The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Sisters of the Bloodwind

  * * *

  Darla dutifully obeyed her big sister’s command, but finding Euroaquilo was no easy task. She played a game of chase ‘n tag for the better parts of an hour. Hitching a ride on a motor coach with a very willing driver, she searched several ships, each attending officer saying that the admiral had just left and was off to ‘such and such a ship’. True to Mihai’s words, Darla’s outfit caused quite a fuss. Mihai’s kingship had been quietly broadcast through the gossip channels, nothing official having been declared.

  When Darla arrived with the king’s jacket – a garment that could not be mistaken for less – it caused a real stir. Curious eyes peeked out from behind loading trucks and darkened doorways. Hundreds of people took to seeing what the rumor mill was spewing out. What caught them so by surprise was the stunning beauty of this woman. Many were the ones among the military who personally knew of Darla, respecting her heroic bravery, even if others knew nothing of her at all. But, oh, how handsome she was! That was another story.

  Then, when tales of Mihai’s visit to Ardon made its rounds through the rumor mill… well, Darla was becoming quite the celebrity. By the time she reached the EnGlorious, news of her escapades were well circulated. The ship’s crew and several service personnel did not even bother to pretend their attention upon her visit. And when the captain had sent her off toward another transport, all eyes followed her departure.

  This, by the way, was all great fun for Ma-we. It fit in to her plans so well. ‘Just wait, my darlings, when you see what I have done with your little sister by the time we arrive at EremiaPikros. The sight you’ll see then!’

  What of Euroaquilo in all this chase ‘n tag? He truly had been busy making his rounds of the fleet before it departed. Still, he could not help but feel fingers playing behind the scene. Long after the news had reached his ears about Darla’s searching for him, circumstances continued to prohibit them from making contact. Twice he determined to wait for her, having told others of his whereabouts, only to be called away at the last minute. So, eventually surrendering to the moment, the good admiral returned to the DusmeAstron, his flagship for this journey, and waited for Darla’s arrival.

  There were other reasons Euroaquilo wished to be with Darla. Throughout the day there was a growing disquiet in the man’s heart, an anxious tightness similar to when a person feels danger surrounding them. And then there were the haunting voices whispering, apprehensive, in the back of his mind all afternoon. No…he concluded there were forces beyond his wisdom fating the coming encounter. Good or bad, this evening child was to play a part in the destiny of the Empire. The future of all living things might well hinge on coming events. He could just feel it.

  Euroaquilo purposely arranged for his meeting with Darla to occur on the now empty captain’s bridge. It was located on the upper most level - deck five - and far forward. Having ordered all other ways closed off, there was only one entrance available for his girl to take. That was from far abaft ship. He leaned against the elevator rail, waiting and listening for her arrival.

  (Author’s note: The battle bridge and captain’s bridge were located on the upper levels of the DusmeAstron, it being the custom of ships built in the era of that ship to have the battle bridge in open view, below and directly in front the captain’s bridge. From the captain’s bridge, all ship’s activities could be monitored and commands could be given. The Shikkeron was designed similarly, it being of that vintage.

  There were four ways to gain access to the bridge - from a single door abaft the bridge, two small hatchways that opened through the floor, and an elevator that ran from the loading ramp, near the hold, to the bridge. It ran up and down on four large tubes, one located at each of its corners. There was no shaft, just openings through each floor, thus requiring a removable safety rail be placed around the opening on each deck. This design allowed the elevator to second as a heavy freight mover.

  Under the passenger compartment there was an open platform. When the compartment was on one deck level, the platform was on the next deck immediately below. This required a hole be placed through the inner hull above the bridge, to accommodate space for the freight platform to reach the bridge. When battle conditions existed, the elevator was raised to the bridge, plugging tight the opening in the inner hull, the bridge and the deck below it. The other decks had semicircular plates mounted to the elevator shafts. These would be rotated into place at such times, closing tight the lower decks. These older style battle wagons had been built with large windows, permitting observers to see outside without the need of screens and monitors. Ref: Fires in the Sky, SirionSandavar, pp. 294-7)

  There was a stirring at the distant end of the long hallway that extended the spine of the ship, and then a muffled clunk of an iron hatch being carefully closed. Leaning forward with the anticipation of seeing Darla soon appear out of the shadows, Euroaquilo was shocked by the bewildering sights that flooded his eyes. “How strange...” he said aloud, rubbing his eyes and looking again. “How strange...”

  Emerging from the darkened bowels of this metallic denizen of destruction there approached an apparition of such hypnotic splendor that it took Euroaquilo’s breath away, he gasping at the sight. Clutching his heart as it began to pain in wild palpitation, the man’s mind raced with long-forgotten memories of passionate moments in a far away time and place - haunting dreams of summery nights under a mystical planet’s hallowed moon, Sharon, wrapped in the loving arms of a bewitching enchantress singing intoxicating melodies in words foreign to his ears while enraptured by the dizzying, drunken spell created by finely fermented blood-grapes.

  Tolohe! Could it be? No, though once she had shared such witchery with him, when he was little more than a lad. But not now, not Tolohe… Her powers of magic and the song were long withered away, these wars having destroyed that magical energy. Then who or what was entering this world of flesh, for its radiant glory transcended that of flesh or spirit, at least on any level Euroaquilo ever witnessed.

  The excited passion of the moment pressed forward until it stood but a hand’s breadth away. Then a voice called out to him from the blinding luminescence, a voice like that of a thousand doves taking to flight, countless waterfalls cascading from unreachable mountaintops. “My Euroaquilo…”

  At that instant, Euroaquilo was swept along by a vision profound. Gone was the captain’s bridge, the ship, the spaceport, even Palace City. He found himself in a grassy field filled with brightly colored wildflowers, the sun still in the high noon sky, no breeze, no breath, no singing birds or buzzing insects. All was as if the man stood upon a world frozen in time.

  ‘Strange…! So strange…!’ The man exclaimed, but no sound came from his lips. Then he began to remember.

  Poof! With that first recall of his youth, this silent world around him sprang to life. A breeze tingled his skin, birds flew overhead and bees merrily buzzed among the swaying flowers. Sucking in the invigorating air brought a surge of childlike excitement to Euroaquilo’s heart. There he was upon the crest of a low mountain so long forgotten, but well remembered. He turned. Surely, Tolohe must be near, for this was the land to which she delivered him in his youth, during the years she mentored him after his coming of age, a secret land known only to her.

  No. No. Wait… Yes, this place looked and felt the same, but it was different. There would be no Tolohe, not today, nor maybe ever again. Things had changed, the world had changed, and now he faced a future uncertain.

  Now Euroaquilo recognized where he stood. It was the realm belonging to Time, a realm hidden deep within the mind, for only in the mind can there be a past, present and future. Time, in reality, is only moving forward, yet people are always living in the past, because they are only reacting to what has already happened. True, people may dream of the future, plan for the future, even attempt what the future may bring. Yet all that is based on past experience or happenings. But here, in the Realm of T
ime, Euroaquilo could become the master of past and future, king of his own destiny.

  The world around the man rapidly began to change. Clouds came rushing in from the western sky while the sun raced forward to greet them. Moments later, the winds of Time hit upon Euroaquilo’s ears with a deafening roar as the sun plunged beneath the distant horizon only to rise above the eastern plain a heartbeat later.

  Faster and faster, day melted into day, until the world was ablaze in a streak of white fire. Winter came and went, then came and went again and again, until the seasons fused together as though but one moment in time. Mountains sank and oceans flooded above their peaks, only for the mountains made anew to arise from the depths of the seas to begin again the process of growing old. And old they did become, over and over. Deserts became jungles, jungles became swamps, swamps became oceans, repeating this cycle until Euroaquilo lost track of time and space. All the while, he and his little knoll upon which he stood altered nary at all. The flowers, birds and bugs all happily continued on as though nothing was amiss.

  As quickly as it had begun, it came to an end. The sun slowed until it lingered, high in a clear blue summer sky, and fields of green spread down the mountain into a rising mist far below.

  “My Euroaquilo...” The mystical voice called out once more.

  Turning, Euroaquilo cast his eyes upon a shadowy form, so entrancing, it features hidden by a radiating light following up close behind. Suddenly, at only a handbreadth away, this glorious light entered the form, it bursting into a brilliant flame of dazzling beauty, taking on the appearance of a woman hauntingly familiar, yet so peculiarly strange.

  Euroaquilo stared into a face placid and sublime, at peace. Golden hair danced upon a silent breeze, its afterglow as if taken from the burning sun itself. And the woman’s eyes were radiant, glowing, emerald-green furnaces of fire and ice filled with a passion for life. As he stood, transfixed by this wondrous flame of beauty, he began to see a sight both troubling and enchanting to behold. The face was that of the one he called ‘DusmeAstron’, but it was crowned in hair of splendid gold and had the eyes of a serpent and fangs of a beast.

  Surprised, Euroaquilo found his heart filling with passionate desire for this creature. Losing control, he reached out to take hold of the woman, but instead, his hands passed through the ghostly form, he falling ever forward into a blinding abyss. And on he fell - for a moment or an eternity, he could not tell - for he was falling through the realm belonging to Time.

  As the wind rushed past, he came to realize that he was not falling, but rather flying through endless space upon the wings of Time. His emotions exploded, having reached their limit in his frail body, flooding over into the expanse around him, creating a melodious crescendo of feelings. Laughing and crying, singing and talking, the man spread his arms and sailed upon the blue nothing faster and faster until he, too, had departed his frail body of flesh and was now one with the universe around him. He was becoming all things - the wind, the moon, sun, the sky, and even the stars. He was part of this universe as much as the universe was part of him.

  Ever onward toward Time’s destiny Euroaquilo flew, his passion for life growing stronger with each beat of his heart. Soon he saw a distant horizon looming in the mist. Was this his destination, the reason for his journey in this magical vision? He reached out to hurry his journey onward. As he did, gentle words fell again upon his ears.

  “My Euroaquilo….”

  With a poof! the vision ended, but as the last fleeting glimpse passed out of sight, another voice echoed in his ears. ‘It all rests in your hands…’

  “My Euroaquilo...”

  Blinking to chase the last of the fleeting vision from his eyes, Euroaquilo stared into the face of a very troubled Darla. He smiled, his face filled with loving concern. ‘She is so beautiful. So much her appearance is that of an innocent babe. How do I save her, and from what? How is my wisdom so great that it should be able to preserve a soul from destruction when Mother’s wisdom can find no way to bring it?’

  His heart suddenly took a shocking jolt. In that instant, Euroaquilo understood that he must find the answer himself and, if he would listen to his heart, he could find it. At that he smiled, answering, “My DusmeAstron, you have come.”

  Darla had taken a half step back and, as her radiant emerald-green eyes stared into his gentle hazel orbs, she reached out taking the man’s hands in hers. Those same dazzling eyes begged him as her lips pleaded, “My Euroaquilo, only you can save me from this demon within. Help me, please, before all sanity retreats from my soul and my spirit shrivels into the netherworld of nothingness.”

  Euroaquilo stared at Darla, studying the woman-child as though for the first time. This creature was truly the most beautiful madwoman he had ever known. Indeed, as he pondered that beauty, he concluded there to be none ever more charming in appearance other save Tolohe or possibly Mihai. No, Darla was truly of greater beauty than either. How strange he had never noticed it before. The man looked closer.

  Darla’s face was strong and sharp-featured, yet soft and gentle, with full rich eyebrows, her hair thick and luxuriant. But that was the woman he had always known. Maybe it was the deep, bronzed tan, she being naturally a flawless ivory-white. Or was it the stunning king’s jacket, made by Mother’s own hands? Such a garment could have magical powers sewn into it. It truly was magnificent, from its thousands of tiny gemstones to the luminescent fabric and mystic runes. Possibly it was the way Darla filled out the jacket. Euroaquilo felt his heart begin to race with a desire that was not appropriate for this moment.

  Darla started to speak again. Euroaquilo pulled his hand from hers and placed a finger over her lips. “One moment, please, child. I need a moment.”

  For the first time in their long relationship, Euroaquilo felt the uncertainty of the moment or their future. The woman was falling into shadow before his very eyes. It was as if he could see an impassable chasm widening between them. As his heart grew fonder of her by the second, she drifted further into distant nothingness. Oh, how he had always taken their relationship for granted! From the day of her coming of age celebration until now she had always been there for him, and he for her.

  Now something stood between them. Time! It was now the Master over their destiny. It pointed a cruel finger at him, declaring the man delinquent in and negligent of his duties concerning this woman’s heart. How much remaining of their hours was Time willing to give, and at what price? Was there already a blade or arrow waiting to remove the two from each other? Destiny…how tricksy it was. It allowed one to choose their own road, but had fated that choice to satisfy its own means.

  Like a flash of lightning across an angry sky, Euroaquilo understood the true destiny awaiting them at the Prisoner Exchange. Fate was to decide the hour, but the deed was as good as done. Darkness and uncertainty awaited this woman, for good or evil. Fate cared not, for it was delivering two roads upon the universe, and Darla was the person who would choose which one was to be taken. He also understood that both roads were damning and both dangerous. Both also led off into a dark abyss. Yet the one road held out a glimmer of hope, for it, too, branched off onto other roads, and others beyond that.

  And then he saw it, the juncture. Should Darla choose the road of hope, then he must set its course at some uncertain future date. A fiery holocaust loomed up in his mind, along with the realization that her life rested in his destruction. And then the mental intrusion faded away, leaving him alone with his disturbing interludes. Fate was sure tricksy, for it hurried on, keeping further secrets to itself. As it passed, it softly called back to him, ‘It rests with you...’

  Euroaquilo released Darla’s hand, and sweeping his arms around her, drew the woman-child close in a gentle bear hug. He had nearly forgotten how much he loved this person, what with all his responsibilities and concerns regarding navy duties. Oh yes, they had romantic interludes recently, before she reported f
or duty aboard the Shikkeron. But he had also been with others in the meantime, giving Darla little thought while in their arms.

  Now Euroaquilo stood there, holding a most treasured gift, realizing that soon a great chasm was to come between them. How little time remained? An aching pain rose in the man’s heart. He looked into Darla’s eyes. Already he missed her…her touch, her warmth and her love. Then it struck him, something Mother told him long ago. ‘One day, my Darling, that child will get under your skin, and then you will not be able to rid yourself of her. Son, my Rachel, in her own way, has greater love than any of your other siblings. She is closer to my own image than even Mihai.’

  So, this was Mother’s secret kept from all her children. Mihai’s love was but the ‘shadow of things to come’. Darla was the treasure that all living things were to seek out to become like the Maker of Worlds. This Euroaquilo now realized in his heart, though no words could he conjure in his mind to truly grasp it. What he did comprehend was that this greatest of all treasures was not assured. All could be lost, first, at the Prisoner Exchange and, if the woman survived that ordeal, then later, but when? Fate refused to disclose that truth. Euroaquilo must wait.

  Releasing his grip, Euroaquilo took hold of Darla’s upper arms and stepping back, studied her closely. He could see in her eyes the love and trust she placed in him. And, for the first time, he felt that same emotion. Now he was beginning to understand the depth of love he had for her.

  After an awkward silence, one which Darla waited ever so patiently upon, Euroaquilo asked, “What must I do to save you from such a terrible demise?”

  A tear rolled down Darla’s cheek. She was not used to asking for help, and this request the girl saw as begging, an admission of failure. The woman’s pride was strong. It had brought her severe tribulation many times and close to death on more than one occasion. Indeed, had Mihai not ordered it, Darla would not have searched out Euroaquilo, but would have sought out some other way to best the demon by herself, no matter the cost. Pride, angry pride, was not finished with this woman yet. For now, it surrendered to the moment, but continued lurking in the shadows for another opportunity to take mastery over her soul.

  “My dreams…” Darla so much wanted to run away. Why did she have to ask this man? Had he not fought with her in the land of the Abyss many times? Had they not bested the beast-men who resided in that damnable world, fighting side by side in glorious combat? Why did she have to beg when he should know her needs, offering to take up the battle with her? Her heart pained as feelings of self-pity grew. No! Something had changed in those desolate lands that the woman no longer had the power to control. Looking up into Euroaquilo’s eyes, Darla’s heart jumped with an aching need for this man. She loved him, wanted him, his touch, his affection. But why did she have to beg?

  If the king’s command did not burn in her mind, Darla would have darted from the ship, but she was a good girl. “Mihai said you could save me from the evil growing in my dreams.”

  Smiling, Euroaquilo took hold of Darla’s hands. “You honor me with such a request, but I find I have been remiss, for I find that you are saving me from my own guilty dreams.”

  Confused, Darla asked, “What do you mean, I…?”

  Euroaquilo interrupted. “For many days I have known of this coming hour, and I was going to speak of it to you this very morning, but was distracted and forgot. And then I became so occupied with my duties that I lost track of the time. I do beg your forgiveness for my failure to warn my sweet darling. We are nearing the evil hour of Wickedness’ birth, and this being the beginning of the Harmonic Years, your demons will only gain in power. My love, few are the living beings, if there are any, who will be able to enter into those dismal lands alone and survive the evil lurking there.”

  He kissed Darla on the forehead. “You honor me with the request of joining you in the coming battles. Only the bravest and foolhardy will best what is hiding within. Thank you for your great trust you have placed in me. My dear...” He laughed as if in victory. “I will battle beside you and we shall tear down the Devil’s house!”

  Darla smiled, Euroaquilo having salved her feelings again. He was so good at doing that, but she puzzled, “You speak in riddles. Is the ending hour arrived so that prophecies have come to their full, and what are the Harmonic Years you speak of?”

  Euroaquilo’s face clouded and his voice became grave. “No, my child, I do not speak of an ending, but a beginning. You see, fourteen days from this very hour will begin the anniversary of the first great act of defiance and the beginning of the Third Age, the Age of Rebellion…the day of our sister’s attempted murder and when the world, as we know it, came to an end.”

  “That’s the day and hour of the Prisoner Exchange!” Darla looked away in thought, finally looking back into Euroaquilo’s eyes. “How does such a fate bring us to that time?”

  Euroaquilo sputtered bitter. “It’s not fate! It’s Asotos. He doesn’t just happen anything! No, Dear. Every detail of this little adventure has been carefully orchestrated. By now, I suppose, he knows our plans, too, who will be there and how many.” He shook his head in dismay. “He has spies everywhere. It has become difficult to trust anyone anymore.”

  Taking Darla by the upper arms, he warned her, “My Dusme, the evil living within the heart of this man is far beyond your ability to comprehend. The things you have been told or witnessed are nothing compared to what Asotos is willing to do. If he could, he would take all those whom he hates and surrender them to a living Hell for all eternity, paying the occasional visit upon them to make sure they were suffering appropriately. This is what he has already attempted with Mihai, and you suffer the effects. Dear, he wants Mihai… and you… to go mad forever, and will stop at nothing to accomplish that.”

  Darla put on a bold face of defiance. “I have raised the sword against many wicked men. I have found little to fear other than from the steel in their hands. This Asotos is little different.”

  Euroaquilo frowned, “Do be careful! This man is not like you or me. It is said the power of the Cherubs resides within him, given as a gift to him by Mother, herself. He still retains much of that power. Why, with his mind, alone, he could disarm you and rip the flesh from your bones. He can control the weather, my Dear. It is even said that he knows the secrets of life itself. That’s how he made the demons in your head.”

  Darla sputtered. “He’s a man… a fool of a man! He is not immortal. I have witnessed the coward on the field of battle, how he hides behind the others, using them as his shield-wall while hiding in caves. Powerful? Yes, I suppose, but like the mythical Cherubs to whom all creation owes its existence?” Darla laughed. “They are no more real than angels of Mareemah…tales for little children they are.” She laughed again.

  Cautioning her, Euroaquilo wagged a finger, “Do be careful! The Ancients did not tell us those stories merely to entertain little children. There is often truth hidden in tales…tales, may I add, that were oft told us for a purpose. Indeed! Had we children truly listened to those fables, the evil may never been borne upon us.”

  “All right… All right....” Darla raised her hand, waving off the matter.

  “No! Don’t think yourself so wise!” Euroaquilo scolded. “Asotos can get in a person’s mind with his warped and twisted reasonings. When you were but a foolish babe, I watched so many of our wisest leaders fall into darkness following his winsome words. Some of my closest companions and lovers surrendered up all reasoning, believing the twisted lies of that murderer. Oh yes, I say murderer! True, Mihai did not die, at least in body, but she was devastated in mind and spirit, and has only been a shadow of the woman she used to be ever since. But also, within days of that torture, Asotos did murder several of my sisters in his rage and anger.”

  He wagged his finger again. “Do be afraid should you need to face this man at the Prisoner Exchange, and well may that be the case
. Mother does not deliver you up to this event for your entertainment! Darkness looms ahead for anyone confronting this man, and that includes you if it has been chosen to have you delivered up to him. Life and death will both walk the edge of a very sharp blade that day. If one falls, then there will be no hope for them. I must warn you, for I have witnessed it. There are those with greater faith in Mother than you who have fallen to him.”

  Taking hold of Darla’s hand, he explained, “Our new field marshal spoke of two ravens among us. She warned us of just how tricksy they are. You know of Mother’s riddling, tricksy ways. Do you believe that the one made in her image and receiving so many of her sacred secrets does not possess many of those same tricksy powers? No, Dear One, Mother comes with us into this storm because she sees the danger within. Pray that she will act the raven to the limit, or total disaster awaits us there.”

  Euroaquilo kissed Darla on the forehead again. He leaned back, so concerned. “I fear your loss at this exchange, for I feel you have been set up to answer to Fate’s desires. I have heard accounts today concerning you, and now I see that you wear the coat of the king, made by the gods themselves, the very ones you deny. All afternoon I have been troubled in spirit concerning you. My head has been filled by waking visions with confounding meanings. My Dusme, you are a star-child, fated to a road that leads to life or damnation, not just for you, but also for all living flesh. The journey you have has already been decided by Fate, but the road remains of your choosing.”

  Darla countered. “I am a woman with free will! I choose my fate. It does not serve as lord over me!”

  Euroaquilo offered a quick retort. “You are a fool if you think fingers do not dabble in your life! You chose to do what you did? Really? You are as predictable as the sunrise to those who know you well, and Mother knows you better than anyone else.”

  Darla did not argue, but had no desire to discuss the matter further, so changed the subject by asking, “Please tell me, if all this is so important to know, what are the Harmonic Years?”

  Resting his hands on Darla’s shoulders, Euroaquilo shook his head. “Strong-headed woman! I will not be dissuaded from this discourse, but will return to it. I will only tell you this concerning the Harmonic Years, seeing you have not learned your history lessons well. There will soon come upon this universe - on all known universes - the Great Juncture, a time when all things are made new or are renewed. That, even a wayward student of history should know about. The Harmonic Years precede that time. It is a period of great unrest and change. It’s as though the universe is preparing for coming events. During the Second Age, it was a time of great celebration because our spiritual insight became heightened, our visions sharper, our self-awareness keener.”

  Euroaquilo frowned. “But when the darkness came into our world, a fear fell upon the children, they realizing that another Great Juncture must come before the evil would be brought to a finish. It is believed that evil will be heightened during the Harmonic Years, growing in power until it threatens to consume all good found in the universe. The evidence of that reality can already be seen with you and Mihai. Those demons you have are growing stronger with each passing day.”

  “Now!” Euroaquilo put on his mentor face. “I will conclude the previous matter...”

  Darla harrumphed. “I was not destined to come here! I had free will to choose the course I took! Since it was a reasonable one, I decided to come even though it was not made easy by you.”

  Closing his eyes in growing frustration, Euroaquilo replied, “Dusme, do you really think the events of this day have only come about by blind chance? Why, the gossip among the entire company is about you - this morning, and the king’s jacket that you’re wearing, and about this most beautiful of women seen flitting from ship to ship. And your comely appearance? The men have been able to speak of nothing else since your visits upon them. Even I, your long-time lover, find an aching burning within my soul to be consumed by your love. To not take you at this very moment is taxing my constitution to the limit.”

  “Then take me!” Darla peered into Euroaquilo’s eyes, teasingly. “Pick the flowers of my love. Leave off this horrid conversation for the bed of delights and passion.”

  Euroaquilo looked longingly at Darla, sliding a hand off her shoulder and across her breast, caressing it with a gentle squeeze. He looked back into Darla’s eyes with desire, but his face clouded over. Disgusted, he spun around and walked some distance away before turning back.

  An angry edge remained in his voice as he shot back a rebuke. “Fool! The women in Asotos’ camp sell their charms to remain alive, but you whore yourself to only put an end to a conversation. Whether it is for money, survival, or meaningless gain - even if it is with your lover - it is upon the altar of the prostitute that you place your vile offering! You sell yourself so cheaply… for but a word!”

  Euroaquilo fumed, raising a hand in gesture. “Do you think my words to be little more than verbal flatulence?! That I speak like the dimwitted chatterers, only to listen for the echo of my own utterances? You believe you think for yourself? You are little more than a puppet dancing to the tune of others.” He thumped his chest. “I fated you here, to this very spot! Yes, even I, a simple man, manipulated you into doing his will. You are so easily manipulated...”

  Stunned by Euroaquilo’s rebuke, but unwilling to surrender the moment, Darla retorted, defending her actions, “I was not destined to come here! I had free will to choose… to do as I please!”

  Euroaquilo dropped his hand in frustration. Looking toward the floor, he sadly shook his head. “Pride comes before a fall, and fall you will unless you learn wisdom. Do you think for one minute that Mother is unable to know your very thoughts, how you will act, whom you will listen to and obey? You did not come here of your own free will. It was as if hooks had been set in your nose and you were dragged here by force. Never have you disobeyed Mihai. We all know that. When ordered by her to find me, you would have moved heaven and earth to carry out the command.”

  Darla lowered her head and tears fell. She was shamed by Euroaquilo’s accusations. It hurt so to be called such an abhorrent thing, but it hurt almost as much to be told that she didn’t have control of her life. She survived by that belief, to think that she controlled something - her own soul - that she did as she chose.

  Euroaquilo returned to Darla, taking her hands ever so gently. “Look, we all are predictable to Mother. I’m not saying that our lives are planned out and our journeys prepared on some mystical chart that satisfies some grand divine purpose, but we are players on a huge game board, allowing ourselves to be moved about as our Master sees fit. And our Master knows us well, better than we, ourselves.”

  He squeezed her hands. “I fear for you because I know better than you how much a puppet-master Asotos is, too. The man is so clever. He can get inside your head and twist reasoning until the absurd becomes normal, good becomes bad, and right become wrong. I have witnessed it many times, and I even see it in your eyes as I speak. Your demon is a manifestation of its master. It is very intelligent and plays on your desire for love and respect. It will be very strong by the time of the Prisoner Exchange. Its mission is to hand you over to its master.”

  Darla’s tear-filled eyes stared into Euroaquilo’s. “But you called me a whore, not my demon. Do you know the pain you have inflicted upon me?”

  Euroaquilo proffered, waving his hand, “Better is it to tear apart the heart than to see soul, flesh and heart burn forever in the fires of Gehenna. You may hate me on the ‘morrow, but if that should be the cost to me to save your soul this day, then it has been worth the price.”

  Darla buried her head in Euroaquilo’s chest. “No… No... I cannot hate you! I love you too much to hate you. My Lord, you are my life and breath! I will not, cannot live without you!”

  Euroaquilo warned, “That confession may well be used against you in future days. F
ate listens at all times. Your love for me is your weakness, which means it is the enemy’s strength. Already they know of it. If they choose to destroy you, they already have their weapon. It is now but a choice as to who will use that weapon first, and in what way. Even in this our Fates are sealed.”

  Darla looked up, eyes pleading for Euroaquilo to deny his last statement. He refused, adding, “There is no planet upon which men have trod that the sun does not come up in the east, for by our very nature the sun must do as we declare it to do. You think yourself wise? I have lived more millennia than you have lived years, and you wish for me to desist in offering my wisdom? I will risk even your hatred, if that’s what it takes to save you.”

  Euroaquilo shook his finger toward her. “Your pride seeks your glory before its time. Great will be the tribulation to one holding, alone, the torch of battle. Listen to my wisdom and learn so that upon wings of Cherubs you will be lifted up to that coming glory.”

  With that, Euroaquilo began to explain the depth and height of his secret wisdom, at least secret to this child of such tender years. Darla’s ears tingled, her heart aching from the intrigue. She discovered quickly that her lover was no simple man, but a wizard of mind and tongue. Long before the Rebellion, he was recognized as an outstanding leader among his kind, sitting with the Great Lords on Ma-we’s council of the Twenty-Four Elders. He was seated to that Council and given powers far beyond normal when he was little older than Darla was now. And she learned it was he who took to the caring of her after the Rebellion began, tending to the girl’s injuries and reviving her soul from death while Ma-we rested in a fitful coma after Mihai’s brutal attack.

  Euroaquilo went on to reveal many unknown secrets concerning Mihai’s attack and its aftereffects, the things Asotos did to prepare the woman for that hour, to make her even more vulnerable to his attack. He explained in detail the evidence found that showed how Asotos planned for months, possibly years, to bring Mihai to ruin. He also confided his belief that Mihai’s death was never intended, but that something far more sinister was Asotos’ purpose.

  He concluded, “My sister’s soul was destroyed in that hour. Everything in her life, from her twelfth year unto that moment was stolen from her. You see, she loved that beast even more than you love me. Her entire life revolved around pleasing him, something she strived for but never accomplished. She still seeks his approval down to this day, yet does not know it. My Dear, you and Mihai are so close for many other reasons than you know: one is that she was born anew on that wicked day and is but your age in mind and spirit. You understand her in ways that no other person can.”

  The man smiled. “Our sister speaks secrets to you that she cannot even speak to her own heart. There is hope alive even now, because she trusts you beyond measure. You are her hope. That you remain standing gives her faith that she, too, will survive this ordeal.”

  Darla asked, “Of the Exchange, you say it occurs on the very hour of Mihai’s violation and torture? This Mihai must already know, and thus be preparing for. What can the Great Serpent achieve by all his reckoning?”

  “The miscreant is full of mischief!” Euroaquilo answered, adding, “His intent, I believe, is to goad Mihai into some kind of foolishness so that he can slaughter the prisoners and as many of Mihai’s troops as possible. And he will attempt the capture of Mihai, herself. We believe the attack on the Zephath was not random, but carefully orchestrated to obtain Sirion’s capture, or at least that’s what was first believed. I think now it was to capture another soul who was much closer to Mother’s heart.”

  “Oh yes, Asotos will use Sirion to get Mihai’s dander up, but it will only be a ruse to obtain his true objective… to destroy Mother’s heart.”

  Darla asked, pondering, “You speak with concern for my welfare when all that is told me betrays an assault against our sister and Mother. Where does this pertain to me when I do not even go with Mihai? I stand a horse-maiden for Lowenah in her entourage, not even knowing the reason for my presence.”

  Rubbing his bearded chin in thought, Euroaquilo answered, “I do not know, but I feel it may deal more with who you are…or aren’t. You see, among Mother’s daughters, you are the only child to have not shared Asotos’ bed. He has not given you his dreams, nor does he have your signature. Every woman he has known he keeps a mental note of, and he does not forget. You will be a puzzle to him, an enigma, a distraction.”

  “So I’m just a decoy, then?” Darla grumped.

  Euroaquilo grinned, shaking his head. “No, I think not. If I am correct - for I know Asotos is a very curious man - when he discovers something is amiss with you, he will pursue an answer. That may well prove to be a pivotal moment at the Prisoner Exchange, but a very dangerous one for you. My Darling, all day my spirit has been agitated over you. There is a shroud of impenetrable gloom surrounding you. I feel Fate is allowing you to choose, and the decision you make may well affect far more than the Prisoner Exchange.”

  Angrily, Darla retorted, her tone bitter, “My decision?! With that fool, Ardon, beside me, I will not have a choice of when to relieve nature!”

  Euroaquilo shot Darla a warning rebuke. “That’s quite enough! It is true that Ardon has many lessons yet to learn. Today’s was one he will likely long remember. Do not cast away an ally because he smells bad to your nostrils. One day you may wish to have Ardon’s…”

  Darla spat, “I wish that old bag‘a shit dead! Should have done it when I had the chance...”

  “Oh, do you really?” Euroaquilo asked smugly.

  Darla squinted, spitting venomously, “Yes! I mean it with all my heart...”

  Speaking as if a prophet, Euroaquilo raised a hand, shaking his finger in her face, “You betray your feelings. Beware! If you survive the coming tribulation, you may well be thankful you saved his life this day. Possibly, you may well find that it is he who will one day save you from the bottomless pit. This I do know and believe…you could not have hurt that man this day anymore than you could have hurt Mihai. Rather would you have stood the blast from your own weapon than to hurt one hair on the head of a person so loved by Mother.”

  “That is not so!” Darla fussed. “One more step and he would have been a dead man! My monster within was gaining control over my flesh…”

  Euroaquilo disagreed. “You did not meet by chance this day. Mother set you up to be there, she arranging for the Shikkeron to be the council’s transport. She trusted that you could do him no harm, you knowing full well his loyalty to her in her early days of distress. He defended your sister to the point up to death when Asotos attempted to assail her as she convalesced behind the Palace walls. He even stood vigil over your bed, helping me with his healing songs as you fought back the fires of an infectious fever. He did not violate your sister - that you know - and he did not, with evil intention, violate you today.”

  Darla’s eyes betrayed her hatred for Ardon.

  Gripping tight her upper arms, Euroaquilo warned, “One who hates a child so loved by Lowenah does despise the very soul of the one birthing that child!”

  Darla’s eyes flashed fury as she cursed Euroaquilo. “Never say that to me again! You’ve no right to interfere, you son of empty words!”

  Euroaquilo moved faster than a heartbeat, clutching Darla tight in his iron grip and slamming her against the elevator rail, setting Darla’s head in a spin. He angrily spat, “I will speak as I damn well please! No urchin of self-pity can stop me! I am the StormWind, and don’t give a good god-damned for the soul who forgets that! If you are stupid enough to believe I speak folly, then there is no hope left for you. You will perish within a fortnight, and rightfully all flesh will curse the day of your birth!”

  He began to lift the girl. “Better is it to chance a rebirth with the revived demon than to send you to certain damnation before the Prince of Lies! I shall risk my soul to the eternal abyss and hope a cure will become yours in future days by pitch
ing you to the depths below than to hand you over to such a fate! Your damned self-pity has destroyed your heart! I will not allow it to destroy your soul…”

  Darla cried out in pain when an upper rail post cracked a rib as Euroaquilo pressed hard upon her. He lessened his iron grip for just a moment, giving time for reflective thought. What good would such an act of chivalry really accomplish? If Darla was already lost from the Field of the Minds, nothing could save her. If she was not? What would her murder really accomplish, her momentary destruction, possibly leading to an abysmal eternity in a living Hell secreted in her mind? And what of him? Would his own destruction prove anyone righteous? Asotos would surely presume himself justified when learning of the dastardly act, declaring Mother unfit to rule.

  Darla broke the silence. With tears of pain running down her face, she begged, “My Lord! My Lord! Do not waste your treasures on a maggot like me! I am not fit to be counted among the stupid ones. Allow me, please, to bring this all to an end on my own, and save yourself innocent.”

  In a panic, Euroaquilo yanked Darla into his encircling arms, crushing her to the point where she cried out again in agony. Tears streaming down his face, he pleaded, “Please! Please promise me, first, that you will not do such folly! Promise me!”

  A faint was growing upon Darla’s mind. She little remembered her reply other than to promise, and then asked before being whisked away into the blackness, “Will you help me with my dreams?”

  Euroaquilo gently lowered Darla to the floor, sitting and cradling her in his arms. Moments passed quickly and the woman soon recovered from her fainting spell. Resting there, looking up into the face of the man so dear to her heart, Darla whispered, “I love you…”