“C’mon, let’s go.” Angela wrapped an arm across Cassandra’s shoulders and searched for the path back. They maintained their footing with difficulty as the ground shook, and the meadow filled with swiftly growing trees.
Simon’s living room was silent. His chair was empty, but Angela could no longer feel surprise at anything. He had gone to his destiny without tasting death.
Cassandra was still for a moment, then rolled over to his wheelchair and put her hand on the back rest. “He’s gone.” She looked at Angela. “Like when you go to the Otherworld. But I didn’t think anyone else could do that.”
Angela went to stand at the window and looked out. “I think this is different. Remember the old story about the prophet, I think it was Elijah, who was taken bodily into Heaven? I think this is more like that.”
Cassandra did not answer. Angela looked back at where she sat. Her girlfriend’s eyes were closed. “I don’t think you can reach him right now. Maybe later.”
Cassandra opened her eyes. “No, I can’t.” She thumped the back of the chair. “Well, either he comes back or he doesn’t.” Her voice caught a little, but then she cleared her throat and continued. “What’re we going to tell people?”
“We’ll tell the landlord that he went traveling all of a sudden. That he’s gone on an extended vacation. We can figure out a death story or something later.” Angela looked around at the empty apartment, then went over to the window to pull aside the curtain. The glass was coated in grime. “Ugh. He never opened those curtains, did he?” She turned to Cassandra. “Well, let’s do it then.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE
War in Heaven: A Treaty
Home of Diamond Angel, Just Below the Overworld
It was recognizably Diamond Angel’s palace, but it was much smaller, and the stone columns had become living trees, planted in a regular circle around her throne. Above, the canopy was so thick that it formed an effective ceiling, but sunlight streamed in between the trunks where, formerly, a reddish glow had provided illumination. Restored to her own realm, she had given it the appearance of an earthly forest.
Ambassadors from Serpent Lion and Dark Eyes had already been given audience, and once treaty negotiations were completed, the two would become new allies of Diamond Angel. Her status as both oversoul of a mortal and the Egregore of a prehuman culture ensured that she would be approached by many others seeking her favor. She had already demonstrated her power by intervening on behalf of Angela with Bald Eagle’s War Leader to repair damage done to Dark Eyes’s realm. Likewise, rumors that she enjoyed a special relationship with both War and Love further enlarged her importance.
An angel guard approached. Diamond Angel inclined her head.
“My lady, it is a messenger from Gray Suit.”
“Please. Send him in.”
The angel moved to one side and gestured. Another angel, this one clad in a blue-gray cloak of light, came before Diamond Angel and stood expectantly.
“You may speak.” Her voice was warm and expectant.
“My lord Gray Suit sends greetings to Diamond Angel and wishes to establish a peace treaty.”
“You may inform Gray Suit that I would discuss the terms of the treaty. Have you brought more details?”
The angel approached, hand outstretched. Diamond Angel reached out and allowed the angel to touch her. There was a brief snap of light, and they broke contact.
The angel spoke. “I shall go now with your reply.”
Diamond Angel silently inclined her head. The angel turned and left.
War on Earth
“I heard they’re doing good work over there. Look, I know…”
—
“Let’s fast-track this process. I know, that’s what he said…”
—
“I said, sure. But document the whole thing so…”
—
“We should never have to do it again…”
—
“Let them open a new clinic. Yeah.”
CHAPTER EIGHTY
Peace
But why does Fate her thread unwind
To cast aside the stars aligned
That greater purpose may be served
By Angela to lead her kind?
Angela and Cassandra took the next day off together and spent the majority of it in the apartment. After the movers left with Simon’s collection, they retired to the sofa bed to catch up with each other. They only paused in their lovemaking long enough to order in a pizza and for each of them to shower before sleeping.
The next morning, Angela drove to the clinic while Cassandra stayed in at the apartment. She pulled up in front of the building, got out, and stopped to stare. Something had changed. Then it hit her. The window had been repaired and re-stenciled. Smiling broadly, she entered the admitting room.
“Eric?” She shut the front door behind her.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Eric said from his office. He came out, grinning, and spread his arms. Angela and he hugged. Then he disengaged and held her at arm’s length. “You’re glowing. Must’ve gotten your beauty sleep.”
“Hardly,” she replied. “But I feel fine today. Really great. Thanks for taking care of that window.”
They both went into her office, and she set her backpack down. Then she gasped. Someone had mounted a large African shield on the wall. She had admired it when she had first seen it in Simon’s apartment.
She turned to Eric. “Did you…?”
He nodded. “While you were showering, Cassie called and told me you liked that shield, so I went to the storage unit and got it for you.”
She went over to the shield. “I love this.” She ran her fingers along the curved wooden edge, feeling the tough hide stretched across it. “So what do you think? About everything?”
“I think I would like to be part of what you’re doing.”
Angela regarded Eric for a moment then went to sit. “You know it’s just going to get weirder.”
“Honey, that’s just what makes it so interesting. By the way, I think I helped you when you were over there.”
“Huh?”
“After I went back to bed, I had the nightmare again. Only this time, my guys were winning. Somehow, I woke up in the middle of the dream and told one of them that you were there and needed help. Then you know what he said to me?”
Angela shook her head. Eric was enjoying this entirely too much.
“He said you weren’t there, but he thought he knew where you were. He thanked me and told me that they were going to go after someone called Bald Eagle to get you out of trouble.”
“My God.” Angela shook her head. “That’s what happened. I was trapped by Bald Eagle.” At Eric’s inquisitive look she said, “He’s the spirit, or more accurately the Egregore, a sort of group mind, that oversees our entire country.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she raised her hand. “Let me finish. So there I was, unable to think or act, and then I heard that Serpent Lion had attacked. That’s the name of the spirit over all gays, lesbians, et cetera.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. Spirits?”
“Yeah. Spirits. Are you still here? Good.” She grinned. “So after this attack, I was able to get out of there and go be with Cassandra. I know we told you about… her. About the Girl, right?”
He nodded.
Angela regarded him soberly. “I wouldn’t have made it to her place if it hadn’t been for what you did.”
Angela waited for Eric to gather his thoughts. She hoped he wasn’t losing confidence in her. That had been her worry all along—that Eric would always consider her to be untrustworthy, even if he believed her. She had kept important secrets from him, after all.
Eric looked at her, his head tilted slightly. “So, what now?”
Angela sighed. “Now? Now we keep working on the clinic to get it open. Meanwhile, I’m going to start searching for more of my people.” At his questioning look, she continued. “Not the Romani, though I’m going to work with them, too. No,
I’m talking about the people who I knew a long, long time ago.” She paused. “I’ll explain that later. It’s a very long story.”
Eric shrugged. “We’ve got time this weekend. Want to get together?”
Angela got out her tablet and glanced at the calendar. “Yeah. How about the cabin?”
“I’d love to.” He turned to leave. “I’m going to head over to see our friends at the DMH office.”
“Wonderful idea. Thank you.”
Later that day the word came back that the funding came through. Eric, Angela, and Cassandra—wheelchair and all—went dancing at the Rings that night.
“Angela, I’m going to move to this apartment,” Cassandra said.
Angela gaped. They had just returned to Simon’s apartment after seeing his landlord and explaining that he had gone on an extended vacation. She set down her backpack and crossed her arms. “Exactly what are you saying?”
Cassandra rolled closer in her chair. “I’m saying that I need to move. I need…” She paused, staring at Angela’s expression. “Angela, I love you. I’m not leaving you.”
“I don’t know what to think.” Angela sat on the couch near Cassandra and placed her elbows on the coffee table, cradling her face in her hands. Her gut was numb, hollow, after the long night and after driving all over Oakland. She heard Cassandra grunt, felt a bump on the coffee table, and then an arm was placed across her shoulders.
“Really, I’m not breaking up with you. I think this is better for both of us.” She squeezed. “Remember how it was before all this happened? We fought all the time. If I have some space, it’ll give both of us a chance to be happy.”
Angela sniffed deeply and lifted her face out of her hands. Her cheeks felt damp, and she wiped them. “I hoped that with all we went through it would bring us closer, not drive a wedge between us.”
“Angela! This isn’t a wedge. Look, I know how lonely you were before we met.” She looked Angela in the eyes. “I want you to stay over a lot. You know that. It’s just that I’ve been feeling really stressed about sharing that small space. Before the fire, when you-know-who started haunting me, my family lived on the road half the time. I hated being cooped up in that RV. And now, well, we know how hard it’ll be for me and my wheels to get around on the boat. Or me and my crutches, later.”
She turned and rolled to the kitchen. “Instead of just keeping this place empty, I can house-sit, and if I can get another job, I can at least help pay the rent. Later on, I can take over the lease.” She filled the teakettle and put it on to boil. She turned back to Angela. “And I’m going to sleep on the fold-out couch in case Simon comes home. I’ll be damned if I’ll let him find me in his bed.”
Angela sat back and grabbed a tissue from the box on the table to dab at her eyes. “Okay. Yeah.” She stood up.
Cassandra returned to Angela’s side and reached for her. They held each other close without speaking for a short while.
Angela pulled away a little. “Cassie. I hope you…”
Cassandra put her fingers to Angela’s lips. “Angela, I intend to fuck your brains out after tea. Just because I’m moving out doesn’t mean we’re no longer together, okay?”
And so she did.
And every Tuesday morning after that, Cassandra lit a stick of incense on the altar of Ares.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE
War in Heaven: A Conversation
Parapet, Bald Eagle
Simon Iron Star stands at a parapet overlooking the vastness of Bald Eagle. By his side stands a young, powerfully built man with the head of an eagle, the avatar of his master.
“It is our nature to strive and to overcome. How then can you come to me with such a contrary idea?” Bald Eagle’s tone is quizzical rather than accusatory.
Simon Iron Star raises a hand and gestures at the troops who have returned from the battlefield. “That great one whom I strive to emulate has taught that peace is not the cessation of conflict but rather its resolution on a higher arc.” He turns to Bald Eagle. “Shaken Fist and his separatist cohorts are not entirely wrong. But they do not understand the intricacies of power. I will show them that unbridled proliferation is just as much an extreme as absolute consolidation.”
“You have not answered my question. How is that you, who have been a warrior your entire existence, can now entertain a new path? We do not change our natures unless it is by an external agency.” He examines Iron Star closely. “And I do not see that you have been conquered by our foes.”
Simon Iron Star sighs. “I have not been conquered. I have been illuminated. Even the God of Battles must bow, at times, to the law of Love. How may we, who serve those mighty masters, resist such a one?”
The END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David lives with his partner Rachel on a forty-one acre ranch somewhere in the wilderness of northern California. When he’s not writing novels and screenplays, he plays upright bass, studies and teaches esoteric philosophy, and very occasionally wrestles goats.
David and his partner Rachel Anderson have co-authored a small collection of poetry, “Poems de Terre,” which may be purchased from fine booksellers everywhere.
For more information on forthcoming titles, as well as the author’s blog, visit www.dmenefee.com.
“Poems de Terre is a sweet collection of poetry.”
- Amazon Reviewer
The God of Battles Page 34