Tablet of Destinies (43 page)

‘It is not only the Dragon's intent I perceive.' Candace's voice began to waver with relief and awe as the realisation hit her.

She looked Cadwallon's way, and he was shocked into backing up a step, for the Governess' eyes were glowing like those of a God or an Ascendant Master.

‘
Brian
,' Candace gasped, as she inwardly discerned his success. ‘He has managed to take Nugia. And Tory,' she paused to be sure her instinct was correct, ‘she is alive!'

‘Is that what you were envisioning just now?' Cadwallon could only assume this was the case, for the Governess sounded very sure about her statements.

‘No,' uttered the Governess, unable to explain how she knew what she did.

‘I can second your claims,' Floyd assured his perplexed Governess as he emerged from his daze, his eyes aglow like hers were. ‘Noah must have sparked some deeper awareness in all of us.'

Candace's attention shot straight to Floyd, and he stared at her, appearing every bit as sure about his theory, and as wonderstruck as she felt.

‘Then why have only some of you been made aware?' Cadwallon, like his wife, felt rather insulted by being shut out.

Candace and Floyd were baffled by the question.

‘It is just we of the Dragon's circle of twelve that have been affected. The same twelve souls that were first booted out of Edin.' Ethan, the new Head of Defence, voiced his understanding of the situation, and consistent with Candace and Floyd, his eyes beamed with newfound enlightenment.

‘He's right,' Floyd realised, given a second to access those souls with whom he felt a direct mental link. ‘And Noah stated as much in his prophecy.'

‘Since when has En Noah been a prophet?' Cadwallon became annoyed, trying to follow the conversation.

‘Since the dawn of human consciousness,' Candace replied, although she knew the response was bound to frustrate the Chief Justice all the more.

Cadwallon didn't even bother pursuing his line of questioning. ‘So what action are we to take in this instance?'

‘We do nothing,' Candace stated surely. ‘That is the Dragon's wish.'

‘Damn it all,' Rhiannon snarled in response. ‘Jenny, Bo and Robin have all suggested restraint too. What the hell is going on with you people? Would someone kindly let me in on this little conspiracy you're all having?'

‘They can't all be wrong,' Cadwallon argued with his wife. His eyes were fixed on the image of her father striding over the final island bridge that gave access to the innermost island of state.

‘I am praying they're not.' Rhiannon, clearly ill at ease with being forced to trust in blind faith, resigned herself to wait all the same.

 

As Maelgwn stepped onto the central island, he was inwardly accessing the whereabouts of those souls to whom he was now psychically linked. In a very timely fashion, Brian had crippled mining on Nugia; Maelgwn suspected the planet had been one of the Nefilim's primary gold mining operations. Through his mental link with those on Nugia, Maelgwn understood that
Thais was on his way to Karleashian. If the famous Shaman managed to pull off the same coup there as on Nugia, then that would be two major Orme sources out of action. This knowledge strengthened Maelgwn's position, for he intended to prevent any Nefilim who were still not faithful to their soul-source from having access to any Orme.

‘Tory!' Maelgwn stopped in his tracks, as he sensed her living presence. ‘Nergal does not have her at all.' He perceived that she was on Tarazean and turned to confront the Devas about the fact.

Now is not the time to discuss this,
Sacha advised sternly, already knowing the Dragon's grievance.

Praise the universe for her wellbeing,
Psyche added.

We both know that mother is not the main issue for discussion this day, and never was.
The young male Deva gave a nod of encouragement to get his human father back on track.

Although Maelgwn felt compelled to launch into a ‘not even enlightened beings should lie to their parents' lecture, the doorstep of Government House was not the place for it. With a severe look of displeasure, Maelgwn turned and resumed his course, liberated by the knowledge that Tory hadn't been taken prisoner by his enemies.

Nergal had transformed the grand ballroom of Government House into a throne room and most of the God's favourite kin were present: his daughter, Aya, his heir, Nabu, and Nabu's wife, Tashmet. These four were the core of the slave problem; the only other Nefilim of concern was Nergal's wife, Ereshkigal, who was no doubt
at home on Karleashian and would soon come to loggerheads with Thais, the Centaur.

As Maelgwn entered through the large double doors with his celestial bodyguards trailing behind him, the Nefilim he approached appeared to be wary of those in his company.

So … finally you are gracing us with your presence, Dragon.
Nergal spoke up before Maelgwn had even made his way halfway down the room.
All this unpleasantness might have been avoided if you'd only bothered to show up to the Pantheon meeting as requested.

‘All this unpleasantness is neither here nor there, Nergal,' Maelgwn informed, as he came to a standstill. ‘It is, however, at an end.'

Nergal couldn't suppress his smile.
You have come to surrender, I take it.

Although Nergal's response was typically arrogant, Maelgwn refrained from rolling his eyes; even with two angelic beings confronting them, the Nefilim still fancied themselves as superior. ‘I have come before you today at the request of Anu.'

This statement drew a gasp from all Nefilim present, bar Nergal, who was sceptical.
And these apparitions are his messengers, I suppose?

‘The Devas are your way back to your Logos,' Maelgwn advised. ‘And they will do all within their power to ensure your souls are safely returned to their source.'

Nergal laughed heartily, although his kin seemed not so jovial.
Are you threatening me, Dragon?
The God could hardly believe a human would have such gall, even an immortal.

‘I am trying to help you,' Maelgwn appealed, which only served to amuse the Nefilim Lord all the more. ‘Do you still claim to serve the Almighty, Anu?' the Dragon roared over Nergal's mocking laughter. ‘That is the only question we need answered this day.'

Suddenly Nergal was not so amused.
I am the head of the Pantheon. Anu speaks through me!
He stood, insulted by the Dragon's inference.
Do not assume to tell me the wishes of our great Logos!

‘You have no true contact with your Logos any more.' Maelgwn called the Lord's bluff. ‘If you did, then you would know of Anu's imminent departure from this physical world and you would have ingested enough Orme to lighten your being to enable you to join your soul-source, and move on in the evolutionary scheme. Just as you should have done some time ago.'

At that statement, even Nergal gasped. Orme was the best-guarded secret the Pantheon had.
Who has told you of this?
Nergal demanded to know.
I shall personally see them dead!

‘The Sage of Eridu told me,' Maelgwn stated, to Nergal's further annoyance.

No. He can't have.
Nergal was fearful.
The Sage died before I was even born.

‘But, due to the human evolutionary process of reincarnation, you knew he would return.' Maelgwn sensed the Lord's apprehension and exploited what he guessed was the source of his dismay. ‘And that his return would mark the demise of Anu, and the downfall of the Nefilim, just as you knew Lahmu's emergence would. You see the signs, Nergal, and still you do not heed them.'

Nergal appeared lost for words, although he shook his head to reject Maelgwn's implication.

‘A Dragon will seek the fallen souls, for whom the judgement bell will toll.' Maelgwn recited part of the Sage's prophecy to see if he couldn't help Nergal's memory along. ‘From his ultimatum there is no escape, those he confronts to decide their own fate.'

Nergal mouthed the last line of the verse in accord with the human confronting him. He knew the prophecy well enough.

‘You know what you must do in order to make your peace with this world and move on to the next,' Maelgwn concluded. ‘The quality of your life eternal now rests entirely on your own behaviour.'

Father …
Aya ventured to speak.
What does he mean?

He means … we are leaving.
Nergal stood to vacate the Dragon's presence as quickly as possible. He felt stifled by the power of Maelgwn's presence and was afraid of the beings accompanying him.

What?
Aya couldn't believe it.
Surely you don't mean to retreat!

Nergal stared his daughter down.
That is exactly what I mean, and you will do so as quickly and as quietly as possible, if you know what is good for you.

The Dragon did not grant you leave! His question has not been answered.
The voices of the Devas resounded inside the huge chamber, not the beautiful, dulcet tones they had been using to address their Chosen associates, but a gruff and sinister voice.

Maelgwn turned slowly to view his celestial bodyguards. Their angelic manifestations had transformed
into the vile green creatures who had consumed his twin babies. The event was a worry. Perhaps the young adult Devas were still not mature enough to endure contact with souls so spiritually ignorant as those Nefilim before them. Or perhaps the Devas were just attempting to beat the Nefilim at their own game — Nergal and his kin were certainly looking alarmed.

To what question do you refer?
Nergal attempted to plead dumb, which was another way of challenging the beings before him.

Sacha and Psyche reared up and began snarling, their tails thrashing about in an agitated motion.
If you are all superior beyond compare, try mortality and see how you fare.

Both the Devas went charging at the Nefilim, who stood rooted to the spot with fear for the first time in their long emotionless lives.

Nergal and Aya cowered as the creatures came upon them. Charging through their bodies, the Devas extracted the immortal essence from their souls, along with all the psychic talents that accompanied that state of being. Upon release from the attack, Nergal and Aya fell to their knees, crying out in agony, for gravity and the elements weighed heavily on their now weak, mortal forms. Their beauty faded, along with the light that had illuminated their bodies and shone from their eyes.

A morbid sense of curiosity had kept Nabu and Tashmet entranced, until it was too late to flee. By the time they attempted to will themselves elsewhere, the Devas were upon them.

A mortal turned immortal, Maelgwn recalled how liberating his transformation to a demi-god had been. He imagined the process in reverse, with the extra agony of never before being exposed to physical pain and suffering, and he began to fathom the extent of the punishment the Nefilim had been dealt.

As they'd finished implementing their verdict, the Devas rose high into the air to advise the offenders:

‘I shall arrange for a team of my people to accompany you to your respective planets, where you are to set about aiding the subjects you once repressed,' Maelgwn informed the fallen Gods, whose depleted state of being was causing them to weep. ‘You are to advise my people of all your mining endeavours. Your cooperation in this instance shall be your final judgement … ignore Anu's cause this time and he
will
forsake you, for all time!' Maelgwn's address was so impassioned that every human guard in the room fell to his knees in awe of the Dragon. ‘For this is,
and always was
, the will of the great Houses of Don and Llyr!'

 

‘So be it!' cried all within the pit at Kila HQ.

‘It's over.' Candace burst into tears. Floyd grabbed her up and twirled her around in the air.

‘Time to go breathe some fresh air.' The technologist set the Governess down, and they both laughed excitedly.

The relief was overwhelming for Candace. Her baby would be born into freedom after all.

‘Well done, honeybun.'

Candace gasped. The comment had to have come from her husband, as nobody else would dare address her in such a way. She turned around to find Brian looking very pleased with himself. ‘How did you get here so fast?' She jumped into his arms to squeeze and kiss him.

‘You risked taking the quantum leap, didn't you?' Cadwallon interrupted the lover's reunion to find out if Brian had indeed teleported himself forth from beyond Kila's star system.

Brian raised his eyebrow questioningly, and then both arms in victory. ‘Princes of the Universe,' he declaimed. ‘No system is too distant … for me to make it home by bedtime every night!' The Governor took his wife in hand again, and kissed her in a way that was not to be interrupted.

Cadwallon looked to Floyd and Ethan, who were both appearing a little overawed in the wake of Brian's appearance and announcement.

‘No more smoking for me then,' Floyd decided soberly, and both Ethan and Cadwallon nearly fell over in shock. ‘Well … what if I got too stoned and forgot where I was headed?' Floyd reasoned. ‘I've vagued out at my computer before today and snapped out of it to find I'd accidentally willed myself elsewhere. Now if I do that, I could wake up and find myself back on Gaia! Or worse!'

Cadwallon gave a chuckle and nodded to confirm that the technologist's resolution was probably for the best. ‘If Anu is set to self-destruct, you wouldn't want to be ringside on Gaia … unless you're chasing a really severe suntan,' he joked, only realising the implications of what he'd said when he saw the horrified look on Ethan and Floyd's faces.