“I’ll tell you all about it.” Sophia promised as they began to take the uniform off of him again. He was very disappointed. “You’re going to like outside.”
“Outside.” He repeated the new word again with the appropriate amount of awe.
(((((((((((((
“How long are we going to keep that wretched creature upstairs?” Ruth was clearly agitated.
Jozsef closed the double doors to the balcony and went to sit beside her on the sofa. He took her hand and pressed it to his lips.
“Do not concern your beautiful head about him. I believe that he is beyond redemption.” Jozsef told her. “Abaddon and I have tried everything and he is simply a shell. There is nothing behind those eyes.”
“And they are your eyes, my love.” Ruth narrowed her own dark eyes sharply. “I do not like looking at him. If he is of no use, then I suggest that you get rid of him… and the woman… and try again. The direct approach would be best. Bring the Healer or his son back here. Perhaps both of them. We could use them against each other. They are not as adept at subterfuge as the one called Menaka. She is utterly dangerous. The daughter of a Watcher. Do not bring her again! And I do not trust this one you keep. She is also the daughter of a Watcher! You would do well to rid yourself of her company before she turns on you.”
“I will do my best, my pet.” Jozsef told her solicitously. He was tired of Hubur’s nagging. She was getting on his last nerve, but she had been better since they had learned that the slaughter of her ‘children’ had ceased. Jozsef was still worried about where the angelic band might have gone. They’d not been seen or heard from him in weeks. The Temple was intact. The treasure was secure. He’d sent a contingency of his best soldiers down to set up a small camp in the courtyard of the Temple to keep the scavengers away. But when they had learned of the disaster at the coronation of the King of the Franks and the failure of his assassins to complete their task, she had resumed her constant complaints, blaming him for the failure of the imbeciles.
Hubur ran her fingers through his hair and then leaned forward, placing her head on his chest.
“We are going so slowly.”
“Are you not happy here with me?” He asked and kissed the top of her head.
“Happy?” She rubbed her face on his tunic. “What is that? Happy?”
Jozsef sighed. His hopes of transforming the mighty Hubur into something a bit more docile… a bit more… human, had quickly faded. She was anxious to return to her former state. Unlike Jozsef Daniel, she had formed no affinity for the form or the world as it stood.
“I have had news from Abaddon!” He told her suddenly and she sat up.
“And?”
“He has routed the Djinni from his palace and destroyed his army. The mighty Adalune and a small band have fled.”
“Fled? To where?”
“That… I don’t know, but we have greatly reduced his strength and his power. With any luck, he has abandoned the world. If only we could have taken his woman, things would have gone ill for him.”
Hubur let out a long sigh of disgust and leaned on the opposite end of the sofa, twirling a strand of hair around one long finger.
“Your dark angel is incompetent! You should let me bring some of my children here to help us.” She eyed him coldly.
“Perhaps.” He agreed, but had no intention of doing so. Her children had all fallen into the Abyss long ago and Jozsef intended to leave them there. These great beasts roaming the desert wastelands were one thing, but the creatures of which she was now speaking were something else again. Her children. He shuddered. The world was not ready for them just yet. “Won’t you come to bed, my love? We will talk more of it tomorrow.”
He got up and took her hand. These little chores were becoming increasingly tedious. He preferred Nicole’s company, but Hubur was usurping more and more of his precious time. He hardly left her eyesight now. He needed to find more time to spend with the one called Adar, the mighty Hunter. He had to be absolutely sure that the Knight of Death had been destroyed before he finished the task. As it was, it was doing no harm to keep him at the palace and the woman was quite lovely. Opposite Nicole in every aspect. He fully intended to add her to his growing collection when he was done with Mark Ramsay, but he would keep Nicole for himself in spite of what Hubur thought of her. He had grown quite attached to the moody blonde. She was the only one not afraid to speak her mind to him. She was very much like her father… or what her father had once been. It was a shame that the great Adar had been destroyed. Hubur was right about one thing. Abaddon was a fool.
For now, he was content to bide his time until things were right. He had made several mistakes, some nearly fatal ones, in haste. They were safe here. Adar was no longer a threat. Adalune was on the run. The rest of the Templars were ensconced in Scotland. The King of the Franks had gone home to France to pout. The Vatican was terrified of him. He was concerned with three things. De Goth in Bavaria. Lucifer, wherever he was. And the Ark in Jerusalem. If the brown powder Abaddon had brought back from Scotland could so completely destroy Adar, then it would be just a matter of time before they destroyed all the Watchers, one by one. And what did it matter if it took a few years to do it? They had time. Plenty of time. He ran his hand over the lump under his tunic. He never allowed the strange crystal device out of his sight. Even the mighty Omar Kadif had been powerless against it. After he destroyed the Watchers, he would absorb the rest of their brood and that would be the end of it. He would keep the remnants of humanity around to do his bidding and take up the old throne of Yaldabaoth. And all that had fallen and were buried would rise again to new glory, but this time, he, Sabaoth, would reign supreme.
Chapter Twenty-Two of Twenty-Two
Teach us to number our days, that we may
gain a heart of wisdom.
Bari retreated into the depths of his laboratory below the palace. The body of the child that Jozsef had recovered for him lay in a stainless steel box, locked in a cold-storage vault. The Emperor did not know why he kept coming down here. He abhorred the thing now, but it seemed, at times, that he could think of nothing but the child. And though he cringed at the thought of seeing its shriveled body again, he could not resist taking the case out of the cooler and looking at it. It almost seemed it would and should talk to him.
He opened the lid and the super-cooled air inside the box created a brief mist before dissipating in the warmer air in the laboratory. Bari stood staring down at the sunken face of the baby. It looked like a mummy now. Leathery and brown as if it were hundreds or even thousands of years old. Completely desiccated by the cold, dry air.
He swallowed hard and leaned over the box. Why did he come here? Why did he punish himself so? Why did he not destroy it and be done with it?
He gripped the edge of the box until his knuckles were white and then straightened up, suddenly angry.
“No!” He shouted at the lifeless thing. “I will not succumb to you! You are nothing! Dead! Just dead!”
He flung himself across the laboratory to the large furnace for melting metals set in one corner. He quickly adjusted the controls and heard the whump of the flame as the burner ignited. The heavy, steel-reinforced door swung open and he looked into the depths of the oven which was already beginning to glow slightly. The heat blasted his face as he waited for the firebricks to turn completely red. When the heat became intense, he ran back to the box and reached inside gingerly to lift out the fragile body of the dead child. He held it away from himself in both hands, willing away the urge to cradle it to his chest.
“I will not be a slave to you!” He told it as he carried it slowly to the furnace. “I wash my hands of you! You were an abomination and I have paid for my sin! I have lost my father and my mother because of you!”
He hesitated a bare few seconds in front of the oven, before tossing the body into the open door. He slammed the door, fastened the bar across it and turned the heat all the way up. There would soon be no
thing left of his ‘brother’, but a small pile of ashes and those he would throw into the wind from the parapets. He backed away from the roaring furnace and then crumpled into a heap on the floor, weeping into his hands as he waited for the fire to do its job. He wished his grandfather could have been there to see what he was doing, could see that he had finally freed himself of his last obsession. He was free and he was ready to make amends for the crimes he had committed and the pain he had caused. Avenging his father was on the top of his list of things to do. He had no hope of bringing Omar back. He had seen the futility of that in the creature now masquerading as his mother. He had been insane. Irresponsible and just plain stupid, willingly playing the part of the fool. Out of control. If only his grandfather would come. If only his great-grandfather would recover enough, he would beg his forgiveness! He wanted them all to know that he had changed!
Slowly and painfully, he got onto his knees in the brightly lit lab and crossed himself as Reuben and Joey had taught him.
“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name…” He began to repeat the Lord’s Prayer. It was the only prayer he knew.
(((((((((((((
Mark Andrew slid from the horse and helped Sophia down from her mount. She was still having a bit of trouble with the dress that had come with her form in this world. The hem was caught on the stirrup. Mark Andrew worked with the material futilely and then yanked on it ruthlessly. The white material was tough, but it ripped apart in his hands and he held up the piece, before shrugging apologetically.
“I’m sorry, but this has to go,” he said and pushed her away from him a few steps and then closed his eyes as if he were in pain for several seconds.
“Just like… that?” Sophia looked down and found herself dressed exactly like Mark without the crown and the sword. She held out her arms under the black mantel and then smiled. The jig was up as they said in this day and age. She tossed her silver hair over her shoulders and adjusted the clasps on the mantle.
“Just like that!” He turned to smile at her. Her blue eyes sparkled in the last rays of the sun. “Are you ready to do this? I must say I was a bit surprised to see you, but all things considered, it is no more than I deserve.”
“We deserve. We will stay together then? You are not ashamed to be seen with me?” She eyed the yawning black cavern in front of them.
“I think it would be impossible to separate.” He told her and frowned again. “I can’t hold you responsible for what I did.”
“What we did. You and I… together. We have never truly been apart. At least not long.” She nodded solemnly and rose up just a bit in order to reach his lips with hers. “For luck.” She smiled. “One thing about it, John Mark, no one will ever understand you like I do.”
“Aye, that’s for certain, but I don’t believe in luck and neither do you.” He told her and took her hand in his.
“Well… it’s what everyone says and a good excuse for a kiss.” She told him as they stepped into the gloomy cave. “You should feel privileged to have my admiration, Sir. I daresay your good friend and brother, Marduk Kurios, did not fare so well with his own Semiramis. Oh, you are a dandy.”
“And you are one to be talking.” Mark retorted and then chuckled. “I feel like I’m talking to my reflection in a mirror.”
“Yes and your only troubles at the moment are this one talks back.” She agreed. “What will you do about Mark Andrew and Sophia? You know we can’t just leave them to fend for themselves.”
Mark picked up a small rock from the floor of the cavern and held it in his open palm. The rock began to give off a blue light that gradually increased in brightness until the blackness was almost completely dispatched from the circular chamber.
“Hold this. I’ve been thinking on that. I’m sure a plan will eventually present itself.” He gave the rock to her and let go of her hand. “Now stand behind me.”
“I have always stood behind you.” She laughed softly, but took up the position with her back to his, watching the entrance of the cavern.
Mark sat on the floor of the cave and pressed his palms together, beginning the chant that would allow them to enter the First Gate. He intended to go through all the gates, gathering any of the dwellers who might be home before convening a Council of War. They had dallied long enough. He could not understand why he had not heard from Nanna or Marduk. Sophia glanced about at the sandy floor as the small pebbles and grains of sand began to vibrate, causing the ground around her feet to become blurry. She could hear the rocks behind her grinding and grating as Mark made the incantation necessary to open the way to the Abyss. He had debated taking them directly to the Seventh Gate and working backwards, but the silence from the Watchers had made him wary of dropping into the middle of something that they might have trouble getting out of. If something was amiss in the Gates, he wanted to ease into it.
“All right!”
She heard him get up and then she turned around, holding up the blue stone. A sizable opening had appeared in the formerly blank stone wall and beyond was a dim passage that glittered with a multitude of colored crystals embedded in the dark stone.
She took his hand and they walked cautiously into the first passage. When they were no more than a dozen feet from the entrance, it snapped shut with a thunderous boom that echoed away down the cavern in front of them. The noise was followed by a number skittering sounds that made Sophia shudder. Mark Andrew drew his sword and they proceeded down the passage, stepping quietly and quickly along the way.
(((((((((((((
“Lucio!” Armand was shocked to see the Golden Eagle and his son, sitting on their horses at his doorstep. “This is a surprise!” He said in earnest.
Lucio dismounted and Vanni followed him.
“Come in, Brother! Vanni! What a surprise. How is Christopher? And Sir Barry? Is Brother Simon well? Did Lavon come with you?” Armand’s face betrayed his shock and trepidation as he rolled off a stream of nervous questions. Mark Andrew had only just left a short while before. It was a wonder that they had not passed each other on the plain.
Armand held the door open for them after hugging both of them warmly while Lucio tried to answer all his questions.
“You’ve really fixed the old place up.” Lucio commented as he looked about the wonderland inside the keep. The lovely blonde faery that lived with Armand was stirring something in a black kettle at the fireplace. She smiled at them and came to greet them, allowing them to kiss her slender hand. A noise erupted on the stone stairs leading up to the second floor and three boys who looked to be about nine or ten years old, tumbled down the stairs together, laughing and shouting, before drawing up short in front of Armand.
“Torrence! Renaud! Gilbert!” Armand shook one finger at them. “What did I tell you about running on the stairs?!”
“Sorry, father.” The three boys said in unison and looked up at the golden Knight from under their brows.
Armand turned to Lucio, smiling broadly.
“Brother, I’d like to present my sons. Torrence, Renaud and Gilbert.” Armand held out his hand toward the boys and each one bowed slightly in turn. They wore the elven clothing, each one a different shade of green. Each one had bright blue eyes, slightly pointed ears and their father’s golden brown coloring. “Boys, say hello to your uncle, Lucio Dambretti, Knight of the Golden Eagle.”
“Ahhh.” Renaud’s eyes lit up. “You are one of the Knights of the Temple!”
“It is an honor, Sir!” Torrence stuck out his hand and Lucio shook it, smiling incredulously.
“We’ve heard all about you, Sir!” Gilbert shook his hand as well. “You can turn yourself into an eagle and a hawk and a great serpent.”
“A great serpent!” Renaud repeated. “I would love to be able to do that. I could frighten my brothers to death!”
Gilbert slapped at him and he ducked.
“That’s enough now.” Armand told them and shoved Renaud toward the door. “Go on outsi
de and stay out of trouble.” They turned to watch as the three youngsters chased each other out the door.
“Triplets!” Lucio watched them go in wonder. “I had no idea!”
“Things tend to happen here quite suddenly.” Armand smiled sheepishly and leaned toward Lucio to speak in confidence. “I had no idea either, Brother, but they keep us busy.” Armand smiled. He was very proud of them.
“I’m sure.” Lucio nodded and frowned at Vanni. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked his son.
“I thought you knew.” Vanni shrugged. He turned his attention to the blonde faery. “Lili, is Greta here?”
Lili nodded and then hurried up the stairs. Lucio’s frown deepened. Greta?
“What are you up to?” Armand dragged out one of the heavy chairs at the table and waited for Lucio to take a seat. “Merkit! Bring some mead for our guests!” He shouted to the brownie who stared at them suspiciously from the rear of the hall.
Lucio sat down while Vanni leaned against the newel post.
“I am looking for Mark Andrew.” He said without preamble. “I thought perhaps you might have some word of him.”
“As a matter of fact, he was just by this way.” Armand sat down on the bench.
“Really?” Lucio’s face lit up. “He was here?”
“Yes.” Armand nodded. “Actually, he told me not to tell anyone that he had come by, but I am not in the habit of lying, Brother. I would not have told, if you had not asked.”
“We thought that he had been abducted. There were signs at the chapel that he and Sophia had been attacked and carried off. The trail ended at the banks of the stream.” Lucio told him. “Then it was not so.”
“Oh, it might have been so.” Armand shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “He didn’t say.”
“Did he say where he was going?” Lucio asked him as Merkit reappeared with three tankards of the sweet honey mead.
All That Is Fallen Page 30
