As the giant wailed and kneeled over the skeleton, Vero saw a chance to escape. He motioned for the others to follow him, and they slipped out from their hiding spot, crouching down to remain hidden in the shadows. They crept along the wall, never taking their eyes off the giant who, fortunately, was too preoccupied with his own grief to notice them.
The fledglings were nearly safely out of the bone chamber when the sound of wings flapping overhead caused Vero to look up. Coming toward the angels down the main tunnel from deeper inside the cave was the lioness Ariel, and the noise of her flying was definitely loud enough to alert the giant to her presence if she flew into the chamber! Vero wanted to scream to warn her, but could not do so without putting them all in danger. But she had saved Ada and healed him and Greer after the plant attack. Next to him, Ada gasped, and Vero and Greer began waving their arms frantically, hoping to flag her off. But Ariel was flying ever closer, the noise from her wings growing with every flap. She didn’t see them. Finally, Vero stepped away from the wall.
“Ariel, stop!” he yelled.
But it was too late. Ariel had flown into the chamber. The giant’s head spun around toward Vero, and the massive creature quickly stood. Ariel stopped sharply, a look of horror on her face. The giant’s eyes narrowed menacingly, and Vero realized they had to get out of there — fast. The giant picked up a fallen skull and whipped it at Vero. It missed, impacting the cave wall instead, chipping out a huge divot from it. The giant moved surprisingly fast to the chamber’s entrance, blocking Ariel and the fledglings from escaping that way.
“Quick!” Vero yelled to the others as he retreated toward a wide tunnel that branched off from the rear of the bone chamber. As the fledglings raced after Vero, the giant ripped another skull from a skeleton and chucked it at the fleeing angels. The skull rolled like a massive bowling ball straight toward them. Just as it was about to hit Vero, he attempted something he’d never done before. Running full stride, Vero dove headfirst toward the tunnel in front of him. And the moment be became airborne, he sprouted his wings and quickly flew up and out of the skull’s path. Kane, Greer, and Ada did the same. As the four of them hit the air and peeled out in formation, Vero thought of the Blue Angels jets his father had taken him to see years ago.
Ariel, flying close to the ceiling, caught up with the airborne angels. “Watch out!” she shouted. The giant picked up another skull and hurled it at the angels. When the skull failed to hit any of them, the giant let out a roar, scooped up more skulls like they were playground balls, and threw them one after another at the flying angels. The angels ducked and dodged. The skulls were thrown with such force that they exploded the cave walls wherever they impacted, making dents and creating lots of shrapnel-like debris that peppered the surroundings.
“He’s got a really bad temper,” Ariel said, narrowly avoiding a flying skull.
As the angels flew deeper into the cave tunnel, the sound of skulls smashing the walls became fainter. Eventually, the sounds faded completely. Feeling a little safer, the angels regrouped and found themselves in another chamber, also lit by large lanterns hung on the walls.
“He’s not coming after us,” Vero observed, peering back down the dark tunnel.
“That makes me nervous,” Greer said. “What does he know that we don’t?”
Vero shrugged. He didn’t want to say it out loud for fear of scaring the others, but he also shared Greer’s concerns. It was strange that the giant did not pursue them.
“This must be where he lives,” Ada said, scanning the chamber as she and the others hovered above.
A crude wooden table sat in the middle of the room. It was so huge that all the angels would be able to stand underneath it without even having to stoop. An equally crude chair sat in a corner. Its frame was carved from wood, and the seat was tightly woven from thick vines. A bed, constructed from the same material, was pushed up against a wall. On the table lay a wooden bowl, roughly the size of a kitchen sink, along with a crudely made fork and knife.
“I love what he’s done with the place,” Greer commented, taking in the sparse furnishings.
Ariel landed gracefully on the stone floor, and the other angels followed. “His name is Ahiman,” Ariel said. “He is the bone preserver, and the last of his kind.”
“At least he’s decorated the walls.” Vero pointed to crude, yet colorful cave drawings etched all along the sides. He walked up to a drawing of three men who bore a resemblance to one another. Each had dark, curly hair, unkempt beards, and looked fairly fit. They stood before a large boat as a massive wave threatened to devour them. “I wonder who they are,” Vero said.
“Shem, Ham, and Japheth — Noah’s sons,” Ariel stated. “These drawings recount the history of the Nephilim after the Great Flood.” Ariel padded on the floor before the murals. “Even though Ham, the middle son — ” she indicated “ — was not righteous like his brothers, Noah allowed him and his wife, Ne’elatama’uk, aboard the ark. And Ne’elatama’uk was believed to have had Nephilim blood in her so the Nephilim genes were passed down through their children.”
“That’s what I told them,” Ada said, nodding.
“Yes, and Ham’s descendants became the Philistines and later the Canaanites,” Ariel said. “The Philistines were the sworn enemies of the Israelites. Many of them were giants.”
“How do you know all this?” Kane asked, his eyebrow raised in suspicion.
“She’s a Power, you nimrod! Greer blurted. “As in keepers of history!”
Kane nodded, remembering.
“Funny you should mention Nimrod,” Ariel said, nodding to a drawing of a tower.
“What?” Greer asked.
“The Tower of Babel. Built by King Nimrod. A giant of a man.”
“Oh, well, yeah,” Greer covered. “Of course I knew that. You thought that was a coincidence?”
Vero looked closely upon the tower that stretched many stories high. It reminded him of the Babylonian ziggurats he had studied in Miss Wexler’s social studies class. The structure was like a mud-brick pyramid but with outside staircases, and, on the top, rose a shrine. It was so tall that it peaked up through the clouds.
“Nimrod was a descendant of Ham,” Ariel told them. “And he was the founder of Babylon where they practiced many pagan rituals. He rebelled against God for killing his forefathers in the Great Flood, so he built the tower. He told those who built the tower that he was building it so high so that he could reach heaven and confront God himself. In truth, he wanted to build a structure tall enough so that if God ever sent another flood, the waters would not be able to reach him.” Ariel put a paw against the wall and peered at the drawing. “God struck the tower down and scattered the people all over the face of the earth and confused their language so they no longer understood one another.”
Greer chuckled as she looked at a drawing of several people a little farther down the wall. They had humongous butts and their faces looked extremely pained — as if they were severely constipated. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say these guys need a little more ruffage in their diet,” she chuckled.
“They’ve got hemorrhoids,” Ariel said.
“Seriously?” Greer crinkled her nose.
“Many generations later, when the Israelites returned to Canaan, the Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant from them, so God punished them with several plagues until they returned it. In addition to the hemorrhoids, they suffered boils, and mice overran their lands . . .”
Ada stared at the drawing of hills infested with thousands and thousands of mice. The mice were devouring the wheat fields.
“Only when they gave the Ark back to the Israelites did the plagues stop,” Ariel said.
“I know this one.” Vero pointed to a drawing of a little kid aiming a slingshot at a huge giant. “David and Goliath.”
“What happened to the Philistines?” Kane asked.
“When David came to power, he greatly weakened them, and later, Nebuchadnezzar wiped
them out.”
“Except he missed one,” Greer reminded them.
“Ahiman was banished here to this island to safeguard the bones.”
“He’s not very good at his job,” Greer said. “Hurling their skulls at us doesn’t seem like he’s exactly handling them with kid gloves!”
“Nephilim bones are unbreakable,” Ariel said. “Every time he walks into the cave, his footsteps cause the bones to crash to the ground, and he has to restack them all over again. He does it over and over, day in and day out.”
“That’s like Sisyphus from Greek mythology,” Pax said. “He had to roll a big boulder up a hill every single day. When he reached the top, it rolled right back down. So he had to roll it up again for all eternity.”
“Why?” Vero asked. “Why doesn’t he just bury the bones and be done with them?”
Ariel looked at him. “Because he believes the Nephilim will come back in the end times to punish the wicked.”
“The wicked punishing the wicked . . .” Ada pondered.
As that sunk in, Greer’s eyes fell upon the final drawing. A powerfully built man with long hair held a curved piece of bone as a weapon. He stood, angry-faced, before a mob of scornful giants. Greer closely examined the weapon in the mural.
“So that’s what a jawbone looks like,” she said as the others crowded around for a closer look. “Now where the heck is it?”
“I hate to bring this up, but we’re still competing against you . . .” Kane’s eyes rested on Ariel. “We have to go our separate ways.”
“So leave,” Ariel answered nonchalantly, motioning toward the chamber’s entrance with her paw.
Kane hesitated.
“Give my best to Ahiman on the way out,” Ariel teased.
“You’re really being a jerk,” Greer told Kane. “Where is she supposed to go?”
“What if we find the jawbone at the same time? Then who gets it?” Kane said. “Huh?”
“Whoever grabs it first,” Ariel said.
Kane considered for a moment then nodded, but he didn’t look happy about it. Vero looked down, embarrassed to meet Ariel’s eyes. He really did like her, but he also wanted to win. Ada saw a small passageway that shot out the back of the chamber and wandered off to explore it.
“So it’s all settled,” Ariel said to the group.
“Look!” Ada screamed after only a few steps.
Everyone turned around and crowded around the passageway. They were all surprised to see Dumah, arms and legs tied up not with rope, but with thick vines, lying on the ground.
“Great,” Kane groaned. “Another angel.”
“Did the giant do this to you?” Ada asked as she and Vero began to unravel the vines.
Dumah nodded.
“What happened?” Vero asked.
Dumah did not answer. He stared at them.
Vero then remembered. “Oh, yeah, Dominions are silent. No wonder he didn’t need to gag you.”
“So what if we didn’t happen to see you?” Greer asked. “I mean, were you really not gonna say a word and let us know you were there? You’d rather stay tied up than speak?”
Dumah nodded.
“You take this ‘vow of silence’ thing way too far,” Greer said, crossing her arms. “But if this whole angel thing doesn’t work out, you might want to consider applying for a job as one of the queen’s guards at Buckingham Palace.”
“Or as a mime,” Vero added.
“And I bet you’re great at charades,” Greer teased.
“Guys, knock it off. We need to get out of here,” Kane said as the last vine fell to the ground, freeing Dumah.
“We can only go back the way we came,” Ariel announced as she looked over Dumah’s shoulder at the solid curved stone wall behind him.
Kane asked the question that was on everyone’s mind as they walked back into the giant’s living chamber. “How are we going to get past the giant?”
“Sneak past.” Greer shrugged.
“You really think it’s that easy?” Kane asked.
“Unless you can walk through walls?” Greer shot back.
As Greer and Kane continued bickering, Vero watched Ada. She was staring at the mural of the Tower of Babel. After a minute, a knowing smile crossed her face. Vero stepped closer, and as he watched Ada fly to the top of the mural, he too understood. “Where’s she going?” Greer asked, noticing Ada.
“Beyond the clouds.” Vero smiled and pointed to the drawings of the clouds just below the shrine on the peak of the tower.
11
ZOMBIE ANTS
Ada removed a stone that was set into the wall on the peak of the tower. Down below, Kane, Vero, Greer, Ariel, and Dumah watched in anxious anticipation. Ada reached her hand inside the small cavity. She poked around for a moment, and then she felt it — something hard and curved and heavy. So heavy, she had to drop the stone and reach inside with both hands. With some effort, Ada triumphantly pulled out the jawbone and held it up for the others to see. The bone was as long as Ada’s forearm and shaped like two boomerangs joined together in a “U” shape. Where the two sides of the jaw met at the donkey’s front lower teeth a natural handle formed. Each side of the jaw still had a row of molar teeth intact. As Ada held it, she saw that it really was a frightening-looking weapon.
“We did it! Guardians rule!” Kane yelled, forgetting all about Ariel and Dumah.
“Congratulations,” Ariel said to Kane, looking down at her paws.
Dumah gave a slight bow to Kane, and Ada flew back to the ground with the jawbone firmly in her hands. Vero and the others gathered around to inspect it.
“Hard to imagine Samson could single-handedly take out a thousand Philistines with only this,” Vero pondered aloud.
“It wasn’t just the jawbone,” Ariel said. “He had the might of God behind him.”
Kane grabbed the bone from Ada.
“Rude!” Ada yelled.
Kane laughed. “Guys, I don’t think we need to be afraid of that giant anymore.” He smiled brashly, holding up the jawbone. “We’re going to walk right past him.”
The angels walked through the tunnel back toward the bone chamber. Kane gripped the jawbone tightly in both hands. When they reached the bone chamber, Kane stopped. The angels peered around the bend, watching the giant gently restacking the skeleton bones.
“He doesn’t see us,” Vero whispered. “We can sneak past him when his back is turned and then make a run for the entrance.”
“Everyone, quiet,” Greer said in a low voice, bringing her index finger up to her mouth. “Do the ‘full Dumah’!”
Dumah eyed her. A faint smile formed at the corners of his mouth. The angels watched Ahiman closely as they dodged the lantern’s light and snuck along the wall through the chamber. The giant seemed none the wiser. But just as they were almost in the clear, Kane suddenly broke away from the others and walked right toward the giant.
“Hey, Ahiman, buddy,” Kane yelled.
The giant dropped the bones in his hands and turned around. At the same moment, the other angels’ jaws dropped. What was Kane doing?
“Are you insane?” Vero shouted to Kane.
“No. I’m just gonna slay him so we can get out of here,” Kane proudly announced.
“But he wasn’t bothering us!” Vero panicked.
Kane turned to look at Vero. “What? Did you forget that he tried to kill us first?” He looked back at the giant who was now shuffling toward them.
Vero and the others drew back against the wall as the giant’s eyes narrowed. Kane stood tall, unafraid. As the giant reached down to grab him, Kane sidestepped and smacked the jawbone with all his strength into the giant’s leg. The giant had no reaction to the hit. Kane pulled back his hand and slammed the jawbone once again into the giant’s calf. The giant let out an angry yell. It was so loud that everyone instinctively covered their ears. Ahiman grabbed Kane and shook him in his hand. More bones fell from their shelves as the giant stomped his feet in rage.
>
“Kane!” Vero winced.
The giant threw Kane across the cave. He landed on top of the others, while still managing to keep hold of the jawbone.
“Ouch!” Ada yelled.
Kane quickly got off them, never letting go of the jawbone. “Sorry,” he said, his eyes still wide with shock. “I thought it would work.”
“Thanks, genius,” Greer said, getting to her feet. “Now what?”
Suddenly, the giant seemed to lose interest in them and returned to his business of restacking the fallen bones.
“I can’t believe you!” Ariel whisper-yelled to Kane. “We were almost out of here! What were you thinking?”
Kane looked to the ground.
Ariel’s voice was nearly a growl. “You wanted to kill him with the jawbone? Why? The poor lonely guy stacks bones all day and cradles his dead wife’s remains.”
The thought of the skeleton with the fresh flowers gave Vero pause.
“Obviously the stupid jawbone must have lost its mojo,” Kane said.
“As I said, it only had power because God willed it to!” she retorted, swishing her tail in frustration.
Greer inched away from Ariel’s moving tail. “Can you watch that thing?” she said eyeing the stingers in the tassel.
“Well, great,” Ada wailed, putting her head in her hands. “Now he’s ticked off and blocking the exit. How are we going to get out?”
“I say we throw Kane to him as bait,” Ariel suggested. “And then the rest of us slip out.”
“I like her,” Greer pointed to Ariel. “She’s someone I could definitely hang with.”
Ada gasped and pointed to the center of the chamber.
Without explanation, Vero had slipped away from them and crept over to the skeletons.
Ariel watched in disbelief. “Are all you guardians certifiably crazy?”
Vero snuck up on the skeleton that the giant loved most. As he reached toward the fresh flowers that still lay across its ribcage, Vero accidentally nudged a bone. The giant quickly turned toward him at the noise, but Vero dove over a mound of bones and hid himself just in time. He held his breath as Ahiman lumbered over, the giant’s massive foot stomping dangerously close to his face. After a few moments, the giant appeared satisfied and went back to his job. Vero gingerly emerged from behind the pile of bones, grabbed the cut flowers off the skeleton, and raced back to the others. He handed them to Greer.
Pillars of Fire Page 11