Chapter Four of Twenty-Two
We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.
“Mother!” Bari shouted as he ran across the deserted courtyard like a small boy and skidded to a stop in front of the couch on which his mother was reclining in the shade of a potted palm tree. A young girl sat on the tiles, fanning her with an elegant fan made of peacock feathers.
Jozsef Daniel sat next to her on the chaise lounge. A small group of musicians, concealed in the greenery behind her, played a soft tune on lyres and instruments the emperor did not recognize. Neither did he recognize the form of the music. For that matter, he barely recognized his own courtyard. His mother had completely redecorated the palace in the short span of time since her ‘rejuvenation’. It now seemed even more exotic than it had when his father had lived here. Two very large, very stern men dressed in the style of the ancient Persians stood on either side of the alcove, with their arms folded over their massive chests. They wore yellow turbans clasped with jeweled brooches and looked very much like something straight out of Aladdin’s lamp. Jozsef looked at him blandly, as if he was not quite happy to see him.
Ruth held up one hand languidly when he stopped in front of her, and then waved him forward to give her a hug and kiss.
“Naomi.” She whispered in his ear when he leaned to kiss her cheek. “Call me Naomi.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He kissed her cheek again, and then dragged a tufted stool near the lounge before sitting down in front of her.
Gone were the endless lines of diplomats and foreign ministers, heads of state and royal envoys. The mornings were now reserved for his mother’s pleasure, and the afternoon sessions with those seeking aid and advice were growing shorter and shorter as Jozsef took over more and more of the duties of running Persia Major for the emperor.
He had a knack for it, but Bari found it tedious. All he had to do was to listen to daily reports, and sign his name here and there. The new arrangement left him much more free time to spend with his beloved mother. He took one of her hands in his and kissed her fingers before continuing. “I have just seen a broadcast from Beijing.” He announced. “I did not know the war had progressed to such extremes.” He cast a glance at Jozsef Daniel. “Perhaps, it would be best if we recalled Abaddon and held a conference here with the Chinese Prime Minister and the Emperor of India. I would not want the same thing that occurred in Mongolia to happen on the Sub-continent. It would be too wasteful. We will need the Indian people to assist our efforts in Indonesia and Australia. If China annihilates India as it did Pakistan, we will lose a great number of capable soldiers. Surely, Abaddon knows this.” He looked at Jozsef again. “I don’t recall signing anything that would have given him leave to attack Pakistan. And Mongolia would have fallen without the use of plasma weapons.”
“Abaddon knows what he is doing, Your Highness.” Jozsef shrugged. “You should not worry yourself with these things. Let the General take care of it.”
“What of the little problem in China?” Ruth asked her son. “Have we had any word on the whereabouts of the ‘insurgents’ holding the tomb of the first emperor?”
“They have gone.” Jozsef answered for Bari. “I haven’t heard what became of them.”
Jozsef would not tell his precious lady everything. He didn’t trust her. She was the only creature on the face of the earth at that moment, which might have been considered his equal, and he would not allow her to gain the upper hand by acquiring too much knowledge. So far, she had seemed extremely pleased with the diversions he had provided for her. Like him, she was absolutely amazed at what had become of their little planet. They had never had problems before, when their kind had ruled the earth, but things were different now. Very different and Jozsef had grown quite attached to the new earth.
Hubur was still learning about it, and she had not expressed to him whether she was favorably impressed with it or not… not yet, but he felt she would come to feel as he did about this world of bright light and blue sky and the feel of silky hair on her skin, among other things. One thing he knew for sure, he would not be turning this new Paradise over to Tiamat. He planned to keep it for himself.
Of course, there would have to be further adjustments, and they would have to get rid of a great majority of the humans now overrunning it, but that would not take long. They were already at each others’ throats. All they needed was a bit of coaxing, a little encouragement and they would take care of the problem themselves. Already, his dark companion had eliminated a goodly proportion of the populations in Asia and parts of the sub-continent. Add to that, the toll taken on the so-called West by his own little war and the total world population had been reduced by an impressive twenty per cent, if his figures were correct.
“But who were they?” Bari frowned at Jozsef. “Why would anyone want to take over a tomb?”
“Who knows?” Jozsef smiled at him. “Probably some superstitious fanatics protesting the commercial use of the site. Probably blaming the opening of the First Emperor’s Tomb for the price of tea or some such. Some of those hillsmen are quite backwards. Of course, the truth of the matter would no doubt drive them all insane.” Jozsef laughed and Ruth smiled at him.
“If Abaddon keeps on with these all out struggles and holocausts, there won’t be any nations left to subjugate.” Bari complained. “I have been studying the wars of old.” He looked at his mother and his expression changed. “I remember that you once told me I should study the past to know the future. Do you remember that…? Naomi?” He leaned closer to her, seeking approval in her dark eyes.
“Of course, I do, Bari.” She ran one silky cool hand down his face. “I’m glad you shaved your beard for me.”
He had finally given in to her wishes concerning his beard. Now, he suddenly regretted it when her touch made him shudder.
“I have been studying the crusades.” He continued when she seemed to show no further interest in his activities. “My father seemed to be obsessed with them, and I thought it best to learn as much as I could about what interests him as well. One never knows when one might face one’s father again…” He frowned down at the tiles. “I wonder why we haven’t heard from him lately. And my great-grandfather, Sir Ramsay. You would think he would want to gloat a bit over his success at recovering his dear friend. If he is so powerful…”
“Don’t concern yourself with him, Bari.” Jozsef stood up suddenly and stretched his arms over his head. “It’s unlikely he would come back here just to gloat. It’s not in his nature. I believe it’s time for lunch.” He clapped his hands and a servant came at once to bow before him. “See to the Emperor’s lunch.” He barked at the kneeling man. “He should take it in his room.”
When Bari attempted to protest, Jozsef held up one hand and smiled. “There are some reports from Abaddon I believe needs your attention, your Grace.” He cast a cool eye at Bari. “You will need to know what is going on when we meet with the Indonesian envoy this afternoon. You will find them on your personal computer.”
“But I wanted to discuss the crusades with mo… Naomi!” Bari protested.
“Some other time.” Jozsef told him. “Your mother was just about to go upstairs for a bath… isn’t that right, my Queen?”
“Yes. The heat is oppressive.” She nodded and passed one hand over her forehead. “We can talk later, Joel.”
“Of course.” Bari stood up reluctantly as his mother slid from the chaise lounge.
“Go along now and take care of those papers or whatever it is.” Ruth kissed him lightly on the cheek. “And be sure to eat well. Eating well is one of the most pleasing experiences one can enjoy in this life. I’m sure we will have time to talk later tonight when it is cooler.”
Jozsef took the Queen’s arm in his and escorted her from the courtyard. Bari stood looking after them with a deep scowl on his face. When he turned to see the servant waiting for him, he lashed out at him viciously, deriding him for his slovenly appearance and calling him a variety
of insulting names. He was very jealous of the time his mother spent with Jozsef, even though he was becoming more and more reluctant to spend time with her himself. It was as if his worst fears were coming true after all. But he would not allow Jozsef to take Omar’s place in his mother’s heart. Even if he had to kill him, he would not lose her again. Jozsef had not followed through on his promise to bring his younger brother here yet and so, he had to bide his time before doing anything rash. He would have to wait until that was accomplished, and by then, he would know for sure if anything would need to be done about Jozsef Daniel.
(((((((((((((
Luke Andrew sat straight up in his tousled bed and almost screamed before he realized where he was. He rubbed at his face and drew several deep, reviving breaths. Another of the confounded deep sleeps had overtaken him and he wondered how long he’d slept this time… a day? A week? Without Galen or Michael there to check on him, he doubted anyone would notice whether he was alive or dead. The nightmares had left him covered in cold sweat. He had seen things he never hoped to see again. He’d relived the terrible time he had spent in his father’s lab in the keep in the underworld when the Queen of the Abyss had come and taken his dead father’s body in the cold, dark mist. Then he had seen Ruth and Omar together, but she had been dead and rotted. And he’d tried to tell Omar to get away from her, but Omar had held her skeletal hand and kissed her bare-bones smile as if it were perfectly natural. Last, but not least, he had seen a horrible scene of war and destruction, fire and explosions of massive proportions. Entire cities destroyed and thousands of people dead in the streets and the fields.
After a quick shower and a long drink from the remains of his father’s stock of Scotch, he found Louis Champlain and Barry in the Library and learned that Sophia had returned unexpectedly without Galen, Michael or Vanni. Luke dashed back up the stairs in time to push his father back inside his room as he was coming out.
“A word with you, please, Father.” Luke left no room for refusal.
Mark Andrew stepped back in surprise at seeing his son once more dressed in the Ramsay red tartan. Luke closed the heavy door and spun about, leaning against it breathlessly.
“I suppose that I could lie up there and sleep an eternity away and no one would notice?” Luke frowned at his father.
“Is thot wot ye’ve come fur? T’ bitch me out? If ye’d set yur alarm clock, ye’ve ’ave nae need of a wake up sarvice!”
“Thot’s nae wot I’ve come furrrrr.” Luke drew himself up disdainfully and tugged on his leather belt. “I’ve been told Miss Sophia has returned without the boys and she has a message for your ears only.”
“Thot’s th’ long and short of it.” Mark Andrew nodded.
“I’ve had some very disturbing dreams, and I thought you might like to know sometimes…” Luke made a wry face and looked about the room as if trying to decide how to tell his father he had prophetic dreams. The last thing he wanted to be was a prophet. They had enough prophets in the Order. “Well, sometimes they come true.”
“Oh? Is thot so? And wot wud ye be dreamin’ aboot this toime?” Mark’s eyebrow shot up in alarm.
“I dreamt that another war is going to wipe out what looked like China or maybe India.” Luke told him solemnly. “A nuclear war led by our old friend, Abaddon.”
“Ahh, well, ye can rest easy. Thot’s olready undarway. Ye missed th’ furst part and twud ’ave made nae dif’rence ’ad ye told it aforehand. Thair wud ’ave been naught t’ do aboot it. Is thot oll?”
“No. I… dreamt that Ruth was with Omar again and she was… she was…” Luke choked on the memory of the horrible sight of Ruth’s decomposing body.
“Well? Spit it out. I’ll be late fur me meetin’!”
“Well, she was all rotted and everything and Omar didn’t seem to care.” Luke blurted. “It was horrible. It tried to tell him!”
“Well, Ruth is gone, laddie, and so is Omar.” Mark’s face grew dark and his brogue faded somewhat. “You performed the rite on her yourself.” His voice softened a bit. “She’s gone. It was just a nightmare. Perhaps because Omar never really listened to any of us… even his own advisor… that made you dream it.” Mark placed one hand on his son’s shoulder. “Give yourself a break, son. We’ve all been through a bad time, and it’s not going to get better anytime soon. Now, I need to find out what Lucifer has to say. I have a very bad feeling about this. He was never easy to deal with.”
“You really knew him?” Luke’s eyes widened. Of all the things he knew as truth about his father, this was hardest to believe. Angels were certainly not what everyone seemed to think they were.
“Aye. It seems so, though I have a hard time believing it myself. Is there anything else?”
“Well, there was one other thing.” Luke began and then stopped. He could not bring himself to tell his father that he’d seen his decapitated head again. “But it’s fading now. It must have just been nightmares, like you said.”
“Sure it was.” Mark Andrew nodded and Luke stepped aside. He put his hand on the doorknob and Luke cleared his throat loudly.
“Yes?” Mark stopped again.
“You might want to be careful when you talk to Sophia.” Luke told him.
“Oh? Is she dangerous?” Mark smiled at his son.
“Yes.” Luke nodded. “You should know.”
“All women are dangerous.” Mark Andrew opened the door.
“Especially women in love.” Luke stepped past him into the hall.
“In love?” Mark frowned at his back. “Who is she in love with? Philip? Konrad?”
Luke shook his head slowly.
“You?” Mark continued.
“If she were in love with me, do you think her father would allow us to marry?” Luke raised both eyebrows.
“I don’t see why not, but now is not the time to be asking her. Let’s get this business over with, and then we’ll see.”
“She’s not in love with me.” Luke barred his way.
“Luke! Fur pity’s sake! Let me go now. If ye want t’ woo th’ lassie, ye ’ave me parmission, if thot’s wot ye’re aftar.” Mark sighed in exasperation.
“She’s in love with you.” Luke smiled at him slightly, almost apologetically, and then turned away from him quickly, leaving him standing in the hall.
Mark stood in the deserted hallway for several long seconds before backing into his room and closing the door softly. He walked back to the closet and looked through his clothes. They were all virtually identical. All variations on the same theme. Black. Black. And black. He had one white shirt with a stiff eastern-style collar and black buttons. He had no idea if it was still fashionable, but with half the world going up in flames and Lucifer rampaging on a personal crusade, it hardly seemed important. He pulled it from under the plastic cover and changed from the black tab collar shirt into the white dress shirt. He looked down at the black, cotton slacks and frowned. He found a pair of dark gray dress slacks and put them on instead. Now the boots looked weird when he put them back on. He found his low cut dress shoes, but the white socks would not work. He had to find some black socks and then he went back to the bathroom and looked at his hair. The hair was hopeless. He pulled it back in a pony tail and wrapped the white braid around it, tucking the silver earrings underneath before fastening it with a black rubber band. He turned his head from side to side and then froze, staring at himself in horror. He still looked the same as ever.
“Whattar ye doin’?” He asked himself aloud and received no answer.
The Knight of Death hurried back to the closet and retrieved his black shirt and boots. He sat down on the bed and began to take off his shoes.
A knock sounded at his door.
“Come in!” He shouted in irritation. No doubt, Luke Andrew had returned to torment him some more.
Simon stepped into the room.
“Miss Sophia is waiting for you in the parlor.” The Healer announced.
“I have to finish dressing.�
�� Mark Andrew told him.
“What? You look fine.” Simon came to take his arm. “In fact, you look better than usual. Come on, now! She’s been waiting for more than an hour. And the Grand Master sent me up to see what was keeping you.”
Mark Andrew closed his eyes briefly and then retied the shoestrings and checked his cuffs. He went to the mirror over the dresser and leaned toward his own reflection.
“Do you think I should shave again?” He rubbed his chin and frowned.
“Come on.” Simon took his arm. “What is wrong with you? You act like you’re getting ready for a dinner-dance!”
“Wait.” Mark rushed back to the bathroom and splashed some cologne on his face. “Dammit, Simon!”
“What?!” The Healer called from the bedroom.
“I don’t want to go down there.” Mark told him and then stuck his head out the door.
“What?” Simon repeated.
“I don’t want to talk to her.” Mark stood blinking at him.
“That’s ridiculous. Now, come on.” Simon took his arm and dragged him from the room.
(((((((((((((
Luke Andrew passed by the open door of the parlor and stopped briefly to look in on Sophia. She allowed him to hug her and kiss her cheek, assuring him she was all right. He thought she looked exceptionally well, considering what she had been through. She had borrowed a dress from her sister and sat primly waiting for his father on the green velvet sofa.
All That Is Fallen Page 5
