The Ophir
Authors: Irene Patino
Tags: #murder, #god, #curse, #dracula, #jack the ripper, #vlad tepes, #cursed, #ghengis khan, #messenger of allah, #ritualistic killings
by Irene Patino
Published by
Melange Books, LLC
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
The Ophir, Copyright 2014 Irene
Patino
ISBN: 978-1-61235-949-6
Names, characters, and incidents
depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales,
organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of
this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States of
America.
Cover Design by Caroline
Andrus
Table of
Contents
THE
OPHIR
by Irene Patino
"I will not die by your hand, Joseph Ben
Abin". The Messenger of Allah, in the year of his death, looked
upon the face of his assassin and cursed him and all that would
follow.
With only the cloak of night for protection
and comfort, Joseph Ben Abin, roamed the earth waiting for the day
that he could exact retribution from the hated and feared Kadar
Nazim, last prophet of God.
As Ghengis Khan, Joseph Ben Abin devised all
manner of torture for his victims. Bloodletting was his favorite.
As Vlad Tepes he would enjoy his breakfast as he watched his
crucified victims die before him. He would fill a cup with their
blood, and quench his thirst.
As Jack the
Ripper, he indulged in ritualistic killings that fed his
uncontrolled desire to do the same to the powerful prophet, Kadar
Nazim.
People feared him, no matter when, where or
who he became, but never challenged his choice of entertainment. No
one knew that on the day of retribution the world, as we knew it,
would change forever.
To my family who give me so many
ideas.
Prologue
Near a small coastal enclave in England,
trunks, baskets, packing crates and large wine caskets are tossed
onto a soft beach by the churning tides. Remnants of at least one
ship, victim to the furies of the sea, mix in with the bounty
pushed ashore by freak winds. Nine stalwart men of the town of
Brighton brave the still strong winds as they comb the beach for
anything of value. Salvage rights go to the finder. Ownership of
the flotsam brings hope that this time the contents will hold such
exotic gifts that their lives will be changed forever.
Chapter
One
Kadar Nazim, self-proclaimed prophet, bade my
much-trusted master come close, and so he did. “Tell me my son,
what is the name of my murderer this time?” And as my master bowed
to the prophet, he withdrew a blade, lunged forward and plunged it
high into Nazim's chest screaming, “It is I! I am the one!”
His mind raged. My master knew that his life
was now forfeit; he was prepared to die. He allowed the guilt to
take over. But the guilt was not for his attempt at murder. It was
for his failed attempt. He fell in supplication. He begged to be
forgiven for his treasonous act. With that, Nazim fell back also.
His guards rushed forward, but were waved away.
Wincing in pain from the blow, he raised his
hand, and then pointed to my master saying, “I will not die by your
hand, Joseph Ben Abin”. Even so, the Messenger of Allah, in the
year of his death, looked upon the face of his assassin and cursed
him and all that would follow.
Nazim spoke thus:
“From this time forward, you will be forever
bound to your native soil. It and the cloak of night will be your
only true comfort. Water, sun and separation of mind from body will
be your dissolution. Unquenchable thirst and hunger will be yours.
Shunned by man and beast, you will know the pleasure of neither.
Holiness and the grace of My Father will pierce you to the bone
like splinters.
You are cursed to roam the earth from sunset
to cock's crow. Remember this, for God's light will scorch your
flesh to be extinguished only by the setting sun. Your name, Joseph
Ben Abin, will be wiped from the lips of man that this day will not
exist in the annals of history.
You will be called by the words that fell
from your mouth as you fell upon me. You will be known as
The
One
from this day forward. Fear will cause man to hunt you as
the nameless creature you will become.
You will see me one final time. On that day I
will exact payment for this most treacherous attempt on my life,
and on that day there will be no mercy.”
The great prophet foresaw his own death, but
there was no reckoning of time, nor did he see the hand that would
be his end. Unbeknownst to us all, that was the last curse that
would come from Nazim's lips. The pronouncement of death by arcane
law was a whisper of hope to my master. It was a second chance at
retribution ... should he survive the process.
Nazim would die shortly after by poison,
served up by his most trusted second wife, Sabr, as she tended his
wounds and nursed him back to health. She wanted him to die knowing
that his death would be by
her
hand. The curse pronounced on
my master, and me through contact, would see no normal end.
* * * *
Innocent of wrongdoing, I watched, trembled
and prayed as the curse was set in motion. Nazim then spoke to
me.
“Ahkmed, I charge you with his keeping. From
this day forward you will remain in servitude to this man neither
living nor dead. You will do what he cannot.
Remain faithful, and you will live a long and
prosperous life. He will see to your needs even as you do his.”
He then ordered me, “Now go. Take this one to
the desert and bury him in the sand that will transform him. Stay
by his side until the full moon three days hence. He will arise
then as the lamia and be known throughout the world as the one who
made an attempt on Nazim’s life. ‘The One’ will be his name.”
My master, Joseph Ben Abin, tried to exact
revenge on Nazim; Nazim, the last of many prophets, repaid him in
kind. Although pronounced in soft, sorrowful tones, it was a curse
of the same magnitude delivered upon me, as delivered upon my
Master. As time progressed, “The One” became known to many; they
whispered his name in small groups, shadowed in fear.
The One and his followers would eventually
spread their forces from one end of the European continent to the
other. He took on a variety of persona that made each one rewarding
to one such as he. His character would surface in history, and his
name would change spelling but would always keep its meaning.
As Ghengis Khan, he devised all manner of
torture for his victims. Bloodletting was his favorite. As Vlad
Tepes, he would enjoy his breakfast as he watched his crucified
victims die before him. He would fill a cup with their blood, and
quench his thirst.
Jack the Ripper would also be among the
titles he would make infamous. As Jack, he indulged in ritualistic
killings that fed his uncontrolled desire to do the same to the
powerful prophet, Kadar Nazim.
The One lived many life times, and he
accumulated the wealth needed to carry on in opulence. His
character would fashion itself after the culture, eras and areas in
which he would exist. People feared him, no matter when, where or
who he became, but never challenged his choice of
entertainment.
* * * *
The word from Nazim spread and carried to
many parts of the globe. In conversation with the devout, he let it
be known that Joseph Ben Abin should not be suffered to continue
his existence on Earth. He knew the word would fall into the
consciousness of his most faithful, and without drawing attention
his word would be carried out.
“My brethren, it is written ‘An eye for an
eye’ is justice fulfilled by God’s decree. Therefore when we are
wronged, it is our right to take justice into our own hands.
We are promised many things for being
faithful. I will sweeten the pot. When one is wronged, we are all
wronged, and we must exact a price from the perpetrator. Speaking
as God’s chosen, I say repay kind for kind. If someone attempts to
take from you something precious, take something from them that is
also precious. But, as in all things, you maintain free choice.
Whatever you do, do in the name of Allah. You can choose to turn
the other cheek, or repay pain with pain, for it is well known that
the common man does only that from which he will profit. You will
receive greater reward for following Allah’s law. It is your given
right.” He continued to twist the word of The Almighty Jehovah as
it was written. And they listened.
* * * *
In a time before the death of Nazim’s most
loved wife Khadeejah, he had been a wise and loving man worthy of
his calling. He was held high; his word was final and rarely
challenged. He had created his own image to cover the real man. The
real man had given birth to one of the most powerful, most feared
sects of assassins known to man.
He used his cult of assassins to manipulate
his political power by use of fear, but he lacked the financial
backing to turn his greater ambitions into a reality. To this end,
he courted and married a woman introduced to him by his most loyal
follower, Sabah. Only one obstacle lay in his way. The husband of a
woman who stood on her own but would acquire greater wealth once
her husband was removed from the equation. It was a political
move.
After his wife’s death, pretense was no
longer needed. The wealth was now his, and he turned. He claimed
special dispensation in God’s court. His passions grew and clouded
the ethical traditions of his time, and often of his own making.
The truth of Nazim’s religious philosophy was confusing,
contradicting, and often manipulated to give credence to personal
desires. Again his follower’s listened. In Nazim’s world, he passed
his own brand of law down to his legion in discussion with leaders
of his tribe.
“Unmarried women and virgins do not deserve
respect as do our mothers. They tempt our very souls and are in
league with Satan. Our mothers were women of virtue. They were
married and obedient. You take nothing when you take a temptress by
force, nor a woman with no virginity to take. If a man does not
freely offer his wife or daughter to you, you have the right to
take her. And woe be to those who try to thwart heaven’s law.” His
faulty thinking found a way to justify his methods to men with few
morals. They justified heinous crimes with their own brand of
logic.
Nazim allowed assassination when it was of
benefit to him; he became the common man of which he so often
spoke. He was known to have even disregarded the simple sexual
morality of his adherents; he covered many sins by claiming Divine
Revelation. He warned against adultery but practiced it often.
With pride in success, Nazim believed himself
invulnerable; he justified chicanery if he could see gain from it.
His tour of the realm was often a ruse to disregard family sanctity
and his own teachings, and indulge his own decadent appetite. It
was in this last, that he crossed my master.
Joseph Ben Abin, a career soldier, a captain,
guarded roads and made traveling safe. When not protecting
travelers, he engineered more roads and bridges. His work kept him
away from his Nubian wife, Akilah, for long periods of time. Nazim
had heard of her beauty; he took advantage of my master’s absence.
Nazim devised a plot to get her alone using his title and deception
to lure her to his camp.