The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Burning Phoenix (87 page)

Zadar could only silently nod, he fearing
that even a tear might ruin his darling sister. Who was there
braver than this woman, more willing to sacrifice everything out of
love or, who was more misunderstood, more maligned, more estranged?
Darla was special. It cut at Zadar’s heart to know that he wielded
the knife that would destroy what innocence remained in his
sister’s life, that he was cursed to bring the little peace she had
found in the arms of her child to a finish.

Darla grinned. “We have a bit of time before
that hour, and I want to live it to the full. Wipe that frown off
you face. Put on your happy smile. Come, so much I want you to see
the fruitage of my belly, the product of my virgin birth. Celebrate
with me my renewed coming of age.”

The evening went well as Zadar had expected,
even if not as he anticipated. Hanna and Symeon had occupied
Ishtar’s time while Darla went in search of Zadar. They were just
finished baking some sweet bread pastries when she and Zadar
arrived. While everyone sat about the table eating the delicious
treats, Drorli and Eurawha stopped by for a chat. It was late into
the evening before the company retired, Eurawha promising to return
a little later.

It pleased Zadar to have so many people
about when he made acquaintance with Ishtar, allowing him
opportunity to politely observe the girl in a more formal setting.
He found it interesting that the child took well to Hanna and
Symeon, yet still held her feelings in check, he imagining that a
little doubt still lingered regarding whether the two were really
who they claimed to be.

The girl treated Drorli with a cool
politeness that warned him of her lack of trust, Drorli possibly
representing to her the authority in this land. On the other hand,
the girl was very affectionate with Eurawha, Zadar feeling that the
two had developed more than just a casual friendship, at least
emotionally if not physically. During this time, he and Ishtar had
few words other than polite salutations.

Ishtar walked Eurawha to the door, the
girl’s disappointment having been swaged by the woman’s promise of
return. After a tender kiss, Eurawha departed, leaving the three
alone. Darla wasted little time acquainting her treasure with
Zadar. Much to Zadar’s surprise, Ishtar took quickly to him.
Although remaining polite, the girl’s continues glances and undue
attentiveness made him wonder if Darla was correct regarding
Ishtar’s feelings. Still, Ishtar treated him differently than she
had Eurawha, and especially Darla.

Before the evening was over, Ishtar had
taken to Zadar like an adoring younger sister does an older
brother. She finally sat down, resting her head in opened hands as
she leaned forward on her elbows, staring into Zadar’s face. Eyes
twinkling, she dreamily commented, “You remind me so of my
father.”

Pleased, but surprised, Zadar asked, “How
so?”

“Oh...” Ishtar rolled her eyes in thought.
“I think it must to be the way you play with your words, always
finding just the right tune to make them fun to listen to. Father
could dance a tune as he talked, just making you listen to
everything he spoke.”

Darla leaned over, wrapping an arm about
Zadar’s and kissing him softly on the cheek. “See, I said my child
would take well to you.”

Ishtar, who had been observing closely
Darla’s amatory tone with Zadar during the evening, finally asked,
“Is this man your husband, or husband to be?”

Unprepared for such a question, Darla
stammered, attempting a reply. Zadar interrupted, answering, “This
woman and I are bonded by heart and bed, for that is the custom of
our people, but marriage is not a curse we cast upon any man or
woman. Do I love this person? Oh yes, more than most! But never
shall I chain her to me by vow or command such as your kind has
done, to the ruin of many lives.”

Ishtar sat upright in surprise, disturbed.
“So to the wolves one can be cast by a mere whim since no power
binds you here? What of children or poverty? Should evil find the
woman through sickness or old age, with no protection through law,
what comes of her? Is she cast away to fend for herself?”

Zadar’s answer was kind, but pointed. “Your
kind, even with binding laws, through conniving ways, cast the
tired, aged and sickly out into the street. Often those who hold
sway over the people will resort to murder when they tire of an
unwanted mate. No, my dear, laws are for the lawless, which your
kind has proved to be all too often.”

He pointed at Darla, who sat there concerned
at where this conversation might be going. “No more could I hurt
this woman than I could destroy my own flesh. Nothing there is that
I would not do for her welfare. I need no law to bind her to me,
yet for many women I do feel the same. It is the way of our people.
The righteous children in this world need no laws, for they are
already inscribed upon our hearts.”

Then he pointed a finger at Ishtar, smiling.
“You must step into our world and leave the foolish ways and dreams
of your old one behind. Dead you did become. I know it for a fact,
and brought back from the dead by the machines and machinations of
our kind you have been. No mortal of your kind may enter our world
until first passing through what you call ‘death’, at least not at
this hour - maybe never. It is not my call to make.”

“In this world, we do not make babies or
become old and feeble. Like a maiden wife of your kind with her
husband, seduction and flirtation are also common practices among
our kind. As for binding law… through the union in celebration of
the first two of our kind have all the men and women of this world
have been delivered into marriage and obligation, bound by the oath
of heart to care for the wellbeing of another unto death.”

He frowned. “This same would also have been
true of your kind had your father, Adam, not rebelled against all
that is good. The rape of Eve to produce your race was no bond into
freedom but one into slavery. Yes,
rape
I say, because no
love did Adam any longer feel toward the woman gifted him. Only to
satisfy his carnal desire did he approach her. So what good did
marriage serve the woman other than to enslave her to a lifetime of
suffering, a gift that has been handed down to so many of the women
of your kind clear to this day?”

Lifting a hand, Zadar closed his finger and
thumb until they almost touched. “I tell you this: If your kind had
love the size of a mustard grain, no laws would bind your kind, no
long garments of fur would cover your hearts to protect the
innocent. Even with childbirth, old age and sickness, the love like
we share in our world would be same way in yours.”

Ishtar sat there, mouth agape. She
exclaimed, “I perceive you to be an angel of the Most High! Is it
really so?”

Zadar frowned, thinking. He finally stood.
“I am the same in spirit as my sister here, as are you. Is she an
angel? If so, then so are you. Yet, in this world are all the
angels
considered as men and women of flesh. Look and
see.”

At that, Zadar disrobed, standing naked in
front of a rather embarrassed Ishtar. “As your father was, so am I,
a man of flesh and blood. Our kind see ourselves as only human, the
same as your father and mother were, only human. Oh yes, we do not
grow old and die, but mortal we are and die we do when war or
violence comes upon us. For our part, the gift of conception is not
yet ours, but manliness and womanliness are as strong among my kind
as any of yours.”

He quickly dressed and sat back down at the
table. Extending an opened hand, palm up, he explained. “Your king
of old spoke of being conceived in sin, and yes, as children of
Adam you all were, but my kind were not conceived so. You have been
reborn into our world and are now like us, even more so, being born
a new creation with an incorruptible heart. It is your kind, the
ones
reborn
here that
we
call angels. Our expectation
is that your kind will live up to that name for us.”

Ishtar now frowned. “I do wish to believe
what you say is true, yet, if it is so, then what of God? Here I
live, trapped in a strange, bewildering empty village with only a
few souls visiting me. I am to believe I am in Heaven, but so far I
have only been imprisoned, chased by wild monkeys, arrested by an
officer of the governor, and…and so many other unpleasant things.
If this is really Heaven, then show me God and His great throne of
power. Then I will believe.”

Darla was caught up speechless. Zadar
smiled, nodding in thought before he replied. “Do be careful what
you wish for. You might just receive it.”

Ishtar slammed her fist on the table. “That
is what I
wish
for! Deliver it and I promise, I will
believe.”

Zadar confirmed her statement. “Yes, you
will believe then.” He shrugged, “I will see what can be arranged.
God is very busy, you know, what with dusting the stars off of the
winter snows and seeing to keeping their lamps aflame.”

Darla poked Zadar, signaling that was
enough.

He was not quite ready to stop, not just
yet. “I have friends in high places who might be willing to set a
date for a visit to God’s court. Mighty busy those fellows are, and
don’t like to be bothered needlessly, you know. I suggest you think
up a good reason for such a visit. God doesn’t take lightly to
annoying little creatures out just gawking about. It should be
something important for you to get an audience with the Almighty.
Can you do that?”

Darla was beside herself, unable to decide
whether to cry or laugh. Ishtar nodded her head in serious thought,
promising that she could come up with something important to ask
God. Zadar assured the girl that he would do his best to obtain an
audience in the near future. Darla finally came to her senses and
rustled up a little cheese and wine for a late evening snack. Soon
everyone was chattering away about other less complicated
subjects.

It was nearing the midnight hour when
Eurawha returned as she had promised, helping to lift Ishtar’s
spirits after having been informed that her companion, Darla, must
depart for a few days. It had been a tearful experience, what with
Darla attempting to explain her need to leave and Ishtar’s
fruitless attempts to have her stay “at least until the morning.
Just one last night together, please!”

Eurawha’s gentle touch and soft, cooing
reassurances that the night need not be spent lonely and alone
helped with the girl’s mood. After Darla retrieved an aged shoulder
bag hidden in a corner, and had offered several generous hugs and
rather passionate kisses, along with many tears of endearment, she
and Zadar were off and down the road, heading out of the
village.

The stars twinkled bright in the warm night
sky when Darla and Zadar arrived back at the carriage, the moon
already gone to rest behind the hills. The walk back was quiet,
Zadar contemplating what evil he might possibly be delivering upon
his sister, Darla lamenting being without the embrace of her
darling child.

It was Darla who finally broke the silence.
“Just before your message arrived this day, Crilen called, warning
me that you might be up to something that could be rather
unpleasant, saying I might do well not to take you up on your
request. Puzzling, to say the least... Crilen and I get along well
enough, but he’s never really paid me much heed, and has avoided me
completely since the Shikkeron incident before leaving for the
Prisoner Exchange.”

She took Zadar’s hand. “If it weren’t for
the Whispering Voices in my dreams, I’d not think to accept your
offer this night, fearing that some hidden dread might befall me.
I’ve suffered greatly from my demon, as you already know. I do fear
it’s waking, should I not be able to control it any longer. What we
do this night might release it to my waking world.”

Zadar squeezed Darla’s hand, brushing her
face with his other. “Then we should do nothing at all. I, too,
fear, even more so since your informing me that what I ask may be
very dangerous. No! The gamble is not worth it.”

Darla argued to the contrary. “That’s not
true! If it’s for Mother’s sake, then it is well worth it…at any
cost! I only mention Crilen because our relationship has always
been rather estranged. Rare have been our dream shares, I always
getting the feeling of silent disappointment when our heated rush
was over. Yet, today, he hinted at his desire to be with me again,
his flirting words attempting to awake my passionate desires as we
spoke.”

She looked into Zadar’s face. “Smooth his
speech was, too, and so rare it has been that a man asks for my
bed. I nearly surrendered and ran off to be with him. Only the
haunting call of the Whispering Voices and my desire to remain with
my child for a few more moments halted my leave, and going off to
him.”

Saddened, Zadar quietly replied. “Crilen is
much older, yet he has always seen to my best interests. After our
discussion earlier today, he may have wanted to show you some
special attention. He is a good lover, has a way with the women,
makes ‘em swoon over him, or so I’ve seen in my own dream shares
with them. I’m sorry I messed it up for you.”

Darla disagreed. “You make me feel warm and
fuzzy. I know that you love me. A poor night of loving in your arms
is better than the best even in one as ancient as PalaHar…though
that I wouldn’t know. Still…you are so honest and caring with me.
Whatever you must do is only because it must be done.”

Turning away and looking up at the sky,
Darla asked, “So you want to pick my brain, do you? Well I doubt
there’s much there to find. Hidden walls, locked doors, and empty
chambers are about all you’ll discover. Little use I’ll be in
revealing any secrets, my iron will as strong in my dreams as in my
waking hours.”