The Dove

by Brendan Carroll

  Mark sat looking at her for a long few seconds without speaking.

  “Northern hemisphere. Probably in the Pacific Ocean or North America, if it remains whole. If it breaks up, it will scatter across half the world and depending on where the first fragments hit, it might fall on North America and stop short of the Atlantic. If it strikes first in North America, it will also strike in the Atlantic. If it remains in large enough chunks, the tidal waves could reach the European coastline.”

  “And it could reach us here?” She asked.

  “It is possible.”

  “When?”

  “Twenty-six days.”

  “What now?”

  “We have twenty-six days to warn the people on St. Ramsay’s and St. Patrick’s.”

  “Where will they go?”

  Mark Andrew frowned. “East.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Impossible. There are too many people on St. Patrick’s and St. Ramsay’s. We could never get them together and transport them all to the Alps in twenty-six days. Perhaps twenty-six… weeks…” her voice trailed off.

  “Then it will be up to God. The Templar army and Corrigan’s fleet are already in route to Israel by now. In a few days, they will be on land somewhere there or in Egypt. They should be safe.”

  “And their families?”

  “Impossible to say.” He said solemnly.

  “Then we should not warn them.”

  Mark dropped his pen on his notebook and stood up. He reached for her hand and pulled her from the floor of the tent.

  “Get the lantern. Bring some of the wine.” He told her. He had been avoiding her for obvious reasons. Unity. If he could not reconcile this breach, he would never be able to face his people again. His people! It was the first time that he had ever thought of the Brothers and their families as his people. It was only a matter of mechanics, physics, proxemics, polarity, applied magick and faith.

  He put on his sword and his cloak.

  “Where we going?” She grabbed a bottle of wine from a wicker basket. Sophia had no idea where Mark had gotten these things. He had left her in the Abyss with Semiramis and Diana briefly and returned for her. When they had come here, the tent, the equipment, as well as the stones for making the circle were already on the island. It had been impossible to tell how long he had been gone before coming back for her and if he had not told her where they were, she would never have known. The place was barren, windswept and bleak without discernible landmarks in any direction other than the mysterious mound in the center of the island.

  “Up the hill.” He took her arm and started off in the darkness. “If what you say is true, then I am agonizing for nothing.”

  ((((((((((((()))))))))))))

  The mound or hillock that Sophia had found most uninteresting at first glance, proved much more intriguing on closer examination. The remnants of the archaeological expedition that had once been here lay scattered about the top of the hill where they had carefully marked off the area using grid lines made of nylon string attached to pegs driven into the rocky ground. Some of the lines were still intact while others flapped in the hot breeze of early evening. A sizable passage leading down roughly carved steps to an underground network of tunnels had been excavated. The entire complex had been carved and built of massive stones. The place was immense and the structure must have taken up most of the hill, in fact, the hill was simply the covered remains of this building, whatever it had been. It did not have the appearance of having been a village or a dwelling, but rather some sort of ceremonial place with long, straight passages leading to a central chamber at the center of the hill. Remarkably, it was seemed to be largely unharmed by the passage of time, protection having been provided when it was covered over by the desert winds eons ago. Whoever had built it had been very accomplished in the art of stonework. The interior walls were covered with spirals, X’s, and diamond shapes. There were numerous grooved notches on pillars interspersed throughout the complex. Some of the walls were made of sparkling quartz blocks. Amazing and mysterious. There were four smaller chambers off the central room and each contained rock basins that might have once held water. A few pieces of broken, clay pottery were scattered about the floors, each one carefully outlined in chalk and numbered by the archaeologists.

  The hill itself contained a very rare spring that emerged from beneath the rocks on the north side and here many small shrubs had taken root in the harsh conditions. The soldiers went to work hacking out a sizable portion of the remaining vegetation to disguise the trucks and ATV’s from prying eyes. They refilled their water tanks and canteens from the cold spring and unloaded their sleeping bags and other equipment, preparing to make camp for the day. They would start out again as soon as it was dark.

  The soldiers situated themselves about the hill in defensive positions while others made ready to get some rest in the main corridor. McGuffy showed Mark and Sophia to one of the chambers off of the main room and left a lantern for them along with food, water and two sleeping bags. The small lantern lit the enclosure, reflecting back from the crystalline walls in incredible beauty. The other non-military companions made themselves at home in the other chambers. The golden patch covering the wound on the back of his hand glittered in the reflected lantern light and Selwig pronounced it virtually healed before turning in for the day with Simon. Sophia was still furious with Bari for having slapped his grandfather and refused to allow him near Mark. Bari was sullen and silent, clutching his backpack to him protectively, wondering what would become of him when and if they ever escaped. Nicole was still making efforts to keep the attention of Lt. Galipoli and doing quite well. Everywhere he went, he felt the watchful eyes of Nicholas and Gregory. Simon had no doubt told them to keep a close watch on the Emperor.

  Sophia spread one of the sleeping bags on the floor near the dry basin and sat down next to Mark, leaning her tired back against the stone. She handed him a canteen and one of the MRE’s that the soldiers had provided for them. He sat looking about the chamber in wonder.

  “Pretty.” He smiled. “The crystal palace.”

  “Mark.” Sophia had to smile. “You need to eat so we can get some sleep. This is not the crystal palace in your dream.”

  “No. A different one.” He told her and picked up the candy bar from the metal box. “Sugar.”

  “Sweet stuff. Eat the stew first.” She told him and spooned up her own. “It’s pretty good, considering.”

  “Ahh.” He nodded and bit into the chocolate. “Sweet. Sweet is good.” He wrinkled his nose at the stew and vegetables.

  “But you need the other stuff. It will make you strong.” She told him, showing him the muscles in her arms.

  “I know.” He nodded and continued to eat the candy while he looked about. “The sun gives life.”

  “Where?” She frowned. The chamber was completely cut off. Without the lantern there would have been no light penetrating here.

  “There.” He pointed to a double spiral on the wall in front of them. One of the walls was dark stone while the rest was set with the sparkling crystal blocks.

  “That looks like a spring to me. Winding and unwinding.” She told him.

  “No. Not just spring. All seasons. Also summer, winter and fall.” He misunderstood her use of the word ‘spring’. The sun as the earth travels about it. First one way and then the other.” He told her. “Winter and summer. Summer and winter. Near and far. Far and near. And there is the star.”

  He pointed at the diamond shape above the spirals.

  “That is not a star.” She shook her head. “That is a rectangle or a diamond.”

  “OK. Not a real star. A planet. Venus! Goddess of the morning.” He said and put aside the MRE before getting up. He searched the floor until he found a piece of the chalk that the scientists had used to mark the relics. Sophia watched in fascination as he added lines to the diamond shape, making it into a five-pointed star by adding four simple lines to it
. “Venus. Eight years.” He smiled and pointed to a row of X’s marked in the stone above the diamond. “One. Two. Three. Four. Ffffiiiive. Six. Seven. Eight.” He counted off the X’s while pointing to the eight points of intersection on the star. “Summer. Winter. Spring. Fall.” He turned to look at her as if expecting her to fully understand what he was saying.

  “You know this place?” She frowned at him.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “A great place. Wonderful magick.”

  “Come sit down, Mark.” She patted the sleeping bag next to her. “How do you know all this stuff?”

  “Long time ago.” He continued to smile as he spoke and then picked up his spoon, digging into the stew. “This place and other places. Great works were done by the Watchers.”

  “The Watchers?” She sat up straighter. He had to have returning memories.

  “The sons of light.” He nodded as he made another face at the stew. “They brought knowledge. From Heaven.”

  “Ahh. From Heaven.” Sophia nibbled at her candy bar and drank a bit of water.

  “And gave it to the sons of men.”

  “You remember this?”

  “Yes. It was better then. Not so many peoples. Not so much evils. It was easier.”

  “I’m sure it was.” She muttered, imagining these dark caverns below the desert skies filled with brilliant stars. She saw great bonfires and men dressed in long robes, dancing about them.

  “There aren’t many peoples now.” He said suddenly growing morose. “All gone! Dead and sleeping in the sand. I have lost them all. My peoples.”

  “But there are still a lot of people in Europe. That’s right. Your people, Mark. Family and friends. You are not responsible for what happened to the world. You have done a good job protecting your family, your Brothers and your friends.”

  “Friends?” He perked up a bit. “Do I have friends?”

  “Of course, you do. Look at Selwig. He practically worships you. Do you remember your sons? Luke Andrew and Lemarik?”

  “No. No sons.” He shook his head and the earrings jingled.

  “Yes. You have three sons. Lemarik, Luke and Il Dolce Mio. And a daughter. Nicole is your daughter. Bari, the Emperor, is your great-grandson.” She told him.

  “No.” He shook his head. “Not mine. The other’s. I’m a virgin.”

  “Virgin!” Sophia laughed and Mark laughed with her. “You don’t know what a virgin is. Who told you that?”

  “Nobody.” He stopped laughing and looked hurt.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you.” She looked down at her lap. How could she handle this one? And should she even try?

  “It’s Ohh K.” He said. “Ignorance is all around. Darkness and ig’norance.”

  “Are you saying I’m ignorant?” She asked in disbelief.

  “It’s Ohh K.” He patted her arm.

  “So tell me…” She adjusted her position and leaned against a rock. “Why do you think I’m ignorant?”

  “Because you don’t know.” He told her simply. “It’s Ohh K.”

  “When will I know?” She asked him and yawned. It was too confusing.

  “I’ll show you.” He smiled at her and shrugged.

  “You know that you and I were… That we once were… Do you know who I am?”

  “You are Sophia. That’s a silly question.”

  “I mean, do you know who I was before we came here. Before you were ill?”

  “Yes. You were Sophia and I was Mark. Now, you are Sophia and I am Mark. Nothing changed.”

  “Oh, yes it did!” She objected. “Now I’m your mother. You don’t remember me. You don’t remember how we… what we did. I was your lover, Mark. Your… your… you were my sweetheart.” She had not meant to lose her temper, but he was very frustrating and their situation was outrageous. There was no way to explain this to him and she was sad that he was learning to speak without his delightful Scottish brogue.

  “You are not my mother.” He laughed and then took her chin in his hand. “Look at me. You are not my mother. You are Sophia. I love you. Why are you angry with me?”

  “I don’t know.” She said miserably and got up. She spread the other sleeping bag on the stones and lay down on the hard ground. Tears ran from her eyes unchecked. “I hate this!” She wiped at her eyes.

  Mark cleared the food and water from his own sleeping bag and spread it out beside her. He lay down close to her and propped his head on his hand, looking down at her. She cut her eyes toward him and waited.

  “What?” She asked after a moment.

  “I love you.” He told her again. “I don’t want you to cry.”

  He lowered his head and kissed her lightly.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him desperately. “Mark, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m sorry.” Her voice was muffled against his shirt.

  “You think I don’t remember you. But I do.” He whispered in her ear. “And now we are in the crystal palace.”

  “Oh, hush up and hold me, Mark. Can’t you see that I’m in distress here?” She held onto him even tighter and he burped in her ear.

  “Ooops!” he said. “You’re holding me too tight, Sophia.”

  She giggled.

  “Wait.” He disengaged her arms and got up. “Fix this.” He pushed the second bag toward her. “Too hard.”

  Sophia laid his sleeping bag on top of her own. It would help a bit. Mark disappeared into the passage and she sat wondering what he was doing. Presently, he came back with a blanket.

  “Here.” He handed it to her and then turned off the lantern. Only the barest hint of light filtered from the connecting corridor. She felt him sit down beside her in the darkness. “Now I’ll show you about the special babies.”

  “What?!” Her eyes widened, but she could see nothing.

  “Don’t worry.” She could hear him taking off his boots. “No one can see. I told them not to come.”

  “You did what?!” She could not believe it.

  “I told them not to bother us, we are busy.”

  “Oh, my God. Mark Andrew!”

  “Now be quiet.” His voice drifted down to her. He was standing up again. Something fell on her head. His shirt.

  “Mark.” She pulled the shirt from her head and laid it aside. “What are you doing?”

  “Shhh.” He sat next to her. “Simon will hear you. Now let me help you with this.”

  ((((((((((((()))))))))))))

  Nicholas leaned against the wall of the chamber in which he, his brother, Selwig, Simon of Grenoble and Bari had bedded down for the day. Simon had offered to check his ‘injuries’, but Nicholas had stubbornly refused. Gregory, the younger of the two, had allowed the healer to examine him and Simon had pronounced everything to be progressing nicely. Nicholas was beside himself.

  “Progressing nicely?” He mimicked the priest’s soft voice. “That’s all well and good and easy for you to say, Sir. But I beg to differ with your esteemed opinion. All that aside, I would like very much to know what is wrong with my grandfather. He behaves like a child. He did not recognize us and he didn’t recognize you either. Why?”

  Simon laid aside his sword and daggers and adjusted the long robe about his legs.

  “I’m not sure what is wrong with him. It would seem that his twin has left him.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nicholas arranged his backpack as a pillow and stretched out on the ground, pulling a light blanket over him. “Twin? You mean Uncle Luke?”

  “No. I mean his spiritual twin. The emanation that has inhabited his body for the past two thousand years.” Simon said lightly. “Some people call them guardian angels. His mirror image from the spiritual realm. You realize that Mark Ramsay, the human being, has never actually been himself. His body has simply been a repository for a higher power, operating in the material world. I believe that whatever General Schweikert did to him, and I also believe the good general used the Tree of Life powder on him, but whatev
er it was, it caused the extra-spiritual element to depart from him, leaving only the man. According to what Sophia tells me, he is now mortal and I agree with her on that point. If he were not mortal, his hand would have healed easily on its own without Selwig’s help. Her description of what she has been through since they were abducted indicates she has, in effect, raised him from infancy and has done a remarkable job of bringing him this far in such a short time. Of course, he most likely retains elementary abilities, perhaps some memories, like a person suffering from a massive stroke. He simply had to re-learn basic things such as walking and talking, but now he is making rapid advances.”

  “So where did his spirit go?” Nicholas asked. He did not buy this story at all. He knew nothing of spirits and possession and such things. His mother had never taught him these things were possible and the idea was terribly disturbing.

  “His spirit has gone nowhere. The spirit of Adar or Uriel, depending on your perspective, has left him.”

  “Has this ever happened before?” Gregory asked. “Will it come back?”

  “There is one instance that we know of where such a thing happened.” Simon cast a dark look at Nicholas. The older brother’s skepticism was quite evident. The recent events had most likely soured his opinion of Simon’s credibility. “It is written that when Jesus was hanging on the cross he cried out in a loud voice ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ which means ‘Aeon, aeon, why did you desert me?’ A great many scholars and religious leaders have pondered these words and many have drawn conclusions that are widely varied. According to our beliefs, Jesus was abandoned by the Aeon, which is another name for angel or spiritual being, just as he was about to die. The Christos left him temporarily and journeyed into the purgatorial kingdoms of the Abyss, where He liberated the spirits and souls of those entrapped in hell or purgatory. Jesus, the man, died and was buried in the meantime, and then Christos returned to him and that is when the resurrection took place.”