by K. T. Tomb
Shala’s concerned look didn’t get past Knight.
“The war has taken all of our time,” she responded, as if talking to herself. “We have you both here now, so our numbers have increased by two. I hope that’s enough. I will say one thing about this Evan Knight…he must be something special to behold the sight of Eden and not even flinch.”
That was the first time Knight had a chance to look around. He didn’t realize where he was until that moment. He looked back at the pool he emerged from and then the forest in front of him. He beheld the lush green landscape that he had only seen in paintings. His paintings.
Nature at its best and most perfect surrounded him. His mouth dropped as even the air seemed sweeter and unpolluted. He felt alive in Eden. He not only saw, but felt, the connection to the paintings that frustrated him for years. Until he’d started his research on Eden, he had no idea where the inspiration came from to paint the hidden paradise.
Knight was impressed and a little intimidated by actually setting foot in what most people believed to be a place that had never existed.
“I have a couple of questions before we continue,” he stated, defiant to Shala’s overconfidence.
Shala got on her knees near the pool, cupped her hand in the water, and took a sip.
“You must think that we have all the time in the world, mortal.”
Knight turned his attention to the familiar face of the two Daughters.
“Did that underground river lead to this pool, Jess?”
Shala grabbed Knight’s neck with one hand and lifted him into the air. Her rage was sudden and her action swift.
“Sacrilege! How dare you call a Daughter of Eve anything but her given name? I could kill you for that indiscretion!”
Jess pulled Knight out of Shala’s grasp, unconsciously forcing him back into the pool. Jess matched Shala’s anger.
“Shala! Never lay your hands on the Chosen One again!” She took a defensive stance between Knight and Shala.
Shala stepped back in shock.
“You dare defend a mortal over a Sister of the blood? You step too far in the wrong direction, Jessima. You allow him to disrespect you so flagrantly and in front of another Daughter! What has happened to you outside the walls of Eden? Where is my sister?”
Jess lowered her head as if she were ready to strike.
“I am well aware of who you are, but how soon you forget that it was my mission to retrieve the Chosen One…”
“Retrieve?” Knight interrupted as he pulled himself out of the pool.
Shala didn’t have the silver streak in her hair that Jess did. He also noticed a tattoo of some kind of bird that peaked out through Shala’s clothing. It was on her back and the wings stretched out to her shoulders. It was the most lifelike tattoo he had ever seen. So much detail. It was a falcon.
It was almost a replica of the eagle Jessima had emblazoned across her shoulders. What did they mean?
“Let me handle this, Evan Knight,” Jess replied, without taking her eyes off of Shala. “Shala, I completed my mission. Harm came to Mother Daughter while I was away. There was a full complement of Daughters present and still…”
She narrowed her eyes.
“There is a traitor among us, sister. How do I know that it isn’t you?”
Shala had a knowing smile. “You fell in love with this mortal. Or perhaps it was just that your loins ached for the touch of a man. Either way, it is no consequence to me unless this bond between you two jeopardizes Eden. Know this, Jessima IL Eve…if the protection of Eden depends upon destroying the Chosen One and his chosen mistress, then I will be honored to shed the blood of you both. The greater need of Eden will prevail…no matter what.”
“Now, can I get the answers to my questions?” Knight coughed out, while he rubbed his throat. “Did we come through that pool?”
Jess nodded.
“Good. See? That wasn’t so bad,” Knight said. “Now for next question…”
He had second thoughts about asking any strategy questions in front of a possible traitor. “Hmmm, it seems I must have forgotten. Maybe later.”
Chapter Twelve
Geronimo was safely inside of the tank that he knew would end up either being his salvation, or his coffin. The tank was soon surrounded by dozens of Iranians. He laughed thinking that they were either extremely suicidal or incredibly smarter than he was. He swiveled the turret around to not only see where they were, but also it helped to knock off anyone stupid enough to climb on.
He activated the laser rangefinder and the targeting computer came up directly in front of him. He smiled as he armed the 125 mm smoothbore tank gun and set the tank in motion, just in case the soldiers swarming around him like roaches, decided to get smart and plant some grenades around the tank tread.
He loaded the high explosive fragmentation projectile, followed by the separate propellant charge. He moved slowly toward the mountain with the turret still aimed at the trucks. “Sayonara, bitches!” he yelled as he let loose with the tank gun. He chuckled to himself as even he wondered why he used Japanese phrase at that moment.
A loud boom came from the tank as the HEF hit the lead truck directly. The explosion was immediate. Any soldier in the area that didn’t get caught in the explosion was riddled with metal fragments and killed instantly.
The Iranians scattered as flaming debris fell to the earth all around the area. As soon as the smoke cleared, Geronimo loaded another HEF projectile followed by another propellant charge. “Round two, bitches!” Followed by, “Whoo- hoo!” once the round was sent on its way.
The second truck exploded in a ball of flame and shrapnel fragments, which thereby caused more chaos among the remaining men. The smoke was thicker as Geronimo could see a soldier run past his tank every once in a while. He looked confused and realized that he still didn’t have as full of control over the tank’s weapons as he thought he had.
He spun the turret around as he tried to see what was going on behind him. He heard something big headed toward him. The engine sounded similar to the tank’s engine he was in. Then it hit him.
Evan was back!
No, it couldn’t be, this vehicle was on the offensive. While he was having the time of his life knocking out Iranian trucks with his new toy, he had forgotten one important fact; Evan and Jess would have had to abandon the tank once they’d gotten close enough to their destination.
He was now face to face with the other Zulfiqar tank. He saw it move toward him aggressively.
***
Morina gave Sulina a dirty look as she opened the door to the control room on the fourth floor.
“I became the mission leader when Gandil fell at the hands of a mortal. I shouldn’t have to perform menial tasks, my Queen.”
The sarcasm in Morina’s voice pleased Sulina. If she could keep her minions on guard then they would ultimately perform better in battle. They would be ready for anything.
She said nothing as she walked into the control room past Morina and the two other Fallen. It took her a few seconds to get used to seeing in the pitch black. There were no emergency lights on in there.
“Morina, guard the door. Let no one but Ellisia through.” Sulina glared at the two Fallen who kept still, yet alert. They were intimidated by her and didn’t want to be on Sulina’s shit list.
Just then each light, followed by each computer, sprang to life as the control room once again had power. In the middle of the room on the floor was Mother Daughter. She was on her knees with her hands pressed together in prayer. Her eyes were closed. If Sulina didn’t know who she was, Mother Daughter could have passed for a very realistic statue.
Sulina and her team froze to make sure there were no surprises. She approached her sister cautiously. She waved a hand in front of Myora IL Eve’s face. Nothing. She then snapped her fingers in front of her sister, with the same results. Morina opened the door as Ellisia ran back into the room and gasped when she saw her former leader. She looked at Sulina and then
back at Mother Daughter.
Sulina placed her face close to Myora’s.
“Sister? It’s time to wake up so I can kill you. I’ve already recruited one of your Daughters. She prefers the dark side now, you see. We will slowly be recruiting all of your Daughters. Jessima IL Eve will look especially delicious as a Fallen. Once she is one of us, then I suppose we’ll have to do something with that handsome sidekick of hers. The Chosen One, is it? Since there’s obviously something special about him, I have my own plans. Oh dear sister, can’t you just see it? Evan Knight will be the father of a new race of humans! We will use him to father as many Fallen as we can. Do you know what would transpire next, dear one? Well, obviously with that many Fallen in Eden, we would have to look to other places to spread our…love. The healing oil is such a small part of my larger plan, Myora. Of course, I wouldn’t be telling you this if I wasn’t absolutely sure of our success. At this moment, a pharmaceutical tycoon is obliterating your girls with the help of the Iranian army. Once we conquer Eden then we might have to spread out over Tabriz! Wouldn’t that be such a shame? Can you imagine what the world would be like with nothing but Fallen populating it?”
Sulina started to laugh as she thought of the irony.
“I will remake the world…in my own image!”
Myora IL Eve’s eyes opened slowly.
***
Jess, Shala, and Evan made their way slowly back through the forest towards Alexy’s army. They were also headed toward the Daughters, a fact that Shala left out in her conversation with Jess and Knight.
Jess and Shala walked in front, which made Knight feel helpless. His ego took a huge blow and he knew it would continue the longer he stayed in Eden, but he wasn’t there for himself. He was there for Jess and for Eden. He was the Chosen One and somehow…some way, he would have to come through when it counted. No matter what the cost.
There was no classroom here; no podium to hide behind. His only enemies there were his critics; those were only battles of words that he was more than trained to deal with. This was a battle for survival; a battle for the survival of a civilization, to be exact. There were only a handful of Daughters left and they sent two of them into the ever present danger of the outside world in order to find the help they needed.
It cost one of the Daughters her life.
People sacrificed all around him. Even Geronimo may have sacrificed his life for a cause that was not his own. Geronimo was there out of loyalty and friendship. He should never have brought him into it.
Yelling could be heard just a few hundred yards ahead of them. Men. Jess saw the discouraged look on Knight’s face. She waved for Shala to continue on as she stopped in front of the Chosen One.
“Evan Knight. What troubles you? Is it the situation?”
She thought for a moment.
“Of course it is. You are in a land that only existed in theory before you set foot in it for yourself today. You are…how do you say? Out of your element. Your fear consumes you with each step you take in this foreign land.”
“Yeah, we need to work on your bedside manner, Jess,” Knight replied as he rubbed the back of his head.
Jess smiled as she held his face in her hands.
“Evan Knight, you are feeling the exact same feelings that I felt the very first time I left Eden many centuries ago. I was in a world that I had only known about through books for almost two hundred years. I knew it existed, but I was still very excited when one of us was to be chosen to explore. It was between Shala and me. Mother Daughter wanted to send both of us, but decided against it at the last moment. Her reasons were her own and Shala was upset, but her spirits were raised when she became Mother Daughter’s protector while I was gone. Little did she know that the lifelong assignment would rob her of future chances for outside exploration. The stench and the impurity of the outside world repulsed me at first, but I looked past the ugliness and fear of the unknown. I then saw the real beauty that many people take for granted. God’s world is full of wonder. The mountains, flowers, valleys, and trees are just part of it. One of the most beautiful things I saw was when a man who had means took a homeless man to an expensive restaurant for a meal. I saw doctors and nurses try with all of their might to save people that they knew nothing about. Some cried when they couldn’t. I saw one woman who many called horrible names simply because she owned her own business and was successful at it. What they didn’t see was that the woman only hired homeless American veterans and single parents trying to support their families. We did so much research in the outside world for many centuries, Evan Knight. Would you believe me if I told you that Ramallah and I were baptized at the River Jordan with Jesus of Nazareth? We watched for a long time before we had to seek you out.”
He felt foolish for his fears. Then he had a look of realization.
“Jess, I know that the outside world, as you call it, is filled with hate and a lot of pain and suffering. I also think it’s amazing how someone who has had your experiences of the world can still see anything beautiful, considering where you’re from. I do have a couple of thoughts though. As someone who has dealt with good and bad people, Shala gives me the creeps. I know what you’re going to say, but hear me out. You said that Shala was in charge of protecting Mother Daughter. How did that go? Didn’t you get some kind of psychic distress call from your Mother? “If it’s a possibility, then it isn’t a fact.”
Knight had Jess’ full attention as he continued, “I have done a lot of research on Eden. In my research I usually come across items that I could cross reference with the Bible, God, and all things related. There are several references where it mentions that Satan…Lucifer…was jealous of Jesus as well as human beings. Of course he was jealous of us, because we had found favor in God’s eyes, but it is believed that Satan wanted to be God’s favorite. It’s also believed that he wanted to take the place of Jesus when God’s plan was revealed. There are some timeline continuity problems there, but that’s another story. From what I could find, Satan was basically jealous of everyone. When he was not given the opportunity he thought he deserved, he tried to do everything in his power to destroy everything and everyone involved in what he could not have. Think carefully, Jess. Doesn’t that situation sound a lot like the one we have here?”
Jess was physically stunned; disbelief marred her face. There was no disputing Knight’s logic. She fought back tears as she did everything she could to come up with alternatives to Knight’s theory. She didn’t have any other answers. The war in Eden followed a familiar pattern for her and she started to figure out how things would end. Win or lose, there would be severe casualties. Some would be closer to home than Jess had imagined.
The fear crept through her. Knight saw it and decided it was time to regroup.
“Jess, I know you believe in your sisters, God, and Mother Daughter. I also know that you took a huge leap of faith to believe in me, or I wouldn’t be here. Your faith is really strong. I need you to not only believe in me, but I need you to believe in us. Us as a team. We will only survive if we put our complete faith in each other. I’m already there, babe”
Jess smiled through her tears and hugged Knight.
“Yes, Evan Knight! Our faith will get us through anything! Even if we die today, we will do so as a team! Our mission is not determined on whether we live, but what we do before we die! Thank you, Evan Knight!”
She released her embrace and left a shocked Knight standing there. Not exactly what was said, but whatever works.
Chapter Thirteen
To the complete amazement of Sulina and her crew, Myora IL Eve slowly stood up. She faced Sulina as she stretched, seemingly unaffected by the lack of oxygen.
“Sulina. It’s about time you arrived.” She then saw Ellisia standing with her enemy. “That will be the last Daughter that you recruit.”
Sulina laughed nervously.
“Myora, my dear sister. You are at an extreme disadvantage here. You’re outnumbered 5 to 1. Fallen are already dead
, so what can you ever hope to do to us?”
“Are you simpleminded, Sulina?” Myora asked, in a tone unfamiliar to her sister. “We are in Eden and in spite of the fact that you think you are some sort of god, I have been given charge over protecting her.”
“Her?” Sulina bellowed back. “You still talk about Eden as if it were a living, thinking being! Eden is mine, sis! In case you don’t know, there is a war going on in your precious garden! An army desecrates the hallowed ground as we speak!”
Myora looked at Ellisia while Sulina yelled at her. Ellisia could not make eye contact with Myora.
She walked up to her former Daughter.
“Daughter that was and Daughter that could be again,” Myora said as she shed a tear. “We all were given a choice. Yours was taken through deceit. I give it back to you now. If you stay with Sulina you will die as she will. You will burn.”
“Now just a minute, bitch!” Sulina interrupted.
Myora ignored her sister.
“Ellisia,I will give you the chance to die as a Daughter. Your wounds are grave, but I can restore you to who you were. Either way you die. At least as a Daughter, you will know peace.”
Sulina jumped in between Myora and Ellisia. She pushed Ellisia back against the wall. Myora never took her eyes off of her Daughter.
“Ellisia?”
Ellisia stood with pride.
“I am, and always will be, a Daughter of Eve. Take me home, Mother.”
“No!” Sulina screamed as her hands tightened around Ellisia’s throat.
Myora touched Ellisia’s shoulder and the decay and stench started to fade from the faithful Daughter. Her skin gained its normal complexion and her eyes returned to their natural color. In one moment, Ellisia was a Daughter again. Blood started to pour from her gunshots wounds as she dropped to her knees. Myora cried for her Daughter as Ellisia reached out one last time. She then reached up.