Daniel looked down into her eyes. ‘If that’s what you want.’ He seemed to have no will of his own.
Meggie shook him. ‘It is. It is.’ Around them, the Pelleth continued to jump up and down, clapping at the sky. It had yet to dawn upon them what the withdrawal of the sea must signify. ‘In the distant past,’ Meggie said in a low voice, ‘when the Great Flood drowned the earth, people survived upon the mountaintops. Go to the hill fort of Enoch’s Tower. It is not far from here, but you’ll have to hurry. Take my sight with you, Daniel, let it guide you. I think you’ll be safe there.’
‘Very well.’ Daniel paused. ‘Why can’t you lead them there yourself?’
Meggie sighed and shook her head, pursing her lips together. ‘It is time,’ she said. ‘And I’m too old to run. That’s all. Now go, quickly.’ She shouted out to her sisters to silence them. ‘Go with the boy! Go now. The Serpent Mother does not want your lives!’
The women all stared at her with wide eyes, frozen in position, some with their hands still held to the sky.
‘Go now!’ Meggie urged. She sensed the rising power of the sea behind her. Emma realised what was happening and began to chivvy the women towards the house. Agatha ran to Meggie’s side. ‘I’m not leaving you, Gran!’
‘You must!’ Meggie said in a hard voice. ‘Daniel, take her!’
Daniel picked up the child in his arms. She wailed and fought against him, but he held on to her tightly and ran up the garden. For a moment, he paused and looked back. He saw Meggie and her sister standing straight at the edge of the cliff, and behind them the sky rippled and surged.
‘Gran!’ Agatha cried.
Daniel remembered his responsibility, and fled towards the house. As he ran, he felt as if wings fanned out from his shoulders. He could fly now if he wanted to. His feet skimmed the ground, and the women scurried along behind him, their robes fluttering around them. They were like a wild hunt flying over the land, following the Sacred King who led them.
They skirted the house and spilled out into the lane, spinning around, uttering eerie screams. Daniel had no idea where he was supposed to be taking them, but let his feet lead him, trusting that Meggie’s clear sight guided his body. Behind him, beyond the cliff, the sky was a wall of water.
Meggie and Betsy held hands at the edge of the cliff. The element of the Serpent Mother was coming to claim them. They were so tiny before her power, like two shells waiting to be taken by the tide. Just before the wave fell over them, Meggie saw a host of sea-faces peering out, and extended arms that were waiting to embrace them. Then the water crashed down and a great slice of cliff broke away beneath the impact. The Serpent Mother claimed her sacrifice.
When Delmar saw the wave approaching, he was filled with relief. He stood up from where he shuddered on the shore and walked out to meet his element. He crossed through the wall of water as if passing through a veil. For him, the time of living on the land was over. He was never seen again.
And as the wave crashed down upon the land, the serpent power flared out from the chapel on St Michael’s Mount, empowering the first site on its journey across the landscape. Everywhere, people attuned to the mysteries were drawn out to the ancient sites. They saw the strange sky, and the black sun rise. It seemed as if the end of the world had come. But then the power came, surging along the ancient corridor, filling each shrine, holy hill, stone circle, church and cathedral with exploding light, which rained down upon the people who had come to bear witness.
Of all those who had gathered, throughout the country at the old, sacred sites, some had been drawn by an unrecognised sense, others by knowledge, a recognition of what was happening in the land. Occult fraternities of all creeds performed secret and traditional rituals, to herald a new order. Christians bathed in the light of heaven that flooded their churches, and waited for the coming of the Lamb of God. Pagans danced at stone circles, celebrating the return of the old gods in the wake of the revenge of Mother Earth. People of all faiths and religions came to experience the reawakening, and through their own beliefs, recognised the spirit of change. Every spirit, ghost, god-form and guardian of the old places of power awoke and rose to the serpent’s breath. Albion’s sacred heritage was alive. Past and present came together in their quest for the future. And the meaning inherent within the history of the ancient past touched the hearts of all the people. Like ripples gyring out from a stone cast into a pool, the whole of the land became brilliant with the sacred radiance that flamed in the wake of the serpent’s journey. A shining new age had dawned at last, and through the hallowed blood of the serpent, humanity’s soul would be nourished, its spirit evolve. Britain, the land of the setting sun, the land in the west, had become.
Chapter Thirty
The Dawn
In the aftermath of the wave and the surge of the serpent power, people were drawn out to the cliff top all along the Lizard. The water had caused surprisingly little damage. Gardens were drowned and sheds washed away, but the village and its surrounding area was mainly intact. It seemed the greatest concentration of the wave had centred on two areas alone; Mermaid’s Cove and the beach below the house of Meggie and Betsy Penhaligon.
Daniel and Emma led the bedraggled Pelleth down from the hill fort. The dazed inhabitants of High Crag ventured out into the morning. Some were drawn to a single point; the shattered rock where once the great lion had stared out to sea. Daniel and Emma were there first, soon followed by Lily and Aninka, and the Parzupheim.
Daniel did not know why he’d felt compelled to come to this place. He was overwhelmed by grief. Shem had become one with the serpent and Daniel felt sure he would never see him physically again. But for what? Had it worked? A black sun had risen, and the power had surged throughout the arteries of the land that had been waiting to be filled, but what had energised the serpent; hatred or love? The destiny of the land was sealed, but as yet there was no way of knowing what direction that would take.
Sofia awoke in her bed of serpent flesh, her mouth filled with a sour taste, her nostrils with the stench of rotting meat. Around her, Pharos lay in silence. Candles guttered on the floor and from the window no light came. This was the dawn of darkness.
Stretching languorously, Sofia rose up, and cast off the rags that covered her body. Naked, she padded out into the dim corridor, beyond her room of enchantment, and from there down through the house. Beyond the windows, she saw the wan light of the true dawn break above the horizon. She had experienced the force of the wave in her mind, and had sensed the Shamir’s explosion from the cliff-face. She felt drunk, ecstatic. Her power had fed the prince of light, and she had taught him her darkest secrets. He had faced the Shamir filled with the knowledge of the lightless spheres. There could be no flimsy New Age now, but a raw millennium of change and cleansing. Soon, the world would belong to the Grigori once more, and with this power they could gain access to the sealed chambers hidden among desert sands, where the vestiges of their ancestors’ knowledge lay hidden. The stargate would be opened once again, and the route to the source be made available to them. Azazel would be their king, she their queen. This was the destiny of the world, and these islands were but a small part of it.
Sofia took a shower in one of Salamiel’s guest-rooms, and dressed herself in the black dress she had left there the previous night. Of Salamiel himself there was no sign. Sofia was not concerned about it. He could be recalled when the moment was right. For now, she had to concentrate on bringing Azazel back to the house, to give him rest and succour. When he was strong enough, the half-breed girl, Lily, would be made his dark concubine and produce for him new giant sons. Salamiel would submit to the king’s lust to seal their contract. But all this was in the future.
Sofia drove down the coast road in good spirits. She left her car on a lay-by and strolled jauntily down to the cliff path. Below, the beach was a litter of shattered rock and marine debris. Strange rotting carcasses, that looked like seals but were not, lolled brokenly from rock-pools. Swatches of
red and green weed that might have been the shorn hair of giant mermaids shawled the sands. Sea birds wheeled and screamed hysterically, disturbed by the recent occult phenomena. Sofia surveyed all this with a serene eye. She picked her way carefully down the cliff path to the beach, and from there to the gaping hole in the rock that was all that remained of Azumi. Fetid gases curled out from the cave at ground level, but otherwise there was no sign of activity. Sofia positioned herself before the cave mouth and called out, ‘Azazel, come forth!’ There was no response, no sound of movement from within. Had Azazel been killed by all he’d experienced? She realised, ultimately, that it did not matter. He had fulfilled one function at least, had acted as the required catalyst for all that would come, and if he was not to be part of the Grigoris’ future, there would be other Watchers left in the world she might find and use for her purposes.
‘Azazel, I command you!’
Sofia heard the tumble of stones from within the cave, and presently saw a pale shape moving in the shadows. Her heartbeat increased. She realised she would be disappointed if the angel king had died.
‘Azazel!’
A figure came out into the daylight, but Sofia saw at once it was not Azazel. ‘Salamiel,’ she said. ‘What have you seen?’
Salamiel stumbled out onto the shore. He looked stricken, bewildered. ‘Nothing,’ he answered, ‘but for a thousand bones.’
Impatiently, Sofia marched past him under the shadow of the rock. For a few moments, she stood with her hands on her hips, gazing into the darkness. She felt reluctant to search the cave system herself, perhaps because the guardian, Ainzu, might still be around, although it seemed most likely he would have perished once the reason for his existence had been curtailed. Sofia was not afraid of Ainzu, but was wisely wary of him. He was almost unthinkably ancient, and she was unsure of the extent of his power. She did not want to be bothered with involving herself in any minor skirmishes. All she cared about was Azazel. Yet, if he still lived, surely he would have emerged by now? Sofia turned back to Salamiel. ‘How far did you search for him in this place? Did you venture into every chamber?’
Salamiel nodded. ‘As far as I was able. Did you kill him, Sofia?’
‘Shut up,’ Sofia answered dully, then returned her attention to the darkness ahead. ‘Well, there seems little point in remaining here...’
She began to pick her way back over the rock, while Salamiel remained staring into the cave. She would leave him here to mourn for a while. Eventually, he would return to Pharos and then she could decide what his next purpose would be.
Sofia stumbled into a rock pool, and put out one hand to steady herself against a shattered boulder. At that moment, a white shape reared up before her from behind the rock and hissed malevolently in her face. She recoiled in surprise. Emim! Salamiel had brought his creatures with him. She did not fear them, but was offended that the Emim did not appear to fear her. She turned round to address Salamiel sharply.
The beach behind her was filled with the crouching shapes of naked Emim. Salamiel stood behind them, his back pressed against the serpentine rocks. Sofia laughed. Did he think to threaten her with these creatures? The Emim watched her with unblinking eyes. She could wither them if she chose. Was Salamiel mad?
Then her eyes were drawn to the cave mouth. Another figure stood there, taller than Salamiel, paler than the watchful Emim. Sofia nearly fell to her knees, but mustered her senses, and ran forward, pushing the Emim from her path. ‘Azazel! My lord!’
He stood there, dusty and bloody, his hair in disarray over the grey rags that covered his chest. Sofia knew he appeared at that moment as he had at the time his father, Anu, had sacrificed him as the scapegoat. But here was no bewildered victim. His face was serene, his eyes staring at her in complete tranquillity. Did the dark fire burn within him now? She had bestowed the greatest of gifts, turned the path of his destiny. He was a god, the incarnation of divine power and beauty.
When she was a few feet away from him, Sofia halted. ‘My lord, have you come to claim your kingdom?’
He smiled. ‘Of course. It is you who helped me understand it.’
‘I merely guided your feet to the required path.’ Sofia felt slightly unnerved by the directness of his stare. She should expect that he’d possess far greater power now, but hoped it was not beyond her control. ‘Look, here is your brother, Salamiel, waiting for you. Let us return to his house together.’
Shemyaza turned his gaze to Salamiel, and beckoned him to approach. Sofia watched in satisfaction as they embraced, Salamiel dwarfed in the arms of his king. This was as it should be.
‘Did you hear me in the underworld?’ Salamiel asked.
The angel king took his brother’s head between his hands. ‘I heard you.’ He released Salamiel and took a few steps towards Sofia. ‘Would you like to see what I’ve become?’
She felt wary. ‘I can see that already.’
The angel king shook his head slowly. ‘Oh, I don’t think so. You took me from the crystal, the first gate to the source, and dragged me into the abyss. You sought to eclipse all knowledge of light from my soul, so that I would become your dark god. But Sofia...’ And here he paused with a smile. ‘Don’t you understand that by showing me the dark of the Tree, you made me into the perfect avatar of the Shamir? The true king must have knowledge of both light and dark. You gave me this.’
Sofia narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Of course I sought only to aid you.’
He laughed softly. ‘Did you now? Look upon me. I am the serpent.’
A blaze of golden light burst out of his eyes. Sofia saw him stretch his arms up above his head, saw his neck grow longer, his body transform into rings of shining coils. He became a radiant serpent from the chest down, while his upper body returned to an earlier Grigori form, with a long face and neck and slanting eyes. His hair was alive around him, seething upon the air. The light of him burned her skin. She saw Salamiel cringe away, fall to his knees before this vision of ophidian power.
The angel king uttered an angry hiss. ‘You deceived me, enchantress, demon mother. You delivered me into the hands of deceivers, the witch and her boy. You used the face of my love to twist my destiny.’ Rays of light spun upon his brow like a dazzling crown. Sofia fought the urge to duck away from them.
‘I did what was necessary,’ she snapped. ‘My only purpose was to aid you. Didn’t I find and keep your brother for you? He is yours. As well as your pretty twin playthings and the boy you deign to call your vizier. I am the Sofia, Azazel. Your mate, your confederate.’
‘Never,’ he said. ‘You will never be that.’
Sofia grinned and shook her head. ‘Times change, people change. Wake up, Azazel. I can give you everything you want or need. It was my strength that sustained you in the underworld, my power that helped you wake the Shamir.’
The angel king opened his eyes wider, and bolts of golden light flashed from them. ‘Too late,’ he hissed. He leaned towards her on his shining coils, his arms reaching out with clawed hands.
‘Azazel,’ Sofia said in desperation. ‘You must come with me. Return to your mortal shape and we shall talk. I will explain our purpose, our destiny.’
The angel king shook his head. ‘I am not Azazel, demoness. You were waiting for someone else. Now I will crush the darkness from you.’
Sofia’s lips peeled back from her long teeth. As the angel king’s arms snaked out to embrace her she leapt backwards with a raw squawk. Did he truly think he could beat her? Sofia tossed her head wildly, shook her body until it seemed she moved so fast she was made only of black vapour. The angel king before her clearly sensed she was transforming and lunged forward. Too late. Sofia screamed out her fury and her form burst up into the sky. She became Leviathan, the primal sea-dragon, a hideous creature of black spines and tattered wings. The angel king reared up to envelop her, and she reached for him with her clawed feet. Together, in a screaming embrace, they rose, spiralling up towards the sun. She clawed and bit at his substance, he
seared her with light. Below, Salamiel’s Emim clustered together about their master, whimpering in fear. Salamiel covered his head with his hands and the scent of hallowed blood rained down upon him.
On the cliff top, Daniel and his companions stood in complete silence and stillness, as if in mourning. A single sea bird uttered a sad cry overhead.
Shem, we should have been together, Daniel thought. Now I have lost you forever. A brief image of himself and Lily and Owen flashed through his mind. They would live out the rest of their lives now; shattered and damaged. As an old woman, perhaps hundreds of years in the future, Lily would still be feeding Owen, cleaning him, and Daniel would be an empty husk of a man, given extended life, only to suffer it in loneliness. He could not bear to contemplate this bleak prospect. He wanted to turn to Emma or Lily for comfort, but was unable to move, knowing that comfort could not be found, because any arms that held him now could never be the ones he craved.
The sky should still be black, Daniel thought bitterly, because the King is dead. A week ago, the women were lamenting. Why are they silent now?
Then the silence of the morning was broken by a roaring scream, a cry so loud that everyone covered their ears in pain. The ground beneath them shook. People fell to their knees, their faces. Daniel sank down to crouch upon the edge of the cliff. He saw the monstrous shapes rise up into the sky, saw the gouts of black blood, of golden light, spray out of them.
Lily crawled to Daniel’s side. ‘Dan, what’s happening? What’s that noise?’ She was looking around herself in panic, and Daniel realised she could not see the creatures grappling in the sky. He put his arms around her.
‘I don’t know.’ He closed his eyes, tried to concentrate on picking up information. Behind him, the Parzupheim had begun to chant, presumably because they understood what was happening.
‘Shem,’ Daniel sighed, and opened his eyes. Was that golden beast all that was left of his beloved king, all that he had become? He stared in horror and wonder at the sight. A dark female power had him in its grip. Not Ishtahar, something full of hate. He picked up vestiges of Sofia, saw her grinning face.
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