The Dove (24 page)

Jozsef returned to watch them.  Two soldiers held a makeshift shade over his head while he drank from a bottle of wine with a disgusted look on his face.  One of them produced an ancient brass sexton and began taking measurements on the horizon and the bright object in the blue-white sky.

“They say that it is a comet, Your Grace.”  Abaddon joined him in the sparse shade.

“Comets have tails.”  Jozsef spat some of the wine on the ground.  “That looks like a star to me.”

“They are magi, Your Grace.  They know these things.  They believe that it will pass without harm.”

“You had better be right, Abaddon.”  Jozsef growled at him.  “It was just such a thing as this that brought about destruction in the days before time.”

Abaddon grimaced in the bright light and drew his sunshades from his pocket.  The days before time?  How could there have been days before time? 

“It was just such a thing as this that crashed to the earth and brought up the waters from the deep!”  Jozsef continued.  “The entire face of Chaos was changed in an instant!”  Jozsef snapped his fingers.  “After that, the oceans formed and then the next thing I knew, the angels came!  And then men!  Now look at us!!”

“Sir.”  Abaddon leaned close to him.  “You will frighten the men.  Remember your surroundings.”  He glanced at the soldiers holding the canopy over them.

“Frighten them?”  Jozsef looked about.  “That would not take much!  They run from everything!  What good are they, my friend?”

The general fell silent.  Indeed, what good was he?  He was nothing more than just another of the angels his Master held in such great disdain.   Again, he regretted having left Marduk’s side.  At least Marduk had been one of his own kind.  This creature had no compassion.  No love for anything but himself!  Abaddon knew quite well when the end came, he would be on the wrong side.  He squinted through the dark glass at the comet.  How could this vile creature think to stand against the Creator of the Universe?

Chapter Nine
of Sixteen

And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars

Lemarik rode his white stallion around and around the great figure of the Sphinx, holding his sword over his head, making wide circles with the flashing blade under the brilliant light of the double sun.  They had come through the night without losing anyone, but the monstrous creatures populating the desert had completely surrounded the enclosure in which they were camping at the feet of the lion-bodied pharaoh, cutting them off from conventional retreat.  They could neither come nor go into or out of the immediate area.  The flames surrounding them flickered with subdued light in the onslaught of the sun’s unforgiving rays and the added light of the comet made the green flames pale in comparison.  The flames and the enchanted arrows of the elves, tipped with the scorpion poison were formidable weapons against the creatures, but their growing numbers threatened to overrun the compound, if they did not do something quickly.

Lucio placed the yellowed papyrus covered with colorful hieroglyphs, on the ground between the paws of the great stone beast and placed the small golden bird on top of it.  The corners of the scroll flapped in the hot breeze as he knelt in front of the paper.  Vanni and Luke Andrew stood several paces back from him with their hands on the hilts of their swords.  Il Dolce Mio was on top of the wall with his captains, keeping an eye on the milling herd of beasts pawing the ground, snorting and howling in frustration.  The beasts charged the flames again and again, before falling back, snapping and swiping at each other before sitting back on their haunches and setting up their wails again.  They were all scales and tusks, horns and claws and of immense proportions even exceeding the size of the greatest of the elephants that had once populated this continent.  The sounds of their feet stomping the ground was a constant rumble in the air and the vibrations could be felt in the stones beneath their feet.

Lucio raised his eyes to the face of the pharaoh above him and spread his arms in supplication.

“
Hail, thou one who shinest from the moon.  Hail, thou one, who shinest from the moon
.”  He began the oration to the gods of Ancient Khem.  “
Grant that this Osiris Any may come forth among thy multitudes who are at the portal.  Let him be with the Light God.  Let the Tuat be opened to him.  Behold, the
Osiris Ani shall come forth by day to perform everything which he wisheth upon the earth among those who are living.  Hail thou god Tem who comest forth from the Great Deep who shinest gloriously under the form of the twin lion gods, send forth with might thy words unto those who are in thy  presence, and let the Osiris Nu enter into their assembly
.”  Lucio crossed himself and then bowed his head.  He got up and placed himself in front of the papyrus, again assuming the form of supplication with both arms outspread to the sky.  “
He hath performed  the decree which hath been spoken to the mariners at eventide, and the Osiris Nu, whose word is truth, shall live after his death, even as doth Ra every day.  Behold, most certainly Ra was born yesterday, and the Osiris Nu was born yesterday.  And every god shall rejoice in the life of the Osiris Nu, even as they rejoice in the life of Ptah, when he appeareth from the great house of the Aged One which is in Anu
.”

The Golden Eagle’s words drifted into the air and seemed to reverberate back and forth between the stones of the lion feet.  Even the beasts outside the perimeter of fire seemed aware of this and their howls increased as they began to stampede around the circle of flames as a single unit.  Il Dolce Mio turned to watch the progress of the largest of these nasty beasts as it tossed its head, hooking the air with a long, gnarled horn protruding from the top of its nose.  It broke free from the herd, followed by two others and charged the flame.  Its companions fell back, but the momentum of the lead creature took it through the fire and it was suddenly within the lines of defense.  Il Dolce Mio shouted as the beast plummeted over the edge of the pit into the clearing below and the elves converged upon it, loosing their arrows with deadly accuracy.  Lemarik wheeled his charger about and rode down on the enraged creature, firing poisoned darts from his crossbow.  The poison was slow and the thing turned around in confused circles, roaring in anger, trying to gore the elves as they dodged about in front of it.  Lancers moved in quickly and stabbed at its hind quarters with their long spears, causing it to spin back and forth rapidly, stirring up a choking cloud of dust under its rhino-like feet.

“Father!”  Vanni shouted to Lucio.  “Please hurry!”

Lucio ignored the noise and the voice of his son as he continued his invocations.

“
I have divided the heavens.  I have cleft the horizon.  I have traversed the earth following in his footsteps.  I have conquered the mighty spirit-souls because I am equipped for millions of years with words of power.  I eat with my mouth. I evacuate with my body.  Behold, I am the god of the Tuat!  Let
these things be given unto me, the Osiris Ani, in perpetuity without fail or diminution
.”

The creature rammed its way through the elves and charged straight for Lucio as if it knew that the Italian was doing something unhealthy for it and its companions.  Lemarik kicked his stallion and rode between Vanni and the Italian.  The sudden appearance of the white horse and flashing warrior, made the beast veer at the last moment, missing Luke Andrew narrowly and crashing into the paw of the Sphinx.  The Mighty Djinni rode after it, shooting more of his poison darts while the elves regrouped and charged in again on its flanks and rear.  Its hide was tougher than a rhino’s thick skin, but the arrows and darts clung to it, rattling against its scales as it loped wildly around the pit.  It howled and roared and turned again, sending the elves scurrying in all directions.  The thing charged down the side of the Sphinx, giving chase to the white horse and rider.  The creatures outside the ring of fire howled and screeched as if cheering their comrade on. 

Lemarik led it away from Lucio while he continued his work.

“
I have passed over the road.  I am Ra.  I have come forth from the horizon against my enemies
!”  Lucio raised his voice slightly to be heard above the shouting elves and roaring creatures.  “
I have not permitted him to escape from me.  I have stretched out my hand like that of the Lord of the Urrt Crown.  I have lifted up my feet even as the Uraei-goddesses lift themselves up.  As for mine enemy, he hath been given to me, and the
y
shall not be delivered from me.  I stand up like Horus!  I sit down like Ptah.  I am strong like Thoth.  I am mighty like Tem.  I chase my enemy!  He hath been given unto me, and he shall not be delivered from me.  I call to thee mighty creature of the lost forest!  I beseech thee, great one of tooth and claw!  I command thee up and after the enemy!  I am Ra!
”

Lucio suddenly stumbled backwards as the ground shook beneath his feet.  Dust shot into the air as if hundreds of tiny geysers were erupting from the ground around the Sphinx.

He turned and grabbed up the papyrus and the Ani bird from the ground.

“Move!  Move!  Run! 
Santa Maria
!  Run for your lives!”  He shouted as he shot past Vanni and Luke Andrew, grabbing both of the startled men by their arms.  The three of them ran, stumbled, ran and fell, got up and ran again as the dust continued to shoot into the air, higher and higher.

Il Dolce Mio appeared out of the haze and ran with them up the sloping grade.  The elves were streaming into the doors of the restored temple complex in front of the monument where they had quartered the ponies.  Luke Andrew’s black horse galloped past them and disappeared into the open doors of the temple.  The screams and shouts of the elves rose in a deafening cacophony of terror until the last of them were inside the relative shelter of the crumbling structure.  Lemarik thundered into the temple and dismounted.

Luke, Vanni, Lucio, Il Dolce Mio and Lemarik rushed back to the open doors, trying to close the heavy doors against the confusion and horror.  Before they could get the heavy doors closed, the beast came out of the dust cloud in front of them.  They all shrieked in terror and fell back as the head of the beast rammed into the temple.  The horn on its nose came within a hairsbreadth of skewering the Mighty Djinni as he ran from before the onslaught.  The thing backed up and rammed the door again.  Stones and plaster fell from the door lintel and the ceiling as the crowd of terrified elves fell back. 

The second charge brought down bigger chunks of stone and rock.  The third assault allowed the beast’s shoulders inside as the doors gave way and crashed to the floor, sending up flying bits of rock and debris in all directions.  The beast roared and wagged its head back and forth as the trapped people screamed in unison.  It backed up again and charged a fourth time.  The only thing stopping it from getting completely inside the temple with them was the horned plate on its spine.  The double doors were destroyed as well as much of the surrounding walls.  The creature had completely obliterated any hope of getting out.  If the beast got inside with them, it would become a slaughter house.

“Line up!  Line up!!”  Lemarik shouted above the screams of the elves. Even his magick would not stop these horrid beasts.  He had already tried his hand against them and they were impervious to him.  They, like the Imgogee and the Shugoshim warriors, were from another dimension and he was as helpless against them as the rest of them.  But they would not go down without a good fight. “Bring up the lances!  Archers, stand ready!!”

The elves quickly fell in and formed a double line across the rear of the building with lancers in front and archers behind.  The ponies were adding their cries to the confusion as they milled back and forth in the farthest reaches of the ruined complex.

“He’ll make it this time!!”  Luke Andrew shouted at Vanni.  He stood between Lucio and Vanni.  Il Dolce Mio was out front with Lemarik.  They stood firm while the beast bucked and then backed up once more preparing for the final charge.  The scorpion poison had been totally ineffective against it, only enraging it further.

“Here he comes!!”  Lucio shouted as if they needed to be told.  It seemed even the ponies fell quite as they waited for the last and final charge. 

The creature seemed to know that this would tell the tale.  It snorted and pawed the ground in front of the ruined doors, kicking up large chunks of rock and plaster over its back.  It lowered its head and seemed to glare at them from huge, blood-shot eyes before giving one last roar before starting forward.  The elves and men braced themselves, and then the beast was upon them.  Lemarik jumped back once more, avoiding the lethal, twisted horn and brought his sword down across its nose.

And then the thing was suddenly gone, whisked back outside, howling and roaring, in the blink of an eye.  The defenders rushed forward as a group in time to see the thing high in the air above them, crushed in the teeth of a tremendous lion.  The lion tossed its head back and forth and dark blood rained down on them as they fell back once more.  They heard the sound of crunching bones and one last truncated howl as the creature’s back was broken in the jaws of the Sphinx.  The elves screamed once more as the broken body of the creature bounced on the rocks in front of the temple with a sickening splat.  The monstrous lion raised its head and roared and they covered their ears, cowering on the floor as the building shook with every step the great Sphinx took.  It backed up and then leaped toward the temple, spreading its great wings and taking flight up and out of the depression in which it had slept for thousands of years.