“Elah created many such devices,” Erzulie said. “And so did Iblis. They were both very interested in the happenings on this planet.”
“How did you know to watch me?” Alexandra asked. “I thought everyone believed Elah’s child was born at the same time as the earthquake?”
“We did,” Erzulie said. “Koneh was the only one who knew the truth ahead of time, thanks to his visit from Elah.”
“So, Koneh told you?”
Erzulie shook her head. “No, he was here on Earth. I’m not sure I know how to explain this to you.”
“Try, please.”
“Okay,” Erzulie said. “I can focus on one soul if I wish to when using the looking devices, but usually I gaze at all souls at once. Well, that’s how I performed my duties when I was in Heaven.”
“All souls?”
“Yes, it is a way to be connected to all living things at once. I am equipped to process and store that information at speeds that surpass the human brain’s capacity. In this way I can ‘scan’, if you will, and determine where I am needed the most.”
“In those ways you told me before?” Alexandra asked. “An appropriate song on the radio or a chance encounter?”
“Precisely.”
“Why?”
Erzulie blinked. “How do you mean?”
“Why watch us? Why build all of it if you are going to just abandon it one day? I just don’t get it.”
Erzulie furrowed her brow in concentration for a moment and then said, “It is my understanding that there is more to the universe than you, me or Elah comprehends. Elah’s main focus was the study of life. I don’t know His intentions, but I do know of His intense curiosity about the workings of the soul. Everything revolved around it. I now believe He was searching for something.”
“Searching? For what?”
“Answers, maybe?” Erzulie said. “I’m not certain. There were times when He’d ask me what I thought of something, or for my insight on a particular event on Earth. He was fascinated by the life here.”
“What was He like?”
Smiling, Erzulie said, “Much like the seasons of your planet. He is terrifying when angry, beautiful when at peace and resolute when needed. Though, I suppose I shouldn’t classify His gender, since I’m not certain He has one. But, it does make it easier to discuss Him if we keep to one gender.”
“He... She... It was genderless?”
“Quite the opposite. He is both genders. He is all things at once,” Erzulie said. “I’m sorry. It’s difficult to explain in your language.”
“I think I get it.”
Alexandra processed the information and attempted to solve more of the puzzle. Did Elah leave them like the Crone had said? Alexandra wasn’t sure of anything, but she thought that was a likely explanation for what had happened. Until new information presented itself, she decided to proceed under that assumption.
So, was she fulfilling some destiny? Koneh seemed to think so. Was she finished? If so, was it her turn to find peace like Koneh had? Every fiber of her soul told her she didn’t belong. Was her work truly done?
As the familiar questions bounced around in her skull, she closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep. She watched as she floated away from Brasilia and towards Eden. This time, however, she stopped short and landed on the razor rocks of former Antarctica.
People toiled as they built a massive city around the gates of Eden. Alexandra watched them erect makeshift buildings from scrap metal, lumber and plastic, and then reinforce them with iron and stone as time passed. Wars raged at the base of its walls, but it stood against all invaders. At the center, a child sat on a throne of gold while men and angels attended him. Pilgrims flocked to the city and all knew its name: Babylon.
She was then whisked to a faraway mountaintop which overlooked a vast ocean. The sky remained orange, and the wind was fierce.
“They will feed that accursed place,” the old Crone said from her spot atop a familiar rock. “Like a disease, they will feed it. It will be worse than before. Much worse.”
Alexandra moved to sit beside her and the Crone’s intense eyes followed her every move.
“I sense regret within you,” the Crone said. “Did you not choose to reopen that place? Did you not choose your side?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side, dammit!” Alexandra said. “I opened Eden because I had hope.”
“Hope for what?”
“A better future, I guess.”
“And you thought Eden offered that hope?”
Alexandra nodded as she drowned in her own uncertainty and the questions that constantly plagued her thoughts.
“And now you doubt,” the Crone said as she gazed upon the endless waves. “Do you even know why you doubt?”
After a few moments of silence, Alexandra shook her head.
“You doubt because this place created by Elah is not part of our world,” the Crone said. “This place diverts souls from their natural path. It disrupts the balance and it has been doing so for eons. Now that all souls are freed from Limbo, however, its power will only grow. The Earth will remain wounded and this place will flourish.”
“You still want Eden destroyed.”
The Crone bore her eyes into Alexandra, but didn’t respond. Her ghostly, white hair covered her wrinkled face for a brief moment.
“If I destroy it, what happens to the souls inside?” Alexandra asked.
“They will rejoin the Earth,” the Crone said, “as is the way of things here. And then... Then the Earth may heal.”
Alexandra thought of her mother, Koneh and Father Callahan. She recalled the overwhelming feeling of displacement she felt in the world around her, and the comfort Eden provided for her. How could she destroy the one place she felt welcome? How could she destroy her home?
“No,” Alexandra said. “I made my decision.”
Instead of her usual outburst, the Crone appeared deeply sorrowed. She looked like she was mourning the loss of someone close to her. Alexandra almost pitied her.
“We all will do what we must,” the Crone said. “I only hope you don’t realize too late your importance in this matter.”
A tear rolled down Alexandra’s cheek. “Why me?” she asked softly. “Why can’t someone else make these decisions?”
The Crone looked into her eyes and said, “Why not you? Your feet obey when you tell them to walk. When you tell them! They do not walk on their own, nor do they have the capacity to make that decision. How would they know where to go? The feet need a guide. That is the way of things, even on a grand scale. Some of you are designed to do the walking and some of you are meant to lead. Now is your time, Alejandra of the Mayan expanse. Lead!”
Chapter 8
Alexandra awoke in her cot, safe within the cathedral. She ran her hands through her hair and rested her forehead on her knees as she attempted to make sense of everything. Many questions with few answers.
In the end, she decided the only place she felt at home was in Koneh’s arms. Her discomfort at the party solidified her feeling of displacement. She didn’t belong anymore, whatever that meant. Her journey to Eden had changed her in so many ways. She reasoned she was just beginning to discover them.
“Well,” she said to herself, “there’s only one way back to Eden.”
Suicide wasn’t an option, as she didn’t know if that sin would deny her entrance. She couldn’t risk it. She also wasn’t sure she had the guts to do it. Everyone else wanted her dead, however.
A self-loathing smile formed on her lips. She despised herself for allowing these destructive thoughts into her mind. Yet, this was the only way. Why not let Lilev, Derechi, Padre Hernon or whoever else finish the job? Why not let them send her back to Eden?
“Because that would be the height of stupidity,” Koneh said from the cot next to hers. Alexandra flinched. When did he arrive?
Dressed again in his rags over his scared skin, he frowned as his all-black eyes bore into her. His voice was th
e one she remembered - a scratchy whisper that belied his strength.
“You have had some bad ideas, Alejandra, but this one is the most foul.”
“Why?” she asked. “What is so wrong about wanting to return to the only home left for me? Haven’t I done enough?”
He shook his head. “It’s not about doing enough, it never was.”
Her voice shaky, she said, “Then tell me. I feel so lost without you.”
He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and felt peace wash over her. This was the feeling she craved. This was home.
“So do I-” he whispered as he kissed the top of her head.
“Then why not be together? I had a vision of us in Eden, in the future. We were together! Don’t you want that too?”
“That was no vision,” he said.
Alexandra pulled her head away slowly and looked into his eyes. “What?”
“As much as I am here now, you came to me in Eden. I don’t know how you did it without a pool, but you found me. I... I love you, Alejandra.”
They embraced and the tears flowed this time. “I love you too,” she said. “Please don’t go.”
“My time is short,” he said. Sorrow and regret filled his hoarse voice. “I only came to tell you how I feel, so you weren’t left to wonder.”
She forced a smile. “After the other night, I wasn’t really wondering anymore.”
A few heavy moments passed between them. Koneh nodded to the weapon on her cot and said, “I see you have taken to ending lives with my sword?”
Alexandra followed his gaze. “They were just demons.”
“A life is a life, no matter the origin or form.”
She met his eyes again and blinked away her waiting tears. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You will find your way,” he said.
Unable to respond, she simply shook her head. She wasn’t so confident, even with his support and love.
“Please do not give in. We will figure it out. Together,” he said.
Alexandra nodded though she still wasn’t convinced.
He kissed her and then said, “Erzulie is trying to wake you. I will see you again, soon.”
Alexandra awoke for real this time to the melodious currents of Erzulie’s voice.
“Wake up, Lex,” Erzulie said.
The weight of recent sleep still upon her, Alexandra asked, “Huh?”
The angel nodded towards the door and said, “The general.”
“Good morning,” General Ryan said, a smile on his face and in his voice. “I see you still haven’t opened my gift.”
“Oh.” She glanced at the carefully wrapped package she knew to contain chocolate. “No, I-”
“It’s okay,” he said. “You certainly deserve some rest, if anyone does.”
She closed her eyes and put her balled fist to her forehead. “No. I’m sorry. Did I miss a meeting or something?”
General Ryan waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing like that. You did promise me a walk today. Just the two of us.”
Alexandra opened one of her eyes and peered at him. “I did?”
He nodded. “That is, unless you have other plans?”
Serious at first, Alexandra said, “No, no. That sounds fine.” She shook her head and realized he wasn’t really upset. “I just need a few moments, that’s all.”
“No problem,” he said. “I’ll be waiting near the cathedral entrance when you’re ready.”
Alexandra nodded and rubbed her temples. Her head felt as if two spikes drilled towards her brain from opposite sides. Every part of her felt raw and on the brink of total failure. Did she really have anything left to fight for?
Erzulie closed the door behind the general. She examined her friend as Alexandra washed her face and brushed her teeth but Alexandra wasn’t awake enough to care. If Erzulie wanted to ask her something, she typically had no trouble expressing herself.
Alexandra began to lace her boots when Erzulie joined her on the cot. However, the angel remained silent.
“What is it?” Alexandra finally asked after a pathetic sigh from her companion. Though she allowed a hint of frustration in her voice, she couldn’t remain annoyed. Erzulie, despite her age, was very much a child with her newly discovered emotions.
“After eons of studying love, why am I so terrible at expressing it?” the angel said. “You push me away, and last night… I just don’t know how to contain and react to all these new emotions. Something I once thought so simple… Isn’t.”
“What happened last night?”
Reluctant, Erzulie said, “I… I think I found someone I fancied, but I couldn’t explain how I felt to him. I don’t know. Maybe I’m not feeling these things and something else is really going on.” She ran both her hands through her hair. “I’m really confused right now, Lex.”
Alexandra put her hand on her friend’s arm and said, “We’ve both been through a lot. And we’re just guessing at what happened to you. For all we know, you’re just a little scatterbrained right now.”
Mocking a serious glare, Erzulie said, “I do not get scatterbrained.”
“Very well, whatever you want to call it. Give yourself some time. You’ll figure it out and I’ll help you. I mean, who else do we have in this world besides each other?”
Tears formed again under the angel’s eyes and she said, “May I think of you as I would a close friend?”
Alexandra embraced her. “Of course you may. It’s my turn to be here for you. Anything you need.”
“Thanks, Lex. This means much to me. When I am ready, I will speak to you on these matters. In the meantime, I believe the general is waiting for you.”
“Right. The general.”
Erzulie looked into her friend’s eyes and said, “I do believe he fancies you.”
Standing, she said, “Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Do you have orders for me while you are gone?” Erzulie asked.
Alexandra slung her sword across her shoulder and said, “Yeah. Don’t worry about taking orders from me. Those days are over.”
She patted Erzulie’s back and nodded to her friend before finally escaping the cathedral’s inner rooms. Debris and the press of bodies in the main chamber greeted Alexandra with their varied sounds and odors. Though no worse than a sweaty gym sock, the olfactory blend was quite unique. Even more people had arrived and Alexandra wondered how many of them came from Veracruz.
“Alexandra! Over here.”
She found General Ryan near the wall where Padre Hernon’s firing squad intended to end her life all those months ago. The familiar dark splotches across the pitted bricks watched Alexandra as if to tell her that her reprieve from execution was merely temporary.
“You look radiant, as always,” General Ryan said as she approached.
After examining herself and checking her sword, Alexandra eyed him and said, “I’m wearing fatigues. Erzulie is the only one who can pull that look off.”
He chuckled and said, “I would disagree, but I know how you get.”
Nudging him on the way past, she asked, “And how is that, exactly?”
General Ryan fell in stride with her and said, “Well-”
“I caution you to be careful,” Alexandra said. “I’ve killed an angel with this sword.”
She tapped the pommel above her shoulder and smiled at him as his eyes followed her movement.
“I have so many questions,” he said, but his mind was obviously distant.
Alexandra returned her attention to the wide, empty street ahead of them and said, “You have me for the whole day, General. Ask away!”
“Todd, remember?”
She waved her hand. “If you insist.”
He laughed. “Okay, where should I begin?”
Shrugging, she said, “Doesn’t matter to me.”
“How about we start from the moment you left the Veracruz base. All I’ve been able to piece to
gether from the few survivors in this area is that Padre Hernon left for Eden. Was that where you went? Erzulie hinted at it, but she wouldn’t say.”
Alexandra nodded. “Eden was Koneh’s goal, yes.”
“Koneh,” General Ryan said. “What happened to him?”
“I thought you wanted to start from the beginning?”
“You really do offer no quarter,” he said, “with anything!”
She smiled. “I’m just trying to keep you on task. This isn’t a short story.”
“Very well. Understood. Please, continue.”
Alexandra drew a deep breath as she traveled backwards to the events that transpired on her journey to Eden. To her surprise, only a dull pain remained. The sting of losing Richard and everyone else wasn’t as sharp as it once was. Well, almost everyone else.
She began the tale.
“We were going along at a good clip in Santino’s rig when we came across some survivors at a beached cruise ship. One of the women was pregnant, but she had a doctor caring for her. Unfortunately, there were too many of them to take in the rig, so we decided to make camp for the night while we decided how to search for another vehicle.”
“Yeah,” General Ryan said, “Santino mentioned that Delia’s mother died shortly after Delia was born. Her mother was the pregnant woman?”
“Holly,” she said. “Erzulie spotted an incoming demon host. We needed to decide if we were going to stay or go. We couldn’t take everyone and I wasn’t comfortable deciding who would live and who would die.”
The lines around General Ryan’s eyes deepened as he concentrated on her story.
“We stayed and probably lost more lives than if we would have left,” Alexandra said, sighing. “Certainly not my best decision.”
“You saved Delia.”
Alexandra met his eyes. “And I condemned Richard.”
“The priest?”
Alexandra nodded as she saw an image of his shallow grave. She closed her eyes to avoid the pain the image caused, but she only managed to extend her focus. The mounds that represented her friends hid in the shadow of the massive cruise ship. Wind swirled around the former battlefield and no creatures stirred. There was a time when she feared a similar fate. Now, she welcomed the idea as it meant she could return to Eden.
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