James got there first and shook the door handle. He stepped back and swore. He gestured to a sign behind the glass that read PLEASE USE OTHER DOOR. “Great. I don’t see another door, do you?”
Jacqueline wiped her forehead with her palm. “Well, there must be. The sign strongly suggests it.”
Agnes caught her breath. “Maybe there’s a back entrance. Everything seems fenced off, from what I observed. We may have to seek out another way in.”
“Like what, a broken window?” James adjusted his glasses after slipping them on.
“Possibly,” Agnes said.
Aubra stepped forward. “I’ll handle this.” She gripped the door handle and closed her eyes. A moment later, she pulled it open easily.
James grabbed the door and ushered everyone in. Once they were all safely inside, James stooped down and whispered to Aubra, “You’ve got to teach me that trick sometime.”
“Purity of motive,” she said in a monotone.
“The stairs are this way,” Agnes said.
“Stairs? I’ve had enough physical exertion. I would imagine a place this big has an elevator.” Jacqueline steadied herself on a dusty railing and slipped on her heels, one at a time.
“Not one that leads to the roof. I said we had to move quickly. Up the stairs. Move.” Agnes’s voice was firm and commanding. Jacqueline looked at her with a blend of confusion and admiration.
“Fine. Only because it’s for Marc.” She checked her wrist. “I’ve already got 3500 steps. What’s a few hundred more?”
James gulped. “Hundred?”
“Move,” Agnes commanded.
CHAPTER 70: ESCAPE
The countess paused beside her open driver’s side door and removed her fur coat. “I’ll just lay this in the back seat.”
Gene huffed as he waited for her to unlock the rest of the doors. “Priorities, lady.”
The countess crawled across the back seat and pulled up on the locking knob to the rear passenger side door. She pushed the door open slightly. “There you go, Eugene.”
“I’m riding up front,” he hissed.
The countess backed out of the seat and stood up. She patted her hair and shook out her bracelets. “You most certainly are not. The windscreen is clear, dear heart. Police can see through it. It’s best we stow you away until we’re a few miles out. Then you can ride up front all you like.”
Gene glanced back at the police car. A second cruiser pulled up behind it. “Yeah, okay. Just a few miles.” He sat in the back seat, then laid down.
The countess shook her head. “That’s not going to do, Eugene. Get down in the footwell there, then pull my coat over you. That’s it. Fluff it up a bit. Splendid. Take care of my coat. It’s a Thomas Jones original.”
“Whatever you say, lady. I can barely breathe under this thing. Vamoose.”
The countess adjusted her rear-view mirror and craned her neck to get a glimpse of the second unit. After a few minutes, their doors opened, and two officers exited the vehicle. They walked purposefully toward the manor, one hand resting on their sidearm as they approached the building.
“Off we go, Eugene. This is going to be a bumpy ride at first. Do take care not to foul my coat.”
Gene muttered something from underneath. The countess mouthed a five-count, then put the car into gear. She backed up smoothly until she was parallel to the police cruisers. She slowed down as she approached them and glanced over at the manor’s stately entrance.
Horace Steele was standing on the front stoop, speaking with the newly arrived officers. He pointed at her car and gestured excitedly. The police called out orders to freeze as they unfastened the safety straps on their firearms. The countess stepped down hard on the gas pedal and sent the car bouncing into the access road. She stomped on the brake pedal and shifted into Drive, then she put all her weight into the gas pedal. The car lurched forward. Gene cried out from under her coat.
“Hang tight, Eugene, this is the bumpy part I spoke of. We’ll be free and clear soon enough.”
Flashing red and blue lights appeared in her rear-view mirror. She studied the rapidly approaching scenery for landmarks. She determined the county road was less than a minute away, then she had the option of taking a left toward North Haverbrook, or a right toward Stinsonville. A sole squad car was approaching from the left as she reached the junction and opted to turn right. She pulled the wheel tightly. The tires screeched as she made the turn.
“Jesus Christ, lady,” Gene snarled. He poked his head up from under her coat. “Are we driving or flying?”
“Get back in your hole, Gene. Momma’s busy saving our asses.” Her trilling accent was gone. Her voice was rougher, with copious amounts of rural twang.
Gene blew a puff of air through his moustache and obeyed. The countess checked her rear view. A line of three police cars trailed in the distance, but they were gaining. She knew she couldn’t outrun them. She had to outsmart them.
“Eugene honey, I lied before,” she said, re-applying her sugary sweetness as she spoke.
“About what?”
“About the bumpy part being over. I can’t say this isn’t going to hurt.”
The countess lowered all four windows with her control panel, then pressed down on the accelerator. Her plan was less than ideal, she thought, but she felt her options slipping away as another squad car approached them directly. It was at least three miles down the road, she estimated. The Palomar bridge was less than one.
One more check of her rear-view mirror confirmed her decision. She drifted left, then brought the car sharply into the right lane. The car bypassed the guardrail at the mouth of the bridge. The car banged and jostled around as it careened down an embankment into the Kikkmikuick River. The car splashed into the river. The countess removed her seat belt and pulled her coat away from Gene’s head.
“Time’s a-wastin’, Eugene. Out the window, quick, or you’re goin’ down with the ship.”
“What in the frickin’ hell did you do that for? You said we were driving. You said I could have the car.”
“I did, and you can, if you want it so bad. The plan has changed. Adapt or die, Gene baby. If the water don’t get you, the cops will.”
Gene groaned and slipped out of the side window. He reached into the car and retrieved his belongings.
“Leave ‘em. The coat, too. Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. As long as we have this bag, we’re golden. Trust me on this.”
Gene fingered the bag of his few belongings and grunted. He dropped the bag beside the car and waded through waist-deep water after the countess, who doggedly led him to the other side of the bridge.
“What was the point of this caper? How are we getting miles away now?”
“Have a little faith in me, Gene. I’ve gotten out of rougher scrapes than this. They had us dead to rights. If we stayed on the road, they’d be chasing, and catching, a pair of wanted criminals. Now they’re gonna be looking for bodies. You follow my lead, and I swear, hand to God, we’ll be on the road lickety split.”
Gene blew a puff of air through his moustache. “Do I have a fricking choice?”
The countess laughed. “Jail’s probably drier.”
They waded to the other side of the bridge. The countess ordered Gene to stay low and close to it until she told him to move. Gene couldn’t abide the way his lower half felt covered in slimy mud, but compared to jail, he decided this was the better option. For now.
CHAPTER 71: THE VOW
Tobias pulled free from Inanna. He put his hands to his head in disbelief. “What have you done?”
Inanna threw her head back and laughed. “Only what must be done. Your kingdom was a dung heap. Your army was laughable, to the last man. See as my soldiers slaughter them! I shed no tears for them. They are but as flies to mighty Inanna. Yes, Inanna, the source of all blessings. Inanna, through whom all things were possible. I blessed you, Tobias, until you were of no use to me.” She gestured to Marc. “I have other pl
ans for this one. It’s a shame you shall not live to see them.”
Tobias dropped to his knees and shook Marc to no avail. “Oh, Marc! It is I who have failed you. A wiser king would have trusted his loyal advisers. Syed, now you. I don’t deserve your faithful service.”
Inanna pulled Tobias to his feet by his hair. “Truly spoken. At last, I am rid of you.”
She turned him to the edge of the roof and sent him screaming over the side. She watched him plummet to the ground, then was distracted by a hand grasping her ankle. She turned to see who dared spoil her moment of triumph and found Marc groggily attempting to sit up. She pulled her ankle away from him, and quickly thought of a ruse. She padded over to the southern edge of the roof and crouched down. She took a deep breath, then let herself hang from the roof by her fingers. She cried out, “Marc! Marc! Do not let poor Inanna die.”
She found a toe-hold that allowed her to rest while she waited for Marc to come to her aid. A moment later, he peered over the side of the roof. She let her legs dangle freely. Marc panicked and dropped to his knees.
“No! I can’t lose you, Inanna. Not now! Grab my hands.” He reached over to her and wiggled his fingers in anticipation of her grasp.
“Inanna cannot hold on. Inanna will die, murdered by her cruel brother. I saved you from him. Now Inanna shall die.”
Mark shook his head vigorously as tears welled up in his eyes. “No, Inanna, I’ve got you. Grab my hands. I won’t let you fall, ever. Please, Inanna. You’re the love of my life. I can’t ever lose you.”
“Marc loves Inanna?” She looked over her shoulder and back up at him tearfully.
“Yes, Inanna. You know I do. With all my heart. I won’t let you fall. But you need to just… hold… on.”
With that, Inanna groaned and reached up for him. Marc gripped her forearm, then the other, and helped her up to the roof. He took her in his arms and they sat on the roof together, rocking back and forth. Marc brushed Inanna’s hair from her forehead and kissed it.
“I’ll never let you go,” he cooed.
“Stay with me. Forever.”
“I will.”
“Swear it to me. Swear it to Inanna.”
He kissed her forehead again and squeezed her close. “I swear it, Inanna. I’ll stay with you forever and ever. I swear.”
Agnes held her party back with both arms and shook her head sadly. “We’re too late.”
CHAPTER 72: THE HARD WAY
Jacqueline fought against Agnes’s outstretched arm. “Like hell, we are. Marc’s right there. Let’s bring him home.”
Agnes shook her head. “He is home, now. He is fully committed to her.”
“Like hell, he is. He’s a Morris, Agnes. He’s coming home with us.”
“Not anymore,” Agnes said softly. “He’s not going anywhere.”
Aubra’s eyes burned with fury. “Let me at her. I will rid the Earth of her, and you’ll get your brother back.”
Agnes shook her head. “She’s too powerful. We can’t risk it.”
Aubra shook her head. “No, she isn’t. She is weak. I can see something is wrong with her. Now is the time to strike.”
Before Agnes could object, Aubra ducked under her arm and charged across the roof toward Marc and Inanna. Marc turned sharply and cried out, “Whoa, hey, who the heck are you? What are you doing up here?”
“Stand aside. This doesn’t concern you.”
Inanna looked up and squinted at Aubra. “What a strange little child.”
Aubra glared at her. “I am no child. I was once your servant. You left me to die in the siege of Nineveh. But I have returned, Inanna. Just like you. Except I took the long way. The hard way. I know things you don’t.”
Marc was bewildered. “I don’t understand. You’re from… Nineveh?”
Inanna rose to her feet. She smiled at Marc, then at Aubra. “What do you know?”
Aubra’s hands glowed red. “How to kill a goddess.” With that, she rushed forward and locked her hands together with Inanna. Aubra’s eyes burned intently as she directed every fiber in her being to destroy Inanna’s mortal guise. “I hate you,” Aubra hissed. “I hate you, and now you’re going to die.”
Inanna smiled at this. Her smile drove Aubra into a rage, which drove her to channel more energy into Inanna’s destruction. Inanna tossed her head back and laughed at this. “Inanna is not dead, little one.”
Agnes took a few steps forward. “Aubra, no!”
Inanna looked up at Agnes and grinned. “Inanna sees you. Inanna remembers you.”
Agnes froze with fright. James rushed to her side and walked her back to safety, Jacqueline watched the scene unfold with one foot toward the door. “Marc, come home with us,” she called out.
“They are of no consequence,” Inanna said to Aubra. “Marc is mine now. Tobias, the wretched and hateful king is no more. And now, you have given Inanna the greatest gift of all.” She turned to Marc and said, “Sittu.” He fell to one side, unconscious.
Aubra’s expression changed from grim determination to mortal fear. A burst of dark energy passed from Inanna into Aubra in a terrifying and dazzling display. Aubra squealed and went limp as the last of the dark forms passed through her clammy flesh. Agnes cupped her hands over her mouth and cried out in horror. James dropped his duffel bag and fell to his knees beside it. Jacqueline gasped. “She’s just a child,” she said.
Inanna held Aubra up by her wrists and tilted her head as she observed her lifeless form. “Not anymore,” Inanna said. She tossed Aubra back toward Agnes. James scuttled forward and pulled Aubra back to them.
Jacqueline tapped Agnes on the shoulder. “Agnes, I hear people coming up here. We’re trapped.”
James unzipped his duffel bag. “No, we’re not.”
Inanna raised her hands and smiled as they glowed orange once more. She turned to Agnes and wiggled her fingers. “Inanna shall enjoy this very much.”
James produced a blanket from his duffel. He waved Jacqueline over to him. “Get down here if you want to live.”
Jacqueline peeked through the door and shrieked. “They’ve got… swords.”
“Get down here, now!” James pulled Jacqueline down beside Agnes. He handed Agnes the blanket and patted her shoulder. “Okay, Agnes, anywhere but here.”
Agnes sniffled and nodded. She took the blanket by the corners and said, “With this blanket, we go home.”
Jacqueline looked up and shrieked again as Inanna charged toward them, her glowing fingers outstretched. A split second later, the blanket dissipated into ash and blew away in the wind. Inanna felt around for the group but found nothing. A phalanx of soldiers rushed onto the rooftops and looked around for people to slaughter. Finding Marc, they advanced upon him with swords and spears.
“Not that one,” she commanded. “He is loved by Inanna. You have done well.”
“For Inanna,” Ashur-Tab said.
“For Inanna,” the others shouted, thrusting their weapons upward.
Inanna padded over to the edge of the roof where she had disposed of Tobias. She wished to look upon his broken body. She frowned when she didn’t see it; only a discolored patch of earth where his body should have laid. Ashur-Tab stepped beside her. “What do you search for, great Inanna?”
“Nothing,” she said, and lifted her chin regally. “Behold the splendor of my temple. Inanna shall rule once more.”
“Your servants to the last,” he said, and beat his fist against his breastplate.
Inanna smiled and gestured to Marc. “Take him to my chambers. He is weary from his labors.”
“As you command.” He pointed to two soldiers and commanded them to carry Marc.
Inanna took one last look at her temple, then patted Ashur-Tab’s back. “Come, it is time to rejoice in our victory.”
CHAPTER 73: ACTION ITEMS
Gracie bounded from the sofa at the sight of Jacqueline shuffling out of Agnes’s bedroom. She threw her arms around her waist and said, “Holy crap, you mad
e it back alive.”
Jacqueline patted her head. “Oof, not the bladder. I have to pee.”
Gracie let go, and Jacqueline headed for the bathroom. Gracie pushed the door open and entered Agnes’s bedroom. “What happened? Where’s Marc?”
Agnes shook her head and hugged Gracie. “Marc isn’t coming home with us.”
“What? Why not? Did you see him? Is he… dead?”
“It might be best to think of him that way. I must think on that. We saw him. He looked well. He just… he isn’t interested in being part of our family anymore.”
Gracie took a step backward. “But I’m his favorite sister.”
“I’m sorry, Gracie. We’ve lost him.”
Tears streamed down Gracie’s cheeks. She pushed Agnes away when she tried to hug her again. “Dammit, Weirdness, I told you to leave that stuff to the professionals. Where is he? He won’t turn me away.” Gracie looked at Aubra, who laid on Agnes’s bed. “What’s the matter with her?”
James looked up at Gracie as he knelt beside Aubra. He clutched her small hand in his and shook his head. “She didn’t make it either.”
“She died?” Gracie put her hands to her head in disbelief.
“I feel a pulse,” James said. “It’s very weak, but she’s not dead. We’ve got to call an ambulance.”
Agnes shook her head. “No, we don’t. There’s nothing the hospital can do for her.”
“Okay, so… what? We take her back to the manor? Ask the dolphins what to do about her?”
“No, and dolphins are wise creatures.”
James threw his hands up in exasperation, “Okay, I give up. What’s the game plan, then?”
“She stays here,” Agnes said.
“Oh, great. Another mouth to feed,” Gracie said.
“Well, if she’s staying, I am too. It’s not like I was learning a whole lot at the manor. I can help take care of her,” James said.
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