Dawn Of The Aakacarns

by John Buttrick

  The shaking, crashing, and smashing seemed to go on for an eternity, yet the quake could not have been going on more than minutes. The violence ended and then began again with aftershocks that seemed to come so they could knock down whatever building had not been razed from the previous one. Through it all Jubal’s thirst grew and he could feel his life-force waning.

  The dust cloud from the fallen city obscured his view for a while but when it settled he could see the quake was over. The only sounds were those of people crying out in pain, fear, and loss. From his quick estimate more than thirty-three thousand souls had survived and would be alive to see the dawn, a remarkable achievement, and one he wished had not been necessary.

  -----

  After setting down and releasing the people he had rescued during the night, Jubal sat watching the dawn from the glassless window of his bedroom with a cool breeze brushing his face. He had witnessed the towers fall, including the big one, and even had recognized Roddy’s hue high above the remnants of the royal palace. Daylight had brought with it a new perspective.

  People were down in the street moving through the debris and trying their best to communicate with one another. The inability to understand each other would hinder the process of rebuilding. Rather than work at repairs, each person was walking around trying to find someone who could speak to them. Jubal had witnessed it happen. A man called out and eventually a small group of people came, they huddled together, and then began rejoicing. He noted seven groups do the same thing, but the people from one group had not been able to communicate with people from another group. He had not yet seen two groups who could speak to each other.

  Jubal wondered briefly if he should have fought Roddy to spare the city from the wreckage that came as a result of his decision, but the thought was fleeting, being buried under a mound of regrets. Mel had given plenty of warning, but few people listened and Jubal did not excuse his part in the lapse. He had done what he could over the recent past, but in the end lacked the will to use his power against his friend. The fall of Semidon was everybody’s fault, but mostly due to decisions made by the Instructor of Aakacarns and the Aakasear. If they had worked together people would have listened, gone out to establish new settlements, many of those would have grown into cities, and Semidon would have been the capitol. He never felt so guilty in his life, but would not allow even those feelings to keep him from doing what he could for the people depending on him for protection.

  Given his colossal failure, thousands had died, he marveled over the fact that people still seemed to want his protection. Of the thirty people in his household staff, only four could speak the same language as him and so departed. He counted it a blessing Vashti could understand him, in fact she was off doing something regarding the confusion, but he had no interest in understanding the fullest extent of the calamity.

  The Aakacarns assigned by Roddy to keep a watch on Jubal’s domestic tranquility had also been affected by what had to have been an Aaka of confusion. The guards could not even communicate with each other and so they went off to check on their own families, Jubal did not blame them for doing so, he would have done the same thing.

  His house was nearly empty of people. He could speak to Vicky, but not Bast or Ursa. He could speak to Cassi and Anak, but not to Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Apollo, or Artemis. The division of languages made no sense to him, dividing families the way it did. The triplets and the twins could all speak to each other, but not to Loki, who left before the sun came up. No one in the house had been able to communicate with the trickster.

  A knock on the door indicated someone was about to enter. “I will give you another hour to wallow in guilt and then insist you eat something,” Cassi told him.

  Jubal turned to face her. “I am not hungry but I do feel the need to hug my daughters, so I will be down shortly.”

  His older sister nodded. “Word has spread, Nimrod is on the way. I do not know if he is going to interrogate you or cry on your shoulder.”

  Jubal shook his head, wondering if she was attempting to lighten the mood. “I guarantee he is not coming to weep, nor is he coming to say, I told you so.”

  “No, that line is yours, if you choose to use it,” she replied.

  He should have been worried. If Truth Speak was used it would be impossible not to give the names of everyone who had helped with the task. Guilt and irritation with himself were eating at him at the moment and his primary emotions. However, determination made up for the rest. “I want him to accept that I tried to prevent what has happened and hope he will drop his plan to retrieve and arrest the settlers. At the very least he can arrest me, but I will not allow him in a fit of ego to destroy my family or those who have worked so closely with me on the task.”

  “What if he uses an Aaka on you and forces you to inform on us all?” Cassiopeia shared her concern.

  Jubal took hold of her hand. “I agreed to house arrest based on what remains of our friendship. If he uses Truth Speak on me, after that we may no longer be friends.”

  Her eyes widened. “Does that mean you will fight him?”

  Jubal shook his head. “You and Victoria are always quick to jump to the possibility. No, but I would take my family and move elsewhere. He cannot, nor would not stop me.”

  “Vicky is still keeping watch over your daughters. She will not allow anyone but us to get near them.”

  “Good,” Jubal replied.

  “Do you want to meet him here?”

  Jubal stood up. “The study will be fine.”

  She went down to the first floor and Jubal, after spending some time with his daughters, went down to the second floor to wait for who he hoped was still his friend. A familiar face walked up to his desk.

  “The king will be here soon and I wanted to be on hand,” Pan explained his presence, bringing a bit of joy to the day.

  Jubal could not hold back the smile. “I understood you. We speak the same language!”

  The wooly-headed Aakacarn nodded. “We certainly flooding do. Last night was hard on us all, but I have to admit when Vashti came and spoke with Natura I began to feel much better about today. Do you even know if you can speak the same language as Nimrod?”

  “If we do and he tries to get your name from me, he will not be successful. However, if you are here when he arrives, Roddy is clever enough to figure out you could be one of my fellow conspirators,” Jubal replied.

  “I have spoken to Orion and Andromeda,” Pan seemed pleased to announce that and also to avoid responding to the last words of his friend.

  “If you can, than I can. Say, why don’t you spend some time walking around and find out how many people you can communicate with,” Jubal suggested.

  The Aakacarn nodded. “Aye, tis a good idea, one I think our women are already working on. They are way ahead of us and you are trying to send me away.”

  Jubal would not find it a bit surprising to find out that they were way ahead of him on dealing with the language problem, on other issues as well. Pan had certainly seen through the attempt to place him in the clear.

  Anak stepped into the room. “I have spoken to the king. He is right outside the door.”

  That meant they could understand each other and Jubal relaxed a little. “Send him in.”

  Cassi’s husband stepped out and then returned with Nimrod. The king was wearing his traditional gold-threaded robes and lion-skin coat, along with a crescendo on his finger. Surprisingly, Mel walked in behind him.

  “The priest and I arrived on your doorstep at the same time,” Roddy explained, even though there was no need for an explanation, either of them could come or go as they wished without being invited, and often had.

  The monarch eyed the wooly-headed Aakacarn. “Good to see you Pan. It has become rare to come across a person I can talk to.” He seemed genuinely pleased, even though he also seemed to be avoiding eye contact with his friend.

  “Aye, tis the same for me,” came the reply. “Tis flooded difficult to speak to
even some of my own kin.”

  “Mighty Melody-wielder, I need a few words alone with the Instructor and The Aakasear,” Mel wasted no time making his desire for privacy known.

  “Of course, I will be right outside this door if I am needed.”

  “Good man,” Mel replied, and coming from him that was as a high compliment.

  Jubal did not know which person gave him the most trepidation, priest or king. Both of them troubled him for different reasons.

  Mel took a seat in the first of the four chairs in front of the desk, Roddy sat in the fourth. Jubal went around and sat in his seat. The priest cleared his throat. “There is little point in my speaking of condemnation, seeing as the punishment has already occurred. At this point only a fool would argue that it was best to ignore the imperative and even though you have been foolish, neither of you is a fool.”

  “Obviously somehow in the mix up of languages you ended up speaking as we do,” Roddy shared an observation, which was better than him trying to deny being wrong.

  The priest eyed the king. “Actually I speak all of the languages, but that is not what I have come to reveal. It falls to me to explain what happened last night. You were given a dream in which you composed a very special Aaka, a Melody you mentally performed and focused through the energy amplifier on your finger while asleep. The spherical energy field encompassed the entire city. Your talent and Jubal’s innovation on your finger were merely the tools used by the Creator. The earthquake was not only retribution, but also to ensure the people of like tongues will depart rather than hang around and rebuild what has been destroyed. If you choose to stay, know few will remain for you to rule.”

  Roddy took a deep breath. “So I am no longer king of all men. This time I will ask what I should have years ago. What should I do now?”

  Mel smiled; it was refreshing to see. “I am glad you asked. Your friend here already knows what he must do and how much more difficult his task is going to become after what happened last night. One of his tasks is to point the way and I know he has the answer you seek.”

  Roddy turned to look his friend in the eyes. “Point the way to where?”

  Jubal had nothing new to offer. “I have been tasked with scouting ahead for places people can go to live. You know I have wanted to do that for you. There is nothing in the divine imperative that says you cannot build cities in diverse places and be king over all of them. Truly I feel you must do away with the institutional enslavement that currently passes for a penal code, but other than that, I think you created a pleasant environment for people to live and thrive in.”

  Roddy shook his head and glanced at the priest. “It seems that is what I must accept, although the problem of ruling from such distances still exists.”

  Mel shook his head. “If you were not so stubborn about giving up free labor and more willing to listen to your friend who has been watching your back for years, he might have told you exactly how far he has progressed in the art of Melody wielding. The last time he proposed establishing cities and you ruling over them the idea was crushed by you and your shortsightedness. That evening Jubal learned to fly and has been doing so ever since. He can fly higher and faster than an eagle and therefore great distances do not take all that long for him to cross. Now that you know all I think you should know for now, I shall be on my way.”

  The priest walked out of the room without uttering another word. Roddy sat staring at his friend. “You can fly and never told me.”

  Jubal shrugged his shoulders. “I was given a task the day you and I discovered our abilities in regard to manipulating life-force energies. I told you once I received guidance from the priest and it was my job to be the instructor of Aakacarns. Teach, innovate, and scout, those are my directives and for a long time all of those things meshed with what you wanted to achieve. Consequently we shared everything.”

  Roddy nodded understandingly. “That was until I virtually made it a crime to carry out your third directive.”

  Jubal nodded his head affirmatively, enjoying the frank meeting of the minds, and appreciated the push Mel gave in restarting the relation between him and Nimrod, but decided it was time to clear away the remaining debris or make it worse. “What about trials and sending Weapocarns to retrieve the people from their new settlements?”

  Roddy began stroking his beard, clearly giving the matter some thought. “The choices I made last night were nullified by a Melody I can no longer remember and an earthquake that has left me temporarily homeless. I am willing to let bygones be bygones if you teach me to fly in griffin form. I do not see how I could possibly rule all those cities you help me establish without being able to at least visit them on a regular basis.”

  Jubal extended his hand, “We have a deal. Does this mean I am no longer under house arrest?”

  “You are free to come and go as you wish. By the way, Ra and his team returned shortly after I left your house last night. He is angry over being robbed even though he has no idea what memories were taken. My brother can hold a grudge for a long time.”

  Jubal was glad to know the Aakacarns had made it back safely. “Did you talk with him this morning?”

  “I tried, but we no longer speak the same language,” Roddy replied and then a sigh escaped. “I really messed up. It will take days to gather everyone who speaks the same language as we and then to decide what to do. This city is cursed, people are calling it Babel. No one wants to live here anymore, not even Semiramis.”

  “We both messed up. Maybe if I had taught you to fly after I learned, you might have had a different response to another suggestion that we establish new cities,” Jubal admitted what had been eating at him since before daybreak, back when he was wondering if there was something he could have said or done to persuade Roddy.

  The king stood up while his eyes remained fixed on those of his host. “I would have certainly appreciated the lesson, but cannot say it would have changed my mind. I am not sure anything short of the disaster we just experienced would have made me see differently. Well, I came to let you know the charges against you are not dropped because they will never be brought before the court, which by the way is buried beneath the earth. So, have a good day. We should meet in a few days and discuss the work we will be doing together in the future. After all, I am the Aakasear and you are the Instructor of Aakacarns. The Nephilim can go as far as they want, but they will still need us.”

  Jubal stood up. “Yes, they will. I look forward to the work we’ll be doing together,” he replied, pleased things had worked out so well between them, but still somewhat distressed over the level of destruction he witnessed. In time he would feel better.

  They shook hands and no sooner had Roddy walked out the door then Vashti came in. “You are not in chains. You apparently did not erase his memory, so I guess the meeting went well.”

  “Well enough,” Jubal replied and then sat beside her in one of the chairs in front of the desk. “The priest came by and helped to set some matters straight. Roddy wants me to help him establish cities and teach him to fly, and in exchange we will forget about Elusion and his band of merry liberators. What have you learned?”

  “It is fortunate for you I know of Cassi’s vision and our part in it. The priest did not exaggerate about the consequences of failure. There is no question the task has gotten more difficult,” she began to answer.

  “Difficult,” Jubal interrupted, no longer able to contain his frustration. “It is nearly flooding impossible. I can scout places to settle for Roddy and other people with whom I can communicate, but how can I help people whose utterances are in comprehensible? How can I teach Aakacarns to master their potentials when they cannot understand a word I say?”

  “Language,” Natura scolded as she and Pan entered the study with him chuckling over the use of his favorite expressive word or perhaps over hearing someone else being corrected by her.

  Vashti took hold of Jubal’s hand. “So far as we can determine there are eighteen distinct lang
uages. We women have formed a circle where we pick up an object and each says what it is in their language. I admit this is a tedious process, but it means anyone willing to study hard enough can learn another language.”

  “Tedious for you means painstakingly difficult for me,” Jubal admitted.

  Natura smiled. “I discovered something you might find interesting. Music is the new universal language. All of the Nephilim who have been instructed remember how to read and write the notes you developed.”

  Jubal nodded, truly pleased by the news. “I will communicate through music, but will still need to be able to communicate with people about non-musical things.”

  “That is where we come in,” Vashti spoke up. “Natura and I seem to have a knack for learning the alternative words, which is how I see another language. We will go with you, and Pan of course.”

  Cassie walked into the room. “My vision has come true. The copper-colored hawk, white eagle, brown spotted owl, and raven blacker than the darkest night will all flock together. That only leaves the gold-speckled falcon.”

  A huge bird matching that description entered, barely fitting through the door, and a moment later Hermes stood wearing his red and black silks. “I flew home after taking the Tinies to the new settlement. The mansion is in ruins, as is most of this city, and no one could understand me. My father, mother, sisters, and brothers, all babbled at me and could not explain how all this devastation came about, so I came here. By the way this pyramid and the domed-shaped house you created for that woman and her children down the street are among the small number of dwellings still standing in Semidon. Someone please tell me what has been going on.”

  “It took a little persuading to make Roddy accept the idea of being king of many cities rather than one and also to allow people to go off and settle wherever they wish,” Jubal replied and then vacated the chair for the one behind the desk.