by K. T. Tomb
“What about evolution? The earth is over billion years old. We have Neanderthals that date back hundreds of thousands of years.”
“It is a long story, some of which we are not meant to understand. Do you wish for me to get into it now?”
Actually, he did. Then again, he didn’t. He didn’t know. He wanted all of her answers immediately. He wanted her physically as well. He had never in his life been so physically attracted to another person, but he knew that would be the case if he ever met his dream woman. The problem was, he had never thought he would. Although it left a hole in his heart and made him feel empty with longing, he had accepted it. All his suppressed desires and urges now raged. He took a deep breath.
Easy, Doctor, he told himself. She could probably crush your spinal column if she wanted to.
“Will there be time to discuss this later?” he asked.
She looked up briefly, thinking. Her white streak of hair hung just inches above her blue eyes. “Our destination is far. We will be spending much time together in the journey.”
This sent a thrill through him in more ways than one. “Then, let’s save that one for later. For now, I will accept that you believe you are a direct descendant from a daughter of Eve.”
“Eve is my grandmother.”
“Of course,” he said. “Are they alive as well?”
“No. They are not Cherubim. They are not Guardians. They have passed over. Their bodies forever sealed in the great ship.”
She didn’t elaborate on the great ship and Knight let that one slide. One Biblical miracle at a time, he thought, because he was in no mood to get into a discussion about Noah’s Ark. He was aware of the legend that the remains of Adam and Eve were taken aboard Noah’s Ark. Long ago, as the dreams of Eden had taken hold of Knight’s life, he was never one to immediately discount the old Biblical stories. For him, Eden had been all too real, at least in his dreams.
“Why is it the fate of the Cherubim, the Daughters of Eve, to forever stand guard over the Garden of Eden?” he asked.
She seemed preoccupied. Her thoughts were elsewhere. She seemed to be listening to a conversation in another room, or outside. It was frustrating at best, but he pushed on and she continued, “The Garden needs to be protected. In particular, the Tree of Life.”
“Who do you protect it from?” he asked.
She hesitated. “From those who do not understand. From those who seek fortune and fame at the expense of all life on Earth.” She paused.
“What happens if the Tree of Life is destroyed?” he asked.
“The tree is the true source of all life.”
“This is crazy!”
She shrugged. She didn’t care what he thought was crazy and what he didn’t. She was looking out his dark windows. She even sniffed the air once, her nostrils flaring. He saw that her hand had unconsciously gone to the hilt of some weapon at her hip. She did all of this unconsciously, her movements slow. He frowned.
“There is another group of people who seek the Tree of Life,” she said. “They are known as the Fallen.”
“Who are they?”
“Daughters who ate from the Tree of Good and Evil.”
“Ah, the other tree,” he said, smiling.
She wasn’t looking at him and didn’t see him smile, which was just as well. “Yes, the other tree. The Forbidden Tree. The tree, that even to this day we Cherubim leave alone, although its ripe fruit is alluring and its shade welcoming. Those who ate of this tree are the fallen Cherubim. Some of those who ate of the tree were given immortality as well.”
“But Adam and Eve ate of the tree, as well.”
“Yes, and they were banished from Eden and stripped of their fellowship with who we know as the Creator. Both died when very old. The fallen Cherubim, however, were given a different punishment. A cursed eternal life, forced to feed on the dead and never live in the light. Their souls are tormented, trapped in bodies that long to die, but can’t.”
“Vampires?”
“No, but they are the source of many of the vampire legends. The Fallen are able to reproduce, though. They do not have fangs and do not turn into bats. They do not kill, but feast on the rotting corpses of anything they can find. They lurk in the shadows, scavenging among the freshly dug graves, working in slaughterhouses. It is a miserable existence and they are foul, disgusting creatures. They cannot even remember who they were and what they had been. Except for one. She seeks to organize them and is the strongest of them all. She is the sister of the Mother Daughter.”
“This is getting confusing,” he said. “So, she was your aunt?”
“In essence. She ate of the fruit and tempted the others. She was always resentful of her destiny to be a Guardian. Well, she got what she wanted and she brought many of the Daughters down with her.”
“Seems I heard this story before. The fallen angels. Fallen Cherubim.”
“Yes. The similarities are striking,” she said. “Now, this one has not been fully transformed and has made it her lifelong quest to return to the Tree of Life after her banishment.”
“What’s her name?”
“Sulina the Fallen.”
“Catchy,” said Knight. “So, what do they want with the Tree of Life? Will it heal them as well from the curse?”
“The Tree heals wounds and can even bring back the dead. However, it cannot erase the curse that has been placed on the Fallen. No, Sulina seeks the Tree for other reasons.”
She paused, and cocked her head.
Knight said, “This is the part where you tell me the other reasons.”
She turned to him, lost in her own thoughts, or distracted by something outside. He couldn’t tell which. “The Tree of Life is not called that for nothing. The Tree can create life that has never existed on this planet before.”
“I’m not following.”
“Sulina seeks to find the Tree to create life in her own image. An endless army of her own warriors and perhaps of foul creatures too hideous to describe. All to serve and worship her and do her bidding.”
Knight tried to come to terms with what she was saying. “It’s a big cloning, but better, because you can create something that never existed before. Like God did.”
“Yes,” she said. “Like God did.”
“I’m beginning to see why it’s so important for you ladies to protect the Tree. Has she made an attempt on it in the past?”
“Twice, but she was thwarted. She organized many of the Fallen, but they are a hapless bunch, prone to fighting among themselves with short attention spans. I know she seeks to someday bring a real army to the Mountain of God.”
“And, if she does?”
“We are prepared,” said Jess. “There is one other thing about the Fallen. They can find me.”
“What do you mean?”
“They can smell me and any other Daughter.”
He sniffed. “You smell fine.”
She stood, her hand coming to rest on the pommel of her short sword. “The oil in my system gives me away. For those who know the scent, it is a trail that leads them to me, or any of the Daughters. When they’re close enough, I can smell them as well. The oil enhances our senses and I can smell the rotting stench of death that forever emanates from the bodies of the Fallen.”
He didn’t like the direction this conversation had suddenly taken. “Why are you telling me this now, Jess?”
“Because they’re here.”
Chapter Fifteen
She watched him move quickly to his dark sliding glass door that led to a wooden deck with what must have been a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean in the daytime. Now, all was black through the window, save for the blinking lights of the offshore oil rig.
He stepped to one side of the glass, instead of exposing himself fully. Looking out at an angle, he reported, “There’s only a half moon tonight. Beach is dark. I don’t see anything.”
He didn’t doubt her, she could tell. He was just reporting what he saw.
&
nbsp; The stink of something rotten, as if something had died in the next room, was strong in the air. The smell of decay was mixed with something else that always reminded her of bad cologne, as if the Fallen doused themselves with body oils to mask the stench of their rotten core. However, her experience told her that few mortals could detect the Fallen, although some probably did become ill or nauseous for an unknown reason. Most experiences were chalked up to a mild case of food poisoning, but they had actually been exposed to noxious odors from a Fallen.
“They are out there. The stench is strong. They are many.”
“Wait,” he said, and pressed closer to the door frame. “I see movement on the beach. There appears to be a small crowd.”
“They attack in crowds.”
“How did they find you so quickly?”
“I have stayed in one place for far too long. This is the curse of the Cherubim. Away from the security of the mountain, we are fair game to the Fallen. Sometimes they attack, sometimes they just follow, but always, their ultimate goal is to dispose of the Daughters. I cannot dawdle too long in any one spot.”
“Dawdle?”
“Do not make light of the situation, Evan Knight. They have come to kill me and they will kill you as well. Then they will partake of our flesh.”
“Then I’ll think unappetizing thoughts,” he said, stepping away from the window. “But I have no intention of losing you just yet, Jessima IL Eve.”
Knight disappeared down into the studio and returned with a long Tai Chi sword. He also had tucked two pistols into his belt. Jessima had already withdrawn her long dagger, which looked more like a machete than anything. It was a weapon she had purchased from the Daughters’ contact in Los Angeles. One of the first things for any Daughter to do when traveling was to arm herself against the Fallen. She, too, had a .38 Luger tucked away in the small of her back.
Jess watched Knight slip back to the sliding glass door. His face was calm. He was breathing fine, completely unruffled by the fact that a dozen or more blood-thirsty immortals were poised to attack.
Yes, she thought again. Maybe he is the Chosen One.
It was going to be something she would have to accept. A mortal doing the job of a Cherubim.
“Is there anything I should know about the Fallen?” he asked. “Any weaknesses?”
“None,” she said. “They are inhumanly strong and fast and mere mortals stand no chance. They are as deadly as anything on Earth.”
“Now you’re depressing me.”
“That is,” she said, “as deadly as anything, save for Cherubim.” She cocked an eyebrow at him appraisingly. “And maybe you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good,” she said, “because I don’t give many, especially to mortals.”
“You know, if we weren’t faced with a stinkin’ band of Cherubim dropouts, I’d think you were flirting with me.”
“They also move in herds. Kill their leader and they will disband. That is why we haven’t seen them yet. They will only attack a Cherubim together, never alone.”
“How do you know who the leader is?”
“That’s one of the problems,” she said. “But if we find him, or her, the others will lose their nerve. As individuals, they have lost their humanity and cannot think and react on their own.”
She had watched Knight turn off the house alarm earlier, after they had made their way up from the studio. She was glad, because things were about to get ugly and there was no explaining the Fallen to the police. His home was secluded enough on the coast that any disturbance would not be immediately reported. Indeed, they were alone with the Fallen. With Knight’s able help, this battle situation was as she preferred it to be.
He joined her in the center of the living room. “Is this where we make our stand?”
“We have nowhere to run. The house is surrounded. I can smell them everywhere.”
The sliding glass door and front door burst open simultaneously, spraying the beach home with shards of glass and splinters of wood.
Chapter Sixteen
Standing in his front doorway, silhouetted by the outdoor lighting, was a very tall woman dressed in a black leather trench coat. To Knight, as far as he could tell she was an utter knockout. Much of her face was still in shadow. A strong breeze that now made its way through his home, traveling through the two gaping doors, blew her blonde hair back from her face. He could see high cheekbones and a fine jaw.
“They certainly know how to make an entrance,” said Knight.
“With you being a mortal, they were hoping to scare you,” said Jess evenly. Her head didn’t move from the front doorway. “So, are you scared?”
“Trembling in my boots.”
“They will not attack just yet. First, they will seek information.”
“What type of information?”
“Why I have traveled from the highland wilderness of Iran to meet with a mortal, especially after having recently lost a Daughter Cherubim.”
“Maybe ‘cause I’m cute as hell.”
“Maybe.”
Knight was suddenly struck by a need to vomit, as if the food he had eaten after his lecture was not settling well and it wasn’t because of his banter with Jess. There seemed to be something in the air. Something was not right, as if the carcass of a whale had washed up and he was just detecting a hint of it on the wind. But more than anything, the room was quickly filling up with the smell of cologne and perfume.
“I think someone went a little heavy on the aftershave,” he said to Jess.
She had not taken her eyes off the blonde woman. Knight couldn’t be sure, but she seemed to be fighting the need to vomit as well. “It is the Fallen. They know their stench can oftentimes be detected by mortals and they seek to hide it.”
“I would, too,” he said.
Behind the blonde woman were others. Knight turned and looked toward his patio deck. He counted five men and women, all wearing long coats, as if to hide something. From what he could see, between the front and sliding glass doors, there were over ten unwanted guests.
The blonde woman stepped forward into the room. To Knight, she appeared to be the leader, but then again, his knowledge of the Fallen was seriously lacking.
“We meet again, Daughter Jess,” said the woman. Now, in the dim light of his home, Knight could see that she was quite beautiful in a deathly pale sort of way, as if she had been sick for some time. Her body looked powerful within the folds of her overcoat. She moved easily, stepping over the remains of a front door he had paid top dollar for.
Serves me right, he thought. It was just a door.
“You are looking well, Morina,” said Jess, “for someone who feeds on dead rodents.”
“Not tonight,” said Morina. “Tonight, we found a jogger on the beach. A very fit young man who could not run, try as he might.”
“Is she the leader?” asked Knight behind her, as they had shifted back to back and watched as four women and one man crunched over the glass of his shattered sliding glass door. He saw now that someone had thrown a deck chair through the window. Normally, that would have set off the alarms. He wasn’t so sure that had been a good idea, but now the house was quiet.
“Ah,” said Morina from behind Knight. “You told the mortal of our nature. I shall answer for Jessima IL Eve. I am not the leader.”
“But you are certainly the spokesperson,” he said from over his shoulder.
He heard laughter from the woman, but did not see her. “You picked a good one, Jessima. But can he fight?”
“You shall see,” said Jess.
Knight saw movement from the corner of his eye and he turned his head slightly to see Morina and three other Fallen making their way into his foyer. Morina was studying him closely. He saw now that blood coated her lips and what appeared to be shreds of skin under her long, pale fingernails. The skin was probably human. There had been a murder below on his beach. Morina stared at him with her amber cat-like eyes that
seemed to capture what little light there was in his living room and reflect it back even brighter. Her face looked flushed, perhaps from the recent kill. Her blank stare was so blatantly open and hostile that he unconsciously turned away, preferring instead to keep his eyes on those who were near his kitchen. Near where what had been his sliding glass door.
He was most startled to witness the Fallen’s movements. They moved in a very coordinated way, as if they had planned their movements within his home. It was as if they had a collective mind.
“Kill the leader,” Jess said. Perhaps it was this leader who was controlling them now. Each looked confident and cocky, looking upon Jess and Knight as if they were less than human, or even less than mortal in her case. As if, quite frankly, they were nothing more than food.
“This one has nerve,” said Morina. “I wonder why you are here, Jessima. I wonder why you chose this one to open up to. What makes him so special?”
“It’s my sense of humor,” said Knight. “She’s come all the way down from her mountain for a few laughs.”
Morina ignored him. “I find it curious that one of the Daughters is away from the fold, even as another one has perished, by our hands, no less.”
Beside him, Jess tensed.
Morina continued, “I find it curious that a Daughter has been sent away, even as we are in the process of planning a full attack on the Mountain of God.”
“What do you mean, Morina?” asked Jess.
“The right man with the right amount of money and the right amount of resources will soon be taking up our cause. He was with Rama when she died. He heard her story, but more importantly, he believes it and has seen the power of the oil. The very oil that he withheld from her as she lay dying and begging for it. Soon, we will join him, but first, we need to know why you are here.” She looked disdainfully at Knight. “We need to know why you seek this mortal.”
