Startled, the fallen angel Ael whirled and pointed at Alexandra.
“Seize her!”
She smelled the sulfurous breath of the hound before it pounced. The monster slammed her to the rocks and the world turned to black.
Chapter 38
Alexandra awoke in a cavern. She lifted her pounding head from the ground and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
“Alejandra..?” Koneh said, his voice weak.
Several thick chains lashed him to a rocky pillar in the center of the room. Erzulie lay at the far side of the chamber, silvery liquid pooling around her body. Alexandra noticed the angel’s eyes flutter. Maybe her friend was still alive. The other fallen angel, Ael, stood near the entrance to the room. He was missing a wing and his body appeared to be crisscrossed with cuts. For the moment, he seemed to be preoccupied with something outside.
Alexandra knelt at Koneh’s side. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes when she saw his broken body.
“Don’t cry for me,” Koneh said. “I knew this to be my fate. Tell me, what was Eden like? Have you reopened paradise?”
Alexandra nodded, but she couldn’t look into his eyes. She knew, too late, that she would have preferred a quiet life with her love by her side.
Koneh.
In the span of a few seconds, she dreamt of what her life with Koneh could’ve been. They could’ve left Eden and all of the pain behind. Father Callahan could’ve married them. Erzulie would’ve been the maid of honor. Nicole would cry during the ceremony and catch the bouquet. Santino and Benjamin would congratulate them. Alexandra had finally found a man who excited and challenged her, a man she could love. They braved the dangers of the wasteland together, persevered, and made a difference.
Now, because they chased the dream of Eden they had doomed each other. They had sacrificed their lives to deliver hope to the entirety of mankind. Was it worth the price? Alexandra’s bitterness formed into a ball in her stomach as she realized she wasn’t allowed to reenter Eden. Her fate was the same as those too sinful to enter paradise.
She traced her hand along Koneh’s jaw line and said, “The gates are open. You didn’t fail.”
Koneh closed his eyes and his mouth curled on one side into a smile. “We did the impossible, you and me.”
“And now we pay the price for it,” she said, frowning.
He looked into her eyes and this time she found the strength to look back. A part of her heart screamed in protest that if this was the end she wouldn’t get the chance to be with him.
“I’m not dreaming,” Koneh said, his eyes widened as he realized the truth of her sacrifice. Somehow, he must have known the rules of Eden. His eyes were ancient with their sorrow. “You returned for us? You shouldn’t be here. You should be-”
“How could I abandon you? Erzulie?” Alexandra said. “My heart isn’t in Eden-”
“No, you have a destiny. Your place is in Eden. You cannot sacrifice everything… For me.”
She shook her head. “My place is with you… Koneh, you are my home.”
He coughed weakly and said, “I feel the same.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, her eyes watery and her gut wrenching.
“There is no room for apologies. I may be beaten, but you are not,” he said, his voice gathering momentum. “Don’t you see? The strongest steel is forged in the most dangerous fires. This journey has molded you into something more than you were before, something more than you would be if Eden willingly answered the promise you hoped it would answer. Take that strength and use it.”
Alexandra eyed Ael and whispered, “Oh, I intend to try.”
Koneh closed his eyes again and Alexandra feared he was gone. After a few moments, he said, “You found me, Alejandra. After all these years, someone rescued me from a prison of my own making. Know that you are the only light shining in my heart.”
She bit her lip and turned away. The next question was difficult enough to ask. Why make it harder by looking at him? “What will they do with us?” she asked.
“They will leave me here until my bones crumble to dust. You? They will bring you to Derechi and Iblis. They will learn from you what they need to conquer Eden.”
Ael turned his attention to the quiet conversation across the room and stepped towards them. He said, “Koneh, how helpless you must feel to have your sword within your reach, yet you cannot raise yourself against your chains.”
Alexandra looked. Koneh’s rusty sword was propped against the wall.
“And you,” Ael said as he turned his white-in-white eyes towards her. “You will tell me the secrets of Eden.”
Desperate to stall Ael, she said, “Where are your hounds and demons?”
“This is the way of things,” Ael said. “Reward is always greater when you don’t have to share it with others.”
“You killed them?”
“Hell has taught me many new lessons.”
A plan formed in her mind and she hoped she had the time to muster the necessary courage. Koneh and Erzulie protected her for many months in the wasteland. Now, when it mattered the most, she dug for the strength she needed to save her friends.
Exhaling and leaving a part of her forever behind, she said, “Thank you for always being there for me, Koneh.”
With purposefully clumsy motions, she scrambled for Koneh’s sword and stood to face Ael.
“What is this?” Ael asked. “The Lamb raises a sword? Do you not remember the last time you stood in my path?”
Koneh taught Alexandra that the first attack was the most important, especially if your enemy didn’t know what you could do. Stepping forward, foot over foot, she maneuvered to an advantageous position. Her muscles tensed, ready for action. She glanced at Erzulie, who remained motionless, and then she allowed her tears to roll down her cheeks.
Alexandra kept her eyes on her opponent, but she tilted her head towards Koneh.
“Koneh, I should have said this a long time ago. I love you.”
Ael paused and she lunged forward. Too late, Ael reached for his weapon. Alexandra buried Koneh’s sword deep into the center of Ael’s chest, hoping to strike his heart. His body shook with spasms and he fell to the ground.
“I am no Lamb,” she said as she twisted the blade farther into her enemy. “I am the Lion!”
The light drained from Ael’s eyes and he went limp.
Alexandra fell to her knees. The world outside the cavern ceased to exist and she allowed her pain, frustration and sorrow to drain from her body. She didn’t want it anymore. Koneh and Erzulie were safe. Eden was reopened.
It was over.
Alexandra wiped the tears from her face and turned to Koneh. She gasped.
The chains that once held him were at the base of the rock pillar. Where he stood moments ago, there was only emptiness. Dust covered the chains and a small area of the ground near the pillar.
He was gone.
“No!”
“Your love was his forgiveness,” Erzulie said, her voice uneven and lacking the usual singsong melody.
“Erzulie?”
“I am alive,” Erzulie said, “yet, I cannot move.”
“What happened?”
“Finally, after all these years, he has found peace. You gave him that.”
“No, I didn’t mean to-”
“Through love, all things are forgiven,” Erzulie said. “The moment he knew you loved him, his sins, both past and present, were wiped clean. You brought him peace.”
Stunned, Alexandra walked to the pillar and dropped to her knees. She was both devastated and relieved. She wished forgiveness for him, of course, but not until she was ready. She wasn’t prepared to say good-bye to him so soon.
Alexandra recalled when she met Koneh. He protected her from a bloodthirsty mob. He was always there to shield her from this broken world’s dangers. Yet, she sensed something more behind his actions and words. He cared for her. Though he said he’d abandon his mission for her, she never bel
ieved he was capable of failure. He would’ve found another way.
“You brought something out in me,” Alexandra said, her hand on the pillar. “I just wish-” She closed her eyes, but nothing could contain her tears. “I just wish we had more time together.”
Time.
Was that all that waited for them in Eden? Endless time lounging in paradise? What would Koneh think of such complacency? Alexandra imagined he was a man always in motion. Be it the next frontier, the next war or the next great adventure, he lived a life of action and purpose. In the end, he was willing to sacrifice himself to secure a better future for humanity.
What would Father Richard Callahan say to her? Would he understand why she couldn’t stay in Eden? She missed her adopted father. Though she only knew him for a brief time, she felt connected to the priest. Time was too short in this new world.
Alexandra’s tears mixed with Koneh’s dust. “Good bye, my friend, my love,” she said. “I’ll keep your handprint on my soul. Always.”
For several long moments, the wind outside the cave was the only sound. Alexandra willed the cold away from her body, which was only protected by her sports bra, fatigues, and borrowed leather jacket.
“My Lady,” Erzulie said, “you must leave this place.”
Alexandra allowed herself a few more moments to mourn. Then, after a deep breath, she rose from the pillar and embraced Erzulie.
“I’m so glad you’re all right,” Alexandra said. “I feared the worst.”
“All is well,” Erzulie said. “You have righted many wrongs this day.”
Alexandra’s tears came again. “He’s gone.”
“Shhh, be still.”
For several long moments, she rocked in Erzulie’s embrace. The presumptions about her world shattered, she found peace in the arms of a fallen angel, a being constructed by God to serve in Heaven. Yet, Erzulie acted more human than most people Alexandra knew. Was the copy better than the original? Koneh’s words crept into her mind: Erzulie will serve her master without hesitation. At that moment, Alexandra didn’t care about what the future held. She was safe in the angel’s arms.
“You must go,” Erzulie said.
“Why?”
“Derechi’s army will be here soon. I’m not strong enough to travel, so you must go alone.” Erzulie lowered her eyes. “Please forgive me for failing you. Ael was too strong for us.”
Alexandra grasped Erzulie’s head in her hands and said, “Listen. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not going to lose you! Not you! Let Derechi come and try to take you from me. I will kill him with my own hands and deliver death upon his army.”
Erzulie’s pure white eyes searched Alexandra’s face. Then Erzulie said, “I am your witness. Let it be known the Lion has shown herself.”
Alexandra couldn’t suppress a laugh. “Yeah, I don’t know why I said that.”
“It was foretold by Bishop Palusa in his altered Bible,” Erzulie said. “A Lion, not a Lamb, will come. She is here.”
“Well,” Alexandra said as the cold penetrated her leather jacket, “the Lioness wishes she was somewhere warmer.”
“There is nothing you cannot accomplish,” Erzulie said.
Alexandra examined her wounded friend and said, “Good, then use me for support. We’re leaving.”
“I cannot.”
“Yes you can. I’ll help you.”
She assisted Erzulie to her feet and propped her near the mouth of the cave.
“Oh, one sec,” Alexandra said as she returned to the interior of the cavern. She removed Koneh’s sword from Ael’s carcass. Then, she attached the heavy weapon to her belt and met Erzulie outside the cave.
“He’s there, you know,” Erzulie said, her eyes on the silver gates. “Your forgiveness wiped his soul clean and he will find peace.”
“I know,” Alexandra said. “He deserves some rest.”
“I see the pain in your heart,” Erzulie said. “You sacrificed your life with him so he could be in Eden. In all my years, I’ve only rarely witnessed such acts of love. Your love is an exceptional kind, Lex. Know that it doesn’t die here.”
“That wasn’t my intention,” Alexandra said, the ball of bitterness turning to regret in her stomach. “I just wanted him to know how I felt. Since I was about to attack an angel, I figured I didn’t have much time left.”
“You knew,” Erzulie said. “Deep within yourself, you knew your love was his salvation. He knows too, I’m certain of it. He laments the sacrifice you made and his heart is broken as completely as yours. Someday you will be reunited.”
The pair departed Eden and Alexandra supported Erzulie as they walked for several miles. As the first hints of orange light filtered into the black sky, they climbed a short rise to look upon Eden.
After securing her jacket and remaining belongings, Alexandra found Father Callahan’s rosary amongst her meager supplies. Not sure how to best remember her fallen friends, she wrapped the rosary around the cross section of Koneh’s sword. This way, she would think of them every time she drew the weapon.
Her enemies would share her pain.
“What will you do now?” Erzulie asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Where do you wish to go?”
Alexandra watched the silver gates of Eden sparkle in the distance. “I think I would like to return here someday,” she said. “But for now, I’m glad to turn away from this place. There’s too much pain here.”
“They will come after you,” Erzulie said. “You still hold the key.”
“I know. I think I’ll be ready for them next time.”
Erzulie smiled. “You are the Lion. That may give them pause.”
Alexandra broke her gaze from Eden and looked into the angel’s eyes.
“I’m glad you’re with me,” Alexandra said. “You and Koneh were always there for me. I value your friendship more than you’ll ever know.”
“Koneh-” Erzulie said. “If I was human I would feel sadness at his passing. Should we have brought his ashes to bury them?”
Alexandra shook her head and gazed at the new, orange horizon to the north.
“We don’t need his ashes,” she said. “A hero has the whole world for his tomb.”
###
Matthew C. Plourde is a cancer survivor and native New Englander. He is a husband and father of two children. His family called Vietnam “home” for a month while they adopted their son. Though writing is his passion, he currently works as a compliance consultant for large enterprise corporations. His shorter fiction has appeared on many different e-zines and he continues to write novels.
Be sure to continue the Eden Saga with Babylon – available now!
The next planned novel in the Eden Saga, Alexandria, will be available in 2013.
The Eden Saga
Book 1: Eden
Book 2: Babylon
Book 3: Alexandria (coming soon!)
For all the latest, visit Matt’s blog:
http://matthewcplourde.wordpress.com/
Eden (Eden Saga) Page 34