Stealing Sacred Fire (38 page)

Tiy then went on to talk about
the Elders themselves. There had always only been twelve in
existence at any one time. Before they had settled in Egypt, they
had lived upon a great continent that came to be covered by ice and
was therefore inhospitable to life. Tiy thought this was probably
Antarctica. ‘But before that, my son, I know only that the seers of
ancient times believed the Elders had come from between the
stars.’

‘Between the stars?’ Shem
murmured. ‘What does that mean?’

‘The earliest legends speak of
how before the Elders came to earth, they were not creatures of
flesh at all, but entities of a powerful, life-giving energy,
similar in some respects to the power of your own aura or
life-force, but increased a thousand times.’

Tiy spoke of how her own tribe
had referred to these most ancient forms as the Renowned Old Ones.
She had since discovered that they had moved through the universe
by resonating sonic vibrations that folded space and time. They had
not possessed consciousness or emotion as humanity or Grigori knew
it, which gave rise to another name by which they’d been known: the
Unmoved Ones. They were perpetually functional like thinking
machines, devoid of personality and instinct. Their actions and
judgements had been undertaken with complete amorality, that same
trait which, to a small degree, was still present in the Grigori.
The Renowned Old Ones were not part of the great karmic cycle of
incarnation and soul-evolution, but represented a kind of universal
caretaking force. When they arrived upon earth, the energy of their
life-giving presence affected the cycle of evolution that was
already under way, and set into motion a more advanced form of
life. The Elders came into being when the Renowned Old Ones
initiated the creation of a higher life form, to comply with the
universal plan. This accomplished, the Renowned Old Ones departed
earth, leaving it in the care of their fleshly descendants.

‘The Elders built the Chambers
of Light in order to commune with their ancestors, the Renowned Old
Ones, and the source of all creation from whence they had
come.’

‘Why did they close the
chambers?’ Shem asked.

‘That is known only to those
who undertook the task,’ Tiy said. ‘They had their reasons, no
doubt. All that is known is that the chambers were closed, the
Elders disappeared, and the families of the twelve spread out into
the world, each taking one of the smaller crystals with them. Anu
was the son of one of the twelve. In Kharsag, he committed
transgressions against the laws of his people. It is ironic that
centuries later, he punished you for an indiscretion that, in some
ways, leaned more towards the original plan of the Elders.’

‘How did he transgress?’ Shem
demanded sharply.

Tiy sensed she had touched a
sore nerve. ‘Listen. Some of Elders’ half-human families went far
into the world, and settled in Australia, Tibet and South America.
But Anu made the shortest journey into what is now Kurdistan. As he
travelled, a sign came to him; a rainbow appeared over the mountain
peaks. Anu looked upon the seven colours of the rainbow, and
interpreted this as meaning there should now be a council of seven
rather than twelve. In the mountains, he tried to recreate the
Chambers, using the power of the crystal his father had given to
him. This is probably the same key you found at the Cave of
Treasures. Anu and his engineers harnessed the energy of a mighty
blue flame that they found within the mountains, to act as a
gateway to the stars of Orion.’

‘Yes,’ Shem said. ‘A temple was
built around the flame, protected by a great tower. The gardens
grew up around it.’

Tiy nodded. ‘Thus Kharsag came
into being: the High Place, the paradise in the clouds, remembered
by the peoples of the world as heaven. Anu set himself up there as
a god. The Anannage were supposed to interbreed with humanity, to
an extent where the Elders’ influence became disseminated
throughout the peoples of the world. You have to remember that,
from the very beginning, the Anannage were hybrids, like you. But
Anu, and others like him, became elitist and jealously guarded
their knowledge. The Elders had withdrawn from the world, but the
souls of their sons had not evolved enough to make wise judgements
without the guidance of their fathers. They created isolated
enclaves where they experimented with the power of the crystals and
the sacred blue flames that burned within the earth. Anu thought he
could atone for whatever mistakes had occurred within the Chambers
of Light. He sought to reconnect with the divine source. But he was
a rebel, Shemyaza, and it is my belief he identified those same
traits within you, and could not tolerate them. He was fired by
false piety and a lust to be all-powerful. He always wanted to know
more than he was meant to know. What he saw in you made him afraid,
for you were a dark mirror. That is why he made you the scapegoat
for his mistakes, his fall, and the sins of his followers.’

Shem was utterly silent as he
digested this knowledge. Tiy gripped his arm. ‘You must see, my
son, that this cycle has been replayed throughout history. Only you
can end it.’

Shemyaza had put his head into
his hands. ‘He made me suffer! I can’t believe the injustice of
it!’

Tiy reached out to stroke his
hair. ‘It is true. You must believe it, but don’t let it become a
burden. It is knowledge, and therefore freedom. You cannot reverse
history here, nor in Eden. You must journey to Giza in Egypt and
there, through the power of your father, Anu’s blood, reopen the
gateway to the source and put wrong to right.’

Shemyaza was silent for a
moment, then took a deep breath. Tiy gave him time to compose
himself, and did not interrupt his thoughts.

When Shemyaza finally spoke,
his voice was brusque, without feeling. ‘The Chambers of Light are
in Egypt. Perhaps I should have guessed that. But where exactly in
Giza is their entrance?’

‘I wish I could tell you,’ Tiy
replied, ‘but their exact location is a secret that history has
kept too well. I believe that you have the means to find them
though. You have the crystal key.’

‘Nimnezzar now has the
key.’

Tiy made a dismissive sound. ‘Oh, you
will get it back, have no fear, but first you must stop this
senseless game. You are not a martyr, Shemyaza. You must cast off
this hair mantle you insist on wearing. Babylon is your seat of
power. You must claim it. Nimnezzar is a mote before you, a beetle
in your fingers. He is puffed up with pride and arrogance because
he believes he has captured two angels…’

‘Two?’

‘Yes. Penemue is here, waiting
for you. Very soon, you will be reunited with your companions and
together you will open up the Chambers that have lain so long in
darkness. Later, I will tell you what I have learned of the rival
Grigori factions and how they threaten you, but for now, you have
enough to think about.’

Shemyaza laughed sadly. ‘I feel
your pride in me, and your faith, little mother. You forget that I
am presently incarcerated in a hole. How do I begin?’

‘That is simple. I will leave
this place and tell Nimnezzar you have agreed to show him the
secrets of the crystal. He trusts my word and will believe me when
I say that you truly are the one we have been waiting for. Your
only difficult task will be to convince him you accept him as the
heir of Anu and are prepared to assist him. He is a suspicious man,
which is partly why he is king. Once you are free of this place,
you must follow your heart. Let the key speak to you.’

Shemyaza touched her lined face
and spoke softly. ‘Mother. The word feels strange upon my tongue.
Can it be true?’

‘It is. Listen to the words of
your mother, Shemyaza. I have planned long for this moment.’

After Tiy had given the news
that Shemyaza was ready to speak to the king, Nimnezzar ordered
that Shemyaza be brought to one of his gardens. Here, beneath the
shade of an awning, Nimnezzar nibbled fruits, fanned by peacock
feathers wafted by mute, castrated slaves. His body was robed in
ceremonial dress, his oiled hair falling upon his shoulders. He
felt truly the lord of his kingdom. Tiy stood behind him, her limbs
loose. Somewhere, Amytis prowled behind a window, Melandra in her
wake.

Shemyaza was brought into the
garden by two guards. He was still dressed in his bloodied, dusty
travelling clothes. Nimnezzar was satisfied by the sight of his
wounds, glad to note his beauty had been marred. Yet the sun was
captured by Shemyaza’s bright, blood-streaked hair. It dazzled.

‘Now you will speak,’ said
Nimnezzar scornfully.

Shemyaza raised his head, and
his eyes blazed blue from the bruises around them. ‘Yes, I will
speak,’ he said. It was not the voice of a man who had been
recently beaten.

‘Do you command the Yarasadi
peshmergas?’

‘No,’ Shemyaza answered. ‘I
spoke the truth when I said I had no kingdom and no army.’

Nimnezzar shifted on his seat.
‘Then tell me what you are.’

‘You have my brother in
bondage. Let me speak to him, free him of his chains, and I will
tell you what you want to know.’

Nimnezzar laughed coldly. ‘You
are in no position to bargain. Do you desire another beating?
Speak, or suffer!’

Shemyaza folded his arms. He
smiled. ‘In the mountains, I was searching for an ancient artefact
of great power. It was the stone your vizier took from me.’

‘I know this much,’ Nimnezzar
said. ‘What is important is how you intend to use that artefact,
and more importantly still, how I may use it.’

‘It will call down fire from
heaven.’

Nimnezzar frowned.
‘Explain!’

‘If you like, it is the
ultimate weapon.’

For a moment, a thought passed swiftly
through Nimnezzar’s mind. He remembered the American woman whom Tiy
had advised him not to see. Americans: ultimate weapon. The two
seemed parallel. Was that the real reason the woman was here? ‘How
is it used?’

‘First, it must be
empowered.’

‘How?’

Shemyaza shrugged, a grimace of
pain passing over his face. ‘Take it to the top of your temple and
have your priests call down the thunder-bolts. The stone must be
held into the fire of a lightning fork.’

Again, Nimnezzar laughed, but
with less sureness. ‘This sounds a dangerous enterprise.’

‘Not to an adept,’ Shemyaza
said. ‘Speak to your priests about it.’

Nimnezzar narrowed his eyes.
‘Why should you speak the truth to me? I do not trust you.’

Shemyaza took a step forward
and, unexpectedly, the guards beside him took a step back, almost
as if they’d been pushed. ‘You are right, Nimnezzar. The time for
angels is past. This is the time of men. I cannot regain my
kingdom, but through your dynasty the blood of my ancient line can
flow once more in the veins of the world. Your seeress, Tiy, has
told me that through your daughter and my brother, Penemue, you
intend to initiate a new line of human-angel kings. For the
reinstatement of this ancient practice of the sacred marriage, I am
prepared to offer you my support. All I ask in return, is that once
I have helped you secure the world, you will give me Eden. I yearn
only to return to the soil of my ancient home, where I may live out
the days this body has left to it.’

Nimnezzar was astounded by this
offer. He flicked a glance at Tiy wondering how the old woman had
managed to cajole Shemyaza into co-operating. Visions marched
across his inner eye. Glory. Victory. Empire. Lord of the World. He
salivated. ‘Shemyaza, if you would swear fealty to me, bend now to
my feet and kiss the earth between them.’

Shemyaza approached, looming
larger in the king’s sight, until he cast a shadow over the swaying
awning. Nimnezzar was forced to look up. Then Shemyaza knelt
gracefully. As he kissed the dirt, his hair fell upon Nimnezzar’s
feet, through the straps of his sandals. Shemyaza raised his head.
‘Let me speak to my brother.’

Nimnezzar’s heart was beating
fast. He felt aroused, and gestured quickly at the guards. ‘Take
him to Penemue.’

Tiy stepped forward. ‘I will
accompany him — as a precaution.’

Nimnezzar waved a hand.
‘Go!’

Sarpanita was sitting in the
temple, before the prison of Penemue. She had stared at him for
over an hour and her hand-maidens were becoming quite restless. To
them, there had been no communication between the captive and the
princess. They were deaf to the silent conversation.

The moment Sarpanita had
stepped between the great bronze doors, Penemue had roared a
statement into her brain. ‘My brother is here!’

Sarpanita had had to stoop a
little as if she was walking against a strong wind. ‘He is here!’
she screamed in her mind. ‘Don’t hurt me!’

The pressure lessened. ‘Have
you seen him?’

Penemue’s emotions were an
indigo-red maelstrom in Sarpanita’s mind. She could barely think.
‘No, but my mother’s woman, Tiy, will have done so by now.’

‘You must see him yourself! I
command it! You must bring me tidings!’

Buffeted by his thoughts,
Sarpanita sank wearily into the lion-footed chair that was
positioned before the cage. ‘I will try… Penemue, is he really your
brother? In blood?’ In the visions he had shown her there had been
no hint of family ties between them.

‘Blood does not make a
brother,’ Penemue answered. ‘The Watchers were all brothers in
spirit, but only Shemyaza was the son of Anu’s flesh.’

He drifted off into his
memories then, and Sarpanita’s mind was filled with dusty images,
like ancient paintings hung too long in the light. She fell into
the dream of them, lived them; saw Shemyaza as a young man, heard
his laughter. He was beautiful in the alien way of the Anannage,
with his incredible height and his long, serpent face. She knew
that Penemue had loved him as more than a brother. He showed her
their love-making, and she could witness it without shyness. ‘The
woman killed him, killed his soul...’ Penemue thought mournfully
and Sarpanita knew he was speaking of Ishtahar. She found herself
wondering what the world would have been like if Shemyaza and the
others had never disobeyed the laws of Kharsag and taken human
wives. She also wondered what business Shemyaza might have with her
father. Had he been captured like Penemue or had he ridden into
Babylon as a king? Like Melandra, Sarpanita had sensed Shemyaza’s
advent. Unlike Melandra, and because of the Magian Gypsy blood in
her veins, she had also been able to detect the hot, confusing
smoke of his emotions. Since she had been communing with Penemue,
her ability to read people’s feelings had been heightened. Strange
how people so seldom said what they felt.