“Once we were home, Shallem sat Cannat in his favorite chair and then situated a small stool as close as possible to him in which he himself sat down. They sat there for a countless amount of time, continuing their silent conversation as they caressed and embraced each other.
“ ‘I hope you’ve lost all desire of ever going back there.’ Cannat told Shallem. Shallem pressed his lips together and nodded.
“ ‘I’m not going to let you leave me so easily the next time you try. All you do is get yourself in trouble and drag me into it.’
“Shallem smiled at him, looking at him with love and adoration. Meanwhile, I asked myself if even one of them knew I was present.
“ ‘Didn’t we agree not to travel in time?’ Cannat continued using a sweet but recriminatory tone of voice.
“ ‘I didn’t have a choice. You know that.’ Shallem defended himself using a soft, confidential tone.
“ ‘And the last time?’ Cannat insisted.
“ ‘I didn’t like Paris,’ Shallem argued after a few seconds, like he regretted his actions or didn’t like confessing them.
“ ‘Shallem,’ Cannat whispered firmly, letting his blue eyes rest on Shallem’s face and then gently took his face in his hands. ‘The entire planet is Paris! Forever. It doesn’t matter how faraway you run. Running does nothing, we’ll always encounter things we don’t like and the future will be even worse than the past.’
“ ‘I know. I know,’ Shallem murmured. His sad and repentant expression urged Cannat to kiss him gently on the lips as he held him in his arms. He gave me a cold look as he hugged Shallem. Then he slowly ended their embrace, looked into Shallem’s eyes, and scolded him again.
“ ‘Shallem.’ His voice clearly serious and accusatory. ‘What made you give him what you gave him? You don’t understand the consequences.’
“Shallem, suddenly alarmed, looked away. I, of course, had no idea what Cannat was referring to and would have given anything to have the courage to ask. However, Cannat did not persist. He turned his fascinating face toward me again. There was something in him that was alluringly wild. He stared at my already bulging stomach.
“ ‘It’s a boy,’ he said and clucked his tongue. ‘What a shame! I would have preferred a little girl as beautiful as her mother.’
“They both laughed. I didn’t. I stood there stupefied. It didn’t even occur to me that Shallem could know the sex of our baby. And it made me angry that, knowing the sex, he hadn’t bothered to make the slightest comment about it. Maybe Shallem thought Cannat and I were alike, that the truth of all things had been instilled in me by God and, therefore, anything he could teach me would be superfluous.
“I didn’t say anything. However, inside I felt angry, hurt, and tremendously jealous. I couldn’t have hidden that from any mortal, and much less Shallem. Suddenly, I heard a voice inside my mind. Well, not just any voice, it was my mind’s own voice repeating, like an echo, the thought that it had just been sent. I heard, ‘I’m sorry.’ A simple and decisive phrase that wasn’t brought forth by me. I was stunned speechless. Nothing like that had ever happened before. I looked at Shallem. Yes, of course it was him. He stood there, looking at me with an expression that told me those words had come from him.
“Had Cannat heard him? No, undoubtedly no. At that moment, he was absentmindedly looking at the view from the balcony. I was delighted. It was our own secret language no one else could hear. Not even Cannat, and that was the best. That’s why Shallem had used this power for the first time, and at that precise moment. Our bond and our relationship were as strong as ever. That’s what he had wanted to show me. Hearing his thought was wonderful, fascinating.”
“But, why didn’t he ever use it in the past?” the priest asked.
“Well, it’s simple, he didn’t have to. We were always together and we were always alone. I already explained how Shallem liked to use his corporeal body. Okay, let’s go on. Night fell and the hour arrived when Shallem, morose and circumspect, approached the large chest in our bedroom. That chest was my prized possession. It was enormous and had been labored over like a jewel. There were golden relief sculptures on the lid. The front and sides of the chest had been painted by none other than Botticelli himself. Inside the chest, we hid clothes, jewelry, documents and... Shallem’s sword.
“Cannat wore his sword. It was an exquisite weapon that had been forged very carefully. The hilt was adorned in gold thread. He unsheathed the sword and brandished it slowly in the air as he watched me. The light from the candles made it shimmer with gold.
“ ‘Are you coming with us?’ he asked. The mere thought of witnessing the massacre of innocent people made me tremble.
“ ‘No,’ Shallem answered for me.
“ ‘Pity. It would be more fun,’ Cannat commented.
“Fun?, I thought but there wasn’t a hint of humor or sarcasm in his voice. He even gave me a sad, pitiful look as though he were thinking, ‘We can’t change his mind. Maybe next time.’
“Cannat confused me; I didn’t know how to read him.
“They said their good-byes.
“Shallem approached me first, ‘Good-bye my love. I won’t be late,’ he whispered in a tender voice and then caressed my lips with his.
“Then Cannat drew near. When he fixed his bewitching eyes on me, it was impossible for me to look away. I trembled as he delicately caressed my hair. Cannat was..., how could I describe him? Irresistible? Yes, that may be the closest term to describe that which is indescribable. Terrifyingly irresistible.
“I tried to act normal. Shallem was watching us from the doorway, casually leaning against the frame.
“Cannat, as I mentioned, had charming manners. Elegant, gentle, and extremely refined manners. His left hand rested on the back of my neck, caressing my neck like velvet. He brought his face close to mine. I could feel his soft, fine hair tickling my skin; I could smell his distinctive aroma, an incomparable and heavenly scent identical to Shallem’s. Then, all the hairs on my body stood on end when I felt his warm and tenuous breath seductively enter my ear.
“ ‘Good-bye my love. I won’t be late,’ he repeated.
“When I felt the coldness of his kiss against my cheek, I knew the nightmare had just begun.
“They returned soon, just as they had promised. They came through the door holding on to each other like a couple of staggering drunks. They were no longer wearing their elegant, velvet jackets or their hats; their shirts were unbuttoned and soaked with blood. Wretched, dirty, and disheveled, they climbed the stairs holding onto each other as they howled with absurd and blasphemous laughter.
“I hid in the bedroom. I couldn’t stand to look at them. I could still hear the sound of their laughter and Shallem yelling my name. I stayed in the bedroom. I was stunned, confused. Shallem had never acted like that after killing.
“ ‘Oh, Shallem, Shallem!’ I heard Cannat yell. ‘How I’ve missed you! Really, I don’t know how I managed without you. I forgot how much fun we used to have! That was fabulous! Do you know why?’ his voice turned into an extremely gentle, affectionate and secretive whisper when he answered his own question. ‘Because we did it... together.’
“Cannat always savored words. With his perfect diction, he would turn them into something truly special; as if he were discovering hidden nuances within their meanings; or as if he himself had created the nuances.
“Shallem didn’t respond to his remarks, at least not with words. But I heard, with my ear attentively pressed against the door, the eloquent silence and then the even more revealing crash, as their bodies met in a compulsive embrace.
“Shallem changed under Cannat’s nefarious influence. Every night, Cannat blessed his own victims and, like a perverse teacher, urged Shallem to kill his with the most cruelty.
“And every night, they came back satisfied, intoxicated by blood and satiated by the affirmation of their supremacy, their omnipotent dominance, the taste of their own power. After their nocturnal debauchery, C
annat would always come home with Shallem. They would sit in the parlor and savor the horrid details of their crimes, the exciting obstacles they had overcome during their hunt, the useless reactions of their ill-fated victims.
“Cannat liked it when his victim’s fought fiercely, when they courageously struggled to save their lives. That, of course, made his victory more thrilling. On some occasions, when his victims displayed exceptional qualities, he would spare their lives.
“ ‘But only if they weren’t badly injured,’ he explained. ‘Courageous men are few, we mustn’t squander them. I let them live but when they recuperate, I go back for them. Doing that guarantees I’ll get another chance to have fun. It’s worth it, I assure you. If you could see their faces when they see me for the second time!’ he laughed gracefully. Cannat’s most dangerous characteristic was his ability to seem charming as he was being vicious and hateful.
“ ‘You would think they had seen the devil himself! And the things they say!’ He laughed again as he walked around the parlor gesticulating and admiring the paintings on the walls.
“ ‘Their noble imprecations, their ridiculous exorcisms, their pathetic prayers to their indifferent God Almighty! They are so pathetic! I even played with one of them three times! What miserable barbarians!’
“ ‘Oh!’ he lamented and sat down in front of Shallem, ‘It’s so difficult not to kill them when I effervesce with pleasure. How many times I’ve regretted my lack of will power! How many times have I been unable to resist the desire to watch their beautiful auras; their blue, pink, violet, and crimson auras as they leave their flaccid corpses, as they disappear forever, as they fade away along with the slow beating of their hearts.’
“ ‘That sublime moment! Multi-colored magical wakes of imponderable beauty; free, rising toward infinity like incandescent little lights! But you, Shallem, you’ve turned spineless. You’ve spent too much time living around humans.’ He gave me a fierce look, as if it were all my fault. He knelt next to Shallem, who smiled, and held his hand delicately as he caressed his fingers.
“ ‘You’ve missed your brother so much!’ Cannat whispered and kissed his hand with the same lust as if he were kissing the hand of a lover.
“When they had these types of conversations, I hid in the kitchen and pretended to give the cook instructions. Before Cannat appeared, the cook and the maid only stayed in the house long enough to clean and cook dinner. Now I had them stay the entire day. Pretending to speak to the cook gave me a reason to avoid Cannat’s unbearable and elated uproar when they returned at night. I was able to leave, surreptitiously, when I became annoyed or when I couldn’t bear to hear them describe their slaughter.
“Every night, after their chats, Cannat always left. At times, he’d walk out the door like an ordinary human. Other times, he would suddenly vanish into thin air. Occasionally, when the night had been especially exciting, he’d jump off the balcony howling like a mad man as he flipped and turned like an acrobat. Cannat loved to put on a show. He never wasted an opportunity to show off his exceptional gifts, to display his powers.
“He loved to scare, to terrorize his victims. He’d show them exactly who he was; not one died without knowing. He rarely killed with his sword, although he liked carrying it to provoke them and start the fight. Instead, he preferred using his secret techniques, his demonic tricks. Astonish them. See the astonishment in their faces, see the panic when they realized who their executioner was.
“Shallem wouldn’t let him use certain types of superhuman powers around me. He said I was too sensitive and impressionable and that I was frightened easily. Can you believe that Father? Me, impressionable? Hadn’t I had enough opportunities to die from a heart attack since I met him! My life was pure terror! Shallem never fully understood human nature, just as I would never fully understand him. In any case, Cannat couldn’t avoid using some of his abilities in front of me, abilities that we mortals incorrectly call supernatural. It wasn’t that he couldn’t control himself, rather, he deliberately wanted me to admire him. He wanted all mortals to admire him. Cannat felt like a god on Earth and he constantly boasted of being one.”
The woman paused, a lost look on her face as she directed her thoughts to those moments.
“Shallem told me,’ she continued. ‘That, just as two brothers never share the same intelligence, nor character, or beauty, neither do the angels. Cannat’s powers were infinite. Somewhat greater than Shallem’s and immensely greater than some of the other angel’s. Only one of them displayed even greater powers: Eonar. But Eonar never... almost never soiled his feet on Earth. So Cannat wielded his dominance with complete freedom, invincible, unstoppable. He was the closest thing to a living god who lived among us and he was perfectly aware of his power.
“It was very difficult for Cannat to be around me. I constantly caught him looking at me with irrepressible anger when he wanted to be alone with Shallem, or when Shallem was attentive or affectionate toward me in front of him.
“In his desire to keep me marginalized, Cannat would sprinkle his sentences with an endless amount of mysterious words which, coupled with the vague topics of their conversations, kept me completely in the dark. I, of course, didn’t dare interrupt them nor open my mouth in their presence. When Cannat specifically addressed me, I just stared, stupefied by his beauty and his elegant movements that marked the rhythm of his harmonious voice. I marveled at how different he was from Shallem, in every respect. Shallem had never made comments about him that would have led me to assume they were so different. I had imagined Cannat as a near replica of Shallem, an alter ego, a spiritual twin. How could I have thought Shallem was capable of surrendering his sweet heart to someone so evil? The word ‘devil’, when applied to Cannat, earned its true meaning. But not even Cannat was the true devil. Nothing is as simple as it seems.
“Cannat immensely enjoyed showering Shallem with affection while I was around. He would hug him, like a jealous lover, as he looked at my astounded expression and smiled deceptively. He wanted to show me whom Shallem really belonged to.
“However a few days after his arrival, Cannat discovered that he enjoyed talking to me. He enjoyed giving me long speeches, surprise me with stories that left me astonished, watch my human expression of stupefaction due to his incredible revelations, and answer my dumbfounded questions.
“ ‘But Shallem,’ he would say bewildered. ‘Haven’t you ever explained anything to this human? Don’t you ever talk to each other?’
“Shallem briefly lifted his gaze from the book he was reading and smiled. ‘Don’t believe half of what he says. He lies more than he speaks and likes to make up stories,’ he advised me.
“Cannat gave Shallem stacks of books. Almost every day he came with one under his arm. At night, Shallem and I would laugh when we were alone, suspecting that Cannat did this to distract him so he could speak to me as long as he wished. Otherwise, when Shallem wasn’t absorbed in some book, he would constantly interrupt Cannat’s lectures.
“ ‘Enough with the chitchat, Cannat. Aren’t you satisfied that you’ve already fooled millions of humans? Do you have to deceive her as well?’ Shallem affectionately scolded.
“ ‘Deceive?’ he responded in a falsely offended voice. ‘I was just trying to make their monotonous days more exciting and their lives less idle. Humans need something to believe in, someone to give their heart and soul to, someone who governs their lives and saves them for having to think for themselves. And I obligingly, and with great pleasure, volunteer to do this. They love me for it! What would happen to those incapable creatures without my guidance and comfort? And you still reproach me! Good grief! I turn myself into a buffoon just to make them happy!’
“ ‘Cynic!’ Shallem laughed.
“ ‘What are you talking about? What do you mean?’ I intervened, puzzled by their conversation.
“Cannat looked at me with pity in his eyes, as he would look at a younger sister whose comprehension was underdeveloped and she couldn’t g
rasp older people’s conversations.
“ ‘Don’t worry.’ He tried to console me. ‘I’ll explain everything, but not right now. I’ll tell you everything when this adorable nuisance isn’t around to interrupt us,’ he told me.
“One day, Cannat showed up with the latest edition of what during those time was the most well read book, it was a real success in its era and was titled Malleus Maleficarum or The Hammer of the Witches. The book was written by two Dominican inquisitors that had pieced together information from other inquisitorial manuals about what one must know about witches and how to fight them.
“Religious people thought witches, who they called by their Latin name maleficae, got their power from the devil. A witch would surrender herself to his power, she would became the devil’s servants through a “satanic pact”. The “Prince of Darkness” sealed the pact by marking his new vassal’s body with his claw. Witchcraft was the worst of all sins since it involved the deliberate renunciation of the true faith.
“For generations, the inquisitors and civil authorities hunted those they suspected of witchcraft following the criteria put forth in the Malleus Maleficarum.
“That book made Shallem laugh uncontrollably and while he was distracted by it, and other books, while Cannat, little by little, patiently explained the truth about everything.
“From time to time, Shallem would lift his eyes to watch us and it was very apparent he was annoyed by our conversation. I would often wonder why Shallem had put so much effort into keeping me absolutely ignorant, why he was so obstinate about protecting me from knowledge that he said, ‘mortals must never remember as long as they walk the earth’. Remember and not learn because, according to him, this information is held within our souls and instantaneously comes back to us as soon as we died. Then, in the exact moment of our rebirth on Earth, we forget again. Did God make this rule in order to keep mortals ignorant? And, if that’s the case, why is Shallem obligated to obey it? Shallem, who constantly and silently defied Him, who boasted of his independence, his rebelliousness. Why did Shallem want to keep me in the dark? Was there really a good reason? Or was it just a whim, a desire to keep things mysterious between us? I never came up with completely acceptable answers to these questions.
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