Just be careful is all. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Lenny turned away, walked to the edge of the platform, and sat down, gazing out into the distance.
“What was that about?” Pete asked.
“Yeah, that was strange,” Breanne said.
“Lenny will tell you guys when he’s ready,” Garrett said mysteriously, as they all shared confused looks.
“Tell us what exactly?” Pete asked.
Garrett shook his head.
“I don’t think we should have secrets between the sages. Not with so much at stake,” Paul said. “You want me to go talk to him?”
“Trust me, just give him some space.” Garrett turned to Breanne, changing the subject. “Hey, can you and Gabi show me how you talk with your minds?”
“Yes!” Gabi shouted.
Breanne smiled. “She loves teaching how to do it.”
