Rapture Falls (20 page)

He felt her concern across the large
room;
he had used the research capabilities here for the last couple of years,
the
“her”
in question was a small stereotype of a libr
arian. He had no idea of her name
,
she was
a meek woman eager to help in a quiet shy way, her manner friendly but her glances had lengthened and her face had increased in redness for the last six months or so every time that Baine came in. She was not unattractive with a slim waist and
attractive
swellings smothered under a succession of ugly cardigans and jumpers,
in the beginning
Baine had considered nailing her for his amusement but it would have meant finding a new library
for his research
.
Infuriatingly
he had found his mind drifting towards the pretty assistant on his last several visits,
rather than his usual erotic wanderings he found himself
wondering what she would feel like lying across his chest in the early hours, would she cradle his sleepin
g head against her bosom safely. A
fter leaving a trail of brain dead
female
notches on his bedpost picked up in various states of inhibition loosening drunkenness
,
he had begun to watch with i
nterest and intrigue as couples
strolled
passed his gaze
hands linked in a picture of two united souls. He shook his head angrily to clear the fog of
un
settling emotions that threatened to undermine his
ascension
to freedom. H
owever
,
more and more the thought of sharing his life with another intruded at the edges of his mind, as far he was concerned becoming two instead of one would either leave one infinitely stronger or infinitely weaker and he was not sure which one he would become.
He found himself looking across toward
the
young librarian, due to the heat she had temporarily removed the heavy woolen jumper and stood in a plain white blouse, for the first time he could see the outlines of her tight lithe figure, she was
framed
in front of an artistically long frosted window, the hazy light filtered through her white blouse illuminating her body as she leant backwards hands place in the small of her back thrusting her chest forward to elevate the tension in her back and shoulders, a
strand
of her long
natural
hair had fallen from its severe moorings and cascaded downwards as she stretched up. It was a simple act of
abstract femininity
with no comprehension of
eroticism
and it was this innocence that meant Baine was
momentarily
frozen unable to catch his breath, he had never so much as spoken to this creature and yet suddenly he was
slipping
.
He flashed an uncharacteristic smile across the room before he realised he was doing it,
she
blushed furiously and raised an impossibly heavy arm in return, annoyed
, flustered
and confused in equal measures
he buried his head back into his
work.

The B
ook
of Enoch
offered no maps or details on the Cube, that would be too easy
he thought bitterly
, it only showed him one image now, that of a Roman fort from the first century over and over again.
Baine had found himself in
Cardiff
’s central library wading through dust and yellowing pages of history, he had actually been here several times before as assassinations required detailed knowledge at times and he had spent many hours pouring over microfilm of his
victim’s
biographies. He had felt the tug of the large city centre castle and always trusting his instincts he had begun there, t
he castle itself lay in the very heart of the capital dating back nearly 2000 years dating back to the arrival of the Romans in the first century AD,
historians believe that the Romans originally built three forts on the site however only the last evidence of only one remains. The building
was
later renovated and re
built after the Norman Conquest
almost a millennium later
.
In 1833 to 1834 the castle was damaged in Welsh revolts and was refortified by the de Clare family in the 13
^th
century in anticipation of future attacks which never occurred resulting in the superb condition of the castle today.
The castle lay in the possession of many noble families
each altering and changing the castle
until in 1766 it passed by marriage into the Bute family, by the 1860’s the 3
^rd
Marquees was reputed to be the richest man in the world. From 1866 he had employed William Burges, who was considered to be a genius amongst architects, to transform the castles lodgings with extravagance and opulence throughout creating each room with its own unique theme.
It was the original Roman forts that drew his attention, he found a Cardiff University website that held information of an archeological nature, the information related to digs that took place between 1974 and 1984 but built on information obtained in the later 19
^th
and early 20
^th
century,

             
The first fort c.A.D.55-75. The first Roman fort at
Cardiff
appears to have been a large one. Excavations under the Castle Green (the eastern half of the castle interior) revealed a large timber-framed building over 46m long N-S and possibly as wide, situated near the northern end of the Green. The date and size both indicate a military function and this may be part of a headquarters building or possibly a commander’s house. Some way south of this was a further timber building complex, the plan of which is unlike most standard military fort buildings and which might, therefore, be an officer’s house. The 2005-6 excavations revealed a further building, possibly a barrack block, under the later south castle bank. Finds, including coins, link these structures with the Neronian period. The lack of any defences, despite excavations on several sites within the castle interior, suggests a fort which was larger than the standard 3-5 acres (1-2 hectares) of a single auxiliary unit. A fort of the so-called ‘vexillation’ type of c.30 acres (12 hectares) is probable, having
its
perimeter outside the present castle enclosure
.

             
The large military buildings function was immediately clear to him, it had housed the Book of Enoch, he could suddenly picture the Roman Commander surrounding himself with a fortress to guard the book, he could see the officer, tall and proud with a warriors stance and an air of supreme authority,
he was Marcus Antonius and he
was another son of Enoch, charged with the protection of the book and the continuity of its place within the generations of his father.
He was a commander in the army of the Emperor Nero in 59
AD;
he had led his soldiers in the defeat of the Silures and had personally exiled the leader Caractacus back to
Rome
bringing about the occupation of
South Wales
.
Marcus had held his position for many years surrounding himself with loyal
legionnaires
who did not question his lack of aging through time, a
according to the text books the Romans had departed these shores around 400 AD and there was little known about the century’s history between then and the Norman occupation of the castle in around 1091 AD. Baine knew that he had to walk upon the ground of his brother in order to see his path forward by dis
covering the trail of his past. T
he sun was fading fast
he walked out
through the library’s
reception area
,
he paused by the main desk and stopped to speak to
the assistant
but he found his throat dry and his mouth empty, he offered his first genuine smile, the warmth on his face felt new but pleasant,
she
looked as nervous and barren as he was. This close up he realised that she was indeed far more attractive than he had first noticed, her eyes were a crystal blue that held his gaze for an electric moment,
he could see that she wore a small neat name badge over her left breast but for some inexplicable reason he did not look, feeling that to place a name on her would leave him dangerous exposed. E
ventually he reluctantly broke the contact and strolled outside feeling her watching his departure, he closed his eyes and gave himself a hard mental slap, he had work to do,
soon it would be dark and that was when he did his best work.

             
Gabriel boiled and raged in torrents of fury, he had existed since the dawn of time whilst man swam in the deep and crawled in the filth waiting for limbs to be given and life to begin, he had watched as
the
infantile insects staggered about the earth blindly causing much mirth and entertainment amongst his
kind as they sought to gain their place and stature as Gods chosen. Now here he stood rejected and cast aside by a lesser being
that
knew not his place and had the sheer impudence to ignore his will
.
Gabriel strode about the deserted office building that the 11
^th
Order had taken
whilst they were anchored to this plane
,
whilst his two companions kept their distance and counsel. T
hey had to remain within these putrid flesh s
uits
and all of their limitations. In heaven his powers had been boundless but on this mortal coil he had to seek shelter and sustenance, he looked down and squeezed his powerful fists cracking the fragile bones, he watched as they straightened and reformed before him repairing the torn flesh and grafting the shattered bones. At the back of the room Michael and Raphael
stood silently, their heads bowed in reverence
as Gabriel had unleashed his anger on the brittle furniture that now lay scattered and
broken;
they waited serenely for the storm to pass as they had total faith in their general. Eventually Gabriel settled and with his back to his kin leant palms down on a
lone
sturdy desk that lay lonely amidst the carnage of its
wooden
brothers
.
Gabriel mentally slowed the revolting heart that pounded against his
ribcage;
these human bodies came equipped with emotions that seemed easy to raise and slow to control.