The Belial Children

by R. D. Brady

  “So, where are you guys off to?” Laney asked.

  “Soccer practice,” Lou said. “We’ve got a game later.”

  “Want to play?” Rolly asked.

  Laney thought of everything else she had to do. “What time?”

  “Eleven at the back field,” Danny replied.

  Laney smiled. “I’ll be there.”

  “Yes!” Rolly said, slapping Zach on the back. “Now let’s stop by Cleo’s cage and see if she wants to play goalie.”

  The kids headed off, loudly debating what position Cleo would best be suited for. Laney laughed. This was what life was supposed to be like: friends, happiness, and soccer games. And lunch with friends—she had plans to meet Max, Maddox, and Kati at noon.

  Kati was still on the mend, but getting Max back had done wonders for her progress. Kati was still feeling fearful, but she was slowly accepting the surreal in her life—including the abilities of her son.

  Laney’s mood dimmed for a moment as she thought about that. She didn’t know what Max’s abilities meant. And ever since Nevada, those abilities seemed to be growing stronger. And yet, there had been no more attempts on him. Or maybe they hadn’t been after him after all. Their actual target that night remained a mystery.

  A whoop from across the lawn interrupted her thoughts. Rolly had grabbed Danny’s hat and was running across the lawn. The other three gave chase. Laney laughed at their antics. They had the right idea: live in the now, and leave the problems for when they really were problems.

  But the thoughts that had haunted her since the bombing were always there in the back of her mind. Who was the Shepherd? How had he been able to get to Zach? Why had Max been targeted?

  Zach had given them all the information he could. Unfortunately he didn’t know the Shepherd’s name, although he did say he had an usual amount of influence over his father. Zach had seen him once, but besides his shoulder-length dark hair, the only distinctive feature Zach could remember was the dark sunglasses he always wore.

  Victoria had also been searching for him, but with no success thus far. Laney tried not to worry about her, but she couldn’t help it.

  And then there was Max. Why had he been grabbed? Did his psychic abilities have something to do with it? And if so, how could anyone have even known about them?

  Laney shook herself from her thoughts. She didn’t have any answers right now, and she needed to find a way to live while searching for them. She reached back into her car and grabbed her coffee. On the side of the cup were the words: Life is Good. Jake had gotten it for her.

  Laney smiled. Life is good. My new mantra.

  Her phone rang and Laney went still, a sense of foreboding coming over her. No. Life is good. My life is not that predictable.

  But when she saw that the call was from Victoria, her calm shattered. The ring on the chain around her neck felt heavy, and she knew that this was duty calling. A call from Victoria was practically a bat signal.

  Maybe she’s just calling to say hi, Laney tried to convince herself—unsuccessfully—as she took the call. “Hi, Victoria.”

  “Laney.” Victoria’s voice was urgent.

  “What’s wrong?” Laney said, alarmed.

  “Everything. Everything’s wrong.”

  For Victoria, the queen of understatement, to say something like that was the equivalent of the nation going to DEFCON one.

  Before Laney could speak, Victoria rushed on. “I’ve found the Shepherd. I know who he is.”

  “Okay, who is he?”

  “His name is Jorgen Fuld. But that name is meaningless.”

  “And he’s dangerous?”

  “Very.”

  Laney closed her eyes. This was what she had feared: that there was more underneath it all. “Do you know him personally?” Laney asked softly.

  Victoria hesitated, and Laney could picture her wrestling with how to answer. Finally, she seemed to decide on the truth. “I’ve known him for a long time.”

  “Care to quantify that?” Laney asked. “Because for most people, a long time would be years. For you, I’m thinking it’s longer.”

  “A very long time,” Victoria said softly.

  “Is he Samyaza?”

  “No. She’s a problem, but not the biggest problem.”

  “Wait—she?” Laney asked.

  “She’s not our biggest problem. You need to understand who Jorgen really is.” Victoria paused. “And you need to understand who I am.”

  Shock rooted Laney in place. She had wanted to know who Victoria was ever since she met her, but now the old phrase wafted through her head: Careful what you wish for.

  Laney spoke slowly. “Does that include how you saved Jake?”

  “Yes. You need to know everything. If you’re going to fight him, fight them. Can you come to me? Jake and Henry as well?”

  “Uh, sure,” Laney said. “When?”

  “The sooner the better. Things are happening fast.”

  “Things?”

  Victoria went quiet for a moment. “It’s better to do this face to face. It’s time. You need to know what you’re up against. And every weapon and enemy you are up against. Especially me.”

  EPILOGUE

  Seattle, Washington

  As Gerard led the way down the hall, he glanced back past his five men to Elisabeta. She had wanted to come, to make sure her message was received personally.

  They’d found the elusive head of the High Council. A businessman based out of Seattle. Humans and their fears. Ridiculous. Gerard had managed to convince himself that he must have misread Elisabeta’s mood when she had sent him on this quest. After all, what was there to fear from a human?

  Gerard himself had done the reconnoitering on the target. The Shepherd, Jorgen Fuld, was working in his home office. They had already taken out his pitiful excuse for security. Now only the man himself remained.

  Elisabeta nodded.

  Gerard turned back to the door. Grasping the handle, he twisted it open and rushed in. His men followed right behind him.

  “Put your hands up,” Gerard barked.

  Jorgen continued making marks on the paper on his desk. His dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he wore sunglasses despite the encroaching evening.

  Gerard moved forward. “I said, put your hands up.”

  Jorgen still didn’t take his attention from his papers. “I heard. I just choose not to.”

  Gerard paused. “Why, you—” But Samyaza stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

  Finally, Jorgen placed his pen down and looked up. He scanned the group in front of him with a bored air until his gaze fell upon Elisabeta. He raised an eyebrow. “Why Sam, how nice to see you again.”

  Shock momentarily taking his voice, Gerard stepped forward. “How dare you speak to—”

  “No,” Elisabeta ordered. “No one touches him.”

  Her words were forceful, but Gerard could have sworn he heard a tremor in them.

  “But—” a man behind Gerard said.

  Elisabeta’s voice lashed out. “No. One. Touches. Him.”

  The Shepherd gave Gerard a grin. “She’s always had a soft spot for me.”

  Gerard looked back and forth between the man and Elisabeta. Who the hell was he? Gerard didn’t sense anything from him. He wasn’t a Fallen or a nephilim. He seemed like just a normal human.

  Elisabeta took a step forward, waving Gerard back. “What are you doing here? You’ve never involved yourself in these matters before.”

  “Well, time does march on, doesn’t it? And times have changed, haven’t they? The triad has arisen. As has she.”

  “What does she have to do with anything?”

  The Shepherd’s face went cold. “She has to do with everything. As you well know.”

  Elisabeta stiffened.

  The Shepherd leaned back, his hands across his chest, his posture casual. But Gerard couldn’t help but feel they were the mice standing before the lion.

  “So, you know,”
the Shepherd said quietly. “And now I’m guessing that, in a strange twist of fate, we have the same goal.”

  Elisabeta’s voice was incredulous. “You can’t be suggesting we team up?”

  The Shepherd stood and stretched with a laugh. He walked around to lean against the front of the desk. “Of course not. We might have the same goal, but our motivations are somewhat divergent, aren’t they?”

  Elisabeta took the smallest step back. “You were the one who tried to orchestrate the deaths of the potentials. Why?”

  He shrugged. “I play the long game, as you well know.”

  “They were children,” Gerard burst out.

  The Shepherd’s voice was like a whip. “They were soldiers waiting in the wings, either for your side or theirs. Neither of which is in my best interest. Besides, it kept the ring bearer busy while I took care of a few details.”

  Elisabeta said nothing in response.

  Gerard stared at her disbelievingly. What the hell was going on?

  The Shepherd nodded toward the men. “Now, my dear Elisabeta, why don’t you and yours head out while I still allow it?”

  “Allow?” One of Gerard’s men sneered as he stepped forward. “Samyaza, let me teach—”

  “We’re leaving,” Elisabeta ordered. Gerard gaped. “Now.” And without another word, she turned and strode toward the door.

  As they filed out, one of Elisabeta’s men walked within arm’s reach of the Shepherd. The Shepherd stepped forward slightly, just enough so that their shoulders brushed.

  A crack sounded through the room like a thunderclap.

  Everyone went still.

  Except for the man the Shepherd touched. He dropped to his knees with a scream, his arm now hanging uselessly at his side.

  Gerard looked on, his eyes wide, waiting for the man to heal. But he didn’t. Gerard tore his gaze from the man and turned it to the Shepherd.

  Elisabeta strode back into the room, but Gerard noted that she stayed a good few feet from the Shepherd. “That wasn’t necessary.”

  The Shepherd’s voice was cold. “That was generous. And a reminder.”

  The injured man staggered to his feet, his arm hanging uselessly by his side, his face deathly pale. Two of the other men had to help him out of the room.

  The Shepherd leaned casually against the desk, his arms across his chest.

  “Let’s go, Gerard,” Elisabeta said, backing out of the room.

  Gerard did the same, not taking his eyes off the Shepherd.

  “Oh, Gerard,” the Shepherd called as Gerard reached the door.

  Gerard stiffened.

  “Be a dear and close the door on your way out.”

  In his mind, Gerard beat this man into a bloody paste. In reality, he pulled the door closed behind him with a polite nod.

  What the hell was going on?

  FACT OR FICTION?

  I want to thank my readers who have been nice enough to write and let me know how much you enjoy the “Fact or Fiction” section at the end of the Belial books. I have to admit, I love it too when I find these sections in other books. So enough gabbing: on to the facts! And once again, they are not in any particular order.

  People in Ancient America. Until I started doing research for this book, I just assumed North America had been inhabited prior to the Ice Age. Granted, I didn’t expect it to be millions of people, but I expected a pretty sizeable group. Imagine my surprise when I found that scholars argued the opposite: that North America was largely uninhabited until after the Ice Age.

  But even though academics argued that people weren’t here earlier, many Native American tribes spoke of an ancient people who were in the Americas long before them.

  Ten Plagues. The examples used to represent the ten plagues were all taken from real life.

  The Clovis Barrier. The Clovis Barrier and the Clovis First Theory are real. The belief was that, prior to the ice bridge across the Bering Strait, there were no people in the Americas. As a result, archaeologists didn’t dig below the 9500 BCE strata until late in the twentieth century. And when they did, they started to find more and more artifacts. All of the archaeological evidence mentioned in The Belial Children is accurate. So the question is, if the Americas were geographically isolated, where did these early people come from?

  Giants in Ancient America. I cannot remember where I first heard about ancient giant skeletons. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to remember, but it is eluding me. I guess it’s one of those things you hear along the way that just sticks with you.

  So is it true? Again: a matter of debate. In the early twentieth and late nineteenth centuries there were quite a few newspaper articles about giant skeletons that were unearthed, many of them in connection with elaborate mounds.

  Another interesting fact mentioned in different newspaper reports was that many of the skeletons had two rows of teeth. I didn’t mention it in the book, but I find that coincidence fascinating, especially considering communication between different parts of the country would have been extremely difficult at the time the newspaper articles appeared.

  The Hemlock Cave example was also alleged to be true. :) So, were there giants in America? Well, why not? Life seems to be filled with new discoveries every day. And Hobbits apparently existed, so why not the other end of the spectrum?

  If you are looking for more information, consider The Ancient Giants who Ruled America by Richard J. Dewhurst.

  The Mound Builders. The mound builders did exist. As the United States was first being settled, settlers reported these incredible mounds across the country. Some of them still exist, such as the Serpent Mound in Ohio or the effigy mounds in Iowa. However, many of them were destroyed to make way for settlements.

  And early settlers of the United States did believe that an ancient advanced race once lived here, due to these sophisticated mounds they found as they began to settle across the country. According to the early settlers, the mounds must have been created by a race other than the Native Americans—due to the intelligence needed to create such monuments. (Yup, no racism there.)

  Different Humans Coexisting. In the Belial Stone, Yoni mentioned the race of Hobbits, known as Homo floresiensis. Well, Yoni was right, but there’s more to the story. In fact, over twenty different types of hominids are known to have existed, and in the last decade, more and more types of hominids have been found. Homo denisova, as mentioned in The Belial Children, is an actual classification. They were much larger than Homo sapiens, going by the larger teeth found and attributed to them.

  And yes, there is an unknown species that bred with the denisovans. What this all means is that the human family tree has a lot more branches than originally believed—and that means our history is a lot more complicated than is currently understood.

  Haplogroup X. There is a haplogroup X, and geneticists are a little baffled by its existence. The timing of the appearance of haplogroup X in the Americas does actually align with the two of the alleged destructions of Atlantis (10,000 and around 35,000 BCE). Part of the fun of haplogroups is that, through testing, it can be determined when and where peoples migrated to and from. Haplogroup X does constitute three percent of Native American populations, as well as small portions of populations in Europe and Asia.

  Edgar Cayce and America. Edgar Cayce does speak about early America. He said that people were in North America much earlier than was understood at his time. Later archaeological evidence seems to have borne out his predictions. He even predicted the early settlement found in California—a settlement which is at least a hundred thousand years old. He also spoke about the mound builders and Iroquois. Edgar Cayce did say that the noble class among the Iroquois were pure Atlanteans.

  If you’re interested in reading more on Cayce’s predictions about ancient America, the Mound Builders, and haplogroup X, check out Mound Builders: Edgar Cayce’s Forgotten Record of Ancient America by Greg Little, John Van Auken, and Lora Little.

  Grand Canyon City. In 1909, there were t
wo newspaper reports in the Arizona Gazette regarding G.E. Kincaid’s discovery of a cave in the Grand Canyon. The description of the cave in The Belial Children is taken from those newspaper reports. Some argue that the newspaper articles were a fake. Others argue that the Smithsonian did indeed dispatch a team to document and collect the find.

  The Smithsonian Hiding Finds. A number of different sources claim that the Smithsonian began hiding finds of an ancient race of giants. Allegedly the cover-up began with Smithsonian Director Powell after the Civil War, with the adoption of a policy that argued that any evidence of foreign involvement in the United States was to be quashed.

  Keep in mind, we are talking about a time when slavery has just been abolished and Native American lands were being taken away. To say this was a time of racial strife would be an understatement. Throw into that the need for a solid American identity, and I can see how finds that only fueled the racial strife could be disregarded, if not actively hidden.

  Or perhaps the finds don’t exist. But there seems to be enough evidence that has come to light to suggest that we do indeed have very tall individuals in our history. It would be interesting if we could figure out exactly who they were.

  Ancient Tales about Advanced People. There is a legend among the Hopi about being led by an advanced race to a safe location during a cataclysm. And yes, one Native American group did reveal that the Grand Canyon was where they had been led and where they did emerge after the cataclysm had passed.

  Library edition of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Comics. There are library copies, complete collections of seasons 8 and 9 of the comic books of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which take off where the show left off. Why do I mention this? I loved that show. And yes: I have the library editions.