“Now you sound like Papa Shadi.”
“Shadiki understood the power you have, but he despaired that greed would prevent humans from passing on that knowledge. Indeed, the human kings often kept the knowledge to themselves, wanting to be seen as gods on earth. My kind is no more god-like than yours, but your ancestors were easily led astray.”
“So, humans are like lambs,” his voice held a bitter edge, “easily led.”
“Yes, Darius. Humans are so easy to convince that they are unworthy. But it was not the Anunnaki who imposed those ideas. You can thank your own kind for that. It was humans who began to squash the teachings and who nurtured the false energies of greed and judgment.”
“Then, why help us? Why help such a faulty species?”
“Because I have always been in awe of the human spirit. Even in the darkest of circumstances, humans cling to an emotion we have little understanding of…hope. And even when I believe it is misdirected, the very existence of that emotion makes your kind strong.” Instinctively, she placed her palm over his heart.
“Men like your grandfather taught me what hope meant. That it is something worth fighting for. It is exactly what inspired me to leap through time frozen in a statue, trusting in an old man’s visions. I trust that destiny brought me here for a reason, and I will not fail. I cannot fail.”
Nearly choking on the intensity of her own emotions, she felt his hands on her shoulders pulling her into his chest. His muscles tensed and flexed under her cheek with his own conflicting emotions. She closed her eyes, absorbing strength from him.
“Darius, it will take more than physical strength to defeat Lilith.” Bakari spoke with the deep conviction of experience.
“Well, nature seems to have selected my species to have survived all this time.” A twinkle returned to his dark eyes. “Maybe our mental strength is pretty tough after all. We don’t need to be stronger. We need to be smarter.”
*
Darius winced as lightning slashed in the distance. The thunder boomed over a sea as turbulent as his heart. The northeastern storm had been gathering its forces off shore for days, waiting for its moment to besiege the coastline. Not unlike the forces gathered around his life.
They needed to return to the city very soon, before the winds would be too strong to ride in. Darius stood at the wall encircling Bakari’s property, watching the waves lap up the sand along the shore below.
Bakari brought him a drink. He wished the spicy burn of the liquor could numb his pain along with his throat.
“What have I stumbled into?”
“An ancient secret, my friend.”
“Why have we not known that you exist?”
“Because mankind would destroy us. I know it sounds like a cliché to you, but humans would fear us, lock us up, and study us.”
“Yet, I am supposed to believe that you’re here to help us? To save us?”
“There is so much to tell you about the past, Darius.”
“Well, I’m a little busy at the moment for a history lesson.”
“Papa Shadi has been waiting for the right time.”
“I know now that he’s a part of this, but how much? Just exactly how long have you known Papa Shadi?” Darius feared he already knew the answer. He had felt it his whole life that his grandfather was different.
Shaila appeared. “Actually, Shadiki and Bakari are more different from me…than from you. They were both born human. I gave Shadiki, my priest, the gift of life. You carry it with you now.” She pointed toward the medallion. “Over four thousand sun cycles ago, I used the Eye of Ra medallion to gift Shadiki a’Mahg with an energy force that would extend his life indefinitely.”
Darius looked at Bakari, who shrugged. “I am half Anunnaki, which is why I do not wear a medallion.”
Darius walked slowly back toward the door leading into the study, shivering from the bite of the ocean winds.
“What of my mother? She was human, right?” He dropped onto the end of the couch.
Bakari chuckled. “The energy from the medallion does not pass on. Your grandfather, cranky old mage that he is, has fathered many children in his long lifetime. Yes, Darius. You have a few relatives out there.”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“He isn’t the fathering type, and I’m sure you know that. His fondness for you is unique. He couldn’t let you suffer the same fate as your mother. She let drugs and booze claim her life, but you were different.”
“I was a grimy little street punk.”
“You survived. Adapted. He respected that. So, he took a step he never had before. He accepted the role of raising you. He polished up your clothes, taught you to speak properly, and channeled your talents in a better direction.”
Indeed. Where would he be today if Papa Shadi hadn’t taken him in? Jail, most likely. Darius wasn’t a dirty street thief anymore. He spoke four languages, and he’d honed his skills to be the best antiquities retrieval specialist in the world.
“So my grandfather is over four thousand years old? That’s one helluva gene pool.” He massaged the back of his head and neck. The damned knot was back again. “Why did you give him this gift, Shaila?”
“Because he saved my life.” Shaila joined him on the leather couch. “I was in a battle against Apophis. His powers are older and darker, which gave him a significant advantage over me. Hundreds of human soldiers already lay dead on the battlefield. I had arrived too late to fight with them. A bold priest brought us both beer, trying to appeal to us to end the battle. He had laced Apophis’ drink with an herb to make him sleep.”
“Couldn’t you have flashed out of there?”
“A warrior does not abandon the battle.” Shaila pounded the air to emphasize her opinion. “I wanted to defeat Apophis, but I had lost too much blood to heal myself. I was dying. My energy was fading. Shadiki carried me to my temple and cared for me.”
Darius felt a strange pressure in his chest. He shifted, trying to ease the tightness. “My choice is clear. I have to get Papa Shadi back, and he needs this.” He fisted the medallion and kissed it.
Bakari drew a hand across his goatee. “Do you have a plan?”
“More like a sketchy idea.”
“When are you going to put this sketchy idea into action?”
“Tomorrow night.” Darius smiled at Shaila. “We’ve been invited to Lilith’s party.”
Bakari laughed. “Reckless boy. When you need me, count me in. Now go. Get home before the storm hits. It is a dark storm. The darkness brings many souls above ground.”
“Do I need to keep garlic by my doors and windows?”
Bakari avoided the sarcasm. “They aren’t vampires, but you still wouldn’t want to invite them in.”
“Papa Shadi must have known they were around. What did he do to protect himself? I’ve noticed that they will not enter my house. We were chased last night, but they didn’t even try to break through the door.”
“I helped him carve a protective spell into a wall in his private study. As long as it remains intact, the house is sacred ground.” Bakari nodded toward Shaila. “The spell might also be protecting your spirit from being felt by Lilith.”
“That’s okay, Bakari. Since my awakening was,” Shaila looked hesitantly in Darius’ direction, “accidental, I have not connected with my astral spirit. I am weak without that connection.”
Darius heard what she was not saying. She was admitting to being weak, but she was refusing to say that she was vulnerable. How could he think of taking her into a place filled with demons when she wasn’t at her best? That was a risk he would need to consider.
“I have something that will help you with that.” Bakari shifted a small painting on the wall behind the desk, revealing an old-fashioned safe. The dial began to spin even without being touched. It spun back and forth several times before a slight click sounded from within. Reaching inside the safe, he withdrew a small leather bag. He poured a few round wafers into Shaila’s hand. “Reme
mber the mannah that we would give to the pharaohs for energy and enlightenment? This is a modern version. Take them sparingly, for they are more potent.”
Darius thought they looked just like the wafers used in church to place on the tongues of the faithful receiving the Sacrament, the bread of life. These wafers were embossed with an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for life. He wanted to ask questions about the wafers and everything else, but they were out of time. Wind gusts were beginning to pound on the windows more frequently.
“Thank you, Bakari.” Shaila bowed low in gratitude. Then, they embraced, kissing each cheek. With great effort, Darius squashed the urge to yank her out of the man’s arms.
The rain still held to the sky, but all around them the air colored with a strange eerie yellow.
“Hurry, my friends.” Bakari called out in the sudden calm. “The darkness waits for no one.”
CHAPTER TEN
They reached home just as the first squall line pounded the city. In moments, Boston became a dark gray battlefield, barraged by nature’s arsenal of wind and rain.
Shaila followed Darius to Papa Shadi’s private study, which was a lot messier and dustier than Bakari’s private room. Stacks of old books were piled everywhere. Thin wooden shelves bowed under the weight of scrolls, books, and small relics. A lamp with dark glass lit the room with an orange glow. Dust motes danced in front of them, swirling on light air currents.
Darius climbed over several stacks of files and reached for an immense rug hanging on the wall opposite the window. As he peeled back one of the bottom corners, he revealed a spell hastily scratched into the wall.
It wasn’t particularly long, but she was frustrated that she could not read it. “You expected something different?”
“I was expecting it to be written in hieroglyphics or English. I guess I didn’t expect it to be in Arabic.”
“Are you frightened, Darius?”
He hesitated, drawing in a deep breath. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t.” He dug out a blank piece of papyrus and a writing stick, which he flicked in the air a few times to get it working.
“What makes you scared?”
“I feel so unprepared for all of this wicked shit going on!” He let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout, but I don’t really feel like talking. I want to go through the layouts of Lilith’s estate again, and then I want a stiff drink. In that order.”
“Preparation is important to you?”
“Absolutely.” His writing stick flew across the papyrus as he translated the spell. “When it comes to things like safety, it only takes one time. One unguarded moment and you could lose everything…everything that was dear to you.”
Shaila could see the red aura of anger building around him.
“Papa Shadi is special to me too.” She used the title Darius was familiar with.
“So special, that while my grandfather…your priest…is being held hostage by your sworn enemy, you keep secrets about the very thing that could secure his freedom?” The venom hit its mark this time.
“It is not as simple as you say! There is more at stake here than one man. Shadiki knew this.” She gave him credit for his pain, but how could he not understand his own grandfather’s sacrifice. Not just this one, but all of those given in the centuries he lived through as he waited for the prophecy to begin. He could have given up at any time, yet he had not.
A wave of dizziness forced her to sit down. She could feel the blood draining from her face.
“If I asked you where the amulet is, would you tell me?” She heard the brittle sound of bitterness. He did not trust her. She was too tired to try to change his opinion.
“Darius, do not make the mistake of underestimating Lilith. She is not likely to keep her end of the bargain. If she is rebuilding the army of Apophis, then she has gained more strength than she ever had before.”
“It sounds like I’m not the only one who needs to admit they’re scared.”
“Probably.” She pulled a wafer out of the pouch to study it. “Bakari said that it is stronger than the mannah from our time.”
“What does it do for you?”
“It renews and builds our strength. It enhances our energies.” Exhausted, she closed her her eyes, clutching the pouch to her chest.
“Wow. Drugs in ancient Egypt. Who would have thought that?” He was looking intently at her face, pity clearly written across his. “You need that, don’t you?”
She hated seeing the judgment in his eyes, but there was no time to fight that right now. “I do. Goddess, I do.”
*
Shaila felt some of her tension begin to melt away. The tranquility she felt in this simple sleeping room would aid her in her meditation. That and the energy boost from the wafer should finally connect her to the astral plane.
Deep rumbling announced the cat’s arrival. Bessie transformed into her human form, again wearing her steam punk style of clothing, as she had called it.
“Where did you get this, sister?” Bessie’s eyes were wide with interest as she fingered the ankh impression on the thin white wafer.
“Bakari gave that to me today. Do you need one?”
“Nope. You need it more than I do. Besides, I get some from Papa Shadi from time to time.” Bessie sniffed the air. “But you can bring me a cup of that coffee I smell.”
Shaila ignored the request. “Why have you not told me about Papa Shadi? That it is my own priest who is held captive by Lilith?”
Bessie snorted with impatience. “Because I know you. You are so driven to completing your mission that I you’d blow the whole thing by rushing over there to get him back.”
“What makes you think I would do something so foolish?”
“You are full of questions and he’s the only one with all of the answers. You would have been hell bent to get to those answers. I can tell you that Lilith has no idea you’re here, and that is the best thing going for us.”
Shaila could not argue with Bessie’s logic, although Shaila now felt calmer since meeting with Bakari. Yesterday she could easily have chosen to leave the house to search for her priest. Being cut off from the world for so long felt disorienting. She wanted and needed his guidance.
“Bess, what was it like living through all this time?”
“Nothing very remarkable. I basically watched the world grow up. After you left, I traveled to England. I found that I liked hanging out with science geeks. Sir Isaac Newton was my favorite.” Bessie snuggled on the plush chair in the corner. “You know, he discovered the law of gravity. Most people said he discovered it when an apple fell on his head. I’m here to tell you, the tree didn’t drop it. I did. He deserved it. He was ignoring me.”
Shaila found a fat candle and placed it on the floor. She willed a flame onto the wick. The scent of jasmine filled the air, as a tiny curl of smoke drifted upward.
“Coming over here was…different. The people here were more liberal. They love their freedoms, and they don’t hesitate to show it. They even like to share it if they can.”
“You mean these people of Boston?”
“I meant the people of this country. Americans.”
“Do you like it here? It is very different from Egypt.”
“Very. Just wait until you experience your first winter nor’easter. That’s when I’m thankful for having fur.” She nearly purred the last word. Footsteps thumped above them. Bessie flashed back into her feline form.
Shaila stood in front of a tall mirror and watched her reflection. Silently, her leather clothes melted away. As she stood naked for a moment, she found Darius watching her through the mirror. He hesitated just outside the doorway. Pure desire glittered in his golden eyes. She felt a strong pull to go to him. His energies showed that emotions warred inside him. Anger clashed with desire.
Her lids dropped slowly and she willed her body to be clothed in the ancient white robes of her family. Sitting cross-legged upon the floor, she balanced her energies and cleared all tho
ught. Her Anunnaki spirit existed on a different plane, and her survival depended upon her connecting with it.
She placed the wafer on her tongue. It tingled as it dissolved slowly in her mouth. She left everything behind. The room. The man. The house. Her soul soared through the darkness, searching for the light that would be her. Shaila a’k’Hemet, the Lady of Flame. The daughter of Inanna, and granddaughter of Tia’Mat, the Great Dragon Queen.
She would need to keep her search short if she did not want to be detected by Lilith. This dimension once held millions of spirit lights. Now, the darkness of the astral plane scared her. The sacred knowledge of the ancients had faded. The people of this time did not understand the danger they were in of losing their power…and their lives.
Oh goddess, the spirit lights are so dim. But there were some she could see. There were astonishingly few of her kind left. They were weak, but they did exist. She would need to find them. The humans should not have been left so unprotected. Could she have made a difference, if she had not chosen to skip across time? She hoped there was still time to lead the way.
The current shifted ahead, curving into a strange section, nearly void of light. She hesitated, unable to continue on her search tonight. She still held the element of surprise as long as they were not tuned in to her arrival.
A sudden coldness speared through her soul. Back in the direction she had come from, a swirl of dark spirits shrouded in fog fingered through the plane. Shadow walkers!
Her stomach twisted with horror. Someone had awakened Apophis’ elite death squad. These were no simple soul-sucking demons. These demon beasts would mutilate their victims. They were pure malevolence. And they were crawling in her direction.
Lilith, what have you done?
*
Immortal Dynasty Page 13
