by I. T. Lucas
“The original group of gods was small,” Sari continued. “They needed workers for various tasks, so they used their genetic material to create humanity by combining it with one of the precursors to the homo sapiens. What they didn’t foresee, though, was that the new hybrid would be much more fertile than they were and multiply rapidly.”
David nodded. “So far, you are following the Biblical narrative.”
“After I’m done, the Bible stories will make much more sense to you. For example, the story of Adam and Eve is not about a real forbidden fruit but about a metaphorical one. It’s about the god whose symbol is the serpent, which to this day symbolizes medicine in the form of the caduceus, granting humans the ability to procreate. To know in Biblical Hebrew means knowing intimately, not the accumulation of knowledge. The tree of knowledge good and bad represented procreation.”
“I heard that explanation somewhere, but since I’m not a religious man, I regarded it just as an interesting anecdote. Now it’s another piece in the puzzle that you are putting together for me.”
As Sari had expected, the more logical her story was, and the more it followed well-known mythology, the easier it was for David to accept it.
“The gods realized several things. The hybrid they’d created posed a threat to them because there were so many of them, and the small group of gods would not be able to control them. Since humans were capable of abstract thinking, providing them with theology was the best way to keep them under control while at the same time giving them tools to establish a proper society. The other realization was that to govern the ever-growing human population, the gods desperately needed to fortify their numbers, but with their incredibly low fertility rate and lack of genetic variation, they would never be able to keep up.”
David nodded. “So, they decided to take human partners and breed with them. Did they need to make genetic changes to the hybrids they’d created in order for them to be compatible?”
Sari shook her head. “They were already compatible, but it was forbidden to take them as lovers. After the prohibition was removed, things started to get interesting.”
“I guess that for the gods having sex with humans bordered on bestiality.”
“Not quite. The godly part of humans was dominant. Over the many generations, human intelligence kept growing, and the gods became aware that their creations were nearly as intelligent as they were but lacked the mind control powers.” Sari took a sip from her glass to wet her throat. “I suspect that the gods engineered humans to be susceptible to their mind control, but I can’t be sure of that.”
“It makes sense,” David said. “If the gods had such advanced genetic engineering capability, they would have wanted to incorporate a way to control their creations. It’s similar to us wanting to ensure that we can control artificial intelligence.”
Sari chuckled. “I wonder if humans will one day grant their robots rights the same way the gods did for them and set them free.”
“Didn’t the gods create humans to serve them? They were slaves.”
“Originally, yes. But when they grew in numbers and became more intelligent, the gods acknowledged what we refer to as human rights. The council of the gods enacted rules to ensure that humans were treated fairly. It was forbidden to take a human lover without his or her consent, contributions of work and goods to the gods’ temples were voluntary, and human servants were paid fair wages.”
“Sounds very utopian. I doubt things ran as smoothly and as benevolently as that.”
Sari smiled. “I doubt that as well. But since my source of information is my mother, glossing over imperfections is to be expected.”
“Naturally. Please, continue.”
“When the gods started taking humans as lovers, the unions between them were fruitful thanks to the mortals’ higher fertility rate. The sons and daughters born to them were immortal. They were not as powerful as the gods, but they retained the gods’ immunity to diseases and rapid healing ability, and they also possessed some of the mind control ability the gods had over humans.”
“I assume that they were the giants of the Bible?”
Sari nodded. “The Hebrew words used in the Bible and interpreted to mean giants are Nephilim and Anakim. Nephilim means those who fell, which can refer to lesser beings. Immortals were less powerful than the gods. Anak, which is the singular of Anakim, might be a variation on the Egyptian word ankh, which means the breath of life, or eternal life. Since both words refer to the sons of gods, in my opinion, they mean immortals, not very tall people.”
David’s eyes lit up with excitement. “That’s a fascinating observation, and it makes so much more sense than them being giants.”
Sari chuckled. “I’m glad that the puzzle pieces are finally falling into place for you, but that’s just the beginning.”
33
David
The picture Sari was painting made sense to David.
Perhaps the reason for it was that her story echoed the Bible, and even though he wasn’t a believer, the ancient source lent credence to her narrative.
“I have to admit that your story intrigues me, but if it’s true, where are the gods? And where are the immortals? There must be many more of you.”
“Our clan is not the only immortal community, but there aren’t many of us.” Sari handed him her empty glass. “I could use a refill before I go into that.”
“Coming up.” He brought the bottle to the coffee table and poured them both another shot.
“Thank you.” Sari took a sip. “I don’t want to jump around with the story, so you will have to wait patiently for the answers to your questions.”
He nodded. “No problem. I prefer an organized, chronological account.”
Sari put her glass on the table. “The first generation the gods and humans produced was born immortal, but when those immortals took human partners, their children were born human. At first, the gods were baffled by that, and it was assumed that not enough genetic material made it into the second generation to make them immortal. But upon further examination, it was discovered that some of them still possessed the godly genes. They were just dormant and could be activated.”
“That was what you meant by Dormants?”
Sari nodded. “The children of female immortals with human males could be turned, but the children of male immortals with human females could not.”
“But then how can I be a dormant carrier of the immortal genes? My mother is not immortal.”
“It’s enough that she’s a carrier.”
“Can she be turned?”
Sari shook her head. “The transition process is brutal on the body, and it gets more dangerous the older the Dormant. Even someone your age might not make it, and your mother is regrettably much too old for that. But your sister is another story. If you turn out to be a carrier, your sister is one as well, and since she is much younger than you, her transition will be easy.”
As David processed the information, it dawned on him that if Kalugal had found him six years ago, Jonah could have been alive not only today but forever.
Talk about pain.
Then again, the whole story might be a fantastic tale with no basis in reality.
In a way, he hoped that it was, even if it meant that he was just a plain human with no godly spark within him.
Coping with his brother’s death was difficult enough as it was. Knowing that Jonah could have been turned immortal was just too much to bear.
Lifting the glass, David emptied its contents down his throat, put it down on the table, and refilled it. “I’m sorry for interrupting again. Please, continue.”
Sari eyed the glass with a frown but didn’t comment, which he appreciated. She was good at reading his cues, and she probably figured out what had upset him.
“You asked where are the gods and why immortals are not as numerous as they should be after so many years.”
He nodded.
“That’s the sad part of the story.
My mother, who was the only daughter of the leading couple, was promised in marriage to a powerful god who hoped to one day take over leadership of the gods. She fell in love with another and broke off the engagement. Enraged, her intended murdered her husband, and when the gods’ council sentenced him to entombment in his absence, he decided to escape that fate by eliminating all the other gods and ruling over what was left of the humans and immortals.”
“How?”
“We don’t have the exact details of what happened, but we assume that Mortdh dropped a nuclear bomb, or something of equivalent destructive power on the gods’ assembly and killed them all. Along with the gods, most of the human and immortal populations of that region perished. My mother managed to escape to the far north before that happened, and that’s how she survived. Her half-sister, who’d been supposed to take her place as Mortdh’s mate, survived as well because she was en route to his stronghold in the north. Mortdh died in the attack, probably from the nuclear wind, and she ended up marrying his son Navuh, but we have only discovered that recently. Navuh is our clan’s arch-enemy, and throughout history, he has done everything in his power to undermine our work. While we are dedicated to helping humanity, he wants to enslave it. There is more to the conflict, but that’s it in a nutshell.”
The whole story was fascinating, but David doubted it could be proven. The part about the conflict, though, should be easier to prove or disprove.
“In what way is your clan helping humanity? And what is Navuh doing to stop you?”
Sari sighed and lifted her glass. “Human civilization was shaped by those two opposing forces. That part of my story is going to be the longest.”
David refilled both their glasses. “I’m not in a hurry. Are you?”
34
Sari
It was past two o’clock in the morning when Sari was done with her story. The whiskey bottle was nearly gone, most of it consumed by her, not because she was such a great whiskey drinker but because she hadn’t wanted David to get drunk.
He’d asked a lot of questions, and she’d answered them all as truthfully and as completely as she could. Despite his esoteric interests, David was mostly a cerebral guy, and the best approach was to convince him with facts and logic.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“Yes. How do you ascertain that I have the immortal gene?”
“There is no way to test it, or if there is, we haven’t discovered it yet. Paranormal abilities and the feeling of affinity between Dormants and immortals are the only indicators we know of, but neither is conclusive.”
“I don’t have any paranormal abilities. I wish I had.”
“But you have the affinity. Kalugal felt it, which is why he suspected that you are a Dormant and brought you here. I feel it too.”
David smiled. “I’m glad that you like me, and I like you too, but affinity is a subjective feeling. It’s not a proof.”
“Correct. The only way to know for sure is for you to attempt transition. You either do or don’t.”
“You said that it’s dangerous.”
“If you don’t have the godly genes, you will not enter transition, and the induction will not cause you any harm. But if you have them, you need to be aware that the transition takes a major toll on the body, and it’s not risk-free, especially for older Dormants. You seem to be in excellent physical condition, but given what happened to your twin, I will have our doctor examine your heart.”
“My heart is fine. After Jonah’s death, I underwent every possible test, including a whole-body scan. We were fraternal twins, which means that our genetic makeup was not identical.”
Sari let out a breath. “That’s good to know. But I will feel better about you attempting transition after our doctor approves you. I don’t want you to sacrifice the rest of your human life for a chance at immortality.”
He smiled. “I think you really like me.”
“I like you a lot.” She sighed. “I wish I had had more time with you before I had to tell you everything and force you to make such a monumental choice, but we only have a short window of opportunity to induce you, and we don’t do that without getting consent first. Kalugal is a three-quarter god, and he volunteered to be your initiator. That significantly increases your chances of a successful transition.”
“Wow, how is he a three-quarters god?”
“His mother is my mother’s half-sister, who is a pure-blooded goddess, albeit a weak one, and his father is Navuh, who is Mortdh’s son with an immortal female.”
“Oh, right. I should have done the math. It still amazes me that you were able to sign a treaty with him. It’s a much bigger deal than two clans uniting.”
“It is. I think that it heralds a new era for us. But back to your transition. Having Kalugal induce you makes me less anxious about your attempt.”
“How is it done?”
“It’s done with venom. As I explained before, immortal males have fangs and venom glands. They respond to two kinds of stimuli, either aggression or sexual arousal. Female Dormants are induced during sex, but male Dormants have to wrestle with their initiators to provoke their aggression. For our boys, it’s done as part of a coming of age ceremony. Adult male Dormants get a modified version of it, but it’s still a nice ritual.”
David grimaced. “You said that immortals are much stronger than humans. How am I supposed to fight a demigod?”
“You only need to last long enough to provoke Kalugal’s aggression. And if you don’t want to fight, you can do it by insulting him or provoking him in some other way.”
David straightened in his chair. “I’m not a coward.”
Sari stifled a chuckle. Males were so touchy. “I didn’t insinuate that. Some people are just non-violent.”
“Is Kalugal a formidable fighter?”
“I don’t think so. He is a powerful compeller who can compel other immortals and not just humans, so he relies on his mental ability more than on his fighting skills.”
“Is it because he is a three-quarter god?”
“It runs in his family. His father is only half a god, but he is a more powerful compeller than Kalugal.”
“What happens after he bites me?”
“You will most likely black out for several minutes or a little longer. If it works, you will develop fever and muscle aches in a day or two.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“That’s just the start. Many older transitioning Dormants lose consciousness. Some for only a few hours, but others are out for days. The most extreme case was unconscious for two weeks. We were afraid that he wouldn’t make it, but miraculously, he did.”
“Did you lose any Dormants to transition?”
“So far, we’ve been lucky, but our doctors caution that it still might happen. That’s why we don’t do it without a person’s consent. You need to know the risk before making your choice.”
“For a chance at immortality, I’m willing to take a risk.”
Sari let out a breath. “Does it mean that you finally believe me?”
He nodded. “Your story is unbelievable, but the sheer volume of information that you provided me with was convincing. Except, now I worry about my part in your world, and what’s going to happen to me.”
“It’s a legitimate concern, but you have nothing to worry about. If you transition, you will stay with us. If you don’t, we will erase your memories of the trip, replace them with mundane ones, and return you to your old life.”
That wasn’t entirely true, but it was too early to tell him that he also needed to bond with her or another immortal female in order to be trusted with their secret. The bond was the ultimate guarantee of his silence. Another one would be for him to father an immortal child, but that wasn’t as strong as the bond.
“If I transition, would I be able to go back to my old life as well?”
“If you want to, but I hope that you’ll join my community. It’s fortunate that you are on a sabbatica
l. If you transition, you will have a year to decide whether you want to stay or go back to your old life.” Sari hoped he would bond with her and stay on as her mate, but she couldn’t tell him that either.
If he chose her, it would be because he fell in love with her and wanted her, not because she pressured him to do it. As it was, he might be tempted to choose her because of her position, and she didn’t want that to influence his choice either.
35
David
As David looked into Sari’s eyes, getting back to Stanford and his academic life was the furthest thing on his mind.
He wanted her, and he had a feeling that she wanted him too, but this was new and uncharted territory for him. Most of the women he’d been with before required very little effort to seduce. His title and his physique were enough for them to come to him. But Sari was different, and not only because she was a demigoddess. How did a mere mortal, a commoner, go about seducing a queen?
She held his gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you still have doubts?”
“Not the kind you imagine.”
If he just pulled her into his arms and kissed her, would she object?
Without knowing Sari’s expectations or her people’s customs, he couldn’t take the risk of inadvertently offending her.
Perhaps telling Sari that he wanted her was the right approach. “I want you, and for the first time in my life, I don’t know how to go about it. How do I seduce a demigoddess?”
Sari smiled demurely. “Like any other woman. I want you too.” She glanced at the empty bottle of whiskey. “But I don’t want to take advantage of you, and you’ve had quite a lot to drink.”
Laughing, David pushed to his feet. “I’m not even tipsy.” He offered her a hand up. “And I believe that you still owe me a proper kiss.”
“I don’t owe it.” She took his hand and let him pull her up. “But I want it.”
