Into Eden: Pangaea - Book 1 (39 page)

Jesse was just thinking about this terrible display of military might when he heard a small voice from beside him ask, “Where’s your paw-prints?”

Jesse looked down at a little lion-head that sat next to him. On the other side of the lion-head was its parents. He ignored the question and stared out at the parading triceratops.

A tug came on his shoulder pad, “Where’s your paw-prints?”

Jesse carefully removed the furry little hand and replied, “Just watch the parade.”

In a moment he glanced back at the child to see it whispering to its mother, so he leaned over to Perez, “I think that we need to go.”

Jesse and Perez stood and began to carefully pick their way through the parade-watchers as they stepped down the bleachers. They were about three-quarters of the way down when the little lion-head’s father stood up, pointed at them and yelled, “Impostors! Humans!”

Jesse didn’t even try to go down another stair. Instead, he swung himself over the railing and jumped the last two paces to the street below, with Perez right behind him. The two both landed on their feet, but a shot of pain went through his hip, and he immediately crumpled to the ground. Perez pulled him back to his feet as shocked parade-watchers turned to see what all the excitement was about.

“C’on, Jesse!” Perez said in his ear. “We’ve got to get out of here!”

Enoch joined them from beneath the bleachers as behind them they could hear the lion-head yell, “They are impostors! I saw them! They are humans disguised as Secret Police!”

Jesse and Perez hobbled behind the bleachers and down an alley as behind them others took up the cry, “Humans in the crowd! There are humans in the crowd!”

They cut down another alley, but now they could hear running feet and the sound of approaching horses. Jesse looked behind him to see the alley darken as two horsemen in armor road toward them with swords drawn. Ahead of them in the alley two more armed an-nef approached on foot.

Perez leaned close to Jesse, “You go left. I’ll go right. Hamstring the horses first.” With that he released Jesse and gave him a mild push toward the left. The two boys hugged the side of the alley as the horsemen closed in on them. Jesse raised his broadsword in a defensive stance, and as the rider attacked the horseman’s blade clanged off Jesse’s sword. Jesse stepped out into the alley as the rider attempted to turn his horse around and charge again. Before he could do so, Jesse brought his sword down on first one and then another of the horse’s rear legs. It sickened him to do so to the poor animal, but it was either him or the horse. The large animal immediately collapsed, neighing loudly as it did, and pinning its rider beneath it. Jesse darted forward and swung his sword again, bringing it down hard on the small space between the rider’s helmet and shoulder-pad. The helmet rolled out into the alley, head intact.

Jesse glanced over to see Perez standing beside the second decapitated rider. As the four an-nef on foot had stopped their advance, Perez leaned forward and slit the animal’s throat, putting it out of its misery. Jesse did the same with his attacker’s mount, and the two boys now stood in the alley back-to-back.

“C’on, you half-witted half-animals!” Perez yelled, “Let’s see what you’ve got!”

Jesse wished that Perez hadn’t issued the challenge, but there was no time to protest. The two an-nef facing him resumed their advance, and rushed at him at a jog, swinging their huge swords as they did. At that moment time seem to slow to a crawl. Jesse saw his attacker approach as if in slow motion. He ducked the swing of the first swordsman and brought his sword up under the neck of the second. The an-nef’s body collapsed, its head severed from its shoulders. Jesse pivoted, and as his first attacker regained his balance and came back to swing again, Jesse maintained his forward motion and brought his sword down on the neck of this attacker as well. In the space of about two seconds the an-nef’s decapitated bodies lay in the alley before him. Behind him he could hear the clanging of steel and he turned to see Perez’s sword relieve an an-nef of his head as well. Now they were alone again. Six dead an-nef, two dead horses.

“Bravo!” Enoch called. “Now let’s get out of here before some more arrive.

Perez started for the far end of the alley, and Jesse hobbled along behind him, Enoch at his side. But before they could reach the end of the alley three more an-nef appeared—these Secret Police, and they leveled their crossbows at them. Jesse looked behind them. Three more of Canaan’s Own had entered the alley with crossbows at the ready.

“Now, now, boys,” a Secret Policeman with bull-horns sticking through his helmet announced, “I’m the sporting type. I see you know a little swordsmanship yourselves.”

He then turned to his men, “Holster your crossbows. Let’s make this a real fight.” With that he holstered his crossbow and drew his broadsword. The an-nef at both ends of the alley did the same. Six against two didn’t seem very sporting to Jesse, but they couldn’t have fought crossbows. They had gone from no chance of surviving the evening to little chance. The two boys again found themselves back to back, preparing to fight for their lives.

“We’re not going to come out of this alive, Jesse,” Perez said, barely above a whisper.

“I know, Perez. I’m sorry that I brought you into this. I never intended for it to end this way.” There was a finality in his response that he hadn’t intended. But once it was said, he realized that it was true. They were about to die. Somehow, with all hope lost the fear of death went with it.

“If we must die,” Jesse continued, “let’s die on our feet and make Father proud.”

“Yeah,” Perez replied, still barely a whisper. Then he yelled, “Come and get it, cow-brains!”

Chapter 19
Retribution

The Secret Police started to advance on Jesse and Perez from both sides of the alley. They didn’t approach waving their swords in a haphazard manner as had the an-nef that the two boys had fought moments before, but in a slow, calculated attack, swords held in front with both hands, cocked at a forty-five degree angle, and eyes focused on Jesse and Perez’s swords. Likewise, Jesse and Perez were focused on their opponents. They too held their swords in front of them, but in a defensive posture parallel to their bodies. Two trained swordsmen facing off against six trained swordsmen. If they were to come out of this alive, Jesse knew that he would have to use everything that he had been taught as a youth in sword fighting—and on top of that—get a good deal of luck. He knew that the odds were not good. At best he might be able to take one or two of them with him, but in the end he would die in this alley. Still, his focus was singular, as was that of his opponents. He didn’t see the alley, the buildings that squeezed in around them or hear that distant shouts of revelers back at the parade. He saw only three approaching blades. Likewise, his opponents were totally focused on the blades of the two boys. Nothing else existed in that moment but steel and sharpened edge.

It’s funny how when the mind focuses on one thing it filters out all other things to the exclusion of the object of its focus. In a crowd a child can filter out the commotion of a thousand voices to hear the calls of its mother. In battle men have unknowingly lost limbs in a charge because of their complete focus on taking the hill. So it was that neither the boys nor their enemies—so focused were they on their opponents’ blades—saw the large pack of black dogs that began to fill in the alley on both sides. Out of the corner of his eye Jesse saw a black blur as one of the animals launched itself at one of the Secret Police facing him. Within half a second the other two an-nef were down as well, dogs snarling and tearing at the overwhelmed an-nef. Behind him he heard more snarling and barking, and whirled, sword at the ready. What he saw was Perez’s opponents down on their hands and knees in the alley, trying in vain to fend off a growing number of dogs as the animals ripped at their victims. Perez just stood there in utter amazement, sword limp at his side. Off to one side Enoch stood alone, barking at the rabid animals as they destroyed their prey. Across the alley from Enoch, a lone dog stood silent, taking in the violent ambush. Jesse turned again, and looked in horror as a dog ran past him, an arm of its victim in its mouth. In a minute all six of the Secret Police lay motionless, but the dogs continued to ravage the corpses.

“Enough!” yelled the lone dog across from Enoch. “Scatter before more of Canaan’s goons arrive!”

The pack dispersed. Some running back down the alley, while others exited the alley and disappeared into the darkness.

“You two!” the dog yelled at Jesse and Perez. “Get yourselves some better disguises and be quick about it!”

Jesse and Perez just stood there for a moment looking at the dog, who was apparently quite used to giving orders and expected to be obeyed. Behind them Enoch was growling, his fur around his neck sticking up.

“I said, be quick about it!” the dog yelled again. “You’ll need a couple of breastplates with the Ram, and shoulder-pads with the mark. Might be good to get a couple of redlined capes while you’re at it, if you can find some without too much blood on them.”

Jesse and Perez still hesitated and the dog began to yell, “I said, MOVE IT! Canaan’s goons will be here any minute!”

Jesse and Perez removed their armor tossing it to one side of the alley. They then stripped the best breastplates, shoulder-pads and capes that they could find from the dead and buckled them on quickly. As soon as they had finished, the bossy dog yelled, “Now follow me!” The dog took off at a trot, with Perez close at his heals, and Jesse and Enoch bringing up the rear. They followed him down back-streets and alleys until they finally arrived at a stable and the dog led them in through an open back door.

“Now we can talk,” the dog said. “But keep your voices down. The horses won’t say anything, but if you make too much racket they may wake the owner. He’s a nasty wolf-head and we don’t need him out here snooping around.”

“Thanks for the rescue,” Jesse said in a low voice. “Do you have a name?”

“The name’s ‘Chronus.’”

“Pleased to meet you, Chronus. I’m...”

“I know who you are!” Chronus snapped back. “You’re Jesse. The other human is your brother, Perez, and that spirit-host mutt with you is Enoch, your uncle.”

Enoch began to growl again.

“How do you know so much about us?” Jesse asked.

“Might as well put a sign around your necks! TWO STUPID HUMANS AND ONE STUPID DOG IN NEW SODOM TO KILL A STUPID JACKAL-HEAD!”

Jesse was taken back by Chronus’ response. Did the whole city know that they were here and why? he thought. And how could they know?

“You still haven’t told me how.”

“Some of my friends from Old Sodom are in town spreading the news. Even the emperor is aware of your visit. He’s got his Secret Police looking everywhere for the three of you. If he knew what a pitiful lot you were he probably wouldn’t bother!”

“Thanks,” remarked Jesse sarcastically.

“No problem. If I didn’t need you I’d have let Canaan’s Goons finish you off back in that alley. As it is I’m stuck with two boys—one of them a cripple—and a dying mutt. Just my luck!”

Jesse and Perez looked at Enoch.

“What’s he talking about?” Jesse asked Enoch.

“I’ve been feeling a little under the weather lately...”

“You’re lying! You’re dying! I sensed it the first time that I saw you!” Chronus interrupted.

“Is this true, Enoch?” Perez asked.

“I believe that his assessment is correct. Long-nose has some disease eating at his bones. I suspect that he is dying.”

“You suspect?” Chronus said sarcastically. “By the gods, you know that I right! You’re host is a goner. The spirits of Old Sodom would have entered you if it were not for your condition.”

Enoch didn’t reply to this, but Jesse and Perez knew that it was so. It was the only explanation of why they hadn’t tried to enter his host when they had them so completely outnumbered in the old city.

“You said that you need us,” Jesse said. “How so?”

“We have a common enemy.”

“Anubis?”

“No kidding. You got a death-wish for any other an-nef in this town?”

By now Jesse had learned that there was no point in expecting civility from Chronus. He wondered if he had been as difficult to get along with in life as he was in death.

“Go on.”

“As I was saying, we have a common enemy. I thought that we might be able to help each other in our revenge.”

“I don’t want revenge. I want justice.”

Chronus began to laugh in the same sort of coughing laugh that he had heard from Enoch many times.

“Yeah. Revenge. Justice. Whatever. We both want him dead, don’t we, human? You want him dead because he killed your father. I want him dead because he killed me. Either way, we have a common enemy. You have a sword. I can get you to him to use it. Do we have a deal?”

Jesse thought for a moment, then turned to Enoch, “Is he an unclean spirit?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re a demon?” Jesse asked, turning back to Chronus.

“That term has such a bad connotation. Judgmental, in fact. Besides, what does it matter? We both want the same thing, don’t we? You didn’t think that I rescued you out of the kindness of my demonic heart, did you? Anubis leaves a trail of blood wherever he goes. It is commonly known here in New Sodom that he has killed several of his political rivals.”

“You were one of them?” asked Jesse.

“Yes. I hate him because he killed me! I was on the counsel. Anubis hated me—he hates anyone that finds strength in moderation. He was always saying that we should attack this one, kill that one—destroy those that oppose us. But my word prevailed. For that he and some of his relatives ambushed me on my way to the counsel one day and declared that I provoked the fight! He broke my neck! No one believed his story, so they banned him from serving on the counsel. The others on the counsel were too afraid of him to give him what he deserved. They should have offered him up as a sacrifice!” There was anger in the demon’s voice and the dog began to growl as he spoke.

“Together, Jesse, Master of the house of Nashon,” the demon went on, “we can do what neither of us can accomplish separately.”