The Dove

by Brendan Carroll

  Before anyone could recover, he began to prophesy in his booming voice “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” He paused slightly and his face darkened. “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.”

  Konrad stopped and it seemed that everyone present had been holding their collective breaths.

  Polunsky cleared his throat and managed a smile. “I am no mystic sage, Your Grace.” He addressed the Grand Master who remained standing. “I have heard of you and your secret Order. But rational men expect rational answers. I worship the God of my fathers and the God of their fathers before them. Our devotion to the Creator is not in question here. I fail to see what these ancient scriptures have to do with our present situation.”

  “Tell them, Konrad.” Edgard smiled at the baron and the man shuddered involuntarily.

  “The god you worship, sir, is the very god that brought about the flood. In case you haven’t noticed, we have a visitor. This celestial body that gave us such a close brush is but a harbinger of things to come. If, as I suspect, your god’s loving daughter is attempting to eradicate humanity by the very same means that her father once used. A world wide flood. It is only a matter of time before she amasses the power necessary to succeed. I suggest you find some gopher wood and some pitch and start measuring off your cubits because you’re going to need an ark, my friend.” Konrad smiled wickedly at the man and a slight outburst of dismay followed before Barry of Sussex pounded the table for order.

  Edgard raised both eyebrows, and then continued to speak to the outraged Baron. “You and your fathers are descendents of the line of Abel. The psychic lineage of the Demiurge’s slaves. You prostrate yourself before the jealous god out of fear and mortification. You would build bonfires and burn the Parfaits again. It will not be so.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Polunsky leaned on the table. “I follow the Church in Rome, and the Church follows the tenants set forth by the New Order of the Temple. If this man can show that he is the true Prophet of Allah, then I will throw myself at his feet and follow him into the depths of hell, itself.”

  “This is pointless, Edgard.” Louis laid one hand on Edgard’s arm. “The Baron is obviously confused by this… revelation. There is much work to be done in spreading the Light of God. We have been preoccupied with this war. Now that the Ancient Evil has been defeated, it is only the matter of cleaning up what is left and beginning to reclaim the world under the Veil of Truth. Baron Polunsky is not at fault here. His questions are legitimate and deserve to be answered.”

  “Well said.” Luke Matthew spoke up and Omar sat down heavily. The Grand Master resumed his seat more slowly. “But now is not the time for words. We should put our theological differences aside and implement a plan of action before our foes have time to regroup and reorganize. My teachings tell me there are many more where he came from.”

  “Your teachings are foreign to us.” Cardinal Gambrelli answered the King’s remarks. “The Prophet never spoke of such creatures in his teachings. Nor did he speak of this Demiurge or these Parfaits. Your words border on heresy, your Highness.” He turned his dark eyes on Omar. “What do you have to say of this? Do you espouse the teachings of the Heretics? Do you support their denial of the sovereignty of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ?”

  Omar drew a deep breath.

  “When I was a child, I knew everything. I am no longer a child and I know nothing. My father and my grandfather have taught me what it means to be a man, though I am not a man. My Brothers have accepted me in spite of my faults, and I have embraced them with all my heart. I have wronged them and caused them a great deal of misery through my ignorance, but suffice it to say that it is never too late to learn something new. What I began as the Prophet was not based in deceit, but in a sincere desire to bring peace and unity to the world. I am not the one. He is yet to come and it is our duty to withstand these forces of evil until that day comes. If we stand divided as the god of this world would desire to see, then we only aid his twisted purpose. I only ask that the remnants of my army be restored to me that I may march upon New Babylon and try to take back what I have lost. My Brothers do not spout heresies, Your Grace, they have said nothing here against the sovereignty of the Christos. They… and I… recognize the Christos as the True Son of the One True God. We simply do not recognize the jealous god of the Pentateuch as the Supreme Father, the Creator and Architect of the Universe.”

  “Surely you don’t expect us to just give back your army and let you ride off into the sunset?!” The Cardinal almost laughed. “De Goth! What do you say of this? How is it that you remain silent?”

  Eduord de Goth had spoken barely a full sentence since arriving with the forces sent from Rome. He had arrived too late to join with d’Brouchart’s forces and had been given no choice, but to accompany the armies that had marched eastward by land, in opposition of the Order’s recommendations and that of the King of the Franks. That the Pope had refused to listen to Champlain had not surprised him. He had no faith in the reformed Church. He had seen too many alliances come and go.

  “I have been waiting to learn how much you do not know, Your Excellency.” De Goth smiled at him. “I see that the Pope is not ready to concede his authority to the Frankish King. Just as in the past, so the wheel turns again. You ride in after the dust of battle has settled, after the blood has soaked into the sand and make judgments based on what you see without knowing the truth. I will throw in my forces and follow the Prophet. If my Brother says he is the Prophet, then he is the Prophet.”

  “Your brother?” Gambrelli frowned. “Which of these fine fellows is your brother, sir?”

  “The Grand Master of the Red Cross of Gold is my Brother in spirit and has been so for many years.” De Goth shrugged. “Again, your history is confounded. You know nothing of what has gone before. You know only what the Church deigns to feed you. You would do well to travel to Egypt and look upon the pyramids. Learn something of the past before you make decisions about the future. You have demonized the Alexandrine fathers. You have turned from the True Cross and worshipped the pagan idols of your forefathers. Your son is spelled with a U and the U stands for You. You are the center of your universe and all revolves around You. It is useless to bandy words with a barbarian pagan who believes that soul is spelled S-O-L and that Jesus the Nazorean is Christ. You think he paid for your sins on the Cross? You speak empty words to a dead god and worship the body of a dead man. When you have seen the Light of the Creator, come back and we will talk again.”

  “And where shall I find this Light you speak of?” Gambrelli’s contempt seethed in his words.

  “Look in the Gospel of Thomas. Read the Exegesis of the Soul. Study the words of Hermes and the tablets of Thoth. Better yet, put your questions to one who knows.” De Goth smiled at him.

  “And who would that be?” Gambrelli looked about the table.

  Lavon de Bleu pushed back the stool on which he sat and stood up. “Do you not know, sir, what Jesus meant when he said ‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men’? He said ‘in vain do they worship me’! Can you not understand this? Jesus, when he was availed of the spirit of the Christo
s, told his followers they would worship him in vain and that they would teach the commandments of men for doctrine. Christ did not claim to be God. Jesus, the man, did not claim to be Christ. It was men who made him a God, and the Church you follow that raises the son to the exalted position of the Father. For he also said ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man’. Your own words condemn you, sir.”

  Konrad stood up next to Lavon and took the floor “And Jesus asked his disciples ‘Whom do men say that I the son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. And Jesus said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon bar Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven’. Jesus Christ proclaimed his Father to be in Heaven. Jesus, the man, was just a messenger. A luminary. A teacher and a great Holy Man. He provided a vehicle for the Christ spirit. And he has come to us many times in many forms and has been made many things, not the least of which has he been made a god. The pagan rulers of Rome are not the first to make their heroes into gods and will not be the last. Even the followers of Omar proclaimed Omar first a prophet and then a god at one point and for a man or even a luminary to be proclaimed as such must be a heady experience indeed! I daresay that if Jesus Christ were among us now to hear this debate, he would be ashamed and horrified to see how his teachings have been distorted by fools.”

  “You dare call the Pope a fool?” Both Cardinals were on their feet now.

  “He has been called worse and to his face.” D’Brouchart stood with them. “If he intends to reinstate the Roman Church as it stood before the war, before the New Order of the Temple, then he is indeed more than a fool, he is a heretic!”

  “I have heard all I intend to hear, Your Excellency.” Gambrelli addressed Louis. “If you have thrown in your lot with these fellows, and I must assume that you have as you are a member, or were a member of their esteemed brotherhood for so long, then I will ask that those who follow Christ, follow me back to Rome.”

  Gambrelli turned on his heel and headed for the open flap of the tent. His fellow Cardinal, a rather timid young man, followed after him quickly. Polunsky was next and several more of the Barons and Dukes aligned with Rome were soon gone from the assembly including the Doge of Venice, whom Lucio had made a point of sitting next to and the Prince of Austria/Hungary.

  “Well!” Lemarik rose from his seat next to his father. “That makes things a bit more roomy.”

  Only Mark Andrew remained seated. His hopes of putting an end to the threat in New Babylon before the comet overtook them faded rapidly.

  “I suggest we adjourn this meeting and confer with our captains.” Louis said. “When our ‘friends’ have departed, we can regroup and see where we stand in numbers.”

  Lucifer called his warriors to him and bowed before the Frankish King.

  “Your Grace, my companions and I must be off to the south. It is my intention to bring back the dark angel for disposal according to the wishes of Lord Marduk. He is, after all, an emanation of the Lord of the Fifth Gate. It should be his decision.”

  “I understand.” Louis nodded and the assembly sat in sullen or solemn silence as the warrior troop departed. Their movements were swift and birdlike, without a sound.

  The most precocious of Lucifer’s little band, deceptively clad in lavender cloak and tunic caught Luke Andrew’s eye and winked at him as followed the others out. Luke’s shoulders fell as their best allies left them. He had grown to like Raziel in a very short time at their first encounter. If things ever returned to ‘normal’, he planned to further his acquaintance of these strange creatures who had taken his best students and disciples away from him. Galen and Michael both hugged their fathers before preparing to depart as well. Lucifer stopped at the flap and seemed to be mustering his warriors out into the hall. He waited for his two less-angelic recruits to finish their emotional farewells.

  “Before you go, there is something that must be said.” Mark Andrew spoke up from the foot of the table.

  Again, the Order was faced with two Mark Andrews, but the differences between them now were quite profound. The other had not even attempted to join them at council, preferring to remain in the elven camp with Sophia, Vanni and Selwig. Gregory and Nicholas remained with them at the instruction of Simon. Luke Andrew had been alternately trying to decide whether this Mark, who sat at the table was his father or the one who did not recognize him. He was also convinced that Michael and Galen should abandon Lucifer and return to the fold. His disappointment was profound when they filed out the door after the others. But the presence of his sister Nicole had brought an even greater challenge for him. He was unsure whether to embrace her or run from her.

  Mark had tried to explain things to him, but he was not listening. He had opted to reside, at least temporarily in Il Dolce Mio’s elven encampment and the relative safety afforded by the considerate indifference of the elves to his disenfranchised state of mind. They still saw him as a valiant warrior and hero and brother of their King, calling him Prince Luke and Royal Brother. Vanni had many friends among the elves as well, but Sophia and Mark seemed to have no real place… anywhere.

  Mark insisted that neither Luke, nor Lemarik, nor Il Dolce Mio were his sons and clung to Sophia’s side in confusion, when Luke tried to talk to him about the past. Lemarik and the elven King readily differentiated between the two, accepting one as their father and the other as a virtual stranger, but Luke was unconvinced. He equated this secondary figure of his father with King Ramsay of the Center, and he based his opinion on some of the things that he said from time to time. Luke was convinced that this embodiment knew much more than he let on, and Sophia was unable to explain to him how her so-called ‘baby’ could have such an extensive knowledge of the Holy Scriptures so soon.

  Lucio, on the other hand, was appalled to find two Marks among them and avoided the second one completely. There was no doubt in his mind who was who, and though he wanted to ask this one about Andrea, he didn’t dare. Luke Matthew seemed unwilling to admit that the second one even existed, but readily offered the one at the table a home in London. It was a problem that had to be worked out sooner or later. Lucio recognized his own feelings and confusion mirrored in Luke Matthew’s words and actions. They would have to do something about Sophia’s Mark. He was a stranger to them. All of them and seemingly even to himself.

  “It has to do with the comet.” Mark Andrew continued when he had everyone’s attention. “I have been to the north and studied this cosmic event by way of the old methods. There is an unseen companion.”

  “The astronomers say it will not return.” Luke Matthew told him. “We were all relieved to hear it.”

  “And so it is true.” Mark nodded. “But the unseen companion is the problem. It is not nearly as large as the first one, the one we have all seen with our own eyes, but it is big enough to cause massive changes on the surface of this world. In less than twenty days it will strike the earth.”

  His simple announcement caused a deep silence in the tent.

  “Where?” D’Brouchart asked finally.

  “Most likely in the Pacific.” Mark told them. “I can’t be sure. It will depend on how it breaks down once it strikes the atmosphere.”

  “The Pacific?” Lemarik frowned at his father. “And will it cause much destruction?”

  “Much.”

  “Then I must return home at once.” The mighty Djinni gathered his robe about him.

  “Where is home?” Il Dolce Mio asked him as he headed for the tent flap.

  “My people are waiting for me east of Cathay.” Lemarik told him over his shoulder, and then was gone.

  “Japan.” Konrad nodded. “We had heard that he had settled in Japan.” The remark drifted in the silence which la
sted until the sound of the Djinni’s horse’s hooves had completely died away.

  “What do you suggest we do, Sir Ramsay?” D’Brouchart broke the silence again.

  “There is nothing to be done. I simply wanted you all to know. I suggest that you continue on with your plans to take the Ark to Mount Horeb. If we can destroy it, perhaps the Old One’s hold on this world will be broken.”

  “And what of New Babylon?”

  “Leave it to Omar. I will do what I can for him.”

  “And what of… what do you… what of Sophia?” Lucio asked him, referring not to Sophia, but her companion.

  “When I am done in New Babylon, I will not be back.” Mark told him evenly. “Take them home to Scotland… both of them, if you have a chance, Brother. He deserves a life as much as any of us.”

  “You can’t be serious!” Luke Matthew objected. “What do you mean, you won’t be back? Where will you go? What will we do?”

  “There are many people and many places, Luke.” Mark Andrew stood up. “My time here is well past. Embrace your brother as you have embraced me. He will need your help as you have needed mine.”

  “He is… that is… I can’t do that!” Luke shook his head.

  “He is your brother, and now, you will be your brother’s keeper.” Mark smiled at him.

  Barry signaled the meeting adjourned for four hours in order for the various factions to regroup and make camp for the night. They would meet again after supper to discuss their next step.

  The tent began to empty as the remaining members of the council filed out into the night. As soon as the last of them had filed out, Luke threw himself at his brother’s feet and grabbed him about the knees.

  “You can’t leave me! I have never been far from you.” The King wept against his legs. “You are my life… what will I do without you?”

  Mark pulled him to his feet gently and clasped him tightly, burying his face in his long hair.

  “It is unseemly behavior for the King of all the Brits to throw himself at the feet of a common man.” Mark told him as he continued to weep uncontrollably. “You have been without me for years now. You have Meredith and your duty. The people love you.”