The question caught Livvy off guard. She hadn’t thought about a time and place. She was exhausted and starting to feel cold again, even wrapped in the thick terry cloth robe and sitting in front of the fire. Besides, they would still need to make the sacrifices. But then she thought of her last words with Sam. Livvy and Ursula agreed to meet in a few hours at the Nahual’s house.
Livvy called Alvina, who was surprised that she’d done it.
“Straight to the Upperworld? Goodness,” she’d said. “And now you have a date with Marduk? Interesting.”
“Ursula’s gonna be here,” said Livvy.
“Ursula, yes, that makes sense. How about Wan-li?”
“I haven’t talked to her yet.”
“Well, dear, why don’t you do that first and then let me know what she says.”
Like before, what Wan-li did was going to influence what the others did. It was also going to influence if they’d be successful or not. As she hung up, she saw the Nahual on the deck. Of course, Wan-li wasn’t the only powerful shaman in the area at the moment. Right out there on the deck was a Nahual.
Before Livvy even got the words out, the Nahual said, “Yes, I will do it but I am warning you that I have never used goggles before.”
“Seriously?” said Livvy, smiling. “Really?”
“For Indra’s sake,” she said.
Livvy’s smile melted. “Yes,” she nodded. “For Indra and Min.”
“A Nahual?” asked Wan-li. “I would not have thought that a Nahual would favor the technology, yes?”
Livvy glanced out to the deck. “Well, I’m looking at one right now,” she said. “She’s the one who drowned me.”
“Water, yes, of course, the ancient way,” said Wan-li, considering. “And this…Nahual, she is a techno-shaman, yes?”
“No, but she’s willing to give it a try.”
“Really,” said Wan-li, drawing it out.
The front door opened and SK had his hands full of grocery bags.
“When are you planning to do this?”
“In a few hours,” Livvy said, nodding at SK and smiling.
“Very well. Text me the address.”
“Wait, Wan-li,” said Livvy. “Could you call Alvina?”
“Call Alvina?” She chuckled. “Yes, I can do that. We can carpool.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
URSULA ARRIVED FIRST, and she was alone.
“Where’s Bruno?” asked Livvy, as the Nahual motioned Ursula into the sunken living room.
“He’s dead,” she said, her voice tight.
A few wisps of hair had escaped her head wrap, and she wasn’t wearing any lipstick.
“Dead?”
The Nahual left them and went out to the deck. Ursula seemed not to have even noticed her or the surroundings. She sat down at the end of the couch, perched on the corner.
“Vigilantes,” she said, spitting the word out with distaste.
Livvy sat down at the fireplace across from her.
“They thought he was a shaman. They caught him alone in the parking lot. Shot him,” she said without emotion. “Eleven times.”
“Oh no,” said Livvy. “I’m so sorry.”
“But that’s not the worst part.”
Livvy waited and watched as Ursula shut her eyes tight, as though she was trying not to see something. Then Livvy realized what the worst part had to be.
In unison, they said, “He’s come back.”
“You know?” asked Ursula with a searching look.
“Yes,” said Livvy.
Ursula seemed to relax a little and hunched forward. “It’s been awful,” she said. “Ursula can’t sleep.”
“Do you want to lie down?”
Ursula straightened up. “Ursula wants this over,” she said. “Now is not soon enough.”
The Nahual came back in the room then.
“Well, if you want to give me your goggles,” said Livvy, standing up, “I’ll get busy with that. I’ve still got Sunny’s goggles hooked up. You can use those,” she said to the Nahual.
“A techno-Nahual?” asked Ursula.
“Not exactly,” said the Nahual.
Even a Nahual would have to get used to the goggles, especially after the disdain that most traditional shamans had for the new technology. SK entered from the deck as well, holding an empty platter that was full of blood and a pair of barbecue tongs.
“Barbecue?” asked Ursula, surprised.
“Not exactly,” said SK.
Wan-li and Alvina arrived not too long after and fell into conversation with the Nahual near the barbecue pit. SK piled the beef on, every part of the cow that he’d been able to find. Piece by piece, he put it on the expansive grill and seared it black, watching the smoke rise upward.
As Livvy finished the soldering, sitting in the middle of the living room floor, SK came in from the deck and set the empty platter down on an end table.
“Just a few more slabs to go,” he said, wiping his hands on the improvised apron he wore, safety pinned at the bottom to raise the hem a couple feet, and the neck strap knotted short. “I read a few old prayers that I could find. I hope Marduk has a good appetite.”
Livvy moved the magnifying lens and leaned her head left and right, stretching the taut muscles in her shoulders and neck.
“Joel is going to be here, right?” asked SK.
“You’re that worried?”
He shrugged, trying to be casual. “Why take chances?”
“I didn’t think you liked having him around.”
He snorted. Clearly, he didn’t.
On an impulse, Livvy went over to him, knelt down, and started to hug him. A spark leapt out between them and snapped in midair.
“Santa Anas,” they said together.
She closed her arms around him. “It’s going to be all right,” she said.
Taken by surprise, he seemed stiff at first, but he hugged her back, and they stayed like that for several moments. She could smell the faint scent of smoke on him.
“You smell like steak,” she said as she released him.
“Ha,” he said, smiling. “I hope that’s good.”
“It’s pretty wonderful, actually.”
The doorbell rang, but neither of them moved. It rang again.
“I’ll get it,” she said. “There’s a grill calling your name.”
Although Livvy hadn’t been expecting any more arrivals, she wasn’t all that surprised at who stood there. Carmen looked as nervous as usual.
“Carmen,” exclaimed Livvy, as she pulled her in with a hug and closed the door behind her. “I didn’t think we’d see you.”
“Sorry, I don’t want to be left out,” she said.
“Come on then. Everybody’s on the deck. Give me your goggles though, so I can hook them up.”
Livvy overheard the snippets of conversation as the other shamans filled the Nahual in on what she could expect–besides Tiamat. They were poring over the books that SK had brought from his library, reviewing the various descriptions of Tiamat, Marduk, and their epic battle.
Having met Marduk, Livvy found it hard to envision the battle as described. Marduk had ridden forth in a glorious chariot and used a net to ensnare Tiamat and a spear with a special blessing to pierce her underbelly. Would he use the same tactics? Would Marduk, the old gardener, be able to do the deed again? Tiamat the monster seemed invincible, especially now that Livvy had seen them both.
SK came in from the patio with an empty platter again. “That’s it,” he said as the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.”
He set the platter down and went to the door. As he pulled it open, Joel adjusted his eyes downward. His smile faded every so slightly. “Hi, SK,” he said.
SK stepped aside and Joel entered, hauling a large cart behind him.
“Just in time,” Livvy said, getting up.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
THE SHAMANS SETTLED down, their mats arranged as they had been at Livvy’s apartment, except
that the Nahual took up the place where Sunny had been.
The other shamans began to lie back and put on their goggles. Livvy saw the Nahual looking down at hers and then she flipped the switch on.
“All you really have to do is relax,” said Livvy.
The Nahual looked up at her and seemed to be hesitating. Then, without a word, she lay down and brought the goggles up to her face.
“See you on the flip side,” said Livvy.
She checked that Joel was ready with a quick look. He returned the thumbs up sign and smiled. She looked over at SK, whose mouth was set in a determined line, his eyebrows knit together.
“Kick her ass,” he said.
She smiled and nodded.
• • • • •
As expected, the Nahual was the last to come through, but when she did, the flash of light had them all shielding their eyes. Carmen almost tried to hide. The Nahual’s entrance finished with a small boom that had them all ducking.
“Goodness,” said Alvina.
Ursula glanced in every direction, searching the horizon for any sign of Tiamat. “Where is she?” she asked, tense.
“Yes, she appeared quickly last time,” said Wan-li.
“Yes, quickly,” Carmen echoed, spinning around as she looked for a sign that Tiamat was approaching.
The Nahual came over to Livvy and touched her shoulder. She saw the glow, felt the pressure of her hand.
“When will Marduk arrive?” asked Ursula, anxious.
Livvy looked up to the sky.
“He said he’d meet us here,” she said, looking back to Ursula. “And he will.”
“Well, I imagine he heard the Nahual arrive,” said Alvina.
Livvy watched as the others scanned the horizon, looked up to the sky, and looked toward the black lake, but there was no sign of Marduk or Tiamat. Livvy waited.
“Maybe we should just go,” suggested Carmen, her hands starting to twitter.
“What could have happened?” asked Ursula.
Livvy shook her head and looked up to the sky. They all did.
“She’s gone to ground in the Underworld,” said a voice behind them.
Livvy turned around. It was Marduk, his skin glowing with power. Here, in the grayness that had become the Middleworld, he was positively shining.
“Where did you come from?” asked Ursula.
He glanced upward and then back at Livvy and the rest of the shamans, who were gathering around.
“So, you’re Marduk,” said Alvina, looking him up and down.
He ignored her. “This is all the help you brought?” he said to Livvy.
A grump, like last time, she thought, but she sensed the disquiet that had settled over her group at his attitude.
“The best of the best,” she countered, sweeping her gaze over the group and then back to him. “We’re ready when you are.” The group shifted, standing closer to her. “What do you mean Tiamat has gone to ground?” she asked.
“Back to the Underworld,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Wants to be on her own turf for this.”
“How did she know we were coming?” asked Livvy.
“Good question,” he said. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
The shamans stirred again behind her, but she didn’t look back.
“Look,” said Livvy, surprising herself with the anger in her voice. “I’m here, because you sent for me. You’re here, because I came looking for you. We all have one common enemy, and that’s Tiamat.”
He frowned and harrumphed but didn’t have a retort.
“So, it’s the Underworld then,” she concluded.
Marduk nodded and Livvy turned to the other shamans.
“Sorry, is there a plan?” asked Carmen.
“They don’t do any good,” said Marduk. “Any of you ever been in a battle?”
Livvy turned to face him again as he waited through the brief silence.
“No, I didn’t think so. It’s chaos. The plan evaporates immediately. Get to her belly, that’s the only plan. First one there wins.”
Then he disappeared in a flash of light.
“Not what I would have expected from an ancient god,” said the Nahual.
“Maybe we don’t have to do this. Maybe it’s good enough that Tiamat is back in the Underworld?” suggested Carmen.
Livvy turned to face the group. “You know it’s not,” she said, calmly, evenly. “It would only be a matter of time before Tiamat was here in the Middleworld again. We’ve got to take the battle to her and we’ve got to win.”
She paused, watching their faces and saw the doubt there. She sensed that they needed something more from her.
“You saw Marduk’s power. Combined with ours, we can defeat her.”
With that, Livvy pointedly looked to the sky. The others followed her gaze to where the dark and towering clouds had gathered over them. Flashes of lightning traveled back and forth within the roiling mass. The Nahual leveled an approving look at Livvy that she calmly returned. She was the Lightning Shaman, and she wanted them to remember that.
Wan-li nodded, as did Alvina. One by one, each nodded their assent. Livvy nodded as well.
“All right then,” she said and then led them to the lake.
In moments, they were thrown into the Underworld. But it wasn’t an Underworld that any of them recognized.
As Livvy looked around, she realized that, apart from an irrigation ditch, a wheat field, and a wide river in the distance, they were in a desert. The jagged mountains were brown and lifeless. The land on the other side of the ditch was dry and cracked.
“Sumeria,” said Livvy. “Of course. Her home turf.”
As they took stock of their surroundings, Carmen’s snake crept up from the ditch and Wan-li’s tiger bounded through the wheat field. Alvina’s coyote came padding down the dirt road and Ursula’s black rooster flew in from the opposite direction. They all looked skyward at one point or another to confirm that the thunderclouds were swirling overhead, and then they checked the Nahual.
A medium-sized turtle crept up out of the water in the irrigation ditch and made its way over to her feet. Ursula shot Livvy a look that said, “You must be kidding,” until the tall wheat began to quiver a few dozen feet away. A sleek black jaguar emerged with a low rumble in its throat. It also went to the Nahual, nudging the turtle with its nose, which sent it teetering but didn’t topple it.
“Two spirit helpers?” asked Alvina.
“Of course,” said the Nahual.
There was a loud rattling, and then the sound of galloping horses quickly grew from the road behind them. They looked up to see Marduk approaching.
Four brilliantly white horses pulled his shining gold chariot. They slowed to a stop next to the assembled group.
Livvy had to admit, he was convincing in his battle dress. The intricate breastplate gleamed with flowing scrolls and gold cuneiform inscriptions. The helmet, a tall silver cone mounted with a bright red tassel, had a chain mail neck-drape that shimmered when it moved. In the well of the chariot, they could see the legendary weapons: the net, the shield, and the spear. He was looking younger by the minute.
“Maybe just seeing you will frighten her,” said Livvy, looking up at him.
“Oh no,” said Marduk, although he looked pleased at the thought. “Tiamat doesn’t know fear, only rage.”
The Nahual was stroking the nose of the one of the horses when suddenly it reared. A screech erupted from the sky above the river. All eyes turned to see Tiamat heading directly toward them.
Marduk slapped the reins down hard. He wheeled the horses around and they dived down the embankment and onto the baked clay surface. Clouds of dust rose up from the wheels. Marduk lifted his spear high in the air and Tiamat shrieked again.
Maybe because she’d encountered Tiamat more than the others, or maybe because she was thinking of how much depended on her, Livvy realized that Tiamat’s shrieks were no longer unnerving. One by one, she looke
d each of the shamans in the eye.
“Let’s do this,” she said.
Then she charged down the embankment after Marduk, the other shamans right behind. He turned the horses in a wide circle and, as they continued their charge, he came back around them to the right.
“Don’t get too far away from me,” he yelled as he passed. “Don’t bunch together.”
As they continued to move forward, he circled behind them again, and then ahead of them to the left. Tiamat landed in the distance, keeping her belly low to the earth. The light of her eye began to search on the ground between them but was still a ways away.
Livvy looked up to the sky where the swirling mass was keeping pace. Wan-li had surged ahead of them, she and her tiger moving at an incredible speed while Ursula flanked to the left, her rooster flying parallel. Ahead of them, Tiamat’s eye found Marduk, but he raised his shield, scattering the beam back to her. She shrieked and galloped toward him.
As the black rooster flew next to her, Ursula, still running, raised a hand above her head. A small ball of fire appeared there and she hurled it at Tiamat. It had blazed brightly at first, but as it traveled, it started to smoke. By the time it landed on Tiamat’s feathers, she took no notice as it faded in a puff and splatter. Ursula was still too far away but the gap was closing.
Marduk’s chariot thundered between them as he brandished the spear high above his helmet. Seeing it, Tiamat instinctively crouched.
From out of nowhere, her giant tail came whipping around from the right. Even as Wan-li and her tiger gracefully jumped over it, it sent Alvina and her coyote sprawling. Livvy looked to the sky and raised her hand. The clouds boiled and whirled directly above her.
“Lightning,” she said.
A bright white streak laced through the sky and struck the ground between Tiamat and Alvina. Tiamat shrieked in anger as the bolt created a small crater. Alvina was flung backward by the explosion and the coyote appeared stunned.
Ursula had managed to get in front of Tiamat and created a ball of heat that she aimed at Tiamat’s belly, but it landed too high and splattered against the wings. The light from Tiamat’s eye landed on Ursula, but before Livvy could do anything, the black rooster flitted wildly through the beam, almost tumbling through it in mid-flight. It wasn’t there long enough to suffer serious damage but a couple of feathers on one wing seemed to be smoking. For only a few seconds, Tiamat couldn’t decide where to focus and the maneuver gave Ursula the break she needed. She dodged and dove away.
Olivia Lawson Techno-Shaman Books 1 -3 Page 28
