The Return of the Watchers (Armageddon Rising Book 1) (34 page)

“Issa and Rashidi can carry his body I suppose,” Samir said with a sad sigh.                                                                                                                               “How will we explain this to the authorities, Samir?” Rashidi asked.                                                                                                                                            “Fine, leave him then. We can come back for him later after I have buried my daughter,” he said, his voice cracking. Standing at the back of the room with his daughter’s corpse slung over his shoulder, he retrieved a small spherical crystal from his bag. The crystal ball had a slight luminescence to it. In the center of it were hieroglyphics that appeared to be shifting from one symbol to another as Samir held it in his hand.               “Where did you obtain that?” Omari asked in a slightly impertinent tone.                                                                                                                                             “I will explain later. For now, it will provide us with a way out,” Samir replied as he carefully placed the crystal into a receptacle in the wall. A few seconds went by before they heard a loud noise coming from the opposite side of the wall. As that was happening, larger pieces of limestone fell from the ceiling as the pounding from above increased in intensity, all signs indicating that the whole room could collapse at any moment. Several minutes later the pounding from above ceased. The chamber exit was now completely filled with huge pieces of limestone, making it clear the survivors had to leave by another means.                             A clicking noise followed by a low rumbling sound came from within the wall as it began to slowly move. Stale air mixed with the scent of the sea blasted them as the wall opened, revealing an enormous underground city. A stairway illuminated by glowing lamps filled with a silvery liquid that looked like mercury stood before them, leading down to a lower platform where a large river flowed. Two statues of approximately eighteen feet in height, each with the face of a lion and the teeth of a dragon, stood on either side of the stairway. Each had outstretched arms holding an iridescent triangular object. The walls lining the chamber were ornately painted with scenes depicting humanoids and humans interacting.               They reached the bottom of the stairs and Samir walked over to a large inflatable raft that was sitting beside the river's edge. They looked at each other and wondered how it got there and more importantly, who was going to stay behind, as it was apparent the raft would not accommodate all of them.                                                                                                                              
A
t that moment Omari produced a knife and plunged it into the back of Rashidi, then quickly pulled it out.  He reached over and grabbed Issa by the arm, bringing the bloodied edge to her throat. Rashidi slumped to the ground and began convulsing and groaning, foam coming out of his mouth. Ramla moved next to Lotus and Samir quickly jumped back, after having just placed his daughter's lifeless body in the raft.                                          “The tablet, quickly or I cut her throat!” Omari demanded with his hand outstretched toward Lotus.                                                                                    “I wasn't certain whether it was you or Rashidi who betrayed us, but now it is clear. You have doomed us all! Fool! You are responsible for the death of my daughter!” Samir yelled, his sadness shifting to rage.             

“There is no winning this war Samir. I did what I had to survive. They would have gotten out anyway. What did you think you were going to do to stop them? What would any of you do? Look at you! Pathetic! I'll ask one more ti-” he said, stopping, frozen mid sentence. Shock entered his mind as he failed to notice Issa had drawn a sigil in the sand with her toes, quietly casting a spell.                                                                                                  “The blood of one sacrificed, Omari. I was surprised you would be so careless with your blade,” Issa said, holding up two fingers with Rashidi's blood on them. Paralyzed, all Omari could do was watch as Samir and the others scoured the area for something to bind him with. Ten minutes later Ramla returned with a dried braided rope about fifteen feet long.                                                                                                                                             “Help me!” Samir shouted behind labored grunts. He was pushing on a large limestone slab that had an iron ring affixed to the top which was was sliding on heavy rollers from underneath. With the help of the other three it was surprisingly easy to move the slab to the edge of the river, which appeared to be quite deep.                                                                                     Samir fastened the rope around Omari's neck and the other end to the limestone slab. All Omari could do was watch his fate unfold as he was frozen in place, unable to speak or do anything. The others watched also, knowing what Samir was about to do, yet they did not interfere with him carrying out justice for the murders Omari had committed.
              Samir stepped back and looked at Omari while sighing and shaking his head in disbelief. The memory of his daughter's execution, as well as the realization that his wife might also have been murdered, was pressing down on him. Cursing himself for his stupidity and not listening to Jizam, he began to weep and scream with rage, fueling his lust for revenge. Reaching behind the slab that was parked at the edge of the river he pushed with all his might, plunging it into the water. It disappeared quickly, taking Omari into the deep with it. They all stood silently for a moment as Samir began to weep. The three went over to console him, offering their condolences and prayers for him.                                                         “We should leave; we have to warn the others about what happened,” Lotus said, her hand on his shoulder.                                                         “I think we'll all fit inside this raft; give me a few moments and I will retrieve Msrah's body and place him next to Rashidi,” Issa said as he sprinted up the stairs to the chamber where Msrah lay. Ramla began hunting for something to wrap the bodies in so that they could be prepared for burial. In a small room off to the rear of the platform she found some linen that was very old, fragile and dusty, but would at least cover them if they were placed close enough together. Issa completed the gruesome task of returning Msrah to the lower level and set him beside Rashidi. Lotus covered the bodies and they boarded the raft with Samir cradling his daughter in his arms.                                                                                                                 “Too bad we don't have the locations of the pris-” was all Lotus started to say when she noticed Samir peer over at her with the look of a crushed soul on his face.                                                                                                  “I wouldn't say that, Lotus,” Ramla said, trying not to smile.              “I managed to snap a picture off on my cell phone before it disappeared,” she said triumphantly. Samir perked up a bit as Issa and Lotus both looked relieved. The deaths would not be in vain.                             The river curved around a bit and split off into four different directions. The current was moving too fast for them to control the raft well and a rapid drop off caused water to flood in momentarily. They removed as much water as they could with their hands and emerged out of a hidden opening into the Nile River. The underground waterway was as incredible as the Great Sphinx itself, a ten mile journey that ended on one of the smaller branches of the river. Samir nodded at Issa to paddle up ahead to the embankment.                                                                                                  “Is that your car? What is it doing here?” Ramla asked him.                            “I was planning to show everyone the tunnel, and then we would have a pleasure ride back on the raft I left in the cavern. That is why I had Issa pick me up from here,” he replied.             
                                                        The group waited as Samir gently placed his daughter in the car and they all left together.                                                                                                   “Where should we go?” Issa asked.                                                                       “We will go to my house first. I need to check on my wife,” Samir said, holding back his emotions for the time being.

“Sure. No problem. We can all go together,” Lotus replied, looking at the rest of them with steely eyes. Judging from her look, it was implied there was not going to be a discussion.                                                        “What if we come across one of the fallen again? How are we going to deal with them? Most of what I know is very limited. How do you even injure or kill one of them?” Ramla asked.                                                         “There are ways,” Samir said bluntly. “I did not come prepared, otherwise they might have thought twice about attacking us. None of us were expecting betrayal and that is where we failed. You two have learned something valuable in this tragedy. Always consider and prepare for and the unexpected. I was so focused on Malik and what could go wrong with the summoning that I failed to recognize the external danger we faced. This does not mean you cannot trust anyone. It simply means that you should not allow yourself to be put into a position of weakness, should the unexpected occur,” he said with a weary voice.                                                         “That is good advice. Even though we were betrayed you still need to rely on others. When I had my apprentices I would often remind them of the importance of community and working together as a group. You may think that you will be better off as a 'lone wolf' but in truth, it is better to work together. A reed by itself can bend and break, but a bundle  is strong. Never forget that,” Lotus said.                                                                       Issa and Ramla both nodded.                                                                        “Lotus, that weapon he used, did you recognize it?” Samir asked.               “No, I have never seen anything like that. The ring, however, looked familiar. I will need to consult some manuscripts first to confirm my suspicions. His blade appeared to draw Malik into it, trapping him within. I can only assume it can also collect human souls as well. My guess is there is a limit to what it can hold; the spirit of Malik seemed to be stretching its capabilities. I was able to understand some of what they were saying to each other. They were concerned it would not hold. The question is, what are they planning to do with his spirit?”                                            “A good question indeed,” Samir replied.

Eighteen

              At the summit of Mount Hermon in the region over modern day Syria, six thousand years B.C., two Hundred angels were gathered on a plateau to form a pact of mutual sedition. Twenty of their chiefs huddled  to discuss the details of their unholy rebellion, sprung from the well of lust. Shemikhazah, their leader, addressed the celestial body with his concerns.                                                                                                                                “We have all taken great risk upon ourselves to arrive by mutual supplication at our destination. I ask you all again, is it not unjust that Elohim has set apart the daughters of Eve for the sons of Adam, yet we who have served faithfully have not received such splendor? Why should we not undertake this endeavor upon ourselves, that we become flesh also and take wives to assuage our desires? Should we continue to suffer with passion, thus defiling our spirits within? Let it not be said that Adam did not transgress, and yet despite his sin the son of man still found favor in the sight of our Lord. Is inequity to be our lot for this cause? Yet I fear you will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.”                                                                                                   The others listened to Shemikhazah’s plea and answered in kind. “Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by imprecations not to abandon this plan but to carry out our objective.” They mutually agreed and swore together to complete their objective. The die was now cast; their fate sealed with this act of rebellion.

              The day turned to night and the light of the assembled mass shone over the antediluvian town below, some distance from the foot of the mountain. As they made their way down the mountain, the villagers came out to witness the procession of divine beings. Awed by their presence and power, they were welcomed into their community with open arms.               Within a short time, the men of the village quickly wed their daughters to the Watchers, with the goal of learning their secrets. All of the others, including the leaders, took unto themselves wives from the villagers and each chose for himself one. The Watchers began to have relations with their wives, defiling themselves and corrupting the human experiment.                As a result of their union the women became pregnant; however, since the watchers were not of Earth many of their offspring were mutated, becoming great giants that began to devour all the produce of man. When the humans could no longer supply the giants, they, in turn, began to devour mankind itself.

              As it happened, the Watchers followed through with their promise to teach the humans the forbidden knowledge; knowledge that was beyond their capacity to control. It was Asa’el who taught men to make swords of iron, knives, shields, breastplates of brass, and made known to them the metals that are excavated from the Earth. He taught the forging of gold and silver into jewelry and ornaments as well as the use of cosmetics for beautification of the face.                                                                                                   Shemikhazah taught spellbinding and botany, Hermoni the casting of spells. Barak’el taught the signs of lightning, Ar’tekif the signs of the Earth, Shimsh’el the signs of the sun, Sahri’el the signs of the moon, and they all began to teach their wives as well. As a result of their sharing this  knowledge, mankind was led astray and grew in wickedness, being corrupt in all their actions and motivations.