The Code War (61 page)

Jabez ran to the very edge of Heaven and
shouted.

'Kodrob.' This time his voice did
not bounce back.

He pulled out of the bag a spiral metal
ladder, pinned one end of it under his foot and then threw the rest
of it across the divide. The ladder unfurled itself as it went. It
was just long enough. The last rung of the ladder was fitted with
two long spikes which dug into Inferno's crusty ash surface.

Kodrob had
seen Jabez. Now he spotted the ladder bridge and set off
towards it at a loping run, looking about him. The mawls followed
him with their eyes, their mouths dropping open. They could see
what was happening but even two of them together were no match for
a heavily-armed front-line soldier like Kodrob. The gurn had
disappeared.

Kodrob reached the ladder bridge and
looked across at Jabez.

'OK, take your time Kodrob. There's
no-one behind you.'

But there was.

More than a hundred miles behind
Kodrob a sharp-eyed imp near the top of Husk Tower was surveilling
the suffering hordes below. Something way in the distance had
caught his attention and he
raised his
spy-glasses momentarily and re-focused. He saw the uniform of a
Marauder captain on the very edge of Desoland and guessed it must
be the demon on the run everyone was talking about. The one who'd
apparently been a spy for Paradise for over two thousand years and
was in the final stages of a plot against the Leader at the very
moment his cunning plan was discovered. Damn him, the
traitor.

The imp raised the alarm and
within moments shouts and commands were being
thrown in all directions. Above him, the Leader heard the
noise and ran to the open doorway at the side of the Oven. The same
doorway which had witnessed many fine demons pass through on their
one-way journey to the rocks below. He looked down to the far end
of Desoland and his rebellious heart quailed.

Kodrob
slipped his knife into its sheath and his sword into its
scabbard. He steadied himself and placed his foot on the first
rung. Calmly he stepped onto the bridge and began to walk, not
looking back. When he passed the mid-point, the Leader, looking on,
realised he had been outwitted beyond recovery. He howled his fury
and slammed the huge stones on the side of the doorway with his
mighty hand. They smashed into pieces that flew for miles in an
incandescent arc before smashing into the crowds below, husking
many. The shock wave reached the roof of the tower, shaking the
battlements and sending several sentries crashing to the
rocks.

But
Kodrob knew none of this. He reached the Paradise shoreline
and stepped off the ladder. He sank to his knees and put his lips
to the ground, tasting its sweetness. Jabez tapped the ladder which
furled itself in and came to rest at his feet. Heaven was
secure.

'Ex-Captain Kodrob, formerly of the
Infernal Marauders, at your service.'

Jabez put his arms around the
demon and hugged him.

'Welcome to your new home. You're
safe now. The divide has closed behind you.'

'I can't believe I'm here.'

'As far as I know you are the
first and may be the last devil ever to make this
journey.'

Kodrob looked around
him, taking in the wild splendour of the
landscape. He plucked a small flower and gazed at it, stroking its
petals. 'Is all of Paradise so beautiful?'

Jabez laughed. 'All of Paradise? Like
this? Kodrob, you have no idea.'

Jabez checked himself, realising
the vast gulf of under
standing between
him and the grizzled ex-demon. He didn't want Kodrob to think he
was mocking. 'No. Sorry. What I meant to say is, Paradise is vast.
It's diverse. Every land is different. Beauty has many
forms.'

He grasped Kodrob's shoulders and
raised him to his feet. 'You'l
l like it
here,' he added quickly, as though the deserting captain might
change his mind and go back.

Kodrob breathed in. 'It smells
nice
in this place. But can I live? I
can't even drink water.'

'Your body will go through a lot
of changes. It will take some time. But eventually you'll be able
to eat and drink like us. And even look like us.'

Jo and Chan walked carefully down
the shingle towards the unlikely pair. Kodrob regarded them with
fear. His right hand began to move slowly towards his sword
hilt.

'They're not the enemy any more.
They're friends,' reassured Jabez with a smile. 'Say hello,
guys.'

'Hello,' said Jo.

'Welcome,' said Chan.

Kodrob looked Jo and Chan up and
down.

'If you say they're friends, who am I to
disagree?' He held out his clawed hand to Jo who touched it as
though she expected to be burned. Chan did the same.

'I've got you a job, Kodrob,' said
Jabez. 'Shall we go?'

'Sure.'

Scarpa
Trovata
, Boot and Shoe
Archipelago, Azurine Sea, Paradise

It was night time in the heavenly
Mediterranean island of Scarpa Trovata. Stars spangled in the sky
and the still air pulsed gently to the quiet beat of rock Music.
Even angels couldn't sleep if their aural senses were being
thrilled too much.

Maria and Gianni were alone in the
piazza to meet Jabez and his friends. As Kodrob stepped out of the
Fundial, the Italian pair regarded him with wariness. Kodrob noted
this and turned to Jabez. 'I don't want people staring at me all
the time. I feel like a freak. Really, I just want to hide.'

Maria and Gianni heard him.

'I've an idea,' Maria said,
staring uncertainly at the ruddy demon. 'Jabez told us already that
you'll soon look like other Paradisians. We have a workshop behind
our house that we use for special projects. It's not being used
right now. If you like, you can live there for the time being while
you adjust to Heaven's climate and food. When the redness fades
from your cheeks and your eyebrows look a little less fierce…oh
sorry, I hope you don't mind me saying that…'

'I understand,' smiled Kodrob, and the
others noted how friendly he could look when he relaxed.

'…but what I mean is when you've eaten
some good pasta and lots of fresh tomatoes you'll fit in better and
then we can introduce you to the village.'

'It sounds good,' replied the ex-demon.
'But you know, I want to work. I don't want to be a burden. I was a
leather worker back in Assyria. I can use my hands.'

'That's why I brought you here, Kodrob,'
said Jabez. 'Maria and Gianni and all their people here in the
Azurine Sea make the most beautiful leather boots and shoes in all
of the Kingdom. You can put your old leather-working skills to good
use here.'

It was a match made in Heaven and soon
the old warrior found himself tucked up in a soft bed in an attic
of a quintessential Italian village and when he woke the next day
and opened his shutters he would look out on a breathtaking vista
of terracotta tiles, olive groves and fruit orchards leading down
to sandy beaches and a morning sea made from a palette of the
purest blues that Paradise could produce.

Hades raged impotently for Kodrob's
loss.

Heaven's mercy had won it its most
grateful soul.

Jo and Chan put their arms around Jabez
as they walked back to the Fundial.

'I don't know how you swung it with the
powers upstairs but saving Kodrob was the most courageous move I've
ever seen,' said Chan.

Jo looked up at Jabez, her jet
black feathers shimmering like a midnight sea under the moon.
'Jabez, if you still wonder why you were chosen for the Nancy
mission, wonder no more. No one else I know would have ended it
this way. What you've done has won a greater victory than anything
most other angels would have done. Any Heaven-dweller who hears the
story of you and Kodrob will be inspired. You weren't the perfect
project manager. But you were the right one.'

Jabez took a moment to absorb Jo's
comment. 'Thank you friends. But you and your space engineering
played a vital part. If you hadn't built the Fundial, everything
would have played out differently and who knows how it might have
ended?'

'You know,' said Chan, 'this is one
occasion when I believe a cold beer is justified. Let's put the
Fundial on automatic back to the Pavilion and have us a brew while
we talk some more.'

The Landing
Fields

Morning sunlight poured over the
sculptures and trees outside the Welcome Pavilion. The sculptures
were made in their own art by Paradisians from every nation and
tribe. They welcomed new arrivals of their kind, proclaiming the
Creator's joy in their uniqueness.

The trees were transplanted here from
every land in Paradise and hinted at the wonders to be discovered
in the journeys and careers ahead.

Within the Pavilion, thousands of
families and friends reunited talked and laughed and made-up amidst
tears, hugs and hoots. The flow of people in and out was like an
airport lounge. But unlike those soulless temples of restlessness,
the Pavilion beat with joy, hope and fulfilment.

Nancy, Ruth, Angela and Luke were still
in the Pavilion having talked tirelessly through the night.

'There must be something in this wine.
If it's not alcohol, it must be caffeine,' shouted Nancy across the
hubbub as she returned to the table with another jug.

'And that's another thing,' agreed Luke
who was keen to explain all that Paradise had to offer. 'Here there
are more than a million types of bean and leaf which means you can
try different hot drinks every day.'

'I can't take it all in,' exclaimed
Nancy, sitting down and putting her hands over her head. 'Heaven
just seems to go on and on.'

'Don't worry, the introductory tour of
Paradise for new arrivals will give you a good overview of the
basics,' said Agatha. 'It lasts a hundred years but seems to fly by
in an instant. The food and transport are great and the guides are
really knowledgeable.'

Luke added his favourite. 'If you
like skiing, the eighty mile downhill at…Jabez, you're back!' Jabez
took a seat opposite Nancy and smiled at everyone.

'Where have you been?' enquired Nancy.
'I've been missing you already.'

'Er..I went to meet a new arrival.
Someone I met on my travels.'

'Did it go well?' asked Ruth. She
had alerted Agatha and Luke about the mission to bring Kodrob
across. They had all pledged secrecy until the outcome was
known.

'Very well. Our new friend has
settled in nicely.' Jabez paused. 'I'm sure he'll pick up the
threads quickly,' he added with a wink.

'He definitely won't be down at
heel for long, then.' Luke.

'Sounds like he'll really put his sole
into it.' Agatha.

'Erm..He's clearly tenacious. I'm sure
he'll last.' Ruth.

'Hey this isn't fair. You lot are
talking in code. What's going on?' complained Nancy mournfully.

'I promise I'll tell you later,' said
Luke with a grin. 'But it's good news and it's one more positive
outcome to emerge out of your journey here.'

'Well, I'm glad about that,' said
Nancy sitting back. 'So, what happens now? I've arrived in Heaven
even though I scarcely believed in it till a short while ago. Can I
take a little walk around and get my bearings?'

'Of course, let's do that,' Jabez pushed
his glass away.

'Ah've got a suggestion.' Ruth had her
hand in the air. 'Ah think we should let Jabez take Nancy for a
little stroll, just the two of them, and let her stretch her legs.
She's been in this Pavilion almost since she got here. Time for her
to start seeing a little more of Paradise.'

Around the oaken halls other
groups were coming to the same conclusion. While new parties
arrived accompanying a soul fresh in from Earth, others were
pushing back their chairs and leaving for another land within the
Kingdom.

Jabez had been relieved at Ruth's
suggestion that he take Nancy for a walk, just the two of them.
There was something he wanted to ask Nancy in private. He just
didn't know how he was going to do it. Or what her answer might
be.

He led Nancy outside where they waved
goodbye to Ruth, Agatha and Luke. Then he stood up tall and spread
out his wings to their full span. Nancy looked from wing tip to
wing tip and was amazed to see the distance they reached. Every
feather was neatly in its place, like white-shirted students in a
classroom. Every plume was alert as though searching for its share
of wind.

Deftly he scooped her up in his
arms, raised his wings and lifted off with a powerful downward
beat. They soared up into the blue sky where Nancy looked around
and caught glimpses of pyramids and towers and ziggurats and
castles in settings more vivid than any fairytale could tell. They
flew for an hour without speaking while Nancy took in the sights of
her new home. Eventually Jabez glided down and planted them both in
a garden glade within a blue tree forest. They walked along one of
the sandy trails.

'You know Nancy, while we were on the
project to rescue you, we looked up your ancestral tree.'

'Oh, and did you find lots of crooks and
murderers?'

'One or two, since you ask. Though Mya
Ling was the most colourful, by a long way.'

'So she realIy was my great-great
grandmother and I really am part Chinese?'

'Yes, you're an English Chinese-Russian
Jew.'