The Ancient Evil, page 52
part #25 of Red Cross of Gold Series
D’Brouchart nodded and then hugged Levi again when he stood up.
Levi dragged Menaka through the press to the door with Lydia on their heels. Mark Andrew stepped into the hall and looked up the stairs.
“Luke. Is Nicole’s room in good repair?” He asked his son.
“Nicole?” Luke frowned in confusion. “Oh, yeah, sure.”
“Take them upstairs.” Mark told him. “Get whatever they need.”
“I need to speak with you.” Luke told him in a low voice. “It’s urgent.”
“Take them up and then meet me in the lab.” Mark cringed as the people began to come out of the library. He had never liked crowds. He felt as if he would suffocate in his own home.
Luke motioned for the rabbi to follow him and started up the stairs slowly. Levi’s brothers had to stop him and hug him and their sister-in-law again before they would allow him to go.
Philip and Zebulon followed them, intending to sit outside the door throughout the night. They would not let him go far again and they assured everyone on the way up, that no one, nor nothing would disturb them this night. The d’Ornan brothers were beside themselves with joy at their brother’s return and the ensuing rumble of conversation in the foyer was deafening. Dan could not decide whether to run up the stairs after them or stay downstairs with his father. He kept running back and forth between the stairs and his father until d’Brouchart caught him by the arm and flung him after his brother Izzy, who was making his way through the rear hall in search of his recording materials. Benjamin and Little Barry nearly carried their father away in their own exuberant celebration as Simon clung to Rachel and his youngest grandson, Adam Lee Sussex, who was now in his mid twenties. Mark watched this display with a peculiar expression on his face. He barely knew Barry’s son and only recognized him when he saw him because he looked so much like his father. Mark wondered how he would react if he could suddenly have his own grandchildren restored to him and he wondered if he would ever win Nicole over as he had finally brought Luke Andrew into the fold. Certainly, there would be no such display as this and it made him feel a slight pang of jealousy for the healer. A feeling he had rarely suffered. Not particularly jealous of the love that Simon enjoyed from his sons, but moreso he wished that he could simply trade places with him for just a while… just a short while… Mark felt a hand on his arm and turned to look into the face of the warrior chieftain.
“Did you say lab?” The angel asked him.
“Aye. My laboratory. In the basement.” Mark nodded. “It’s a bit more… cozy.”
“Ahh. I would like to see it.” Lucifer told him and Mark sighed. He had almost forgotten about their unlikely dinner guests.
“This way.” Mark made his way through the crowd toward the kitchen.
Jozsef Daniel stayed long enough to see that Nicole had gone to sleep and then rushed down the hall to Ruth’s room. He did not bother with formalities, but simply burst into the room where she sat on the sofa with Bari. Bari lay on the couch with his head resting in his mother’s lap as three servants cooled them with the feathered fans. The emperor sat up abruptly and stared at him in consternation.
“What is wrong with you?!” Bari demanded at the intrusion and his mother caught his arm.
“Calm yourself, Joel.” She told him. “Surely Jozsef has a good reason for invading my rooms so… rudely.” She made a face at Jozsef. Bari had become more and more jealous of Jozsef’s relationship with ‘Naomi’ and she had told Jozsef that things were going to have to change or else there would be a great deal of trouble in New Babylon.
Jozsef caught himself and bowed his head slightly. “Pardon me, your Grace, but I have just learned something very disturbing.”
“Oh?” Bari stood up and tugged on his disheveled tunic. “What? They haven’t found the parts for the air conditioning yet?”
“No! That has been taken care of. They are working on it now.” Jozsef walked around the sofa and made himself a drink with ice from the bar. “This is much bigger than that. The disturbance away to the south… in the Sudan… was caused by what appears to be more allies of the Templars. It seems that they have enlisted some of the celestial powers to their cause. The loss of the rabbi was most unfortunate. We will need to send for the Ark at once! If they take it to Scotland, we may have a great deal of trouble getting it back.”
“And what about the skulls?” Bari frowned at him. “You said that we would need them in order to quell these insurrections.”
“I’m working on it. We can’t just walk into Wewelsburg and take it. The place is crawling with de Goth’s people.”
“Then I suggest you use something more imaginative.” Bari told him. “We are not without power, you know. Surely this de Goth is no match for us? He is not a mystical creature! He is just a man… a very old man.”
“Did you hear what I said, your Grace?” Jozsef downed the liquor and poured himself another shot over the ice. “I said that they have enlisted the aid of angels! They have been killing our beasts as fast as we create them.”
“What?” Ruth pushed herself up. These were her beasts. Her children! Her eyes blazed with an infernalSHOULD THAT BE “INTERNAL”…? light and her face grew dangerously dark.
Bari’s own face changed slightly as a chill coursed up his spine. He cut his eyes slowly at his mother and then looked again at Jozsef. What was he saying? What was she saying? Her beasts? Her children? He had been told that the creatures roaming the wastelands were a result of mutations caused by the nuclear waste and pollution in the aftermath of the war.
“What are you going to do about this, Jozsef?!” Ruth walked toward Jozsef and the ‘Prophet’ cringed away from her slightly before pouring himself another drink. “I thought you said it would be safe to bring them here? Are you going to allow history to repeat itself? Where is your dark angel? He can deal with these others! Use your power, Jozsef! You know how to vanquish them!”
“I will send for Abaddon.” He told her. “We’ll discuss it with him. He should have some notion of what to do about these creatures. I believe he has had dealings with these very same angels in the past.”
“Oh! Angels!” Ruth threw up both hands. “How is it possible? I thought you said that God had abandoned the Templars?! You had better do something! Use that thing you used against the Prophet!”
Bari stood motionless beside the sofa, listening to this exchange as Ruth and Jozsef continued to argue. It seemed as if they had forgotten he was there. Forgotten he, Bari, was emperor. He shivered again as a series of almost audible mental clicks went off in his head as several small, unrelated things fell into place, creating a larger picture of something he had not and did not want to see or believe. While he had been worried and concerned over his mother’s possible affection for Jozsef, she had been more than affectionate towards the ‘Prophet’, she seemed rather to be in league with him in more ways than one. And while he had been concerned about the war, which he had considered the workings of ignorant foreigners bent on annihilating each other, Jozsef was apparently the direct cause of it. They had been keeping him in darkness. Using him and diverting his attention from the real issues. Running his empire behind his back! It was all too clear in that one moment what had happened. And it was becoming very clear that he knew nothing of what was really going on in the world. His mind raced now at an alarming speed as if he had opened a flood gate, but with the realization also came the knowledge that he was in a very precarious position here, even in his own palace. He had continued his studies of history in spite of his mother’s disinterest. With Jozsef running the affairs of state almost entirely now, he had found himself with more spare time than he knew what to do with. And now the knowledge he had gained of the past stood him in good stead. His mother had been right. One could learn from the past without experiencing the events firsthand. This would not be the time for an outburst of righteous indignation.
“Where is Abaddon?” Bari ventured a question in the midst of the heated exchange. Both of them jerked their heads about to look at him. “Is he still in Africa?” He tried to make his voice light. Tried not to betray the horror he felt in his heart. These were not his kinsmen. This was not his mother. This was not his cousin, Jozsef Daniel Sinclair-Ramsay. What had they done to his father? He needed allies. He needed friends and he had made none. He had allowed Jozsef to run everything. The only people he knew were a group of simpering diplomats and household servants. Even the Fox commanders reported directly to Jozsef. He had become a figurehead, a puppet and he was having a difficult time keeping his fear from showing in his face. He had thrown out the question about Abaddon just to make them remember that he was there before they said too much and then decided that he would have to die for having heard the truth if it had not already been done.
“Oh.” Jozsef placed the decanter back under the bar and smiled at him as if nothing were amiss. “Yes. He has been in Egypt and Israel, checking on the status of the monuments. He has sent word that the pyramids are unharmed and the Temple still stands in Jerusalem. The war passed over them, thank God.” Jozsef’s entire demeanor changed. “If all goes well, we should, with your permission, your Grace, be able to send an expedition to bring back the most valuable artifacts to New Babylon for safe-keeping. Sooner or later people will begin to return to those regions and they might destroy priceless works and artifacts if they are not made safe. The construction on the new museum at Old Babylon is coming along quite well, you will be happy to hear. It is almost complete and there will be plenty of room there for most of the more precious relics from the museum at Cairo. I would like to dedicate an entire wing to Ancient Egypt. The treasures from Israel will not take up an entire wing, however and we should be able to integrate it into the Sumerian and Babylonian section since they were always entertwined historically speaking.”
Ruth had returned to the sofa and was now examining the lacquer on her fingernails. She clapped her hands and two servants came from their work in the dining room adjacent to her parlor.
“Bring some refreshments.” She told the two men. “Our ice has melted.” She turned back to Jozsef. “And can you please check on the progress of the workmen? Surely they have had time to finish the repairs?”
“Of course, your Grace.” Jozsef smiled and walked toward the door. “Again, please,” he stopped at the door. “Forgive me for the intrusion. I was merely beside myself with worry. Your advice will be most helpful. I’m sure that Abaddon will have a more truthful report. This is most likely exaggerations and fantasies brought on by too much exposure to the desert sun.”
“I certainly hope so.” Bari forced a smile and then sat down on the footstool near his ‘mother’. He took her hand in his and pressed it against his bare face. He had shaved his beard again, this time as a small relief against the heat. “Naomi.” He smiled at her. “I do not like to see you upset yourself with the affairs of state. I will tell Jozsef not to bring these things here to bother you. He and I should work them out in my office.”
“That would be nice, Joel.” She nodded and then ran one hand under her hair as a rush of cool air flowed from the vent above their heads. “Ahhh. Air! This is wonderful.”
“Yes. It is. Wonderful, indeed. I have some things to do, Naomi. Won’t you take a bath while the apartments cool off?” Bari stood up and addressed the servants with the fans. “Close the doors and windows. Prepare a bath for the Empress.” The servants hurried away to do his bidding and he leaned over Ruth, kissing her lightly on the cheek. “I will be back as soon as possible.”
She caught his hand and pressed it to her lips. “Don’t tarry too long. Perhaps you would care to join me in the bath?”
“I’ll try to hurry.” He smiled.
“We will spend this night in comfort.” She told him. The nights had been miserably hot. Too hot for sharing beds. And now he was glad that he had been away from her for a few days. When he was near her, he seemed to live in a fog. The longer he stayed away from her, the clearer his thoughts became. Another startling revelation and one that she no doubt knew might be occurring. He wondered how many times had she and Jozsef carried on these bizarre arguments or conversations in his presence and he had failed to hear them. Nicole had mentioned to him only a few days earlier that she felt something was extremely peculiar about Jozsef and Naomi’s relationship. He, of course, had shrugged it off as jealousy on her part. It took one to know one, he had heard, but now things were looking altogether different.
“Of course.” He nodded once more and hurried from the room. He ran down the hall to his own chambers and closed the door behind him. His servants stood at once and bowed to him, awaiting his orders.
“Bring up some ice and some fruit juice.” He told them. “Obed, come with me.”
His favorite servant followed him into his office. Obed was the only one he trusted. The only one that he had not abused. The only one that had stood up to him when he had first ascended the throne. Obed had worked for his father, Omar and the old man would not tolerate insolence in the young emperor, simply stating that he would rather die than lose his dignity. For his honesty and courage, Bari respected him. He sat down at the desk and took out a piece of paper. He scribbled rapidly on the paper and then sealed it with wax and impressed his ring in it.
“Do not stop anywhere and do not return until you have delivered this message into Madame Nicole’s hands personally. Do not tell anyone your business, but do not force yourself so as to attract attention. You should have no trouble. Wait for an answer and bring it back here immediately.”
Obed bowed his head and left the Emperor alone in the stuffy room. The AC was beginning to make its presence known very slowly. Bari went about closing his own windows and balcony doors, carefully locking them. Jozsef had done something to his father. It was no wonder that Omar had never returned after his initial visit so long ago. And it was no wonder that he could hear nothing of him! Even his grandfather, Lemarik, would answer no questions about the Templars or Omar. The mighty Jinn kept the conversations clear of any mention of Omar or the activities of the Order. Bari had thought it was because the Djinni had aligned himself with his father, Mark Ramsay and was only silent due to his loyalty to the Order! Just as Bari would reveal nothing to his grandfather concerning his own activities, Lemarik had done likewise. Their short visits were confined to these rooms and the topics of conversation had always concerned his health and the state of his ‘salvation’ as Lemarik called it. Lemarik always tried to make him change his views about the Templars, always tried to get him to abandon New Babylon and return with him to Arabia. Always warned him against treachery in his own palace and warned him not to trust Jozsef Daniel, but had never told him exactly why.
Bari stood looking out the balcony doors at the glare of the sun on the fountain below. At least the long lines of people waiting to fill their containers with water from the fountain were gone now. The water supplies in the city had been purged and the city was safe from contamination. New Babylon was once again the flourishing center of the world. One of the only places where one could find gasoline to power the motorized vehicles left after the war. Jozsef had even begun plans to build a factory which would produce more trucks and new cars. They were making great progress without him… he was nothing. His presence was completely inconsequential.
“Grandfather!” He said suddenly. “Grandfather! Where are you now?”
He turned away from the door and wiped tears of frustration and fear from his face as the cool air chilled him to the bone. He would not be going to Naomi’s rooms tonight. If he could manage to stay out of her presence, he might continue to regain his senses. He jumped as a knock sounded on his door.
The man in the corridor was one of the Fox commanders of the palace guard. Bari’s breath caught in his throat as he thought Obed might have been intercepted and his note to Nicole found out.
“Yes?” He almost squeaked.
“Your Majesty. The expedition has returned from Bavaria.” The Major smiled at him and wiped gritty perspiration from his brow. “Colonel McGuffy’s mission was successful. He is waiting downstairs in the garage.”
“Please! Send him up to see me.” Bari told the man.
“But, your Grace, he is quite filthy and in need of a…” the major began to protest. Bari was a stickler about cleanliness.
“Send him, Major!” Bari frowned at the man whose eyes grew wide.
“Yes, your Grace.” The man snapped a salute and started down the hall. Bari stepped out into the corridor and looked in both directions.
“Major!” He called the man back.
“Yes, your Highness?” The major stopped.
“Did he bring back the… package?” Bari was confused. These things were not known to him until now. Suddenly his head was filled with bits and pieces of conversations. Naomi’s voice. Jozsef’s voice. Others. Abaddon. Obed. Nicole. All run together. He had been present when Naomi had given Colonel McGuffy his orders. Strict orders. Secret orders. Not even Jozsef knew of them. Not even the emperor knew of them until this moment of clarity.
“He did, your Grace.”
“Tell him to bring it.”
“What about the Prophet? Should I summon him as well? And the Empress?” The major asked.
“No! Don’t bother them. She in the bath and he is working on another problem.” Bari resumed his smile.
“As you wish, your Highness.” The major saluted again and hurried away.
