Take heart, Mother, Sacha floated over to reassure her. You shall be back at the front line before you know it.
You are always exactly where you are meant to be, Psyche added, as Sacha disappeared after Maelgwn. If you trust that, then you can see the full potential in each present and exploit it to the fullest.
‘So be it.’ Tory submitted to her lot. Still, now that she had reorientated herself with reality, she intended to assume control of her life.
His stint in prison allowed Thais to recall a place within the palace so that he could now teleport Kyron and himself back inside the ziggurat from where Ereshkigal oversaw the day-to-day running of her enterprises in Kurra. The Shaman was familiar with the Goddess’ appearance from ancient times on Gaia and could have willed himself directly to her. Thais, though, was of the mind to do a little exploration of the palace first and see if he couldn’t find a better explanation for the change in climate on Karleashian than a Goddess’ spell.
There were guard posts between the prison level and the palace, so Thais assumed the form of a Falcon to escort Kyron up. The prophet had been locked in a Centaur full-body harness.
This large, metal suit locked around the hindquarters of the four-legged prisoner and then encompassed his entire lower body, restraining him so that he could neither rear up or buck. The hands of the Centaur were cuffed behind his back, and attached to the harness.
‘That doesn’t look very comfortable.’ Thais pitied his young friend, for the harness was very heavy. ‘Perhaps I should go alone?’
‘I am your eyes in here, great Shaman,’ Kyron stated, determined to go. ‘It is the will of the great Logos that I go with you and as a prophet to my people I do not —’
‘Question these things,’ Thais concluded in accord, nodding to give his consent.
‘You can’t take that animal into the palace,’ protested one of the four-man Falcon guard at the entrance to Ereshkigal’s headquarters. ‘Her Highness shall have a fit! She cannot abide the filthy creatures.’
‘Her Highness has a special interest in this one,’ Thais informed casually, although the guard’s insult to his race hadn’t passed unnoticed. ‘He’s the prophet who escaped yesterday.’
The guard in charge appeared rather sceptical about this. ‘He’s no prophet,’ he scoffed. ‘His kind are too dimwitted to amount to much more than cattle … mooo!’ The guard began to laugh, as did his subordinates.
Psychical vengeance was feeling mighty tempting to Thais at this moment. The racial hatred that thrived here was intense. Karleashian would not be taken as easily as Nugia, because, even once the ruler had been overturned, the Falcon military would fight to keep the Centaurs oppressed.
Kyron was fuming. He glared at the Falcon guard, biting his tongue for the sake of the mission. He thought for a moment that his stare had real power, for the guards suddenly ceased to laugh and mock him. That’s when Kyron noted that he’d risen off the ground. His shock was only momentary and a brief glance at the Master Shaman confirmed that he was the source of the miracle.
Thais winked to encourage the young prophet to make the most of the deception.
‘Beware any soul who does not love and respect all of his fellow men, for the Logos is within us all. The avengers of the Almighty are among us and the downfall of the Great Pantheon is nigh. So consider carefully where your loyalties lie, friends … lest you wish to become targets yourselves!’ Kyron’s voice boomed, and the head Falcon guard passed his hand over the control plate that activated the door of the fortress before fleeing the palace in fear, along with his comrades. ‘How did I do that?’ The prophet held his throat as Thais lowered him back to the ground. ‘I sounded like … like a God!’
Thais only smiled as he watched the guards run away. ‘I had envisaged a simpler penetration of the fortress.’ He moved through the doorway the guards had been defending. ‘We’d best get a move on, before they bring back reinforcements to seek us out.’
‘Certainly, Master.’ Kyron kept pace with him. ‘But where would you like me to lead?’
‘I think I’d like to see the utility centre for the city,’ Thais advised and Kyron was inspired by this destination.
‘The power supply, of course! This way.’
As Kyron moved on ahead, Thais decided to dispense with the body harness that was slowing his accomplice down.
Kyron was greatly relieved when his full metal jacket dematerialised, but it worried him too. ‘If anyone spies us we’ll have no alibi,’ the prophet warned. ‘No Centaur is permitted in the palace, let alone allowed to wander around without a harness.’
‘We’re changing that rule.’ Thais stripped off his space attire and assumed his true Centaur form. ‘And anyone who doesn’t like it, can answer to me.’
The young prophet smiled broadly, having never known another Centaur to be so bold. A sonic bullet ploughed into Kyron’s back, startling both the Centaurs, and the prophet dropped to the ground.
All on Karleashian answer to me, advised Ereshkigal, who was surrounded by several armed guards, all female, some of whom Thais recognised as incarnations of Chosen associates.
Once Thais had determined that Kyron was only unconscious, he looked up to address the Goddess and his expression reflected the wrath that was about to befall her.
This Nefilim female had an ominous look about her. Her imperial dress was primarily black, trimmed by deep red, and her huge, almond-shaped eyes were grey-green in colour. Her black hair was short and spiked. Like all of her kind she had barely any nose at all, and a tiny mouth with large black-painted lips.
The Goddess tipped her head slightly as the face of the Centaur returned her to her childhood days in ancient Edin. Thais. Suddenly she felt under-guarded, for she realised this was no ordinary Centaur opposing her. His demi-god status had been why he’d been left to rot on Gaia before the great deluge, whilst the rest of his kind had been herded off to the mines on Numan and then Karleashian. Blast him, she instructed her guard as she vanished, but Thais willed himself after her.
He materialised to find the Goddess gliding down a corridor towards a doorway that opened at her demand. Too slow, pony boy. The door closed to seal her inside.
Again Thais willed himself after Ereshkigal and, not bothering to halt from his bolt towards the door, the Shaman slammed into the solid charichalum barrier at full speed. ‘Ouch!’ He staggered about holding his battered skull and upper body. ‘What happened … do my abilities fail me?’ Then the sound of laughter alerted him to company.
‘The room must be protected by a PK teleportation shield lock,’ advised Maelgwn. ‘One of the Lord Gibal’s top secret inventions. The same device is used to defend HQ in Kila.’
Thais and Maelgwn had not always seen eye to eye on every subject, but the Centaur had never been so glad to see anyone in all his long life. He wondered about Maelgwn’s Delphinus companion, for he’d never seen him before and yet he looked awfully familiar. ‘As you know so much, Dragon, I expect you have a plan for flushing Ereshkigal out of there?’
Maelgwn smiled to assure the Shaman that he did. As the Devas arrived on the scene they approached the impenetrable room and passed right through the walls.
‘So DJ Nova’s report was true, the Pantheon have all but fallen?’ Thais checked the validity of the reports.
‘There are still a few Nefilim souls in doubt, but the core of the problem has pretty well dissolved,’ Maelgwn assured. We’ve got a whole new set of problems now. He refrained from voicing the latter thought, not wanting to confuse the issue.
The charichalum doors parted and the Goddess came charging back out of her shelter, with the two Devas flying rings around her.
Thais marvelled at the powers of the two celestial beings, and Maelgwn placed a hand on his shoulder to assure him: ‘I think you’ll find the Goddess far more cooperative once the Devas and myself have spoken with her. You were right about their nature,’ he admitted, ‘and I was —’
‘Under a lot of
stress,’ Thais acknowledged, and the Dragon appreciated his understanding.
‘Thais, meet Zabeel.’ Maelgwn thought to introduce them, before moving off to deal with the Goddess. ‘You two might have a thing or two to talk about, as you are soon to be fellow chieftains.’
Zabeel shook Thais’ hand gladly, yet he wore a peculiar look on his face. ‘You know, you seem so familiar, have we met before?’
Thais grinned. ‘Undoubtedly.’
Ereshkigal chose to resist the Devas’ summons back to her soul-source and subsequently was reduced to a mortal state of being.
‘You can’t treat members of the Great Pantheon like this!’ she sobbed in angered protest, holding her throat as she strained her virgin vocal cords. ‘I demand to speak with my husband!’
‘Disclose the whereabouts of the device you used to change the climate here on Karleashian and I will grant your wish,’ Thais bartered.
‘In your dreams, sub-creature,’ she snarled, allowing the hands that cradled her throat to drop to her side in defiance.
‘Fine.’ Thais shrugged indifferently and then uttered aside to Maelgwn: ‘Perhaps we should strip her down and tie her to a pole out in the lovely morning weather here on Karleashian?’
As Maelgwn nodded to agree it was a good idea, Ereshkigal really started to look worried. ‘You wouldn’t dare.’
Thais leant closer to impress his view on her. ‘Eleven thousand years of torture and persecution … just try me, Ereshkigal,’ he challenged.
The Goddess was the first to lower her eyes from the staring match. ‘Oh … deal!’ she snarled, backed into a corner. ‘But I had better get to speak to Nergal or …’
‘Or what?’ Thais prompted, both eyes raised in question as he reminded her of her predicament. ‘You’ll just have to pray to Anu that I have more ethics than you do.’
‘You’re eleven thousand years old?’ Zabeel’s jaw was still dropping.
‘No, I’m actually closer to forty-five thousand years old,’ Thais informed, and even Maelgwn was gobsmacked. ‘I was only left lonely for eleven thousand.’ Thais’ eyes turned back to the Goddess and for a second he saw her heartless facade weaken. ‘And if Marduk hadn’t rescued Hero from the isolated desert planet where Enlil left her to rot, I’d still be alone.’
‘It wasn’t my decision to take your mate from you,’ Ereshkigal advised, as if she nearly gave a damn. But as she remembered the role she had played in the torture of Thais’ people, her self-serving nature returned and thus she was not forced to deal with the pain of her guilt. ‘I would have disposed of you both,’ she resolved, spitefully.
‘Now it’s that kind of attitude that’s going to condemn you to an eternity of darkness and torment, Ereshkigal,’ Thais reminded her. ‘So now, let us discuss the disarmament of the Falcon force here on Karleashian, the closing down of all illegal industry and the release of your slave force.’
The next Nefilim God on the Devas’ hit list was the notorious sexual infidel, Dumuzi, who was found cruising deep space in his luxurious leisure vessel. The craft was the size of a small city to house the wild assortment of Leonine, Delphinus and Falcon mortals who appealed to his desire for art, promiscuity and all things pleasurable to the senses.
Maelgwn and his party arrived to find the Nefilim Lord presiding over a drunken orgy of food, music, dancing and laughter. Maelgwn was not really surprised.
‘My Lord, I think we have company,’ whispered one of the Leonine women that Dumuzi was molesting, and the Nefilim male glanced up to spy angels overhead.
I didn’t want to be unfaithful, the Lord appealed. He was sure the celestial beings had been summoned from the ethers by his wife to track him down.
‘Just what have you been up to?’ Maelgwn gazed around at the humans gathered here, some of whom appeared half Nefilim, and if they were the sons and daughters of Dumuzi, the immortal gene had been implanted in them also.
Oh, Dragon you’re here, praise Anu! Dumuzi wrapped himself in a fur and scampered over to use Maelgwn as a shield between himself and the lofty apparitions. Are these two with you?
‘Yes, they are.’ Maelgwn’s answer put Dumuzi at ease for a second. ‘But they’re seeking you, Lord,’ he advised, to the God’s horror. ‘How many children do you have on this craft?’
Don’t tell Inanna, Dumuzi begged. She’d never understand.
‘Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure.’ Maelgwn avoided making any promises. ‘How many?’ he urged more forcefully.
Well … I haven’t had a recent count, Dumuzi admitted, but the Dragon’s scowl urged him to guess. About fifty.
‘Fifty!’ Maelgwn was taken aback by the number. Zabeel was smiling broadly.
Dumuzi nodded, humbled by the trouble he was in. And then there’s the grandchildren.
‘Grand—’ Maelgwn took a deep breath, exasperated by the God’s recklessness. ‘You’ve managed all this in fifty years?’
Dumuzi shrugged, thinking it wasn’t so bad. That’s an average of only one pregnancy a year. That’s pretty good considering the amount of women I’ve —
‘May I remind you, Lord,’ Maelgwn grabbed the slightly taller God around the throat, to get his full attention, ‘you have a beautiful wife who has no idea where you are at present, and quite apart from that betrayal, you have seriously jeopardised the future of a universal government that the Logoi have been striving so hard to stabilise.’
There’s no need to worry, Dumuzi assured, the God gene in every single one of my children is dormant … always is in Nefilim bastards.
This explained why the God gene had had to be activated through death in all of the Chosen who had inherited their immortality from Marduk. The offspring of the Chosen did not have this disadvantage — they inherited the gene active, as long as the gene in at least one parent was active when the child was conceived.
‘If I found the right wife, Nin Rebecca could fix such an oversight.’ Zabeel rubbed his hands together, as he considered the opportunity this presented.
‘Right being the operative word,’ Maelgwn cautioned, as he released Dumuzi. ‘The Logos would have to confirm your choice before Rebecca could agree.’
‘How do you mean?’ Zabeel frowned.
‘You’re not just seeking a wife, but a soul-mate for all eternity. It would serve you well to keep that in mind,’ Maelgwn explained quickly, as he and the Devas needed to speak with Dumuzi away from the crowd. ‘So, happy hunting … but I wouldn’t go aiming any arrows at the heart of your game just yet,’ he warned as he led Dumuzi away.
How did you find me all the way out here, anyway? the Lord thought to ask as he kept pace with Maelgwn. You look different somehow. Dumuzi had noticed the light exuding from the Dragon’s eyes and he realised the human’s psychic comprehension had increased. Oh no. So the word from Nova on the rebellion is all true!
‘Every word,’ Maelgwn emphasised. Dumuzi sighed and slouched down, realising that his party days were at an end.
23
FATED MEETINGS
The transfer procedure of the would-be Falcon chieftain had gone every bit as well as expected, and Sparrowhawk was now safely residing inside the artificial womb.
The mating of Brian and Samara-Leon’s essence had also been successful and upon learning this, all four parents were currently in dispute over a suitable name.
Tyrus-Leon wanted to name the child after his father, Sebastian-Leon, but when Brian wasn’t overly eager about the suggestion, the Leonine had a fit and stormed out of the nursery consultation lounge.
‘Goddamn, I can be unreasonable.’ Brian decided not to chase up the argument, looking back to Candace and Samara, who both nodded to agree with him.
‘Actually, Tyrus will get his way … sort of,’ commented Tory, who was sitting quietly nearby, wired to a machine that was recording sound and nerve information for her child’s benefit.
‘Aw, please,’ Brian appealed to everyone, really not keen on the name.
‘Bastion is nice,’ Candace of
fered her view, ‘and besides, we have another child to name.’ She placed both hands on her belly, barely showing her condition yet. ‘Why not let Tyrus have his way with this one?’
But Brian, being as stubborn as Tyrus was, would not give in. ‘Tory said he’d sort of have his way.’ Brian looked to his sister to expand on her statement.
‘It’s a girl.’ Tory emphasised the one possibility no one seemed to be considering. ‘Her name shall be Bast.’
All three parents present were completely delighted by the news, especially Brian.
‘A daughter,’ he announced, standing a little taller, proud of the fact. ‘I’ve never had a baby girl before. Bast…’ He tried out the name. ‘I like that … and Tyrus is sure to be happy.’
Hello, everyone, hello. The Lord Micah came floating into the nursery lounge. I came as soon as I heard. The Nefilim Lord looked to Brian, well proud of him. The prophecy of Lahmu has been fulfilled?
Brian was overawed to see the Nefilim God, but smiled and nodded to confirm the gossip. He referred Micah to the large window with a view through to the lab next door, where the two self-contained artificial wombs were nursing their precious cargo. ‘The first Chosen Ones of the Leonine and Falcon races,’ he informed. ‘The Chosen Ones of the Delphinus and Centaur races already exist.’
The Sage found his memory. Micah knew just by looking in Lahmu’s eyes that he was correct.
Brian nodded. ‘Nugia, Nibiru and Kila have been relieved of Pantheon rule … but then you knew that.’
It is all news to me, I assure you, Micah responded, and good news to be sure.
The smile fell from Brian’s face. ‘But, are you not the DJ Nova? I was so sure —’
It had been a long time since Micah had laughed out loud and whilst the Lord was containing himself, Floyd’s boy, Drake, entered with the printout of a missive.
‘From DJ Nova,’ the technologist said, as he handed the communication over and abruptly withdrew from the Governor’s presence.