“Listen up you two.” A peeved Kuko bent down and spoke quickly between their ears, trying to jog their memories on the proper way to greet a Goddess like Lakshmi.
Just as she was straightening, the arrows began to fly, the first one aimed directly at Kuko’s heart.
Chapter 67
The God of War in Action
Do not count on the fables told to you by even your most loyal servants. Many things you must see with your own eyes.
—Goddess Lakshmi
Elysium
The Cardinals were much more ambitious than Colonel Reinhardt’s team had expected. Reinhardt had calculated that General Borgia would give Cardinal Ziminiz, slippery coward that he was, plenty of time to get out of Elysium and be halfway home before giving the order to attack. It seemed impossible for even someone as arrogant as Ziminiz to believe the Cardinals could survive a surprise attack in the exact center of the Nazz power structure and then actually escape.
A chill ran through Rickey when he saw the arrow streak past his head, on a path straight for his beloved Kuko. He spun around in time to see the Nuns of Durga rip off their red masks and black robes. He froze when he saw that underneath their black robes were red robes, and underneath red masks were male, not female faces.
Lakshmi instantly threw up a brilliant violet shield of energy, which obliterated the arrow right in front of Kuko’s face.
Queen Amphitrite saw the second arrow fly a split-second later. That arrow whizzed right past the Queen’s head on its way to her precious daughter.
Lieutenant Franziska looked straight at the horrified queen. With a little smile, he stepped right in front of the arrow’s path. Seconds later, the arrow hit him just left of the center of his chest. He dropped to his knees. He knew he had successfully carried out the instructions from his commanding general. He knew his wonderful Colonel Reinhardt’s life would be praised for one of his guards saving an honored guest’s life. He knew he had faithfully upheld the teachings of his God, Indra. To die in such a way was the best any Nazz warrior could hope for. He was still smiling when he fell over, welcoming death to come upon him.
It was Dhanvantari, the God of Medicine, who was standing with his father, Prince Caligastia when the arrow hit. He dashed to the young man, pulling out his small medical kit as he ran, Queen Amphitrite two steps behind him.
Gwenith turned when she felt motion behind her and stood there too stunned to move while her brother, Dhanvantari slid to his knees, zipped open his medical kit, retrieved his scissors, and immediately sliced open Franziska’s uniform. With Franziska’s chest exposed, Dhanvantari pulled the sterile cover off his scalpel and immediately began his surgery. An instant later, Queen Amphitrite was on her knees, mouth to Lieutenant Franziska’s mouth, her fingers clipping his nose, breathing life back into him.
Kuko Kiena and Castor Mayhew flew into action, wading into the middle of the crimson red robes, their swords flashing. Although the enemy had doubled, as Nuns turned out to be Cardinals, the Nazz were unfazed. And even though they had seriously miscalculated the timing of the attack, Reinhardt had already instructed their best Nazz archers to take up positions in a specially designed walkway around the perimeter of The Grand Reception Hall, a hidden walkway thirty meters up so that defenders had a clear view of the entire floor.
The Cardinals slowly and deliberately took out their bows and swords, knowing that the method of slowly presenting a victim with their instrument of death, instilled the maximum level of terror. Shouts in the Nazz battle language filled the room, which the proud Cardinals interpreted as shouts of alarm. An instant later, thousands of Nazz arrows flew.
Indra jumped on a table and started shouting orders. With a sword in his left hand, he directed his troops as a conductor would direct a symphony. In Indra’s world, this was the sweetest music — the shouts of Nazz warriors, the zing of arrows, the terrified screams of unwitting civilians caught in the middle of battle. And most delightful of all were the enemy’s moans of pain and despair as they faced certain death, and then died.
Lord Smigyl quickly came to Lakshmi’s side, a cordon of Nazz warriors guarding him. The guards attempted to surround them on all sides, but Lakshmi shooed them away with a flick of her hand, as one would shoo away annoying flies.
Lakshmi tried to extend her protective shield around the Erin twins, but they had already sprinted into the fray, swords blazing. Smigyl delicately lifted Lakshmi onto one of the tables that had been set up for Indra and his staff. Other Nazz began to build a pyramid of tables so Indra could stand even higher. Just as quickly, they built another pyramid for Smigyl and Lakshmi to stand upon.
As Indra’s pyramid grew ever higher, with dozens in his command structure standing beside him and more Nazz officers taking up their positions on the lowest level of tables, Lakshmi did a quick estimation of weights. It struck her as odd how the bottom tables were supporting such a tremendous load. Then she noticed how the slots in the tops of the tables that had previously held candles and flower arrangements were also designed to accommodate and stabilize the feet of the tables for the purpose of stacking. Clearly, even the dining tables on Elysium were designed with war in mind.
Lakshmi watched as the cataclysm unfolded all around her. She had never seen this type of battle so closely. She magnified her senses, slowing time, taking in every sound, color, and smell. She could taste the blood of the dying. Indeed, she could taste the exotic blend of pheromones — pain, terror, fury, and exhilaration.
She glanced at Indra. He was bubbling with bliss. The God of War. The greatest of all warriors in the exact center of war. She could feel his skin’s heat as it pulsated with a brilliant yellow light, his red hair blazing like fire. Time and time again, an arrow would fly at him, and he would exactingly, elegantly, exquisitely slice it out of the air with his sword. Awe filled her. He was magnificent.
Lakshmi finally understood Indra, and her old prejudices started to collapse. She did not simply need him to vanquish the Azakamani and get her off Eden; she actually wanted him as a permanent ally. She was unable to take her eyes off him. She did not just want him as an ally. She wanted him as a friend.
Indra’s head slumped in relaxation, his arms falling to his side. He turned, raising his head, fixing his yellow eyes upon Lakshmi. “You honor me sister.”
He shifted his glance to Smigyl, giving him a quick wink. Indra’s eyes again filled with the brilliance of yellow diamonds, his attention returning to battle.
Lakshmi scanned across the floor. Millions of terrified civilians were storming the exits. “Look how remarkable, my love,” she said to Smigyl. “The Nazz are protecting and directing the traffic of those attempting to escape with the same focus as the Nazz who are fighting.”
She looked at the sea of disorganized Cardinals — some attempting to fight — some attempting to flee — some attempting to do both — some doing neither. She found Generals Kuko Kiena and Castor Mayhew crashing through a sea of crimson — their silver hair whipping as they spun. She could see the razor sharpness in their silver eyes as they scanned their adversaries, and then slaughtered them. It astounded her. The rumors about the invincible brother and sister were true.
It was art.
They were not just hacking away randomly at any red cape they saw, not the way the Cardinals were stabbing and launching their arrows randomly. Theirs was a precise, coordinated ballet of action. Feet, sword, shuriken, darts — waltzing through the enemy.
No. It was more than that. She could hear their voices. Sometimes they shouted out commands. More frequently, they appeared to be casually communicating with each other and their subordinates. The Subordinates listened, then flowed away to execute their instructions.
Oddly, they were not killing everyone in a red robe. In fact, most of the Cardinals were not being harmed. A completely different group of Nazz pounced on the unharmed Cardinals with the same intensity of purpose as those Nazz who were slaughtering. They twisted the enemy’s wrists and arms
until they fell to their knees, tied their hands to their feet, and pushed them to the floor.
As unrestrained as Kuko and Castor were moving, it seemed they should by now be tired. But such was not the case. If anything, it seemed they were just warming up — invigorated — as if they could do this forever.
Cardinals were being brought down all over the room. Lakshmi could not see a single missed target — not a single civilian casualty. Such precision.
“Wait,” Lakshmi exclaimed, pointing toward the floor. Smigyl followed the direction of her finger. “Do you see that? Almost every time they stop a Cardinal from striking a lethal blow, an arrow finds their elbow first.”
“Yes, my love,” Smigyl replied casually. He had long wished that Lakshmi could see how the Nazz fought. She had argued with him endlessly when he first expressed the idea of inviting Indra to Eden, well-knowing that the only war she had ever seen was from the prepared vantage point of the Pharisees, usually when their best armies were pitted against a much more primitive competitor. Smigyl knew the Pharisees had a hype- inflated belief in their warring abilities and continued to boast they needed no help in crushing the Azakamani and their protective Valkyrie.
“One cannot pull a bow or wield an ax with an arrow stuck in their elbow. When the immediate threat is subdued, another arrow will fell them to the ground,” he said softly. “Do you see the difference in the manner in which the Nazz treat the different ranks?” he asked, pointing out another Nazz battle technique.
“Yes, I see now,” Lakshmi said. “The inferior colored lower ranks are being killed outright. All the white-skinned senior officers are being neutralized. Then, they’re tied and gagged.”
“Yes, my love,” Smigyl said. “Indra will be interviewing them later. Have you also noticed the individuals not dressed as Cardinals who have attempted to attack the Nazz are not being killed but only having their fighting ability neutralized? They are either Nazz enemies who are simply being opportunistic, or quite likely spies infiltrated into other Overlord houses. Indra will be quite keen to interview them.”
“A taste of their own bitter medicine,” she absently replied.
Lakshmi was not just the Goddess of wealth — she was the Goddess of art — all art — music, painting, sculpture. However, she had never spent any time thinking about the art of war. Now she understood why. She had seen the Pharisee warriors’ martial arts displays and had seen many more executions than she cared to, but she had never seen anything like Kuko and Castor.
Her high priests of war had told her that the Pharisees were the best warriors. Clearly, this was a lie, a gross exaggeration, or at best ignorance. At that moment, she decided she would create a new art institute built exclusively around the fighting styles of Kuko Kiena and Castor Mayhew.
Colonel Reinhardt and a team of guards stood all around Lakshmi. She motioned to Colonel Reinhardt. Reinhardt quickly stepped forward, holding his head down so she could easily address his ear.
“Rickey, how was this coordinated?”
He pointed along the perimeter. “My Goddess. Just below the ridge is a series of slots through which the archers can study potential targets.”
Lakshmi saw the slots — slots that up until then looked like a simple artistic fenestration. With focus, she could see eyes peering through the slots.
“The archers pick out their targets and communicate to their partners on either side of them to prevent as much duplication as possible. When Indra gives the command, they stand, launch, then squat again to select their next target while the next set of archers stands and delivers. In about ten or fifteen minutes, whenever Lord Indra feels the Cardinals are about to regroup their attack, they go through the sequence again.”
Lakshmi returned her attention to the slaughter, and Reinhardt immediately stood out of the way. Something about his polite and calm demeanor struck her as odd. She turned back to Reinhardt. He immediately stepped forward again.
“Don’t you feel like you’re missing out?” she asked.
He looked confused.
“Ma’am? I’m sorry. I don’t understand your question.”
“You’re up here guarding us while your friends down there are having all the fun.”
“Oh. Uh. No, Ma’am. They’re doing their duty in accordance to our God’s will. I’m doing my duty in accordance to our God’s will. There is no difference. My purpose and function is as Elysium’s Captain of the Guard. This includes guarding whomever my God tells me to. Lord Indra told me to guard, as best I could, our most honored guests — Lord Smigyl and Goddess Lakshmi. I am honored to do so. There is nowhere else in the Creation I’d rather be.” Then he immediately stood back, not waiting for any praise or thanks.
Lakshmi closed her eyes, allowing his wonderful words to sink in. When she opened them again, she began to see the Nazz differently. She saw how they flowed through their duties — some killing — some tying up Cardinals — some escorting civilians to the exits — some carrying away the dead to clear the floor — and now some carrying away those who were tied up — lining the walls with their bodies. She also saw how the Nazz quietly switched from one occupation to another according to command, according to need. There’s probably no military force in Creation that could ever defeat the Nazz, she thought, feeling a touch of vulnerability.
The rapidly continuing evacuations and the clearing of the floor from the dead created more space for the Nazz to continue the slaughter. When a long, loud whistle blew, an alternate set of doors opened, and thousands of Nazz gushed into the room.
Generals mounted the tables surrounding Indra who gave them orders. The generals passed orders to the colonels, who passed to majors, and so forth until the orders propagated throughout the room until individual groups of fighters moved in accordance to Indra’s wishes.
Lakshmi saw the disappointment on the KGB’s faces when Smigyl instructed them to protect and evacuate The Children of Luminosity. Clearly, the Kshatriyas wanted to stay and fight. The only exception was Prince Beliar who was in the thick of battle. Lord Smigyl was curious to see which particular Satanists his vengeful son was keen to kill.
The only group in the hall not fleeing were the Daligastians, who were easy to identify because of their brilliant, multi-colored robes. Ma Meshabber, Prince Daligastia’s wife and the head of the Tribe of Elder Women, sat comfortably on a chair, knitting, only periodically looking up. The battle was not a matter of any particular interest to her or her Tribe. But, Prince Daligastia was exhilarated.
True Daligastians had black skin, skin so rich and black it almost looked blue. Because the Cardinals, with their white skin, considered all other colors inferior, especially black, the Cardinals routinely chose black-skinned individuals as dupes for their inquisitions. Whenever they developed new torture techniques, they always tested them first on black skin. No one hated the Cardinals more than Prince Daligastia did.
Lakshmi wanted the Daligastians to join the fight. Suddenly, the Daligastians let out a roar that shook the room. They raised their spears and swords, and wave after wave of multi-colored robes crashed into crimson robes.
Lakshmi turned to Indra. He was calmly looking at her. Indra had sensed and fulfilled her desire for the Daligastians to join in. She found her heart opening to him. The entire experience of seeing true warriors, of seeing the art of battle, of seeing unblinking devotion to duty, of seeing these deeper layers of Indra’s being, manifested as tears trickling down Lakshmi’s face.
As astonishing and unimaginable as it was, she loved him. His eyes became soft and tender as he placed his right palm over his heart, briefly lowered his head, and said, “You honor me, sister. For so many millennia, I have loved you. It brings me such joy for you to now finally know it.”
Chapter 68
Morontial Weapons
If I knew then what I know now, I definitely would have stayed home in bed.
—Josephine
Josephine’s Office on Oceania
"And you say Co
llin was able to actually see these things and pull them out of Michelle and Laura?” Josephine asked Fran while holding what looked like little pieces of glass in her hand. “How’s that possible?”
Fran shook her head. “I really don’t know. The first one he pulled out of Michelle’s arm was easy enough to see because it was so big. At first, both of us thought it was just Celestial glass. Then Collin said there was another piece of glass inside it. He said it was red. I couldn’t see anything so I scanned through the Morontial. That’s when I figured it out. And from there, Collin said he was able to find the rest of the shards by looking for the different colors inside. I doubt he understood what they were, but since their wounds came from Zohar, we should have known.”
“Was there any indication Michelle or Laura knew what hit them?”
Fran shook her head no.
“I wish I had known this before you sent them back in,” Josephine said to David.
“They’ll be okay. But you know for some of our embedded agents, we’re going to have to figure out how to rework our armor,” David replied.
Josephine nodded as she switched her attention back to the blade that Fran had secured from Parvarti, the blade that Parvarti had talked Josephine into relinquishing. “So this really is a Morontial Weapon.”
“Yes,” Fran replied quietly.
“So I truly was about to cleave up Karol’s Personality.”
“Yes.”
“But there’s more,” David said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a clear glass vial. The vial had been tightly melted closed on each end. He turned it upside down to right side up several times. The vial, filled with a viscous fluid, contained thousands of tiny multi-colored sparkling flakes.
“This is what we removed from Karol’s Celestial weapons. Except for size, they are exactly the same stuff as that,” he said, pointing to the objects Collin had extracted from Michelle and Laura. “And the same as the big chunk we believe is inside Karol’s blade.
Lilith: Eden's Planetary Princess (The Michael Archives Book 1) Page 55
