Babylon (Eden Saga Book 2) Read online

  Alexandra’s prior vision of the sprawling shanty-city sprung into her mind. So it was true. Padre Hernon had named his city, and it was already known. The passages in Father Callahan’s altered Bible spoke to her through the distance of time:

  “Babylon will be reborn in greater sin and evil.”

  Was it possible? Did Father Callahan’s mentor truly foresee the construction of a dark city? She wished she still had the prophetic book so she could review the material. Some of it appeared to be coming to life – complete with crosshairs on her back, unfortunately.

  Keeping her hand to herself, she asked, “Babylon?”

  Zaph nodded. “I was on my way there to deliver a message from Rome when these demons intercepted me.”

  “Rome?” she said. “Back up a sec. Start at the beginning. What happened to Heaven?”

  “You don’t know?”

  Alexandra formed her best ‘duh’ face. “I’ve just been trying to survive here since the quake. I really don’t know too much.”

  “You must know a great deal, if you reopened Eden. Though we were told it was the child born of Elah who did so. The child who sits upon the throne of Babylon.”

  “Still going way too fast for me,” she said. “Please, just answer my questions.”

  Why did everyone suffer from the same answer dodging disease? Koneh knew quite more than he ever told her, but prying information from him was akin to ice skating uphill. Erzulie was so unapproachable most times, Alexandra found her a less than desirable source of facts. Of course, the Crone believed Alexandra to be an enemy, so those conversations typically went nowhere.

  What was wrong with everybody?

  “As you command,” Zaph said, unaware of the personal tirade taking place inside of Alexandra’s skull.

  “Good. Let’s start with Heaven. What happened?”

  “We are still struggling with that,” Zaph said. “One moment Heaven existed, and the next moment it was gone. Very few of us survived the shift into your world.”

  “Shift?”

  Zaph smiled. “Apologies, My Lady. Our two worlds occupy the same space, just in different realities.”

  “You mean Heaven and Earth?”

  “Indeed,” Zaph said. “Hell also. Elah created the realms so that they may overlap and coexist as one. Once presented with this new information, the priests in Rome theorized it was the severance of this connection between our worlds that caused the quake.”

  “Wait a minute,” Alexandra said. “I thought Elah came here from somewhere else. Now you’re telling me He created the world like in Genesis?”

  “My apologies again,” he said. “Elah created Heaven and Hell, not Earth.”

  “Alright, sorry, I’m not interested in that far back. Not yet, at least,” she said. “So you don’t know what happened either?”

  “I’m afraid not. When Heaven fell, we angels flew to Rome. Our protocol demanded we continue to serve by order of the next highest in command. For quite some time, that person was Pope Victor. However, the re-opening of Eden by the child king changed that.”

  “How so?” Alexandra asked.

  “Well, we must follow the next in line to the throne of Heaven - Elah’s child,” Zaph said. “We were told this child was born the day Heaven fell, and that Eden was opened by his hand. I have looked upon the child, but I have not been close enough to touch him. After meeting you, I now know that one of two things is true: the child is false or there are two children of Elah now on this world. This information is disturbing and requires further review as your soul isn’t strong enough to be the Mih’darl despite its signature.”

  Alexandra huffed. “Further review.”

  “Yes. We have much to discuss in Rome. Your existence is a new wrinkle in the events that have transpired. I must consult the head of my column… Perhaps the Choir.”

  She huffed again.

  “Is something bothering you?” Zaph asked.

  She pushed from the wall and glared at him. “Yeah. I’ve suffered at the hands of demons, traitors and the wasteland. I’ve bled and watched friends die. This new world has taken so much from all of us, and y’all were just sitting around in Rome talking about stuff? I lost everything on my journey to Eden and now this newborn is atop a throne, taking credit for my sacrifice? What the hell is wrong with you people?”

  Taken aback, Zaph widened his all-white eyes and leaned away from her.

  More to herself than her companion, Alexandra paced and mumbled. “Further review. Weak soul. Rome. Child king.” She then turned to him and said, “All of this information would have been useful, I don’t know, like months ago! We could have used some help!”

  “I don’t know what to say to you.”

  “There’s nothing you can say! While we were fighting for a better future, you and the Pope were sipping tea in Rome. Didn’t you know we were out here? Couldn’t you have helped?”

  “If you’ve lost friends, your anger shouldn’t be directed at me,” Zaph said. “Instead-”

  Alexandra stepped towards him and said, “You know nothing of my anger, angel. With each passing moment, its edge sharpens. No, angel, you will never be able to comprehend the depth and potency of my hatred for this world and those who forced it upon us. Your lack of a soul guarantees your ignorance. You live to serve, even if you have no comprehension of why your orders are given. You exist in utter darkness.”

  Zaph narrowed his eyes. “I think I understand what you are now,” he said.

  “Be careful if you are about to sling accusations,” Alexandra said. “I’m through being labeled by those I care little for.”

  “Your black heart, your lack of caring,” Zaph said. “You are false, Alexandra. We were warned about your kind and your manipulative ways. Torture me all you want, I am immune to such devices. I’ll not tell you anything more of Rome or the child king. Go back to your demon master and tell him an angel can see through any falsehoods. We are not so easily fooled.”

  Alexandra threw her head back and laughed. It was the only appropriate reaction. She realized she wasn’t the one who had gone insane - the world had.

  “You actually think I saved you from that demon just to pry information from you?” Alexandra asked.

  “A very clever tactic, I admit,” Zaph said. “But I have seen through your weave of lies. You have failed, false one.”

  Was he correct? Was she simply a freak of nature like she first thought? Was she false? After all, she failed to heal Richard. Maybe her powers were limited for a reason. Perhaps the angel was right.

  No. She opened Eden. That had to mean something. Koneh couldn’t be wrong about her. God spoke to him. Or, was this just another move on the chess board? Was she simply put in play as a decoy?

  “Your hesitation tells me all I need to know,” Zaph said. “I have nothing more to say to you. Slay me or leave me. Know your victory against me is but a minor one.”

  Alexandra turned to him. “I’m not going to kill you,” she said. “Though somebody should set you straight. And also your precious friends in Rome.”

  “Our faith guides us.”

  Exhaling, she said, “Directly to destruction, no doubt. Listen, I can take you with me or leave you here to chance. To be honest with you, I really don’t care which. You felt something when we touched, and I won’t pretend to know what that is.”

  “I know exactly what it is,” he said. “Falseness.”

  Alexandra shook her head. “Fine, have it your way.”

  She started down the stairwell and stopped. Looking one last time at Zaph, she said, “The other angels I met were all quite analytical. Do yourself a favor. Next time you’re in the presence of that child king, brush past him. See what you feel. Sounds like you will know the truth so what can it hurt? Hell, I don’t know what you’ll find, but I assume you will have more information one way or the other. Don’t believe everything we humans tell you, we’re prone to lying. Maybe it’s your child king who is false.”

  Witho
ut waiting for a response, she limped down the stairs to where her backpack waited her. She cleaned her wound with an alcohol pad and wrapped her thigh in the last of her borrowed gauze. The area throbbed, but the pain was manageable.

  She collected her thoughts and drew her sword. Though the junkyard was quiet, she knew the other horned demons were still out there. Better to make a quick escape than linger any longer with the rigid angel. If what Zaph said was true, then a child was being worshipped in Babylon. Her dream was turning into reality. Was she destined to attack him? What would the outcome of that battle hold for her?

  Babylon was quickly becoming her focal point. She kept her eyes pinned on the orange-black horizon and hastened her uneven step. To Babylon.

  Chapter 11

  Alexandra watched the coyote hop around the ruined houses. Like her, the creature was searching for food. Unfortunately for the coyote, Alexandra was the hunter today. She crept along a crumbled wall and waited for her opportunity. At last, it came.

  Just as she was ready to strike, the coyote looked in her direction and whimpered. It froze in fright. She stopped on her heel when she recognized the eyes.

  Zana.

  Though it was impossible for her childhood companion to still be alive, something in this coyote’s eyes reminded her of Zana. The first miracle she performed was on that wounded coyote, but she didn’t realize that fact until she began her journey with Koneh.

  She followed the coyote for a few more hours, though she couldn’t explain why. Content with the human out of sight, it bounded merrily into a caved-in garage and she heard it rummaging through some boxes.

  The skittery scavenger had found something.

  Alexandra dashed into the garage and found the beast in the bed of a pickup truck, its face buried in the side of a box. When it realized her presence, it pulled away and snarled. The boxes appeared to be full of bagged pasta.

  “I’m not here to hurt you,” Alexandra said. “I just want to share.”

  As if it could understand her, the coyote bared its teeth and deepened its snarl.

  “Look,” she said, “there’s more than enough for the two of us.”

  Yelping, the coyote bounded from the pickup and gave her a wide berth. It watched her every move as she inspected the pasta. Most of the bags appeared to be intact!

  “Good little coyote,” she said.

  After tearing open a package and devouring the dry noodles, she threw some towards her audience. The creature snarled again and slowly advanced upon the offering. It scooped some dry noodles into its mouth and crunched on them, all while keeping two wary eyes on Alexandra.

  “Well,” Alexandra said, causing her friend to jump. “I suppose I should name you so I can tell everyone how a coyote saved me. If I ever make it out of this.”

  She watched her new friend devour the noodles and the name popped to her lips.

  “Talla.”

  Now that she knew Eden was a reality, she wondered how Adam and Eve decided upon names for the creatures they encountered. So far, Alexandra’s creativity was limited to Spanish food names. Zana for apples and Talla for noodles.

  She shrugged and popped another handful of dry pasta into her mouth.

  The coyote, newly named, stayed with her while both of them ate. Alexandra found bottled water and some replacement medical supplies in the house. Searching the glove compartment of the truck yielded keys and she kept her hope in check as she started the vehicle.

  The engine roared to life!

  She quickly killed the engine to conserve the half tank of gas and began to clear the debris from the top and sides of the truck.

  “You are my hero, Talla,” Alexandra said. Her new friend simply cocked his head in response. Realizing he wasn’t in danger, he resumed crunching his noodles.

  As the sky changed to pure black, Alexandra realized she wasn’t going to finish before she needed sleep. The entire roof of the garage had collapsed, and she couldn’t find any tools to help her with the job. She thought she’d almost trade her sword for a hammer.

  Almost.

  Not willing to risk her new bounty, she transferred the boxes of pasta to inside the house. Talla waited at the door but wouldn’t enter. She left some water for him on the stoop and barricaded herself in one of the bedrooms. Dust plumed from the mattress and sheets when she fell on them but she didn’t mind. Anything was an improvement from the frigid ground.

  She awoke with a raw throat and cramped neck. Perhaps she was more accustomed to the ground? Talla waited in the garage and she rewarded him friend with another bit of water.

  “I owe you more than you know,” she said as she tried to pat the animal’s head. Still wary, Talla retreated and growled. “A work in progress then.”

  Sweating under her layered clothes, Alexandra finished clearing the debris from the truck before the sky darkened again. Koneh taught her to avoid lingering in one place and she had yet to find an argument to counter that lesson. Talla watched her as she pulled from the garage with her bounty of bagged noodles and bottled water in the back of the pickup.

  Free at last, she hopped from the cab and attempted to coax the coyote into the truck. He paced but wouldn’t budge.

  “I’ll keep feeding you,” she said.

  When Talla appeared set in his decision to stay, Alexandra climbed into the vehicle and started down the cracked, quiet street. She was heartbroken Talla refused to join her. Though logic commanded her to leave the beast in the wasteland, her heart’s counterpoint refused to be ignored: Talla saved you, so you should return the favor. For some reason, the fact that he was an animal mattered less to Alexandra than she thought it would.

  She glanced at the side mirror and her heart leapt. Just as carefree as before, Talla bounded right behind!

  She stopped the truck, exited the cab again and approached with a handful of dried noodles. This time, Talla followed her. After several false starts, which ended with him leaping from the flatbed, beast and supplies were finally ready to travel. Talla realized his ticket to a full belly meant riding in the rumbling flatbed and he reluctantly accepted his fate.

  Once on the abandoned freeway, Talla quickly discovered the joy of hanging his head from the side of the moving vehicle. His tongue flapped as they sped towards Alexandra’s goal, a smile on both their faces. Perhaps he was partly domesticated after all.

  Alexandra traveled by instinct, as her map was gone and the freeway signs were mostly destroyed. She recalled a few details from her previous trip, but she was forced to backtrack several times. Though she couldn’t afford to stop at every wrecked vehicle, she did search a tow truck and an eighteen wheeler for gas canisters. Unfortunately, she wasn’t successful in her efforts and she stopped for the night with a nearly empty tank of gas.

  “This might be the end of the road for us,” she said to Talla as she tore open another bag of noodles. “Back to our feet sometime tomorrow, most likely.”

  Talla crunched noodles between his teeth and followed Alexandra’s movements. His ears pivoted to the various sounds in the darkness and his fur bristled with each gust of wind. When his portion had been devoured, he licked his lips and glanced at the box which contained the water.

  “Damn, you learn fast!” Alexandra said grinning. She poured some water into a borrowed bowl from the house and watched him lap at the liquid.

  “You’re not going to follow me, are you?” Alexandra asked. Talla cocked his head in response and then returned to his bowl. “I can’t carry everything and you’ll have no reason to come with me with all of this food here.”

  Alexandra sighed and gazed across the wasteland at the orange horizon. The sun was still going about its routine, but the sky enclosed them like a dome. In her dreams, she once saw a blue sky but she wasn’t sure how much of that was fancy and what parts were real. Heck, she thought, the whole idea of glimpsing the future was likely her own personal delusion. A delusion shared in part by Lilev.

  Did the demoness really think Alexandra
could peer into the years ahead? Why did Lilev care so much about the future? Well, Lilev had cared enough to spare Alexandra in Brasilia all those months ago. Was she still hunting Alexandra for these answers or because she wanted revenge for Koneh’s death?

  The various threads tangled in her mind as she curled up in the cab for the night. Talla whined at the door but refused to make the leap into the truck. He knew what he wanted but he wasn’t ready to fully trust his human companion yet.

  After closing the door for the last time that night, Alexandra grinned.

  “A work in progress,” she whispered.

  Like she was emerging from a fog, Alexandra’s world materialized around her. She was standing in a torchlit cavern. The air bit at her nose and ears. Stale musk from nearby water surrounded her. Blood’s unmistakable scent hung in the air like recently dispensed aerosol.

  “You sure took your time,” a grating voice said from the shadows.

  Lilev emerged, shrouded in her dark hood and robes. She peered at Alexandra from behind her all-black eyes, waiting.

  Alexandra examined her surroundings to ascertain her location. Garbage littered the rocky ground and crude paintings covered the walls of the cave. Closer inspection revealed the markings weren’t paintings. They were maps. Torchlight flickered around the corners of her vision and provided only minimal illumination.

  Where was she? Think! The last thing she remembered was Lilev giving the order to kill Erzulie. No, that wasn’t right. Alexandra felt her pulse quicken as fear threatened to seize her. Why couldn’t she remember anything?

  Lilev stepped towards her and Alexandra drew her sword. Still disoriented, she didn’t want to take any chances. The last time Lilev was this close, she tried to kill Alexandra.

  The demoness halted and narrowed her eyes.

  “What is this?” Lilev asked.

  Calming her racing heart, Alexandra said, “I’ll ask the questions.”