Dawn Of The Aakacarns

by John Buttrick

  Pan shook his head. “I’m not refusing to help; I am just not willing to do this without Natura.”

  Jubal had no objection to adding her to the group. “Very well, she can be part of our team,” he paused, satisfied with how the meeting was progressing. “You realize each of us will be seen as a zealot working to fulfil a religious notion, rather than a hero who is trying to avert disaster.”

  “I assure you the thought crossed my mind,” Thanatos replied. “There are many zealots with all sort of religious notions, some quite far-fetched, even the queen, but in this matter I am firm in my conviction.”

  Ursa nodded her agreement and added, “And there is honor in standing up for what we believe in.”

  The others quickly expressed their understandings of how their actions would be perceived by those who disagreed, which Jubal was pleased to hear, even though Hermes added, “I would follow you even if I did not believe in the divine imperative.” It had been an honest answer and Jubal realized he could not have asked for better.

  “I have some nice new Aakatools that will be useful in our endeavor. Take a look at what I have,” he said, and then opened the drawer and pulled out a box of producers.”

  The door slammed open and in walked Vicky with Laara and Pan’s twins, Gemini and Gemma, following right behind her. “Oh, what pretty figurines you have there,” Victoria exclaimed.

  Natura came in behind her while the four-year-old twins ran to their father, who scooped them into his arms. Gemini and Gemma, other than one being a boy and the other a girl, were identical, both having vivid green eyes, hair the color of chestnuts, and skin the tint of pine. Fortunately they favored their mother in appearance.

  Laara ran around the desk and practically flew into her father’s lap. Her right hand shot out at the box of producers and latched onto the white winged-horse. “Pegasus, pretty Pegasus!” The tiny Nephilim gave the figurine a name and hugged it tight.

  Jubal thought about the vision Cassi had described years earlier, a seeing that inspired him to create five particular animal-shaped amulets. “I want each of you to show me which figure you find the most appealing.”

  Victoria walked over and grabbed the winged-panther, Hermes snatched hold of the falcon with gold speckles on its wings, Pan shifted his daughter slightly in order to pick up the raven, and Natura reached for the brown spotted owl. Ursa took the bear and Thanatos immediately took the condor, leaving the white eagle, copper-feathered hawk, and a lioness alone in the box. Bast picked up the queen of beasts.

  Jubal nodded, silently noting the picks of Pan, Natura, and Hermes. If they ended up being the individuals in Cassiopeia’s viewing then it meant those three could be trusted to help him for years to come. He noted the other picks as well and trusted Thanatos, Bast, and Ursa. Victoria he was not so sure about. Should he invite her to join the team?

  “Now that you see which figure we each find appealing, tell us, what do these Aakatools do?” Thanatos asked after cautiously placing the producer back in the box. “I can see by the gold chains they are meant to be worn rather than held.”

  Jubal pointed toward the oblong container and each person, except Laara, placed their choice back inside. “I will take that for now,” he told his daughter and she reluctantly allowed him to take the winged-horse from her hand. “I will make you another, Pegasus,” he decided to call the thing, “because this one is not a toy.”

  All eyes were on him, everyone was interested in hearing the answer to the question. “They contain the Aaka, Metamorphosis, and therefore allow the wearer to summon the image preset in the figurine. The amulet must be in contact with the wielder’s skin. After that, it is a matter of willing the potential forth.”

  “You mean I can put that on and become a bear?” Ursa wanted confirmation and her eyes widened so much it was a wonder they did not pop out of their sockets. The prospect clearly excited the bulky Nephilim.

  Jubal shook his head. “No, you can use that device to assume the form of a bear. Not to become a bear.”

  Pan eyed the raven. “If I were to use that producer and assume the form of that beautiful black bird, would I be able to fly?”

  Natura shook her head. “No, my dear, you could never flap your arms fast enough to get into the air.”

  Pan stroked his beard in thought and then halted, eyes widening. “I could jump off a tower, that way I would already be high in the air.”

  “And likely fall to your death,” Thanatos offered his opinion.

  Hermes opened his mouth and then closed it quickly as if he was about to ask a question and suddenly either thought better of it or something else occurred to him. He nodded and smiled. “The bear, the lioness, and even the winged-panther and horse are forms that can function on the ground, but the birds are useless unless they can fly.”

  Bast looked to her employer. “He is correct about their lack of effectiveness, unless you know how to make them fly. Have you actually done so?”

  “If you have, I want to be taught right away,” Victoria practically demanded. “The black panther you made has wings and so should be able to fly.”

  Everyone began talking at once until Jubal raised his hand, signaling for silence. “No, I have not yet flown, although Cassiopeia is certain I will do so in the future,” he omitted how soon the attempt would be so as not to worry them, “when I conquer flight the bird forms will become very useful, but until then the wingless beasts will have to do. By the way, Vicky, is there a reason you invaded my study?”

  His sister bit on her lower lip, pretending to be sorry. “I actually thought you would be in your workshop. After Laara and I met Natura and the twins, we came here in order to be closer to Vashti without disturbing her. Children at play tend to make noise and so we, Natura and I, decided to limit the chaos to one space.”

  Pan’s wife spread her hands wide. “I of course read the note given to my husband and knew of the meeting and the topic, which I agree with you on. Both of us assumed more people would be in attendance and so your workshop seemed the logical location. With the firm notion young ears have no business hearing the subject of discussion I sought out Victoria so the twins could play with your daughter. I had no idea you were in here until your sister opened the door.”

  Jubal agreed about keeping younger ears from hearing the discussion and made a decision. It was time to take the next step, which had depended on the response of his invited guests. “Your notion is correct and as it happens, we are about to go to the workshop, and this room will shortly be available.”

  Pan placed his children on the floor and turned to Vicky. “Why don’t you stay here and watch the young ones while the rest of us adults go to the workroom?”

  He clearly wanted his wife involved in the next series of discussions.

  The pout that formed on Victoria’s face was adorable; she could be very charming at times without even trying, and just as easily turn into a screaming harridan. “I want to know what cannot be spoken of in front of the children and I can see by the look in his eyes my brother is up to something, no doubt something insanely dangerous.”

  Jubal knew he had to promise her something as a distraction. “If you stay, I will teach you the Aaka, Diagnosis, it will allow you to determine what ails a person.”

  His sibling’s dark eye’s widened at the prospect of adding a Melody to her repertoire. “Very well, I will stay. But know I will find out whatever you are up to and either help accomplish the goal or try to talk you out of it. Cassiopeia sees a future for you but that doesn’t mean you cannot be busted up badly by one of your experiments.”

  Her last sentence touched on the original reason his nerves were on edge, but the unsettling feelings would not keep him from trying what he had in mind. “Tomorrow, after I teach you the Aaka, we will talk, and if I like your answers the topic of discussion will be made know to you,” he replied, knowing better than to get into a useless argument over actions he was going to take no matter what she said to him.


  She opened her mouth as if to argue, but then just as quickly closed it and nodded agreement. Jubal placed the box of amulets back inside the desk and then summoned potential using Shaping Wood to seamlessly seal the drawer closed. “We can go now,” he announced and then quietly led the others out of the study, down the hall, and into the workroom. A sphere with a hue matching the pink flower cluster of a laurel suddenly appeared near the ceiling, lighting up the room.

  “Thank you, Ursa,” Jubal told her while leading them beyond the workbench and tables upon which completed Aakatools were placed in neat rows, and then led his team on to the supply closet. The inside was lined with shelves holding materials for making Aakatools; metals, gems, and various types of wood. All were suddenly illumined by a yellow sphere that reminded him of the downy breast feathers of a meadowlark. “And thank you, Bast.”

  He walked over to the shelves where the gems were stored and then pulled. As the woodwork frame came forward, a door opened, revealing another small chamber. “As you will note, I have been wielding potential most of the afternoon in order to create this and what is down below.”

  “Lead on,” Thanatos said while pointing a bony-white finger.

  The chamber held a spiral stairway that led deep down below the foundation laid by Berktor. Jubal summoned a blue sphere, sent it into the depths ahead of his descending steps, and then the collector of the dead and the rest of the team followed him down to the lowest level.

  “You made an underground pool,” Natura apparently felt the need to say out loud what was plainly before their eyes. It had to have been the novelty that led her to state the obvious.

  “Yes,” Jubal acknowledged the large circle taking up the center of the room. A stone bench surrounded the opening. The pool also had a brass rail around the edge at the waterline. “Through that pipe the Aaka, Spout a Leak, will draw water up to the bathtub on the fourth floor. I’m thinking Vashti will love it.”

  “She absolutely will,” Bast assured him.

  “Definitely,” Natural confirmed and then looked to her husband. “I want an indoor water supply.”

  “Of course, my dear,” Pan wisely agreed but shook his fist at Jubal when the women went to take a closer look at the pool.

  Jubal smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and then left the wooly Melody-wielder standing alone at the stairwell. Thanatos wasted no time getting to the pool. He scooped up a handful of water and took a drink. “This is cool and refreshing, but I wonder why you created this large pool when all you required was a much smaller well and that pipe to access all the water needed for drinking and bathing.”

  Ursa gripped the railing with one hand while swirling her other hand in the water. “I suppose you could come down here for a secluded bath. I know I would.”

  Bast touched the water and recoiled the way a cat would. “No thank you. A tub is deep enough for me. This looks like it goes down a long ways. I don’t see a bottom.”

  Jubal squatted beside her. “This is part of an underground river that flows on and on for spans. I have not had time to explore just how far it does go, but those steps I created descend to a small vent that leads to the river.”

  “How did you hold your breath for long enough to do something like that?” Pan wanted to know.

  “Yes,” Hermes apparently had the same question. “What Aaka allows a person to breathe under water?’

  “It is one of a growing number of Melodies that have been restricted by the Aakasear. Beyond myself, Vashti, and the royal couple, the only person who knows this Aaka is Poseidon, and only because he is working with the king on some project involving water,” Jubal replied. “Fortunately for you, Aqua Sphere is one of the few restricted Melodies that can be taught at my discretion without Roddy’s permission.”

  The son of Zeus suddenly had a huge grin that threatened to stay permanently on his face if he did not relax the muscles soon. “You created a way to sneak out of the city without being seen.”

  “You are a quick study,” Jubal confirmed while pointing at his assistant, “that is exactly why this pool is so big.”

  “Do not forget, good and trustworthy,” Hermes automatically responded, listing his other qualities. “I admit to having had serious doubts about getting people out of the city unseen, and while this particular route may not be ideal in every circumstance, I can see how with the right Aakas and applications, we might just manage to accomplish your goal.”

  “Why do you think this route is less than ideal?” Ursa asked while waving her right arm in a gesture meant to take in the whole of the room.

  It was Bast who answered, “The huge numbers of people coming into Jubal’s house and not leaving would draw attention to the fact that something was going on within. The Instructor will have to create other such places, preferably dry, that can be used as way stations with tunnels that lead out into the wilderness.”

  Pan came over and stood near the pool, but well clear of the edge. “I can see you put a lot of thought into this endeavor. What do you want us to do?”

  Jubal stood up straight. “Pan, I want you to prepare the site at high ground where the caravans camped during the storm. You can find it by following the arrows carved into the trees.”

  “I have seen a few of them, but have never followed the markings more than a few spans. I will do this for you, but what is the purpose?”

  “Initially the first group will live there and some of the inmates we free. The settlement will also serve as a point for us to take additional people who will stay temporarily until I can scout the next location. Filling the world is going to take a long time, especially since we have no idea how big it is. The campsite is a viable place to begin such an undertaking,” Jubal gave the reply while trying not to think of the enormity of the task. Breaking the duty down to manageable bits was the only way to keep him from concluding it was impossible.

  “Like some of your wilder notions, the idea just is not feasible,” Roddy had told him earlier in the day.

  Jubal had to make what seemed impossible into something feasible or face divine wrath. If he failed everyone would pay the price, which meant failure was not an option. “While Pan is doing his part, Natura, Hermes, and Ursa, I want you to causally speak to people in order to learn their opinions of the divine imperative.”

  “Now that I understand what you intend to do with the inmates who have over extended sentences, and have concluded from the present conversation how it relates to the divine imperative, I am willing to help. It will take careful questioning but I can learn what you need to know,” Natura agreed. “I’m sure to find a goodly number of people willing to give their opinions and then determine which of them feel as the king does and which feel as we do.”

  “I will do the same but had hoped to be doing something a little more important,” Ursa reluctantly agreed.

  Jubal placed a hand on her shoulder. “What you will be doing is very important. In fact, all of what you see here will mean little if we do not identify the families who desire to go fill the earth.”

  “Then I will do it,” the big women affirmed with more enthusiasm.

  The son of Zeus had been staring at the pool as if lost in speculation, but looked up to acknowledge his part. “No problem, I am good at talking, and will learn what we need to know.”

  Bast moved away from the pool but her gaze stayed fixed on her instructor. “Unlike Hermes and Thanatos, I am skilled at hunting and scouting, and it seems to me, since Pan has an assignment, you might be well-served in allowing me to learn the patrol patterns and schedules of the Weapocarns. They will never know I am tracking them.”

  Jubal nodded affirmatively, recognizing her skill. “It certainly would be useful information since I have not kept up with the hunters in years and only know the ones who serve in this house. Go and learn what you can, keeping in mind that you and all of us must behave normally so as not to arouse suspicion. I was going to ask if you had ever been to the compound. I have no idea what the facility even l
ooks like. Someone needs to scout it out, but we can work on that later. Does Xerxes still work as a guard at the camp? It is possible I could persuade him to join our cause and at the least he could prove to be a good source of information.”

  Most everyone was shaking their heads and it was clear none of them had entered the place where the convicts lived or knew anything about the guards. The knowledge was crucial to helping Betsenadab and the people living in a similar situation.

  Thanatos rubbed his chin as if giving the matter some thought. Eventually he nodded, apparently having arrived at a conclusion. “You spoke of teaching the Aaka, Diagnosis, to your sister. It occurs to me I need to learn that Melody and all of the healing tunes the Aakasear has composed.”

  Jubal was curious. “And why is that?” The collector of the dead was not exactly known for handling living people and few would look forward to his touch.

  “Someone must go onto the compound and meet the convicts. I will volunteer to be the healer. As far as I know, no one treats their ailments so not only will I learn everything we need to know, I will be providing a worthy service. If Xerxes is still among the guards, I will know, and tell the Tiny you wish to speak with him,” Thanatos replied with a well thought out answer to the problem.

  “We can go back up to my workshop, you all can begin your tasks, and I will write out the Melodies pertaining to healing,” Jubal replied.

  “It might be easier if you provide me with producers containing those Aakas,” Thanatos suggested.

  Hermes slapped his own forehead. “Someone tell me he did not ask for the dullard’s way out.”

  Jubal waved it all away with a swipe of his hand. “It does not matter. Most of the healing Melodies require physical contact with the patient and therefore must be performed mentally. The knowledge you seek requires mastery of the tunes.”

  “Then I shall master the tunes,” Thanatos replied resolutely.