Unfortunately, she just couldn’t see it.
“I’m ready,” she said.
Lilev eyed her, unconvinced. “Do not lie to me, girl. Remember I can hear your thoughts. You foolishly hope for the impossible – some perfect solution to restore those who are dead. Do not think like Elah. Do not think you know what is best for the life on our planet.”
“I just-“
“Look at me,” Lilev said. “Do you think I chose this fate? Three hundred and ninety-nine other souls reside in this body, all screaming for control. I mastered them, one at a time, and promised myself I would see the end of Elah and Eden. If nothing else, so that no other human would ever have to suffer as I have.”
“Human?”
Lilev raised her eyebrows. “Did Koneh not tell you?”
She scanned her memory and found the information. Lilev, the first wife of Adam.
“Oh,” Alexandra said. “I forgot.”
“I am human, in my soul and in my thoughts,” Lilev said. “You may not think me so, but I am. As a human, I make my stand against gods and their meddling. Where do you stand, Alejandra?”
Alexandra saw Lilev in a new light. She wasn’t a monster in the darkness, she was a tortured soul trying to prevent her fate from ever befalling anyone else. She was a crusader for humanity and all souls on Earth.
Such an unlikely hero, she thought.
Lilev snorted again. “If we succeed, I doubt we will be remembered as heroes. Do you think the rest of humanity would understand why we destroyed paradise? Would they throw us a party or fling us from a cliff? No, Alejandra, the path we walk is a lonely one.”
The demoness turned away from her and her face was shrouded by her hood. She continued, “You are the only one to ever share that road with me. For that, I am grateful.”
“There is another who shares our path,” Alexandra said. “The Crone.”
Lilev turned back towards her and said, “I will have to believe you, as I have never spoken with that entity.”
“She’s with us,” Alexandra said, smiling as she laid her head on the rock. “We’re not alone.”
Alexandra closed her eyes and silently called out to the Crone for guidance.
“How do I destroy Eden?” she asked silently. “You told me once you hid the power within me. I must know.”
The response echoed through the swirling darkness. “Just as you opened the gates, so too can you make them crumble. You must already know the key.”
“Thank you,” Alexandra said in her near-dream state. Her thoughts wandered to the silver tree which bent to her will the last time she was in Eden. “It was my honor to have met you and I fear I may not survive this.”
“The honor is shared.”
She slowly opened her eyes and the area came back into focus. Lilev chanted in some unknown language at her head and Alexandra waited.
Each minute ticked by with agonizing sloth. Her knee throbbed from the recent wound and her head ached from the rock pillow. The frigid air penetrated her sheer robe and froze her blood.
Closing her eyes again, she waited for the pain she knew was sure to come. Then, like the agony she felt when Via touched her, a wall of misery slammed into her. Too distraught to scream, she rolled to her side and felt her jaw rip as she gaped. The world was black even though her eyes were open. Her body felt like it was tearing in half and she gasped for air. Panic threatened to overwhelm her as she tried to breathe.
Then, she felt a sharp pain at the base of her spine and everything stopped.
Alexandra Contreras died.
Chapter 28
A breeze through her hair.
Warmth on her skin.
Absence of pain.
Sunlight behind her closed eyes.
Eden.
Free from her many physical pains, Alexandra opened her eyes to the midday sun in Eden. An eagle circled overhead and the stream she visited on her last trip bubbled over the rocks. Large pines swayed in the gentle wind. A deer – the same deer? – trotted from the tree line and stopped ten paces from her. The creature bowed its head and continued to the stream.
She was home.
No, this wasn’t home. She shook her head and noticed she was completely naked. Did that matter? She tried to focus and remember why she was in Eden. Did she finally die and this was her reward? Was she always here?
A coyote’s dirge carried through the air and she listened to the shrill song.
Coyote.
Home.
These two things seemed important to her, but she wasn’t sure why.
She wandered for what seemed like hours along the stream until she saw some movement on the tree line. A coyote emerged and shook his head. He then licked his lips and bounded towards her.
Far removed from the Mexican brush, Alexandra felt no fear. Nothing could harm her in Eden. Then, as soon as she told herself that truth, she felt an oppressive weight upon her soul. She immediately looked to the mountain where she once found a silver tree.
Something awful was coming to Eden.
The coyote licked her knee and stared up at her. She smiled and patted him between his ears.
“Good to see you too, Zana,” she said.
Zana.
Knee.
Coyote.
Talla.
Home.
Alexandra stumbled backwards as the events of the past few days crashed into her awareness.
Babylon.
Lilev.
She wasn’t home. Eden was a danger and must be destroyed.
Wait. When did she come to that conclusion?
Zana barked and padded forward, upstream alongside the river. Where was he going? She noticed one of his ears flopped over itself, as if folded in half – just like Talla. Then she knew the truth of her coyote guide. He was never with her in the flesh. Alexandra’s aunts and uncles once spoke of animal spirit guides, and she reasoned that was the coyote’s role. For whatever reason, he was there to guide her through the wasteland and now Eden. A part of her heart ripped when she realized she likely wouldn’t have her companion by her side when she awoke on Earth.
If she awoke on Earth. This was likely the one-way trip she envisioned. Lilev’s plan was desperate enough to get Alexandra to Eden, but was it really sound enough to bring her home? Alexandra doubted.
She followed the coyote for a while as she pondered these things. The sun remained fixed in the sky as they slowly ascended the slope of the mountain.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
Zana ignored her and continued his climb. After a few more hours they reached the plateau where the silver tree stood. Its fruit glistened in the sunlight and the nearby pool of water sparkled.
Nobody was there.
Could she really do it? A few short steps and her hand was on the tree, same as before. The tree assaulted her senses with images from her past and possibly some from her future. She searched through the information to seek her goal. Two threads led from the tree. One to Earth and one outwards, to some unknown place. Then, she noticed something else. A golden keystone rested right below the tree. If she removed the stone, then the tree – and Eden – would die.
Alexandra pulled her hand away from the translucent bark and blinked.
“Is it really that simple?” she asked herself.
“Only for you,” came a response.
Madre!
Alexandra turned. Her mother welcomed her with a warm smile and said, “Welcome back, daughter.”
Though part of her wanted to run into her mother’s arms, Alexandra remained still. Something was amiss. That feeling of dread seemed to emanate from the woman, not the tree. This wasn’t her mother.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” the false woman said. “Welcome home.”
“What’s his name?” Alexandra asked, pointing to the coyote.
The false mother blinked. “What?”
“The coyote. My childhood friend. Surely you haven’t forgotten.”
The woman smiled. “It has been many years, and Eden’s comfort has clouded my memory.”
“What about our dog?” Alexandra asked. “We had him for my entire childhood. Surely you haven’t forgotten his name too?”
The woman concentrated and then shook her head softly. “I’m sorry, my dear. I cannot remember.”
“Probably because we never owned a dog,” Alexandra said, narrowing her eyes. “Who are you?”
The woman opened her arms wide. “Don’t you recognize your own mother?”
Alexandra whirled and snapped a branch from the tree. “Don’t you dare,” she said. “You are not my mother.”
A primal rage filled her heart as she gazed upon the false woman. This was the focus of the dread she felt in Eden and every cell in her body wanted it destroyed. She gripped the branch tightly but didn’t feel violence would accomplish anything beyond filling her need to see the object of her hatred destroyed.
“Don’t move,” Alexandra said, pointing the branch at her false mother.
“I’m not-“
“Don’t say anything else,” she said. “I’m done with you.”
When it appeared the woman would comply, Alexandra scanned the clearing. Sunlight reflected off the surface of the scrying pool and she grinned. With one eye on the woman, Alexandra approached the pool.
“Where are you, Koneh?” she asked as she bent towards the water’s glasslike surface.
Almost instantly, the water rippled and showed a burnt forest. Koneh dashed amongst the smoldering tree husks. Smoke and flames seemed to be all around him.
“Koneh!” she yelled.
He stopped and cocked his head, as if he heard her. Then, his eyes flew wide and she realized she was there with him, in the burnt forest. Like before, the pool transported her.
“Alejandra?”
She stepped towards him and he backpedaled.
“It’s me!” she said.
He shook his head and seemed unconvinced.
“The great leader of men!” she said.
After a pause, he chuckled. “So, it is okay if you call yourself that?” he asked.
Relief washed over her. “Yeah. Just not you,” she said.
They embraced and he almost crushed her in his arms. All her fear and uncertainty drained away from her and she was home again. Safe and secure in her lover’s arms.
“I missed you so much,” she said as she assaulted his neck and face with kisses.
“We need to move,” he said.
Smoke from the forest fire billowed into the area and she covered her mouth with her arm to protect her lungs as best she could.
“What’s happening?”
“Wish I knew,” he said. “Things are strange, for lack of a better word.”
“Define strange.”
Koneh knelt low to the ground to retrieve a leather sack and Alexandra marveled at his chiseled muscles and perfect physique. If she had known that waited for her under his rags, she would have made a move much earlier.
“People and animals missing, fires, symbols in the sky,” he said. “Strangeness.”
“When did it start?”
“Few days ago.” He stopped and looked at her. “Who killed you?”
Alexandra searched for a quick explanation as to how she arrived in Eden, but she couldn’t muster one. “That’s a long story,” she said.
He took her hand and said, “Let’s go.”
They raced through the smoke and fallen timber to a rocky bluff. Twisting around the other side, Koneh led her into a cave. Various tools and bones littered the floor. Torchlight flickered from the back.
“This is home,” he said. “For now.”
“What do you think is happening?” she asked.
“Like I said: something is coming,” he said. “I do not know what, but I think this is all part of it.”
“Could you be a little more specific?”
He shook his head. “I have never heard of anything like this.”
Alexandra stood in front of him and took his hands. “Listen,” she said. “I don’t have much time. Have you seen Erzulie? Do you know where she is?”
She scolded herself for not scrying Erzulie at the pool. Now, she was in some unknown part of Eden, likely far away from both the pool and Erzulie.
“Erzulie? No, I only saw her that once.”
Unsure she wanted to delve into the details of her mission with Koneh just yet, she said, “I need her help with something. How far away are we from the tree?”
“Which one?” Koneh asked.
“What? There are more?”
He nodded. “One’s not too far.”
“Is there a pool there?”
“Of course.”
Alexandra felt her skin almost rip from her body. The gully where Lilev performed the ritual flashed into view and then disappeared. Her bones hummed under her skin. Slowly, Koneh’s cave came back into focus.
“Did you feel that?” she asked between labored breaths.
Koneh shook his head.
She put her hand against the cool stone wall and exhaled. “Okay. I need to get to that pool, right away.”
Watching her, he said, “Why are you here?”
Before she could lose her composure over the shattering consequences of her intended actions, she said, “Take me to the tree. I’m not sure how much time I have left.”
As he did many times before, Koneh nodded unquestioningly. He trusted her and that fact made her decision to send him into oblivion even more terrible.
However, now that she was in Eden, she knew her decision was the correct one. Eden now burned. If she could save the Earth from that same fate, he’d understand. Wouldn’t he?
She walked by his side as they traced their way through the smoldering forest and charred rocks. “This is awful,” she said, surveying the destruction.
“And the worst is yet to come. I feel it.”
Though the Earth was demolished by the quake, Alexandra had held on to her hope like a candle in the darkness. She had seen the sky lighten and conditions improve. Though she hadn’t a shred of proof, she knew in her heart that the world would recover.
In Eden, however, she only felt dread. Something beyond her control and comprehension loomed over the landscape, and she knew she couldn’t stop it.
“So much has happened since we opened Eden,” she said as they moved.
He nodded. “I can only imagine.”
“Can Iblis invade a human body? Possess it, like in the movies?”
“Most certainly,” Koneh said. “This way.”
They crossed a dried-out riverbed and dashed into another section of charred woods.
“I think he’s on Earth,” she said. “And I’ve met him.”
“Is that so?”
She frowned. “He had an effect on me. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“His powers are useless on you,” Koneh said.
They turned towards a small hill and Alexandra noticed a rock formation at the top. It wasn’t too unlike Stonehenge.
“See, that’s the thing,” she said. “I think I know how Erzulie got to Eden and why Iblis was able to control me.”
In his usual way, he didn’t prompt her. Instead, he waited patiently for her to explain.
“I gave Erzulie half my soul.”
Koneh stopped. “Yeah, we talked about this before.”
Again, she felt her bones press against her skin and she caught a glimpse of Lilev amongst the razor rocks and ritual site. The demoness chanted and the wind howled. Alexandra’s flayed body rested on the stone table, dark symbols etched into her bones. What was Lilev doing to her? Was the vision even real? Then, she snapped back to Eden and stumbled to the ground.
“Are you okay?” Koneh asked as he bent to help her.
“We need to move faster,” she said, rising to her feet with the aid of Koneh’s sure arm.
They increased their pace up the hill.
“Lilev killed her,” Alexandra conti
nued. “And I refused to lose my last friend in the wasteland. Somehow, someway, I was able to put life into her by tearing my soul in half. I just wanted to give my life for hers, but I survived. I really didn’t know what I was doing.”
“A soul,” he said.
“Afterwards, she was overcome with her new emotions. She wanted to taste the full range of human experiences. We were both headed here to save Benjamin, and I think her curiosity got the better of her. She touched the gates and that was the end of it.”
“That actually makes sense. I heard stories of Iblis during his first few years with a soul. He was consumed by many emotions, and that led to his eventual downfall.”
“I just hope she’s still here,” Alexandra said.
They reached the top of the hill and a silver tree grew amidst the standing stones. Slightly red in color, the rock formation encircled the tree. Another pool rested at the base of the tree, inviting her. Smoke hung heavy in the air, but she didn’t choke. Perhaps her body in Eden was made from different material, as she noticed she wasn’t even winded from all the running.
She stepped towards the tree and was immediately slammed to the ground. The world dissolved and she was on the stone table again, lashed in place. Extreme agony overwhelmed her when she realized her skin was still peeled aside and her bones exposed to the chilling wind. She screamed but no sound escaped her mouth.
“Not long now,” Lilev said, her voice as grating as the wind on her bones.
Then, she was once more in Eden, gasping for breath.
“Alejandra,” Koneh said, concern across his face. “You must tell me what’s happening to you!”
She gathered herself and looked into his deep, emerald eyes.
“I’m going to destroy Eden,” she said. “But I’ve run out of time.”
“Destroy…?” His voice trailed into a whisper.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I don’t know any other way.”
Koneh gazed at the tree for a few moments, lost in thought. Then, he returned his eyes to her and said, “End it. From the moment I arrived in Eden, I knew something was not right. We were not meant to live eternally. That is not for us. Like the other animals of the Earth, we are supposed to live and die. What happens in between those two events is differently significant to each individual, but it shouldn’t be tampered with. If you have the power to end it, then you must.”
Babylon (Eden Saga Book 2) Page 27