The Dove

by Brendan Carroll

  Lucio raised his eyes to the face of the pharaoh above him and spread his arms in supplication.

  “Hail, thou one who shinest from the moon. Hail, thou one, who shinest from the moon.” He began the oration to the gods of Ancient Khem. “Grant that this Osiris Any may come forth among thy multitudes who are at the portal. Let him be with the Light God. Let the Tuat be opened to him. Behold, the Osiris Ani shall come forth by day to perform everything which he wisheth upon the earth among those who are living. Hail thou god Tem who comest forth from the Great Deep who shinest gloriously under the form of the twin lion gods, send forth with might thy words unto those who are in thy presence, and let the Osiris Nu enter into their assembly.” Lucio crossed himself and then bowed his head. He got up and placed himself in front of the papyrus, again assuming the form of supplication with both arms outspread to the sky. “He hath performed the decree which hath been spoken to the mariners at eventide, and the Osiris Nu, whose word is truth, shall live after his death, even as doth Ra every day. Behold, most certainly Ra was born yesterday, and the Osiris Nu was born yesterday. And every god shall rejoice in the life of the Osiris Nu, even as they rejoice in the life of Ptah, when he appeareth from the great house of the Aged One which is in Anu.”

  The Golden Eagle’s words drifted into the air and seemed to reverberate back and forth between the stones of the lion feet. Even the beasts outside the perimeter of fire seemed aware of this and their howls increased as they began to stampede around the circle of flames as a single unit. Il Dolce Mio turned to watch the progress of the largest of these nasty beasts as it tossed its head, hooking the air with a long, gnarled horn protruding from the top of its nose. It broke free from the herd, followed by two others and charged the flame. Its companions fell back, but the momentum of the lead creature took it through the fire and it was suddenly within the lines of defense. Il Dolce Mio shouted as the beast plummeted over the edge of the pit into the clearing below and the elves converged upon it, loosing their arrows with deadly accuracy. Lemarik wheeled his charger about and rode down on the enraged creature, firing poisoned darts from his crossbow. The poison was slow and the thing turned around in confused circles, roaring in anger, trying to gore the elves as they dodged about in front of it. Lancers moved in quickly and stabbed at its hind quarters with their long spears, causing it to spin back and forth rapidly, stirring up a choking cloud of dust under its rhino-like feet.

  “Father!” Vanni shouted to Lucio. “Please hurry!”

  Lucio ignored the noise and the voice of his son as he continued his invocations.

  “I have divided the heavens. I have cleft the horizon. I have traversed the earth following in his footsteps. I have conquered the mighty spirit-souls because I am equipped for millions of years with words of power. I eat with my mouth. I evacuate with my body. Behold, I am the god of the Tuat! Let these things be given unto me, the Osiris Ani, in perpetuity without fail or diminution.”

  The creature rammed its way through the elves and charged straight for Lucio as if it knew that the Italian was doing something unhealthy for it and its companions. Lemarik kicked his stallion and rode between Vanni and the Italian. The sudden appearance of the white horse and flashing warrior, made the beast veer at the last moment, missing Luke Andrew narrowly and crashing into the paw of the Sphinx. The Mighty Djinni rode after it, shooting more of his poison darts while the elves regrouped and charged in again on its flanks and rear. Its hide was tougher than a rhino’s thick skin, but the arrows and darts clung to it, rattling against its scales as it loped wildly around the pit. It howled and roared and turned again, sending the elves scurrying in all directions. The thing charged down the side of the Sphinx, giving chase to the white horse and rider. The creatures outside the ring of fire howled and screeched as if cheering their comrade on.

  Lemarik led it away from Lucio while he continued his work.

  “I have passed over the road. I am Ra. I have come forth from the horizon against my enemies!” Lucio raised his voice slightly to be heard above the shouting elves and roaring creatures. “I have not permitted him to escape from me. I have stretched out my hand like that of the Lord of the Urrt Crown. I have lifted up my feet even as the Uraei-goddesses lift themselves up. As for mine enemy, he hath been given to me, and they shall not be delivered from me. I stand up like Horus! I sit down like Ptah. I am strong like Thoth. I am mighty like Tem. I chase my enemy! He hath been given unto me, and he shall not be delivered from me. I call to thee mighty creature of the lost forest! I beseech thee, great one of tooth and claw! I command thee up and after the enemy! I am Ra!”

  Lucio suddenly stumbled backwards as the ground shook beneath his feet. Dust shot into the air as if hundreds of tiny geysers were erupting from the ground around the Sphinx.

  He turned and grabbed up the papyrus and the Ani bird from the ground.

  “Move! Move! Run! Santa Maria! Run for your lives!” He shouted as he shot past Vanni and Luke Andrew, grabbing both of the startled men by their arms. The three of them ran, stumbled, ran and fell, got up and ran again as the dust continued to shoot into the air, higher and higher.

  Il Dolce Mio appeared out of the haze and ran with them up the sloping grade. The elves were streaming into the doors of the restored temple complex in front of the monument where they had quartered the ponies. Luke Andrew’s black horse galloped past them and disappeared into the open doors of the temple. The screams and shouts of the elves rose in a deafening cacophony of terror until the last of them were inside the relative shelter of the crumbling structure. Lemarik thundered into the temple and dismounted.

  Luke, Vanni, Lucio, Il Dolce Mio and Lemarik rushed back to the open doors, trying to close the heavy doors against the confusion and horror. Before they could get the heavy doors closed, the beast came out of the dust cloud in front of them. They all shrieked in terror and fell back as the head of the beast rammed into the temple. The horn on its nose came within a hairsbreadth of skewering the Mighty Djinni as he ran from before the onslaught. The thing backed up and rammed the door again. Stones and plaster fell from the door lintel and the ceiling as the crowd of terrified elves fell back.

  The second charge brought down bigger chunks of stone and rock. The third assault allowed the beast’s shoulders inside as the doors gave way and crashed to the floor, sending up flying bits of rock and debris in all directions. The beast roared and wagged its head back and forth as the trapped people screamed in unison. It backed up again and charged a fourth time. The only thing stopping it from getting completely inside the temple with them was the horned plate on its spine. The double doors were destroyed as well as much of the surrounding walls. The creature had completely obliterated any hope of getting out. If the beast got inside with them, it would become a slaughter house.

  “Line up! Line up!!” Lemarik shouted above the screams of the elves. Even his magick would not stop these horrid beasts. He had already tried his hand against them and they were impervious to him. They, like the Imgogee and the Shugoshim warriors, were from another dimension and he was as helpless against them as the rest of them. But they would not go down without a good fight. “Bring up the lances! Archers, stand ready!!”

  The elves quickly fell in and formed a double line across the rear of the building with lancers in front and archers behind. The ponies were adding their cries to the confusion as they milled back and forth in the farthest reaches of the ruined complex.

  “He’ll make it this time!!” Luke Andrew shouted at Vanni. He stood between Lucio and Vanni. Il Dolce Mio was out front with Lemarik. They stood firm while the beast bucked and then backed up once more preparing for the final charge. The scorpion poison had been totally ineffective against it, only enraging it further.

  “Here he comes!!” Lucio shouted as if they needed to be told. It seemed even the ponies fell quite as they waited for the last and final charge.

  The creature seemed to know that this would tell the tale. It snorted and pawed the gr
ound in front of the ruined doors, kicking up large chunks of rock and plaster over its back. It lowered its head and seemed to glare at them from huge, blood-shot eyes before giving one last roar before starting forward. The elves and men braced themselves, and then the beast was upon them. Lemarik jumped back once more, avoiding the lethal, twisted horn and brought his sword down across its nose.

  And then the thing was suddenly gone, whisked back outside, howling and roaring, in the blink of an eye. The defenders rushed forward as a group in time to see the thing high in the air above them, crushed in the teeth of a tremendous lion. The lion tossed its head back and forth and dark blood rained down on them as they fell back once more. They heard the sound of crunching bones and one last truncated howl as the creature’s back was broken in the jaws of the Sphinx. The elves screamed once more as the broken body of the creature bounced on the rocks in front of the temple with a sickening splat. The monstrous lion raised its head and roared and they covered their ears, cowering on the floor as the building shook with every step the great Sphinx took. It backed up and then leaped toward the temple, spreading its great wings and taking flight up and out of the depression in which it had slept for thousands of years.

  “Ohhhh! Ahhhhh!” Lemarik was up and out the door before the rest of them. He turned about in the ruins and his dark eyes were wide with wonder. “This will make a great tale around the camp fire!”

  Lucio collapsed onto the stone floor. His eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out in Vanni’s arms.

  ((((((((((((()))))))))))))

  Nicholas and Gregory lifted the Ark into the rear of the troop carrier while Simon stood by, dressed in the regalia of the Temple Priest. The twelve precious stones on his breastplate glittered in the sun and he squinted against the bright light. His lips moved in a silent prayer as he watched every move his two extremely disgruntled helpers made.

  “Careful.” He warned them for the hundredth time as Nicholas wobbled under the weight of the unwieldy load. “Don’t touch it.”

  Nicholas drew a deep breath, grimaced and then stepped into the crate. He walked through the open-ended box until the Ark was in the center of the wooden shell.

  “Set it down now, easy!” Simon called to them and they lowered it very carefully onto the bottom of the box. Each of the brothers took one of the golden plated rods and then backed away from the thing quickly. Simon climbed into the truck and they began to wrap the end panels in place with new hemp rope, securing it tightly.

  When the task was complete, they climbed out of the truck and stood leaning against the tail gate.

  “Are you all right, my son?” Simon looked into Nicholas’ face. The elder of the two brothers had taken the Brit Milah much harder than the younger. He glared at the Healer as if he were crazy. “Here! Drink this.” Simon handed him a canteen.

  Nicholas turned it up and then made a terrible face.

  “What is that?!” He asked in disgust.

  “Something for the weakness. It will give you strength and help with the pain a little.” Simon told him and then took the canteen, offering it to Gregory.

  “My grandfather will not be happy about this.” Nicholas grumbled as he walked away from the truck, pulling the linen robe from his shoulders and throwing it on the ground.

  “Are you sure this was necessary?” Gregory made a face at the bitter taste of the herbal mixture in the canteen. The younger brother bent carefully to retrieve Nicholas’ robe from the dust and shook the dust off of it.

  “Yes, of course. We cannot leave the Ark here for the Ancient Evil to take.” Simon took the medicine from him.

  “No, I mean the other. The ritual. I hardly see how such a thing would be necessary. What possible difference could it make? We did not actually use our… I mean, it didn’t have to do anything with our… It just doesn’t make sense!” Gregory stood up straighter.

  “It is the Ancient Law concerning the Ark and the rituals that must be observed in order to be pure enough to handle it. The old god who had this thing built had a twisted sense of humor. Apparently, it is what set his people apart from the unclean ones. A very distinctive honor in its day.”

  “I and my brother are very clean, Father. It is something that our mother insisted on… always. They should have simply gotten a tattoo on their noses or something.” Nicholas told him indignantly. “I fail to see how any might be impressed by something not apparent at first sight. I would ask how they displayed their membership in your elite order. Pardon the pun, Sir.”

  “Someday I will explain it better, my son.” Simon suppressed a smile. “But now we had best get everyone together. We need to get out of here before darkness falls. We have no idea what might lurk in the city and I need to get the rest of the instruments from the Temple.”

  Gregory shuddered in spite of the heat and followed after his unhappy brother.

  As Simon turned away from the truck he glanced up at the walls of the Temple enclosure where two of Galipoli’s men were manning one of the machine guns mounted on the wall. They were watching the proceedings in the courtyard in front of the Temple. Simon waved to them and then froze in mid-wave. The full moon was rising in the sky behind them in the deepening twilight. A brilliant flash of light erupted on the face of the yellow orb and then quickly turned dark even as he watched, spreading in a circular pattern across its face, obscuring a goodly portion of the reflected light. Simon watched in fascination several long seconds before he realized what he had just unwittingly witnessed. Something very large had impacted the moon’s surface, sending up a great plume of dust and rock.

  “Father in Heaven!” Simon muttered softly. The two men, noticing his shocked expression turned and looked up at the moon as well. Within moments, the entire courtyard was full of running, shouting, panicked men.

  ((((((((((((()))))))))))))

  “What do you see in there?” Benjamin d’Ornan leaned over the Frankish King’s shoulder.

  Louis was gazing into the depths of a green crystal ball. His blue eyes were wide and his face was pale. He had been extremely affected by the sight of the darkened moon. The Frankish King was quite convinced that they were all going to die. That God had finally had enough of them and he was so far from his wife that he would never reach her in time to say goodbye or to die with her. He had tried to reach her first and had been fairly successful, finding her at the dinner table in France, but the vision had not lasted long and had did very little to comfort him. He regretted that he could not be with her when this latest disaster became visible in her part of the world. She would be terrified and there would be no one to comfort her as she tried to figure out what had happened to the moon.

  “I’m not sure.” He whispered. “It looks like an explosion in the ocean. I saw the Pacific Ocean as from space and I was falling and falling and I struck the water. There was a great explosion.”

  “Is this thing real?” Benjamin looked at the glass ball. He could see nothing but tiny air bubbles trapped in the crystal.

  “It must be.” Champlain drew his head back and shook it slightly as if to clear his vision. The motion of the ship on the water rocked them to and fro slowly. Benji and his apprentice, Judas Dan, were sharing the cramped compartment with the King. “I was trying to see Simon. I’m not very good at it, I’m afraid. De Goth said it would take practice. I haven’t had much time to practice.”

  “Can I look?” The Knight of the Golden Key asked him.

  “Do you know any magick?” Louis looked up at him.

  “Nothing except what I have seen.” Benji frowned and looked very much like his father. “What were you trying to see?”

  “I wanted to know where he is, what he is doing, if he is all right.” Louis got up carefully to avoid cracking his head against the low overhead in the cabin. It had been built for two officers, but Judas Dan had made a bed in a sleeping bag on the floor. The Benji’s younger brother was sound asleep on the floor. Louis stepped over him and sat on the bottom bunk while Ben
ji took a seat in front of the crystal ball.

  “I’m his son. Perhaps there might be a better connection.” Benji shrugged. “What do I do?”

  “Just look in there and try to relax your mind. Let your thoughts drift and your eyes blur and then think only of your objective.” Louis repeated what Eduord de Goth had told him.

  The self-appointed Baron of Wewelsburg had presented the glass ball to Louis as a gift after the coronation, telling him that it had once belonged to the Merovingian kings of the Franks. The old kings had owned and used many such devices. Eduord had tried in vain to show the new King how to use the gazing ball, but Louis had no heart for magick. He had seen too many things go awry in connection with the use and misuse of it. But what Louis had not told Eduord was that he needed no training to gaze into the ball and see visions. The first time he had looked into it, the pictures had come as clear as a high-definition, color-enhanced, three dimensional television complete with realistic surround sound and smell. Whenever Louis looked into the crystal depths, he actually felt as if he was part of whatever was going on there. It was disconcerting and terrifying.

  Benji drew a deep breath and then relaxed. He gazed into the ball and tried to do what Louis told him to do. He could hear the bell on the deck of the ship gonging out two bells. He had tried to sleep, but he was not used to sleeping in a bed that moved. They were sailing south and east across the sea on their way to one of the ports on the coast of what had been Israel.