12
The Necropolis
By the time they reached the river that separated the main part of Necropolis from the Nephilim quarter, Kaide realised not only that Enoch was right, but that he had underestimated the vengeful nature of the humans within the City. There were several dozen men slowly and steadily dismantling the bridge. Another fifty or so people were watching, blocking their passage across the bridge.
Kaide walked forward purposefully, shaking off the hand of warning Eduardo placed on her arm.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked the nearest person.
A thin man, who was not actually doing anything at all, spoke up. ‘Exactly as it appears. We are removing the bridge. The Nephilim Satarial is gone. Their leader. They don’t know where he is. Probably in the Maze. Or imprisoned in a tank of water somewhere.’ He grinned. ‘It is our chance to change things. Let the Nephilim live alone on their own side of the river.’
‘But all the food is produced on this side. How are they meant to survive?’
He laughed. ‘They won’t die. They will just be very uncomfortable. Exactly as they have made the rest of us for hundreds of years.’
Kaide mocked him. ‘Hundreds of years? Why are you still here then? You could have entered the Maze at any time.’
The man’s eyes lit with rage and those who were watching the exchange rapidly closed in. The man moved towards Kaide. Before he could speak, Eduardo stepped from behind her and spoke calmly. ‘And when the Nephilim do become hungry, and they swim across the river . . . and you have to fight a race that is physically superior to your own? What will you do then? Your lives will descend into the chaos of constant war and you will lose. Eventually.’
The man spluttered in intimidation at the size of the Angel, but did not back down. His tone, however, was more respectful. ‘We will fight them. As Dominic Mathers did. We will not be abused again.’
Kaide rolled her eyes. ‘Eh. Really? Dominic’s my brother. A long, painful war was certainly not what he intended to inspire, so don’t use his name to justify a siege.’ She watched the incredulity on their faces, mixed with consternation at having an Angel in front of them. No one said anything, but she understood the confusion. ‘Different parents. But he is my brother. And I think I can speak for him in this.’ It was immediately apparent that nobody believed her, and she sighed. ‘All right. What if I can convince the Nephilim to leave, through the Maze? Will you allow that to happen?’
There was murmuring. More people were gathering behind them, watching, craning to hear, excited by the sighting of Eduardo. Suddenly forced into a position of both leadership and decision-making, the man in front of her shrank an inch or two and looked from side to side for affirmation. A new voice interrupted him and he sagged with relief. A tall red-headed woman stepped forward with authority and the wide berth given her by the crowd, coupled with the enormous bodyguard flanking her, gave the impression that she was a woman of some power in the City. ‘All of them?’
Kaide looked her square in the eyes, a rare occurrence for a girl of her height. ‘Yes.’ Her stomach curled at the promise, knowing it would be near impossible to keep.
The red-headed woman was calculating. ‘We all understand the power of the Nephilim and my – our – respect for Satarial is unwavering.’ She watched Kaide carefully. ‘And I know well that you have his ear.’ She turned towards the group and spoke in a louder voice. ‘Even if the girl convinces them to leave, there is no guarantee they will not be back. It would be unwise to start a war if there is a possibility of a peaceful solution. Particularly if Satarial himself returns.’ She turned back to Kaide. ‘We will let you take the Nephilim from the City.’ Her tone was so authoritarian no one dared to counter her offer, but it was clear that the humans of the City were disappointed there would be no real action.
Kaide nodded and then gestured with her hand that she wanted a path, hoping she projected enough gravitas to encourage obedience. Whether she did or not, Eduardo moved towards them and they parted swiftly to allow the two passage to the Nephilim quarter.
Eduardo smiled at Kaide. ‘Now for the hard part.’
She took a deep breath. There was already a group of younger Nephilim congregating outside the broad stone walls of the expansive area of the Necropolis they occupied. Kaide sighed. They were armed.
‘What are you doing, Malik?’ She addressed a pale-skinned Nephilim carrying not only a bow and quiver on his shoulders, but a sword in one hand and a body-length, golden-tipped spear in the other.
He narrowed his eyes at her, still wary of the human addressing him so informally. In reverence of Satarial, he answered curtly. ‘We will not allow the humans to destroy the bridge. It is more than a matter of access, it is about keeping them in their place.’
Eduardo laughed warmly. ‘Their place? I think they are in their place. Causing trouble, pulling things apart.’
Malik looked at him with equal wariness, but another Nephilim, a glistening black-skinned giant on his right, joined in with Eduardo’s laughter.
Kaide slapped Eduardo on the arm. ‘Stop it. And you too, Cassiel, this is serious, there is not to be any war. I am going into the Maze. It is time for us to leave.’
The laughter died on Cassiel’s face and he bit his lip. ‘Leave? You mean enter the Maze with you?’
Malik gave Kaide a withering look, then spoke to Eduardo. ‘We do not need to run from humans. They are rodents. Do you honestly think they can keep us out of the City?’
Eduardo stopped smiling completely. ‘Yes. Eventually, yes. Because they are so many, and now they have a cause. And you may never have seen humans working together, but I have. They expelled the Angelus from Earth. They are formidable.’
Malik withered a little. ‘I don’t want to leave.’
Kaide smiled gently. ‘Malik, we all love Satarial.’ She ignored Eduardo’s cough. ‘But when it came to the Maze he had a blind spot. He did not like being told what to do. Sometimes being told what to do allows us to . . .’ She had no idea where she was going with the statement.
Eduardo finished for her. ‘Being told what to do allows us the freedom to move past our fears. If choice is removed, there is no suffering.’
She nodded. ‘Thank you, Yoda. Exactly. If you have no choice then you can concentrate on doing whatever you have to do well. I will make the choice for you. Go round up the Nephilim and let’s go.’ Kaide’s tone was upbeat, but even at her most optimistic she knew that the parochial Nephilim would not change quickly. Malik didn’t move. Cassiel turned to the men on the bridge again.
‘We could push them back, control the bridge ourselves,’ he said, without enthusiasm.
Kaide sighed, ‘Yes, you could. Every day. For one thousand years. Fun.’
Another Nephilim with an older face and hair more golden than white spoke up. ‘She is right. It is time to go.’ He looked around wearily. ‘We have been here too long. And we have done nothing. I am ready to leave. If we end up back here in the City again, then we will have something more to talk about.’ He turned and walked back towards the main cluster of villas, and with only a little hesitation the others followed.
Once motivated, even the subdued Nephilim retreated with a slight bustle. Kaide and Eduardo stood on the higher ground near the bridge, waiting for them to consider their options. It was going to take hours. They sat in silence, glad to have company, but lost in their own thoughts.
Kaide smiled at Eduardo. ‘Imagine how long it would take if there were more girls.’
Eduardo laughed and then stopped abruptly. ‘I still haven’t seen Deora. Have you heard where she is?’
‘I haven’t seen her at all. Not since . . . not since before Satarial left. Do you think they went together?’ She sounded suddenly deflated. ‘I heard they were lovers once. Before.’
Eduardo shook his head. ‘No. I have not seen her since the Trials. And that is even more worrying to me. She may have followed Dominic. You must see what you can find out in the Ma
ze. If he has not returned, then he may be still there.’
‘That was weeks ago. He’s long gone.’
‘Do not forget how slippery time is, Kaide. Look.’ He pointed. ‘Here they come.’
It was an incredible procession; dozens of supernaturally tall creatures in their white and red robes, carrying with them satchels bursting with rope, torches, weapons, and water flasks slung over their shoulders. They were like an army. Kaide turned and saw the terror on the faces of the humans, and smiled. They had probably never seen all of the City’s Nephilim at one time and there were several dozen of them at least, an impressive group when they were unarmed, but here, with their hair braided down their backs and knives and swords at their belts, they looked formidable. More than formidable. They were intimidating. Kaide scanned the small group of females for Deora. There were only six or seven and they were smaller in stature and had darker hair than many of the pure-bloods. Satarial had said most of them were third or fourth generation human. Still they had exquisitely symmetrical faces and were built like warriors. Dariel led the group, and when he reached Kaide he glared at her coldly.
‘I am not in agreement with this decision and I am not choosing to follow you. I do follow my clan though, and they have decided. I hope the Maze is not the folly Satarial claimed it to be,’ he admonished.
Kaide held her head high and looked up into his face. ‘Thank you for your support, Dariel. Shall we get the hell out of here?’
They walked across the bridge together and the humans peeled back and pressed as far from the group as they could, most of them keeping their eyes averted. One younger man, his blood still fired up by the earlier zeal of the mob, lifted a work tool he had brought with him and waved it towards the group. In a silent flash Malik reached out and snapped his neck with one hand, leaving him to lie silently on the ground as his body slowly healed. There was not another word as the Nephilim passed by. Kaide was aware of the impact the sight of these Nephilim warriors was having on the City. People were emerging from apartments and houses to watch them pass. As they reached the Workhouse, hundreds more filed out the gates to watch. Kaide saw Enoch with them and he offered a quiet salute to her as she passed. His approval cheered her, but she whispered to Eduardo, ‘I hope you have changed your mind about this. I don’t know anything about the Maze. I have filled my hourglass from Satarial’s stores, but that’s it. I’m a sitting duck if I can’t find Satarial.’
‘I haven’t. But you will be fine. You have nearly a hundred Nephilim to watch over you. I wish I could see Anubis’ face when they all come filing through.’
He deflected her further attempts to convince him by moving to speak with Cassiel, and returning with a small dagger. ‘Here, now you are armed.’ He tucked it into her expensive shiny studded belt. Something she couldn’t even remember buying. Life was so distant now. The moment brought them closer together than they had ever been and the sudden intimacy was strange. Kaide met the Angel’s eyes, only a few inches above hers. The moment was broken by the gentle push of the Nephilim from behind them, and the two had to keep walking; they stayed silent the rest of the way out of the City, as the buildings tapered off and they crossed the broad empty fields on the narrow road that led to the Maze gate. Kaide tried to gather her thoughts for one last attempt to convince the Angel to come with her. The thought of being completely alone in the Maze, as she imagined she would be once the Nephilim abandoned her, was terrifying.
The crowd had followed behind at a reasonable distance, just to be sure the clan actually left and, Kaide imagined cynically, to be able to brag that they were the ones who drove the Nephilim out of the Necropolis. At the gate the group milled around, suddenly abuzz with a growing anxiety. Actually walking through the gate was a far bigger step than marching through the City. Kaide knew she should set the example, but wavered, hoping for one last chance to convince Eduardo to come with her.
The Angel looked at the Nephilim and gestured to the gate. ‘Dariel, you need to set an example, without fear.’ Dariel glanced back at his people and took a deep breath, the closest the Nephilim came to expressing emotion, and nodded. ‘I will wait for you all, wherever I arrive.’ He took out his hourglass, an ancient golden one, bulging with every minute possible, opened the gate, turned his hourglass over and closed the gate behind him. Malik followed him promptly, and within moments the line was moving quickly through the gate. History was being made before the silent, overwhelmed gaze of the human crowd.
Kaide watched the line dwindle and turned to Eduardo with mild panic. ‘I need you. I need you more than you need to be here. Please come with me.’
He smiled sadly. ‘I can’t. I have made a vow and I will not break it.’
‘What was your vow?’
He gazed into the distance as if trying to remember the moment. ‘That I would wait for her in death as long as it took.’
‘You could wait for her in there.’ Kaide gestured to the gate. ‘That is still death!’
‘Of course I have thought of that, Kaide, but this is the gateway to death. She must pass through and it is possible to stay. It is not possible to stay within the Maze, even for me. I can travel through, but I cannot simply wait there. And I can only supplicate the Awe so many times to send me back here.’ He breathed deeply.
Kaide watched the last five Nephilim line up at the gate. ‘You need to move on. Not just for me, for you. You have to let go. Maybe that is your lesson.’
‘I can’t. I have to wait. It was a vow.’
Kaide grabbed the front of his cape and pulled him close, kissing him suddenly and quickly on the mouth. He stared at her in surprise.
‘Being told what to do allows us the freedom to move past our fears. If choice is removed, there is no suffering. Remember? You will slowly die the worst kind of death if you stay here. I am telling you it is time.’
Eduardo looked at the gate and then the City and then back towards the gate. And exhaled.
13
Dominic’s Hourglass
519 Minutes
Satarial was a near match for Anubis. For all his strength, the jackal was erratic, nearly enough to be outmatched by the Nephilim’s precision and mental skill. But Dom could see the Nephilim slowing slightly, giving fewer hits and taking more. Persephone was faring badly as well, and Dom felt helpless. He pulled himself closer by sheer force of will, but he was still too far away to even get in Deora’s way.
Persephone was a warrior, she fought well with her knife and had managed to keep Deora away from her for a long time, but Deora was untiring and eventually knocked the knife from her hand with a well-placed kick. Persephone stumbled slightly, but righted herself. Deora grabbed her throat with one hand, squeezing tight. The Maze Guide struggled wildly, kicking and clawing with her hands, but Deora was slightly taller and lifted her from her feet and held her above the ground. Dom crawled forward again, closer to Deora’s legs, and using everything he had left, he sucked in a bubbling breath and swung his leg at her, hitting her just hard enough to send her to her knees.
It did not break her grip around Persephone’s neck, but it was enough to give Persephone a foothold on the stones and the two renewed their fight in a frantic wrestle, stones flicking into the air. It prolonged the struggle only a minute or two until Persephone was again unable to hold out against the superior strength and speed of the Archangel. Deora threw her to the ground and put her foot against Persephone’s throat, pinning her down. Persephone gasped for air, struggling. With her last vestige of energy, she put her hand out towards Dom. He could barely move, but he reached out and grabbed her hand.
She was not so weak as to have lost the powers given to her in the Maze and her ability to heal the travellers who needed it. It was not instant this time, but Dom felt his ability to breathe return first, and he sucked in deep gulps of the stale air. He still struggled to move and Persephone had stopped moving altogether.
He tried to call to Satarial. ‘Help her . . .’ It was a croak. ‘Satarial
! Help her!’
As he said it, another figure appeared, ripping Deora off her victim with such force she was thrown several feet away. For a moment, Dom thought it was the Awe, because he had such a strong and sudden feeling of hope. But it was not. It was the last face he had ever expected to see again.
‘Eduardo!’ Dom smiled broadly at the Angel who returned the smile and offered him a hand up, while keeping his eyes on Deora as she sprang to her feet and faced him. ‘I can’t . . . I never thought . . .’
‘Neither did I, my friend. Your sister is very persuasive.’
Dom turned around quickly and was stunned to see not only Kaide, but a multitude of Nephilim standing with her. She smiled at him.
‘Need some help?’
He sagged with relief and watched Anubis step back from Satarial warily, his eyes flicking from the Nephilim army, all with swords and daggers drawn, to Eduardo who was standing, wings extended, at his full height, a long curved sword in his own hand. Anubis sprang backwards, shifted into his jackal form and bounded away. The Nephilim looked to Satarial for instruction, ready to follow, and through strained breath he shook his head. ‘Leave him.’ Kaide ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. He was stunned and exhausted, but he held her tight, his eyes also on Deora.
Dom called to him, ‘Where is Eva? I thought she was with you?’
Satarial shook his head, but did not have time to answer before Deora interjected.
‘Gone. You will not find her before your minutes run out. You leave and take me through the Judgement now, and I will set her free. She can complete the Maze. If not, she will stay here forever.’
‘Okay.’ Dom stepped forward immediately at the same time as Eduardo grabbed his shoulder and held him back.
‘No.’
‘What? Of course I have to.’
Afterworld Page 36
