Allegories of the Tarot (17 page)

“You know what they would have done to you if you were caught?”
Mkai shook his head. “One day your habits will get you killed.”

“But not today, brother.”
Fsol grinned and
sat back. “So, what do you think?”

Mkai thought for a moment, mind whirling with possibilities. He
looked at his friend, wondering how much to gamble.

“I think you need to show me this passage. Our entire existence
could be at risk and I, for one, am not willing to trust Kalia has our best
interests at heart.” He knew he risked charges of treason with such a
statement, even one made to his oldest friend.

“Of course.
Let’s go.” Fsol stood. “It’s a rather cleverly
hidden passage and, if we’re careful, no one will ever catch us.”

I hope not. This
could be more important than Fsol knows.
Mkai followed him through the door, flipping a switch
to turn on his hidden cameras.

***

An hour later found Mkai back in his favorite chair. Fsol
had shown him the passage and the chamber at its end, the only light streaming
from the throne room below. A quick glance had shown it was empty, not a
surprise this late. They agreed to take turns watching to try to discover more
of Kalia’s plans and had separated. Mkai returned to his room, mind churning
over the risks Kalia was taking.

Once settled in his chair, he couldn’t stop his mind
from falling, spiraling down dark and painful memories. With a resigned sigh,
he stood and made his way to the empty hearth. Mkai had never lit it, mainly
because the temperature in Hell was already hot enough.
But
mostly because he was heartsick of fire.
Outside his chambers, fires
burned everywhere he turned. The smell of sulfur and the crackling roar of
flames assaulted his senses. Silence reigned and he found his need for quiet
growing stronger every day. It had been too long since he had been back to
Earth.

He reached out, pushing and twisting certain stones
until, with a click, the mantle front dropped, swinging free on its hinge. He
gazed at the few items hidden so carefully. Possession of them under Samael’s
rule didn’t mean much. Perhaps a short time banished, not really a punishment
to Mkai. But under Kalia’s harsh new laws, owning contraband meant severe
punishment. Loss of a limb, torture and death were all possible. Regardless of
the jeopardy, he knew he could never get rid of them.

He picked up a child’s soot-covered doll, the beautifully
carved face chipped,
paint
worn to a faint memory. His
heart cramped in his chest and he had to clench his jaws to stop the sob of
grief from escaping. Mkai fought a losing battle against the memories handling
the doll always brought. Part of God’s punishment. Banishment from His Light
wasn’t enough. Nor was He satisfied with the twisted and marred forms He forced
upon those who dared question Him.

No. His greatest punishment was the
gift
of perfect memory. Every moment of his existence was etched
into Mkai’s mind, just waiting for him to turn his attention to it. Thus it was
handling the doll brought the exact memory of burnt flesh to his nostrils, the
cries of terror and pain assaulting his ears. He dropped to his knees, body
wracked with silent grief.

Three hundred years gone and her memory still tore at
him. The tiny waif had captured his heart from the very moment he saw her in
the park and, without realizing it, he had broken his first rule of dealing
with humans.
Distance.
It was the only thing that kept
him sane. With an existence spanning eons, the short life spans of the humans
he watched flickered like candles in a night’s breeze. Distance was all that
kept their loss from scarring too deeply.

But not that day.
There was no
way to guard his heart against the innocence of the child’s questions. Four
short days later, it all disappeared in
a gout
of fire
and smoke as the girl and her entire family were killed, murdered in a ploy by
Mkai’s bitter rival, Ortag.

He arrived at the park to meet the child. When he
couldn’t find her, Mkai set off to the rundown building her family shared with
several others. It wasn’t long before he caught the stench of burning and made
out the column of smoke slowly building in the distance. Heart plummeting, he
ran the rest of the way. Bolting around the corner, the terrifying scene before
him dropped him to his knees. Three houses were engulfed in flames, screams of
terror and pain audible over the roar of the inferno. He knew it was his
imagination, always trouble for him, but even now, centuries later, he swore he
heard her clear voice calling out his name.

Mkai stood there for hours while the fire burned, the
humans scuttling around attempting to stop the fire from spreading. Almost the
entire block was lost, but all he cared about was that one single house. It was
obvious to one so accustomed to fire and its methods her house had been the
center. Walking through the ruins later, it was also obvious it was no
accident.

The doll was all he was able to salvage from the ruin. In
the midst of the burnt out wreckage, he had sworn vengeance on who he knew was
responsible.
Ortag.
Rivals even before the fall, their
hatred only grew stronger through the long years since. They rarely struck
directly at one another, but that day Mkai let his anger loose. Ortag paid for
his actions with the loss of an eye before Samael had decreed against death
challenges.

***

Mkai shook himself free of the memories and stood once
more. He carefully placed the doll back in its spot, smoothing its dress before
closing up the hidden drawer again. He laid his hand on the mantle and silently
sent up a prayer to the child and her family before turning to his bedroom. His
dreams that night were tormented by screams and fire and him running, always
running, but never getting anywhere.

***

Mkai woke hours later, eyes gritty and body sore from
the restless sleep. He forced himself to dress, throwing lukewarm water on his
face before slipping out of his rooms. He barely remembered to turn on his
security as he left on his way to the hidden chamber. It was his turn and he
was hoping to find out more about Kalia’s plans.

He retraced his steps from the night before and slipped
into the hidden passage without running into anyone. The quiet echo of his
footsteps kept him company as he walked down the twists and turns until
stepping into the small chamber, dimly lit from below. He made his way to the
small crack in the base of the wall and carefully laid down, peeking into the
room below.

Mkai smiled grimly at his luck. Kalia stood at a small
table, almost directly below him, the demon Lilith beside her. Their beauty
struck him for a moment and he again marveled that such twisted evil could be
hidden beneath such a facade. He shook the thoughts loose and focused on the
two below.

“Mistress, how can you be sure?” Lilith said
,
her velvet tones a caress to Mkai’s ears.

“I have sources beyond you. Trust me when I say it’s
true.” Kalia answered pouring water into a glass, frost crawling across its
side. “He is on earth and he must be found. The only other piece of information
I could learn was he is in Los Angeles.”

“I accept it is as you say, but how can we be expected
to find a single man when that is all we know? We do not know his age, his
race, what he looks like, not even his name.”

“It is a daunting task, I am aware,” Kalia said harshly.
“But it will be done. He will be found.”

Mkai saw Lilith stand up straighter, the jut of her full
breasts drying his mouth. Lilith had that effect on every male, demon and human
alike. He didn’t blame the humans for their obsession with her.

“Yes, Mistress, word has been sent out to look for a
male in his mid-twenties and he will be found, but it may take time.” Mkai saw
her pause and lick her full lips before continuing. “But I do not understand
why he is so important.”

“Because of
who
he is, more
than for his gifts. We must find him and you, with your own gifts, will convert
him to our cause. Then he will lead our army unto his Father’s gate and Heaven
will be ours.”

Mkai’s heart almost stopped when he realized what he was
hearing. God had sent His Son once more to earth and, somehow, Kalia knew. For
a moment, he wondered where she got this information, but the intensity in her
voice left no doubt it was true. He shivered at the thought. God’s Son leading
her armies to heaven could indeed win her the war.

Kalia and Lilith were still speaking but Mkai tuned them
out, mind whirling. He stood, careful to not make a sound and slipped down the
corridor heading back to his chambers. He had a lot to think about and
decisions to make and not a lot of time.

He hurried down the passage, barely taking a moment to
ensure that there was no one around before ducking out into the hall. Mkai made
his way to his rooms, mind full of possibilities.

Once locked securely inside, he dropped into his chair,
heart heavy in his chest. He was faced with a choice, again. Millennia ago he
had been forced to make the same decision. He had made the wrong one then, even
if not consciously. Did he have the courage to do what was right this time? Hours
later, his hopeless quest for an answer was interrupted by a quiet knock. He
couldn’t summon even a small smile when the door swung open to reveal Fsol.

“We need to talk.”

Mkai thought about the coincidence of Fsol appearing
now. But this time it was Mkai with news to share.

“There was nothing going on in the throne room so I
thought I’d come and see if you had heard anything.”

“Sit my friend. I did indeed hear something. As large,
if not larger, than the news you first brought me.” Mkai took a seat across
from his friend. A jab in the back made him realize he had been so preoccupied
that he hadn’t even put his weapons away. He shook himself mentally and leaned
forward, beckoning Fsol closer.

“I heard the rest of her plan. And I think she is indeed
insane.”

“Why? What did I miss?” Fsol
said ,
seriousness stealing away the small grin ever present.

“There is a search going on as we speak.
A search for one man.”
Mkai paused and took a deep breath
before exhaling slowly. “They are searching for the Son of God who has been
sent to offer salvation to mankind once more. They intend to have Lilith seduce
and corrupt Him and in doing so, convert Him to their cause. And he will lead
them into Heaven.”

The rush of words seemed to have a physical impact on
Fsol, pushing him back into the couch. His eyes went wide and unblinking from
shock. Mkai let his friend absorb what he’d said for a moment before
continuing, only then realizing that there was no choice for him. There never
was.

“He is in Los Angeles and they are hunting him. I intend
to go there, this very night, and I will find As’hame of the As’rai protecting
the city and I will tell him everything. And,” he paused, amazed at how calm he
felt, “I will ask him to let me join him.”

His quiet statement of defiance struck his friend hard
and Mkai watched as Fsol stood and started pacing before the empty hearth.

“How can you do such a thing?” Fsol finally asked
stopping and sitting once more. “This could work! We could win Heaven! Why
would you risk it all? The As’rai
destroy
us when they
can, why do you think this As’hame will be any different?”

Mkai shrugged. “He may not be, but I think, of them all,
he will give me space to speak. Once he hears all I know, I think he will
accept me. If not, he may destroy me. It matters not, my friend. I have had my
fill of this existence. I’m tired.
So very tired.
As
long as he listens to me and acts to prevent this from happening, I don’t care
if he kills me.
As long as he listens.”

“But why?”

Mkai gestured. “Aren’t you tired of all of this?”

“How can you be so short sighted? We could win Heaven!
And you would ruin our chances?” Fsol said, anger lacing his voice.

“Because I chose wrong last time, as did you. We have a
chance to make up for it this time. Come with me, my friend.” Mkai implored, “Come
with me and help me save the world.”

“No!” Fsol cried, “I can’t see any reason to risk all we
could win for the barest hope.”

Heart breaking, Mkai watched his oldest friend, the
closest to a true brother he had ever had, begin pacing in front of the empty
hearth. He was getting more worked up with each step and it was then Mkai realized
one of them would not leave this room. He sighed to himself and slowly stood to
face his friend.

“I understand your fear Fsol, but honestly how can this
life be more horrible? Ever since she took over things have been worse than
ever. I know you’re not happy with some of the things that have been happening.
Can you imagine for a moment what it would be like if she accomplished her
goal?” Mkai said, leaning on the back of the couch, three short steps from his
friend.

“Do you think God would allow her to take over Heaven?
He might not destroy the humans but there is nothing stopping Him from simply
obliterating us with a thought. Invading Heaven would accomplish nothing.” Mkai
said, need rasping in his voice.

“I don’t ask you to believe, though I wish I could
convince you.” Mkai paused stepping closer, “But I do ask that you not stop me.
I won’t force you to do something against what you believe. Please extend the
same courtesy to me.”

Fsol stopped his pacing and looked at Mkai, anguish
apparent on his scaled face. He met Mkai’s eyes momentarily before dropping his
gaze to the floor. Mkai could see the conflict tearing at his friend and hope
stirred in his chest. It fizzled, twisted up and died as he realized he had no
real choice. This was too big, too important to risk, even for Fsol. He steeled
himself and took the final step, holding his right arm out to his friend.