“You’ll die.”
“As it should have always been,” he said, helping her to her feet again. “We have reached our final destination, and it is not of our choosing or design. Whatever name our various religions have called it through the ages, this reward is not for us. It is for whoever put Eden into place – another chamber in which to study our bared souls.”
As he led her towards the pool, that puzzle Alexandra envisioned exploded and came together again. All the pieces rearranged, she experienced an epiphany.
“You once told me that only living creatures have souls,” she said. “I think you’re wrong. Everything has a soul. What we call a soul is simply the essence and true nature of a thing. A mountain has a soul, as does a blade of grass upon its slope. While these things may not operate like we do as animals, a mountain still shields a valley from wind and a blade of grass reaches towards the sun. To think that we animals are the only things capable of some transcendent qualities is blind ignorance. Arrogance, even, to think we are more special than the soil beneath our feet and the air which sustains us. There are many things our eyes cannot see, and one of them is the thread which weaves us all together in some way I have yet to comprehend. But, I know this thread exists. I know it in my heart as much as I know my own name.”
She paused and then said, “The souls of the Earth were put under my charge, and I must protect them – all of them. And while I lament for the souls trapped here, Eden must be destroyed. Whether it was built by Elah or some other “god” before or after Him, I don’t care. The natural order will be restored.”
She dropped to her knees at the pool, Koneh beside her.
He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and said, “My eyes have never been so open, Alejandra. You have shown me so many things in our brief time together.”
Alexandra gazed upwards to the translucent fruit hanging from the silver tree. Did that fruit hold the same knowledge she now possessed? Was the parable of Eden’s forbidden fruit simply Elah’s countermeasure to this dangerous knowledge? Or was He actually concerned with how humanity would react to that knowledge? Could she handle it? Would it annihilate her own humanity?
“I’m thankful to have met you, Alejandra,” Koneh said. “In whatever fate waits for me after this, if there is one, I shall never love another as completely as I love you.”
Alexandra looked into his eyes and smiled. She was finally at peace with her decision and could do what she wasn’t sure she could when she agreed to Lilev’s outlandish plan.
“Good bye,” she said as she placed her hand on his cheek. “I have wept long enough for
all that we could have been. Such is the sadness of our world and our mortality. These tragedies make life all the sweeter for those who remain, and serve as lessons for generations to come. I fear I won’t survive the task that lies before me, but I am also thankful for the time we shared. You discovered me. For that, I am eternally grateful.”
He held her head between his hands and stared into her eyes. Though she knew this was the end of their time together, a part of her felt at peace. Their mutual love had conquered the wasteland, conquered Eden – and a part of her knew that love transcended life, death and the other mysteries unknown to her. In a way, she had always loved him and always would. They existed both in that moment and in all moments. She didn’t understand the truths she glimpsed, but she believed in them.
Somehow, they were eternal.
“I feel it too,” Koneh said.
She had never been closer to anyone. For a brief moment, they shared thoughts. They experienced each other’s lifetime and eternity. They were whole and complete as their memories, hearts and intellects melded. As soon as it came, the experience passed.
“And I know it as you do,” he continued. “We are eternal, no matter what happens now. I think we glimpsed something only known to gods.”
They kissed for the last time – a pure, heart-encompassing kiss. Their shared eternity exploded between them and, for the first time since their separation, she felt a sense of peace wash over her. Then, after a final glance, she turned away from him. She knew she could contain her tears, but she didn’t want to. He deserved all her tears, but that needed to wait. Her own grief and joy over her newfound realizations would be a topic for future contemplation, if she was ever afforded the chance.
Erzulie’s image appeared on the surface of the water. Radiant in the sun, she had her hand against the bark of another silver tree. Whatever she was doing, Alexandra didn’t have time to wait.
With her farewell to Koneh finished, she concentrated and appeared next to the angel. This tree was beside a placid lake, in a small grove. Alexandra wasted no time and she pulled her friend from the tree. Both women tumbled to the ground
Erzulie blinked and gasped.
“It’s me,” Alexandra said.
They embraced as glistening tears streamed from Erzulie’s all-white eyes. Though their
naked bodies pressed together, Alexandra felt no lust between them. She did wonder how far
an angel’s body mimicked a human as Erzulie seemed completely equipped.
“How long has it been?” Erzulie asked. “My heart aches right now, is that normal?”
Alexandra stroked the angel’s dark hair and said, “Shhhh. Quiet now. Everything is going to be fine. I’m here.”
“I-I came to Eden and it was so overwhelming. I couldn’t-“
“Shhh, shhh. You can tell me everything later,” Alexandra said as she broke the embrace and held Erzulie’s eyes. “Right now, I need your help.”
Erzulie wiped her eyes and said, “Of course!”
“You have half my soul, just as you thought,” Alexandra said. “That’s how you were able to enter Eden.”
The angel nodded.
“And now, I’m going to have to ask you to trust me,” Alexandra said. “I don’t have time to explain, but know that I haven’t come to this decision lightly. Everything depends on the next few moments. Can I count on you?”
Erzulie exhaled and appeared more composed. “I trust you, Lex,” she said. “With all my heart I do.”
“Good,” Alexandra said as she helped her friend to her feet and led her to the silver tree. “We must destroy Eden.”
Erzulie flinched and opened her mouth to speak. She paused, bit her lip and then nodded.
Absolute trust.
“I saw a keystone under the tree on the mountain,” Alexandra said. “Like when I opened the gates, all I had to do was desire it and it happened. I think if we remove the keystone, Eden will fall as did Heaven and Hell.”
“Where did you obtain this information?” Erzulie asked, all business now.
Alexandra shook her head. “I’m trusting my gut. I also had a little nudge from the Crone and Lilev.”
Raising her eyebrows, Erzulie said, “Lilev?”
“Too much to explain right now. Do you trust me?”
“For all time,” Erzulie said, kissing Alexandra on the cheek. “Let us make the future together.”
“Right. So, touch the tree and concentrate on that keystone. I’m not strong enough to remove it on my own. I’m hoping we can do it together.”
Erzulie intertwined her fingers with Alexandra’s, smiled and said, “I’m ready.”
They touched the tree at the same time and Alexandra felt her friend by her side. They floated to the mountain and found the keystone. Golden amongst the hazy world of their ethereal travel, it represented the foundation of Eden. Together, Alexandra and Erzulie pushed against the stone.
It didn’t budge.
For what seemed like days, they pushed but the keystone remained.
Then, Alexandra was flung from the tree and she landed in the rocky wasteland outside of Babylon. Lilev was stitching her skin back over her bones. The orange-black sky roiled overhead and the demoness’ foul breath filled her nostrils.
“Welcome-“ Lilev said, but the scene dissolved again as Alexandra fought to remain in Eden.
Not time yet!
She strained to remember the tree by the lake, Eden and Erzulie. Like honey dripping down the side of a wall, Eden came back into view. Erzulie was over her, holding her head off the ground.
“Lex?”
Alexandra nodded as the world solidified and the gentleness of Eden surrounded her once more. She feared she wouldn’t have another chance.
“We must try again!” Alexandra said.
They returned to the tree and attempted to push, break and demolish the keystone. Nothing worked. They just weren’t strong enough.
Alexandra pulled them from the tree and fell to her knees, exhausted. Erzulie also panted from the strain.
“We can’t destroy it,” Alexandra finally said, verbalizing what they both knew.
Erzulie shook her head. “I’m so sorry to have failed you.”
“It is not your failure, it is mine,” Alexandra said. “This was my destiny and I have failed.”
She hung her head and thought of everyone who still fought for life on Earth: Benjamin, General Ryan, Santino, Medina, Delia. She had failed them all.
Earth!
Alexandra looked again to the tree with renewed hope. She remembered the threads she saw connecting Eden to Earth and whatever else was beyond. If she couldn’t destroy Eden, could she remove its connection to Earth? Effectively shutting the door?
Her heart quickened and she turned to Erzulie. “There’s no more good you can do here,” she said. “Use the pool and return to Earth.”
Her face questioning, Erzulie asked, “What?”
Alexandra stood. Her determination fueled her.
“Concentrate on Lilev and go to her,” Alexandra said. “No matter what happens now, the Earth will need you.”
“And you?”
Alexandra reached for the tree and stopped with her fingers millimeters from the bark. “I have an idea. Trust me.”
Erzulie was visibly torn, but she nodded. “I will see you again soon,” the angel said.
“Thank you,” Alexandra said. “Thank you for believing in me and for being here when I needed you the most.”
“It was my honor to serve-“
“No,” Alexandra said. “You know how I feel about that.”
Erzulie smiled. “You didn’t let me finish. I was going to say: it was my honor to serve by your side as your friend.”
Alexandra contained her tears as she felt her heart rip again. She realized she’d likely never see her friend again.
“Go. Now!” Alexandra said and she touched the tree with her full palm.
The lakeside dissolved into the misty realm. Alexandra swam through the ether until she reached the tree on the mountain. Just as she remembered, two distinct threads connected Eden’s Keystone to other places: one to Earth and one stretching out into unknown darkness.
She inspected the thread leading into nothingness and couldn’t decipher anything about it. Concentrating on it told her nothing and she wasn’t able to detach it from Eden. For lack of a better idea, the thread appeared alien to her in every way.
The thread to Earth was a different matter. It was full of familiar themes to her: water, land, sky, animals, plants, emotions. She was able to twist the thread through her fingers and know its connection between the realm of Eden and the realm of Earth.
She also knew she could sever the thread, thus shielding Earth from Eden.
And she paused.
What would her act mean to the souls still in Eden? Sure, if she destroyed Eden the souls would be lost. At least, that was her assumption. But she was planning to simply cut Eden off from Earth. Eden would endure, and so would the souls there. To what fate did she plan to leave them? What evil loomed over the hearts of Eden? Was it a fate worse than destruction?
Again, she felt like she was acting on incomplete information, forced to make a hasty decision based upon limited facts.
Was there another option?
Did she have time to search for one?
That second question was the more practical one. She couldn’t afford to be ripped from Eden. Even if Lilev was able to send her back, Eden burned and something was coming. In her heart, she felt the proximity of that dreadful force. This was likely her only chance to protect the souls on Earth.
Lilev and the Crone, two nearly eternal beings, believed Eden needed to be destroyed to save their planet. For countless millennia, Lilev hunted prophets to divine the future and avoid some apocalypse worse than the quake. Were both of them mad? Did Eden really pose a threat?
It all came down to trust.
Did Alexandra trust them? Their information? Their motives?
Erzulie trusted Alexandra with all her heart – a heart made whole by half of Alexandra’s soul. With blinding faith, Erzulie attempted to destroy Eden with her. She didn’t ask for an explanation, she trusted Alexandra knew what was best.
Absolute trust.
Lilev was once human. The Crone claimed to be the caretaker of all souls on Earth. Did Alexandra have absolute trust in them?
Throughout her entire adult life, Alexandra had never put her entire faith into anyone besides herself. She knew she could rely on herself, but she rarely trusted others. Results were guaranteed when she was at the helm. In her work and social life, she realized she never put her faith into another person. She even doubted Koneh until she was inside the gates of Eden on their first journey.
She only had faith in herself, and she realized that was a fatal flaw.
How could she accomplish anything, love anyone or live a complete life if she never trusted? Placing her faith in others was the same as placing it in herself, since everyone and everything was connected. Her fear of trust was obsolete and she discarded it as the last vestige of Old Alexandra.
She smiled peacefully and cut the thread which connected Eden to Earth. Then, she fell into the darkness.
Chapter 29
Erzulie’s melodious voice contrasted with Lilev’s grating demands to stop struggling against her bindings.
“Just rest,” Erzulie said.
“You mustn’t move, child,” Lilev said. “You make it worse.”
At first, Alexandra didn’t feel the pain. But then, like a distant train whistle, it came rushing towards her. She thought she had her eyes open, but she couldn’t see. Every part of her ached to her very core. Her skin felt like an extra layer of bulky clothing. Her throat was raw and dry. The cold air bit at her ears and nose. Her organs felt like they had all burst open. The pain was so immeasurable, she almost felt numb to it.
Rain pattered on the rocks nearby but she didn’t feel any on her body.
Hours passed.
Days?
Hushed and chopped words floated to her through the darkness.
“The city… Activity-”
“What did you do to her?”
“… necessary.”
“Water everywhere.”
“There were bodies… I know one.”
“Sword?”
“A coyote’s dirge…”
Slowly, one shade brighter at a time, the world came into focus. She was in the rock gully. It was dark. The rain had stopped, as had her agony. Only the distant ache of pain permeated her entire body. Movement to her side.
Erzulie’s perfect face came into her field of vision. The angel smiled and said, “Welcome back.”
Alexandra was no longer restrained. She sat upright on the stone table and looked at her friend. Her memories jumbled, she tilted her head to the side and raised one of her eyebrows.
“Look down,” Erzulie said, sadness in her voice.
Still dressed in the black ritual gown, Alexandra inspected her bare arms. Her skin was stitched together like somebody built her from scraps of her own skin. Her legs and feet were in the same condition. Pushing the gown aside, her chest and stomach were also stitched.
Horrified, she bent over the side of the rock and dry heaved. Erzulie held her arm but she was of little comfort.
Erzu
lie put her hand on Alexandra’s back and said, “I’m so sorry.”
When the nausea had passed, Alexandra composed herself and asked, “What happened?”
“I will let the butcher explain herself to you,” Erzulie said harshly. “As far as Eden goes, you did it.”
“Did what?”
“The gates are gone,” Erzulie said. “Blown apart by whatever force you unleashed in Eden.”
“Gone?”
The angel nodded and cradled Alexandra’s face in her hands. “You succeeded.”
The feeling of dread she encountered in Eden was no more. Instead, her heart felt light and free, despite her terror over whatever happened to her skin while she was gone. Eden was the focus of her life for well over a year, and now she was rid of it. Her guilt over opening Eden without knowing the consequences floated away like mist and she closed her eyes in relief.
“Gone,” she breathed and her shoulders slumped.
“How did you do it?” Erzulie asked, gathering her friend in her arms.
After taking some time to enjoy her friend’s safe embrace, Alexandra said, “I couldn’t destroy it. Instead, I cut the thread that connected Eden to Earth. I guess it worked. The gates really exploded?”
“Yes,” Erzulie said. “They did. So tremendous was the force, the canyons and rock hills in the area were torn asunder. Water has flooded into Babylon.”
“Oh no,” Alexandra said, her heart sinking. “Did anyone die?”
“I’m not certain. Lilev is inspecting the damage now. We think only a portion of the city flooded.” A slight grin crept across Erzulie’s face and she said, “The roof of the tower was taken clear away.”
Alexandra’s emotions about Shaun and Nebu were conflicted. Who was the Child King? Why did they befriend her and raise her as a saint?
Her thoughts then shifted to someone else in the tower.
“Medina!” she shouted.
“Stay still,” Erzulie said, her hand on Alexandra’s shoulder. “You are too weak to go anywhere.”
Babylon (Eden Saga Book 2) Page 28