Eyes of the Watchers (Codex Grigori Book 1)

by Howe, Jennifer

  “Tomato pie?”

  “Or whatever, you get the idea. The second realm is the Aeviternity…” Suriel paused before pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his eyes with it. He missed a single tear as it streaked down his face.

  “Professor, are you alright?”

  He released a deep sigh. “Yes, yes of course. Let’s continue.”

  “You were telling me about the Aeviternity.”

  “It is the realm closest to our creator. You could say it is a place of perfect order. Every object and every being there is symbolic of his divine plan. Virtues exist as solid things there. Some humans would consider it the concept of things as they should be. A world without want or desire, a world beyond mortal conception. It is paradise.”

  “This all sounds like a fairy tale.”

  The professor composed himself. “It’s not.”

  “Alright then, I’ll play along. What’s the third thing?”

  “The Depths of Delusion?”

  “Somehow that doesn’t sound very pleasant.”

  “An understatement, to be sure. There are a myriad of different layers, each more horrible than the last. It is the realm where fears take shape and even noble ideas can become dangerous. Everything is twisted by a horrible power. It is the furthest from Paradise you can get, and it just keeps going unimaginably deep. First it gets darker the further down you go…” the professor’s eyes lost their focus, “and then, there is light, but it isn’t divine, it’s his. It comes from eternal fires of hatred and pain. Pride and jealousy created it.”

  Gerard swallowed deeply. The professor continued.

  “The power of the imagination is paramount there. Thoughts become matter. It is always changing, perverted by his will.”

  “Who is he?”

  “Both ruler and prisoner.”

  They sat in silence for a few moments while Gerard absorbed this information.

  Eventually he spoke. “What about space between these worlds?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Well you said they were separate, so then there should be space between them, right?”

  “Yes,” the professor smiled. “There absolutely is, but there is also more. Each realm has its boundaries, crossing them is no small task. Once beyond, there are interim territories, but they aren’t important yet, so I won’t go into detail about them.”

  “Do they have names, anything I might recognize?”

  “Certainly. Sheol, Limbo, and Eden are known to many humans.”

  “So how does something cross from one world to another?”

  “The easiest way is to open a gate.”

  “A gate?”

  “Yes, but the worlds are always interacting with each other so there are other ways presenting themselves all the time, if you know how to look for them.”

  “What about the Big Bang? What about science?”

  “What about it?”

  “If what you are telling me is true…”

  “It is.”

  “Then what good is it to study physics or the natural world?”

  “Well you have to live here, so do I.”

  “Is that all? Just to make life easier?”

  “Life is hard enough even with science and technology to make things easier. Here, I want you to look at something.” Suriel opened a drawer and reached inside.

  “Professor?”

  “See this?” The professor removed a book from the drawer and set it on top of the photos of space that covered the desk between them. It was a very old copy of the Bible. “Everything in this book is true. All the events described in it happened, and more.”

  “That seems rather unlikely…”

  “My boy, when things become unbalanced, parts of one world can spill into another. Even if something sounds unreasonable, there was a good reason for it, and most of the time there still is. Things from the other worlds leave no evidence of their existence in our physical universe. As a scientist, you must accept that there are things you don’t know, things that the best of human knowledge can’t explain. One of them being the worlds themselves.”

  “Why would the worlds become unbalanced? Why would things be so imperfect here on Earth and why would such an old book hold the secrets of reality?”

  “Because He wanted it that way.”

  “You mean?”

  “Yes, our Father.”

  “So He’s out there.”

  “Beyond the Aeviternity, and his will is the ultimate force in all creation because it is that of the creator himself.” Suriel gazed out the window.

  Silence reigned for several minutes.

  “So should I have been going to church this whole time?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt, but churches are mostly just places of understanding and communal solidarity. The Son said that wherever there are even two of you, his grace will be there, that even the loneliest of humans can feel his love. If you need to, you can learn about his will anywhere, even without a bible or a church available.”

  “So my life’s been wasted then?”

  “Not at all. I wouldn’t say that.”

  “Really?”

  “You’ve been enacting his will too.”

  “I have?”

  “Humans are curious by nature, they want to know ‘why’ and they don’t rest until they find it. You are that way because He made you that way. It’s not your fault. In fact it is something I’ve always admired in you.”

  “In me? Surely there were other students just as curious.”

  “Well that too, but I meant it’s something I’ve always admired in humans.”

  “Professor, you’ve done it several times, so I have to ask.”

  “What is it Mr. Donne?”

  “When you say ‘humans,’ it’s like you are speaking of others, as though you don’t consider yourself human.”

  “Well I’m not.”

  “You’re not?”

  “Nope.”

  The professor took a long sip from his mug.

  Gerard waited before asking again. “You aren’t human?”

  “Nope, not human.”

  Gerard stared at Dr. Suriel in disbelief for a few moments.

  “Then what are you?” He finally asked.

  “Now there is a great question. I often ask myself the same thing, right before ‘how did I get into this silly world?’”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I used to be one thing somewhere else but I’m not anymore, it or there. What I am has a name, but I don’t really know what it means to be it, even after all these years.”

  “What’s the name for it…you…now?”

  “We are called the Grigori.”

  “We?”

  “Well you heard my little brother when he was here, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, and what he said still makes no sense to me. What you’ve said makes no sense to me.”

  “Oh come now, you were following it pretty well up until the three worlds part.”

  “I don’t know if I can handle all this professor, not all at once at least.”

  “You want to talk more about this later then? Take some time to digest it?”

  “No…maybe. I don’t know.”

  “The first thing every scientist must admit.” Dr. Suriel was smiling.

  “One thing you just said there threw me off a little.”

  “Well you have to be more specific my boy, almost everything I said confused you.”

  “Confused is right. It’s like I’ve gone into the future and you’re telling me science from my era was a perverse and useless joke, so my degrees mean nothing.”

  “Well by some standards…but it’s the best you’ve got.”

  “My degrees or science?”

  “Both, so what was it that threw you off, Mr. Donne?”

  Gerard gathered his thoughts for a moment before continuing. “If you aren’t human and you don’t come from this world, where do you come from? What are Grigori and w
hat did you used to be before you became one?”

  “Another set of excellent questions. You’ll want to sit down for this part.”

  “I’m already sitting down professor.”

  “Hmm? Oh yes, yes you are. Good observation my boy. I think I have a gold star around here somewhere.” The professor started rummaging through his desk.

  “Professor!”

  “Right, can’t fool you into thinking I’m senile can I?”

  “You’re having a good go at it but no.”

  “Well it is something I haven’t really discussed in detail, for a very long time, but I suppose I can’t cut you off with one leg in the water.”

  “I would appreciate it, whatever that means.”

  “Well it begins as all the best stories do, with a woman.”

  “A woman?”

  “A magnificent woman.”

  “What do you mean by that, beautiful?”

  “Yes, but that was only part of her charm, her charm that doomed us.”

  “Go on, please.”

  “Okay then, my boy, listen closely as I tell you the story of the Jarad, of the fall of the Watchers.”

  Chapter 8

  Long ago, when the world was still new, mankind lived and died in pain. The flight from Eden forced humans to sustain themselves on the meager bounty of the Earth. Cities were few and far between and barely deserved to be called such. People struggled to survive and food was always a concern.

  Our Father announced that Watchers would be selected from the various choirs. At the time, the idea of leaving paradise was not appealing to many. Still, we agreed to without hesitation.

  Twenty commanders were chosen. Each would lead ten of his brothers, and Samyaza, being the wisest, was given overall authority. Recruitment was simple; no Angel would refuse the request of another. Each commander chose their closest brothers to accompany them into the world of men. While the perils were unknown, their faith would sustain them in the face of any adversity. Once prepared, the gate of light and wind was opened, and the mission departed.

  They found the Earth shocking to say the least. The Light sustained their now physical bodies, but existence outside of Aeviternity was difficult to bear. Over time, they adapted to their new environment. They found solace in their duty, for as challenging as it was for them, they could see how hard it was for the humans. It was no surprise that many began to feel compassion for these lesser creatures.

  In that time, before the word was given to them, few mortals knew of our Father. Most knew there was something greater than them but couldn’t name it. This made them easy prey to other forces and minor powers who gained strength from their worship. It was in one such false temple that the instrument of our fall resided.

  Her name was Hecate.

  She claimed to be a goddess.

  Her claim wasn’t so far from the truth. She did possess many spells and abilities and her beauty reached a perfection one does not typically find outside of paradise. It was within Azael’s territory of observation, so one day he entered her temple to investigate further. She was waiting for him in the rear chambers. When he asked how she could know of his arrival, she said it was Phoebus Apollo who had told her.

  She enchanted him.

  Not with magic. It was her beauty and her sharp mind. When he was with her, he felt closer to his distant home. He found paradise again in her arms. Compassion was one thing, but love was something else altogether. Earthly love was different than that found in the Aeviternity. It was more seductive to worldly senses, senses that were still new to him, senses that learned to desire more.

  The Watchers were soon thrown into chaos.

  Those that learned of Azael’s lover were driven to discover what could influence one of them so. They had seen humans perform the act many times for procreation, but the idea that they could actually participate was beyond their comprehension.

  Until now.

  Humans were so fragile, their lives terribly short. Despite this they were capable of things Celestials were not aware of. The cravings of the flesh were far too enticing to ignore. For many, it began simply as a way to overcome their sorrow. Soon they were finding that that which had drawn their brother to a daughter of man was comforting to their souls as well. They began to speak with humans, to think of them as equals.

  Within a decade, eleven of the commanders had taken wives.

  This presented new problems for the Watchers that they tried to reconcile. Angels do not age. They do not die. Mortality became a major concern. Samyaza saw his beloved Sephirah decaying before his eyes. She would not last half a century more, so he turned his mind to finding a remedy for her condition, mortality. It was beyond his power to grant life, so he was reduced to one option.

  He left her to find that power.

  In his absence, he charged Bezaliel with their mission. One of the twenty commanders, he could often be found instructing humans on the construction of better tools and the value of permanent habitation. Out of gratitude, a human elder gave him his granddaughter’s hand in marriage, a young girl named Callista.

  Unknown to him, she had already taken a supernatural lover.

  As he traveled the Earth, monitoring his brothers, she spent her time with Samyaza’s wife, Sephirah, and the goddess, Hecate. The three were inseparable. She introduced them to her lover. Often the three could not be found. Rumors that they had retreated to Hecate’s temple for days on end and refused to see visitors were common. Bezaliel was too distracted to notice. He had greater concerns that demanded his attention.

  The Watchers were fathering children.

  It was something they had not thought possible. By siring offspring, they began to slowly lose the Light and were forced to gain sustenance from human food. Their lives were now inextricably tied to this world. Bezaliel instructed his brothers to begin the construction of proper cities, resembling those the Celestials had dwelt in before.

  To aid their new families, they also began to teach them the forbidden knowledge of Aeviternity. Each Watcher had a specialty, an area of expertise in the natural and supernatural which they now shared freely at Bezaliel’s behest. The lives of humans improved dramatically.

  Then Bezaliel disappeared.

  A young Watcher had seen him enter Hecate’s temple, but after asking her if it was true, Azael refused to allow his brothers to enter. His second mistake was trusting her more than his brothers. Before they could debate the issue further, they received dire news that could not be ignored.

  A gate had been opened, and it did not lead to paradise.

  The humans were easy prey to the beasts that came from the abyss. Faced with this new threat, the Watchers sprang into action. Instead of teaching their people irrigation and the ways of the seasons, they now taught them how to forge weapons of metal and craft powerful jeweled artifacts for defense. They then organized their children and instructed them in the ways of command.

  The Watchers went to war.

  Before setting off for battle, Azael returned to Hecate’s temple. The doors were ajar, and within he did not find her or her two friends. What he found was more ghastly than anything he could imagine. Bezaliel’s bloody wings were staked to the stone walls by an incredible strength. His arms were chained to the stone floor. His body was not attached to them. In fact, his body was missing from the gruesome scene. Azael experienced the sensation of vomiting for the first time.

  Broken in spirit, his brothers found him before they set out against their infernal foe. Against this flood, humanity distinguished itself in continuous combat. The Watchers and their children charged the largest of the abominations with The Fire of Heaven guiding their blows. Azael threw himself at one monstrosity after another with reckless abandon. The battles were vicious, but in the end, the children of God were victorious.

  They never found the three women.

  In the aftermath, the Watchers dispersed to seek out the traces of evil that had eluded their forces. When they returned a centu
ry later, they found that many of their children had declared dominion over the humans. False temples had been built and a pervasive decadence spread across the world of man. Azael gathered his remaining brothers that together. A millennium had passed since their arrival on Earth.

  It was time to report to Heaven.

  Chapter 9

  After the service, when people were milling about, Julia walked over to Minister Jacobs, but before she could ask him anything he spoke.

  “You seem really different today, Julia.”

  “Really?” Could he tell?

  Not a chance. He’s a good man, but even a servant of God can’t sense anything for certain. If they could, they wouldn’t need faith anymore. They’d have proof, well, proof enough.

  “I noticed it during the sermon, the way you stared through everything in front of you. We call it the ten yard stare.” The older man shook his head. “You’ve seen some real evil child.”

  Evil. That they can sense. All humans do at one time or another.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean the first time I saw that look was on my father’s face when he talked about the great war. Then I went to Nam and saw some things, did some things. By the time I came back, people were seeing it on my face. It’s one of the reasons I turned to God’s work you know.”

  “I did see something, but maybe it was my imagination.”

  No it wasn’t.

  “Uh huh, and this ‘imaginary thing’ bothered you that much?”

  “It’s just…” She thought for a moment. “How do you deal with true evil? It seems impossible. There’s so much hate in this world.”

  You don’t fight it. I do. Or I will…after I recover. Why even ask him? He’s only seen human evils.

  He smiled. “Evil must be opposed, but a wise man once said that only love can conquer hate.”

  “Jesus?”

  “Marvin Gaye, but he was paraphrasing Jesus.”

  Who’s Marvin Gaye?

  Julia smiled. “Thanks Minister Jacobs, I think that was exactly what I needed to hear.”