“Thy pomp is brought down to the grave and the worm is spread under thee and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet thou wert brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? Yea, it was Nebucchadnezzar that was made an instrument of that god of old that made his people to suffer needlessly at the hands of the enemy. This is thy chance for redemption, O Lucifer! O King of Babylon! This is thy time for setting aright that which was wrong! You who have been made over in the Halls of Amenti! And we all everyone shall all be touched by the hand of an angel!”

  Lavon stopped speaking and sat down on the table. Before anyone could move the sounds of shouts drifted into the room. Lucio turned quickly and ran down the hall as the members of the Council and the others gathered in the room poured into the hall, following the sounds of the disturbance coming up from the first floor.

  Bari Caleb Apollo Kadif, Emperor of New Persia, stood in front of the gilded mirror in his bedroom, turning first left and then right, perusing his reflection carefully. He wanted to be perfect for this occasion. In his mind, this was the most momentous event in his reign so far. His purple and gold overlay was perfect. The long, blousy sleeves of his white shirt hung in silky folds from his shoulders and the gold and diamond buttons on the cuffs sparkled in the late afternoon sun slanting through the tall windows. His wavy black hair was pulled back in a pony tail and held by an elaborate gold clasp at the nape of his neck and his closely-cropped beard was trimmed to perfection. He snapped his fingers and his valet came to put the black kaffiyeh over his head and then adjusted the folds that fell down his back.

  He looked once more at his reflection and then bent to brush a stray bit of lint from his shiny black boots.

  “Bravo, your majesty!” General Schweikert clapped his hands. The General sat on a red and white brocaded silk sofa, watching him intently. “Is there anything else?”

  “My eye shadow is not too dark, do you think?” Bari leaned toward the mirror again and ran one finger under his left eye.

  “No, your grace, it’s perfect.” The General stood up and stretched his arms over his head. “You look like a king.”

  “Very funny.” Bari frowned at him in the mirror and then frowned again at himself before checking his teeth. “My rings, Obed.” He held out his right hand and the valet put a heavy signet ring bearing the newly designed Kadif family crest on his right ring finger. Another silver and gold ring embossed with his birth sign and magickal protection symbols went on his little finger. Obed fastened his gold watch on his left wrist and adjusted the cuff to cover it. Bari pressed his right hand against his chest and felt the hard lump under his overlay and shirt where the spearhead of Longines rested at the end of a silver chain. The necklace always brought a measure of comfort to him when he was particularly nervous and he was very nervous.

  “You have seen her?” Bari glanced at the General and then picked up the hard copy of his itinerary for the day from a table near the sofa.

  “I saw her last night, your Grace.” The General stepped closer and pointed at the paper. “You have a very important meeting with the Rabbi this afternoon. If you do not make any of these other appearances, you really should make time for that one. Master Jozsef asked me to remind you of that.”

  “Why can’t he take care of the Rabbi?” Bari wrinkled his nose. He was tired of dealing with the worrisome Templar. Levi James d’Ornan was very stubborn and his wife was dangerous. Their plan to use her against the Rabbi had backfired. They could not touch her. Whatever magick was protecting her was more powerful than they had imagined. They could do nothing more than hold her prisoner in the strange fog that Jozsef had created in the basement-turned-dungeon room. Each time they had approached her, she had simply melted into the fog seemingly becoming part of it. It was very hard to torture a wisp of smoke. Bari had suggested that they torture the Rabbi instead, but Jozsef had merely looked at him as if he were an idiot and asked him what purpose it would serve? They might cause her to come out of hiding, but then what? Have her beg the Rabbi to do what they ask? Have her allow them to torture her so he would do what they asked him to do? He would know that anything they did to her would not be real and Jozsef did not want the Rabbi harmed, not yet, anyway. They had made the only offer they could make and it had not worked. They had offered to allow the couple to go free if Levi would agree to open the ark for Jozsef Daniel, but he had flatly refused. Bari was at a loss as to what to do next. If they could get hold of one of the Rabbi’s brothers or sisters, perhaps they could accomplish something. As things stood, these meetings were a waste of time.

  “That is not for me to say.” The General answered him. “I believe that he has devised a new approach for the debate.”

  “Debate?” Bari scowled at the itinerary and dropped it on the table.

  “What else would you call these meetings, your Grace?”

  “I see your point.” Bari took one last look in the mirror and checked his watch. “It is time.”

  “After you, sir.” The General held out one hand toward the tall double doors.

  Bari walked through the doors as Obed opened them for him and down the hall toward his mother’s rooms as two palace guards walked along smartly in front of him and two more behind him. He had taken to keeping at least four armed body guards with him any time he ventured out the bedroom door since his grandfather had turned up unexpectedly again. This would be the first time he had seen her since Jozsef had brought her back for him. Jozsef had told him that he wanted to make sure she was ready and everything was perfect before the emperor met with her. The emperor actually had butterflies and knots in his stomach as he walked rather slowly down the wide hallway. The sounds of birds and distant voices drifted up from the courtyard and the grand hallway below and his boots echoed loudly in the marble hall. His valet followed along slightly behind him and the General walked on his left. He stopped in front of the doors and the servant opened them for him.

  Bari drew a deep breath and stepped inside the opulent room. He’d had everything thrown out and redecorated the rooms himself. He wanted nothing to remind her of the time before when he had last seen her here. He wanted a fresh start with her and he wanted nothing of his father, Omar, to be here, nothing to remind her of those times. The room was done in pale blues, grays and pinks and the golden rays of the sun, filtering through the translucent pink draperies, cast the room in a rosy glow. Jozsef sat at a white and gold desk, looking over some papers in a leather binder. When Bari stepped inside, he closed the book and stood up, smiling at him.

  “You look wonderful, your Grace.” Jozsef bowed his head slightly to him and Bari’s heart caught in his throat. He had forgotten about Jozsef’s uncanny resemblance to his father prior to the ‘accident’. The image of his father dressed in the royal purple and white from his very early childhood was one of his fondest and only memories of his father. Jozsef’s long hair was pulled back from the sides of his face and clasped in a silver brooch at the top of his head. The rest of his silky locks hung down his back, almost to his waist now. Bari did not understand the man’s obsession with his hair. He had shaved the beard and now looked almost exactly like Omar Kadif had once looked without the beard. A sharp pang of jealousy struck Bari as he looked at the face of his father. The face that his mother loved. This might be a problem. Why had Jozsef chosen this moment to shave?

  “Thank you.” Bari nodded to him stiffly and glanced about the empty room. “Where is my mother?”

  “She is on the balcony. Waiting for you.” Jozsef turned his head slightly toward the open glass doors leading out to the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

  Bari hesitated. He had still not thought of what he would say to her. He’d thought of many things and none of them seemed right.

  Jozsef crossed the room and took his arm. “Come on now.” He said in a low voice. “You’ve been hounding me for days. Go on out there and talk to her. She is expecting you.”

  “Is she… all right?” Bari felt another emotion cover the jealousy and jitters… fear.

  “She’s fine! She’s beyond fine!” Jozsef smiled. “You’ll see. I think you will be pleased, your Grace. A remarkable recovery… in every way.”

  “Did she recognize you?” Bari hesitated again.

  “Of course.” Jozsef continued to smile. “She even called me by name. Now go on.”

  Jozsef shoved him slightly and turned to General Schweikert.

  “Come, come, my friend, look at these figures.” He caught the General’s arm.

  Bari nodded and walked very slowly toward the doors. His heart was pounding now and he felt a trickle of sweat run down his neck under his jaw. He stepped into the cool afternoon breeze and felt instantly relieved by the rush of fresh air. The doors closed behind him as his valet arranged for his master’s privacy.

  His mother was sitting on a low chaise lounge, feeding bits of bread to one of the peahens that had flown up to the balcony. She looked up at him from her dark eyes and he thought he would swoon when she smiled at him. Ruth Carlotti Kadif was as beautiful as he remembered. Her dark, almost black, hair was done up in series of classical curls and braids on her head and she wore a pink and blue gown, one of many he had picked out for her. On her feet, she wore sapphire encrusted slippers and her bare arms were festooned with numerous silver and gold bracelets.

  “Bari!” She called his name and he broke down completely, rushing to her side, taking her hand in his and falling on one knee beside the chair.

  He laid his face in her lap and cried as she stroked his head.

  “Mother!” He finally looked up at her. “I don’t know what to say. I practiced a thousand things and now nothing seems to be right. You have no idea how much I missed you. I thought of nothing but you day and night.”

  “I missed you, too, Bari.” She told him and ran her hand down his face. “I am grateful to you for remembering me.”

  “Remembering you? How could I forget you?” He frowned at her and wiped away the tears that continued to run down his face. “You were the only one who ever loved me. You were the only one I ever loved. You are the only one I will ever love!”

  “Sit beside me now.” She patted the cushion on the chair and tugged on his arm. “You are mussing your pretty uniform.”

  Bari sat down next to her knees and she brushed her fingers over his beard.

  “I’m surprised to see you wearing a beard, Bari.” She told him. “I don’t like them.”

  “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Jozsef said that it made me look older. He likes hair.” He smiled slightly and rubbed the hair on his face. “I suppose it’s silly.”

  “I would rather see your face.” She told him and pushed herself up straighter. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, much to his surprise. “I prefer to feel flesh when I touch a man.”

  “Oh.” His breath caught in his throat as she kissed him lightly on the lips.

  “Don’t you think that flesh is better?” She asked in a low voice. “Hair has no feeling in it.”

  “Oh.” He said again and she kissed him again and the second kiss was more than a peck on the lips.

  “I truly missed you, my son.” She drew back a bit and then twisted her fingers in his pony tail, pulling his head back. She placed her lips very close to his ear and he closed his eyes. “The Abyss can be very… very… dark. I have been lonely.”

  “You have?” He cut his eyes to look at her and she nodded before kissing his earlobe.

  “Yes. I have thought of nothing but the moment when we would be together again.” She ran her free hand under the overlay and pulled him to her. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly before kissing her lips again and felt as if he were falling into a very deep pit. He disengaged her hand from his hair and pushed her back slightly.

  “Mother, perhaps this is not the best time or place for… renewing our…” He began and she kissed him again as she lay back on the chaise lounge, pulling him down with her. Again he felt as if he were drifting in space, surrounded by a million stars and galaxies.

  “Wait!” He sat up quickly and straightened the kaffiyeh on his head. “Wait!” His breath was very rapid and shallow. He had not expected such a warm reception.

  “What is wrong, my son?” She frowned slightly in confusion. “I thought you said you missed me?”

  “I did… I do… I mean, of course I missed you. I didn’t think you would be very happy with me. They tell me that what I did was wrong and that you killed yourself because of it.” He blurted the words he had tried so very hard to forget and then closed his eyes. He had never meant to mention her death, nor had he meant to ever lend any credence to his father’s claims that he had caused it. Chill bumps ran over him at the thought of the condition in which she had been when her body had arrived in the truck and he realized that he had never expected Jozsef to be so successful.

  Ruth rose up again and pressed one smooth hand against his cheek.

  “You are worried for nothing, my son.” She told him. “That was another life. Another time. We should forget about that time and live for this time in this place. In that time I was your mother. In this time, I will be everything that you expect and more.”

  “But…” He protested and she placed one finger against his lips.

  “Tell me what you want.” She whispered.

  “I would ask that you not call me your son.” He said in a bare whisper.

  “What do you want me to call you?” She asked.

  “Call me Joel.” He told her. “That would help.”

  “So you are no longer Bari and I am no longer Ruth.” She smiled at him. “If that makes it better for you, then so be it. Will I be your Queen? Your empress?”

  “Of course. If you like.” He shrugged.

  “You have no other woman? No one you would wish to marry?” She raised both eyebrows. “I would not want to come between you and… true love.”

  Bari shook his head slightly. The only other woman he’d been interested in was Catharine de Goth and that was certainly a hopeless thing. His world had been so very limited before coming home to New Babylon.

  “There is none but you.”

  “Then you must call me Naomi.” She smiled. “Naomi and Joel.”

  “Naomi.” He nodded. That had been her first name. “But we will have to be careful. People are… people are…”

  “People are people.” She laughed softly. “It will be all right. Jozsef will see to it.”

  “He will?” Bari glanced back toward the doors. He felt sure that they were being watched though he could see no one inside the room. The thought of Jozsef shaving his beard returned. She did not like beards.

  “Of course.” She slid out of the chair and stood up. “Let’s go inside and have something to drink.”

  Bari allowed her to pull him up and then followed her inside. The General, Jozsef and Obed were gone. He stood watching as she hurried across the room and bolted the doors.

  “Now!” She turned about and leaned against the doors. “Won’t you bring us a drink and we can talk about the future?”

  Bari nodded absently and went to find something at the bar. He set two glasses on the marble counter and looked inside the small refrigerator.

  “What would you like?” He asked, but received no answer. He rose up and looked about for his mother. She had left the room. The door to her bedroom stood open. “Naomi?” He called hesitantly.

  “Wine would be nice. I like sweet wine! The sweeter, the better.” Her voice drifted from the open door. “Just bring the bottle and we can share it.”

  Jozsef Daniel was caught off guard when Bari grabbed him, spun him around and slammed him against the bookcase in his study.

  “What did you do to her?!” Bari shouted in his face.

  “What are you talking about?” Jozsef took hold of the Emperor’s wrists and pushed him away easily. “You wanted her back! You have her! What more do you want?”

  Bari pressed both fists to his eyes and gritted his teeth.

  “It’s not right!” He turned around and stood with his back to Jozsef.

  Jozsef smiled slightly and then went to pour them some brandy at the bar.

  “Here, you need a drink.” He said and slid the heavy tumbler across the bar. Bari caught up the glass and then collapsed in one of the leather chairs. “Now tell me what is wrong with her?” Jozsef’s voice was smooth… soothing.

  “I didn’t expect her to be so… friendly!” Bari shook his head and downed the brandy in one gulp.

  “She missed you.” Jozsef shrugged and leaned on the bar. “She is a beautiful woman, Bari. She is lonely and confused. You have to understand that.”

  “I understand that, I don’t understand this.” He pulled on the high collar of his shirt and exposed several red marks on his neck. “She was like a… she was… she practically raped me, Jozsef! I am her son! It’s not right.”

  “Who said it’s not right?” Jozsef asked him. “Who told you that?”

  “Everyone!” Bari got up and brought his glass back for more brandy and Jozsef obliged him.

  “Who? The Templars? The ones who caused all of this?” Jozsef waved one hand about the darkly gleaming library. “You are not a man, Bari Kadif. And your mother is not your mother.”

  “I don’t understand!” Bari shook his head and pulled the kaffiyeh from his head and let it slip to the floor. He didn’t want to play emperor any more. He actually had the overwhelming urge to call Scotland. Contact his father or his grandfather, perhaps.

 

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