The Black Madonna (The Mystique Trilogy) (39 page)

Killian grinned. ‘I have to tell you, being a holy channel for the Sanat Kumara really sucks sometimes.’

‘Never mind, you’ll get your reward in heaven,’ I said, ruffling his hair. I accompanied him into the next room, leaving Vespera and Talori to it.

‘Now Ereshkigal thinks I’m the Lord of Earth.’ Killian threw his arms up in frustration.

I made light of his woes. ‘Good, then she won’t distract you from what you came here to do.’

‘That’s what my men told me about Magdalen once,’ he said,
reminding me that the last saviour of the Earth had also needed companionship.

‘This is different, Killian. This girl isn’t just from a different bloodline, she’s from an entirely different
evolution.
Her soul group and yours are worlds apart! She can’t be anything but a beautiful distraction—’

‘Oh no!’ Killian’s eyes were glued to the sky, where several strange glowing orange-red and pink spherical forms were hovering over the park. ‘The Nefilim
are
trying to distract me.’ He rushed to the door.

‘Where are you going?’ I asked, following him.

‘I’ve seen these lights before. I have to get down to the park.’

‘What do they indicate?’

‘Electromagnetic activity, which could result in just a severe storm or a mild earthquake, if we’re lucky.’ He grimaced, pressing the button for the lift.

‘
Just
an earthquake, in New York city!’ I emphasised.

‘There are far worse things that spook world technology can inflict on an area,’ he told me as the lift doors opened and we stepped inside.

‘What do you plan to do?’

He shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. ‘I plan to stop it.’

A
SHLEE
G
RANVILLE
-D
EVERE
—SOLARIAN

While Kali was under heavy sedation I probed her thoughts for the Nefilim’s false memory implants. When I perceived the nightmares and lies they had fed her I was sickened—I had to remove my hands from her being and clear the ill will and fear that pierced my body like daggers. My body temperature plummeted and it took a moment to bring the shivering under control.

Castor, who was monitoring my work through a security system in another room, spoke to me through the intercom system. ‘Are you okay, Solarian? Do you need a break?’

I nodded, then shook my head. ‘One minute,’ I said, and, breathing deeply, I found my stomach. With three more deep breaths, I dispersed the dark perceptions and their crippling side effects. Now I felt on top of my game again. ‘Okay, I’m good,’ I told Castor.

I looked at the sleeping goddess and my heart filled with compassion and empathy for all she had been through for her people. As my admiration welled, so did the love and goodwill I felt towards her. Half of this soul mind, the human half, had once been my daughter too; the other half of her had always seemed rather alien to me, until now. For Kali was the outsider, working alone and unassisted to free her people from the curse of their mistakes. Even during her past life as my daughter, Charlotte, this had been the case. She had died a horrible death at the hands of the leader of the Dracon after I had departed for service in Amenti. As I had not been there to
comfort her in that dire moment, I felt deeply moved to be awarded this chance to heal her now.

I placed one hand on her forehead and one over her heart and channelled into her all the goodwill and compassion that was bursting through my heart centre. After a time, I kissed her forehead and sat back. ‘I hope that helps, little one.’

There was no response from my sleeping patient, but she did appear at peace.

‘You’re glowing,’ Castor informed me.

‘Really? What colour?’ I asked as I approached the interior cell door to be let out.

‘Indigo, of course.’

Indigo was the colour frequency my pyramid resonated to. The door’s metal barrier retracted and I passed into the middle security chamber, then the door behind me closed before the door ahead of me opened.

Arcturus met me in the corridor. ‘Are you all right? You were crying at one point.’

‘I’m fine,’ I told him.

‘Is it bad?’

I couldn’t tell a lie. I looked him straight in the eye and nodded. ‘It’s no wonder she wants nothing to do with you or Mathu,’ I said sadly. ‘She’s not going to appreciate seeing Meridan either.’

He gasped, not wanting to pursue answers and yet morbidly compelled to. ‘What filth have they put in her mind about us?’ His voice cracked as he asked the question.

I took a deep breath; there was no way I could candy-coat this. ‘Abuse, of all kinds.’

‘No,’ Arcturus squeaked, so horrified he could barely breathe.

‘But already the misconceptions are fading,’ I said, although I was only going on Castor’s advice that they would.

Arcturus’s stress levels rose rapidly and, as with most men, he chose to get angry rather than upset. ‘They have traumatised my little girl…those—’

I placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘Albray, my old friend, I know you’re inconsolable right now, but please don’t become part of the
problem. You must try and channel your energy into being constructive.’

He curbed his anger, although it took great effort. ‘You’re right,’ he said, breathing through it.

‘She’s safe now, and she’s recovering,’ I assured him.

‘I should have stayed with her and protected her.’ Tears welled in his eyes.

‘You couldn’t have stayed with her, even if you’d known she was going to fall into such peril,’ I told him. ‘None of us could have stayed…we’d all skipped to another dimension!’

‘Why?’ he appealed, remembering nothing.

‘To save you from the same fate!’ I blurted out, flustered by the anger he was directing at me.

He was gobsmacked. ‘I would gladly have put myself in her place!’ he cried, regretting that he’d had no say in the matter.

‘They didn’t just lead you to believe you went through agony,’ I told him, my voice breaking as I recalled how worried I’d been about him, ‘they really did torture you.’

Arcturus was immediately remorseful for misdirecting his anger at me. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, and hugged me close. We both wept. ‘And after what you’ve just been through for Tamar…I must be the most ungrateful bastard on earth,’ he said at last.

I laughed and wiped my eyes on his shirt.

A whistle drew our attention to my husband, who was standing with his arms folded watching us. ‘I’m not even going to ask,’ he said good-humouredly about our embrace. ‘Dexter wants to see us pronto. Castor too.’

‘Why?’ Castor stuck his head out the observation room door. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Lamhfada wants to meet with us…there’s something big going down in Central Park.’

‘But that is where Mia is!’ Arcturus let me go and set off at a run.

Mathu came out from the observation room. ‘Are you all going?’ he asked.

‘We’ll be back soon,’ Castor said. ‘Will you keep an eye on Kali until then? You know where everything is.’

‘I will, but what if my queen awakes and has a fit and I have to go in there?’

‘
Don’t
!’ I said, having seen the horrible visions of him in her head.

‘But I’ve had an idea about how I might be able to get close to her without—’

‘No,’ I insisted. ‘You are wise, Mathu, and a master of logic, but emotionally speaking you are still a novice and could be prone to misjudgement. So, please, just observe from outside, and tell me about it when I get back.’

‘But in the case of an
extreme
emergency…?’ he appealed.

‘The doors operate automatically and are programmed not to let Kali out,’ Castor assured him and Mathu looked relieved.

‘Okay then,’ he said with a wave. ‘Don’t worry about a thing, I’ll be fine.’

His abrupt change of manner was a little worrying, but my male colleagues were ushering me along and there was no time to investigate.

T
AMAR
D
EVERE
—KALI

I was trapped in my delicious nightmare, seducing Killian with my evil charms and my oiled, naked body.

‘I know you want me,’ he whispered, his moist breath causing me to tremble as I pressed my naked self against him.

‘Yes…I am yours.’ I kissed his mouth and then his forehead.

‘My queen,’ he whispered, his voice distorting into someone else’s, ‘my desire.’

I pulled away from him. ‘Killian?’

‘No,’ he shook his head. ‘It is I.’

His beautiful body distorted and shredded and the large, blood-soaked, demonic form of Ill towered over me.

My heart swelled in my chest; this was my big opportunity.

‘My lord.’ I opened myself to him and beckoned him in close. ‘I want you…to go to hell.’

But before I could inflict my evil intent on the demon, a bright beam of indigo light streamed down from the darkness above to encapsulate me in love. The demon faded and I began to float upwards into the beautiful, peaceful, calming indigo glow.

‘I hope that helps, little one,’ a sympathetic voice stated as I fell into darkness once more; only this time it was not fear I found in the blackness, just peace.

‘Tamar?’

A voice called me, and I tried to look around for the source, but there was only darkness.

‘Are you waking?’ the familiar voice asked, and in my mind I put a face to it as I came to consciousness.

‘Emmett.’ I was pleased to see him beside me, as I remembered him fondly. ‘My friend.’

He nodded and took my hand in his to kiss it. ‘I’ve been so worried about you, Tamar. How are you feeling?’

‘I feel…’ I thought about this a moment—my mind was a blank as to where I was, where I had been, and my emotions were numb as well. ‘I don’t really feel anything,’ I realised.

I tried to sit up and found myself strapped to a bench with metal bonds. Now I felt something:
panic.
‘Why am I bound like this?’

‘Please don’t be angry or alarmed,’ he said calmly. ‘Your fellow staff members were concerned that you would hurt someone, as the Nefilim have implanted false memories in your mind. For a time it is going to be difficult for you to tell the difference between fact and fabrication.’

‘How do I know you’re not one of the Nefilim trying to trick me?’ I retorted.

‘I guess you don’t,’ he said, and shrugged with a half-smile.

I tried to look past his physical form to view his aura, but I couldn’t. ‘My second sight…it isn’t working!’ I tried to move Emmett with my will but that was also ineffective. ‘What have you done to my powers?’

‘I haven’t done anything,’ he said. ‘While you were held prisoner in Irkalla, you were immersed in a diluted Orme solution which has dulled your conscious control of your powers. The effects will wear off soon they tell me.’

‘Then why restrain me?’

‘Because, unconsciously, you are still
very
powerful.’

As Emmett smiled down at me, I found it very hard not to trust him.

‘So how long do you plan on keeping me restrained?’ I asked.

‘I’m not in charge so I cannot say. When you are no longer a danger to yourself and others, I expect.’

Danger to others.
I associated that premise with only one entity, and suddenly my mind began working again.

‘I have to see Killian,’ I told Emmett. ‘It’s very important.’

‘Why do you need to see him?’

‘Because he has some information I need.’

‘Then tell me, and I’ll go to him and get the information for you.’

‘He won’t disclose this information to you,’ I told him. ‘You don’t have the same persuasive skills I have.’

He chuckled at this. ‘I’m sure I don’t. But Killian is working with the staff of Amenti now—’

‘What?’ I freaked. ‘But he’s in league with Ill!’

‘Not any more,’ Emmett said.

‘Yes, he is!’ I insisted, but Emmett just told me to calm down.

‘You’re confused right now. I told you you would be.’ He placed his hands on me to calm me, but I continued my futile struggle to break my bonds.

‘
I am not confused
!’ I yelled. ‘If the staff of Amenti are working with Killian, it is they who are confused!’

Emmett rose from the side of my bed and backed away. ‘I really didn’t want to upset you.’

‘I am not
upset.
’ I calmed down so as to stop scaring him. ‘I just need to speak with one of the other staff members. Can you find one of them for me?’

‘None of them are here right now.’

‘When will they be back?’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t know, but I’m sure they’ll come to see you the second they return.’

‘
If
they return!’ I said as he backed towards the exit door. I suddenly realised I was in solitary confinement in the Amenti complex. ‘Don’t leave me here, Emmett…please!’ I appealed as the interior security door retracted and he stepped into the middle chamber.

‘I’m not authorised to let you out,’ he said apologetically.

‘But the staff are in grave danger!’ I yelled as the door closed and locked me in the Orme-reinforced cell. I was angry and struggled to free myself, in vain. When I couldn’t break my bonds I yelled out my frustration.

Don’t be such a baby,
my Anunnaki half insisted.
If our powers are only effective in a subconscious state then we must be calm.

I breathed deeply to comply with my inner voice.

That’s it…sleep.

A
SHLEE
G
RANVILLE
-D
EVERE
—SOLARIAN

All the staff of Amenti remaining at the Giza complex met with Lugh Lamhfada in the usual place—the outer chamber that contained three portholes, one of which led to Lugh’s realm.

Thank you all for coming,
Lugh began.
I am here to deliver a request from our father that you all join him in Central Park, New York, within the next Earth hour.

‘When you say our father, you refer to En Ki?’ I clarified.

He gave a graceful nod and opened his arms wide.
The Sanat Kumara.
He brought his hands together again in a gesture of appeal.
He requires your aid to avert a great disaster that is about to befall the city and his Peace Project there. He has used his Chosen One to avert such a disaster before, but the strain on his mortal-angelic body was too great and our lord fears he will not survive a second solo attempt.