by S. L. Duncan
“We will agree to that,” Afarôt said, speaking again for Gabe and Micah.
“And what if they do not believe us?” Aseneth asked. “What if they choose not to assist in our endeavor? Is there a contingency plan? Many of the Western Alliance are embroiled in their fight for democracy and oil to the east. Will they be so convinced to pull their military from those areas?”
“If they realize that efforts expended in those areas will be for naught, then yes. I believe they will want to abandon those interests,” Gabe’s father said.
“You’re naïve to think it will be so simple,” Aseneth countered. “Was it so simple convincing the general population of the Holy See? Politics in this part of the world and to the east are not as open to the sensibilities of rational behavior. I thought you would have some recollection of these things.”
Gabe’s father faltered as she attacked him.
The venom in her voice seemed to react with something within Gabe. The ring warmed on his skin. He felt a rush of cold travel over his body, up his spine, joined by a foreign anger.
Somewhere at the far edge of the room he heard the whistle once again.
“We convinced a commander of the United States Navy,” Gabe snapped at her, his fury uncontained. He called a blue flame to his palm. “We could convince a bunch of politicians, no problem.”
Aseneth gasped at the sight.
“What my father has to tell them from the Apocalypse of Solomon could determine whether there is a world where their politics can exist. I don’t care about religions or borders. I don’t care about what petty politics are in the way. We have to be united on this. Anything less and our world falls into darkness. Do you get it?”
Aseneth stammered. Throwing the rest of her materials on the table, she turned and exited the forum.
Gabe’s father gave him a hard look and then chased after her.
Micah folded her arms. “Nice one, psycho.” She grabbed him by the shirt and jerked him away from Afarôt and Borelli, dragging him down the stairs. “Come on, then. Let’s go make this right.”
“Wait! Aseneth, please,” Gabe’s father called as he disappeared down the darkened hall.
Micah and Gabe hurried after them. Only the tiny glow of LED lights lining the hallway floors brightened this wing of the facility.
Gabe’s legs burned, and he felt drained. He slowed and leaned against a wall, tugging his shirt away from Micah’s grip.
“Hold up,” he said, winded. “You’re killing me.”
“Maybe someone should. Was that about us?”
“No.”
Her eyes narrowed.
He shook his head and bent over, placing his hands on his knees, inhaling deeply to get his breath back. “I promise. It was like her anger spilled over into me. I felt it. Like years of resentment and general pissed-off-ness.”
Micah looked like she wanted to continue following them. “Whatever. Can you walk?”
Gabe nodded and stood away from the wall. “Just take it easy, okay?”
They walked, slower this time, following the hall bending around the curve of the dome until it opened up to another small atrium. Instead of a glass ceiling, large panel lights gave the impression of daylight and sky, similar to the atrium that housed their quarters.
“No, Joseph. Leave me alone,” Aseneth’s voice echoed down one of the connecting halls.
Following the voices, Gabe and Micah saw Gabe’s father and Aseneth near a large set of doors. They watched his father follow Aseneth into a small cafeteria, closed at the moment. He caught her in the doorway and grabbed her arm, spinning her around.
“Please . . .” Aseneth said.
Gabe pulled Micah back behind the curve of the hallway. “Wait,” he whispered, putting his finger to his lips. “I want to see this.”
Micah peeked around the wall, looking into the open area of the cafeteria.
Aseneth’s arms were crossed, her eyes wet with tears. “How dare you come back into my life like this?”
Micah tugged at Gabe’s sleeve, whispering, “This is private. We shouldn’t be here.”
Gabe shrugged. A little longer, he mouthed.
His father let go of Aseneth’s arm, and she pushed him back.
His hands went up, giving her some distance. “I’m sorry. Truly, I am. I objected to Secretariat Borelli’s plan to move the archangels here. But it was out of my control.” He pulled a napkin from his jacket and offered it to her. “Can we talk about it?” Gabe’s father walked over to the refreshment kiosk and dialed in an order. The machine began brewing some tea.
“I don’t think I ever believed. Not really. Convincing myself that you were a stark raving lunatic was easier.” She laughed through the tears. “They really are archangels,” she said.
“Indeed, they are. And the evil that they are here to stop is very real.” He offered her a cup. “Here, let me tell you everything.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Gabe and Micah sat on the floor in the darkened hall. They’d snuck closer and now hid behind opposite sides of the double doors to the cafeteria. They listened to the entire conversation. Gabe’s father told Aseneth the whole story. From New York to Durham to Axum. Hearing it again brought up so many feelings, especially when he got to the part about Carlyle.
“I can’t believe he’s gone. Carlyle seemed so . . . invincible,” Aseneth said.
Gabe looked at Micah. A moment of sadness passed over her like a shadow, but as their conversation eased into a forgotten familiarity with each other, Micah became entranced by the scene.
Gabe’s father gently stirred his tea in the shot-glass-sized cup. Hints of apple and spice drifted through the double doors. The small table inside the cafeteria wasn’t a table outside a Parisian bistro, but it seemed to be good enough to bring down whatever barriers had been built between the former lovers over the years. Gabe was encouraged to see Aseneth smiling occasionally.
Maybe Micah is wrong about what we can be, he thought and then felt the cold itching reminder of his reality stuck on his finger.
“We all thought so,” his father said. “Especially Micah, obviously. I think it stole a lot of her innocence, which might be a good thing, considering our situation.”
“You know, we kept in touch, Carlyle and I. He was instrumental in the redesign of the Nicene Facility after the children were born.”
“I know. He told me. Over the years, we didn’t speak very much, but when we did, he always mentioned you. Actually, I may have asked him about you once or twice. I was glad to hear you moved on with your life.”
Aseneth sipped her tea.
“We came from different worlds. Different cultures, Joseph. There was just too much going on. I don’t think it would ever have worked. I don’t think it could have worked.”
Micah gave Gabe a knowing look as if to say, See? Why bother?
“I kept telling myself that over the years. Don’t know if I ever believed it or not. But it helped, I suppose.” His father paused and looked at her dark eyes. “I have to say, I didn’t expect it to feel so good seeing you again.”
Gabe turned to Micah and nodded to his father. “He still loves her,” he whispered. “And she him. It’s so obvious.”
“What are you talking about?” Micah asked. “What’s obvious is that no matter what they feel, their lives are too complicated for love.” She leaned away from Gabe, and he felt the chill grow colder between them.
“So, what is it like to be a parent?” Aseneth asked.
“Trying. Tiring. And rewarding. Raising a child alone is a challenge no person can prepare for. Especially when that child becomes a teenager.”
“I believe it was my ex-husband’s greatest wish. As it turned out, he loved the idea of it more than he loved me.”
“I’m sorry, Aseneth. I don’t mean to be insensitive.”
“Yes, you do,” she said with a smile. “But not about this, I know. It was not Allah’s plan for us to conceive. I learned to live with it.
He did not. This is how life goes. All for the better; that’s what everyone says.”
“You’re still young. Science—”
“My position here requires every ounce of my energy and time. Having a family was always an unrealistic venture, I’m afraid. But I enjoy my work. Very much. Seeing that boy use his abilities like that. It was validating for me and frightening all at once. This is real, isn’t it? The End of Days is happening.”
“Nothing in this world is certain. Not even that. But the enemy is . . . unthinkable. You should have seen what happened in Axum. I’ve never been more afraid in my life.”
The air filled with an awkward uncertainty.
“I should go,” she finally said. “There is much to attend to before the rest of the delegates arrive.”
Aseneth stood, as did Gabe’s father.
“It’s good to see you, Aseneth.”
“And you, too.”
With a nod, she walked toward the cafeteria exit.
“She’s coming,” Gabe whispered, motioning Micah away from the entrance to the cafeteria.
They hurried to their feet and fell against the wall. Micah looked up and down the endless hallway, void of any corners or doorways. “What do you want me to do? Disappear?”
“I don’t know. Act natural.”
“Act natural? Like we’re naturally spying? You idiot.”
As the footsteps approached, Gabe turned to the wall and looked at the texture of the paint, touching it with his finger as if it was something to be observed. He whistled in the most obvious way and immediately hated himself for doing so.
Micah just looked at him, her mouth agape.
“Hear anything interesting?” Aseneth asked, stopping at the entrance of the cafeteria.
“No, we were just hungry and thought we’d—”
“Whistle a tune? Check the quality of the paint? I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced, Gabriel.” She held out her hand and shook Gabe’s. “I’m Aseneth. Your father’s former lover. Good to meet you both.” She took a step closer to him, her finger pointing right at his nose. Her eyes narrowed, and her jaw clenched. “Never speak to me in the same manner you did in the forum again, or I will put that blue flame where you least want it.” Her face brightened back into a smile, and she playfully scratched his nose.
She turned, shaking Micah’s hand. “Aseneth. Pleasure to meet you, my dear.”
“And you as well,” Micah said.
“Right, then. Do take care,” she said, smiling as she walked away.
Gabe’s mouth hung open in shock.
Micah beamed at her as she walked away, looking as though she had just met the Queen of England.
Gabe’s father entered the hallway, holding a saucer and still drinking his tea. “What are you lot doing out here?”
Gabe snapped out of his shock. “I’ve got a bad feeling about her, Dad. I think she’s nuts.”
“I think she’s bloody brilliant. I’m going to see if she needs any help.” Micah bounded down the hall after her.
Gabe’s disbelief was becoming unbearable.
“They’re all nuts, Gabriel. And, unfortunately, smarter than us. We don’t stand a chance. Tea?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“This is a very old land,” Afarôt said over the sound of the engine. The transport vehicle’s coiled shocks and suspension did all they could to keep up with the changing terrain of the rocky, green and brown Turkish countryside. “Many secrets.”
“He should feel at home here, then,” Micah said, elbowing Gabe.
Afarôt gave her a puzzled look and then smiled, as if he’d missed some joke.
The trip had come by surprise. Four armed Swiss Guardsmen had found Gabe and Micah in the cafeteria and insisted they follow them to a garage filled with electric vehicles and three old, gas-powered Range Rovers. The SUVs cranked up, sputtering, and Gabe, Afarôt, and Micah rode out in one, driven by a soldier from Gabe’s platoon. A shock of sunlight dispelled some of the feverish symptoms Gabe was fighting.
Ahead of the truck, nothing but rocky hills rolled out into a great expanse. Only the faint outline of the facility could be seen in the haze behind them as they climbed into the surrounding hills. An hour on the road, and Gabe felt every rock and bump that had passed under the large, all-terrain tires. His muscles and bones ached, but his posterior had gone numb ages ago.
“Before the Turks occupied the shore of the lake, Romans came to this area,” Afarôt said. “Before the Romans, there were the Greeks. Before the Greeks, there were influences of Persians and Arabs. The road to nearly all cultures has passed through these lands. Even the culture of the archangel,” he said, smiling.
“Where are you taking us? I thought you said we were going to learn about history. I was expecting a museum or library,” Micah said, clenching the roll bar.
The vehicle hit a large bump, bouncing everyone out of their seats. Gabe reached up to grab the roll bar, too.
“Is it an archeological dig? Did somebody find something?” Gabe asked. He looked out the window to the two SUVs following, each filled with soldiers tasked with ensuring their safety. A turret with a machine gun attached sat atop one of the vehicles. Gabe thought of what Septis had done to Afarôt’s men in Axum and wondered why they even bothered.
“You will learn some history. This is true. But that was mainly for your father to hear, so he would not object to this trip.”
“Why would he need to object to the trip, Afarôt?” Gabe asked, suddenly worried. He grasped the bar tighter.
“I feel like we’re sneaking out,” Micah said.
“That is because we are sneaking out,” Afarôt said, grinning. “With the accompaniment of Sergeant Alois’s men, of course.”
The SUVs stopped in front of a sharp incline of rock jutting from the earth. It formed a natural wall hidden behind several crooked trees growing at odd angles from the side of the hill. Each platoon took up strategic positions as Gabe, Micah, and Afarôt stepped out of their Range Rover.
Gabe looked past the branches and leaves, to the rock formation. Where one rock looked like it met the earth, another undercut it, visible only by a slight variation of the direction of the sediment grain in the stone.
Afarôt noticed Gabe’s confusion. “You see it, do you not? The illusion?”
“Tell me what I’m looking at.”
Micah joined them, adjusting her sword on her shoulder.
“Get closer. Have another look,” Afarôt said.
Gabe approached the stone structure. The closer he got to it, the more his depth perception adjusted. The undercutting part of the structure was actually behind the other piece, forming an entry to a hidden chamber.
A cave, he thought.
Micah stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. “What are you looking at? I don’t see it.”
“A path. The walls have been cut away. See?” He pointed to the rock wall. Micah nodded and turned to Afarôt. “What is this place?”
“In this place is another test. This one for you, Micah.”
Afarôt turned to the two platoons and halted their advance on the cave. “You can go no farther. This is not for your eyes. Stand guard here. There is no other entrance or exit. No matter what you hear, do not enter.”
One of the men saluted the archangel and moved his men into position, his weapon clanking against the metal straps of his garb as he pointed to flanking positions. Micah’s soldiers followed suit, securing the transport.
The dusty, sand-filled path cut into the rock hillside like a narrow hallway that zigzagged into the earth. Afarôt opened his hand, inviting Gabe and Micah. Gabe led the way until he met a dead end: a solid, ten-foot-high boulder. Gabe knew it was stupid to even try to advance, but Micah and Afarôt looked at him expectantly. He leaned his shoulder against the rough exterior, seeing in places smooth features that suggested it had once been polished. Not surprisingly, it wouldn’t budge. Faded markings of runes and symbols peered through the l
ayer of grime and dirt adorning its façade.
“What does it say?” Micah asked.
“It is a warning,” Afarôt said. “It says all who attempt to enter will find only death.”
“What? Seriously?” Gabe said. “If they bothered with a death notice, then we should just believe them, right? Whoever sealed the way would know, so . . .”
“I sealed the way, Gabriel. And I do know. What is inside is meant for you to discover.”
Gabe folded his hands behind his back, growling slightly.
“And I suppose you also know how to unseal it, then?” Micah said.
“Simply touch the face of the rock with your hand, and it will open.”
“You’re not going to tell us what’s inside, are you?” Gabe asked. “We need to have a little chat about your team communication skills when we get back to the facility.”
“Seriously,” Micah said.
Afarôt motioned to the engraved rock.
Gabe stepped forward, held out the palm of his hand, and touched the face of the rock wall.
He felt a rumble beneath the sand. A few rocks fell from the low-hanging ceiling. Dust floated down, making the air difficult to breathe. The rock disengaged from the path, falling back and turning in on itself, pulled from their way by some ancient mechanism.
Soon the path was open.
Gabe took a step forward, but Afarôt’s hand held him back.
“No, my friend. This is for Micah to discover.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Micah reluctantly moved ahead into the space, disappearing into the darkness.
Inside was a vast, empty cave, hollowed out of the mountain. The air tasted stale and old. The only light came from a small hole cut from the ceiling. A sunbeam found its way to the floor, narrow at first but expanding in the darkness to illuminate the room’s only occupant.
