Chronicle of Ages (35 page)

Seshut nodded. ‘She wants to possess that which you desire, Dragon, so that she may give it to you.'

‘But she left me for dead!' He failed to follow the logic.

‘Only because one of her seers had predicted you'd escape.' Seshut saw his total bewilderment. ‘This is the way of most of the remaining Nefilim on this plane of existence. They no longer relate to emotional stimuli at
all, for if they did, they would be compelled back towards their Logos and lose their physical existence. So they exploit human suffering in the name of repression, which keeps their soul-minds bonded to these lower planes of existence. But as they close themselves off to the influence of the astral plane of love and emotion, they shall lose their psychic talents. With every atrocity they commit they weaken themselves a little more. Still, I'm afraid Inanna has not finished toying with you yet.'

Maelgwn braced his head with both hands, suddenly thrown into a frightful panic. ‘Tory … I have to warn her!' He felt the need to rush off to her aid at once, although he was so exhausted he couldn't for the life of him think how this might best be done.

‘Calm yourself, Dragon. We are mindful of the danger and have taken precautions to protect her.'

‘Protect her from what, Seshut?' Maelgwn realised they'd skipped over that little detail. ‘What is it Inanna means to do to her?'

‘By the sound of it, she means to possess Tory's physical body?'

‘Can she do that?'

‘Only if Tory leaves her body vacant and not properly guarded for say, astral projection purposes,' Seshut assured him. ‘This is something Tory never even thought about prior to the death of her husband in the early part of the twenty-first century. After that she began to entertain notions of seeking you astrally.'

‘What?' Maelgwn butted in, shocked out of the false sense of security that Seshut's explanation was lulling him into. ‘Are you saying she is now at risk?'

Seshut refrained from responding straightaway, serving him a look that implied he was being unduly dramatic. ‘I took the liberty of sending her a couple of messages on your behalf, warning her against contacting you in such a fashion.'

‘But Tory would never heed the word of an unfamiliar entity like yourself,' he stressed.

‘That is why I assumed the guise of you in both instances.' The Merlin eased Maelgwn's fear yet again and smiled as Maelgwn breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Then I thank you.' He returned her smile as he marked just how like Taliesin she was. ‘And you delivered these messages personally?' Maelgwn asked in a far more cordial tone.

‘No. The first was delivered by your great-grandson, Cadfan, at the funeral of your twentieth century embodiment.'

Maelgwn held his head as Seshut outlined the details of her aid — his life was so completely absurd that even he found it hard to fathom.

‘The second message was delivered by your son, Rhun, whose safe protection Cadfan directed Tory to.'

‘It sounds like you're doing a mighty fine job of making me look really good down there,' Maelgwn decided at last, very grateful for all her assistance.

‘It was nothing you wouldn't have done yourself, were you not otherwise distracted,' the Merlin granted. ‘Both messages made it very clear that it was not safe to seek you out at this time, astrally or otherwise.'

‘Why not otherwise?' Maelgwn was curious to know what the danger with physical projection over vast
distances in space was. But as some of his pre-programmed data surfaced, he realised what a stupid question it was. ‘Don't answer that.' He held up a hand to stop her, as he knew the reply. ‘Curved space.'

‘You can cheat time in an astral body on the physical plane,' Seshut expanded on the premise. ‘But you cannot cheat —'

‘Time in a physical body. I understand,' he conceded. ‘Flight time would be nothing, but the length of your stay at a deep-space destination would be highly unpredictable due to all the curvature in space between you and your point of origin. You might return to base after only a few hours to find years had elapsed.'

Seshut gave him a wink. ‘Now, there is one other deception Inanna may spring on you, and that is that she might try and clone your wife's body. You missed my induction lecture on clones, so allow me to bring you up to speed.'

Maelgwn thought his eyes must have been boggling out of his head as Seshut advised him of how clones might be recognised and utilised. Every time he thought he was aware of all the horrors confronting him, new one popped up to top the last. A silence descended as Maelgwn sorted through his thoughts for outstanding fears and queries. ‘Are you aware of how Laarsa was destroyed?'

Seshut shook her head. ‘I foresaw the event, but not the cause, I'm afraid.'

Maelgwn was going to question her about the possibilities, but as Seshut's expertise lay within the realms of the spirit, he decided to leave that conversation for Marduk. ‘So, what are my chances of seeing my Lord?'

Seshut stood quietly assessing him for a moment before responding. ‘As the hunt for Gibal is obviously so important to you, I am going to suggest a cleansing tube and a meditation before seeing my Lord. However, when you return from your quest, I'm afraid we are going to have to work through the sad events of your capture and clear that shroud from your subtle body.'

‘I understand.' Maelgwn thought she was being more than fair. ‘Thank you, Seshut.'

‘No, thank you, Dragon.' She bowed her head to him. ‘Strange as it may seem to you, you've done outstandingly well.'

 

Maelgwn returned to his quarters on the
Aten
. He was no longer in the new recruits' module.

Although Maelgwn's journey had, to him, only taken weeks to complete, months had passed here on the
Aten
. Dragon squad now occupied level fifty-four of module seven.

The corridors were deserted as he strolled towards his quarters. Maelgwn figured the rest of the squad were probably resting up before going after Gibal. Strangely enough, as he entered his chamber, Maelgwn really felt like he was home, even though he'd spent less time living on the
Aten
than he had on the Mazua. Perhaps it was because he could sense that his kindred were close at hand here. This room differed from his temporary quarters in that framed images of the loved ones he'd left behind on Gaia were scattered about the place — some
hung on the walls, other were free-standing images placed as decorations on tables and shelves. As he walked around admiring the framed memories, he came across a picture of a beautiful, dark-haired woman that he didn't recognise — only that she quite reminded him of his son Rhun.

‘Rhiannon,' he resolved, in an awe-struck but proud manner. But with the surge of pride he felt upon viewing his full-grown daughter, came a terrible feeling of vulnerability. He held the picture of his child to his chest, as his eyes darted over the images of others dear to him.
Goddess, protect them.
His eyes became fixed on a picture of Tory and he smiled as he recalled the last time they'd made love: before his illness, before his abduction, before Inanna.

When you are again joined with your beloved wife, remember to look deep into her eyes, Dragon, for you might just find me there.

As Inanna's wraith echoed through his mind, in the image of his wife he could see the evil presence of his persecutor, and unable to stand the sight of her, he turned the image off. Only at that moment did Maelgwn discover the full extent of the psychological damage that had been done to him, and the realisation made him weep.

 

After dragging his weary form through a cleansing treatment and a meditation, as ordered, Maelgwn's anxiety had waned a little. Still, his hatred for Inanna and what she'd done to the sweet memory of his wife, was still very much underlying his mood.

He'd sent a communication to Seshut to tell her that he'd done as she'd requested, and was now ready to meet with Marduk. Hence, in a suspended chair, Maelgwn sat staring out at space as he awaited further orders.

I am sorry for your pains, Dragon.

Maelgwn swiveled round to find Marduk sitting forward in the chair opposite him.

The surprising thing was that Maelgwn was no longer in his quarters. He was back in the Lord's Star Chamber, gazing at the wonders of space reflected on the walls and floor therein.

I knew your mission was going to be tougher than I let on … but it was your destiny, and therefore not for me to question,
he explained from behind his mask.

Although the Lord sounded sincere, Maelgwn was hard pressed for forgiveness at present. He forced a laugh and shook his head. ‘And if it were my destiny to be sucked into the oblivion of a black hole, would you send me to my extinction all the same?' He stood abruptly, and backed away from the Lord a few paces. ‘Because if that is to be the way of this, I'm sorry, but I will not serve a soul I cannot trust.'

The Lord stood, seemingly offended, but Maelgwn couldn't really tell. Marduk raised his mighty arms, and reaching behind his head, he unfastened the mask he wore and removed it. The light that shone from the God's eyes was blinding for a moment; he was obviously far more enlightened than any of the other Nefilim that Maelgwn had encountered. But as his eyes adjusted, Maelgwn beheld a man very much like himself — dark
hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. And although his defining facial features were akin to the Nefilim, Maelgwn saw a kindred soul in the Lord.

I swore I would not remove this mask until the day I cleared my name, but I remove it now, so that you may look into my eyes and know I speak the truth. I have already picked my parents via whom I shall be reborn into the ranks of the Chosen Ones,
he informed Maelgwn.
I am to be a son of yours, Dragon, because of all my children I adore none so well as you and your mate — finer parents I could not want. I tell you this, so that you might understand that to allow any harm to come to you or Lamamu would be completely detrimental to my future happiness. Please believe I am on your side, and if I could have undergone your trials in your stead, I would have. But they were not my lessons to learn.

Although the idea of having more children that he might actually have a chance to partake in the parenting of appealed greatly to Maelgwn, he was still rather bewildered by Marduk's little insight into the future. ‘Who is Lamamu?' He queried the only part of the prophecy that was not entirely clear.

That was the name that the ancients gave your female other. It means the divine goddess of love and war.

Maelgwn found this briefly amusing. ‘That she is,' he smiled, warmed by memories of her playing cupid with the members of his court, and the awesome sight of Tory in combat. But the memory of her being fondled by Shamash shrouded his delight. He knew it hadn't really been Tory who had raped him, tortured him and left him to die, along with the others, but the images were taunting him just the same.

I think Candace should head the salvage mission for Gibal,
Marduk decided, seemingly out of the blue.

The Lord was obviously picking up on Maelgwn's disturbed frame of mind. ‘No please, let me go,' he appealed. ‘I assure you, I can place my personal setbacks aside until I return with Gibal. Seshut will back me up on that. For, although Gibal may never trust me again, I want to be there to assure him and update him on the situation when he's found … better the devil he knows, than a bunch of strangers he doesn't, I figure.'

Marduk nodded to concede he might be right.
I'm sending the rest of Dragon squad with you to assist with the recovery of the cases containing my brother. The containers could have been scattered, and may not even be at the same location. In the event that an extensive scan or search of the area is required, you'd best take a team reconnaissance vessel rather than individual craft.
Maelgwn nodded to agree with all of the above, when the Lord added:
But do try and bring the recon unit back this time.

Maelgwn gave a firmer nod. ‘We might be able to see our way clear to doing that.'

The area on Lura where Gibal has been deposited is renowned for whirlpool activity,
Marduk advised as he returned the mask to his face, and ascended the stairs to take a seat on his throne.
There is one such disturbance subsiding at present, so the mission is due to depart at the start of your next shift … by which time we hope conditions will be more favourable.

Maelgwn checked the band of his suit, which indicated that he still had a few hours before blast off.
‘Are you aware of how Laarsa and by now, I expect, the Mazua were destroyed?'

In truth, Dragon, our systems are finding
that
a baffling question. I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on the subject.
Even though Maelgwn's thought wave neutraliser had been replaced, Marduk could tell the commander had already drawn a few conclusions of his own.

‘I have no proof,' Maelgwn stated outright, ‘but I strongly suspect some kind of weapon was involved.' He dwelt on his theory a second. ‘I know we cannot track Shamash's vessels, but can we estimate how far behind us they are at present?'

If Mazua's destruction is any indication, they would only just be entering the wormhole or at the very most the outer reaches of this star system,
Marduk advised, foreseeing what Maelgwn was driving at.
If there is any fear for the
Aten
, let me assure you that a simple jump into the future will ensure we avoid detection or destruction. I shall arrange a suitable destination to venture forth to immediately upon your return from Lura.

The Lord's guarantee sparked Maelgwn's curiosity. ‘How exactly have you been achieving all the time travel required for the realisation of the Chosen Ones? And, while we are on the subject, where are we placed in time now … according to the understanding of those we left behind on Gaia?'