“Where is he?” She asked him point blank.
“That, I don’t know. Marduk’s fellow reports he is no longer in the house. The last time we saw him, he was in the upstairs window, shouting for us to go and find Lord Marduk. He said he would join us in the caves and threw his sword down from the window. I think he was being blackmailed by Huber. I think he sacrificed himself to save us.”
“You think he is dead?!” She stood up and he shook his head.
“I don’t know he is dead, but I don’t know what happened to him,” Mark told her. “But I do know that if he is able, he will do everything within his power to help us… all of us.”
Luke Matthew stepped out of the cave and called them inside. Their thirty-seven ‘glimmers’ were up.
(((((((((((((
Ereshkigal and her Boggans and several more people ran down the meadow between the pavilions, covered gaming areas and playing fields. Something tremendous had just erupted from the earth in the middle of the driving range, throwing dark earth and rock fragments in all directions; at this, the Queen was furious.
The huge dark creature, or whatever it was, ripped upwards into the sky, trailing tufts of grass, pebbles, dirt and dust behind it. Then it banked and swooped back down onto the remains of the green, coming to rest at the far end of the meadow. They could see it quite clearly, a tremendous black shape glimmering in the ultra green grass. It was alive, a living creature, exceedingly sleek with a long tail, two bulbous eyes and flippers on either side of its broad mouth.
As they ran toward it, the skin seemed to ripple and then the mouth opened wide, exposing a bright light from within. Five figures, silhouetted against the glare walked out of the gaping mouth and across the green toward them.
“How dare you destroy my driving range?!” The angry Queen shouted as they slowed to a walk.
Louis stopped and held Oriel back. Konrad ran on few dozen yards closer with Levi and Apolonio. Paddy and his clurichauns, Lemarik’s Templars and some of the Boggans formed an impromptu line of resistance across the yard in front of the Queen. Thaddeus stopped and waited for his father and mother to catch up.
The mouth closed and the light disappeared.
“Lucifer!” Konrad shouted when he recognized the figure of the errant messenger of Light. “Great God in Heaven!” He shouted and ran toward them.
They stopped short in front of the unexpected travelers and Lucifer raised both arms. Beams of light sprouted from the top of his head and from both hands.
“Behold and fear not, I bring good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people, men and elves! All who are here below and those above,” he began his announcement. “To you is born a child, Who will be a testament and a sign unto you. He shall be the beginning and the end, the Blessed and only Potentate, the Bread of Life, the Bright and Morning Star. Lo, bow ye down and worship Him that He might be unto you a Savior.”
“What is he talking about?” Apolonio asked his grandfather.
“I think I know,” Levi said and turned to look back toward the pavilion where Menaka had stayed behind with Sophia and the baby.
“The child is here?” Armand asked as Konrad hugged and kissed him in the Templar fashion.
“He is,” Konrad said. “How did you…? Where did you…? What is that… creature?!”
“That is Uriel’s spaceship. Surely, even you have heard the tale of Jonah and the Leviathan?” Lucifer answered before hurrying off down the meadow toward the pavilion in search of the baby with the Queen and her Boggan Captain on his heels. He ignored her demands for answers, and the Captain’s orders to halt. Her Boggan soldiers were terrified of him, and the others made no move to stop him. He traveled on, unstoppable until he reached the black, red and yellow pavilion near the barbecue pit. Sophia stood up when she saw them all coming toward her. Menaka stepped in front of her instinctively and shoved the baby in her arms.
Lucifer stopped directly in front of Menaka, and then went down on his knees, bowing his head before the child.
Everything seemed to stop and nothing could be heard other than the beating hearts of everyone present.
The angel rose slowly and raised his arms once more, this time the light shone from his face.
“Glory unto God, the Most High. Hosana! Hosana! Praise be unto God and all His Creation! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men and all creatures great and small.”
Lucifer began to sing, giving credence to the belief that the songs of angels are impossibly beautiful. The language was unknown to his listeners, but none dared to move as his song filled the meadow and the woods with a sound unheard in the world for thousands of years. Ashmodai joined him and the Boggans covered their ears, and cowered on the ground unable to bear the angelic voices. Menaka laid the baby on the table and uncovered him for all to see, and as the angels sang their praises, the Templars and all the creatures gathered there, with the exception of the Queen’s Guard. Armand brought out his little gold box filled with incense and gave over the white knit cap that his wife had made for the baby. Menaka took it from him and put it on the baby’s head and the tiny boy smiled his first real smile.
“Allo, little one,” Armand whispered and touched the baby’s cheek with one finger. “May all the blessings of all the Universe fill your house as mine has been blessed.”
The French Elf stepped back and allowed everyone to file by. Some touched the child’s toes, others his hands or fingers. Some simply stared at him in awe while some offered blessings and words of encouragement for Sophia, who stood by in a state of mild shock. When the singing stopped, Ereshkigal approached the table and eyed the former warrior chieftain suspiciously.
“Now, Lord Lucifer,” she said. “If you are finished, would you please tell me what you are doing here destroying my party?” She gestured toward the ruined driving range.
“Your party? Party. Hmmm. Party. Festival? Celebration? Very good!” He nodded. “Excellent. You surprise me, Dark One.”
“Will you please not call me that? It is so disrespectful,” she complained through gritted teeth, but took his arm, escorting him away from the pavilion. “Now tell me of this child. What is so special about him?”
“I would be glad to do so, but we are on our way to the Seventh Gate, home of Uriel. We are trying to find him. Alas, my good Queen, we will not be able to stay and join in the festivities.”
“I’m afraid you have no choice,” she told him. “There are foul things afoot in the Seventh Gate, and I cannot permit you to go there. I will not have my reunion ruined before it is begun. I am using every power at my beck and call to protect us even now, and I’m not sure how long I can hold out. I am, after all, only one great power. Afterward the reunion, perhaps, we can formulate some plan of action to deal with the problem there.”
“But what of Uriel?” He asked her and then frowned as he realized his mission was over. He had announced the child and sung his praises and Hymn of Gratitude to the Lord. He had no idea what to do next. “This child is his grandson. He should be here for the great occasion.”
“And he will be,” she patted the angel’s hand solicitously. “Ahhh. Here is my husband now, the esteemed Lord Nergal.”
Nergal had emerged from the woods riding a black horse, dressed in silver and black armor, resplendent in his battle gear. The Queen had not seen him decked out in such a fine array in ages.
“So, you are going?” She looked up at him.
“I am. I owe him a few favors.” Nergal looked down his nose at the angel and his dark eyes snapped with recognition. “What is he doing here?”
“He just dropped by to see the child of Adar’s son,” she explained.
“Oh,” Nergal nodded, seemingly satisfied with the abbreviated explanation. He reined in his horse and started off down the meadow. “Well, my love, I should not wish him to stay overlong. Angels tend to cause trouble wherever they go.”
“Do not tarry long in the Seventh Gate, m
y love,” she called after him as he rode away, followed by a small group of Plotius’ soldiers. “You will have to excuse him, Lord Lucifer. He is concerned about his friend, the esteemed Lord Marduk.”
“I see.” Lucifer glanced back at the crowd around the table. They were all talking with Christopher and Armand, who were filling them in on everything they knew from the underworld, exchanging information and marveling over the child Sophia now held very close to her as if she were afraid someone would snatch him from her. “So what do you have planned? I haven’t attended such a gathering in eons. Do you have honey? Goat’s milk? Locusts? I have developed a taste for something called dried banana chips. Do you have those?”
“I think we might be able to find some for you. We have a variety of overworld fruits and vegetables here.” She turned around and walked him back toward the tables. “You certainly have a commanding voice. Tell me, does Adar also possess such a talent?”
“I am not sure what you mean, Great Dark One,” he said. “I have never heard him praise the Lord with song, though I am sure he is capable of it. I have been told it is one my better attributes.”
“You are quite lovely in appearance,” she told him and his eyebrows shot up.
“I have been told that as well,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Are you related to the Tuatha de Danaan? Your fairness of skin and hair color would suggest it. My captain is planning to bring one of them to the reunion. It should be an interesting affair.”
“Your Captain? The human with the Boggan soul?” He raised both eyebrows again.
“Oh, so you have met Plotius?” She asked, surprised by his perception.
“Yes, I have seen him from a distance.”
“What do you think of him? Would a Tuathan make a good match for him? I believe he is lonely.”
“He is an abomination,” Lucifer said lightly. “Neither man nor beast and yet both. His heart might well burst in his chest if he were not so very young. Where is his original form? Do you still have the shell of the Boggan?”
Ereshkigal was shocked by the angel’s questions and comments. She could not answer.
“I could perform the transfer for you with ease, if you like,” he offered. “It would be very much like an exorcism of sorts.”
“I see,” she said shortly and then narrowed her eyes. “Have you been talking to that little King?”
“Ahhh, Uriel’s son. He is quite overcome by the birth of the child. No, I haven’t had time to speak with him as I have only just arrived. Why do you ask?”
“No particular reason. I would appreciate it very much if you would speak with him and make sure he is faring well. I will attend to my captain without your intervention.”
“As you prefer, My Shadowy Queen,” he said and bowed his head slightly.
Lucifer rose up slightly on his toes and looked toward the group of people milling about the pavilion where the ghostly Templar Knights were still on their knees praying the Rosary. He could see Sophia sitting behind the table with her chin propped in one hand. She looked almost bored since the shock had passed. Oriel had taken over holding the baby before Sophia crushed him to death while the Templars prayed on and on. Il Dolce Mio was sitting on the edge of the table behind her, leaning over her shoulder, alternately staring at the baby and talking with Menaka and Levi in an animated fashion, waving his slender hands about in the air in front of him. His blue eyes were very wide and his cheeks flushed deep red.
“Allow me to draw nigh unto him and learn what his condition is, Your Highness.” Lucifer disengaged her arm from his and moved away toward the table. Within seconds, he had planted himself on the table behind the elf. Ereshkigal watched until Lucifer captured the elf king’s attention, and then turned her own attention to her newest arrivals. Two more unexpected guests. Armand de Bleu who was actually very distantly related due to his kinship to Lavon de Bleu, who had been briefly married to her daughter Oriel, which would make him her ex-uncle-in-law.
She made a bee-line directly for the golden-skinned former-Knight, who was sitting on one end of the long table under the pavilion, drinking ale from a pewter tankard while talking with Christopher and Paddy. They fell silent as the Queen drew near, but she paid no attention.
“Armand de Bleu! What a surprise.” She sat down next to him and leaned against the table. “You are looking wonderfully well. How are things in old castle Ramsay?”
The Knight-turned-elf looked at her suspiciously and then drew a deep breath.
“Things are going quite well,” he told her. “We have just brought in a new season’s wool harvest and the shepherds report an unusually high number of new lambs. Next year’s crop should be even better. The dairies are flourishing, and this year’s cream is sweeter and thicker than last year’s. Even the apiaries report record harvests. We should be able to trade the honey down south for enough wine to last for a while and bit. I have filled four hundred orders for household items from the Tuatha de Danann and have two hundred and thirty-seven more unfinished projects. Enough to keep me busy for an age or two. How are things in the Fifth Gate?”
Ereshkigal nodded her head slowly with her mouth slightly agape. She’d not expected such a detailed answer.
“Oh, so-so,” she answered after a bit. “Do you still keep in touch with Lavon, my former son-in-law? He’s a lovely lad, simply lovely. And intelligent, I hear.”
“Lavon is quite intelligent, yes,” Armand agreed. “He is a marvel with electronic gizmos. Not exactly my cup of tea. I rather prefer the pastoral life. Farmlands, vineyards, fields and fen. That sort of thing.”
“I see.” the Queen smiled. “Welcome to the Fifth Gate, at any rate. I hope you enjoy your stay. The festivities will be getting underway shortly. In the meantime, my daughter, Oriel, and my son, Konrad, should see to your needs quite readily. They are darling children.”
“Of course, they are.” Armand returned her smile and, when she was gone, he downed the rest of his drink. Paddy refilled it for him.
“Dunna let ’er se ye sweat. She’s on ’er best be’avior.” Paddy called for more ale and his cousin Seamus went to fetch it for them. The Templar Knights finally finished their prayers and joined them at the end of the table, ready to raise a cup or two in honor of the infant king. “’ow air th’ boys? Torrie, Renn and Gil?”
“They are spending the summer with the brown men. Learning to be shepherds. I think a well-rounded education would be best for them.” Armand eyed the five Knights, who were speaking together quietly in French, while one of the Boggans filled their tankards.
“Well, thot’s gud t’ ’ear, but I ’ope ye came prepared t’ stay fur awhoile and a bit,” Paddy told him. “We’ve oll come, but none have gone, other than th’ gud Laird Nergal and ’is companion, Marduk.”
“You mean we are trapped here?” Armand’s eyes widened. He looked at Christopher Stewart in surprise for confirmation.
“It would seem so,” Christopher whispered over the rim of his beer. “Ashmodel has been trying to get Leviathan to wake up, but it appears our ship has gone to sleep and none can rouse him.”
“But Sir Ramsay is not here,” Armand answered him in a desperate whisper. “We can’t stay here to entertain the queen. Surely Ashmodel and Lucifer can do something.”
“I think that we’ve come as far as we can…” Christopher hushed as the Queen walked back by them with Menaka in tow.
“Ahhh, did I introduce ye t’ th’ Berts?” Paddy took over quickly when Ereshkigal cast a suspicious glance at them.
“The Berts?” Armand raised both eyebrows.
“Yes, the Berts,” Michael said as he sat down next to him. “They are quite entertaining.”
Paddy smiled and nodded to the Templars, who raised their tankards in a toast toward them.
(((((((((((((
The General rushed down the hall of the Djinni’s palace in search of his unlikely host. The Djinni was in his lab in the lower portion of the structure accord
ing to his daughter. The stairs, crossed, crisscrossed and wound their way down and down into the belly of the marble beast. Ernst trotted across narrow bridges built over fanciful grottoes and chasms filled with wondrous sights, but he was not interested in the scenery, he was almost positive they had a much bigger problem. Only the Djinni’s daughter had condescended to answer him when he’d asked about Lemarik’s whereabouts, but then the girl was precocious and fearless, apparently having led a very sheltered life… so far.
He came upon the elaborate door to the Djinni’s laboratory and stopped. A large brass knocker shaped like a porpoise was mounted in the center of the door. The General used it to rap three times as the daughter had instructed him.
Lemarik answered the door promptly enough, but Schweikert was shocked to see him dressed in a rubber chemical apron, elbow length gloves, rubber boots, goggles, welding helmet and ear protectors carrying a huge pair of red-hot tongs in one hand.
The Djinni pushed up the ear protectors on his helmet, pulled down the goggles and looked at him expectantly.
“Sir!” Schweikert was almost out of breath. “I am not sure, but I think I saw your son and your daughter… you eldest daughter, take a plunge off the roof.”
“A plunge?” Lemarik frowned in confusion.
“In the storm, Your Grace,” Schweikert continued. “I was watching the storm from my balcony, and I saw two people who looked very much like them, fall from above into the sea. I’m quite sure it was Omar and his sister, Madame Dunya.”
The Wayward Godking Page 4
