Judgment (Game of Lords Book 3), page 25
“What do you mean by that?” asked James, lowering his voice and looking around to see if anyone was near.
“I heard there is a way out of here. Some friends of mine say they have found it.”
James quickly looked around again, seeing if anyone was within earshot. He grabbed her by the arm and said, “Hey, let’s step over here. It’s a little more private.”
Ignoring his better instincts, James heard himself continue, “It’s funny you should mention that because I want to get out of here too, and I want to bring one of my friends. Can you help us?”
The woman paused and said quietly, “I can if you join with us. The thing is, we need a few helpers to make it work. Maybe this meeting is more than a chance.”
“Helpers? What do you need helpers for?”
“We could get by with one. We need someone who has been here for a few years, someone who has access to the infrastructure, someone who works at the docks so that they can open the old portal. Once we do that, we can get back to our old lives on Earth.”
“Are you kidding me? Is that possible?” James' mind was racing. As long as he could bring Ellen, getting back to his old life would be the sweetest thing he could think of.
“Oh, it’s possible, James. No one remembers that when the Land of Reform was created, a doorway to the other side was built. Only a few people knew about it. The great Archangel Luminé was in charge of the entire original infrastructure plan, and only he and a few Archangels know about the portal.”
“You mean it has been here the whole time? Where is this portal, and who is this Luminé?”
“James, you’re joking, right. Everyone has heard of Luminé. He is the greatest of the Archangels. In fact, of all the Angels ever created, it is said that at one time, Luminé was the favorite of the Lords of Heaven.”
Mercio’s warning about keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary flashed through James’ mind, but he quickly dismissed it. The thought of escaping was too much. He was already all-in. My old life. The best lawyer the mob ever saw! But this time with Ellen by my side.
The woman looked around, pretending to be worried someone might hear them. “I have said enough. I will meet you here tomorrow, a half-hour after church gets out. Tell no one. If you do, you will not be able to join us. Is that clear?”
“Yes, it is clear, but wait, I want… ”
She turned and hurried away without letting him finish.
~ ~ ~ ~
James raced home as excited as he had ever been. He desperately wanted to tell Ellen and almost did. Still, ultimately, the woman's warning not to tell anyone kept him from doing so. The following day he had breakfast with Ellen and accompanied her to church. After church, he walked her home and pretended to go to his room, but left and doubled back to the place halfway between the church. The woman, Marian, was there on the hilltop waiting for him.
As he approached, he could see her nervously looking around to make sure no one watched them.
“James, you are late.”
“Sorry. I got here as fast as I could.”
“Have you decided?”
James had decided, but he needed to know more, and he knew he held the leverage at this moment. “I have a couple of final questions. So, let’s say I decide to help, exactly where is this… this portal?”
Marian’s expression did not flinch. “I can’t tell you unless you agree to help. Then, I have to run it by my associates. That does not matter now, James. The question I have for you is, do you want to join us?”
James nodded and raised his finger, signaling he needed a moment. He began to reason in his mind. It will take a least another five to ten more years to get out of the 4th Land of Reform. After that, I still have three more Lands of Reform to go through. It could be another thirty to fifty years before Ellen and I finally make it out.
Marian interrupted his pondering. “Look, James, I’ll get someone else. Forget it.” She turned and started to walk down the hill.
James’ eyes widened. “Wait, wait… hold on a second. I want to do this. I’m in.”
Marian paused, keeping her back to him. A wicked smile came across her face, accompanied by a look of immense satisfaction. She took a deep breath, softened her smile, and stepped closer, searching his eyes as if to validate his commitment. “Are you sure? We do not have time to waste. You have to be in or out. I need your final answer now. What is it?”
“I’m in!”
“All right. There is one more thing. I need to get the final approval of my associates. I will meet you here tomorrow afternoon at 2. Again, tell no one, or you are out. Is that clear?”
“Yes, it is clear. Thank you.” James smiled and started back for his home.
Marian stopped him. “James, wait.”
James stopped, fearing she was changing her mind. He turned. “Yes?”
“Remember, tell no one. Do you understand? No one! Not even your pretty friend. If you do, the deal is off.”
James nodded and said in a dead-serious tone, “Don’t worry. I understand completely.”
~ ~ ~ ~
When James arrived at the house he went straight to his room. He had never been so excited in his life, not even since he received his first big payoff from a mob trial victory, complete with a weekend at Bobby’s Catskill’s resort house accompanied by one of the sexiest strippers Bobby’s mob money could buy.
James closed the door behind him and began to laugh. He dropped to his knees, exclaiming, “Thank you, God! Thank you, God! I have found the way. I knew I would!”
He stayed still for a few minutes letting the feeling of victory that had so long eluded him resonate with his soul. He wanted to run and tell Ellen, but he knew how to keep a secret, and this was a time to do just that. He could tell her when it was time. It would have to wait until then.
James got up and went over to the window. He looked out into the distance in the direction of the administrative offices for his region and thought of Mercio. He wondered what he might say if he suddenly found out James had escaped. He reasoned that with Ellen by his side he could make a new start, even as a mob attorney, but this time a kinder, gentler one, who was in love with a beautiful woman and didn’t need the sordid lifestyle that came along with mob work.
At 3 pm that afternoon, James could think of nothing except going home during the hour of contemplation of past sins. Near the end of the hour, he began to worry. He said aloud, “What if this costs me more years? What if I have to start over? I won’t be able to handle it!”
He was quiet for a few moments. Then a new worry hit him. He clenched his fist and exclaimed aloud, “What if Ellen won’t come? Then what?”
He threw his Bible down and walked across the room, talking to himself out loud. “Calm down, James. Ellen will come. And you’re going to do it differently this time. Mercio will see. And Marian’s associates are going to approve of you. Now relax, because you are going home!” He dropped to his knees again, this time weeping tears of happiness. He had weighed all the risks and exhausted all possibilities, and he was willing to move forward.
~ ~ ~ ~
The following day James went purposefully late to breakfast. He was hoping to avoid Ellen entirely, but she waved him down. He sat quietly and made an excuse he was not feeling well. He hardly spoke with her, except for a little small talk, and when they were finished he made an excuse to miss church services.
He went straight to his room and nervously watched the clock tick by painfully slow until finally, it was 1:45 in the afternoon. He planned to meet Marian at 2 pm and find out whatever she needed to tell him, then get home in time for the Hour of Contemplation of Past Sins, then leave for work at the docks right after supper.
He put on a cap and went downstairs, careful not to speak with anyone. He headed out the door and onto the pathway toward the church, which would lead him to the rendezvous point with Marian.
When he reached the hilltop, Marian was not there. James checked his watch. He was on time. He walked over to some nearby boulders just off the path and sat down. Over an hour later, he knew they had decided against him joining, so he went home, dejected, but at the same time encouraged. He had been right. There was a way out. Now, he was sure he would find it.
Chapter 16
That evening, after supper, James went alone out onto the grounds in a panic. “I’ve been set up,” he said aloud as he began walking faster. “Mercio did this to test me, and I failed. This is trouble. I am in big trouble.”
He began walking toward Mercio’s office, anxiously thinking of how he would explain his way out of it. I’ll tell him I was trying to flesh them out. I’ll tell him it was my training as a mob lawyer to flesh out the opposition that gave me the idea, and… that I was going to… make a citizens arrest.
He looked at his watch. It was now 5:45. He hoped Mercio would still be there and began to pray as he walked, “I’m sorry, God. I messed up. I am going to really change. Just get me off the hook this… ”
“James?”
James stopped in his tracks and turned to see who was calling him. It was Marian. He closed his eyes momentarily, as every thought of being set up and repenting for participating in this scheme vanished. “What are you doing here?”
“I was looking for you.”
“But you were not there at 2.”
“James, we were supposed to meet at 1.” Marian was lying. She had purposefully not shown up and had been spying on him all day. Of course, James failed the test, as he was clearly on his way to see his Angel Counselor, but Marian needed to know how weak he was. They were stuck with him, and she knew it. His job at the dock made him the absolute best candidate.
“You said, 2! I am sure.”
“James, sorry. I know what I said. Anyway, are you still interested?”
“Yes, yes, I am.”
She smiled. “Good because I have some news.” She paused again for effect and said, “You’re in. My associates have accepted you and your friend.”
“Yes!” he said aloud, clenching his fist. Instantly, the old adrenalin began coursing through his veins. The victory was near, very near, and he could already taste his freedom.
Marian looked around and said, “Walk with me. Let’s head back to the rendezvous point. It will be safer there.”
They headed back to the top of the hill halfway from the church and his home, with neither saying a word. When they reached the top, Marian led the way off the path over to nearby boulders. She sat and waited for James to sit. “Now listen carefully, James. Here is the deal. You will be opening the ancient portal in advance on the night we are escaping. The portal is inside a cave, six feet below the water's surface behind the dock where the transport boats arrive. There is an underwater tunnel in the face of the cliff which ascends to a chamber. Once you crawl inside, you will be able to stand up, walk, and breathe. This chamber leads directly to the portal, which is currently locked and has been for thousands of years. Do you have all that?”
James began to show some signs of concern. Marian quickly took control. “James, I asked, do you have all that?”
“Yes, Yes!” James said. He was going to have to hear it again to be sure, but he dared not show even the slightest hint of weakness or stupidity.
Marian glared at him. “James, my freedom, as well as yours and Ellen’s, depends on you getting this right.”
“Yes, I understand. Go on.”
“Fine,” Marian said, cautiously sitting back slightly to size him up. She looked around again to make sure no one was near and leaned forward. “All right, next month, on one of the nights when you work the transport dock, as soon as your shift ends you will slip behind the guardhouse, go under the dock, and swim along the surface of the water until you find the place marking the opening. You will swim down into the opening in the cliff wall and swim through the short section of cave into the chamber. You will only have to be under water for thirty seconds or so until you reach the inside of the chamber. Then you will climb out of the water onto the chamber surface. You will be able to breathe and stand up. You will then follow the path for about forty feet to the back of the chamber. At the back is a wide crevice, big enough to walk in. This crevice is the short passage that leads to the portal.”
Marian stopped. “Do you have all that?”
“Yes.”
“Good, now, once you are there, James, you will use this key to unlock the portal.” She pulled a large golden key out from under her shirt and slipped the string it was on from around her neck. James went to grab it, but she pulled it away. “Not now, James, later, on the day. You will have it on the day.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” James said, flabbergasted, but also nervous and slightly in doubt of her motives. He stood up and said, “It can’t be that simple. How am I going to get into a cave wall under the water?”
Marian quickly looked around to make sure he was not drawing attention. “Sit down, James, quickly!”
After he sat, she said, “James, there is an ancient marking in the cliff several feet below the waterline. You will be able to feel it. The opening is several feet below the marking. The docks were built over it. No one even remembers it.”
James took a deep breath. “Okay, so let’s say that all works. What is the catch? Wait, forget the catch. Why don’t you unlock it yourselves?”
Marian looked around, then turned to him, and coolly said, “James, we have been watching you. We did not pick you by accident. Our helper has to work down at the docks. You just drew the luck of the draw because you lock up at night. Don’t you get it, James? You got lucky.”
Marian paused. “There are several other people we can use, James, but as I said, it is now too late to back out.”
James thought for a moment, weighing his options. He calmed his nerves and asked, “How long will it take to open the portal?”
Marian replied, “It will take exactly ten minutes to slip through the back of the dock into the water, swim into the chamber, climb out and unlock the portal, and then come back out.”
“I really don’t know what to say. How long do I have to think about this?”
“James, my associates will not be happy to hear about these games you are playing. You have zero time. There is no backing out now. Unless you want to invite serious trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“James, do you remember the bad men from the mafia you used to work for. My associates are much worse men than that. One, in particular, is a man who would make your mafia buddies look like girl scouts. He has already told me to warn you it will not go well for you or Ellen if you try to back out now. He mentioned the words ‘painful and pieces’.”
James was quiet for a moment. He believed her threat, and he did not know why. He decided he was already too far in. He asked, “What happens after I open the portal?”
Marian stood up, smiling. “After you open the portal, you simply return to your post. You then lock up at night like normal and go home and wait. We have planned a diversion several miles away from the dock at 2 am. As soon as the diversion begins, you will bring Ellen to the dock. We will meet at the hillside behind it. We will all walk into the docks, with your help, open the gates, and go under the water into the cave and out through the portal, to freedom!”
“Wait, what is on the other side of the portal?”
“None of us know exactly where it comes out. But the rumor is it opens into the Ancient Garden of Eden.”
“The Garden of Eden!” James exclaimed. “That’s not real. This is a hoax!”
Marian grabbed him by the shirt. “It is not a hoax, James. I was there when my associate discovered all of this. The Garden of Eden is real. It is hidden and nearly covered with sand in modern-day Iraq. But the portal supposedly opens in another cliff cave that used to overlook the Garden. It was at the back of a waterfall that flowed right past the ancient Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We were shown a map. Trust me it is still there.”
“Where is the water then?”
“It was all covered by sand and desert. But the cliff where the waterfall fell from is still there. And the opening in the cliff is there, and it leads to a nearly identical chamber that leads to the other side of the ancient portal.”
James was satisfied now. No one could make up such an outlandish story. “Modern-day Iraq, huh. I guess that will do. All right, I am ready.”
“I will contact you several days in advance. Remember. If you speak a word to anyone, including Ellen, you will not be coming with us, and you will face the consequences. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” James said.
“I will be in touch… don’t try to contact me.” She smiled at him, nodded, observing the expression on his face for any hint of doubt, then turned and left.
Chapter 17
As the days and weeks passed, James desperately wished there was not so much time between his agreeing to the plan and the actual execution. With each passing day, seeds of doubt were pouring into his mind. It was Mercio, more than anything, causing his doubts. James had come to respect him, and he began imagining what Mercio would think of him and how much he would disappoint him.
In his mind, he rationalized that Ellen was his reason for escaping, concluding whatever disappointment he caused Mercio would be worth it, and even perhaps understood by Mercio, once they got through to the other side. He would be free to love her and live a new life with her. He imagined the excitement on her face when he would finally tell her of the plan!
Soon, the day was fast approaching, and his anxiousness was beginning to show. While exiting church one morning, Ellen stopped outside the doors and pulled him aside onto the grass near the entryway. “James, what is going on with you? You seem nervous and distracted lately.”
“Who? Me? Nothing is going on.”
“Something is wrong. What is it?”
