Part 14 (1/2)
”We have never left you. But to break their hold, you must do something in equal measure to their dark strength. Bringing us the book will break it. Energy transference is the only way.”
Carlos stared at the twinkling stars. The Light had begun to recede from the sky. ”Please tell me how, then,” he whispered. ”I need direction; just tell me what to do.”
”We seek not only Padre Lopez's soul, along with countless others, but the essence of yours to protect that as well. Bring the ultimate darkness into the Light. We cannot go that deeply into the nether realms to do this for you-you must fight for your own soul and the souls of others that have been trapped, like you once were,” the lead voice said. ”Be vigilant. They seek the return of what they felt has been stolen from them. You. The one that has proven to be their best and yet worst soldier turned general of the Legions. Both sides have equal claim. You are one of our best, and possibly our worst, earthbound warrior of Light. Our faith, hope, and love in what lies deep within you is the only thin line of silver light that allows you to not be beheaded tonight.”
”When our female Neteru injured the dreaded one, Lilith was too weak to close the doors of darkness behind her,” another said, but his voice began to sound as though it was fading away.
”The Chairman fled,” the lead ent.i.ty said, his voice rising with urgency, ”but his book is below. We must burn his energy out of the book to break the hold the darkness has on the stolen souls of millions... The Chairman is the direct sp.a.w.n of he who remains nameless, and never had a soul to anchor them within the Dark Realms. He never would have succeeded were it not for the pressed pages made from stolen branches and twigs of our Tree of Life and our Tree of Knowledge in the Garden, when he breached Paradise. It is through his book of dark conversion that we reveal all that has been stolen from our side from the beginning of time. The one who remains nameless also seeks him, and has sent out his Legions to hunt him down. They care not that they befoul innocents on their quest. They must be stopped. Bring us the book.”
”You have only seen one beast, because he homed to your dark thread and followed that thread to the female Neteru's childhood fear of him. That was the only demon who was able to penetrate the hallowed barriers here-because of you. She feared nothing else as strongly. Your interlocking dark energy with her darkest fear was the only thing strong enough to allow that. But you have not seen all the other perversions that have come to the surface, because you have been sequestered on hallowed ground,” the third ent.i.ty said as he began to disappear. ”Evil has insinuated itself among everyday humans. Soon, they will not be able to continue to remain blind. We are in the final days. The book is filling too quickly, tipping the balance in the wrong direction.”
”You want me to go down to h.e.l.l, bring you the book, and then what?” Carlos said with his arms outstretched. Panic kept his body rigid, but his tone was filled with awe and respect.
Only one ent.i.ty remained. ”We will send you a sign when the time is right to go to the chamber. Only then retrieve the book, and deliver it to us-but do not sit in the Chairman's throne. If you do not heed our warning, you could be lost to us forever. You must journey far by earthly measures to find what you have lost-a part of yourself. Integrate that first, and then collect the book. Your mission is thus, do not question more.”
”But what sign!” Carlos yelled, confusion and frustration adding to his panic.
”She will know. Listen to the signs uncovered by her Neteru visions. Work in tandem, never alone.”
The Angel lowered a sword in Carlos's direction; the powerful gleam of silvery blue light emanating from it hurt Carlos's eyes.
”Come to terms with your fate,” he warned. ”You, like she, are our Neteru. Never forget. Never surrender. Know and choose your side for the battle yet to come. Their trickery and guile have returned your demon abomination of fangs and all that comes with it. Use the trial wisely against the darkness... always remember the greater good.”
And just like that, the last ent.i.ty was gone, taking the others within a splinter of light that closed in upon itself on the blue black horizon.
Carlos stood still, listening to the wind howl around him. ”But what about daylight, the blood hunger, all of the c.r.a.p that comes with the fangs? How am I gonna live with my squad, with Damali? Wait!”
A too-bright star began to strobe above him. He knew it was they, but for a moment, there was no answer. Lightning blazoned the sky again in a quick flash, and the answer entered his mind in the same thunderous voice that had previously battered his ears.
You are a fusion of Level Seven; all dark levels within the nether realms fear what you could be... This thing draws terror from even their kind. It walks by day, has control over its hungers and l.u.s.ts; it is a slave to nothing, except absolute power.
”What is this thing that even you as warrior angels are scared to name?” Carlos whispered, staring at the sky where lightning had scorched it.
The response that entered his mind made him back away from the lonely spot in the canyon-side where he stood and begin a flat-out run back to Damali's house. He ran as though he were the wind itself. Tears flew from his eyes as his velocity increased to make the shadowed landscape a blur. No, no no, they had to be wrong. Please G.o.d, no, not after all he'd been through and showed of his real heart. His body went hot and then cold, nausea riddled him, but he ran, trying to run away from his very self.
He saw her driveway, barreled up her steps, and pounded on the door. Her Hummer wasn't there; he collapsed against her screen, sobbing out loud. It could not be true. No, not in his body, not in his mind-Por Dios, protect his spirit. His woman's instinct was correct; her Neteru alarms had been going haywire since the h.e.l.l-smoke had possessed him. She was correct to keep her distance, but he needed her to tell him it was going to be all right. If no one else in the universe believed him, she must.
”Baby, please come home!” he pleaded between sobs.
He banged futilely, knowing that there was only one place to go, the family house. But that was impossible now, not like this, not until he talked to her. Marlene didn't have a cure; Heaven didn't have a cure. No one could help him-only another Neteru would understand-only his woman, someone who loved him to the bone, no matter what, would go down to the depths with him, and had enough light and faith and hope and love...
”Oh, my G.o.d,” he wailed, scrabbling in vain at her locked door. ”I cannot be on the brink of turning into the Antichrist! Help me, D... Don't leave me like this!”
CHAPTER NINE
During the drive over to the family house, Damali prayed out loud, and prayed hard. Her panic-laden entreaties ricocheted between the Almighty, any available guardian angel listening, and her Neteru Queen Council. She put out her quiet-hysteria all- points bulletin with tears br.i.m.m.i.n.g in her eyes while she clutched the steering wheel.
With portals open and demons running rampant, who knows what could have happened to her man? Was she crazy, not going after him and arguing that he stay until daylight? What had been on her mind! Marlene, AWOL? And that hadn't shaken her to her knees? The rest of the older team members hadn't responded to a significant crisis-and that hadn't jolted her brain to wake up from its self-indulgent haze? Oh, yeah, she was definitely infected. Carlos had to be, too. Just let him be alive and uninjured.
Damali jumped out of her vehicle, ran up the front steps, and barreled through the front door. Her heart was pounding so hard that she almost couldn't hear the sheriff and the tribal leader's quick footfalls behind her. Every member of the team was on their feet, and Damali almost fell from relief when she saw that Marlene, Shabazz, Berkfield, and Marjorie had returned.
”Chief Quiet Eagle had a vision,” Damali said, out of breath as her gaze swept everyone in the living room of the family house.
”He brought his grandson out to our road, and sure enough, the sheriff saw Carlos's Jeep totaled with a doe on the hood.”
”We set up orange barriers and flare markers so no other vehicle will plow into the back of the wreckage. But it's pretty much in a ditch off the road anyway, so in the morning, the tow truck can come to flatbed it.”
”Am I missing something?” Marlene said, her gaze locked with the sheriff's for a moment and then with Damali's. ”Search party?
Paramedics!” Marlene swept away from the sofa and went to stand by Damali.
The elderly man, who had been silent until now, shook his head no and began speaking slowly in Navajo so that his grandson could interpret.
”In the morning, like the Jeep wreck,” the sheriff said with an apology in his eyes. ”There was n.o.body in the vehicle, and I scanned the area with floodlights from my cruiser. He wasn't there. My grandfather advises-”
”d.a.m.n all that,” Shabazz said, pounding Mike's and Dan's fists. ”Our brother could have been injured, limped away from the crash, and pa.s.sed out. We don't roll like that.”
Rider and Jose looked at the old man and then the Sheriff.
”Wanna give our brother Shabazz the unedited version of what Pop said, Sheriff?” Rider walked over to the breakfront and gathered up ammunition. ”I can't speak it, but I can pick up a few key words and phrases, even though I'm rusty, and that ain't all the old man said.”
”We ride,” Jose said bluntly. ”Tonight.”
The old man began speaking again; this time he withdrew a shaker and a small, leather medicine bag with an eagle feather attached to it, and began gesturing wildly with his hands.
Jose and Rider watched him intently, as did the rest of the group.
”The doe had two puncture wounds in its throat,” Jose said in a quiet, defeated tone. ”Local nearby ranchers outside the sacred barriers have been losing livestock recently. Carca.s.ses drained, mutilated. People behaving strangely, too.”
Knowing glances pa.s.sed around the team.
”He says we should watch the news and read the papers, not just from this town, but from other cities as well. Crime is up, like people are possessed. Strange types of senseless acts of violence are taking place. There have been bizarre sightings of things that cannot be explained. Not just here, but in many areas, many cities.” Jose rubbed his palms down his face and briefly closed his eyes.
The old shaman nodded and folded his arms with satisfaction in his unwavering stare.
Damali closed her eyes. It was spreading.
”Grandfather says there's a bad spirit afoot. Whatever's been making bad things happen in the world is trying to infiltrate sacred lands. He has called a meeting of the elders at the sweat lodge tonight. The elders are reconsidering your building permit, and will refund any monies you have given them.” The sheriff looked away as though ashamed.
”That is bulls.h.i.+t!” Dan shouted. ”Not to mention illegal! We've already poured the foundation, have construction crews out there, and contractors, not to mention the fees to the architects-”
The old man held up his hand and spoke in a calm, determined tone.
”Grandfather says that the nation is well aware of the expenses, and will reimburse you from the nation's casino funds, but there is not enough money in the world to pay for the devil to lodge here.” The sheriff looked around with a pained expression. ”The ways of my people are... different. Perhaps in the morning, when heads are cooled, we can thoroughly inspect the doe and come to a reasonable compromise.” He glanced at his grandfather and the group, and then sighed.
Kristen and Bobby drew in close to their mother. Berkfield's arm went over Marjorie's shoulders. J.L. closed ranks with Dan and Jose, their chins held high and their eyes burning with determined intensity to defend the house, or die trying. n.o.body cared who touched whom; they were one team and would go out as one. Jose nodded to Mike, and accepted Mike's handoff of Inez, as Jose's other hand pulled Juanita in closer to his side. Marlene picked up her stick and took a position in front of those who would undoubtedly remain at the house.