“Here. In case they do.”
The Rider gathered up his guns and limped painfully outside, turning over the fourth coin in his hands. It was the rosette pass coin Nehema had given him. It had been the thing he’d brought out of his pocket in lieu of the Derringer. Why had it protected him? Had the mezzikim recognized it? Did it afford him some unknown protection? It was a simple copper coin worn from use and greening on the edges. On the back it was engraved with the same fanciful image of a nesting bird that had been on The Bird Nest sign. Why had Nehema given this to him?
He didn’t know why he was alive. Had Lilith called her children off? Did she know he hadn’t intended to break his word to her? Was anything she’d told him even true? Yes. He had a feeling that at least was so. He knew. Somehow he knew he was the last Merkabah Rider.
He was turning the coin in his hands and thinking when a familiar pair came down the street towards him. It was Sadie, leading the white onager. He was loaded up for travel.
She smiled when she caught sight of him, and gestured to the onager. It was trotting now at the sight of him, nearly leading her.
“I think he knew you were up and around. He fussed like hell till I unhitched him.”
“Thanks for taking care of him.”
Her smile faded somewhat as she got closer.
“I’m a mess,” he said, touching his nose and feeling self conscious about his appearance for the first time in his life.
“I packed you some salve,” she said as she got close enough to pass him the onager’s lead. “It’s in the right hand pack. If you use it, maybe you won’t scar too bad.”
“What’s in it?”
“Don’t worry, it’s kosher.”
He smiled.
“Wager said you found us and took us in.”
“Hetta and me both. When we heard the shots I went out to see and Hetta wouldn’t stay behind.”
“What did you see, when you found us?”
She pursed her lips.
“Nightjars. You were on your knees, and you were covered with nightjars. They were going crazy, pecking at you, scratching. Then, they all just took off. I guess we scared them. They flew…right into the fire.”
He nodded.
“Rider, I don’t understand…”
“You saved me,” he said, cutting her off. “Thank you. And thank Hetta.”
She shrugged.
“You could return the favor.”
“What do you mean?”
“Johnny’s gonna sell the bar. He wants to head to Tombstone. Try his luck at sheriff in Cochise County.”
“You’re going with?”
“Unless you got a better idea.”
They stared at each other, until The Rider looked away.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m not the angel you’re looking for.”
“I know.” She shrugged. “I’m beginning to disbelieve in angels.”
“You shouldn’t,” he said quickly.
He went to his saddlebags and after a moment’s fishing, brought out his cleaning kit and drew out a small driver. He took the glittering silver and gold Derringer out of his pocket. In less than thirty seconds he had taken the little gun apart.
“What are you doing?”
He pushed the components into her hands.
“Have the pieces melted down. They’re real gold, real silver. Give some of it to Hetta and her son. Take the rest for yourself. You go to Tombstone, but get your own place. Start fresh. Find somebody.”
He had been looking at the pieces of the pistol in her white hands as he spoke. Now he looked up. There were tears brimming in her eyes, but they would not fall.
“Josie,” she said. “My name is Josephine. Josephine Marcus.”
“I’m Manasseh Maizel.”
Her hands were still open. He gently pushed her fingers shut over the metal pieces with his hand. He held it there for a second.
“Pleased to meet you,” he said.
She smiled, and brushed at her eyes.
“Goodbye.” Her face darted in quickly. Their lips touched, and she turned and walked away.
He watched her pass down the street. She never looked back.
The onager nudged his shoulder.
“Ow,” he said. “Alright, let’s go.”
Remember the song of the Order Of Nehemoth, Nehema had said. Remember the angels of prostitution.
He felt the rosette pass coin in his coat pocket as he walked out of town, more afraid and alone than he had been in many long years.
Glossary
Numerous Hebrew, Yiddish, and Aramaic terms necessarily find their way into the chronicles of The Rider. An alphabetized lexicon is here provided for the reader’s convenience. –E.M.E.
avoda zara – Idol worship.
Adonay, Prerai, Tetragrammaton, Anaphexeton, Inessenfatall, Pathatumon, and Itemon – Substitutional names for God. Powerful words in most cases considered ineffable. In Kabbalistic circles a 216 letter name broken down into 72 names of three letters each was thought to encompass and channel various facets of God’s power. These names were said to be used in the creation of the universe.
ba’al koh-rey – The public reader of the Torah during worship services.
bashert – The Yiddish word for ‘destiny,’ used in a romantic sense to refer to one’s spouse.
bishul akum – Non-Jewish cooking.
bore nefashot – A short blessing recited after a meal.
chevra kadisha – Jewish burial society, who sees to the proper internment of the dead according to Jewish law.
Council Of Yahad – The ruling body of the Order of The Sons of the Essenes, composed of the thirty two tzadikim (four rebbes from each of the nine worldwide enclaves). The Council seldom convenes in one location.
dybbuk (plural: dybbukim) – The departed soul of an evil or sinful person, imprisoned in Gehenna.
gabbai – A layman in a synagogue, responsible for keeping ritual order during the service.
Gehenna – Hell. One of the four precincts of Sheol. A place of torment reserved for wicked souls.
goy (plural: goyim) – A non-Jew.
hakhnasat orkhim – The Jewish commandment of hospitality.
halakha – Collective practical Jewish law.
Hamesh or Hamsa – A hand shaped amulet used as defense against the evil eye. Also called a Hand Of Miriam. The Rider’s Hamesh is inscribed with the Shema prayer - Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad - Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Ha-Shem –‘The Name.’ A commonly used substitution for the name of God.
Hasid – A branch of Orthodox Judaism formed by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (also called the Ba’al Shem Tov, or Master of The Good Name).
hasidei ummot ha-olam – A righteous gentile or non-Jew who accepts and follows the seven Noahide laws (so-called because of Noah, who was righteous prior to Abraham’s covenant with God); prohibition against injustice, prohibition against blasphemy, prohibition against idolatry, prohibition against murder and suicide, prohibition against sexual immorality, prohibition against theft, and prohibition against cruelty towards animals.
hashgaka pratit – Divine providence.
hekhalot – ‘palace.’ One of the seven holy halls a mystic must pass through before approaching the Divine chariot.
Kabbalah – A mystical discipline of Jewish thought concerned with defining the relationship between the Creator and His creations.
kaddish – In this use, the Mourner’s Kaddish. A prayer over the dead.
kashrut – Jewish dietary laws.
Kodesh Hakodashim – The Holy of Holies – the inner sanctum of the Temple where the presence of God is said to dwell.
lashon ha-ra – ‘gossip.’
lili (plural: lilin) – ‘night spirit.’ A succubus. Either Nehema the daughter of Lilith, the first woman, and Samiel the disgraced Angel of Death or one of her three incestuously begotten daughters. They visit mortal men in their dreams and can c
onceive demonic children by them.
malakh (plural: malakhim) – ‘messenger.’ An angel of the Lord. A sentient entity of celestial light.
mazzik (plural: mazzikim) – ‘harmer.’ A demon. (see: lil, shed, ruhin). Also the original fallen angels who sided with Lucifer in the rebellion against God at the time of the creation of man, and the Grigori (‘watchers’) who succumbed to lust for mortal women in the time after the expulsion from Eden.
menorah – A seven or nine branched candelabrum used in the Temple and during Hanukah celebrations.
mensch- ‘man.’
Merkabah Rider – A Jewish mystic able to leave his physical body and explore the upper and lower worlds of heaven and hell through the study of various Solomonic and Hebrew magical texts. The Merkabah or Merkavah is the fiery chariot of the Lord revealed to Ezekiel in a vision.
mezuzah – A specially prepared piece of parchment kept in a case and set into the doorway of a Jewish home. The parchment is inscribed with Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:12-21, which constitutes in part, the Shema prayer (see Hamesh).
mitzvah (plural: mitzvot) – The 613 Jewish commandments related in the Torah and the seven Rabbinical mitzvot.
mikvah – A naturally fed ritual bath used for purposes of purification.
minyan – A quorum of ten men required for the reading of community prayers.
Nephilim – Half-angels, born from the union of lustful angels (specifically The Grigori) and human women in the early days of the world after the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden and before the Great Flood.
payo – (plural: payos) ‘forelock.’ The unshorn locks on either side of a Hasid’s head. Mystically thought to divide the front part of the brain governing abstract thought from the back part which controls the physical body.
rebbe – ‘teacher.’ The leader or teacher of a Hasidic Jewish movement.
rekel (plural rekelech) – Black wool frock coat worn by Hasidic Jewish men. Buttoned right over left.
ruah (plural: ruhin) – ‘spirits.’ Demonic entities without perceivable physical forms, dedicated to the destruction and corruption of mankind. They are the children of Lilith and the succubi, who mate with mortal men through erotic dreams. Capable of possessing physical bodies for a time.
Seder – The sacred dinner table ceremony held during the first two night of Pesach (Passover).
Shabbat – The seventh day of the Jewish week, between sundown Friday and the appearance of three stars on Saturday night. Shabbat is subject to strict rules and rituals including prohibition against melakha (‘work,’ but specifically, creative work) and travel.
shed (plural: shedim) – Half mortal half demon, physically conceived and born from the union of a mortal man and a succubus. Able to perceive the spirit world, but cannot enter or affect it. They are faster, stronger, and more personally magnetic than mortals. They are nearly immortal themselves and cannot be killed by normal physical means. They sustain themselves on a diet of water and slime.
Sheol – The netherworld. A formless realm where departed souls (the rephaim) await the coming of the Messiah either in comfort (sometimes called the Bosom of Abraham – particularly by Christians) or in torment. (see Gehenna).
shokhet – ‘slaughterman’ or ‘butcher.’ One who prepares meat according to Jewish law.
shomer negiah – Observant of Jewish sexual conduct laws.
shomer shabbo – Observant of Jewish law.
shtiebel – ‘stable.’
The Sons of the Essenes – A secret mystic order of Jewish scholars who claim descent from the Essenes, an ancient Hebrew monastic sect mentioned by Philo of Alexandria and Pliny The Elder from around the time of Christ. Their central teachings culminate in the Merkabah Riders. There are nine enclaves located in cities across the world, with the main enclave located at Ein Gedi in Palestine.
tallit katan – ‘small prayer shawl.’ A four-fringed poncho like undergarment worn beneath the shirt.
talmidei khakhamim – ‘wise student.’ A Torah scholar.
tefillin –Prayer phylacteries. Black leather straps which are wrapped around the arm (shel yad) and head (shel yosh) and bear two small leather boxes containing parchment scrolls inscribed with Bible verses.
teshuva – Redemption or repentance. A return to God from sin. Traditionally sins against individuals must be rectified by atonement to that individual – making murder a particularly grievous offense.
Torah – (‘teaching’) The Pentateuch – the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) in the Tanakh (Bible).
tzadik nistari (plural: tzadikim nistarim) ‘hidden righteous one.’ One of the fabled 36 Hidden Saints. Every generation there are born 36 righteous Jews whose presence in the world justifies the continued existence of mankind in the eyes of God, even in the face of barbarism. It is said that if even one of the Nistarim dies the world will end. Tradition holds that a tzadik is not aware of his own nature. In the Order of The Sons of the Essenes, the ruling rebbes of each enclave are bestowed the title tzadik and are thought to be actual Nistarim, although there are only thirty two.
tzitzit – Four fringes traditionally attached to a tallit which hang down outside the clothes, worn as a remembrance to keep the commandments.
Yenne Velt – The ‘other world.’ The astral plane perceived and navigated by mystics. A shadowy spirit world mainly inhabited by lost ghosts, a reflection of the physical world, but not heaven, not hell.
Zohar – (‘Splendor’) The primary Kabbalistic text. A series of mystic commentaries on the Torah written in Aramaic.
About the Author
Edward M. Erdelac was born in Indiana, educated in Chicago, and now lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, two kids, and four cats, who he suspects would suck the life out of him at night if he didn’t mention them.
Ever since a childhood vacation to Deadwood, South Dakota, he has had an abiding love for real and imagined history, and firmly believes the marriage of the two makes for the most satisfying sort of tale, just as peanut butter and chocolate are both better together.
Write what you know you love is the best advice he’s ever given or gotten. Besides penning fiction and frequently contributing to Star Wars canon, he’s also an award-winning screenwriter, an independent filmmaker, a chain reader, and a closet gamer.
He maintains a Facebook page where those interested can keep abreast of his various projects. Readers can get a hold of him at - [email protected]
Table of Contents
Episode One - The Blood Libel
Episode Two - The Dust Devils
Episode Three - Hell’s Hired Gun
Episode Four - The Nightjar Women
Glossary
About the Author
Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter Page 26
