“Eden is that way,” Alexandra said.
The white-haired woman appeared next to Alexandra. Her eyes were like an endless ocean and Alexandra almost lost herself within their shifting depths.
“You must tell me your intentions!” the white-haired woman said.
Alexandra returned her gaze to the intermittent sparkle on the horizon and said, “I don’t know.”
“Your soul is in conflict.”
“I don’t understand everything that’s going on around me.”
“Nor are you meant to. You are an instrument. His instrument. You either succeed in His task or you fail, nothing more.”
She turned to the crone and said, “I’m more than that!”
As if Alexandra hadn’t spoken the crone said, “But He doesn’t know what I hid. Deep within you I buried the knowledge to remove the taint of Eden forever. You are my instrument as well.”
“I’m nobody’s instrument!”
After studying Alexandra for a few moments, the white-haired woman said, “My time is short. You will be here soon and I must prepare for what is to come.”
“And what is that?”
The white-haired woman looked into Alexandra’s eyes and said, “Whatever you make.”
“I don’t understand.”
As the field of razor rocks faded away, she struggled to follow the white-haired woman.
“Tell me more!”
Before the dream ended, the old woman stopped and tears appeared in her eyes. “I must rest and think on my transgressions. Am I as much at fault as He for what I have done to a soul? I fear we will not speak again until after you have made the future. If I was wrong, then I extend my regret to you for what I have done.”
Alexandra awoke. Before she had time to analyze the dream, she heard footsteps. Torchlight breached the darkness as several faces appeared outside her cell.
A group of priests and soldiers led her to the square in front of the Cathedral of Brasilia where Koneh waited next to a wall. Blood stains and bullet holes marred the surface and Alexandra wondered why she hadn’t noticed this grisly landmark before. A firing squad waited for them. Marco was there too, and he edged closer to Alexandra as they lead her towards the wall.
“One thing I thought you should know before you die,” Marco said.
“Go to hell.”
“Ladies first,” he said with a wink. “But you should know this. Your friend, Koneh, won’t die here. He is quite indestructible.”
Her words laced with venom, Alexandra said, “I’ll make sure he hunts you down.”
“I plan to be far away from here in just a few moments,” Marco said. “But do you want to know why he won’t die here?”
She attempted to ignore Marco. She hated him. However, Marco’s next three words rang clear and true.
“Koneh is Cain.”
Chapter 29
The truth and absurdity of Marco’s words settled in Alexandra’s mind.
Koneh was Cain, the first murderer.
The events of the past few months locked together like the final pieces of a puzzle. Koneh was telling the truth about everything. He was human, he wasn’t burned by radiation and he spoke to God.
Numb, Alexandra found herself next to her scarred companion. Only one word escaped her lips, “How?”
“No talking!” One of the soldiers slapped Alexandra across the face.
Padre Hernon’s voice carried from somewhere to her left. The Padre was listing her crimes. She didn’t care. She looked into Koneh’s deep black eyes and said, “You are Cain.”
Koneh exhaled. “What?”
“Tell me it’s not true and I’ll believe you,” she said, ignoring her inner voice which validated Marco’s words.
“I’m sorry,” Koneh said, “to have dragged you out here. I would have retrieved you from that cell yesterday, but I wanted to draw out our accuser.” He scanned the crowd. “And I think I see him now.”
Koneh snapped the chains binding his wrists and traced a pattern in the air with his hand. A moment later, Erzulie appeared and attacked the firing squad. People screamed and shots were fired. During the confusion, Koneh led Alexandra away from the wall and down an alley where their truck idled.
“Wait here,” Koneh said. “I’m going after Marco.”
She leaned against a dumpster for balance. “All right,” she said, “just answer one question.”
“We don’t have time-”
“How?” Alexandra said. “Tell me how this is possible. Were you thrown back to Earth when Hell collapsed, like Erzulie?”
“No,” Koneh said, “my fate was handed to me by Elah. For my sin, I was cursed to walk the Earth until final judgment.”
His unexpected response sobered her thoughts. “Wait,” she said, “you’re telling me that you’ve been wandering the planet for-”
Finishing her thought, Koneh said, “Thousands of years.”
He disappeared into the chaos. So, it was true. Koneh was Cain. He didn’t deny it. Alexandra’s thoughts defocused for several minutes as the weight of his words collapsed around her.
She was in love with the first murderer from the Bible.
Then, automatic gunfire erupted from the streets. Alexandra crawled to the edge of her alleyway and spotted Koneh running towards her.
Bullets ripped through the area bombarding the walls and denting the dumpster. Alexandra threw herself to the ground and put her arms over her head. Then she heard a scream from the street and saw a little girl fall.
Peering at the bloody body from under her arms, Alexandra’s heart thumped. More bullets pelted the area like deadly hail. Koneh stumbled but maintained his course. He noticed the girl too.
Koneh halted his dash and locked eyes with Alexandra. No words were exchanged, but he glanced at the motionless girl. Then, he dropped a figure to the ground. Marco.
“Save her!” Koneh shouted, and he turned towards the pursuing soldiers.
Marco scurried to the side of the road and out of Alexandra’s field of vision. As Koneh charged the soldiers, Alexandra wondered if she was about to lose him before she was able to ask her many questions.
She rallied the courage to stand and sprint into the dangerous street. The girl’s stomach was covered with blood and her breathing came in irregular gasps.
She was dying.
Tears filled Alexandra’s eyes. This is exactly what she wanted to avoid when she surrendered to the soldiers – needless violence.
She placed her hands on the girl’s stomach and closed her eyes. Koneh might die and Alexandra wouldn’t be far behind. But, that was the line. She decided at that moment the violence would go no further. The girl would live.
Light flooded the area and the gunfire ceased. Onlookers gasped as a gentle wind swept through the street-turned-battlefield.
The girl opened her eyes and Alexandra’s heart floated. Though the situation was her fault, she took comfort in the fact that she made things right. That feeling gave her strength and she marveled at her own power. Perhaps she would reach Eden after all.
Alexandra smiled and said, “What’s your name?”
“Medina,” the girl said. “Are you..?”
“Just a friend,” Alexandra said. “A friend who is sorry for what just happened to you.”
The soldiers dropped to their knees and prayed in Portuguese. Bloodied and battered, Koneh staggered to her and said, “The Padre may not be so awed. We should go.”
A woman ran from a nearby building and scooped Medina from Alexandra’s arms.
With tears in her eyes, the woman said, “Obrigado… Obrigado.”
“We need to move,” Koneh said.
“Right,” Alexandra said, risking one more glance towards Medina.
They climbed into the idling truck. Koneh took advantage of their opening and sped through the deserted city streets. In moments, the city disappeared into the darkness behind them.
“Who got the truck ready for us?” Alexandra asked.
> “Benjamin,” Koneh said, checking the rear view mirror.
“Are they going to be all right?”
Koneh nodded and gritted his teeth. He was in pain. “Santino’s getting everyone out in his jeep. They’re headed back to the Veracruz base.”
“Do you really think Padre Hernon will follow them? Or us?” Alexandra asked.
“He might,” Koneh said. “He was spouting scripture to me and he even doused me with holy water. I think he’s the real deal.”
“What about Erzulie? Is she going to meet-up with us?”
Koneh nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“I hope she’s okay.”
“She… will-”
Koneh’s head hit the steering wheel and they veered towards the rocky brush. Alexandra grasped the wheel and brought the truck to a stop before they crashed. He had finally succumbed to his many wounds, which Alexandra now noticed. How many bullets did he take?
She laid him on the ground and looked to the sky. Where was Erzulie?
“Wha-?” Koneh struggled to speak.
Alexandra knelt beside him. “Don’t talk. You passed out, which is understandable.”
“I’m fine,” he said as he rose to a sitting position. “Just a little off balance.”
“Well, you took quite a beating back there. Lots of bullets.”
“True.”
“We saved the girl,” she said.
“I remember.”
Alexandra examined him. Cain. How could it be true? She was certain she loved him. Though how could she love someone so evil? Was he the murderer from the Bible or was he the daring man who just risked both their lives to save Medina?
He drew an uneven breath. Then he said, “It’s no excuse, but I’m not who I once was. I think something’s happening to me.”
Surprised by this change of direction, she asked, “What do you mean?”
He leveled his eyes at her and said, “I think I’m dying.”
“I’ve seen you take a bullet before-”
“Not from the wounds,” Koneh said. “This is… Something else.”
“This is the second time you’ve talked like this,” she said.
“Before, I wasn’t sure. Now, however, I know something’s wrong.”
“What are your symptoms? What’s making you feel this way?”
Alexandra needed evidence. Too many of her friends had died. She wasn’t going to lose Koneh to some mystery illness. Not him.
“I’m not sure.” He looked away and said, “It’s just this feeling-”
“You were going to say something else,” she said. “More secrets?”
He shook his head. “I just want you to know I don’t wish to fail in my task, but I fear I might. Protecting you… Everything has led to this.”
Alexandra didn’t know how to respond to his words. Did she tell him to leave so she didn’t have to watch him die? Could she handle such a loss?
No, she was going to stay with him.
Though she wanted to know everything about him, she wasn’t sure she was ready. Koneh didn’t deny Marco’s accusation, so the truth wasn’t in dispute. However, she didn’t know where to go from that truth.
“Okay,” she said, “I don’t know how to deal with that right now.”
“Just wanted you to know-”
“Let’s talk about something else,” Alexandra said, desperate to push aside her terror over losing him. “What name should I call you?”
“Koneh is the name my mother gave to me. I’d prefer you use that.”
“Your mother-” Alexandra attempted to wrap her mind around the importance of her protector. Everything had changed. Or had it? She felt like she always knew the truth. Her heart stayed the course, but her mind warned her this love could never work.
Pesky mind, always correct.
“Sometimes,” he said, “I still miss her-”
Alexandra looked into his eyes and allowed the pain to gather in her heart. It throbbed like an old, deep wound. Could she make her love work? Or was she doomed to watch it wither and die before it even had the chance to blossom?
Ignoring her pain, she said, “I don’t even know what questions to ask.”
He huffed. “That’s amusing. Aren’t you going to question my motives? Ask me when I’m going to kill you?”
She shook her head. “No. All I have to go on now is my own heart. You must know how I feel for you… And your actions have been nothing short of heroic for as long as we’ve been together.”
“Heroic? I’ve never been accused of that before.”
Her eyes full of standby tears she said, “What happened to you?”
“I told you,” Koneh said. “I was cursed by Elah to roam the earth, forever an outcast.”
“Why?”
“If you remember Genesis,” Koneh said, “the gist is there.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
“It’s not something I’m proud of.”
“I want to hear it in your words.”
He sighed. “My parents were a direct act of creation, as was Lilev. You might know her as Lilith.”
Alexandra shook her head. She didn’t recognize the name.
“Lilev was credited by some theologians as the first wife of Adam. Indeed, this is true. However, Lilev was cast from Eden by my father before she bore him any children. There are many legends about Lilev and I find it difficult to follow them all.”
“She called you her son. What is that about?”
Koneh frowned. “After I was exiled from my home, Lilev took me under her protection and treated me like a son. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”
“Sorry,” Alexandra said, “please continue.”
“So I wasn’t born in Eden. My parents were exiled before I came into the world, but not as the Bible tells it. Instead, I was born in the wilds, along with my brother, Aboh. Ironically enough, both creation stories are true. We soon found we weren’t the only humans on earth.”
“How can both be true?”
Koneh shrugged. “Some scholars and theologians sniffed at the truth through the years. Someone was bound to get it right, considering humanity’s obsession with sitting around and thinking.”
“Okay, so you met other humans?”
“I don’t have all the answers, but from what I understand, humans evolved on this planet quite on their own as science and nature took their course. Elah planted Eden and created Man. Well, His version of mankind. We met these other humans in the wilds and the most basic of human instincts took over.”
“You fought?”
“No, my brother and I both fell in love with the same woman.”
“Oh.”
“To be fair, we were teenagers, so I think it was more lust than love. You get the picture.”
She nodded.
“Well, she fell in love with Aboh and I was left alone with my jealousy.”
“I see.”
“Mind you,” Koneh said, “things were a little different then.”
“I cannot even imagine. I still can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”
Suddenly, a question popped into her head.
“How old are you?” she asked.
Koneh stood and smiled. “That’s the first question I expected. Let’s get moving again. I can drive.”
“You better let me,” Alexandra said.
After she put more distance between their truck and Brasilia, she said, “So, how old?”
“Ask Erzulie. She might have a more accurate estimate than I do.”
“Estimate?”
Koneh turned to her and said, “Elah created Eden roughly seventy-five thousand years ago. I haven’t exactly celebrated my birthday from year to year. Especially since the calendar has changed several times in that span.”
Alexandra couldn’t come to terms with that large a number. Now, the questions flowed.
“How have you survived?”
Koneh returned his attention to the dark highway an
d said, “We’re getting way ahead of ourselves now.”
“Okay, okay. Aboh, your brother, and this woman were in love. What was her name?”
“Her name was Ebba,” Koneh said. “She was as beautiful as a fresh snow. I… I’m not proud of what I did. Just know that I’m not that man anymore.”
Alexandra said, “You killed your brother because of your jealousy-”
“Not exactly,” Koneh said. “As I’ve said, the world was a different place then. We were but children in the grand path of evolution and children do whatever they want, no matter who they hurt. This will be difficult for you to hear, but you must know. I was jealous of my brother. I took Ebba for myself.”
“You raped her?”
He paused. “Yes.”
Alexandra gritted her teeth. “Maybe you were right to keep some things from me.”
“No,” Koneh said, “I want you to know these things. Elah commanded me to keep nothing from you once the time was right. Somehow, my past is vital to your future.”
“I don’t see how this is important-”
Alexandra slammed the brakes and stumbled from the truck. She fell to her knees and closed her eyes. What was she doing with him? Did she actually feel something for a man who is capable of rape? Murder? Would anything stop him from raping her? Marco was right, Koneh was a monster.
Erzulie’s voice floated through the air. “Are you all right, Lex?”
Alexandra sat on the ground and wiped the tears from her face. The wave of relief over seeing Erzulie alive was overshadowed by her newfound revulsion towards Koneh.
“I don’t want to be near him right now.”
“So, you know,” Erzulie said. “I’ve watched Koneh since he was a boy. Through the long years of his sentence on Earth, I’ve seen him change.”
“People don’t change that much. Evil is evil.”
“I know it must be difficult for someone so young to understand, but don’t fault him before you hear his whole story.”
“He raped a woman,” Alexandra said. “That is unforgivable.”
“Elah believed in forgiveness. So much that He manipulated the principles of a human soul to allow it to heal through forgiveness.”
“How could anyone forgive Koneh? How many women has he raped? How many people has he killed?”
Eden (Eden Saga) Page 29