The Afterlife Series Omnibus: Heaven, Hell, Earth, Wasteland, War, Stones

by Mur Lafferty

  Beyond the grand central tower lay an oddly placid little park. Within the park stood two tall buildings.

  "Okay...," Kate said. "Seems influence isn't our problem..."

  While every other building in the city had been a combination of organic and synthetic, wood and stone and brass and steel, these two buildings were starkly different. The one on Kate's left was made of a white metal that shone in the sun, rising nearly as high as the main towers of the city; rosy glass dotted the brass front doors and in front of this cold majesty sat a massive bronze statue of a dead tree.

  The other building was more organic, made of wood and stone, only five or six stories compared to the vast tower on the left. Behind it, however, was what Kate recognized as a henhouse- a tall wooden silo that housed pterodactyls. In front of the church was a beautiful wooden carving of a wooden katana buried halfway into a block. Vines twinned around the arch of the door and roses climbed the base of the sword statue.

  Kate looked from one to the other, and Daniel snorted beside her.

  "No kidding," she muttered.

  Gabrielle stopped between the two and pointed to the wooden one. "That is the church of Daniel One-Eye. And that," she indicated the metal tower, "is the church of Kate the Reborn."

  Daniel barked once and Kate looked at the direction he was facing.

  Kate quickly saw what his superior canine ears had picked up - a mob of boys approached them. Kate gasped and knelt quickly, putting her hands on Daniel. "Do nothing, not yet. Please wait," she whispered as he started to shake with agitation. He whined low in his throat.

  Each boy had a rag across his face - the proclaimed seers of the Church of Daniel One-Eye. They bore before them a limp figure with a bloody face.

  They paid no attention to Kate or Gabrielle as they stormed past, screaming in outrage, to pound on the door of the wooden church.

  A priest in a blue robe, also missing an eye, opened the door and smiled at them. "Boys, what brings you here? Worship isn't until the Day of the Weeping Heart."

  Gabrielle gasped as they threw the unconscious boy to the feet of the priest. He frowned, but didn't look shocked. "What did Daniel do, boys?"

  The tallest of the boys spat as he spoke. "He doesn't deserve the name Daniel. He came to us claiming to have been touched by the god, and said He didn't want us to have our eyes removed to receive His divine will! He said he knew Daniel's will and would tell us, and that we were all wrong!"

  The priest's face was stony. "That is blasphemy, boys. But I think you took good care of it. I'll draw up the notice to have him and his family excommunicated. As for him," he said, looking at the boy, "continue disciplining him."

  The boys grabbed Daniel's body and carried it to the statue and began hoisting him to be tied to the sword. Some sort of public humiliation, Kate thought, but her stomach turned bitter and cold when she saw his face.

  They had taken his other eye.

  Daniel broke into a flurry of barking and charged forward, and Kate followed. She could feel her disguise melt away, could feel anger - gods, the power in that anger - coursing through her, making her nearly faint with its heat. Daniel jumped, his body morphing as he did so, landing atop the statue as a human.

  The boys screamed and tried to scatter, but Daniel gestured, and they all fell as if something heavy had fallen on them. He took gently the boy's body from the terrified mob leader and then punched the leader in the face, watching him fall from the statue.

  The priest came to the door of the church and fell to his knees in horror.

  "You monsters," Daniel hissed, tears streaming from his eye. "You think this was a good idea, to blind these boys, thinking I'd bless them? I have touched one person on this world, and that's this kid here. He tried to carry my Word to you and this is how you treated him. Nothing you have done has been in my name. Consider yourself cursed. Consider yourself damned for all I care. May you burn in whatever hell you've created for yourself, in our names."

  He stroked the boy's face and Kate saw the flesh knit back together, but the eye did not return. Daniel swore again, tossed the boy atop his back, and changed into a pterodactyl. He flew away, carrying the boy, back toward the farmhouse.

  Kate did not weep. The boys still lay trapped on the ground, and the priest sobbed in the doorway.

  "Gabrielle," she said. The woman was beside her in an instant. "Go inside My church and get My priestess."

  Everyone stared at her. A crowd began to grow as people in the city had spotted the huge pterodactyl soaring, screaming above them, and had come to find out the fuss.

  When the brass doors opened behind her and two people exited the church, she began to speak. "We had hoped to create in you a sense of love, of purpose. We need quite a lot from you people in the coming years. But we can't ask anything from you if you're going to be complete assholes from the get-go."

  She laughed bitterly. "You know, when I was a girl, I used to hear stories of gods being vengeful, and I thought it was a terrible thing. Now I see the other side. You think you know Us, but you have no freaking clue. Daniel's not really happy about having only one eye, he doesn't want that to be how he's worshiped. Me, well, in my worldview, this world didn't exist until about two days ago. And before that, I haven't been untouchable; I was dead.

  "Maybe it's Our fault. Maybe We should have considered how to build religions from the start. So We failed you there. But honestly. This," she indicated the mob of boys still lying in the dirt, "is what you thought was a good idea?"

  She looked at her priestess, standing beside Gabrielle. She was dressed like Gabrielle, her tinker's coveralls clearly ornamental as they were made of soft silk and unblemished. Kate pointed to her. "You. Tell me. Do you do any of this in My name? Mutilate children? Encourage My followers to fall on each other like a pack of dogs?"

  The woman shook her head, her freckled skin pale. Kate looked at Gabrielle. "Is she lying?"

  "The followers of Daniel have been more emotional and primal," Gabrielle said. "The followers of Kate are peaceful."

  "Yeah. That will likely change," Kate said, the anger a hot rush in her head. "Priestess. Gabrielle. And..." she looked at the boys. She pointed to the smallest boy and to the mob leader, nursing a bloody nose. "You two. Come here."

  The four stood in front of her. Kate leaned forward and kissed Gabrielle and the Priestess on their foreheads. "Gather your families and get to safety. My mark will keep you and yours safe. Go. Quickly. You'll hear from me again."

  The women's eyes opened in horror, and they dashed away—Gabrielle dragging the priestess who had tried to return to the church.

  Kate looked at the boys. She wanted to be cruel, violent, bloody. She settled for cruel. Neither would look her in the face. She touched the mob leader's chin and forced him to look at her, fearful and still defiant. She gritted her teeth and said, "Remember what has happened here today. Remember what Daniel said. You want to be His representatives? His seers? You'll have it."

  She passed her hand in front of the mob leader's face, taking his sight but not his eye. He cried out. The smaller boy cringed when she came near him, but she only kissed him on the forehead. "He will never see again. It is your job to lead him around as you preach the word of Daniel. It starts with "Don't be an ass." Get him out of here."

  The smaller boy grabbed the larger and they ran, the older one wailing.

  Kate looked at the churches, the beautiful city that had been built on complete misinterpretations of hers and Daniel’s Word, and tears finally sprang to her eyes. She turned from the crowd and walked away.

  Once, her tears had created a world. Now, they caught fire where they hit the ground, growing at an alarming rate with nothing to fuel them other than her great anger. The citizens screamed and ran past her as the fires engulfed the churches, and all organic touches, all that said Daniel in the city, caught fire. She didn't care who got free and who didn't as the fire spread as if sentient. She knew those who needed to carry Her message would
get free.

  She didn't pay attention to where she walked, she just plodded through the burning streets, still weeping, until she bumped into a rope ladder hanging in the middle of the street. No. It bumped into her. The airships and zeppelins were fleeing the inferno, tossed around by the rising heat. Not thinking, she grabbed hold of the ladder as it threatened to get out of her reach, and rose with the airship as it soared above the city. She looked down on the city as the metal towers began to topple, their organic foundations failing and the metal melting in the extreme temperatures. Cables snapped, whipping around and causing even more damage to the ruined city, flaming whips wrapping themselves around structures and pulling them down.

  Kate could feel the souls as they let go of their bodies, the blaspheming priest, the mob of boys, but the others in the city were secure in their worship and their place in life. She mourned them, feeling not guilt but pity. And strong reservation that she would not let it happen again.

  As the zeppelin left the destroyed city of Dauphine, Kate climbed the ladder to meet her pilot and to give instructions on where to take her.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The zeppelin’s captain was an older woman, short, stocky, with a steel gray bun contrasting with her dark skin - and she nearly had a heart attack when Kate scaled the ladder and arrived, in full goddess glory, in the cockpit of the zeppelin.

  “Jesus, woman, don’t get all worshiping and crash the airship!” Kate cried as the woman let go of the controls and bumped them with her arm as she knelt on the floor. The zeppelin began to do a lazy roll in the rising hot air, and Kate made a leap to steady them.

  “Worship me when we’re on the ground, for now, just please fly this thing,” she said.

  The woman nodded and took the controls from Kate and steadied the airship.

  “Are you the only one aboard?” Kate asked.

  She shook her head. “Managed to get my family out and on board. They’re strapped in the bunks. Didn’t have time to get the crew.”

  “Can I do anything?” Kate asked, half to herself and half to the woman. She honestly didn’t know if she had the skill to do much of anything, but she figured she’d offer since she was a stowaway.

  The woman shook her head. “Now that we’re out of the city, flying should be pretty easy. It was dicey there for a bit, what with the inferno. Does my Lady know what happened?”

  Kate grew very quiet and watched the zeppelin carry them north. “What is your name?”

  "Alicia, my lady.”

  “And tell me, Alicia, do you have sons you think are seers of the god Daniel?”

  She shook her head. “No, ma’am, I never wished to have my boys tested for the sight. I wanted them whole. You can’t pilot an airship with one eye.”

  Kate put her hand on Alicia's shoulder. “We never wanted the boys mutilated, Alicia. I’m proud that you thought of your boys’ welfare above a decree of the church.

  “As for what happened to the city,” she added softly, “it was a reminder to people not to misinterpret or think they know the will of the gods, especially when it pertains to hurting their own children. The world is young and already worship and religion have gotten out of control. We have much work to do.”

  Alicia made sure the ship was on a steady course and then knelt again. What was with all the kneeling? What was the point?

  “My home is destroyed, this ship is all I have now. May I and my family use it to serve you?”

  Kate blanched. She had destroyed this woman’s home, and god- er, well, someone - knew how many other airships, and she was offering herself to Kate’s service?

  She nodded slowly. “That would be very helpful, thank you. Can you go a little more north? We’re looking to catch up with Daniel.”

  The woman nodded, and readjusted her direction. Soon, Lania’s farmhouse came into view and Kate instructed her to anchor the zeppelin in the field. Alicia instructed Kate to hold the airship steady as she threw out lines from the center open hatch. She pulled a pair of goggles over her eyes, secured a hammer and four spikes to her belt, slipped on some heavy - looked like dinosaur leather - gloves. She grinned at Kate once, then grabbed one of the lines and, with surprising nimbleness, jumped out of the hatch. Kate couldn’t see her once she’d jumped, and merely waited until the lines grew taut and the airship was steadied.

  The door at the rear of the cockpit slid open and a small boy peeked his head out. “Mama? Ursula was on my bunk again, and …” he trailed off as he saw Kate.

  “Hey, there,” she said. “Your mama just anchored the ship. She’ll be back up in a minute, I bet.”

  He ducked back into his room and slammed the door. Kate grinned, her mood lightened for the first time in a while. She didn’t realize how much she enjoyed seeing a boy with his face completely whole.

  Man. Poor Daniel, she thought. She walked to the open hatch and nearly bonked heads with Alicia, who had climbed the ladder.

  “Your son peeked out. He was complaining something about Ursula,” Kate said, grinning.

  Alicia sighed. “I know, those two are always going at it.”

  “How many kids?”

  “Five,” she said. “My husband died three years ago shortly after the birth of my baby, and we’ve been on our own for a while.”

  “Wow. And I thought I had it bad with a bunch of gods in my head,” Kate said. At Alicia's confused look, she added, “Never mind. Can you wait here for me? I shouldn’t be long.”

  Alicia nodded. “Of course, my lady.”

  “Oh,” Kate said, poised at the ladder. “You can call me Kate. Promise.”

  Kate had hoped she could rappel and be awesome like Alicia, but she didn’t trust herself. She was a goddess, but that didn’t mean she had to be stupid.

  Alicia's airship had gathered attention, and Lania and her husband, Norbert had come out of the farmhouse to watch Kate’s descent.

  She waved at them.

  Lania looked up at the great airship and then back at Kate. Tears still leaked from her wide eyes.

  “Did Daniel make it back here with your son?” Kate asked.

  Lania nodded.

  “And is he…okay?”

  “My Lord took his pain away,” she said, looking down at the ground.

  Kate nodded.

  “The people who did this to your son - the church itself - are gone. Daniel and I are going to speak with you and your son. We’re going to depend on you to begin spreading our word. Are you willing?”

  They both fell to their knees, Lania still weeping, and for the first time Kate understood why they knelt.

  ******

  “A zeppelin.”

  Daniel stood at the edge of the field beside Kate, staring in disbelief. “Where the hell did you find a zeppelin?”

  Kate laughed. “Well, it kinda ran into me. I was busy burning the city down when the ladder whacked me in the head. Driven by a single mom and her kids. No crew.”

  “And that’s how we’re getting around?”

  Kate nodded.

  “That is so awesome,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, flying around as a dinosaur is pretty damn cool, but shit. A zeppelin.”

  They approached the hanging ladder and began to climb, Kate first.

  “Do you think I upset them?” Kate asked.

  Daniel looked up and tried not to be distracted by the view. “What in the world are you talking about?”

  “Well, he’s not the tragic martyr now. He has one eye back.”

  “Kate, he doesn’t need to be blind for effect. That’s definitely not worth it. He survived the destruction of Dauphine by riding on the back of a god. He doesn’t need to be fully blind to get his message across.”

  She was silent a bit as she climbed.

  “You know,” he said. “Jesus did make blind men see too. And I don’t think he felt weird about it.”

  “I don’t think I feel weird about healing the kid. I feel weird about not being able to heal you.”

  This was new
s to Daniel. “Have you tried?”

  “Several times. When I first came back. When we made love. When you were a dog. I can’t do it.”

  “It’s okay, babe. I think this is how I’m supposed to be. I’m getting used to it. And hey, I’m glad you were able to help him. I wasn’t. Something about me and eyes and healing. Just doesn’t happen.”

  Kate had reached the top of the ladder and pulled herself to sit at the edge of the hatch. “Well, if we were omnipotent, this wouldn’t be much of a story, would it? Just wave your hand and say, “Everything’s peachy!””

  Daniel made a face at her. “Then we’d be back in the original heaven, wouldn’t we?” He climbed through the hatch and looked around. “And no one wants that. I do, however, want this.”

  Kate hadn’t told him much about the zeppelin, and he’d only seen it from the bottom. The massive blimp, about fifty yards across, was made of tough golden fabric, and the words “THE SHERIDAN" were painted on the underside in brown. Strong brass railings surrounded the deck entirely, and the controls at the helm looked to be a cross between a sailboat and a train. The underside of the deck rumbled as Alicia readied the steam engines to drive the great propeller at the stern, and a teenage girl watched the gauges that looked to correspond with the gas pressure in the balloon that held them aloft.

  “She’s been busy,” Kate said, rubbing her fingerprints off the shiny brass. “It was pretty dirty when I was on earlier.”

  “She’s the chariot of the gods now, she wants to make a good impression,” Daniel said.

  The woman stopped priming the engines and knelt on the deck as she noticed they were there. The girl followed her mother’s example and dropped to her knees. Kate glanced at Daniel. “Can you help me do something about this?”

  He shrugged. After the issue with his ‘church’ he didn’t see it so bad that people were reverential toward him and Kate. They might start to listen, now.

  Kate stuck her tongue out at him and walked up to the woman. “You’ve gotta stop doing this, Alicia, else we might crash. We understand you respect us. And thank you for it. But let me know how the ship’s doing, okay?”