“At home when we were alone, I noticed how depressed Cyr got because they almost never invited him to go with them.
“ ‘We were always together in Florence,’ he said with his head bowed.
“ ‘Well this isn’t Florence,’ I responded. ‘We are in the last vestige of paradise and it belongs to them. We must let them enjoy it on their own. If we don’t, we’ll end up losing them. Do you understand?’
“But he, of course, didn’t understand why he couldn’t go where his father went, why he couldn’t do what his father could do, and, above all else, why he wanted to be with his father more than his father wanted to be with him.
“Eonar’s evil spirit were constantly waiting for an opportunity, waiting for some careless mistake that would allow them to take our son. However, they weren’t, by no means, strong celestial spirits like Shallem and Cannat. As I already mentioned, they were only weak spirits that had occupied a human body and refused to do so again.
“Remember when I described those huge statues between pyramids on the Avenue of the Dead? That’s where Cannat imprisoned the most bothersome spirits. As you can imagine, it was extremely easy for him to do that. Simply put, it annoyed him as it would annoy anyone to swat away a pesky mosquito. However and if it were necessary, Cannat was powerful enough to imprison anyone of his brothers. And no one, except Cannat himself, could undo what he had done.
“Cannat strictly prohibited us from visiting the city during the day. He told us about the frightening human sacrifices the natives would constantly perform for him. He also told us they ripped out their enemy’s hearts and then ate them and drank their blood because they believed by doing so, they would gain their victim’s strength and power. Cannat found this very amusing; as long as he wasn’t there to see it. He felt an overwhelming disgust for all murderous acts performed by humans, however, he felt none for his own.
“Some nights either Cannat alone or, at times, all of us would sneak into the city and go to the god Kueb’s temple. His followers would leave food offerings, which Cyr and I gladly consumed. They left delicious pies, a type of pasta made from seeds and many different kinds of delicious fruits. Those treats were more than enough to satisfy Cannat but they weren’t the only things offered. Cannat and Shallem would always enter the temple first to make sure Cyr and I didn’t have seen the other types of gifts that were usually left.
“Let me explain the temple in more detail. As I mentioned earlier, the base of the pyramid was in the shape of a square. It was formed by three superimposed levels that decreased in size considerably as the pyramid grew taller. We always went to the highest point to gaze at the stars. In other words, we were always on the roof of the third level. You could climb from one level to another using exterior steps. Three very long staircases led from the first level to the ground. The temple itself was located within the third level. This is where the priest’s would go to watch the stars and try to interpret their influence on the city’s future. An exterior alter was located on the first level and was completely visible from the ground and was always illuminated by sacred fires. There were only two entrances in the entire structure. One was in the temple within the third level and the second was just a small portico where all three sets of stairs converged. From the outside, the structure looked completely solid.
“Cannat himself had shown the natives, in his own subtle way, how to build the pyramids. They were very similar to the ziggurats that had been built in the ancient Mesopotamian Valley and the Iranian Plateau.
“As I was saying, although the pyramid looked solid, it had corridors and rooms in its interior, just like an Egyptian pyramid. In order to go inside the rooms and corridors, you had to go through the entrance in the temple on the third level and descend a very steep and long staircase.
“Climbing the pyramid was a true act of devotion, a real sacrifice for Kueb’s devotees. There must have been around three hundred steps. When they reached the temple, they would pray devoutly and present their god with votive offerings. Although the temple was dedicated to the god Kueb, there was also a small place the natives could visit to worship the god Oman. In fact, they were building Oman his own pyramid that looked similar to Kueb’s but was much smaller. It was being built on one of the streets that ran perpendicular to the Avenue of the dead where other temples dedicated to different gods and goddesses were located.
“The way the natives portrayed Cannat and Shallem had nothing to do with what they really looked like. Well, except for the fact that the representations were always completely nude. There were many stone and terra cotta statues of Kueb and Oman, and a multitude of reliefs featuring bizarre scenes that adorned the outside of the pyramid. Among all of these representations, two magnificent sculptures stood out. Kueb’s sculpture was made from jade, his eyes were sapphires and his hair was appliquéd with gold. Oman’s sculpture was made from obsidian and his eyes were emeralds. Both were portrayed in almost the exact same way: both were standing with their faces forward, both had snakes coming out of their mouths and both had enormous feathered wings on their backs. It was obvious that Cannat and Shallem had displayed some of their powers in the past. Kueb held a solid gold sun dial in his right hand. Pictures and cuneiforms, which were used to describe planetary movements, were engraved around the dial’s circumference. In his left hand, he held a stone slab that featured a ziggurat pyramid in low relief. As for Oman, in the palm of his right hand he held a seated and calm jaguar. In his left, he held a gold dial, which was smaller than Kueb’s but engraved with similar symbols. It was very obvious who they were. The Sun God and the Moon God.
“Cyr would always ask to see the inside of the pyramid but Cannat didn’t want to take him. He told Cyr it was a dark, ugly, and scary place and that he had no desire being in that filth when he could stay outside by the river enjoying the sun on his face. Shallem was even more unwilling to enter the pyramid. However, and as expected, the more they tried to dissuade Cyr, the more he wanted to go.
“As I mentioned, we used to spend many hours watching the stars at night from the very top of the pyramid. We did it in secret, when the priests or their students weren’t around. We didn’t want anyone to know we were there.
“Pleasantly lounging on the roof, submerged in deep thoughts and with the stars sparkling in his blue eyes, Cannat seemed more of an angel than he did in any other place. Since Cannat had given part of his soul to Cyr, it was him who first noticed that my son had snuck away to go inside the pyramid. Cyr was obviously in trouble because he was calling Cannat.
“ ‘Cyr is lost in the damn pyramid!’ he yelled as he stood and jumped down to the pyramid’s third level. ‘He’ll be... he must have entered through here!’
“Shallem and I hurried to follow him. Descending the steps into the pyramid felt like entering hell itself. The air was extremely thin since there was no ventilation except what came from the small joke of an entrance. So I wouldn’t go tumbling down the infinite staircase, Cannat and Shallem ignited torches. However, due to the lack of oxygen, two out of three immediately extinguished.
“We reached a long and narrow corridor that was sufficiently tall enough for us to walk through without bending our heads. Undoubtedly, it had been built to accommodate their god’s stature since none of the natives were even as tall as I was. The corridor opened into an empty but completely decorated room. Various scenes depicting their god decorated the walls and a canopy of stars decorated the smooth ceiling. This was where the labyrinth began. Four identical corridors led from the room. Cannat didn’t hesitate and we quickly followed him down one of the passages. Once again, we entered a room that looked exactly like the one we had just left. It also contained four identical corridors that led from the room. There was a staircase at the end of the corridor we had chosen. After descending an innumerable amount of steps, we finally reached the bottom and I was terrified by what I saw. Astonished, I stopped short. Cannat kept walking without delay and Shallem pushed forward to keep moving. We w
ere inside an enormous ossuary that was as tall as the pyramid itself. Heaped onto shelves were the skulls of all the people that had been sacrificed to the gods. White glossy skulls were meticulously arranged in several rows on each shelf. Later, when I thought about the size of the room, I calculated that there must have been at least a hundred thousand skulls.
“I felt like I was under a spell as I watched how the flickering red light on our torches cast shadows onto the skulls that they were able to reach and illuminate. And although many skulls still hid in the dark, I knew one movement of my arm would make them dance into view, make them melt into view like elastic ghosts of white bone.
“I was completely petrified. I couldn’t move, my senses were as dead as the skulls themselves. My poor, lost child had walked through the room!
“I felt Shallem’s warm arms wrap around my waist. He lifted me and carried me out by force. I kept looking back into the ossuary until we reached a door.
“Once again we travelled through a corridor that opened into a room containing entrances to four corridors. Cannat had disappeared. Shallem stopped at one entrance and stood in doubt. Then, grabbing my hand, he turned and led me down a different corridor. We saw bright lights and heard voices coming from the end of the passage. I was sure it was Cannat and Cyr.
“As soon as we reached the end of the corridor I smelled an overpowering odor. It was worse than being in a slaughterhouse. The room we entered wasn’t very different from the ones we had already seen, except this room was decorated with paintings instead of low reliefs. My eyes immediately focused on the paintings. I saw that the walls on either side of me were splattered with coagulated blood. Horrified, I looked away but my eyes fell on something even worse. In the middle of the room stood the sacrificial alter, a jasper slab with an obsidian knife on top of it. I looked from the altar to the walls several times and wondered how they had killed there victims so that their blood was able to stain walls several meters away. Suddenly, I saw three human hearts on the altar, which in my mind, were still bloody and steaming. I grew faint and grabbed Shallem’s arm but he was attentively observing the scene between Cannat and Cyr.
“Cannat was severely scolding Cyr as he shook him by the arm. Cyr stared at Cannat bitterly, no fear nor even respect on his face.
“ ‘I’ll go to hell if I want to!’ Cyr screamed at Cannat as he violently shook the torch in his hand. ‘And you’ll go there to find me!’
“Cannat let go of his arm and seemed confused by what he had just heard. Then Cyr turned to his father and continued yelling with tears in his eyes:
“ ‘And you! You hate me because I’m human! You’ve always hated me! You think I’m like them!’ He extended his small arm and pointed toward the wall that opened to outside of the pyramid. ‘Exactly like them!’
“ ‘Where is this coming from? Why would you think that?’ Cannat roared.
“Cyr ignored Cannat and continued screaming at his father. ‘You’ve never taken care of me! You’ve never loved me! Well I don’t love you either! Did you know that? You didn’t even bother to share your soul with me to make me invulnerable when we got here! I would be dead if it weren’t for my uncle. Why did you let me live? You weren’t there when I was born so you weren’t able to give me what you so much wanted to give me? Why did you let me live? Why? Tell me why!’ He pumped his fists in the air and stomped his foot on the ground.
“ ‘Shut up right now! You hear me? Enough! You don’t know what you’re saying!’ I screamed when I saw Shallem’s bewildered expression.
“ ‘You rejected me the moment I was born!’ he continued furiously, crying as he screamed and without taking his eyes off Shallem who also looked like he was about to cry.
“ ‘Shut your mouth right now or I’ll turn you into dust! I swear by the love of your father I’ll do it!’ Cannat bellowed.
“And then, suddenly calm, Cyr’s tear filled eyes found Cannat’s and he whispered:
“ ‘You’re my father, Cannat. You’ve always been my father.’ And then he approached Cannat and took his large hand between his small ones and then brought the palm of Cannat’s hand to his cheek. ‘You could be free but you stay with us to keep me safe. You taught me everything I know. You put the world in my hands. You’ve always loved me unconditionally. You were never disappointed that I was just a mortal. You’re my father. I’m alive today because of you. You have the right to take back what you gave me. Even my life.’
“ ‘You’re not being fair to him,’ Cannat nervously whispered.
“ ‘And he was with me?’ Cyr responded, his anger returning. ‘I don’t remember there being one moment of affection between us. He treats me like a pestilence.’
“ ‘That’s absurd!’ Cannat exclaimed as he glanced at Shallem’s tense face.
“ ‘No it’s not! You know what he’s always been waiting for? What has always frightened him? He’s waiting for me to act like a human. Waiting for me to do something that will make him even more ashamed of me. Something like this...’
“Impulsively, he walked toward the altar and grabbed one of the hearts. He bit off a small piece with his teeth and began chewing.
“ ‘What are you looking at?’ he asked as blood trickled from the corners of his lip. ‘This is my enemy’s blood! It will make me stronger!’ Suddenly, he threw the torch he held in his hand toward a corner of the room behind the altar. The torch landed on a body and ignited the clothes the corpse was wearing. Cannat ran to the body and turned it around. It was a priest with his heart ripped out of his chest.
“ ‘It was easy.’ Cyr continued and picked up the obsidian knife with his bloodied hand. ‘The priest killed the other two and didn’t seem to regret it. This is how I knew Shallem wouldn’t be surprised when I myself didn’t regret killing. After all, I’m just a dirty human. Oh! But God even finds faults in his angels! You taught me that. Gee, I’m being so inconsiderate! Maybe you want to join my feast and eat this heart. After all, they were sacrificed on your behalf and you didn’t do anything to stop it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!’
“Cyr grabbed a warm heart in each of his hands and threw them at Cannat and Shallem. The soft, bloody hearts struck them on their naked chests.
“Cannat turned red with rage and threw himself at Cyr. He grabbed Cyr’s head and wiped his chest clean with his hair. Cyr didn’t make a sound. Then Cannat picked him up and sat him on the altar.
“ ‘Now listen to me boy!’ Cannat began but grew quiet when he saw the smile on Cyr’s face. He realized that Cyr had used the obsidian knife to cut off a lock of his hair when he had picked up to put him on the altar. Cyr showed him the lock.
“ ‘God’s gold,’ he said, his teeth and tongue stained red by blood. ‘It’s a treasure! I’ll sell each strand one by one and make myself a rich human.’
“Cannat stared at him with more confusion than aggression. He left Cyr on the altar and walked toward Shallem saying:
“ ‘This is all working out for you. You wanted a mortal family and here you have it: a useless wife and a crazy son.’ Then he gave Cannat an inviting look and spoke to him without moving his lips. Shallem frowned as though he had been scared by an evil proposal and yelled, ‘No!’
“Cyr was still sitting on the altar, swinging his legs and giving them both challenging looks. However, the intense strain on his face gave away his deep pain.
“ ‘No! Why not?!’ he yelled as he jumped from the altar and walked toward them. ‘I know what Cannat told you! Send them back to Florence! That’s what he said! Get rid of them! So why don’t you do it? How long do plan to keep a son you hate?’
“Shallem watched him with his mouth, literally, open. Cannat’s face was contorted with fury as he tried to stifle his anger. I quickly ran over to Cyr and grabbed his arm. Then I slapped him softly across the face.
“He was completely confused. No one had ever laid a hand on him. Deeply astounded, he stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what I had just done.
“ ‘
Now ask your father to forgive you,’ I ordered angrily.
“He did nothing but stare at me terrified.
“ ‘Do as I tell you!’ I yelled.
“ ‘Enough!’ Cannat screamed behind me. He approached us and pushed me so hard I had to let go of Cyr. Cannat picked him up and then turned toward me in fury. ‘You’re the only damned species that would ever hit its own children!’ With that said, he and Cyr disappeared. I felt so terribly ashamed. I looked at Shallem and he also looked at me as though he couldn’t recognize the person who had just slapped his son.
“ ‘I didn’t hurt him,’ I mumbled. ‘I just... I only wanted to...’
“Shallem ignored me and began walking away. I quickly followed him.
“Cannat came home the next afternoon without Cyr. He said he was outside playing. I had spent the entire day trying to console Shallem to no avail. Cannat looked at me inquisitively when he entered the room and I pointed toward Shallem to show him how bad things were. He had spent the entire morning lying sad and despondent in bed. Cannat approached him.
“ ‘It’s all my fault, Shallem. I know it’s my fault and I’m sorry.’
“Shallem didn’t turn to look at him. He seemed to be deep in thought.
“ ‘Nothing is your fault,’ he murmured. ‘Cyr was right. Absolutely right. He only got one thing wrong. I’ve always loved him. Always, Cannat. I never wanted to hurt him.’
“ ‘I know how much you love him. And I know that he loves you too. Talk to him, tell him how much you love him. Tell him I constantly snatched him away from you. Tell him you yourself would have made him invincible if I hadn’t hurried to do it myself.’
“ ‘Is that true?’ Shallem whispered. ‘How nice it would be to think so...’
The Devil's Concubine Page 30