The Centaur

by Brendan Carroll

  “Of course, sugar,” Nicole mocked her Texas drawl just a bit. “Excuse me, Socrates. I’ll only be a moment.”

  “Take your time, sugar,” Socrates imitated Nicole’s imitation and smiled at her and his face changed again before she walked away with Merry.

  The Captain’s entire demeanor had changed. He had been insisting that she do something with her father only a few minutes earlier, suggesting he and his men actually tackle him and restrain him, suggesting she create a diversion for them, suggesting Mark had lost his senses, but after only two glasses of wine, he seemed content to remain in the chapel indefinitely as if it were some sort of societal gala mixer. As for his interest in Merry, it was obvious he was fascinated by the Queen of Briton simply because she looked almost exactly like herself. Only the eye color was slightly different and the shape of their faces. Nicole was now quite proud of the fact she looked more like Mark than her brother did and, as she walked away, she glanced at Sophia, and wondered what would happen if she dyed her hair black and straightened the curls. Would she look even more like Mark Andrew than Luke Andrew, perhaps? Surely she would look much more like her beloved father with straight black hair, and less like the Queen of the Brits. Another of her wicked little smiles crossed her face at the thought how surprised everyone would be.

  Chapter Nine of Seventeen

  But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter

  end of the place thereof

  “It is better, my Queen,” Abaddon asked the ‘woman’ sitting in the center of the circle and then helped her up. She stood frowning at the carpet in front of her feet as she felt of her throat and neck. The head was firmly attached and the withered skin was once again fresh smooth flesh. Only the gash across her throat remained a terrible scar with ragged red edges.

  “I can see your magick still leaves much to be desired, General,” she said slowly and then took the mirror he offered her. “This will never do.” She handed the mirror back to him. “I cannot go about with this hideous wound on my throat.”

  “The healer has great talent, I am told.” Abaddon bowed his head to her. “I am sorry I have failed you, your Highness. I beg your forgiveness, but do not give up hope, my lady. Your beauty is still very great…” he faltered as another explosion rocked the shelter in which they stood. She seemed entirely unconcerned with the siege of the city over their heads. “I am honored by your trust and your attentions. Please allow me to bring the healer to you. If he displeases you, you may kill him for your own amusement.”

  “Hmmm.” Her answer was ambiguous to say the least. She took the mirror from him again and looked at the wound once more before moving very close to him.

  The General stood very still as she laid her head on his chest. He could smell the fragrance of her dark curls. Brimstone and frankincense. A familiar, yet terrifying, combination. Whatever she had been doing with the skull had given her complete confidence. She no longer asked after Jozsef Daniel, and she seemed preoccupied with her own desires. The soldiers had finally abandoned them entirely. None remained in the underground retreat other than him. He was alone with the Queen Mother and their hapless Tuathan prisoner.

  “Do we have to do it right now?” She asked him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m tired and lonely, Abaddon. Surely you must know something of the more subtle natures of this form. Do you not ever desire the company of women?”

  “I have heard it said…” He kissed the top of her head and forcibly stilled his heart “…that the company of women is a dangerous thing.”

  “Dangerous?” She raised her head and looked up at him. “That is an odd thing to say. Who said that?”

  “Many a good man has lost his way to Paradise on account of women, your Highness. It is a well known fact among men the desires of the heart are not necessarily conducive to success on higher levels of consciousness. I, for one, have kept myself occupied with the service of my masters. Women tend to need a great deal of time and attention. My occupation has never left much of either to spare. I have had occasion to look from time to time, but I have never touched. It keeps my spirit free, and I am able to devote my energies fully to the job at hand,” he chose every word very carefully. It was his only hope to impress upon her that he would much rather serve her in a professional rather than personal manner.

  “Ahhh, I see,” she nodded and laid her head back on his chest. “Then think of it as part of your job and devote all of your energies to pleasing me for a few hours.”

  “But the healer…” he objected. “He may be killed in these continuing blasts. If they get lucky, they may obliterate his cell and him with it. Perhaps we should make use of him, and then flee this place… together.”

  “Flee?” She laughed. “I have no need to flee. The healer can wait, and if he is destroyed, it is no matter. I will not be wearing this form much longer.”

  Abaddon struggled to maintain his composure as she led him toward her bedroom. Another explosion buffeted the earth above them, and gray powder sifted down on their heads and the Dark Angel felt his spirit hovering very close to the end of the tenuous tether holding him to Ernst Schweikert’s body.

  ((((((((((((()))))))))))))

  “I cannot believe you are going to leave us here,” Lucio whispered, but his voice echoed in the cavernous enclosure. The ship or boat, more like wooden box, was enormous. Bigger on the inside than the outside somehow. All of the Bedu, all of the soldiers, the animals and a tremendous amount of larder had been taken aboard the vessel.

  “The workmanship looks reliable enough,” Mark Andrew mused as the looked about the interior of the ship in wonder. “There is magick at work here. I smell the Djinni all over it. He has taken great pleasure in making use of my library and the descriptions of Noah’s ark. He could have just transported these people to a safe haven without these theatrics”

  “He has a flair for the dramatic, si`, I know, but I have magick of my own,” Lucio complained. “I need to get home and see to the others. Catharine and the d’Ornans on the islands. They deserve something surely.”

  “There is no time; you would not make it home even as the crow flies in time to change anything now. It is as you are so fond of saying, Brother, the will of God. You never expected to see the Sphinx come to life, did you? You must admit, you didn’t expect to see this ark here, did you? You expected to die on Mt. Sinai, did you not?”

  “No and I never expected you to be…” Lucio began, and then turned away from him. “Never mind. You are right, as usual. But if I am to be destroyed, I would rather be with Catharine and if not Catharine, then I should bother you to the end. I should never have left her.”

  “Lucio.” Mark Andrew took hold of Lucio’s arm. “You don’t have time. It’s too late. If you need to blame someone, blame me. I should have come sooner and made Simon get on with it.”

  Lucio sighed and his shoulders drooped. He knew Mark was right, and he also knew it was not Mark’s fault. He knew from experience, he and Mark Andrew were always blamed for everything bad that had ever happened to the Order and half of everything bad that had ever happened on earth. Mark Andrew had even taken the blame for a great deal of Lucio’s own personal failings. It was not fair. It had never been fair and it would never be fair. The only thing keeping him going now was the hope Catharine would find him in the Halls of Amenti. He knew he would recognize her soul immediately. It couldn’t be over. It was too soon. He had only just returned from the presence of the Dark Lord. Surely his mission could not be over so soon?

  Konrad walked toward them between the carefully stacked bundles of grass and wood, which served as bedding material, fodder for the animals and firewood for the cook fires.

  “The hull seems watertight. Only time will tell.” The Knight of the Apocalypse announced when he stopped beside them. “It is amazing what these people have brought with them. Everything necessary to start completely over. That is, of course, if you are of a mind to live as a simple Bedu herdsman. I doubt there wi
ll be many job openings for computer analysts after the flood.”

  “We may get lucky,” Lucio smiled slightly. “We may all perish and rightly so.”

  “Ahhh. That would be a stroke of luck, indeed,” Konrad agreed and looked up at the vaulted ceiling over head. The light from outside entered through hundreds of rectangular openings just under the upper deck. Rough stairs slanted up the sides of the boat to the upper level where there were individual compartments for the human occupants. The Bedouins would live up there while the rest of them camped out on the gently sloping ‘floor’. Hundreds of ropes held cargo slings full of goods suspended at varying heights in the interior. Among the bundles of household items and food were wooden cages full of birds and fowl and few of the smaller animals native to this part of the world. “We will have to avoid sleeping under the birds,” Konrad laughed and walked away from them without waiting for replies.

  “Pigeons,” Lucio shook his head. “I still don’t understand why you have to leave, Brother. Frankly, I am sick of it. If you aren’t going to stay here, then neither am I.”

  “But the Master will expect you to stay with the others,” Mark told him. “I need to get to Baghdad. The show is not over and we were fortunate today. I had expected more from the Lord of Chaos. God is surely with us this time. It is advisable we stay together as much as possible. My sons and my grandson are out there fighting her. I have unfinished business there.”

  Lucio did not answer. He threw his hands up in resignation and walked away in the same direction as his son-in-law. Konrad was making his way toward an odd structure near the bow of the vessel. A purple and white pavilion with gold and white pennants. Zarathustra’s personal quarters, no doubt.

  ((((((((((((()))))))))))))

  “And then we found ourselves in the middle of the battle. After that, we were sent home with the elves.” Nicole finished her narrative and felt somewhat relieved to have been able to tell it. “I insisted Captain Galipoli accompany us and stay with us here. Of course, you know I have a romantic interest in him and the feeling is mutual. In fact, I am thinking of marrying him. He has asked me several times, you know.”

  “You make it sound like an obligation,” Merry laughed shortly.

  “It is,” Nicole reiterated. “He helped us out in Jerusalem, and he risked his life for us. Besides, he’s really very nice. He doesn’t gamble, and he doesn’t smoke, and he usually drinks only with dinner. A refreshing change to what I’m used to. I think I could actually enjoy the quiet life for a while, but Daddy says a comet is going to hit the earth very soon, probably today. If it’s big enough and close enough, we won’t stand a chance.”

  Merry frowned, and then sat down heavily in one of the chairs.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked after a few moments.

  “I didn’t think it was necessary,” Nicole wandered about in the transept, admiring the colors in the glass. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Beautiful? What? A catastrophe of global proportions?” Merry was confused by her remark.

  “No, John Paul’s chapel. It reminds me of him. He was a beautiful person. His soul was like a shining light in the darkness of space.” Nicole’s voice drifted away as if she were leaving Merry behind and traveling away in her own memories of times long past.

  “He wasn’t a person, Nicole,” Meredith told her dryly. Her mouth felt full of cotton and her stomach was in knots.

  “You mean he’s not human? Well, Miss Merry, you might find a number of your relatives fall short in that regard,” Nicole did not look at her. “He was nothing like his father.”

  Merry could not believe she was hearing the exact same sentiments from Nicole as she had heard from Mark only a short while earlier. The time was dragging on. Mark had returned to the altar. The whirlwind was still outside the door and the sun was still shining through the windows. He had not insisted they return to the prayers, but he had asked them to remain quiet while he continued the prayers. A few of the soldiers joined him and their voices droned on into the heights of the chapel.

  ((((((((((((()))))))))))))

  “What did the Queen want with you, my darling?” Galipoli whispered the question in Nicole’s ear when she returned to him a few minutes later. He kissed her neck lightly and then wrapped one arm around her protectively. “Just what is your relationship to her? I could not help but notice the resemblance. I thought she was your aunt by marriage. She could pass for your sister.”

  “Well, yes, she is my aunt, by marriage.” Nicole grumbled. “It’s a long story, Socrates. Someday when we are snuggling in front of a warm fire, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  “If we ever get back to the house tonight, perhaps you could keep that promise.” He kept his eyes on the two Queens as they murmured together at the back of the church. “And what is your father doing now? More prayers? Did you learn anything from him that makes sense? Why was he out in the middle of the storm last night?”

  “He was doing a bit of magick. Trying to protect us I think from this impending catastrophe. I haven’t taken the time to check it out. I suppose I should have paid closer attention to what he was saying before, but he’s been through a great deal lately, and I didn’t think he was in full control of his faculties,” Nicole’s voice was very low. She did not want to disturb Mark Andrew again. Bari frowned at her from across the sanctuary, and she closed her eyes. Bari was a real problem child. She had no idea what would eventually happen to him. “It was nothing. I’m sure it will be all right.”

  “Do you think he really knows something about it? The impending strike? They were speaking about it when we were in Jerusalem, I think. They say he is a great prophet and healer.”

  “I think you have him confused with Sir Ramsay, the Chevalier du Morte. Your Colonel McGuffy knew my father when he was touring after the wars. He was quite a teacher I’m told, and he has a talent for healing when he takes a notion.” She could not begin to explain to her precious love about her father and what he was. “Dear old dad, here, he’s just confused, that’s all.”

  “I find it very interesting that you should call him your father. You’re quite nearly as old as he is.”

  “Now that’s a fine thing to say, Socrates. You would insult my vanity!” She smiled up at him and received a dark look from Mark Andrew, who was still praying at the altar, uttering soft words of devotion and praise to the Creator, petitioning him over and over to spare them from the deluge. Nicole bit her lip and then frowned as she perceived that Socrates was intent upon watching the Queen of the Brits as she moved aimlessly about the chapel.

  “Would you stop ogling her?! She’s old enough to be my mother, and your grandmother!” Nicole’s temper flared and Mark Andrew stood up. She fell silent as all eyes turned to their unlikely captor. He jerked his chin slightly and Bari moved out of his way. He walked down the aisle once more and opened the doors. The chill blast of air struck them with gale force, blowing their hair about their faces, ruffling their clothing.

  The tempest was gone, but a steady wind from the northwest had blown in a low cloud cover, dark gray and dreary. The sunshine so bright only a short time before was now subdued and gloomy. Nicole wrapped her arms about herself and the mood within in the chapel changed to match the weather.

  “Mark?” Merry broke the silence. “Is it over? Can we go now?”

  “I think that God has been most merciful.” Mark turned to face the two Queens. “I regret to say much of what was is no more, but the future may not be so bleak as we might have expected. There will be much mourning and after that, much work to do, but ultimately, we will all sleep a bit easier tonight.”

  “Then the Centaur did strike the earth?” Oriel’s soft voice was barely audible above the whistling of the wind.

  Mark closed the heavy doors before answering her.

  “It did not strike in the North Atlantic, your Highness and the eastern coasts of America, the British Isles and Europe have been spared. Some of northern Africa and most
all of the Mediterranean Nations have been left untouched, but South America, Africa south of the equator, Australia, Asia and the eastern coast of Africa have not fared well. Most of the rock fell into the Pacific. Many beautiful things have perished.”

  “Daddy!” Nicole hurried down the aisle toward him. “Daddy, you’re scaring us to death. Now stop it. You can’t possibly know what you are saying.”

  Mark caught his daughter by the shoulders and looked deeply into her dark blue eyes.

  “I know exactly what I am saying.”

  “But New Babylon! My father?” Bari’s eyes were round with disbelief. “The Middle East?”

  “A great surge flowed up the Gulf of Oman. The Arabian Peninsula was inundated for the most part except for the highest mountains. The Straits of Hormuz stopped some of the force before the waves reached the Persian Gulf, but much of the land was overrun all the way to the Caspian and Black Seas.”

  “Then they all perished!” Merry gasped and Oriel slumped into one of the rear pews.

  “Please, my good ladies, do not be so hasty,” Nicholas spoke up. “We have no proof of what he is saying.” The elder brother shot a dark glance at Mark. “We will need to hear some validated reports before we begin mourning our losses. I am quite sure our grandfathers would have warned us of such a disaster and transported us to safer climes in the face of destruction.”

  “You would do well to remember what I told you in the garden, sir.” Mark said and turned on his heel, leaving them standing in the rapidly chilling chapel. Oriel set about securing the chalices in their caskets, while Bari and the soldiers snuffed the numerous votive candles Mark had lit on the altar. Galipoli stood on the porch watching Mark Andrew as he set out across the meadow with Sophia and Queen Meredith close behind him. Nicholas joined him on the porch. Gregory hurried after the retreating figures, shouting for Sophia to wait for him.